Monday, April 10, 2017 Volume 101 Issue 47
student printz SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
www.studentprintz.com
State eliminates ‘stacking’ grants ASHLEY HOBSON
printz reporter
The Mississippi Legislature recently passed a new rule that students will no longer be able to stack state financial aid in fall 2017. Mississippi Today reported “lawmakers included language in the final version of the appropriations bill for the state’s financial aid program stating that ‘no student should receive undergraduate grant aid through more than one state-supported undergraduate program in the same term of enrollment.’” “If a student is eligible for aid through multiple grant programs, the student shall be awarded from the program that awards the larger sum,” Mississippi Today reported. “Students who qualify for more than one state funded grant – MESG, MTAG, HELP, LAW, Nissan Scholarship – will now only receive one offering the larger sum. For many students, this means a loss of thousands of dollars while trying to make up the cost multiple grants previously covered.” The Clarion-Ledger reported that without the new legislation, grants would have had been reduced by three percent each. The rule’s passing was also reportedly in response to the shortfall of $10.4 million the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid received in the 2016 - 2017 academic year. Along with the elimination of stacking, students will also be required
Courtesy Photo | to pass GPA checks each semester as opposed to previously having to pass GPA checks at the end of each year. The state college board said the new reduction would impact 3,400 students while the GPA checks are expected to impact another 430. Sen. Briggs Hopson said the new legislature “will save the state between $1 - $2 million.”
The Director of the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid Jennifer Rogers told Mississippi Today that growth in student enrollment has resulted in a “costly increase in demand for state aid.” Mississippi Today reported in September 2016 that college attendance in Mississippi had reached an alltime high of 83,016. Southern Miss Now reported in September 2016 an
enrollment of 14,554 students in 2016 compared to 14,551 students in 2015. USM freshman Allie, who wished to withhold her lastname, said the state’s grant programs allowed her to attend college. “I’m not sure what I will do now,” Allie said. “The money is going to have to come from somewhere. I guess the only place left is student loans.”
Tuition at USM for the 2016 - 2017 semester for in-state students taking 12 - 19 hours costed $3,829.50 and, according to USM’s tuition website, is set to increase by $152.50. “We look forward to working with the Legislature and post-secondary institution leaders to identify a sustainable solution for state financial aid,” Rogers said.
USM participates in The Big Event for seventh consecutive year
KAITLYN WATKINS
news editor
On April 8, more than 500 graduate and undergraduate students participated in community service throughout the Hattiesburg area for the The University of Southern Mississippi’s seventh annual Big Event. Students from the Gulf Park campus contributed to The Big Event from Long Beach. Big Event director Andrew Causey said students represented Southern Miss at 25 different sites. “The Big Event was a big success,” Causey said. “So many
students wanted to show their love for our city on a Saturday morning. We went to a couple of sites and the site supervisors were so grateful.” Students volunteered at Hattiesburg schools, the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter, R3SM, local animal shelters and more. Colleges nationwide participate in The Big Event each year. USM’s Student Government Association hosts the USM Big Event with support from the Center for Community and Civic Engagement. Student volunteers assembled at Reed Green Coliseum early that morning and departed to the various service sites to which they
were assigned. “I’m so pleased with the response from students who want to participate in this annual day of service,” said USM Associate Dean of Students Wynde Fitts. “We’re making a difference in our community every year.” Volunteers for The Big Event at the Southern Miss Gulf Park Campus worked in conjunction with the 2017 Blue Cross Blue Shield Get Ready to Run Kids’ One-Mile Fun Run. Students helped to provide support in a variety of areas such as course safety marshal, start line assistance, finish area assistance and general race support.
Shraddha Bhatta | Printz
Students clean up at Common Park during The Big Event on April 7, 2017.
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INTRODUCTION MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
MEET THE STAFF SPRING 2017 Daisy Stutts
Cam Bonelli
Photo Editor
Executive Editor
daisy.hunt@usm.edu
cambonelli93@gmail.com
Jhaimee Bullock
Jack Hammett
Design Editor
Managing Editor
jhaimee.bullock@usm.edu
jackhammett92@gmail.com
Sarah Anne Schloemer
Kaitlyn Watkins
Web Master
News Editor
sarah.schloemer@usm.edu
kaitlyn.watkins@usm.edu
Nan Beauti
Hiba Tahir
Copy Editor
Entertainment Editor
afnan.beauti@usm.edu
hiba.tahir@usm.edu
Julius Kizzee Sports Editor
southernprintz@gmail.com
studentprintz.com
Chuck Cook
Amber Cobbins
chuck.cook@usm.edu
amber.cobbins@usm.edu
Printz Advisor
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.
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
FIND US ON THE WEB The Student Printz @studentprintz studentprintz.com
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NEWS MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
Music, art, poetry collide at showcase KAITLYN WATKINS
news editor
The College of Arts and Letters hosted a free and open collaborative event in the Gallery of Art and Design on April 6, An Evening of Music, Art and Poetry. Associate Director of the School of Music Nicholas Ciraldo and other College of Arts and Letters members helped organize the event. “[We] had the idea to put together several arts programs in one night,” Ciraldo said. “First and foremost, we wanted to showcase the Annual Student Show.” Students from the School of Music, the Department of English and the Department of Art and Design prepared pieces to perform based on art pieces in the Annual Student Show. The student show featured works of art from studio courses in drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture and graphic design. “An Evening of Art, Music and Poetry is not only a celebration of the closing exhibition but a celebration of USM’s dedication to excellence in the arts,” the University of Southern Miss’ website says. Faculty from the departments of English, music and art and design worked to bring together music, poetry and visual art in a single unique performance. Music students performed pieces they had chosen to
Abhishek KC | Printz Musicians play at An Evening of Music, Art and Poetry on April 6 in the George Hurst Building’s Gallery of Art and Design.
represent particular pieces from the Annual Student Show. English students responded to the visual pieces with original poems and additionally recited poems they picked to represent the visual pieces. Music students Caroline Kirsch, Tanner Crabtree, Jessica Garner, Kaitlin Walley and Jonathan Parr performed an instrumental rendition of Karel Husa’s
“Five Poems for Wind Quintet: I” in response to Danyelle Toombs’ piece “Paradox of Progress.” Deena Potts read Charlee Meiners’ poem “Gray Portal.” Responding to Payton Reedy’s sculpture “Man Eater,” bass trombonist Spencer Hudson performed a piece called “Spain.” “My project was centered around a
word: paradoxical,” Reedy said. “From there, I started thinking of oxymorons like beautiful beast and beautiful disaster. Thinking along those lines, I started thinking about paradoxes in nature, like carnivorous plants. After that, all my ideas fell into place, and I created my idea of a beautiful beast.” Jessica Ramer read the poem “Women with Blanket” in response to
the painting of the same name. “Ultra Light Beam #6” by Taylor LeBlanc inspired violinist Luis Alfaro to perform “Partita No. 2, BWV 1004” by Johann Sebastian Bach. Chad Foret read his poem “Receded Figure,” which was inspired by Alex Townsend’s “Seated Figure.” More information can be found at usm.edu/visual-arts.
Southern Miss hosts 50th annual children’s book festival HIBA TAHIR
entertainment editor On April 5 - 7, The University of Southern Mississippi hosted its 50th annual Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival in the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus. The Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival drew an attendance of several-hundred participants and included “teachers, librarians and media specialists from the tri-state (MS, LA, AL) area,” according to director Karen Rowell in a recent Southern Miss Now interview. “The highlight [of the festival] is the presentation of The University of Southern Mississippi Medallion, which is awarded to an author or illustrator for his or her body of work,” said Rowell in the interview. “This year’s Medallion winner is Kate DiCamillo, best known for her award-winning books ‘Because of Winn-Dixie,’ ‘The Tale of Despereaux’ and ‘Flora and Ulysses.’” Rowell said DiCamillo is “an absolute force of nature.” “Her works send a message of hope amid impossible circumstances, something I believe has a positive influence on both children and adults,” Rowell said. USM president Rodney Bennett introduced DiCamillo before her
keynote address. “It is my distinct privilege to present The University of Southern Mississippi Medallion to an author known for her powerful and inspiring literary work,” Bennett said before launching into a listing of DiCamillo’s literary accomplishments, including Newbery Medals, the Newbery Honor, the Boston Globe Horn Book Award and the Theodor Geisel Medal. “Her books have been called captivating, triumphant, charming, hilarious and moving,” Bennett. “Her characters’ hope-filled journeys have worked their way into the hearts of children and into the hearts of parents and teachers and into the hearts of librarians, earning her critical acclaim for her ability to create universal messages that extend to each of us, no matter our age.” DiCamillo began her address with personal stories that explained her love for reading and writing. “I am old enough now that I’m beginning to see the shape of my life, the story of it,” DiCamillo said. The 53-year-old discussed plagiarizing a story in the third grade and learning, from the resulting praise, a lesson that continued to impact her for the rest of her life.
“I learned that if I told a story, I could become for a short while the center of attention,” DiCamillo said. “Worse, I learned that a story welltold could cast a potent enough spell to make my wildest wishes come true. Telling a story could make an absent, much-missed father suddenly appear. I learned that stories were power, and without even realizing it, I internalized that knowledge.” After graduating from college, DiCamillo began working at a greenhouse. There, she said learned another important and humbling lesson when she was forced to work with colleagues from much different backgrounds, though she did not realize it until several years later. “I talked about writing, and dreamed about becoming a writer, and told people I was a writer for almost eight years after that incident,” DiCamillo said. “I didn’t commit to writing until I was almost 30 years old, and by then, life had broken me enough that I was able to look at the tender place in myself, and the tender broken places in others.” She said this incident inspired her first book, “Because of WinnDixie.” “Writing ‘Because of WinnDixie’ changed me,” DiCamillo said. “It changed my heart, and it
Abhiskek KC | Printz Children’s Book Festival participants crowd in the Thad Cochran center at USM, hosted April 5 - 7, 2017.
changed my life and it changed how I thought about writing. I learned that writing is not about power. It is not about being seen. I learned that writing is a way to see. More, it is a way to connect.” DiCamillo then related a few of those connections, particularly with young children who identify with her tales of growing up with a
mostly-absent father. She ended her speech to applause and a questionand-answer session. Writers Kwame Alexander, Louise Borden, Bryan Collier, Pete Hauptmann, Wendell Minor, Pat Mora, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and Andrea Davis Pinkney served as this year’s keynote speakers in addition to DiCamillo.
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FEATURE MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
Gallery: Pinwheel Garden planting CARLY SNYDER
printz reporter
The Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center of Hattiesburg partnered with Kappa Delta sorority, the BSW club, Phi Alpha Honor Society and the Student Association of Social Workers to set up a pinwheel garden at the front of Fritzche-Gibbs Hall on April 9. There are 366 blue pinwheels in the garden, and each represent a child that has gone through the care of Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center, while the two colored pinwheels represent the two children that have died while in their care.
Carly Snyder | Printz
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ENTERTAINMENT MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
with | ashley hobson On March 27, The Student Printz published an issue a dedicated to the reported sexual assault that occurred on USM’s campus. This edition included police reports, a letter to the editor and a response from the Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Burke. The release of this edition caused the normally quiet atmosphere of our campus to stir, with students voicing concern, opinions and outrage from both sides of the matter. As throngs of students took to social media to voice their concerns, one particular post stood out to me personally. The Facebook post, written by USM junior Benjamin
Luckett, said: “Due to a recent news article, letters written to the Student Printz, and events that occurred last semester, I felt the need to reveal what I will be doing next semester,” Luckett said. “You may or may not know this, but I am a Campus at Large Senator for USM (surprise!) and I will be working on passing legislation towards the reshaping of how the university educates its students on sexual assault, harassment and alcohol. “I will also be working very close to our Title IX Office on campus; I plan to focus on (among other things) reaching out to students about this resource that handles sexual
USM Student takes action against sexual assault misconduct cases and hopefully I will be surveying the student population as well.” Luckett will graduate at the end of his senate term with a degree in communication studies with a minor in sociology. He will also be serving on the 2017 - 2018 Southern Style team. He’s also a part of USM’s Concert and Men’s Choir. I sat down with Luckett this past week to unpack what he expects to bring to USM and how exactly he plans to do it. When you first meet Luckett, you notice something about him – you’re just not sure what it is yet. As you get to know him, you realize that
you’re not just speaking with another student. Instead, you’re speaking with a gentleman who genuinely cares about USM. As we talked about what he plans to do, I learned that sexual assault education was on his mind long before any police reports were released. “I ran for senator with the platform of sexual assault education,” Luckett said. “I had some friends that encouraged me to run [for Senate], and really I just wanted to run so I could campaign. Now I’m here – now I’m going to do something with it.” Luckett’s proposed legislation focuses on bringing more sexual assault education to students. This spans from teaching students what actions could be perceived as assault and educating students on the resources available to survivors of assault. One may wonder why USM has not already put educational materials on such “misconduct” in front of its students. The answer is simply that they have, but it is not enough. Currently, all new students must complete a program through Workplace Answers. The material covered in the modules includes sexual assault, harassment, bullying and alcohol. The problem is that students skip through it, and no one retains it. “We need something more extensive,” Luckett said.
What would Lucketts’s approved legislation look like? Students would attend a series of lectures, training sessions and classroom environment learning experiences in which they would learn what sexual harassment is and its various forms. Luckett said that the more we put the information in front of students, the more likely they will be to retain it. “One in four women on campus get assaulted, and that’s just the statistics we have from those that report it,” Luckett said. “They could report it the night it happened or months later.” There is a gap where we need to educated students not just on prevention, but on the proper steps to take after to ensure justice; as well as how the University handles sexual misconduct cases, and even what the Title IX Office is for. “All this information is out there, but we need to know how to best get it into the hands of the student’s – that’s where the lecture comes in,” Luckett said. Luckett, along with other students, will officially begin his senate term later this semester. He will be working closely with the Title IX coordinator and his fellow senators to ensure this is something that best serves USM, to ensure it is something that will best serve us. *Students wishing to voice opinions, comments or concerns can contact him at Benjamin.luckett@usm.edu.
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OPINION MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
Pepsi’s tone-deaf commercial unites Internet TICHINA WILSON
printz reporter
Pepsi is taking a lot of heat for its latest commercial. The ad features reality star and model Kendall Jenner. Pepsi’s intentions were to have people unite and “join the conversation”, which indeed was accomplished. The twominute, 39-second short film definitely provoked conversation about Pepsi’s tone deafness and being “unwoke.” In the ad, Jenner throws off her blond wig while leaving a photoshoot to join a protest. After sharing some nods and fist pumps with her fellow protestors, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star manages to bring everyone together by handing a cop a Pepsi. Social media warriors felt as though the message was clear. All the Women’s Marches, Black Lives Matter protests and the many
demonstrations outside Trump Tower would have been much more effective if someone had happened to have a soda on hand – specifically a Pepsi. As suspected, the Internet went wild. Within approximately 48 hours, the video received more than one million views on YouTube and social media users voicing their distaste for the video. Many pointed out the idea of using protest imagery to spike soda sales was pretty tasteless in itself. This is rather noteworthy due to the fact that the Internet rarely agrees on anything. For years, conversation online has brought out the best and worst in people. Or should I say it’s exposed who people really are and what they believe in? But this ad, with its effortlessly cool politically aware millennials in colorcoordinated denim outfits, was the one thing everyone agreed to oppose. A simple Twitter search for “Pepsi”
shows that virtually no one is coming to the commercial’s defense. It is no surprise that the company opted to pull the ad only one day after being posted. “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding,” Pepsi said in a statement in response to viewers and Kendall Jenner. “Clearly we missed the mark and apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue.” It’s hard to believe they weren’t “trying to make light of a serious issue” when a major issue that impacted the country was the storyline. But of course, an ice cold drink was there to save the day. So, Pepsi, if you weren’t trying to make light of a serious issue, were you trying to make money off a serious issue and include Pepsi as a means of distraction? Then hopefully everyone would buy Pepsi and we would all sit together and sing “Kumbaya?” Just asking for a friend. Pepsi is guilty of minimizing the danger protesters encounter and the
frustration they feel. At first Pepsi said in a statement that the ad, which was produced by an in-house studio, “captures the spirit and actions of those people that jump in to every moment.” Many felt the ad only showed that they were tone-deaf. Along with those who believed this was Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King. “If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi,” @ BerniceKing tweeted under a blackand-white photo of her famous father being manhandled by police. The image of Jenner approaching a line of police officers was compared to Reuters photojournalist Johnathan Bachman’s award-winning photo of Ieshia Evans, a black woman who stood firm while being charged by riot police during a protest against police brutality in Baton Rouge, La., in July 2016. Although Jenner has attempted to lay low in the wake of the controversy, a source told PEOPLE Magazine that the reality star is “very upset” and
“feels terrible” about the backlash. “To get a Pepsi gig was a big deal,” the insider said. “She was very excited. She never expected it to receive such backlash. She hopes people understand that she wasn’t involved in the creative process.” Although Jenner claimed to not be part of the creative process, she did know what she was doing. This is very comparable to doing various photoshoots she’s accustomed to. You know what you’re going to wear, where you’d be shooting and the designers’ vision. So in this case, Jenner knew what she was walking into; therefore, she must’ve not seen anything wrong with the short film. In the end, how old do you have to be to take responsibility for your actions? Well, hey, on the bright side, at such a stressful and divided time in the country, for a two-day span, Pepsi did manage to bring us together – black, white, old, young – in a united from over the amazing awfulness of one commercial.
Whitewashing: Film industry erases identity ALYSSA BASS
printz reporter
With the release of movies like “Death Note,” “Ghost in the Shell,” “Aloha,” “Doctor Strange” and many others that portray white actors in Asian-American roles, whitewashing in the film industry has become a trendy topic to discuss. Asian-Americans deserve to have their stories told by AsianAmerican actors, producers and directors. It is extremely frustrating to have to write that sentence in 2017, but my frustration will never compare to the frustration of AsianAmerican actors constantly being overlooked and Asian-American audiences feeling invisible. According to the New York Times, Asian-Americans make up 5.4 percent of the population. Yet according to a study by the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in
2016, only one out of 20 speaking roles go to Asian-Americans, and they are given only one percent of lead roles in film. Unsurprisingly, white actors account for 76.2 percent of lead roles, including the ones they do not deserve. Take for example the 2016 film “The Great Wall,” starring Matt Damon. Damon plays a European mercenary soldier who ends up saving China from monsters near the Great Wall. While the movie is directed by Chinese director Zhang Yimou and has a decent amount of Asian actors – a ploy to undoubtedly appeal to Chinese audiences in addition to American audiences – the movie serves to reinforce white savior ideology. In a rant on Twitter, Constance Wu, star on ABC’s show “Fresh Off the Boat,” voiced her frustrations over the casting. “We have to stop perpetuating the myth that only a white man can save the world,” she wrote. “It is not
based in actual fact. Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies one time. “If white actors are forgiven for having a box office failure once in a while, why can’t a POC sometimes have one?” Wu’s question is warranted. Scarlett Johansson’s participation in the new movie “Ghost in the Shell” corroborates the fact that Asian-Americans are being deliberately erased in Hollywood. “Ghost in the Shell” is based on a Japanese anime series of the same name. Johansson plays the role of Major Motoko Kusanagi, whose name is reduced to “Major” in the film for the sake of Americans being able to pronounce it, and therefore, a subtle whitewashing act. Kusanagi is a cybernetic being housing the brain of a dead Japanese woman. continued on page 7
OPINION MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
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Whitewashing: Film industry erases identity continued continued story Because Johansson’s character is fascinating due to her not being a real human being, Johansson and the publisher of the anime used that as an excuse for Johansson being casted. Johansson called her character “identity-less,” and the spokesperson for Kodansha and the publisher of “Ghost in the Shell” Sam Yoshiba told The Hollywood Reporter, “She has the cyberpunk feel. And we never imagined it would be a Japanese actress in the first place.” Why Kodansha had a limited imagination and an insensitive attitude for fans who had dreamed to see a badass Japanese actor dominate an overwhelmingly white film industry, I do not know. What I do know is that the movie failed at the box office, earning a mere $19 million during its opening weekend in compared to its $110 million dollar budget. Paramount Distribution Chief Kyle Davies told CBC News that the announcement of Johansson’s casting in 2014 severely hurt the film’s chances of doing well. I was given valuable perspective when I read The Hollywood Reporter’s conversation with several Asian actresses and producers discussing the failed movie. Specifically, I learned why Asian creatives freely allow for their work to be Americanized. Sea of Trees actress Ai Yoshihara offered a terse explanation. “People in Japan worship white
Courtesy | people,” she said. Yoshihara’s statement makes extreme sense to me as I recall my Asian-American friends telling me stories about Asia’s obsession with the western world, more specifically, its obsession with white beauty. Stage actor and writer Traci Kato-Kiriyama and Gilmore Girls
and 13 Reasons Why actress Keiko Agena elaborated. “Even in the story, there are Japanese people involved in creating these beings and they also may very well see the ideal human being as a white woman,” Kato-Kiriyama said. “It reinforced my own messed up standards of physical beauty,” Agena said.
Notably, none of these Asian women would feel this way if the film’s producers had stuck to the “script” and given the role of Major to an Asian actress. The fact that Asian creatives are so willing to give away their work and that American actors like Johansson – along with. Nat Wolf in “Death Note,” Emma Stone
in “Aloha,” and Tilda Swinton in “Doctor Strange” – are quick to take roles without considering the damage they’re doing to the Asian community is sickening. I have found that the only ways to combat the lack of representation in Hollywood is to not spend money to see problematic movies and elevate the voices of those being affected.
Changing the conversation: Rape victims deserve autonomy, respect CAM BONELLI
executive editor
I was asleep. I couldn’t consent. I didn’t want it. I felt violated and humiliated by the experience. I was scared I had done something wrong – that somehow I had asked for it or that it wasn’t serious. I felt like there was no way that this could be rape. I didn’t report it. Someone I trusted, someone I knew and spent time with every day did this. According to Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, seven out of 10 rapes are committed by someone the victim knows and 44 percent of sexual assaults are committed by an acquaintance. Many victims feel that even if they used the criminal justice system to find resolve, their assailants would only serve a minimal sentence or no prison time. Instead of blaming the victim for not pressing charges, we should consider why these individuals feel scared or hopeless in pursuing legal actions. What needs to change is the stigma we attach to victims and how the
criminal justice system doles out punishments – not the victim’s attitude toward reporting the crime. People don’t want to talk about rape, period. When you tell someone you’re a survivor, you get flooded with sympathy or pity and are seen as less of a person, as if all of your dignity is stripped away from you the moment you speak of your assault. People begin to see you differently, and your identity has been engulfed in your victimization. I’m still powerful. I’m still happy and confident in myself. No one can take that from me – not even my assailant. I chose not to report my assault, but that doesn’t take away my strength or dignity. It’s difficult to gauge how many sexual assaults go unreported in America. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Special Report “Female Victims of Sexual Violence 1994 2010” suggests a mere 36.4 percent of sexual assault victimizations occurring from 2005 - 2010 were reported to the police. The statistics for men who report being sexually assaulted are drastically lower,
although one in 10 rape victims is a man. It’s not the victim’s fault for not wanting to report or press charges to find some kind of closure, and they shouldn’t be judged for their decision. According to the Maryland Coalition Against Sexaul Assault (MCASA), not all survivors find it necessary to report their assailants. “In fact, some feel that the criminal justice system revictimizes them in its process,” MCASA said in “Reporting Sexual Assault: Why Survivors Often Don’t.” “Some survivors find that the services provided by a rape crisis and recovery center or similar provider are the only services they feel comfortable pursuing.” MSACA’s report suggested survivors cite fear of reprisal, fear of the stigma of being a sexual assault victim, personal matters, belief that the police wouldn’t do anything to help, humiliation and fear of lack of evidence for not reporting an assault. Sometimes the assaults that do get reported, especially on college
campuses, can take more than 940 days – the average length in 2014 being 1,469 days – for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to complete its investigation, according to Inside Higher Education. After being assaulted and dragged through a trial or campus judicial process that may possibly have no positive resolution, it’s not hard to figure out why survivors don’t report or press charges. It shouldn’t take this long to resolve a case for those who do decide to press charges or have their school investigate the incident. The survivor of the assault deserves to move forward and have their case resolved in a timely manner. If you are still unsure or feel that the victim is losing out by not pressing charges, I challenge you to change the direction of your question: Why are we blaming the victim for not reporting the incident instead of blaming the rapist for raping someone? We saw what happened at Stanford. Two bystanders witnessed
Brock Turner assaulting an unconscious person and reported him. Turner served three months in jail. Two people saw him do this. They chased him on bicycles while he ran away from the crime scene. The victim had to read about what happened to her in the news. “Why wouldn’t she or he want to report it? Why would she or he not want to get justice? What’s wrong with them?” According to the Rape Incest and Abuse National Network, “only six out of every 1,000 perpetrators” will ever serve prison time. Ninetyseven percent of perpetrators walk free, according to MSACA’s report. I recently spoke with an assault victim, and her words stay in that small space in the back of my mind that keeps me awake at night: “I don’t think I’ll ever be done healing.” Give survivors the chance to have a voice in their own cases. They deserve respect in their decisions to pursue charges, not revictimization.
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SPORTS MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
Southern Miss dominates FIU series early JULIUS KIZZEE sports editor The Golden Eagles took two out of three home games against FIU in a series win, accumulating a 10 - 2 conference record over the weekend that still leads C-USA for first place in the standings. The first game of the series went just as planned for Southern Miss, blasting FIU 15 - 4 on the strength of Matt Wallner’s four RBIs and a home run shot. The Golden Eagles were guided on the mound by Kirk McCarty, who struck out seven batters and gave up the four runs. “It’s big getting a win on Friday,” said right fielder Mason Irby. “Then, you put pressure on them. We don’t have to play with that pressure. Not have to worry about wins and losses – just do what we do and let that take care of itself.” That pressure was applied for the next game in the series as FIU deployed Kyle Myrick on the mound who only gave up two runs on three hits while striking out five batters. Even though USM was not able to get runs early in the game, the start of the fifth inning would spell doom for the Panthers as USM racked up two runs in that inning, then got a run in each of the seventh and eighth periods. “It’s a different game every time you play and you’ve got to find ways to win in other ways besides out-slugging people and scoring runs,” Berry said. “Tough ballgame. They came out but we just played a little bit of better today.”
The Golden Eagles were able to fight for a 5 - 1 win over FlU on Saturday, displacing any notion that they cannot win close games this year due to a lack of pitching. However, the mound work guided Southern Miss to the win. “Just throwing up zero’s for the team,” said pitcher Colt Smith in reference to his team’s bullpen. “We’re just feeding off of one another. I’m just doing whatever I can to go out there and help my team out and to come out with the win.” Despite winning games one and two in convincing fashion against Florida International, the Golden Eagles were not able to complete the sweep on Sunday, losing 10 - 4. “They did what they had to do with their backs against the wall salvaging the game,” Berry said. “We knew that going in. We didn’t do anything well enough to [sweep] against a team that was hungry for a win.” Nine different pitchers were used in the contest against FlU, as the Panthers scored in every inning but the first. Southern Miss had nine hits on the night, but left nine on base. “It’s pivotal,” Wallner said. “We didn’t capitalize on those opportunities and they really did. They got hits when they needed to. They did everything that we didn’t do.” Southern Miss will take on instate rival Ole Miss at Pete Taylor Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Adriana Garcia | Printz Shortstop LeeMarcus Boyd attempts to make a play at second base against Florida International on April 9 at Pete Taylor Park.
Brickley looking for shot at NFL career dreams JULIUS KIZZEE sports editor Six catches for 100 yards in his senior year of high school. One reception for eight yards in three years in college. These are not the eye-popping stats that NFL scouts are looking for when they evaluate a prospect to take a chance on in the NFL Draft. But you could not tell that to former Southern Miss walk-on receiver Shawn Brickley. “I would love to show teams my work ethic, my speed and my routerunning ability,” Brickley said in an interview with Chargers Wire on April 8 in reference to getting a chance in the NFL. “I want to prove I can actually contribute and play at the next level.” Brickley, a native of New Orleans, La., came to Southern Miss after only playing football in his senior year of high school. At Salmen High in Slidell, La., Brickley was not recruited and went to Southern Miss in hopes of playing football at the next level. He was afforded that chance in the 0 -
12 season under Ellis Johnson. The next year is when he made strides on the practice field, but not in an actual game. It was not until 2014, a year in which USM finished the year with a 3 - 9 record, that he would make his collegiate debut against then No. 23 Marshall Thundering Herd. But, he did not only just learn lessons from the gridiron at Southern Miss. “From Southern Miss I learned in order to play football you have to be mentally tough,” Brickley said. “[It also] taught me family, brotherhood and toughness. That’s it.” Not being able to get on the field can be frustrating. Brickley had a period of time where he wanted to give up his NFL dream during his junior year, but, he stuck with his dream. “Every time I fell, I feel like it ain’t doing nothing but adding field to my fire,” Brickley said. “It just made me play with a chip on my shoulder every time I go out there between the lines and play football.” continued online