Volume 100 Issue 47
Monday, April 4, 2016
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ON CAMPUS LGBTQ+ advocates await Bryant’s decision Provost Joshua D Starr
hosts chats with USM community
News Editor
Pressure to change his position mounts for Gov. Phil Bryant, who has expressed support of House Bill 1523. Following its approval by the Senate March 30, the bill’s Senate amendment was concurred by the House April 1. As its procedural review nears an end, members of the LGBTQ+ community now wait to see if Bryant will sign into law a bill that would effectively legalize discrimination against them under state law. HB 1523 would allow various organizations and individuals, including state employees, to refuse access to goods, services, housing and adoption to the LGBTQ+ community based on three listed convictions: the belief that marriage should be limited to straight couples, that sexual relations should be reserved for marriage and that sexes are an immutable binary. In regard to adoption, a preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan on March 29 struck down a Mississippi law banning samesex couples from adopting and fostering children. However, as addressed in HB 1523, parties may use their convictions to impede access to adoption. Prior to the bill’s approval, the Senate passed an amendment during the Wednesday session that defines the bill’s process of legal discrimination by which a person would be allowed to ask the court for restraining order and then sue if it were violated. Since the bill was introduced, the community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/ questioning and others and its supporters advocated blocking HB 1523 to the Mississippi public
ON CAMPUS
Emerald Alexis Ware Printz Reporter
J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo (2013)
and legislators. Among these advocates is USM alumna and community organizer Anna Davis, who has helped facilitate social media and protest events against the bill. She said a Feb. 2 comment by Bryant urging graduating college students to stay in Mississippi framed these efforts. “All of these actions were all organized by young college folks specifically to address this comment Gov. Bryant made about growing where your roots are,” Davis said. “This idea of trying to retain young folks in Mississippi is a bit foolish in the context of who is presenting it because we have legislation coming through that specifically creates an environment in which people can’t grow, can’t stay in the state.” While discussing the framework of the bill, Davis borrowed a term used by Mississippi Episcopal Bishop Brian R. Seage, who calls the bill a “trojan horse.” “HB 1523 is based on a particular sect of an idea of what Christianity is and what Christianity’s view of marriage is, so a blanket statement saying it’s based on religious values makes no sense whenever we think of the range of religious values that represent Mississippi,” Davis said.
“It’s a particular framework used to discriminate against people and wrangle power out of the hands of the actual public that legislators and other government officials are elected to serve.” In session, State Representative Andy Gipson, who co-authored HB 1523, said the bill protects the rights of those with sincerely held convictions. “This bill is just to protect against discrimination for people who have the belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman,” he said. In his position as executive director of OutServe-SLDN, advocate Matt Thorn closely follows the status of legislation like HB 1523 that affects the LGBTQ+ military community, to whom his organization provides legal services. Dismissing Gipson’s characterization of the bill, Thorn said HB 1523 resembles acts that have crept up in states like Indiana, Georgia, Virginia, Kansas and North Carolina to curb the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality decision. “I think that’s a thinly veiled masking of what the legislation is actually going to do,” Thorn said. “The sponsors know it, we know it.
You might as well call it what it is. It’s totally anti-LGBT. That’s how it’s going to be used.” Thorn said in states like Mississippi, legislation that allows for such legalized discrimination dishonors the LGBTQ+ service members based there. “They don’t necessarily get to choose where they are going to go,” he said. “If they get stationed in [Mississippi], they could be severely impacted by this legislation. It’s a huge concern for us because they’re giving their lives in service to our country and the moment they step foot off base and try to go to a restaurant or something like that, they’re second class citizens.” On USM’s Hattiesburg campus, sophomore psychology major Samantha Johnson said her goal as president of the USM Gay-Straight Alliance is to provide a safe space, spread awareness of LGBTQ+ and educate non-LGBTQ+ people at USM to help them become allies. Johnson said if she could address Bryant and the state legislators, she would tell them Mississippians deserve better. “Even if people don’t understand it completely, everyone deserves to be treated equally,” Johnson said.
Student’s memorial service to be held in Biloxi Ardan Thornhill Executive Editor
Courtesy Photo
According to Southern Miss Now, Sierra Jones, a University of Southern Mississippi student from Ocean Springs died March 28. She was 19. A funeral service for Jones will be held at noon Monday, April 4 at Gruich Community Center, located at 591 Howard Ave. in Biloxi, Mississippi, with visitation beginning at 11 a.m. Richmond-August Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. “It’s always a moment of sadness
when we lose a member of the university community,” said Dean of Students Eddie Holloway to Southern Miss Now. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.” Mississippi News Now reported Jones was involved in a singleperson accident on March 28. Jones was traveling north on Highway 49 when she lost control. She was not wearing a seatbelt, according to Mississippi Highway Patrol Master Sgt. Brent Barfield. Jones’ final public Facebook post came a day before her passing
and read, “I know for a fact God is real.” It has been shared more than 1,500 times. Dozens flocked to her Facebook wall after the incident, writing their condolences and remembering how Jones impacted them. “Keep singing you beautiful angel. Sing til everyone hears your voice. Gonna miss you. Praying for your family, love you Roshaun, I’m hear[sic] if you ever need to talk bud,” Facebook user Eric Dismuke wrote. For more information, contact the funeral home at 228-436-6722.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven Moser sat in the first of a series of Coffee Chats on March 31. These meetings allow faculty, staff and students to have a conversation with Moser. There is no need to make an appointment to chat with Moser. “The Coffee Chats are an opportunity for me, in an informal setting, to hear from the campus community their thoughts, concerns and suggestions about how we continue to move Southern Miss forward,” Moser said. Sociology professor Ann Marie Kinnell was one of seven faculty members who attended the Coffee Chat. Kinnell said though the chat was small, those present covered quite a few issues. “It’s important for us to feel that we can air our concerns,” Kinnell said. “There are quite a few official channels through which we can do this, but sometimes a casual meeting is needed also. It’s about building relationships not just airing concerns or giving and receiving information.” There will be eight more Coffee Chats throughout the month of April on both the Hattiesburg and Gulf Coast campus. The next Coffee Chat will be on April 5 in TEC Room 102. The Coffee Chats will continue to address community concerns and give Moser the chance to see what Southern Miss wants. “To get the work of the university done, its important to build relationships,” Kinnell said, “You don’t build relationships through memos and email. You do it through face-to-face conversations.”
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INFORMATION
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The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not necessarily represent those of the faculty, staff or administration of The University of Southern Mississippi. We welcome letters to the editor representing similar and contrasting opinions. To be eligible for publication, all submissions must include name, class distinction, major, phone number and email address. Submissions should be emailed to printzeditors@gmail.com by 5 p.m. on the Friday before publication. Please limit them to 500 words or less. The Student Printz reserves the right to refuse publication or edit any material on the basis of clarity, space or journalistic ethics.
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NEWS
ON CAMPUS
Monday, April 4, 2016 | Page 3
Renowned physicist, speaker inaugurates Rayborn series
STUDENT
Great Course’s website listed a testimonial section which described his skills in public speaking. According to the provided testimonial, “Dr. Gates does a great job in presenting a very fascinating, cutting-edge topic.” The selection of Gates as the inaugural speaker at the
National Public Health Week (NPHW) Social Media Scavenger Hunt:
and Astonomy created the lecture series using donations from former physics professor The University of Southern Grayson Rayborn and his wife, Mississippi Department of Jane Dishong Rayborn. The Physics and Astronomy’s goal of the series is to allow the inaugural Rayborn Lecture university to bring in nationally series will begin at 6:30 p.m. on prominent speakers in the field April 7 in Bennett Auditorium. of physics. The first speaker of the free event “We need to allow our is Sylvester Gates, students to interact renowned physicist with these people,” and director of the Rayborn said. “That’s String and Particle probably number one Theory Center. for me.” Gates, who Winstead said has written more it is important for than 200 research students to look at papers and been successful people involved in dozens of like Gates and documentaries, will believe they can speak on the theory achieve success. of supersymmetry. “You meet Chris Winstead, somebody on one of Chris Winstead, professor and chair professor and chair these pedestals, and of the Department hopefully it helps of Physics and you understand, Astronomy, will ‘Hey, he was a really introduce Gates nice guy! Maybe I at the event. Winstead said Rayborn Lecture came about can do something like that,’” Gates is known for his ability due to his national fame. Winstead said. to explain complicated physics “We have a little of a personal Winstead said he believes theories to the general public. connection there already, and these types of events will help “This is not going to be a Dr. Gates is such a well-known, give the university national and professional physics talk,” well-respected physicist,” even international exposure. Winstead said. “This is a talk Winstead said. “There aren’t “It’s one more way we can try aimed at the public.” many physicists that get their to expand people’s knowledge His biographical page own commercials.” about Southern Miss,” on teaching company The The Department of Physics Winstead said.
Andrew Dutton Printz Reporter
This is not going to be a professional physics talk. This is a talk aimed at the public.
HEALTH WEEK #USMNPHW The scavenger hunt will start April 4 and will conclude on April 8.
To pick up the list of scavenger hunt locations, search #USMNPHW on Faceboook or visit the National Public Health Week nutrition table located in front of the Fresh Food Company on April 4. To be entered to win a basket full of healthy goodies, post pictures at designated locations with the hashtag #USMNPHW on Facebook throughout the week.
MONDAY, APRIL 4 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Healthy snacks and information on healthy eating will be available in the Fresh.
TUESDAY, APRIL 5 12 - 2 p.m.: Goodies and information on free screenings will be provided outside the Fresh, where participants can learn about how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases/infections. 2:30 p.m.: A panel discussion will be held for National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day at 2:30 pm in Union Room B.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6 11 a.m.-2 p.m.: Participants are directed to Wednesday Walk, located at the Virginia Wilderness Trail next to the Payne Center.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Fun, games, snacks and water will be provided on Centennial Lawn. Anyone who participates will be able to enter to win a prize.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.: Goodies will be provided at the final #USMNPHW scavenger location, the Social Media Scavenger Hunt table in Southern Hall. The prize basket for winning the Social Media Scavenger Hunt will be on display. The winner will be announced by 5 p.m. via the #USMNPHW Facebook thread.
Contact Charkarra Anderson-Lewis in the Department of Public Health for more information: Phone: 601-266-5794 Email: charkarra.andersonlewis@usm.edu
NEWS Public universities define ‘space’ for firearms Page 4 | Monday, April 4, 2016
STATE
Nicolas Kubicki Printz Reporter
The USM Faculty Senate hosted an open meeting on March 28 to discuss recent changes to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning handgun and firearm policy and to consider taking actions to amend USM’s policy to
reflect these changes. The event, however, effectively became an open discussion of this issue as the Faculty Senate failed to reach a quorum. Those present voiced concerns about the safety of faculty and students in issues related to guns and gun violence, with some members expressing fear about the security of buildings
Why allow a stranger on campus to bring a weapon, and not allow employees and students with the proper permits to do that? Paul Walters, Compliance and Ethics Director
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in which they teach. The IHL created policy 1106 in 1990 specifically to regulate firearms and weapons on campuses. Prior to its February 2016 revision, the policy stated that possession of firearms on campus by those not explicitly authorized created an unreasonable and unwarranted risk. Therefore, regardless of permits, on-campus firearms were limited to duly authorized law enforcement officials, institutional security officials and other authorized persons. As of the February revision, the IHL permits persons authorized by law and by the institutional executive office and those possessing valid instructorcertified firearms permits to carry firearms on campus. However, the right excludes students and university employees from being able to carry firearms and disallows their possession in institutional facilities areas and any areas deemed non-public. Stated simply, open carry of firearms will be prohibited to authorized personnel, and permits will be required for concealed carry by guests and visitors, though firearms will not be allowed in classrooms, residence halls, athletic buildings or any areas determined to be an “institutional facility.” Students and university employees will still not be allowed to carry firearms. Yet, the IHL allows the state’s public universities and colleges to respectively determine their own definitions for “public spaces” and
ON CAMPUS
“non-public spaces.” When the USM administration defines these terms and amends the university policy, these definitions will determine where guns will be allowed on campus. Compliance and Ethics Director Paul Walters said the policy is both counterintuitive and nonsensical. “Why allow a stranger on campus to bring a weapon, and not allow employees and students with the proper permits to do that?” he said. USM Chief of Police Bob Hopkins said the IHL has been extremely supportive of the university as it determines the policy while under pressure from the legislature. “We’re just grateful to even still have the policy,” Hopkins said. According to Walters, Mississippi can expect to see a bill in the Mississippi legislature in 2017 that could void any IHL firearms policy if passed. A bill similar to House Bill 758, which failed to pass in the Senate, would amend state law to prohibit boards such as the IHL from allowing universities to create their own policies on gun possession. “It will come up again next year,” Walters said. “If it passes, it’s going to make all of this moot.” Walters said the policy allows the university to limit the presence of firearms arguing that though a given facility is open to the public, it is not a designated public space. “We have the authority to declare it non-public, and they’ve given us some time to argue that” he said.
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Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Burke said that due to the broad language of the amendment, some areas are considered public that should be non-public. “This iteration hasn’t gone forth to the cabinet yet,” Burke said at the meeting. “We’re still taking comments.” Walters suggested the university define public spaces and declare everything else non-public. Burke said that most universities that have had the ability to define public and non-public spaces have done it that way, such as Mississippi State University. Some faculty members in attendance asked about the possibility of declaring all university space non-public, since classes are often held outside in areas like Shoemaker Square. Walters referred them to policy 1106. He said the current attitude is that they have the ability to govern themselves due to a separate constitution granted from the IHL. “The legislature hasn’t bought that argument, hence all the pushback,” he said. Continuing, Walters said that the stronger the universities push against the legislature, which provides funding to institutions of higher learning, the more defined these regulations are going to become. “There’s a lot of talk about IHL ignoring the laws, and thumbing our noses in the face of the law,” Walters said. “The more input given to Dr. Burke on public versus non-public, the better we can make this decision.”
Children and young adult author Richard Peck donated $100,000 to the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival and de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi. Children’s Book Festival coordinator Karen Rowell said the funds will aid the de Grummond Collection. The money will help cover registration and travel costs for some regular festival attendees whose sponsors have budget challenges that include travel expenses. “We have a dedicated group of librarians and teachers from the Southeast region and beyond who, because of budget shortfalls, sometimes find it difficult to attend,” Rowell said. “However, Mr. Peck’s generosity will make it easier for professionals or followers of children’s literature make their way to the festival.” Peck has won many prestigious awards for children’s literature. He also won the Margaret A. Edwards
Sonya Sones/Courtesy Photo
Award from School Library Journal, the National Council of Teachers of English/ ALAN Award and the 1991 Southern Miss Medallion from the Kaigler Children’s Book Festival. His works include “A Year Down Yonder” and “The River Between Us.” He spoke at the festival’s Ezra Jack Keats Lecture in 2000 and at a de Grummond Lecture in 2010. “While our list of keynote authors and featured speakers is an important part of every festival, the number and variety of attendees is just as important for making it work,” Rowell said. “Without them, half the discussion would be missing.” The book festival will be April 6-8 and is expected to have
participants from 46 states. The festival will feature keynote speakers Keats Lecturer Michael Cart, George O’Connor, Joyce Sidman, Melissa Sweet, Coleen Salley, Storytelling Award winner Tim Tingle and Rita WilliamsGarcia. The festival will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the de Grummond Collection by welcoming back 2003 Medallion winner Lois Lowry as the de Grummond Lecturer. Also in celebration, a special Centennial Keats Lecture given by author Deborah Pope will recognize the 100th birthday of children’s literature illustrator and writer Ezra Jack Keats, who died in 1983. “These awards were established to honor illustrators and writers of children’s books new to the field because very often people don’t get the encouragement they need in the beginning when they need the encouragement the most,” Pope said. “The books are given to writers and illustrators who create books in the spirit of Ezra Jack Keats, not to copy him, but books that celebrate the diverse nature of our population.”
FEATURE
ON CAMPUS
Monday, April 4, 2016 | Page 5
Dance team tests, welcomes new Darlings and in studio dance. Whatever the method, Smith said the girls needed to come prepared. “You have to have advanced dance skills, you have to be able to do certain technical elements,” Smith said. “In addition to your dance technique is your dance performance. I have to know that they’re really strong performers, and they can really commit to a performance. And then of course, your stamina is also important.” Fifteen years of dance led up to this audition for freshman dance education major Alex Spoon, preparing her for the day’s performances. A teacher at two dance studios, Spoon is a 10-year veteran of a studio team
knew they were great dancers, so I knew that I would have to News Editor up my game to try to stand out in the crowd.” With 31 veteran Darlings The judges, including Smith returning, 32 Dixie Darling and Gleeton, would grade applicants filled with anxious the 32 on technique, ability, energy showed up to the Payne personality, performance and Center April 2 to vie for the personal presentation. limited remaining slots that As the day progressed, would be decided over an their ranks narrowed. First emotional seven-hour process. at noon and then at 2 p.m., Before sending them upstairs the judges tallied the scores to the audition room, the and deliberated before Smith Darlings took candidates’ announced each cut. applications, letters of “During that process, we were recommendation and headshots just trying not to think about to use as reference to decide what was about to happen,” who would become the team’s Spoon said. “When we saw Mrs. newest members. As the Tracy came out to tell us the first candidates would come to find, round of cuts, we all got really not everyone has what it takes quiet, and you could to make the team. see their nerves come “A lot of girls don’t out again. Then she told have the opportunity I knew some of them and us, and it was really to do what we do and friendly. No one was what we love,” said I knew they were great completely distraught De’Jonelle Gleeton, a dancers, so I knew that I that they got cut. They Dixie Darlings captain. encouraged to “We have hundreds would have to up my game to were come back at the next of girls who try out try to stand out in the crowd. tryout and there was probably every year, no harsh feelings [with] only a few between anybody.” being chosen.” Alex Spoon, freshman education major After the first cut, the Dixie Darlings auditions continued, and Director Tracy Smith by 4 p.m. the Darlings said the team held clinics throughout the semester and performed for two years had made their decision and to sharpen the skills of on her high school dance team. held an instructional session participating candidates leading Yet, as she looked around the with the new recruits for up to the audition. And while room at 9 a.m. shortly before another hour. When the picks were only a handful of candidates the auditions started, she was announced, the room was participated in those, most nervous and a little jittery. “I was thinking, ‘Wow, there’s filled with excitement from its have a background in dance, participating in high school and a lot of people here,’” she said. newest recruits. Some cried, community college drill teams “I knew some of them and I some were shocked and some
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were overwhelmed to the point of silence. Spoon stood among them, one of nine chosen for the team. Spoon stayed composed despite her exhilaration, primed by years of auditions. “I smiled, I hugged my friends and we talked about it,” she said. “There were some people crying. Some people ran around the room. It was like everyone showing their own way of how they were feeling.” It was a powerful moment for Gleeton as well. She said she looks forward to showing the recruits what it means to be a Dixie Darling. “We’re just really happy to take these girls under our wings and show them the great experience we have to offer,” Gleeton said. According to both Gleeton and Smith, being a Darling means more than just performing alongside the Pride of Mississippi, USM’s marching band, at football games. The team fosters excellence in its members through exhibitions, community outreach and as representatives of the university. “These girls really are ambassadors for USM, and they hold that in high regard and they respect that position,” Smith said. Smith said she loves her job and is honored to be able to nurture the talent of the new recruits. “I think the absolutely best
Courtesy Photo of Alex Spoon
part would be watching these girls as they mature from these somewhat shy freshmen, or sometimes confident freshmen, by the time they leave Southern [Miss],” she said. For her part, Spoon said she is excited to take on this new challenge. “I have a few friends that were Dixie Darlings, and they’ve told me a little bit about what they do,” she said. “I’m just really excited to see what I can accomplish this year.” The final round of Dixie Darlings auditions will be held April 30. Candidates are asked to bring headshots and recommendation letters to the auditions. Candidates can apply upon arrival or online on the Dixie Darlings website.
Renowned actor, director discusses growing Miss. film industry Hiba Tahir Printz Reporter
Filmmakers actively seek places with established resources and competitive economic incentives when making movies, which has contributed to the boom the Mississippi film industry has experienced in recent years. Mississippi regularly hosts film festivals to highlight the roles and talents of independent filmmakers because these artists understand that film is more than just an industry. “There’s still a real joy, a passion for the craft here,” said Hattiesburg-based actor, writer, director, producer and USM professor Miles Doleac. “There’s been this wonderful, familial quality to the sets of the two films I’ve shot here. Nobody’s jaded yet. Actors who have come in from [Los Angeles] or New York to work on my shows have commented on the distinct differences, almost all of them positive, between shooting here and shooting in a major media market.” Several important factors, including a tax-incentive rebate program for film
production, comprise these “distinct differences.” “Our incentive program is competitive with any state in the country,” Doleac said. “That’s a big deal and it’s particularly useful for independent filmmakers like myself.” In 2014, the Sundance Film Festival reported at the festival that less than two percent of independent film investments were recouped at the festival, which represents a fairly accurate sample of the industry. “Independent film budgets are so very tight, and to be able to recoup a portion of expenditure that can be used for post production, film festivals [or] marketing [is terrific],” Doleac said. “It can [also] be returned to investors as an additional incentive for investment in a given project. It’s a terrific thing and our legislature has really been on top of things in this regard.” Additionally, Mississippi’s “significant geographic and architectural diversity” make it an attractive location for filmmakers. “Mississippi offers some truly amazing locations,” Doleac said. “It can be almost anywhere,
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[and] it certainly doesn’t hurt to have been next door to Louisiana, where production has become a staple industry over the last decade. We’ve gotten the benefit of a close look by the industry just based on proximity to the Louisiana market, especially when their tax incentive program got scaled back last year.” Doleac is particularly thankful for the support he finds while filming in Mississippi. “There seems to be a lot of
goodwill of general agreement that film production can be a huge economic and cultural boom to our state,” he said. “There are very few folks who don’t think the growth of this industry is a good thing and you feel that when you shoot here.” Doleac hopes the Mississippi boom will continue into the future and is determined to make sure it does. “I’m committed to doing whatever I can do to keep growing the industry here,” he said. “We have some work to do, especially with regard to building crew in infrastructure, but we’re doing a lot of good things and moving in the right direction.” Doleac said building a vibrant film festival scene is an essential component to ensuring enduring success. “We’ve taken steps in that direction with [the] FestivalSouth Film Expo, hosted by the Grand Theatre in Hattiesburg [from May 30 to June 3], and Sun and Sand on the Coast,” he said. “Unfortunately, we may be on the verge of taking one giant step backward. The so-called ‘Religious Liberty
Accommodations Act’ [that moved] through the legislature will certainly thwart our ability to attract significant film and television production. In my view, the bill blatantly discriminates against the LGBT community to a greater extent than the Georgia legislation that had productions, including ‘The Walking Dead,’ threatening to leave that state. If it becomes law, Hollywood will avoid us like the plague.” Doleac starred in and directed “The Hollow,” a 2016 thriller shot in Hattiesburg, Sumrall, Seminary, Lumberton and Hot Coffee. “The Hollow” features a star-studded cast and was produced by the renowned Lisa Bruce, who also produced “The Theory of Everything.” “Many ‘southern’ films are made and scripted by nonsoutherners, but because Miles is from Mississippi and he wrote and directed it, the realness of place — the geography, the heat, the flies, the accents, the pace of life, the cultural preoccupations are woven throughout this one in a rich, intimate way that is absent from so many other so called ‘southern’ films,” Bruce said in a recent interview.
OPINION
Page 6 | Monday, April 4, 2016
POLITICS
Clinton reluctant to accept debate parameters Nicolas Kubicki Printz Reporter
On numerous occasions since January, Bernie Sanders has asked the Clinton campaign to have a debate before the New York primary. The Clinton campaign has unsurprisingly deflected each time. According to Hillary Clinton, a presidential candidate should be willing to campaign for every vote and be ready to debate anywhere at any time. No, wait — they should be holding out for debates that match only their terms. With all this switching, I don’t know which Clinton to listen to. After last week’s double disasters, any positive news would be a silver lining for the Clinton campaign. First, Clinton made a thinly-veiled delay attempt, saying they might be able to have more debates if Sanders changed his “tone.” Then, Clinton waved her finger in the face of an activist asking about her campaign contributions by lobbyists in the fossil fuel industry. “I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me,” Clinton said. However, as many are quick to point out, there were no lies. The Clinton campaign has
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accepted $4.5 million dollars from oil industry lobbyists through their Super PAC, a fact that was originally put forth from Greenpeace — a company, I might add, not aligned with the Sanders campaign at all. So much for slinging mud. It almost seems like Clinton does not know what to do when
confronted with facts. After the hashtags #tonedownforwhat and #whichhillary started to trend, people shared the video of her proclaiming her readiness to debate at any moment. Like magic, the campaign released a statement saying that they would accept the Sanders campaign’s
challenge to debate in New York before the primary, but the dates and times they offered are wildly inconvenient. The first date offered was April 4, which is the night before the Wisconsin primary and on a night of the NCAA finals, no less. The second date offered was the night of April 14, the night of a
GOP gala that will be extensively covered by CNN. This would split the debate’s viewership. Realistically, April 14 and April 15 are the best options, though allegedly the offer for April 14 came through after the Sanders campaign announced a rally in Manhattan for that night. The Sanders campaign officially rejected the April 4 debate. Sanders staffers said they have pushed for additional dates, including one on April 17. The third date offered was the morning of April 15, which she finally accepted on April 3, is a debate hosted on Good Morning America. According to the Clinton campaign, voters can expect to see her on GMA. I shouldn’t even have to explain this one. GMA is a great place for a debate if you want to reach the sleepily eating oatmeal or the background-noise-whileI-get-ready-for work crowd. The funniest part through it all is that after the Clinton campaign put forth these dates to counter the Sanders campaign’s offers and the Sanders campaign asked for better dates, the Clinton campaign said that they should stop “playing games.” It seems that after being pressured by the Sanders campaign, Clinton stopped playing games.
SPORTS
ANALYSIS
Monday, April 4, 2016 | Page 7
Offensive woes continue to plague Hogue’s squad Julius Kizzee Sports Editor
Just by looking at their record or watching them play, one would not think the Golden Eagles are improved in year two under coach Wendy Hogue. Though they have lost four series’ to date, a closer look at this softball team yields more positive results. “We have to trust the work that we do and make it happen,” Hogue said. “[We have] to quit thinking about it and quit stressing.” The Golden Eagles brought in Hogue to turn around a team that went 49-106 overall and 18-51 in conference play in the three seasons prior to Hogue’s hire as coach. In just two years, she has raised the USM winning percentage from 32 percent from 2011-2014 to 40 percent in her two years since the 2015 season. Although it may not seem like much, Hogue has made marked improved on these Golden Eagles, specifically in recruiting. First-year Golden Eagle Tori Dew leads the team in batting average, hits, doubles and walks for the team and is tied for the team lead in hits with at least 40 at-bats. Dew has become a valuable asset in Hogue’s secondyear lineup batting second. Dew is not only the offensive leader of the team, but can be perceived as the leader on the diamond. “We can’t do without a Tori Dew,” Hogue said. “She is head and shoulders above the rest as far as leadership goes.” However, as the team’s offensive dynamic goes, Dew is not enough. Take away Dew’s statistics in
ANALYSIS
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some of those categories, and the team looks starkly different on offense. For instance, take away Dew’s 38 hits on the season and the team’s batting average drops from a .276 down to a .238. This average would rank in the bottom 35 teams in the nation, according to the NCAA. What ends up perplexing the Golden Eagles’ statistic output is that their opponents are getting the same opportunities as USM with a ratio of 950 to their opponents’ 979 possible atbats. The question is how do you
improve the batter’s percentages at the plate? “You got to swing at good pitches, you got to swing at strikes,” said first-year assistant coach Coy Adkins. “Try to eliminate the anxiety at the plate. Anxiety is usually a negative thought process.” Only three Golden Eagles are batting .300 or better with at least 40 at-bats, out of a possible 11. Essentially almost a fourth of the lineup may count as a predetermined out at one point or another in the game. That will not get it done against
quality opponents. “The last few games, the bottom of our lineup has been struggling,” Hogue said. “But, this is Division one softball; people make good plays.” The rest of the rotation is led by Morgan McKeever and Katie Cleary, who hit her third home run of the season against Western Kentucky on Sunday. These two are reliable in the rotation, so Hogue can find satisfaction behind Dew’s production. “Those two, for four years, have been getting it done at Southern Miss,” Hogue said. “Nobody is
more familiar with Conference USA than those two.” What the Golden Eagles lack in firepower across the board, they more than make up in dramatics. USM has gone four extra-inning games and recently won in walkoff fashion in the first and third game against the Lady Toppers. “I think they want it really bad,” Hogue said. “We have to figure out that balance between wanting it and pressing for it.” Although the team faces an uphill climb towards offensive relevancy sans Dew, McKeever and Cleary, there are bright spots for this team. The Golden Eagles lost an earlier season series against No. 23 Florida Atlantic, but not before escaping Boca Raton, Florida with a much-needed win against a quality opponent. The team is also off to their best 38-game start since the 2010 season in which they won 25 games in that season. They also matched their win total of last season with their win over Western Kentucky on Sunday, still with 16 games left in the regular season. The team’s unity and perseverance is a key to the team’s success, according to Hogue. “These girls are giving it all they got, nobody is slacking on purpose,” Hogue said. “[We have to] let them know we’re confident in them and keep giving them opportunities.” With the Golden Eagles winning their first series of the year, they may have found a blueprint to fix their offensive woes. USM will travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Recruit sways decision due to fan’s message Julius Kizzee Sports Editor
Recently, the Southern Miss fan base was taken aback by one recruit’s not-so-good news about his decision to become a Golden Eagle. “Earlier this morning, I received some disturbing remarks from a couple of fans,” said three-star cornerback Tancey Richardson from Aiken, South Carolina in a tweet on April 3. “I will be de-committing from the University of Southern Miss [and] my decision has nothing to do with the coaching staff or the team.” Richardson is a three-star recruit almost 470 miles away from the hub of the Golden Eagles here in Hattiesburg. He holds an offer from Colorado State, and has also received interest from Georgia Tech and Arizona State. But, those interests did not take him away as he decided to sign with the Golden Eagles in early March. He decided after his commitment to make his first trip to Hattiesburg on Saturday for Junior Day. Richardson saw several other recruits that USM had been courting. But, what transpired shortly after he
left campus pushed him to make the harsh decision merely a month into his verbal commitment. “I had received a [direct message] from a couple of fans that triggered it all,” Richardson said during a telephone interview. “It just started off from [them] being upset that I had visited other schools. I visited Colorado State this year, but I was strong [in my commitment].” There was one fan on Twitter that he constantly referenced, but did not want to release the fan’s screen name for his family’s safety. “He said he was a huge fan and he said he would [threaten] my family,” Richardson said. “It was the same person on maybe different accounts. They didn’t approve of me visiting other schools while I was committed.” The one school Richardson visited, Colorado State, offered him a scholarship in late March. That offer did not sway him away from the Golden Eagles, no matter how hard they pressured him into flipping his commitment. There would also be other coaches that would interact with him on Twitter also, but his commitment to USM held strong.
What that commitment to Southern Miss did to sway him from other programs, also swayed him away from USM by its passionate fan base. “It’s not all the fans, it’s just that the words that they were putting, I didn’t want to have my family going through that,” Richardson said. “That is one of the things that I look into for colleges. How will they treat me and my family?” Richardson says that it only took a couple of fans to keep him away from spending the next stop of his career in Hattiesburg. This news may come as surprising for the diehard fans of the Golden Eagles who had to suffer through an 0-12 season followed by a resurgence of Todd Monken’s staff. Richardson says that he is still open to committing back to Southern Miss, but not before he explores his options with other programs such as Colorado State. “I’m still going to stay in contact with Southern Miss,” Richardson said. “It’s a great school, great program and they treated me like family. I really enjoyed my visit. They will still remain in my recruiting [process].”
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SPORTS
Page 8 | Monday, April 4, 2016
BASEBALL
Dominant hitting provides enough in sweep against Charlotte Kyle Williams Sports Reporter
Southern Miss (22-7, 8-1) traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on the Charlotte 49ers in Conference USA action. The Golden Eagles looked to bounce back after a Mississippi State defeat on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles did not let Tuesday’s loss affect their play on the weekend as they swept the 49ers in their own home. In the weekend series, the Golden Eagles scored 34 runs on 47 hits, culminating in a .417 batting average. The team also tallied five home runs. This weekend performance comes on the heels of the Golden Eagles already scoring at a 9.2 run average in conference play. Southern Miss started off the series with an explosive 9-6 victory on Friday in the opening game of the series. In the contest, six Golden Eagles recorded multiple hits in the offensive display. Jake Sandlin, Chuckie Robinson, Taylor Braley and Storme Cooper all recorded two hits while Tracy Hadley added three in the contest. In the contest, Southern Miss took the lead in the sixth inning and never gave it back to the 49ers. In the sixth inning, the Golden Eagles scored six of their nine runs. After a walk and a player was hit by a pitch, Nick Dawson stepped to the plate and delivered a double resulting in both runners scoring, giving USM a 4-2 lead. After a fielding error put Dylan Burdeaux on base in the sixth inning, Hadley took his turn and singled to right field. Braley was the next batter and homered, giving him his 10th of the season while also giving Southern Miss a 7-2 lead. The 49ers scored three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning but could not bridge the gap, losing 9-6 to Southern Miss. The second day of play would go in similar fashion as the first as Southern Miss claimed victory by a score of 9-1. Statistically, the performance was similar to Friday as Southern Miss scored a similar nine runs on 15 hits. The Golden Eagles had a nostalgic day as yet another pitcher, Nick Johnson, improved upon his perfect record. Johnson’s eight inning performance earned him his second win of the season pitching eight innings giving up seven hits and only giving up one run. Austin Millet cleaned up the ninth inning, but did not record the save. The last game on Sunday proved to be the day for the 49ers in the outset. Charlotte scored three early runs in the bottom of the first inning, but Southern Miss had an answer — their offense. Southern Miss would not let the early deficit deviate them
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Kirk McCarty started the last game of the series against Charlotte but was pulled with no decision.
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from their plans on the sweep. Southern Miss scored 11 of their 16 runs in two innings alone in the fourth and the sixth. In the top of the fourth inning, the Golden Eagles scored five runs, taking a 5-4 lead on the 49ers. Much like the fourth inning, the sixth inning proved to be productive as well for the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss scored six runs on four hits in the inning. The two innings of non-stop scoring proved to be too much for the 49ers as Southern Miss completed the sweep with a final score of 16-6 in eight innings. Southern Miss pitcher Cord Cockrell improved upon his perfect record in the series finale with his fifth win of the season. He finished with a line
of 7.1 innings pitched giving up nine hits and six runs, combined with two strikeouts. The Golden Eagles have won six of their last seven games, only dropping one to their instate rival Mississippi State. Still looking for respect in the C-USA, Southern Miss is ranked 13th in the nation in RPI, over such powerhouses as Rice, Vanderbilt and LSU. With USM scoring and sweeping teams at a torrid pace not seen in Hattiesburg since the end of last season, it may not be far-fetched to see this team in an NCAA Regional this year. Southern Miss looks to regain their footing against an SEC opponent this Tuesday as they face off against Ole Miss in Pearl, Mississippi.
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