2011_09_27

The

S TUDENT P RINTZ www.studentprintz.com

SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927

September 27, 2011

Volume 96 Issue 10

ON CAMPUS

Former Lady Eagle signs overseas Justin Mitchell Printz Writer Tanesha Washington, a 22-yearold Southern Miss graduate and former Lady Eagle forward, recently accepted an offer to play for a professional women’s basketball team in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Washington earned a Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in May 2011 and has been on the Lady Eagle basketball team since 2007. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Washington excelled both inside the class-

room and on the court.

“I’ve played ball all four years of college. Southern Miss offered me a full-paid scholarship,” Washington said.

Lady Eagle head basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis said she knew Washington would be a perfect fit for the team as soon as she met her.

“The first time I saw Tanesha was on her basketball court in high school in Clarksdale. I walked into a practice, and she was giving direction because her coach was in a faculty meeting. I was so impressed that she

Tanesha Washington was willing to step up in front of her teammates and assume

the leadership role. I immediately offered her a scholarship to play ball at Southern Miss,” McNelis said.

However, Washington didn’t decide to become a Golden Eagle until McNelis and the Lady Eagle assistant coach attended a picnic function at Washington’s church in Clarksdale.

McNelis saw Washington’s strong family values and who she was as a person while attending the church picnic.

“I felt that she was truly fit for our Lady Eagle basketball program,” McNellis said.

Washington decided that day

that USM was the place where she would pursue higher education and a mastery of basketball.

McNelis said that in the beginning, Washington struggled to make the adjustment from high school to college.

“Tanesha possessed perseverance. She wanted to be one of the first in her family to obtain a college degree, and she has done that,” McNelis said.

Washington said that her favorite part about playing basketball at USM was traveling

See WASHINGTON, 3

ON CAMPUS

USM invests in urban forestry A tree inventory is currently being taken at the Southern Miss Hattiesburg campus. According to Kenneth Rhinehart, adjunct professor of environmental science, a tree inventory is just like an inventory a store does for its products.

“A tree inventory is used to learn what kind of trees are present and how many there are,” Rhinehart said. “For example, as Southern Miss pursues carbon neutral status, it is good to have some information about the trees so the school knows where it stands in terms of carbon dioxide sequestration.” Rhinehart said it is good to know what one has before work begins.

USM has the potential to be a leader in urban forestry if the tree population increases. The Arbor Day Foundation identifies colleges and universities that promote healthy trees and involve students in their preservation. The Tree Campus USA designation shows that a school is aware of the im-

portance of its trees and has a plan to maximize their potential.

According to Rhinehart for a school to become a Tree Campus USA is like suggesting to a girl or boy that it would be good to be a Girl Scout or Boy Scout.

“Healthy trees in a city mean better climate control, pollution control, noise control, flood control, energy reduction, beauty, and better physical and mental health for us,” Rhinehart said.

“A university like Southern Miss should lead the way in urban forestry in this area. Our example will influence towns around us.”

Graduate student Sophie McNeil assisted Rhinehart in tagging the GPS coordinates of the trees and also helped identify them and integrated them into Google Earth.

“The tree inventory is wonderful for the university because it celebrates and displays our diverse landscape,” McNeil said.

“Whether you realize it or not, the trees, such as the live oaks, are an integral part of what makes Southern Miss unique.

“If it weren’t for the trees and

FACEBOOK

LADY GAGA

Arielle Edwards Printz Writer

Mary Alice Truitt/Printz

This live oak tree in front of Bennett Auditorium is one of many being counted on campus.

the landscaping, I wouldn’t have been as attracted to the campus during the tour. Walking the grounds everyday, it’s something students easily take for granted.”

Rhinehart started the inventory in the spring of 2010 with the help of his environmental science class. “This work became an excellent learning exercise for the students,” Rhinehart said.

FOOTBALL RECAP

WEATHER Tuesday

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Wednesday

86/67 Thursday

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“Not only that, but I enjoy mapping work. With publicly available software like Google Earth,

See TREES, 3

INDEX

Calendar ........................ 2 Sudoku..... ...................... 2 News .............................. 3 Feature ...........................4 Arts & Entertainment......5 Opinion............................6 Sports............................. 8

Page 2, Student Printz

The

Student Printz

Serving Southern Miss since 1927

Executive Editor Mary Margaret Halford mary.halford@eagles.usm.edu Managing Editor Hannah Jones hannah.jones@eagles.usm.edu Sports Editor Travis Thornell travis.thornell@eagles.usm.edu Web Editor Ashton Pittman ashton.pittman@eagles.usm.edu Art Director Justin Sellers justin.sellers@eagles.usm.edu Copy Editor Stormy Speaks stormy.speaks@eagles.usm.edu Chief Designer Lisa Gurley lisa.gurley@eagles.usm.edu Webmaster Chris Greene chris.greene@eagles.usm.edu News Content Adviser Chuck Cook 601.266.4288 chuck.cook@usm.edu Designers Taylor Fesenmeier Taylor Henry

Calendar

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Mark Your Planner 27 28 29 30 1 8 a.m.

SGA Homecoming Elections Library (Gallery at Library and TCC Lobby, Century Park/Outside of Learning Center) 11 a.m.

Project Fratway Money Drop TCC and Union Lobby 12:15 p.m.

Sports Official Association Promo Table TCC Lobby 7 p.m.

WWJD: Being Greek and Christian TCC 218

9 a.m.

TOMS Campus Club Bake Sale Shoemaker Square 11 a.m.

Project Fratway Money Drop TCC and Union Lobby 11 a.m.

Rugby Club Recruitment TCC Lobby 6 p.m.

Sigma Nu Project Fratway 2 Mannoni Performing Arts Center

8 a.m.

SGA Homecoming Run Off Elections Library, LAB Lobby and TCC Lobby, Century Park/ Outside of Learning Center 4:15 p.m.

Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance Interest Meeting Liberal Arts Building

11 a.m.

Rugby Club Recruitment TCC Lobby 7 p.m.

Friday Night at the Fountain Centennial Lawn

3 p.m.

WUSM Concert Series: Heritage Centennial Lawn

7 p.m.

Generation 6:20 Thursday Night Live TCC 214, 218 3 p.m.

L’Association Francaise de USM; WWII Ceremony TCC II and III

Scan this with your smart phone and see where it takes you!

Level:

Executive Editor 601.266.6431 Advertising Manager Lesley Sanders-Wood 601.266.5188 lesley.sanders@usm.edu Advertising e-mail printzad@usm.edu

Find us online at: www.studentprintz.com

The Student Printz is published every Tuesday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. Signature Offset of Hattiesburg provides printing services.

Opinions expressed in The Student Printz are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Student Printz, its publications manager, USM, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the USM Board of Student Publications.

2

3

4

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE

Ad Graphic Designer James Michael Cox james.m.cox@eagles.usm.edu Sales Representative Angel Wells angelique.wells@eagles.usm.edu

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9/25/11

© 2011 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

News in brief: Southern Miss will welcome Frank Browning as the presenter at the University of Southern Mississippi’s forum tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Stout Hall.

Browning has reported for National Public Radio and California Magazine. His presentation is called “Temples, Taxes and, Toilets: Faith, Fiscal Affairs and Public Health in Transatlantic Perspective.”

During his two-day visit to USM, he also spoke to journalism and political science classes.

ON CAMPUS

BSU on a mission Jennifer Lowe Printz Writer

Israel,” Washington said. “I’m also ready to experience the holy land.”

Washington said she is nervous about being away from her family for so long and eating the food in Israel.

McNelis is thrilled that Washington is taking the opportunity to play overseas.

“I’m very proud that she has put herself in a position to able to live this dream. Will it be tough? Yes, but I know she will succeed. T will be able to persevere and excel at any level,” McNelis said.

McNelis said that Washington is the second Lady Eagle that has accepted a position to play overseas. Former Lady Eagle Pauline Love played ball in Calle, France. Love is currently back in the United States recovering from a knee injury.

TREES, from 1 making maps is a very efficient process nowadays.” Rhinehart likes using the software that is available to the public because he wants everyone to be able to benefit from the tree inventory.

USM just launched its first official tree committee, of which Rhinehart is a member. This committee is developing protocols and procedures on how to manage the trees, including what to plant, where to plant it, and what trees are worth salvaging when damaged.

“This tree inventory is a beginning of a record that will be kept forever,” Rhinehart said. It begins now. We are a tree state, let’s enjoy this gift that gives to us in so many ways.”

The tree committee is made up of many people, including associate professor of biology Mike Davis, Physical Plant safety director Rodger Jackson, Mississippi registered forester Mark Anderson, landscape architect Russ Byran and City of Hattiesburg forester Loren Erickson.

Student Printz, Page 3

Banquet to raise money for trips

WASHINGTON, from 1 and meeting new people.

“You meet women from different parts of the world who become your sisters,” Washington said. “I had teammates from both Poland and Australia.”

After Washington graduated, she was set up with a free agent camp through McNelis.

Washington’s agent, Thomas Cross, found an open spot on Tel Aviv’s Hatoel Ariel women’s basketball team. Washington said the team was a part of the International Woman’s Basketball League.

Washington leaves for Tel Aviv on September 29 and will play basketball in Israel until March.

She will receive free housing and transportation while on the Hatoel Ariel team.

“I’m very excited to experience the scenery and culture in

News

Physical Plant director Chris Crenshaw said the tree inventory will serve as a tremendous asset to the university.

“We appreciate the work professor Rhinehart and his students have done in developing this tree inventory,” said Crenshaw, who leads the committee to better preserve and manage the tree population.

“A thank you goes to President Saunders for promoting environmental excellence and in supporting us along the way,” Rhinehart said.

It is hoped that this inventory will help people become aware of the importance of trees.

“Every cause needs a champion, and we can be that champion.

Southern Miss can lead the way,” Rhinehart said.

To learn more about the tree inventory, visit professorkr. com. For more information about the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA program, visit arborday.org.

Each year, the Baptist Student Union holds a fundraiser to prepare to the Gospel to people all over the world. The annual Missions Banquet allows participants to dress up in costumes, record videos and act out skits based on a theme.

“The banquet is not a typical banquet,” said Ariel Domico, BSU president. “We have a theme and everyone comes in the craziest outfit they can find.

We will have “hosts” who guide us through the night. Alumni,

students, the directors and their families come and help serve food cooked by Lloyd. As we eat, there are skits and videos, or just random things that are funny.”

The BSU set a fundraiser goal of $15,000 for missions this year but raised a total of $17,000 last year. The banquet is one of their biggest events and sources of money for missions. Last year, the BSU sent 40 summer missionaries across the United States and the world.

The BSU will be going to Asia for Christmas again this year, but other mission trips, such as the spring break trip, have yet

to be determined.

The Missions Banquet will be held at 7 p.m. at the BSU on November 4th. Admission is based on donation but is set at $50. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

“Many students think it is a lot, but all the money goes straight to missions. The food and decorations are paid for by the BSU,” Domico said. “The impact a student can have on the lives of people around the world and even in their classes is definitely worth more than $50. It’s priceless.”

The theme of the banquet has yet to be announced.

Feature

Page 4, Student Printz

ON CAMPUS

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Reynolds finds roots in Miss Hospitality Arielle Edwards Printz Writer Mississippi’s Miss Hospitality for 2011 is a young woman by the name of Ann Claire Reynolds. She is a junior special education major at USM and hopes to promote tourism and economic development for Mississippi. Her duties include participating in many Mississippi traditions, and she will also be involved in other activities, such as going to New York City for the Mississippi Picnic in Central Park. She will serve as a role model for people across Mississippi and looks forward to many exciting adventures that await.

Q: What are things you look forward to doing and sharing with the people of Mississippi?

A: I hope to share with the people of Mississippi what all our state has to offer. Before competing in Miss Hospitality, I really did not know the many great things our state can offer.

From the polymer science program here in Hattiesburg to the two car plants in our state, Mississippi has come a long way economically in the past decade, and more businesses are being drawn to our state each day.

Q: What are some of the fun things you get to do while

holding this title?

A: One of the things I am most excited about this year is attending the Mississippi Picnic in Central Park in New York City this coming June. The purpose of this event is to not only promote all of the great things that Mississippi has to offer, but also give those that have roots in Mississippi that now live in New York City a little taste of home. Mississippi Delta catfish is flown in for the picnic, and the universities of our state that have alumni associations in New York usually come out for the picnic as well.

Q: Why did you choose to compete in Miss Hospitality?

A: Competing in the Miss Hospitality pageant was something I had thought about doing since high school. I have known several girls that competed at the state pageant before me and knew they all had an amazing experience. The timing was right this year for me to enter my local program, Petal’s Miss Hospitality, and I was fortunate enough to have the chance to represent my city at the state level. Never in a million years did I think that I would be the 2011 Mississippi Miss Hospitality, but having the chance to serve my state in this capacity is truly an honor.

Q: How did you prepare to compete and what are some of the qualifications?

A: Miss Hospitality does a lot of speaking. As Petal’s Miss Hospitality I spoke at numerous local clubs and events, and now as Mississippi’s Miss Hospitality I travel around the state to speak and do interviews. The best preparation I did for the state pageant was simply to serve as my local Miss Hospitality. I did the same thing I am doing as the state Miss Hospitality, just on a smaller scale. Also, I did several mock interviews to prepare me for the pageant, watched the local and national news and researched information about the state of Mississippi. What started out as “prep work” for the pageant turned into pure curiosity and enjoyment. Learning about my state has become something that I very much enjoy doing, and it makes me even more proud to be a citizen of Mississippi. I would certainly encourage any young woman that enjoys speaking, meeting people and loves Mississippi to compete.

For more information about how to compete or to book Miss Hospitality for an event or appearance contact the State Pageant Office at 601.268.3220 or mshosp@hattiesburg.org.

Melissa McCraw/Printz

Ann Claire Reynolds, a junior special education major, was named Mississippi Miss Hospitality for 2011 this summer.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Arts & Entertainment

Student Printz, Page 5

music

Gaga channels past in ‘Yoü and I’ Leighanne Lockhart Printz Writer “I wrote this song, out of the deepest, most pure, happiest place in my heart.”

For the debut of her most recent hit, Yoü and I, Lady Gaga performed the song for fans during The Monster Ball Tour and revealed the inspiration behind the rock-and-roll type piece.

The opening of the video shows Gaga dressed in a black, high-fashion New York outfit with robotic devices attached to her after sprinting for miles down a long dirt road in the middle of Nebraska. She’s wearing stilettos, which have left her ankles cut up and bleeding. Gaga bends down to remove grass that has become stuck in her shoes along the way. She comes across an ice cream truck, which is eerie because it appears to be out of place for the scene. The grungy ice cream man with a deceptive smile and dirty fingernails offers her a melting ice cream cone and then a mangled doll.

“The ice cream truck is meant to be a representation of the destruction of my youth at a very young time in my life,” Gaga said. “So while I’m walking down this road to find love, the memories of the destruction of my youth get in the way.”

The video progresses to involve several different scenes with varying scenarios.

In one scene, Gaga is attached to a sort of torture wheel and is being experimented on, controlled, and/or manipulated in some way by a forceful man.

In another scene, she appears as a mermaid being kept alive by the same man in a barn. In the next scenario, Gaga is featured in a bare, naturalistic look in comparison to her usual extravagant costumes and makeup. She sits in the middle of a

cornfield playing the piano and singing to the male “greaser” version of herself perched atop the piano, exuding a destructive tough-boy attitude. Gaga is also shown a few times dancing around in an innocent manner in a cornfield with other females in this same version of herself. In another scene, she is dancing more scandalously in a barn with other females scantily dressed in black strappy get-ups. Gaga stands out with long, aqua mermaid-like hair.

They appear to be strippers or slaves whose only purpose is to seduce. Only a few times and at the end of the video does Gaga appear in a white wedding dress with a groom within a soft, dream-like atmosphere.

The video can be interpreted as how one experiences different versions of oneself, all to find love. Gaga portrays the theme in her video of how she has experienced abusive relationships within the torture scene. She portrays herself as a mermaid to represent a relentless barrier that comes between two people.

“A part of the metaphor of this scene is that you can’t have sex with a mermaid. Sometimes in love you just can’t make it work,” Gaga said. “So that’s what it’s all about; perceiving there’s something magical inside of you, that you can make it work.”

In the scene where Gaga sings, makes out with and then makes love to the male version of herself, one can interpret it as her finding herself and learning to love herself in a literal sense.

Once she falls in love with herself and accepts every part of herself, only then can she allow someone else to completely love and accept her in the same way. One can also interpret this scene as Gaga experiencing a bisexual side of herself at some point in her life.

MCT Campus

Lady Gaga performs at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 13, 2011.

“It allows you to imagine that you, yourself, are not just one person, you are so many,” Gaga said. “And that person inside of you has so many stories, and memories, and things to draw from, and they all affect your journey profusely.”

The video, just like the rest of Lady Gaga’s videos, uses symbolism, metaphors and stimulating images to represent the often complicated, confusing and self-seeking journey one goes through for love.

Yoü and I is about Gaga finally coming to the end of that journey and coming back to the person she has loved all along. The song is understood to have been written about her on-and-off boyfriend, Lüc Carl, who is from Nebraska. She comes a long way from New York to get him back for good. Quite possibly, his name is where the “ü” is drawn from in the title of the song.

At the end of the video, Gaga and the man are together and at peace with each other. They have stopped fighting the flaws and have accepted them and can finally love each other. This is the message that Lady Gaga intends to send with this piece.

“I’m battered, quite brutally, at the beginning of the video, and by the end I’m not battered, but a bit strange,” Gaga said. “So it’s not meant to be an answer, the video.

It’s meant to be a profuse number of questions.”

One can interpret this song and video in various ways. However, the important message everyone can take from it is to accept all sides of oneself, not just one, and to never stop chasing what one most desires in the end.

Go online to see the YouTube video!

The University Of Southern Mississippi Student GovernmentAssociation Philanthropy Commission Applications Available The Philanthropy Commission is a part of this administraion’s ongoing commitment to increasing student involvement in SGA. Each class will have its own committee of ten students, tentatively being named a Class Donation Agency.

The SGA treasurer will preside over this auxiliary, providing direction for the committees and individuals therein.

Applications are available on the 2nd Floor Student Activities Hub in the SGA Office.

Applications are due Wednesday September 28, 2011 in the SGA Office.

All applicants must sign up for an interview time.

Opinion

Page 6, Student Printz

NATIONAL

Student Shout-outs

“

A university library should be quiet and there is no need for screaming infants to ever be in one!!! No one under 12 should really even be touring. Don’t the people making the policies ever read or try to study or think? And where is DHS at 9 p.m. and after at night?

To the inbred idiot yesterday who told me that gay marriage would erode America’s social and moral fabric: You really think gays would do anything to harm fabric?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Gay suicides: For some, it never ‘gets better’ Ashton Pittman Web Editor Jamey Rodemeyer was a freshman at Williamsville North High School in New York. For years, he dealt with intense bullying at the hands of peers who told him that he was a “disgusting faggot” and that he would burn in hell for being gay.

In May, he contributed his own YouTube video to the It Gets Better Project in order to convey hope to other bullied youth. “Love yourself and you’re set,” he said. “And I promise you it’ll get better.”

But we denied Jamey the harvest

of his own promise. On September 18th, Jamey’s hopelessness claimed his life. He was only 14. His suicide dealt all of us a sobering reminder that, for some, it really never does get better.

We preach tolerance. Yet our society, including those of us who are LGBT supportive, far too often tolerates the very institutions and ideas that engender the kind of desperation that has taken the lives of untold numbers of youth.

Kids like Jamey have to grow up in a world where their humanity is constantly called into question on a daily basis – and not just from peers.

Politicians make the oppression of gays central tenets of their campaigns. And in doing so, they tell gay youth that they aren’t worthy of growing up to enjoy the same happiness that everyone else is entitled to — like the happiness

that comes with marriage, with commitment, and with family.

And churches, where many people go hoping to find love and acceptance, often become realms of rejection for young gay people.

Teens and young adults from the Hattiesburg area flock to Hamilton, Ala., to visit The Ramp, a high energy youth ministry.

There, they hear Prophet Damon Thompson preach fiery messages filled with violent rhetoric – often directed against “queers.”

“You cannot have a prime time television show without a queer on it,” he complained in a sermon last year.

Then, he launched into a tirade against anti-bullying efforts: “What they’re not saying is that the kid is not just miserable because he’s bullied; he’s miserable because he’s gay.

Because there’s a lot of people who

Dear Powerhouse, please stop smelling so good every day. College student’s budget, remember? Sincerely, Hungry.

Dear Random Girl in Starbucks, I find your lack of heterosexuality fabulous!

-Your biggest fan To the sorority girls on the third floor of Hillcrest: We don’t want to hear your music, we don’t want to see your trash in the halls, and we definitely don’t want to hear you screaming in the halls at 2 am! I have an 8 am class!!

This was an article of opinion by Ashton Pittman, a writer for The Student Printz. Email questions or comments to ashton.pittman@eagles.usm.edu.

Don’t be that guy who wears yellow to the “blackout” game.

Custodians do a lot of work.

While you are sleeping they are working. Four in the morning is pretty early to be cleaning up behind nasty students and teachers. Walk a day in their shoes and see how long students last. Campus would be filled with trash if students had to clean. We should be thankful for custodians.

I will be the first to tell you how disgusting our bathrooms are. But if stall assignments are going to be established when there’s too much toilet paper on the floor, why hasn’t anything been done about the dirty, cracked, moldfilled showers?

”

To see your anonymous comment in The Student Printz, submit it under the ‘Contact’ tab on studentprintz.com.

get bullied who never kill themselves.

But the kid already hated himself because he was dealing with the demonic force of homosexuality.”

Thompson is correct in thinking that gay teens are more likely to kill themselves than their straight counterparts; according to The Trevor Project’s website, they are actually 300% more likely to attempt suicide.

But it’s not just because they’re gay – it’s because they’re victims of a society that rejects and dehumanizes them simply because of who they are.

So long as we lend validity to political agendas and religious ideas that assault the human dignity of our LGBT brothers and sisters, the youth of this nation will follow suit.

In one YouTube posting, Jamey described a class discussion where students were asked to express their views on gay marriage. Many students explained their opposition by saying that gays were “disgusting” and that it was “against the Bible.”

Jamey left the classroom in tears.

“I got upset thinking about all the lives that have been lost because of gay bullying and I ran out of the room crying,” he said. “And then, I was thinking, ‘Hold your head up and you’ll go far.’ I want to make a difference.”

Today, Jamey’s wish is being realized. But because of what we’ve allowed, he’s not here to see it.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Opinion

Student Printz, Page 7

tech

Facebook makes everyone lose their marbles Jonathan Andrews Printz Writer Last week, much like yours, my News Feed was set ablaze with friends’ and some rando’s complaints and observations about Mark Zuckerburg and company’s new vision for Facebook.

This isn’t the first time a change has come to the social networking giant’s user interface, and it certainly will not be the last.

Here’s a little history, but first, one critical statistic and fact.

According to Facebook’s statistics page, the world’s largest social network had 750 million users as of July 2011.

At the same time this change occurred, Google opened the doors

of its Google+ service to the public. The significance of those facts should become clearer as you read.

When it was first created in 2004, Facebook reached one million active users while only catering to a select group of colleges.

In 2006, when the site opened its virtual doors to everyone, people sort of lost their marbles. The end of that exclusivity was to be the end of Facebook as those original users knew it. They were on it before it was cool. (Hipsters.)

Now, everyone’s mother, grandmother, aunt and nine-year-old cousin could see that keg stands and partying were also a part of the school curriculum.

That same year, News Feed and the mini feed were introduced, and everyone lost their marbles again because there was just so much going on on their homepages.

Regardless, the number of active users on the site jumped to 12 million.

Letter to the Editor David Lauren

I hope that you will allow me the opportunity to express my thanks and appreciation to the entire University of Southern Mississippi community, and especially to those in the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials for the hospitality and consideration shown to my sister Barbara and me on the occasion of the dedication of the new learning center named after my father, Sidney Lauren.

As a member of the Coatings Industry Education Foundation (CIEF), my father visited the USM campus numerous times and met

with the faculty at the School of Polymers. He worked hard to assure that funds from CIEF were allocated to USM. From my visit to the USM campus, it’s easy to see why my father enjoyed his visits as much as he did. I look forward to the likelihood of returning to USM, and to the possibility of getting to root for the Eagles at a home game, if not this year, then next year.

Thank you for the opportunity to thank the entire USM community for making us feel at home. Go Eagles!

Anyone remember the failed Facebook gift shop? I thought not.

It was introduced in 2007. That same year, Facebook’s active user base grew to 50 million people.

Then there was Facebook Connect, which allowed users to use their Facebook login to log on to other websites. Then there was Chat, which allowed users to talk to their friends who were on Facebook at the same time as them (whether they wanted to or not).

Then there was the Like button for those times you have nothing of consequence to add but want to be a part of the conversation.

Now there’s the new News Feed and the ridiculous ticker. Everyone, once again, has lost their collective marbles.

It must be expensive to buy new marbles all the time.

The thing is, through all of these changes, through all of the marble misplacement, the number of active users on Facebook has only grown.

Is there some unseen force making everyone use Facebook?

Is there a law that mandates that people only post their cat pictures and Friday night exploits in that “What’s on your mind?” box?

There is not.

If you have a problem with the way that this private company is running their business, then feel free to leave.

Google’s new social network is one of your options, and it has a bevy of privacy protections to cater to every need. Also, they’ve got group video chat. It opened to the public on the same day that Facebook’s new News Feed debuted, but it still hasn’t experienced the growth that was gifted with in its beginning years.

There’s also Twitter, or you could always go back to Myspace.

The point is, you are a consumer using a service (a free one, no less), and just like you have

the choice to get Pepsi instead of Coke, you can always pack up and move your online persona to another free service.

More changes are coming to Facebook. If you’re interested, then Google “Facebook Timeline”.

When things change you have options. The wrong one is to complain about Facebook on the website. If you really want to send a message, deactivate your profile and move on to another service.

Or you can acknowledge the fact that although change can suck sometimes, it can also just be for the best.

Finally, you can also just get over it and keep playing Frontiersville. I don’t judge.

This was an article of opinion by Jonathan Andrews, a writer for The Student Printz. Email questions or comments to jonathan. andrews@eagles.usm.edu.

Sports

Page 8, Student Printz

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Football

5 things we learned from Virginia victory Travis Thornell Sports Editor

The 2011 football season is a quarter of the way completed, and Saturday’s 30-24 victory for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles over the Virginia Cavaliers has given USM a 3-1 record for the first four games. Here are five things we’ve learned so far.

1. New defense makes everyone a ball hawk. Not only has the defensive change reenergized the unit, it has every player on defense in the right place at the right time. The Nasty Bunch has registered eight interceptions already this season, and linebacker Korey Williams leads the team with three of them. As a unit, they have been giving up 93 yards on the ground per game and rank 32rd nationally in total defense, allowing 320 yards per outing.

2. It’s always nice to have a senior quarterback. Senior quarterback Austin Davis was named the C-USA player of the week after his 27 completions out of 41

attempts for 313 yards with three scoring tosses against the Cavaliers. For the year, Davis is just shy of 1,000 yards passing and has already thrown seven touchdowns.

Davis has been able to spread the ball around to multiple receivers to keep defenses on their toes.

3. Offensive line is improving. After a rough outing against Marshall, the big boys on the line have stepped up. Davis has had plenty of time to throw, but the key of the season will rely on the run game. The passing game has opened up the running game, but the line will need to consistently open holes for the talented running backs.

4. The Hrapmann kick and run works. Kicker Danny Hrapmann has been clutch on his field goals by hitting eight of 12 attempts, but his biggest moment was his performance in pulling off a trick play in the second quarter of Saturday’s game. With his feet firmly set in the middle of the endzone, Hrapmann took the snap and ran for 31 yards to get USM a clutch first down to grab the momentum away from Virginia.

5. The “Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime,” legacy has been kept intact.

With Saturday’s victory, Coach Larry Fedora has kept alive the USM reputation as being BCS Conference

James Lang/ US PRESSWIRE

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles cornerback Martez Thompson (back) in the first half at Scott Stadium.

slayers. In his four years, Fedora has won three games against schools from the automatic qualifying conferences, including last year’s victory over Kansas and a previous victory

over Virginia in 2009.

The Golden Eagles will be back in action this Saturday in the annual Blackout game against Rice with a 6:30 p.m. kick-off.

This was an article of opinion by Travis Thornell, a writer for The Student Printz. Email questions or comments to travis.thornell@ eagles.usm.edu.

C-USA looks to keep options open with realignment Travis Thornell Sports Editor Conference realignment has once again grabbed headlines in college athletics. With the Southeastern Conference inviting Texas A&M from the Big 12 Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference extending invitations to Big East Conference schools Syracuse and Pittsburgh, the landscape of college sports will be changing even more. The SEC will more than likely try to have one more school enter its conference to give it an even number of 14, and the fates of the Big 12 and Big East are still unknown after teams have left.

As the dominoes continue to

fall, Conference USA will have to wait to see what happens in the larger conferences. As of now, Alabama-Birmingham, Central Florida, East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Houston, Rice, Southern Methodist, Texas-El Paso, Tulane and Tulsa join Southern Miss in the conference, which was started in 1995. Several C-USA schools have begun to try to work their ways into the larger conferences, but until more moves are made, they will likely stay put.

“I think what’s going on right now will probably be the ride that stops everything and brings it all to a head,” USM Athletic Director Richard Giannini said. “We still have to wait until Texas and Oklahoma (both currently in the

Football at Virginia

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24

See Fedora’s press conference video at www.studentprintz.com

Big 12) decide what they’re going to do. We’ll see a lot of chips fall with other leagues. Everything is unknown until it all happens.

“Conference USA has got a plan, and they’ll continue pursue that plan. We’ve just got to wait and see what happens.

We’re monitoring it hard and heavy and talking to a lot of people nationally.”

Realignment talks have been going on for several years, but only a few universities have changed conference affiliations.

For the last year and a half, C-USA officials have been discussing several options with the Mountain West Conference, a conference similar to C-USA. Mountain West is comprised of Air Force,

C-USA games this weekend SMU 42, Memphis 0 East Carolina 28, UAB 23 Houston 56, Georgia State 0 (11) Virginia Tech 30, Marshall 10 Duke 48, Tulane 27 (17) Baylor 56, Rice 31 (18) South Florida 52, UTEP 24 (4) Boise State 41, Tulsa 21 BYU 24, UCF 17

Southern Miss Box Score

Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, NevadaLas Vegas, and Wyoming. Texas Christian is currently playing in its last year in the MWC, as it will leave to join the Big East next July.

The conference will gain Fresno State, Nevada, and Hawaii.

Talks have centered around the merging of the two conferences into one 22-team super conference or some variation of that. There has also been an option discussed in which the two conference champions from the respective conferences playing in a game that gives the winner a berth in a BCS game.

“One of the intended goals (of a super conference) is that the best team, however determined out of these 22 to 24 institutions, would

get an automatic BCS berth,” Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said. “That’s something that would preclude whatever is perhaps happening in the Mountain West world.”

C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky released a statement on the ongoing talks with the MWC stating, “The conferences have much in common and have worked cooperatively for many years and we are exploring creative ways to work together going forward. The discussion included scheduling, television and postseason football. It is premature for anyone to suggest anything else at this point. We have the strong support of our members as we work on a variety of strategic initiatives.”

Southern Miss Sports: Upcoming Games

Football:

09/30/11 4 p.m. Soccer hosts Colorado College Hattiesburg, Miss.

10/2/11 1 p.m. Soccer hosts UTEP Hattiesburg, Miss.

Soccer:

09/30/11 7 p.m. Volleyball hosts Memphis Hattiesburg, Miss.

10/2/11 1 p.m. Volleyball hosts UAB Hattiesburg, Miss.

Volleyball:

10/1/11 6:30 p.m. Football hosts Rice Hattiesburg, Miss.

9/24 at Virginia W, 30-24

9/23 at Tulsa 0-0 9/25 at SMU L, 3-1

9/23 at Houston L, 3-2 9/25 at Rice L, 3-2