The Print Edition 4-20-2012

SUPER BULLDOG WEEKEND . . . IN SECTION . B:LIFE & SPORTS

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FRIDAY APRIL 20, 2012

Reflector The

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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

Honors College offers new course options

Event seeks to make Kony famous

New curriculum strives to make program distinctive

BY LIZZIE SMITH Contributing Writer

The Invisible Children’s video “KONY 2012” urged viewers to raise awareness of Joseph Kony by participating in an event called Cover the Night tonight.

Drew Able, junior forestry major, said he saw his friend Hayley Owens posted the Invisible Children video on her Facebook and from there, they decided to start their own Cover The Night event in Starkville.

Tonight around the world, participants in Cover The Night will wear Kony Tshirts, put up posters and use the Kony 2012 action kit to spread the word and as the Invisible Children’s slogan says, “make Kony famous.”

“A few people said they tried to do this a couple of years ago and nothing happened, so we should just give up,” Able said.

This time, the event does have supporters.

The Facebook event has a little over 300 people who have confirmed they will be participating.

“I know it’s Super Bulldog Weekend, but I really encourage you to carve out some time to do this. It is up to us to raise awareness and inform people about Kony and the lives he is ruining,” Owens said via a message sent to all members of the event’s Facebook group.

Those participating in the event are meeting at 7 p.m. in the center of the Drill Field, where they will divide into separate groups to go out and spread the word about KONY 2012 across Starkville.

BY JAY BALLARD Staff Writer

Students who are members of the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University will soon have more options for their academic schedules.

A new honors curriculum has been created.

Christopher Snyder, dean of the Shackouls Honors College, said the new curriculum is called The Cursus Honorum, which, loosely translated from Latin, means “The Path of Honors.”

Snyder said a main goal of this new curriculum is to make the honors program at MSU distinctive on the regional and national levels.

“Our honors students deserve that,” Snyder said. “To be in the honors college should mean something. We want to turn out the leaders at the university and beyond.”

The new curriculum stems from the original honors movement begun by Frank Aydelotte at Swarthmore College. The idea was to move away from big lecture halls and have one teacher for no more than about three students, Snyder said.

With this in mind, The Cursus Honorum will preserve the small class experience.

The new curriculum is an option and will not replace the curriculum that is currently available.

SEE HONORS, A3

Starkville board to hold public hearing

BY JOHN GALATAS News Editor

The Starkville Board of Aldermen unanimously passed a proposal Tuesday night to hold a public hearing at their next May 1 meeting to amend the city’s bike helmet ordinance.

Alderman Richard Corey presented his proposal after a number of complaints received by constituents.

“The number of complaints I have received have remained fairly constant,” Corey said.

According to Corey many business owners have seen a drop in cyclists, and many of them have noticed a change in behavior by a decline in the number of times and the number of places people ride their bikes.

“I’ve had some concerns that the potential negative impact of it could be outweighing the good by creating an environment where people are no longer wanting to ride their bikes as much or as often as they used to,” he said.

Corey also said an update from the courts reflected over half of the cases held by the city’s administrative hearing court are helmet violations.

“I want to be able to address some of these issues and see if there is something we can do to get some relief,” he said.

Invisible Children viral campaign controversial

O

BY RACHEL PERKINS | Staff Writer

n Friday April 20, the organization Invisible Children will host Cover the Night, an event in which the group calls for supporters of their movement all over the world to promote awareness of Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda.

This event tails a massive and tumultuous six-week campaign by Invisible Children, a group that aims to “make Kony famous” in hopes of putting the warlord behind bars.

While Invisible Children was officially founded in 2004, its movement found recent global recognition when their “Kony 2012” video went viral, having reached nearly 90 million views.

As the video spread furiously across Facebook and Twitter, a wave of backlash followed in its wake, with many questioning and rebuking Invisible Children’s motivations and credibility.

Many accused the charity organization of skewing and oversimplifying the actual facts about modern day Uganda while others inquired about the group’s financial transparency.

SEE KONY, A4

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

Weekend to attract fans Town Hall generates response

BY CANDACE BARNETTE

BY HANNAH ROGERS

Copy Editor

Editor In Chief

The music, sports and tailgating for Super Bulldog Weekend brings in thousands of students annually, and this year is no exception.

Chad Thomas, assistant athletic director for marketing, said Mississippi State University is trying something new this year by combining the concert with the spring game, and they are expecting a huge response.

“I think this year we expect anywhere from 20 to 25,000 people,” he said.

However, the turnout might not be quite as large as past years when MSU did not charge for entry.

“It’s the first time in a few years we’re charging because of the concert,” Thomas said. “The past couple of years when it’s been free, we’ve had 30 to 35,000 for the spring game.”

The tickets for the spring game and Sugarland concert are still for sale online at hailstate.com/tickets, at the baseball game and at the stadium.

“It’s a huge deal,” he said. “The typical Sugarland ticket price for the upper deck nosebleeds is $59.50, and our most expensive is $50 for field level. A ticket in the grandstand is only $25.”

Brice Lambert, student director of Music Maker Productions, said putting the production together was not an easy process.

“We’re trying to please all the different groups within the Bulldog nation. Like them or not, in terms of

After compiling and analyzing the results of the Feb. 27 Twitter Town Hall, the Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau and Main Street Association have preliminary data from the responses of the participants.

Haley Montgomery, marketing consultant for the Starkville Convention & Visitors Bureau who manages the online and social media for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said the original plan was to release the data at the board of aldermen meeting Tuesday. Instead, numbers will be released online through their mediums after Super Bulldog Weekend and try to get a spot on the second board of aldermen meeting in May. At the meeting, a presentation will focus on the subjects that were most talked about and of interest during the town hall.

She said the town hall received diverse feedback that included more than college students.

“I think the fear or the criticism early on about it was this was just for young people, this would be for students who don’t pay taxes here … well, students pay sales taxes, that’s important to us,” she said. “But the actuality was that there were different types of people who were involved, a number of business owners — retail owners, restaurant owners, things like that. It

JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR

MSUʼs Davis Wade Stadium will host a concert by Sugarland on Saturday night after the spring game.

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the world, Sugarland is among those top touring acts in the world,” he said. “It was a challenge to get them here, but one thing that works in our favor is that with country music, they actually want to play in an SEC stadium in Mississippi. They were immediately receptive to the idea, but it took months of negotiation.”

There have been mixed feelings toward the concert and event, as some are only interested in watching the game and others only want to see the concert, but Lambert said their main goal was to accomplish something new and different with this combination event.

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became a good forum for those people to really hear from what we see as 20,000 constituents.”

The town hall received a large response that exceeded Twitter’s 1,500 tweet transcript limit, so to track all of the #Starkville2012 tweets, a manual pdf of the web site was made.

“If we do a town hall again, we’ll do a transcript each hour, so we’ll have a transcript and that’s easier to deal with,” she said.

Montgomery said she was the person to compile the information, and when the information is released, infographics, bullet points and the complete transcript will be avaliable.

“We’re just recording the information at this point and not basing specific conclusions on them, except these were the most mentioned types of topics and within those topics how did that information break down. From them, I’ve already seen some common threads throughout those topics,” she said.

In the next two weeks, Montgomery said the CVB and Main Street Association will release visual takes on the topics and some specific facts that will be relevant to the discussion. For example, Black Jack Road received many comments, and since then, information has been released on that issue.

She said Starkville cannot improve if discussion does not occur and from the information put out it was clear that people were ready to speak.

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NEWS

FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

BY EMMA CRAWFORD News Editor

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

Almost a year ago, a deadly tornado outbreak on April 27, 2011 swept the Southeast and affected Mississippi and the surrounding states.

Late February through April is considered tornado season and as the end of the season approaches, storms in Mississippi this spring have not spawned the record number of tornadoes that damaged and destroyed towns and lives last April.

At Mississippi State University, tornado season provides opportunities for the students and teachers of the department of meteorology and climatology to further their knowledge of tornadoes and the storms that breed them.

Brittney Bell, senior broadcast meteorology major, said a set of storms as destructive as the storms on April 27, 2011 is not something that occurs often and likely will not be something to fear each tornado season.

“An outbreak like that is very rare,” she said. “It had so much impact because it hit populated areas.”

Bell said MSU’s meteorology and climatology department and her fellow students actively participated in keeping track of the storms as they approached Starkville with

mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety.

“We get an adrenaline rush from it,” she said. “We’re so passionate about it that we can’t help but tweet about it and look at the radar.”

Bell said despite the havoc the storms wreaked on several Mississsippi towns, with neighboring Smithville being hit especially hard, she thinks the tornado outbreak has positives to counter all of the negativity.

“It helped raise awareness, people are more awarew about their surroundings and severe weather,” she said.

Bell also said the storms helped her view weather as something more than just science.

“As a meteorologist it really put things into perspective,” she said. “This tornado is not something that’s just on the radar, it’s affecting people’s lives.”

Bell said the Mississippi climate is conducive to tornadoes.

“A lot of the reason is that we’re near the gulf,” she said. “We have a lot of moisture in the air and there’s warmth.”

Bell also explained how thunderstorms become strong enough to produce tornadoes and carry them across the ground.

“A thunderstorm is just an updraft and a downdraft,” she said. “Rotation separates the updraft and the downdraft, which keeps it stronger and alive longer.”

Tyler Castillo, junior professional meteorology major, said due to the active tornado seasons the South experiences, the meteorological community has given the region an appropriate nickname.

THE REFLECTOR

“They’re calling it Dixie Alley,” he said.

Castillo said the name comes from the area known as “Tornado Alley” in the midwestern United States.

He also said typically the South sees the majority of its tornadoes early in the season and storms later in the season are in the midwest.

According to Castillo, tornado activity is not limited to tornado season because weather is unpredictable and storms can always produce tornadoes under the correct conditions.

“They can happen anytime,” he said. “But prime time is right now.”

Although they are dangerous, Mike Brown, associate professor of meteorology and climatology, said tornadoes offer an opportunity to educate students on safety precautions to take in severe weather situations.

“I think the most important thing we need to do is educate our students on what to do,” he said. “They may not be from tornado-prone areas.”

In severe weather emergencies, MSU uses the Maroon Alert system to notify students of approaching or threatening storms.

Brown said knowledge of severe storms is becoming more abundant.

He said it is easy to pinpoint conditions favorable for tornado formation, but until a storm has formed, it is hard to predict where it will go.

“As a meteorological community, we’re learning more about these storms,” he said.

“We’re doing a better job of dissecting these storms.”

NEWS

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FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

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WEEKEND JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR

HONORS

continued from 1

Snyder said it will include a commitment to 27 hours of honors credit culminating in a successful thesis defense.

If this is accomplished, students will graduate with a new honors designation: Collegium Honorum.

During the first year of the curriculum, students will take two seminar classes. In their second year students will take two interdisciplinary courses.

For the third year, students will enroll in three disciplinespecific courses.

Students will also be required to participate in a study abroad experience or a related off-campus experience.

Finally, students will be required to write, present and defend an honors thesis.

Snyder said all kinds of new, innovative, interesting topics will be offered for these classes, including a class he will soon teach on J.R.R. Tolkien.

Seth Oppenheimer, director of undergraduate research at the Shackouls Honors College, said students will be required to read whole books instead of small excerpts like most classes require.

“These are courses that are going to stretch students more than we’ve ever stretched them before,” Oppenheimer said.

“Reading full texts is a necessary skill to be a full citizen and to

be able to take advantage of the wisdom that is out there.”

Snyder said these new types of courses are standard among the honors programs the Shackouls Honors College is competing with.

By implementing this curriculum, Snyder said he wants to be able to provide a liberal arts college experience at a research institute.

Along with the new distinctive and rigorous curriculum, students will still need to uphold the 3.4 GPA requirement of the Shackouls Honors College.

Angi Bourgeois, chair of the University Committee on Courses and Curricula, said the new curriculum is designed to add a deeper level of understanding within a student’s major.

“It’s not just intense in your field, we already do that very well at Mississippi State,” Bourgeois said. “The thing that sets the honors curriculum apart is taking that discipline and adding the underlying concepts of a liberal education, which really focuses on linking a student to these areas of human creativity.

This gives them a bit of a broader understanding of their discipline in the rest of the world.”

The honors college has students scheduled to test the new curriculum this fall.

“I think the whole vision for this is to have something unique and different that no one’s ever been to before,” he said. “It’s going to be a quick transition (less than 30 minutes) between the game and the show. It’s really going to draw attention to the conference.”

Lambert said he hopes everything goes according to plan, but with any new event such as this, it is difficult to know exactly what to expect.

“We’ve been planning constantly and trying to make things run as smoothly as possible, but we’ve never held a concert in this venue before and athletics has never helped us produce a concert,” he said. “We want people to bear with us; we don’t know exactly how things are going to work.”

Thomas said they are also expecting over 10,000 at Saturday’s baseball game, 7,000 to 9,000 for Friday’s game and about 6,000 on Thursday.

“We’re hoping the weather doesn’t scare anyone away,” he said.

“We really want as many students

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ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

continued from 1 as possible to come out and support.”

Lambert said Music Maker Productions is also very concerned about the weather over the weekend.

“If it rains, everyone would get a refund minus the processing fee,” he said. “We have all the email addresses. If we do have to cancel, every ticket would receive an email with instructions of how to get money back.”

Student Association President Shelby Balius said for about 30 years now, attending the games and events at Super Bulldog Weekend has been a great way for alumni, students and supporters to celebrate being a part of MSU. “Super Bulldog Weekend is an MSU tradition that opens the door for past and present bulldogs to relive and celebrate their enjoyment of Mississippi State, while welcoming new bulldogs into our family,” Balius said.

A full schedule of the events can be found at hailstate.com/gameday.

• 7:26 p.m. A student reported her bicycle stolen from a bike rack behind Rice Hall.

• 8:36 p.m. An employee reported she had been verbally threatened by her roommate, non-resident/visitor.

• 10:23 p.m. An R.D. reported the smell of marijuana in South Hall.

• 11:21 p.m. A student was arrested for possession of paraphernalia and minor in possession of alcohol in South Hall.

Corrections

In Tuesday’s edition of The Reflector, the article “House bill 1095 give tuition breaks to students,” stated “legislation was passed through Congress” when it should have read “through Miss. legislature.” The Reflector regrets this error.

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NEWS

FRIDAY , APRIIL 20, 2012

KONY

continued from 1

Invisible Children faced yet another public relations setback on March 17, when its founder and director Jason Russell, 33, was taken into police custody and then immediately hospitalized following a public psychotic breakdown on a California beach. The organization’s CEO Ben Keesey released a statement the following day on the incident claiming his and the group’s support for Russell.

“Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday,” Keesey said.

Without its frontman, the group has continued to move forward in mobilizing efforts to capture Joseph Kony. For almost 30 years, Kony and his followers, the Lord’s Resistance Army, have terrorized Uganda, forcing thousands of children to become soldiers or sex slaves.

Although the LRA and Kony were officially forced out of Uganda in 2006, the army continues to operate in the country’s jungles, as well as in nearby countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Sources said the LRA’s past four years in the area outside of Uganda have been its bloodiest, with the U.N. reporting over 2,000 civilian killings and 2,600 kidnappings, while other human rights groups speculate the numbers are much higher.

Since its 2004 founding, Invisible Children has urged for U.S.

military involvement in these wartorn areas of Africa. In May 2010, President Obama signed into law the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, which makes the death or capture of Kony and the end of his army an official U.S. policy. “(This) legislation crystallizes the commitment of the United States to help bring an end to the brutality and destruction that have been a hallmark of the LRA across several countries for two decades, and to pursue a future of greater security and hope for the people of central Africa,” President Obama told reporters in 2010.

The U.S. has since provided nearly $50 million in military support to Uganda’s military to defeat the LRA and nearly $500 million to support LRA victims, according to The Washington Post. Difficulties in locating and capturing Kony and his army can be attributed to the area’s vastness, as well as its terrain, covered in impenetrable jungles which encumbers the possibility of aerial surveillance and requires a more challenging ground manhunt.

The people of Uganda have expressed considerable criticism and disapproval of both the U.S. involvement and the Invisible Children’s campaign. While many have expressed frustration at the U.S.’s lack of progress, after the “Kony 2012” video, many Ugandans accused Invisible Children of projecting a “white man’s burden” mentality onto the troubled African region. Ugandan journalist Rosebell Kagumire made an official response to the YouTube video, expressing reproach to the video’s message of “an outsider try-

ing to be a hero rescuing African children.”

Despite criticisms and controversies, Invisible Children pushes forward with its movement, and hopes the “Cover the Night” event will make considerable waves in their effort to raise awareness, urging volunteers to hang posters and stickers bearing Kony’s face and name all over the U.S. While U.S. military involvement has been stunted so far, Invisible Children aims to increase pressure for more government action.

More information on Invisible Children’s movements, efforts and business can be found on its website, invisiblechildren. com. As of April 18, Kony and his rebel group has still not been captured despite condemnations and accusations of “crimes against humanity” from the U.N. Jeffery Gettleman, East Africa Bureau Chief for The New York Times, spent several months on the ground in Uganda analyzing and studying the LRA’s tactics. In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Gettleman said while Invisible Children might be oversimplifying, its claims of Kony’s dangers are not to be misread as false.

“He has been terrorizing civilians in Central Africa for more than two decades. His group will continue to do that as long as he’s around,” Gettleman said.

INVISIBLE CHILDREN For more information on invisible children visit... invisiblechildren.com

Free, Confidential Online Screenings Depression, Alcohol, Bipolar, General Anxiety, Posttraumatic Stress, and Eating Disorders Visit http://www.health.msstate.edu/scs/

THE REFLECTOR

History shows shooting as first campus murder The files on Cohen also describe his recruitment of an American scientist to leak the crucial docContributing Writer uments.

According to the archives, his work led to the University records indicate the Evans Hall shooting was the first actual murder to take place Soviets’ swift duplication of American atomic on Mississippi State University’s campus. bombs, helping to spawn the nuclear arms race.

According to the Office of Student Affairs, The following is a brief summary of recorded the March 24 shooting marked an exception in crimes on the MSU campus as provided by the MSU’s history as a generally safe campus. university archives: Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs at March 19, 1988: At least $10,000 was stolen MSU, said MSU is considered exceptionally safe from an ATM on campus. The thief forced an relative to other universities. He also said MSU employee of Deposit Guaranty National Bank publishes data on campus crime regularly. to open the machine. The thief then grabbed the “It’s actually a federal requirement that we cash and fled. publish our crime statistics, and we do that,” he November 16, 1989: After a high-speed chase said. through the university campus, police arrested Amanda Carlock, library associate, said MSU a 24-year old man from Houston, Texas. He is certainly not known for was charged with grand theft criminals or illegal activity. auto, resisting arrest and pos“However, we have two nosession of burglary tools. The torious students that people man was part of an interstate ask about,” she said. auto and car parts theft ring.

The first of these, Carlock September 17, 1993: A said, is George Barnes, who latfreshman student made a pipe er changed his name to George bomb filled with gunpowder.

“Machine Gun” Kelly to evade It was found inside a clothes law enforcement officers. dryer in Sessums Hall. The According to information on student turned himself in. file in the university archives, October 8, 1997: Two his mother encouraged him to Mississippi State students attend MSU and wrote a letter BILL KIBLER, were arrested for possession to the university that eventu- VICE PRESIDENT FOR of marijuana with intent to ally led to his enrollment. sell.

STUDENT AFFAIRS His records show he spent September 1, 1998: Misonly part of his freshman year sissippi State football players at MSU before dropping out Kevin Cooper, Craig Moore, because he accumulated an Lahitia Grant and Kenzaki unprecedented number of demerits.

Jones were arrested on assault charges. They had The archives also contained reports that his become involved in an altercation on the first wife Kathryn, who gave him the nickname “Ma- day of classes at what was described as a “welchine Gun,” encouraged him to turn to a life of come-back party” sponsored by an unnamed crime and helped him go down in history as an student organization. infamous Depression-era gangster.

October 26, 1999: A lone student was atThe other notorious student on file at the tacked on the walkway connecting the MSU archives is Morris Cohen, a native New Yorker campus to University Commons. He was severewho came to MSU to play football. ly beaten and was sent to the hospital in critical His records reveal that after a knee injury, he condition. worked as a trainer for the football team until he Mike Ballard, coordinator of the Congressiograduated in 1934. nal and Political Research Center and University The archived files indicate that he became a Archivist, said accurate records from years ago reporter for a Memphis newspaper before fun- often can be difficult to track down. neling American atomic blueprints from Los “A lot of this stuff goes way back before the Alamos National Laboratory to the U.S.S.R. Internet,” he said.

BY JAMES TOBERMAN

“Itʼs actually a federal requirement that we publish our crime statistics, and we do that.”

NEWS

REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

SA senate passes campus bike legislation

FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

indicate an estimated 13 percent of all highway fatalities involved pedestrians and bicyMississippi State Univer- clists.

The campus has recorded sity’s Student Association senate recently passed a bill that more than twice the average will restrict bicycle traffic at all number of bicycle related incrosswalks and in the interior cidents in the last year, excludbody of campus, mainly on the ing the number of unreported accidents.

Drill Field.

Matthew Ivey, a freshman Plans to implement the enforcement of this policy wildlife and fisheries science include warning signs, sten- major and pre-veterinary stuciled crosswalks and increased dent, said he believes something needs to be done. awareness of the problem.

“People don’t understand Mike Harris, director of Parking Services, has been ac- that when you ride on the tive in the legislation regard- street, you have to follow the same rules as cars,” he said. ing bicycle zones.

“Obviously anytime a large “I’ve seen multiple bikes fly number of people are put into through stop signs and nearly cause accia condensed dents where area there cars were will be isobeying the sues,” Harris law.” said. “The Halston combination Hales, former of vehicles, SA vice presibicycles and dent, was in foot trafoffice and fic creates a presided over volatile situthe student ation,” he senate during said. the time the Harris said legislation he believes passed. a number Hales said of student he believes cyclists are while this simply not policy will aware of MIKE HARRIS, the rules or implement DIRECTOR OF regulations some major PARKING SERVICES pertaining changes, it to bicycle will impact traffic. the safety of St a t i s t i c s students. from the National Highway “Riding a bike across the Traffic Safety Administration Drill Field won’t really create

BY HANK DAVIS

“Our goal is to complete these changes in the summer and have this policy implemented when school begins next fall.”

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a life threatening situation. If I’m walking and a bike hits me, the worst outcome would be a couple of bruises,” he said. “However, crosswalks create an opportunity for serious accidents. The two issues were just kind of bundled together.”

The policy will be held in accordance to the MSU Honor Code and will restrict the riding of bicycles through crosswalks and on the Drill Field from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Signage will be posted at entrances to the Drill Field and in other high traffic areas designated as dismount zones.

Matt Newton, a senior kinesiology major, said he is glad MSU is looking out for the students.

“I’m happy that student safety has always been important at Mississippi State,” he said. “Hopefully, implementing these new rules will reduce the occurrence of accidents on campus.”

Harris also said MSU would begin projects, which include several new bicycle lanes, in the near future.

By doing so, MSU officials want to alleviate the presence of bicycles in traffic and on sidewalks before the next school year.

“Our goal is to complete these changes in the summer and have this policy implemented when school begins next fall,” Harris said.

For more information the official documents passed in the senate may do so online by visiting www.sa.msstate.edu/ press/document.

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“The biggest topic to me was the connection between campus and city. You had people talking about structural connections that physically connections between the university and city,” Montgomery said.

There was an expressed desire to connect businesses to students on both sides, and there were comments on how to create a more unified approach, she said.

She said MSU adds to the culture of what is available and what type of ideas are out there.

“Because we have the university community and we can embrace the university community, it brings us easy access for people outside the state … It creates more of a diversity in our commu-

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GROWTH FACTORS ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

continued from 1 nity,” she said. “That’s something we actually try to put out there and embrace because that’s something a little bit different.”

She said in the future, town halls may occur twice a year and will focus on specific ideas in order to help people give more in-depth feedback and follow the conversation. The next step in taking this town’s information is evaluative.

“I think it’s a valuable perspective to see what was mentioned the most just because that helps us see the mindset of where our stakeholders are, but that’s not to say the most mentioned ideas are the most viable ideas,” she said. “We think that the next step is to evaluate some of those things that were shared and see what’s being done.”

hairextensions...color...foiling...wax...scalpmassage...brazilianblowout...designerhaircuts

A6 | FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

THE REFLECTOR

AN IN-CLASS DISTRACTION ...

Across 1 Hidden drawback 6 “Hold your horses!”

10 Clean, as erasers 14 Like Cirque du Soleil performers 15 Takes outside 16 First name in country 17 Starting pitcher?

19 “__ Almighty”: Steve Carell sequel 20 Clothes line 21 CIO partner 22 Antioxidant-rich veggies 23 Strike zone?

27 __ Schwarz 30 Wahine’s strings 31 Ballot abbr.

32 Dispense in shares 34 Like some brides 39 Short stop?

42 Line through the middle 43 Matter makers 44 NL East city, on scoreboards 45 New Deal fig.

47 Eastern theater genre 48 Left field?

54 Crammer’s concerns 55 Over there, quaintly 56 Chianti, in Chianti 60 Year in Trajan’s reign?

61 Batter?

64 Go off 65 Fanny __ 66 Worth of the theater 67 CNBC topic 68 Easter celebration 69 When brunch may begin Down 1 Musical with Mungojerrie 2 Flu symptom 3 “Bossypants” writer Fey 4 Move up 5 Mother __

6 Shilly-shally 7 Garlicky mayo 8 Like the vb. “go,” e.g.

9 Cluck of reproach 10 Fish hamper 11 Rank 12 Peter out 13 Cultivated violet 18 Goggle 22 Getting up on the wrong side of bed, say 24 Lasts longer than 25 Lake Nasser feeder 26 Migratory antelopes 27 Saudi royal name 28 Et __: and others 29 Gold medalist Korbut 33 Omega, to a physicist 34 “I’m c-c-cold!”

35 Noodle topper?

36 Monopoly token 37 Sought-after clownfish 38 Nasty cut 40 “__ girl!”

41 Use one’s outside

4-20-12 Solutions for 4-17-12

voice 45 Rushes (to) 46 Delany of “China Beach” 48 Get the hang of 49 “Negatory!”

50 Premarital posting 51 Hog the spotlight

52 Does a film editing job 53 Six-time U.S. Open winner 57 “How __ Your Mother”: CBS sitcom 58 Half a round 59 The yoke’s on them

BULLETIN BOARD CLASSIFIEDS POLICY The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; the deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m.

Tuesday. Classifieds are $5 per issue. Student and staff ads are $3 per issue, pre-paid. Lost and found: found items can be listed for free; lost items are listed for standard ad cost.

FOR 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 five-plex on Oktibbeha County Lake, and let rentals pay your mortgage. 340’ waterfront, five-plex, dock, skiboat. $342,000 firm. 418-2790.

FOR RENT “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.

AVALON Large two and three bedroom apartments from $729 per month. Reserve your apartment today for fall. liveatavalonapts. com. Rates include cable, Internet and all appliances; unfurnished.

One bedroom mobile home for rent. One mile from campus.

Hunting and fishing privileges. Pet friendly for additional fee. $350 per month. Lease and deposit required. Call 418-8555. Pasture

boarding also available.

On a lake, furnished, one-bedroom apartment. Available June 1 for 14-month lease at $525 per month. TV cable, water, sewer, high-speed wireless Internet provided. You pay electricity. Call Bob at 418-2790.

One, two, three and four bedroom apartments available for fall 2012. $400 to $1,600 per month. No pets. Call Barbara at 418-8603.

One bedroom with all appliances, including washer, dryer and microwave. Very close to campus.

Call 323-5186, 341-5186 or 6489519.

ATTENTION! Apartment for male sublease from May through July at 21 Apartments. May rent paid.

Rent for June and July is $425 per month. Contact Quell at 205-8617899.

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Call 601-479-5993 or 601-4798142 for details.

Large house with three or four bedrooms, two baths, fireplace and deck. New kitchen, baths, paint. Large lot on cul-de-sac just off of MSU campus, 205 Setter Lane. Available Aug. 1. $1800 per month. Call 662-324-6443.

Sublease. One bedroom in the Cotton Disctrict. 103-01 N. Nash St. $500 per month. Call 662-2071181 for information. Available May 1.

HELP WANTED Bartending. Up to $300 / day. No

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Customer sales and service. No experience required. Call 2685097. Collegeincome.com.

Accounting/bookkeeping representative for Brundage Furnitures. Interested persons should send a cover letter with his or her resume to brundagelarry@yahoo.com.

Job opportunity. Spanish interpreter for the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

Full-time position. Bachelor degree or higher located in northern regions of Mississippi.

Contact Laura Parker at 601-8506761.

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. 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. You are also invited to a $5 home-cooked meal, called NOONDAY, on Wednesdays at noon.

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FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

OPINION REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

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A7

FACE-OFF

THE GINGER SNAP | REBECCA KELLUM

LET’S DISCUSS INVISIBLE CHILDREN

PLAYING IN TRAFFIC | H.C. MANNING

Critics too harsh on Invisible Invisible Children campaign Childrenʼs multiple efforts contains misinformation I

f you’ve watched any news channel, read any newspaper, or been social at all the last two months, you’ve at least heard about the Kony 2012 campaign.

Before I go into detail about the controversy, let’s lay down some facts. The Kony 2012 campaign was first initiated by an organization called Invisible Children.

The main goal of the campaign, as stated in their viral video, is to make Kony “famous.” In other words, they want the world to be aware of Joseph Kony’s horrendous crimes, and then turn this knowledge into a world-wide effort to bring Kony to justice. The video urges American citizens to write their congressmen, put up posters and even wear bracelets to let the American government know that the public cares and wants to keep U.S. troops in Uganda to aid in the capture of Joseph Kony.

With his child-slave army, numerous kidnappings and murders and other horrendous acts, no one doubts that Joseph Kony should be brought to justice.

However, many are questioning Invisible Children’s methods of making Kony famous as well as its proposed plans of action. The Atlantic’s Mark Fisher describes the video as having neocolonial undertones when he states that the campaign “subtly reinforces an idea that has been one of Africa’s biggest disasters: that wellmeaning Westerners need to come in and fix it.” To this I would respond, why does the United States get involved in any conflict? As in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, American leaders have urged that American troops are there to protect democracy and promote peace.

Speculation has increased as

Rebecca Kellum is a freshman majoring in elementary education.

She can be contacted at opinion@ reflector.msstate.edu. to the government’s real motives, however. Most questions circle around control of oil and America’s own economic interests in Iraq and Afghanistan. If the American government can send troops to another country to protect economic interests using the thin veil of democracy to justify our participation, why can’t we actually help those who need it and use our resources for something that is truly good?

Kony 2012 isn’t about imposing our Western values on others or trying to protect our own interests. It’s about helping those who truly need it when we have the ability and resources to come to their aid. Ignoring this issue is not an option.

Other critics of the Kony 2012 campaign claim that Invisible Children’s viral video has oversimplified the issue and presented the facts in a misleading fashion. However, how can Invisible Children even begin to describe the years of intertwining political and other tensions that underly the current problems? There is no better way to simplify the complicated situation by stating what is obviously wrong and taking place in Uganda and the surrounding areas.

Emily L, a campaign manager for the Care2 organization and a

“Kony 2012 isnʼt about imposing our Western values on others or trying to protect our own interests. Itʼs about helping those who truly need it when we have the ability and resources to come to their aid.”

I

Drop in the Bucket worker who lived in Uganda, states it well when she said, “There are other points that we could go into, but in IC’s defense, they had 30 minutes to make their case and tell their story. The story they told is easier to understand than a more complex and nuanced narrative that would be more factually accurate but more difficult to follow.” Other supporters of the movement, such as Ishaan Tharoor of Time Magazine, said, “It’d be churlish to rebuke Invisible Children for wanting to help those afflicted overseas, while moving tens of thousands of previously apathetic Americans (at least to hit the re-tweet button) at home.”

Growing up, I was always taught to follow Gandhi’s wise words: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign urges Americans to do just that.

Those who claim the leaders of Invisible Children are neocolonialists are reading too much into a simple message they are trying to convey: something has to be done. Efforts have been made up to this point, but they haven’t been enough. Joseph Kony, the number one world’s most wanted fugitive, is still at large. Invisible Children simply wants justice for the children and families affected

by Kony’s crimes without a hidden agenda.

Even if some don’t agree with its methods, Invisible Children has made an impact in the effort to track down Kony. In fact, many suspect in response to the video that the African Union has sent 5,000 soldiers to aid the manhunt for Kony. In response to the criticisms, Invisible Children has answered every question raised with grace and honesty. It has an entire section dedicated on its website to addressing issues many have brought forth in the past few weeks. There will be critics when a few try to stand up and make a difference; however, Invisible Children still backs its Kony 2012 campaign wholeheartedly and hopes that it can achieve its one true goal: Make Kony famous.

know that being against Invisible Children might have you thinking of me as some sort of heartless jerk.

Child warfare is one of the most despicable, heinous crimes against humanity, but the argument is not about child warfare or even about Kony himself. This face-off is about the validity and positive or negative consequences of a video.

The film’s logic is this: make people care, encourage them to donate money, make politicians aware, keep the 100 American advisers to train the troops, capture Kony.

Give money . . . to what? It’s a well-known fact that only 32 percent of Invisible Children’s (the creators of Kony 2012) funds go to its charity. As a non-profit organization, its finances are public and we all know that they have not been independently audited. The film says the group has created schools, jobs and a radio network. What else could the donor funds have financed had a little less money been spent on film production? The filmmakers of Kony 2012 admit in the video that their primary goal is to spread awareness.

The problem is they’ve accomplished this goal very poorly.

The video over-simplifies the issue and explains very little, if anything. Most of the film’s persuasive techniques are montages of horrifying images followed by montages of happy or empowered children.

The images strike home and rip at the heartstrings, but it actually tells very little, and this is what worries critics of Kony 2012. The film is inciting mob mentality, which is effective if the goal is to be very large and loud with a fragile hold on direction. The film never advises people to do their own homework — after all, should not the fact that Kony is in direct violation of human rights as set by the U.N. be enough to intervene?

Do you even know what your rights are as set by the

H.C. Manning is a sophomore majoring in geology. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu.

U.N.? Did you know you had those rights, or even agreed to them? It isn’t part of the public school curriculum, but that’s another rant for another day.

So what are you supposed to say to your Congressman — “Please arrest Kony because he is a bad, bad man.” The sentiment is sweet, heartfelt and true, but even the documentary admits that politicians will not do anything not in the interest of American finance or security.

Wait a minute. I sense a discrepancy in the premises: our government, which is in possession of all these Kony documents the film showed us, does not want to intervene. But if we all band together and tell our government what it already knows, it will intervene.

So maybe that is a little oversimplified, but try looking at it like this: we have established that the film said, in the beginning, that our government will not act outside of American financial or security interest.

It then suggests our passion will spur action — passion that does not fit in financial or security interest. And truth be told, whether or not a politician advocates involvement in the Ugandan crisis or not will have little to no effect on his or her re-electability because

Americans are concerned with too many other issues to let foreign aid policy usurp.

But Obama did send those 100 advisers, yes? And yet, by this film’s own logic this should not have happened.

That would be because it didn’t.

We’ve already been sending people to Africa and we’ve already been sending people to capture or kill Kony. Kony 2012 had nothing to do with it. We have been previously unsuccessful because Kony uses child body guards, and no one can get close to him without slaughtering children — a fact no one is comfortable with. By its own admission, Invisible Children supports intervention by the Ugandan and U. S. militaries (I won’t even get into the allegations against the Ugandan military).

But let us return to the issue of spreading ignorance.

The Lord’s Resistance Army, created by Kony, is not even in Uganda.

It left in 2006 to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kony 2012 came out in 2012 and did not once mention this fact. Moreover, Invisible Children did not say otherwise until brought under fire by reporters.

So what are they trying to do? Spread a bunch of misinformation, get us all fired up and storm in guns a-blazing?

If they want to inform us, then inform us! The guys of Invisible Children care, I have no doubt about that, but Kony 2012 is riddled with misinformation and may do more harm than good.

“The filmmakers of Kony 2012 admit in the video that their primary goal is to spread awareness.

The problem is that theyʼve accomplished this goal very poorly.”

TABOO-YAH | CHELSEA BROCK

Reflector The

Editor in Chief Hannah Rogers Managing Editor Kaitlyn Byrne

Chief Designer Zack Orsborn

Multimedia Editor Eric Evans

News Editor Emma Crawford

Campus News Editor John Galatas

Sports Editor Kristen Spink

Life Editor Kaitlin Mullins

Opinion Editor Wendy Morell

Copy Editor Candace Barnette

Photography Editor Jay Johnson

Copy Editor Mary Chase Breedlove

CONTACT INFORMATION

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor in Chief/Hannah Rogers

Letters to the editor should be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. Letters may also be emailed to editor@reflector.msstate.edu.

Letters must include name and telephone number for verification purposes. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish a letter.

325-7905 editor@reflector.msstate.edu Managing Editor/Kaitlyn Byrne 325-8991 managing@reflector.msstate.edu News Editor/Emma Crawford 325-8819 news@reflector.msstate.edu News tips/John Galatas 325-7906 news@reflector.msstate.edu Opinion Editor/Wendy Morell opinion@reflector.msstate.edu Sports Editor/Kristen Spink 325-5118 sports@reflector.msstate.edu Life Editor/Kaitlin Mullins 325-8883 kmullins@reflector.msstate.edu Photography Editor/Jay Johnson 325-1584 photo@reflector.msstate.edu Advertising sales/Julia Pendley 325-7907 advertise@reflector.msstate.edu

CORRECTIONS

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.

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.

Non-smokers should be more open-minded

B

efore I delve into my first article for The Reflector, I’d like to explain a little bit about what I’ll be writing. In this article and those in the future, I plan on discussing topics which are considered by many to be “taboo.” Hopefully we can generate more conversation around campus concerning these topics and become comfortable debating them amongst each other. Let’s get started.

Over the past decade, tobacco policies have become increasingly strict. What started as a separation of smokers from non-smokers in buildings has evolved into a mass exodus of tobacco products from restaurants, bars and even the 25-foot patch of land surrounding building entrances. To me, these restrictions seem more than sufficient to ensure the nonsmoking community continues to live in fresh-aired peace. However, I believe my opinion is in the minority.

There are many individuals and organizations that wish to completely eliminate the use of tobacco products from all public places, including the great outdoors. The argument most of these organizations (including Smokefree Air Mississippi) focus on is the issue of secondhand smoke.

We have all learned about the

dangers of smoking and, more specifically, secondhand smoke.

Luckily, our country is still gracious enough to allow us to weigh the risks and make an educated, adult decision as to whether or not we choose to pick up the habit.

By denying people the right to use tobacco products (which, by the way, are legal for adults and taxed to benefit everyone) in public places, we are, for lack of a better phrase, sending “mixed signals,” and no one likes that, right?

The members of organizations pushing for a stricter tobacco policy maintain they are doing this for the health of the non-smoking community, and the many chemicals found in cigarette smoke are detrimental to the respiratory system of those passing by.

However, some of these chemicals and those of equal danger are found in car exhaust, yet we still allow people to drive freely around public parks and even playgrounds.

And yes, I understand there have been regulations implemented limiting the amount of exhaust cars are allowed to emit.

Perhaps, to mirror this, we should only allow smokers to open their mouths a certain number of centimeters in order to regulate the amount of smoke entering the atmosphere at one time. I’m not

SHOULD THE NEW SOUTH ENTRANCE INCLUDE A MULTI-USE PATH?

12 3

YES, WE NEED THEM NOW NO, IT CAN WAIT

TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES: 15

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

Chelsea Brock is a junior majoring in mathematics. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu. sure, I’m not a scientist, but this seems impractical.

It is impossible to create a completely sterile and safe environment for ourselves and those we care about. The best we can do is to set moderate guidelines and then attempt to keep ourselves out of situations that we deem harmful. My suggestion to those who are worried about secondhand smoke is this: walk away from the smoke. Or, if you feel like you have more of a right to stand on a particular piece of public property, kindly ask the person smoking to move away from you.

Usually disagreements like this can be handled by rational human beings on a case by case basis and do not need to be regulated by the government. To be honest, the cloud of body spray emanating from many students on campus is enough to trigger anyone’s

ARE YOU A FOLLOWER OF THE KONY2012 CAMPAIGN?

gag reflex and is certainly not pleasant or healthy to breathe for long amounts of time. By walking around said persons someone can remove themselves from the offensive situation while allowing others to enjoy the right to over-perfume.

This example is not intended to compare the effects of Axe to those of secondhand smoke. I realize studies have provided irrefutable evidence to illustrate the damage secondhand smoke can cause. I’m merely making the point that on outdoor public property, I believe we can find room for both smokers and non to coexist peacefully.

I understand this is a touchy subject. It is easy for each side to vilify the other, displaying members of non-smoking groups as closed-minded prohibitionists attempting to smother our liberty and smokers as uneducated heathens attempting to blow their cancerous bile into the lungs of Mississippi’s children. However, I believe that the nature of any good conflict resolution is compromise.

The system we have in place provides ample consideration for those who choose to use tobacco products and those who do not.

It is time for all of us to pass the metaphorical peace pipe when it comes to this issue. Just make sure you’re at least 25 feet away from the nearest building entrance.

YES, IT’S A GREAT ORGANIZATION NO, THE INFORMATION HAS MISREPRESENTED THE SITUATION I DON’T CARE

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ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

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FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

THE REFLECTOR

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FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012

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WEEKEND SEC Championship within reach for tennis team

BY KRISTEN SPINK Sports Editor

W

ith back-to-back SEC West titles under their belt and a spot in the top-10, the next step for tennis seniors Louis Cant, George Coupland and Artem Ilyushin is to capture the SEC Championship. These seniors have rebuilt the program in four years and would love nothing less than to end with a championship.

The team is ranked No. 9 nationally and landed the No. 3 seed for the tournament with a win over Ole Miss last weekend. Not only was the win at Ole Miss significant simply because it was the Rebels, but it also secured the No. 3 seed for this weekend, eluding a match against the defending SEC Champions and No. 4 seed Florida Gators. Cant said avoiding Florida gives the Bulldogs a better chance of going to the finals.

“It makes a big difference and will give us more energy throughout the whole tournament,” Cant said.

Along with the favorable seeding, the Dogs have the advantage of hosting the tournament. Last year, Florida was the No. 5 seed but hosted and won the championship. State has only lost at home once this season against Virginia, who is currently ranked No. 2 in

the country.

SEE

What’s Where?

Maroon & White Game Preview......B2 Baseball Welcomes Tennessee....B3 Softball looks to continue win streak against Kentucky...B3 Golf teams prepare for SEC Tournament...B4 New facilities laid out for tennis and softball...B5

TENNIS, B4

ZACK ORSBORN

& JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR

B2

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SPORTS

f r i day , april 20 , 2012

Chad Bumphis, WR

Offensive Line

Maroon & White Game

Dan Mullen, head coach

file photos | the reflector

Tyler Russell, QB

Nick Griffin, RB

the agitator | matt tyler

Spring game more fun than competition LaDarius Perkins, RB

BULLDOG RETURNING

LEADERS

Passing: Tyler Russell, 114.9 average per game; Longest-80 yards Receiving: Arceto Clark, 442 yards; TD-4 Receptions: Chris Smith, 35 Punt Returns: Chad Bumphis, 16.6 average per return; Longest-82 yards Interceptions Interceptions: Johnthan Banks, 5 Kick Returns: Jameon Lewis, 386 yards LaDarius Perkins, 22.7 average yards Tackles: Cameron Lawrence, 123 Punting: Baker Swedenburg, 2,970 yards zack orsborn | the reflector

A

long with crawfish, Abita Strawberry and sundresses, few things are more synonymous with spring in the South than the glorified scrimmages known as spring football games. The games may be mere exhibitions designed to entertain fans and further their belief this is “the year� their team breaks through and wins a championship, but that does not stop thousands of folks of all ages from flocking to the campus of their beloved university for a weekend of sporting events, concerts and fellowship with friends and family.

At Mississippi State, the spring football game is the centerpiece of Super Bulldog Weekend, which, along with Bulldog Bash, is one of the two biggest weekends of the year on MSU’s campus. Sure, there are baseball and softball games, tennis matches and a concert by a horrifically generic country act, but football is the headliner.

Coming off of a slightly disappointing season in which MSU head football coach Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs finished 7-6 with a victory over Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl, many State fans are anxiously awaiting the spring game to see what this year’s MSU squad will look like.

Matt Tyler is a senior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at reflectorsports@ gmail.com All spring the questions have been asked: Will Tyler Russell live up to his potential? Who will step up and replace Vick Ballard at tailback? How on Earth are we going to replace Fletcher Cox at defensive tackle? And lastly, the most popular question in the history of MSU athletics: Are we going to throw the ball effectively this year?

There is one problem with all of these questions: The answers cannot be found in the spring game. You do not want to hear this, I know. However, it needs to be said. Following a spring game, message boards are rife with posts about how so-and-so is going to be a breakout wide receiver, or how (insert the name of any young offensive lineman) will never, ever be a starter during his career at Mississippi State. This is unfair to the players and coaches, and

quite frankly, it is ridiculous.

The object of a spring game is to entertain. The important scrimmages take place during the spring practices or on other weekends, but the actual spring game is supposed to be a celebration, not a meaningful scrimmage. It is a chance for players to blow off some steam after a grueling spring, and it provides coaches with an opportunity to call all sorts of “gadget� plays they may never have a chance to run in a game. The game is supposed to be fun, and it should be viewed that way.

Do not get me wrong. It is fun to watch a spring game. Hell, it is fun to watch any sort of college football. Just do not let your emotions swing too far in either direction after the game. Due to the coaches having to split the team up in to two squads, there is no way for each team to be balanced. One team will inevitably have more talent than another, and players will often be forced to play alongside players they are not familiar playing next to. This always results in some blown assignments, particularly along the offensive line, which is currently the weakest position on MSU’s team.

As has been noted all spring, the Bulldogs are in great shape at many positions. This year’s

MSU team probably has the deepest group of wide receivers, running backs, cornerbacks, linebackers and maybe even defensive lineman of any team Mullen has fielded at MSU. The main question entering the spring game is along the offensive line, and due to the split squads, it will be impossible to form an accurate opinion of a unit that will look drastically different in a real game. This year’s offensive line is young, and many of the players who are going to be starting for the Maroon and White teams will have never played in front of a large crowd on Scott Field. Try not to freak out if a player misses a block or two. It is going to happen.

Super Bulldog Weekend is about having fun, both on and off the field. Saturday afternoon, the lights will come on in Davis Wade Stadium. Cowbells will ring. Smoke from grills in the Junction will hover over the field, and cold beverages will fuel the revelry, which is sure to take place. Saturday is a day of celebration, of rejoicing. The game is the reason everyone is gathered together to eat, drink and be merry. This is the one time all year when a football game is literally just a game.

Remember that.

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B3

With SEC-play nearing an end, Diamond Dogs look to increase postseason chances

BY RAY BUTLER Staff Writer

As the 2012 regular season in college baseball begins to wind down, teams will be looking to perform at their very best in hopes of improving their postseason position. That will be the case this weekend as the Mississippi State Bulldogs will host the Tennessee Volunteers at Dudy Noble Field. With some of the best crowds of the season expected due to Super Bulldog Weekend, MSU will look to bounce back after being swept last weekend on the road at South Carolina and losing the Governor’s Cup to Ole Miss Tuesday night in Pearl.

While the Bulldogs have recently hit a rough patch, MSU head coach John Cohen said he thinks the team can still achieve great success this season. “Our guys are really excited about (this weekend),� Cohen said. “I don’t know if we invented this concept or not, but it seems like we’ve been doing this for a long time, and it’s a very special tradition here at Mississippi State.�

If the season ended today, the Bulldogs would most likely

JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR

Sophomore C.T. BradfordĘźs recent return from an injury has helped the Bulldogs both in the outfield and at the plate. This weekendĘźs series with Tennessee will be crucial in determining both teamĘźs SEC Tournament hopes.

not be in the SEC tournament.

Cohen said he likes the position MSU is in as the Bulldogs begin the final stretch of conference play. “I feel like we’re at a great place,� Cohen said. “Our kids are really excited. We have five weekends left, and three of those are at home.�

With half of the SEC season

in the bag, the Bulldogs will look to overcome a slow start that featured just one series win en route to a lackluster 5-10 conference record and a 21-15 overall record. Sophomore C.T. Bradford said he is feeling optimistic toward the remainder of the 2012 regular season. “We feel like we match up well with Tennessee,� Bradford

said. “We like our chances this weekend and for the remainder of the season.�

Bradford, along with several other MSU players, has been hindered by injuries over the course of the regular season.

Along with Bradford, senior Brent Brownlee and sophomores Daryl Norris and Taylor Stark have all endured ailments

at various times during the season. Cohen said these injuries have limited the Bulldogs’ capabilities in every aspect of the game and have even caused some of the players to barely be able to run off the field at full speed during games. “Physically, we’re beat up,�

Cohen said. “We’re just really close to being a really solid club, and these next five weekends are huge for our program.�

One player who will likely play a large role in determining MSU’s success this weekend is Chris Stratton, a junior pitcher who currently leads the SEC in strikeouts. Earlier in the season, Stratton struck out 17 batters in a game against LSU, but MSU could only manage to plate two runs in a 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Tigers.

Last weekend, the Tupelo native pitched 7.2 quality innings in MSU’s first contest against South Carolina but watched as a 6-4 lead dwindle by a mixture of State’s bullpen and poor defense. State eventually lost the game 7-6. On the season, Stratton has posted an impressive 7-0 record with an earned run average of 2.98, both of which are stats that Evan Mitchell, a

sophomore pitcher, said energizes MSU’s pitching staff and motivates them to perform at a high level each game. “Stratton is one of the hardest working guys on the team,�

Mitchell said. “He’s one of those guys that you try and do everything he does, because he’s the best.�

Across the field from MSU, Tennessee comes into the weekend series in a similar situation to the Bulldogs. With a 7-8 SEC record and a 22-15 overall record, UT, much like State, will be looking to finish the regular season strong in hopes of ensuring a birth in postseason play. “Now is the time for us to start coming up,� Mitchell said. “Especially with the big fan base here this weekend, we have to take advantage of it.�

LAST NIGHT: Bulldogs won 2-1 in the 11th inning on a walk-off sacrifice fly

by Mitch Slauter. Caleb Reed got the win for State. Sam Frost had the other RBI on the night.

Smith, softball team suit up for Wildcats JACK HILL

Staff Writer

Mississippi State continued its dominance over in-state rival Ole Miss with a softball sweep last weekend against the Rebels, improving to 25-19 and 8-14 in SEC play.

After a rainout Tuesday night in Hattiesburg, the Bulldogs turn their attention to the Kentucky Wildcats for a three-game set this weekend in Starkville.

For State, senior catcher Ka’ili Smith earned SEC player of the week honors hitting .615 with six RBIs, two doubles and a triple against the Rebels.

Smith said she likes where the team’s mindset is and hopes to carry their momentum from Oxford back home this weekend. “We feel so big. We have to keep it going and bring it every day,� Smith said.

Also contributing for State is sophomore Heidi Shape, who went 5-7 with six RBIs against Ole Miss.

The Wildcats, 21-23 and 8-9 in the conference, will also come in with confidence, having defeated a good Georgia team twice in Lexington last weekend.

Leading the way for Kentucky is sophomore pitcher Lauren Cumbess, who threw a no-hitter against Georgia

last Saturday en route to earning SEC pitcher of the week.

MSU head coach Vann S t u e d e m a n Stuedeman spoke highly of the Cats, comparing them to her own team. “They are an up and coming team just like us. They are a Super Regional team,� Stuedeman said.

For the Bulldogs to notch another big series win during Super Bulldog Weekend, they will need even more timely hits, Stuedeman noted.

That is just what the Bulldogs have gotten after their tightly contested series loss to the SEC’s best team, Alabama, where Stuedeman stressed the importance of getting big hits in clutch situations. “We are really going to need good pitching, defense and

timely hits. We have to play in the moment,� Stuedeman said.

Hitting is not the only thing that has sparked the Lady Bulldogs to four straight wins. The pitching staff, led by juniors Stephanie Becker and Kylie Vry, helped keep the Rebel bats in check, as well.

Becker, who pitched in all three games including a complete game Saturday, improved to 12-10 on the campaign, while Vry pitched in two of the three, picking up a win in the Friday ballgame and improving to 8-6.

With only nine games remaining (six conference games), the Bulldogs have a chance to stay put at third place in the SEC Western di-

vision but certainly do not need to drop any games to inferior opponents, especially at home.

A strong finish is certainly possible as the Bulldogs finish the year with Kentucky this weekend and a struggling Auburn team during the last weekend of the regular season.

Stuedeman said MSU must continue to get better and stretch their confidence. “This game will humble you quickly. We must continue to work hard,� she said. “The confidence level is there.�

Another three wins this weekend would be huge for a resurgent Bulldog squad, who are looking to secure their first NCAA tournament birth since the 2008-2009 season.

ERIC EVANS | THE REFLECTOR

Junior leftie Stephanie Becker leads the way on the mound for State with a 12-10 record, including two wins over Ole Miss last weekend. The Dogs will host Kentucky this weekend looking to move up in the league.

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SPORTS

F R I DAY , APRIL 20 , 2012

THE REFLECTOR

Golf gears up for SEC Tournaments

BY ELLIOTT REES

#9 Vanderbilt

*At time of print, this match was undecided.

COURTESY PHOTO | MEDIA RELATIONS

TENNIS Although MSU may not have the nicest tennis facilities in the league, head coach Per Nilsson said he definitely wanted to host the tournament, and having a big crowd will be key.

“It’s such a home-field advantage, especially if you have it during a weekend like this,” Nilsson said. “It really matters getting down to that last match because it helps you push through. It makes you feel like this is really important for everybody, and it gives you a little extra; the fans also get on the visiting team a little bit, which will make them nervous.”

After earning a first-round bye, the team will play the sixth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, who are fresh off a win against No. 11 Alabama, today at 11 a.m. The Dogs defeated the Vols in their previous meeting this season, but the

continued from B1 score was close at 4-3. With a win over the Vols, State would be in great position to host the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia and Kentucky handed State its only two SEC losses of the year, and baring upsets, the Dogs would face Georgia in the semifinals and the winner would play Kentucky in the finals. Although these matchups are tempting to think about, Coupland said the team must focus on one match at a time.

“Each match is so tough, so you have to overcome that one first before you have the next one,” he said. “We definitely have a shot to beat (Kentucky). There’s not a team in the nation we don’t have a shot to beat because one through six we’re great players, but we have to keep it one match at a time.”

A large crowd is expected

due to Super Bulldog Weekend, especially if the Dogs advance to the finals on Sunday since there is no baseball game that day. But playing in front of people is nothing the Dogs are not used to doing. Several of the players played in the French Open or U.S. Open for kids and love big-time atmospheres. Nilsson said his players enjoy having a big crowd, and anything can happen in conference tournaments.

“If we play well, we can beat anyone; but if we don’t play well, we can lose to some teams that we feel like we’re better than.” Nilsson said.

“We’ll have to win a few spots and maybe upset someone, but I know we can do it.”

GAMEDAY: TODAY, 11 A.M. TENNESSEE VS. MSU

something a team needs to exhibit Staff Writer its full potential.

“It’s been tough; The Mississippi State men’s and women’s golf teams are heading into it’s going to the each of its respective SEC Tourna- tournaments and ments with separate goals in mind not having any following a season full of adversity real direct impact Ramey for both. on the team’s finWhether it is due to NCAA sus- ishes,” he said. “By now you need pension, injuries, players quitting, to have at least four out of the five players being cut or inconsistent set in stone, so it’s been tough for play, it’s happened.

Coach not having four guys he can The Lady Bulldogs have played rely on each week.” all season with only five players on Although both teams have entheir roster, and the teams they have dured difficulties, they both have competed against have had a mini- had their own share of accomplishmum of seven. The men’s team has ments, as well. had issues with two of its strongest The women’s team has much to players being lost for the season look forward to considering three after only 11 of the five playrounds of play ers on the active each.

Senior roster are freshLee Heaton was men. According suspended due to “GolfStat’s to NCAA violaFreshman Imtions, and freshpact Rankings,” man Fletcher freshmen Ally Johnson has McDonald, been out with Rica Tse and appendicitis.

Elena Warren Heaton had a are currently total of 31 birdthe No. 6 freshies and Johnson man class in a total of 30 at the country. In the time of their her two years as unfortunate head coach for events. the Lady BullALLY MCDONALD, The Lady dogs, Ginger WOMEN’S GOLF Bulldogs have Brown-Lemm had no other has improved choice but to put their national the same line-up ranking from out there evtop-140 to ery single time, top-80 and has but the men’s team has had diffi- been instrumental in shaving eight culty with several line-up changes strokes off the team’s average from throughout the year. The only con- 314.92 to 306.42. Joining the freshstants have been sophomore Chad men on the current team are four Ramey and senior Alex Rowland, incoming freshmen already comwho have both participated in every mitted to State, and Brown-Lemm tournament this season and been said she is looking forward to seeing State’s top performers throughout how this team gains the experience the season. Ramey leads the team needed to become competitive in with an average score of 72.69 and the SEC. Rowland is a close second with an “Imagine what it’s like two years average of 73.68. Heaton said it from today when you have those has been hard for him to not be players experienced and moving up able to contribute and said con- and on; that’s exciting,” she said. “It sistency throughout the line-up is is my goal to have a top-30 program

“I want to see this program grow and be a nationallyranked school in womenʼs golf. I want to be a threat to other schools.”

$5

in two years.”

The Lady Bulldogs are more than likely not going to qualify for the NCAA’s, baring an automatic bid by winning McDonald the SEC Tournament, but according to coach Brown-Lemm, McDonald, with an average score of 73.75, has a good shot at qualifying as an individual.

However, McDonald said she wants the MSU women’s golf team and program to be known.

“I want to see this program grow and be a nationally-ranked school in women’s golf,” she said. “I want to be a threat to other schools.”

On the other side of the coin, the MSU men’s team is seeking to make it to the NCAA Tournament. State has finished in the top-10 of every event this season except for one and finds itself in good position to do so. The team is currently ranked No. 65 in the nation, and without total self-destruction in the SEC Tournament, can find itself among the final 81 teams that qualify. The team needs to finish no lower than eighth in the tournament to finish with a winning record and improve their chances. It may be easier said than done, however, considering the team has not beaten a team ranked in the top-25 all year, and the SEC has six of those teams. Head coach Clay Homan said there is no room for error in order for this team to make it to the NCAA Regionals.

“We have very little wiggle room going into this tournament and we’ve got to play our best,” he said.

“We know that, they’re aware of that and know we have to step it up and play the best we’ve played all year in order to make the postseason.”

The MSU men’s and women’s golf teams will go opposite ways traveling to their SEC Tournaments. The Lady Bulldogs will make a trip to Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark., today to April 22, and the men’s team will travel to Sea Island Golf Club in Sea Island, Ga., during the same weekend to solidify each of their own postseason fates.

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B5

stat of the day : 78, the number of strikeouts by chris stratton, leading the sec and ranking third nationally

|

friday , april 20 , 2012

softball saturday:

msu vs. kentucky 12 p.m. espnu

Tennis, softball to add new facilities

By James Carskadon Staff Writer

This weekend is sure to be one of the busiest weekends ever at the softball and tennis area located in the northwest corner of the Mississippi State campus. With the MSU softball team hosting Kentucky and the SEC Men’s Tennis Tournament taking place at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, the area will see plenty of traffic over Super Bulldog Weekend.

However, by the time MSU hosts the 2014 SEC Softball Tournament, fans could see an entirely different landscape.

The exact time frame for the project is unknown at this point, but State officials are planning on replacing the grandstand at the MSU softball field and building an indoor tennis facility on top of a football practice field adjacent to the current tennis courts.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin said it would be nice to have a new softball grandstand ready in time for the 2014 SEC Tournament, but with where they stand right now in the process, that might be aggressive.

“We still have to identify how we are going to fund it, whether it’s fundraising or just fund balance,” he said. “We’re wrapping up our design on it, and we want to have a place to know what we’re shooting for.”

The new facility would seat approximately 1,000 fans, most of which would be chairback seats, as well as include a new press box. For head coach Vann Stuedeman, the venture is an opportunity to showcase the program in front of ESPN cameras in 2014.

The current softball stadium was built when the program came back to MSU in 1997 and seats 750 fans.

In 2011, a new LED scoreboard was installed over the left field fence, and

courtesy photo | msu media relations

A new softball grandstand, which would hopefully be ready in time for State to host the 2014 SEC Tournament, and an indoor tennis facility are in the plans of athletic director Scott Stricklin.

an indoor practice facility was built adjacent to the stadium in 2005.

“It’s huge. I would say it’s of the utmost importance,” Stuedeman said.

“With ESPN coming on campus to showcase Mississippi State, we’re going to have regional coverage and sometimes national coverage with ESPN. We definitely want to show how awesome it is in Starkville. Then the recruiting aspect of college athletics is the most important piece of the puzzle. A facility upgrade is going to definitely lure more candidates and athletes to take a look at our softball program.”

For a tennis program looking to maintain its current top-10 ranking over the next few years, the next major step facilities wise is an indoor tennis facility, which is common on SEC campuses. Stricklin said the facility will likely be built a little further down the road.

One holdup in the past has been where to put the facility, but the decision was made recently that the football’s three practice fields would be shifted over, allowing room for the tennis facility. Currently, head coach Per Nilsson’s team can practice in the two courts inside McCarthy gymnasium, but that is not enough room for his entire team to be able to practice when forced indoors due to weather.

“We’re lucky to have two, but last year we missed out on a ton of practice, and that hurt us a lot,” Nilsson said. “You know, it’s just, when you bring in a recruit and they see that you have everything they need, it makes a difference when you’re competing with the top guys.”

Stricklin also said he is hoping to do aesthetic upgrades to the Pitts Tennis Centre, including some chairback seats, brick on the stadium and

other improvements that help the look of the stadium.

With baseball, track and field, tennis and softball all taking place the same time of the year, parking can become difficult in that area of campus, especially on bigger weekends like Super Bulldog Weekend.

Stricklin said he recognizes the need for more parking but also believes one key aspect will be proving more pedestrian access to get to the tennis and softball facilities. Currently, there are no sidewalks that run directly to the complex.

The Bulldog Club, which would play a major role in funding these projects, continues to see its annual giving increase. Stricklin said the numbers would be slightly lower overall this year because the Bulldog Club has not received anything like the $12 million donation from the Seal family that was given in 2011. zack orsborn | the reflector

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B6

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LIFE

FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

THE REFLECTOR

Students weigh in on the 4/20 celebrates past, habit of avoiding people future of marijuana THE WRITER'S BLOCK | MARY KATE MCGOWAN

A

voidance — it happens. It might be as simple as waiting in one’s car until that certain somebody passes or not leaving a restroom stall until the person in the next stall’s feet leave the restroom. Everyone can be a perpetrator and a receiver of this common occurrence. But why and how do people accomplish this — there are only a certain number of stairwells on campus.

Allison Young, sophomore psychology major, said she probably avoids different people a couple of times a day.

“I usually do because I am in a hurry to get to work or class, but then on occasions because I am not in the mood to chat,” she said.

But Young is not the only student to consciously redirect her path to escape another’s direct line of sight.

Justin Davis, senior psychology major, said he rarely avoids people, and if he does, it is because he feels that running into them would cause an awkward situation.

But how does one accomplish this feat? Do they dive into bushes? (Because that could cause serious injuries or, at least, splinters.)

Sarah Caitlin Wheat, freshman kinesiology major, said she avoids people like a pro.

“I look down when I see someone walking towards me or just plain pretend that I do not see them,” she said. “Sometimes I

LIBRARY

Mary Kate McGowan is a freshman communication and English major and staff writer for The Reflector. She can be contacted at kmullins@reflector. msstate.edu. have even turned around and taken another sidewalk to try to blend in with the crowd to avoid talking to people I know.

All of these techniques have been used in college this year, if not in the past two weeks.”

The habit of avoiding people can be more than just “not being in the chatty mood.”

Avoidant Personality Disorder, also known as AvPD, is characterized by repetition of chronic shyness, the idea of being incompetent or lesser, as well as severe

sensitivity to rejection or disapproval, according to bipolarcentral.com.

“Avoidant Personality patients want close relationships, but they are afraid of humiliation or rejection. So these patients establish a distance between themselves and others,” bipolarcentral.com said.

“The patient with the avoidant ‘style’ leads a relatively normal life, while those with the classic ‘avoidant disorder’ struggle to function.”

The act of strategically checking one’s phone at a personally opportune time does not directly mean one has AvPD. “I think that when I begin to avoid people it really is a wake up call that maybe I am insecure about something or myself, or maybe that I just need a break from people to recharge,” Wheat said.

For more information, help, or counseling in regard to AvPD, contact Student Counseling Services, located in Hathorn Hall, at 325-2091 to make an appointment.

“It might be as simple as waiting in oneʼs car until that certain somebody passes or not leaving a restroom stall until the person in the next stallʼs feet leave the restroom.”

CAROLYN HAILEY

BY JESSE ROBINSON Staff Writer

This Friday marks a day of celebration, protest and calls to action in regard to a controversial plant genus Cannabis.

Known as 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty), the day is celebrated by individuals who identify themselves with the marijuana culture, during which many gather to consume Cannabis together.

There are many rumors, myths and legends on how 4/20 originated. There are ideas that the term originated as police code in California for marijuana use (the code actually means obstructing entry on public land), the number of chemical compounds found in the drug (in actuality there are 315, according to High Times magazine), Holland’s teatime or many others.

According to High Times, the first use of 4/20 originated from a group of high school students in San Rafael, Calif. in 1971.

Calling themselves “the Waldos” for their favorite hang out spot, the group decided to search for an abandoned crop of marijuana they heard about and agreed to meet at the statue of Louis Pasteur at San Rafael High School at 4:20 p.m. The group would remind each other of the planned outings with the phrase “4:20 Louis,”

SBW

which was eventually shortened to “4:20.”

The Waldos never found the crop despite numerous excursions into the Point Reyes peninsula but found themselves with a new lexicon when referencing getting high.

From there, according to Huffington Post, it is believed the term spread due to the Waldos’ involvement with the band Grateful Dead. During the band’s tours throughout the ’70s and ’80s, the term spread among the fans. High Times magazine found out about the term from fans and helped incorporate the term into many of its events. Somewhere along the line, April 20 became a holiday dedicated to celebrating the term and marijuana in general.

Although the idea of the holiday may lead many people to believe this is a mostly indoor event, there are actually several large outdoor events throughout the country to celebrate the day.

In recent years, nearly 10,000 people gather at the University of Colorado in Boulder to celebrate. Likewise, thousands gather at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to participate in open consumption of marijuana. This year, Austin, Texas will unveil a statue of Willie Nelson, a known proponent of legalizing marijuana

and a co-chair in the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, who will appear at the event.

Marijuana has had an interesting history and has made greater news over the past few years with certain states legalizing it for medical purposes. In states such as California and Colorado, which allow medical marijuana dispensaries, there seems to be an inconsistency between state laws which allow them and federal law, which does not allow possession due to marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I drug.

Mississippi has decriminalized marijuana for non-medical purposes to a degree, with the first offense for possession of less than 30 grams punishable with a fine of up to $350. Possession of more than 30 grams is considered a felony with a minimum sentence of three years imprisonment.

Mississippi also hosts the only federally-approved marijuana grow field at the University of Mississippi. The field is used for scientific research and is heavily regulated, with those wishing to research the use of the drug having to get the approval of the Public Health Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration, according to The New York Times.

CAROLYN HAILEY

LIFE

REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

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B7

MSU jiu-jitzu club earns medals at championship

BY MARY KATE MCGOWAN Staff Writer

Mississippi State University has been home to a Brazilian jiujitsu community, a style of selfdefense which goes against the grain of popular karate culture since 2007.

According to the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Buddhist monks in India founded the style.

“Concerned with self-defense, these monks created techniques based upon principles of balance and leverage, and a system of manipulating the body in a manner where one can avoid relying upon strength and weapons,” its website said.

Basically, it is not like the style of fighting seen in karate movies, but is similar to styles such as mixed martial arts.

Nathan Armstrong, sophomore biochemistry and philosophy major, said Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a ground-based martial art because no striking is involved, but fighters use takedowns to bring their opponents to the ground.

“If you've ever watched mixed martial arts events like the UFC, many of the non-striking offensive techniques fighters use in the cage, like arm bars, triangle chokes, rear naked chokes and knee bars, are techniques derived from Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” he said.

Jiu-jitsu may appear violent, but the art focuses on selfdefense.

“We train our students to be able to recognize and respond to threats against their persons by attackers,” Armstrong said.

COURTESY PHOTO | ANDREW SESSOMS

Left to right: Mississippi State University Brazilian jiu-jitzu club members Stephen Hensley, Joel Smith, Timmy Newman and J. Shrock watch as Nathan Armstrong and Jae McIntosh practice moves.

Also, being a member of the jiu-jitsu club is about more than learning how to protect oneself.

Stephen Hensley, freshman aerospace engineering major, said it is incredibly fun and an amazing way to relieve stress after classes and homework.

“Overall, everyone — whether they love sports or love math — will love it,” he said.

The club also competes in tournaments around the South.

Jae McIntosh, senior kinesiology major and instructor, Jessica Dobbs, a recent graduate, and Armstrong competed in the Mississippi State Championships in Biloxi.

“I earned a silver medal in the absolute weight division,

McIntosh earned silver medals in two divisions and Dobbs earned gold medals in two divisions,” Armstrong said.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu club also competed in Nashville, Tenn., at the North American Grappling Association’s tournament in March. The club won six medals, two of which were gold.

“The club competes as often as possible, and so far we have been able to compete in about one tournament per semester,” Armstrong said.

Commonly called “the gentle art” by historians, jiu-jitsu has influenced MSU students and is increasing in popularity.

“We are a different kind of martial art than most people are

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used to,” Armstrong said. “We are very laid back. There is no bowing or sensei or really strict rules.”

The club meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 p.m. at the Starkville Tae Kwon Do building at 909B Lynn Lane.

“Just show up in whatever you would work out in, and you're good to go,” Armstrong said.

MICAH GREEN | THE REFLECTOR

BIG GIGANTIC

| Over 500 people came out to Rick's

Cafe last night to see the saxophone and drum collaboration better known as Big Gigantic. The duo, made up of Jeremy Salken and Dominic Lalli, is in the middle of a major tour, hitting some of the bigger cities in the U.S. and made a special stop in Starkville thanks to the work of Chris Cajoleas and Lost Legend Entertainment.

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cuddling, spooning or sleeping next to someone else. It usually leads to wishing arms could be pulled off and then put back on afterward.

(After trying to settle into a comfortable spooning position) Uh-oh, it's the reurtn of AWKWARD ARM!

B8

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LIFE

FRIDAY , APRIL 20, 2012

COTTON DISTRICT ARTS schedule FESTIVAL of events

TASTE OF STARKVILLE

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Vendors include: Bops, Bin612, Bulldog Deli, Central Grill, Chill Factory, Crawfish Hole, Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern, Hardee’s, Harvey’s, Miller’s Homemade Scoops, McAllisters, Morris BBQ, Biz, Sweet Peppers, Two Sisters, Sno Biz Unbelievabowl, Frankie’s Spud Wagon and the Veranda

EXHIBITIONS

Located at Visual Arts Center

Juried Art: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

9:30 a.m. - Artist awards Student Art: 9:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.

CVB MAIN STAGE 9:30 - 10:30 Cedar Creek Ramblers

TVA ROCKIN’ STAGE METROCAST LOCAL STAGE

9:45 - 10:00 5K Run Winners Announced

9:30 Armstrong Middle School "Grease"

10:00 - 11:15 10:45 - 11:45 Jesse Robinson & the Hip Waders Alex Holliman 12:00 - 12:30 Songwriter Competition Winners Perform 12:45 - 1:45 The Flames 2:00 - 3:00 Nash Street 3:15 - 4:30 Charlie Worsham

9:00 Children's Art Awards & Pet Parade Winners

9:55 Starkville High School Chorus

11:30 - 12:45 Kanna Wermz

10:25 Starkville High School Drama - "Footloose" Musical

1:00 - 2:00 Jordyn Mallory 2:15 - 3:30 Lane Chapel Quintet 3:45 - 5:00 Musical Malpractice

11:00 Mary Kate, Maureen and Lauren Hughes 1:00 Chase Sansing 1:45 Poetry Slam Competition ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

6th Annual Sigma Nu Crawfish Boil Benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Saturday, April 21, 11am-5pm MSU Amphitheater Area behind Barnes & Noble Thank You to our Sponsors:

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THE REFLECTOR

The Five 22 hosts ‘Something Awesome Block Party’ Saturday wants to do all it can to help out the Cotton District Arts Festival and make it bigger and better this year, as well as in the future.

“Our purpose is to make things better and keep Starkville growing,” Edwards said. “Starkville has such a potential to be an even bigger jewel in North Mississippi.”

Music is set to kick off at 11 a.m. with the Mouring Line. He said all the bands performing are either local or from Mississippi.

DJ GLOtron, Late Night Project and Ming Donkey are just a few of the acts performing for free on Saturday. The Mississippi Music Foundation is also filling in the gaps and contributing bands for the festival. He said the foundation got in touch with the Five 22 last semester and has been a huge help ever since.

Miles Byrd, director of the Five 22, and Edwards especially want to encourage local artists of all types to come out and show off their talent. Edwards said if things go right with the weather, there will be a singer/songwriter section set up on Byrd’s front porch and a band toward the back of Raintree Apartments.

Local vendors are encouraged to bring their arts and merchandise to sell during the day. Wristbands and headbands similar to the ones sold at other

BY CASEY SMITH Staff Writer

The Five 22 invites everyone to come out to its Something Awesome Block Party this Saturday in the Cotton District.

The block party will take place from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Saturday at 522 University Drive at the parking lot of Raintree Apartments. The Something Awesome Block Party will feature local bands and vendors from around Starkville and Mississippi.

Blair Edwards, branding manager for the Five 22, said the block party is not only a one-day completely free music festival, but also a one-year birthday celebration for the organization.

“This is kind of a birthday party and kind of a random party at the same time, but it is definitely another great option for Super Bulldog Weekend-goers,” he said.

He said the Five 22 is not trying to compete with the spring game and Sugarland concert but are simply giving everyone in Starkville another awesome choice for Saturday.

“This block party will be for the people who are interested in seeing local music and art on Saturday,” Edwards said.

He said the Five 22 really

Starkville Community Theatre presents ‘Second Samuel’

BY ASHLYN WATKINS Staff Writer

The Starkville Community Theatre will continue its run of its final season play "Second Samuel" tonight.

"Second Samuel," written by Pamela Parker, takes place in a small Georgian town in 1948.

Parker will host a talk-back session with the cast of the play after tonight's show and will speak during the Cotton District Arts Festival on Saturday.

The cast are either graduates of Mississippi State University or involved with campus in some way and will attend the arts festival to participate in several performances for the community.

Pattye Archer, the director of the play, said the play is a sweet story with a good message.

"We are so excited to have the playwright of our production here with us to share this exciting weekend," she said.

The SCT members hope to see a great turnout from the Starkville community.

The play opened Thursday and will run through April 22 for Super Bulldog Weekend, and shows will also take place April 24 through 28. All the shows wil be held at 7:30 p.m., except for Sunday's performance at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 323-6855 or coming to the Playhouse on Main Street, where the shows will be held. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for nonstudents.

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music festivals are being specially designed and will be for sale the day of the Something Awesome Block Party.

There will also be CDs and band merchandise for sale, including those of popular band Space Capone, which has recently made a name in Starkville and performed last Friday at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern.

After the block party is over, the Five 22 encourages everyone to make their way over to Rick’s Cafe to listen to The Weeks, a band out of Jackson. Starkville band Parallax will open for The Weeks and doors are set to open at 9 p.m.

Tickets for The Weeks are $5 until 11 p.m., and $8 until close. Edwards said there might be a reduced cover for those who attended the Something Awesome Block Party earlier in the day.

For everyone who has not yet decided what their Super Bulldog Weekend plans are, the Something Awesome block party will be something awesome to do this weekend. Come listen to local talent and purchase something from a local vendor, then head over to Rick’s Cafe afterwards to see more homegrown Mississippi talent.

The Five 22 can be reached via their Facebook, Twitter, or their website whatshappen.in.

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Cotton District Arts Festival offers best of the area

BY ZACK ORSBORN Chief Designer

The Cotton District Arts Festival showcases local artists, musicians and much more to the Starkville community on Saturday. Located in the historic Cotton District, the festival celebrates music, dance,

literature and food.

Robin Fant, president of the Starkville Arts Council, has been involved with the Cotton District Arts Festival for over 18 years.

Fant said he enjoys the fun of the festival, and there is something for everyone to do. He said this year’s turnout is expected to be much bigger than last year’s.

“It should be up a good bit from last year. With it coinciding with Super Bulldog Weekend, I imagine there will probably be around 35,000 to 40,000 people hitting the streets,” Fant said.

This year features new and old events, including a songwriter’s concert, artisan booths and a poetry slam.

“In the songwriters contest this year, we had three winners that were outstanding,” Fant said.

“There will be three different stages with different performers.

There is also a total children’s area where the kids can do a lot of everything. You can try a bunch of different foods from local restaurants at the Taste of Starkville event. We have the jur-

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ied art part of it that will be in the Visual Arts building. Also, there will be a 5K run that starts at 8 a.m.”

At the CVB Main Stage, performances from Cedar Creek Ramblers, Jesse Robinson & the Hip Waders, The Flames, Nash Street and Charlie Worsham will be held.

The TVA Rockin’ Stage will have performances from Alex Holliman, Kanna Wermz, Jordyn Mallory, the Lane Chapel Quintet and Musical Malpractice.

Performances from Starkville High School, Mary Kate, Maureen and Lauren Hughes, Chase Sansing and poetry slam competitors will take place at the Metrocast Local Stage.

Molly Simpkins, junior fine arts major, is participating in the festival’s artisan village for the second time this year. She will be selling handcrafted items intended for practical use.

“I’m selling hand-made journals and some woodworking items like Mississippi-shaped boxes. I’m also selling carved linoleum block prints,” she said.

Simpkins said the festival is an outlet to be creative.

“I think it is a good opportunity to go see all the different ways people get creative,” she said. “There are so many kinds of booths. Since everyone is different there, they express their creativity in different ways, so it is really interesting to look and see how everybody expresses themselves.”

Jennifer Gregory, chief operating officer and vice president of tourism development of Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said the festival hugely impacts Starkville’s economy.

“The festival is a well-known event because it is a top-25 event

in the Southeastern Tourism Society. Based on the figures from the Arts Council, people come from all over the southeast,” she said. “When we combine it with Super Bulldog Weekend, our population doubles.”

Gregory said Starkville’s tourism success depends on spending in the community during the festival and Super Bulldog Weekend.

“When 40,000 visitors come to the community, hotels and restaurants are maxed out, and retailers will see great sales,” he said. “The Festival is an opportunity to showcase Starkville and to encourage visitors to come back.”

Fant said the goal of the festival is to improve life in Starkville.

“One of the biggest things that the festival started was celebrating art and the different fashions like music, food, culinary arts, painting and dance,” he said.

“It covers everything. The biggest thing to me is also it helps increase the quality of life in Starkville for both students and Starkville citizens.”

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Music Makers presents Sugarland

BY STEPHANIE SHARP Contributing Writer

Grammy-award winning country duo Sugarland will be literally “down in Mississippi” at Davis Wade Stadium following the Maroon and White spring game for Super Bulldog Weekend this Saturday.

Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 2004, Sugarland is the platinum-selling act consisting of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. Chances are, if you have listened to country radio in the past eight years, you will recognize quite a number of Sugarland’s catchy hits, which are all written by Nettles and Bush.

They have released four studio albums with several charted songs as well as five No. 1 hit singles including “All I Wanna Do,” and “It Happens.”

The band’s latest radio hit, “Stuck Like Glue,” also showcases its ability to blend both country and pop music.

In the Hands of the Fans, Sugarland’s sixth consecutive headlining tour, began earlier this month. The tour allows fans to send requests to determine the set list of each city. An announcement was released on the Sugarland website in

February with a statement from Nettles about the importance of fan interactions on this tour.

“They will make the requests that will help form the set list and guide the show,” she said.

“Through texts, handwritten signs, the Internet, phone calls made during the show and selections directly from the stage, the fans will become the conductors as well as the audience. If it's on one of our records or if we've played it on a stage, it is fair game.”

Song requests can be submitted online through forms on the Sugarland website up to two days before each show. Filling out the form entirely also ensures the sender will be emailed the full set list the day after the show. Requests will also be taken the day of the show via Twitter with the hashtag #inyourhands.

Sugarland also gets the honor of being the biggest and only concert to ever take place in Davis Wade Stadium. Shortly before Super Bulldog Weekend 2011, the Mississippi State University Athletic Department approached Music Maker Productions with the idea of having a concert inside the football stadium. This event marks the first www.oldvenice.com

If anyone asks / not “ that they would / we’ll be down in Mississippi and up to no good.

”

- "Down In Mississippi," by Sugarland time MMP and MSU’s Athletic Department have collaborated.

Brice Lambert, senior and student director of MMP, said the planning for this year was centered around the idea of bringing people to MSU who do not usually visit.

“It’s not just an event for Bulldog nation, but also the region, the SEC conference and even the nation. We want every-

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one to be watching and paying attention to this event,” he said.

Fans need to take notice of which side of the stadium their seats are located. Due to stage placement, the north end zone that typically serves as a pathway between grandstands will be blocked off for equipment and event services.

Unfortunately, because of this, fans will not be able to go from one grandstand to the other. Also similar to football games, once fans have left the stadium reentry will be prohibited.

The cheapest ticket on Sugarland’s last tour was a nosebleed seat for $59.99, and the most expensive ticket for this event is $50 for a Field Pass for both the spring game and the concert. General grandstand and student section seats are both $25 per ticket. Tickets will continue to be sold until the show and can be purchased Saturday starting at 10 a.m. on both sides of Davis Wade Stadium. The gates open for the event at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Following the spring game, the concert will begin near 7 p.m. with opening act Canaan Smith, brought

by Sugarland. Nettles and Bush will take the stage at 8:30 p.m.

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