4.19.23

MSU aids Amory in wake of devastating storm

A devastating tornado leveled dozens of homes and businesses in the small town of Amory in Monroe County, Mississippi March 24.

In the tornado’s wake, Mississippi State University provided aid to the people of Amory.

Randall Nevins, MSU’s extension agent for Monroe County, recounted some of the damage he witnessed.

“I’ve seen bad damage in other places, but I’ve never seen damage this bad in Monroe County. We’ve had small tornadoes and funnels come through Amory before, but nothing like this,” Nevins said. "The community bank, the high

school and the national guard were some of the buildings that were hit, as well as a bunch of homes that were in the way too.”

Nevins said there had been two tornado-related deaths within Monroe County and local hospitals reported that 30 people were injured.

“There was a lot of damage in the rural areas.

FEMA and the Red Cross have been trying to get the families who have been displaced situated. Some of them have been put in hotels and motels nearby, and others have been forced to temporarily move in with family or friends until they can get back to their houses — if they can get back to their houses,” Nevins said.

“Some of them will have to

start all over or completely rebuild.”

Kathy Jones, the director of Student Leadership and Community Engagement, spoke about the volunteer efforts being made by the Maroon

URCD showcases undergraduate research

MSU Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Discovery hosted the Undergraduate Research Symposium April 13-14.

Anastasia Elder, director of the URCD, said the annual event gave undergraduate students a chance to share and showcase their research.

“In research, a way to disseminate work through presentations and posters is typical of what scholars in academic fields do,” Elder said.

The symposium began with posters in the fields of physical sciences, engineering, arts, humanities and social sciences. The first day concluded with oral presentations for arts and humanities projects.

The second day focused on poster presentations for

biological sciences and engineering, as well as the three-minute research pitch competition.

According to Elder, the three-minute research pitch competition was based on a national graduate-level organizing competition called the three-minute thesis.

“That one encourages students to communicate about the technical aspects of

their work, but to a late audience so that way, they're going to be judged and evaluated based on how well they can communicate what is important and interesting,” Elder said.

As for the poster and oral presentations, Elder said these students also had the opportunity for their work to be judged and evaluated.

Volunteer Center, a program run through SLCE.

“We were able to take three groups up to Amory to help. The United Way of Northeast Mississippi informed us they didn’t need

help with debris cleanup like they originally thought, and instead needed help in the distribution center,” Jones said. “We ended up sorting through the donations and packing the grocery bags to get them out to the folks in

the community as fast as possible. We were able to help them jump ahead at the center.”

Jones said that a campuswide water drive helped supply Amory with bottled water after a boil-water notice was put in place.

Gulf Coast wildlife populations decline

Changes in the water condition of the Mississippi Sound have led to a decline in seafood production, as well as the degradation of coastal ecosystems along the Gulf Coast.

Pete Melby, a retired professor of MSU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said changes in the salinity of the Mississippi Sound are leading to the decline of oysters, dolphins, sea turtles and other animal populations. “Biloxi was once known as the seafood capital of the world and now there are no wild oysters,” Melby said. "For the past 20 or so years there has been a decline in seafood being harvested in Mississippi.”

Melby said one reason for the decline in wildlife

populations is due to pollution and freshwater released by the Bonnet Carre Spillway. This spillway is opened to alleviate the swelling of the Mississippi River. When opened, it transfers trillions of gallons of freshwater into the brackish Mississippi Sound, offsetting a natural balance of the

water’s salt content.

Melby also said the general level of salt in the Mississippi Sound has increased over time, causing harm to the species already adapted to the brackish water. Wildlife in the Mississippi Sound faces a constantly shifting salinity level.

SCC brings Earth Week celebrations to Starkville

MSU Students for a Sustainable Campus is hosting events from April 17-22 to celebrate Earth Week.

Each day will feature environmentally-themed events on Mississippi State University's campus, leading up to the Earth Day Fair Saturday, April 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fire Station Park.

Emma Van Epps, the president of SSC, discussed her goals for Earth Week by promoting sustainability in an engaging way for students.

“I want people to think that this is a fun and approachable thing and make these kind of topics easier to talk about, as well as use these opportunities. Because it's not only going to be fun, but hopefully people will learn something.

I'm a big believer in that –you don't care about things you don't know about,” Van Epps said.

Grant Peterson, the campaign director of SSC, explained why SSC will celebrate Earth Day over a

week rather than just one day. “We want to increase participation and knowledge around the campus about sustainability. So, doing the whole week is more visible for the whole campus, instead of just having one single day,” Peterson said.

Monday’s “Stuff Swap” encouraged students to bring items they no longer needed to trade with other students. Students for a Sustainable Campus also collaborated with the MSU Horticulture Club for a “plant swap” on Tuesday.

The MSU Campus Earth Day Fair will be hosted Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Peterson said the fair is open to the entire community to provide Earth Day celebrations for families to enjoy together. The fair will include ice cream, conversations about sustainable changes on campus, the opportunity to pie a “climate criminal” and carnival games made from completely recycled materials.

Thursday will feature the Bee Hotel Workshop at 7 p.m. in Old Main 2220 where attendees will learn

how to create homes for bees from recycled materials.

A trash cleanup will be hosted Friday at 2 p.m. where participants will meet at The Junction and clean trash along University Drive.

Earth Day will be celebrated Saturday. The celebration will include the Starkville Community Market from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by the Earth

Day Fair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fire Station Park.

The Earth Day Fair will feature goat yoga, food trucks, live music, vendors and tables that will educate both students and community members on interesting environmental topics, including t-shirt upcycling.

Van Epps and Peterson both agreed that they are

most excited about goat yoga, where a yoga instructor will lead participants through yoga poses while goats graze alongside them.

When asked about the history of goat yoga, Peterson said he was not sure where it originates but that the activity enhances relaxation.

“It's just a thing. Someone started and it just caught on. I guess goats are very relaxed and calming. Like they weren't running around anything. They're just kind of meandering and eating grass. So, I feel like it's just calm and matches the atmosphere,” Peterson said.

Van Epps said that SSC also plans to make more progress on reimplementing curbside recycling by bringing more awareness to their campaign. They hope to collect signatures from Starkville residents and educate students on how to make recycling more convenient and accessible.

“One kind of phrase that I thought kind of encapsulated our motivations for having the service being reimplemented is: it's like having a more sustainable lifestyle delivered to your door,” Van Epps said.

Dozens and homes and businesses were destroyed by the tornado. Two deaths and 30 injuries were attributed to the storm. Courtesy Photo | MSU TV

The campus Earth Day Fair will be hosted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday on the Drill Field.

Ivy Rose Ball | The Reflector

Director of SLCE Kathy S. Jones

Courtesy Photo | MSU

Students gathered to paint flower pots and on the drill field during the Destress + Green event. Jacob Mitchell | The Reflector

The Undergrad Research Symposium was the culmination of MSU’s annual Research Week. Payton Brown | The Reflector

RESEARCH, 2

“They’re solid on water, but now they need things like laundry detergents and soaps, and their needs only continue to evolve and change,” Jones said.

Jones said while MSU commonly aids in disaster relief, its efforts in Amory are significant because many MSU students and faculty members are from the Amory area.

“And the sad reality is that it can be any hometown tomorrow because unfortunately, we’re in an area that experiences a lot of tornadoes and sometimes even hurricanes,” Jones said. “When you’re able to be of service to someone else, why not? There’s no harm in

RESEARCH

“So, they have faculty … and grad students come around to either provide comments on their project feedback, give helpful feedback or judge them for certain special area competition,” Elder said.

Mikayla Herndon and Addison All are both seniors majoring in psychology. The pair presented a poster on grit, a concept in academic workplaces which measures success and ability to persevere.

“We did the research together, and then basically came up with two ideas and each pursued one," All said. "Mine was to see whether it is a better predictor of outcomes for suicide and personality."

Herndon’s side of the

“There is no regular infusion of freshwater into the salty water of the Mississippi Sound estuary to keep the water just a little salty. Estuaries have brackish water that is just a little bit salty,” Melby said.

Parker Lowery, a Gulf Coast local who has researched robotic oyster harvesting, said there are three main threats to the Mississippi Sound’s ecology: impaired waterways, pollution and habitat fragmentation.

According to Lowery, Mississippi’s coastal habitats have been fragmented by misplaced infrastructure. Concrete, rock bulkheads and seawalls have been laid to reduce coastal erosion, but they have had an adverse impact on wildlife.

“These structures

EARTH

Josie Nasekos, an intern of the MSU Office of Sustainability, said that Earth Week is a great opportunity for the Starkville community to celebrate our planet.

“Earth Week is a really great opportunity for students to get involved in sustainable student groups and kind of learn more, while having fun in the process. Earth Week is all about celebrating the earth that we've been given and the beauty of nature. So, throughout the whole week, we'll be sharing information on how you can be involved to continue to be sustainable, even when the week is over,” Nasekos said.

helping someone else.”

Carla Huston, an MSU professor who serves as the Veterinary Disaster Response Coordinator for the College of Veterinary Medicine, spoke about the role MSU plays in disaster relief.

“Under the state emergency response plan, Mississippi State acts as a supporting entity in several different areas of the response plan. The MSU Extension Service and the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine work closely with Mississippi’s Board of Animal Health under what’s called ‘Support Function 11,’ that deals with animals and agriculture,” Huston said. Huston said the

MSU Extension Service was instrumental in providing an assessment of the agricultural and livestock damage done in Amory. The College of Veterinary Medicine provided support for large and small animals upon request. “We received a request from the county to help support the companion animal care and triage from the ASPCA and Amory Humane Society. We helped coordinate some activities with the local veterinarians over the phone and provided onsite support for the Humane Society,” Huston said.

Huston stated that the care of affected animals, whether it be pets or livestock, is a

between that model and those outcomes, and then we ended up adding grit to it,” Herndon said.

Herndon and All agreed they decided to enter the symposium because they wanted to work on a project together.

significant form of disaster relief.

“We get involved in disaster response because of the impact we can have on communities. Animals are attached to people and families, they’re a part of people’s lives," Huston said. "Providing care for these animals is important because some of these people have lost their homes, and being able to help take care of their pets means they have one less thing to worry about.”

Those interested in donating or volunteering can contact the United Way of Northeast Mississippi at unitedwaynems.org or call 662-841-9133.

project focused on the potential importance of grit as a predictor.

“So, we took outcomes like depression, anxiety and stress, and we looked at the fivefactor model, which is like the general personality model, and we saw the associative strength

eliminate important wildlife habitats, decrease water quality and lead to a reduction in fish and wildlife diversity,” Lowery said. Lowery said that the pollution of local waterways is negatively impacting the economy and ecology of the Gulf Coast. Leaking septic tanks, excess pesticides and fertilizers and miscellaneous trash has led to habitat loss for many species.

“Continued loss of freshwater and estuarine wetlands also reduces the ability of these natural habitats to provide water quality benefits,” Lowery said.

“Impaired coastal waterways harm commercial seafood harvests, beach-related tourism, recreational fishing and fish and wildlife populations.”

“Yeah, I think it's like really just trying to use whatever opportunities that we can get, and it's like having the data just makes it so much easier. If like you're involved in labs like that, where you can have the data available to you, it's just like, you might as well do the project,” Herndon said.

In the future, Elder said she hoped the event would continue to be integrated further across campus.

According to Lowery, there is much economic incentive to protect Gulf Coast wildlife. More than 120,000 recreational anglers went fishing along Mississippi’s coast in 2011, supporting 5,200 jobs and generating nearly $70 million in tax revenues, equating to about $94 million today.

“There needs to be a proactive program to promote land development that accounts for storm risks, water quality protection and the conservation of native wildlife and their habitats,” Lowery said.

In the case of the Gulf Coast’s wild oysters, their population has been decimated by the instability in the Mississippi Sound.

According to the Nature Conservancy, the population of native

“If you were ever like ‘I want to know a little bit about what's going on in science kinds of things’, there's 110 projects that are represent undergraduates working on projects that are mentored by faculty,” Elder said. For more information on the research symposium, visit urcd.msstate.edu.

oysters has declined an estimated 50% to 85% from historic levels. The decline now seems to be accelerating, and oyster harvests are being further curtailed across the region. Roughly 13 years ago, Mississippi was harvesting about 500,000 sacks of oysters annually, but recent harvests have been closer to 10,000 sacks.

Wes Neal, a professor in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, said it is especially important to support ideal water conditions for wildlife. If water conditions become inhospitable for marine species, their populations are likely to decline.

“Organisms are experts in their environments, but when a fish is trapped in a

stream, they can’t just move to the next stream over – the fish is isolated in one area and when conditions change –they’re stuck there,” Neal said.

During his time at MSU, Melby worked to mitigate these damaging effects on Gulf Coast wildlife. In the 1980s, his team worked on beach restoration plans, including some on Biloxi Beach. MSU landscape architecture and biological engineering students worked with Melby to maintain the health of coastal ecosystems for decades.

“Our last phase of beach management was to establish salt marshes along the beachfront which collected sand and made the beaches wider naturally. The salt marshes were also habitat for marine life,”

Melby said.

Melby said that there is little push to stabilize water conditions in the Mississippi Sound, and new conservation methods need to be developed to preserve ecosystems on the Gulf Coast.

“The restoration of the coast and country is an ongoing saga,” Melby said.

MSU helped plant native coastal grass. Courtesy Photo

The tornado battered Amory High School. The baseball field was blown away. Courtesy Photo

Damage was reported across Amory. Many famlies were displaced from heir homes. Courtesy Photo

Director of URCD Anastasia Elder Courtesy Photo | MSU

Addison All, Mikayla Herndon and their faculty mentor Hilary DeShong.

Payton Brown| The Reflector

The research symposium offers students the opportunity to showcase faculty-guided research and creative activity.

Payton Brown| The Reflector

Dear Hollywood: Stop writing about teenagers

In the eyes of media, high school is a time of full of emotional turmoil, navigating changes in responsibilities, relationships and making careless decisions, all of which is captured in a classic, coming-of-age story.

Scrolling through streaming services, you will find an endless supply of these “highschoolers” experiencing wild scenarios and feeling completely alone in their fight against these various tribulations, with one such example being Sarah Cameron in “Outer Banks.” Existing outside of teenage stories are shows and movies featuring adults handling huge issues in their lives, like career changes, work-life balance, serious relationships and maybe even a midlife crisis like Michael Scott in “The Office.”

As a college student, I find myself lost in this sea of scrolling. Both genres are entertaining, but not completely relatable. I no longer fit into the "high school" group because my life decisions are now extremely impactful. They are contingent on my professional career and my personal happiness. I also do not fit into the “adult” group yet since I am not dealing with my professional career challenges, nor contending with the outcomes of long-term decisions. Instead, I am managing a compelling narrative in-between. This in-between stage is tech-

cally called “emerging adulthood,” which is the development stage between adolescence and adulthood according to the American Psychological Association. It is a unique and complicated stage of life. However, in my scrolling, I fail to see representation of these struggles in media despite college students being the main demographic for streamed television. According to a 2022 report from Statista, people ages 18-34 are 62% of viewers for streaming services. A similar 2023 survey, also from Statista, states that the same age group makes up 75% of the users on Netflix. Therefore, I am here to advocate for emerging adults like myself and argue that our stories are much more interesting than any fictional high schooler. Hollywood should

create more shows and movies that capture the complexities of being a college student.

I want to see a story about Rebekah, a girl who struggles with claiming her independence while still having a deep desire to remain close to her family. No one discusses the thrill of leaving for college to establish yourself while still longing for home. No one explores the loneliness of outgrowing friendships and searching for places to belong. There is no one to showcase the feelings of guilt from wanting independence, while also loving every second of it. Grappling with newfound independence is complicated, and I want to see more of it on screen.

I want to see a story about Michael, a boy who has soaked up each moment of his college life yet counts down to gradu-

Personality test via water bottles

On any given day on Mississippi State’s spacious campus, there are large swarms of students lugging around water bottles, and it's not just on our campus.

Arabella Ruiz, senior researcher for sustainable living website The Roundup, lays out the cold hard facts regarding reusable bottles.

“Data shows that 60% of US adults own a reusable water bottle in 2023. That's around 155 million people, according to the latest U.S. census. However, that still leaves around 103 million U.S. adults that don't yet own a reusable water bottle,” Ruiz said.

For the students who own water bottles, the style, color, brand and accessories that accompany the water bottle can be used to express individual preferences. For the purposes of concision, I will focus on the style of each water bottle and the hypothetical implications these stylistic choices could have.

Starting at the top of our imaginary tier, we have S'well bottles. S'well bottles are made of metal and claim to keep your beverage cold for up to fortyeight hours. Individuals who expect that level of reliability from their water bottles are likely also incredibly reliable themselves.

A review from Amazon, by a woman I will refer to as Samantha, states that “I can fill [the bottle] with ice and still have ice in it three days later.”

With an average price of approximately $40, these water bottles allude to the fact that they are owned by more environmentally conscious people who are unafraid to drop a relatively large sum of money on a relatively small water bottle.

The glossy, metallic look of the bottles does appeal to some, and even I can admit that the reusable aspect of the bottles is an amazing feature. However, I cannot get over the “big city chic” vibes that these metallic bottles radiate. While that may

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be some people’s idea of an ideal bottle, to me it looks more like perfectly smooth aluminum foil.

Overall, the price of the S'well bottles makes me die a little internally, and individuals who are willing to drop a large amount of money on a 25 ounce bottle terrify me, but the reliability of both the bottle and the individual carrying it cannot be overlooked.

Moving on to the Tervis Tumblers. The Tervis line of cups and tumblers gives me nostalgic whiplash back to when I lived in Florida, surrounded by beach towels in January and “Life’s a Beach” signs in every reasonable place. I distinctly remember sunny days with Tervis tumblers full of ginger ale wedged into the sand and the downing of root bear floats as we walked along the beach.

People who carry a Tervis of any kind, especially tumblers, radiate the same energy as the bottles they carry. I can picture the khakis and the Life is Good shirts, with a beachy tumbler in hand. The price of these bottles is about $25 each, so they are cheaper than the S'well bottles, and simultaneously offer a much wider range of styles.

Tervis tumblers, and the people who own them, are resilient and often bounce back from unexpected situations. I have personally dropped, burned and knocked these tumblers off

of countertops and various other precarious places. Despite all of this, they usually remain intact and live to be reused another day.

The final water bottle that we will be examining is the Camelbak. This bottle is the definition of convenience, not to be mistaken for laziness. The straws that are built into the water bottles allow for the user to “drink in bed, while on a run, [and while] driving without spilling all over yourself,” according to Mallory Shaner, a writer for Colgate University analyzing the personality traits of Camelbak users.

Individuals with these bottles are great multitaskers as they can drink from the straw while simultaneously working on any task that has grabbed their attention. Owners of these bottles must also really enjoy cleaning, as I am sure that the straws in these bottles are horrid to clean and likely become filled with mold or other gross growths.

Water bottles are not the beall-end-all of personality tests, and you clearly should not make judgments on the personalities of others based on their bottles. However, the subconscious decisions we make when choosing a water bottle allow us to make lighthearted assumptions about one another with some reasonable merit

ation, feeling like his life has yet to truly start. “College will be the best four years of your life,” said almost every adult in my life. However, what if I do not feel that way? What if I am ready to be treated like the adult I am expected to be? Regardless of the wonderful memories you make, sometimes it feels like you cannot criticize your college years because of the fear that life will go downhill after you accept your diploma. I argue that every student has faced this feeling of being trapped in some way, and representation of this compelling dichotomy would assure students they are not alone. I want to see a story about Elizabeth, a girl who is so caught up in her college involvement and grades that she suffers from imposter syndrome. We have all experienced levels of

doubts in our merits for success. Seeing a character struggle with feeling worthy of their accomplishments and trying to manage all of their ambitions would bring comfort to such students. Even further, college life exists in a vacuum. What will happen to Elizabeth when she graduates? Will she find the success she has worked for all her college life? How will she cope if she does not? These are questions faced by everyone, but they are especially heightened in college, since enrolling and being active in a university has become synonymous with success. We do not need more college storylines glorifying illicit activities. Instead, I want to see stories of students grappling with addiction and still needing to turn in an assignment at 11:59 p.m. I want to see stu-

dents overcoming expectations, finding their voice and learning who they are. I want stories of characters experiencing the thrill of trips with friends, the highs and lows of long-term and short-term relationships and dealing with the pressure of doing everything right. These are real stories of “emerging adults,” and I think they are not only more compelling, but are needed. With that said, here is my letter to Hollywood: Dear Hollywood, There are enough coming-ofage tales for high schoolers and plenty of stories of adults in every scenario. We, emerging adults, are asking for stories about our struggles of balancing the world while being naïve, yet being expected to make critical life decisions. We experience being spoken down to as if we know nothing, yet are graded on our research of prevalent world topics in the classroom. We are viewed as less than adults but more than teenagers. Who are we? Tell our stories and help us feel less alone in our wanderings. Glorify our relentless efforts and celebrate our strengths. Give us comfort when we wind down. Give us a reason to procrastinate on our homework because we must keep watching to know how “Elizabeth” handles her burnout and lack of self-assurance and how “Michael” motivates himself to attend class each day despite every bit of life getting in the way.

Davis Wade Needs Concerts

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Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field is historic. At 109 years old, it is one of the longest-standing stadiums in all of college football. In those 109 years, however, one question continues to go unanswered.

Davis Wade is a classic college football battleground, but for nine months out of the year, what is it there for? Sure, renovations happen, events are held in the Gridiron Suite and tours are taken, but I feel as though we are missing out on an extreme opportunity.

Mississippi State University exists in a state where concert venues for all intents and purposes do not exist. There is the Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo and the Brandon Amphitheater, but neither could hold enough people for a massive act. In fact, according to websites for each venue, neither has a capacity over 13,000.

In December, Ole Miss announced that Vaught-Hemingway Stadium would be hosting Morgan Wallen this month. Ticket sales are high, as expected, and thousands will pour into Vaught-Hemingway April 22.

Vaught-Hemingway is an open-air stadium with a grass field. It has one big jumbotron behind the student section and

two smaller jumbotrons opposite the student section. Because it is a full stadium, a lot of seating sections will not be used, as the stage will be placed in front of them.

Davis Wade, shares these suboptimal qualities for a concert. It is open-air and has a grass field, but it excels in every other direction.

Davis Wade holds 61,000 people for a football game. Being that it is not a fully circular stadium, you would not have to block off seats. Therefore, I imagine capacity could be raised to 63,000 for a concert when accounting for the pit.

MSU is the second-most diverse university in the SEC, according to College Raptor.

While students that attend other universities may find that shocking, I see it as a gateway for opportunity.

We argue over which kind of act should headline Bulldog Bash every single year. The reason for this, ultimately, is because the event is for us.

It is impossible to make everyone happy when you have such a wide and diverse audience, and this is where Davis Wade could go from historical landmark to a staple of the state of Mississippi. If Davis Wade opened up and became a concert venue in the nine months that regulation football is not being played, it would lessen

editorial staff. The contents of The Reflector have not been approved by Mississippi State University.

arguments over who is booked for Bulldog Bash.

The first concert I ever went to, outside of a street venue, was last semester. I traveled two hours to see Greta Van Fleet. While there, I did not meet a single person from Birmingham, Alabama, where it was taking place. This is not at all shocking, since according to Ticketmaster, 10% of ticket purchasers will travel over 100 miles for a concert.

Davis Wade holding concerts would not just be for the students or for the residents of Starkville, instead serving a purpose for everyone in Mississippi. I could sit back and continue to talk about how the ticket sales, vending sales and hotel room bookings could boost the earnings of MSU and Starkville as a whole and while all are good points, that is not what this is about.

At the end of the day, making Davis Wade Stadium a concert venue, or even just having a single concert a year, would have a big impact. It would bring people to both Starkville and MSU, and it would bring people together as a whole.

If we have the opportunity to create a profitable venture from the enjoyment, connection and memories that people will get from coming to Starkville, why would we even hesitate?

The Reflector staff strives to maintain the integrity of this paper through accurate and honest reporting. If we publish an error, we will correct it. To report an error, email editor@reflector.msstate.edu or call 325-7905.

John Baladi Staff WRitER

Artists Bryce Vine, Surfaces, and Evan Giia were featured in the most recent Bulldog Bash, held October 2022.

Ivy Rose Ball | The Reflector

Jolly Squares calls new Introduction to Square Dance class

In a small church in the outskirts of Starkville, four couples at a time gather hand in hand to the sound of love songs. They dance in a square, hoping to not trip over one another at every call.

“Now allemande left,” Connie Wise, MSU alumna and experienced square dancer and caller, tells the group.

Shuffling feet follow the command. Everyone goes where they need to, except one individual who shouts, “Oh, this way!” Laughter follows the mishap. Wise hums along to the song between the calls and giggles at the beginner square dancers.

As the song ends, the dancers smile wide and come together for a group hug. The men shake hands as everyone breaks apart to rest until the next dance begins.

Some of the participants in this dance are part of the Jolly Squares, a square dancing club that has been a part of Starkville’s community for over 40 years. The group started an Introduction to Square Dance class in March.

A full square for a square dance involves eight people, or four couples. The caller shouts out commands, or calls, that the group must act out.

Connie and Robert Wise, who love square dancing almost as much as they love each other, started teaching the class to grow the square dancing community in

the college town where Connie grew up. Wise said that square dancing is more than how it appears on the surface.

“The main misconception about square dancing is that it’s a whole bunch of old people wearing the ‘foo foo’ dresses, and it’s just, you know, all hokey country music and its dancing kind of thing, and it’s really not anymore,” Connie Wise said.

Wise calls for events in the area, including events for Chi Omega sorority and the Baptist Student Union for their barn parties. Wise said even though she likes going to events such as these, they do not show all that there is behind the art.

“I do enjoy that, but my real goal is to grow the club, obviously,” Wise said. “You can only teach so much in one night, because when you come to class, it’s a progressive learning experience.”

The Wise couple met while square dancing, and they are now a leading part of the Jolly Squares. While Robert started in adulthood, Connie began her life of square dancing at eight years old.

Wise's father, Paul Gentry, also an experience dancer and caller, introduced her to the world of square dancing. A few years after his passing in 2008, she picked up the microphone to be a caller.

As Connie Wise called for a full square in the fellowship hall of Adaton United Methodist Church,

Robert Wise stood on the sideline, waiting his turn. He watched the new and experienced dance together as his wife corrected their every other move.

“There’s two things I always tell the new people: ‘you’ve got to learn your right and left’ and ‘you’ve got to learn to listen,’” Robert Wise said.

Many attendees of the class learned through the Wise’s guidance. Both Connie and Robert walked everyone through difficult steps, and Robert showed off his phone app called Taminations that showed each call with their associated move.

One of the dancers, Cindy Hughes, attended the class with her husband to get back into square dancing. She said she picked up the hobby when she was

younger but stopped for a long period of time to focus on family. Now that she is back into it, she is relearning a few things.

“[Square dancing] is much easier to learn when you’re 22 than when you’re 52,” Hughes said.

Hughes said she joined the Jolly Squares’ weekly festivities to be involved in an environment with good fellowship and a great family atmosphere.

All ages are welcome to join in learning the basics in square dancing. Round and line dancing are also taught during the weekly classes.

The Introduction to Square Dance class meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Adaton United Methodist Church in Starkville and costs $5 to attend.

Diamond Dawgs secure seventh-straight series win against Ole Miss SPORTS

The weather was perfect, the crowd was recordbreaking and Mississippi State University (22-15, 510 SEC) was victorious in its seventh-straight series win over Ole Miss. This followed an 8-7 walk-off win on Saturday and a winner-takeall 5-3 victory on Sunday.

The Diamond Dawgs made the big plays when necessary, whether that meant sending towering home runs to the Left Field Lounge or turning crucial double plays to escape bases-loaded jams. No moment was too large for anybody sporting the Maroon and White.

Freshman phenom

Dakota Jordan was the latest hero of Starkville in Saturday’s thrilling victory, batting the Dawgs to victory just hours after English bulldog Dak was crowned the newest official mascot of the university. The left fielder stepped into the batter’s box with the bases loaded and just one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. His team was trailing by one run and desperately needed a big swing.

Jordan has constantly demonstrated that he can blast home runs well out of the stadium, but at that moment, he didn’t need to hit a moonshot to give Mississippi State the advantage. He smacked a hard-hit ground ball to the left side of the infield, and it rolled right through the gap between a pair of Rebels to easily plate the two runners needed for the victory. As 16,400 fans cheered, the Diamond Dawgs sprinted

to the outfield in celebration.

Following the game, Jordan admitted that he didn’t remember everything from his big moment, but he credited the crowd for motivating the team.

“I saw my teammates coming towards me and I was just, like, pointing to the crowd,” Jordan said.

“They came out, they did their thing and we did ours.”

Colton Ledbetter had

arguably the most productive offensive outing of the day, blasting two home runs and drawing a walk to keep his team rolling. The centerfielder who, as a junior transfer, has had his fair share of big moments in college baseball, constantly delivered on some difficult pitches. When Ole Miss managed to climb out to a 52 lead halfway through the game, Ledbetter and teammate Hunter Hines

responded with back-toback solo home runs to regain momentum.

Saturday’s victory was capped off with an on-field Brett Eldredge concert that continued the fun at the Dude, but there was still plenty of work for Mississippi State to do to pick up another SEC series victory.

Sunday was a tale of some of the best pitching performances that the Diamond Dawgs have seen

all year. Ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje started the game for his team and struck out players left and right. The freshman gave up just one run and three hits in 5.2 innings pitched, all while recording seven strikeouts.

Cijntje has primarily used his right arm over the past few weeks, but fans were in for a treat as they watched him switch sides between different batters. Head coach Chris Lemonis

was impressed by the rising star’s outing in such an intense matchup.

“[Cijntje’s] work has been really good, and I thought him from the left side, I think that’s about as sharp as he’s been this year,” Lemonis said.

Texas transfer Aaron Nixon entered the game in relief in a big spot. Ole Miss was trailing 3-2, but the Rebels had the bases loaded and were threatening to bring in some runs. The visiting squad was only able to plate one run, as Nixon forced a ball into a double play that was turned, thanks to the quick reflexes of shortstop David Mershon.

Nixon picked a great weekend to be introduced to the state’s biggest rivalry, and as he said, he enjoyed it.

“I’ve never seen that rivalry other than football this last semester,” Nixon said. “It was just a great experience and I loved it.”

Offensively, Jordan and

Hines returned to the plate with the same intensity that they brought on Saturday.

Jordan recorded a soaring, three-run homer to give the Diamond Dawgs the early advantage, and Hines smashed the two-run shot that would seal the deal for the home team.

Hines said that his performance was inspired by many Mississippi State legends who have beaten the Rebels in the past.

“I just go out there and try to play the best I can because I know there’s been great players playing before me, and I just try to take advantage of their game,” Hines said.

Mississippi State will return to action when they travel south to Auburn this weekend.

Courtesy Photo| Connie Wise

Connie (left) and Robert (right) Wise attend square dancing events most weekends.

Courtesy Photo| Connie Wise

The Introduction to Square Dance Class, led by Connie Wise, welcomed those of all ages to their class held in Adaton United Met hodist Church’s fellowship hall.

ElizabEth kEEn Staff WritEr

16,423 fans gathered for an NCAA attendance record in Dudy Noble Field to watch the Bulldogs celebrate their series win against rival Ole Miss. Brooks Surber| The Reflector