SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • AUGUST 26, 2020 | VOLUME 106 | ISSUE 3
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Dixie Darlings face a name change BRIAN WINTERS EXECUTIVE EDITOR File Photo | Printz
he Pride of Mississippi Precision Dance Team, otherwise known as the Dixie Darlings, has gone through a few name changes since its formation in 1954. According to Chester Morgan’s ‘Treasured Past, Golden Future’, Dr. Raymond Mannoni organized a dance group in 1953 called the Southern Belles. It was at a game in Montgomery that a reporter called the group ‘Those darlings from Dixie’. This caused Mannoni to rename the team to the “Dixie Maidens”, but he quickly dropped it after the first week of practice. The dance team almost went by the Dixie Dancers, but Mannoni eventually went with the Dixie Darlings. According to a recent unsigned letter, however, this name is also set to be changed. The letter said the leadership of The Pride of Mississippi and all of its component performing
units, in consultation with The University of Southern Mississippi’s administrators and the Southern Miss Alumni Association’s Traditions Committee, are beginning the process of selecting a new name for the marching band’s Dixie Darlings, which was its name from 1954 to 2020. On Aug. 13, University President Rodney Bennett, Ph.D, released a message about changing the names of the Dixie Darlings. Bennett said The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band is initiating a process to consider selecting a new name and opening music piece for the Dixie Darlings and The Pride’s initial proposal received support from the Southern Miss Alumni Association’s Traditions Committee. “After considering many perspectives on this matter, I have informed the School of Music, the academic unit that houses the Pride, that a process to evaluate a potential
name and music change must include a thorough due diligence period that engages all critical stakeholders,” said Bennett. Said critical stakeholders include current and former Dixie Darling members, broad representation from the Southern Miss Alumni Association, the USM Foundation, the USM Athletic foundation and members of the general student body. Bennett explained that, to allow sufficient time for a robust process, a name and music change will not be approved for the upcoming academic year and performance season. “I have asked the School of Music to develop a complete plan for a measured, thorough process, in ongoing consultation with the Southern Miss Alumni Association’s Traditions Committee,” Bennett said. “And to recommend next steps through the Dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences, the Provost, the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for External Affairs.” The Dixie Darlings have an important connection to Southern Miss. The dance group is referred to as the ‘Internationally-Famous Dixie Darlings’, performing during the New Year’s Day Parade in London and at a Green Bay Packers game for alumni Brett Farve’s birthday. However, the term “Dixie” has gained a negative connotation, especially in recent years. A popular song titled ‘Dixie’ was widely used for blackface minstrelsy. The song later became the de facto national anthem of the Confederacy.
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NEWS MEET THE STAFF Executive Editor
Brian Winters brian.s.winters@usm.edu
News & Features Editor Mary Murphy mary.s.murphy@usm.edu
Entertainment/Opinion Editor Meg Fuller meghan.fuller@usm.edu
Sports Editor
Charlie Luttrell charles.luttrell@usm.edu
Photography Editor
Meg Fuller meghan.fuller@usm.edu
Multimedia Editor
Blair Ballou blair.ballou@usm.edu
Social Media Editor Bethany Morris
bethany.morris@usm.edu
Design Editor
Marissa Haas marissa.haas@usm.edu
AUGUST 26, 2020
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Moffitt Health Center offers rapid antigen testing BRIAN WINTERS EXECUTIVE EDITOR On Aug. 17, The University of Southern Mississippi announced that they have added another COVID-19 testing platform to its lineup as the fall semester gets underway. The on-campus clinic in Hattiesburg, the Moffitt Health Center, recently obtained a highly sought-after rapid antigen testing device, known as a Sofia2 analyzer. The rapid COVID-19 antigen test is a nasopharyngeal swab, similar to the PCR swab. The Sofia2 analyzer is used as a point-of-care diagnostic tool and returns highly specific results in approximately 15 minutes For diagnostic purposes, the rapid test will only be used for symptomatic patients within the first week of their onset of symptoms. “It’s so important to have multiple testing platforms so we never
lose the capability to test patients,” said Dr. Melissa Roberts, the Moffitt Health Center Director. “You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket, especially if there’s a testing shortage for one of the platforms you’re using.” In addition to the Sofia2 analyzer, the clinic has three Becton Dickinson BD Veritor analyzers that will also be used for rapid antigen testing. The university also has access to PCR tests with a 24-hour turn-around at its off-campus lab, The Accelerator. The PCR test is even more sensitive than the rapid antigen test. “We plan to be strategic in how we utilize the various testing platforms,” said Roberts. “The rapid antigen test will allow for more rapid diagnosis and isolation of positive COVID-19 cases.” Roberts said because it’s not quite as sensitive as the PCR test, the Moffitt Health Center plans to send a PCR swab on any negative
The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not represent those of the faculty, staff 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.
Opinions expressed in The Student Printz are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Student Printz, its publication manager, USM, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the USM Board of Student Publications.
Photo courtesy of The University of Southern Mississippi
rapid antigen tests from symptomatic patients to make sure a false negative is not missed. “We have done a lot of planning as a university over the last several months for a safe return to the fall semester and having access to these testing devices plays a large part in that plan to keep students and employees safe and healthy,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Dee Dee Anderson, Ph.D. “Knowing who has tested positive -- and knowing that quickly -- puts us 10 steps ahead in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 on campus.” The campus health center will also use the SARS-CoV-2 lgG antibody blood test, which has a turnaround time of one to two days, through LabCorp in order to diagnose past COVID-19 infection. Southern Miss Athletics has their own Sofia2 analyzer, and will use it for routine surveillance testing of athletes who are not symptomatic.
NEWS
AUGUST 26, 2020
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No one is sure where the term comes from, with the story changing depending on the person asked. In the book ‘On Dixie’ by Curtis Wilkie, Wilkie said the closest answer he could find was that the term comes from the French $10 note, called the “Dix”. When France was in control of the South, travelers started to call the bills “Dixies”, and the South became known as “the Land of the Dix”. According to The History Channel’s website, however, many historians now dismiss the banknote explanation as a myth. The most common explanation of the term
“Dixie” comes from the Mason-Dixon Line, which divided the southern slave states and the northern free states. It is thought the term Dixie and Dixieland came as slang to describe the southern states. On the public Dixie Darlings Alumnae Facebook page, a majority of the members did not support the name change. Judy Kaye Maupin Stoffle, a Dixie Darling from 1964 to 1968, said that despite the many changes the Darlings have gone through over the years, the one thing that always remained the same was the name “Dixie Darlings”. She, like other alumni, believes changing the name would be getting rid of a tradition the dance team has. Not all of the former members are against the
change, though. Betsy Pea, a Dixie Darling from the 90s, posted on the Alumnae page that she understood why the name should change. “I felt weird about the song ‘Are You From Dixie’ every time we strutted on the field,” said Pea. “I love the team and the camaraderie amongst the active team and generations of alums. I don’t think that will change.” Elise Geissler-Huesgen became a Dixie Darling when she came to Southern Miss from Germany. Geissler-Huesgen said the Dixie Darlings welcomed her even though she did not know the language, culture or habits of the region. She said the Dixie Darlings made her fall in love with Southern culture. Despite this love, GeisslerHuesgen also said people
need to think critically about every step they take and choose the right path, even if it is the harder one or does not seem like a big deal at the time. “Changing the name of the DDs after 66 years is painful for so many, yet the ability to make such changes is what kept the U.S. on the right side of history so many times,” said GeisslerHuesgen. “It is these small and painful decisions that ultimately decide what side of history you are on and I am proud to be an alumna of a team that had the courage to take such a step.” To stay updated on any changes to this story, please visit the official Dixie Darling official Facebook page by searching USM Dixie Darlings.
FEATURES
AUGUST 26, 2020
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Increased depression rates on campus SARAH BURSE PRINTZ REPORTER tarting your fall semester at your new or old university can cause anxiety and stress. Add onto that a pandemic and worldwide political unrest, and it’s no wonder that it can cause depression, anxiety, extreme stress and much worse. With the fall semester now underway, how are college students coping with everything that is going on in our country? COVID-19 has forced college students all across the country to be isolated from their family, friends and peers. Many students have already tried to reach out to share their details of their struggles with depression, but, due to the universal problems of COVID, they might have not been able to. “[Of] the nearly 42% of students who sought mental health care during the pandemic, 60% said it was either much more or somewhat more difficult to access care,” writes USA Today contributer Elinor Aspegren. Fears of infection plague the minds of everyone right now, especially those living on campus. For many students, the choice to move back onto campus was one between risking infection with friends or staying isolated with family. This choice only gets further complicated for those with rocky family relationships. Some of my friends moved onto campus entirely because they could not deal with the stress of their family. Not that college life is instantly better. To help reduce the spread of COVID, most courses have been moved fully online. Since many social gatherings have been cancelled in the wake of the pandemic, students are stuck inside dorm rooms most days, further adding to feelings of isolation and depression. Actually accessing courses, too, has been
a unique problem. Some students don’t have access to the Internet or even a computer, and this can cause a lot of stress for the student and the parent. Imagine being a college student and having five classes that must meet online, but you don’t have any Internet access. This isn’t as easy a fix as “go to the library”, either. Most students are living at home because COVID-19 risks, with many of these same students not having the luxury to go to a library. Some professors do understand this problem and are trying to work with students to fix it, but it still adds another weight to already extremely negative mental health conditions. Internet access is not the only thing college students have to worry about. The American College Health Association recently released the results of a survey that revealed, among other things, that 5.5% of students reported being discriminated against or outright antagonized because of their race or ethnicity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially true for the African-American community on campus, which is dealing with high depression rates because of the intersection of the pandemic and police brutality. Due to underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, many African-Americans are facing a high risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19. “In some places[...], the death rate is four to six times higher among Black people,” said journalist Claudia Wallis in a Scientific American article. This stress has only been further exacerbated by the murders of innocent black people like Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, which has shaken the souls of black people around the country. The fear that one day you or someone you love could be a victim of police brutality is an unfortunately persistent one. The high risk of dying from the virus or in the hands of police are causing a lot of depression and anxiety among our black students.
Meghan Fuller | Printz To get to know some of the concerns Southern Miss students are facing during this crisis, I interviewed some college students that I met on social media. “I live in the dorms and I fear that I will contract the virus from my suitemates and it has caused a lot of stress,” said Isis Williams, a junior Biology major. “I dislike my classes being online because I sometimes forget that I am in class,” said Jeremy McGee, a junior Film major.. The University of Southern Mississippi offers several support systems for student’s mental health. Since we are social distancing, students can speak with a counselor over Zoom or a phone call. It is hard not being face to face with a counselor, but video chat helps keep contact with another person. The counseling center on the Hattiesburg campus
also has a Zen and an Art room that students can use to relax alone. For black students, there are additional resources to help cope with police brutality available. As a nation, we don’t know when this pandemic will end. The various stresses from college life and the world at large will only be made worse from dealing with it alone. We have to make sure to support each other throughout this time, no matter what. To access various mental health resources at Southern Miss, including options to schedule your own appointments, please visit the Student Counselling Services online at https:// www.usm.edu/student-counseling-services. You can also call during business hours at 601-266-4829 or after hours at 601-606-4357.
NEWS
AUGUST 26, 2020
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Be cautious and prepared for this hurricane season BRIAN WINTERS EXECUTIVE EDITOR
urricane season started in May of 2020, with the first hurricane to make landfall in Mississippi expected to be Hurricane Marco. Tropical Storm Laura is also headed towards the Gulf Coast and is also possibly making landfall in Mississippi. For information on hurricane preparedness, please check www. msema.org to stay updated on hurricanes and how the state is responding to the hurricanes. A preparedness pamphlet can also be found on the website, giving information on what is needed for an emergency kit, what to do with pets, information on storms and an evacuation map.
For students and faculty at The University of Southern Mississippi, Eagle Alerts will give additional information about campus and Southern Miss-related organization closures, potential flood zones on campus and what kind of weather can be expected from the storm. An Eagle Alert was sent out on Aug. 23, advising students and faculty to follow official sources of weather information for ongoing updates about Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura. The National Weather Service is currently predicting Hurricane Marco to make landfall Monday afternoon, with high winds, heavy rain and storm surge being the greatest threat to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Threats to Hattiesburg include the potential for high
Courtesy of Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
winds and flash flooding. The Eagle Alert said tornadoes cannot be ruled out. Tropical Storm Laura is expected to strengthen to a hurricane and make landfall near the Texas/Louisiana border. The Eagle Alert told motorists on the Hattiesburg campus to be aware of these locations, as they can potentially flood: -Pine Haven Drive around Sorority Village -Montague Boulevard between Kay James Drive and Ross Boulevard -10 parking spaces on the south end of Fraternity Drive (on the west side of the street) at Montague Boulevard -West 4th Street between Golden Eagle Avenue and Eagle Walk -Southern Miss Drive between
30th and 31st Avenues -Ray Guy Way at Century Park South/Spirit Park -South end of Kay James Drive at Montague Boulevard, next to the DuBard School -Trent Lott Center West Lot, next to M.M. Roberts Stadium -Ray Guy Way at Eagle Walk, by the raised crosswalk -Parking area at the southwest corner of McCarty Hall To stay up-to-date with incoming weather, subscribing to the Eagle Alert update system will send emails and texts to keep students and faculty up-to-date. For more information, students and faculty and contact the University Police Department at 601-2664986.
AUGUST 26, 2020 WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM Dolly Parton takes stand on social justice issues ENTERTAINMENT
SKYLA LANGLEY PRINTZ REPORTER conic country musician, entertainer and business woman Dolly Parton recently expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement. In the latest issue of Billboard, Parton commented on the recent protests during her interview. Although Parton admits she hasn’t attended any marches, she still recognizes the courage of protesters standing up for what they believe in, and she supports their efforts to make their voices be heard. “And of course Black lives matter,” Parton said. “Do we think our little white a**es are the only ones that matter? No!” Parton states she aims to be an entertainer that everyone can enjoy, but that she will always stand by her values and beliefs to be her true, authentic self. There’s always a risk of offending fans or losing business when celebrities state their opinions, but Parton cares less about money and more about making sure all of her fans feel respected. “First of all, I’m not a judgmental person,” Parton said. “I do believe we all have a right to be exactly who we are, and it is not my place to judge. All these good Christian people that are supposed to be such good Christian people, the last thing we’re supposed to do is judge one another. God is the judge, not us. I just try to be myself. I try to let everybody else be themselves.” This isn’t the first time that Parton has
Illustration by Marissa Haas | Printz
publicly promoted racial equality. In 2018, after realizing the negative Confederacy association to the term “Dixie”, Parton was quick to rename one of her popular dinner attractions from “Dixie Stampede” to “Dolly Parton’s Stampede”. “There’s such a thing as innocent igno-
rance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” Parton explains in the Billboard interview. “When they said ‘Dixie’ was an offensive word, I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to offend anybody. This is a business. We’ll just call it The Stampede.’ As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should
fix it. Don’t be a dumba**. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.” Dolly Parton isn’t the only celebrity to realize the hurtful connotation to the word “Dixie” in recent years. The American pop country band The Dixie Chicks recently renamed the group “The Chicks” in light of today’s racial injustices. The renowned country group Lady Antebellum also changed the name of their band to Lady A in early July in an attempt to recognize inequality. Speaking up in support of the Black Lives Matter movement isn’t the first time Parton has shown her altruistic side, either. Parton is no stranger to progressive cultural changes. In another interview with Billboard, this time from 2014, Parton showed her support for the LGBTQ+ community saying, “I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are, and to love who they love.” Parton is also famously known for her philanthropic work, such as through the Dollywood Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Recently, Parton donated one million dollars to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s COVID-19 research reserve. This country music icon has been making history for over fifty years, and she isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Ten-time Grammy Award winner Dolly Parton has proved time after time that she is truly an American legend in more ways than one.
The Killers release new album amid pandemic and allegations MEGAN FULLER
ENTERTAINMENT/OPINION EDITOR rom the band that once had every college freshman jamming out to “Mr. Brightside”, The Killers are once again exceeding expectations with their new album, “Imploding the Mirage.” While the album was originally slated to release in May of this year, the band postponed due to delays related to the pandemic. According to a tweet from The Killers’ Twitter, “COVID-19 monkey wrenched us. But we persevered.” “Imploding the Mirage” also came in the midst of recent allegations that a female crew member was sexually assaulted by a front of house engineer during their 2009 US tour. While an investigation showed no evidence of an assault, the band still continued to postpone the album release to remain focused on the safety of their crew. “I feel relieved that we were actually able to get to the bottom of it, actually find this woman and make sure that she was okay. The most important thing is that there was no assault. That’s just nothing but relief,” frontman Brandon Flowers said in an interview with NME. “From what we see backstage, the people we hire and the people in the band, we’ve never witnessed anything like that happen. If something like that did happen, we would want to know.” After all the waiting, fans were pleased with the effort put into the latest alternative, dreamy pop album that the band released. The early release of singles “Caution”, “My Owl Soul’s Warning” and “Fire In Bone” allowed listeners a sneak peek at Flowers’ inspiring anthems throughout the album.
Illustration by Marissa Haas | Printz While often being compared to Bruce Sprinsteen and Duran Duran, The Killers have a tone directed more towards pop-punk alternative crowds. Many songs on “Imploding the Mirage”, however, play into these 80s style comparisons by having an electric synth throughout the melody of songs such as “Blowback” and “When The Dreams Run Dry.” Flowers’ iconic and original voice is present in mere seconds at the start of the album. With strong vocals and a steady tone, no one sounds like this lead singer, and to be honest, no one ever will. With inspirational lyrics about breaking free and “throwing caution to the wind”, The Killers continue to substitute
feelings with angst and rules with defiance. The album features guests such as Lindsey Buckingham, K.D. Lang and Weyes Blood, who all contribute to the flexible nature of the band’s tracks. Even though guitarist Dave Keuning and bassist Mark Stoermer decided to break from music during COVID-19, the band’s two permanent members continued to excel throughout the production of the album amid a worldwide pandemic. “We were trying to make it sound like the band wasn’t fractured,” Flowers said in an interview with Rolling Stone. Just minutes after the album was released, the band performed “Blowback” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The
performance was whimsical and laid back, much like the song itself. Many of the songs throughout the album mirror the same inspirational essence and playful tone executed by Flowers behind his vocals. When asked about his inspiration throughout his music career in an interview earlier this month, Flowers connected his music to his passion for golfing. He began to quote South African golfer Gary Player by saying, “The more I practice, the luckier I got.” “Imploding the Mirage” is an album that continues to defy expectations, much like The Killers themselves during these hectic times.
OPINION
AUGUST 26, 2020
DIPIN SUBEDI PRINTZ REPORTER
for acting like a despot and paving the way for authoritarianism in the future. Sanders believed that the president had a lack of regard for science and no interest in saving small businesses or helping the unemployed, unlike Biden. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton personally nominated Biden for the presidency on the second day of the convention. Clinton gave a charismatic but brief speech to endorse and nominate Biden for the presidency. In addition to praising the Obama-Biden administration, he reminded voters that they should pick a President who focuses on job growth, investment in the innovative sectors of the economy, higher education, healthcare and paid family medical leave. Clinton claimed Biden will achieve all of these things as president, allowing the country to “build back better”. Other distinguished guests that advocated for Biden included Caroline Kennedy, John Kerry and Colin Powell. Their firsthand experience in diplomacy, politics and military service came in handy in urging voters to vote for Biden, as they believed that Trump lacked leadership in all these fields. Kerry and Powell in particular claimed that Biden would be the perfect Commander-in-Chief who, unlike Trump, would not hide in bunkers or easily fall prey to their adversaries. As this convention was held on the 100th
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Democratic Convention Nominates Biden-Harris he Democratic National Convention of 2020 held from Aug. 17 to Aug. 20 was completely different from those seen in the past. As the convention went fully online, no jeers or cheers of the crowd could be witnessed. However, the silence allowed a lot of personal stories of people from all walks of life to be incorporated. That included stories from farmers, essential workers, healthcare workers and Hollywood celebrities. Biden and Harris were officially nominated for the presidential and vice-presidential candidacy from by the delegates of the Democratic Party to topple the current incumbent, President Donald Trump. Trump was constantly ridiculed during the Convention for his indifference towards racial justice, as well as his poor leadership that helped to spread COVID-19. He was also blamed for defunding the post office right before the election, meaning many might not be able to vote. The Democratic Party reminded the citizens of the values such as liberty, welfare, justice and union that founded the United States of America, which are all being slandered and violated by Trump. On the first day of the convention, Senator Bernie Sanders criticized Trump
Illustration by Marissa Haas | Printz
anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren gave speeches on women empowerment. Additionally, they addressed issues such as voting obstruction by Trump, gun violence, sexual assault, domestic violence, racial injustice and income inequality. Former President Barack Obama also shared his worries about the attenuation of democratic principles in the present administration, as initially inscribed in the nation’s Constitution by the Founding Fathers. To him, electing Biden and Harris will save the fate of democracy and American principles.
The convention covered various major activities that could be fulfilled by a president with Joe Biden’s set of skills. The only fault throughout all of this was his characterization of sadness over the current state of the world constantly restated. That could certainly win votes with lots of families grieving the deaths of their relatives, but this demonstration of frailty makes him look like a weak candidate in front of the unwavering President Trump. Still, his empathy may prove itself as his strongest weapon yet, if the Democratic Convention was any indication.
Influencers aren’t taking COVID-19 seriously MEGAN FULLER
ENTERTAINMENT/OPINION EDITOR t’s no secret that many celebrities are willing to go horrible lengths in order to stay relevant. However, many are risking it all amid the COVID-19 pandemic, causing them to lose followers instead of the opposite. Many influencers are causing controversy over their behavior throughout the pandemic. Stars such as Jake Paul, Kylie Jenner and Chase Rice are making light of a deadly situation by throwing parties, breaking lockdown and even hosting concerts with 800 guests in attendance. The amount of celebrities breaking quarantine to meet with friends or host dinner parties is astonishing. At the same time they’re posting about the importance of staying inside, they’re actively putting others at risk by venturing outside their homes to continue attending packed social gatherings. Jake Paul, a social media influencer and competitive fighter, has continued hosting crowded parties in his Calabasas mansion, regardless of opposition from fans, family and government officials. Mayor Alicia Weintraub warned against these parties and threatened Paul with the local sheriff’s department if they continued. In an interview with Insider, Paul explained his reasoning behind the events. “No one has answers, our leadership is failing us, and everyone kind of just doesn’t know what to do,” Paul said. “But I personally am not the type of person who’s gonna sit around and not live my life.” Kylie Jenner has also received backlash due to her careless exchanges and day trips with friends amid a global pandemic. Jenner warned fans to stay home during quarantine, but then proceeded to break quarantine to shop in Palm Springs. Maybe “do as I say and not as I do”
Illustration by Marissa Haas | Printz applies here. Though, Jenner isn’t the only one out of her family who sparked outrage throughout quarantine. Her sister Khloe decided to play a prank on Kylie by TPing her mansion. She must have forgotten about the toilet paper shortage during the beginning of the pandemic. Perhaps that shortage didn’t apply to billionaires. Chase Rice, a country singer, performed for 800 people at a concert in Tennessee right after the state reported its highest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases. Many fans and fellow artists criticized Rice for putting others in danger.
“We all want (and need) to tour,” fellow country singer Kelsea Ballerini said in a tweet on June 28. “We just care about our fans and their families enough to wait.” For decades, celebrities have had to explain over and over again, “we’re people too.” In a way, COVID-19 has put us all in the same boat. However, most of our boats aren’t three million dollar yachts. Normalizing quarantining in your mansion and risking your own health by venturing out in public to social gatherings doesn’t make you “one of us”. It singles you out. It makes the public aware of the selfishness
surrounding influencers and that, at the end of the day, they are able to get away with more than any “regular” human being normally would. COVID-19 has had a unique impact on influencers, as they are stuck in their mansions with too much spare time on their hands. But they have also probably never been as observed as they are now. They have millions glued to the internet due to one common narrative: boredom. So, it goes without saying that their every move is being watched, whether that move is inside of their home or in public, and they should present themselves as such. With a mask, of course.
SPORTS
AUGUST 26, 2020
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Gov. Reeves’ executive order on college football impacts Southern Miss game days CHARLIE LUTTRELL SPORTS EDITOR
n Aug. 20, Gov. Tate Reeves issued an executive order that regulates how the upcoming college football season will be conducted within the state. The order restricts attendance at any college football game to a maximum of 25% of the stadium’s capacity, requires masks to be worn and prohibits tailgating outside of the events. “This is the minimum that each school is required to do in their college stadiums this fall to keep our players and our spectators safe while allowing college football to occur,” Reeves said. Reeves issued the order exactly two weeks before the Southern Miss Golden Eagles begin the season versus the University of South Alabama. “As you know, the University of Southern Mississippi has a game in two weeks on a Thursday night...we wanted to put out the plans, give everyone some time to review and also to be able to implement them,” Reeves said. At the M.M. Roberts Stadium, the seating capacity is 36,000. Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain says that the school will follow the maximum 25% seating capacity in accordance with the executive order. “Our total (capacity) is going to be between nine and ten thousand,” McClain said. Last year, the average attendance for the five home football games at M.M. Roberts Stadium was 24,765. To ensure that fans will be able to fit in with the limited attendance this year, Southern
Miss is giving priority to season ticket holders and students. Still, McClain says that there will have to be a limit on each group. “We are going to have different numbers for the different groups,” McClain said. “To kind of fit into that space, there will be some limitations, so we’re going to try to make that number high enough that a lot of our students can get in but there might be some that would like to come to the game that don’t get the opportunity and hopefully if they don’t come to the first one, they’ll come to ones later in the year.” There will be a limit of 1,000 general admission tickets available to students. Students will still sit in the student section and will also be required to follow social distancing guidelines. For players, the loss of fans will be felt too. Junior defensive back Natrone Brooks says that it will be an adjustment. “I think it’s going to play a role where you really don’t have fans to give you that extra boost,” Brooks said. “You’re really just going to have to fight yourself and push through without the crowd.” The executive order also impacts game day traditions at Southern Miss. The order bans any social gatherings outside of stadiums, which includes the Eagle Walk and tailgating. The ban on tailgates comes as a blow to fans at Southern Miss. Hattiesburg resident Greg Busche has been tailgating with his family and friends at Southern Miss for the last twenty years. Busche says he understands the safety concern but believes that tailgating could still be done safely. “I think we need to have some form of tailgating with some stipulations to it as far as how many people could be to an
Photo Courtesy of Tate Reeves’ Facebook
assigned zone or area, kind of like what they’re doing with the stadium,” Busche said. “I don’t think we need to shut down tailgating completely because there are people like me that have been doing it religiously and never missed a game for twenty years. McClain says he is upset that fans will not be able to have the same experience, but agrees with the measure. “I’m not happy that we won’t have the same game day experience, but I think it’s the right call,” McClain said. “I would just ask people to understand that if we’re going to have an opportunity to compete and play college athletics
this fall, specifically football, in this case, these are the things we’re going to have to do.” McClain says that the guidelines will come down to individual responsibility and asks for fans to comply. “There’s some level of social responsibility that comes with this, so we’re going to ask people to do those things because we’re trying to get over the hump and trying to get back to the things we love doing,” McClain said. For more information and to stay updated on new Southern Miss game day policies, visit www.southernmiss.com.
Southern Miss football changes schedule again after recent cancellations CHARLIE LUTTRELL SPORTS EDITOR
n Aug. 18, Southern Miss Football released a new schedule for the 2020 fall season after another conference’s recent cancellation left the team with only 11 games on its schedule. The new schedule comes after the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) postponed its fall sports season, leaving the Southern Miss Golden Eagles with an empty slot for the Sep. 19 contest against Tennessee Tech. “After careful deliberation, weighing all the factors as presented and given the current uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the OVC Board of Presidents voted to postpone the Conference’s fall sports to the spring,” OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche said in an official press release. This is the second time Southern Miss has released a revised schedule. Initially, the team was scheduled to play a home game versus Jackson State University (JSU) on Sep. 19. After the Southwestern Athletic Conference suspended its fall season and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) announced intentions to only play intra-conference games, Southern Miss had to reschedule. The first revised schedule replaced JSU with an OVC member, Tennessee Tech, and
Hannah Beaver | Printz
added a seventh home game versus Tulane to replace the prior scheduled game versus Auburn University. When OVC postponed its season, Southern Miss had to find a replacement for a twelfth game again. “We knew we had a 12 game schedule, but we also knew there was a chance that, for a number of reasons, one conference or another might choose to not play and we might end up with a hole in our schedule, so the key really was to continue conversations with people across
the country,” Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain said. The new schedule moves the matchup versus Louisiana Tech to Sep. 19. The replacement to Tennessee Tech will be the University of North Alabama, a member of the Big South Conference. The game will be on Nov. 7, which was previously the Golden Eagles’ scheduled Bye Week. The team’s Bye Week will now be after the first game. After a week of numerous
cancelations in college football, there were fewer options for a replacement to Southern Miss’s twelfth game. With the OVC’s postponement, all 13 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools had made some level of restrictions on their seasons. However, some FCS conferences, including the Big South Conference, is still letting its football teams play up to four non-conference games. For the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), 54 of the 130 schools have postponed their seasons. Last week, the Big Ten Conference and Pacific-12 Conference became the first in the Power 5 to cancel their seasons over concerns of COVID-19. McClain says that scheduling has been a challenge, but that it worked out for the school. “With football, if you have an opening two or three years away, you get nervous about it because you need somebody to fill in, so it’s a very unusual set of circumstances for everyone associated with college football given this scenario,” McClain said. “We were fortunate to find opponents that fit into what we needed.” As far as how players are concerned over the changes in the schedule, senior quarterback Jack Abraham says that the team is not worried. “We see it, but at the end of the day, we’ll just [go] out there and play,” Abraham said.