SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 VOLUME 102 ISSUE 5
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News
SGA hosts Mental Health Awareness Week.
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News
Mississippi celebrates 200 years of statehood.
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Features
PRISM LGBTQ+ Recource Office opens on campus.
serving southern miss since 1927
Courtney Carver printz reporter
While the South is facing the peak of hurricane season, disastrous wildfires are burning more than 100,000 acres across the Northwest region of the United States. Thousands of people are evacuating their homes as more than 24 wildfires scorch Oregon and Washington. According to KGW, a Portland broadcast channel, firefighters from all agencies are risking their lives against the blazing flames in Oregon and Washington. “ Te m p e r a t u r e s remain sweltering after a historically hot and nearly rainless summer,” KGW journalist Sara Roth said. “A hint of rain in the forecast could dampen flames but brings added threats of lightning storms.” The largest fire is the Chetco B a r F i re wh i ch i s bu r n i n g near Brookings, Oregon. This fire has already destroyed at least half a dozen homes with approximately 9000 more in its path. “[There are] another 5,200 homes threatened by the Eagle Creek Fire in the gorge,” Roth said. “About 400 are under mandatory evacuations.” Not only do the Indian Creek and Eagle Creek fires threaten homes, but they also could threaten the water supply of Portland. However, the fires are not near the Bull Run watershed. “The city said the Columbia S o u t h S h o r e We l l F i e l d will act as a backup water supply if needed,” Roth said. The Eagle Creek Fire also caused 150 hikers to become stranded overnight and then had to detour 14 miles before being reunited with their loved ones. The Jolly Mountain Fire is one
Natalie Buckley printz reporter
The Hattiesburg Zoo will be receiving new animals and activities as a result of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission’s approved budget for the 2018 fiscal year. The Convention Commission also operates the Saenger Theater, the USO Club, the Eureka School Museum and the Oseola McCarty House Museum, all of which will also be receiving increased costs for repairs and maintenance. According to Executive Director of the Convention Commission Rick Taylor, John Kamper, the former owner of the zoo and park’s land, stated in his deed that any money earned on the land must go back to land. This means that if the zoo makes any excess money at the
Courtesy Photo reason that Seattle had ash fall it is threatening more than 4000 homes. This fire was said to have been sparked by a lightning strike. Freshman marketing major Kayla Price is from Tacoma, Washington, and her family is currently being affected by the Jolly Mountain Fire. “We are about an hour south from where the fire has started, and my mom was saying that the sun is a reddish orange. [The sky] is really hazy,” Price said. L i k e P r i c e ’s f a m i l y, U S M alumni Patty Mitchell has been affected. She lived the majority of her years in Hattiesburg, but she moved to Olympia, Washington in 2014 to be closer to her grandchildren. Her school district has moved all outside activities inside due to the air quality. “Anyone with asthma and b reath i n g c o n d itions cannot stand outside for no more than
an hour,” Mitchell said. “There are schools closed in Washington, but we are a little farther from the fires than some of those.” A c c o r d i n g t o P r i c e, t h e area around Jolly Mountain is under a mandatory evacuation. “My mom has been having issues breathing; she has mild asthma. There are a lot of people with severe asthma that are having issues breathing,” Price said. Junior industrial engineering technology major Thomas Harris has also had breathing problems. Harris is an online student and lives in Spokane, Washington and works at an aluminum manufacturing plant. “Personally for me, I’ve had asthma growing up, so I’ve had to go back to the doctor to get an inhaler,” Harris said. “If it worsens, I may have to call in to work.” Senior geology major Avery
Rosenbalm’s family in Sherwood, O re g o n h a s a l s o s e e n t h e results of the fires. According to Rosenbalm, there is mostly just ash everywhere, and the air quality is terrible; however, there have been road closures. “They had to shut down Interstate 84 for a bit, and they’re working hard to preserve natural features like Multnomah Falls,” Rosenbalm said. According to Roth, Interstate 84 was closed because surrounding re s i d e n t i a l a re a s h a d b e e n d e s t roye d by t h e f i re, a n d the road is covered in debris. According to Harris, Spokane has more smoke than Seattle, and a local newspaper reported that Spokane has the worst air quality that has ever been recorded in the city. “Everybody at my work is walking around with dust masks because there is a haze inside the
end of the year, the money must go back to the zoo. Because the zoo made more money than it costs this year, the commission will be able to spend $800,000 on a new “premier exhibit,” featuring an animal from Africa or Asia. One of the animals being considered is a giraffe, but the commission has not yet decided what the exhibit will include. “One of the things that’s important to us in operating the zoo is understanding what animals are compelling to people in order for them to come to the zoo,” said Taylor. “We have a lot of work to do to figure out what’s the right fit for Hattiesburg. Our space, the long-term costs, if this is a species we want to breed… if so, then what additional space do we have to build? If it’s a giraffe, we have to build a really tall building because you have to bring them in
at night and in bad weather. It would have to be a really big barn, and how much does that cost? Those are all the things we will be looking at in determining what the animal will be.” Although it may be possible a few years in the future, the zoo is unable to get and is therefore not considering rhinos, hippos or penguins. This is due to the extreme costs of the exhibits and consistent care, such as food and health regulation. Elephants are also not being considered because the zoo is too small to meet the regulations for keeping them. “I hope they save some money and get a penguin exhibit,” said junior Jordan Sanders. “Penguins are my favorite, and I think the money is a good starting point for a penguin savings fund.” The zoo will be expanding Africa, creating a new space for the lemurs
and servals and allowing for new animals such as hyenas. Despite the death of one of the tigers, Taylor says that the zoo probably will not get another tiger, partly because the tiger is male and would have problems with another male or would mate with a female and also because the Sumatran tiger lives in solitary in the wild. Along with the premier exhibit and expansions to its current continent divisions—Africa, South America and Asia—the zoo will also be creating a new continental section for Australia, which will include wallabies, emus and kunekune pigs. This October, the commission plans to open a new section called Camp Capybara, a space with firepits and room for tents for groups to stay overnight and visit the zoo, and add African porcupines and hornbills to the Africa section.
plant,” Harris said. “Also, you can drive in it, but your car can only filter out so much smoke, so you are still breathing it in.” Unlike Price, Rosenbalm and Mitchell, who all mentioned the reddish orange tint to the sun, Harris noticed that the smoke is so thick that the sun is not visible. “The smokes been so thick the last four days that you can’t see the sun at all,” Harris said. “Everything is white and bright, but you can’t see the outline of the sun.” With these fires, many natural landmarks have been destroyed. “I’m worried about the people there, obviously,” Rosenbalm said. “But it makes me sad because everywhere, especially the gorge, is such a beautiful place that inspires so many people to go out. It is going to be a long time before it is recovered.”
Around the end of October or November, Australia will open, including a wallaby walkthrough that allows visitors to interact with the wallabies. The zoo recently opened cabanas, so that people can rent near the splash pad and watch their children play. Long-term plans for the zoo are to move across the creek on Kamper’s land beyond the 12 acres that the zoo is on currently. “I’m happy that the zoo is doing well financially and responsibly using the money,” freshman Keegan Strickland said. “I’m beyond happy that it’s getting more capybara related things.” The Hattiesburg Zoo is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the zoo, visit its website www.zoohattiesburg.com or contact them at 601-545-4576.
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Bestselling author, musician puts on concert for Honors College Natalie Buckley printz reporter
On Tuesday, Sept. 5, New York bestselling author and musician James McBride, along with his band, performed odes to his book “The Good Lord Bird” in USM’s Bennett Auditorium as the first of the Honors College’s university forums for the academic year. Former journalist and 2013
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National Book Award winner, McBride has written numerous other works, such as novels “Song Yet Sung” and “The Color of Water.” His book “The Good Lord Bird” is fiction based on fact about white abolitionist John Brown, who led a raid in Harper’s Ferry, VA in 1859. Told in the voice of a 10-year old slave boy kidnapped by Brown, the novel narrates the events before and after the raid at Harper’s Ferry and provides an insider’s view of
Brown, his plans and his beliefs. The attack at Harper’s Ferry, according to McBride, is the same caliber as attacking the Pentagon today, making what Brown did more significant than if he would have raided somewhere else. McBride said the story of John Brown fascinated him because of the role that religion had on his racial views and on Brown’s belief that God wanted him to end slavery. “In a story about the civil war
regarding slaves, you expect it to be mostly from the slaves’ point of view, but [the book] took a twist when coming from John Brown,” said Amoy Cooper, a junior theatre major from Jamaica. “It is interesting to see how different it is coming from someone who wants to spread a movement regardless of what others like him are doing.” McBride read excerpts of the book, and in between readings, he and his
band performed gospel hymns that coincided with the message of the book and the spirituality of Brown. “It reminded me of my childhood where my family would go to backyard bluegrass revivals,” said Leah Barton, a junior from Pontotoc, MS. In light of recent national events, McBride also expressed his love and appreciation for the diversity of the audience, including the LGBTQ community and immigrants, while speaking of his book and the subject of race. The Good Lord Bird Band consists of saxophone, piano, drums, bass, cello and guitar. The band sang blues and jazz versions of songs such as “He Walks with Me (In the Garden)” and “John Brown’s Body.” “Each band member brought something unique and extraordinary to the mini-concert,” said Senior Helene Tavormina from Louisiana. “Each had a distinct personality, which I thoroughly enjoyed watching.” McBride and the band concluded with their opening song, “Glory, Glory,” in which the audience joined in singing and clapping to the beat. “…[The] forum was like no other I had experienced,” said Junior Advertising Major Sara Clitchens from Tutwiler, MS. “Just hearing the plot and some details from the book…I want to go and purchase the book and read it for myself.” The Honors College hosts university forums on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the fall and spring semesters. The next forum will be “Undocumented,” featuring Princeton University Professor and Undocumented Immigrant Dan-el Padilla Peralta, on October 24 in Bennett Auditorium.
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SGA hosts Mental Health Awareness Week from Sep. 11 - 15 Sierra Wood printz reporter
This week SGA is hosting a series of events for Mental Health Awareness Week on campus for all students. Adjusting to college life can be difficult, regardless of what year you are in, and SGA wants to make certain that students know they are not alone. The events, which started Monday, will last until Friday. They include a showing of the film, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a Balloon Release at the Fountain, a Yoga Night, and on Friday there will be a free Screening for Depression done by the Moffitt Health Center. “Mental health is so important to talk about because there is such a stigma surrounding mental health topics, yet so many of us struggle with [it],” said Lauren Parker, a Junior Psychology major. Parker serves on the SGA and has helped coordinate this week’s events. “[According to the CDC,] one in four American adults suffer from a mental illness, and three-fourths of all mental illnesses develop by the age 25. That means, that 25 percent of us are dealing with those
problems on top of normal college stressors. Mental Health Awareness Week was created to open a dialogue surrounding mental health and really put it out there in the open so that no one suffers in silence. My hope is that the conversation continues past just this week and that students will walk away with the knowledge that hope and help are real.” This week’s events to raise Mental Health Awareness are crucial because mental illness affects so many of us. Even if a mental illness does not affect you, with a statistic like one in four, chances are it affects someone you know. For this reason, students need to lose the stigma behind mental illness so that those who are struggling aren’t afraid or embarrassed to get the help they need. In recent years, mental illnesses have been significantly on the rise, primarily for those who are 18-24, the typical age range of college students. The stress that many students are under can be a trigger for illnesses like anxiety and depression, especially for students, like myself, who are far from home. For many students, it can be difficult to acclimate to
such a new lifestyle. College can be overwhelming with all that it requires of us, but it’s important to remember there are so many helpful resources at our disposal as students. The Student Counseling Services, located in Bond Hall across from the Thad Cochran Center, offers many services at no cost including: General Mental Health Information about illnesses, Mental Health Consultations to screen for signs of mental illnesses, Collegiate Recovery Community for students struggling with addiction, Emergency Counseling Services, and different forms of Counseling. According to the Student Counseling Services, all students are eligible for six free counseling sessions per semester. The Student Counseling Services offer couples counseling, group sessions, and individual sessions. “I see so much value in shining light on topics like mental health awareness, especially since college students are at a high risk,” said Carlee Welch-Dick, a Senior who also serves on the SGA. “College and life are not easy and we need to voice that. The events planned for this week are catalysts to start important conversations on our campus.”
PetSmart Charities to hold National Adoption Weekend Sep. 15-17 Trevor Ritchie printz reporter
Pe t S m a r t C h a r i t i e s h a s saved over seven million pets through adoption and will look to keep that number g r o w i n g a t a Pe t S m a r t n e a r yo u o n S e p. 1 5 - 1 7 . Pe t S m a r t p a r t n e r s w i t h Animal Welfare Organizations all over the United States four times per year to host National Adoption Weekends. From per sonal experience, I can say there is no greater joy than helping an animal in need find their forever home. Whether you like puppies, kittens, cats or dogs, you will be able to find it all this weekend. “ Pe t S m a r t i s p a s s i o n at e about saving lives through adoption,” Hattiesburg store manager Aaron Miscally said. “We want to support the local community by helping
Trevor Ritchie, Printz
them find their forever pet.” Many local shelters including Southern Cross Animal Rescue (SCAR), Hub City Humane Society, Happy Healthy Pet and Southern Pines Animal Shelter will be bringing pets that are both fee-waived, meaning it will be completely free to adopt, and pets with reduced adoption fees. If you are already a pet parent, it is understood than not everyone is in the market to adopt. However, you can still lend a paw. Whether it be through donations, volunteering or even just sharing a post on social media, you are able to be a part of their story. Animals all too often find themselves unwanted, ending up on the street at risk of death as a stray or facing euthanasian when finally rescued. It is pivotal that we help bring these pets off the street and help find them a home.
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USM Physical Plant and Gulf Park campus donate supplies to hurricane reief Lanie Leach printz reporter
One hundred and eighty billion. That number is the current estimated cost of the total damages from Hurricane H a r vey ’s d e s t r u c t i o n i n Houston, Texas is $180 billion. When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston last week, people soon realized how dire the situation was and that the people of Houston, Texas needed immediate help. The University of Southern Mississippi is no stranger to hurricane damage, or to lending a helping hand to people in need- as seen when they graciously opened the gates of campus to the faculty and students of William Carey University after a tornado ripped through their campus earlier in the spring of this year. Hurricane Harvey may not have directly hit Mississippi, but Mississippi did receive tailwinds of it. After Harvey made landfall in Texas, tor nados began swar ming around USM’s Hattiesburg campus on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, while USM’s Gulf Park campus was also dealing with Hurricane Harvey’s tailwind wrath. After dealing with the damage Hurricane Katrina caused in 2005, the Gulf Park campus understood how in dire need of help Houston, Texas was. USM’s Gulf Park campus partnered with the city of Long Beach, Mississippi to collect
donations for the Harvey relief fund. So far, they have collected food, water, baby items and cleaning supplies and will continue to collect items for the next few weeks. Many of USM’s departments in Hattiesburg also decided to collect supplies for donations to the Harvey relief. One of the several departments to collect donations was the Physical Plant. The Physical Plant is a department that’s mission is “to construct, enhance and maintain the physical environment of The University of Southern Mississippi in a manner that is conducive to the education, research, service and safety of our community.” They serve Southern Miss as its facilities maintenance arm. After receiving so much help after the tornado struck Hattiesburg, “we just wanted to pay-it-forward, so to speak, and help others in their time of need,” Michelle Shinall, Assistant Director of Marketing & Campus Relations, said in an interview. With the help of social media and mass emails, they were able to recruit the help of students, faculty, staff, and alumni members to help with their donations. Items donated by the Physical Plant included non-perishable food items, pet food, baby items, cleaning supplies, and so much more. They were able to fill the back of a large pickup truck with their donations.
Ashley Hobson social media editor
Mississippi celebrates twohundred years of statehood in 2017. According to the official MS Bicentennial website, the c e l e b r at i o n s o f f i c i a l l y b e g a n with the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration South on March 31 of this year. If you missed out on an earlier event, do not worry. There will be several more events throughout the year to honor “people and places, music and food, achievement in agriculture, science, and industry, sports legends, literary and artistic genius and more.” Mississippi was officially recognized as the twentieth state in the United States of America on December 10, 1817. Since then, the Hospitality State has continued to grow and expand. The state’s first inhabitants included the Choctaw, Natchez and Chickasaw tribes of Native Americans. French
explorers established the first per manent settlement in 1699. Ever since, Mississippi has b e e n a m i x i n g g ro u n d o f cultures, backgrounds, struggles and victories. The success of Mississippi’s cotton production in the first half of the nineteenth century set Mississippi up to become one of the many battlegrounds around the south of the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-twentieth century. Mississippi has suffered several economic and natural disasters such as the flood of 1927 which flooded three million acres of Delta Land across seven states, the Great Depression, the New Year’s Eve Snow Storm, Hurricane Camille, Hurricane Katrina and most recently the tornadoes of 2013. Yet each time Mississippi has been faced with adversity, its people have come together to rise again. The state has made contributions to agriculture, music, literature
and science (Mississippi is home to the John C. Stennis Space Center). The likes of B.B. King, E l v i s P re s l ey, E u d o r a We l t y and William Faulkner are just a few of the examples of persons contributing to the arts and hailing from Mississippi. More than anything, the bicentennial aims to celebrate the enduring spirit of the Mississippi people. To celebrate the bicentennial, the organizational board has arranged for events to take place throughout 2017 with the capstone of the celebrations being the grand opening of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on December 9, 2017. The Levitt AMP Music Series, an outdoor concert series in Hattiesburg which began July 7, was an event featuring Mississippi-influenced musicians as part of the celebrations.
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Special collections at The University of Southern Mississippi
September 14 @ 6 pm. Cook Library Art Gallery-Free and open to the public. Joseph Weinberg, assistant professor in the department of political science, international development and international affairs will present “Cotton, Catfish, and Cochran-Mississippi’s Place in U.S. Agriculture Policy.”
Mistletoe Marketplace
November 1 - November 4 @ Jackson, Mississippi. A three-day holiday shopping extravaganza featuring more than 100 merchants from across the nation. Each day features special events designed to fuel the excitement of the approaching holiday season.
39th Annual Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival
November 4 - November 5 @ Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Largest fine art festival in the state with more than 400 arts, crafts and food vendors set up in downtown Ocean Springs
Tree Lighting Ceremony
November 30 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm @ Kosciusko, Mississippi This event features lighting of the tree and Christmas carols on Kosciusko’s Historic Court Square.
Festival of Lights
December 8 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Kick off the holiday season at this spectacular event. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College-Perkinston Campus is transformed into a fantasyland of lights, music and holiday treats for the entire family.
16th Annual Christmas on the Bayou
December 9 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm @ Gulfport, Mississippi. Lighted boat parade begins in Gulfport Lake, down Bayou Bernard to the conclusion at the mouth of the bayou at Big Lake.
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Marine Conservation Club raises environmental awareness Ashley Hobson social media editor
The University of Southern Mississippi prides itself in offering “ ove r 3 0 dy n a m i c s t u d e n t organizations that enhance campus culture every day with their ideas, events, and leadership” according to the USM Student Life web page. These organizations range from religious to academics to societal impact. One of the many facets of life at USM is that students and faculty are encouraged to become involved in an existing organization or begin one to fill a gap that is felt among the campus community. This is how the new Marine Conservation Club began. The Marine Conservation Club is led by Malin Lilly, M.A.-who is currently a Brain and Behavior Science PhD student at USM. The purpose of the Marine Conservation Club is to “raise awareness of marine conservation.” The club utilizes a hands-on approach to impacting the environment for the better. MCC describes itself as “a support system for students who would like to change policies or spread awareness of specific issues that would make the community or
campus more environmentally friendly.” It creates opportunities for students to earn volunteer hours or leadership positions in an environmentally-oriented student setting while “getting out in nature, making a real difference to specific wildlife areas.” While still a fairly new club, it currently offers a few events every semester which range from canoe-river or beach cleanups, zoo volunteer days or educational functions. The next event MCC will host is the Black Creek Canoe Cleanup trip to celebrate National Estuaries Week. According to the Restore America’s Estuaries website, National Estuaries Week has been observed since 1988 to “celebrate the many ways we benefit from healthy, thriving coastal ecosystems.” This year National Estuaries Week will be observed the week of September 16-23. USM’s MCC will be doing its part by hosting the Black Creek Canoe Clean-up on Saturday, September 23 from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Canoes, life jackets, trash bags, nitrile gloves and other supplies will be provided by MCC thanks to a grant the club was recently awarded from Citgo and
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Restore America’s Estuaries. The clean-up will take place at Cyprus Creek (just a short drive from Hattiesburg) in an effort to prevent trash from washing into the Gulf of Mexico. You must RSVP to
this event. MCC is also planning Adopt-a-Spot clean up days for campus as well as movie nights. More information on these events will be released at a later time. If you would like to learn more
about the Marine Conservation Club, you can follow them on their new Facebook page, “USM Marine Conservation Club,” or subscribe to their email list by emailing Malin.lilley@usm.edu.
LGBTQ+ resource office opens on Soutern Miss campus Bradley Booth printz reporter
The University of Souther n Mississippi’s Office of M u l t i c u l t u r a l P ro g r a m s a n d Services opened a new space Sept. 12 in the Hub next to the Center fo r C o m mu n i t y E n g a g e m e n t called the PRISM LGBTQ+ Resource Of fice. T he center came about as an initiative to broaden the scope of USM’s Office of Multicultural Programs and Services to other students and minority groups on campus. The PRISM office will be a place for LGBTQ+ students and their allies to congregate a n d g e t va l u a bl e re s o u rc e s. It will hopefully ensure that every student at Southern Miss feels like they belong to an accepting campus community. Valencia Walls is the coordinator of the Office of Multicultural P ro g r a m s a n d S e r v i c e s a n d has been instrumental in the new space being created. She clearly articulated what it means for students to be a part of a campus community and why the PRISM office is a vital tool fo r o u r c a m p u s c o m mu n i t y. “Studies show that retention of students directly correlates to their connection with a positive campus community,” Walls said. “Having people you can relate to and connect with helps you and sets you up to be a successful student. The aim of student affairs in general is to give students a connection o u t s i d e o f t h e c l a s s ro o m . ” T h o m a s B u r k e, t h e v i c e president of student affairs, was directly involved in the creation of the Prism office and was able to ensure that it found a home here at Southern Miss this past summer. That is when Max Macpherson, a graduate assistant here at USM,
Courtesy Photo heard about the PRISM office opening and got on board with the project. Macpherson was thrilled by the project and expressed her excitement to get involved. “I heard through a friend that they were going to be opening a LGBTQ+ office on campus, and I immediately knew I had to be involved. I was very excited! I emailed Dr. Burke, and I then got started a week later and have been working on the PRISM office opening ever since” In the hopes of capturing what the larger southern miss community felt about the opening of the new PRISM office, the Student Printz created a public poll
on their Facebook page with the question “Do you support T he Univer sity of Souther n Mississippi having an LGBTQ+ resource office space on campus?” As of Se pt. 9, 90 people responded to the poll; 89 percent of the people who responded were in favor, four percent were indifferent or had no opinion and seven percent were against the PRISM office opening. With the help of polls and opening the debate for all opinions, LGBTQ+ students, allies and other members of our community can properly asses the cultural views of members of our Southern Miss community and
help us understand all viewpoints. Chase Wilson, a physics graduate student, expressed why he did not see the center as a necessity fo r t h e c a m p u s c o m mu n i t y. “An of fice that focuses on s ex u a l p re f e re n c e wo u l d b e superfluous and wasteful. There are already many ways for individuals to express themselves through academic studies and extracurricular activities,” Wilson said. Matthew Snellg rove, a f r e s h m e n f i l m m a j o r, h a d quite the opposite opinion and expressed how he thought the Prism office would be useful. “I believe the PRISM office
is a step in the right direction for the university. It exemplifies what it means to support minority groups and provide safe spaces for students who may need someone to reach out to,” Snellgrove said. The PRISM office has various events scheduled for this fall semester for all Southern Miss students that want to get involved on campus. Oct. 4-8 will be the centers Pride celebration, and Oct. 11 they will be celebrating national coming out day. Nov. 13-17 they will be promoting Transgender Awareness Week, and Dec. 1 they will be partnering with the AIDS services coalition to bring light to World AIDS Day.
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about Trump’s recent decision to kill DACA and with it, any minuscule shred of his remaining humanity. As someone who has decidedly (and unfortunately) not been living under a rock, I am well aware of the leader of the free world’s less-than-popular decisions. In fact, I’m currently working on a story about DACA and its possible end, and the effects of such an end on students at USM. While I was attempting to find sources for the story in question, I did not refer to it as DACA. I asked my friends if they knew any “dreamers.” “Yeah,” my friend said. “I dream. Haha.” It is necessary to note that this friend is not an unfeeling dust mop, but rather an uninformed, non-marginalized ally with no idea what works and doesn’t work in the way of showing solidarity for his marginalized friends. Unfortunately, there are too many of them. So I came up with a list. Here are things I’ve seen people do that I don’t feel achieve much in the long run. 1. Wearing Safety pins - what exactly, are you holding together? Fragile notions about the U.S.’s true colors? I appreciate the sentiment, but in the time it would take for a targeted person to locate a safety pin, they could be attacked. And couldn’t someone who means marginalized people harm also easily don a safety pin?
2. Constantly bringing up how much worse everything has gotten. Speaking of fragile notions about the U.S. true colors - your POC friends don’t appreciate hearing that things have gotten bad. They know. They’ve known all their lives. For them, it was always bad. It’s just more visible now, thanks to social media and the Trump administration’s blatant disregard for common human decency and its media “covfefe.”
3. Wearing hijabs I appreciate this sentiment. Really, I do. I think it’s great that you want to weather disconcerting stares and (let’s be honest) oftenunbearable heat in order to show your support for hijabis. But remember that at the end of the day, you are not a hijabi. You can return to life as you know it the minute you take that hijab off. You don’t need to risk being targeted in a possible hate crime, and I promise no hijabi wants you to. Non-hijabi allies are important!
4. Hashtags and profile picture changes Hashtags have been known to get things done before, but at the end of the day, they aren’t enough. Neither is adding a frame to your Facebook profile picture. Do both but don’t stop at them. Do more. Always do more.
5. Protests, marches, vigils, etc. Speaking of doing more, I love protests, marches and vigils as much as any other person and often attend them - but let’s be honest. If participating is the only thing you’re doing, you’re not doing much. Maybe after you march, you can sit down and write a couple letters or make a couple calls to your legislators. And then, if they continue to support harmful legislation, maybe don’t reelect them.
Students who wish to pursue a legal career will have the opportunity to meet with law school representatives and legal professionals during Pre-Law Week at The University of Southern Mississippi from Sep. 11-14 on the Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses.
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Donald Trump wields executive power to ban transgender military service Bradley Booth printz reporter
Donald Trump, our volatile and politically incorrect 45th president, has made many unpopular political decisions throughout his tenure, but future political pundits will be pressed to find an adequate explanation for Trump’s recent decision to use his executive prower to prevent transgender Americans from serving in the military. On Aug. 25, Trump signed a directive that reinstated the ban of transgender military enlistment and prohibited the further use of military spending for gender reassignment healthcare. As per the directives orders, the fate of transgender active duty troops has been left up to the Department of Defense and will continue to hang in the balance for the coming months. The majority of Americans agree that the right to serve one’s country is inalienable and guaranteed to all Americans deemed fit to serve. According to a recent Reuters/ Ipso poll, 58% of the American people think that the transgender community should also have that same oppertunity. Abram Elmore, a USM freshmen marketing major, echoed the opinions of the inclusive majority. “All Americans should be able to serve. The United States has always been a land of opportunity, and it should be kept that way. Being transgender should never be a reason to turn somebody down from a career in the service.” Though Elmore has stood by his belief in equality, Donald Trump’s rhetoric has created doubts in the minds of many Americans. In his initial public announcement of the ban on histwitter account, Donald Trump expressed his stance. “Our military must be focused on a decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical cost and
disruption that transgender in the military would entail” Trump tweeted Jul. 26. The white house has chosen to inflate a narrative that suggest transgender troops entail astronomical cost that are beyond reason, and this is the misguided talking point that has sank its teeth deepest into the American people. So, how “HUGE” are these medical costs? At the request of the Defense Department during the Obama presidency in 2015, The Rand c o r p o r at i o n re s e a rch e d t h e implications of transgender enlistment economically and structurally. Their findings contradict Trump’s tweets and directives. “There are an estimated 1,320–6,630 transgender service members in the active component, but not all will seek gender transition– Related Treatment. Active-component health care costs would increase by between $2.4 million and $8.4 million
annually out of approximately a 6.2 Billion dollar budget.” Says the Rand organization. The publication, Military Times, disillusioned many when they released a report that uncovered how much the Defense Department spends on erectile dysfunction drugs. “According to data from the Defense Health Agency, DoD actually spent $41.6 million on Viagra — and $84.24 million total on erectile dysfunction prescriptions — (2014),” The Military Times report stated. With all of this in mind, it seems transgender troops aren’t as expensive of an investment comparatively to other cost. Unfortunately, the politically distorted facts that a sitting president uses sometimes speaks louder than the truth. In terms of soldier readiness, the Rand organization, using the highest enlistment estimates, approximated
that “less than .1% of the force would seek gender transition-related treatment that would affect their ability to deploy and would account for .0015% of total labor year loss”; Whereas, “14% of the active force were ineligible to deploy in 2015 for various reasons.” Andrew Labarriere, a medically discharged member of the armed forces, also expressed his concerns for troop readiness and the motivations for Soldiers enlisting. “In the military, you need to be readily available for when you are called on to deploy. If someone wants to change their identity before they join, then I’m all for it. But, if you are joining just to get free medical benefits so you can change your sex, then the military isn’t the wisest choice.” Labarriere said. I agree; A soldier’s decision to put the safety of our nation before his own, is a difficult decision to make and should Donald Trump
Wields Executive Power to Ban Transgender Military Service not be taken lightly. However, transgender troops already enlisted that have completed their gender reassignment related care, successfully finished their training and have continued to serve our nation quietly with pride, deserve the chance to continue that service. Since, these individuals pose no medical cost, it would be purely discriminatory to discharge them on the sole basis of their identity. A ban of transgender troops bans every soldier that identifies as transgender, not just those that are in need of medical assistance. Golden Eagles, I challenge you to be compassionate and stand up for the transgender community and their right to bear arms for our nation. I challenge you to make sure everyone gets the chance to soar.
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Southern Miss throttles Southern University in route to shutout victory Thomas Turner printz reporter
Any thoughts of a Kentucky hangover for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles can be put to bed, as the Golden Eagles drubbed Southern University on Saturday evening. The Golden Eagles scored early and often in front of the 24,337 people in attendance. Southern Miss’ special teams opened the scoring when senior defensive lineman Xavier Thigpen recovered a botched Souther n snap in the Jaguar end zone. The Golden Eagle defense smothered the Jaguar offense, pushing them deep into their own territory before recovering the snap. T he f lood of scoring had only just begun for the Jaguars, unfortunately, as seniors Ito Smith Jr.(27 yards), Allenzae Staggers (20 yards) and T’Rod Daniels (49 yards) would all find the end zone, to go along with four extra points by junior placekicker Parker Shaunfield putting the Golden Eagles out in front 28-0 with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. “It was frustrating, losing to Kentucky,” senior quarterback Kwadra Griggs said, “losing always hurts, and we tried coming out and getting a win tonight.” The Golden Eagles had opportunities early in the 2nd quarter to put even more points on the board, but a Griggs fumble deep in Jaguar territory was
recovered by Southern, and a missed field goal by Shaunfield wasted two highly effective Golden Eagle drives. It wouldn’t take USM long to find the end zone again as Griggs found sophomore Quez Watkins through the air for a 26yard touchdown pass, putting the Golden Eagles up 35-0 heading into halftime. Souther n Miss started the second half off in the same fashion that they began the first, with a defensive touchdown. S e n i o r C o r n e l l A r m s t ro n g i n t e rc e p t e d Ja g u a r f re s h m a n quarterback Glendon McDaniel, and returned the ball 46 yards to the end zone to put the Golden Eagles up 42-0 with 14:37 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Shaunfield would close the 3rd quarter out with a 28-yard field goal to rub more salt in the Jaguars’ wounds and put USM up 45-0 going into the 4th quarter. “Our defense g ave us our momentum,” Daniels said, “They set up our offense. Our defense is awesome. Our defense is raw, and they’re so smart.” Neither team could find dirt in the 4th quarter and defensive battles took over as the Golden Eagle defense held off a strong Jaguar drives, in route to a shutout victory in front of the Hattiesburg faithful. S o u t h e r n M i s s t r ave l s t o Louisiana-Monroe next Saturday, September 16th. Kick off is set for 6:00p.m.
Kenyatta S. Ross, Printz Allenzae Staggers (15) catching a touchdown in the endzone.
Golden Eagles win one, lose one at Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic Grant Chighizola printz reporter
The Southern Miss volleyball team lost its first contest in four sets against the Oklahoma Sooners, but rebounded to sweep Nicholls State in three sets at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans on Saturday. Southern Miss won the first set against the Sooners by a score of 2927. Despite the early positive start, nine blocks and a combined 60 kills for the Sooners allowed them to win the last three sets by scores of 2518, 25-17 and 26-24, respectively. Catherine Repsher lead the Golden Eagles in kills against Oklahoma, while Alexis Coombs provided two solo blocks and five block assists for the team. Rachel Manriquez, Alyssa Enneking,
and Madison Drescher gave the Sooners a boost over four sets with 19, 18, and 11 kills, respectively. The Golden Eagles fortunes turned around in their second matchup against the Nicholls State Colonels. Behind 10 team blocks and 10 kills from Chandler Marshall and Alexis Coombs, Southern Miss defeated the Colonels 2517, 25-11 and 25-18 in three sets. Coombs also provided a boost with six block assists against the Colonels. Kylie Grandy added two more service aces to her season total during the matchup, giving her 19 on the season. Southern Miss will return to action against Southeastern Louisiana University on Tuesday, Sep. 12. The meeting between the two teams will start at 6 p.m. in Hammond.
Andrew Abadie, Printz Team comes together on scored point.
Homecoming elections will be held on Sep. 19th and 21st.