SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • NOVEMBER 28, 2018 | VOLUME 103 | ISSUE 13
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SPORTS •BOWL BID SCENARIOS Brad Crowe | Printz
Ty Trehern performs at Brewsky’s.
Steven Anderson celebrates touchdown.
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Southern Miss earns bowl eligibility
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SGA senators propose name change for McCain Library CALEB MCCLUSKEY PRINTZ REPORTER
Southern Miss gets sixth win over UTEP.
BRAD CROWE
PRINTZ REPORTER
outhern Miss’ roller coaster of a regular season ended on a high note with a 39-7 road victory over the University of Texas-El Paso on Saturday. The win was a must for the Golden Eagles to keep their bowl season hopes alive as the team needed at least six regular season wins to be eligible for a bowl bid. Southern Miss scored 16 points in the opening quarter with scoring plays from all three units: offense, defense and special teams. Stepping in for injured redshirt senior Parker Shaunfield, sophomore kicker Briggs Bourgeois nailed a 39-yard field goal attempt to give the Golden Eagles an early lead. The next score came on a 41-yard interception return by redshirt sophomore defensive back Rachuan Mitchell, who was extremely motivated in his return from being
ejected for targeting in the previous game. In the final moments of the quarter, redshirt freshman running back Steven Anderson punched the ball across the goal line for a one-yard touchdown run. Such a successful first quarter set the tone for the entire night, leading to a blowout win. Following another 39-yard field goal from Bourgeois, redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Abraham got in on the action with a 17-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver De’Michael Harris. Tate Whatley, the freshman backup quarterback who filled in for Abraham during his injury, used his wheels early in the fourth quarter to score on a 16-yard touchdown run. Roughly five minutes later, freshman running back Trivenskey Mosley joined the party with a 24-yard touchdown run, the Golden Eagles’ sixth and final score of the night. The Miners ended the shutout with a 41-yard touchdown pass in the final seven seconds of regulation, but that did little to diminish the significance of the victory for Southern Miss. Anderson, Mosley and Whatley combined
for 245 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the contest. The team as a whole had a net of 252 yards rushing. Abraham also had an efficient game, completing 70 percent of his pass attempts for 92 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. Junior defensive back Ky’el Hemby caught two interceptions to go along with Mitchell’s pick six. Even redshirt sophomore punter Zac Everett impressed, averaging 45 yards per punt with a long of 71 yards to keep the Miners backed up in negative field position. Despite an up-and-down season with a few heartbreaking losses, Southern Miss (6-5, 5-3 C-USA) won its last two games of the regular season to emerge above .500 and get the six wins necessary to become bowl eligible. Although having six wins does not guarantee the team a bowl bid, impressive showings against other bowl-eligible teams such as Auburn, Louisiana Tech and UAB along with a dominant last impression against UTEP should give Southern Miss fans a good reason to be hopeful that they may see their Golden Eagles take the gridiron one more time in 2018.
tudent Government Association Senator Jarrod Colley seeks to change the name of the McCain Library and Archives after investigations into the deceased President’s beliefs. The McCain Library was named after fifth Southern Miss President William David McCain, who was president from 1955 to 1975 and oversaw the desegregation of the university. Colley said when he crossed the Clyde Kennard History Marker, which tells the story of Kennard’s life and time at Southern Miss, he felt the university sent mixed signals on its views. The plaque states Kennard, a Forrest County native, was a pioneer in the desegregation of high education in Mississippi, but President William McCain and state officials obstructed him in his pursuit of learning. “I believe it is best that we send a unified message across campus if a historical assessment is made to find the sins of the man to outweigh the good done,” Colley said. “We as a university should not honor someone who overwhelmingly was against the ideals of the institution if research into the topic proves that he was an issue.” Colley said he encouraged the SGA to form an ad-hoc committee during the State of the SGA, where executive officers update the senators on developments in SGA. An ad-hoc committee is generally a committee formed for one purpose. In this case, it would be to research all available information on McCain and make a decision concerning the building bearing his name. “Investigate Dr. McCain’s life and weigh the importance of why he was given titular name for our archives,” Colley said. “Should we allow the good to outweigh the bad or the bad to outweigh the good?” Colley questioned whether McCain was acting under societal pressure or had mal intentions. He said that would be the crux of the investigation. “As usual, with most affluent Southern men, we find a history of good and evil,” Colley said in his State of the SGA speech. “We as posterity must be the ones to judge the intentions of man.”
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Community Thanksgiving raises awareness ASHLYN LEVINS PRINTZ REPORTER
community Thanksgiving service in support of Breadbasket Ministry was hosted at Parkway Heights United Methodist Church Nov. 18. Breadbasket Ministry is a food ministry
started at Westminster Presbyterian Church that provides food for more than 2,000 people each year. Multiple churches are involved with Breadbasket and host Breadbasket annually on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Southern Miss professor Gregory Fuller is the music director for the traditional service at Parkway Heights and directed the choir for the evening service. “Tonight is an event that has been occurring
for at least 20 years,” Fuller said. “It is an event tied to an organization called Breadbasket. A breadbasket is a group of downtown churches and synagogues that come together to bring food to people that are hungry and raise awareness to the problem.” More than 150 Southern Miss students and community members sang in the choir, according to Jennifer Case. Participating in the choir were students from Southern Miss’ Southern Chorale,
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Concert Choir, Southern Miss Men’s Choir, Women’s Chorus and Hattiesburg Choral Union. Senior music education major Arianna Chaisson said the choir worked hard to prepare for the performance. “I’m really excited,” Chaisson said. “We have been practicing since the end of October because most of the songs are in our Christmas Spectacular that we do, but two of them we got recently.” Fuller said this is the third time Southern Miss students have participated in Breadbasket. He said inviting students is important to raising awareness of hunger in the Hattiesburg community, specifically on the Southern Miss campus. “I work here at Parkway Heights, and so when we come here, I try to bring the university students because there is also a hunger problem on our campus,” Fuller said. “We have a wonderful outlet over there called Eagle’s Nest that helps with that. We are trying to get students into the community, and it seems to me an interface service like this is a great opportunity to bring students and community together for the same purpose.” In a 2016 study from Feeding America, one in five people in Mississippi struggle with hunger, and one in four children struggle. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Mississippi provides assistance such as food stamps to those going through hard times. Fortyseven percent of households receiving SNAP have children. Community members can help with the hunger problem in Mississippi by volunteering or donating to local food banks. A few local food banks in Hattiesburg include Eagle’s Nest, Christian Services, Life Support Cares and the Salvation Army. Residents can also bring nonperishable food items to local churches such as Parkway Heights United Methodist Church located on Hardy Street.
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ACLU speaks out against Hyde-Smith’s comments CONRAD ACOSTA PRINTZ REPORTER
n Monday, Nov. 20, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi held a public education event entitled A Front Row Seat, a Discussion of Racism in Mississippi and America in light of controversial comments from Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Jennifer Riley-Collins prefaced the event by reminding the crowd of Hyde-Smith’s statements about public hangings and voter suppression. Hyde-Smith said that she was simply using “an exaggerated expression of regard, and any attempt to turn this into a negative connotation is ridiculous,” but Riley-Collins made it clear that she finds the statements abhorrent, and that they are reflections of a more oppressive message. “Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith’s words, we know, are code words, and they do not hide the fact that she meant lynching and that she meant African American students at historically black colleges and universities. We understand that words matter, that race matters,” Riley-Collins said. Riley-Collins said the ACLU was not hosting this event as a response to those statements, but rather as an opportunity to educate about how much racism has affected the history of both Mississippi and the United States as a whole. “Tonight’s event is not political activity,” she said. “This is not a partisan ploy. Tonight’s event is public education. Tonight is not about a condemnation nor endorsement of any candidate. The ACLU does not endorse or oppose candidates.” Hyde-Smith was invited to the event by
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the ACLU and even had a seat that was reserved for her on the front row, but she did not attend. The event featured both Flonzie Brown Wright, a veteran of the civil rights
movement, and Jeff Robinson, the ACLU deputy legal director, who spoke about a history of racism and deep-rooted racial bias within the culture of America as a whole as well as that of Mississippi.
A wide range of examples were discussed, from a history of racially-based hate crimes in Mississippi to a lesser-known third verse of the American national anthem that reflects the deep racial bias that existed at the time it was written. Many audience members said it was refreshing to have an open discussion of these controversial issues, but also that sparking a dialogue is only the first step in progress. “I need affirmation that there isn’t such a strong racial divide, that people can support things or be against them regardless of race,” one attendee said. “It’s good to be having discussions like this, but it’s not enough to just pray for change, you have to pray with action.” Riley-Collins said she hoped Hyde-Smith will learn from the backlash. “The hope is that the senator will take the proverbial foot out of her mouth and stop making such ignorant comments, but the ACLU has been around for a long time–over 50 years–and there is more action that needs to be taken. We’ll be there to take it,” RileyCollins said. Jeff Robinson also maintained the idea that comments such as those made by the senator were egregious and unacceptable in the modern political climate, but also welcomed the idea of her engaging in a dialogue around her statements. “She has a First Amendment right to say anything that she wants, so I would welcome any reaction that she has [to this event],” Robinson said, “I would love to engage with her and simply say to her ‘I want you to stop and take all the time you want and tell me how a reference to a public lynching in the state of Mississippi is funny. I want you to tell me how the suppression of votes in the state of Mississippi is a joke.’”
Michael Aycox speaks to pre-law students MORGAN USRY PRINTZ REPORTER
ichael Aycox, Mississippi’s first openly gay congressional candidate, spoke to Southern Miss students about his campaign and his advice for students on Thursday, Nov. 15. Aycox was invited to speak by the school’s chapter of the Future Black Law Students of America. Anna Morgan, a senior history major, and Treyanna Warren, a senior criminal justice major, are co-presidents of FBLSA. They both said they wanted to have Aycox speak for their organization because he is not well-known, and they wanted to invite someone different to the Southern Miss campus. “Our organization was dormant these past couple of years, but now we’re more dedicated to building back up our image,” Morgan said. “A lot of people didn’t know about him. I didn’t until recently. We want to invite people that no one knows about. We’re trying to do something different with FBLSA.” Aycox, who served in the Navy for four years and currently works in law enforcement, ran as a Democrat for Mississippi’s third congressional district seat but lost in the June primary. After returning home to Mississippi from being stationed in Florida, Aycox said he realized how big the problems in Mississippi were. He said he was inspired to run for office after seeing the political division in the state.
“I was aware of Mississippi’s state politics and struggles, but they were not affecting me directly. So in a sense, I was oblivious to the true problems,” Aycox said. “However, when I returned home, that changed. Soon I realized that these issues were real problems and these problems had faces. Our campaign stemmed from a fight for equality. We realized the division and dissention found in the state and sought to bring about a unifying force.” Toward the end of his speech, Aycox encouraged students to take action by getting involved and voting for candidates they believe in. “You are the leaders not of tomorrow, but of today,” Aycox said. “The Bible says to let no one look down on you, for you’re you. I do not see inexperience; I see innovation. I see opportunity, zeal, passion and a future. You are the image of Mississippi. We must own this image and make it ours together.” After his campaign ended, Aycox founded One Mississippi, a non-profit that is aimed at changing the public’s image of Mississippi. “We have a lot of support from outside of Mississippi from people that are very interested in the success of Mississippi,” Aycox said. “We work collectively with other organizations, such as the HRC and the Southern Poverty Law Center to bring about change. The purpose is to advocate on behalf of all Mississippians.” Junior English major Emily Lane said Aycox’s speech was “wonderful” and that he could bridge a gap between the political parties. “He’s not really left or right in regard to political affiliation,” Lane said. “I was impressed because I vote Republican, but I think if he ran again I would vote for him.”
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Aycox relates experience to Future Black Law Students of America.
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Small Business Saturday highlights local shops CALEB MCCLUSKEY PRINTZ REPORTER
mall business owners around the country opened up their shops Saturday, Nov. 24, for Small Business Saturday. Beginning in 2010, the credit and finance company American Express began sponsoring an event that helped small business owners the day after Black Friday. Co-owner of the Lucky Rabbit in Downtown Hattiesburg Brandon Thaxton said the shop has participated in every Small Business Saturday since opening the store five years ago. He said the day was a success with more than 3,000 customers coming in for Black Friday and another 3,000 on Small Business Saturday. “[Small Business Saturday] doesn’t fall on our usual weekend, so a lot of people aren’t really sure if we are open,” Thaxton said. “[For] a regular off-weekend, it was definitely a success.” The Lucky Rabbit opens only four days out of the week each month, but they always open their doors for both Black Friday and Small Business Saturday to great success, according to Thaxton. “The main goal [for the Lucky Rabbit] each month is to provide a different experience from the month before,” Thaxton said. “Even though we are only open 36 hours a month, we are here working pretty much every day.” T-Bones Records and Café manager Mik Davis said he has seen a trend toward small business support over the past few years despite the growing popularity of online shopping outlets. “[Small businesses] take care of you and everything in the store,” Davis said. “I honestly think that [online shopping] won’t last because the shopping experience has been taken away from you.” Davis said the individual attention small businesses can achieve will always outperform big companies, and online retail stores and many shops in Hattiesburg buy locally because of this.
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He said they embrace the shop local movement 365 days a year. “You spend your dollar here, and we spend your dollar in roughly six different places that are local,” Davis said. “We try to honor as much of the local businesses as we can help to facilitate [them].” Davis said the growth of the internet has made local shopping easier with GPS and review services.
Patrons show support of small businesses at The Lucky Rabbit.
Owner of Southern Fried Comics Barry Herring said the event is a good business day and helps bring new customers into the storefront. Though his store is closing after eight years of business, Herring still participated in the shopping day. “It is a good day to point out small businesses and support them,” Herring said. “Black Friday is the big to-do for large stores. [Small stores] get Saturday when everyone is out of money.”
Herring said Small Business Saturday is a great idea and has good intentions. He said that Small Business Saturday takes little planning for him. He does what he does every day, but having American Express sponsor the day helps with advertising and other logistics. “Crazy stories come from free comic book day,” Herring said. “[Small Business Saturday] is just a good day and a ‘Let’s do it again next year’ kind of thing.”
Southern Fried Comics to shut its doors JAMIE MASSENGALE PRINTZ REPORTER
outhern Fried Comics, a mainstay in Downtown Hattiesburg for the past eight years, will be shutting its doors at the end of December. In preparation of closing the store, owner Barry Herring has implemented “SFC’s Sale to End All Sales,” a sale that took place from Nov. 23 and Nov. 24. “It is a sale to end all sales because it is the last sale we’ll have,” Herring said. “And that’s going on now and will end on Dec. 30.” Herring encourages people to keep watching the Southern Fried Comics Facebook page about the sale. At the time of the interview, everything (except for new releases) was set to be 25 percent off, but by the time of the sale, the discount was changed to 40 percent. “Ninety-nine percent of the comics that come into a comic book shop are nonreturnable,” Herring said. “The graphic novels that don’t sell, I plan on donating. I have donated in the past to the public library downtown, so that’s what I plan on doing with the stuff that doesn’t sell. But I hope people will see the sale and come out, especially when it ramps up.” The news of SFC’s closing came as a
shock to many frequent customers. Kyle Wittlief, employee of the neighboring Southbound Bagel Shop, said he was disappointed to hear of SFC’s closing. “The thing I’ve always liked about that comic book shop is it didn’t feel like an elitist comic book shop where if you didn’t know your stuff you got a cold shoulder from the person behind the counter,” Wittlief said. “Barry was never like that. He was always super nice and super helpful. He was the kind of guy that if you walked in there, and you didn’t even like comic books, he could help you walk out of there with a comic book. He was just good at helping people find what they wanted before they even knew what they came in there for. “ “I’m going to miss going over there after work and giving my tip money for comics and stuff,” Wittlief added. “I’m bummed, but I’m excited for him to be able to go and do something. Ultimately, if he’s happy, I’m happy. But yeah, we’re losing one of our cohorts down here, and that’s never fun.” Kiley Sharp, friend of Herrings, said SFC gave him a sense of renewal. “[SFC] kind of renewed my faith in comics altogether,” Sharp said. “It is an impeccable store with a knowledgeable owner who doesn’t mind talking to his customers. It will definitely be missed. I don’t know if I will continue to read comics because it isn’t here anymore. “ Longtime SFC customer Stephen Erikson said the store has had an impact on him and his
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brother. “Southern Fried Comics was a place that took time to get to know their customers,” Erikson said. “They went out of their way to learn your likes and dislikes, so they could provide a more personal and friendly experience. The atmosphere was amazing. No one was friendlier, and to me it was one of the highlights of Downtown Hattiesburg while it was open.” When asked what the best part of operating Southern Fried Comics has been, Herring said has
(Pictured.: Southern Fried Comics)
been the people he has met. “It’s really, honest to God, no joke, it’s the people,” Herring said. “It’s freaky to think that after closing, who will I not meet, but yeah, it’s the people. I’ve met so many great people and made a lot of great friends, and it’s because of the store.” For more information about Southern Fried Comics and The Sale to End All Sales, check their Facebook page or visit them at their store downtown.
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Visiting Writer Series wraps up for semester BENJAMIN ROARK PRINTZ REPORTER
he Visiting Writer Series held the semester’s final event Thursday, Nov. 15, in the International Building. Southern Miss’s English Department welcomed poet Hanif Abdurraqib to share a selection from his body of work. A poet, essayist and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio, Abdurraqib has had his work featured in a wide array of literature outlets. Released in June 2016 from Button Poetry, his first full-length poetry collection, “The Crown Ain’t Worth Much,” was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. His first collection of essays, “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us,” was released in Winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and named a book of the year by Buzzfeed, Esquire, NPR, Oprah Magazine, Paste, CBC, The Los Angeles Review, Pitchfork and The Chicago Tribune. Abdurraqib said he was inspired by his mother. “My mother was a writer, so I grew up immersed in words and tried to figure out their possibilities,” Abdurraqib said. “I was a reader before and read a lot, and I hit a point where I was trying to figure out how I could get language to work out for me.” The event began shortly after 7:30 in the evening, with attendees scrunching inward to make space for the over-capacity crowd. Many people were left to stand on their feet throughout the speaking. Creative writing professor Joshua Bernstein, Ph.D., introduced Abdurraqib with a list of accomplishments and accolades. “What I think Hanif highlights in his essays are some of the contradictions of America, popculture and general, but more than that, I think, Hanif hints at the underlying anxiety and the sense of estrangement felt by almost everybody in this country, but perhaps people of color and
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immigrants most of all,” Bernstein said. Abdurraqib began with multiple poem selections that provoked a steady stream of snapping, the proper and more appropriate response to a poetry speaking instead of applause. His work ranges and explores themes of race and community issues, as well as friendship, loneliness and our shared quest for meaning. Trotting through his set, Abdurraqib kept it informal and casually chit-chatted with the crowd when shuffling between poems and essays
and bolstered laughter from the full room. His charm and quick wit shined even more during the Q&A session that followed the speaking. When asked to describe himself in three words he responded elegantly with “trying and failing,” which brought gracious smiles from those in attendance. “It was amazing,” junior English major Cherish Triplett said. “I really love his ideologies about how to formulate poetry and where he gets his inspiration from when writing poetry. It also inspires me because he’s a black poet. He’s
basically doing the things that I want to do with my own poetry.” Joseph Sigurdson, a first-year creative writing graduate student and poet, said Abdurraqib is a “great performer.” “He plays with voice and has multiple speakers in his book, and that’s something that’s always intrigued me,” Sigurdson, who writes mainly prose poetry, said. The Visiting Writers Series will welcome novelist Katy Simpson Smith to Southern Miss Feb. 7.
Day of Remembrance honors trans lives lost MARISSA HAAS PRINTZ REPORTER
ov. 20 marked the Transgender Day of Remembrance, where people gather to honor transgender individuals who have lost their lives due to LGBTQ+-related violence. Alex Saucier, a junior psychology student, said it is dangerous to be a transgender man and that the Transgender Day of Remembrance spreads awareness. “It can be a very dangerous thing to be transgender, even in America,” Saucier said. “This day highlights the persistence, strength and courage of people who were just trying to live as their true selves before they were murdered.” Twenty-two transgender people have been murdered so far in 2018, according to a report from Human Rights Campaign. Southern Miss graduate Jack Elliot said Nov. 20 is also a day for mourning “the lives lost due to hatred and judgment.” “It is a day where we remember to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,” Elliot said. “We stand up for individuals so far back in the closet—their voices are muffled.” LGBTQ+ violence affects not only the community but also those who have friends and loved ones within that community. Sophomore foreign language licensure major Korina Lopez said violence against the LGBTQ+ community stops everyone from expressing themselves. “I have not expressed myself to the fullest capacity,” Lopez said. “My transgender friend, for example, had their mother tell them, ‘Oh,
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you’ll always be my daughter,’ but they identify as a male. They are just waiting for the freedom so that they can express themselves.” Saucier and Elliott both said that the first step to becoming an LGBTQ+ ally is to use preferred
names and pronouns. “Do not use their pronouns to your convenience,” Elliot said. “They are not preferred. They are expected. If you truly cared about a person and their wellbeing, you wouldn’t
want to hurt them.” Saucier also recommends attending Allies Training through the Prism Center on campus. “Please think before you ask extremely personal questions. Please don’t let people around you say transphobic or homophobic slurs or put-downs,” Saucier said. There is a lot that people can do to become LGBT+ allies, but education and empathy are essential. “I feel like people should try and be more willing to understand. People can try and be more empathetic. They also need to educate themselves,” Lopez said. Elliot and Saucier both said they did not choose to be transgender. “We did not choose to wake up every day, look in the mirror and feel disconnected somehow,” Elliot said. “Trust me— it’s a terrifying reality for many. Trans people change their bodies to match their mindsets because they love themselves enough to finally free themselves from the pain and dysphoria.” “No one would choose to go through this if they had a choice,” Saucier said. Saucier said LGBTQ+ individuals in Mississippi do not have laws that protect against discrimination against their gender identity and sexual orientation. “HB 1523 was the law implemented a few years ago that reaffirmed that a job could fire me or refuse to hire me because I am transgender,” Saucier said. “A landlord could refuse to lease to me or cut the lease agreement because I am transgender. Hospital personnel could refuse to treat me because I am transgender.” “Please think about us in the voting booths,” Saucier said. Pine Belt Pride and the Spectrum Center held an event for transgender individuals who have been victims of violence from 7-9 p.m. on Nov. 20 in the Spectrum Center.
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Steven & Hicks perform a Soul Session MAKAYLA PUCKETT PRINTZ REPORTER
he Thirsty Hippo hosted a soul session organized by Southern Miss graduate Imani Steven to focus on self-reflection Nov. 16. Steven has organized open mic nights every Thursday at the VFW, where a music community was created and flourishing. When the group could no longer use the venue, Steven decided to bring everyone back together for a soul session. “I feel like this event is very important. In our daily lives we have to put on these masks and do all these things so that we can fit in, but here in this space, we can be who we want to be,” Steven said. Steven’s musical interest began as a child when she learned how to sing in church. From there, she realized that her singing ability was a gift she could use elsewhere. “I can [sing] anywhere I go and everywhere I go,” Steven said. “It is important to carry the light with you. You don’t have to just think about your soul on Sunday—you can think about it every day,” Steven said. The original, neo-soul music Steven plays is lyrically inspired by her life and musically inspired by artists such as the late Aretha Franklin. Steven has three original songs titled “Cyclic,” “Glitter” and “Beautiful Faces.” “The songs I write are precious to me. It’s like I’m taking you on a journey with me, a journey through my life, through these words you hear my story coming through the lyrics,” Steven said. Steven performed alongside seven other musicians during her set. She encouraged the audience to “live easy” and “breathe easy” during the performance. Along with her originals, Steven played medleys and other familiar songs such as “Tell Me Something Good.” During one of the first open mic nights Steven hosted, she met Gautier native Charity Hicks who goes by the performance name “Vitamin Cea.” She chose the name not only because her mom believes vitamin C fixes everything, but also because of the influence of her former youth pastor. “I was initially a part of a collective called ‘The
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Remedy’ with my little sister and big brother,” Hicks said. “Our youth pastor told us that we are the medicine, and medicine helps the body do what it is already intended to do which is heal itself.” “It’s not about being a cure but about being medicine for a sick world,” she said. Hicks has been singing since she was in middle school
Imani Stevens and friends pose at the Thirsty Hippo.
but decided to become more serious about it four years ago when she was in community college. She dropped her first project in April titled “Joyful Noise.” Performing solo with background tracks she created, she said her music “is a vibe. It’s very soulful and introspective,” Hicks said. “I’m pretty candid in a lot of my music. I’m very open.”
The musical influencers of Hicks’s music include artists such as Anderson Paak, Lauryn Hill, Kirk Franklin and the local artists she has met through open mic nights. Her lyrics come from personal life experiences and the lives of those around her. Hicks is currently working on a new project she hopes to release in January.
Trehern discovers voice through music KARIGAN TEER PRINTZ REPORTER
n Tuesdays and Thursdays, junior public relations major Ty Trehern spends the entire day working on his degree. Every other day, he spends his time writing music, coming up with PR plans and trying to find the best way to distribute his music. “I was banging on pots and pans when I was an infant watching MTV on a giant console television. That’s all I did. Saturday morning cartoons were fun for me, but it was always music television or listening to old records,” he said. As a young boy, he received his first physical CD from his aunt— a copy of “Back in Black” by ACDC. “I’ve been jamming ever since. Music has always been the only thing I really felt passionate about. It’s the most consistent relationship I’ve ever had,” he joked. Although he found it difficult to choose a musician that inspires him the most, Trehern feels that his biggest inspiration is his grandmother. “My Omi, which means grandmother in German, was probably my biggest inspiration because of how strong of a person she is,” Trehern said. “She raised five kids on her own after coming to the States when she was 16. I think her story and her perspective on life are really inspiring.” Trehern often remembers his grandmother’s view that there is no such thing as can’t. “My Omi kept being the voice in the back of my head that inspires me to continue doing what I do. She always says, ‘If you quit, you die,’ so now I have that mentality too,” he said. Being a college student is a full-time job by itself, so Trehern often finds himself struggling to balance a full class schedule on top of trying to build a music career. “I think it’s too early to tell if I’m actually balancing
everything at this point. I think I’m just kind of winging it and seeing what happens,” Trehern said. In addition to balancing class with his music career, Trehern served as Director of Eaglepalooza for Student Government Association Cabinet his sophomore year at Southern Miss. Junior criminal justice and Spanish double major Jessica Barnett is the current Director of Eaglepalooza and has known Trehern since their freshman year. “He’s genuinely one of the hardest workers I’ve come into contact with here at USM, and I’m so proud to see him taking strides to launch his music career,” Barnett said. “I admire the amount of courage and time it takes to really put yourself out there.” Like Barnett, sophomore marketing major Brett Benigno considers Trehern to be one of the hardest working people he knows. “He puts over 100 percent effort into everything he sets his mind on, whether that’s his music, his school work, or the effort he puts into our chapter. He would give you the shirt off his back if he had to,” Benigno said in regard to Trehern’s involvement in the Sigma Nu Fraternity. “I think the genuineness he possesses carries over to his music, and you can hear it in his writing.” When he began trying to create a career with music, Trehern did not expect to be supported by the Southern Miss community. However, he now feels that Southern Miss has been the main resource that has helped him succeed. “I did not expect people to be as embracive as they have been,” Trehern said. “The fact that I’ve been able to play shows all around the area, the fact that people I don’t even know are promoting my music is so awesome to me. Southern Miss has been able to give me a platform to broadcast what I do. It’s given me the access to actually go and meet people, share my music and play shows in the area.”
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“Without Southern Miss, I probably would not have been able to do that at the rate I’ve been able to do it,” he said. While he agrees that everyone wants to eventually become successful, fame is not Trehern’s ultimate goal. Instead, he wants to be able to say that he made a positive impact and connected with others through his music. “If I do [become famous], that would be awesome, but there’s a lot of scary things that come with fame,” he said. “But my favorite part of being a musician is when someone tells me they listened to my song and took something away from it. Having that connection with people I’ve never met is so powerful. It makes everything I do totally worth it.” Trehern dedicates his most memorable performance to Brewsky’s when he had the opportunity to open for Neutral Snap, a rock band from New Orleans. “We were playing ‘Something to Find,’ our second to last song of the set list, and it was the first time we had played that song live,” Trehern said. “At the very beginning of the song, I broke a string and cut my hand open. Someone in the
crowd panicked, and another person yelled that I didn’t need it. So being in the moment, I licked my hand, tore the string out of the guitar and just started jamming out,” he said while laughing at the memory. “That experience was super weird, but it’s just good rock and roll. Having a story like that attached to the first live performance of that song is so special,” he said. Although he is surprised at how quickly he has established his music career, Trehern is happy with his current place in life. “I think where I am right now, I can make whatever kind of music I want, and I don’t have to conform to someone else’s desires. I’m just having the time of my life making the kind of music I want, and having other people enjoy it just as much,” he said. “If I had to have a goal, it would be to keep doing what I’m doing and just get more people involved.” Trehern’s debut EP “The Sound” is currently available for pre-order on his website www.tytrehernmusic.com and will be available everywhere Jan. 29, 2019.
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Hyde-Smith’s commentary reflects racism KARIGAN TEER PRINTZ REPORTER
n 2018, Mississippians claim to have completely distanced themselves from the days of lynching and segregation, but how far have they actually come? According to the NAACP, Mississippi was responsible for 581 lynchings from 1882 to 1968—the highest number of lynchings in America. While campaigning for the upcoming runoff election, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith commented, “if [one of my supporters] invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.” After immense public outcry, she continues to refuse to apologize for the tonedeaf joke, but it has not seemed to affect her campaign in a substantial way. The fact that she made these comments while running against Mike Espy, a black man, proves that Mississippi as a whole will never truly believe in racial equality. After making the comment, Hyde-Smith pitifully attempted to de-escalate the situation by saying, “any attempt to turn this into a negative connotation is ridiculous.” She could have easily acknowledged that her comment did, in fact, have a negative connotation. As a senator for the state with the longest-standing record for racial prejudice, it should be second nature to understand the lasting effect of that prejudice on Mississippi’s black residents. Rather than showing remorse, she proved the blatant racism Mississippians claim has been left in the past. Days after her comment about attending a public hanging, a video was released of HydeSmith speaking to students in Starkville while campaigning for the upcoming runoff election. In the video, she said, “there’s a lot of liberal folks in those other schools who maybe we don’t want to vote. Maybe we want to make it just a little more difficult. And I think that’s a great idea.” She quickly responded that it was a joke, yet it becomes increasingly clearer that HydeSmith’s values are that of a stereotypical racist
Have you experienced brunch in the Burg? If you haven’t, you and your friends (assuming you have friends) are slackin’. When it comes to a nice Sunday morning combo of breakfast and lunch, Hattiesburg has some great options.So assemble your crew and get ready for some great Grub N the Hub. Here are a couple of my favorite spots for brunch in the Burg: Cotton Blues — 6116 US-98 Cotton Blues offers brunch on Sundays and has been a gathering place for my crewand me for quite some time. Brunch at CB’s has become really popular as they offer great entrees and complimentary bottomless mimosas (with purchase of an entrée). All of my friends have different palates, and fortunately, the menu at Cotton Blues has a lot of options. From sweet to savory, CB’s lets you decide depending on what kind of mood you are in. Maybe you want the sweet stuff like blueberry pancakes or apple pie French toast. Or maybe you are feeling something savory like a variation of eggs benedict or grits and grillades. My usual go-to is the breakfast skillet, which boasts potato hash, peppers, onions, andouille sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, and a choice of protein (I always get the blackened prime rib). It’s so good! I suggest getting there early because this place gets packed. T-Bones Records & Café — 2101 Hardy St T-Bones has been offering a Sunday Jazz Brunch for a good while now, and if you enjoy a live jazz performance while you get your grub on, this is the spot for you. As far as the menu goes, they usually switch up their brunch specials each week, which is nice because it allows you to try different things. Harry and the gang can get you going with
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Mississippian. Her ‘joke’ seems to be pointed directly to the historically black colleges and universities in Mississippi, which are arguably the most liberal colleges in the state. It is unfathomable that she would joke about supporting voter suppression for students at ‘those other schools,’ and it almost seems as if she would prefer black Mississippians to not have the right to vote at all. In response to the ‘joke,’ Danny Blanton, a spokesperson for Espy’s campaign said, “For a state like Mississippi, where voting rights were
obtained through sweat and blood, everyone should appreciate that this is not a laughing matter.” Hyde-Smith and her conservative supporters’ dismissal of the weight of her comments bring light to the racial hierarchy that continues to prevail in the South. This is not the 1950s—it is no longer acceptable for white politicians to discriminate against their black counterparts. The fact that Hyde-Smith shows no remorse for her inherent racism proves that Mississippi has made little progress when it comes to racial
equality. Hyde-Smith’s comments should have ruined her reputation. Instead, she continues to be a strong favorite to win against Espy in the runoff election on Nov. 27. I’m not naïve to say that President Trump’s own racism is the cause for Hyde-Smith’s carelessness, but I also cannot ignore the racial tensions that continue to grow under the Trump administration. Mississippi has always retained underlying racism; perhaps the Trump administration has simply exacerbated it.
variations of French toast, a baller bowl of oatmeal, or an adaptation of quiche. You never really know what you’re going to get each week. This may or may not surprise you but this place is truly one of my favorite places to get a salad in Hattiesburg. When it comes to brunch, T-Bones may not offer the hard stuff (liquor or champagne) if you’re trying to get saucy, but their coffee is definitely some of the best in the city. Zing! Purple Parrot — 3810 Hardy St #30 Do you fancy the finer things in life and want to have an amazing brunch experience? Go big or go home, right? Purple Parrot has
a brunch buffet that is boujee AF. As a person who loves food, I’m all about a buffet, and this buffet blew me away. It took me back to my days of working Sunday Brunch at a country club. We’re talking an eggs benedict station, an omelet station, a carving station, a big ole smoked salmon board, and a plethora of delicious dishes and treats. Now don’t get me wrong, this experience is not cheap (roughly $30 a head to start), but it’s worth it if you really want to go hard with your brunch squad. They also offer little add-ons like bottomless mimosas. If you’ve never experienced Purple Parrot, this is a great
way to check it out. Like T-Bones, you get to experience a live musical performance by local jazz musicians. I was lucky to scope out this buffet with my posse and may have discovered the best cinnamon roll in town. No lie! Purple Parrot’s brunch hits it out of the park. Notables: Patio 44 – Patio 44 has a great atmosphere for brunch. The patio is a nice spot to enjoy food and fellowship. Waffle House – have I ever told you of my affinity for Waffle House? #allstar
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Will (almond) bark for food: Oreo balls and white trash NATE SCHUMANN PRINTZ REPORTER
reak out the milk, for you all are in for some sweet treats. With the Christmas season officially in effect, you may find yourself invited to some sort of holiday party. Maybe you would like to host your own holiday party. Either way, you may want to create some festive snacks. Well, I am here to tell you about two fun (and fairly cheap) sweet snacks that my family tends to make around Christmas Time (although they are tasty snacks that could be made at any time). Oreo balls and white trash are connected by a common ingredient: almond bark. Oreo balls are essentially exactly what they sound like they are—sweet balls of Oreo-y goodness. The only ingredients required are Oreos, cream cheese and almond bark. While I am sure most people know they should wash their hands before preparing food, I would like to emphasize the need to do so when making Oreo balls, considering most of the work involves using your hands. To make the Oreo balls, the first thing you need to do is fill a food processor with Oreos you buy for this snack. Blend the Oreos until they are a fine powder. Pour the powder into a mixing bowl and drop in softened cream cheese into the bowl. Typically, one regular sized pack of Oreos would need one block of cream cheese, but I recommend having some extra blocks handy to be safe. Next, you will use your hands to mix the powder with the cream cheese until all of the powder has been moistened by the cream cheese and made to have one consistency. The Oreo mixture should now be moldable. Use your hands to grab handfuls of the Oreo mixture and roll each handful into a ball. Yes, this action will remind you of playing with Play-Doh. Place each ball on a cookie rack that you previously lined with wax paper. Make sure the balls are distanced in fairly even intervals. Unwrap the almond bark (you will only need half of the block) and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. There are two types of almond bark, vanilla and chocolate. Vanilla almond bark works well with this simple recipe;
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I personally believe that the vanilla almond bark better complements the Oreo flavor. Heat the almond bark a little at a time in the microwave and stir it after each pause in the heating process until it has melted. Then, you will take your balls of Oreo clay and dunk them into the melted almond bark. You can use a fork or some other utensil, but if you need or want to use your hands I will not shame you (and neither will the people who eat your snacks). Replace the balls onto the wax paper. Once the balls are all coated in almond bark, you can scrape and drizzle whatever almond bark is left onto your Oreo balls. The almond bark hardens a little quickly, so if your bowl of bark
starts to solidify, simply reheat it. Place the tray of Oreo balls into the refrigerator to chill. After a few hours, they should be ready for consumption. White trash is also a fairly easy snack to make. You will need Crispix or Chex cereal, snack pretzels, shelled peanuts or cashews, vanilla almond bark and then we at my house like to add M&Ms as well. Now, in a mixing bowl, pour the cereal, pretzels and nuts inside and hand mix them until they are evenly blended. Have wax paper out on your kitchen counter and spread the mixture across it. Then, heat up your almond bark (you may need more than one package
of it) and drizzle it over the mixture until everything is covered. Sprinkle the M&Ms over the coated mixture before the almond bark hardens. As a warning, the reason you put the M&Ms on top last is because if you were to put them in the original mixture before coating it in almond bark, the warmth of the bark would would make the colors spread and the result could be ugly. Let the almond bark harden and then break apart the treat and snack on it as you will. Either of these snacks can make the holidays more festive. Enjoy!
“The Greatest Showman: Reimagined” a bland remake JACK MCCALLUM PRINTZ REPORTER
he Greatest Showman: Reimagined” is an overproduced, emotionless cash grab that no one asked for. This rerecording of the soundtrack from 2017’s “The Greatest Showman” attempts to bring star-power to the original songs in a way similar to “The Hamilton Mixtape,” but fails because the emotion and importance is lost. “The Greatest Showman” is probably the most shallow original musical of the new millenium, so the soundtrack rerecording not being great is no shock. While the original movie and soundtrack were messy, they were flashy and entertaining. This rerecording is just dreadful and only exists because of money, honey. Panic! At The Disco’s “The Greatest Show” simultaneously sounds like every Panic! song released this decade and the original Hugh Jackman version. The overly grand and dramatic sound of this song is a sound that will be recurring throughout this album. Truthfully, the best part of this song is that it is less than three minutes long. P!nk delivers a strong vocal performance on “A Million Dreams.” These strong vocals would probably sound better on any other song, especially with the nauseatingly generic drum beats. P!nk is the Queen of Mom Pop and has accomplished too much to be on such a boring song, though her daughter’s cute reprisal following the song is definitely the cutest part of the album. Are you craving the sound of 2015 DNCE but want even cornier lyrics? Then “Years & Years”
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and Jess Glynne’s “Come Alive” is the song for you. This song tries so hard to say something, but it just kind of ends without anything happening. “The Other Side” with MAX and Ty Dolla $ign is generic, about-nothing pop that sounds like it was created to be played over the speakers at Marshall’s. Ty Dolla $ign’s vocals are the most interesting part of the song and show his diversity as an artist. This does not make up for how unnecessary this song is. The melodramatic, corny pop sound continues on Kelly Clarkson’s recording of “Never Enough.” The only thing saving this is Kelly Clarkson’s
vocals, but she has plenty of songs that are not this, so what is the point? Hearing the sound of Missy Elliott’s voice on “This is Me” is the most truly uplifting part of this album, but the song is still not great. Keala Settle and Kesha give good vocal performances, but that millennial whoop just brings everything into the dumps. James Arthur and Anne-Marie’s “Rewrite The Stars” is like everything else on this album: generic. Where one could tolerate the original just because of how beautiful Zac Efron and Zendaya are, there is no visual distraction for this mess. The
generic drum beats that clutter the album will drive you insane if you manage to make it all the way to track eight. It is always good to hear from Sara Bareilles, so it is exciting to here her appearance on “Tightrope.” This excitement is dead after about a minute into the song when the irritatingly familiar production sound of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul kicks in. Zac Brown Band’s rendition of “From Now On” has that typical Zac Brown Band sound full of fiddles and harmonicas. This sound might be typical for the band, but it is good to hear something at least slightly different after so much of the same. Still, the lyrics are faux-deep and this cover is not needed. There are three bonus tracks on “The Greatest Showman: Reimagined,” just in case you are craving more covers of bad songs by B-list musicians. Pentatonix gives a cover of “The Greatest Show” that could only be enjoyed by fans of Pentatonix and “The Greatest Showman.” This is followed by Craig David’s cover of “Come Alive” that is slightly less terrible than the version by Years & Years. Sadly, the solo version of Kesha’s “This is Me” is still generic and uneventful. There are plenty of worse albums than “The Greatest Showman: Reimagined,” but there are also plenty of better albums. This is a rerecording of a bad soundtrack was only made so Atlantic Records could continue to capitalize off the families who got distracted by the flashiness of “The Greatest Showman” and were misled into thinking it was good the first time. It is a shame how this album is number one when thousands of more original-sounding artists will never achieve that.
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‘Pokémon: Let’s Go’ is the perfect nostalgic game CARLTON MCGRONE PRINTZ REPORTER
ver 20 years since “Pokémon” debuted in the U.S., trainers can once again return to the Kanto region in the highly anticipated “Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee” titles for Nintendo Switch. Packed with new, polarizing features and virtually no new Pokémon, “Let’s Go” manages to capture the spirit from “Red and Blue” while providing a smooth transition for new fans to jump into the series. Based on the original “Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow” for Gameboy, “Let’s Go” reintroduces the original 151 Pokémon in glorious HD. The Kanto Region, its iconic gym leaders and beloved characters have been remodeled in a re-imagining of the first generation of “Pokémon” games. Along with this rebuild also comes a slew of new features that place “Let’s Go” into a category of its own when compared to past “Pokémon” titles. On its surface, “Let’s Go” doesn’t differ much from every “Pokémon” game that’s come before it. You play as an adventurous youth who journeys through a land filled with super-powered creatures on a quest to collect eight gym badges while also foiling the many nasty plots of an evil organization. A few ultra-powered legendary Pokémon may show up from time to time, too. The true beauty of this game, though, is its transition to the powerful, versatile Switch console, which allows for incredible HD graphics and a much larger “Pokémon” experience both in handheld mode and on your television. Being on the Switch, “Let’s Go” gave developers a chance to remake the classic “Pokémon” RPG with a much more modern and convenient twist on the archaic model and graphics. The Kanto Region has never looked more stunning than it does in “Let’s Go.” While “Fire Red and Leaf Green” may have provided an update to the region’s black and white aesthetic,
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“Let’s Go” gives players a fully realized map with lush, moving scenery crammed with vibrant colors. Each familiar location in Kanto has been completely redone, bemusing veteran players that have gone through this journey an umpteenth of times while also mystifying young or first-time players. While the humans in “Pokémon” have fluctuated in relevance over the years, the classic Kanto gym leaders and Pokémon League trainers are bursting with personality thanks to their redesigns. Though you may only interact with them for a few seconds before and after your battle with them, each leader feels like an authentic character begging to be explored, and seeing them physically command their Pokémon during intense battles only increases this familiarity. The region itself, while being an exact replica from the original games, presents a brand-new plane for players’ enjoyment. Each landmark
feels so tangible, players instantly know this is the true form that “Pokémon” was meant to be in for years. Not a single location feels dull or underdeveloped as tiny details pop off the screen and demand to be seen just as much as the Pokémon. While the game’s graphics are the initial, obvious change to “Let’s Go,” it also boasts a host of features new and old that make the game feel fresh and ripe for future mechanics to be explored and improved in future “Let’s Go” titles. Catching Pokémon, the most dramatic change of all, has been completely revamped into something that more closely resembles “Pokémon Go” than other “Pokémon” RPGs. Gone are wild battles and random encounters. Rather, in “Let’s Go,” players see Pokémon in the grass and can avoid and hunt specific Pokémon as they see fit, something that initially turned me off from the game, but after hours of playtime,
it quickly became my favorite feature. Players no longer have to hope they get the Pokémon they’ve been in desperate search for, and they don’t have to waste time sitting through slow encounter animations only to have to backout without battling. “Let’s Go” also took away possibly the most precious feature in all “Pokémon” games, wild battles, and released them with simply tossing a Pokéball, much like “Pokémon Go.” Once again, this feature was daunting considering this may be the biggest change fans have ever seen in a mainline “Pokémon” game. However, after only a few wild battles, I found myself greatly preferring this mechanic over constantly having to slog through battling every single wild Pokémon I encounter. In future titles, namely the 2019 “Pokémon” title, hopefully this will be an option that players can choose from and toggle from the options menu. While many players have complained about the game’s shoddy and underwhelming motion controls, I experienced no trouble when having to flick my wrist to capture Pokémon. Though, it does feel a bit tiresome to have to waste so many Pokéballs and expound so much energy when attempting to capture a rare monster only for it to run. The game’s interface could also use a bit of work as the bag feels messy with little to no flare or organization like in other games. The battle menu has also been downgraded to simple rectangles, which is understandable considering the game’s developers wanted to take up as little of the screen as possible so that the battles could take center stage. “Pokémon: Let’s Go,” without a doubt is the best remake of a “Pokémon” game, and it may have even worked its way to being my favorite “Pokémon” game of all. It presents to much of the series’ iconic formulas while also providing so many necessary and desirable changes that I didn’t even know I wanted. There’s too much personality and heart that’s been placed into this game for old fans to not pick it up. I guarantee no matter your age, you’ll love this new look at an incredible classic.
Top five Christmas movies and songs ASHLYN LEVINS PRINTZ REPORTER
f you are like me, then you agree Christmastime is the best time of year. The feeling usually starts right after Halloween. I am one of those people you may find in a meme with her hair done up with lights and an ugly Christmas sweater. I bake Christmas cookies, buy and wrap presents way too early and decorate as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is cleaned up. A couple of the best parts of Christmas are the holiday movies and endless jingles and songs. This begs the question: What are the top Christmas movies and songs of all time? Here is a list of the top five Christmas movies and songs you can drink hot chocolate or dance around the kitchen to: 1. “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey Mariah Carey wrote this song and released it in 1994. It is considered the most popular Christmas song of all time. I find myself singing along with Mariah off key and dancing in my reindeer pajamas. 2. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Frank Sinatra This song has been redone by multiple artists; however, Mr. Sinatra’s gravelly voice captures the cozy and homey feeling that is Christmas. 3. “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby What is Christmas without snow? “May your days be merry and bright / And may all your Christmases be white” Snow is rare in the South, but I am definitely dreaming of a white Christmas this year. 4. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee I am not ashamed to admit that I dance while decorating for Christmas. The jingle in this tune is
Bethany Morris | Printz
hard to ignore and is a classic Christmas song. 5. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Elvis Presley The King of Rock cannot be forgotten. Elvis Presley has many great Christmas songs, but “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is one of the favorites. There are many amazing Christmas songs
that could be included in this list. A few honorable mentions are “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” by Elmo & Patsy and finally “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole. On the nights staying in with holiday pajamas and a mug of hot chocolate, Christmas movies are
a must. Here are some Christmas movies to put on your watchlist this season. 1. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” “Christmas Vacation” came out in 1989, and Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo gave us some of the best laughs and one-liners in the last 29 years. “I don’t know what to say, except it’s Christmas and we’re all in misery.” 2. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (Jim Carrey) Dr. Seuss was prominent in my childhood through books and still remains popular during the holiday season with each new “Grinch” movie that premieres; however, Jim Carrey as the Grinch will go on as a popular classic, at least for our generation. 3. “Home Alone” Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister gives two burglars a run for their money in this Christmas classic. “Home Alone” has been a tradition to watch every year at Christmas, and I cannot lie and say I have not thought about trying to recreate his traps. 4. “A Christmas Story” What is the best Christmas present? To Ralphie, a Red Ryder BB gun is. “A Christmas Story” is definitely a classic, and little boy Ralphie will always remind me of my brother when he was a kid. 5. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” To the Island of Misfits and back, Rudolph will be the Christmas classic. “Rudolph” is a great film to sit down with the family with. The puppet-like animation is loved by children, and the songs are catchy. To top it off, the film has the hidden message that no matter our differences, we are all special. Just like Christmas songs, it is difficult to pick only five notable Christmas movies. A few honorable mentions include “Elf,” “The Polar Express” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Although Christmas movies and songs are a great part of the holiday season, it is not the most important. Remember to spend time with family throughout the holiday. Lastly, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
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Sadler: “We dug ourselves a hole” ANDREW ABADIE EXECUTIVE EDITOR
outhern Miss was handed its second loss in three games by William Carey on Sunday. The 78-72 loss comes after its appearance in the Cancun Challenge, where the Golden Eagles lost 64-48 to North Florida and then edged out a win against Western Carolina. “You know after the SMU and Troy games, we have gotten confused as to who we are and we have not played a good basketball game since then,” Head Coach Doc Sadler said. “For our team to be successful we have to play with a passion and an edge, and we’re not doing it.” William Carey opened the game with as much as a nine-point lead at 15-6. Southern Miss stormed back to tie the game 23-23 with eight minutes left in the half. Despite holding a 41-38 lead over the Crusaders at halftime, William Carey outshot Southern Miss 46.9 percent to 37.9 percent, a trait that followed the team into the second half. Southern Miss opened the second half with a 10-2 run to take a 10-point lead at 52-42. However, shooting for the Golden Eagles became harder as the game progressed. “You get up 10 and you come down and you take some bad shot selections instead of realizing again that you got a 10-point lead and let’s at least get the ball inside and try to get a basket or get a foul, go to the free throw line, do things like that and we’re settling for jump shots,” Sadler said. In the final seven minutes of the contest, Southern Miss missed 12 out of its last 13 shots taken, which allowed William Carey to take the 78-72 victory. Southern Miss finished 1-for-11 from the three-point line and was 8-for-26 in that category for the game. Redshirt senior Tyree Griffin led the team with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, while senior Cortez Edwards finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Five William Carey players had double-digit scoring nights, and the Crusaders shot 46.4 percent from the three-
Cortez Edwards dribbles ball around defender.
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point line. “I’ve told [the] guys, we have got enough points but we can’t be giving points up when you come off the bench, and that’s what we’re doing right now,” Sadler said. Sadler also said that one of the biggest difficulties now is having a tough loss after so much initial hype prior to the start of the season. With just under 2,000 fans in attendance, Sadler called for fans to come
support the team, which he says is crucial for the team to be successful. “I’ve said this now for five years, whether it be in football or basketball. Southern Miss isn’t good enough to just show up and play people,” Sadler said. “They have to have people helping and in days like today when you’re not ready to play, it’s not an excuse but it’s a fact that you have to have some help. The crowd tried to get into it, the ones that were here, I appreciate that,
but at some point you have to get some excitement. Until you give people a lot of reasons to come, you are not going to [get people to go to games]. We just dug ourselves a hole and were not good enough to do that.” Southern Miss will play three games at home in its next stretch. The Golden Eagles will face off against South Alabama on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum.
A Southern Miss fan’s Christmas wish list BRAD CROWE
PRINTZ REPORTER ear Santa, December is almost here, and I wanted to be one of the very first to send you my Christmas wish list. You’ve always surprised me with some pretty neat gifts. Last year you gave us Jack Abraham, and we still use him almost every week. I hope you are not upset that we nearly broke him in the Charlotte game. I promise we will all scream, “Slide!” a little louder next time. Listen, I know you are a busy man, so to save you a little time this season, here are a few options you could choose from for my gift this time around. 1. A bowl game First and foremost, Santa, we would really like to have just one more football game. We tried our best to be good this year. Not to point any fingers, but we played the Auburn Tigers better on the road than Ole Miss played them at home. I know we surely disappointed you against ULM and Charlotte, but I thought we did a pretty decent job of making up for it over the final weeks of the season. We are pretty reasonable in our expectations here. We don’t want Bama. Tulane, perhaps. Just give us something. Please. 2. We want to host a Regional. To be honest Santa, I thought we were good enough to have gotten this gift last year. Forty-four wins? Come on now, most of the teams that hosted won
less. But as Scott Berry says, the past is the past, and it is time to move on. We are all really excited for another great baseball season at The Pete, and we promise to pack the stands in support if you give us one more chance to host a postseason tournament. 3. Southern Miss basketball in March. I know we did some naughty things in this department. But have we not suffered enough? Both teams are trying so hard to be good this year. The Lady Eagles are nearly doubling opponents’ rebounding totals, and Tyree Griffin literally ran out of his shoes recently in an effort to score. I know there is still a lot more basketball to be played, but it would be great if you could keep us in mind on Selection Sunday. 4. Less game day parking restrictions. Listen, I don’t like to be a Negative Nancy—especially to you, Santa. But something has to give. “Eagle Club Only” signs are spreading around parking lots faster than Dollar Generals on the interstate. Trivenskey Mosley has run for 494 yards this season, but our fans have run for at least 500 to get to The Rock. I get that sometimes a brisk walk is to be expected on game day. However, I just have a funny feeling that more fans would be willing to show up if we could simply come to a compromise on this matter. The Eagle Walk should be the most notable event on game day, not the fan walk. Thanks for being so understanding. Brad Crowe | Printz
Neil McLaurin runs for a touchdown.
SPORTS NOVEMBER 28, 2018
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A breakdown of Southern Miss’ bowl chances ANDREW ABADIE EXECUTIVE EDITOR
or the fourth consecutive season, Southern Miss clinched bowl eligibility with its 39-7 win over UTEP. Despite being eligible, a bowl game is not guaranteed for the Golden Eagles. “What I’ve been doing since our game in El Paso is talking to all the people that I know, the relationships that I have, that are influential in the bowl selection process to make sure that I am conveying how important it is that Southern Miss participate in a bowl game,” Athletic Director Jon Gilbert said. Currently, there are 81 teams that have clinched bowl eligibility and 78 bowl slots this season. Forty-three of those teams are in the Power Five conferences (SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and PAC12), 34 teams are in the Group of Five conferences (C-USA, MAC, AAC, Sun Belt, MWC) and three are independents. The complicated breakdown: The SEC has a total of 11 bowl-eligible teams, the most out of all conferences. Two of those teams are six-win teams, but the SEC fills all of its conference tie-ins with those teams included. For the sake of this article, we will say that the SEC will be in two New Year’s Six games, whether it be the playoffs or the other New Year’s Day bowls. The Big Ten has nine teams that are bowl-eligible, including two six-win teams. The Big Ten filled its quota of seven bids, including a likely New Year’s bid. The Big 12 has seven teams bowl eligible with three six-win teams in that group. This fills the conference’s bowl bid quota and includes a likely New Year’s Six game. In the Group of Five, the AAC filled its quota of six bowl bids, with Tulane being the only 6-6 team in the conference that clinched a spot this past weekend. The MAC has seven bowl-eligible teams, filling its five bids and the Sun Belt has six, which fills its six bids. The Mountain West Conference has seven teams that are bowl eligible but has only five bowl tie-ins. Conference USA’s situation: In C-USA, Southern Miss is the only six-win team in the conference. C-USA has seven teams that are bowl eligible, including UAB, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Marshall and Florida International. C-USA is guar-
Brad Crowe | Printz
anteed at least six of the 78 bowl bids available, and the conference also shares a bid with the Mid-American Conference in the Boca Raton Bowl as well as an at-large bid that is available in the Frisco Bowl. Notably, the lineup for the Bahamas Bowl, a C-USA tie-in bowl, has been announced. The game will feature C-USA member FIU and Toledo from the MAC. Who Southern Miss is competing against for a bid: There are 14 total six-win teams, five in the Group of Five conferences, eight in the Power Five conferences and independent BYU. In addition, Virginia Tech is a 5-6 team with one game left on the season that could determine its eligibility. Bowl games are typically decided by how well team fanbases travel, logistics and who can generate the most revenue. With that said, any Power Five six-win teams will be guaranteed a spot, which leaves Southern Miss, Miami (Ohio), Wyoming, Tulane, Louisiana-Monroe and BYU. By this logic, out of the 81 teams that are bowl eligible, these six teams are fighting for bids. Tulane should be guaranteed a spot since it was the last team of its conference to fill in its tie-in quota. Louisiana-Monroe also has a stronger chance
Southern Miss players prepare to take the field.
since it beat Southern Miss earlier in the season and in theory helps define the discussion. With the MAC and C-USA sharing a Boca Raton Bowl bid, C-USA may gain the favor in that game. Despite the MAC having bowl-eligible teams, they generally do not travel well, which is likely why Miami (Ohio) will not receive a bid. Of course, Virginia Tech still has to play Marshall to close out the season. If the Thundering Herd defeat the Hokies, it would be a major boost for the six-win bowl-eligible teams, as a loss gives Virginia Tech a 5-7 record. The Hopson logic: During his postgame radio interview after the UTEP game, Southern Miss Head Coach Jay Hopson explained his reasoning as to why his team should get a bid. Essentially, if you break the conference down and rank the teams per conference record, then Southern Miss is the sixth-best team since it beat LA Tech and would guarantee them a bowl bid. While this is a strong and valid argument, it is just as logical of an argument for the teams with seven or more wins to take priority. My take and conspiracy theory: The best case scenario for Southern Miss is for Virginia Tech to lose, which
ensures an additional bowl for a Group of Five team and then for Central Florida to make a New Year’s Six bowl, since the AAC would lose an extra bid and be short of its quota. For Southern Miss, a secondary bowl tie-in will be its best bet to receive a bid. “There are multiple scenarios that could play out,” Gilbert said. “The CFP (College Football Playoff) rankings will be important tomorrow night since it will determine how many teams play up, thus vacating some of their bowl tie-ins which would then send them to secondary bowl agreements, so that’s important. Then I would tell you that next weekend’s games are important. We’re at the mercy of bowl representatives, ESPN, the conference office to determine to get a slot or not and what happens on the field.” The biggest pain for Southern Miss is that all five FBS teams in Louisiana are bowl eligible and almost all, except for LSU, have some type of realistic tie-in to all the games that are viable options for Southern Miss. In a favorable scenario, it would be fun to watch Southern Miss play Tulane in the New Orleans Bowl. Both teams have a history with the bowl, and each team would attract a strong crowd and rekindle an old rivalry.
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