The Daily Mississippian - February 16, 2018

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THE DAILY

MISSISSIPPIAN

Friday, February 16, 2018

Volume 106, No. 72

T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D OX F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1

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Garage to expand parking on Square

BASEBALL IS BACK

Rebels open season with home series against Winthrop

MADDIE MCGEE NEWS EDITOR

to be around.” Snyder worked with several organizations in his survey of isolated areas in Guyana. “I think this spider is receiving a lot of coverage because it is associated with large organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Wildlife Conservation,” Snyder said. “We can now have an invertebrate that is generally overlooked become a beacon for conservation.”

Because parking in Oxford is a problem for students, Oxonians and visitors alike, the Downtown Parking Advisory Commission is preparing to begin construction on the Square’s first parking garage. The timeline for construction of the parking garage has been slightly delayed from its original January 2018 start date and is now scheduled to last for the entire 2018 football season. “The original construction time was always going to run into football season but now will likely take the entire 2018 season, instead of the first four games,” said Matt Davis, director of parking for the City of Oxford. “The timeline for construction was always tentative but has been moved back slightly because of revisions made during the design phase.” Davis said the Board of Aldermen has now approved the design development phase of the garage and that the design team is now working on the construction documents. Tom Sharpe, the chairman of the Downtown Parking Advisory Commission, said that part of the reasoning for the delay was to make the garage look more “architecturally pleasing.” Sharpe said that construction is now slated to begin between April 1 and May 15 and is anticipated to take about a year. During construction, nearly 250 free parking spots will become unavailable for Square patrons. “We have identified some 250 or so spaces in alternative locations near the Square to replace the 234 spaces in the current lot that will not be available,” Sharpe said. Davis said that the Downtown Parking Advisory Commission has been working on plans to introduce free temporary parking spots during con-

SEE SPIDER PAGE 3

SEE PARKING PAGE 3

FILE PHOTO: CAMERON BROOKS

Ole Miss baseball players participate in the “Love is Gone” chant during a game against Eastern Carolina at Swayze Field last season. The Rebels start their season with a home series against Winthrop this weekend.

FOR SERIES PREVIEW SEE PAGE 8

Student discovers new tarantula species HADLEY HITSON STAFF WRITER

Scientists make advancements in their respective fields every day, but one of the newest discoveries was the work of Ole Miss doctoral student Andrew Snyder. Though Snyder specializes in the study of reptiles and amphibians, he discovered a new species of tarantula while on a recent trip to the South America n country of Guyana.

“I knew immediately that this tarantula was unlike any other species I have found there before with its bright blue coloring,” Snyder said. “The electric blue and black just isn’t seen that often in nature.” Gail Stratton, a biology professor for whom Snyder worked as a teacher’s assistant, said that this may not have even been the first new species Snyder had found. “There’s probably a ton of new species that Andrew has photographed, but sometimes there’s just something

OPINION

NEWS

special that draws media attention,” Stratton said. “In this case, I think it’s the cobalt coloring.” Snyder said that finding the new species can be a bittersweet experience. “Frankly, it’s a double-edged sword,” Snyder said. “We want to be able to learn more about what is around us, but with ongoing threats of deforestation and climate change, it’s sad to realize that as we’re just discovering these new species, we have to wonder how much longer they are going

IN THIS ISSUE... LIFESTYLES

Lost rape kits endanger survivors

Florida high school shooting

The Black Panther Challenge

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Why do rape kits containing evidence sit ignored, while rapists roam free?

Teenager confesses to shooting which killed 17 people

Community leaders across the state have joined in the national movement

SPORTS Basketball hopes to bounce back Ole Miss heads south for rematch with Mississippi State, hoping to end skid PAGE 7


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