Volume 100 Issue 46
Thursday, March 31, 2016
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Students celebrated at 106th Founders’ Day and other members of the USM community to participate in future ceremonies. During the celebration, Floore presented SGA President Caroline Bradley with the Southern Miss ring. Other inducted SGA officers include Vice President Jesse Robinson, Treasurer Franky Lopez, Attorney General Autumn Sobel and Election Commissioner Christen White.
hopes that community members will experience a renewed excitement for the past, present and future of Southern Miss,” Long On Tuesday and Wednesday, said. “As a sponsor of Founders’ The University of Southern Day, the Alumni Association hopes Mississippi hosted Founders’ Day that the Founders’ Day events will ceremonies in Hattiesburg and on encourage alumni to become more the Gulf Coast in celebration of its involved with the University and legislative founding. reconnect with their alma mater.” During the ceremonies, the The Gulf Park ceremony university and the Legacy Student began at 9 a.m. in Hardy Hall Alumni Association inducted new Ballroom. The Hattiesburg Student Government ceremony began at 3 p.m. Association officers and in the Mannoni Performing honored select seniors, After more than 100 years, our Arts Center. faculty and staff. USM President Rodney Alumni Association fundamental purpose remains Bennett gave a speech during President Bradley consistent: to impact the lives the Hattiesburg celebration. Floore said Founders’ of students, the families in our “After more than 100 Day is a great spring years, our fundamental program because it communities through high-quality purpose remains consistent: provides the Southern education and research programs. to impact the lives of Miss community a students, the families in way to connect and Dr. Rodney Bennett, university president our communities through celebrate the university’s high-quality education accomplishments over and research programs,” the past year. “Hearing from Dr. Bennett Bennett said. “I am certainly “As a graduating senior, this Founders’ Day program is and others share Southern Miss’s grateful for the time, for the especially important to me,” successes will inspire you and talent and for the efforts each [community member] has Floore said. “As an underclassman, motivate you,” Floore said. Alumni Association programs contributed to our legacy. And I knew about the program, but I didn’t fully comprehend its manager BayLee Long said I look forward to continue to importance, and I think this is Founders’ Day is a celebration of work to move The University why more students don’t attend the university’s rich history and of Southern Mississippi into promising future. the future.” the program.” “[The Alumni Association] The university presented the Floore encouraged students
Jack Hammett Managing Editor
Cam Bonelli/Assistant Photo Editor Rodney Bennett speaks as Hall of Fame recipients listen on stage on Founders’ Day at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center on March 30.
Outstanding Freshman Female and Male awards to Corai Jackson and Cameron Cloud, respectively. The Best Citizens award went to Douglas LeBlanc and Ukamaka Nwaokorie. The Leave it Better than You Found It award was presented to Perry Overstreet, and the Barbara Ross Gold Leaf Scholarship was presented to Raven Winding. USM Hall of Fame inductees included Haleigh Bradley, Katherine Brewer, Kristen Dupard, Bradley Floore, Jeffery
George, Phoenix Pope, Sarah Beth Selph, Kyle Stoner, Jessica Thompson and Aleke Vehos. In addition, the university recognized staff and faculty who have been involved on campus for a decade or more. The university’s Alumni Associated designated March 30 as Founders’ Day in 1955, according to the USM website. In 2010, the university celebrated its centennial anniversary and dedicated the Centennial Gateway.
ON CAMPUS
Recycling Olympics promotes sustainability across student body Nicolas Kubicki Printz Reporter
Austin Sylvest/Printz Southern Miss mascot Seymour participates in the Recycling Olympics on Weathersby Lawn on March 30.
The students who participated in the inaugural Recycling Olympics hosted by the Office of Sustainability and the Physical Plant at USM competed not only against their fellow students but against the elements as well. This event was hosted in order to raise the profile of the Office of Sustainability on campus and to spread awareness and knowledge about recycling to the USM community. The wind whipped across Weathersby Lawn on Wednesday, mitigating the efforts of students participating in recycling-themed events such as the catalog shot put, the tube javelin toss and the scrappaper basket shoot. Even with the wind, the participants enjoyed themselves during the small break in their otherwise busy day. Former SGA Senate Secretary Lakelyn Taylor also participated. She said that events like this one are great for getting the attention
of students and getting them started on recycling. “In the dorms where I am, it’s unfortunate that there’s not more of an opportunity for recycling,” she said. USM Sustainability Coordinator Christina Foreman said the event provides an engaging manner of teaching students about recycling that makes it easier for them to recycle more in their daily lives. “Just knowing the benefits doesn’t mean people will make that change,” she said. Volunteers from Petal High School’s Future Business Leaders of America group ran all of the events except the timed sorting competition. Dakota Savage, high school senior and president of Petal High’s FBLA said the event was an opportunity to exercise their organization skills in the real world. “It’s a way to come together with the community, with all different kinds of people to show respect and awareness for what our world is coming to,” Savage said.
USM students manning the trash sorting competition had laptops available for students to sign the pledge to not litter on campus. By the end of the event, there were an estimated 200 to 250 signatures. “There were more people than I thought,” said Jessie Foreman, high school senior and vicepresident of Petal’s FBLA. “When you see trash and pick it up, it doesn’t matter what it is or where it is. It makes a difference,” said junior music major Karsten Smith, who worked the trash sorting station. “We believe in leaving a place better than we find it.” Assistant Director of Sustainability Haley McMinn said since recycling varies from place to place, those new to it can sometimes be confused by the guidelines. “Recycling is universal, but it varies from place to place based on who will buy the goods that are RECYCLING CONT. ON PG. 3
Page 2 | Thursday, March 31, 2016
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DIRTY BIRDS Tuesday, March 29 • Another day, another stolen bike. University police investigated a report of a stolen bicycle around 9:41 a.m. at the bike rack (GP Friendship Circle) in front of Cook Library. The case remains open. • UPD then investigated a report of a student disturbing the peace around 10:52 a.m. at the Cook Library, near the entrance of Golden Eagle Ave. The case cleared with a referral to the dean of students. • UPD busted a student in Wilber Hall, room 305 around 6:45 p.m. for possession of drug paraphernalia and a weapon. The case cleared with a referral to the dean of students.
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NEWS
LOCAL
Thursday, March 31, 2016 | Page 3
Sixth annual Big Event set for Saturday Andrew Dutton Printz Reporter
The Big Event, an annual community service program, will take place Saturday, April 2.
Every year, the Student Government Association sponsors the Big Event, a program in which students volunteer their services for community service
Courtesy Image
projects that are mutually beneficial to volunteers and recipient organizations. SGA Social Media Coordinator Sarah North issued an email last Monday reminding students of the event and encouraging them to participate. March 28 was the last day to register for the Big Event. “This opportunity gives a chance for our USM family to give back to the university and the community,” North said. Volunteers will meet at Reed Green Coliseum on the Hattiesburg campus at 8 a.m. for a brief assembly and breakfast. Then, they will go to various service sites throughout the community to begin work on assigned projects. Students are expected to arrive at their service sites by 9 a.m. and will work until around 12 or 1 p.m. The service sites involved
are being organized by The Salvation Army, The Fieldhouse for the Homeless, Hub City Humane Society, Southern Pines Animal Shelter and Edwards St. Fellowship Center. This year, USM is also partnering with several schools and churches in the area. Bradley Floore, a USM senior and assistant director of the Big Event, said the Big Event is a program that all Southern Miss students should take advantage of at least once. “I believe participating in the Big Event is fundamentally important,” Floore said. Many of the service sites are those that students at USM have volunteered for in the past. Ben Burkett, a business administration junior at USM, worked at last year’s Big Event program in which he was involved in landscaping and cleaning services.
“I love my Southern Miss and being able to not only give back to Southern Miss but to the community that supports and gives us so much,” Burkett said. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment.” Senior psychology major Kylar Isabelle has taken part in the Big Event for the past four years. She said the event is special to her. “Giving back to Hattiesburg is really the least we can do,” Isabelle said. “The city has done so much for campus, so just being able to give back to Hattiesburg has just been awesome.” This year, the organizers of the event hope to see more students involved. “Our goal this year is [not only] to increase the number of students that participate, but also positively enhance the experience that every student has,” Floore said. RECYCLING CONTINUED collected,” she said. “In Mississippi, for instance, there’s nobody who buys glass. So while glass is recyclable, we don’t collect it on campus.” The Recycling Olympics were the last event in an eight-weeklong nationwide competition called RecycleMania. USM currently ranks at 153 out of 261 in the current competition. McMinn said she is confident that by the end of the competition, they will have reached their goal of over 100,000 lbs of recycled items thanks to an influx of old yearbooks donated by organizations on campus. McMinn also said that while they rank around the middle of the pack, the numbers are affected by location. Schools like Rutgers University and Stanford University, respectively ranked first and second, are located in areas that accept glass recycling. Some schools even have composting services, which count as well. As McMinn pointed out, glass and compost weigh a lot more than paper and cardboard, which could give some areas an advantage. McMinn said that in the future, the Office of Sustainability will consider auditing their collection to examine the possibility of expanding to a separate stream collection service and a composting service, which could lead to more student employment opportunities. “If separating it could bring our revenue up, we’d be able to create more student jobs and still make a difference on campus,” McMinn said. “Our student employees are some of the hardest workers on campus, some picking up thousands of pounds of recycling each day.” Out of all the events, the most popular were the tube javelin throw, the catalog shot put and the timed sorting competition. For more information about the RecycleMania program and the Office of Sustainability, call 601-266-6803.
NEWS
Page 4 | Thursday, March 31, 2016
ON CAMPUS
Art, design students showcase work in annual show Lora Lavigne Printz Reporter
The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Art and Design began hosting its annual Student Art Show March 23 and will continue to host the event through April 8. The art show presents 170180 works developed by the art and design students of Southern Miss from freshman-level to upper-level courses. “We heavily encourage all of our students to participate because it benefits them through resumes and creates the professional atmosphere of being an artist,” said Mark Rigsby, director of the Museum of Art. The work on display includes a variety of media such as drawings, paintings, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, foundation projects, graphic design, web
design and more. “This experience sheds a light into the world of art through exhibition as students witness their work being portrayed in a gallery next to others,” Rigsby said. The work included in the art show represents all of the classes taught in the art and design department. The show encompasses almost a year’s worth of work. Students were allowed to submit pieces to the gallery starting in March 2015, and jurors selected what will be included in the show. The 2016 jurors involved in the selection process were graphic design instructor Jeff Jones, graphic design instructor, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College; Earnest Milsted, associate professor printmaking, Southeastern Louisiana University; Dennis Sipiorski, professor of ceramics, Southeastern Louisiana University. The jurors were not only in
charge of selecting the work of student entries that will be in the show, but also give awards in multiple categories. “I believe the jurors this year did a fantastic job when judging the pieces,” Rigsby said. “The award recipients were so deserving and they were definitely impressed with the talent we have here at Southern Miss.” Among the many awards being announced, the Best in Show award was given to the highest scoring students. These specific awards were given to Amanda Kleinhans for Sculpture and Ceramics, Jayme Agent for Painting and Drawing and Cody Bass for Graphic Design. “I feel so blessed to have been awarded Best in Show and second place in printmaking. Many of my classmates had impressive work in this show and I’m so happy for all of their accomplishments,” said senior art major Jayme Agent.
Hannah Heneghan/Printz Students, Melanie Appel and Jim Grenn, view student artwork featured in the Department of Art and Design’s 2016 Student Art Show.
Agent said it was her last student showcase, which gave the award special meaning to her. Chair of the Department of Art and Design, Howard Paine, enforced why the event is so significant for art and design students. “I repeatedly remind my faculty
and staff through emails and meetings that we must continue to motivate students to get involved,”he said. He said the experience of students sending in work to a juried exhibition helps develop professional skills and life lessons such as accepting rejection.
LOCAL
Community members revisit plan to keep local river clean Lindsay Adkisson Printz Reporter
Phillip Schreck/Courtesy Photo
On April 7, a group of dedicated professors, students and community members will meet again for their third cleanup of the Bouie River. Mike Goldman, a founder of the cleanup and an alumnus of The University of Southern Mississippi, said he picked the Bouie River for several reasons. He is familiar with it because of his many paddling adventures and its proximity. Goldman said the river is a great local resource that needs more attention. He has helped with several cleanups on the Black Creek and the Leaf River. Goldman believes no organization
has focused on the Bouie River. “I have had this in mind for a few years, but we started planning last summer and completed two cleanups on the Bouie River last fall,” Goldman said. According to Goldman, pollution found its way to the Bouie River via flooding and other factors. This will only change through education and awareness, which is one of the main goals of the cleanups. Goldman feels that the these cleanups are important due to the fact that water is one of the most significant resources for life. “It provides a better environment for commerce, play [and] sustainability,” Goldman said. “I want to ensure that my child and all future generations have
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access to clean water for the aforementioned reasons.” According to Goldman, this means clean water and banks so fish can swim without trash floating in their environment. It will also prevent any further pollution flowing downstream and possibly into the Gulf of Mexico. Assistant professor of geography Grant Harley said the cleanups are important and that they help undo the damage done by people who pollute the waters around our city. “Our drinking water comes from groundwater and river water, so removing trash and chemicals from bodies of water, such as the Bouie River, will help improve our lives in small ways,” Harley said. According to Harley, the main problem seen in the rivers around the area is an influx of trash such as plastics, chemical barrels and tires. These things take thousands to millions of years to decompose. Pollution also causes health problems in the ecosystem’s animals, and this is bad for resources of food and water. “We’re not just dealing with unsightly garbage in a river,” Harley said. “We’re dealing with garbage that’s made of plastics and chemicals that leech pollution into our drinking water, and that’s a big deal.” Harley said this is also important for the USM students who have volunteered with these cleanups. “In terms of a degree or job, the experience gained by helping with cleanups translates down to actual on-the-job experience that many of the students will get upon graduation,” Harley said. Bass said they would ideally like to form a statewide group connected together to further develop these cleanups. Volunteers are welcome to join at any time. For more information on how to get connected with these cleanups, contact Goldman at mikerah@gmail.com
FEATURE
GREEK LIFE
Thursday, March 31, 2016 | Page 5
Tri Delta Phi Epsilon chapter ranks overall in nation Cam Bonelli Assistant Photo Editor
A pancake dinner, softball tournament, letter writing campaign and cheer competition organized by The University of Southern Mississippi’s Delta Delta Delta sorority raised thousands of dollars for patients at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. On Feb. 20, USM’s Tri Delta sorority won Overall Chapter of the Year, and former Tri Delta Philanthropy Chairman Betsy Mercier won Philanthropy Chairman of the Year at the St. Jude Leadership weekend in Memphis. Mercier, an elementary education major, said she heard the news she won Philanthropy Chairman of the Year while at a baseball game. “I was at the USM baseball game that Saturday and saw the notification on my phone from the Tri Delta national Twitter and just started crying,” Mercier said. According to the St. Jude website, over 400 Tri Delta women attended the event, including junior polymer science major and Tri Delta Philanthropy Chairman Gabbie Munn and freshman media production major Beth Cunningham. Cunningham said every Tri Delta chapter nationwide sent two members to represent their respective chapter. “This year, we were asked to send the philanthropy chair as well as one emerging leader from the chapter to attend,” Cunningham
LOCAL
said. “The weekend was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Seeing how many Tri Delta alumni members have carried [on] the passion for St. Jude [that] we all form during college into their careers was exciting. It was also incredibly humbling to be able to interact with the patients and the patients’ families.” Munn said USM was selected out of 139 total chapters nationwide by a board from St. Jude and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC). “It was a huge honor to be recognized in that way,” Munn said. “We work really hard, and our number one goal is always to give 100 percent for the kids at St. Jude. It was a reminder to me how talented and special our individual members are.” Cunningham said St. Jude hosted the weeken =d to show their appreciation for Tri Delta’s fundraising efforts and to give the sorority members a personal experience with the hospital, staff and patients. “My sorority experience has been so centered around philanthropy and the mission of St. Jude,” Cunningham said. “My favorite aspect of the weekend was getting to see what all of our efforts are actually going toward. I was definitely inspired by this weekend. While awards and recognition are great, that’s not why we do what we do. That comes as a result of our passion for these children.” Munn said that the weekend’s events offered a patient panel, a
women in leadership panel, Tri Delta Place tours, a doctor-patient panel and an inside look on how they make documentaries for the patients and hospitals. Tri Delta formed a philanthropic partnership with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in 1999. In 2014, the sorority committed to raising $60 million in 10 years to name the Tri Delta Place, a short-term housing facility on the hospital’s campus, according to Tri Delta’s website. Overall, Tri Delta’s philanthropic efforts have raised $40 million for St. Jude’s. USM’s own Tri Delta chapter raised more than $86,000 last year alone. Tri Delta hosts three events annually: a softball tournament, a letter writing campaign and a golf tournament. Mercier said she initiated the fourth fundraising event. “[We] have had three events in the past years, and when I got the position, I added the fourth event,” Mercier said. “It was Tri-Hop, a late night pancake dinner with a pancake eating contest, live music and a slide show from St. Jude. It was our first time to do it, and we raised over $10,000.” Munn said this year Tri Delta will host a new event called Movies for Miracles, which will be held at the Town Square Park downtown. The event will have live music and a screening of “The Sandlot.” Cunningham said she believes USM’s Tri Delta chapter received recognition because the mission of St. Jude – “so no child will die in
Former student discusses life with endometriosis Hiba Tahir Printz Reporter
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, endometriosis is a common gynecological condition that affects an estimated 2-10 percent of American women. Despite its prevalence, it cannot be diagnosed easily – especially by clinics like USM’s Moffitt Health Center. March marked endometriosis awareness month. “[Endometriosis is] an issue that we would refer out for proper diagnosis and would not have accurate numbers on,” said Jodi Ryder, Health Education Promotion and Wellness Coordinator. The disease is characterized by the appearance of endometrial tissue outside of the uterus in some women. This tissue responds to monthly hormonal changes and builds up and breaks down just as the endometrium does, which often results in inflammation, swelling and scarring of normal tissue. The disease causes debilitating pain and finding treatment can be difficult –facts of which former Southern Miss student Anna Truitt Bush is well aware. Bush struggled with the disease through high school and college. Even though she describes that time in her life as “difficult,” she was able to manage her endometriosis
with the help of the birth control Ortho Evra Derma-Patch, which kept her pain at a minimum and kept the endometriosis from spreading unchecked. Then in 2007, the unthinkable happened after her insurance called her one afternoon. “My insurance company decided that my current birth control was no longer a ‘preferred method treatment,’ so they quit covering it,” said Bush. “With it not covered, I couldn’t afford it and decided to chance it.” Bush tried several other birth controls, but none worked. She ended up with severe cysts that resulted in prolonged hospital stays in 2009. “I don’t have to elaborate on what that can do to grades,” she said. “I decided to take a break in 2009, which is when I should have graduated. I didn’t have insurance through my parents now that I was not a full time student. That’s when my endometriosis really ran unchecked and got out of control, leading me to my first surgery in 2011.” Even though she never graduated, Bush looks back on her college experience with fond memories enveloped in painful ones. “I loved being involved on campus, in my sorority, and I fell in love with the Hattiesburg community while at Southern Miss,” she said. “Day-to-
day life those last couple of years was difficult, as I have hormone triggered migraines as well as ‘cramps’ that can knock the life out of me. I’m sure I came off as flaky, unpredictable [and] unreliable, and I hate that.” Bush sought an alternative treatment at the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, where she had excision surgery. As someone who had also experienced the ablation surgery offered by standard OB-GYN practices, Bush called the decision to have excision surgery the “best thing” she ever did. The chance of having growths and adhesions return after excision surgery falls to under five percent. In comparison, patients have a sixty to eighty percent chance of growths and adhesions coming back after ablation surgery. “I don’t hurt every day. I may have saved bits and pieces of my fertility. I can hold a full time job, dependably,” Bush said. Bush has advice for any woman that knows they have endometriosis or thinks they might have it. “Contact the CEC or an excision specialist,” she said. “Do your own research. If a doctor tells you it’s in your head or there’s nothing more he can do, find a new doctor. Educate yourself. Advocate for yourself. Women’s health does not come easily in Mississippi, and that will never change unless we are loud about it.”
Courtesy Photo Gabbie Munn and Beth Cunningham pose with awards at the St. Jude Leadership weekend on Feb. 20.
the dawn of life” – is an ideal deeply ingrained in Phi Epsilon. “I was inspired by the patients and families as well as the atmosphere of the hospital,” Cunningham said. “It’s an incredible place that is dedicated to service and saving lives and that dedication is evident in every single person within the facility. That’s what makes Tri
Delta so special, the fact that we get to be a part of what goes on [at St. Jude].” USM’s Tri Delta chapter proved that size does not necessarily matter. As a silver group - the small to medium size chapter the philanthropic efforts raised by these sorority members surpass expectations for any size group.
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OPINION
Page 6 | Thursday, March 31, 2016
ENTERTAINMENT
Instagram: the game is changing... Jonathan Urbina Entertainment Editor
In the land of selfies and hashtags, the competition to win over followers and garner likes is at a grotesque new high. Some refer to this reinvented popularity contest as a fleeting pastime, and others call it a deadly dose of narcissism consuming millennials by the post. (Follow me @urbina_jonathan, hair flip.) Whatever the case may be, it has become quite obvious that people are in love with their cameras, themselves and the app used to share their most photogenic moments — Instagram. For years now, Instagram has
LOCAL
been the creme of the social media crop. Hundreds of millions of people log in everyday to keep up with the Kardashians, stalk exes and, of course, scroll through countless images of brunches with #foodporn in the caption. Yes, Instagram can easily be called the holy grail of amateur photography, but unfortunately, it appears to not be as sacred as one might think. Earlier this week, Instagram feeds were flooded with photos adorned with the text “turn on notifications.” The photofreakout came as a direct response to Instagram’s announcement to change the algorithm of their feed to be more similar to that
Randy Schmidt/Courtesy Photo
of Facebook. Instead of the feed starting with the most recent gram, the plan is to have it start with photos most relevant to the user. In short: people are not happy about it. Many users fear the change will hide their posts from feeds that could produce potential likes. The reality is, this may be
true. As of right now, no one (not even the minds at Instagram) know what this change will bring. In the past, Facebook and Twitter have made similar changes and have faired quite well through their adjustments with only light criticism across the board. However, Instagram is much different. Messing with users’ number of likes is not something that will go over well for the platform. At this point, the only thing that is for certain is that begging followers to “turn on notifications” will not be a saving grace in this Insta-game. Turning on notifications for an account allows for text-like
alerts for every post by said account. The idea that followers will be subscribed to countless accounts seems like a recipe for a notification-disaster and therefore is a no-go. That said, the only way through this social media purgatory is to wait it out. Over the next few months, Instagram will be making a slew of changes (including 60-second videos) that will change the way many users interact with the app. For now it seems best to stay vigilant and test the new updates as they become available with a critical eye. After all, worse comes to worst, it is never too late to pack up and move over to Snapchat.
The Donald ‘Trump’ed by his own indecency J.D. Rimann Printz Reporter
Hunt Mercier/Photo Editor Donald Trump at Ladd-Peebles Stadium promoting his campaign for presidency in Mobile, Alabama August 21, 2015.
Recently, your dear columnist felt the need to revisit one of the more famous moments in the history of the United States Senate. On June 9, 1954, while the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and the infamous Sen. Joe McCarthy were engaged in what were coined the Army-McCarthy Hearings, McCarthy’s career ended in one exchange.
McCarthy, up until this date, was one of the most popular members of the Senate, wellknown for his vicious anticommunism. He was feared so much by other politicians that even Dwight Eisenhower refused to contradict him when McCarthy called the war hero’s old commander, George C. Marshall, a communist sympathizer. It was, of course, not true. However, that year, McCarthy was brought completely undone during a hearing on communism in the Army while cross-examining the Army’s lead counsel, Joseph Welch. McCarthy viciously and cruelly announced on national television that one of Welch’s junior associates had been a member of a group with communist ties while in law school. During the Red Scare, popular knowledge of such a past association was a certain careerkiller. An incredulous and visibly upset Welch called McCarthy out on ruining this young man’s life on national television, famously saying, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” Welch asked. “Have you left no sense of decency?” The American people answered that question with a resounding “no” and McCarthy shortly thereafter faded away into the history books. We may, as a nation, finally be reaching that place with Donald Trump. Of course, The Donald has answered with a resounding “no” the question Welch posed a hundred times over with his boorish, crude and cruel actions. Just in the last two weeks, he has attacked Ted Cruz’s wife as both ugly and psychotic (neither of which, dear reader, are true), defended his historically violent campaign manager for assaulting a reporter and being indicted on a battery charge. One prominent Florida attorney and former prosecutor for Palm Beach County said, “You have the most corroborating evidence I’ve seen
in a battery case in a long time.” Oh, and Trump more than likely either planted or was aware of the Cruz hit piece which appeared in The National Enquirer (a “newspaper” of a quality which would make William Randolph Hearst grimace), which happens to be owned by a man who has endorsed Trump and is a close family friend. And of course, this leaves aside the wink-and-nod act with white supremacists, the Meghan Kelly menstrual cycle comments, the insults to John McCain’s military service and, you know, Trump’s entire history in entertainment and business over the last thirty years. As Trump might phrase it in 130 characters, “Sleazy Donald Trump is a lying misogynistic racist. Bad. #NeverTrump.” But I digress. The rampant misogyny, indecency, incivility and racism which has characterized the entire Trump campaign may finally be catching up with the frontrunner. He may be approaching his “Have you no sense of decency?” moment. Polls nationwide have Trump’s favorability at only 31 percent, while 63 percent view him unfavorably, a noticeable decline from the start of the campaign. And in Wisconsin specifically, where the next primary election will be held on April 5, Trump has gone from having a 10-point lead to a 10-point deficit to Cruz over the last month and will likely lose there. Badly. Indeed, a loss in Wisconsin and another one in Indiana alone would make it almost a mathematical certainty that Trump will not go into the Republican Convention with enough delegates to win on the first ballot, and it is doubtful that Trump would win on any other ballot after that. Voters seem to be wising up. Trump still has a perilous path to clinching the nomination before the convention, and it appears that finally — finally — his birds are coming home to roost. Stay tuned, and stay civil.
SPORTS
ANALYSIS
Thursday, March 31, 2016 | Page 7
Dawson lacks satisfaction in early practices Kyle Williams Sports Reporter
This year, the football field features a plethora of new faces on the coaching staff, who all bring different personalities with them. From the offensive side of the ball to special teams, you can see different coaches following the lead of head coach Jay Hopson. There are not many concerns about what these new coaches have to bring to the table, as all of them have backgrounds including collegiate and pro experience. The minimal concern now in these early spring days is when will first-year offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson be satisfied with the Golden Eagles’ progress as a team. “The biggest deal is communication,” Dawson said. “Even though the offense is 90 percent the same, the communication is a little different.” Dawson comes into this offensive coordinator job after one year at Kentucky and after stops at West Virginia, Stephen F. Austin and Millsaps College. Dawson has a reputation for building some of the nation’s most prolific offenses. While at Stephen F. Austin, Dawson came into the program after a winless season and in one year, Dawson’s coaching put the Lumberjacks passing yardage at third nationally. Statistics like these follow Dawson with the numerous programs he has been a part of.
Dawson’s arrival at Southern Miss deems to bring great outcomes for the Golden Eagles football team, but his comments in the last few practices seem to show he is not satisfied just yet. “Football is played with pads on,” Dawson said after the first spring practice. “If you ask me what I’m waiting on as far as evaluation, you got to put pads on and play real football. “ Just three days into spring practice, no one can really infer what Southern Miss has in store for the 2016 season. But, you can get a sense of the coaches satisfaction as the time builds. In the early stages of spring, Hopson does not seem to be too worried with much and seems to be slightly impressed with some aspects. “It’s always the good, bad and the ugly on the first day of practice,” Hopson said after the first spring practice on March 22. “It’s always corrections you need to make but I feel as if our players came out and competed hard.” Hopson’s understanding of the fact it is early in the spring, but that peace of mind does not have the same effect on Dawson. “It’s very hard to evaluate anything when is not true football.” Dawson said after the first day of spring ball, where the Golden Eagles merely had on a helmet and shorts. “We haven’t played true football. Communication is the only thing you can really take away from these practices, and we lacked in
that a little today.” I can agree with Dawson that much cannot be proven when you aren’t playing “true” football. But other aspects of the game can be taken away from days like these leading up to the first day the Golden Eagles play in pads. Being a new coach, you would think getting to see some of the talent working in the football environment would be a positive to look forward to. While Dawson is not too optimistic about not being in pads, much did not change when the Golden Eagles finally strapped on the pads for the first time on Mar. 29. “I thought today was ‘blah,’” Dawson said in the first day in pads this past Tuesday. “We’re playing slow, our body language is bad, we’re getting lined up slow and [etc].” Tough practices occur and are ones every coach knows will happen. When dealing with such a productive coach like Dawson, he will not downgrade what he expects. Average will not do and is not acceptable with Dawson with what he shows in his comments. Who knows when that productive practice will come around to satisfy Dawson, but as of now, not much is standing out to him. With the success he carries on his shoulder, Dawson will be a tough one to satisfy but the Golden Eagles have a long spring to show coach what it really means to wear the black and gold.
BASEBALL
USM collapses against MSU, 13-5 Julius Kizzee Sports Editor
The Golden Eagles (19-7) traveled to Pearl, Miss. to face Mississippi State (18-7-1) at Trustmark Park in their lone meeting of the season. Coming into the game, USM had won eight straight games against SEC competition, but that streak was snapped as USM lost, 13-5. The Golden Eagles were behind early. They were never able to recover the lead they gave up in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Bulldogs brought out the bulk of the Golden Eagle bullpen as USM used nine pitchers to try to capture the win against the No. 12 team in the nation. Mississippi State got on the board first with a Jacob Robson triple, followed by a ground out by Jake Magnum to bring in Robson for the score, 1-0. Mason Walley got his first career start for Southern Miss in a long line of pitchers on the night, pitching a short outing. Walley gave up three hits and one run in two short two innings of work. Walley was replaced by senior Cody Livingston, who let the wheels fall off for Southern Miss in
the bottom of the fourth. USM held a 2-1 lead going into the fourth inning, and the Golden Eagles were thinking upset as they were led by a Tracy Hadley home run to left field and an RBI from Taylor Braley on a Chase Scott single. The Bulldogs were not fazed by that run by USM. They came back in the bottom of the fourth looking to put away the Golden Eagles. The Bulldogs grounded out to start the inning, but they were not going to let Livingston get out the inning unscathed. Mississippi State exploded for four runs on only four hits in the bottom of the fourth. Livingston was replaced by Austin Millet before any more runs could be scored for MSU with two outs in the inning. “Our two-out hitting tonight was great,” said MSU coach John Cohen to the Clarion-Ledger. “We did a good job of putting pressure on them with two outs.” Southern Miss would be outscored by MSU 3-0 in the sixth and seventh innings to extend its lead 8-2 on the Golden Eagles. In the top of the seventh, Southern Miss was back on its heels and came out to score three runs on three hits to make the score
a manageable 8-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. But USM again squandered away the momentum when the Bulldogs came to bat. Mississippi State had the last runs through the rest of the game, scoring five runs on six hits in the seventh and eighth innings. Southern Miss did not score again in the contest. It dropped its first SEC contest in nine tries. “We never won an inning tonight,” said coach Berry to the Clarion-Ledger after the contest. “We didn’t compete well enough at the plate. Certainly we didn’t compete coming out of the bullpen at all. We never had a chance to keep the momentum.” The explosive Golden Eagle offense that had scored 9.2 runs per game in Conference USA competition did not show up against the Bulldogs, only managing five hits in 37 at-bats. The pitching staff was clearly outmatched when coach Scott Berry used nearly the entirety of his bullpen with some of his pitchers throwing less than a full inning. The Golden Eagles will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to play the 49ers in C-USA action starting this Friday.
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