THE
S TUDENT PRINTZ www.studentprintz.com
SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
Monday, January 12, 2015
STATE
Volume 99 Issue 29
NATIONAL
Dept. Miss. GOP faces key issues in 2015 State issues global
Dems use pivotal topics to challenge incumbents Colin Cameron
Alan Rawls
Printz Reporter
Mississippi Republicans have been in charge of both houses of Legislature and the governor’s seat since 2012. However, key issues in the 2015 state elections are expected to challenge Mississippi’s Republican dominated political system. After Democratic support aided U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran to victory over state Sen. Chris McDaniel in the recent general election, key ballot initiatives for 2015 will be crucial in determining if the GOP will remain in control for the next four years. One political issue expected to make its way into the 2015 election campaign is the state’s expansion of Medicaid. Gov. Phil Bryant, who is seeking reelection in 2015, has expressed his opposition toward Medicaid expansion due to the current state of the Affordable Care
Managing Editor
Gov. Phil Bryant/ Lance Cheung
Act. The U.S. altering or doing away with the Affordable Care Act could potentially result in thousands of new Medicaid patients. In his Executive Budget
Recommendation, Bryant claimed that due to the Affordable Care Act, the income eligibility requirements for the Medicaid program have broadened. As a result, Bryant
has called for a 14.7 percent increase in Medicaid funding over fiscal year 2015. “With this increase, along with other factors, the request for state support has exceeded $1 billion for the first time in Mississippi’s history,” Bryant said. In response, Democrats in favor of Medicaid expansion have argued that Bryant is passing up free money from the federal government. According
See ELECTION, 3
ON CAMPUS
Fans opt for traditional logo Kathryn Miller Executive Editor
The Southern Miss community chose the “Traditional Eye” as its new eagle head logo with 57 percent of the votes. The “Dynamic Eagle” head design finished with 33 percent. According to southernmisslogo. com, “after careful consideration of our stakeholders’ feedback and consultation with Licensing Resource Group (LRG), RARE Design and our outside licensing attorney, we have initiated the trademark registration for the ‘Traditional Eye’ logo.” An application submitted and Trademark Office for the to the United States Patent “Traditional Eye” will take about
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travel caution
NEWS
Keith Kennedy Southern Miss swimming legend dies at 53.
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Traditional Eye Logo by RARE Design
six months to a year for approval. The website states that when the
FEATURE Tornado Students volunteer in Columbia cleanup.
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application goes through the trademark examination process, the logo will be released to Southern Miss’ licensing partners to begin plans for merchandise. Since November 2014, Southern Miss was to adopt a new eagle head design in response to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which said the logo too closely resembled that of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. RARE Design presented two designs for Southern Miss fans to choose from: the traditional eye and the dynamic eye. Southernmisslogo.com gave fans the chance to comment on each design and vote for their favorite one until the end of November.
OPINION
Charlie Hebdo Terrorists embolden world rather than scare.
After major terror attacks in recent months, the U.S. Department of State has issued a Worldwide Caution as of Jan. 9. The department’s caution was meant to warn U.S. citizens to exercise caution while abroad. The Worldwide Caution comes not long after the terrorist attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, based in Paris. It was the third major terrorist attack in less than four months, spurring the State Department to issue its warning to travelers hailing from the U.S. In October a terrorist killed a soldier near the Canadian Parliament. And before that an alleged ISIL sympathizer in Australia stabbed two officers who brought him to the station for questioning. “Recent terrorist attacks, whether by those affiliated with terrorist entities, copycats or individual perpetrators, serve as a reminder that U.S. citizens need to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness,” reads the caution. The State Department urges citizens who plan to travel abroad or who are already in another country to use extreme care and vigilance in the event that a terrorist attack does occur. In addition to the general warning, the Worldwide Caution includes basic information on the security of various regions across the globe, as well as suggestions for how to handle being in such countries. According to the caution, U.S. citizens and tourist
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See TRAVEL, 3 SPORTS Basketball Minors rout Eagle 74-40 game.