Thursday, February 9, 2017 Volume 101 Issue 34
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City council approves one percent sales tax increase CAM BONELLI
executive editor
On Feb. 6, the City Council discussed raising the sales tax in Hattiesburg by one percent. The resolution requested, “the Mississippi Legislature to enact local and private legislation for the City of Hattiesburg to provide for a tax on gross sales of all taxable items.” The exception for the sales tax increase included hotels, motels, beverages, packaged liquor, motor vehicle, restaurants, groceries and prescription drugs. Financial Consultant for Hattiesburg Lynn Norris said the City of Hattiesburg requested the numbers on this project in 2003. “Back in 2003, the city requested how much it would be and the numbers projected $8 million,” Norris said. “We are now into the $10 to 11 million range. The city has grown by 42 percent.” City council member Kim Bradley said the economy remained the same, and the city generates revenue through sales tax and ad valorem taxes with a general fund of $46 to $47 million. “We cannot resume to run the city on that same number,” Bradley said. “The cost of living has increased. We’ve got to find another solution to this. We are not the only municipality in the state going through this without going up on Ad Valorem taxes.” City Council member Carter Carroll said that the tax increase would be used for paving projects only. Bradley said the water drainage problem within the city would need to be added to the referendum. “Within a five to eight year period with a one percent tax increase, you’d have a lot collected.” On Feb. 7, the council voted 4 - 1 on increasing the sales tax, according to WDAM. Next, the Mississippi legislature would have to approve the tax, and the council would need to hold a special election with no less than 60 percent of voters in favor of the tax.
Paleontologist visits USM KAITLYN WATKINS
news editor
When paleontologist Neil Shubin and his team discussed the possibility of an expedition to the Canadian Arctic Islands in search of “the missing link” between fish species, they went to eat at a nearby Chinese restaurant. After his meal when Shubin opened his fortune cookie, it read, “Soon you’ll be on the top of the world.” “When the universe is speaking to you, you gotta listen,” Shubin said As part of The University of Southern Mississippi’s Darwin Week celebrations, Neil Shubin delivered the keynote address entitled “Your Inner Fish” on Tuesday evening, beginning the weeklong series educational events. The University Forum series presents discussions given by nationally recognized policy makers, scientists and scholars monthly on the Southern Miss Hattiesburg campus. “Your Inner Fish” focused on the discovery of Tiktaalik, a fossilized fish also known as fishapod, and the importance of the relationship between the genes of human embryos and other species. Shubin, a celebrated paleontologist and professor at the University of Chicago, led his research team to Ellsemere Island in Canada near the Arctic where they discovered Tiktaalik, the 375-million-year-old fossil of a flat-headed freshwater fish with limbs. On the island, the team of nine endured 24-hour daylight, extreme wind and bitter cold. Their only supplies were carried to them by helicopter. On their first expedition to Ellsemere Island, Jason Downs, an undergraduate student, disappeared one day. In such a dangerous region populated by polar bears and environmental hazards, Shubin and his team were concerned as to where he had gone. “If you lose an undergraduate in the field, it’s a lot of paperwork,” Shubin said during his lecture. Downs finally appeared late in the night with handfuls of fossils that he had discovered only a mile from the camp. The whole team began to excavate the site at midnight in broad daylight. The remains they had discovered were all from previously known
Durlab Sherchan | Printz Paleontologist and University of Chicago professor Neil Shubin lectures in the Thad Cochran center on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2017. species, but nevertheless, they were encouraged by what they had found, according to Shubin. The most significant discovery was not unearthed until the fourth expedition to the Arctic. Over a two-month period, the scientists assembled fragments of a flat-headed creature that was both fish and tetrapod. As an acknowledgment to the Inuit people who had let them excavate on their land, they decided to name the discovery in the native language. After consulting with the Council of Elders, the team decided on Tiktaalik, which means simply “large freshwater fish.” When Shubin discussed his discovery to the Council of Elders,
he told the story of how he had to describe the fossil to them in order to come up with a name. Both had become frustrated because the Elder at first believed that they were miners looking to make money. “I said, ‘It’s about science, it’s not about the money,’’ Shubin recalled. “Then he thought I was crazy.” The remains of Tiktaalik that Shubin and his team found is actually the first evidence that can be used to support the claim of biological evolution. According to Shubin, it represents the possibility of being a transitory species between a fish and amphibian which is what most of Shubin’s research was focused on.
Shubin said that he is not done with his research. “When people call Tiktaalik ‘the missing link,’ it implies there is a single fossil that tells us about the transition from water to land. Tiktaalik gains meaning when it’s compared with other fossils in the series. So it’s not ‘the’ missing link. I would probably call it ‘a’ missing link. It’s also no longer missing – it’s a found link. The missing links are the ones I want to find this summer.” He also has a new book in progress that he mentioned is due to the publisher in September. Shubin said the fortune is still hanging in his office, as a poignant reminder.
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INTRODUCTION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Meet the Staff Spring 2017 Cam Bonelli
Executive Editor
catherine.bonelli@usm.edu
Jack Hammett
Managing Editor
jesse.hammett@usm.edu
Kaitlyn Watkins News Editor
kaitlyn.watkins@usm.edu
Hiba Tahir
Entertainment Editor
hiba.tahir@usm.edu
Julius Kizzee
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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.
Sports Editor
southernprintz@gmail.com
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Photo Editor
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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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CORRECTION FOR FEB. 2: A paragraph in an opinion piece printed on Feb. 2 titled, “Emmett Till: Bryant admits lies” was removed. The statement claimed Gov. Phil Bryant is a relative of Carolyn Bryant. Gov. Bryant is not a relative of Carolyn or Roy Bryant, according to the governor’s office. The Student Printz regrets the error.
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NEWS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9,2017
USM participates in recycling competition KELLY BRAHMBHATT
printz reporter
The University of Southern Mississippi’s Office of Sustainability will participate in RecycleMania 2017 on the Hattiesburg campus from Feb. 5 - April 1. According to RecycleManiacs. org, RecycleMania is an eight-week annual recycling competition that pits colleges and universities from across the United States and Canada against one another for the title of champion recycler. Their website states that the competition promotes recycling and waste minimization. Southern Miss has participated in this competition since spring 2009. For RecycleMania, there are six specific events held throughout the course of the competition, according to The Office of Sustainability’s website. There will be some passive programming
Courtesy | Printz opportunities in the coming weeks with the first event, “Get Caught Green Handed,” will be held Feb. 15 - 26. Sustainability coordinator and USM
alumna Melissa Covington-Olsen said the event promotes the importance of recycling. “RecycleMania is a good platform that
allows us to generate some excitement and visibility of our recycling program,” Covington-Olsen said. “This, in turn, helps educate and promote awareness of recycling and other growing environmental concerns.” Covington-Olsen said Southern Miss partakes in two categories: gorilla and per capita. “Last year, in the gorilla category, Southern Miss placed 157 out of 276 by recycling a total of 101,198 pounds of material in just 8 weeks,” Covington Olsen said. “Additionally, Southern Miss placed 68th out of 209, showing we recycled 1.9 pounds of waste per capita. However, with all the colleges combined, 79 million pounds of waste [were] recycled.” Mississippi Valley State University is the only other Mississippi school that participates in this competition. “All of the recycled materials in the recycling bins are taken to a material recovery facility – FV Recycling, out in
Sumrall, MS,” Covington-Olsen said. “These materials are sorted, processed, and sold to other companies.” To participate in RecycleMania, students can recycle by using the blue recycling cans in every building on campus. These bins can collect any recycling material other than food, Styrofoam or glass. The location of the larger recycling bins is near the Physical Plant on campus. In October 2016, The Office of Sustainability sponsored the inaugural Southern Miss Community E-Water Event. Students and faculty were asked to bring their electronic devices to be dropped off for proper disposal. The Office of Sustainability encourages staff, faculty and students to continue to make sustainable decisions throughout the next eight weeks. For more information on RecycleMania, how to get involved and what to recycle, visit The Office of Sustainability website.
Biological science dept. hosts first Darwin Week LORA LAVIGNE
printz reporter
The study of science is brought to life as the University of Southern Mississippi’s Department of Biological Science hosts its first ever Darwin Week, Feb. 6 - Feb. 10. After four years of creating activities dedicated to Charles Darwin, author of “The Origin of Species,” the Biological Science Department developed the idea of organizing a week of events to honor his contributions to science and humanity. “Darwin Week highlights not only contributions by Darwin to biology, but also the amazing knowledge we gain about ourselves in the study of evolution,” said Darwin Day organizer Donald Yee. “Topics like conservation, biodiversity, medicine and human aging all have their roots in evolution.” The week is filled with keynote speakers, socials and forums in recognition of Darwin’s studies. “We want to highlight the Department of Biological Sciences contributions to that knowledge and also engage the wider USM community of students,” Yee said. The keynote speaker of the week, Neil Shubin, author of “Your inner Fish,” kicked off the week on Monday with a screening of his PBS documentary “Your inner Fish.” Tuesday was jam-packed with events beginning with a Fossil Trip led by the department of Geography and Geology. It was then followed by a cake and ice cream social for students and faculty in the JST Lobby. Later that evening Shubin held a book signing right before delivering his keynote presentation in which more than 500 people attended. University Forum Director Andrew Haley said these panels are relevant to current events. “People are beginning to question science more and more, and we wanted to bring scientist here whose work is
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Services Include: Courtesy | Printz provocative and talks to current issues,” Haley said. Shubin lectured about the discovery of “Fishapod,” the 375-milion-yearold fossilized remains, which could be a missing link between fish and land animals. This discovery was a form of scientific evidence that led to evolutionary theory, according to Shubin. “I believe its important for universities to not only say there is one way of thinking about things,” Haley said. “But to make these ideas available to our students so they can make their own judgments.” Wednesday events included, displays in JST, highlighting animal diversity and a panel discussion on antibiotic resistance. “I learned to pay attention to things that I don’t understand now or don’t find interesting and explore [them],” said junior biological science major Betsy Redfern.
She said Shubin’s scientific discoveries motivate her to keep pursuing her dreams. “If you believe in something then keep pushing for it even if it takes a long time. Dr. Shubin wanted to find the fish fossil and even after several years later, he never gave up.” Thursday, students can look forward to faculty presentations of three lectures that cover paleontology, primates and insects. These presentations include professors from the Geology and Geography, Anthropology and Sociology and Biological Sciences Department. Darwin Week celebrations end on Friday with Mississippi State’s Matthew Brown, as he leads a presentation and discussion on his work on evolution and microbes. All events are free and open to the public. For more information visit, www. usm.edu/biological-sciences/darwinday
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FEATURE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Hijab Day highlights cultural differences JULIUS KIZZEE
sports editor
The University of Southern Mississippi’s Muslim Student Association hosted its first Hijab Day on Feb. 7 to promote cultural awareness on Southern Miss’ Hattiesburg campus. “We are in the Deep South, and we are in the Bible Belt,” said MSA President Wisam Beauti. “I think at a higher-level educational institute, it’s very important that people educate themselves.” Inside the Hub on Tuesday, students on campus were able to try on different cloths used as headwear in Muslim culture to showcase modesty. In Islam, women wear hijabs for different reasons, and they may wear them whenever they choose to or at any age. “Islam does not suppress women,” Beauti said. “It took me years to come after it and really choose it. It just took me so long.” Beauti, who has six other siblings, said it took her a while to start wearing a hijab. She began wearing it for her freshman year of college at Southern Miss, but she admits that she had a couple of questions due to the common misunderstandings that most Americans have about the religions from the Middle East. “What is an extra piece of cloth?” she said. “What are my friends going to think of me? How are people going to perceive me? Are people going to try and take it off of me? I live in the South – people
always scare me.” Beauti said she feels that wearing a hijab in Mississippi can be dangerous. She is only one of a few hijabis on campus, so she feels that it was only right that she conneced directly with Southern Miss students. Senior biochemistry major Taylor Robbins tried on the hijab for the first time. Robbins believes that she is not so different from Beauti, even if they do not share the same religion. “I believe that in some type of way, all religions are correlated,” Robbins said. “To put it into perspective, everybody is not going to be the same. If everybody was the same, this wouldn’t be America. Everyone is different. We’re not all going to have the exact same beliefs or the same religion.” Right in the middle of the campus, between Seymour’s and the R.C. Cook University Union Game Room, students learned various lessons about Islam, including their beliefs, who Allah is and that Jesus Christ a prophet in the Abrahamic religion. Through Hijab Day, students were able to connect with hijabi students, like Beauti. “People like to express themselves,” Beauti said. “They’ll get tattoos, or get piercings or wear black. The hijab, for me, is a way to express myself – a way to display my religion. Religion shapes my character. Islam kind of shows me my way of life. It gives me my perspective on life, believe it or not.”
Hiba Tahir | Printz Freshman molecular biology major Miriam Atobiloye dresses a USM student in a hijab in the R.C. Cook Union during the Muslim Student Association’s Hijab Day on Feb. 7, 2017.
Carly Snyder| Printz USM students pose in hijabs during the Muslim Student Association’s Hijab Day on Feb. 7, 2017.
FEATURE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9,2017
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Hattiesburg band talks album, influences HIBA TAHIR
entertainment editor Nossiens, a group composed entirely of music students from USM, recently released its first full-length album. I asked original band member Nicholaus Panella to discuss the band, its inception and its plans for the future. Tell me more about Nossiens. How and when did you form? About four years ago, I was in Lab Band II with a drummer named Quinn Mackey. We kind of struck up a conversation, and the topic of being in a band together came up. At the time, he was in a band called “Dillon with the Devil,” which was sort of an indie jam band style group. We started jamming with my little brother Tony and formed an indie rock trio called “Dinner Guests.” As time passed, we started writing more difficult music to play, and I began to feel like I couldn’t adequately sing and play guitar. So we asked Hal Kolodney to come jam with us. The style of music, however, began to change drastically. With Hal, we were essentially a different band. We frequently talked about changing the band name. How did you come up with the current name? It was a tribute to one of our favorite composers Erik Satie who
Courtesy Photo | wrote a series of pieces called the “Gnossiennes.” He’s kind of a precursor to modern surrealism, which is exactly where we sit stylistically. Satie was also kind of an outsider in the world of French impressionism because of his staunch belief in his own musical values. What are your backgrounds? Tell us about the music itself. Professionally speaking, we’re all
gigging musicians. Quinn and Tony are both from the EI department and have a good deal of recording engineering experience. Hal and I are both jazz guitar majors at USM and have played with various artists that have come through the area. We all come from different musical backgrounds, but we have a common interest in some of the more progressive ‘90s rock. Bands like Radiohead, Unwound, Sonic
Youth, Joy Division, Chavez and Preoccupations have all sort of become regular staples in our musical diet. So we tend to sound a little like those bands. Tell me more about your latest album. The album has been in the works for about two years now. We didn’t mean for it to take so long, but we hit so many snags along the way, we were worried it
might never happen. A lot of the lyrics are sort of ethereal takes on actual places and people we’ve met in this town. If you ever drive around hattiesburg or take part in its culture, you can’t really escape the fact that it’s a strange place. We tried to capture those feelings as best we could: strange houses that have contradicting visual styles, chronic gamblers at the casinos, the afterlife being a steamboat on the Mississippi River. Stuff like that is cool to me thematically. What can we look forward to hearing from Nossiens in the future? We’re already demoing the next album, and hopefully we’ll have a new one out soon. The set we’re playing now is super fun, and I can’t wait to get it all worked into an album. Other than that, keep your eyes and ears out for other projects we’re involved in: Tony’s group Dream/Window, Him Horrison [for whom Mackey plays drums]. Tony is also mixing “Empty Handed Painters’” first album and recording a single for the Renders soon. I’m recording an EP with another band called Floridamen this year. Hal is playing jazz every Saturday night at [The Thirsty Hippo] and working on a jazz trio. I’m playing my steady jazz gig on Sunday mornings at T-Bones. We’ve got a million projects going on at once. Hopefully we can keep up with all of them.
Poet pair lead Spoken Word Night in Thad KATILYN WATKINS
news editor
“It’s lit in here, I can feel the litation,” Kyla Lacey said when she took the stage. Lacey, a spoken word artist from the sunshine state, has performed at numerous colleges and venues in almost 20 states. She has been nominated and received numerous awards including APCA’s Poet of the Year and Campus Activities Magazine’s Best Female Artist and was also a finalist in the largest regional poetry slam in the country in 2012. The Spoken Word Night, sponsored by SMAC on Feb. 6, hosted Kyla Lacey and Lacey Roop, two talented performers. Lacey leads poetry workshops for college and high school students. Her poetry tells her real life experiences which range from her stories of domestic abuse, to her experience with white privilege and even poems about her hair. Lacey is often invited to speak at programs during Black History Month, Women’s History Month and domestic violence awareness programs. As an advocate and ally, Roop’s work discusses gender and
sexuality, marginalized voices and women’s empowerment. According to Roop, she writes because it hurts not to. Her bio on Bass/Schuler Entertainment promises, “She will make you laugh, cry and feel utterly inspired.” Roop placed sixth at the Women of the World Poetry Slam, been a two-time member of the renowned Austin Poetry Slam team and ranked several times as a top-scoring poet at the Individual World Poetry Slam. She has also opened for the Grammy Award winning band – The Wailers, performed her poetry with the Grammy Award winning and transformative musical group Conspirare and been a featured performer at the sold-out Desert Rocks Musical Festival. Roop was also featured on PBS’s highly acclaimed show, “Roadtrip Nation.” While the two artists performed their poetry, the audience responded with snaps, claps and shouts of agreement. Both women were able to share experiences in their lives that resonated with the audience. The atmosphere of the room allowed both Lacey and Roop to speak freely and discuss real issues. One of Lacey’s most powerful
poems was her account of how she escaped an abusive relationship which she prefaced, “I’m a survivor of domestic violence,” Roop said. “I dated this guy named Satan for about four years. They say that I’ll heal, everything in due time. Well, maybe the judge should have given him a little more, because I still have nightmares, gasping for air, of how he tried to cut short mine.” Lacey’s first poem used math phrases as she spoke on the topic of problem solving for an ex. “And even Pythagoras couldn’t help us solve them,” Lacey said. “If I’m ‘A’ and you’re ‘B,’ we still can’t ‘C’ the square root of our problems.” Lacey said she performed at a college where someone listened to a video at full volume during her performance. When the attendee’s friends apologized for his behavior, she said, “Nobody with a mullet will ever make me have a bad day.” Roop followed Lacey’s performance with her own poems about “growing up crooked” in Mississippi and how “love is something that human beings need more of.” “I’m from Mississippi,” she said. “And if you weren’t picking up what I was throwing down, I’m also gay.”
Durlab Sherchan | Printz The Kyla Lacey performs at Spoken Word Night hosted by the Southern Miss Activities Council (SMAC) for the black history month on Feb. 6, 2017. Roop said she had conflicting feelings about the concept of “home,” especially not being straight in the South. She described her first poem as a bittersweet love not to the South. Roop played music alongside some of her performances. Roop said she was dissappointed in the state of education, and denounced the confirmation of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “I’ve been calling all kinds of senators,” she said. “They love me.”
Roop began a poem by poking fun at Cosmopolitan sex tips, including one which advised someone to say at the dinner table, “You see how I’m devouring this piece of meat? That’s how I’m going to devour you later.” “You could look at a body like that - something to be consumed instead of enjoyed,” Roop said. “I would rather pretend you were a bottle of wine, a slow intoxication.” SMAC plans to host more events in the upcoming semester.
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ENTERTAINMENT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017 HIBA TAHIR
entertainment editor It’s February! My favorite month of the year comes with no shortage of things to look forward to, and most of these things are pretty memorable. However, in the rare case that you forget them, here’s a handy dandy calendar with all the events you need to know about, and everything you need to know about them.
Feb. 1st: NATIONAL HIJAB DAY This one’s a little deceptive. Although National Hijab Day does fall on Feb. 1, USM’s Muslim Student Association hosted our “hijab day” – during which we helped non-hijabis try on hijabs – on Feb. 7 and drew quite a large crowd. Just so we’re clear, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – as terrifying as walking into a horde of hijabis. There’s hardly enough bigotry to spread around, you want to battle the part of you that actually found one of the scarves cute, and it all culminates with you walking up to a mirror and attempting to shake your own hand because you can’t tell anyone apart. (No kidding – in the 8th grade, a classmate asked me how hijabis tell each other apart.)
Feb. 4th: MY 21ST BIRTHDAY The most wonderful thing about this month is always my birthday. After all, who doesn’t love the yearly reminder that they were extracted from their comfortable, unconscious existence and deposited on this planet? This year was particularly special though because it was my 21st reminder! No drinking due to religious bans? No problem! Shots of self-loathing also exist!
Feb. 5th: THE SUPER BOWL
Confession – the Super Bowl and I have a very long, very dark past. Some of my most vivid memories of childhood include rescheduling birthday parties and having to sit through sports discussions I couldn’t care less about at school before I was allowed to talk about my birthday. This year, though, I was with a friend as the teams were playing. We tuned in about halfway through, when the Falcons had a massive lead over the Patriots. Consequently, I cheered for the Falcons, and now I am scarred and turned off of sports forever.
Feb. 14th: VALENTINE’S DAY No worries - I know that V-Day is a rough time for many people. Nothing will have you questioning your left swipes quite like watching lovey-dovey couples embrace under Cupid’s arrow. Thankfully, I’ve complied a list of helpful tips for combating the holiday, organized by many common types of heterosexual girl. (Because that’s the group that tends to have the most V-Day problems, in addition to being the only group I can speak for). FOR SORORITY GIRLS: If he wears Chubbies, he will break your heart. FOR NERDS: If more than just one of his participles is hanging (if you know what I mean), he will break your heart. FOR ATHLETES: If he’s ever chest-bumped anyone in his life, he will break your heart. Basically, stay away from boys. They will destroy you and your heart. Trust me on this. I am a Tinder expert.
Feb. 28th: “THE HATE U GIVE” BY ANGIE THOMAS BOOK RELEASE All joking aside – this is one I’m super excited about. I can’t wait to read this sure-to-be-amazing book, and I’m just as excited to finally meet Angie in person at her Jackson book release party.
OPINION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
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Twenty-eight days not enough for black history ALYSSA BASS
printz reporter
Since 1976, the United States has celebrated Black History Month during February. While the month-long “holiday” is certainly well-intentioned, the value and significance of the month continues to be questioned. In my high school, we used to do this cute thing where an administrator would allow a black student to read a quote or short biography of an AfricanAmerican trailblazer in history during the announcements. And that was it. That is how we acknowledged black history. Of course, in U.S. history, we discussed African-American civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman when we covered their respective time periods. However, the conversation about black history began with slavery and ended with the Civil Rights Movement. Because the discussion of black history is so limited, I find myself blaming the school system for the lack of black history I learned and retained and my developed disinterest in learning more. To understand why I feel this way, I compared the teaching of black history to the teaching of Native American history. If we are going to discuss the humble beginnings of America, there is no need for teachers to begin with Christopher
Columbus’ voyage to find (and failure to find) “the new world,” or our “breakup” with Britain. Instead, we should begin with the Native Americans because they were the first people here. Even though we know this, we continue to write their history for them, starting with their encounter with the Europeans. This is troubling because that is not when the Native Americans arrived to America. We have not heard the very beginning of American history because we ignore the Native Americans’ perspective. While the history curriculum does acknowledge the Native Americans – and the harm the white settlers brought to them by killing them with diseases they had no immunity to (smallpox, measles, chickenpox, etc.) while providing them with alcohol and cigars – we speak about them as if we killed off an entire species. This is why some people are shocked that Native American’s still have a presence and participate in activism (like cultural appropriation in sports and the Dakota Access Pipeline) in America. Notably, in early American history, the Native Americans were taught to assimilate into white American culture by cutting their hair, being adopted by white families and attending schools where talk of their spiritual and cultural traditions was not tolerated. I am not so sure that we could easily spot a Native American; many of us are so ignorant that we do not know one tribe from another.
There are more than 500 federally recognized tribes, and maybe only four of them are mentioned in school – definitely not in great detail. You could say the same about African-Americans, who were involuntarily brought to America and forced by the Europeans to be slaves for decades. Queue black person and event: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. At the beginning of this month, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted, “As #BlackHistoryMonth begins, we remember when Pres. Lincoln submitted the 13th Amendment, ending slavery, to the states #NationalFreedomDay.” Lincoln is ultimately shaped as our white savior. We do not hear of black people existing in America again until the Civil Rights Movement. Key black people in this time period: Martin Luther King, Jr., his dream and “no good, violent” Malcolm X. Outside of covering the Civil Rights Movement, history classes often fail to acknowledge the various inventions and contributions of African-Americans. This can also lead to students believing that black people face no modern injustices. Because we cannot trust the government to teach us about other prominent black figures and events, African-American parents teach their children what they do not learn in school.
Courtesy Photo | The American history we are taught in school is shaped by the white man. The American history we are taught in school is not inclusive enough, and that is why we have Black History Month. I am very ignorant of my AfricanAmerican history, and that is not going to change because of 28 days dedicated to African-Americans each year. I find myself learning something new about black history without trying due to modern activists spreading the word on social media. It would be easy to say that 28 days is not enough to promote the education of black history. However, I believe the conversation needs to focus on why American history classes do not integrate black history successfully into their curriculum.
I am thankful that black people have always fought for their opinions to be heard. We are lucky in the regard that our history is more well-known than Native American history. However, if we do not fight for American history in school to be taught in true chronological order – with the mention of more African-American leaders – we will be doing all children a disservice by reducing black history to one or two events and individuals. And if we don’t change this quickly, we might create more future Trumps who believe that black abolitionist Frederick Douglass is still alive and (as the president said) “somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more.”
New York judge dismisses Dr. Luke lawsuit TICHINA WILSON
printz reporter
In the latest celebrity news, a New York judge dismissed a lawsuit Dr. Luke filed against Kesha’s mother. Let’s rewind. In September 2013, a petition to “free” Kesha from Dr. Luke’s management set up by a Kesha fan circulated the Internet and even accused Dr. Luke of “stunting” Kesha’s development as an artist. Kesha received an outpour of support as the petition gained more than 10,000 signatures. It was also later publicized on “My Crazy, Beautiful Life” that she had very little creative control of “Warrior.” Additionally, “Machine Gun Love,” her personal favorite song, was omitted from the album without her permission. This was allegedly not the only time her work was not accepted. The Georgia Straight alleged that Kesha reportedly wrote more than 70 songs for “Warrior,” but many tracks were thrown out thanks to Dr. Luke. Co-director of “My Crazy Beautiful Life” Steven Greenstreet tweeted a picture in November 2016 of fans in front-row seating at one of Kesha’s concerts raising banners that read, “F*** Dr. Luke.” The “TiK ToK” singer claimed in a California lawsuit that Dr. Luke was guilty of sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence,
violation of California’s unfair business laws, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligent retention and supervision. However, in a New York counterclaim, Kesha alleged that Dr. Luke “sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally” abused her since the beginning of their professional relationship. Kesha said he drugged and raped her on two occasions, made threats against her and her family and called her derogatory names. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Luke denied all the allegations made against him. Kesha ultimately wanted to cut ties completely. She asked the court to break her contract with Dr. Luke. In his defamation suit, Dr. Luke said Kesha and her mother made “defamatory statements in an attempt to extort Gottwald [Dr. Luke] into releasing Kesha from her exclusive recording agreement.” After asking the judge to dismiss Kesha’s sexual abuse allegations, he then filed a defamation lawsuit against Kesha’s lawyer, Mark Geragos. Dr. Luke claimed Geragos accused him of raping popsinger Lady Gaga. Gaga’s management denied the claim. Fast-forward to Feb. 18, 2015. Kesha wore a Discount Universe dress that read “You Will Never Own Me” during New York Fashion Week. Many assumed the ensemble was a jab
at Dr. Luke. Months later on June 9, 2015, it was reported that Kesha amended her complaint against Dr. Luke and added a suit against Sony Music Entertainment. Kesha’s lawyer claimed “Dr. Luke’s proclivity for abusive conduct was open and obvious to executives, who either knew of the conduct and turned a blind eye, failed to investigate Dr. Luke’s conduct, failed to take any corrective action or actively concealed Dr. Luke’s abuse.” Geragos continued to fight for the injunction. “She cannot work with music producers, publishers or record labels to release new music,” Geragos said. “With no new music to perform, Kesha cannot tour. Off the radio and stage and out of the spotlight, Kesha cannot sell merchandise, receive sponsorships or get media attention. Her brand value has fallen, and unless the court issues this injunction, Kesha will suffer irreparable harm, plummeting her career past the point of no return.” In February 2016, the court denied the preliminary injunction. Two months later, New York Judge Shirley Kornreich dismissed Kesha’s claims of sexual assault, sexual harassment and gender violence. Kornreich said the incidents fell outside the statute of limitations.
Courtesy Photo | In August that same year, Kesha dropped the sexual abuse case in Los Angeles but continued her New York suit.
“This lawsuit [has been] so heavy on my once-free spirit, and I can only pray to one day feel that happiness again,” Kesha said.
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SPORTS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Preview to softball’s season opener ANDREW ABADIE
printz reporter
The Lady Eagles will start the season on the road, matching up against McNeese State on Feb. 10 and an equally-tough tournament at the Louisiana Lafayette Invitational. The Lady Eagles look to build off of last year’s breakout season after winning the C-USA West, being barely edged out of the C-USA tournament semifinals. They will easily be one of the top contenders for the C-USA crown this season. “Your first game can make or break you that first weekend,” said Head Coach Wendy Hogue. “I think that McNeese is a very good team.” The McNeese State Cowgirls, the defending Southland Conference champions, have been picked to repeat with the return of six of their starters. The Cowgirls had a .305 batting average last season and return with Erika Piancastelli, their best hitter, who had a .428 batting average last season. Despite how good McNeese St. was last season, they lost two of their best pitchers – Emily Vincent and Jamie Allred. Vincent led the team with a 1.51 earned run average, and Allred threw a 1.82 ERA last season. The loss of the two players puts a major void in the pitching staff of McNeese State, whose best returning pitcher will be Rachel Smith, who posted 3.02 ERA in only
Courtesy Photo | 12 appearances. McNeese St. will be a tough challenge for the Lady Eagles, but winning is within their reach. Walking away from a victory will no doubt set a tone for the success they could have this season. “I think it is very important for us to come out on a good start,” Hogue said. “I want to pitch well and hit well. I want
to have a great defensive game, because I do feel like that game against McNeese is going to set us up for the weekend.” After McNeese State, the Lady Eagles will head straight into the ULL tournament and play five more games, including two doubleheaders. If the Lady Eagles beat McNeese State, the momentum will help them
into the tournament and should help them roll through Ball State and Iowa State. Both of those teams will be good opportunities to help test the depth of the team but more importantly test the bullpen for the Lady Eagles to find one more solid starting pitcher. In this final span of games, the Lady Eagles will face No. 11 Louisiana-
Lafayette in a doubleheader. If the Lady Eagles can just take one game away from the Ragin’ Cajuns, then the team can walk away from the opening weekend with high hopes for the season. However, the necessity of all of this stems from having immediate success against McNeese State.
Southern Miss wins South Alabama invite ANDREW ABADIE
printz reporter
The Golden Eagles took down conference opponents Louisiana Tech and The University of Alabama at Birmingham and walked away with seven firstplace finishes in their victory in the Jaguar Invitational. The men scored over 60 points, while the women racked up over 100 in the meet. “Today was an important day of competing for us,” said Assistant Coach John Ellis. “We had several season-bests and we were able to identify the areas that still need work.” The men’s short distance had an impressive showing starting with Cravorkian Carson and Alexander Richemond qualifying for the final heat in the 60m dash. Carson finished second running 6.71 and Richemond finished seventh running a 6.95. Richemond doubled and ran the 200m race finishing fourth in the final running 21.61. Lorenzen Burton won the 400m dash with a time of 49.23. The women’s short distance had even greater success. Keiyana Gaskin and Kadaria Thompson both qualified for the final in 60m dash with Gaskin finishing second with a 7.50 and Thompson
finished third running a 7.61. Both doubled in the 200m dash where Gaskin won with a time of 24.40 and Thompson finished fourth, running a 24.55m. In the 60m hurdles for the women, Modesty Lorick finished fifth overall in the final running a 8.65. For the men, Caleb Parker fell off despite his seventh place finish in the final, where he ran a 8.17 to qualify, but ran a 9.22 in the final. Parker made up for his performance in the high jump where he finished second overall, jumping 2.01m. For the women, Trista Barry finished fourth in the high jump with 1.69m and Jamari Drake tied for sixth with a 1.64m jump. Eric Washington’s 7.08m jump placed him second in the long jump. In the triple jump, Devonta Brassel finished third with a 14.88m jump. The women struggled the most in the field but still managed to put up solid performances. In the women’s shot put, Brashe Wood finished fourth throwing 15.03m, Danisha Jones finished fifth throwing 15.02m and Autavia Chiles finished seventh throwing 14.42m. In the women’s weight throw, Nadia Maffo finished fifth throwing 18.03m, Jones finish sixth with a 17.35m throw and Wood finished ninth throwing a 16.76.
Michael Wade |Printz January 14, 2017 - UAB Vulcan Invite - Birmingham, Alabama In the men’s weight throw, Donald Daley finished second with a 18.53m throw, but finished 12th in the shot put throwing a 14.05m. Robert Watson finished 13th in the shot put throwing a 13.61m. The men’s distance had another rough outing, but showed some improvement. In the 800m run, Randall Dais ran for a time of 1:58.66, finishing 12th overall. David Little competed in the onemile run finishing ninth overall running a 4:20.11.
The women’s distance team was the highlight for the Golden Eagles where they scored over 50 points. In the 800m run, the Golden Eagles captured the top two finishes with Courtney Filleben winning with a time of 2:11.39 and Savannah McMillon finished second running 2:14.63. The Golden Eagles had the same result in the 3000m run. Dana Dillistone won with a time of 9:45.97 and Daphney Stanford finished second running 10:00.58. In the one-mile
run, Regen McGee ran a 4:58.11 for the win and Monika Gebarzewska ran a 5:05.78 in a fourth place finish. “Had a lot of great efforts today on the distance side,” said Assistant Coach Aaron Kindt. “Dana, Regen [and] Courtney all brought home wins and lifetime bests. Group is heading in the right direction going into championship season.” The Golden Eagles will return to Birmingham on Feb. 10 for the Samford Invitational.