SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • OCTOBER 16, 2019 | VOLUME 105 | ISSUE 08
TALENT SHOW WINNER PG 4
DIETARY ACCOMODATIONS PG 5
LGBTQ EMPLOYMENT PG 7
Hood, Reeves square off in first gubernatorial debate Rogelio Solis | Associated Press
CALEB MCCLUSKEY NEWS EDITOR epublican Lt. Governor Tate Reeves and Democrat Attorney General Jim Hood took the stage at the Joe Paul Theatre Oct. 10 for the first gubernatorial debate. The first question brought up to Hood was his investigation into Reeves. Hood is investigating an accusation that Reeves pressured the state to build a road that would connect his house to a nearby shopping mall using taxpayers’ money. “As governor, I want to make sure that we take care of our kids and build roads and bridges. I’m talking about public roads, not private driveways,” Hood said. Reeves said the investigation was purely politically motivated and was an abuse of power. “This was an abuse of power by the attorney
general choosing to investigate his political opponent in the midst of campaigning,” Reeves said. Teacher pay, Medicaid, infrastructure, gun policies, medical marijuana, the state flag, minimum wage and vaping were topics of the debate along with personal questions. Hood’s individual question asked why he has not publicly endorsed any Democrats. Hood said he was taught to focus on his races rather than others. “When I ran for district attorney in 1995, my dad gave me some good advice. He said, ‘Son, you run your race, and you stay out of everybody else’s,’ and I have done that,” Hood said. “There are others on both sides that don’t endorse others. I will never get involved in other people’s races.” Reeves was asked why his opponent in the Republican primary and former Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller did not endorse him and not winning his home county in the Republican primary. “We have asked for the endorsement and
the vote of every single Mississippian,” Reeves said. The final question was posed by senior political science major Lauren-Hunter Gaudet. She asked what each candidate respected about the other. Reeves said he respected Hood for raising children while in a public office. “I respect the fact that he has chosen a life of public service during a time when he was raising his kids,” Reeves said. Hood had a different approach to the question. He said he respected Reeve’s ability to garner campaign funding. “He’s raised $11 million in campaign money, and he’s done it by giving away our tax money,” Hood said. “You’ve got to give him credit for it.” Reeves said the reason he has raised so much money for his campaign fund is that people are afraid to have Hood, a trial lawyer, as governor. After the debate, both candidates talked to members of the media, and Reeves was given a chance to respond further to the question. “The way in which [Hood] chose to answer
the question, that’s up to him,” Reeves said. “I’m focusing on offering conservative solutions to Mississippi’s problems.” Reeves said the winner of the debate was the people of Mississippi, but senior philosophy major Evelyn Williams said no one was the winner of the debate—especially not the people of Mississippi. “I don’t think anyone really won,” Williams said. “It was as if they were children attempting to blame one another on something that is irrelevant to what they should be talking about.” She said debating is about clearing up points and explaining why the debaters are correct. She said neither Reeves nor Hood did that. “Neither candidate showed why we—as in Mississippi residents—should vote for them other than pure identity politics,” Williams said. “It should not matter if someone is Democrat or Republican; policy is what affects us, so they should have discussed politics instead of arbitrary opinions.” The general election is Nov. 5.
NEWS OCTOBER 16, 2019 MEET THE STAFF Executive Editor
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Managing Editor
Olivia Saldana olivia.saldana@usm.edu
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Caleb McCluskey caleb.mccluskey@usm.edu
Entertainment/Opinion Editor Jack McCallum john.mccallum@usm.edu
Feature/Lifestyle Editor Karigan Teer karigan.teer@usm.edu
Sports Editor
Makayla Puckett makayla.puckett@usm.edu
Multimedia Editor
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Singletary aims to stand out in election KLARIA HOLMES PRINTZ REPORTER ne hour before the gubernatorial debate on Oct. 10 between candidates Jim Hood and Tate Reeves, independent candidate for governor David Singletary talked about his platform in Shoemaker Square. Singletary’s supporter Kiki Hardy, along with Singletary, was upset that Singletary was not allowed to take the stage with the other candidates for the debate. “The reason he’s not in this debate is because of the money spent – they want you to spend at least $50,000, which is a lot of money,” Hardy said. “As an independent, unless you have serious backers, it’s almost impossible to put that kind of money into a campaign.” Singletary said the bar for acceptance into the debate was too high and catered to the other candidates. “Now the major parties – Democrats and Republicans, they’ve got the money behind them, so they can afford the TV advertising and exposure,” he said. “When I have to have over $50,000 in expenses in order to be on the debate stage, then the odds are weighed against me.” Singletary’s conference didn’t go as smoothly as planned. Before the event started there were police officers removing signs. When asked to comment on why they removed Singletary’s campaign signs, the officers declined to answer questions. According to Hardy, this isn’t the first time Singletary has faced challenges in his campaign. “[One of the biggest problems] has just been the news coverage,” Hardy said. “I won’t call it discrimination, but by far, one of the biggest challenges has been the news and just having him covered.” Despite the lack of news cover-
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age on Singletary, Hardy said that Singletary does have support from people in the state. Attendee Jessica Pratt agreed. “I actually found him on the internet. I was looking for a change in the state of Mississippi because I’m tired of the Tate Reeves and Jim Hood regime,” Pratt said. “I was looking for an alternate candidate, and I found [Singletary]. I understand what he supports, and where he’s going, so I called him up.” Singletary, who’s known for his stance on the legalization of marijuana, talked briefly on the subject at the press conference. He said legalizing cannabis is much bigger than others think and would greatly impact many areas of the state. “Now granted, I am pushing the cannabis issue quite strong, but I’m talking about a $9 billion industry.
It’s created over 41,000 related jobs in Colorado. It increased tourism over 51% in Colorado,” Singletary said. “That one issue affects every agency in the state in that it will produce more revenue to fund our agencies with, which will include education, better roads, bridges and infrastructure.” Singletary emphasized that he is different from Hood and Reeves and wants to protect the average resident. “I’m doing this for the meek and the weak. You’ve got the rich, strong and powerful in the Cochran Center fixing to debate your future. I’m here to protect the meek, and the weak, and their rights and access to services,” he said. “God has blessed me greatly, and this is my way of giving back to my state and fellow man.”
The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not 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 submission 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.
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.
Comic by Darius Harris | Printz
NEWS OCTOBER 16, 2019
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Oath Pizza opens in Century Park Learning Center LAUREL THRAILKILL PRINTZ REPORTER ath Pizza, the health-conscious eatery known for its vegan and gluten-free options, celebrated its grand opening in the Century Park Learning Center Oct. 7. Samples of pizza, stress balls, shirts, fanny packs and more were given away to students and faculty who attended. According to the Eagle Dining website, “Oath Pizza features hand-stretched crusts that are grilled and seared in avocado oil for a crisp unlike any other. We are the first and only pizza brand in the country to be granted Certified Humane approval for our proteins and all of our ingredients are ethically sourced; with no chemicals, artificial preservatives, hormones, or antibiotics.” Oath Pizza also offers Beyond Meatballs, a plant-based meat alternative that is more environmentally friendly than real meat. Aramark marketing manager Lauren Brescher said the grand opening was successful. Brescher said the Century Park Learning Center was chosen for the location because there was a lack of dining options in that area on campus. “We met with housing and also held some focus groups with students who lived in housing surrounding this location, and they agreed that this would benefit them,” Brescher said. “We also wanted a late-night location that was very close to the residence halls.” Freshman exploratory studies major and resident at Century Park North Elizabeth Jones said she was excited about the grand opening because Oath Pizza provides a convenient dining option and a place to spend time with friends or meet new people. “I do believe this will be a positive addition because Century Park North residents always
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have to walk so far to get a meal in. So this will be a lovely addition so we all won’t have to walk so far, especially when we are tired,” Jones said. “I just can’t wait for it to open so that maybe my RA and all my hall mates could go and eat all together.” Senior business administration major Kaitlyn Myers said she is most interested in the healthy menu options Oath Pizza provides.
“I looked at the menu for Oath, and I am genuinely excited to try it,” Myers said. Oath Pizza has more than just pizza on the menu. Desserts, salads, breakfast options and sides are available as well. Some of the sides include cheesy breadsticks, Beyond Meatballs, apple slices and Miss Vickie’s Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips. Oath Pizza is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. until midnight.
Saturday through Sunday it will be open at 6 p.m. until midnight. Oath Pizza will also be added as a dining location on the Grubhub app, which students can use to skip the line and order ahead of time. The restaurant accepts bonus bucks, dining dollars, cash and credit card. The menu can be found online at EagleDining.com or on the Grubhub app. More information can be found at OathPizza.com.
Hattiesburg moves toward a cleaner and greener future MOLLY SCHRAEDER PRINTZ REPORTER he annual Keep Mississippi/ Alabama Beautiful Conference was hosted at the Hattiesburg Holiday Inn Oct. 10 and 11. The conference served as part of a growing effort to reduce littering and increase sustainability in Hattiesburg. Assistant director with Keep Mississippi Beautiful Neeley Jones said the conference centers around giving community leaders tools to develop programs and increase education initiatives to aid sustainability. Jones said Hattiesburg has moved towards being greener and creating a sustainability-based community mindset in recent years. The two-day conference brings people together to discuss what they can do to better improve sustainability efforts in Mississippi and Alabama. “We’re all fighting the same battle, so it’s very uplifting as well to see other people who have the same passion as you do,” Jones said. Chief communications officer for Hattiesburg Samantha McCain said the city relaunched its recycling program in 2017, which is aimed at educating citizens on recycling availability to increase recycling registration. Additionally, the city, along with its sanitation division, launched an anti-litter campaign in January. “The city has both a recycling program and a collaborative effort with Keep Hattiesburg Beautiful to
proactively educate the community about anti-littering initiatives and the benefits of recycling- from our youngest Hattiesburgers in school to our residents who attend quality of life events like Hub Fest and Live at Five,” McCain said. Sustainability officer for Hattiesburg as well as the Keep Hattiesburg Beautiful coordinator Nkrumah Frazier said community engagement is the key for Hattiesburg to move toward an eco-friendly future. “With litter, if we’re the only ones just trying to take charge of it, it’s always going to be an issue,” Frazier said. “If you can’t get the community to stop littering, it’s always going to be there. So, the goal is to try to change the community behavior to prevent the litter before it even hits the ground.” Frazier said every city is different and, therefore, has different needs when it comes to becoming greener. Since Hattiesburg has been recycling for a short time, Keep Hattiesburg Beautiful is largely focused on getting citizens on board for recycling and city beautification. “For Hattiesburg specifically, one of the obstacles we have is just trying to change the community mindset of not littering,” Frazier said. “It’s got to be a community-based effort to change that behavior.” McCain said she is optimistic about Hattiesburg’s trajectory toward a more sustainable future as the city continues to emphasize litter pickup and recycling availabilities. “While we still have a long way to go, we believe each day is an
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opportunity to do more because it’s the right thing for Hattiesburg and for generations to come,” McCain said. For Hattiesburg citizens who wish to
enroll in the city’s recycling program, the cost is $3 added to monthly water bills. Visit hattiesburgms.com/ recycle to register your home or to learn more.
FEATURES OCTOBER 16, 2019
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Dancer wins Southern Miss talent show MOLLY SCHRAEDER PRINTZ REPORTER outhern Miss students gathered in Bennett Auditorium on Oct. 9 to witness USM Has Talent. Put on by the Southern Miss Activities Council, the talent show was a part of Southern Miss’ annual homecoming festivities. Nine solo contestants and two groups performed to an auditorium full of cheering students. Contestants passionately read their poetry, played music, sang and danced. Despite the range in interests, what united all the performers was a love for their performance. “The talent show was a great opportunity to cheer on our fellow students as they performed acts they were passionate about. It definitely helped all teams come together as a family and root for everyone,” sophomore elementary education major Rebecca Sheffield said. Amid poetry readings, musical acts and plenty of school spirit, senior performance and choreography major Delarence Collins took first place with his lively dance number. “I’ve been dancing since I was 7,” Collins said. “I started within my church home, which lead me to want to pursue it in a wide range.” Collins’ passion for dance has followed him for most of his life. Originally from Chicago, Collins first moved to Mississippi in 2013 to be with his grandmother. He attended Mississippi School of the Arts before returning to Chicago, where he continued his dance training. In 2015, he returned to Mississippi and graduated from Jubilee Performing Arts Conservatory in McComb.
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At USM Has Talent, Collins performed a high-energy dance number complete with plenty of spunk, a costume change and a death drop that drove the audience wild. His long history as a dancer and his love for the art shone through in his performance. “With that piece, I wanted to show a variety of styles,” Collins said. “It started with contemporary, then hip hop, bounce line dance, jazz and vogue.” After watching Collins’ performance, Sheffield praised the act. “Delarence was incredible, and his performance showed so much range in his dancing,” Sheffield said.
Delarence Collins dances in the ballet studio.
Junior communications major Mar’Quan Lewis has performed comedy skits every year in the talent show. This was his first year watching the talent show as a member of SMAC, though he did serve as special entertainment with his crowd-pleasing song “I’m in Love with the Chicken.” Lewis said SMAC needed passionate participants like Collins. “It was just him and that stage, and he drew the audience in with him,” Lewis said. “Having stage experience, I can say he is the epitome of stage presence and performance skills. It’s always a good time when he graces the stage.”
Though dance is so prominent in Collins’ life, it has not always come easily to him. Like everyone, he had to work hard to get to where he is now, but the challenges have made his success so much more rewarding. “I took my first ballet class at Mississippi School of the Arts—it was horrible,” Collins said. “I felt horrible, I looked horrible, yet I loved every minute of it. It became my greatest love. Who knew something that challenges you and kind of embarrasses you would change your life?” Collins said that this experience is when he knew that majoring in dance in a collegiate level was the perfect choice. However, he said that dance is much more than his major; it’s his life. He currently works as a faculty member at Jubilee Performing Arts Center teaching dance to students K-12. He also dances professionally at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi as a member of the ILove305 Club. Collins sees dance as his primary way of communicating with others. With professional training in ballet, modern jazz, jazz and liturgical, Collins has plenty of tools for communicating with his audiences. “I think choreography gives dance artists the opportunity to educate, teach and heal audiences around the world. It can be about social justice, abstract work or personal stories,” Collins said. Collins hopes to continue dancing for a long time. After graduation, he plans to join a dance company that will allow him to travel the world doing what he loves most. “I feel that dance for me isn’t just a hobby. It’s my life,” Collins said. “I can be my fullest, unapologetic self and live my fantasies. When I dance, I fly.”
LGBTQ leader defies expectations KARIGAN TEER FEATURES/LIFESTYLE EDITOR enior English licensure major Jaq Jefcoat never had any transgender representation growing up, so they did not come out as transgender until after they graduated high school. “There was a lot of homophobia in my household, so it pushed me from learning anything about the LGBTQ community until I hit high school. When I officially started coming out, I came out as pansexual in my junior year of high school, and I came out as trans when I graduated,” Jefcoat said. Although Jefcoat’s identity was received well by their friends, it was more difficult for their parents. “My mom still struggles to accept it with the whole gender issue, and my dad refuses to acknowledge it. Anytime it’s brought up, he just changes the subject,” Jefcoat said. Jefcoat said this experience can be standard for trans people, especially in the South. Because Jefcoat did not have representation growing up, they make it a point to be visible in the community. In addition to being a fulltime student, Jefcoat serves as Southern Miss’ first campus ambassador for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. They have also been in a leadership position for the Genders and Sexualities Alliance for two years and serve as the university liaison for The Spectrum Center in Hattiesburg. Program manager for the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services Tegi Jenkins-Rimmer has known Jefcoat for a year and praised Jefcoat’s passion for serving others. “He has always been so helpful and readily available and accessible,” Jenkins-Rimmer said. “He is headstrong and very dedicated to everything he commits himself to. I am very proud of his
tenacity and passion for LGBTQ+ rights.” As the spokesperson for GSA, Jefcoat reaches out and establishes relationships with other student organizations, companies and non-profits. They also help plan events both on- and off-campus. “You have to find representation, especially in Mississippi. I’m one of the people that tries my best to be more visible and loud. We try our best to make sure that representation is visible for other students. That’s why I’m doing so much this semester,” Jefcoat said. Jefcoat said that they are not trying to be the face of the community, but they try to make sure that others are represented well. Junior English major Micah Graves is a member of the Sigma Tau Delta honor society with Jefcoat, and he praised Jefcoat’s service to the community in Hattiesburg. “Jaq is always a strong force of positivity and is always wanting to inform and include people into the LGBT community,” Graves said. “Plus, [Jaq] can pull off wearing rainbow any season of the year.” Despite Jefcoat’s pride in their identity, they still struggle with certain aspects of being trans. “The main problem for me is trying to socially transition. I have physical conditions where I can’t medically transition right now, so social transition is my number one thing,” Jefcoat said. Jefcoat said that their mom does not like for them to use their preferred name and pronouns on campus, so it creates problems when trying to explain the issue to others. “It’s hard getting people to understand that I may go by something else in class, but I prefer to go by Jaq, so it causes confusion,” Jefcoat said. In addition to struggling with social transition, Jefocat said they also struggle with the career field they want to enter, because there is not a lot of visibility for transgender teachers. Despite certain difficulties, Jefcoat said the community in Hattiesburg is really accepting. “They understand the mutual struggle of being in the South and in the LGBTQ community, so you
Meghan Fuller | Printz
Jaq Jefcoat shares story of coming out as transgender.
can almost always find a relationship and build a connection based on that,” Jefcoat said. For non-LGBTQ people in Hattiesburg, Jefcoat said that acceptance seems to be 50/50. “From what I’ve noticed on campus, there’s a few people that can be very against LGBTQ , especially that religious group that used to come on campus and yell at us. But at events like Pride, we don’t get a lot of protesters,” Jefcoat said. Jefcoat said that in order to better support the LGBTQ community in Hattiesburg, there has been an attempt to pass a non-discrimination ordinance. In addition to this issue, Jefcoat said that there need to be better medical providers for LGBTQ people in Mississippi. “There’s not really any good medical providers in Mississippi, for just regular check-ups and for transitioning. A lot of times, trans people don’t see
healthcare because of this,” Jefcoat said. Despite the overall lack of medical providers, Jefcoat said that Hattiesburg Clinic is more open to the LGBTQ community. They also said that there is a small clinic trying to open in Hattiesburg to help people medically transition. In the future, Jefcoat hopes that children can have better understandings of themselves without pressure from the media or from their parents. “I think that books, media and activism is a good start for providing that necessary representation, like Jazz Jennings is today,” Jefcoat said. Jefcoat hopes LGBTQ people will be more visible in diverse workplaces, especially in classroom settings, in the future. “People should judge us based on our skills and our strength to pursue our dream careers and goals, not our identities,” Jefcoat said.
LIFESTYLE OCTOBER 16, 2019
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Students discuss biggest fears KAYLYN JONES PRINTZ REPORTER n high school, problems like grades and securing a future seemed insignificant. Some students can remember thinking, “Why should I care if my grades are bad or if I don’t get into college?” Time flies by and suddenly graduation day comes—you hold your high school diploma and squint through a thousand camera flashes. Afterwards, panic and realization hit that you are unprepared for adulthood. You find yourself building connections, applying for college and signing away your life to student debt. Life become horrifyingly unstable and gives very little comfort.
Illustration by Lillie Busch | Printz
With this instability, fear can take a physical manifestation and causes stifling effects on the body and mind.
rely on financial aid to fund their education. Due to this reliance on outside aid, students fear that their loans and aid could be taken away.
of study, in addition to worrying about being able to continue her education because of certain certifications.
Freshman biological sciences major Robert Franklin deals with fear about being successful in the future, and he said his anxiety feels as if there is an elephant on his chest.
Freshman criminal justice and forensics major Roxanne Stockton said one of her biggest fears is being able to pay for all four years of college.
“[I am scared of] if I am able to get a good job afterwards. Not everyone who graduates get to get the job of their dreams, so I hope I’m one of them,” Stockton said.
“My fear is that I’m not going to score high enough on the [Medical College Admission Test] to attend medical school, and I won’t achieve my goal,” Franklin said.
“I don’t have much fear for student debt. It’s if the student loans are able to keep funding me. That’s what I am afraid of,” Stockton said.
Southern Miss alumna Emily Rasch knows the fear of life after you graduate and a life outside of college.
Besides worrying if their education will be cut short because of finances, the fear of the future creeps in. Stockton said she worries if she will be able to get a job in her field
“When I first graduated, I had a plan, but that plan did not go the way that I want it to, so I was more scared about what happened when I didn’t have a plan,” Rasch said.
Unlike most public high schools, college students find themselves spending thousands of dollars on their education, and many students
Although Rasch does not hold much fear about job security, she worries about human kind and helping as many people as possible. Due to her efforts to repair the damages in the world, Rasch often experiences the fear that her efforts are not causing real change. “My biggest fear is not be able to impact the world in the way that I want to,” Rasch said. “I want to impact and change the world, but it’s a matter of how I’m going to do it… but are other people willing to listen?” Despite their fears and uncertainty for the future, college students continue to push forward and do the best they can.
Dietary needs more easily met off campus MEGHAN FULLER PRINTZ REPORTER he restaurants and dining services on campus have been open and accepting to students with dietary restrictions. However, students find more options off campus. Senior special education major Anna Gail Welch has been gluten- free and dairy-free for a year. Her health issues and personal beliefs are what began her journey into the lifestyle she has today. Welch struggled with acne before changing her diet when a friend suggested that she should remove specific foods. Within two months, Welch began to see a difference in her skin as well as her health. As far as eating on campus, she has found it difficult at times when searching for a meal that fits her dietary needs. Welch accommodates herself by preparing her own meals. “While I do love going out to restaurants, some substitutions for items give an upcharge and do not taste as appetizing,” Welch said. Welch does not live on campus because of her need to prepare her own meals in a full, operating kitchen. However, the Fresh on campus allows for the accommodation of students with various dietary restrictions. As for ordering with a dietary restriction, she has some advice. “Don’t be afraid to tell your server about what you need with your meal,” Welch said. “You are the customer, after all.” Similar to Welch, senior communications
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major Hayley Smith has been gluten-free for two years after discovering a food sensitivity during her sophomore year. She finds that the best place in Hattiesburg for a quick meal is T-Bones because of the gluten-free bread. Smith said T-Bones is generally a good choice for those without dietary restrictions looking to eat healthier. As for eating oncampus, Smith finds it difficult to eat without a meal plan. “The food outside of the Fresh is expensive,” Smith said. “This is why I choose to eat off-campus to increase my options. If I had a meal plan, I would try
the Fresh.” Junior social work major Shelby Harris became vegetarian due to her own ethical reasons. The most difficult thing that she has experienced when eating out is being limited to a salad or sides due to the lack of accommodations in certain restaurants. “I mostly make my own food,” Harris said. “However, in Hattiesburg, the best restaurants for dietary restrictions are Papito’s, Qdoba and Jutamas.” Harris agreed that while initially difficult, finding food that fits her dietary needs is not as bad as one might think, especially in the Hattiesburg area. Harris said the
veggie burgers at Ed’s Burger Joint or Keg and Barrel are her favorite. Along with restaurants off-campus, Harris said Zoca in the Agora is her favorite place on campus to grab a bite. Many students have found that the access to vegan options in the Fresh have been a positive encounter when struggling to find a meal on campus. Along with many healthy options, the Fresh also provides a gluten-free waffle bar for those with gluten sensitivity. Students with dietary restrictions can find a few options on campus, but offcampus restaurants provide more options to accommodate their needs.
ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 16, 2019
‘Ghostbusters’ game welcomes players to ghostbusting WILLIAM LOWERY PRINTZ REPORTER Illustration by Alexandria Moore | Printz
hostbusters: The Video Game Remastered” is a treat for fans who long yearned for a third installment. For everyone else, it is a fun third-person shooter with a unique element in the form of playing as a person whose job is to catch ghosts rather than kill aliens with a big gun. For years, fans of “Ghostbusters” wondered if there would be a third movie in the beloved series, and after the passing of actor/writer Harold Ramis in 2014, the likelihood seemed lower than before. Fast forward to 2019, and there’s a third “Ghostbusters” movie coming out in 2020 courtesy of director Jason Reitman. Back in 2009, though, the third film of sorts was released in the form of a video game. Ten years later, and “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” has been remastered and re-released for current-gen consoles. Set two years after “Ghostbusters
II,” the game follows the paranormal investigators and their new recruit as they investigate strange goings-on in Manhattan. An explosion of psychic energy has resulted in a surge of ghostly activity, including the return of many familiar foes from the movie. With a script that features involvement from the original writing duo of the first two flicks, not to mention the involvement of most of the original cast, there’s a feeling of authenticity to this game that elevates it beyond the average licensed title. For fans of the movies, it’s a treat to see so many iconic sights and sounds, but it’s not all fan service. The story goes into new directions that expand upon the world of the movies in interesting ways. This is a video game, though, not a movie, and from the gameplay side, it’s a satisfying experience. As the unnamed rookie, the player acts as the guinea pig for all the new equipment the Ghostbusters have been developing. Using proton streams, shock blasts and slime blowers to weaken and trap ghosts feels great. It’s not just ghosts that gamers will have to contend with, and the game does a good job at mixing up the encounters over the course of the seven-to-eight-hour campaign.
Visually, the remaster looks similar to its original 2009 release, albeit with smoother textures and faster loading times. Some of the facial animations during in-game cut-scenes look stiff, resulting in an uncanny valley look to the characters. “Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered” is still a delight to play, but its biggest problem is its lack of replay value. Zapping and trapping spooks is fun, but after the game is finished, there isn’t much of an incentive to go back and revisit older levels. The original release of the game
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had both single-player and multiplayer, the latter of which is absent in this rerelease. However, leaders at Mad Dog Games have said multiplayer will be added back in at a later date. Though some aspects of “Ghostbusters” haven’t aged well, the game as a whole is solid. It’s a bit on the short side and could have benefitted from some added replay value, but it’s hard to argue with those problems when the rest of the title is so good.
‘Jexi’ represents everything wrong with modern comedy films CONRAD ACOSTA PRINTZ REPORTER on Lucas and Scott Moore’s “Jexi” is a film about a man who finds himself being controlled by a sentient, Siri-like entity named Jexi. While this concept works better as a mediocre SNL skit from 2009, a team of passionate actors, competent writers and innovative directors could still do a lot with it to create a decent, or even just bearable, movie-watching experience. “Jexi” clearly did not have any of these things. It fails in almost every aspect as a film and is reflective of all the worst elements of the comedy film genre. The boring, predictable plot is a prime example of this. The movie follows the main character, Phil, as he is forced to confront his fear of human connection by artificial intelligence on his new phone. He develops the typical shallow love interest and goes down the stereotypical path of becoming a better person overnight, a path that far too many comedy movie protagonists take. There is not a single plot point that is compelling or even unexpected. As soon as Alexandra Shipp’s character comes into play, the audience knows that she will be the love interest. When Jexi starts acting nice to Phil, it becomes obvious that the AI will develop an obsession over him, and so on.
These predictable plot points wouldn’t be such a big deal if the story wasn’t completely predicated on plot twists. The integrity of the entire story is completely derailed by the downright lazy writing. Since the plot is terrible, “Jexi” is forced to rely on compelling characters and impactful comedy to stay afloat. Unfortunately, both of these things are just as weak as the story structure. Phil, played by Adam Devine of “Workaholics” fame, is a complete blank slate throughout the entire film. There is not a single personality trait that a person could use to describe him, and the supposed growth that he goes through as a character is equally shallow. The only thing that changes about him is that he becomes less attached to his phone. Shipp’s character, Cate, is just as onedimensional. Her only purpose in the film is to serve as a motivator for Phil by being his love interest. She instantly forgives all of his creepy behavior and has absolutely no personality or character development beyond being Phil’s girlfriend. This is reflective of the tired trope of using female characters as no more than an incentive for the male protagonist, which is boring and slightly regressive. The comedy is no better, relying almost exclusively on pure vulgarity to pass as humorous. At first, the novelty of having a robotic AI yell profanities at a grown person is funny enough to function as a joke, but it gets old fast. When the entirety of a movie’s comedy is based around this
kind of joke, it becomes mindnumbing. Jexi, as a character, is perhaps the only source of comedy in the entire movie, but the writer’s repetitive use of the aforementioned style of humor renders her completely useless in this regard. This means that the movie practically has no real source of comedy as a comedy film. All of these things are far too common within comedy movies as a whole. The trend of having a bare-bones plot and shallow and uninteresting characters is usually explained as a way to allow the comedy to take center stage, but “Jexi” highlights the need to have something more to fall back on. Comedy movies should function as more than just a vehicle for jokes, they should serve to be competent films in their own right. This way, if the comedy is too niche, or just too simplistic and repetitive in the case of “Jexi,” the movie can still be an enjoyable experience. It is incredibly easy for comedy to fall flat, especially in the current social climate. Having an interesting plot and well-
developed characters can help the comedy genre navigate this reality. “Jexi” is a sad allegory for the current state of comedy movies with directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore of “Hangover” delivering a shockingly abysmal experience. The boring plot, shallow characters and ineffective comedy all come together to make this movie nothing more than an example of great artists phoning it in for a paycheck. The film is an example to future comedy filmmakers of what to avoid at all costs.
Illustration by Alexandria Moore | Printz
OPINION OCTOBER 16, 2019
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Divided Supreme Court reveals nothing new JACK MCCALLUM ENTERTAINMENT/OPINION EDITOR
t is sad but not shocking that something as fundamental as equal employment rights is up for debate. The recent Supreme Court hearings of cases involving LGBTQ employment rights reveals the amount of growth still needed from all people. The three cases heard by the Supreme Court, Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda, Bostock v. Clayton County and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC, Donald Zarda and Gerald Bostock, and a trans woman, Aimee Stephens, who claim that their coming out lead to their understand and stomach the gay males’ the trans woman highlighted both sides’ poor understanding. The casual disrespect much growth is needed among the justices. There seems to be this common thought that we live in an ultra forward-thinking world where LGBTQ people have all the rights they need. You would think that this idea of a liberal fantasyland died with the international elections of a number of farright leaders, but this myth is still being pushed out there. Straight Twitter users will lead you to believe that this is a queerfocused world where the queer agenda is alive and well as trans women are killed on a near-daily basis.
It can be easy to assume that the rightleaning justices would focus on hot button issues popular among Reddit users. However, it is slightly surprising to hear the amount of time Justice Sonia Sotomayor spent on these right-wing non-issues. It seems that Justice Sotomayor has a desire to learn more and grow, but it is still disappointing for someone who you view as being on your side to entertain these nonissues. So much of the time spent by the Supreme Court was talking about bathrooms. This non-issue is founded on the idea that those who are not cis-gendered are other and goes back to the historical stereotype of predatory queerness. To play into and entertain the bathroom debate is to entertain and play into these dated, negative stereotypes. As of now, only 21 states have laws that over their sexual orientation or gender identity. Not surprisingly, Mississippi stands as one of the states that allow people to get my own fears of losing a job as a gay man in Mississippi, the scariest fears come likely from the trans and non-cis workers. As was shown with how Stephens was treated in comparison to the two gay men, there is an made clear by the justices’ language makes it even more necessary for Title VII to include the rights of LGBTQ people. The whole shebang basically relies on sad world we live in where it is supposed to be celebratory that this case on equal rights has a slight possibility of going 5-4. Yet
Illustration by Kathleen Hetherington | Printz
another day where it seems that gaining sympathy and being a decent human being is a challenge for some. This case mostly just shows how much we all need to learn. Even those who might think they are on the right path need to step outside their comfort zone and learn more about those around them. This is not some queer-focused world like those on the
far right might lead you to believe. There is still so much work to be done. It should not have to be said, but LGBTQ people deserve equal rights on all and living in their truth. LGBTQ rights did not end with same-sex marriage. I do not care about getting married. I care about getting money.
Students should read instead of scroll LAUREL THRAILKILL PRINTZ REPORTER f you feel like you are seeing fewer books and more phones in the hands of students, you are not alone. It is not at all an uncommon sight to see a group of young people sitting together but immersed in their phones. It may be true that today’s youth read more words overall than young people ever have in the past, but there is a problem. These words are on a screen. They are reading fragments of information: a text here and a few sentences of an article there before becoming bored and moving on. Much of the so-called reading that students do today consists of jumbled scraps of information from a variety of sometimes questionable sources. According to research from the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture, teens in the 2010s spent more time online and less time with books and magazines. This might not be a surprise, but the decline of young people reading print media is especially steep. In the 1990s, 33% of tenth-graders reported reading a newspaper every day. By 2016 that number was only 2%. Statistics regarding books are similarly drastic. Reading books is now considered a chore by students. According to a survey from the American Psychological Association, one-third of teens have not read a book for pleasure in over a year. A common misconception is that students are watching more TV and reading less. According to the APA, time spent watching TV is actually declining in young people while time spent on social media is increasing drastically.
Nya Rai | Printz
Social media is taking over the way people live their lives. It is considered by many to be a faster and more convenient way of entertaining oneself. It to move on to something more interesting. ing increasingly shorter, books simply cannot comsit down and focus their attention on one individual task for more than a few minutes at a time, making
reading impossible. Studies have shown that the rate at which stuademic performance. According to a study by Pearson, students who read for pleasure develop a broader vocabulary, increase general knowledge Some might argue that students have more access to information than ever before. This is true, but it seems that this is not being taken advantage
of. Rather than reading about topics that interest them and learning about other cultures and the world around them, young people opt to spend the majority of their time online using social media. Social media has been proven to have negative cerning that it is slowly replacing reading. This is not to say that students should quit social media completely, but it might be in their best interest to pick up a book for a few hours.
SPORTS
OCTOBER 16, 2019
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Southern Miss undefeated in conference play JAKOBE SMITH PRINTZ REPORTER
he Southern Miss Golden Eagles (4-2,2-0 C-USA) took on the North Texas Mean Green (2-4, 1-1 C-USA) at M.M. Roberts Stadium for homecoming on Oct. 12. “We knew it would be a 60-minute game, and I am really proud of our guys and they kept fighting,” head coach Jay Hopson said. The Golden Eagles struck first on a 59-yard catch and go from Jack Abraham to De’Micheal Harris on a four-play drive. The Mean Green answered back with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Mason Fine to Jyaire Shorter on the ensuing drive. The next four drives ended in punts for both sides. The Golden Eagles scored again on De’Micheal Harris’ 60yard rush with 33 seconds left in the first quarter. The scoring didn’t stop in the first quarter. Both teams scored two passing touchdowns on back to back drives to open the second quarter. The Golden Eagles scored on a one-yard Jack Abraham rush to end the quarter. The Golden Eagles went on to score two more touchdowns in the second half. Abraham threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns, adding on a rushing touchdown. Wide receiver-turned-running back De’Micheal Harris rushed for two touchdowns and 103 yards while also catching one touchdown. Harris had five catches for 79 yards. Wide receiver Quez Watkins had eight catches for 198 yards. “It’s definitely helping us a lot, having a playmaker [like Harris] that can go out there and run around out there, run up
De’Michael Harros runs the ball down field to score a touchdown.
Michael Sandoz | Printz
the middle, run the side,” Abraham said. “A lot of the runs showcased his explosiveness, and it really helped out a lot.” The Nasty Bunch defense showed up for the Golden Eagles in key moments. Ky’el Hemby led the defense with seven tackles, one interception and a pass deflection that led to another.
“I thought we covered really well tonight, and [North Texas] just made plays,” Hopson said. “Other than a missed assignment, I felt like we covered well.” Time of possession was a key factor for both teams. Both sides had multiple drives that were timed under three
minutes. This caused both defenses to be on the field for the majority of the game. The Golden Eagles claimed the 45-27 victory over the Mean Green. Southern Miss will travel to Ruston, LA to take on the LA Tech Bulldogs on Oct. 19.
Baseball scrimmage offers three takeaways MAKAYLA PUCKETT SPORTS EDITOR
n the midst of preparing for the 2020 season, the Southern Miss baseball team hosted William Carey University for a fall scrimmage. 1. New faces With only five returning starters, the Golden Eagles have a rebuilding year set before them. The loss of key players at the conclusion of the 2019 season left significant voids to fill. Sophomore Will McGillis moved to first base to replace Hunter Slater. Freshman Dustin Dickerson donned number ten to replace Storme Cooper. Redshirt freshman Fisher Norris started in right field in place of current Elizabethton Twins outfielder Matt Wallner. Junior Brian Davis was behind the plate in place of Cole Donaldson who is also with the Elizabethton Twins, the rookie affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. In addition to true freshmen on the roster transfer students Andrew Stanley, Tyler Lantz, Tyler Spring, Connor Howton, Brian Davis and Austen Izzio join the Golden Eagles’ roster. Joining the Southern Miss coaching staff is assistant coach (hitting) Travis Creel and volunteer assistant Ladd Rhodes. 2. Strong offense Southern Miss had 15 runs for the first game. Matthew Guidry had a home run in the bottom of the first which started off the Golden Eagles’ hot streak. Guidry had a .297 batting average with eight home runs and 47 RBIs in 2019. Sopho-
Gabe Shephard prepares to throw a pitch.
Makayla Puckett | Printz
mores Charlie Fischer and Fisher Norris both had three RBIs for the first game. Fischer also had a home run, and Norris had a triple in game one. Although Fischer only appeared in two games in 2019, he had a .182 batting average, two hits and one RBI. Gabe Montenegro led the 2019 team with a .342 average, keeping him in the leadoff slot so far for 2020. Bowen, Wallner and Slater followed Montenegro on the leaderboard leaving
gaps in the Golden Eagle offense. 3. Depth in the bullpen Coach Scott Berry rotated through the Golden Eagles’ bullpen, giving each pitcher time on the mound. After his combined no-hitter at the Conference USA tournament in 2019, Gabe Shephard rose as a leader for the Golden Eagles. In 2019 Shephard finished with a 2.35 ERA which
was the lowest of the team. Shephard started off in the scrimmage for Southern Miss followed by Lantz, Drew Boyd, Josh Lewis and Tyler Spring. Lewis had a 6.21 ERA last season from the three games he appeared in. Southern Miss has qualified for four consecutive NCAA regionals, including the 2019 tournament in Baton Rouge, La. The team has not yet released the 2020 schedule.