SPORTS | 100
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TUESDAY APRIL 3, 2012
125TH YEAR | ISSUE 45
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Judge sets hearings for students All three charged with kidnapping BY MICAH GREEN News Editor
Preliminary hearings will be held on April 12 for the three Mississippi State University students charged with kidnapping a female student last month. Corey Skelton, Fredrick Oglesby and Donovan Carroll were all arrested and charged with kidnapping on March 2 after a female student filed a report March 1 claiming she had been held against her will. All three men were identified at the time of the arrests as members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Starkville Police Department’s Lt. Troy Outlaw said the incident occurred at a residence located at 411 Scales St. He also said the female victim knew and was friends with the suspects prior to the incident. “She was a friend of theirs. She was there with them; it wasn’t an abduction or anything,” Outlaw said.
BY MATT TYLER | Staff Writer
T
he wait is over. After a lengthy coaching search that left many Mississippi State fans frustrated, Rick Ray was introduced Monday as the new head coach of the Bulldogs’ basketball program. Ray, who was hired to replace Rick Stansbury, arrived in Starkville after a two-year stint as the associate head coach at Clemson University.
SEE COACH, 12
JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR
Maroon Alert system success vital in crisis situations BY JENNIFER SABOURIN Contributing Writer
Since 2005, Mississippi State University has had a plan to alert and inform students and the surrounding areas about special situations that could impact campus. The Maroon Alert system informs students of incidents that are developing on campus or in Oktibbeha County. The system is made up of multiple ways to alert campus, including sending text messages, emails, updating the MSU webpage and alerting local media. In severe weather, sirens and loud-
speaker notifications will be activated. Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs, said the Maroon Alert system was designed to give students multiple ways to receive information about circumstances around campus. Kibler said there are many benefits to the Maroon Alert system. The main purpose is to keep campus safe through the multiple alerts sent out in crisis situations. Kibler also said sending out accurate information to students about various situations is the system’s primary benefit. “It is absolutely important to inform everyone on campus (about situations) as quickly and accurately as
MSU celebrates 150th anniversary of historic Morrill Land Grant Act BY JAY BALLARD Staff Writer
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. Mississippi State University, being a land grant university, was established and still receives funds through this piece of legislation. MSU will be celebrating the anniversary of the Morrill Act in several ways this year. One of the scheduled events is the Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. There, 18 universities will be represented, and MSU will have three projects on display: the EcoCar, the Ryan mobile veterinary clinic and a demonstration on the benefits of thermal imaging technology in improving health and well-being of domestic and companion animals. Peter Ryan, associate provost for Academic Affairs and president of Gamma Sigma Delta, said MSU will be a major part of the event. “We are actually the big gorilla at
this event,” Ryan said. Last Thursday, James Giesen, assistant professor in the department of history, presented a lecture titled “History of the Morrill Act: The Mississippi Perspective,” which was open to the public. His lecture was the inaugural spring seminar of Gamma Sigma Delta honor society. Giesen began by saying the simplicity of the Morrill Act itself had little effect on its success. “This piece of legislation is hard to get a handle on from a historical perspective,” Giesen said. “There really isn’t much to it from a legal history perspective, but its impact has been incredibly far-reaching.” Giesen said he views the act as a story about citizenship and as a depiction of how each level of government interacts with its citizenry. He said the history of the Morrill Act is really the history of America. The West was still seen as a desert because it was empty. However, it would no longer be a desert if someone farmed it, he said. Thus, the land grant act was established to fund the education of American citizens who would then farm the West.
READERʼS GUIDE CAMPUS CALENDAR..................2 BAD DAWGS...............................3 OPINION...................................5 CONTACT INFO......................5
SEE GIESEN, 4
POLICY CROSSWORD..............................6 CLASSIFIEDS..........................6 LIFE.....................................7 SPORTS.................................12
possible,” Kibler said. Thomas Bourgeois, dean of students, said Maroon Alert has benefits but also some drawbacks. He said some students rely on the system to provide all the information they need, but the system is only used to alert students. Bourgeois “The Maroon Alert system is around to alert campus of something that is potentially hazardous or dangerous,” Bourgeois said. Maridith Geuder, director of university relations, said the Maroon
Alert system should not be used as the only way to get information, especially in weather situations. Geuder said anyone who receives Maroon Alerts should check multiple outlets to get information, such as websites, radio and television. “Any person receiving messages needs to be proactive in looking up or gaining additional information,” Geuder said. Geuder also said the reason there are so many avenues used by the Maroon Alert system is to encourage students to gather additional information for themselves. MSU has a crisis action team that
controls when a Maroon Alert message is sent out and what medium should be used. The team is made up of representatives from a variety of areas around MSU that include student affairs, university relations, housing, facilities, academic affairs and Information Technology Services. Kibler is the incident commander responsible for authorizing Maroon Alerts. He said the main concern about using the Maroon Alert system is to make sure it is not overused. If a Maroon Alert is issued, students should understand that a dangerous or hazardous situation is developing on or near campus, Kibler said.
SEE ALERT, 3
Black Jack Road to undergo renovations Project expected to be finished by August BY LIZZIE SMITH Contributing Writer
Black Jack Road will finally receive repaired as part of a project expanding the south entrance. The road work will be completed before school starts back in August. Mississippi State University pursued funding in Washington, D.C., in 2005. Kyle Steward, executive director of external affairs, said the purpose was to construct a new south entrance into campus. “The roadway would run from Poorhouse Road near the Mississippi Horse Park to the intersection of Stone Boulevard,” Steward said in an email. Funding for the south entrance project has been a multi-year effort. Funds have totaled $17 million in appropriations bills and in two federal highway bills. Some of the funding will require a 20 percent match. While MSU is working closely with the Mississippi Department of Transportation, officials hope to offset a significant portion of the cash match by providing in-kind contributions, such as land and services.
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SEE REPAIRS, 2
TUESDAY
Stormy
JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR
$900,000 to $950,000 will be spent to improve the poor condition of Black Jack Road on the south side of campus.
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY HIGH
83 64 LOW
Stormy
HIGH
81 64 LOW
Stormy
HIGH
80 58 LOW