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Serving Southern Miss since 1927

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Volume 93, Issue 17

SGA to investigate student election process Lesley Walters News Editor

With controversy surrounding the homecoming elections, Student Government Association President Melissa Cirino said she has called together a committee to investigate the current election process to settle on a reliable system before SGA officer elections in the spring.

The trouble began when Jonathon “J.P.” Pegues won the title for Mr. Southern Miss by 11 points in a runoff election Oct. 9, he said, after his opponent, Omari Pittman, won by almost 10 percent of the vote in the first election Oct. 7.

Pegues said his increase in

support came from students who had voted for the other two contestants in the election after he urged them to swing his way.

The senior elementary education major from Batesville added that he walked through The Village and Fraternity Row trying to pick up even more votes the night before the runoff.

The results for the runoff were posted at around 8:30 Thursday evening, said J.R. Robinson, election commissioner for the SGA. Pittman, a senior sports medicine major from Jackson, formally requested a recount Monday at around 4 p.m., within the allotted time to file such a complaint.

Within a couple of hours of Pittman’s complaint, Pegues

EcoEagle to host indie filmmaker

Omari Pittman

JP Pegues

received a phone call in which he was told a recount was being held, he said. A few hours after that, he was notified that the title had been awarded to Pittman, who won by five points.

Pegues decided to ask Eddie Holloway, dean of students, for a re-election since the emergence of 17 formerly uncounted votes “didn’t sit well” with him, he said.

Holloway denied, or at least advised against, a re-election,

Pegues said, since other students might want to do the same. Being the only person to formally request a re-election in writing within the constitutionally allotted time, “it doesn’t matter what they want to do,” Pegues said.

Pegues said Pittman has been his friend since well before the elections, and that friendship led Pittman to offer a dual Mr. Southern Miss title that both young men could share.

“So we went to Dean Holloway with that, and he said it was unconstitutional and would discredit the election process altogether,” Pegues said. “And I felt the election process had already been discredited when you have to go back and do a

recount, and you have to change the person because the system failed you on Thursday.”

Robinson, a sophomore administration of justice major from Bolton, said the process of counting ballots was unchanged between the Oct. 7 election and the Oct. 9 runoff, but Holloway said a recount called for stricter policies.

For the recount, students unaffiliated with the SGA were paired with staff from student affairs. Ballots were counted, recounted, double-counted and cross-counted between two rooms of counters who were unaware of any totals, Holloway said.

The ballots for Miss Southern Miss were also recounted,

Holloway said, since a request had been submitted around the same time as Pittman’s. He added that the total votes for Miss Southern Miss “gave credence” to the recounted totals of the Mr. Southern Miss election.

“I think the system is structured to validate or correct any found errors and that is what I thin the recount has done,” Holloway said.

“But in any heated and highly competitive election – where speculation or speculations have been even prior to the elections – it’s just hard to put those kinds of things to rest.”

The results of the recount will be the final outcome for this year’s homecoming elections, Cirino said, since “so much time has passed the results are See ELECTION on page 3

FOUR IN A ROW

Lesley Walters

zens.” Over-scheduled Americans are drawn to convenient, unhealthy fast food, leading to In a continued effort to raise high obesity rates, according the university community’s to the Web site. environmental consciousness, Lee said the presentation the Office of Sustainability is Tuesday will cover topics inpresenting its first EcoEagle cluding: how a slower pace Speaker this year. at work can lead to improveJohn de Graaf, a writer and ments in productivity, relationindependent filmmaker on is- ships, personal health and the sues involving “time poverty,” environment; the environmenwill speak Tuesday at noon tal and social pros and cons in the Thad Cochran Center of a four-day work week; and Ballroom 1. His presentation, how government policies can “Haste Makes impact time Waste” will poverty and Just having the uniexplain the sustainabilversity community relationity. ship between “Just havbe able to actually overworking, ing the unihear him speak in underproducversity comtion and hymunity be person is going to per-consumpable to actube -- it’s a real treattion. ally hear him sure.

A “susspeak in pertainably deson is going -Lary Lee, chief officer of sustainability signed” china to be -- it’s a lunch will real treasure,” be served, Lee said. “It’s and there are a real opporenough seats for 300, said tunity.”

Larry Lee, chief officer of De Graaf will also lecture a sustainability. He encourages human performance and recstudents to attend, especially reation hybrid class Tuesday since “we were lucky” to get evening. He will discuss why on de Graff’s schedule.

Americans get less vacation De Graaf, from Seattle, Wa., time, why that matters and has spoken at a number of uni- what can be done to remedy the versities, written several arti- problem as he presents “The cles and co-authored the best- Great Vacation Squeeze.” selling book “Affluenza: The The Opinion Research CorAll-Consuming Epedimic.” He poration conducted a poll is also executive director of during the week of June 23 Take Back Your Time, an or- and asked 1,002 Americans ganization that challenges time whether they would support poverty in the United States legislation setting a minimum and Canada. paid-vacation for all workers.

According to the organiza- Those polled were also asked tion’s Web site, timeday.org, how much time off would be American workers take an av- appropriate, how much time erage of about two weeks off off would prevent “burnout” every year, while Europeans and how much vacation time take an average of five or six they took in 2007. weeks for vacation. Americans According to the poll, 69 perwork 350 hours more a year cent of those polled supported than Europeans, it notes, and vacation legislation. One hun“in fact, we’re working more dred percent said at least some than medieval peasants did, vacation is necessary to avoid and more than the citizens of burnout, and 52 percent agreed any other industrial country.” that at least three weeks was a It goes on to suggest that time reasonable amount of time. poverty leads to poor health, Only 22 percent of those harms relationships, weakens polled actually took three communities and “leaves us weeks or more for vacation in with less time to vote, much 2007, however, and 28 percent less be informed, active citi- said they took no time off.

Printz Writer

‘‘

’’

Courtesy of Joe Bailey

Southern Miss defense takes down Rice during Saturdayʼs game in Houston. The Golden Eagles lost to Rice 45-40 in their fourth straight loss in a row. See page eight for more information.

County: Check voter registration status Bob Worth Printz Writer

Recent controversy surrounding voter registrations in swing states underscores the importance of voters making sure that they are properly registered and vote at their assigned polling place.

Polling places are assigned based on where voters live, and voters must keep their current address on file at the Circuit Clerk’s office. This is especially true of students, who tend to frequently move, and have seen their voter registrations challenged in several states.

“Every time someone moves they need to update their information with us so we can get them at the correct precinct,” said LaDonna Brumfield, deputy clerk at the Forrest County Circuit Clerk’s office. “We don’t want them living on Hardy Street and having to go all the way up [U.S. Hwy.] 49 to vote.”

Students who live in Hillcrest

residence hall vote at the Highland Park polling place, which is located at the Longleaf Trace Gateway on 4th Street. All other students living on campus vote at the Pinecrest polling

‘‘

If a voter shows up at the wrong polling place, which Brumfield said happens frequently, poll workers will contact the Circuit Clerk, who will determine the voter’s

Every time someone moves they need to update their information with us so we can get them at the correct precinct

’’

-LaDonna Brumfield, Forrest County Circuit Clerk

place, which is in the Masonic Lodge at 3321 Hardy Street.

Brumfield advises voters who have moved since registering but have not updated their registration to contact the Circuit Clerk to make sure that they are still listed as active on the voting rolls. A voter listed as inactive must submit an affidavit ballot, a process Brumfield describes as going “around the world, basically, to vote.” She added, “I would encourage everyone to check their status before they go to the polls on Election Day.”

proper polling place. For students, “Most of the time, it is Pinecrest,” Brumfield said There has been significant legal controversy surrounding voter registration in the runup to the 2008 elections, and a case in Ohio involving matching voter registration information to government databases recently reached the Supreme Court.

In Virginia, uncertainty has arisen as to whether students can register at their university addresses if they do not live there year-round.

Forrest County Democratic Chairman Richard Jones said that his organization has registered over 1,000 new voters, but has “no record of any that have been rejected.”

Sue Bush, Forrest County Co-Chair for the Wicker campaign, said that of the approximately 200 new voters her office has registered, she “hasn’t heard of any problems from the Circuit Clerk.”

Mississippi is commonly considered a safe state for McCain, and has largely avoided voter registration controversy.

Nonetheless, Brumfield said Nov. 4 will be “a very big election.” She said that there has been a “huge turnout with absentee ballots,” and registrations.

“So on Election Day it’s going to be three times [as busy].

I would just suggest that they check their status before Election Day so they will know exactly what they need to do if everything is not correct and active.”

Page 2|News

Recycle this paper

www.studentprintz.com |Tuesday, October 21, 2008

DirtyBirds

10-13-08 Joseph Greene Hall - Hit and Run - Incident report on file.

10-14-08 Seymours - Robbery - An employee reported she was robbed and ssaulted. The suspect is described as a black male, 5’9, 150, wearing gray pants and blue shirt.

Follow-up by UPD Investigations and Bureau of Forensic Services. See “Crime Bulletin” on UPD web page.

10-15-08 Jones Hall - Medical Assist - AAA ambulance responded but the victim declined transport.

10-15-08 Pinehaven Apt - Narcotics Violation - Referred to Residence Life.

10-15-08 Hillcrest - Petit Larceny - A resident reported the theft of a pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses.

10-15-08 McCarty Hall - Trespass - One verbal trespassing warning was issued to a non-student.

10-16-08 Championship Lane - Police Assist - UPD officer initiated a vehicle traffic stop. The driver was charged with DUI by Hattiesburg Police.

10-16-08 Elam Arms Lot - Trespassing - UPD issued a verbal trespass warning to a non-student.

10-16-08 Bond Hall Lot - Vehicle Traffic Stop - James O Robinson, W/M, 20 yoa, Ridgeland address, was arrested and charged with DUI and Improper Equipment.

--Compiled by Christopher Bostick

CampusEvents Today

Speaker John de Graaf, 12 p.m., Thad Cochran Center Ballroom Category 5 (faculty woodwind quintet), 7:30 in Marsh Auditorium.

VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood General Interest Meeting, 12:15 p.m. LAB room 208.

Etiquette Dinner, 6:30 p.m., Thad Cochran Center. $25 fee, covers three-course meal and etiquette packet.

Speaker Lucy Hurston, 6:30 p.m., Bennett Auditorium. Part of The Big Read event.

Tomorrow Southern Arts Brass Quintet, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Thursday Vote Out Loud Rally, 5:15 p.m., Union Plaza near football stadium.

Friday Southern Miss Volleyball, 7 p.m., Reed Green Coliseum.

Lady Eagles vs. UAB Paint Southern Miss Pink Womanless Beauty Pageant, 5:30 p.m. Thad Cochran Center Ballrooms I and II. “Anna’s Voice,” Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 26, 2 p.m., at the Gilbert F. Hartwig Theater.

Saturday Rachel Taratoot Ciraldo Flute Recital, 7:30 p.m., Marsh Auditorium.

Sunday Black and Gold Baseball, 2 p.m., Pete Taylor Park.

--Compiled by Bob Worth

www.studentprintz.com |News

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 | Page 3

Student groups host mock debates Meryl Dakin Printz Writer

The final presidential debate has come and gone, with exactly two weeks left until Election Day. While America’s prospective presidents work in a frenzy of campaigning for the last of the undecideds, the College Democrats and College Republicans experimented with their own campaigning efforts last Tuesday, October 14th.

The much anticipated debate by two of USM’s political activist groups was moderated by Professor of Political Science Marek Steedman.

On Steedman’s left sat the College Democrats debaters. The table was comprised of junior political science major Sarah Coleman from Alabama, senior criminal justice major Roy Logan from Petal, and senior history major Tyler Meador from Bogue Chitto.

Contenders on the right were senior english major Simon Smith from Hattiesburg, senior psychology major Zack Popovich from Madisonville LA, and freshman political science major Rick McCluskey from McLain.

The questions Prof. Steedman asked represented the hot topics of election time, ranging from energy issues, to abortion, to immigration and beyond. Both sides were allowed responses and one rebuttal from the starting side of each round.

Popovich said that both sides made good points, and Meador thought each represented its respective candidates effectively.

Prof. Steedman said he thought both teams performed well. “The two teams had obviously worked hard to research the issues and candidate positions. There were some assertions made that I would question, but that would be true of the Presidential debates themselves.”

Though political rivalry was to be expected, neither group overstepped their bounds enough to be censured by Prof. Steedman.

The able moderator remarked, “I thought the two teams were by and large civil in their responses, and kept the debate to the issues and qualities of their preferred candidates, rather than each other.” Popovich agreed, saying “I thought both sides acted very professionally, I thought everyone was very respectful of one another. There were no problems, no one got personal.”

McCluskey of the College Republicans and Logan of the College Democrats are both veterans of Iraq, lending a uniquely personal light to the issue of the War. While both agreed on the atrocity of war that they had experienced firsthand, each stood by his party’s platform on the specific issue of the Iraq conflict.

When Prof. Steedman had asked the last prepared question, he opened the floor for audience participation. Questions were posed to the budding politicians about the economy, the issue of illegal immigration, experience versus innovation, why the US decided to act alone in the War, etc.

Sherry Price, senior politi-

Meryl Dakin/Printz

College Republicans and College Democrats hold a debate on Oct. 14 dealing with issues such as energy, abortion and immigration. The debate was moderated by political science professor Marek Steedman.

cal science major from Florida, asked the first question. As an audience member, she said she was impressed with both teams.

“I thought they did well overall, debates are hard to do.” She said that she aligned herself more with the Democratic Party and considered the republican team “a little attacky,” but qualified that by saying, “I guess that’s what competition is all about.”

The debate was called a success by both sides and the moderator. Popovich said, “I hope this happens again. It probably won’t until after the election, but

Roommate search easier Special to the Printz For many college freshmen, their randomly assigned roommate can be a nightmare. The late-night partier paired with the studious church-goer, the co-eds who loathe each other’s musical tastes, the roommate who borrows clothes without asking _ all a result of too few questions posed on roommate questionnaires, some say.

To combat this issue, some universities are using alternative methods of matching roommates, matching students by hand instead of computer or asking more indepth questions. Most universities use a simple five-question form that asks basic things such as how clean a student is or if they smoke, saying randomness in roommate matching is part of the college experience.

But Michael Gaynor, 20, said he knows from experience a more indepth roommate matching process can be beneficial. The University of Richmond senior lives with his roommate from freshman year, as well as two others who were freshman-year roommates. The university has been matching roommates by hand based on indepth questions since the 1970s.

When Gaynor and his freshmanyear roommate unpacked their bags, they realized they both had DVD collections of the TV shows Family Guy and Saturday Night Live, and had many of the same CDs as well.

“That was a great match; whoever did it that year did a really good job,” he said.

The experience was part of the reason Gaynor wanted to work for the Office of Undergraduate Housing over the summer, spending four weeks handmatching roommates.

“When you’re going to college _ your first time really away from home _ the last thing you want is a roommate who’s your complete polar opposite,” he said.

“A student’s room should be their little haven after a long day of class.”

While Gaynor said most people put general things on their roommate questionnaires (shopping for girls, Sunday football for guys), he said he found two girls who both listed Japanese anime among their interests, and realized the rest of their questionnaires were nearly identical.

“You have to look at those really common answers and derive something deeper to find the perfect match for each one,” Gaynor said.

Carolyn Bigler, the assistant director for undergraduate housing at Richmond, agreed, saying she’ll frame certain questions in an indirect way. For example, she asks a question about how often students nap.

“The purpose isn’t to tell me whose napping, but to tell me how much time they’ll be in the room,” she said. “One big complaint is ‘my roommate is always in the room, I never have any privacy.’

What I’m asking is not always what I’m really interested in. I don’t care if you nap.”

Like at the University of Richmond, Toni GreensladeSmith of Ohio State University sorts roommate questionnaires by hand. But while Richmond gets less than 3,000 applications each year, Ohio State gets around 9,200 applications.

“Less than one percent 1/8of students3/8 request for a room change as a result of their roommate match,” she said. “Our sense is that the students are pretty pleased with how we handle their material and their assignment.”

At the University of Maryland, College Park, a group of student leaders is trying to expand the roommate questionnaire to include more questions.

“A lot of people had talked about the basic questions: ‘Do you study in your room?’ or ‘Do you smoke’ and decided they just weren’t enough to get you with someone similar enough to get along with,” said Alex Beuchler, a 21-yearold senior and president of the Residence Halls Association.

The process is still in its planning stage, she said, but the group wants to eventually submit recommendations to the Department of Resident Life to add possible questions such as ‘how important is your privacy?’

“We’re trying to foster community and give people the best first year experience, without interfering with people’s ability to meet people who aren’t like them, because that’s part of the college experience,” said Beuchler.

in the future when there are important issues, I hope this debate has set a precedent for future ones.”

Prof. Steedman mentioned that the format might be changed for the next debate. “It might be possible to have fewer topics, but more depth, for example, or to have the two sides able to talk to each other more, rather than just score points against each other.” He said he would have liked to have time to incorporate more audience questions, and Popovich agreed, saying, “The questions from the audience

were my favorite part. I thought they asked really good questions and we had to answer them directly.”

In the final assessment of it, Meador, Popovich, and Prof.

Steedman were asked what was accomplished by or learned from the debate.

Prof. Steedman saw that the debate was helpful to the audience, since the issues were “presented by people who aren’t professional politicians trying to win their votes.” He said, “I would hope the teams learned more about the details of the important is-

sues facing the country and the choices to be made between the candidate’s plans. Perhaps they also learned to appreciate what was strongest in the arguments of the opposing side.”

Popovich responded, “I think it exposed people to information that they might not have known about beforehand on certain issues.” Meador said he thought the debate gave the audience some good food for thought. “I think our debate gave the audience the tools they need to sit down and really think about who they’re going to vote for.”

ELECTIONS

Cirino said it is important for her newly appointed committee to investigate the current election process before SGA officer elections in February since those “are elections that actually give people power and authority.” She hopes to rely on computers to count those votes instead of students or faculty members.

She said she does not believe the debacle was the result of intentional miscounting, but as the runoff

ballots were being counted, “the respect wasn’t there that should be because it’s a system that people have become so comfortable with.”

“It’s time for that process to be restructured,” Cirino said. “I hope that by the end of the semester we have a system in place that is respectable enough to where people know we can vote in that because our vote will be counted and it will be counted fairly.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 official.”

“And I’m sorry to J.P. and my apologies go out to him because he was told one thing and then that was overturned,” Cirino said. “But Omari is Mr. Southern Miss and there is not going to be a re-vote.”

She said Pegues was no longer interested in a re-election, or another recount, but cared more that the process was flawed from day one.

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Opinions

Page 4 opinion@studentprintz.com

Sick? Listen to your stomach

Cold and flu season is soon to be upon us, meaning the media will flood us with stories about how to avoid Jesse Bass getting sick Opinions Editor and reduce the time we spend sniffling and coughing.

These stories are based on science, but they usually reflect a single study, and a recent one at that.

To any real scientist, this is hardly proof. Correlation in data only suggests a conclusion, and oftentimes this conclusion is later overturned by further research.

We’re nowhere near understanding the impossibly complicated human body. It seems unwise to trust my health to findings as new as the information in these stories.

We used to think insanity was caused by wandering uteruses. Our methods of science aren’t always sound.

My advice to anyone who wants to cut their suffering this cold season is to trust this wonderful machine we’ve all been blessed with, not some news story about the latest peak on a graph.

The theory of specific hunger tells us we develop food cravings based on chemical deficiencies in our bodies. Psychologists debate the specifics of this theory, such as how the brain accomplishes this feat, but most agree the theory is based on real phenomena.

When I get sick, I force myself to get up and go to the grocery store. I walk up and down the aisles trusting my cravings and acting on every whim, buying everything that looks good at the time.

I’ve tried it both ways, and when I collect a cart full of strange foodstuffs, I feel better sooner than I do when I laze around and eat what I have at home.

The last time I got sick, I went to the grocery store and got the biggest bag of oranges I could find, a gallon of grape juice, gummy bears and several containers of yogurt amongst other strange items.

I ate the whole bag of oranges and drank nearly all the grape juice that night. Research on Pubmed. gov, a health database, enlightened me to the fact that during an infection, the immune system’s reserve of vitamin C is rapidly depleted.

My body told me to eat oranges and drink grape juice, both rich in vitamin C. Further research showed me smokers and drinkers usually have lower amounts of vitamin C in their bodies than do non-smokers and non-drinkers with similar diets.

As both a smoker and a drinker, my most intense craving being foods rich in vitamin C makes sense.

Gummy bears are made with gelatin, a mixture of nutrients drawn from the bones of animals.

Many sources, Pubmed.gov included, tout the immunity boosting properties of gelatin. Chicken soup, the time-tested cold remedy, is also rich in gelatin because of the boiling of the chicken bones.

Friendly bacteria in yogurt is also known to stimulate immune response. Yogurt, along with grapes and oranges, also contain calcium, which is essential to any function of your body including the immune system.

I wasn’t sure if my improvement after eating these things were placebo-related, but the amount of information on the benefits of things I craved during this one specific illness is astonishing. After doing the research, I’m totally sold.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust your doctor if you get sick, but I am saying you should trust your own body.

Jesse Bass is the opinions editor for The Student Printz. Comments can be sent to printz@usm.edu

Media distorts image of women It’s no mystery the media plays a huge role in how women negatively portray themselves today.

This has been discussed so heavily it almost seems useless to state it. However, no matter how many times we put the media at fault for what we see when we look in the mirror, the real problem is figuring out how to change the situation.

Just like many other women out there, I pick up magazines at the checkout line to see who is on the cover. As soon as my eyes hit the page, I see a size negative 2 with flawless skin staring back at me.

Her barely there designer clothes seem to compliment her lack of curves.

As if she were shaking her finger at me, I suddenly feel overwhelming guilt for the chocolate chip cookies I had for breakfast. I begin to question myself “Why did I eat that? Why didn’t I go to yoga yesterday?”

These questions are quickly fol-

Brittany Cooley Printz Writer

lowed by short-lived promises to myself, “I’ll eat yogurt for breakfast tomorrow and I’ll work out every day this week.” All of this negativity towards myself is stacking up fast, just from looking at one picture.

How could I allow something so insignificant to affect the way I view myself? It seems as though media does have some sort of power over women, but the only way to combat it is not to look to the magazines and movies for our inspiration.

We need to look inside ourselves.

If one picture can ruin our entire day, then we aren’t that strong. We have to learn to love ourselves, just

as we are.

An article by Francis Davis discusses the myths that we often start to believe from taking too much of the media to heart. Myth five is “Your body is not good enough”.

We feed off of the media images and allow them to determine whether or not we are beautiful.

Who says the media have a right to govern that?

We as women must realize what decides whether we are beautiful is within ourselves.

Imagine, just for a moment, if there were an entire generation of women who believed in themselves fully--If we could look at the cover of Vogue and feel pity for the skinny girl on the cover who didn’t have chocolate chip cookies for breakfast.

If we could find our strength within ourselves, it wouldn’t matter who was on the cover of Vogue this month. Nothing anyone said or did could truly affect the way

we viewed ourselves because we would know, undoubtedly, that we were beautiful.

No matter what size we are or what our hair looks like today, if we could wake up every morning knowing we are beautiful simply because we believe it, we could change the world.

I see too many beautiful women walking with their heads down because they don’t believe in themselves, and I think it’s time for a change. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if we can look in the mirror and see beauty, then everyone else will too. So pick your head up.

Smile today; knowing that no matter what’s in the latest magazine and how they define beauty doesn’t affect you. Be who you are and love who you are. There’s freedom in that.

Brittany Cooley is a staff writer for The Student Printz. Comments can be sent to printz@usm.edu

www.studentprintz.com |Opinions

Tuesday, October 21, 2008| Page 5

Blame should be distributed at others and Bush It is no doubt that President George W. Bush is on most Americans’ bad side. I mean, why shouldn’t he be?

According to many, he is Jonah Taylor responsible for launching a Printz Writer senseless and unsuccessful war, delaying in rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina and allowing the economy to slip into a crisis which now has Congress signing off on the largest bailout plan in U.S. history.

Sounds like good reason to be on someone’s bad side to me, if it were that simple. But there are a few things about this blame game that do not add up to me. According to the War Powers Act of 1973, the president cannot enter a war unless Congress approves it, and since we are at war right now, I guess that means they approved it.

So if the decision to engage in war relies on Congress’ stamp of approval, then why is it that all the negative feedback on the War in Iraq lands on Bush’s shoulders when Congress could have just as easily said no to the war in the first place?

Also, the war has not been totally unsuccessful. Initially, one of the main goals of the war was to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power, and the last I heard he was dead.

I will go out on a limb here and say thanks to that accomplishment we are one enemy closer to safety.

Another thing that seems to be overlooked are the events that led up to what is known as Bush’s delayed rescue efforts during Katrina.

Every state has its own procedure in the case of a major disaster.

Each state also has its own leading officials who are responsible for their citizens’ safety in a crisis. An article from the Washington Post says the Bush administration sent Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco a proposed legal memorandum seeking unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor.

Louisiana officials rejected the request. In addition, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin did not issue a mandatory evacuation for the city until the day before Katrina struck.

I cannot help but wonder what the outcome would have been if Blanco had simply accepted the president’s request and if Nagin had not waited so long to announce a mandatory evacuation.

Instead, it seems to be much easier to point the finger at one individual despite the obvious parties at fault.

Meanwhile, the economy is being sucked into a black hole of debt, and Bush is once again at the very front of the firing line.

In a recent interview with Larry King, former President Bill

Letters to the Editor I was reading Tuesday’s Printz and I noticed the election results on the left-hand side.I was a little dissappointed to discover that Student Body Maid had been left out of the results. I am Jenell Ward (Student Body Maid), a senior nutrition and dietetics Major from Pearl, Miss. and I just wanted to inform you guys of that. Also, my twin sister Brena Ward was selected as Senior Maidand although her name was indeed listed, her nformation was not. She is a senior accounting major also from Pearl, Miss.

Thanks so much and keep up the great work!!

Jenell Ward ___________________ My name is Jonathon “JP” Pegues and I was one of the candidates for Mr. Southern Miss. As of Thursday, October 9, 2008 I was announced the winner--victorious by 11 votes (JP total was 1,124, Omari total was1,113).

On Monday at 5:22 p.m. I got a call from the Election Commissioner informing me that a recount was taking place and the decision would be given to me later.

At around 9pm, Dr. Eddie Holloway calls me and informs me that the decision had been reversed and that I had lost by a total of 5 votes (JP total was 1,125,Omari was 1,130).

Omari’s vote count increased by 17 which is just hard for me to swallow. How do student workers whose job is to count who are overseen by administrators miss 17 ballots?

During the time of voting, speculation of ballet stuffing for both candidates was rumored, along with allegations that certain people on the election commission had certain candidate’s backs.

Whether any of the allegations or rumors are true, I felt that giving me the title and then stripping it away because in the recount 17 additional ballots were found was unusual.

I have been to Dr. Halloway about the matter and he refuses to hear my plea. I first asked for a re-vote because I feel it was the only fair way to solve the issue.

Let the students vote again and have administrators count the votes. My second plea was devised by Omari. He came to me and wanted to do a Co-Mr. Southern Miss because he understood all the confusion and chaos that was going on and he felt we both were good candidates who would represent the university well.

This plea was brought to Dr. Halloway and he denied it too, saying that it is unconstitutional to have a dual representation of the position and it would discredit the election altogether.

I feel that the entire process has already lost its credit and integrity due to the fact that they had to switch candidates. I write this letter to shed light on the situation and show that Student Government is not being run by the students but rather the administration of the university.

I just want fair treatment and I have yet to receive any.

Jonathon “JP” Pegues

Corrections In the Oct. 14 edition of The Student Printz, Student Body Maid Jenell Ward was omitted from the Homecoming election results. The Student Printz regrets the error.

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The

Student Printz

Serving Southern Miss since 1927 Andy Hess Executive editor

Lesley Walters

Eric Nagurney

Maggie Sanford

News Editor

Entertainment Editor

Photo Editor

Jesse Bass

Tyler Cleveland

Brandon Phillips

Opinions Editor

Sports Editor

Circulation Manager

Abby McMullen

Sebe Dale IV

Crystal Scretching

Web Editor

Multimedia Editor

Graphic Designer

The Student Printz is published every Tuesday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. Printing is done by Signature Offset of Hattiesburg.

The first four copies of The Student Printz are free. Each additional copy is 25 cents.

Accuracy is important to everyone on the staff of The Student Printz. Please report any factual inaccuracies to the executive

editor of The Student Printz as soon as possible.

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

Clinton alluded to the idea that his administration could have been partly to blame for today’s economic blunder.

If that’s not suspicious, then someone’s in denial. This indirect confession sparked me into some research where I discovered an interesting piece of information that the media and the rest of society seemingly left in the dark.

The Clinton administration and members of Congress (hmm, there goes that “C” word again) proposed and passed the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999.

This bill lifted all restraints on the giant monopolies that dominated the financial system, such as those who are being bailed out by Congress now. What probably seemed like a good plan then may very well have been the beginning to our current economic mess.

I know Bush has made some not-so-great decisions which shouldn‘t be overlooked, but neither should everything else I‘ve mentioned.

My point is that the American people should put their fingers down long enough to take a long look at all parties involved in what we have so adamantly branded as Bush’s screw-ups.

It is time that society stop taking the easy road and takes the road with the exit that reads “distribute blame fairly.”

Jonah Taylor is a staff writer for The Student Printz. Comments can be sent to printz@usm.edu

From the Web Feedback and comments from studentprintz.com Rachel’s Cry not heard (Oct. 14)

H

ey, I just wanted to thank you for your positive article. We’d appreciate your prayers here in California as we fight for marriage through prayer and fasting. Bless you and keep up the amazing journalism!

Ashley his statement is false: “Norma McCorvey, who was Roe from the Roe vs.

Wade”. Norma McCorvey was one of the anonymous defendants in Roe V. Wade, not the ONLY one. There was a couple, who have stated that they made the correct decision in terminating their pregnancy.

T

Tim Tarvin Ethan B.

I

respect you and others that have the courage to stand up for God. Not doing so is what has put our nation where it is now!

Thank you for sharing your Christian values in a forum that has the potential to witness to many. God Bless.

Billie Ann

I

’m really glad to see this article. Even though it may offend some, I believe it will really strike a chord in the hearts of Christians on our campus! This could be the turning point that we need to shake this place!

‘Fireproof’ surprises (Oct. 9)

I

agree: The salt and pepper analogy alone was worth the admission price. But the laughter and joy that went along with such a serious topic also makes it well worth seeing.

J’Lynn

To comment on stories, visit us online at studentprintz.com

Entertainment ATO hosts haunted house

Page 6 entertainment@studentprintz.com

Eric Nagurney

Entertainment Editor

Scares and charity might seem an odd couple, but they will come together at Alpha Tau Omega’s haunted house this Thursday and Friday.

To raise money for Habitat For Humanity, Alpha Tau Omega is converting their house into a haunted house. This year will mark the 16th year the fraternity has held a haunted house before Halloween. In addition to the

Lamping a daring album Eric Nagurney

Entertainment Editor

Kevin Barnes must lead an exceedingly stressful life. With the sheer amount of ideas in his head, the Of Montreal frontman must never have time for idle thought. Though the indie pop that typifies most of Of Montreal’s career resembles a steady leak of ideas, Barnes has considerably loosened the valves recently. Last year’s “Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?” was a dense, adventurous leap from the group’s past records. On the group’s newest record, “Skeletal Lamping,” the floodgates of Barnes’ mind have been opened, forming a dense career-defining record.

Opener “Nonpareil of Favor” serves as both a statement of purpose and a warning. The track begins innocuously enough, varying little from the band’s typical jubilant pop style. Such familiarity is brief, as the song quickly drops into a slower, dreamy ditty. Less than halfway through the track, cascading noise, as pummeling as it is beautiful, descends and remains throughout. While gorgeous harmonies lend melody to the second half of the song, transforming sunny pop to noise rock within a six-minute time frame is still a daring but powerful move.

Though nothing on the record is as jarring or powerful as “Nonpareil,” these awkward stylistic shifts are typical of the record as a whole. “Women’s Studies Victims” opens with drones and vocal harmonies before shifting into strutting new-wave. “An Eluardian Instance” seems like a straightforward, horn-laden anthem until it suddenly breaks into bass-heavy funk. The seven-minute “Plastis Wafers” begins as shimmering disco and ends as bouncy Tropicália, arriving there via a passage of space

Of Montreal

Skeletal Lamping

rock. Elsewhere on the record, Barnes quotes Queen (“Wicked Wisdom”), indulges in Prince-like soul (“St. Exquisite’s Confession”), and manages a spoton Bowie impression (“And I’ve Seen A Bloody Shadow”).

If this all sounds ridiculous, it is. That’s the point. Barnes has declared that he wants this record to be difficult and something that cannot be immediately enjoyed on a casual level. By constructing miniature song segments and then cutting the listener off once they get comfortable, the songwriter is daring his audience to accept all these unexpected ideas and concepts. Challenging is a word used to describe hoards of albums, but “Skeletal Lamping” is one of the few in which it sounds like a verb, not an adjective.

It’s a funny bit of chemistry that Of Montreal gets more popular as they get more bizarre.

“Skeletal Lamping” may put a halt to that. Will the same audience that got hooked on the band’s past singles accept a record this unflinchingly difficult?

One would hope so, as “Skeletal Lamping” is their greatest achievement and this year’s most daring and intriguing record.

This is a column of opinion written by Entertainment Editor Eric Nagurney. Comments can be sent to printz@ usm.edu

Stone’s ‘W.’ paints objective picture Cory Taylor Printz Writer

The most wonderful and, for many people, surprising fact about Oliver Stone’s new biopic of George W. Bush, simply titled “W.,” is that it is not political. The minor detail that Bush has been our Commander-in-Chief for the past seven years is simply a by-product. The core of this film is the examination of his steady rise from privileged slacker to the most important job in the world. “W.” is one of the year’s best films.

Any habitual movie-goer who knows the films and reputation of director Oliver Stone may have understandable reservations concerning his usual lack of unbiased zeal.

Rest assured, this particular film is one of respectable observation and, ultimately, a sense of pity.

Josh Brolin plays the title character in “W.,” a performance that is at once difficult to describe but easy to admire and respect for its daring caliber. Throughout the film, there is a motif of Bush standing in an empty baseball field, presumably of the team he actually owns. At the beginning, an announcer states, “The 43rd President of the United States!” but there is no one around to see or care.

Consequently, at the end, a ball is batted towards Bush in the outfield but it disappears.

These two scenes are the bookends of Bush’s presidency, the summaries of a downward spiral our country has taken since 2000. More importantly, they are representative of Bush’s life, encompassing his

triumphs, failures, dreams and fraudulences.

The George Bush seen here is an ill-fated man, hopelessly seeking the approval of his patriarchal father while refusing to live in the shadow of his younger brother’s success. Bush’s cabinet of advisors are well-intended individuals, though usually reticent in their true opinions.

This is plainly seen when they are walking on the president’s ranch in Texas and he leads them vainly around in the heat, assuring them he knows exactly where he is going.

In reference to the seemingly vain search for weapons of mass destruction, Bush and his advisors soundly conclude post-9/11 that “simply because there is the absence of evidence does not mean that is the evidence of absence.” Three calamitous years later, no one can seem to admit who was wrong or to where those elusive weapons disappeared.

In the end, “W.” is a comedic tragedy and George Bush is the victim. The catch and beauty of Stone’s film is whether or not the audience will believe or sympathize with this vision. I know, especially by this point in an election year, Americans are tired of politics and all that that implies. Trust me when I say, though, “W.” is one of the smartest, most satisfying and un-political films ever made about the leader of the free world.

Cory Taylor is a staff writer for The Student Printz. Comments can be sent to printz@usm.edu

ATO HAUNTED HOUSE

Where: ATO House When: Thurs., Oct. 23, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Cost: $5

haunted house, there will be a pumpkin-carving contest between all of the university’s fraternities and sororities.

The fraternity has high hopes to make this year’s house the most successful yet. All of the fraternity’s house will be used in

the haunted house, including the backyard. “[Alpha Tau Omega] takes hours to make the house actually scary,” said Alpha Tau Omega’s Brian Bosworth.

“There will be different scenes [than in past years] and it’ll be a little longer than it has been in the past.”

The haunted house will be open from 7 p.m. to midnight Thursday, Oct. 23 and 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday. Admission will be $5, and all proceeds will go to Habitat For Humanity.

www.studentprintz.com |Entertainment

Tour hits BoCo Hawthorne Heights headline Never Sleep Again tour Patrick Laughlin Printz Writer

Hard rock fans in the Burg will be excited to hear that the bands Hawthorne Heights and Emery will be performing at the Bottling Company this Wednesday night.

Tickets for the concert are $20 each – a thrifty price, considering that five groups total will be playing at the Bottling Company as a part of Hawthorne Heights’ Never Sleep Again tour. Opening for Hawthorne Heights and Emery are Tickle Me Pink, The Mile After, and The Color Fred (a side project of singer and guitarist Fred Mascherino, of Taking Back Sunday fame).

The Never Sleep Again tour has been a highly anticipated one, as it is promoting Hawthorne Heights’ newly-released album Fragile Futures.

It is also only the second tour that Hawthorne Heights has set out on since the accidental death of their guitarist and “screamer” Casey Calvert late last year as a result of an overdose. The band, which has remained a four-piece since the well-publicized tragedy, began their tour on October 19th, Calvert’s

birthday. “I’m excited to see Hawthorne back on their feet,” remarked USM junior Cady Murren, who is a frequenter of the Bottling Company. “The fact that the Never Sleep Again tour found its way into Hattiesburg is also quite exciting.

I have to say that [Hawthorne Height’s] emo-pop is one of my guilty pleasures.”

Never Sleep Again also brings Emery to Hattiesburg finally, after their cancelled concert last April left many disappointed. “They were supposed to perform on campus with Switchfoot last semester,” said Zach Mansell, a sophomore at USM and a devoted fan of Emery who plans on attending their concert. “But, sadly, they cancelled a week before, because their lead singer blew his voice out and couldn’t sing anymore.”

The Bottling Company, which is located downtown on Mobile Street, will be accessible to all ages Wednesday night for the concert, although there will be an additional five dollar ticket surcharge for anyone under the age of 21.

Tickets can be purchased online at the www.thebottlingco. com. The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 | Page 7

Don’t forget to vote on November 4th!

Sports

Page 8 sports@studentprintz.com www.studentprintz.com/sports

Fedora to fans: ‘It will work’ Coach assures fans after fourth straight loss at Rice Tyler Cleveland

Tyler Cleveland

Sports Editor

Just two days after his team dropped its fourthstraight game, Southern Miss head football coach Larry Fedora stressed the belief that he has in his system and his players.

“The guys played hard for 60 minutes,” Fedora said. “They played extremely hard, and I was proud of that. They made too many mistakes in all three phases, but there were times when they could have given up and they didn’t.”

The offensive unit, which ranks 17th in total yardage, racked up 573 yards of offense, falling just 60 yards short of the all-time single-game record at Southern Miss.

Freshman sensation DeAndre Brown tallied 221 receiving yards and caught four touchdowns, both career highs, and fellow freshman Austin Davis completed 32 passes for 461 yards without an interception.

But once again, the defense was abysmal, allowing 444 passing yards and 586 total yards to the Chase Clement-led Rice offense. Clement, the Owl’s senior quarterback, picked apart the Southern Miss defense for six touchdown passes, the shortest of witch was a 17-yard toss.

“We missed a couple of tackles in open spaces that directly led to touchdowns,” Fedora said. “(Rice) does a good job of spreading you out and making you make the play and we couldn’t do much to stop them.”

Defensive coordinator Todd Bradford said he thought the team did a better job of getting pressure on the quarterback, but overall gave the defense poor marks for their performance in Houston.

“We lost the game, so we failed. We get an F,” Bradford said. “I thought we did some things better; for example a couple of times we only rushed three down-linemen and were able to get pressure.”

Defensive end Cordarro Law came up with the Eagles’ lone sack of Clement.

All-Conference pick and defensive captain Gerald McRath, who finished with 19 tackles Saturday against Rice, said Monday that the team’s confidence is still high, despite ranking 102nd in the nation in

Sports Editor

Photo courtesy of Joe Bailey

Golden Eagles wide receiver DeAndre Brown, from Ocean Springs, rushes the ball during Saturdayʼs game against Rice in Houston, Texas. The Eagles fell to Rice 45-40.

total defense.

“Our confidence level is great, it’s not going to change,” McRath said. “I’m glad I get to be a part of this unit on this team, we have a great group of guys and our attitude is not going to change. Losing games teaches you things.”

Fedora said that although his staff hasn’t made any decisions as far as personnel changes for Memphis, but that they would take a look at what they were doing over the course of the week and make any changes they deem necessary.

“Obviously we don’t want to be 102,” Fedora said.

“We’d like to be No. 1, but the fact is we’re not.

What can we change right now? I don’t know what change needs to happen, we just need to continue to get better and tackle in open spaces.”

Another area that showed signs of regression Sat-

urday was the Southern Miss kicking game. Britt Barefoot, who was moved to kicker after Justin Estes showed signs of inconsistency, pushed a 21-yard field goal from the left hash wide right and kicked an extra point into a defensive tackles’ armpit.

Asked what can be done to turn things around before next Saturday, Fedora said his team will rely on its attack mentality to rebound with a much needed win.

“We can’t sit around and wait for things to happen,” Fedora said. “We have to force the issue and make something positive happen, and then build off that.”

The Golden Eagles will take on the Memphis Tigers at the Liberty Bowl Saturday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Eagle to play in USM downs Nicholls World Series Special to the Printz

Special to the Printz ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Former Southern Miss pitcher Chad Bradford and the Tampa Bay Rays will represent the American League in the 2008 World Series which begins Wednesday evening at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Bradford played for coach Hill Denson at Southern Miss in 1996 before being drafted in the 13th round by the Chicago White Sox. He worked 92.2 innings appearing in 24 games with a 5-4 record and three saves for the Golden Eagles in 1996.

Bradford has pitched for seven different teams in his 11 year major league career and is making his first career appearance in the World Series.

He has appeared in the post season seven times and twice advanced to the league championship series, with St. Louis in 2006 and this season with Tampa Bay. He has been an important part of the Rays bull pen this post-season appearing in five games, working six innings allowing only five hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out three.

Bradford was one of the five pitchers used in the eighth inning of Sunday night’s thrilling game seven win over the

Red Sox, helping keep Boston off the scoreboard and leaving the bases loaded to protect the Rays 3-1 lead.

Bradford will be come the third former Golden Eagle to play on Major League Baseball’s biggest stage joining Jim Davenport, who played in the 1962 World Series with the San Francisco Giants, and John Melvin (Bubba) Phillips who played in the 1959 Series with the Chicago White Sox. Neither player was able to help his team win the World Series.

PHI @ TB PHI @ TB TB @ PHI TB @ PHI TB @ PHI PHI @ TB PHI @ TB

Wed Thu Sat Sun Mon Wed Thu

The Southern Miss baseball team completed their fall exhibition season with a 12-2 victory while limiting visiting Nicholls State to only four hits Sunday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park.

“It was good for us to play these two games this fall,” head coach Corky Palmer said. “I saw some things I really liked from our club. For the most part our junior college pitchers have come in and thrown the ball well in the two games and in the intersquads. We have some work to do but there is a lot potential with this team.”

Coach Corky Palmer held out his top two starting pitchers Todd McInnis and Cody Schlagel in today’s scrimmage to get a good look at some other guys.

Moses Munoz started the game on the mound for Southern Miss working two innings and allowing only one hit while striking out one.

Scott Copeland and Jeff Stanley both had good outings as well, working two innings each. Copeland allowed one hit and struck out three while Stanley did not allow a hit but did walk one.

Kyle Lindsey, J.R. Ballinger and Jonathan Johnston all had strong outings as well.

Nicholls struck for their only two runs in the

Corky Palmer

eighth inning off sophomore Seth Hester, using only two hits and a suicide squeeze to get on the scoreboard.

At the plate Brian Dozier had three hits and two runs score while Travis Graves added two hits and four RBI, including a bases loaded double in the

10th inning.

James Ewing collected a hit and two walks while crossing the plate twice.

Kyle Maxie did not have a hit but walked three times and scored three runs.

Freshman Daniel Covert was two-for-two with three RBI after he entered the game late for his opportunity to play a few innings.

In all the Golden Eagles pounded out 15 hits.

Bo Davis, Corey Stevens and Josh Fields each had two hits a piece as well.

Southern Miss did miss their chances to really blow the game open leaving 17 runners on base in the 12 inning game.

The Golden Eagles will practice for their final week of the fall this upcoming week and officially end the fall practice period with the annual Black and Gold Game Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:30 at Pete Taylor Park.

SPORTS BRIEFS

Photo courtesy of Joe Bailey

Former Golden Eagle Chad Bradford delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series

WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE Gm 1 Gm 2 Gm 3 Gm 4 Gm 5* Gm 6* Gm 7*

Oct. 22 Oct. 23 Oct. 25 Oct. 26 Oct. 27 Oct. 29 Oct. 30

Give it Time

8:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM

*If necessary. All games on FOX

Soccer Eagles fall to Rice

X-Country places second

The Southern Miss soccer team fell 4-0 to Conference USA-rival Rice on Sunday, falling to 5-10-1 overall and 1-7-0 in league play.

Rice (9-6-0, 5-3-0 C-USA) had four different Owls score a goal on the afternoon.

“From an offensive stand point, we created a lot of chances,” said Ebke. “Eleven corner kicks showed that we believed in our attack. Their keeper and their team came up with some huge saves off some of those. That’s the way it goes in some games.

We look to rebound for another tough weekend.”

Southern Miss outshot the Rice 13-11 and had 11 corner kicks on the afternoon.

The Golden Eagles remain at home to face Tulsa at 3 p.m., Friday, at Soccer Complex before hitting the road to face SMU on Sunday at 1 p.m.

CLINTON, Miss. - The Southern Miss cross country team placed second at the Choctaw Open hosted by Mississippi College Saturday as the final tune-up before heading to the Conference USA Championships, Nov. 1 in Memphis, Tenn.

The Golden Eagles placed three runners in the top 10 led by Zuna Portillo, who ran a seasonbest time of 19:26.18 in the 5K to finish second. Faith Ngobiro was ninth with a time of 20:57.21, while Terria Wheeler finished 10th with a time of 20:47.48.

Rounding out the Golden Eagle finishes include Cheris Fletcher 14th with a time of 21:20.80, Jolisa Evans 28th with a time of 23:08.85, Ke’Aura Lawson 32nd with a time of 24:02.12 and LeSheika Dinkins 33rd with a time of 24:07.16.

Cougars sweep Eagles, 3-0

Lady

HOUSTON – Senior Stevi Cherry led all players with 14 kills, while Bridget Whalen added 10 digs to go with 13 assists as Southern Miss lost to Houston 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-19) in Conference USA volleyball action Saturday.

Southern Miss falls to 13-9 and 3-6 in C-USA play, while Houston improves to 13-8 overall and 5-3.

Farmer posted 12 kills to lead the Cougars, while Lucy Charuk added 11 kills with only one error for an impressive .556 attack percentage.

The Golden Eagles return to action, traveling to UAB and Memphis, Oct. 24 and 26.

-- Special to the Printz

I know it’s easy to point at Southern Miss’ 2-5 record in football and go straight to the bottle.

I know watching the Eagles’ pass defense is like watching an old episode of “The Three Stooges”.

I know it takes a calculator and a degree from MIT to figure out how you can rack up 584 yards of total offense and lose to the fearsome Rice Owls for the second year in a row (Rice for Heaven’s sake!)

But take heed Southern Miss students there is plenty to be happy about in the athletic department.

While watching the USM defense may be a comedy of errors, watching the offense is like watching a Rambo movie. We can dominate almost any team in the nation without huddling or reloading.

Take solace in the fact that our baseball team might have better pitching than it did last year, when the Eagles came within a breath of hosting a regional tournament. Trust me, new additions to the lineup like Joey Archer and Travis Graves can really swing the bat.

On the basketball front, the women’s team was picked to finish first in the conference at the Conference USA basketball media days in Memphis last week.

Even the men’s team showed signs of improvement all season last year and should be good enough to challenge anyone in the conference other than Memphis.

Better still, a quick look at the schedule will show that we don’t have a single game against Blue Mountain.

LOOK BEYOND CAMPUS So you want to support Southern Miss athletes but can’t find anyone having success?

Don’t overlook Austin Davis and DeAndre Brown, a pair of freshman on the football team that are setting individual school records left and right. But if you can’t overlook the win-loss record, there are guys that are no longer on campus you can pull for.

Take a look at Tampa Bay Rays’ reliever Chad Bradford.

The former Southern Miss standout pitched in the late innings of Sunday’s series-clinching win over the Red Sox and is a part of one of the MLB’s top bullpens.

Brett Favre, a guy you might have heard of, is playing at a high level for the Jets and is (despite Sunday’s loss to the hapless Raiders and the fact that he reportedly put Green Bay’s playbook on eBay) one of the NFL’s highest-rated (and paid) passers.

They may not be affiliated to the University in any way, but the Saints and Hornets are just 80 minutes down the road and New Orleans is a great road trip for weekends in the fall.

NEW FACES Our new basketball facilities could improve our recruiting, so there’s a chance we could return to the roundball programs of the past, when Clarence Weatherspoon led the Eagles to NIT championships.

Our football recruits are shaping up again this season. I’m not naming any names but there’s already a highly-rated linebacker and offensive linemen leaning hard toward Southern Miss.

So step back from the ledge, Southern Miss fans, things will get better in the future. Take it from a Saints fan, you just have to keep the faith.

Tyler Cleveland is the Sports Editor for The Student Printz. Comments can be sent to printz@usm.edu