The
S TUDENT P RINTZ www.studentprintz.com
SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
January 26, 2012
NATIONAL
Volume 96 Issue 33
STATE
Obama focuses on Film industry education in SOTU grows in Miss. Joshua Starr
Ashton Pittman
Printz Writer
Web Editor In the State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama announced a series of proposals, which included pursuing alternative energy, creating manufacturing jobs and tackling the divisive issues of economic inequality and immigration. Yet his education proposals garnered the most attention across social media, with 35,972 tweets recorded during that portion of the speech. Obama called on states to take the initiative to improve their education systems. Schools should stop “teaching to the test,” he said, referencing policies implemented with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. He also made the case that students should be required to stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18. “[W]hen students don’t walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma,” he said. “When students are not allowed to drop out, they do better.” But Obama’s calls for reform didn’t end at the high school level. “When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college,” he said. Obama said Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt and called on Congress to stop interests rates on student loans from doubling, which is set to occur in July. He also argued that Congress should extend the tuition tax credit and increase the number of work-study jobs available on college campuses.
“Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid,” Obama said. “We can’t just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition. We’ll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by work-
ing to keep costs down.” Obama said he had recently spoken to a group of college presidents who had achieved efficiency at their schools by redesigning courses and pursuing new technologies to help students finish more quickly.
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President Obama spoke to the nation during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. He addressed several issues, including energy, education, and the economy.
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In the wake of recent developments, University of Southern Mississippi film majors may soon find themselves in demand. Despite Mississippi’s 10.5 percent unemployment rating given by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi’s film industry is showing signs of vitality. Mississippi Film Office Director Ward Emling said his office is seeing an upswing in the state’s film economy during 2011. Attributing this growth in part to recent investments in the state - such as construction of a soundstage, Mississippi Film Studios of Canton, Miss., and the development of a technical program at Hinds Community College in Rankin, Miss. - Emling said he is optimistic this growth will set a trend of benefitting will set a trend. “[The Mississippi Film Office] just had the busiest fall we ever had. We’re about to have the busiest spring we ever had, followed by the busiest summer we ever had,” he said. Emling said the 2011 tax incentives for filming, which have been increased four times since their enactment in 2004, have also contributed to the state’s film economy, in addition to other economies. “The film industry is an industry. It’s high-paying jobs,” Emling said. “We’re talking about people making $600 to $3500 a week, staying in hotels, spending their money on food and whatever.” Randy Kwan, instructor and
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chairman of Hinds Community College’s new film and video program, said the economic climate of encouraging developments like Hinds’s film program, which is the first of its kind in the state. “All the parts fell together because of the new tax incentives and the push in workforce development by the film commission to train personnel in the state,” Kwan said. He also said despite offering classes in film production, Hinds’s program is not a threat to that of USM, but it is rather a complement. “Our program is a technical program that will teach you to be a grip, electric, assistant camera or assistant editor,” Kwan said. “If you want to be a director or a producer, a four-year degree is better. That’s what they’re teaching at Southern.” Senior sociology major John Barr is confident about choosing media production as his minor because he feels it has prepared him to pursue a career in the field. “I’ve had the opportunity to get some really good experience, which I know will benefit me in the future,” Barr said. “I’ve found the classes very interesting, and they’ve reassured me that I’m on the right career path.” Emling encouraged the state’s future film professionals to share Barr’s optimism. “Ten years ago, you weren’t watching film entertainment on your phone or your computer,” Emling said. “Today, the need for product is exponential, and this is one of the things that sets apart the film industry from perhaps every other industry.”
INDEX
Calendar ..........................2 Crossword........................2 News .............................. 3 PULSE...............................5 Opinion ...........................9 Arts & Entertainment......11 Sports.............................12