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The Student Printz: September 23, 2020

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SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 | VOLUME 106 | ISSUE 7

USM THEATRE AWARDS

PG 3

RECYCLING CHANGES CLIMATE CHANGE VIEWS PG 5

PG 7

Southern Miss falls 31-30 against Louisiana Tech in final seconds

CHARLIE LUTTRELL SPORTS EDITOR Photo by Blair Ballou | Printz

Despite leading by seventeen points in the third quarter, Southern Miss’s first game under Interim Head Coach Scotty Walden was spoiled by a late Louisiana Tech comeback. The Golden Eagles drop to 0-2 (0-1 Conference USA) while the Bulldogs win their first game of the year 31-30. Early in the third quarter, Southern Miss established a 2710 lead after quarterback Jack

Camron Harrell runs ball downfield.

Abraham threw a short pass in the endzone to receiver Jason Brownlee. This was Southern Miss’s last touchdown of the game before the Bulldogs rallied to win the game. “When we’re up 27-10, there’s no excuse to let them back in the game,” Walden said. “I thought our kids fought hard. I’m proud of the way we handled ourselves and the way we fought. The fight was there, but the execution was not in critical moments.” The deciding score came on the Bulldogs’s last possession.

After Southern Miss kicker Briggs Bourgeois made a field goal to make the score 30-24, Louisiana Tech drove the ball down within Southern Miss’s ten-yard line. On a fourth and goal with 14 seconds remaining, Louisiana Tech quarterback Luke Anthony threw a pass in the back of the endzone to Griffin Hebert for a touchdown. The play was initially ruled incomplete, but was overturned after the referees determined that Hebert had one foot in the endzone. The Bulldogs kicked the point after to get a one-point

lead and secure the victory. Southern Miss’s aggressive play calling ended up having a critical impact on the final score. On the first drive of the game, the Golden Eagles kept their offense on a fourth down in field goal range, but did not convert it. After scoring their first touchdown of the game, the Golden Eagles opted to go for a two-point conversion, but did not get it. Despite the outcome, Walden

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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

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

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Southern Miss releases procedures for game day events CHARLIE LUTTRELL SPROTS EDITOR n Aug. 25, the Southern Miss Department of Athletics announced special game day procedures for the 2020 football season. The procedures address various safety concerns of COVID-19 and reflect new guidelines put in place from Gov. Tate Reeves’ recent executive order on college football. Fans should expect these conditions at Southern Miss football home games this year: -There will be a 25% seating capacity at M.M. Roberts Stadium, or approximately 9,000-

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. Courtesy of Moffitt Health Center

10,000 fans, allowed into the stadium each game. -Individual tickets are currently not available for sale. Fans are encouraged to buy season tickets to attend games. Season tickets are also limited due to attendance restrictions. -There are 1,000 tickets available for students to sit in the student section. -Fans in attendance will be required to wear face coverings at entry and at all times in the stadium. Face coverings will be recommended while seated too. -Fans who do not live in the same household will be required to socially distance from each other by at least six feet. -All tailgating and social gatherings on campus will be prohibited before games.

-There will be a limit on cash transactions at concession stands. Cashless payment will be accepted and encouraged. -Hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the stadium. There will be signage and floor decals to encourage proper social distancing in waiting zones. These procedures will apply for the seven home games at M.M. Roberts Stadium this year. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles will begin the season at home on Sep. 3 versus the University of South Alabama. To read more information about game-days and to stay updated on the football season, visit www.southernmiss.com.


NEWS

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

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Southern Miss Theatre students win accolates at American College Festival BRIAN WINTERS EXECUTIVE EDITOR

wo theatre students from The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Performing and Visual Arts were recognized with top honors at the 2020 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in recognition for their work on the Fall 2019 production of August Wilson’s ‘Gem of the Ocean’. The KCACTF boasts contestants from a diverse range of fields in theatre and puts students in a competition that celebrates the highest caliber of work produced in university and college theatre programs. Tiffany Nabors, from Stapleton, Ala., and Katy Baronich, from Denham Springs, La., were among the 49 members nominated at KCACTF Region IV to make it to the national level. “The KCACTF has set the highest standard for college theatre, so we are thrilled with these recognitions,” Craig Dettman, lighting and sound design professor, said. “It is such an honor to have our students

be celebrated for their excellence at the national level. For their careers, this was an opportunity and experience of a lifetime, as they got to engage and gain perspective from highly respected professionals.” Nabors, a recent MFA graduate in Lighting and Sound Design, won first place for excellence in sound design at the national level. This is Aanother accolade during her time at Southern Miss, as she received the KCACTF Region IV Award for Theatrical Design Excellence in 2018 for her sound design for Southern Miss’ production of ‘The Crucible’. Nabors recalls her experience with KCACTF and said she was thrilled to learn production techniques and problem-solving strategies as she engaged reputable and well-known artists in the field. “At the national level, I was given an hour with each of the two respondents who were both nationally recognized and prominent sound designers,” Nabors said. “This allowed me to discuss my work in a more detailed way and provided more opportunity for feedback on how to further develop my skills on

Courtesy of Southern Miss Theatre Department

a professional level.” One of the respondents that worked with Nabors had also previously worked closely with Wilson, who wrote ‘Gem of the Ocean’. She said being able to discuss the play with someone who knew Wilson personally was invaluable, especially for a designer working with cultures outside her own experience. Baronich, a third-year MFA student in scenic and costume design, won first place at the 2020 Region IV conference for Excellence in Lighting Design and advanced to nationals as a nominee. Other recent accolades for her work at Southern Miss include the Don Childs award for cross-discipline

Pictured: Tiffany Nabors (left) and Katy Baronich (right).

collaboration and a Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas award for her design of ‘Gem of the Ocean’. Baronich said that being able to showcase her work to KCACTF respondents at both levels was an outstanding opportunity. She also praised her Southern Miss peers for the collaborative efforts that allowed her to get this far. “My time working on [Southern Miss] Theatre’s production of ‘Gem of the Ocean’ was truly incredible,” Baronich said. “Together with the production team, we created one of the best pieces of theatre that I’ve had the pleasure to work on.”

Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu speaks on “Truth and Reconciliation” SARAH BURSE PRINTZ REPORTER n Sept. 15, the University of Southern Mississippi invited Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu to perform an online presentation called “Truth and Reconciliation: Healing Wounds”. Naomi Tutu is the daughter of Desmond Tutu, a South African activist who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He spent his career fighting against Apartheid, a segregationist law system active in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. As Naomi Tutu also grew up during Apratheid, she saw firsthand the amount of abuse others had to go through. “Apartheid made your race a determinant for everything,” Tutu explained. “For those who lack knowledge of Apartheid, under the regime, your color

determined where you will live, your education, if you could travel around the country and [if you could] be considered a South African resident. Being black or indigenous in South Africa was a determinant of struggle and discrimination.” The racial violence throughout these decades was especially horrific. There was audible pain in Tutu’s voice while she described stories of South Africans being beaten half to death before being forced to lick up their own blood. Like many, Tutu wanted to distance herself from the tortures the victims of Apartheid went through. However, Tutu, also knew the only way for South Africa to move forward was to learn the true extent of these crimes. So, in 1995, she founded the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate crimes committed during Apartheid. The three committees of the Commission -- the Commission of South Africa, the Amnesty Commission

and the Reparations Commission -- are designed to both share the stories of and financially support survivors in order to give them justice. “Trying to distance ourselves from people who commit acts of evil is not the way, but looking through ourselves and look[ing] at our ability to commit evil,” said Tutu. Tutu discussed how fast normal people are willing to turn against their neighbors- by neighbors anyone in the community. The need for humanity is important for everyone because anyone can act evil. Being black in South Africa was a crime and a path to lifelong oppression. In addition to talking about past racial violence in South Africa, Tutu talked about current racial violence in the United States. She described the struggle of having black children in the United States, and how she fears that, because of the current state of police brutality,

her children will not come home or end up in jail. However, like with the current repermations being done for victims of Apartheid, Tutu hopes that greater discussion of events like slavery with help the United States work towards better racial equality. For her,the first step to reconciliation in the United States is to acknowledge all of the violence and pain that the United States caused to indigenous, Japanese and African-Americans. After all, how can we move forward and do better if we don’t discuss the harsh crimes the United States committed?It takes a strong person to hear the horrific stories of the crime committed by your people and government during the Apartheid regime. Tuti is one of these people, with her work with the Truth and Reconciliation committee helps bring out the truth of Apartheid and bring justice to its survivors.


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Pandemic changes recycling procedures MORGAN LAWRENCE PRINTZ REPORTER hen the pandemic rocked the nation, it caused many new changes to many different sectors. Many restrictions were made for companies to stop the spread of COVID-19, which made certain processes impossible. One of those many restrictions made it extremely hard to easily recycle in the Hattiesburg area. Though it hit a few snags due to COVID-19, university officials assure students, faculty and staff that city and campus-based recycling programs will return to normal soon. While it is the Southern Miss Physical Plant’s mission to “provide a safe, secure and enriching environment, in an effective and efficient manner, consistent with the university vision, mission and values”, repurposing waste soon became a hard quest to accomplish. When many locations and businesses had to shut down because of COVID-19, the 4th Street Recycling Center in Lamar County lost their main stream of revenue, causing them to shut down. This shutdown not only affected the campus, but also the city of Hattiesburg

and other local areas. Without the Recycling Center, many materials that are harder to process have been unable to be properly recycled. Campus custodians are still aiding the environment by taking in cardboard for recycling, but they have not been able to take in any more plastics, aluminum or reusable waste at this time. In an attempt to fix this, the Physical Plant has had to resort to finding the next closest plant, which is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Having readily available recycling access is important in making attempts to aid the environment. “We are at the point now where we are working on a contract with the Baton Rouge plant,” Assistant Director for Marketing & Campus Relations Michelle Shinall said. Over the summer waste sustainability had to be put on the back burner while faculty attempted to find a solution to the problem. However, changes are soon to come. With social distancing guidelines allowing schools and businesses to now reopen, sustainability is once again becoming a main focus, with figuring out how to continue the recycling program a top priority. “[The Office of Sustainability is] currently working on an announcement that will be sent out by University Communications to all faculty, staff, and students to

Photo by Brian Winters | Printz

both Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses with an update on our recycling program,” Manager of Sustainable Operation Leslee Potvin said. Though Potvin gave no specific date, she mentioned that this statement should be distributed across campus “very soon”. As campus members readily wait for recycling bins to be used to their full potential again, there are still things everyone can do to aid in protecting the environment. Using reusable water bottles, bags and containers can significantly decrease plastic waste.

Make sure to dispose of reusable masks and gloves properly so that they do not end up in streets and walkways. Consider purchasing items which are not covered in plastic. Most importantly, be mindful of the environment and the animals that live in it. To keep up with the latest developments of the recycling program, please visit the Physical Plant’s official university page at https://www.usm.edu/physical-plant.

DuBard School to offer virtual training programs BRIAN WINTERS EXECUTIVE EDITOR he DuBard School for Language Disorders at The University of Southern Mississippi is currently offering a series of virtual learning options for professionals. In light of the current health crisis and limited time for professionals to attend continuing education events, the DuBard School has altered educational opportunities to work around a professional’s schedule. The first two courses offered will be ‘Missing Links in Academics’ and ‘Seeking Solutions: Is it Dyslexia?’ These courses will be pre-recorded and available online for two weeks. At the conclusion of the training, a DuBard School staff member

will host a live Q&A session via video conferencing.They also include materials that will be provided to attendees in advance. “We began evaluating our professional offerings this summer when it became apparent that in-person gatherings wouldn’t be an option this year,” Alison Webster, the professional development coordinator for DuBard School, said. “We believe this structure will not only adhere to COVID-19 precautions[,] but will allow for attendees to complete this course at their pace.” ‘Missing Links in Academics’ will introduce professionals to techniques used in the DuBard Association Method that can be used for students who may not need intensive therapy for potential disabilities, but could

benefit from different teaching structures. This multisensory teaching-learning strategy connects the link that’s missing in the classroom to help students reach their fullest potential. This course is ideal for Second- through Eighth-Grade General Education and Special Education Teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Reading Specialists and Academic Language Therapists. The course will be available from Sep. 28 to Oct. 9, with a live Q&A session on Oct. 13. ‘Seeking Solutions: Is it Dyslexia?’ will address a wide range of skill areas relating to learning disabilities and the reasons for assessing each of these areas. Participants will become familiar with commonly used assessment instruments and will learn how the results of a com-

prehensive evaluation can aid in planning therapy to remediate deficit areas, such as the parts of the brain affected by Dyslexia. Sample evaluation reports will be presented and participants will learn how to analyze and interpret these reports to develop a profile of student strengths and weaknesses. Suggested participants are Speech-Language Pathologists, Psychologists, Psychometrists, Special Education Directors, Dyslexia Therapists, Reading Specialists and Academic Language Therapists. The course will be available from Oct. 9 to Oct. 25, with a live Q&A session on Oct. 26. To learn more about these offerings, visit https://www.usm. edu/dubard/courses-workshops or call the DuBard School at 601.266.5223.


ENTERTAINMENT

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

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‘Journey to Batuu’ adds an out-of-this-world experinece to the ‘Sims’ BRIAN WINTERS EXECUTIVE EDITOR he Sims 4: Journey to Batuu’ was released on Sep. 8. With this game pack, fans are able to travel to a ‘Star Wars’-esque world and take part in missions relating to the Rebel Alliance, the First Order or the Scoundrels. The planet of Batuu in ‘The Sims 4’ is taken from the theme park ‘Galaxy’s Edge’ at both Disney World and Disneyland. The main hub of the game pack, the Black Spire Outpost, has the same layout as both Disney locations. The Batuu neighborhood is a vacation world, meaning players cannot live there. However, it is free to visit the vacation world and the player can stay for as long as they want. With the inclusion of the Rebel Alliance and First Order, players are also able to meet some recognizable characters from the movies. Rey can be found with the Rebels, Kylo Ren appears with the First Order and Chewbacca and the Millenium Falcon make an appearance during the Scoundrel missions. Lightsabers also make an appearance in ‘Journey to Batuu’. Lightsaber hilts and kyber crystals can either be found in storage, given as a reward for missions or bought at a shop. Instead of the

Illustration by Marissa Haas | Printz

usual colors of red and green, players can further customize with yellow and white lightsabers. Sims with lightsabers are able to duel each other, but it never leads to death. Sadly, a Force skill is not added to the expansion pack, meaning players only earn fitness skills if they use a lightsaber. Sims can join either the Rebel Alliance, the First Order or the Scoundrels and complete a variety of missions.

Joining a faction will lead to unique in-game consequences, such as a Rebel Alliance Sim being hated by the First Order. Sims in the Rebel Alliance can also be stopped by Stormtroopers and have their IDs checked, possibly leading to them being detained. The Sim will be led off and questioned by officers, but nothing too bad will happen to them. Missions usually require the player to hack a control panel, talk to citizens of

Batuu or use a starfighter to fly to other locations. While the missions are fun at first, they can get repetitive. The starfighters, though seeming like the most interesting mission, only takes the player to a variety of text choices, becoming similar to a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ type of game. By completing missions and ranking up in a faction, players can unlock unique outfits and items to bring back to their home. These rewards include Stormtrooper armor, pilot outfits and flags with their chosen faction’s insignia. When not doing missions, Sims can explore Batuu and find items relating to ‘Star Wars’. Normal Sim money is replaced with Galactic Credits and players are able to eat food from the movies. After eating the food, Sims learn the recipe and can make the food when they get home. Sims are also able to purchase two types of droids which can assist the Sim as they travel through Batuu. Droids are able to scan items, distract enemies and support the player on missions, adding another fun dynamic to the pack. While it might seem like a money grab, ‘Journey to Batuu’ offers a lot of extra fun for Sims players. Missions and a ‘Star Wars’ setting gives fans of both series an added bonus when it comes to this game pack.

‘NBA 2K21’ stalls series’ progression

CHARLIE LUTTRELL SPORTS EDITOR

or years, 2K Sports has developed some of the best sports video game experiences in its basketball franchise, ‘NBA 2K’. While the newest installment, ‘NBA 2K21’, has improvements in gameplay and presentation, the game follows too closely to the formula it has used in the past, leading to worry about where the series will go from here. As is the case with so many other sports titles, ‘2K21’ lacks any considerable innovation to separate itself from its predecessors. With this year, it should be noted that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the developers’ ability to innovate. However, this year’s game does not justify its $60 retail price. A large appeal of the annual release of sports video games is that gamers can play with teams’ new rosters and jerseys. With the NBA still playing its 2019-2020 season three months after it usually ends, ‘2K21’ has none of that appeal. Almost everything about the players and teams is the same as the last installment. With this setback, ‘2K21’ needed serious changes from the jump to establish its identity. Fortunately, the game avoids total disaster. ‘2K21’ mostly plays it safe and adds small tweaks to different features across the board. Player movements are improved and feel more fluid than ever. Dribbling the ball

feels more technical and creative. However, lateral movement can be slow at times. I also found myself getting stuck in-between players trying to stay on the ball handler a lot. Though it shares a lot graphically with last year’s ‘2K20’, 2K Sports’ visuals are still miles ahead of its competitors. The game’s face scans look scarily accurate for some players. However, it seems like 2K has reached its graphical peak on the current generation of consoles.The game will likely be more impressive as the series makes the leap to the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The game’s beloved “MyCareer” mode returns with one of its least entertaining stories yet. The story lacks any real character development and stretches on way too far until you can finally play in the NBA. From there on, it remains almost the same as the past games, with no major character or story beats of note. There are also no real changes to the “MyLeague” mode, which is disappointing, but okay. The game mode is, and has been, the best sports simulation mode available for years. The amount of control and creativity you can have with the mode makes it one of the most entertaining game modes in all of sports video games. It still would have been appreciated if 2K could have at least made minor changes to the mode, though, even if just to its interface. The most improved and changed game mode of ‘2K21’ is “MyTeam”. The card-collecting game sometimes gets monotonous, but this year’s improvements try the best to make it as entertaining and

Illustration by Marissa Haas | Printz

rewarding as possible. The game mode now features a season experience where players have new tasks to complete and new rewards to earn every month. Still, it is disappointing to see so many improvements in only one game mode when others were left virtually untouched, especially since “MyTeam” is heavily favored towards microtransactions. ‘2K21’ itself is a good and enjoyable

basketball game. However, it is not a step in the right direction for the series. For the franchise that has been the pinnacle of sports video games, the lack of innovation over the past few years is worrying. Other sports game franchises, like EA’s ‘Madden NFL’ series, have become money-hungry and lazy. Unless this current trend changes, 2K will find itself in that category, too.


OPINION

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

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J.K. Rowling’s new novel brings up old transphobic content MARY MURPHY NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR ver since her June 10 essay explaining ‘Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues’ dropped on her website, fans and critics alike have rightly condemned J.K. Rowling for her transphobic views. One of her claims that got the most backlash was that, if the Scottish government approves a revision to their current Gender Recognition laws, men will be able to claim they’re women just by “saying they are”, making it easier for them to attack cis women in same-sex spaces. Not only is this factually wrong -- the proposed Gender Recognition revision still has applicants wait for a minimum of six months before they can apply for any legal proceedings for proper documentation -but it also perpetuates harmful myths about “predatory” trans women, which, in turn, perpetuates actual violence against trans women. But it appears Rowling is dead set on proving this is a thing that really happens, as her latest novel, ‘Troubled Blood’, features a cross-dressing serial killer who preys on women in a similar fashion. ‘Troubled Blood’, released under Rowling’s pseudonym “Robert Galbraith”, is the fifth novel in the Cormoran Strike series. It has Strike and his partner, Robin Ellacott,

re-open and investigate the case of a female doctor who disappeared in 1974. One of the main suspects, Dennis Creed, was a serial killer who wears women’s clothes to lure in his victims throughout the 60s and 70s. Though Rowling reportedly never describes Creed as a trans woman, the timing of her transphobic comments and the content therein is more than a little suspect. This is only further compounded by her explanation of Creed’s origins on Galbraith’s website. She writes that Creed was based on a mixture of real life serial killers Jerry Brudos and Russel Williams, who both had a fixation with women’s clothing and sexually assaulted their victims. Again, while not directly saying that Creed is transgender, Rowling is purposefully drawing a parallel between Brudos, Williams and the “men in dresses” myth, which helps further bolster transphobes protests on trans people recieving basic human rights in real life, whether or not she directly means to. It should also be noted that Rowling heavily leans her own “feminism” while defending her stances on the issues presented in ‘Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues’ and ‘Troubled Blood’. Like many other trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs), Rowling cites her concern for “womens and girls’ safety” in her beliefs on biological sex. Galbraith’s website also claims a similar concern for femininity in ‘Troubled Blood’, as it claims one of the book’s major themes is the “changing face of feminism and ideals and stereotypes of

Illustration by Marissa Haas | Printz femininity”. This all reads to me, at least, as someone hiding her transphobia behind “feminist ideals”. It is both surprising and unsurprising that Rowling’s TERF rhetoric has made its way, in one form or another, into her creative writing. In all honesty, further expanding upon why this is harmful is a bit meaningless, as Rowling has made it clear that she will not change her mind on this issue. “[As] endlessly unpleasant as its constant targeting of me has been, I refuse to bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode ‘woman’ as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few

before it,” said Rowling. My advice is the same as many others on how to handle Rowling: stop supporting her. Stop giving her money and stop buying her books. Instead, use your time to support trans, nonbinary and intersex creators, and firmly stand against the transphobic garbage people like Rowling try to spew. British comedian Siobhan Thompson probably summarized this feeling best in a Tweet on Sep. 14: “I’ll stop tweeting about wanting JK Rowling to shut up when she stops wanting my Trans friends and family to die.”

Presidential candidates’ stance on climate crisis DIPIN SUBEDI PRINTZ REPORTER he upcoming presidential debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump will feature their stances on the biggest buzzwords of the last couple of decades: climate crisis and clean

energy. This topic will prove to be an especially apt one for voters due to the most recent California wildfires and Hurricane Sally. Scientists have warned the public that this could be a portent of future disasters, which they say is a consequence of the government’s indifference towards climate change as a whole. Trump, if anything, has only added support to this claim. He blamed poor forest management for the California fires, which took place on federally owned forests. This has been the trend for Trump’s lackluster responses to climate change in the past, as he banks heavily on the fossil fuel industry for votes. When California’s National Resources Secretary refuted Trump’s irresponsible claim that the climate will eventually “start getting colder” on its own, Trump answered, “I don’t think science knows.” Trump’s plan for fighting the matter in hand is similarly unsatisfactory and feeble in front of the big issues we are bound to face in the future due to the erratic climate patterns. His plans only focus on job creation and saving costs by using coal and fossil fuels, not about investments in the clean energy sector. Joe Biden, on the other hand, has embraced the expertise of scientists in his advocacy of climate change and has meticulously pursued their solutions. Biden has previously claimed Trump is a “climate arsonist” who

Courtesy of CNN.com denies climate change and its adverse effects on disadvantaged rural and urban low-income communities. So, he has made them the forefront of his proposal to change our response to the climate crisis. Biden claims to reach a milestone of zero emissions by 2050. He promises an equitable clean energy future where new and sustainable jobs will be created to build a modern infrastructure. The areas that he covers in his plans are the auto industry, transit, agriculture, infrastructures, water resources and power sectors -- far more than Trump’s coal and fossil fuel sectors. His plan also claims that, through federal grant and loan programs, he will lead a

‘Second Great Railroad Revolution’, where the rail systems will be able to produce fewer pollutants. This plan will certainly create a better environment if the diesel fuel emitting trains are replaced. Additionally, the revival of good union jobs in this sector that enforce collective bargaining will make the employees better off than they are in the present. Along with replacing old and inefficient forms of infrastructures, Biden pledges to invest in national laboratories for clean, nuclear-based energy solutions. By providing federal funding for research on new technologies, he hopes to fully realize a future of a pollution-free America. On a micro-level, this plan also acknowl-

edges marginalized and low-income families. He promises that, through low-cost upgrades in their home appliances, such as refrigeration and air conditioning systems, they will see a significant reduction in their energy bills. Furthermore, the basic right of people to have clean and safe drinking water is safeguarded in this plan, stopping another Flint water crisis in American communities. When comparing the two candidates, it is clear that Biden has an upper hand in his scientific-based plan to stop an impending climate crisis. With this lengthy and elaborate plan, Biden is the leader people should vote for if they care about the urgent responsibility of tackling the climate crisis.


SPORTS CONT. FROM PG 1 says he does not regret these decisions. “At the end of the day, we’re going to be aggressive and we’re going to live and die by our own sword,” Walden said. “At times, we’re going to go for two and maybe if we kick a field goal there, it ties the game up, but we’re not going to play scared or timid. We’re going to lay it all on the line and we’re going to let the chips fall where they may.” While Southern Miss held a lead for the majority of the game, the Bulldogs first took a lead early in the first quarter on a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Allen to Hebert. Southern Miss responded and scored its first points on the following drive at the beginning of the second quarter. Running

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 back Kevin Perkins pushed through the goal line to score a one-yard rushing touchdown. Southern Miss then took its first lead of the game when Abraham connected with receiver Tim Jones for a 74-yard touchdown. The touchdown catch was Jones’s longest reception of his career. Shortly into the second half, Southern Miss linebacker Santrell Latham picked Allen off and returned the ball to the Bulldogs’ 20-yard line. Latham also had a sack and tied with Malik Shorts for a team high of 14 tackles. Shorts talked about the secondary’s performance in the game shortly after it finished. “We did a whole lot better than what we did for the first week,” Shorts said. “We had a whole lot of improvement. We really competed [in] this game.” Latham’s interception set up another touchdown pass from

Golden Eagles huddle before Saturday’s game.

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Abraham to Jones on the next play. Jones later suffered a lower body injury in the third quarter and sat on the sidelines for its remainder. Walden says he does not know the full extent of the injury, but believes it may be a soft tissue injury. Abraham noted the impact of Jones’ injury on the offense. “I don’t think it really changed our play calling mentality as much [...] but not having him out there makes a big difference,” Abraham said. “He’s a big playmaker and he really makes our offense a lot better.” Jones finished the night with eight catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He has started the 2020 season with two consecutive 100-yard games. Abraham finished the game with 24 of 32 possible completions for 264 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. While the Bulldogs switched

between their two quarterbacks throughout the game, Anthony threw all of the Bulldogs’s touchdowns during the team’s comeback. He finished the night with 13 of 21 possible completions for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the heartbreaking loss, the team takes away positive outlooks from the game. “I think we saw at times how dominant and how good we can be,” Walden said. “I’ve really seen the improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. I think everybody’s really rallying around Coach Walden and it’s really promising to see,” Abraham said. “I think we really have a good football team.” Southern Miss now prepares to play at home again next Saturday at 1:30 PM against Tulane.

Scotty Walden, Southern Miss’ interim head coach reacts from the sideline.

Golden Eagles run out on the field at the beginning of game against LA Tech on 9/19/2020.


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