ENTERTAINMENT
STUDENTPRINTZ.COM
We’ll be live blogging tomorrow’s men’s basketball game against UAB. See www.studentprintz.com at 2:30p.m.
The Student Printz is traveling to SXSW during spring break. Follow us on the web with photos and reviews.
SPORTS
The Golden Eagles destroyed the UCF Knights yesterday in the C-USA tournament. See page 8 for details from Memphis.
S P The
Serving Southern Miss since 1927
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Volume 93, Issue 46
Anonymous donation to fund scholarships, strategic plan Lesley Walters News Editor
University President Martha Saunders announced that Southern Miss has received a $6 million donation from an anonymous benefactor. While university officials cannot answer questions regarding the identity or motivations of the donor, Saunders said he or she likely “believes in what Southern Miss is all about.” The benefactor did, however, set aside $5 million of the gift for student scholarships. The remaining million will be used to advance the university’s strategic initiatives. The donation is the largest single
cash gift in USM’s history, Saunders said from the steps of the Thad Cochran Center. Kara Palmer, a freshman who was in attendance during the announcement, said she had heard it might have something to do with university finances, but was “absolutely astounded” when she heard the amount of the donation. “This is huge!” the education major from Minneapolis, Minn., said. “This is absolutely ginormous (sic) for one anonymous donor to donate $6 million to a university. I’m really excited to see the way they put the money to use.” Saunders said the Foundation Board, an independent organization that raises and manages money for USM, is meeting today to deter-
mine where the $5 million portion should be invested “so that it continues to yield scholarships” over time. Vice President for Advancement David Wolf also works on the Foundation Board, and also spoke during the announcement Tuesday. He said after he first heard about the donation about a week ago, he did a “little dance” in his office. “My entire career is based on helping to secure gifts and connecting donors to students … so to do something as big and as meaningful as this is just a tremendous opportunity,” he said. She said the remaining million is expected to go “where you can see a tangible, immediate result,” adding that some of the money will likely
go toward student retention, distance learning, and encouragement of faculty to write more grants. “A million dollars is a lot of money, but it’s not a whole lot of money when you think of all that we have to do,” she said. “So we’re going to be very, very careful that we break off each little piece and put it exactly where it needs to be...” Saunders said the extent of next year’s budget cuts is still unknown, but the money for scholarships will help students and the university as a whole. She added that scholarships USM Public Relations for incoming students are imporPresident Martha Saunders unveiled a $6 million anonymous donation Tuesday. tant, but so are those for continuing The money will be split among scholarships and university strategic intiatives. students. “We have learned a ton this past it is for as little as a thousand dol- all – but it is to that student … Stuyear about why our students don’t lars, which in the grand scheme of dents should come here confident return,” she said, “and sometimes things is just not much money at that they can finish.”
SPRING BREAK
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Traveling to Mexico safe for students despite warnings Rachel Hall Printz Writer
Christopher Bostick/Printz Gwen Mobley, of the Mobley family, hugs Lee Ann Venable, a HAHFH Board Member, after receiving keys to their new home provided by Habitat for Humanity at the dedication ceremony.
Students serve community during break Andie Szabo Printz Wtiter
All over the country, college students are foregoing the traditional spring break to help out their own communities, as well as other communities in need. “I can go to the beach anytime,” said Rob Hunt, a sophomore who plans to spend his spring break in Baltimore, Md., at a sports camp “to reach people that haven’t heard the gospel.” He said the USM Baptist Student Union provided him the opportunity. Fifteen Southern Miss students are going on an alternative
spring break trip being hosted by the USM Office of Community Service Learning. Joshua Duplantis, coordinator of the OSCL, said the students are going to learn about the area and serve the community through volunteer work. In a partnership with Delta State University, the USM students will be staying in Delta State dormitories while serving a very rural community, Duplantis said. Later in the week, students from Delta State will come to Hattiesburg to serve the local community. The Delta State students were supposed to stay on campus during their visit to Hattiesburg,
Duplantis said, but because of the budget cuts and the closing of campus during spring break, they will now be staying at Main Street United Methodist Church. The Delta State students will be volunteering with Edwards Street Fellowship Center, Habitat for Humanity, Christian Services and the Salvation Army. “When I announced the trip, it filled up in 72 hours,” Joshua Duplantis said. He said this is a great opportunity for the university to connect with other universities and serve alongside them, and students who will be in Hattiesburg for spring break should feel free to join the efforts. The OCSL is
trying to keep the cost for the trip as low as possible, he added, and students will only be paying for a few meals. The Hattiesburg Habitat for Humanity is another local organization hosting alternative spring break opportunities for volunteer-oriented college students. Habitat International’s Collegiate Challenge is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. According to its Web site, the program provides year-round opportunities for students to spend their breaks building homes, and more than 12,000 students will be divided between 200 locations to build houses this year.
etary aid in the study of stem cells. During his terms in office, former President George W. Bush prohibited federal funding of stem cell research, and many hope that Obama’s approval will now bring about many advances in medicine, especially regarding diseases such as Parkinson’s and diabetes. The issue, however, remains a divisive one, alongside hot-button controversies such as abortion and cloning. Stem cells are essentially the
building blocks of the human body, since they have the unique ability to grow into other cells. Specifically, scientists value embryonic stem cells, which are found in human embryos. These particular stem cells are able to change into a much wider selection of muscles and tissues, including bone cells, blood cells and brain cells, among many others. The implications of this appear to be endless. Starting in 1998, when the first human embryonic stem cell line
was derived, many scientists and doctors have discussed the possibility of using stem cells to regenerate brain cells for patients beleaguered with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and to transplant mutant cells with healthy ones for cancer victims. Since the study of embryonic stem cells requires the collection and disassembly of human embryos, many groups and individuals have raised ethical con-
Obama lifts ban on stem cell research Meryl Dakin Patrick Laughlin Printz Writers
President Barack Obama signed an executive order earlier this week lifting restrictions on government-funded stem cell research, removing a ban that has been in place for more than 10 years. Obama’s recent move is expected to allow scientists more freedom and government mon-
INDEX
CALENDAR............................2 DIRTY BIRDS.........................2 OPINIONS...............................4 CONTACT INFO.....................5
ENTERTAINMENT.................6 ENT. CALENDAR...................7 SPORTS....................................8 SPORTS CALENDAR.............8
See STEM CELLS on page 3
When students hear the words “Mexico” and “spring break” together, many of them envision an idyllic vacation, but the uncertainty about the Mexican state is leaving many travelers hesitant to travel south of the border. In recent weeks, media networks and the U.S. government have issued travel warnings for the state of Mexico. According to the State Department, travelers find themselves at the greatest risk of violence in areas near the border, such as the cities of Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and Laredo, where there have been more than 200 Americans killed since 2004. This is the highest number of “unnatural” deaths in any foreign country outside military combat zones. According to the Los Angeles Times, the escalating deaths, especially in Tijuana and other border towns, have strong connections to drug cartels and their relentless struggle for power in Mexico. The competition among cartels for stomping grounds and smuggling routes is a fierce and bloody battle, with 6,000 deaths in 2008 alone, reported the Washington Post. How have government warnings affected USM? The “Spanish in Mexico” international program in Puebla, Mexico, offers Southern Miss students the opportunity to immerse themselves not only in the Spanish language, but also in the Mexican culture. Auxiliadora Arana-Sánchez, director of the program, said that Puebla is more secure and safer for students because of its geographical location in the central part of Mexico. Puebla, she stated, is one
Some things to remember when traveling in Mexico: • Always be aware of your surroundings and take the same precautions you would if you were traveling to any unfamiliar location. •If you are traveling by taxi, use only the licensed and regulated “sitio” taxis. Some illegitimate taxi drivers are criminals looking for easy targets.
POLICY
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of the safest towns in Mexico, and the host university itself provides 24-hour security. “There is no major risk for students coming into Mexico in general terms,” Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said in a recent interview with the Associated Press, “It is always important to advise the youngsters to behave.” Eduardo Villarreal, a native of Monterrey, Mexico and a graduate student at USM, agreed that Americans do not face any immediate danger when traveling to Mexico. “It is not in the interest of the [Mexican] government or the drug cartels to get involved with civilians,” stated Villarreal. “The president [Felipe Calderón] has put a lot of emphasis into the military, the police…Mexico now comes with SWAT teams, FBI agents who work for the Mexican government to provide intelligence, preparation, weapons…things like that. But the situation is not involving civilians right now.” For Southern Miss students who are especially concerned with spending spring break in a country with an unstable political environment, the U.S. State Department offers a way to ease the uncertainty. International travelers can register their trip with the U.S. Department of State. Registering an international trip with the State Department informs the American government that you are a U.S. citizen traveling abroad. “Like any big city in the world, it’s going to be dangerous,” Villarreal confirmed. “You go to New York; it’s a dangerous city, and it’s in the United States. But you have to know where to hang out and take your own precautions.”
For the latest Southern Miss news, see studentprintz.com
•Acapulco: Drug-related violence has increased. U.S. citizens in this area should be vigilant in their personal safety. •Cancun: Cancun is a fairly large city with increasing reports of crime, commonly occurring at night or in the early morning hours, and often involve alcohol and the nightclub environment.
TODAY
TOMORROW
72/52
68/56