SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • APRIL 22, 2020 | VOLUME 105 | ISSUE 24
STUDENT WORKERS ADJUST
LIVESTREAMED CONCERTS
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PG 4
FEARMONGERING OPINION PG 6
Rachel Shoemaker elected new SGA president EARL STOUDEMIRE PRINTZ REPORTER
Courtesy Photo | Southern Miss SGA
n April 1, Rachel Shoemaker was elected SGA president with 766 votes. The junior communication studies major from Taylorsville is highly involved on campus, being involved in numerous organizations such as the Luckyday Scholars program, Eagle Connection and the Tri-Delta Sorority. Shoemaker also served as a university ambassador on the Southern Style team. Shoemaker credits her rise to leadership and service to the SGA’s Freshman Associates branch. By participating in the freshman focus group, Shoemaker found her passion to run for SGA president. “Through Freshman Associates, I met some of the greatest mentors that invested in me right from the bat. It was about the middle of my sophomore year that I decided that I wanted to give back. I wanted to do the same thing for students and be that role model and voice for them,” Shoemaker said. Shoemaker credits many former SGA leaders as mentors, such as former SGA president Michael Matrick, SGA electioncommissioner Madison Crimm, Kayley Safley, Katie Rogers and SGA adviser Amanda Jo Ladner.
Continued on PG 4.
As a peer
NEWS APRIL 22, 2020 MEET THE STAFF Executive Editor
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Blair Ballou blair.ballou@usm.edu
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The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not represent those of the faculty, sta or administration of The University of Southern Mississippi. We welcome letters to the editor representing similar and contrasting opinions. To be eligible for publication, all submission must include name, class distinction, major, phone number and email address. Submissions should be emailed to printzeditors@ gmail.com by 5 p.m. on the Friday before publication. Please limit them to 500 words or less. The Student Printz reserves the right to refuse publication or edit any material on the basis of clarity, space or journalistic ethics.
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NEWS APRIL 22, 2020
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Pine Belt community unites to fight COVID-19, create facemasks WILLIAM LOWERY PRINTZ REPORTER
he fight against COVID-19 is far from over, as the current number of confirmed cases in Mississippi increases every day. However, these tough times have also motivated the Pine Belt community to come together and support one another. One of the ways people are rallying behind one another is through the creation of face masks, as the Mississippi State Department of Health and the CDC now recommend that people wear face coverings when in public settings. For example, JMH Graphics of Oak Grove is allowing local businesses and everyday folk alike to make use of their leftover materials to make masks. “We have a lot of backstock stored away in the back of the building, and at a certain point we realized we could take this old material and let people use it to create facemasks,” store employee Jason Spiers said. Local hair stylist Amanda Patrick said she heard from her sister about how nurses on her staff were running low on masks, so she decided to step up and help those in need. “Many of my clients are nurses, and hearing stories of how they were getting low on masks or only being given one disposable mask to use over and over broke my heart. I knew if I couldn’t do anything else, then I could at least sew masks to help fill a need,” Patrick said. Patrick said that all of the masks she sews are donated to medical staff, fire departments and emergency personnel. She is not the only one making masks, though. Soso resident Lauralee Wright Watts said via email the need for masks has made her put her sewing skills to good use. All masks she creates are donated to healthcare workers and people who reach out to her without face
Businesses in Hattiesburg are making masks to donate to medical workers.
William Lowery | Printz
masks of their own. Face masks are in high demand for both medical workers and everyday citizens alike, but Spiers said the efforts made by local businesses and regular folk to make masks are part of a larger community of helpers as a whole. “Without contributing efforts to stop the spread, the economy will remain shut down, and our current business model does not allow
us to do what we normally do, so instead our employees are helping out the community,” Spiers said. Patrick said helping out medical workers also helps the community, and even the smallest charitable effort goes a long way to help everyone. “These people are risking their lives for their community, so we deserve to give back to them. Throughout the years, my customers
and community have supported me in my businesses and it’s an honor for me to be able to do this one simple act for them, and if it helps save even one person from catching the virus, then the many hours of sewing late at night is all worth it,” Patrick said. People can contact JMH Graphics to request clothing material supplies for face masks by emailing orders@jmhgraphics.com or calling the office at 601-261-2500.
Southern Miss student workers adjust to changes LAUREL THRAILKILL PRINTZ REPORTER
hen Southern Miss announced in February that on-campus classes would be held remotely through the end of the semester due to COVID-19 concerns, it wasn’t that surprising. What was less obvious was what would happen to Southern Miss’ on-campus student workers. Senior entrepreneurship major Jacob Smith works as a faculty assistant at Southern Miss. Though he did not lose his job, he has been forced to make major adjustments. “I have to work from home and have meetings with my boss via Zoom,” Smith said. Though he knows the changes were necessary, Smith said working from home makes it harder to be productive. “I think the university made the right choice in closing when they did,” Smith said. “Working from home is a bit more difficult because of the lack of structure. Creating and managing my own schedule has definitely been a challenge. I am absolutely less productive now that we are all online. Most people seem to agree.” Some student workers, however, were not able to keep their jobs due to campus closures. D’Asia Coach, a senior criminal justice major, said she was given about a one week notice after classes switched online that she would no longer be able to work. Coach said, though Southern Miss handled the COVID-19 situation quickly and in accordance with safety regulations, there were some things that should have been handled better, like her job notice. She was also one of the many students affected by the Southern Miss dorms closing.
“They could have gave us more notice when it came to moving out of the dorms because it was a struggle to try and work around someone’s schedule since I don’t have my own car,” Coach said. Coach also said that Southern Miss is not currently offering her any monetary support, which is a major concern among a lot of students, especially those living in their own apartments or taking care of dependent family members. She hopes that this will soon change, though. “Besides schoolwork, I am hoping I’m eligible for a refund from my housing and meal plan,” Coach said. Since this interview took place, Southern Miss announced eligible students will receive refunds for housing, meal plans and parking. Harlee Allen, a senior psychology major, is a former student worker for Southern Miss. Allen said her experience as a POD worker was positive. Though she was not one of the workers affected by COVID-19 layoffs, as she had already stopped working as a student worker before campus shut down, Allen said some compensation should be provided for those students who were affected. “I know that sometimes businesses are unable to provide assistance in monetary forms,” Allen said. “I feel some compensation could be provided either through dining services or other services to the students who were unexpectedly laid off if monetary forms are not an option.” Allen also said student workers are important Southern Miss employees and should be treated as such. “Students make up a decent portion of USM’s employees, so I’d like to see a little more respect for those of us who have worked and do continue to work because we contribute significantly to the functioning of the school,” Allen said.
Brian Winters | Printz
FEATURES CONT. FROM PG 1 As a peer mentor on Southern Style, Saf ley watched Shoemaker grow as a leader. “Rachel is very dynamic and ambitious. She is strategic and thoughtful in how she chooses to pursue goals. I think this is very important in a SGA president, because it shows how she will strive to do what is best as a representative of the student body and she won’t hesitate to put in the hard work,” Saf ley said. Shoemaker’s campaign slogan was “New Ideas, New Beginnings, Fresh Start,” which she later elaborated on. “By ‘new ideas’, I am working on creating a bus transit system app so
APRIL 22, 2020
that students know where the bus is located on campus at specif ic times. On my ‘new beginnings’ part, I actually want to partner with a lot of different organizations on campus f illing the gap between SGA and these groups. My ‘fresh start’ is listening to students doing surveys since we have a lot of space for change,” Shoemaker explained. From Shoemaker’s surveys, she saw many people shared the same concerns: lack of parking, being unsure if their needs were being heard by university off icials and a possible SGA partnership with the Off ice of Multicultural Services. Shoemaker said she is conf ident that, despite the pressure associated with the position of president, she will be f ine, especially with help from
both her team and mentors. “It’s a job with a lot of pressure that comes with it. I am now a representative of thousands of students and that is scary, but I cannot do it without the support that I have been given. I have had a lot of people come up to me and say I’m the right person for this job and I could not have done it without support like that. Just all of the encouragement from all students I have encountered just lets me know that I am ready for this job and to take on this next year,” Shoemaker said. With this support, Shoemaker has already conducted two meetings with the newly elected SGA executive off icers. She also held a virtual Institute of Higher Learning meeting, where she also received
WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM guidance from the outgoing SGA president, Michael Matrick. “Rachel was extremely excited for her f irst IHL meeting, just as I was a short year ago. She got along very well with her colleagues at the other sister institutions and everyone got along wonderfully. She absolutely cannot wait until the next one to further advocate and brag about our beloved institution,” Matrick said. Shoemaker said her biggest goal is to make sure students are comfortable at Southern Miss and coming to SGA or to her directly. “Whether I can connect them to some resources or put them in contact with somebody I just want students to know that I am a resource to them. I am in this job for them, not my own sake,” Shoemaker said.
LIVE gives life to local musicians, closed venues
Brian Winters | Printz
BRIAN WINTERS PRINTZ REPORTER
alking into a venue and feeling the excitement as a band takes the stage is familiar to many Southern Miss students. When large gatherings were prohibited because of COVID-19, bands around Hattiesburg no longer had venues to perform at and fans could no longer attend live performances. One service, called LIVE: From a Safe Distance, offers bands the chance to still perform for audiences through live streaming. The live streams give musicians a chance to perform for their fans again, and for fans to watch a live show from the safety of their homes. LIVE uses a number of venues for bands to perform at and allows fans to donate to the band through Venmo. Musician Stephen Scott is one of the founders of LIVE. Scott said he was going to do live streams for himself as a way to earn money, but teamed up with David Gustafson instead to start LIVE.
“David had Signature’s resources and some cool camera gear,” Scott said. “The mayor made an address on the first [live stream,] and it just seemed like something we should keep doing.” Scott said he is a firm believer that sustaining the arts through the pandemic is, and should be, an essential effort. “If we don’t maintain our sense of culture and community in regards to the arts, I’m not entirely sure we deserve to see the other side of it,” Scott said. Lee Chambliss provides vocals and guitar to The Prom Knights, a band from Hattiesburg. Chambliss said the band was contacted by LIVE, and that it feels great knowing that the community is still supporting bands. “We didn’t expect a lot of our fans to watch, much less tip us,” Chambliss said. “But not just us. All the acts have been receiving great support from the community.” The venues hosting the live streams are empty except for the band performing. Musicians also perform and record the live streams from their homes. “We have ported in clips, recorded in their home, of 40 or so different artists into the live stream,” Scott said. Venues are used for the live streams to
make bands feel like they are performing, as well as for the band’s safety. Scott said LIVE has relative to complete control over the environments being used. “The places we are using are closed to the public and are donating their time and resources to these artists,” Scott said. “In the case of Brewsky’s, for example, we are the only people who have been in the space in nearly a month.” Chambliss said it is weird to play at Brewsky’s during the live streams. “We played at Brewsky’s, which is normally packed, but it was more strange to not have all of our friends there,” Chambliss said. Mik Davis is the record store manager at T-Bones, one of the venues that hosts LIVE three nights out of the week. Davis said the first broadcast from T-Bones was the Sunday Jazz Lunch with Shaquan Robinson and David Pellow on March 22. “We feel that we are finding a new normal from this unfortunate circumstance,” Davis said. “While attending a show online is not the same experience, it presents a great opportunity for more intimate performances and better exposure to the new and unfamiliar.” Davis said since LIVE started, more and more artists are firing up Facebook and
Instagram with more serious shows. Davis said it is being reported that bands are being booked for other avenues because of their live streamed shows. Davis also said that listening to bands through LIVE can help give a sense of restoration that helps cope with the ‘ghost town’ feeling of being stuck at home. The live streams are for all ages and tastes, with efforts being made to keep the shows safe and enjoyable for all who watch. “The musicians love an audience, so please tune in and share with your friends,” Davis said. “They are all used to playing in front of live audiences and love to know just who is out there, no matter what distance.” Scott said it is more important than ever to support local bands. He also said that the income many people rely on has completely dried up. Davis agreed. “With entire tours canceled, fairs and markets being shuttered and even the ability to give one-on-one music lessons taken away, they have no revenue,” Davis said. “As for the artists themselves, these individuals and groups make Hattiesburg unique and more attractive to those who are watching these broadcasts from out of town.” The live streams can be found by searching for LIVE: From a Safe Distance on Facebook.
ENTERTAINMENT APRIL 22, 2020
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‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’
is Fiona Apple at her strongest JACK MCCALLUM
ENTERTAINMENT/OPINION EDITOR iona Apple’s “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” has such personal, singular lyrical content able to universally tug at listeners’ emotions effortlessly. “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” is an open, messy look into Apple that is like nothing else ever created. Apple has always put out great albums that speak about relatable emotions otherwise not talked about in music. Where her older music may dwell on and shame these negative feelings, “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” focuses on embracing all parts of oneself, both good and bad. “Fetch The Bolt Cutters,” as Apple has mentioned in interviews, is telling people to literally fetch their bolt cutters and free themselves of whatever negative situation they are in. Apple came on the scene when she was only 18, so it makes sense for some of her lyrical themes and viewpoints to change now that she is 42. Even though she has always been true to herself and a brilliant musician, “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” shows how much she was still able to grow. There is this direct, almost unsettling lyricism on songs like “For Her” and “Relay” that show Apple’s desire to address abusers in an empowering manner. What makes “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” so different is its purposeful messiness. In an age where nearly all music has a digital sheen to it, “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” creates this intimate setting with flubbed adlibs, Apple’s barking dogs and direct lyricism. “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” has an incredibly effortless sense of coolness and self-awareness that only Apple could pull off. Every track is so personal and speaks in such a raw, unfiltered manner that this album feels almost like a peak in Apple’s diary.
Graphic by Marissa Haas | Printz
“Shameika” is a very unusual track in terms of its lyrical content, but it is still so relatable. On “Shameika,” Apple recalls her time in grade school when a girl she barely remembers told her not to waste her time with bad people. The sense of fun that comes off Apple’s voice as she repeats “Shameika said I had potential” relates to every person who has hung onto a single complimentary phrase from an unmemorable person that you met years ago. Empowerment and self growth are central themes to this album. “Heavy Balloon” has Apple comparing depression to a heavy balloon that bursts out into declarations of “I spread like strawberries! I climb like beans
and greens!” Apple’s uplifting chants while describing the lifelessness brought on by depression make for a soul-filled, touching-yetnot corny track. The album’s title track, which Apple actually stated was not even written until the album had already been finished, creates this intimate feeling of Apple singing directly to you. Accompanied by her model friend, Cara Delevingne, on the chorus, Apple tells herself and listeners to get out of whatever bad scenario they find themselves in. “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” tells you that your goals are achievable and your freedom is in sight, you just have to work for it. Joy and happiness beam off this album even
with the first track, “I Want You to Love Me.” There is almost this desperation as Apple basically begs to be loved, but in such a joyful way, stemming from a desire to present her growth rather than an obsession over someone. With Apple’s vocal quirks, raw lyricism, experimental instrumentation and general lack of caring what others think, “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” comes together as an album that is representative of how much one person can grow and learn to embrace themselves. “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” is pure Fiona Apple with its poetic lyricism, pianos and acoustic drums, but also unlike anything she has ever done. Apple is here to say that now is the time to go fetch those bolt cutters.
Quibi isn’t worth the money MEGHAN FULLER PRINTZ REPORTER
uibi, yet another streamingbased platform, could not have come at a better time. The videos available on the app are short and are produced entirely through viewer subscription fees. But, with so many streaming services already available, is Quibi worth the money? Within each video section, Quibi is organized into different genres and chapters. With options such as comedy, drama, sports and news available, the app allows viewers to see short clips in order to stay up-to-date on episodes. The app itself is similar to Vine, an entertainment app that was discontinued in 2017. Quibi’s founder Jeffrey Katzenberg said the app is still developing as new episodes are released and is likely to produce many more genres in the future. Many celebrities have either promoted or even acted in Quibi episodes, which has caused an initial great amount of popularity for the app. Without ads, a subscription is $8 per month. This includes all episodes and free reign of the app. With ads, a subscription is $5 per month.
While many have compared the short clips to watching episodes on Snapchat, others have spotted differences in Quibi’s higher quality per episode. If this current production quality continues, Quibi will likely have a higher following in part due to its celebrity casts. Many Quibi shows are already popular, such as “Thanks a Million,” where celebrities give unsuspecting individuals cash prizes. Jennifer Lopez is the producer of the show and even stars in the first episode. The object of the season is for celebrities to give $100,000 to someone who helped them when they were younger. Even though there was a lot of hate for the idea, the show is continuing to gain fans. Other shows, however, aren’t taken as seriously. “Chrissy’s Court,” a real-life comedic version of “Judge Judy,” shows Chrissy Teigen solving unnecessary disputes between guests. Compared to more serious cases in actual courtrooms, one episode features a dispute over a sweater. While it is comedic, the show is a trainwreck court drama. In comparison to other streaming services, Quibi has blocked out content when others try to screen record or screenshot while watching. Instead of making the episodes more accessible or shareable, the app creators have decided to go the more difficult route and close off any
possible reproduction of the episodes. While producers have made a pretty penny as a result, viewers can’t help but feel the need to share each comedic moment throughout the seasons, and this is a huge problem for them. While originally generating a ton of buzz, Quibi’s biggest competition won’t be streaming services. While many have compared the app to Netflix or Hulu, who also require subscriptions, Quibi has only minute-long videos, making it closer to TikTok or Instagram. While Quibi has already spent a lot of time and money on ads, the app itself isn’t as popular as it originally had hoped for. Many celebrities are still giving the app a thumbs-up, leading viewers to continue downloading content, but Quibi is far from everyone’s favorite streaming service. In fact, the app currently isn’t even in the top 70 of the iOS App Store charts. Many are blaming the app’s failure to COVID-19 or overhyped ad-placements, but the true competition to cause the end for Quibi will be other social media platforms. Most
Illustration by Alexandria Moore | Printz
phone-based apps are used by those with less-than busy lives, such as teenagers. While other free apps like Snapchat and TikTok remain popular, viewers will continue to spend their time elsewhere.
OPINION APRIL 22, 2020
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Fear mongering is more contagious than virus LILLIE BUSCH
FEATURE/LIFESTYLE EDITOR n the current pandemic, it is now more difficult than ever to not succumb to fear and paranoia. Whether through social media or news outlets, information — or misinformation — spreads more quickly than the virus itself. The best example of this are the various photographs of store shelves, empty of household items. Such photographs were—and continue to be—pandemic staples. While at first meant to inform, these photographs now do nothing more than stoke fear. So then, why are these photos continuing to make the news feed rounds, especially after stores have limited household purchases? Because fear sells more than anything else. The fear mongering by both social media and news channels contributed to the selling out of masks, sanitizer and other preventative items. Photographs of so-called regular people wearing masks in public also made the rounds to show the severity of the problem. Rumors of a complete and total shutdown had regular citizens stockpiling for the apocalypse. Before Mississippi shut down, Gov. Tate Reeves said, “Mississippi’s never going to be China. Mississippi’s
Illustration by Marissa Haas | Printz
never going to be North Korea.” The American fear of anything potentially undemocratic inf luenced Mississippi to be one of the last states playing catchup to decreasing the f low of the virus. Mississippi’s shelter-in-place is currently set to expire April 27, set in place a while after other states did. The fears of a stock market crash and a further economic downturn continues to plague the White House as well. President Donald Trump said that governors could decide to reopen states as early as May 1. The fear of a weak economy overshadows the fear that the
United States is in no way prepared to reopen. However, in the long run, it is much easier to heal from an economic crash than a public health crisis. Many people question how America could have been so unprepared for a public health crisis. That preparation failure is rooted in the fear and mistrust of scientists and other healthcare officials long before COVID-19 came to be. Such a failure has been waiting in the shadows since the creation of supposed “fake news” and blatant disregard for scientific fact became the norm. Furthermore, public health continues
to be a political weapon instead of the great unifier, such as in the notorious “anti-vax” movement. Going forwards, fear mongering will hopefully decrease once the media’s focus shifts from trying to assign blame to keeping people indoors. It is not worth the brain power to spin conspiracy theories about China, the White House or your suspicious next-door neighbor. On Capitol Hill, both Democrats and the GOP are making public healthcare a political issue, especially now that reelection season is rolling around, no matter how terrible a move this actually is. As many people have said, there are no set guidelines for navigating these uncharted waters. However, there is one thing that remains true. Instead of assigning blame, we — as a country — should be trying to solve the problem at hand, or at least promoting good news. For example, there are now as many as 30 potential drugs currently being tested for curing COVID-19, some of which have been very effective. In summary: information overload is toxic. That overload is even more dangerous when you don’t know how much of the information is exaggerated or true. During this time, I encourage you to practice critical thinking about the information you read during that endless scroll of social media.
Democrats need to unite behind Biden if they want to strengthen their party WILLIAM LOWERY PRINTZ REPORTER
Illustration by Alexandria Moore | Printz
he current state of the Democrats is like a baseball team. It’s the seventh inning, and they are in a serious slump. They failed to impeach and remove President Donald Trump from office, and in-fighting left the political party divided and unsure of what to do next. To beat their opponents, the Republicans, they are in dire need of a win. If they want to step up their game, they need to support Joe Biden. Every other candidate who tried to run for office is pledging support to Biden, including Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigeg and Bernie Sanders. Progressives and moderates in the Democratic Party have been split on a number of policy issues, which has caused a lot more fighting within the party itself. Since Sanders gained a lot of popularity from his progressive policies, his support shows that compromising on policy ideas is key if they want to get anything done. Besides, Biden is someone both progressives and moderates could trust to get something done. Biden himself is listed as a moderate, but that does not necessarily mean he is totally adverse to progressive policies. Biden wants to, among other things, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, provide paid leave to employees
and erase the first two years of college tuition, all things that progressive-leaning Democrats have pushed for, including Sanders. Critics have noted Biden’s struggles to garner the youth vote compared to other candidates, which is a valid concern. It is probably the biggest challenge he faces in the upcoming presidential primary. He should also probably work on strengthening his debate skills, since his performances during the electoral debates last year were rather subpar. But this alone shouldn’t automatically dismiss him as a candidate. He also has very recent working experience in handling crises, which is particularly relevant now. He was vice president to President Barack Obama, who came into office when the country was in the midst of economic turmoil. We are seeing similar problems appear today. Over 22 million Americans are unemployed as a result of the virus. No one knows how much time it will take for the country to recover, or if they will be able to find work again once the pandemic has calmed down. If Biden wins, he has the chance to turn the country around for the better. He has already laid out what he intends to do to help America recover after COVID-19. His plan includes stabilizing the economy, providing money to hard-hit families and workers and pushing for a global effort to combat the disease. Democrats need to support Biden at all costs because, at this point, he is the only option left. Everyone else, from Bernie to Booker to Buttigieg, has dropped out, leaving him and Trump as the only possible candidates on Nov.
1. For the Democrats, it’s now or never. At the same time, though, the Democratic Party needs to be united in its support of Biden, or risk creating more political divide. When President Trump came into office, either you supported him or you didn’t. The political divide this has caused is unlike anything ever seen in U.S. history. Whether you supported Trump or not would make or break your chance to have a debate with some. Instead of actual policy work getting done, politicians and everyday people stuck to one side and refused compromise. This is not an inherently bad thing—you have to be decisive in your opinions, after all— but the gridlock that has occured as a result has largely been not worth it. America needs to move forward, and it can’t do that if politicians are still at each other’s throats. Many people are tired of this country being so divisive. If Biden wins, there’s a chance for political unity amongst both Democrats and Republicans at long last.