THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021
137TH YEAR | ISSUE 9
What is the solution to traffic on Highway 12? City officials discuss drive-thru congestion at Cook Out, Wendy’s MAGGIE ROBERTS STAff WRITER
Drivers along Starkville's Highway 12 at peak meal times and late at night are often faced with traffic congestion and slow-down, all stemming from long drive-thru lines that are spilling out of parking lots and into the highway. This has caused many problems for drivers, both those in the drive-thru lines and those just passing by. Cars at restaurants such as Wendy's, Cook Out, Zaxby's and Taco Bell are often wrapped around the building and flow into the lanes of
Highway 12, causing traffic to stop. Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill is aware of the issue but said it has improved since seating areas at the restaurants are now open after being shut down during the pandemic. "I get Tweeted about it. I haven't been Tweeted about it recently actually, but usually, it is every other week or so. It is a police matter, but we have been enforcing tickets to limit the number of cars still on Highway 12," Spruill said. The question at hand is, how badly does one want a burger from
Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reflector
Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill at her desk.
Wendy's? Spruill advises moving to the next restaurant for food or parking and walking into the dining area to avoid stand-still traffic on the highway, resulting in a traffic ticket for the driver.
Adam Sullivan | The Reflector
Fast food restaurants, such as Wendy's and Cook Out, tend to cause traffic jams on Highway 12 during peak hours, especially late at night.
With new and upcoming fast-food chains growing on Highway 12, including Chipotle, infrastructure has been a major topic among
Starkville residents and city officials. "Chipotle will have an entrance off of Jackson Street as well as Highway 12, so I would assume
people would be smart and use those additional entrances as ways to get there," Spruill said. HIGHWAY, 2
MSU is making changes to campus due to students' feedback JORDAN BROCK
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Students at Mississippi State University are no strangers to the construction and new additions on campus. However, with changes always happening around campus, many students also notice when issues arise that are inconvenient or impossible to avoid. Student voices and Campus Services have unknowingly been working towards the same goal. Campus Services is responsible for new construction projects and maintaining all buildings and landscaping. Multiple projects are in the works in the offices of Campus Services, like making changes to the Drill Field. A previous Reflector opinion article detailed changes the university should make to the Drill Field to overall better the students' experience when using the paths. Campus Services Execu-
Adam Sullivan | The Reflector
Raylon Johnson, MSU’s first Black president of a Panhellenic sorority, is a member of Chi Omega.
“Outright, it’s segregated:” A look at MSU Greek life HANNAH BLANKENSHIP EDITOR-IN-CHIEf
Hailey Storey| The Reflector
The area between the Colvard Student Union and YMCA building is slated to become a plaza with grassy space and picnic tables for students.
tive Director Saunders Ramsey said the article verified the teams' plans that were already in process. "We are looking at connection points; we are looking at how we can enhance outdoor seating and how we can take a look at how students pass through the Drill Field," Ramsey said. The student experience is something Cam-
pus Services takes very seriously. In addition to the Drill Field modifications, other projects are going on around campus, such as making a plaza in front of the YMCA building and the Colvard Student Union and adding speed bumps and stop signs to make MSU a more pedestrian-friendly campus. Additionally, the university is constantly ex-
panding to include new buildings, and construction for a new kinesiology building is underway. Ramsey said the precise placement of buildings around MSU is because of the students' needs, like where the facility is located based on student walk times, or if it is put on the edge of campus where it is not convenient for students. CHANGES, 2
In 2018, Raylon Johnson walked into a room of girls who did not look like her. Her first thought was "Why is everyone wearing tennis skirts?" Before that year, she had never even heard of Chi Omega sorority — much less known how to pronounce it. Two years later, she became chapter president, an honor with impact far beyond the cream brick walls of Mississippi State University's Chi Omega house. She became the first Black president of any Panhellenic sorority in the history of the university. It is 2021, and even the
casual outside observer is able to see that MSU's Greek life is still largely divided upon racial lines. At MSU there are four separate Greek councils. Panhellenic Council is comprised of sororities such as Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi and Chi Omega and, according to data obtained from the Dean of Students' Office, is 94% white. National Panhellenic Council is made up of seven of the "Divine Nine" historically Black G r e e k - l e t t e r organizations, including chapters such as Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and Sigma Ghamma Rho sorority, and is 99% Black. DIVERSITY, 2
What is the true cost of a teacher’s education in MS? Educators discuss necessity of obtaining master’s degrees, Ph.D. after bachelor’s to receive a higher salary JOSHUA STEWART STAff WRITER
In Mississippi, where salaries for educators are low and the prices for real estate remain high, another issue that has plagued past, current and future teachers is the cost of an education. While some educators end with an undergraduate degree, many feel that the salary increase involved with higher education demands acquiring postgraduate degrees, including a master's and a Ph.D. Kim Mattox is an instructor at Mississippi State University who teaches in the depart-
Courtesy Photo | MSU
Kim Mattox, MSU College of Education.
ment of curriculum, instruction and special education, and she previously taught at Starkville High School for four years. Mattox spoke about low salaries as it relates to the teaching profession.
"It's no secret that teacher salaries are low. In my opinion, they are embarrassingly low in the state of Mississippi," Maddox said. "In terms of a graduate degree, I advise my students right out of the gate to start thinking about it. One of the things I was worried about when I went straight through and got my grad degree was that I was not able to pull from experiences in the classroom to enhance that degree. However, in Mississippi, many do not have a chance to do that. Once you start teaching with that undergraduate degree, there is no way to
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
HI: 75 LO: 55 SKY: Mostly sunny POP: 7
HI: 67 LO: 38 SKY: Rainy POP: 76
HI: 67 LO: 38 SKY: Mostly sunny POP: 5
Courtesy Photo | MSU
Kenneth Anthony, MSU College of Education.
say 'timeout',"Mattox said. Mattox also spoke about the disconnect between the cost of education and teacher salaries in the state. "I don't believe the decision makers at the
FORECAST:Another mostly sunny and pretty week is in our future, Bulldogs! As we head toward the middle of November, temperatures are still reaching the low 70s and high 60s during the day, but the nights are much cooler, often dipping into the 30s. The weekend is looking to be pretty sunny with low chances of rain, so get out and enjoy it!
Courtesy of The Weather Channel
top value education and value teachers. A college education costs the same for a teacher as it does for an engineer, as it does for a pre-med student," Maddox said. "Unfortunately, our tuition is not hedged against future pay. It is the same across the board. I think that is why we're running into the shortages that we're running into today in those critical areas." Kenneth Anthony, an associate professor in the college of education who primarily instructs in elementary education, described the pressure involved with becoming a new teacher in the field.
Courtesy Photo | MSU
Ryan Walker, MSU College of Education.
"A new accountant doesn't get a huge account immediately. A new lawyer doesn't walk right into court. Teachers, however, go straight into the classroom," Anthony said. FOSSIL, 2
Reader’s Guide: Sports Opinion
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