SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • NOVEMBER 13, 2019 | VOLUME 105 | ISSUE 12
POST-GRAD EMPLOYMENT PG 5
BABY, IT’S PC OUTSIDE PG 6
REEVES: MORE OF THE SAME PG 7
Re-examining Hattiesburg’s history: Stories unknown, retold CALEB MCCLUSKEY NEWS EDITOR Photos by Caleb McCluskey | Printz
John Wesley “Wes” Fairley’s bronze footprints can be found outside of Bliss Bridal.
attiesburg has a long history involving civil rights, from The Freedom Summer, Kennard Washington’s denial of enrollment, Raylawni Branch and Gwendolyn Elaine Armstrong’s acceptance to Southern Miss and even Vernon Dahmer’s story of voter suppression. Before these stories, there was a man named John Wesley “Wes” Fairley. Fairley is not a civil rights hero, but he has a memorial in downtown all the same. Some have probably walked past his memorial a dozen times without noticing. Four bronze cast footprints approximately 14 inches long walk from the edge of the sidewalk to the wall of what is now Bliss Bridal, a shop at the corner of Main and Front Street. These are Fairley’s fairly large footprints, and they mark the first memorial to African American life in Hattiesburg even though they did not start with that intention. Southern Miss alumna Lisa Foster, who has a Masters of History with a focus on War and
Society, said the footprints, which were cast in 1903, have been a mystery with many people not knowing they even exist. “A lot of people don’t know about the footprints, and [people who do] don’t know they’re his,” Foster said. Councilwoman of Ward 2 Debra Delgado said she was born and raised in Hattiesburg and never knew to whom the footprints belonged, but she used to play on them as a child by trying to step from footprint to footprint. Foster said she is absorbed in Fairley’s story. Her research focused on Mississippi history and the Civil War, but her thesis was on confederate welfare. Although she currently works as a paralegal at Medley Law Group, she still researches his story. But who was Fairley other than an African American man with an above-average shoe size? According to Foster, he was born a slave in 1840 and was respected in the lumber industry before he died in 1918. Foster said he joined
the 74th Regiment United States Colored Troops during the Civil War and stayed a part of it until 1867. Foster said she learned about Fairley while working on a speech about the Confederate monument in Hattiesburg. She said his footprints are the closest thing to not only a Union monument but also an African American Civil War monument in Hattiesburg. Foster said no one can say for sure why Fairley’s footprints were cast, but that doesn’t excuse their importance to history. “[Fairley’s] whole story is really a story of South Mississippi and how we are so connected,” Foster said. According to Foster, she learned about Fairley through Charles Sullivan, a professor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston. She also said Sullivan learned about Fairley through a woman whose father knew him. Sullivan is quoted in two news articles between the ‘80s and early ‘00s about solving the mystery of Fairley’s footprints.
Foster said in the ‘80s, the City of Hattiesburg replaced the sidewalks downtown, and when they did that, they started wondering whose footprints were there. She said that local newspapers jumped onto the mystery, publishing stories about the footprints. Sullivan eventually learned that they were most likely Fairley’s, and the story ended. But in the late 2000s, he had to resolve the mystery. Recently, the Stone County Enterprise interviewed Sullivan about the markers in Stone County, and he brought up Fairley. “No one had heard of John Wesley Fairley, but I had. He was the most important black man of the 20th century and the late 19th century,” Sullivan said to Lyndy Berryhill of the Stone County Enterprise. “I had to do a lot of research on [W.P. Locker], but I had heard of him.”
CONTINUED | PG 3
NEWS NOVEMBER 13, 2019 MEET THE STAFF Executive Editor
Alyssa Bass alyssa.bass@usm.edu
News Editor
Caleb McCluskey caleb.mccluskey@usm.edu
Entertainment/Opinion Editor Jack McCallum john.mccallum@usm.edu
Feature/Lifestyle Editor Karigan Teer karigan.teer@usm.edu
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Makayla Puckett makayla.puckett@usm.edu
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chuck.cook@usm.edu
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.
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Mississippi stays red MOLLY SCHRAEDER PRINTZ REPORTER ississippi voters elected Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves as their next governor on Nov. 5. Despite Mississippi’s traditionally conservative history, the National Review called the race “surprisingly competitive.” The New York Times’ results show that out of 862,209 votes, 52.1% were for Reeves, and 46.6% were for Hood. Associate professor of political science Joseph Weinberg, Ph.D., said he believes Mississippi Democrats were more involved in this race than they have been in recent years. He said Democrats in Mississippi are more likely to show up for a candidate if they believe that the candidate has a shot. “He’s sort of a conservative Democrat, and Republicans were not particularly excited about Tate Reeves,” Weinberg said. Senior psychology major and vice president of College Republicans Roderick Jones said he is excited but not surprised about Reeves’ victory. He also said he believes Mississippians chose Reeves because he reflects Mississippi’s core values. Jones also said Reeves is forward about his beliefs and platform, and he looks forward to Reeves’ term as governor. “He won’t waver from his beliefs, but I think that he will do his part listening and compromising because I think that Tate Reeves wants to help all constituents, not just our conservatives,” Jones said. Though Jones and other college Republicans showed support for Reeves, many students at Southern Miss showed support for Hood. Senior finance major Tatum Cave said he supported Hood in the race because he felt Hood had better plans to represent Mississippi. “Jim Hood represented Mississippi and not himself, as I thought that Tate Reeves did,” Cave said. Despite his hope that Hood would defeat Reeves for governor, Cave said he just wanted college students to get involved and make educated decisions. Reeves won Forrest County 49.8% to 48.7%. But in other counties that hold universities, such as Ole Miss, Alcorn State, Mississippi State University, Mississippi College and Millsaps College, Hood won the popular vote. Weinberg said college-aged people generally are more likely to vote Democrat than Republican. He said the excitement of Hood’s potential for governor possibly made college students more excited and willing to vote Democrat. Weinberg and Caves said Hood’s more moderate liberal views made him more attractive to voters who typically would vote Republican. Hood stood on a prolife and pro-gun platform, making him more likely to be a Democratic governor in Mississippi. Weinberg said Hood was a candidate who made it likely for voters to cross party lines. “I’m not looking for a political party for a governor. I’m looking for someone who has plans and wants to execute those plans for the better of everyone. And that was, I think, what Jim Hood represented, and Tate Reeves just lacked,” Cave said. Despite it all, enough people voted Republican for Reeves to become governor. Reeves gave his acceptance speech late Tuesday night. In his speech, Reeves said, “This victory does not belong to me. This victory belongs to you.”
Charlie Luttrell | Printz
Southern Miss suffers from petit larceny BRIAN WINTERS PHOTO EDITOR etween 2016 and 2018, there was a total of 331 reported cases of grand and petit larceny on Southern Miss’ Hattiesburg campus. Freshman English major Max Menard had his bike stolen at the Math Zone Oct. 23. “I left it there overnight,” Menard said. “I did not think it would be stolen because there is plenty of foot traffic in the area and a decent amount of lighting.” Chief of University Police Rusty Keyes said petit larceny, which is theft of property valued under $500, is the most common crime. “Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take extra precautions to prevent theft of their own or university property,” Keyes said. Keyes said securing belongings, removing valuables from plain sight and keeping vehicles locked at all times help reduce the chance of theft. Valuables left in plain sight can make you a target for theft by tempting criminals to break into your vehicle. Senior graphic design and public relations major Marissa Haas said University Police told students not to leave valuables alone when on campus at resident assistant training. “We were told when people leave stuff, 80% of the time their stuff got stolen,” Haas said. “I would not feel comfortable doing that.” Senior elementary education major Ashleigh Jambon is a resident assistant at Southern Miss. She said stolen laundry is a recurring issue. “Students do not understand that you cannot just freely walk away from your clothes and expect them to be there when you return,” Jambon said. Jambon said, other than stolen clothes,
there has not been stolen property issues. She also said University Police told resident assistants to tell students to report missing or stolen property to the police. She said residents are annoyed by the number of safety precautions that are in place. “Residents have complained about being too safe with how many times they have to swipe in from entering the building and getting to their room,” Jambon said. “ResLife is working on bettering the student life experience with that in the upcoming semesters.” Jambon said ResLife does not prepare resident assistants to help with safety because they are just taught to tell people “do not drive drunk” and “safety in numbers.” Haas said she feels safe on the Southern Miss campus. “I can walk around at night, and it is still spooky, but I do not feel like I will be attacked,” Haas said. “I went to another school, and it was bigger, and I did not feel safe there like I do here.” Menard said he feels somewhat safe on campus, but after having his bike stolen, he has to be more aware of his surroundings. Keyes said Southern Miss continues to improve the safety of the community through a combination of cutting-edge technology, specialized training, increased security and student input. “UPD is the first higher-education law enforcement agency in the state to earn national accreditation and is currently one of only two in Mississippi to be nationally accredited,” Keyes said. National accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies comes after an agency has proven it has satisfactorily completed a continuous process of agency-wide self-evaluation, meeting the criteria of 189 standards set by the commission. In an article by Leada Gore on al.com, Southern Miss is considered to be the safest college campus in Mississippi. Comic by Darius Harris | Printz
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CONTINUED FROM PG 1 Even though Foster has hours worth of news clippings and data on her computer and in a thick binder, which holds a picture of whom she believes to be Fairley, there are still a lot of mysteries left for her to uncover. Mainly, she wants to connect Fairley to a person living today. Foster said she wants to formally ask the city to put up a marker in honor of Fairley, but she wants to find a relative of his to help advocate for it. “I’ve been working with the city to get a marker put up for the footprints. I’m hoping to [get approval] pretty soon,” Foster said. “I’ve got to start looking [for Fairley’s descendants] again because I want them to be a part of this marker, once we get it going.” During her research, she has connected Fairley lineage up to 1974 when a descendant died in a car accident, but she has been unable to get closer to the present. Foster said stories like Fairley’s matter because we don’t often get to see records of African Americans, which makes genealogy hard for those who come from a background of enslaved people. “It’s hard to find stories of slaves here because there weren’t that many [stories written down] compared to other places,” Foster said. Fairley soon won’t be the only African American to leave his mark on Hattiesburg. Vernon Dahmer, an African American man who was killed in 1966 battling voter suppression, will soon have a statue downtown to memorialize him. Dahmer’s son Dennis Dahmer said he is happy to see his father remembered with the monument, which was recently finished and will soon be installed as a centerpiece in the Forrest County
Brian Winters | Printz
Courthouse plaza being built. Dahmer was attacked in his home by the Klu Klux Klan. He and his family were in their home when a group of klansmen torched his house. He helped his wife and young children out of the house, but he sustained fatal burns. Dennis Dahmer, who was 12 years old, was in the house during the attack. Dennis Dahmer said the Forrest County Board of Supervisors approached his family, asking how they would feel about a statue of Vernon, and his family felt it was a great idea. Dennis Dahmer
Fairley’s marker is located at the Jerry J. Fairley’s Recreation and Sports Complex in Wiggins.
said his family will be happy with the installation as long as it tells the story of his father correctly. “We appreciate whatever people decide to do as long as it is done in a positive manner,” Dennis Dahmer said. “We think it is important that the legacy be maintained in an accurate manner, and we are glad that this is something [The Board of Supervisors] decided they wanted to do.” Dennis Dahmer said that his father’s monument goes to show the progression that both Hattiesburg and Mississippi
have made since his father’s death. He said remnants of the past still overshadow the South, but that does not hinder the progress the state has made. “The Mississippi of 2019 is considerably different than the one in the 1960s,” Dennis Dahmer said. “I saw [segregation,] and I lived it, so Mississippi has come a considerable distance from what it was.” In part three, McCluskey will examine Confederate monuments, Forrest County’s origin and the controversies surrounding them.
Hillcrest cafeteria closing upsets residents LILLIE BUSCH PRINTZ REPORTER outhern Miss University Housing and Aramark closed the cafeteria in Hillcrest at the beginning of the Fall 2019 semester. The Real Food on Campus cafeteria was based in Hillcrest, a femaleonly dorm that is on the edge of the Southern Miss campus. The cafeteria provided Hillcrest residents the option of eating in their own cafeteria instead of walking to the Fresh Food Company cafeteria. “Last semester, Hillcrest experienced its lowest participation in its history, an average of just 200 meals per day,” Lauren Brescher, the marketing manager for Aramark, said. “We are now able to put more resources into providing additional personalized options in the Fresh Food Company.” Brescher said the university held focus groups that helped them decide to close the cafeteria. “While there was no formal announcement regarding the closure of Hillcrest, there were several discussions and student focus groups conducted regarding the closure of Hillcrest and the opening of a new retail dining location, Oath Pizza,” Brescher said. According to Brescher there was a significant, positive response among students for the idea. However, some Hillcrest students think differently due to both access and security reasons. “[The closing of the cafeteria] affects me greatly due to the amount of time it takes to walk to the Fresh and when classes end. It was a very positive factor in living in Hillcrest, and it allowed me to assure I got three meals a day,”
Meghan Fuller | Printz
sophomore biological science major Alaya Cosgrove said. Alison Smith, a senior social work major, is one of the students that expressed concerns about security. “I had people stalking me and trying to follow me to my dorm because it was so far from [the center of] campus,” Smith said. “USM is putting young women at risk because they have to walk so far at night for food when they could have just gone downstairs.” “I have so far been really disappointed with how [Southern Miss] treat their students. They appeared to be very considerate at first,” junior forensic science major Samantha Cole said. “But now, after spending so much just to come
Petra Ehlers (far right) meets with the Campus Living Committee.
here, it seems like USM does not truly care for the well-being and comfort of their students.” Despite the decision, one Southern Miss student said she would continue to fight to reopen the Hillcrest cafeteria. Senior legal studies major Petra Ehlers said she spent the spring and fall semesters of 2019 fighting to keep the cafeteria open by meeting with different Aramark managers, executive director of housing and residence life Scott Blackwell, Ph.D., and Southern Miss Dean Thomas Deus. “It [the Hillcrest cafeteria] doesn’t just provide us a place to eat,” Ehlers said. “It provides security for us. It provides comfort.” Ehlers said the Hillcrest cafeteria
allowed her and others to eat without stressors. On Nov. 8, Ehlers met with the Campus Living Committee and Student Government Association Vice President Joshua Williams. Ehlers formally asked SGA to stand behind the students that wanted the Hillcrest cafeteria to reopen. Williams said although he believes it is an unfortunate situation, the official SGA stance is neutral. SGA, specifically the Senate, will not back Ehlers’ efforts. “We will look into the security concerns,” Williams said. Neither Aramark nor the university communications department could be reached for a response to comments and complaints.
FEATURES NOVEMBER 13, 2019
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Sexual assault survivors tell their stories MEGHAN FULLER PRINTZ REPORTER any sexual assault survivors go through trials every day following an attack. In the U.S., one in three women and one in six men will experience a sexual assault in their lifetime. With this, 20-25% of college women and 15% of college men are victims of sexual assault during their time at college. With this, rape is still the most under-reported crime. Junior special education major Cara Barker experienced first-hand how an assault can change life drastically. During her freshman year, Barker was sexually assaulted at a fraternity on campus during Halloween. She was with a group of friends who were drinking before she eventually got separated from the group. “After my first or second drink, I felt funny, and that wasn’t normal,” Barker said. “A guy eventually led me into his room, and the rest was simply a blur from there.” Barker said the assault from that night was shut out from her memory. She feared her assailant and his presence still on campus. Even more, she feared how she would be viewed or judged throughout campus if she were to open up about the incident. Barker later learned about a similar instance that took place the same night. She heard what was being said about the woman, which caused her to keep quiet about her attack. “I didn’t want to be known as the girl who ruined someone’s life,” Barker said. “Even though my life was never taken into consideration.” Barker has never taken any legal action for her assault, but she reached out to those around her and began going to therapy. Barker struggled with coming
Meghan Fuller | Printz
to terms with the assault, but eventually allowed herself to heal. “It’s a part of my story although it doesn’t define me,” Barker said. “The culture has changed on campus since then, but it’s nowhere near where it needs to be.” Title IX coordinator Rebecca Malley has been working with the office since 2011 with assisting those who feel victimized or unsafe on campus. Title IX’s role regarding sexual assault is to implement the university’s sexual misconduct policy. The staff also works to provide a place for students to find comfort and to consult with someone about their rights on campus regarding sexual misconduct. “People need to get help and reach out after an attack,” Malley said. “They
need to know not to carry the burden themselves.” Junior marine biology major Makala Marsh was sexually assaulted at 9 years old by her brother. While being told at the time that it was simply a game, Marsh said it continued for weeks following. After the assault, she avoided her brother at all costs. While Marsh had never told her parents, she eventually confided in friends. “I had a friend in high school that underestimated the event, which caused me to be ashamed,” Marsh said. “This led me to never talk about it until I got to college.” Marsh said that her fear has kept her from taking any legal action, but she would like to know his reasoning. While
she continues to go to therapy, Marsh also has allowed herself to become more open about the situation and reach out to those with similar stories. Marsh still struggles with common issues following the assault, such as nightmares and anxiety. “I’m afraid to get into a relationship,” Marsh said. “I don’t trust easily anymore.” While Marsh has only confided in a few people about the assault, she has also connected with a therapist at the Southern Miss Student Counseling Services. While she worries about the outcome of telling others, Marsh is comfortable with her support system on campus. Marsh said that she feels her experience, although tough, has led her to seek the help that she has today. She said that the support she has been given is something that other survivors should seek out as well whenever they’re ready. While every case of assault is different, Marsh said that the action taken following an assault is important in the healing process. “It’s important for other people to remember that just because someone waits, no matter how long to report a sexual assault, it doesn’t lessen the trauma,” Malley said. “Do not pass judgment on someone just because they waited a while to step forward.” While reactions vary from person to person, many sexual assault survivors confide in someone following an attack. The first step that Title IX takes after a survivor confides in them is to ensure the safety and well-being of that person, whether this means a change in a living situation or a simple talk with the University Police Department. Title IX then assists with services such as counseling or crisis intervention in order to benefit someone after an attack. “It’s not your fault. It never was your fault. It will never be your fault,” Marsh said. “Survivors need to remember that therapy is super beneficial in these situations.”
Financial struggles bring gritty times for students EARL STOUDEMIRE PRINTZ REPORTER t is said that every college student should study three hours outside of the classroom for every credit hour spent inside the classroom. Southern Miss requires students to take 15 credit hours to maintain scholarships, so students would be expected to study for a minimum of 45 hours a week. For low-income students, it can be difficult to focus that much on school due to their financial situations forcing many of them to work full-time. Likewise, other low-income students find it difficult to focus on classwork due to stress about having to take out student loans. According to the Chamber of Commerce, 60% of all students have some form of debt by graduation stacking up to $1.5 trillion in federal student debt owed by 44.5 million people. The average debt amount in 2016 for a student graduating being around $37,102. Freshman social work major Jasmine Taylor said her parents did not want her to come to Southern Miss. “My mom said I needed to figure out something since she wasn’t going to pay for anything, so like everything for Southern Miss I’ve been working since high school to pay for it,” Taylor said. “Every semester I have to think of new ways to actually pay for that semester.” Taylor accepted around $6,000 of financial aid per semester, but still had to take out loans. “The majority of the loans that I got were through ParentPlus, so if I never got those, I wouldn’t be able to attend school,” Taylor said. Taylor said that when she gets paid, she puts half of her paycheck in savings and the rest into her checking account. “I prioritize. If I know I got to pay for something, pay for it then so I don’t have to later,” Taylor said. Taylor is currently receiving a scholarship from the New Student & Retention Programs office and mentioned TRIO and upperclassmen as support going
Earl Stoudemire | Printz
through college as a first-generation college student. Like Taylor, senior biology and Spanish double major Hayley White has had to support herself while at Southern Miss. In addition to taking 16 hours of class this semester, White works full-time as a waitress at Keg & Barrel. “I don’t get involved much being a low-income student. Without my parents help, I have to work full time. I usually work 5-6 shifts as a waitress so it is kind of hard to balance,” White said. White said even though her parents make too much money for her to receive adequate financial aid, they don’t help her financially.
Jasmine Taylor is one of the many financially independent students on campus.
“I have to prove to the state that I am financially independent from my parents. It’s just hard to provide all the references sometimes with the financial aid office. I’m trying to go to school, and it is an added stress with the office questioning me,” White said. Although White often works 10-14 hour shifts on weekends, she said there are positives to working so hard. “I make good money. Like some weekends I can make up to $400 off of tips. It really helps me pay for rent which I don’t get any help with,” White said. With so many hours spent working, White said it can be hard to focus on school or to get involved in
extracurricular activities. “It would look great on my resume having extracurricular activities but I can’t afford it. It’s something that I’m going to have to take a hit on,” White said. “That’s why I try to do better on my grades because I’m hoping they’ll focus on that besides me not doing anything [extracurricular].” Taylor and White both said other low-income students should learn to budget and become informed about the different offices that can help. “You need to learn about financial aid, scholarships and loans. If you don’t, it’s harder in the long run,” White said.
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Queer students navigate dating scene KARA LOWE PRINTZ REPORTER eople within the LGBTQ community face many challenges every day. One challenge that many LGBTQ people face is with dating. It can be extremely difficult for someone who is transgender or homosexual to find someone that they not only have a connection with but who is also LGBTQ. For some people, dating in high school was easier for them than in college because of schedules, but for most, college dating has been easier because of people being more open-minded and being more willing to explore their sexualities. Senior architecture engineering technology major Scott McMullan preferred not to date in high school because he saw all of the bullying and drama that came along with it. He prefers dating in college because people in college usually do not care what another person does with their life. “We are all old enough that you can be who you are without major discrimination. There are more people that are out and open about who they are,” McMullan said. High school dating can have benefits such as close proximity and class schedules, but there tend to be more judgmental people and a smaller group of LGBTQ students. Senior media production major Jade
Macoy* said high school was difficult for her because she went to a private Christian school where being gay was so frowned upon by peers that it was used as an insult. “It’s kind of hard to openly date in an environment like that,” Macoy said. LGBTQ students who receive this type of response usually won’t come out or openly date until college out of fear. Macoy said although dating in college is easier, she still faces the unknown. “It’s interesting being gay on a college campus in the South,” Macoy said. “You never really know how people feel and where they lie when it comes to gay people.” College dating can be easier for a lot of people because they feel that they have more freedom to be themselves being away from their parents and high school community. Southern Miss offers a resource office called Prism where students of any gender or sexual identity can visit to get advice on life and find resources for school, counseling and more. Hattiesburg also has the Spectrum Center, which is a resource center for LGBTQ people. The center provides counseling, a community kitchen and pantry and
emergency housing for LGBTQ youth. These options are available to LGBTQ students, but their help can only go so far. Senior English licensure major
Jaq Jefcoat found that the resources Southern Miss has are helpful and beneficial, but they aren’t much help when it comes to dating and relationships. “There isn’t much help because ultimately it’s our own journey we have to navigate in life,” Jefcoat said. Illustration by Alexandria Moore| Printz
*Name has been changed for anonymity.
Employment opportunities rise for college graduates MOLLY SCHRAEDER PRINTZ REPORTER very year, thoughts of future employment occupy the minds of college seniors nationwide. After years of hard work, all one can hope is that it pays off in the form of a job. Here is the good news for university seniors: the job market is on an upswing. Local and national sources verify that postgraduation employment is at a high right now for all fields. This trend of increasing employment opportunities, in addition to the easy access to which people are finding jobs online, means that students who want to go straight into the workforce have a good shot. For students at Southern Miss, Career Services offers several resources to make that job search even more successful. Rusty Anderson, the director of Career Services, said the economy is favorable for students graduating this year. “We’re seeing all industries hiring right now, so I think that’s the current trend,” Anderson said. Though Southern Miss’ career fairs typically feature around 80 companies, the most recent fair included 105 companies, which Anderson said is an indicator of a strong market. Anderson said certain fields such as nursing and healthcare, polymer science, marketing and accounting have remained strong. He also said construction and education have made comebacks since the end of the recession. CNBC presented the top 10 highest-paying college majors, showing that technology, business,
pharmacy and engineering fields pay the highest starting salaries for students just out of college. STEM majors continue attaining financial success above most other fields. In addition to a favorable economy, Anderson said employers are looking for a new generation of workers since many members of their workforces are retiring. “We have more jobs than we have students looking for jobs,” Anderson said. Assistant to the dean for student success and engagement Stacey Ready has worked as an advisor with Southern Miss’ Honors College since 2005. In that time, she has helped countless students figure out what they want to do after graduation. She agreed that now is a good time to be entering the job market. “Of the ones whose desires are to go into the world of work, they have no problem finding a job,” Ready said. Courtney Pierre graduated from Southern Miss in May 2019 with a degree in elementary education. Though she was afraid of not finding employment, she had great success with her job search. With much of its workforce retiring, jobs in education are plentiful, Anderson said. “I was getting job offers from the first places I interviewed in March and continued to receive job offers until I got an offer from my first pick school district in June,” Pierre said. Now at Mandeville Elementary School, Pierre said she feels lucky to have entered the job market when she did. The National Association of Colleges and Employers confirms the trend with surveys that showed that members of the class of 2019 entered the best job market for recent graduates since 2007.
William Lowery | Printz
With the job market flourishing and technology ever advancing, the job hunt process is happening online. With the hunts happening online, Anderson said he is seeing fewer students attending career fairs and other physical aspects of looking for a job. Pierre, for instance, only went to two job fairs because most of her application processes were online. In 2018, Southern Miss posted a record of around 77,000 jobs on Handshake for students to explore job opportunities around the country. Ready agreed that job availability is no longer discovered primarily through fairs and physical meetings. “That’s definitely something you do online,” Ready said. “So, the job postings through Monster. com and LinkedIn and other sources like that are extremely valuable. And I know that a lot of students who are graduating utilize that.” According to Undercover Recruiter, 89% of those on the job hunt believe that mobile devices
are critical in finding a job. Accounts like LinkedIn and Handshake help students explore job possibilities they may not have even considered. Ready said that websites like these also increasingly connect students to overseas jobs. With Skype and Facetime, students can land a job without ever making any physical contact with an employer. Undercover Recruiter shows that both the U.S. and the U.K. are looking at a 58% rise in hiring from overseas. Along with these benefits for students, Southern Miss’ Career Services provides resources for becoming more marketable and attractive as a potential employee. Services like resume assistance, mock interviews and job seeking tips are available for students to take advantage of. For current seniors, the future may not be as daunting as they imagine. With the accessibility of the internet along with the growing job market, students can rest easier knowing that their hard work isn’t for naught.
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Baby, it’s politically correct outside KAYLYN JONES PRINTZ REPORTER he 2019 iteration of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” is a pointless distraction away from the real issues of sexual assault and consent. John Legend partnered up with Kelly Clarkson to remake the holiday classic appropriate in the current politically correct #MeToo era. In 1944, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” was written by award-winning songwriter Frank Loesser, and the song won an Oscar for Best Original Song after being featured in the 1949 film “Neptune’s Daughter.” The song is a duet between a man and a woman. The woman sings about wanting to leave early, and the man tries to seduce her to stay longer even after she said no multiple times. After 70 years, people reanalyzed the song and labeled it as creepy and normalizing date rape. The most triggering lyrics are: “I’ve got to go away…Hey, what’s in this drink?” The song does warrant concern and sound very realistic as to what a person would say in a dangerous situation. When the female continues to sing about wanting to leave but is interjected
by the male, there is no doubt it mirrors situations many women go through. It is not playful or glamorous as the song or film portrays. John Legend’s version seems like an honest attempt to draw attention from the past and become a figure of positive masculinity. Legend has made actions that reflect him as one of the few decent human beings in Hollywood with him being a high-profile celebrity who spoke against R. Kelly in the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.” However, digging up a song that is almost 100 years old, changing a few words and releasing it with the end goal of making money does close to nothing. The song has been parodied, sung by many other artists and reduced to white noise. The new song exploits and draws attention away from the subject of inappropriate behavior toward women. It seems to be a shallow ploy to make money off of a song that does not require much reworking. Also, it is an attempt to pander toward millennials and Generation Z because they are some of the main people for social justice. Controversies cause attention, which leads to listens or views. Instead of repurposing generational products like TV shows or songs from the past without providing intelligent criticisms, release media that informs
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and critiques aspects from the past. Immoral behavior like in the 1950s sitcom, “The Honeymooners,” where a husband constantly says he would hit his wife, should be used as an example of how not to act in a relationship and it is a form of abuse. Remaking the show but removing the dialogue
of physical abuse does not reflect an understanding because it is still used as entertainment; therefore, the abuse is seen as a not substantially big deal. Ignoring or creating a revisionist history of the problem could cause a repeat of the mistakes our ancestors made.
New talent, not dead celebs should get roles WILLIAM LOWERY PRINTZ REPORTER his week it was announced the upcoming film “Finding Jack” would be bringing back an actor who has not been seen in a long time, mainly because he’s dead. Through the power of CGI, James Dean, who died in 1955, will play one of the characters in the movie, which will be released next year. Dean’s computer-generated resurrection highlights the trend of the industry using technology to digitally resurrect the deceased. I remember going to see “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and being caught off guard by the scene introducing the character Grand Moff Tarkin. The character first appeared in “A New Hope” and was played by actor Peter Cushing. Through the power of CGI, the actor was there, talking with the other characters. However, seeing this made me wonder if this was respectful or if they could have just cast someone else instead of parading Cushing’s corpse around on screen thanks to computer magic. People hate it when celebrities die. Sometimes these individuals managed to live a long, illustrious
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life. Other times, their time on this planet was cut short. We like to honor the legacies of those who are no longer with us. The works these celebs starred in or put out are a reminder of what they did while they were still with
us. Bringing dead celebs back to life through holograms or computer wizardry is just strange and uncanny. At first, it’s cool, but then you remember it’s just an illusion. Computer generating deceased
individuals robs the chance for someone up-and-coming to make their big break. When asked why the filmmakers decided to add James Dean, the producer said they had gone through multiple actors and decided upon Dean because he was the only one who fit the qualities of the character in the movie. Are they sure about this? Because it seems to me that they didn’t look hard enough. Bringing famous people back to life is nothing new. One of the earliest instances was in 2012 when the late Tupac Shakur was digitally resurrected for Coachella. In fact, holograms of dead singers have gained quite a bit of traction. In 2020, Whitney Houston will be touring across the world even though she’s been dead for seven years. Technology has evolved drastically over the past decade. With it comes the good and bad, and digital resurrection falls on the latter part of the spectrum. People do not live forever, but even though many famous individuals have long since passed, they left their mark on the world. A lot of new talent trying to get their name out were likely inspired by these celebs, but using computergenerated trickery to bring them back is disrespectful to their legacy.
OPINION NOVEMBER 13, 2019
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Death penalty agonizes legal murder KLARIA HOLMES PRINTZ REPORTER
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cutions, according to Death Penalty Info, occur when there is a departure from the protocol that’s supposed to be followed for executions. This departure from protocol can result in unanticipated problems or delays that can cause unnecessary stress and agony for the victim, thus creating a sort of torture for them. Problems
ne of the most unjust and inhumane systems still legal in America today is the death penalty. The whole purpose of executions is that they are a more humane way to punish criminals for their crimes, which is ironic, to say the least. It is sad that in 2019 the most humane way of punishment we can think of is execution. To me, execution is just a cop-out and
strangling the inmates instead of their necks breaking while being hung, or being administered the wrong dosage of a lethal poison. While the rate of botched executions is low, under 10% in most cases, that number is still too high to be comfortable with putting another human to death. We’ve always heard that the death penalty deters criminals from committing crimes, but statistics have proven that it actually doesn’t. Deterrence is not a factor of crime, nor should
mass incarceration. The American justice system in and of itself has a huge problem on its hand, and mass incarceration and the death penalty are not an adequate solution for it. There are a few problems with the death penalty as a form of punishment, and studies have shown that the psychoas punishment. According to the Equal Justice Initiative, for every nine people convicted of a crime, sentenced to death and killed, one of them has been innocent. That is just one too many. To submit an innocent person to the psychological damage faced in prison as they wait for their last day on Earth to arrive is horrendous, and quite frankly a very un-American act. The death penalty itself should not exist, but to sentence someone to death, there should be no shadow of a doubt. Every so often, you hear about another case of innocence--either of someone in prison or on death row and through DNA or other new evidence, something
has been found that could possibly exonerate the person in question. In cases like Rodney Reed, they gain national attention and support. Activist Shaun King and a slew of others have created petitions and spread awareness through social media to advocate for his release from jail. Reed, who is set to be executed on Nov. 20, was convicted of the murder of Stacey Stites in 1996. Reed,
wh o ’d always claimed he was innocent of the crime, has been in prison since then. death penalty: the fact that you could possibly execute someone who is innocent, and no amount of money or apologies can excuse that. There’s also the possibility of a botched execution. These botched exe-
to uphold a justice system that uses the death penalty. Even if deterrence were an option, the act of killing someone as retribution of a crime is ironic in and of itself when you consider the fact that murder is a crime. trickiness of the American justice system, the death penalty should no lonpunishment. There’s frankly too much red tape and too many lives at stake to continue this inhumane way of punishing people.
Gubernatorial election leads to more of the same CONRAD ACOSTA PRINTZ REPORTER or most people living outside the borders of Mississippi, the results of last week’s election were probably not very significant. A red state elected a Republican governor yet again. Big whoop. But for many people in Mississippi, this year’s election represented hope for change, not just in policy, but in political culture as a whole. Democratic candidate and Attorney General Jim Hood was running a moderate campaign that had the potential to bring people on both sides of the political spectrum back to the center and away from the increasingly prevalent extremes. Hood represented a step away from the trend of policies that inch more and more to the right each year, but Mississippi elected Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves instead. The effect of this is that Mississippians are going to see more of the same in a large number of policy areas, particularly in healthcare. Reeves has said on several occasions that he is going to fight back
against the expansion of “government run” healthcare, fitting right in with the Republican Party, but also said that he wants to increase telemedicine within the state. While telemedicine is incredibly important for the rural areas of Mississippi, what would be much more effective is to allow more funding to rural hospitals through Medicaid, much like Hood wanted to do. This would allow for not only the increase of telemedicine but perhaps the ability for rural hospitals to bring in the specialists that people need. Education is an area where it looks like some change could occur through virtue of increased funding, as both Reeves and Hood expressed that as one of their main policy goals; however, Hood’s plan would have brought in much more than what Reeves plans to do. Funding for public schools has long been an issue within Mississippi, but Reeves and his campaign have gone so far as to flat out deny that underfunding is a problem. It’s hard to believe that a governor who isn’t even willing to call the problem by its name is going to be able to do anything of substance to address the issue of underfunded schools. The election does not
totally reflect the status quo, despite how we still have a Republican governor who is the former lieutenant governor,
because the gap between Reeves and Hood was only 5.5%. This means that while we aren’t going to see any significant change in the realm of policy, there is a very significant portion of the electorate that wants change. The future of gubernatorial politics within Mississippi seems to be fairly set in stone, at least for the next few years. It isn’t very likely that voters are going to break the trend of re-electing the Republican incumbent. However, this does not mean that the future of Mississippi politics is equally concrete. The momentum toward the center that was present during Hood’s campaign does not have to go to waste, and if a passionate electorate goes to the polls during the state elections, it is very possible that we can start to see tangible, progressive change in Mississippi.
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SPORTS
NOVEMBER 13, 2019
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Student-athletes move toward benefitting from likeness, name MAKAYLA PUCKETT SPORTS EDITOR eople have questioned whether or not student-athletes should be paid for their performance in collegiate athletics for years. Along with that discussion is the debate of whether student- athletes should be able to profit from their name, likeness or endorsement deals. In a statement on Oct. 29, the Board of Governors of the NCAA voted unanimously to allow students to benefit from such deals. “I’m in the kid business,” head coach Jay Hopson said. “I’m a coach of football players. Anything that helps football players I’m great with. The bottom line is I don’t know the details. That’s above my pay grade, but—hey, if it helps the kids, I’m for that.” In the statement, chair of the Board and Ohio State University President Michael V. Drake said the NCAA must embrace change with “additional flexibility in this area.” After gathering the opinions of stakeholders, student-athletes, coaches, presidents and commissioners, the Board saw it in the best interest of the students it serves. “It’s definitely a decision that has been weighed upon a lot,” redshirt junior quarterback Jack Abraham said. “Hopefully, it helps. I think we have some guys here that can deserve it, but hopefully, it turns out in a good way.” While the new policy will benefit Power Five schools, there is concern about whether it will help or hurt athletic programs at Southern
Miss. “I definitely think it would have an impact on recruiting for sure definitely for Southern Miss and for other schools,” Abraham said. “Hopefully, it doesn’t make too much of an impact, and hopefully, they won’t blow it out of proportion. I think it’s got some good benefits to it.” Men’s basketball forward Boban Jacdomni sees the board’s decision as rewarding student-athletes for their hard work. “In a way, that’s kind of fair towards athletes,” Jacdomni said. “We have a bunch of very high athletes who are projected to go to the NBA and stuff like that, football players. I think they said they are bringing back NCAA football on the video games and stuff, and so, I think it’s only fair that they get something towards that.” To women’s basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis, a change in policy will not change anything for her team. “Media has to cover us before it ever affects our program,” McNelis said. “If the truth be known, she can’t make an extra $10 because her picture’s not in the paper. I don’t think it affects us.” Senior guard for the Lady Eagles Shonte Hailes said she sees the gap between men’s and women’s sports as a barrier for female athletes to see additional compensation. “It’s those big-time guys that’s one round picks that is going to really benefit from that rule. Even just in women’s sports altogether, it doesn’t really play an effect with us,” Hailes said. “We are definitely at a disadvantage like what we said with the media, the fans, the money of course. It’s just the complete
Kelsey Jones shoots the ball.
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opposite.” Initial guidelines in place by the NCAA are to ensure that student athletes are treated as just that —students— which is what men’s basketball coach Jay Ladner hopes the policy will do. “We do need to keep in mind the overall educational value they are getting just from coming to school and by being on scholarship and how much of a value that is,” Ladner
said. “We have to keep that in mind. We’ve got to be very careful and make sure we approach it in a common-sense way.” Regardless of what happens next, the focus of student-athletes at Southern Miss is what is set before them. “I’m just here to play basketball. Just play hard and give my all and do what I love doing,” forward Tyler Stevenson said. “If that happens, then that’s great too.”
Stout Southern Miss defense shuts down UAB offense CHIPPER BAUDRY PRINTZ REPORTER
he University of Alabama Birmingham Blazers (6-2, 3-1 C-USA) visited the Golden Eagles (5-3, 3-1 C-USA) on Nov. 9. The Golden Eagles defeated the Blazers 37-2. The game started off slow until a first quarter interception by Golden Eagles by defensive back Shannon Showers off of UAB’s quarterback Dylan Hopkins. The interception immediately shifted momentum to the Golden Eagles favor, leading to a 6-yard run up the middle by Kevin Perkins for the first points of the game. Southern Miss took the lead and never let it go. After a field goal by Southern Miss kicker Andrew Stein, the lead was brought to 10-0 followed by a touchdown by defensive back DQ Thomas who picked off Hopkins and returned it 55-yards to the end zone. A couple more field goals and two Jack Abraham touchdown passes—one to Quez Watkins and another to Tim Jones—rounded out Southern Miss’s scoring for the night. A safety in the second quarter was all of the points UAB could muster up against a Southern Miss defense that was firing on all cylinders. “We knew [after the first quarter] they could not move the ball on us,” defensive lineman Jacques Turner said. The ability of the Nasty Bunch to slow
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down the UAB offense showed through as the defense limited UAB’s offense to 173 total yards. Last time these two teams met, the game ended in overtime and UAB walked it off. Many of the players and coaches still remember this game and used it as motivation for this week’s game. “Last year hurt, and we brought that
Redshirt junior quarterback Jack Abraham is hit by the UAB defense.
emotion with us today,” defensive back DQ Thomas said. Head coach Jay Hopson recalled the final play of last year’s game and how tough it was to swallow. “It was one of those games that you lay in bed and think about for the rest of your life,” Hopson said. This game was just as influential on the
rest of the Golden Eagles’ season as last year was. Southern Miss is now bowl eligible with the chance to increase their win count to secure a bowl bid instead of getting booted out like last year. The Golden Eagles will travel to the University of Texas - San Antonio and face the UTSA Roadrunners (4-5, 3-2 C-USA).