Volume 100 Issue 31
Thursday, January 28, 2016
www.studentprintz.com
USM responds to animal abuse allegation Hiba Tahir Printz Reporter
The University of Southern Mississippi responded to a formal complaint of animal abuse issued an activist group to the USDA on Wednesday. In the statement released, the university describes the nature of its primate research. USM fully denied the accusations of the Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!, the animal rights activist group, that accused the university of “blatant disregard of the Animal Welfare Act ” in primate laboratory research. According to the release, “[USM was] found to be in full compliance,
with no issues, following an inspection by the agency this past August.” SAEN is demanding a maximum fine against USM for the alleged violation. SAEN filed the complaint about USM’s primate laboratory after an anonymous source informed them that some of the lab’s bushbabies were so psychologically abnormal that they had become selfdestructive, biting off their fingers and ripping out their hair. If found at fault, this is not the university’s first AWA violation. They were reportedly given three USDA citations in 2014 and were the target of a 4-page USDA inspection report in 2012 after a
group of research rabbits subjected to prolonged tick-feeding were found to have large holes in their ears, ear discoloration and rectal bleeding, among other symptoms. “The University of Southern Mississippi has demonstrated a long-term pattern of allowing animals to suffer needlessly,” said Michael Budkie, SAEN executive director, in a recent press release. Regarding the abuse allegation, Budkie said, “The USDA should issue a severe penalty for the negligence which has allowed intelligent primates to become so psychologically abnormal as to Robbin Hutton/Courtesy Photo
ABUSE CONT. ON PG. 3
LOCAL
Pointless buttons fool unsuspecting pedestrians Nicolas Kubicki Printz Reporter
A man briskly walks down the sidewalk while glancing at his phone to check the time. Traffic surges in front of him, and he joins the throng of people waiting at the crosswalk. He pauses and then presses the button under the crosswalk signal. He feels the click under his fingers, audibly hears a beep and feels that it is letting him know his request to cross has been logged. In fact, every single person waiting there has followed the exact same ritual but the light remains unchanged. For those who use crosswalks, this is extremely common. Some press it over and over again under the impression that if it they push it enough, it will change. Some hold it for a long press. For most crosswalks the technique used does not matter, and the light will change when it is scheduled. The button means nothing. This phenomenon happens all over the world at crosswalks, on trains and even in elevators. A great number of the buttons are simply placebo and exist only to satisfy those pressing it. For some, this is not shocking. It is not some great revelation of conspiracy or even a surprise. But for others, it might be an astounding discovery. “I believe it,” said Shelby Burton, senior social work major at USM. “It makes you feel like you’ve got some control over how long you stand there and wait.” Burton said that it is all about giving some illusion of control over one’s situation. “If you wait for 10 minutes and nothing happens, it seems like it goes on forever. If you press the
Fadi Shahin/Assistant Photo Editor North side of Hardy 49 intersection.
button, you’ll still wait 10 minutes, but you feel better about waiting,” Burton said. Alex Stone of the New York Times investigated the psychology behind this illusion of control and concluded that button-pushing was as much about control as preoccupation. In a situation where a Houston airport dealt with complaints of wait times,
they moved the arrival gates farther from the baggage claim and the number of complaints plummeted. The same technique is applied in the grocery store where there are many candies, gums and magazines to distract people while they wait in line. The end result is all the same: Occupied time will end up feeling shorter than unoccupied time.
Timothy LaGrone, a senior psychology major at USM, takes a different approach. “I press it, every time. It may not work, but it feels like it works when the walk signal appears. Even though I’m aware of the effects, I continue to press it. Just because it might be placebo doesn’t make it feel any less real,” LaGrone said.
In fact, placebo buttons are quite commonplace all over the world. In an investigation of N.Y., The New York Times found that almost all of the pedestrian signals in the city were deactivated despite their continued existence. The Times learned from the New York Department of Transportation that when computer controlled traffic systems came about, most of the pedestrian signals became obsolete. There was no more reason to allow pedestrians to actually control the lights. However, while some buttons are non-functional, those of lower-traffic areas are often still functional. W. L. Sanders, head of the Division of Hattiesburg Public Works traffic division, said all pedestrian signals in Hattiesburg are still functional. “We can monitor all the pedestrian signals electronically, and we check them all each day.” Some pedestrian crossings are more advanced, like that at the intersection of Hardy Street and 31st Avenue, which couples a visible signal an audible cue for people with visual disabilities that may not be able to see the light change. “That pedestrian crossing was specifically requested,” Sanders said. “More could be added across the city if they were needed.” While the crosswalk button someone presses may light up and make noise, they usually have no way of knowing if they are working or not. While the buttons in Hattiesburg may be functional, there is not really a way to know about most others. Whatever they may or may not be connected to, they produce a very real effect in the brains of those who press them.