Monday, September 26, 2016 Volume 101 Issue 9
student printz SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
www.studentprintz.com
Budget cuts amount to $1.58 million for USM GARRETT MINTA news editor
Ivan Pierre Aguirre | USA Today Sep. 24, 2016; El Paso, Texas. Southern Miss Golden Eagles wide receiver D.J. Thompson (5) battles for the ball with UTEP Miners defensive back at Sun Bowl Stadium.
USM halts Miner offense, 34-7 KYLE WILLIAMS printz reporter
Southern Miss (3-1, 1-0) traveled to El Paso, Texas to face conference opponent UTEP (13, 0-1). The 1,125-mile trip was nothing less than productive for Southern Miss, as it earned the win by a margin of 34-7. Southern Miss was the first team to put points on the board with an early field goal in the first quarter. UTEP answered with a 68-yard touchdown run by Aaron Jones. Jones was Conference USA’s leading rusher, entering the game and finishing with 101 yards at the half. Jones faced multiple setbacks throughout the game, sidelining him for the majority of the second half. While he added 26 more yards to his stats, another Miner would not find the end zone for the duration of the game. Jones’ effort was the only
positive showing for UTEP, as no other element of the offense or defense could prosper over the Golden Eagles. The Southern Miss defense had three Golden Eagles finish with five or more tackles. Defensive star Dylan Bradley finished the game with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Fellow defensive lineman D’Nerius Antoine was another defensive factor, contributing eight tackles as well. Bradley and Antoine were not the only players contributing to the effectiveness of Southern Miss’ defense. Curtis Mikell recorded both interceptions for the Golden Eagles, one being returned for a 100-yard touchdown. Mikell became the first Golden Eagle to record multiple interceptions in a game since Marquese Wheaton in 2011. Mikell’s interception came after
UTEP’s first possession of the second half. The touchdown tied the school record for the longest interception and extended USM’s lead by 31-7. Defense was not the only productive aspect of Southern Miss. Ito Smith rushed for 108 yards off of 16 carries. Smith’s 100 yard game pushed his streak to four consecutive games with 100 plus yards. Quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns. It was not the greatest night for the receiving core, but D.J. Thompson connected with Mullens four times for 48 yards and one touchdown. The one touchdown was the momentum switch Southern Miss needed. UTEP never saw the lead after that score. Southern Miss must stay aggressive as it plays host to Rice this Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
Mississippi’s legislature cut $1.58 million from The University of Southern Mississippi’s budget, and university officials are working to deflect the effects of the expenditure cuts now. Gov. Phil Bryant announced another round of budget cuts on Sep. 8 to fix an accounting error of $57 million. Across all departments – excluding K-12 education, the military and student financial education – Bryant ordered a 1.6 percent budget cut to account for the error, according to The Clarion Ledger. The IHL board announced to the universities that schools will lose 1.63 percent. USM has received more than $90 million this year through state appropriations and another $9 million in onetime funding that has specific usage requirements, including the Educational Enhancement Funds. “We are in the preliminary stages of planning for the reduction, but our priority, always, is to minimize impact to students,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven Moser. “The reductions are spread across all divisions, and each vice president will work with their leadership team to determine the best way to manage the appropriation shortfall.” Moser said the option of raising student fees is not currently being discussed, but the university is considering other options. “What I usually do is ask all of my direct reports to take a look at their budgets,” Moser said.
“It may mean that we take open lines that haven’t been filled this year, and we just move those dollars into the reduction so it could be that it would have no impact this year on anything that touches students.” Moser said the university will address the changing state appropriations by increasing enrollment at the university. “What our focus is these days is in growing enrollment,” Moser said. “Through growing enrollment we grow revenue, and we have capacity at the university to do that. And as we try to address the changes in state appropriations, the path forward is through enrollment growth and the revenue that [it] will bring to us.” USM’s Vice President of Finance and Administration Douglas Vinzant said the options and way forward are not always clear, especially with this type of situation. “It’s not a case where when you receive that sort of notice, you turn around two weeks later [and] here’s the way you’re going to implement the cut,” Vinzant said. “We’re actually going through a process of planning, and this will just be part of that effort.” Vinzant said the university will continue to inform its constituents. “We have been, and we will continue to keep all of the campus constituencies apprised of any new developments,” Vinzant said. “All of those groups – deans, vice presidents, faculty senate, etc. – all of those people we’re keeping apprised of what we know, when we know it.”
2
INTRODUCTION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
Meet the Staff Fall 2016 Cam Bonelli
Executive Editor
catherine.bonelli@usm.edu
FIND US ON THE WEB The Student Printz
Jack Hammett
Managing Editor
jesse.hammett@usm.edu
@studentprintz
Garrett Minta News Editor
garrett.minta@usm.edu
Hiba Tahir
studentprintz.com
Entertainment Editor
hiba.tahir@usm.edu
Julius Kizzee Sports Editor
southernprintz@gmail.com
Hunt Mercier Photo Editor
hunt.mercier@usm.edu
OPINIONS Opinions expressed in The Student Printz are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Student Printz, its publication manager, USM, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the USM Board of Student Publications.
Jhaimee Bullock Design Editor
jhaimee.bullock@usm.edu
Sarah Anne Schloemer Web Master
sarah.schloemer@usm.edu
Nan Beauti Copy Editor
afnan.beauti@usm.edu
Amber Cobbins
Hannah Heneghan
amber.cobbins@usm.edu
hannah.heneghan@usm.edu
Printz Designer
EDITORIAL POLICY 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.
Printz Designer
Chuck Cook
Printz Advisor
chuck.cook@usm.edu studentprintz.com
Send your ads to printzad@usm.edu
3
NEWS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 Letter to the Editor
JARROD C. COLLEY usm sophomore
The options discussed at the Open Parking Forum on Sept. 21 are dismal at best. The University of Southern Mississippi has seen tremendous growth, both in new student enrollment, and also in student retention. Logically, it seems as if the university should grow in size to accommodate for this influx of students, but the university is not meeting the demands of growth that are currently being seen. While the cost of parking permits has increased over the years, we still are unable to see the results of such increases in costs. The justification made in the Printz at the beginning of the semester was to pave a few of the current parking lots, and this solution is quite frankly a waste of money. Until the university expedites the building of a new parking garage, possibly across from the theatre and dance building, the students will still be angry. It is the job of the university to put the needs of the students and faculty as a paramount issue.
Julius Kizzee | Printz Archives
Historian uncovers more about last slave ASHLEY MADDOX
southern miss now
The life of Sylvester Magee has intrigued many over the past several decades, and the man who claimed to be 130 years old at the time of his death was something of a national sensation. Though dozens of accounts have been written about him, not much is actually known about the man who claimed to be the last surviving American slave in the early 1960s. Max Grivno, an associate professor of history at The University of Southern Mississippi has uncovered fascinating new information about Magee and is attempting to reconstruct Magee’s life and history. He will share his findings Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. in Cook Library’s Art Gallery when he presents “The Last Slave: The History of Sylvester Magee.” Grivno will also present the lecture Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. at the Marion County Public Library. In the course of writing a history of slavery in Mississippi, Grivno stumbled across press clippings from the mid 1960s about Magee, who had been reported to be the oldest living former slave in the United States. Grivno discovered the source of the collection of clippings was an amateur historian named A.P. Andrews. Grivno, intrigued by the particularly insubstantial research by Andrews, contacted Jennifer Brannock, Curator of Rare Books in Mississippi at USM
Libraries, to find out if she had any materials about Magee or Andrews. As luck would have it, not only did the materials exist, but the university is home to Andrews’ entire collection of research, which was donated to the university in 2013 from former Southern Miss history professor William K. Scarborough, who received it from Mrs. A.P. Andrews the mid 1970s. The collection of photos, letters, notes, oral histories and more from Andrews’ widow sat undisturbed in an archival box for over four decades before Grivno shook off the dust and took a look inside. “It really is an amazing collection,” Grivno said. “What you have is basically a man’s life in a box, though I’ve learned more about Sylvester Magee’s family than about Magee himself. There is actually very little confirmed information about Magee, but I hope to uncover more as I continue the research in Marion and Covington Counties.” What is also interesting to Grivno is the research of A.P. Andrews, which Grivno says is questionable at best. Andrews was an amateur historian who may have been chasing glory by being the man who found the last surviving Civil War soldier and slave. “In the recordings I’ve listened to, Andrews asks incredibly leading questions of Magee. Clearly, Magee is telling Andrews what he wants to hear, because much of what Magee claims has been refuted.”
Grivno believes friends and family of Magee are out there, and his continued research could find the truth behind one of south Mississippi’s long-standing and intriguing mysteries. For more information, contact Ashlea Maddox at ashlea.mad-
dox@usm.edu. For information about the USM Department of History and Grivno’s work at Southern Miss, visit https:// www.usm.edu/history/faculty/ max-grivno.
Courtesy photo |
Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity partners with mobile therapy app JOCELYN SIMS
printz reporter
Alpha Tau Omega National Fraternity, one of the top 10 largest fraternities in the U.S, has partnered with the Talkspace app to offer its 10,000 members access to free mobile therapy for three months. CEO of Alpha Tau Omega National Fraternity Wynn Smiley contributes the partnership with Talkspace to “some members who’ve committed suicide,” stating that “those instances raised concern about ongoing mental health issues,” according to CNN reporter Sara Ashley O’Brien. Talkspace publicist Amara Saputo said the app provides on the go trusted counseling to their users. “Instead of having to make a scheduled appointment and drive to a location, Talkspace
provides the necessary help you will need for 50 percent below the average co-pay of a regular visit to a standard office,” Saputo said. More than 350,000 people in the United States use Talkspace, and the number continues to climb. “Talkspace employed 1,000 licensed therapists in the U.S. who are on call 24/7,” Saputo. “Once you have completed the beginning stages, you will be matched with a therapist in your state.” Pearl River Community College alumni Victoria Valliant said she enjoyed her experience on Talkspace. “They require users to be at least 18 years old,” Valliant said. “All I had to do to sign up was enter my email, a password and a nickname.” Although Alpha Tau members have three free months, after the trial period they, too, are
required to pay. “The woman who’s supposed to match me with a therapist said the basic plan is $128 a month, so I probably won’t be able to stick with it,” Valliant said. “But if I ever do come up with the money, perhaps I’ll try to use it again.” Mental health issues, ranging from depression to bipolar disorder, are prevalent among college students. The University of Southern Mississippi offers an on-campus counseling service. They also refer students to different facilities, depending on the severity of the case. If you or anyone you know have questions concerning mental health, please contact our student counseling services at 601-266-4829.
Courtesy Photo |
4
NEWS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
Annual fundraiser encourages heart health JAMAUD BELL
printz reporter
On Saturday, the American Heart Association hosted its annual Heart Walk at Spirit Park. The Heart Walk is a fundraiser hosted by the American Heart Association. The funds raised in the Heart Walk support research to prevent and treat heart disease, to spread awareness of heart disease and to show people how to recognize the warning signs of a heart attack. The event began at 8 a.m. with stretching, signing and other activities before the walk’s start at 9 a.m. The field was full of participants, sponsors and even USM’s mascot Seymour. Event organizers passed out water along the path to keep runners hydrated. Regency Hospital employee Amanda Diiorio attended the
Heart Walk as part of a fundraiser for work. “I feel exhilarated,” Diiorio said. “One thing that I don’t like was that the signs weren’t up. There were a few times I made a wrong turn.” Diiorio said she has participated in similar events such as 4k runs prior to joining the Heart Walk. “I have heard of it before, but today was my first day actually in the Heart Walk,” Diiorio said. Southern Prohibition Brewery employee Emily Curry said she enjoyed the event with her friend. “I’m here with my friend, and I agree with her,” she said. “I also came because knowing information about our hearts is good.” Senior business major Richard Barnes said he enjoyed the atmosphere of the fundraiser. “I’ve done other kinds of fundraisers, but the one most similar would be Relay for Life,”
Barnes said. “I want to show mental support for the people who experience heart problems. My mom has heart problems. My grandmother and uncle died from heart attacks.” According to its website, the American Heart Association’s mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The association provides public health education by offering elementary level lesson plans to teachers, teaching new exercises that improve heart health, sponsoring other fundraising events such as Hoops for Hearts and providing treatment guidelines to doctors and nurses. The Association educates lawyers, health professionals, teachers, students and the public for changes that improve the health of communities.
Courtesy Photo |
Class of 2020 breaks records in academic achievement NAN BEAUTI
copy editor
This academic year, The University of Southern Mississippi enrolled the most scholasticallyachieving freshman class in its recorded history for a third consecutive year. Freshmen came to USM with the highest recorded ACT scores and grade-point averages. Freshmen enrolled at Southern Miss have the best academic profile in the university’s history. This year’s new students have also impacted enrollment records at Southern Miss’ Gulf Park campus, according to Southern Miss Now. Freshman Forensic science major Brittany McNeilly said these achievements reflect the entire freshman class at USM and that they are working hard to develop better study habits to help them excel in academics. The class of 2020 is filled with intelligent students, including valedictorians, salutatorians, National Merit Scholars, Honors
and AP students and those simply impassioned with the drive to succeed. “This reflects me personally because I graduated my class with honors, and I feel the pressure to excel here as well,” McNeilly said. “[I] am constantly pushing myself to do as best as I can in my classes. People in high school are becoming better prepared in how to deal with stressful situations such as hard tests [or] exams, which is better preparing them for college.” Incoming full-time and firsttime students at USM have maintained an increasing gradepoint average – from 3.27 last fall to 3.33 this fall, according to Southern Miss Now. The freshman class’ average GPA this year is the highest ever recorded. In addition to recordbreaking GPA levels, Southern Miss freshmen came in this year with a 22.94 average ACT score, an increase from 22.73 in fall 2015, according to Southern Miss Now. “USM is benefitting [from] the students’ [GPAs and ACTs]
because it brings the school’s standards up,” McNeilly said. “The school benefits off the success of the students because it draws in future students.” Comparatively, the national ACT average dropped from 21 to 20.8 along with the state’s ACT average, which dropped from 19 to 18.4. The university’s Honors College students average an ACT score of 30.11 and average a GPA of 3.87. The average GPA for new transfer students from community colleges is 3.12, which is an increase from 3.09 in 2015 and 3.04 in 2014. Freshman broadcast journalism student Thomas Baski said a reason for freshmen’s incoming success is because students in high school are starting to take education more seriously and understand that they have to work for their future generations. “Personally, where I come from, the ACT is required to take your junior year in high school, provided through the school, and that pushed a lot of students to actually try so they would not
have to retake [it],” he said. “With more than enough information at the touch of our finger because of a phone, tablet or laptop, kids have access to so much more than previous generations.” “I am delighted that highachieving students see The University of Southern Mississippi as an institution that can support them on their journey toward earning their degrees,” said University President Rodney Bennett. Freshman nursing major Mikyla Maricich said a good GPA in high school has a positive impact on being a college student. “Keeping up [my] GPA [in high school] taught me study skills that have worked best for me along with time management,” Maricich said. “Even though college has still been an adjustment, I feel like already having a routine and tweaking it would’ve been easier than completely creating one.” Southern Miss currently has 14,554 students enrolled, only three students more than last
year, according to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. The university is aiming to keep students until they graduate and support them throughout the journey. USM has housed the Office of New Student and Retention Programs since last September. This department intends to ease students’ transition to the university while enriching their academic experiences and supporting them. Retention has also shown improvement at USM. The retention rate for full-time freshmen has increased by 1.9 percent since last year. The university intends to continue this record-breaking trend in order to improve and progress its quality, according to the University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven Moser.
SPORTS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
5
New women’s sports en route to USM LUKE SMITH printz reporter Southern Miss students can expect an announcement regarding the addition of a women’s sports team either this fall or early spring, Athletic Director Bill McGillis said. “We want to make sure we’re accommodating the interests of women and ultimately to provide more participation opportunities for women,” McGillis said. Though there are currently more women’s sports than men’s, male athletes outnumber female athletes mostly due to the large number of athletes required for a football team. McGillis said acrobatics and tumbling are also being considered, though other sports that warrant further consideration may emerge during research. “We’ve got to figure out what is the best path forward,” McGillis said. “We’re looking at gymnastics, lacrosse, beach volleyball and swimming and diving.” According to McGillis, Southern Miss is currently researching a variety of factors to determine which sport would be the best fit for the university. These include the
potential recruiting base, competitive landscape, projected budget, the number of female athletes each sport would add, facility, additional investment needed for startup, academic data and proposed schedules. “Can we be successful in each one of these sports, and where do we have the best opportunity of being successful?” McGillis said. “With beach volleyball and gymnastics, there have been community members, not current southern miss students, who have expressed interest in us having and supporting those sports,” McGillis said. “Facility wise, I think there’s opportunity in the community for both of those sports.” “Another key factor is what is the availability of competition,” McGillis said. “Who in Conference USA and our region are participating in each one of those sports so that we could build a schedule?” Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Marshall, North Texas, Old Dominion and Rice currently have women’s swimming and diving teams that compete in Conference USA play, according to the Conference USA athletic website. “There’s not another division I
women’s swimming program in the state of Mississippi,” McGillis said. “A good rationale for that program is that we have a chance to be the division I level program in the state. Division I athletes in swimming and diving from Mississippi have to leave the state, but we could be the feature program in the state.” Other sports, while growing in popularity, do not offer as many opportunities for regional competition. “Lacrosse is probably the fastest growing sport on the women’s side, but currently there’s very little competition in our region,” McGillis said. “You have to project if there will be competition in three or four years.” Once a decision has been reached, it could be some time before Southern Miss is actually competing in the new sport. “You have to do things like conduct a national search for a coach and spend a full year recruiting while not competing,” McGillis said. “Typically, it’s a two or three year phase-in before you’re actually competing. I would anticipate, without the study being concluded, that we could see competition no later than the 20192020 school year.”
Sam Johnson | Printz Archives
Southern Miss vs UTEP: Statistical tidbits JULIUS KIZZEE sports editor After taking a close 37-31 defeat by the hands of Troy at the Rock on Sept. 17, the Golden Eagles traveled to El Paso, Texas to face UTEP in its first conference game of the season, winning 34-7 against the Miners. Even though they were down 7-3 by the end of the first quarter, the Golden Eagles catapulted to a 21-0 run to end the half with a 24-7 score. The team is also 3-1 for the first time since 2011. Here are some tidbits from the game.
Curtis Mikell, who primarily played on special teams last year during the Golden Eagles’ 9-5 season, caught two interceptions, which tied the Southern Miss record for longest interception return in school history.
Ito Smith topped 100 yards rushing with 16 carries for 108 yards on Saturday. It was Smith’s fourth consecutive game during which he performed this feat. Smith now sits in third place nationally in rushing yards with 540 yards to his name.
If Nick Mullens is having a bounce-back season, this game could be the catapult. For the first time this season, Mullens did not throw an interception. On the season, he has a 10:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
The defensive line, headlined by senior Dylan Bradley, has amassed 24 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks on the season. Combined with a secondary that also has four interceptions, the Southern Miss defense ranks in the top 50 in the nation.
After committing 32 penalties through the first three games, the Golden Eagles only committed one on their trip to El Paso. Hunt Mercier | Printz Archives
6
OPINION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
Burton brings peculiar novel Tulane hosts ‘Dialogo con mi Abuela’ filmmaker to theaters HIBA TAHIR
entertainment editor I found myself immediately taken by Ransom Riggs’ “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” when I stumbled across its book trailer in high school. The vivid storytelling and extraordinary imagery dispersed throughout were unlike anything I’d ever come across. As an anomalous collection of vintage photography, spooky settings and peculiar stories, Riggs’ book was a refreshing addition to an industry that had become increasingly occupied by the commonplace, and it came at a time when imaginative readers needed it most. “Thought technically a children’s book, Miss Peregrine is more Grimm’s than Disney, and Riggs’ images, dropped like breadcrumbs, could lead audiences of any age happily down the path of its spellbinding tale,” the Florida Times-Union said in its review, and the Library Journal called it “an original work that defies categorization.” I could not agree more. Anyone who reads Miss Peregrine tends to come away with an entirely unique review. Much of the originality in Miss Peregrine can be contributed to the vintage photographs Riggs collected prior to writing it. “I usually find the ‘what inspired
you’ question tough to answer, because my brain is a dark and twisting alley and who knows what goes on in there, but in this case I have a very specific answer: old snapshots,” said Riggs in an interview, referring to the middle section full of glossy vintage photographs in his book. “Back in 2009, I started collecting old snapshots that I found at swap meets and flea markets, and after a while, it occurred to me that the strange-looking people in the photos I loved most might find their way into a book.” Riggs showed his pictures to a book editor who convinced him to write a novel that incorporated the pictures. Famed director Tim Burton hopes to give fans the same experience elicited by Riggs’ photographs with an equally peculiar movie that will give fans the opportunity to indulge further in Riggs’ magnificent fictional world. “I liked Ransom’s approach with the pictures,” Mr. Burton said in a New York Times interview. “It was an interesting kind of way to create a story. It made it feel like a weird old fable.” Riggs’ bizzare storytelling combined with Burton’s cinematic vision is sure to make “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” an exciting release. Look for it in theaters on September 30.
SAM JOHNSON
printz reporter Tulane University in New Orleans invited renowned Cuban documentary and filmmaker Gloria Rolando to speak at a showing of her newest documentary, “Dialogo con mi Abuela.” Rolando sets up “Dialogo con mi Abuela” with recorded conversations between her and her grandmother, Inocencia Armas Abreu, who is directly connected to the African continent by her grandmother, recounts to her the memories she has collected while living in Santa Clara, Cuba. The opening scene of the documentary begins with songs passed down through the generations of Afro-Cuban slaves known as Bembe, who are directly connected to the Yoruba religious traditions of West Africa. “Dialogo con mi Abuela” is a journey of discovery on the part of Rolando through her grandmother’s memories of the streets of Santa Clara and the world of the Pre-Communist
Cuba. This documentary deeply explores what it means to not only be black but to also be a black Cuban in the modern era and in the segregationist past. Cuba, like the United States, was highly segregated by policies that were incredibly similar to Jim Crow laws on the mainland. Abreu tells many stories concerning this immense factor in the lives of countless people. Even today in Cuba, there are horrendous and grotesque representations of the Afrodescendientes that are sold to tourists in the forms of statues and other trinkets. Despite all this, Rolando shows the audience how much there is to be proud of being an Afro-Cuban and having a rich culture composed of Bembe, surviving Yoruba traditions, the fight for Cuban independence and her grandmother. What appears to be more central to the thesis of this film, however, is the self-discovery that Rolando uncovers through the examination of her grandmother’s memories and revisiting the streets of Santa Clara in both the
present and the past through photos and newspapers that survived the passage of time. After the presentation of the 40-plus minute documentary, Rolando held a Q-and-A session and listened to comments regarding the film. One particular comment about the grandmother of an audience member and her family’s history led to Rolando answering that this “tribute to her memory in Santa Clara” can be felt universally. She described the memories of her grandmother, the smells of the kitchen and how everyone can be reminded of his or her own grandmother. It is for this specific reason that this is an incredible documentary. Not only does it bring some of Cuba into the lives of its audience, but it also brings the sentiments of the audience’s attention with the relative universality of the positive memories of a grandmother.
OPINION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
7
Black men become another hashtag ALYSSA BASS
printz reporter
I watched the video on Twitter of Terence Crutcher being shot. I heard his shooter, officer Betty Shelby, call Crutcher a “bad guy.” I saw trolls on Twitter comment that Crutcher should not have been walking to his car with his hands up, though he was not armed. What did we all learn from Crutcher’s death? That you can now add “fixing your broken down car” to the list of things you can get shot for while black. “But wait,” you might say. “The justice system prevailed! The Tulsa Police Chief not only confirmed Crutcher didn’t have a gun inside his car, but also officer Shelby was arrested for manslaughter!” You would be right. But then, I would have to break it to you that Shelby was released on bond 15 minutes after her arrival at Tulsa County Jail, and that she is currently on administrative leave, which is just fancy term for her receiving a paid vacation. It is insulting if you think this is what justice looks like. Justice does not like an innocent black man, minding his own business, being stereotyped and being shot shortly thereafter. Justice is not Shelby or any of the other officers in her power-hungry squad shooting Crutcher for walking to his
car for fear of their lives. Justice isn’t even Shelby getting arrested. Another black family lost a father to a senseless act of violence by police officers who are still living comfortably. I’m tired of hearing, “It’s your fault if you run.” Earlier this week, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled “in reference to Boston officer Jimmy Warren who wrongfully shot a black man in 2011 due to a vague criminal description, black men running from police should not be the cause of their death.” Its decision to convict was heavily influenced by a 2014 American Civil Liberties Union report that found that African-Americans are disproportionately stopped by police in Boston. Ultimately, the court realized that black men fleeing from police in Boston is a reasonable response given the large amount of police brutality deaths. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling should echo in other states. Constantly seeing the deaths of black men publicized is extremely exhausting for one’s mental health. According to an article by Huffington Post writers Liz Adetiba and Anna Almendrala, watching videos of police brutality deaths can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and even desensitization. Professor of psychology and sociology
Roxane Silver even went as far as to advise people to cease watching police brutality videos for their mental health. I partially agree with Silver. I agree that African-Americans should take a break from such videos for however long they need, but I also believe that total withdrawal from these videos causes ignorance. And sure, ignorance is bliss, but we, African-Americans, do not get the luxury of experiencing bliss. We don’t get to pretend that everything is fine, because we will quickly be reminded by everyday media that we are always suspects – our skin color poses a threat to some white police officers as well as some white civilians. I was reminded of this by an article my honors English teacher Jennifer Brewington had my class read, titled “Letter to My Son” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Coates’ article, originally published in The Atlantic in 2015, is a letter full of hopeless and defeatist tones but also blatant truth. Coates aims to awaken white people from their naïve, Martin Luther King, Jr.-filled dream, telling them black people are still feeling the effects of oppression and white supremacy that began almost two centuries ago in America. “In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body – it is heritage,” Coates said. Instances of police brutality
publicized on the news, personal experiences of demonization, the constant fear of losing loved ones to the streets that leads to calculated actions and acknowledgement of white supremacy at a young age all supports his thesis and feeling of hopelessness that he conveys to his optimistic son, who was devastated after learning that Michael Brown’s killer, Darren Wilson, would not be indicted. Just like Coates’ son, I, too, early on in my interest of social justice and activism, was disappointed after many failed indictments. Failed indictments are normal, and, according to Coates, the number-one thing that black people can do is be conscious of that tragic fact. “I would not have you descend into your own dream. I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world,” Coates concluded. However, consciousness isn’t enough for some who are willing to protest in the streets for change. After the death of Keith Lamont Scott, a disabled black man, on Sept. 20 in North Carolina, riots ensued. I watched his daughter’s Facebook livestream, where she found out that her father was dead. I heard Scott’s family yell obscene things at the officers, telling them that Scott was just reading a book. I saw the recently-released video recorded
by Scott’s wife, which failed to show if Scott had the gun that police claimed was pointed at them. For that reason, I can’t confidently tell you that Scott was innocent. What I can tell you is that the people are tired. What I can tell you is that the riots in Charlotte are no surprise to me. I don’t advocate rioting. I don’t advocate destroying your own city and I would like to believe that most of the rioters aren’t truly a part of the Black Lives Matter movement. I would like to think that these rioters are people taking advantage of the sensitive situation at hand, but peaceful protesting by kneeling for the national anthem doesn’t seem to be working. I hate to agree with the rightwing trolls, but where is our president? Where is the leadership that we obviously need? I never expected for Obama to fix America’s race problem, but when riots are happening, I expect to hear from him. I expect for him to not only scold the rioters, but also to condemn law enforcement, which ultimately caused these riots. Until police brutality is addressed on a federal level in the form of laws that outline de-escalation tactics and punishments for police departments failing to comply, there will be no progress. Police brutality will continue to be a part of America’s legacy.
A citizen’s duty should look beyond candidates’ antics J.D. RIMANN
printz reporter
This past week, the voting choices of two of the more respected and well-known American public figures of the last forty years were made known. On Monday, it was revealed that former Republican President George H.W. Bush will be voting for Hillary Clinton, and on Tuesday, former General Electric President Jack Welch announced that that he would be voting for Donald Trump. This means two different figures voting for two different radically divergent candidates. What they had in common, however, was that they each evidenced some deep thought about each candidates before making their choices public. They were not voting just to vote. When walking across campus last week, I noticed a proliferation of “get out and vote” literature and chalk drawings, all of the sort which one commonly sees aimed at the citizens of this nation every four years. The “Get Out to Vote” movement has been big for years, and celebrities are always urging us to go and vote. Full-stop. Just vote; doesn’t matter after that. However, there is a gap between voting and thinking, or voting and knowing why you are voting for whom it is you are voting. In 21st century America, the very act of voting itself is maintained to be a self-evident good. This is something
with which I must profoundly disagree. There is little good, and much wrong, with voting just to vote. Yes, voting is a right and privilege of the American citizen. Yes, Americans have died to safeguard you that right. However, merely voting to vote is not enough. To actually participate in your civic duty, you must be able to say why you are voting for whom you are voting. In 2012, various media outlets ran little videos, which were both amusing and infuriating. Anchors would interview supporters of Obama about how they felt about Romney’s plan to extend the Patriot Act and then, after listening to the erstwhile Democratic voter discuss how much they hated that idea and Romney for proposing it, the anchor would reveal that it was actually Obama’s plan. This same little shenanigan is being done to Trump supporters this year with the same results. No doubt it could be done to many of Romney, McCain, Bernie and Hillary’s supporters with similar results. It is so frustrating to see videos for anyone who cares about the direction of this country. As a republic, we are not a nation premised on voting, but on voting knowledgeably. These bemusingly clueless individuals are helping to choose the most powerful person on Earth, and they do not know a thing about that person, only that they “like them” or think they are “a good person.” These intangible qualities are not factors which one should vote on. Rather, reason and research should form the bedrock of deciding for whom
we cast the ballot. We are a nation which has devalued political discourse and has abandoned the battle of ideas for the idea-starved ideal of the three second sound bite. We make fun of – or even better – just tune out the Hillarys, Jebs and Romneys of the world with all of their elaborate policies, plans and long-winded but generally well thought out answers in favor of the Obamas, Trumps, Bernies and McCains of the world with their fiery rhetoric and soaring but vague descriptions of a bright and wonderful future. The American political system has evolved to where we do not vote for people or ideas, but for letters and laundry. The little ‘R’ or ‘D’ next to a candidate’s name on the television or in the ballot box is all we really think we need to know when deciding who to support in any given year. We do not need to know anything else about the candidate, we reason, because we know to what party they belong. Yet, Donald Trump has a liberal isolationist foreign policy position more in line with Bernie Sanders’ than with most Republican statesmen’s, and President Obama has deported millions of more immigrants than both Bush and Reagan did. You should not vote for or against someone because you personally like or dislike them, or because Buzzfeed wrote a funny article about them or because they are or are not a good public speaker. Instead you should – indeed, to fully and truly participate
in civic life – vote based on the great issues of our time before us today. Don’t vote for Trump because he is not Hillary, or vice-versa. This election season, I urge my fellow citizens to look beyond the letters and the laundry
and vote for the candidate who you know will represent you best, not the one who is the most charismatic or promises the most. That is the duty of a citizen in a powerful republic.
8
SPORTS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
Golden Eagles split weekend conference trip ANDREW ABADIE
sports reporter
The Golden Eagles opened conference play Sept. 23, beating North Texas 3-1. Southern Miss pounded the ball offensively, totaling 63 kills and 62 digs compared to North Texas’ 45 kills and 47 digs. Stephany Purdue led the kill count with 17 kills. This put her at 1,455 kills for her career, making her 111 short of the all-time school record. The performance of the night belonged to Kylie Grandy, who finished with a 12-kill and 12-dig performance on her 19th birthday. The Golden Eagles asserted their dominance over the Mean Green early in the first set, by building leads of 8-3 and 9-4. However, the team would have some miscues after building an 11-5 lead. North Texas would battle back to within a one-point margin at 20-19. The Golden Eagles grinded a 25-22 win for the first set, stumbling over mistakes. The second set continued with the Golden Eagles’ mistakes as the Mean Green picked up a win in the second at 25-19. The Golden Eagles avenged the second set loss, capturing a 25-15 win in the third set. Katherine Still would tally five kills in this set. A combination of Still’s effort and several service errors by North Texas helped power the Southern
Miss win. The Golden Eagles jumped to a 17-14 lead in the fourth set. The Mean Green tied the match, forcing a Golden Eagle timeout, but the following play after the timeout put the Mean Green ahead. After battling back to a 24-24 tie, Grandy topped her birthday night by putting the Golden Eagles ahead with a critical kill, 26-24. “That was a really gritty win for us,” said Head Coach Amanda Berkley. “We had to fight and battle for this win. Overall it was a good win.” On Sunday, the Golden Eagles dropped their second road game to UTSA. UTSA came into Sunday as a team receiving votes for the collegiate Top 25 and leading the all-time series against Southern Miss 7-0. UTSA played the Golden Eagles as a team that rightfully deserves to be recognized nationally. The Golden Eagles lost in a 3-0 match and dropped their first game in conference play. Purdue had another solid performance, adding 16 more kills to her weekend, along with nine digs. Grandy also added performance with a 10-kill, nine-dig performance. The Golden Eagles kept things close in every match, but dropped the first two sets at 25-20 and 25-21. Every time the Golden Eagles began to challenge the opponent, the Roadrunners countered.
In the first set, the Golden Eagles were down 23-20 after a 4-0 run. However, the Roadrunners took the first set with a service error, then a kill. The second set had similar results. The Golden Eagles battled back and forth, keeping things tied at 20-20. However, a 5-1 run by UTSA killed momentum for Southern Miss in that set. Despite being down 2-0, the Golden Eagles remained competitive until the very end in the final set. Purdue and Grandy’s kills put pressure on a UTSA defense that tallied 48 digs by the end of the night. The Golden Eagles kept it tied at 24-24. But yet again, the Roadrunners clamped down and finished the set with a 26-24 win for the set and match. The Golden Eagles outshot the Roadrunners in kills, 40-37. However the Roadrunner defense stole the win, having seven blocks along with the 48 digs. “I wish we gave them more of a challenge,” Berkley said. “We have to keep the ball in play. We had too many errors as a team, and that’s something we have to fix in the future. I think we will learn from this and find a way to get better.” The Golden Eagles will return home for the first time in a month to face Marshall on Sept. 30 at 6 p.m.
Courtesy Photo |