5.10.23

Student ideas win thousands at Startup Summit

Mississippi State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach within the College of Business hosted its annual Startup Summit from March 27-31, 2023.

Startup Summit is an annual competition where MSU students are given the opportunity to present potential business or product ideas in hopes of being awarded funds to make these ideas a reality. A total of $40,000 was dispersed among the first, second and third place winners of all categories.

The divisions included in the competition were business concept, new product, best brand, business concept and brick and mortar. The winners of each division continued to the BankTEL Grand Finale to compete for the largest prize of $7,000.

A board of external judges, comprised of business leaders and MSU

alumni, was brought in to observe the competition.

Alongside the other divisions, there were also People’s Choice awards for each category, voted upon by the audience.

This year, first place overall was won by L.O. Bra, a team composed of Hannah Smith, Elizabeth Strunk and Sadie Ogletree — all fashion design and merchandising majors.

Smith said L.O. Bra originally began as a project to create some form of “wearable technology” for a product development course.

The L.O. Bra is a type of orthopedic bra for breast cancer patients with chemo ports. The bra is designed to detect early signs of infection in those chemo ports through built-in sensors.

L.O. Bra won first place in the new product division, earning a prize of $2,500. The team also placed first overall in the BankTEL Grand Finale Competition, winning an additional $7,000.

Both Smith and Strunk have had family members struggle with breast cancer, specifically with chemo port infections.

“We were like, ‘Well, let’s look into that and see if there’s something that we could fix there,’” Smith said. “And it kind of led us to where we are now.”

Smith said the Startup Summit is much more stressful than one might expect. Repeatedly pitching her team’s idea in front of successful businesspeople, answering their questions and being placed under a spotlight was a test of performing under pressure.

“It’s nerve wracking, but it’s also uplifting to go through that whole process,” Smith said.

The 2023 Startup Summit saw a record-breaking total of 51 student teams competing. Compared to the last in-person Startup Summit, this year saw a 40% increase in competitors.

Luke Snell and Ethan Holder, both senior me-

MSU attracts transfer students despite nationwide decline

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the number of community college students transferring to fouryear universities declined 7.5% nationwide last year.

Mississippi State University transfer advisors have solutions to improve transfer rates.

Hannah Pierce, MSU assistant director of transfer recruitment, said COVID19 impacted transfer rates nationally because more freshmen attended community college and did not transfer out.

Pierce said that MSU, however, was not as heavily impacted. Unlike other universities across the nation, MSU already understood the value of recruiting community college students and has a team of transfer advisors.

“They benefit us because a lot of times the majority of the ones that are transferring to us are the ones that are certainly graduating, especially Phi Theta Kappa honor students. So, we see a huge transfer retention on

graduation rates,” Pierce said.

Pierce and her team travel to all 15 Mississippi community colleges and bring visibility to MSU by tabling and giving presentations. Pierce said that the transfer application is designed to make enrollment easier by only requiring an unofficial transcript and a completed general application.

“We've seen the more stuff you need or transcripts to send, the less likely they're going to come to us,” Pierce said.

Michael Heindl, MSU alumnus and president of Northwest Mississippi Community College, highlighted the relationship community colleges have with MSU through the Presidential Partnership Scholarship.

“It’s further showing this forward-thinking thought process Mississippi State has, in terms of trying to get some of the best students that community colleges have. It’s a very exciting opportunity for students, and it's a big deal,” Heindl said.

The Presidential Partnership Scholarship invites all 15 Mississippi community

chanical engineering majors, are the founders and creators of Napsac, an external frame hiking backpack that folds out into a cot.

Napsac went on to place first and was chosen for a People’s Choice award in the business concept competition — granting $1,250 towards the startup. Snell and Holder’s product also placed second overall in the BankTEL Grand Finale Competition, winning another $3,000.

Snell and Holder have been trying to tackle the biggest strain that older backpackers face — sleeping. A crucial factor of backpacking is traveling light; typically, backpackers will use some form of foam mat to rest on. However, for older backpackers who face spinal issues, a foam mat is not the most comfortable option. Snell and Holder wanted to create a lighter alternative by combining a cot with the backpack itself.

Mississippi State University students enrolled in the Introduction to the Business of Museums course have put together an exhibit called "Tiny Itty-Bitty Little Guys: The Cobb’s Micro Museum” at the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology.

Thomas Vo, a student in the course and the director of marketing for the exhibit, said the team wanted to create an exhibit the public could find appealing.

“Within the Cobb’s collection are a bunch of artifacts and relics measuring under four inches, so we wanted to emphasize the Micro Museum display we are working on,” Vo said.

Laney Hammond, an exhibition designer, said she hopes the exhibit will bring more attention to the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology.

“The goal of this exhibit is to allow an accessible ex-

hibit for all; we would really love for more students, visitors of MSU and anyone who is wanting to visit the Cobb to have a memorable experience. We hope to achieve this through the Little Guys exhibit at the Cobb,” Hammond said.

The exhibit focuses on twelve small, artfully organized pieces, including a Greek coin from 350-250 B.C., an Israeli clay juglet from 700 B.C. and an Egyptian stone cat from around 250 B.C.

Another piece is a Native American arrowhead found on the Lyon’s Bluff site in Oktibbeha County. Lyon’s Bluff is a village and mound site which was investigated periodically from the 1930s into the early 2000s. Pieces found at the site are still being analyzed, including the arrowhead.

Students have also put together a scavenger hunt to encourage visitors to look for these pieces and get involved in the exhibit.

New residence hall aims to foster community

college presidents to nominate outstanding honor students to MSU. MSU selects one recipient from each community college for a fulltuition scholarship over two years.

The NWCC 2022 Presidential Partnership Scholarship recipient was Mary Claret Landsgaard, a junior electrical engineering major and International Paper intern from Olive Branch, Mississippi.

Landsgaard praised MSU for valuing community college students and encouraged other universities to do the same.

Conservation efforts restore longleaf pine

Pale smoke rises above a tall canopy of needles. A blaze crawls underneath, eating away at the yellowed savannah of wire grass. Crackling flames lick at the towering pines, their flaky bark stretching skyward for more than 80 feet.

On the soil made blackened and bare by the burn, life thrives. Birds twitter overhead, searching the ground for an ex-

posed meal. Tortoises, frogs and snakes rise from their cool burrows. Pine saplings ready themselves for explosive growth.

The longleaf pine forest once dominated the landscape of the coastal southeast – over 90 million acres spread from southeastern Virginia through Mississippi to eastern Texas and south through the northern two-thirds of Florida. Early settlers would travel through this forested savannah for days

on end, past trunks they could not wrap their arms around. It was a seemingly limitless supply of high-quality lumber.

According to the America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative (ALRI), the forest has lost more than 97% of its historic extent. 3.4 million acres of fragmented forest remain, much of which is under private ownership. Fire, something essential to the health of the longleaf pine, is often suppressed.

Mississippi State University is planning to begin construction of a new $96 million residence hall on the corner of George Perry Street and East Barr Avenue. Construction will begin December 2023 and is planned to be completed by fall 2025.

Dei Allard, executive director of MSU Housing and Residence Life, said the new residence hall will have

a unique design.

“The concept is a new type of building than what currently exists on our campus. Single rooms in a podstyle community of 18,” Allard said.

Allard said the building will house 412 students separated by gender.

“The design provides optimal opportunities for student engagement and collaboration with one another as well as the MSU community,” Allard said.

In this “pod-style” dorm,

there will be 18 single rooms that funnel into a common bathroom hall. There will also be a common area at the end of each pod.

Allard said single rooms will “provide the privacy and convenience students seek,” and that the new residence hall will provide positive aspects to students.

“Pro: Single bedrooms are available for any student classification, not just upper-division students," Allard said.

ELiSA StoCKiNG StAFF WritEr

The new residence hall will occupy the green space between Old Main and Ruby Hall, which was previously occupied by Suttle Hall Courtesy Photo | Ches Fedric

New student exhibit hopes to revive Cobb Museum of Archaeology

L.O. Bra won first place in the new product division, winning $2,500. Smith, Strunk and Ogletree placed first in the BankTEL Grand Finale Competition, winning an additional $7,000.

Courtesy Photo | Nicole Boulay

ANNE LoUiSE PHiLLiPS StAFF WritEr

tANNEr MArLoW CoNtriBUtiNG WritEr

The longleaf pine forest was once an incredibly vast featur e of the Southeast, its range defined by frequent widespread fires. Courtesy Photo | Jeff Wilson

2022 recipient Mary Claret Landsgaard.

Courtesy Photo | Mary Claret Landsgaard

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“It really went from being an idea to an actual thing because of the Startup Summit,” Snell said.

Snell and Holder are looking to build Napsac into a larger outdoor brand with more forms of backpacks. Other ideas they are working with include backpacks that convert into hammocks or even tents.

Holder said the pair received many business tips during the event.

“It was good to hear the judges’ feedback from both competitions. I liked meeting other groups who had, not similar startups, but who were in the same boat in the case of starting a

RESIDENCE

Dante Hill, director for Facilities & Maintenance, said the new residence hall will include elements of the residence halls currently on campus. “There will not be shower rooms with five showers like we are accustomed to in traditional halls. It will be individual showers, or toilet rooms with showers. Privacy in those areas will still be present,” Hill said. “Bathrooms will not be within the student rooms. They will have shared spaces in the hallway. It’s a mix of both traditional and community in our thoughts.”

Hill said this design will promote community within the residence hall.

“I believe that students living in traditional-style

EXHIBIT

The exhibit opened May 3. Summer visitors can schedule an appointment by calling the MSU Welcome Center at 662-325-5203. During a school semester, the museum is open during its normal business hours, which vary each semester.

Rabi Siddiqui, the student museum curator for the exhibit, said the exhibit hopes to connect visitors to cultures of the past.

“Tiny Itty-Bitty Little Guys: The Cobb’s Micro Museum is a way to engage with people by showing that the culture of seeing and making cute little things can be found throughout all time,” Siddiqui said. “The exhibit also intends to revive the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology by creating a narrative flow

TRANSFER

company,” Holder said.

Snell said the most beneficial part of the experience was the people surrounding them throughout the process.

“The best part was just being around other people that were also in entrepreneurial mindsets. It was really nice overlap: engineering problemsolving through the creativity of other majors intercepting,” Snell said. Of the 51 teams that competed in the Startup Summit, 23 of those teams were awarded some portion of the $40,000 fund.

According to Eric Hill, the director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach, the competing teams consisted of diverse backgrounds of students from all departments across MSU’s campus. Hill said many winners at the Startup

halls benefit from the community environment. This is going to give us the opportunity to mix the two. Allow for some privacy in your own room for studying and sleeping but encouraging you to go outside of your room and interact with other students in the common areas,” Hill said. Hill said the new residence hall will include a new dining hall and a storm shelter.

“The dining facility will be open to all students and not just residents of this hall. The concept will remind us more of the Union dining area rather than Fresh Food or Perry. The storm shelter will have enough space for the residents of the hall, maybe more,” Hill said.

Allard said this residence hall will have areas designated to collaborate with partners across MSU.

“The intentional

within the space, with the little guys dotted throughout the museum like a scavenger hunt. I loved contributing to bring this museum back to life. My role as curator is all about research, but specifically how the public interacts with research.”

Lori Neuenfeldt, the course instructor, said this class is a great opportunity for undergraduate students.

“It’s significant that the Cobb allowed us access to train on proper handling and display of artifacts. MSU is incredibly lucky to have a museum that encourages hands-on undergraduate learning,” Neuenfeldt said.

Neuenfeldt said the museum has plans for future public outreach programs.

“Along with ongoing field excavations and

Summit go on to further develop their ideas.

The winning team of the 2015 Startup Summit, Glo, is currently the highestvalued student startup to come from MSU, currently valued at an estimated $20 million. The winning team of the 2019 Startup Summit produced a software product that went on to become the number one app in the marketing category of the Shopify app store. The application later went through Techstars Atlanta and won the SEC pitch competition.

“At the end of the day, this is a fun event,” Hill said. “I always tell teams that compete that this has no bearing on your level of success. It is strictly for fun, because who knows who you’re competing against and what the judge sees or likes.”

Courtesy Photo | Nicole Boulay

51 teams comprised of 80 entrepreneurs from 6 academic colleges were given the opportunity to pitch business or product ideas.

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the new residence hall will bring to campus.

“We are excited about this new residence hall project. We have gotten feedback from students that have helped to inform this process and coupled with the need to replace aging inventory, we look forward to the fall 2025 completion of this project,” Hyatt said.

“Additionally, a new dining hall will be incorporated into this project. This provides needed dining options for the north side of campus.”

integration of several concepts with partners across MSU is also another unique facet of this facility: academic partnership, additional dining options for the MSU community and guests on this side of campus, and a storm shelter,” Allard said.

Prospective dining

archaeological research, the Cobb Institute holds numerous public programs throughout the year. The museum hosts tours for elementary and middle school students or arranges visits to go to schools. The biggest public programs are Science Night at the Museums in February and Archaeology Month in October,” Neuenfeldt said.

Neuenfeldt said the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology is named after Lois Dowdle Cobb, an editor, writer, educator, administrator, home economist and trustee. Cobb and her husband Cully traveled extensively in Europe and the Middle East. In 1971, they funded the Cobb Institute of Archaeology.

options include a brick oven, personalized pizza bar, pasta stations and a Maroon Market. Hill said the hall’s exterior will resemble the Industrial Education Building, YMCA Building and Lee Hall.

“Reflecting on MSU’s architecture and making

sure that we blend in is the goal,” Hill said.

The project is still in the early phases and detailed renderings of the design are not ready to be released.

Regina Hyatt, vice president of the Division of Student Affairs, said she is excited about the amenities

Saunders Ramsey, director of MSU Campus Services, said that the project is showing strong progress.

CONTINUED FROM

The institute was completed in October 1975. In 1979, Lois Dowdle Cobb was celebrated

hybrid learning options for flexibility.

“There are not very many universities in the state or in the nation that have thought progressively, to be able to allow students and some of our faculty who teach in our applied science degrees, to have this kind of opportunity. This allows them to get their bachelor’s without losing any hours. And there are universities in the state and across the nation that really have not figured this out, but Mississippi State has, and it's very exciting,” Heindl said.

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alumnus, and his readiness to meet with the community college presidents. He credited this kind of partnership as significant to community colleges and four-year universities.

Pierce said that MSU is proud to be a transfer-friendly university and that other institutions are noticing their success. MSU was selected as one of the most transfer-friendly schools in the nation in Phi Theta Kappa’s 2022 Transfer Honor Roll, but Pierce said they hope to keep improving.

MSU accepts all of a career tech student’s credits from their Associate of Applied Science degree and allows students to choose up to three emphasis areas. MSU also offers online, in-person and

Heindl said he appreciates that universities like MSU intentionally seek out community college students. He praised President Mark Keenum, a notable Northeast Mississippi Community College

“There's lots of things that we hope we do well, there's always things that we think we can do better, but we are prioritizing giving the transfer community opportunities. We're hoping that transfers can call MSU home and continue their success,” Pierce said.

with the

the museum. More information about the Cobb Institute of Archaeology can be found on their website.

"Pro: Will not need to clean your bathrooms! We will have staff for that. Pro: You will have to meet and engage with other students."

The new residence hall is inspired by the architecture of distinctive campus buildings such as Lee Hall and the YMCA Building.

Ivy Rose Ball | The Reflector

The production of the exhibit gave students valuable experience in the handling and display of artifacts and in public outreach

Anne Louise Phillips | The Reflector

“I think other four-year universities don’t understand; they have it backwards. They want students to pay for school for four years so much that they overlook the value of having an already well-rounded student come in and give them results,” Landsgaard said.

Another thing that sets MSU apart from other institutions is its Bachelor of Applied Science program. MSU is the first university in Mississippi to offer a full bachelor’s degree in applied science which allows two-year career tech graduates to further their education.

MSU encourages community college transfers through active recruitment efforts and a simple application process. Ivy Rose Ball | The Reflector

Welcome, new Bulldogs! You have made a great choice by continuing your education at Mississippi State University. I seriously could not think of a better college in a better town. Make the most of your time here at Mississippi State. There are so many wonderful opportunities and friendships to be made living on this very campus, so please do not feel afraid to try something new and reach for the stars.

From sporting events to video game tournaments to study sessions, there is a little something waiting here at MSU for everyone.

The friendly and welcoming culture at this university is something to behold.

If things start off slow and you do not have the friend group or experience you are looking for immediately, do not be afraid. Things will not always be easy, and that is perfectly normal and okay. In time, you will find people at Mississippi State that you are sure to be friends with for your entire life.

There are so many memories and moments to be made here at Mississippi State, so enjoy your time here and make those memories in maroon.

To the newest additions to our Mississippi State family:

Welcome! My name is Ellie Herndon, and I am the Student Body President here at Mississippi State. We are so excited to have you here on campus for orientation and the upcoming academic year! You are starting off on the right foot by taking the time to read our amazing student newspaper, The Reflector! As I am sure many of the students involved in the production of The Reflector will tell you, there are endless opportunities for you to find your place here at Mississippi State. We have hundreds of student organizations for you to get involved with, undergraduate research opportunities that you can pursue,

study abroad trips waiting to be taken, and overall a community of people who will be there to support you in your endeavors.

While this is just the beginning of your Mississippi State experience, I hope that you will cherish the memories you will make during your time here. I hope that during your time at MSU, I can be a resource to you in whatever you may need! My email address is egh177@msstate.edu and my phone number is 228327-4702 – whether you want to talk about ways to get involved with the Student Association, hear more about all that Mississippi State has to offer, or simply a recommendation of places to eat in Starkville, please do not hesitate to reach out!

I am so excited that you have decided to make Mississippi State your home for the next few years! I cannot wait to see what is in store for you!

Hail State!

Ellie Herndon

Despite this, recent conservation efforts have improved the outlook of the longleaf pine forest in Mississippi.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has begun work on a new 20252035 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), a guide to the longterm conservation of Mississippi’s ecology.

Elizabeth Rooks-Barber, a wildlife biologist and the plan's coordinator, said that the plan will likely bring more attention to the conservation needs of the longleaf pine ecosystem. So far, the list of species of conservation concern has tripled in size since the 2015-2025 plan and now includes plants, insects and marine life.

“We have to list the abundance and distribution of species that are in low and declining populations, and then we describe their locations and condition of their habitat. We go through and address the description of priority research needs and survey needs,” Rooks-Barber said. “We talk about the threats and potential conservation actions for species of concern and their habitat.”

Dr. Kristine Evans, a professor of conservation biology at Mississippi State University, said that longleaf pine forests are biodiversity hotspots.

According to Evans, experts estimate there are as many as 140 species of flora and fauna in a quarter of an acre and about 900 plant species endemic to this system, making it one of the most diverse ecosystems in temperate North America.

“But the uniqueness and the rarity of some of these species makes it a really, really important system,” Evans said.

29 federally threatened or endangered species are associated with the longleaf pine forest. One unique species is the gopher tortoise, the only North American tortoise found east of the Mississippi River.

Only about nine inches long, its dull-brown carapace creeps steadily across the open forest floor. The tortoise digs its long claws into the sandy soil, burrowing a home up to 40 feet long and 10 feet wide. When a fire approaches, the gopher tortoise escapes to its cool and humid burrow, where its eggs remain safe.

According to the Nature Conservancy, the gopher tortoise is a keystone species. At least 300 other species use their burrows to escape predators and the regular fires that pass through the longleaf pine forest. Unfortunately, the gopher tortoise is federally threatened.

Without fire to burn away forest undergrowth, the tortoise cannot burrow. In addition, human interaction often destroys their burrows.

The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi is leading a program at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center where they incubate, raise and release hundreds of gopher tortoises each year. Hatchlings are released at a considerable size and sexual maturity, giving them the best chance at increasing the wild population.

About 170 of the Southeast’s 290 reptiles and amphibians are

found in the longleaf pine forest; 30 of those reptile and amphibian species are only found within the forest. Steve Reichling, director of conservation and research at the Memphis Zoo, works closely with one such amphibian, the dusky gopher frog.

“I call it the most critically endangered frog in the US,” Reichling said.

After heavy rain, temporary ponds form in a forest floor swept open by fire. Dusky gopher frogs, black, brown or gray and covered in dark ridges and warts, congregate to reproduce. After the mating season, they move to the forest’s uplands where they depend on the gopher tortoise’s humid burrows to survive.

According to Reichling, habitat loss has heavily impacted the dusky gopher frog. In 2003, only one population of about 100 frogs remained. Since then, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy and other organizations have worked to save the frog from extinction.

For the past 20 years, the Memphis Zoo has worked in collaboration with the zoos of Omaha, Detroit and Dallas to breed dusky gopher frogs and establish new metapopulations –separate populations that can reproduce with one another.

After decades of work, the project has shown evidence of new populations reproducing in Southern Mississippi. Reichling estimates that a couple of thousand wild frogs currently exist in the wild.

“It’ll be a number more years, but we’re on the right path to create these metapopulations,” Reichling said.

Mississippi State’s Dr. Evans said healthy longleaf pine forests can contain up to 100 bird species. Some nest in the pines themselves, while others nest on the grassy forest floor. Many of these species struggle to adapt to pine forests without fire. One is the red-cockaded woodpecker, one of the original species listed in the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

what they need,” Evans said. “If tomorrow, it was economically viable for everybody to open up their pine stands and burn all the time, we'd have red-cockaded woodpeckers all over the place.”

Since the 1990s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has collaborated with local organizations to produce artificial habitats for the red-cockaded woodpecker. At Mississippi’s Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, conservationists climbed 70-foot ladders and sawed artificial cavities in trees. According to Evans, red-cockaded woodpecker populations are increasing.

Collaboration between federal, state and non-governmental organizations has been instrumental in conserving and restoring the longleaf pine forest. The Longleaf Alliance is a nonprofit organization that focuses on guiding the restoration, stewardship and conservation of the longleaf pine forest. The alliance is one of many organizations working toward America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative.

Cody Pope, western technical assistance and training specialist for the Longleaf Alliance, said since 2010, 1.6 million acres of longleaf have been planted and over 300,000 acres of longleaf pine woodlands have been put into protection under the ALRI as of 2021. Additionally, over 15 million acres have been burned to improve the health of longleaf pine forests as of 2021.

“The local implementation teams that have been put together throughout the range have been instrumental in completing the on-the-ground work necessary to restore and conserve these ecosystems as well as educating the public about their significance,” Pope said.

Tamara Campbell is a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and guides Mississippi’s implementation team, which works to achieve the ALRI’s goal to increase the longleaf pine forest to 8 million acres by 2025. Campbell said the conservation of the longleaf pine forest is a complex task.

“Monitoring and evaluation of longleaf conservation can be difficult, particularly considering the temporal response of species and the dynamics of environmental factors,” Campbell said.

Private landowners, governmental organizations and nonprofits all refer to the State Wildlife Action Plan when planning their conservation efforts.

Rooks-Barber, the plan’s coordinator, said the SWAP is an important reference document for any party concerned with conservation.

Dear New Students,

Welcome to Mississippi State!

This is the start of an especially exciting time in your life, and I want you to know that you’re on a campus that will allow you to take full advantage of your strengths across a wide range of pursuits — in the classroom and beyond. Faculty, staff and students are eager to assist in your transition to college, and to help you chart a course to become whatever you want to be.

Your fellow students come from every corner of Mississippi, almost every state in the nation and about 80 different countries around the world. You will gain by living and learning alongside those

whose traditions and experiences are different from your own, and you will find that the university’s reputation for friendliness is well deserved.

Each of you has ability and promise, and I hope you will make the most of it to become the leader that your community, your state and your country need you to be. I will do everything in my power to make Mississippi State the university you deserve and expect it to be, and I hope you will make the same commitment to give your best — in the classroom, on the playing field or in upholding our tradition as a welcoming and caring campus.

We’re glad you’re here, and look forward to getting to know you better.

Hail State!

The red-cockaded woodpecker has a 15-inch wingspan barred with black and white horizontal stripes and is the only woodpecker to make its nest cavity exclusively in trees that are living. It prefers pines of at least 60 years of age, and populations that have declined with the disappearance of mature longleaf pine forests. In forests without fire, hardwood trees grow to crowd the forest canopy and provide predators with easier access to their nests.

“These little suckers, they really like these very narrow ranges of tolerable habitat, and that's why they're declining. As humans, we have not produced

“It's a really important document for a lot of different conservation and restoration efforts. It's important that we do well and that we describe everything based on the best science,” Rooks-Barber said. “Granted, we don't we don't know everything about a lot of these things, and we'll never know that.”

“I think it'll be a much more complete representation of species of concern in the state.”

Elizabeth RooksBarber

SA President Ellie Herndon

Hail State! Joshua Britt, The Reflector Editor-in-Chief

The Reflector E-i-C Joshua Britt

Mark E. Keenum Mississippi State University President

MSU President Mark E. Keenum

A new action plan will help conserve these vital forests.

Gopher tortoises can take more than 16 years to mature and reproduce, making them especially vunerable to habitat destruction.

Courtesy Photo | Marc Banks

The dusky gopher frog can travel more than a mile to mate after heavy rainfall. Its mating call is said to resemble human snoring.

Courtesy Photo | Evan Grimes

The red-cockaded woodpecker.

Courtesy Photo | USFWS

& ENTERTAINMENT 6

MSU welcomes 22nd live Bulldog mascot

During halftime at the spring football game during Super Bulldog Weekend, crowds gathered to witness the introduction of Bully XXII, Dak.

The passing of the harness was conducted April 15 in Davis Wade Stadium to officially retire the previous live mascot, Jak, and begin the journey of Dak.

Among the figures present to welcome Dak to the Mississippi State family were President Mark Keenum and the Bulldog's namesake Dak Prescott.

Dak is an English Bulldog born March 1, 2021. He trained extensively for his new role with caretakers Julie and Bruce Martin, longtime supporters of MSU from Meridian, Mississippi.

“He began going to baseball games at about five months old going to baseball games at the loft, being exposed to fireworks, cowbells, and cheering crowds,” Julie Martin said.

Julie Martin said Dak was chosen for his personality and lineage.

“He is just a lovable pup who likes his back scratches and his bulldog sister, Bell, who is a littermate of the prior live mascot, Jak,” Julie Martin said.

Dak's bloodline also includes Bully XIX, Tonka, and Bully XX, Champ.

Dak is the 22nd live mascot in Mississippi State University’s history, with the first mascot being Ptolemy, arriving in Starkville in 1935. The selection process for MSU's mascot is almost as extensive as the training, which goes to show

Dak is one of a kind. As the smallest of his litter, the odds of being selected were against Dak. Despite these odds, Dak was chosen to represent MSU as Bully XXII.

Dak will spend his time as the live mascot attending sporting events, tailgates, team practices and various other events. While the suited-up mascots will be traversing the stadiums taking pictures with fans, Dak will be down on the sidelines, guarding the team valiantly.

Student Body President Ellie Herndon expressed her thoughts about the new Bully.

“I think it is a very special tradition that we have at MSU! I love being in the student section at basketball games and seeing Jak and now Dak court-side,” Herndon said.

Dak is a continuation of a tradition that keeps Mississippi State unique. Through his duties as live mascot, he keeps students, parents and fans excited to go to events and make memories here.

The joy brought to everyone by experiences with Jak over the past few years was far from unknown. Social media posts, videos and countless memories from organizations and random

encounters can be seen and heard about often. While Jak was a great live mascot, Dak’s presence on the sidelines will be felt and will add to the atmosphere of all sporting events.

Up-and-coming Mississippi artists struggle with streaming services

Music production and listener consumption have become driven by streaming services, which account for 84% of recorded music revenue in the United States according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

These services allow artists to reach wider audiences. However, these artists do not always generate much income from the services.

This begs the question: are up-and-coming Mississippi artists benefiting from music streaming services?

Country singersongwriter “Mississippi”

Mason Honnoll is a Columbus native currently signed to the Delta-based indie record label Cotton Row Record Company.

He currently has 30 monthly listeners on his most popular streaming platform, Spotify. Honnoll said he made around $2000 last year from streaming services. For context, $2000 is good for about two months’ rent in a Columbus apartment.

“Streaming doesn’t generate enough money, but it allows you to get your music out there and gives you more exposure,” Honnoll said. “That’s why I had to make CDs – because I knew streaming wasn’t going to pay enough.”

In May of 2022, Honnoll released a ten-song collection of studio recordings titled “Just the Way I Am,” that demonstrated his ability to write storytelling songs with catchy lyrics that captured the essence of classic country music.

Honnoll estimated he spent around $1,500 on the album. He said if he had paid for a producer and recording

studio, the price would have risen to $4,000 — without marketing. Marketing methods, such as radio distribution, TV commercials and copyright, can boost expenses up to $12,000 per album.

To cover his album production expenses and earn additional revenue, Honnoll said he sold around 100 CDs for $15 each.

Honnoll prefers to market himself and earn more in another way: performing live.

Honnoll has performed at the Ole Red in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and at the historic Ellis Theater in Cleveland, Mississippi. He also opened for Grammy awardwinning Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

Honnoll said that in his experience, people want to see a live concert when an artist releases music on streaming

platforms. For this reason and for the sake of income, he relies more on live shows, which pay between $250$2,000 per show, than on CD sales and streaming.

“Back in the day, you used to do live shows to sell your records, but nowadays, you release your records to sell live shows,” Honnoll said.

“It’s like a big circle. You release streams to play more shows, and you play more shows to get more streams.”

Music streaming services have become a dominant feature for both artists and listeners.

The number of artists registered on Spotify continues to grow, possibly due to their desire to receive a share of Spotify’s payouts.

Spotify’s 2021 “Loud and Clear” annual report stated that it broke the record for the highest yearly payout

from any single retailer at $7 billion.

In addition, the report stated in 2021, more than 1,000 artists generated over $1 million through Spotify for the first time. Four hundred fifty artists generated over $2 million. One hundred thirty artists generated more than $5 million. More than 50,000 artists earned more than $10,000. This total comes out to $3.1 billion. However, the 51,580 artists only account for 0.5% of Spotify’s entire artist base. The other 99.5% of artists on the platform, in an ideal, equal representation, made roughly less than $3,600 in one year due to the pay-per-stream being roughly $0.0033. Unless the artist is the rights holder, these payments are sent directly to labels, publishers and other

entities, which are then divided according to the artist’s contract.

Brayden Sansing is an independent country singersongwriter based in Columbus who originally hails from Greenville, Mississippi.

In the last year, Sansing has seen an increase in his fanbase rising from 50 to 850 people counting all social media platforms. However, these numbers are not translating into streaming sales.

Sansing said that throughout all of 2022, he generated $20 combined from streaming platforms. Most of this income came from Spotify and Apple Music streams.

“If I was on a record label, I would have to go through months of asking them to let me do a certain type of song, whereas, as an independent artist I have more freedom,” Sansing said. “But, if I was on a record label, I would have better marketing, better connections and probably have more streams.”

Streaming services have made a significant impact on the musical landscape, allowing independent artists to push their sound to new heights. However, low payout prices are an extreme drawback.

Earning $1 on various platforms depends on the payout rate of the streaming service. Tidal offers $0.013 per stream, requiring the artist to get 78 streams. Apple Music pays an artist $0.01 per stream, but they must reach 125 streams. Amazon Music pays $0.004 per stream but requires the artist to obtain 249 streams. On YouTube Music, the artist receives $0.007 per stream, which means they must get 137 streams.

These figures are important for artists and even more critical for Sansing, who is

currently building a name for himself with no record label to rely on.

On February 14, Sansing released an EP titled “Brokenhearted,” showcasing his craft as a multitalented musician who plays acoustic and electric guitars, pianos, keyboards and percussion instruments.

He even produces his own work using mixers to blend and balance instruments and vocals to create a quality song. Sansing said he spent around $5,000 on all the gear he has. Sansing believes it is cheaper to use his own funds to produce his work than to hire others.

“It’s cheaper when you do it yourself,” Sansing said.

“You have your own opinions, you don’t have to pay for studio time that can run up to $80 an hour, and you don’t have to hire a bunch of people like producers.”

Artists can bypass labels by using social media for selfpromotion, learning new skills through YouTube tutorials and using streaming services to spread their music. Sansing said these are some of the things he does to market himself better.

“With streaming services, anybody anywhere can listen to your songs and support you,” Sansing said. “Even with social media [platforms] like Instagram and Facebook, you can market the song for more people to listen to it at any time.”

It cannot be definitively said if music streaming has hurt more than it has helped, but one thing is certain – the way musicians reach their audiences has changed, and understanding the ongoing shift in music consumption is essential in musicians finding their sweet spot.

As Honnoll and Sansing both said, “There are pros and cons to everything.”

Courtesy Photo | Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University officially named Dak, an English Bulldog born March 1, 2021, as the 22nd live bulldog mascot April 15, 2023. Dak will represent the school at its major functions including sporting events. John balaDi staff

Bully XXII’s owners, Julie (left) and Bruce (right) Martin, care for him at their home in Meridian, Mississippi.

Courtesy Photo | Mississippi State University

"Mississippi" Mason Honnoll (left) and Brayden Sansing (right) are two artists affected by streaming service revenues.

Courtesy Photo | Pamela Dankins

LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT 7

Students entertain through campus clubs

Creative students looking to get involved in the entertainment scene at Mississippi State University have many opportunities, including the radio station WMSV, the improv comedy troupe Lab Rats and the student-led film organization The Scene.

WMSV

WMSV first went on-air March 21, 1994, with the song “Right Here, Right Now” by Jesus Jones. The radio station was built after a group of students petitioned to have a station on campus in the early 1990s.

As a non-commercial radio station, WMSV does not air advertisements and instead focuses on the music and the community.

WMSV programs a Triple A Music format, playing artists like Mumford and Sons, Dave Matthews, The Killers and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Alternatively, WMSV broadcasts a jazz and blues segment on Sundays.

The station’s broadcast reaches up to 70 miles away from campus, giving students the opportunity to speak to a wide range of people.

Courtenay Sebastian, a junior biochemistry major, has been a DJ at WMSV since August 2022. Sebastian said working at the radio station has helped her come out of her shell and showcase more of her personality.

“The radio station has made me kind of more open, I suppose,” Sebastian said. “I feel a lot more extroverted. I feel like I’m having my own personality when I come on.”

Anthony Craven has served as WMSV’s general manager since 2015. Craven said he was a student worker for the station while getting his degree in communication at MSU.

“I remembered how much I enjoyed it as a student,” Craven said. “So much so that I actually had other radio jobs post-graduation.”

There are many ways to get involved at WMSV, including working as a live DJ, recording news segments and helping run the social media. Craven said that any MSU student, regardless of their major or experience level, can work at WMSV.

“The best thing to do is just to come by the station and talk to me,” Craven said.

“Certainly, you can reach out via email or call, but the best thing to do is just to come in.”

To learn more about WMSV, visit their website.

Lab Rats

Another entertaining organization on campus is the improv comedy troupe Lab Rats. Founded in 2003, Lab Rats is the first and only improv comedy troupe at MSU.

Lab Rats hosts multiple shows each semester where troupe members take audience suggestions and perform shortform and long-form skits. Each skit is different and completely improvised.

Short-form skits range from 3-5 minutes, whereas long-form skits are usually 1012 minutes.

David Hintz, a junior at MSU, quickly realized his passion for performing arts after starting his undergraduate degree as an aerospace engineering student. After joining Lab Rats, Hintz decided to change his major to communication and pursue a career in theater.

“I got into Lab Rats, and I was like, this is crazy that people will come and pay $5 for me to make them laugh. If I can make a career out of this, then that’s what I want to do,” Hintz said.

Lab Rats is audition-based, and “new hats,” as Hintz calls them, are expected to be at practice three times a week. Involvement in shows is determined on a voluntary basis, as they are understanding of students’ busy schedules.

Hintz said that there are no requirements to be a part of Lab Rats and that anyone who is interested should audition.

“We’ve got math majors,

we’ve got a mechanical engineer, we’ve got biological sciences, we’ve got marketing,” Hintz said. “We’ve got a little bit of everybody.”

Hintz said his best advice for someone wanting to join Lab Rats is to visit one of their shows and attend one of their workshops. He said workshops are open to the public and can be a great place to get beginner advice before auditioning.

Hintz said being a Lab Rat means a lot to him, and he can always count on his troupe to make a rough day better.

“My favorite part of being a Lab Rat is the community that there is built within the troupe,” Hintz said. “You get to have all these relationships with people where you go into it prepared to break down those walls and get closer to people than you ever have before.”

Upcoming events, including workshops and shows, are accessible through Lab Rats’ Instagram @labratscomedy.

The Scene

Students who want experience with directing, editing and acting in film can

Five decorations to brighten up the dorm

get involved with The Scene, a film student organization that began in 2020.

The Scene’s website says their goal is to create one student-written short film each semester. Quincy Campbell, sophomore supply chain logistics major and president of The Scene, said he has higher ambitions.

“Right now, my goal is just to do 3 short films, and we’re getting to that goal,” Campbell said. “Next semester, I’m trying to do crazy number 12.”

In the future, The Scene also plans to film PSAs and commercials for events happening in the MSU community.

There are many ways to get involved with The Scene as a writer, editor or lighting technician, and the positions are flexible. Students are given the opportunity to try working in different roles and find what they like.

Campbell said his favorite part of being involved in The Scene is working together with like-minded people.

To get involved with The Scene, email Campbell at qac18@msstate.edu or message the organization on Instagram @thescenemsstate.

Moving into a residence hall for the first time can be nerve-racking. Amidst the stress of preparing for new classes and joining new clubs, dorm rooms can be a place of solace from the hustle and bustle of college life instead of a source of anxiety.

Here are five decoration ideas that will turn your room into a charming, comfortable environment.

Fridge Magnets

Not all residence hall rooms have the space for fancy futons and chic coffee tables. A fun way to personalize your room without taking up too much space is through fridge magnets.

MSU supplies the dorms with refrigerators – the perfect canvases for all sorts of personal trinkets.

My roommate and I invested in some mini succulent magnets last year. The little fake plants hold up everything from fliers to tickets. One is red and spiky. Another has broad purple and green leaves. My fridge has personality for under $10.

Magnets function as more than just decor, and they are especially valuable during your first weeks on campus.

Every organization imaginable will likely hand you a pamphlet. You may want to keep some of these papers as reminders of the interest meetings and opportunities available across campus.

Touch Lamps

A touch lamp with a USB port can make your life as a college student easier.

My lamp looks like a tiny chandelier with hanging faux crystals. Any touch lamp that suits your fancy will do.

If you place the lamp on a nightstand, you can charge your phone in bed. When your alarm goes off in the morning, you can just tap the lamp.

I know my lamp has prevented me from falling back asleep many mornings. I do not have to wake my roommate up by turning on the overhead lights, but I do not have to stumble around in the dark either.

Having a lamp helps with both early mornings and late-night study sessions. You can read, study or work and then go to bed without having to ever touch a light switch.

The ringing of cowbells fill Davis Wade Stadium on any given Saturday in the fall.

It may be hard to believe, but cowbells can provide as much visual appeal in a dorm as they do sound in the stadium.

Cowbells, a desk decoration filled with school spirit, come in a variety of colors and sizes.

You can support local businesses that carry painted cowbells or paint them yourself. The Lodge, Maroon & Co and Mississippi State’s Barnes & Noble all sell plain cowbells if you choose to paint your own. Your first cowbell must be a gift, as purchasing your own is generally considered to be bad luck. After that, you can personally contribute to your decorative cowbell collection as much as you want.

Pegboards

IKEA sells a plastic pegboard with 426 letters, numbers and symbols.

A pegboard can offer a space for banter and inside jokes with your friends.

I have commemorated many holidays and game days with my pegboard. From happy birthdays to merry Christmases to hail states, the decoration constantly showcases important occasions.

In times of break-ups, the board has even functioned as a temporary “burn board,” slandering friends’ ex-boyfriends. I consider this a relatively harmless and therapeutic method of revenge.

Throw Pillows

Whether fuzzy, furry or fluffy, throw pillows can make your room a cozier space, as a pile of pillows can create a homier look.

After a long day of class, many people want to retreat to their beds.

For those who like to study in their dorms, pillows give support when sitting in bed to read or do homework.

If you dislike throwing decorative pillows off of the bed to sleep, you can always opt for one or two larger throw pillows. I tend to believe the more pillows, the better.

The dorm will be your home for an entire year, so you want to think about the decorations that will make you feel most at home. Personal touches can make dorm life easier and more exciting as you adjust to college life.

Annaleigh Penter and Maddie Mabry decorated their Magnolia Hall dorm room.

Courtesy Photo | Maddie Mabry

Painted Cowbells

roWaN FeaSel StaFF Writer

Natalie StaggerS CoNtributiNg Writer

The members of Lab Rats take requests from their audiences when performing. Their performances typically take place in McComas Hall, but locations vary.

Courtesy Photo | David Hintz

WMSV is MSU’s student run radio station. It first went on-air March 21, 1994.

Ivy Rose Ball | The Reflector WMSV is

noncommercial radio station that focuses on music and the MSU community.

Rose Ball

Reflector

The comedy improv group, Lab Rats, hosts various performances throughout the year.

Courtesy Photo | Kiki Efantis

The Scene works on short films that feature the talents of its members.

Courtesy Photo | David Hintz

The Scene is a film club on campus.

Courtesy Photo | David Hintz

College is a melting pot; Leave room for differing opinions

One of the most enjoyable and beautiful aspects of college is the absolute treasure trove of personalities you will meet. When I was an incoming freshman, however, I failed to realize this.

I spent my days in group chats attempting to meet as many people as possible, but as was common during quarantine, political discourse was high. Hours upon hours and days upon days were spent arguing. The worst part is that not a bit of good came out of it.

In high school, I was never the most socially apt person. I did not really have a friend group until senior year, so I spent my days attempting things

that would change that. I got really involved in youth legislature and debate, which led me to become very interested in politics. An interest in politics and debating, combined with a suboptimal view of what the real world looked like led me to become a person that would simply search for people to debate with. It did not turn out well.

This mainly affected my freshman year, but it has also led to some positive changes in my thoughts on political interactions.

Have your opinions, stay informed, but more than anything, know that there are reasons that others have their opinions as well.

You can disagree with

someone, you can think they are blissfully ignorant or just plain wrong, but obtusely bringing these thoughts to the table could very well cause more harm than good. We live in an uncertain world, one in which you never know who you may need to lean on. There are also dangers in only surrounding yourself with others that hold the exact same beliefs as you. If you only ever agree with each other, there is

nothing to be learned.

At the end of the day, we are all just a bunch of college kids. We, for the most part, have not seen the world at large, and we definitely do not all share the same experiences. The experiences that we share are those that come from being in college together.

As college students, we do not universally share almost anything. We do not all share our interests, majors or, of

course, our political views. Our struggles are what we can all share.

We all fail to get desired scores on tests, we all miss classes we do not mean to and we all get anxiety from our friendships. We spend long nights studying things we will not remember tomorrow and spend our weekdays longing for the weekends. We should embrace these shared experiences.

Sure, politics are important. Having and voicing our opinions on them is something we are extremely lucky to be able to do. However, through voicing them in the wrong ways, I have only found myself feeling disconnected from thousands of potential friends.

There are over 23,000

completely different life stories on this campus. Going out looking for debates or simply allowing them to happen when they are unnecessary usually leads to nothing good.

Of course, in situations where debate leads to meaningful conversations, these conversations can be extremely engaging. However, to waste our time arguing over issues in which the argument changes nothing is just that — a waste of time.

I would do anything to finish college next year knowing that people will remember me for the memories we have made, not the debates that we had. The fact that I am not sure which impression of me will prevail is one of the biggest mistakes I have made in college.

Living Learning Communities bring fellowship, mutual support

During the summer before my first semester of college, I received what seemed to be hundreds of emails from Mississippi State University regarding various opportunities that were available to me. In this sea of emails, one stuck out to me most. It was about something called a Living Learning Community that

would be in Griffis Hall. For some reason, this caught my attention, and I found myself reading through that email out of all of the ones that had come through that morning. I looked at the classes that the Griffis LLC would take — Honors Psychology with Dr. C. and Honors Fundamentals of Public Speaking with Mrs. Fountain. Both of these classes are

required for my major anyway, so I decided there couldn’t be any harm in giving it a shot.

Mississippi State University describes the purpose of this community as providing “first-year honor students the opportunities to attend the same class, establish study groups, network and live with like-minded students.” I certainly found this to be the case.

Even as early as move-in week, I began to realize that a lot of the other women in my hall were in the same Living Learning Community as me, meaning that we would have class together every day. Two friends I made through the LLC were able to voice just as much appreciation as I could. Speaking to the excellence of our professors, freshman English major Rowan Feasel

had much to say.

“Dr. C’s examples in psychology always made me laugh, and while I sometimes find public speaking daunting, Mrs. Fountain made her classroom a safe environment for me to grow as a speaker and a learner," Feasel said. "The LLC gave me the opportunity to have great professors.”

Another thing that we all agreed upon was that the

opportunity provided to meet new people was invaluable. J. C. Watson, freshman marketing major and another one of my classmates, puts it perfectly.

“College can be absolutely terrifying, and having a small class makes you feel like you’re with a group of friends and teachers who know you personally, which makes you feel comfortable and more at home,” Watson said.

Furthering my point, all of us in the LLC are still just as connected to one another. The people in my classes still live in the same dorm as me, so I see them all the time. It is always so refreshing to see people I got to know so well in such a relatively short amount of time.

Listening to their speeches on everything from family members to nuclear energy, I felt a deep connection to my classmates and I remain friends with them to this day. In an effort to wrap up this little love letter to my classmates and the LLC, I leave with a word of advice to anyone considering joining any LLC: go for it.

You never know who you will meet. These people could be your friends for the rest of your life. Both Rowan and J.C. agree that the friends you make here will absolutely change your college experience for the better. I cannot wait to see where we all go from here.

Ivy Rose Ball | The Reflector

Rowan Feasel (left), Rose Doyle (center) and J.C. Watson (right) are three of 17 freshman members of the Griffis Hall Living Le arning Community, an opportunity for like-minded students to live together in the same dormitory.

John Baladi Staff Writer

OPINION

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Random roommates are the adventure of a lifetime and risk worth taking

I have never resorted to online dating, but I feel I got a fairly accurate view of the endeavor when trying to find a roommate. Scratch that; it was exactly like online dating, except the information I had on these girls was no more than a few social media posts, and the stakes were inarguably higher.

I graduated high school with 144 other people, most of which I knew very well, thank you very much. Despite this, almost none of my fellow graduates would be coming to Starkville, with most favoring the more economical decision of a junior college. Even if I had known a thousand other students coming to MSU, I would never have considered rooming with them. Enough adults had already in-

doctrinated me with horror stories of best friends turned into enemies all due to the forced proximity of a freshman dorm.

This left me with one choice. I could either let the roommate gods over at Housing and Residence Life determine how my year would go, or I could search out some poor, random girl with dreams of becoming a future Bulldog.

I chose the latter, which has proved to be some of the best decision making of my life, believe it or not.

I stumbled on over to the housing portal, inputted a few preferences about room cleanliness and noise level, and was suddenly greeted by about 20 options, all ranked by compatibility through percentages.

Obviously, the only way to do this was to start with the highest percentage and work

my way down, which I did.

This began the month-long series of using a girl’s first and last name to try and find out as much as I could about her. In this day and age, it took one search on Instagram to find most candidates.

I would love to say that I judged these girls on things that mattered, that I combed through their pages trying to find evidence that they were good people. In reality, I tried to find someone who looked clean and had the ability to socialize.

These things were very simple. If the roommate-hopeful had a picture with her mom, that was probably fine, but if that was the only picture on her page, chances are her mom was the only person who could stand to be around them.

If they had an astrological sign in their bio, I ran the other

way. These things were very simple.

I settled on a wonderful human being named Abby who enticed me with an Instagram page dedicated to her baking business. Always the supporter of woman-owned business ventures, I effectively slid into her DMs, giving a short intro about myself.

As I stated previously, I have never online dated before, but the moments leading up to her response were more nervewracking than the time I backed into a mailbox two weeks after getting my driver’s license.

A couple hours later, Abby replied. A couple months later, we were both the official residents of room 209-A.

We made a good fit. Abby and I have survived a year of living in a 22 by 13-foot room without ripping our hair out,

and we have even signed a lease agreeing to live together again sophomore year.

If I had roomed with my best friend from high school, I would have never made myself branch out to other people. My roommate and I both made our own friends, which meant that we each got to come back to the dorm after a full day to debrief about what all had gone down since we had seen each other that morning.

Since we had our own lives outside of each other, we never got sick of each other or spent too much time together. We were able to form our own experiences on campus that were independent of the small bedroom we called home. Random roommates are quite the gamble, but enough proof of their success exists that I can confidently say it is worth the risk.

Frenemies: Rooming with your friends beats random alternatives

roWan FeaSeL StaFF Writer

I have a confession to make. I am at Mississippi State University because I liked the campus, proximity to home and intimate English Department. I also chose the college because one of my friends needed a roommate in Griffis Hall.

I had heard countless horror stories about random roommates. I could just imagine the obnoxious snores, overflowing trash cans and inevitable squabbles. With my luck, I would end up with the rudest, most entitled human to ever step foot in a dorm room.

What if my future roommate does not shower or wash dishes? What if she takes over my side? What if she invites her friends over at all hours of the night to blare music?

All these questions bom-

barded me, and I could not fathom moving to a new town without someone familiar by my side.

Of course, my teachers and family members warned me not to room with my friend.

They claimed the move would ruin our relationship. Sure, we both have Englishteacher mothers and a love for literature. We tend to prefer farmers markets and movie nights to wild parties. Still, they thought these similarities would only make matters worse.

“You are going to despise your roommate regardless,” they said. “Why waste a good, solid friendship?”

I would like to debunk this myth. Some people should not room with their friends, but sometimes, a friend can become a roomie and best friend, a confidante and comrade.

My roommate and I have had little trouble since move-in day. We both like a cool room and relatively clean environment, and we knew that we agreed about the temperature and order before we ever arrived.

We were also able to coordinate the dorm room. After a summer full of Hobby Lobby trips, we had picked out the best nightstands, lamps and tables. We share the philosophy that the more decorated the room, the better the dorm experience.

As two people who need someone who understands stressing over a paper, we work. We can panic and laugh together.

We have enough common interests to enjoy spending time with each other outside the dorm. Some of my fondest memories in Starkville involve shopping on Saturdays with my

roommate or eating a shameful amount of chips together at Mi Hacienda.

However, we can also sit in the room for hours and work on homework. We have nights full of latenight gossip sessions and mornings where we only say one sentence to each other.

After a year of living with my roommate, I honestly think we have grown closer as friends than further apart. We can manage the friend and roommate obligations so well because we have a healthy balance of similarities and differences.

While I am not naive enough to think that all friends will have this result, I do know that since I moved in with my friend, she knew about all my quirks. I knew about her likes and dislikes, her pet peeves and favorite Lean Cuisines too. That inside information

helps when you are rooming with someone for the first time. Instead of blindly hoping I met a future maid of honor, I took fate into my own hands. My roommate did too.

So, if you fear rooming with a friend, take a moment and think about that person’s hobbies and tastes. You know all about each other anyway, so use that knowledge to your advantage.

If you know your friend likes to turn off the air conditioner on an already sweltering day, do not room with her. If you suspect the habit of smacking gum or telling dad jokes will get old, do not room with him.

If you are like me and think the stars might be aligning — if all the signs point to an endless sleepover with a friend turned roommate — do not let the skeptics stop you.

Freshman fifteen is nothing to be afraid of

with the trendline almost pitching straight up as soon as the early-aughts began. While the world might have become slightly more accepting of differing body types since the days of “heroin-chic” supermodels, no one would deny that the issue is still prevalent in today’s world.

researcher based out of Merrimack College in Andover, Massachusetts, performed extensive research on this exact phenomenon.

point in terms of friends, can we afford to make such shallow judgements about a person?

Before I began my freshman year of college, I was warned of three things: keeping my scholarships, staying away from drugs and the supposedly inevitable freshman fifteen.

Roped in with the same categories as drugs and academic failure was the extremely common phenomenon of gaining a few pounds during freshman year. In a society that is already shrouded by rigid standards of beauty, it was hard not to panic over the mere possibility of weight gain.

After all, even if it was an ordinary occurrence, that certainly did not mean that the beauty standards ruling society would give me a “pass” for the added pounds.

The term freshman ten, which predates “freshman fifteen” by about eight years, was first used in a 1981 article criticizing the eating habits of Jodie Foster during her first year at Yale.

The term we know and hate today is a product of the obvious healthcare pioneer and source of all medical knowledge, Seventeen magazine. I hope my sarcasm can be excused.

Since then, the term has only increased in popularity

First of all, multiple studies done over many years have concluded that the term is just plain inaccurate. A study done at Boston University concluded that freshman weight gain is actually closer to 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. An observation also worth noting is that the weight gain of people not attending college in the same age group was only about a half pound less than college students.

The main reason behind most people’s freshman year weight gain is largely due to the enormous amount of change that is experienced. Leaving the comforts of home to start over in a completely new environment is a true test of a person's substance.

Alexandra Harrington, a

“This is the period when many young adults are entering college and living independently for the first time, meaning that they have to make their own decisions regarding things like food choices and making time to exercise,” Harrington said.

We choose to leave behind our families, our hometowns and everything else that is familiar. Not only that, but there is a whole new range of responsibilities to take on. When all of this is accounted for, I feel it is fair to say that gaining a bit of weight is understandable.

Whether freshman weight gain is closer to three pounds or twenty, the fact of the matter is that body image is the least interesting thing about a person. Getting to know someone for who they are will outweigh visual judgements every single time.

With freshman year already being a starting over

Given the benefit of hindsight — as well as a few extra pounds — I wish that I could reassure the fresh high school graduate I was a year ago. College has been the most exciting experience of my life thus far. Change is scary and difficult, but what is life without it?

Over the course of the past year, I have cried through failure and laughed through success. I have met more new people this year than I probably have in my entire life. I have made friends that I feel certain I will find myself gossiping at lunch with forty years from now.

In short, I did fall “victim” to the freshman fifteen. But that is truly and genuinely the least interesting thing that has happened this year. Those few pounds are nothing to lose sleep over. Whether you gain the pounds or not, be sure to prioritize the experiences and relationships that make the college experience what it is.

Lucy haLLmark opinion editor

Lucy haLLmark opinion editor

Keen: Traditions make MSU sports special

No matter where you come from in life, you are sure to have some sort of family or school traditions that have helped shape you into the person you are today. Being a student at Mississippi State University is no exception.

From special events to top-tier food, there is something special for every person that steps foot on campus as a student, fan or community member.

Many of the university’s most wellknown traditions occur during sporting events, and while they are certainly not limited to athletics, they help enhance the overall atmosphere and make MSU the best place to be on most weekends. Bulldogs fans are lucky to have some wonderful opportunities to cheer on

their favorite teams in fun ways.

First up: the cowbell. This is the most obvious tradition associated with Mississippi State because of how unique it is. I mean, what other school in the nation can say that it uses a type of farming equipment as a symbol of spirit and intimidation?

These noisemakers can be found everywhere, and most students make them their own by adding names, stickers and ribbons. This also helps you keep track of your own bell on busy game days, although you might not be putting it down very much if the Dawgs are playing well. Remember to ring responsibly and have a good time with tens of thousands of fans like yourself.

If you want an extra dose of cowbell just before football season begins, then Cowbell Yell is calling

your name. This event is a pep rally held just a few days before the opening of football season and brings the campus and community together for a night of fun and a little bit of learning. Coaches and star players often make appearances, while spirit squads, event hosts and the Maroon Band put on a show that demonstrates common cheers and songs.

Speaking of songs, most people can think of one special tune that they always associate with a great moment in their life.

MSU is sure to introduce you to a few more that will take you back to the smell of grills in the outfield and the feeling of cold air on a Saturday night. “Friends in Low Places” by country music legend Garth Brooks is a staple at Dudy Noble Field. During the eighth inning, the song plays as everyone sings along.

“Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men and a remix of the song “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics can be heard blasting from the speakers of Davis Wade Stadium.

Mississippi State is lucky to have one of the best live mascots in the SEC. This year, Bully XXII, formally named “Dak” after former Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott, will be making the rounds to different events in his first year as the university’s official mascot. You will probably catch a glimpse of Dak sitting court-side at Humphrey Coliseum or running alongside the football team ahead of a big Saturday matchup on the gridiron. Sometimes, there might even be opportunities to stop and pet the friendly pup or snap a quick picture with him.

Since you are a student, you will now have the perks of sitting in student sections at different games. This is not necessarily a tradition, but it is definitely a rite of passage to show that you are officially a Mississippi State student.

These designated areas are where you will eat traditional stadium food, lose your voice from cheering and meet a couple thousand of your newest friends. Soak it all in, because these years pass quickly.

Every school has its traditions, but the unique trademarks of Mississippi State have had a huge impact on the fan experience at various sporting events across campus. New Bulldogs, be sure to make plenty of memories with cowbells in hand under stadium lights throughout your time in Starkville.

Carter: Baseball means more in Starkville

Acknowledging the elephant in the room is not always the easiest thing to do, especially when that elephant is someone or something you hold near and dear to your heart. In this case, it is not an elephant — it is the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State University baseball has been a touchy subject for the duration of the 2023 season, but it has not always been like this.

The Bulldogs have made 12 appearances in the College World Series. During their 2021 CWS appearance, they were able to end a 126-year national title drought and finally bring the victory back to home sweet home, Starkville.

When I transferred to Mississippi State as a sophomore, I knew very little about the Bulldogs’ reputation as it pertained to the athletic department. However, I did know that people

were raving about the success of Mississippi State’s baseball team, and I was excited to be a part of the potential winning status. The baseball team’s winning momentum quickly came to a halt as

the 2022 season came to life — or should I say, death.

After being put on a pedestal for their impressive streak of wins in 2021, the Bulldogs came up short in their 2022 season. MSU ended

the season with a 26-30 overall record and went 9-21 in SEC play. Bragging rights for being a fan of the Bulldogs were taken completely off the table. Two seasons after the Bulldogs won it all, 2023 has been less than promising for Mississippi State baseball. With a 618 SEC record and 2423 record overall, the Bulldogs' hopes and dreams of heading back to Omaha, Nebraska, are sadly becoming less and less likely for this season.

However, throughout the painful losses this year, the faithful Bulldogs fans never failed to pack out the wondrous Dudy Noble Field. Big SEC wins against Alabama and in-state rival Ole Miss kept the spark alive.

During Super Bulldog Weekend, the Bulldogs

reached a major milestone. Despite the flawed season, Mississippi State fans filled the ballpark to break the NCAA baseball attendance record with 16,423 college baseball enthusiasts piled into The Dude MSU alumna Lexi Bennett, a life-long Bulldogs fan born in Columbus, Mississippi, celebrated her 26th birthday by witnessing the win over the Rebels at Dudy Noble Field.

“I just so happened to be part of the recordbreaking attendance at the game. To hear the crowd was probably the most fun part,” Bennett said. “It’s loud as it is, but when we set another record, it was unbelievable.”

Winning the series against Ole Miss and setting an NCAA record

was big for the Bulldogs, but these successes might not be the only reason why the fans never fail to cheer on their Bulldogs. As a fan, and even sometimes a skeptic, I have attended a fair share of baseball games during my time at Mississippi State thus far. I can say with complete confidence that I have never seen Dudy Noble Field in a state of scarcity during a Mississippi State baseball game. The fans still show up, win or lose, to cheer on their beloved Bulldogs. It is not the verdict of the game that keeps the crowds coming, it is something much more than that. It is the atmosphere, the fellowship, the fistpumps with every scoring run and it is being a part of something bigger – the

Landon Scheel | The Reflector

Bulldogs family.

aubrey Carter SportS editor Brooks Surber | The Reflector

Brooks Surber | The Reflector

During Super Bulldog Weekend, fans in Dudy Noble Field exceeded the previous NCAA attendance record.

A record-breaking total of 43,986 fans filled the stands of Dudy Noble Field during Mississippi State’s victorious series win a gainst rival Ole Miss Rebels.

Originally named the “Paint Up Crew,” the Hail State Paint Squad has been a part of the student section for every Mississippi State home football game since the 2014 season.

Alumnus Robert Forbes holds his original Mississippi State cowbell. Courtesy Photo | MSU Athletics

elizabeth Staff Writer

A look into MSU’s javelin thrower Franck DiSanza

According to the NCAA, only 4.8% of high school track and field athletes go on to compete at the collegiate level, and it would not be wrong to say competing at the next level is a statistical improbability, but Franck DiSanza was able to defy those odds.

It’s already hard enough to grow up in America and go on to compete at the NCAA level. Growing up overseas, being scouted and actually transitioning to life in America should be considered impossible. However, Mississippi State has excelled at finding olympic level track and field talent overseas. Franck DiSanza was born in Rolle, Switzerland and competes in javelin for Mississippi State Track and Field.

However, Mississippi State is not DiSanza’s first stop in the United States. He competed for one year at Southeastern Louisiana State University where he racked up accolades and recognition.

His phenomenal 2021 season earned him Southland Student Athlete of the Year, NCAA 1st Team AllAmerican Javelin honors and 1st Team AllSouthland Conference Javelin honors. DiSanza still holds the Southland Track Complex Facility record for Javelin.

Transferring schools is hard enough, but the transition from Switzerland to the United States is much more daunting. DiSanza attended Gymnase De Morgen in Switzerland before attending Southeastern Louisiana University.

“I think I adjusted pretty easily. I’m very easy going, I get comfortable pretty much everywhere and I never felt like I was not where I belonged,” DiSanza said. “I was

and the people here helped a lot.”

The seamless transition for DiSanza is unique and speaks to his personality, character and drive. For most, coming

at Southeastern, Matthew Tholis, now an assistant coach at Lamar University, spoke on DiSanza’s drive and focus.

“He is incredibly

DiSanza’s drive is not the only thing contributing to his success. Obviously he is physically gifted and even for D1 coaches, who work with gifted athletes all the

athlete and he is an elite athlete and I’m happy we were able to get him partially up to the status as one of the best in the sport.”

DiSanza has been competing from a young age and said he wants to compete in the olympics one day. When he left Southeastern he knew he was coming to a program that has helped produce multiple olympians. Despite knowing that, he still feels no added pressure outside of what he demands of himself.

“I put the pressure on myself. I felt extremely motivated to work in a group that has seen olympic talent. I still want to do the best that I can and I want to make this program proud,” DiSanza said. “Pressure? There has always been pressure so It didn’t change much.”

When asked about what he misses about Switzerland DiSanza mentioned his friends, family and routine. However, he understands that being away from home isn’t something that will last his whole life, and knowing that he is just trying to soak up as much as he can to be the best athlete he can be.

Coach Michael Rheams, an assistant coach at Southeastern for Franck, now head coach, highlighted one thing Franck has in common with other great athletes..

welcomed very nicely, both in Louisiana and here in Starkville. I also had a lot of international athletes around me that were also freshman at the same time as me so we went through this together. Honestly, I didn’t struggle very much

to Louisiana from Switzerland would be a huge culture shock and require a long adjust period. His coaches took notice to how easy DiSanza was to coach despite being in an objectively hard situation. His former throws coach

focused, hard working and whatever was on the paper he would do. He would do anything to get better or throw farther,” Tholis said. “He has big goals and whatever he would have to do to achieve them he would make it happen.”

time, his stature stands out.

“He’s 6’ 6” or whatever and I’m like 5’10 so he was a pretty towering figure. My first thought was ‘I got a pretty big dude to work with here,’” Tholis said. “He saw himself as an elite

“He turned everything that could’ve been a negative into a positive. That’s really what it takes to get to the next level,” Rheams said. “There are a lot of talented people that are not great because they cannot overcome excuses. Only truly great people overcome excuses and that’s what Franck is, exceptional and great.”

Look at you, YoseFu: Bulldog Smash Bros player competes on national scale

Joseph Helmert sat down calm, cool and collected for his firstround matchup in a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament in Starkville. As he plugged in his GameCube controller, the brown eyes behind his round-rimmed glasses remained locked on the monitor. Within mere minutes, Helmert won the match and was moving on to his next opponent.

Helmert, a junior mathematics major, is better known to the world as YoseFu, a curly-headed, Hawaiian shirt wearing professional Super Smash Bros. player eagerly climbing the ladder to the top. His character of choice is Simon Belmont, and video compilations of him playing the character have gained as many as 38,000 views.

Super Smash Bros. is a platform fighting game created by Nintendo where players can choose to fight as one of 89 different playable characters. At 70,280,000 copies sold worldwide across six platforms, the series is far and away one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, beloved by millions.

For those like Helmert who love to compete, Super Smash Bros. has a large and easily accessible competitive esports

scene that expands across the globe.

Competitive Super Smash Bros. dates to 2002, with tournaments since growing to become as large as 3,500 entrants competing for prize pools worth over $150,000.

As a middle school student, Helmert began playing the game online against others and decided instantly that he could enjoy both playing competitively and learning intricate details about the game.

While growing up and attending school in Oxford, Mississippi, Helmert could often be found competing in Super Smash Bros. 4 tournaments on campus at the University of Mississippi, familiarizing himself with the collegiate esports scene well before he made his way to Mississippi State University.

“Smash 4 introduced me to a playable online mode, where I was able to see that I’m nowhere near as good as I thought I was,” Helmert said. “It hasn’t stopped being fun. It was one of the first hobbies I got into, basically, and it’s continued to be fun.

One of my first hobbies that wasn’t just filling free time. I’d go out of my way to do it.”

Learning to play competitively sent Helmert down a path to success and popularity both in-person and online. Since the 2018

release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he has been ranked No. 1 in Mississippi for 18 consecutive months and was recently ranked within the top 200 players in North America by OrionRank.

“It’s nice to be kinda popular,” Helmert said with a laugh. “It’s kind of a stereotype. In high school, I wasn’t popular. I didn’t have any problems with anyone, but I wasn’t a super popular person. But this, I’m doing something that I think is cool and other people think is cool. It’s nice to have that kind of support.”

Helmert’s successes have gained him more than just notoriety, with his largest tournament win receiving him a payout as high as $5,800.

“I haven’t really had to worry about paying for small things while in college,” Helmert said. “It’s been a really nice cushion, to not have to worry about stuff like that.”

Since coming to MSU, Helmert has found a home to grow his competitive endeavors with Smash Dawgs at MSU, the university’s competitive Super Smash Bros. club. The gaming studen t organization meets to play Super Smash Bros. every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in McCain Hall and is made up of students with majors ranging from aerospace engineering to finance.

“Playing [in Starkville] has absolutely been a positive thing. It’s a really dumb reason to come to a college, but

Smash really was one of the deciding factors because I knew Starkville had such an active scene,” Helmert said. “Even before coming to MSU, I was coming to events in Starkville. Almost all of the best events in Mississippi have either been in Starkville or been run by people from Starkville.”

Outside of Starkville, Helmert’s desire to compete has taken him from coast to coast. After entering last minute and winning The Arcadian Qualifier 3, an online tournament with 989 entrants, Helmert won a paid trip to Ontario, California, for the “supermajor” tournament Mainstage 2022.

Of the 512 entrants at Mainstage 2022, Helmert ended his tournament run barely outside of the top 16 at 25th place. His most impressive and exciting match at the event came against SBI e-Sports’ very own KEN, a Sonic the Hedgehog player from Tokyo, Japan, currently ranked No. 6 overall in Japan and No. 17 in the world by OrionRank.

“I went in [against KEN] not really knowing what to expect. I kind of expect to get run over,” Helmert said. “I just played my game as I normally do, and it worked out.”

Helmert was able to take the first two

games of his best-of-5 match against KEN convincingly. The third and fourth games of the set went to KEN, in a fashion that Helmert described as a “definite win in KEN’s favor.” The fifth and final game came down to the wire, with both players down to their final lives before elimination. Helmert said that in moments like this where the pressure is on, he shines best “I could have died at any moment. I definitely have a good comeback factor. I try not to think about it in the moment. I don’t think of it as ‘I have to make a comeback right now,’ I think about it as ‘I have to keep winning,’” Helmert said. “Things go right sometimes. I managed to make that comeback and beat KEN.”

Through all of the competition and success, the goal for Helmert is to one day be signed to a professional esports organization where he can continue to compete on the highest levels possible.

“I would really like to get signed on to some team so that I can continue to compete. After graduating college, I’d like to be able to compete as a job for a bit,” Helmert said. “That is absolutely the goal for the near future.”

Switzerland native Franck DiSanza secured his personal-best record for javelin throw at 75.80 meters during the 2021 outdoor season.

aaliyan MohaMMed staff writer

Jahari Bell| The Reflector

Joshua Britt editor-in-chief

Joseph Helmert is ranked No. 1 in Mississippi for competing in Super Smash Bros.

Courtesy Photo | Madison Sherrill

interfraternity Council

Registration Opens: June 1

Recruitment: August 18–21

Multicultural Greek Council

Meet the Greeks and Yard & Chill: August 16

National Pan-Hellenic Council

Meet the Greeks and Yard & Chill: August 16

Panhellenic Council

Registration Opens: June 1

Recruitment: August 10–15

Dates and fees will vary by council.

Register for upcoming events & learn more at www.greeks.msstate.edu or scan here! ...........

run the Sip’;"

The Washington Commanders bring home MSU’s Emmanuel Forbes

In the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders selected Mississippi State University's very own cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. with the 16th pick. This marks the 16th time in NFL Draft history that a former Bulldog has come off the board in the first round, and the Commanders have themselves a game-changer.

During his collegiate career in the Maroon and White, Forbes has racked up 94 solo tackles, 22 pass

deflections and 14 interceptions – six of which he took to the house giving him the FBS record for most career interceptions returned for a touchdown.

Thursday morning, just hours before the 2023 NFL Draft commenced in Kansas City, Missouri, Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera discussed his game plan to get their guy.

“The big thing for us is if Emmanuel Forbes is sitting there, [that is] an opportunity to get our guy,” Rivera said. “[Forbes] is one of the guys that we really highly covet right now. [He is] a playmaker, he’s a turnover machine and that

then other students at MSU would too,” Parker said.

can

impact our defense in a very good way.”

The Commanders did just that. They got their guy, and he happens to be one of the most talented athletes in this year’s draft class. Since playing high school ball at Grenada High School, Forbes has always been the total package.

Forbes will look to make an immediate impact in his rookie year, similar to former teammate and current Cleveland Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. who was arguably one of the best cornerbacks on the Browns in 2022.

Shortly after Forbes was drafted by the Commanders, he had an emphatic pitch to Mississippi recruits. “Mississippi recruits,

you don’t have to go anywhere other than Mississippi State to be a first-round NFL Draft pick. We run the Sip,'” Forbes said.

Pick up your paddles: MSU Pickleball Club is in full swing

Pickleball is on the rise, and the Mississippi State University Bulldogs have not fallen behind on the trend. The newly established MSU Pickleball Club has many students buying paddles and heading to the courts.

Ethan Fairley, a junior mechanical engineer major from Nacogdoches, Texas, shares the position of pickleball club president with junior communication major Anna-Scott Parker, a Brandon, Mississippi, native. The two founded the MSU Pickleball Club in December 2022.

The pair's interest in the sport sparked after playing on a few intramural pickleball teams and in casual pickup games. Fairley and Parker knew that Mississippi State needed an official club team.

“I had a little dream to start a club on campus because I figured that if my friends loved [playing pickleball],

The idea was quickly approved, making the MSU Pickleball Club a registered club sport sponsored by the Joe Frank Sanderson Center.

It is no question that pickleball is an extremely popular sport, not only for college students but for people of all ages. After the sport's number of participants doubled from 2018 to 2023, pickleball was recorded to be the fastest-growing sport in the country according to pickleball blog Pickleheads. Copresident Fairley agrees that the sport is truly a game for everyone.

“It’s just a fun community,” Fairley said. “Young or old people, athletic or not, really, anyone can play pickleball.”

The club has flourished since its founding and is now home to over one hundred MSU students. Each Friday, participants gather at

McKee Park to play a few rounds of pickleball and enjoy the newfound family they have created.

John Paul Wallace, a communication major from Petal, Mississippi, is an active member of the pickleball club. Wallace said that every time he goes out to the courts, he leaves with a new friend.

"Every time I’ve been to McKee Park, I’ve met somebody new and made a good connection,” Wallace said. “Everyone out there is always super cool, and you’re always going to make a new friend when you’re playing pickleball because you’re playing with a partner.”

The club has been able to participate in several tournaments this semester, and a few members even traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to prove their skills with a pickleball paddle in the DUPR Collegiate Regional Tournament.

The MSU Pickleball Club hosted its very first tournament April 22 with a large turnout. A total of 30 teams competed, with 22 teams in the competitive division and eight teams in the noncompetitive division.

The friendly competition was open to anyone who felt up to the challenge. Most competitors were from the Starkville area. Teams from Tupelo and Jackson traveled to take part in the tournament as well.

73-year-old Betty Hays and Shelley Highfield, both Starkville locals, signed up to play for fun in the tournament. The pair brought the heat with their paddles and

finished first place in the noncompetitive division.

Hays, a former tennis player, wakes up at 8 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to play pickleball at McKee Park with her friends - or as she calls them, her family.

“I had played tennis for 40 years, and my knees were bothering me, so I needed to find another sport,” Hays said. “I found out about pickleball, and the rest is history.”

As for the competitive division of the tournament, sophomore marketing major Stewart Tankersley and senior industrial engineering major Lee Bowman took home the victory with a pickleball-shaped medal to signify their success.

MSU Pickleball Club has high hopes for its future, but a lot of work must be done to get the club into a more recognized and competitive position. The club has ambitions

to host more tournaments, get more courts to play on and even be registered as an NCAA team in the future.

Co-president Fairley said he encourages everybody to try out pickleball and that all students are welcome to join the club.

“There’s a low bar for entry, and we always

have extra paddles available for anyone who wants to try,” Fairley said. “We’d love to get more people in the club and for more people to start playing with us.” For more information about the club and how to join, visit https://msstate.campus labs.com/engage/organ ization/msupickleball.

“We

The competitive division winners were Stewart Tankersley and Lee Bowman.

dylAn flippo StAff writer

Aubrey CArter SportS editor

Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes had the hird best time in the 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Combine.

Courtesy Photo | Associated Press

Courtesy Photo | Anna-Scott Parker

The non-competitive winners were Betty Hays and Shelley Highfield.

Courtesy Photo | Anna-Scott Parker

Members of the Mississippi State Pickleball Club played between classes in front of Lee Hall.

Courtesy Photo | Anna-Scott Parker

Emmanuel Forbes Jr. finished his 2022 season at Mississippi State with 46 tackles while he led the SEC with six interceptions a nd set the FBS career record with six pick-sixes.

Courtesy Photo | Associated Press