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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
MSU Police plan to charge student in abduction hoax Kennedy case bound over to grand jury BY HANNAH ROGERS Editor in Chief
The Mississippi State University student who reported being abducted from the university campus early Wednesday morning will be charged today by the MSU Police Department for filing a false report. Detective Brad Massey of the MSU Police Department said they will try to get her to turn herself in. Filing a false police report is a misdemeanor charge. The abduction was declared to be a
hoax after she recanted her story during interviews, Massey said. Georgia Lindley, MSU Chief of Police, said the MSU Police Department has not yet spoken with the student but at this point believes she orchestrated the hoax alone. Lindley said as of Wednesday the student was with her family in Alabama, where she was found. As of Thursday afternoon, Lindley said she did not know the student’s current location. Massey said the motivation has not yet been revealed. He said when charges are filed in
these cases, they are determined on a case-by-case basis. “False reporting of a crime is very serious — it takes away hours and resources of the police to investigate real crimes,” he said. Massey said reporting false crimes does not happen frequently. Thomas Bourgeois, dean of students, said between the FBI, Mississippi and Alabama Highway Patrols, the MSU Police Department and the Hoover, Ala., Police Department, an estimated 70 officers worked the case. He said, in general, when false re-
ports are filed, the justice system becomes involved and the person responsible for it must pay the costs associated with it. At MSU, the code of conduct has a provision that students could face sanctions that range from probation to expulsion for violating the code of conduct. Bourgeois said false crime reports erode the credibility of real stories. “So much bad can come from this … People don’t think about the ramifications,” he said. Originally, the incident was reported to the police at 1:48 a.m. Wednesday.
SEE HOAX, 3
SA announces new executive officers BY HAYLEE BURGE Staff Writer
The 2012 Student Association executive officers were announced Tuesday night outside of Colvard Student Union. Shelby Balius was named the new SA president. Rhett Hobart, current SA president, said a total of 4,248 students voted in the 2012 SA executive officer election. Of these votes, Shelby Balius garnered 54.8 percent, earning her the title. She will take office on March 29. Balius said she is thrilled to be serving in her new position. “I’m incredibly honored and humbled to be able to have the opportunity to serve
in this way for the students of Mississippi State. I’m very excited about everything that this new year in the Student Association will offer,” Balius said. Park Wynn was elected SA vice president, edging out Gavin Barnett. Wynn said he has high hopes for the upcoming year. “I’m just so excited and honored to JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR have the opportunity to serve as vice pres- Students gather outside of the Union Tuesday night to hear the SA executive election ident for the Student Association. I’m re- results. Rhett Hobart, current SA President said over 4,000 students voted in the election. ally looking forward to seeing the things portunity and I’m really looking forward opportunity to work with each of them. that we can do in office,” Wynn said. “I think that with this executive counBlake Shepherd gained 74 percent of to serving this university,” he said. Shelby Sims ran unopposed and will cil, everything will be bigger and better the vote against Larry March and was named SA treasurer. Shepherd said he serve as the next SA secretary. She said she than ever. I’m really looking forward to was happy with all of the newly elected everything we do. I’m happy with how was very grateful for everyone’s support. “I’m incredibly appreciative of the op- executives and is enthusiastic about the everything turned out,” she said. SEE ELECTION, 5
New SA president honored to serve Students elect Balius BY CANDACE BARNETTE Staff Writer
JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR
Shelby Balius had no reason to hide her emotion Tuesday night after being elected SA President.
Mississippi State University has officially chosen its new Student Association president, and it can expect to see some changes very soon. Newly elected SA president Shelby Balius said working to attain her position helped to put the magnitude of her decision in perspective. “It’s so amazing to be able to meet hundreds of students during a three or four week span; I saw so many new faces,” Balius said. “It takes a minute to set in that I would be rep-
resenting all these people if elected. It really shows the gravity of the responsibility.” Despite the pressure, Balius said she is thrilled to have been elected. “It’s a wonderful feeling, and it’s also very overwhelming at first to officially be the SA president of this university,” she said. “It’s also incredibly encouraging to see the support from administrators and students I’ve seen today. It’s a very exciting time looking to see what the future holds.” The first step Balius and the other members of the Student Association will have to take is electing the rest of the executive council and cabinet. “We want to have those people in place for Super Bulldog Weekend because we have a lot of existing obligations and housekeeping to take care of over the next few weeks,” she said. SEE BALIUS, 2
SA Senate passes three resolutions Tuesday BY WILL HAGER Staff Writer
On Tuesday, the Mississippi State University Student Association Senate met to discuss four bills and three resolutions.
Bill 12
The Senate unanimously passed Bill 12, which details the disbursement of money from SA to 17 MSU student organizations. The appropriations committee of SA Senate, along with
SA treasurer, determined to allocate a total of $9,300 across the organizations that requested money.
Bill 13
Bill 13 was brought before the Senate by Senator John Michael Vanhorn. The bill revises the limitations of campaign expenditures for candidates running for SA positions in the general election. Previously, candidates could spend a maximum of $1000 for campaign spending and an additional $150 in the case of a runoff.
READERʼS GUIDE CAMPUS CALENDAR...................2 BAD DAWGS..............................3 OPINION................................ 6 CONTACT INFO...................... 6
BILL 12
BILL 13
Allocated $9,300 for 17 MSU student organizations
Gives $1,750 for SA election campaigns instead of $1,000
BILL 14
Three new positions were opened on the council: Distinguished Scholars Chairperson, the Maroon VIP president and the president of foundation Ambassadors. The Presidentʼs Council will meet twice a month with a Division of Student Affairs member.
SEE SENATE, 3
POLICY LIFE.............................. ........9 CROSSWORD...............................8 CLASSIFIEDS.......................... 8 SPORTS..................................14
ADOPTED RESOLUTIONS
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BY MICAH GREEN News Editor
Lance Kennedy, former MSU student who was charged with multiple drugrelated felonies following the overdose death of another MSU student, was bound over Thursday to the Oktibbeha County grand jury. Kennedy, who was enrolled as a freshman kinesiology major last semester, was arrested and charged with felony possession of marijuana, cocaine, herion and Xanax on Feb. 7 after an investigation into the accidental overdose death of Teresa Veal. Kennedy was released from custody after posting a $100,000 bond and was set to make his initial appearance Feb. 16, but a continuance to Thursday delayed this. He did not appear in court today, but was represented by his lawyer. Veal was found dead in Kennedy’s Louisville Street apartment in the early morning hours of Feb. 4. An autopsy later revealed high levels of cocaine and herion in her system. Kennedy’s case will be presented to the grand jury, which normally meets in July.
Twitter town hall employs hashtags to improve city Over 400 participated BY LACI KYLES Staff Writer
In keeping with the surge of social media popularity, a “Twitter town hall” took place Monday night to encourage discussion between students, residents and officials on ways to improve Starkville. The online event took place from 8 to 10 p.m. and was open to anyone who wanted to join the conversation using the trending topic #Starkville2012. The chat included representatives from local businesses, organizations and Mississippi State University, as well as any Twitter user who had an interest in voicing opinions about the college town. Haley Montgomery, social media consultant for Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said the virtual town hall meeting was sponsored by Starkville Main Street, Starkville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Greater Starkville Partnership. The idea for the event came from a side comment casually made after conversations on Twitter regarding the city got heated. “We just wanted to start a conversation and get people talking,” she said. “We were really interested in getting information on the perception of Starkville. We definitely needed to moderate it with a set of questions to start it with questions framed from conversations (on Twitter) the week before.”
SEE TOWN HALL, 4
ZACH ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
FRIDAY
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FRIDAY , MARCH 2, 2012
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2012 D Conferieversity nce Dat
Time: 7 e: March 1 t o2 :30 Locatio a.m. to 11:3 0 n: Colv ard Stu a.m. d ent Contac Union t: Adrie n 325-37 ne Morris 13
Walk A M
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Date: M arc Time: 4 h 5 p.m. Locatio n : T h e Contac t: Beat Junction ric 325-20 e Tatem 90
Hunter He Lecture nry ship Date:
Mar Time: 1 ch 6 1 a.m. Locatio n : L e o Contac t: Sher M-Club re Dens 325-84 on 70
kansas r A . s v ball Basket arch 3 Date: M .m. p Time: 4 mphrey u H : n o i Locat m Coliseu Thomas d t: Cha Contac 25-9847 3
tional a N r e Form y ent Da d i s e r P h2
arc Date: M a.m. 1 Time: 1 ter Henr y n: Hun Locatio rker Ballroom Pa am Center Jimmy Abrah : t Contac 44 325-34
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Lights ate: March 6
D . :30 p.m 7 : e m i T all n: Lee H rium o i t a c o L ito rth Aud lmbrecht o w s r e e Bett ichael H 97 M : t c a t 7-77 Con 256-41
MSU groups may send information for campus calendar to news@reflector.msstate. edu. Additional campus events can be found online at msstate.edu/web/news.
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BALIUS
continued from 1
“While I’m ready to get started on all of the things we’ve been talking about during campaign, there is still a lot to be done in building the rest of the SA for the coming year,� Balius said. She also said once the ball is rolling, changes should happen quickly thanks to the relationships and support she gained from her previous positions in the Student Association. “Having those relationships, the learning curve that would otherwise create a lag in getting down to business isn’t there,� she said. “We’ve already built a relationship. I can work with the rest of my executives to bring something to the table, and having already gained their respect will definitely help in getting things accomplished in a more timely manner.� Some of that work has already begun. Balius met with Rhett Hobart, current SA President, on her first day to plan the best methods for transitioning to her presidency. She also met with the administrators and advisors she will be working with on future projects. The largest of these projects will be one she has already begun work on. Balius said she intends to improve the process and outcome of teacher evaluations. “The teacher evaluation process for other SEC schools is very different from what we have,� she said. “For starters, we still have paper evaluations, which I’ve come to find out is one-in-amillion.� Other schools, like Ole Miss, have had online evaluations for a few years already. She said this makes the whole process a lot less time-consuming and brings results more quickly. Balius said other schools make these teacher evaluations public to everyone, whereas, MSU evaluations are only available to teachers. “Many people don’t realize that only the instructors get to see those written comments,� she said. “That is something that needs to be re-evaluated. Students write expecting to see something come of their responses.� She said she would love to see these kinds of changes go into effect by next Fall, but a realistic goal would be by fall of 2013. “We have a lot of momentum. If we harvest that momentum right now, it could be a really great success,� Balius said. “However, it all depends on how long the approval process takes.� Balius said she will work hard to fulfill her role to the MSU campus to the best of her ability. “We’re already discussing what we can implement this year,� she said. “We want to work together on all of these platforms so that they won’t just be empty campaign promises.� She said she, along with the rest of SA, cannot wait to get started. “I’m really looking forward to working with my cabinet toward making this year the best it can be with my SA,� Balius said. “My three years on the SA have been some of the most memorable times of my life. I can’t wait to continue to build relationships and see what all we can accomplish as a team.�
JAY JOHNSON & ZACH ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
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SENATE
FRIDAY , MARCH 2, 2012
Bill 14
The senate passed Bill 14 concerning the composition of the President’s Council. The accepted bill details the positions that make up the 20 members. Three new positions were opened on the council for the Distinguished Scholars chairperson, the Maroon VIP president and the president of Foundation Ambassadors. The advisory council will meet at the SA president’s request to talk about MSU student issues and report the statuses of each member’s respective organization. The President’s Council will also meet twice a month with a member from the Division of Student Affairs.
SA SENATE APPROPRIATIONS MSU Praise Silver Wings Sri Lankan Association
MSU Triathlon Club MSU Softball Cricket Club
DAWGS
Students for a Sustainable Campus
Mississippi State Chess Club Women’s Club Basketball M-Club
Tuesday, February 28
Active Minds
Fashion Focus Dueling Dawg Fencing Club College Republicans
• 1:21 p.m. An employee reported fraudulent donations were being made to Mississippi State University at the Hunter Henry Center.
African Student Association
Blitz! MSU Show Choir Black Student Alliance
Alpha Pi Omega
ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
MSU tenure program to undergo changes BY SASHA STEINBERG Staff Writer
For the first time since 2008, the Mississippi State University Robert Holland Faculty Senate could revise the institution’s promotion and tenure document to incorporate various changes requested by administrative officials within the past year. Meghan Millea, Faculty Senate president, said the concept of tenure plays a vital role in a faculty member’s continued success at MSU. “Tenure provides security and academic freedom for people who are engaged in the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge to be able to ask questions and to be able to report their findings, which is necessary for the functioning of the university,” she said. Faculty members are divided into four categories: extension, research, clinical and academic, but only academic faculty is eligible for tenure. David Shaw, MSU’s vice president of research and economic development, said a faculty member is only allowed to go up for tenure upon the completion of his or her sixth year of employment. First, the faculty member must prepare a portfolio of materials that exhibits his or her academic contributions to MSU’s tri-fold
mission of teaching, research will enter a terminal period and have one more year of employand service. The portfolio will be used by ment at MSU before being disthe department to solicit letters missed. Though the revision process from professionals that are outside of MSU and in the faculty is in its preliminary stages, Shaw member’s field. said the administration has alShaw said these external let- ready approached the Faculty ters assess the individual based Senate with important changes on the standards of such as altering the language the external source’s university. of the docu“Institutions like ment’s service component. ours throughout the country are do“The overing this for good all promotion package should reasons, and, if we are going to be one be focused on of the prestigious developing a national repuinstitutions that we believe we are, then tation for the individual facwe need to be using the same level of ulty member rigor in the promoand therefore for the unition process,” he said. versity as a whole,” Shaw In order to be granted promosaid. “But the tion or tenure, the service activicurrent document ties often, at DAVID SHAW, MSU times, have stipulates a faculty member must VICE PRESIDENT reflected more on internal achieve a level of OF RESEARCH excellence in at AND ECONOMIC service like least one and a DEVELOPMENT serving on departmental minimum satisfaccommittees.” tory in the other Shaw said he spoke with the two categories of MSU’s tri-fold Faculty Affairs Committee of mission. However, if a faculty member Faculty Senate about providing is not granted tenure, he or she stronger and clarified language
“If we are going to be one of the prestigious institutions that we believe we are, then we need to be using the same level of rigor in the promotion process.”
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to help MSU faculty better understand the expectations are for participating in national and international activities. He said because external letters can be difficult to acquire from a timing standpoint, the administration expressed a desire for a timeline that precedes the Oct. 1 deadline, which would require the faculty member to provide an advanced statement of intent to the department. Jerry Gilbert, provost and executive vice president, said he proposed adding a signature line for MSU’s provost in addition to the current lines for the MSU president and Faculty Senate president. While the concept of tenure may seem solely to affect the faculty, Millea said she recognizes how it ultimately influences students in a very positive way as well. “You can be able to have discussions and explore topics that you otherwise might not be able to explore without the faculty member having tenure if they were at risk of losing their job,” she said. “You have people who are trained and also just creating an environment for free exchange of knowledge, which is a big deal because that is what the university is all about.”
CORRECTIONS
CLARIFICATION: In Tuesday’s edition of The Reflector, the article “Bill 8 could redistrict senate seats” did not properly cite the source from where part of the information was taken. The Bill 8 Facebook group should have been attributed as the source of information. The Reflector regrets this error.
HOAX
continued from 1
The student claimed she had been taken from campus at gun point and was told to drive, Massey said. The student said she was abducted around midnight en route from Mitchell Memorial Library to South Hall. Her roommate, who was not involved in the hoax according to Massey, reported the incident to police. Lindley said the student claimed another car followed behind her car throughout the abduction. She was found in Hoover near the InTown Suites between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Her car was found in the motel’s parking lot, Captain Jim Coker of the Hoover Police Department said. The report of the abduction led Bill Kibler, vice president of Student Affairs, to authorize a Maroon Alert at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday that was sent via text message. “It was the middle of the night, and there was no reason to believe there was a danger to campus,” he said. An email and MSU website update were later released to clarify the situation, he said. Deborah Madden, public affairs specialist for the Jackson media division of the FBI, said the Jackson and Birmingham FBI offices assisted MSU in the investigation. Maridith Geuder, university relations director, said she wants to remind students to exercise caution, no matter what conditions they are in, even on campus. She said at night, in particular, students should have a buddy with them. “If you’re in a position of concern, call the police or use an emergency box,” she said. “At night if you need an escort, call Bully Patrol.” Students should lock their cars, even if they are driving on campus, Geuder said. She said MSU takes safety seriously and students need to do everything they can to ensure their own safety. Massey said students need to be aware of their surroundings in order to stay safe. Lindley said students should also stay in well-lit areas during the night and let someone know where they are going.
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3
BAD
continued from 1
The senate voted to change the maximum expenditure for the general election to $1750 and $250 for a runoff. The second part of the bill eliminated expenses for any materials purchased by the candidate for resale to their supporters from being included in the expense voucher.
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NEWS TOWN HALL
friday , march 2, 2012
MSU students to spend spring break working on service projects in Miss. Delta
trash and do other service projects. During the rest of the trip, students will take a tour of the Learning Center at Delta and Pineland Company Instead of going to the beach for spring break, in Scott, Miss., and visit the Winterville Indian some Mississippi State University students will be Mounds,” she said. doing community service and helping others. She said they will also tour the Viking Range Courtney Allen, one of the trip coordinators, Corporation in Greenwood and eat dinner there, said the Maroon Volunteer Center will be spon- as well as visit farms, tour the Delta Blues Musesoring an alternative spring break trip March 11 um and meet with a health care representative at through 16 in the Mississippi Delta in places such Clarksdale high school. as Greenwood, Shelby, Sunflower, Cleveland, “On the last night, the students will go to the Mound Bayou, Clarksdale, Scott and Winter- Ground Zero Blues Club for dinner and, if they ville. choose, to the Po’ Monkey’s lounge later that “The purpose of the trip is to do volunteer night,” she said. work and participate in service learning activities As well as being a rewarding experience, the trip while experiencing a unique part of Mississippi also counts as three hours of history credits for hisculture,” she said. tory majors, but students of any The trip was planned by Allen major may go on the trip. and Jamey Matte, senior landAllen said she wants students to scape architecture major, with realize the importance of Missisthe guidance of Cade Smith, sippi history. head of the Montgomery Lead“The Delta is unlike any other ership Program at MSU. Kesha place and has its own unique culPerry, a doctoral student in pubture. It is a great place to go in orlic policy and administration der to understand Mississippi hisand research associate at the tory,” she said. Stennis Institute, and Dexter She said it is an area with many McKinney, the project coordineeds and any service is beneficial nator at the Stennis Institute, to them. also helped plan certain aspects “Our part is a small seed for their of the trip. future,” Allen said. Allen said students will be Allen said the trip will also look leaving early on Sunday morngood on the students’ resumes, as ing and coming back late Friday any service and volunteer work will afternoon. look good to future employers. shad benn, senior “On Sunday night, they will Shad Benn, senior management management be attending various churches. major, said he will be going on the major They will also be helping Missistrip and is looking forward to seesippi Engaged in Greener Agriing the difference in how people culture by cleaning gardens and live and helping them. assisting the Sunflower County Freedom Project “I decided to go on the trip for the opportunity by painting walls at the Lead Center and interact- to experience a different spring break by helping ing with children,” she said. people and doing something productive,” he said. Allen said that on Monday, the students will Kayla Cobb, sophomore archaeology and hishave a tour and meeting with Luther Brown from tory major, said she is also looking forward to Delta State University. learning more about Mississippi. “The next day, the students will visit the Qua“I thought it would be a cool experience to paw Canoe Company, go canoeing 18 miles and learn more about Mississippi and be able to help eat lunch on a sandbar, as well as help pick up people in the Delta,” she said. By Cathy Dunn
Contributing Writer
“I decided to go on the trip for the opportunity to experience a different spring break, by helping people and doing something productive.”
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Montgomery said some of the questions were geared toward promoting the downtown area, but the idea was to receive feedback on how the city can be improved so changes can be made to continue to enhance Starkville. “Our job is to know and communicate how great Starkville is,” she said. “There are a lot of people who love Starkville and want to see it improve. We have to hear the negative in order to fix it.” Montgomery said the feedback was hard to qualify as positive or negative with a lot of people voicing their opinions on changing certain things in order to improve Starkville. She said she was pleasantly surprised at how many people joined the conversation with early numbers estimating approximately 2,100 tweets and around 400 Twitter users making their voices heard. “We’re still getting feedback, which is a byproduct (of the chat), and we’re pleased,” she said. “Continued dialogue is good.” Montgomery said they are currently working to use tran-
THE REFLECTOR
continued from 1 scripts of the conversation to form a concise report to present to the Board of Aldermen, Student Association, Main Street members and other bodies of power in the community. She said they are open to the idea of hosting Twitter town halls in the future but will likely base them on single topics rather than such a wide array of thoughts and ideas. Jeremiah Dumas, Board of Aldermen member, said in an email he believed the event was great, especially since it served the purpose of giving specific age groups, and demographics a platform to voice their opinions. “Social media is a great tool that is being used more and more by all age groups, and we the city need to do a better job of utilizing technology to educate and receive feedback on city government,” he said. Shannon Stoker, Deep South Pout owner, said she was excited her business was able to participate in the virtual town hall meeting as it allowed for transparency between businesses and their customers.
“It allowed local businesses to get honest and speak to one another, which makes everyone stronger, and get real-time feedback,” she said. She said people outside of the community were also able to give feedback, which helps to build a better Starkville. Stoker said events such as the Twitter town hall help to bring together the entire community with one goal in mind, which is to make Starkville become a thriving and self-sufficient community. “It’s not just where we do business, but it’s home,” she said. Rhett Hobart, Student Association president, said he agreed the event was definitely a positive step forward for the community. “The Twitter town hall was a great step for the city of Starkville in gaining feedback of students, residents and alumni about their vision for the city’s future,” he said. “It is a true testament to the progressive leadership we have in place who are determined to make Starkville the best it can possibly be.”
Will you participate in the next Twitter town hall?
“Yes, I would participate next time. It is easy and a good opportunity to share my opinion. It all depends on people listening to and acting on what they hear.” - Anna Rose Woodliff, senior, Psychology
“I would absolutely participate. It’s so convenient, and it can benefit Starkville by just the case of suggesting ideas. It is so much simpler.” - Jordan Smith, sophomore, Finance
“Yes, I would participate. The willingness of local government to embrace new ideas is important and critical. It’s time the government got on our level.” - Justin Glover, senior, International business
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Drugs, alcohol plague students in college BY LACI KYLES Staff Writer
The growing trend of prescription drug misuse for recreational purposes, along with alcohol consumption and the use of other drugs, has become a problem for college students over the years. Michelle LaFleur, grant support specialist for alcohol and drug education, said one of the more serious problems on the rise at Mississippi State University is the practice of mixing energy drinks with alcohol, as well as mixing alcohol with prescription drugs. Drinking too much alcohol in general is dangerous enough without adding other drugs. “Students need to realize they don’t have to drink to be accepted,” she said. LaFleur said binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men. One drink is defined as a 12 ounce beer, five ounces of wine or one ounce of hard liquor. Red Solo cups are dangerous because they can hold 16 ounces and the type of alcohol inside those cups varies. Several programs are available through health and wellness that offer help for students. “The GAIN program, which stands for Goal-Driven Alcohol and Drug Intervention Network, is a completely confidential program where students come in and take a 30-minute survey, get their results and get help,” LaFleur said. Joyce Yates, health education and wellness director, said marijuana is still the most prevalent drug of choice among college students, but the use of prescription drugs, especially Adderall, is on the rise. “To me, I think we’re going to see a growing trend (of prescription drug addiction),” she said. “People don’t realize how dangerous they are.” While alcohol remains the most abused, Yates said prescription drugs are increasingly popular due to their availability. Students can easily buy them online without a prescription. “One in 20 people in the U.S. age 12 or older have used prescription painkillers non-medically,” Yates said, citing a 2010 Center for Disease Control survey. She said studies conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration show full-time college students are twice
DID YOU KNOW? -Approximately 30 percent of MSU students do not drink alcohol. (via 2011 CORE survey) -62 percent of MSU students think it's okay to drink alcoholic beverages without them interfering with lifestyle. -70 percent of MSU students stated using marijuana is never a good thing. -46 percent of MSU students surveyed believe their peers think trying marijuana or illicit drugs once or twice is okay. [based on 515 students surveyed] gr -49 percent of all college students binge drink and a growing number report misusing prescription drugs; MSU's percentage is slightly lower than national average. -1 in 4 full-time college students have experienced past year alcohol abuse or dependence. -Closest treatment facilities outside of MSU? Columbus, Meridian, Tupelo -Lortab and Xanax usage is on the rise, and Xanax is a very difficult detox. -Half a million ER visits in 2009 were due to misuse of precription painkillers (via CDC). -http://findtreatment.samhsa.g to find available treatment centers for various drug -http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov addictions all over the U.S. -Use of hCG, pregnancy hormone, on the rise for dieting purposes. (via Joyce Yates) ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
as likely to use a stimulant for non-medical reasons, compared to those who are not in college or are part-time. Students sometimes believe prescription drugs are safer than illicit drugs, but the abuse of these medications can lead to seizures, heart attack, stroke or death. Melinda Pilkinton, social work assistant professor, said the misuse of stimulants is one of the biggest misconceptions among college students. “To take a prescription stimulant without a prescription is playing with fire,” she said. “It seems to have a doctor’s stamp of approval if it’s in a prescription bottle.” Pilkinton said some research suggests there is a higher use of stimulants in the Greek population. However, prescription drugs have become more easily available to everybody, with research showing the usage in all age groups has increased in the past 10 years. “This stuff can sneak up on you. The saddest thing to me is when a student continues to make bad decisions,” she said. “Nobody wakes up and says ‘I want to be an alcoholic or addict.’” Pilkinton said men tend to abuse almost all types of drugs more than women, although between 40 and 75 percent of women abusing drugs have trauma, such as sexual assault or abuse, in their history.
Yates and Pilkinton both said the misuse of drugs and alcohol is quite often a result of psychological or emotional issues. Grades or relationship problems often make students turn to alcohol. “Mental health is almost always a byproduct of drugs and alcohol,” Yates said. “People don’t intend to become addicted. We want to make students resilient and provide them with programs and services that promote and encourage healthy lifestyles.” Yates said the three most preventable causes of death in the U.S. all stem from tobacco, obesity and heavy drinking. Although student counseling services and the department of health and wellness offer several programs, some situations may require further treatment outside MSU’s realm. “Our mission is never judgmental,” she said. “We’re here to help serve students and help them achieve goals and be successful.” Pilkinton, who spent 12 years as the director of substance abuse inpatient programs, said types of treatments vary depending on what and how the person used the substance. “It’s important to realize, if you do feel like you’re out of control, you should start getting a grip on it,” she said. Pilkinton said the various programs for rehabilitation include inpatient treatment, detox programs or partial hospitalization, among others. Students have the option of going to Student Counseling Services for a referral.
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FRIDAY , MARCH 2, 2012
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Donnie Banerjee will take the SA attorney general seat for 2012 after getting 54 percent of the vote. Banerjee said the win was great and claimed the elections served as a learning process for him. “This entire process has been valuable. I’ve learned a lot about myself,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a voice for the student body.” It was also announced Tuesday night students passed Bill 8, written to redistrict the senate, by an overwhelming 75 percent. Courtney Harris, who wrote the proposal for Bill 8, said this new resolution will completely change the composition of SA Senate. Currently, students are represented and cast their vote according to where they live. She said this causes a severe underrepresentation of students who live off campus and an overrepresentation of students who live on campus. Bill 8, she said, was written to remedy this by giving each college representatives, rather than each residence hall. With this new bill, students will be allowed to vote by the college associated with their major, and the number of senators will be dispersed according to the student population in each college. This allows for about one senator for every 650 students in a college. Harris said this will reduce the number of seats in the senate from 48 to approximately 33 seats. The bill will undoubtedly reduce the number of freshmen with a senate seat since residence halls will no longer have senators. Four seats will be reserved for freshmen, however, and three will be reserved for graduate students. “I’m just happy that it passed because it’s something that the new treasurer and I have been working on for over a year,” Harris said. “We have worked so hard. It’s dear to our hearts, and I think that this will better represent our students and help the senate continue to move forward in a more intricate way.”
SA ELECTION RESULTS A total number of 4248 students cast 24151 votes in 6 offices.
54.8 PARK WYNN 56.0 SHELBY SIMS 100 BLAKE SHEPHERD 73.6 DONNY BANERJEE 54.8 SHELBY BALIUS
won SA President by
percent of the vote
won SA Vice President by
percent of the vote
won SA Secretary by
percent of the vote
won SA Treasurer by
percent of the vote
won SA Attorney General by
percent of the vote
ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR
Shelby Balius was elected the new SA president. She will assume her position at the end of March.
LAUREN CLARK | THE REFLECTOR
DIVERSITY CONFERENCE
| Freeman Hrabowski, president of University of
Maryland - Baltimore County, addresses the audience at the 2012 Diversity conference. Hrabowski was the keynote speaker during yesterday’s events. The conference, held March 1-2, explores ways universities in Mississippi can increase diversity among faculty and students.
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6
FRIDAY , MARCH 2, 2012
OPINION |
GETTING OFF THE RECORD | RACHEL PERKINS
THE REFLECTOR
NATHAN BACKES
Loving self comes before loving others C ollege is about finding yourself. I think about the idea of “self” a lot because I’m a 21-year-old middle class white girl without much else to think about. I also spend a lot of time freaking out about relationships. So how do the two function together? How do we retain ourselves within a relationship? As children, we’re taught to take care of ourselves. We must brush our hair, wash our hands and look both ways before crossing the street. Playing house in the backyard, we masqueraded as adults. We became as self preserving as we could be in velcro shoes and bucket hats. The Golden Rule indoctrinated us from a young age to take care of others, as well. As humans, we are immersed in a world of etiquette, rules and standards for how to handle the people around us. As we grow older, we put ourselves on the line to do this completely insane thing called “dating” in which we place our happiness and sense of self worth in someone else’s hands. Humans need companionship in some way or another. How do we keep ourselves healthy within the relationship? As in all things, we must learn to take care of ourselves first. This means keeping track of yourself. It isn’t easy, as anyone who’s been in a relationship can attest. To begin, take a deep look in the mirror, or a reflecting pool, or a well-polished spoon. See. That’s you. Try and remember the year you were born. That year you’re thinking of? You’ve been you since that year. We aren’t born with the ability to feed ourselves, or use a toilet or read. But we learn those things. We become independent. You were a complete and total human before anyone ever asked you on a date, or kissed you or gave you the most amazing sex of your life. It might not feel that way. You’re in a relationship, and you’re happier than you’ve ever been, right? I know. Be happy. Soak in the warmth of it, sweat in it. Just remember, you knew happiness before this. If this ends, you will know happiness again. Take some moments. Relationships require a certain amount of dependence. I need to know I can depend on you to treat me well, to stay loyal to me and to not make fun of me when I start crying in the supermarket. You can depend on me to return your calls, to love you as much as my heart can stand and to never tell your friends how much time you actu-
Rachel Perkins is a senior majoring in English. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu. ally spend getting ready. If you’re not dependent at all, you’re not in a relationship. You’re probably dating a pillow or something. (And I’m sure he’s the best pillow in town!) Just be sure you’re not dependent on anyone else for your sense of self worth. In a good relationship, someone will bring out the best parts of you. The thing is, they were already there! You’re happy with that person not because of how great they are but because of how great you feel with them. It isn’t selfish; it’s human. Maybe selfish is human. That’s okay. See the word “self” in that word “selfish”? You found somebody, and they found you. They fell in love with you because of who you are. You were awesome to begin with. Spend time alone. Make sure your alone time is dedicated to you. Don’t let your only alone time coincide with homework time or grocery shopping time. Watch a movie by yourself. Read a book. Do something, by yourself, that benefits only you. Keep your friends. It’s easy to get wrapped up in a relationship. Make sure you’re still hanging out with your friends. Get to know your partner’s friends, too. Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold. Actually, all friends are diamonds. (Except anyone who is a jerk to you. Jerks are rhinestones.) Relationships are awesome, but they’re hard work. Be as good to your significant so-and-so as you can, but be good to yourself, as well. Boyfriends and girlfriends come and go. Hell, maybe you will get married. You’re going to need yourself more than ever if that happens, though. You’re all you’ve got, but you’re all you need. You’re amazing. I know it. (Unless you’re a jerk, but I’m almost positive you aren’t because all my articles get printed in jerk-proof ink. Take that, jerks of the world!) I want the best for you, especially when it comes to love and relationships and other Comp I essay topics. Don’t lose yourself. Take care of yourself.
Reflector The
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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.
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Elections enforced with fortune cookies, chips Editor’s Note: This letter was in response to the editorial “Votes for platforms, not affiliations vital” published in Tuesday’s issue of The Reflector. s the current Student Association comes to an end, the new administration faces the monumental task of leading 20,000 plus of tomorrow’s brightest and most eager minds into a future that holds more uncertainty than MSU’s NCAA tournament dreams. However, this is a task that is often disregarded once the title of any of these given positions have been bestowed upon them. This year’s election has proved these types of statements to be true, just like they proved to be true last election. About two or three weeks ago, the huge billboards by the Union began popping up, the stickers went out, and the “elect whomever for whatever position” T-shirts started being worn with little known about any of those running or any of the positions in general, for that matter. I do not have a problem with this. I really don’t. It’s simply the manner in which you people do this. Prior to Tuesday, I want to know where you were all those times I needed a pencil? I want to know where you were whenever I had a school issue or policy I had questions about? Basically, I want to know who you are and where you were? Before today. I know there are rules on when the campaigns can begin and everything, but why weren’t you on the Drill Field tossing the ball in October and just being social in general? It would’ve been nice to see you mix it up with everybody. Tuesday, you want to know me. Tuesday, you want my vote. Today, YOU need ME. Please allow me to graciously thank you for taking time to
A
speak to lil’ ole’ me. Why should I vote for you? I have never seen these candidates before in my life. Anyone can stand on stage with Bully while smiling and nodding. I guess I just want to know why aren’t our elected student officials more visible to us as a student body? We want you to be visible and interact with every student: black, white, foreign, EVERYBODY, not just eating lunch with the fraternities and sororities and getting your picture taken with them. I’m sure these elected student position people are around and “doing work behind the scenes,” as I have always been told. They always clamor to that as their call of duty as to why we never see them. A recent poll of 19 people was put in The Reflector last week that asked the question, “Are you going to vote in the upcoming SA elections?” Eight said yes, three said they didn’t care and eight said no. Essentially, 11 of the 19 polled are indifferent to the need for an election at all. They possibly perceive it as “adults are in charge anyway.” Who’s to say? I dare to say that hardly an average student could tell you anything of the supposed “traditions” that have been claimed to be started or go on at our campus at all. Poll them if you must. Like me, they haven’t soon forgotten the chaos that was Tents for Tickets. Remember that? Unfortunately, I don’t see much change coming about. The
“All I can hope for you is a desire to hold everyone accountable both on campus and off whether they are an elected person or not.”
causes that has gotten our government into the shape it’s in today. To me, it’s sad our school will allow this sort of behavior from these potential school “leaders.” This is teaching them to follow the practices of those who run the government today, and we all know the kind of job they’re doing. I want to know who is the best person for the job, not who is the best Betty Crocker. The first step in solving these kinds of problems is enforcing meaning on words such as “bribe” and “coward.” These words once held connotation that if you were labeled with either you were not considered worthy. Today, words such as these, along with the word “love,” are tossed around like yesterday’s clothes. However, as one of the candidate’s reps told me, “Everybody is passing stuff out!” So, your candidate is just like all the other ones?!? AHH!! As fate would have it, my time at MSU is coming to an end. I’m leaving you in charge of it. Do as you wish. I’m leaving it as I found it. For now. I will never be governed under the rule of whoever the elected officials turn out to be. All I can hope for you is a desire to hold everyone accountable both on campus and off whether they are an elected person or not. Decide for yourself if it’s really important. A great mind once said, “The problems of today will not be solved by the same type of thinking that created them.” Great people throughout history have taken this thought and put it into action. THIS IS OUR STATE! Let’s start acting like it. As for now, I’ve pushed my morals to the side. Give me one of those free drinks! Who’s this John Galt guy that’s running? Pass me some relish for this free hot dog, will ya?
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.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR | MATT TAYLOR
Sex conversation articles take bravery Editor’s Note: This letter was in response to Rachel Perkins’s article “Virginity draws line in society” in the Feb. 24 issue of The Reflector. o I should start by saying that I haven’t been at this school for a very long time, and I have found myself eagerly anticipating your articles. I believe they are well written, have great topics, and, most importantly, I feel that they act as a looking glass to life outside of the Bible Belt for college students at State. I grew up in Mississippi and never felt like I belonged here. Most of this had to do with the conservative nature that the South breeds and limited per-
S
spective that most have here; it can be quite suffocating. In this case, articles such as yours serve as a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t until I moved out of Mississippi and met people from other parts of the country did I realize that I didn’t think like a southerner. I really find it fascinating that the majority of your articles (at least the ones I have read) deal with the “taboo” topic of sex. Though you might receive a good amount of flack for braving these waters
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.
Do you think the Academy is out of touch with the audience in regards to the Oscars? No, the awards were on point. I don’t know.
so openly, I truly admire it. Most of all because you are a woman, and you are acting as a model for independent women. The lack of openness that I have found with southern females in respect to sex I feel widens the chasm that already exists between men and women. This does not go without saying that it puts the two sexes on a different playing field. We are all human, and (as
“The cowering attitude most people in the South have toward sex is depressing. Your insight is very rare.”
Yes, I haven’t seen “The Artist.”
CORRECTIONS
Drill Field was lined this past election day with representatives from each candidate passing out everything from fortune cookies to potato chips. I wondered, “Do any of these reps know anything about the candidate other than what was on the cards they were handing out?” One guy even had a hot dog stand. Bribery, in plain day mind you, in pursuit of a vote from someone they had no idea who was, nor did he or she ever care to know. Until tuesday. Tuesday, they wanted to make sure I knew how to login to my mystate account. I think I have that one figured out, Mr. or Ms. President-elect. We as students are worth more than a bag of chips, people. We’re all that AND a bag of chips! I asked one of the representatives if we could expect free drinks and such every day if his candidate was elected. He meekly answered, “We’ll push for it,” in a tone only permitted in a fraternity house or local bar. Now that I think about it, we’re already handing out golden cowbells, why not spend some more and have a pizza party for those who actually fund this school to start with, right? That guy might get my vote after all. If this is how they handle the little things before they get in office, God forbid how they will handle the big stuff. If they are willing to bribe us with candy and suckers before being elected, imagine how we will be treated if they are elected? I’ll tell you, we’ll be a bunch of “suckers.” Bribes are one of the main
News Editor Micah Green
Sports Editor James Carskadon
325-7905 editor@reflector.msstate.edu
LETTER TO THE EDITOR | MIKEY FRANKS
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31 Total number of votes: 41 ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
you so nicely put) tiny people that live in a country where we are supposed to be equal. We have the right to think equally, act equally and speak equally. Maybe I am wrong in just blaming women here. Maybe the men here are too damn intimidated by a female who isn’t submissive and views herself as an equal human being? Either way, the cowering attitude most people in the South have toward sex is depressing. Your insight is very rare to this area but gives me hope that there are other women across the country who operate on a wavelength similar to yours. Write on.
Would you - Yes, I think it benefits Starkville. participate in - No, I do not think it will change anything. a future Twitter - I don’t know what it is. town hall?
Vote online at reflector-online.com ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
OPINION
REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM
friday , march 2, 2012
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from sa president | rhett hobart letter to the editor | whit waide
What does SA do? Hobart born leader, leaves legacy T
his is a question I have heard numerous times over the last couple of weeks amidst the campaigning for our new Student Association leaders. The impact SA has on this campus, through gained respect with campus administrators and the ways in which we work every day to represent the interests of students, is one not many realize. The mission of SA is simple: to work earnestly to improve the quality of life and represent the interests of EVERY student at Mississippi State. SA’s programming initiatives are the most visible aspect of SA but are not our sole purpose or function. SA sees great importance in providing quality programs and events to engage our student body and in turn increase retention rates. A few programs of SA include Bulldog Bash, True Maroon, Movie Night at Davis Wade, Homecoming Week, Bulldog Coalition, Cram Craze, Dawghouse Deals, The Drill, The Big Event, Cowbell Yell, Diversity Panel Discussions, International Student Orientation, Dawg Rallies and Holiday in the Junction. SA provides services to benefit our student body such as the Downtown Dawg (night route), Peer Tutoring & Academic Mentoring and Zip Car. The most important role of SA is representing your interest in committees across campus to university and city officials, the state legislature, state college board and representatives in Congress. The nine members of SA Executive Council, 39 members of SA Cabinet and 48 members of SA Senate serve on over 100 standing committees across campus representing every aspect of university and student concerns, ranging from Master Plan Development Committee and Gameday Operations to the President’s Executive Council and Honor Code Reform Committee. These committees serve as student voices for you and oftentimes are the only student representatives in the room. We ensure your best interests are being accounted for. This year alone, we have prevented a policy change that would create significant loss in the impor-
tance of student-teacher evaluations and passed a change through a university committee to begin moving those evaluations online. We have served on the Classroom Building Planning Committee to discuss the layout for the new classroom building in order to maximize student study space and parking in the central core of campus. We have worked to examine the structure of your tuition and examine the ways in which tuition and the associated fees are being used and how that relates the original intent of the fee structure passed by the IHL Board. We have worked to change the policy that governs the campus email system to decrease the number of emails students receive each and every day. We have worked with campus administrators to restore two major components of our university history: the class gift project and the MSU Reveille. We worked with student body presidents at each of the SEC schools to submit letters which showed their support for the continuation of our cowbell compromise and our ability to maintain this MSU tradition. In recent years, SA has worked to implement things such as the Bulldog Interest Group, Bully Bikes, academic forgiveness, fall break, the Junction, Bully Mail and worked to acquire a portion of the city’s 2 percent food and beverage tax funding to benefit student initiatives. Through operating a budget of nearly $500,000, we appropriate $150,000 to individual student organizations to increase the amount of student programming and services provided on our campus. By being an MSU student, you are a member of the SA, and we hope that you will apply to become involved in Cabinet, run for Senate or Class Council or join a SA committee in the coming year further to help us in our abilities to serve the Student Body. It has been a true honor to serve as your SA President and work in partnership with SA to represent and promote your voice across our campus and our country. Please let us know if there is every anything we can do to work to better your student experience here at MSU.
I
write in praise of outgoing Student Association President Rhett Hobart. I had the pleasure of working with Rhett on a number of Mississippi State University projects. As a result, I came to the conclusion that he is one of the most impressive college students I have ever met. Beyond that, he is one of the most impressive leaders I have ever met. And I know a lot of politicians. In Rhett Hobart was merged two keys to success as a student body president: first, he has an unconditional love of State; second, he is a born leader. Part and parcel of being a good leader is to have a command over the big picture — a “macro-” approach to things. To not miss the forest for the
trees. People who are able to manage such thought are usually creative thinkers that can see bigger futures and lasting impacts. This is Rhett Hobart. Rhett’s contributions to Mississippi State will far exceed his time here. Perhaps there is no greater testament to the success of a presidency than to have the dreams he manifests live far beyond his time in office. Decades from now, we will still guard and foster most of Rhett Hobart’s original ideas or his successful rejuvenation of past ones. This is not an easy thing to accomplish, and it is rare that any leader ever does. Especially stu-
dent body presidents. Was it a perfect presidency? No. None are. But as Teddy Roosevelt said: “It is not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. Who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short. Because there is no effort without error or shortcoming. “One who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for
“He has an unconditional love of State... he is a born leader.”
a worthy cause. One who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” I hope that we loyal members of this our Bulldawg Family will take a moment, should the opportunity arise, to simply say to Rhett Hobart: Thank you for your good work. Let the cowbells ring in honor of our outgoing SA president Rhett Hobart. He exits the office having left this holy place in better shape than it was when his term began, as leaders are supposed to do. Wrapped in Maroon & White, Whit Waide
what do you think of the sex & relationship column? “It promotes conversation amongst students. These shouldn’t be issues people are afraid to talk about; it opens the door to other antioppressant discussion.” -Hailey Hawkins, senior, communication major “I’m for it. I think everybody has sex, and it’s important for it to be open. Who’s got me?” -John Oeth, senior, music major
“Some things in it make me kind of sad. Personally, I feel discouraged after reading it, but I read it anyway because it reminds me that this campus needs truth.” -Carter Brinkley, sophomore, business major
“I just think it’s inappropriate. I don’t think that stuff should be published in a public newspaper.” -Katherine Mozingo, senior, biological science major
friday , march 2 , 2012 | 8
REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM
BULLETIN BOARD
AN IN-CLASS DISTRACTION ...
Across 1 Pointer’s pronoun 5 Supermarket stripes: Abbr. 9 Poe’s middle name 14 Hand-on-the-Bible utterance 15 Lassie 16 Take care of 17 Old-style bottle opener 19 “Are not!� retort 20 Afghanistan’s capital 21 Honoree of a D.C. monument at 1964 Independence Ave. 23 Treats, as squeaks 24 Yankee with a record 18 World Series home runs 28 Pen point 31 Bullfight shout 32 Puzzle (out), in slang 33 Idle of “Life of Brian� 35 Preschool basics 38 Charges at some booths 41 1995 Woody Allen film with a Greek chorus 44 Actor Davis 45 Vim and vigor 46 “__ dash of ...�: recipe words 47 Courtroom entry 49 Top-row PC key 51 Approximate fig. 52 Highest British military rank 57 Both Chaneys 58 Beverage cooler 59 Lindsay of “Herbie: Fully Loaded� 63 Connector with a slash 65 Cry evoked by the first parts of the answers to 17-, 24-, 41- and 52-Across? 68 Traffic problem 69 Wife of Osiris 70 Racing’s Grand __ 71 Fruit-filled treats 72 Deck chair wood 73 Deck chair piece Down 1 Sound heard around the clock 2 Sarcastic joke
3-2-12 response 3 “... three men in __� 4 Tap idly with one’s fingers 5 “I’m not eating that!� 6 Dental care suffix 7 Double Stuf stuff 8 On the q.t. 9 Comparative words 10 Citrus-flavored refresher 11 Change the subject, perhaps 12 Lagoon surrounder 13 Oater omen 18 Ad-writing award 22 Canada hwy. distances 25 Modeling material 26 Skewered fare 27 Garage occupant 28 Animated clownfish 29 Van Gogh flower 30 Spare-no-cost type 34 Hangs loose 36 EMT’s procedure 37 Draws back, as in fear 39 Former Fords 40 Airplane assignment
Solutions for 2-28-12
42 Ready for a drive 43 __ Hashanah 48 Friend from France 50 Unruffled 52 Scruggs’s partner 53 Ancient Aegean region 54 Nail the test 55 Della of “Touched
OCTOPUzzLE
By an Angel� 56 Aerobatic maneuvers 60 Throw 61 Sri Lanka locale 62 First in line 64 Rotation meas. 66 Korean 27-Down manufacturer 67 Look for answers
Directions: Place the numbers 1 to 8 in each of the octagons such that the numbers are not repeated in any octagon, row, column, or diagonal. The sums of the minor diagonals (diagonals that contain either four or six numbers) are provided at the beginning and end of each minor diagonal. The sum of the four numbers that border a diamond are provided in that diamond. The numbers that border diamonds do not have to be unique.
3-2-12
Solutions for 2-28-12
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 sale Ziggy’s Buy & Sell. Don’t throw it away! Get cash for your used furniture and other items. We sell everything from furniture to antiques to music. 434 Miss. Highway 12 West, look for the orange sign with Ziggy’s picture, or call 312-8895. Faculty investment opportunity. Enjoy benefits of retirement now, as you teach. Live in your fiveplex on Oktibbeha County Lake, and let rentals pay your mortgage. 340’ waterfront, five-plex, dock, ski-boat. $342,000 firm. 4182790. for rent Canterbury Townhouses. 990 Old Mayhew Road. 2012 lease special (12th month free with 12-month lease). One, two and three bedroom newly-remodeled townhouses. Call 323-9216 for details. “Lodge at the Lake.� Great one bedroom, waterfront, dock, appliances, washer/dryer, free cable and fast-access Internet. See now. Available May 1 for 15 months. $525/month. Pet friendly. 418-2790. Two bedroom, one bath cottage. Kitchen, dining area, living room. Completely furnished, in the country. Four miles from campus. Perfect for graduate students. $450 per month. 769-2542. AVALON Large two and three bedroom apartments from $729 per month. Reserve your apartment today for fall. live atavalonapts.com. Rates include cable Internet and all appliances; unfurnished. One bed, one bath apartment for sublease at Parkside Apartments. $400 per month. Spacious bedroom, walk-in closet, energy efficient. Some furniture, appliances included. Available now. 648-8595, call or text. HelP WanteD The Reflector is now accepting applications for advertising reps for the 2012-2013 school year. Applications are available at the Henry F. Meyer Student Media Center. For more information, call 325-2374 or 325-7907. Bartending. Up to $300 / day. No experience necessary. Training available. Call 800-965-6520 ext. 213. Attention students: $15 starting pay. Flexible hours around class. Customer sales and service. No experience required. Call 2685097. Collegeincome.com. Please respond ASAP. Resumes are currently being evaluated. PHP Web application development and Python programmer needed ASAP to work independently with attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines. Thorough knowledge of PHP, Python, Drupal, MYSQL and experience in Unix command line helpful.
Great position for student needing practical business experience. Send resumes & inquiries to The Reflector, Classified Ads, Programmer, P.O. Box 5407, MS State, MS 39762. Please respond ASAP. Resumes are currently being evaluated. Graphic artist needed & ministryminded programmer needed to write the ending for a women’s ministry video blog and website. Excellent opportunity for class project &/or practical experience. Send resumes & inquiries to The Reflector, Classified Ads, Ministry Opportunity, P.O. Box 5407 MS State, MS 39762. miscellaneous Do you have textbooks that you need to sell? Get the most money for your textbooks. Leave a message at 546-1067 or send an email with ISBN numbers to moneyfortextbooks1@gmail.com 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 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 6941178. 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. PHilosoPHY cluB Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in Union 226. 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. silver WinGs There will be a silver wings interest meeting on March 8 at 6 p.m. in Middleton Hall (by Burger King) on the second floor in the cadet louge. We will discuss Silver Wings’s purpose and its community service activities. stuDents for a sustainaBle camPus Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Union room 227. triatHlon cluB Learn more about MSU’s new Triathlon Club by visiting MSUTC.com or on Facebook @ Mississippi State Triathlon! terPsicHore & starliGHt Dancers Please support Terpsichore and Starlight Dancers in their spring production entitled “Deadly� held in McComas Theatre on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $5 and a portion goes to the American Heart Association. WesleY founDation Insight! Weekly worship, Bible study, and fellowship. Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at the Wesley Foundation located next to Campus Bookmart. For more information, visit statewesley.org 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.
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LIFE
REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM
FRIDAY , MARCH 2, 2012
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SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS... | RACHEL PERKINS
Women in comedy succeed, break previous genre barriers O
n Feb. 18, Maya Rudolph hosted a special episode of “Saturday Night Live,” featuring guest star, Amy Poehler. Rudolph and Poehler, both alums of the late night sketch comedy show, gave memorable and hilarious performances, including Rudolph's impeccable impressions of Maya Angelou, Beyonce and Michelle Obama and Poehler's reprisal of her role alongside Seth Myers in the popular segment, “Weekend Update.” Since leaving “Live,” Rudolph in 2007 and Poehler in 2008, both women have become stars of separately successful sitcoms, “Up All Night” and “Parks and Recreation,” respectively. As staples of NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup, Rudolph and Poehler join the ranks of fellow funny lady (and SNL veteran) Tina Fey in her role as Liz Lemon on “30 Rock.” These three women, combined with the female powers of comedy coming out of a post-Steve Carell “The Office,” have become household names as well as the characters they've created, both Rudolph's Ava Alexander and Poehler's Leslie Knope. These women have become the frontrunners in the female comedian revolution of recent years. “Women being funny” is not news. Witty women are a literary custom featured from the likes of Shakespeare to Jane Austen. Since film began, females have been no stranger to the art. “Saturday Night Live,” which is arguably America's premiere comedic institution, has consistently featured some of America’s funniest women, notably Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Molly Shannon and Kristen Wiig, just to name a few. Outside of SNL, women such as Lucille Ball, Catherine O'Hara, Carol Burnett and Andrea Martin have made huge strides in the
Rachel Perkins is a senior majoring in English. She can be contacted at life@reflector. msstate.edu. world of comedy. H o w e v e r , some still argue and debate the place of women in comedy. While few contest women's ability to be funny, many dispute the “type” of humor appropriate for a female. In the past decade, women comedians have tended to fall into several categories. Many female comedians, like Sarah Silverman, find their humor in “shock” value. In utilizing brash language and bathroom humor, these comedians place their femininity at variance with a brazen absurdity typically reserved for men. On the other side, female comedians like Whitney Cummings and Chelsea Handler embrace their womanly ways as part of the joke, often claiming sexual liberation in stories of alcohol binges, hookups and onenight stands. Both ends of the comedic spectrum have earned women criticism and praise. However, some women refuse to, or simply just cannot, fall into either of these categories. In 2009, Amy Poehler declared, “It's a great time to be a woman in comedy” during an interview on Bravo's “Inside the Actor's Studio.” Although it might have been merely easy for Poehler to declare this as her television show met rave reviews not long after the success of “Baby Mama,” her film collaboration with Fey. In Fey's book, “BossyPants,” released in 2011, Fey addressed
the challenges she faced as a woman breaking into the world of comedy. Fey discusses several setbacks she faced as a female comedian. When she began doing comedy in Chicago's improv scene, Fey often had to deal with people's preconceived notions that “women are not funny.” Fey disposes of this theory claiming just because a person knows one woman who is not funny, that does not prove all women are not funny and it does not prove that women do not “do” comedy. “It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don’t like something, it is empirically not good. I don’t like Chinese food, but I don’t write articles trying to prove it doesn’t exist,” she said. Mindy Kaling is a writer and executive producer for the U.S. version of “The Office” but is probably most well known for her role as the energetic “Kelly Kapoor” on the show. In her book, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns),” Kaling addresses the question of women in comedy simply and concisely, claiming it to be a “nonissue.” Women often have to prove themselves first as funny women, then as funny people, while men face an easier route. This can be seen on smaller scales than merely “Saturday Night Live.” Mississippi State University's only improv comedy troupe,
Lab Rats, has seen a distinct rise in the number of women auditioning for the troupe since its founding in 2004. Lab Rats sketch director Christopher Roland, a senior communication major, said as a fan of comedy, he has always had respect for women in the field and believes women can be just as funny as men. “Women comedians provide the female perspective which is obviously unique and vital to comedy in itself, but my favorite women comedians are the ones who aren't just funny because they are women. What makes them great is their own individual talent,” he said. From SNL to NBC's Thursday night lineup, to Fox's “The New Girl,” starring America's most “adorkable” lady, Zooey Deschanel, to Ellen Degeneres, to MSU's own Lab Rats and the myriad of other lady bloggers, writers and comedians, women are at a landmark place in time for comedy. Undoubtably, women are still required to prove themselves more hardily than men, but today's female comedians have proved their staying power. As far as the world in which the idea of women being funny is a “nonissue,” most female comedians would agree with Tina Fey's alterego Liz Lemon in saying, “I want to go to there.”
“However, some still argue and debate the place of women in comedy. While few contest women's ability to be funny, many dispute the “type” of humor appropriate for a female. .”
DEL RENDON MUSIC FESTIVAL
COURTESY PHOTO | MARTIN RENDON
| Presented by the
Del Rendon Foundation, this year's Del Rendon Music Festival will be at Dave's Dark Horse Tavern this Saturday. All proceeds benefit the Del Rendon scholarship at Mississippi State University, awarded to students from the College of Art, Architecture and Design in memory of Del Rendon. Rendon was a well-loved local musician and artist whose legacy lives on through his foundation, music and art festivals. For more information, visit delrendon.org.
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friday , march 2, 2012
PUPPY LOVE
LIFE CAROLYN HAILEY
THE REFLECTOR
Spring TV shows: hits and misses By Zack OrsBOrn | Chief Designer
HITs
“Smash”: Mondays at 9 p.m. on NBC
ELECTIONS
CAMERON MCMASTER
In “Smash,” viewers take a peek into the making of a Broadway show, dramatic playwrights and directors included. I am a sucker for camp, but too much camp can ruin a show. “Smash” had just the right amount of camp value. The writing proved to be realistic and straightforward. Add camp with realism, and you have the formula for a great show. Ten minutes in, I noticed that all the characters had fantastic depth. Debra Messing’s character’s passion to create a show based on Marilyn Monroe’s life is electric (although she does have a moody side). I am not going to lie though, when I saw Angelica Huston striding on screen, I was a little terrified. But she was striking and dramatic, a perfect addition to a show about Broadway musicals. Of course, I have to compare it to “Glee.” “Glee” (which is starting to lose its appeal) is becoming “Degrassi” while “Smash” focuses on the lives of professional adults. With original music, “Smash” creates a new dynamic, and “Glee” sticks to being a cover-band show. The original music was beautiful and inspiring with a touch of classic Broadway, belting notes and all.
“Portlandia”: Fridays at 9 p.m. on IFC “Portlandia” takes viewers to the hipster-infested lands of Portland, Ore., where vegans make sure you know they are vegan. The offbeat skits in “Portlandia” about pickling random objects, a mixologist played by Andy Samberg, camping “experts,” annoying waiters, feminist bookstore owners and smothering parents are laced with hilarious irony and wit. The greatest thing in the show is the comedic chemistry between “Saturday Night Live” member Fred Armisen and his friend Carrie Brownstein. Their eccentricities will have you in laughing fits. When you enter the strange city of Portland, you will not want to leave. In short: We all love to make fun of hipsters!
In short: “Smash” is a… smash.
MIssEs “Napoleon Dynamite”: Sundays at 7:30 p.m. on FOX
BLITZ! SHOWCHOIR
courtesy photo | the reflector
| The Mississippi State University show choir will be performing
their annual big show titled “Lights!, Camera!, Blitz!” Tuesday. The show consists of songs from a large variety of movies including “Grease,” “Rocky” and several Disney movies. The show will be held at Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. and doors will open at 7 p.m. The show is open to the public and those who wish to attend can reserve tickets online at bit.ly/BlitzTickets prior to the show or purchase at the door. “We want to show people all that we work towards and show something exciting and fun while sharing our joy for performing,” Michael Helmbreicht, Blitz! President, said. For more information about the upcoming show or Blitz! Show Choir, visit the group’s Facebook fan page at facebook.com/BlitzShowChoir.
Let me just start off by saying “Napoleon Dynamite” jokes died seven years ago. While the movie was a cultural hit (let me remind you, in 2004), reiterating “Whatever I feel like, gosh!” and “sweet bod” jokes are beating a dead horse. The original cast returns for voice overs in this ridiculous cartoon. I wish I could tell you the point of the show, but, like the movie, there is not one. I might have laughed a couple of times, but they were miniscule giggles. The writing is silly and not geared toward adults. I am not actually sure what kind of demographic it is geared toward. I will give it this: it adds a new perspective to the “teenager with acne” cliché (Napoleon’s zit cream can burn through walls, but not his face). Realistic, right? In short: Did I mention that this show is six years too late? Ph. 662-320-6872
“¡Rob!”: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on CBS Oh, Rob Schneider. You are in every bad Adam Sandler movie, and now you have to invade television? “¡Rob!” opens with about three jokes about his height from his overly sexy Mexican wife. I felt bad for the laugh track for having to laugh at them. In the premiere episode, Rob gets to meet his wife’s Mexican family, and the racial jokes about Mexican stereotypes begin! Let’s see, there’s a joke about guacamole, Catholicism, a grandmother who cannot speak English and an uncle who is also an illegal immigrant. Wait, didn’t George Lopez already make all those jokes? Within eight minutes, I was hoping it would end. Cheech Marin playing the wife’s father, who is occasionally funny in other roles, was the product of bad writing. Toward the end, when every bad sitcom like “¡Rob!” reflects on what they learned through all the shenanigans, I was expecting Bob Saget from “Full House” to pop up with an uplifting speech about the importance of family while a soft piano rift twinkles in the background. In short: Racial jokes about Mexicans count: 15
www.oldvenice.com
Old Venice Specials!!
8.
LIFE
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FRIDAY , MARCH 2, 2012
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Burlaep Apparel works to Recent Review Tennis assist third-world countries BY TYLER RUSSELL
BY EMMA HAWES Contributing Writer
Staff Writer
Burlaep Apparel was released in October 2011 by four Mississippi State University students, but it began earlier in January when they stayed up all night discussing how they could stop a preventable problem. Chase Duncan, Cleat Morris, Waymon Chenault and Hunter Freeland were upset by an email that stated an average of 35,000 people die each day from preventable diseases in Third World countries. The men began brainstorming their ideas on a dry erase board, and they decided to make a clothing company named Burlaep. “Burlaep is a clothing company that recognizes a need,” Duncan said. “We want to reduce the number of unnecessary deaths while building relations with the people in the local villages.” Burlaep’s mission is to reduce the 35,000 diseases with donations of food and necessary supplies. The four men plan on making trips to each destination to deliver the supplies to make friendships with the natives. The men spent about fourmonths creating the purpose behind Burlaep. They received a donation from a professor at MSU to help fund the initial costs. The web domain for burlap.com was already taken so the men were challenged with choosing a different name. Duncan believed the traditional spelling for burlap looked too plain. The group looked up the word in a dictionary, which helped them find not only the new spelling but also the design on the shirt. “The way Burlaep’s name is spelled is the pronunciation that is shown in a dictionary,” Chenault said.
The new album for the Colorado-based indie-pop band Tennis takes cues from the album’s title “Young and Old,” offering forth a return to the old sounds of its previous record with some new additions. Tennis, for those new to the band, is the pseudonym for the married duo Alaina Moore (vocals, keyboards) and Patrick Riley (guitar, keyboards, production). The group started making music after graduating college, buying a sailboat and sailing along the Eastern Seaboard for seven months. In fact, Tennis's music is meant to be somewhat of a reflection of that experience. If it's music actually bears any resemblance to their sailing excursion, I would imagine their trip to be full of sunny weather and wanderlust. Tennis’s “Young and Old” is on Oxford record label Fat Possum and was produced by the Black Keys’s Patrick Carney. Carney’s influence is evident on a number of the vocals and riffs on “Young and Old,” which resemble the Black Keys’s sound, most notably on “Petition.” The album also does a good job pantomiming the female jazz crooner a la Ella Fitzgerald. I’m not sure if they employ a jazz-era microphone or just vocal effects, but Alaina Moore’s singing is terrific on the album. This nice, new addition to Tennis’s sound is an important development because it transforms what often came close to resignation or apathy to the impassioned and the soulful. I imagine Carney played a role in this development because the Black Keys have become influenced increasingly by the sounds of soul music. Despite the center-stage vocals, the lyrics fall by the wayside under the vocal effects. On “Young and Old,” Moore’s vocals function
EMMA HAWES | THE REFLECTOR
The founders of Burlaep Apparel, left to right are Chase Duncan, Cleat Morris, Waymon Chenault and Hunter Freeland. Their clothing line works to send supplies to Third World countries to prevent disease.
The symbol on the left sleeve is the “ae” letter combination in Burlaep. All shirts are printed on American Apparel cotton shirts. The short-sleeve shirt is available in pomegranate and the long-sleeve shirt is available in gray. The men plan on releasing other t-shirt designs as soon as their budget will allow. Right now Burlaep is having a Countdown to Spring Break 2012. The men aim to sell 100 shirts before March 9 to help raise funds for their first trip to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They have been in contact with several people from Tegucigalpa for the necessary supplies the villagers need. “The conditions in Tegucigalpa are pretty harsh,” Freeland said. “It gets really cold at night. It is pretty common to see children without shoes. Their homes are basically mud huts built into the sides of the mountains.” Those who purchase Burlaep can post a picture to Facebook or Twitter in their Burlaep shirts to model the shirts on the website.
Currently, Burlaep has out- I am glad that they created a grown its in-apartment opera- plan. I thought it was going to take a long tion, and are time before it trying to find took off,” Marx stores to carry said. “I am its clothing. proud of them, The shirts are and I hope that sold online at their business the website burexpands.” laep.com, but mainly Burlaep Although all is growing four guys are through its cusseniors, they tomers. all agree they “When we want to keep first started Burlaep going out, a lot of our after they gradclose friends uate. bought the “I really shirts,” Morris do not know said. “We have how things are relied on our going to be at customers to CHASE DUNCAN, COthe moment, spread the word FOUNDER OF but I do not about Burlaep BURLAEP APPAREL want to abanto other peodon Burlaep,” ple to help us D u n c a n grow.” said. “Even if Cleat Morris’ co-worker, Burlaep is a small company, Kelsey Marx, bought the first I still want to keep Burlaep Burlaep shirt. Marx knew about going. It will be worth it to Burlaep since it began. know that I sold enough shirts “The guys saw a need, and to help feed two families.”
“Burlaep is a clothing company that recognizes a need. We want to reduce the number of unnecessary deaths, while building relations with the people in the local villages.”
874 Hwy 12 West Starkville, MS
more as another instrument adding to the collective sound, rather than as a method of sharing a narrative or emotions. The addition of the ’50s doowop sound, which resembles the Dixie Cups on some songs and Roy Orbison on others, creates an interesting fusion between Tennis’s lackadaisical surf-rock and the pop music of a forgone era. On “Origins,” the influence of ’50s pop brings backing female vocals to a wall of synthesizers and produces a music that could only be called lovely. Changes aside, the album returns to similar sounds and similar themes covered on the last album: jangly guitars, a smattering of tambourines, the beach, one’s dreams. Pounding tom-toms here, carefree lyrics there, Tennis’s “Young and Old” threatens to “All (Feel) the Same” as the last album as the title of the opening track suggests. On the whole, though, resembling its old album is not really a bad thing. Its “Cape Dory” was a solid album and avoiding the “sophomore slump” on their second album is laudable. And while several of the songs on “Young and Old” are largely innocuous or inoffensive, nothing to get too excited about, the album listened to as a whole will leave you pleased and at ease like any good jangling pop record should. In essence, the album functions best as an unpretentious soundtrack or a backdrop to “Traveling,” to “Dreaming” and to the various frivolous notions of being “Young and Old.” “Young and Old” was released this month and is available for free on Spotify.
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SPORTS
F R I DAY , MARCH 2, 2012
JUST A BIT OUTSIDE | JAMES CARSKADON
Bulldogs finally show sense of urgency M
JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR
Bryan Bryant played a key role in MSUʼs victory over USC Wednesday.
W
ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
aybe it’s a good thing Mississippi State had an extra day to work with in February. The Bulldogs needed all the time they could get before displaying a real sense of urgency to save a season that was making a beeline for the NIT. Despite the depth problems that lead to MSU playing point guard Dee Bost all 45 minutes of Wednesday’s game and sophomore guard Jalen Steele cramping in overtime, MSU managed to play with enough urgency to take down South Carolina 69-67 on an overtime buzzer-beater. The road win snaps MSU’s fivegame losing streak and temporarily takes the heat off head coach Rick Stansbury. I don’t expect that heat to completely fade, but the team’s showing in the final few minutes of regulation and overtime at least leaves a positive taste in the mouth of angry fans for the next few days. Saturday’s matchup with Arkansas marks the final home game for seniors Bost and Bryan Bryant, and the reality of their college careers winding down seems to have set in. Bryant has played better in the last month than any other stretch in his two-year career, culminating with his buzzerbeater on an inbound play to beat the Gamecocks. It’s worth noting that without Bryant’s 16 points, four of which came in overtime, the losing skid would have likely continued. Bryant has been a role player for most of his two years in Starkville, but if he continues to play at this level it could be the type of performance that allows MSU to make a run in next week’s SEC Tournament similar to Kodi Augusts busting onto the scene during the 2009 tournament. Speaking of that 2008-2009 team, that was the last MSU squad to make the NCAA Tournament, and even they would not have been there without winning four games in four days at the SEC
James Carskadon is the sports editor of The Reflector. He can be contacted at reflectorsports@ gmail.com. Tournament. With as much talent that has come and gone the last three years, MSU should be doing better than two NIT appearances and a team currently living life on the NCAA Tournament bubble, a team that needed a last-second shot in overtime to defeat South Carolina, who is at the very bottom of the league standings by a comfortable two-game margin. State allowed South Carolina to hang around and push for a comeback in the second half, much like the Bulldogs did in losses to Georgia and Auburn, who are 10th and 11th in the league standings, respectively. Fortunately on Wednesday, even with a very thin bench, MSU survived the scare and salvaged its NCAA Tournament hopes. With Arkansas coming to Humphrey Coliseum for a 4 p.m. tipoff against MSU Saturday, the Bulldogs have another chance to add to their win total against a Razorback team that has only won one game on the road this season. MSU fell to Arkansas on the road earlier this season and stuggled to break the Razorbacks’ press. A second loss to Arkansas would hamper the Bulldogs’ tournament chances. Making late-season runs is nothing new for MSU, but this was supposed to be a team that did not need to hold its breath in early March and worry about the NCAA selection committee. That’s where this team stands, though, still projected to make the field of 68 ... for now.
THE REFLECTOR
do you think msu will make the ncaa tournament? “I think the only way we get in is if we win the SEC Tournament or make it to the championship game, but I don’t think we deserve to make the tournament.” -Stephanie Sharp, senior, communication
“They’ve got to win out. They would be in, but they play too inconsistent. If we don’t make the tournament this year, I think they should take a look at a new coach.” -Frank Bradford, sophomore, business
“Our strength of schedule and our wins are pretty good. With the good wins and high rank for most of the year, I think we’ll get in.” -Braden Tyler, senior, accounting
SPORTS
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IN
friday , march 2, 2012
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Softball looking for timely hits in Bulldog Classic BRIEF
SPORTS Lady Bulldogs fall to Vandy in SEC Tournament The coaching career of Sharon Fanning-Otis came to an end Thursday as MSU’s women’s basketball team fell to Vanderbilt 67-51 in the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. The loss ends MSU’s season as the Bulldogs will finish with an overall record of 14-16 on the year. Vanderbilt lead throughout most of the game and held a 35-22 advantage at the half. The Lady Commodores would continue cruising throughout the second half en route to the 67-51 win. The Lady Bulldogs were lead by seniors Diamber Johnson and Porsha Porter scoring 12 points a piece, but the effort was not enough for the win, was MSU was bounced from the tournament by Vanderbilt for the second year in a row. MSU was led in rebound by freshman Martha Alwal’s seven rebounds, marking the 16th time this season she has led the Lady Bulldogs in rebounds. Alwal is expected to be a consistent presence in the paint next season following her succesful freshman campaign. Fanning-Otis will end her career with an overall record of 608-459 in her 36 seasons as a head coach and as the winningest coach in MSU women’s basketball history.
Women’s tennis takes on Bama, Auburn
The MSU women’s tennis team will open up SEC play this weekend with a road trip through the state of Alabama to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers. The Lady Bulldogs are coming off a 7-0 victory over Southern Miss on Sunday but fell to Tulsa 6-1 at the Pitts Tennis Centre on Friday. MSU struggled in conference play last year, posting an 0-11 mark. The Bulldogs’ four wins this season already doubles their win from a season ago. The Bulldogs currently sit at 4-3 after wrapping up their non-conference slate. MSU will return home next weekend then they take on Georgia and Tennessee. Leading the way for MSU is sophomore Alexandra Perper, who has posted a perfect 7-0 mark in single play this spring. One of those victories was against Tulsa’s Anastasia Erofeeva, who is No. 71 in the latest ITA rankings. Today’s match with the Crimson Tide is slated to begin at 3 p.m., while Sunday’s match against Auburn will begin at 12 p.m.
By Ray ButleR Staff Writer
After a hot start to one of the most highly-anticipated seasons in recent memory, the Mississippi State softball team struggled in the Leadoff Classic in Stillwater, Fla., this past weekend, losing four of five games and dropping its record to 8-5 on the 2012 season. While the Bulldogs were not able to carry the momentum from their 7-1 start to the Leadoff Classic, first-year head coach Vann Stuedeman said she was still pleased with the way her team played. “Our team got a million times better last weekend,” Stuedeman said. “We gained confidence in some defensive plays we’ve been working on in practice, and our pitching could leave confidently knowing they had kept some very high-powered offenses to very few earned runs. It was a very productive weekend and one we will use to catapult us into the rest of the season.” The Bulldogs did regain some momentum on Wednesday when they run-ruled Jackson State 11-2 in six innings. Now back in Starkville, the Bulldogs will play 10 consecutive games at the MSU Softball Field. Among its upcoming opponents, State will host Columbia, Louisiana Tech, Eastern Illinois and Samford this weekend in the Bulldog Classic before opening conference play next week against Florida and Georgia. With the beginning of SEC play right around the corner, Stuedeman said she hopes to see improvement within the team before MSU faces the heart of its schedule. “We absolutely need to improve on communicating and getting timely hits,” Stuedeman said. “Just being more efficient with our hitting and our base running, we’ve run ourselves out of a couple of big innings. We’ll continue to do what we do well and focus on those three areas
over the weekend.” While the Bulldogs hope to alter some things, one thing they hope does not change is the play of Brittany Bell, a redshirtsenior outfielder who currently leads MSU in hits, home runs, runs batted in and walks among many other statistical categories. Bell, whose 2011 season was cut short by a devastating knee injury, also leads the Southeastern Conference with a .681 on-base percentage, a .516 batting average and is second in the league with a 1.097 slugging percentage. Although most athletes progress slowly after returning from serious injuries, Bell said she expected to produce immediately after returning to the playing field. “I actually expected to do well,” Bell said. “I’ve just changed my mind set, and I want to have great at-bats and do a good job at the plate.” While the beginning of her season campaign has certainly been one of note, Bell said there are still parts of her game she hopes to improve on during the remainder of the season. “I just want to stay consistent,” she said. “I just want to have the same mental approach every time, continue to have great atbats and stay focused at the task at hand.” Along with the play of Bell, MSU will also look to its pitching staff to remain consistent. As a whole, the MSU pitching staff has compiled a 1.73 ERA so far this season, third lowest in the SEC. Among State’s pitchers are juniors Kylie Vry and Stephanie Becker, who have started every game for the Bulldogs so far this season. The duo has combined for a 7-3 overall record and an impressive 1.39 earned run average. While Vry is thought of as being the ace of the staff, it was Becker who earned the 13th no-hitter in the history of MSU softball against South Florida Bulls last weekend in the Leadoff Classic. Although the Bull-
micah green | the reflector
Junior LHP Stephanie Becker has already thrown one no-hitter this season and, along with junior Kylie Vry, is a leader of MSU’s pitching staff.
dogs lost the game 1-0, Becker said she is optimistic about the way the team performed against the Bulls. “I think there were quite a few positives,” Becker said. “(Ka’ili Smith) caught her first no-hitter, and our defense played a big role in the game.” With SEC play less than a week away for the Bulldogs, Becker thinks there are no limits to what MSU can accomplish during the remainder of the season. “I think the opportunities are endless,” Becker said. “We can go anywhere we think we can.
As a team, we just have to get our offense and defense working together, and I think we’ll be really good for the rest of the season.” Becker and the Bulldogs’ first opponent of this weekend’s Bulldog Classic will be Columbia, who MSU will play at 3:30 p.m. Friday before playing Louisiana Tech shortly thereafter at 5:30. State will then play Columbia again Saturday at 11 a.m. and will follow that game by playing Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs will cap off the weekend by playing Samford at 3 p.m. Sunday.
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FRIDAY , MARCH 2, 2012
THE REFLECTOR
STAT OF THE DAY :
11- THE NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE GAMES MSU MEN’S BASKETBALL HAS WON AT HOME AGAINST ARKANSAS
SATURDAY SPECIAL: ARKANSAS VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE
4 P.M. FSN
Bulldog tennis opens up SEC play BY JACK HILL
share two common opponents, TCU and Texas Tech. The Bulldogs defeated Texas Christian It was easy and pretty this past 4-1 and Texas Tech this past weekend at the Blue-Gray Clas- weekend 4-0, while the Crimsic in Montgomery, Ala. as the son Tide dropped matches to Bulldogs did not drop a match en both teams, losing 4-3 to TCU route to three straight shutouts. and 4-0 to Tech. Confidence is at an all-time While that does not have any high for the Bulldogs having won impact on the match Friday, it five straight and recently improv- does hint at the fact that State ing to 9-2 and a No. 14 national may hold an upper hand, esperanking, but the competition will cially at home. get stiffer this weekend when The real test for the Bulldogs they begin SEC play this week- will probably come Sunday in end against a top-15 team. Senior the form of the No. 12 Auburn Louis Cant said he was happy Tigers, a matchup senior George with the team’s performance as Coupland said will be a good of late, but knows a tougher road challenge for MSU. lies ahead for the Bulldogs. “I think it will be a good “We’re ready to go. We’ve matchup for us. Their players done well so are so good; if far. We have to you are slightdo well in these ly off, they are next matches,” on to you,” he he said. said. The Dogs Like State, now turn their Auburn went attention to undefeated last conference play weekend at as they host the Blue-Gray Alabama at 2 Classic to imp.m. this afterprove to 10-2 noon and Auand look to GEORGE COUPLAND, burn Sunday at carry that mo1 p.m. mentum this SENIOR The 5-4 weekend as it Crimson Tide, travels to Oxled by senior ford tonight Vikram Reddy (13-6) and ju- and then Starkville Sunday. nior Daniil Proskura (13-6), Auburn’s big guns, junior Anhas had an up-and-down season dreas Mies (18-4) and sophostarting out 1-3 but has recently more Daniel Cochrane (15-5), won four of its last five. continue to steadily improve an Alabama also competed in already talented squad. the Blue-Gray Classic, winning The two teams have no commatches against Cornell and mon opponents but do have Clemson. similar resumes, losing to two Mississippi State and Alabama highly ranked teams and taking Staff Writer
“I think it will be a good matchup for us. Their players are so good; if you are slightly off, they are on to you.”
care of their lesser opponents. Recently, the Bulldogs have dominated the Tigers, winning four in a row. “The past few years, we’ve seemed to have had no problem with Auburn,” Coupland jokingly said. For the Dogs to make it five, there are things they still need to improve on. “We need to start improving doubles a lot,” Cant said. “We need to stay aggressive and take it to them.” Both Auburn and Alabama will provide tests for the Bulldogs, as will any in this conference, but, if State plays the way they are capable of, they can beat anybody. For continued success in an always-tough SEC everybody must keep contributing and playing at a high level. Along with Cant and Coupland, James Chaudry is sitting at 12-7 on the season while Artem Illyushin has come along winning three in a row. After this weekend, State welcomes the No. 2 ranked Virginia Cavaliers Tuesday. Next, it is all SEC until May as State travels to Georgia and Tennessee the following weekend. The Bulldogs have already racked up impressive wins, defeating the likes of Texas Tech, Ole Miss and TCU, while dropJAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR ping matches against highly The MSU baseball team will look to rebound from Wednesdayʼs loss to Memphis when it takes on UCONN today. ranked teams Ohio State and Texas A&M. For Mississippi State, the talent, confidence and intangibles are there, and now is the time to find out how they stack up against tougher competition in the SEC. ing out a career-high eight bat- locked in on the early part of the BY JOHN GALATAS game with the two-and-a-halfters. Staff Writer MSU would plate another run hour delay, and that’s pretty disThe Mississippi State baseball in the fourth as Brandon Wood- appointing.” Senior Caleb Reed (0-2) took team suffered a tough setback ruff drove in Wes Rea to get Wednesday night, dropping a within one run before Memphis the loss on the mound as he threw 7-6 decision to the Memphis scored three unanswered to take the final inning and gave up one run with two strike outs. a 6-2 advantage. Tigers. The Dogs will have to rebound The Dogs would find one The Diamond Dogs (6-2) dropped their second game of more opportunity for late-game quickly as they get set to host the year in the last inning after heroics in the eighth inning. Connecticut and Lipscomb this making a courageous comeback With two on, Norris ripped a weekend. “We have to put this one beand will look forward to a busy double to left field scoring Porweekend as they host Connecti- ter and Mitch Slauter. Rea, who hind us and get ready,” Rea said. cut and Lipscomb in a three- walked-off last weekend’s win “We can’t sit and mope over this over Kansas, would then deliver one tomorrow. We’ll have to team tournament. A two-hour rain delay at rain- again with his first career home get past it and get ready for this soaked Dudy Noble Field caused run in Maroon and White – a weekend.” Connecticut, who made a Sua sluggish start as the Bulldogs two-run home run to tie the per Regional appearance in last struck first in scoring but failed game at six. Despite his game-tying homer- year’s NCAA tournament, is off to to get much offensive production over the course of the game. un, Rea was disappointed with a slow 2-4 start after playing stiff competition early on. Lipscomb Trey Porter doubled in Adam the loss. “Stuff like that doesn’t matter enters the weekend with an even Frazier to take an early 1-0 lead, but Memphis responded with to me when we lose a ball game,” 4-4 record on the season and will three runs of their own in the Rea said. “He (Joiner) was doing be no easy test for MSU. “You’re not really playing an third inning including a pair of what he was supposed to do, and unearned runs that would prove we weren’t doing what we were opponent; you’re playing a game. supposed to do.” When you make mental mistakes costly. Memphis would plate the like we did in this game, the game Daryl Norris, who collected a pair of RBIs, said a slow offen- game-winning run in the top of is going to beat you every time, the ninth as a catcher’s interfer- not the opponent,” Cohen said. sive start plagued the team. “We were watching a lot of ence call was made with the bases “We have got to get better. This good pitches and weren’t having loaded. One more rally from the is going to be a very good club good at-bats,” Norris said. “We Dogs in their final at-bat fell short when they all learn to focus at a high level.” swung at a lot of balls and took a as Memphis sealed a 7-6 win. Head coach John Cohen exThe Dogs will open up with lot of strikes, and it wasn’t going pressed mixed emotions about his Connecticut on Friday at 2:30 for us in the beginning.” p.m. followed by a double header Memphis’ Chase Joiner earned team’s performance. “I’m really pleased that our on Saturday before closing the his first collegiate start and threw seven innings while giving up kids came and fought back,” Co- weekend with Lipscomb at 2:30 two runs and six hits while strik- hen said. “But they were not p.m. on Sunday.
Diamond Dawgs drop midweek contest
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