09.24.19

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BULLDOG BASH 3

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Kylin’s run to

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STRIKES AGAIN

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

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Cancel Culture

Starkville got a KICK out of

135th YEAR ISSUE 8

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

Beets, shoes and technology: Students pitch startup ideas at first ECAB of the semester HANNAH BLANKENSHIP NEWS EDITOR

Students involved in Mississippi State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach’s VentureCatalyst program pitched their ideas to the Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board (ECAB) on Friday for the chance to receive up to $2,000 in funding.

According to the E-Center’s website, the business ideas presented at ECAB are in Stage 2 of the VentureCatalyst’s New Product Track and are in preparation to enter the planning stage.

The Director of the E-Center, Eric Hill, opened the meeting by reviewing the center’s activities and expenses over the summer.

Hill said the center has seen explosive growth since last year, as the number of new student startups has doubled since last year.

“It’s amazing to see where this has come in the last few years,” Hill said.

Hill also provided an update on a student startup in a later stage of the VentureCatalyst program, DueT Technologies, which

has already been funded by the Bulldog Angel Network, is a group of MSU alumni and affiliates that exist to provide funding to MSU student startups. The E-Center is considering investing further into DueT, a company that has created a new type of electric hair clippers that have a built-in cooling system, solving the problem of electric clippers quickly and frequently overheating.

Jeffrey Rupp, the E-Center’s director of Outreach, said the center’s recent “Lemonade Day” event where local kids learned business practices by setting up and operating lemonade stands was extremely successful; the event had 90 stands, multiple of which made over $500 in profits.

Next, the meeting transitioned into a “Shark Tank” style business pitch session for student startups.

Madison Kate Dyer, a MSU senior studying electrical engineering, began the presentations with her startup company, “Street BEETs.” Street BEETs seeks to fix the problem of hazardous, unwanted ice on cars and road surfaces in the winter.

Student involved in Cotton District brawl found to have previous assault on record HANNAH BLANKENSHIP NEWS EDITOR

Harrison Porter, a Mississippi State University senior believed to have been one of the instigators in a brawl captured on video Sept. 8 in the Cotton District, has a previous assault on record.

MSU junior Ashlynn McCain said Porter was one of several men who physically assaulted her father, 53-year-old James Lee McCain, last year at Porter’s residence on University Drive.

The incident occurred Sept. 29, 2018, the Saturday

Harrison Porter was charged with simple assault Sept. 29, 2018 on University Drive.

James Lee McCain, 53, suffered multiple contusions resulting from an assault last year.

night of Bulldog Bash weekend. Ashlynn McCain, Porter’s neighbor, said

Porter and his friends were having a party and all of their guests were parked in

the residents’ parking area.

James McCain worked for the owner of the complex Porter and his daughter lived in. According to her father’s account of the incident, Ashlynn said the building landlord called her father and asked him to notify Porter and his friends that their guests’ cars would be towed if they were not moved. The boys were intoxicated, and when James McCain offered to move their cars, the confrontation became physical. James McCain was jumped by three of the boys, hit with fists and knocked off of the porch.

ASSAULT, 2

Bulldog Bash: T-Pain, Cale Dodds, The Beaches pack Cotton District

ECAB, 2

Rosalind Hutton

Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reflector

Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reflector

New tech company sets up shop in downtown Starkville TORI BOATNER STAFF WRITER

The surplus of growth at international technology company Babel Street has resulted in the opening of its new innovation center located on the top two floors of 301 East Main St. in Starkville on Thursday.

Babel Street has offices in New Zealand, Australia and London. Tech developers say government agencies, non-profit organizations and others are able to use Babel Street as a tool to identify social trends and threats while decoding data to enhance a clients’ ability to

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take action quicker than ever.

Through a partnership with the Mississippi State University Research and Technology Corporation, Babel Street and its employees will be housed in a newly renovated and purchased property downtown.

Previously located in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park for about four years, Babel Street CEO Jeffrey Chapman said this new space will continue to promote innovation and interpretation of data in over 200 languages.

Chapman said the partnership with MSU will give MSU students and

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graduates the opportunity to take part in the revolutionary data analysis of clients’ brands, products and services taking place at Babel Street.

“The amount of talent that’s turning out of the university is really great for businesses like us,” Chapman said.

Chapman said the company’s internship program has progressed over the years and several interns have gained fulltime employment at Babel Street. He said the internship program is a great opportunity to learn for both current employees and interns.

COMPANY, 2

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Courtesy Photo

International technology company Babel Street celebrated their move to 301 East Main Street in downtown Starkville on Thursday, Sept. 19.

FORECAST: The weather in our area is generally going to be very pleasant, as an area of high pressure builds into the area. This will cause sunny to partly cloudy conditions with little to no chance of rain. This will continue through the rest of the work week. Highs will be generally in the upper 80s to low 90s with lows in the 60s.

Courtesy of Andre Brooks, Campus Connect Meteorologist

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COMPANY

Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reflector

Yonder Winbreaker guitarist Matthew Reynolds performs Friday night in the Cotton District at the annual Bulldog Bash before headlliner T-Pain.

“It’s a give and take,” Chapman said.

Chapman said the work that interns take part in at Babel Street is nothing short of impactful and serves as useful job experience for those looking to pursue a career in this field.

“We’re going to put them in a real-world environment in which the work that they do is going to be unlike most internships,” Chapman said. “It’s going to be meaningful.”

Shon Myatt, chief technology officer and cofounder of Babel Street, emphasized the amount of growth Babel Street has seen since its start roughly seven years ago. Founded in 2009, the era in which social media was in its infancy, Myatt said Babel Street was founded to analyze brands’ progression of their products and services online.

“As things progressed, we saw a need to allow companies to monitor their brand, sentiment and emotions around the products and services they provide,” Myatt said.

Myatt said this was

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especially important for companies who were known around the world and wanted to know how their business was accepted online. He said Babel Street began to consider factors

“

We’re going to put them in a real-world environment in which the work that they do is going to be unlike most internships.

It’s going to be meaningful.”

Jeffrey Chapman Babel Street CEO such as language and culture to help better assess clients’ brand feedback.

Bryan O’Neil, vice president of Technical Operations at Babel Street, said Babel Street is not only a tech company, but an organization that appreciates their ability

ECAB

Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reflector

Battle of the Bands first-place winner Yonder Windbreaker’s lead singer, Sam Evangelista, sings at the 20th annual Bulldog Bash last Friday.

“Sugar beet juice is way more efficient at preventing ice than salt is. Salt can lower the freezing point to about 25 degrees while sugar beet juice lowers the freezing point to 5 degrees Fahrenheit,” Dyer said.

Most sugar beets are grown in the North, but according to an experiment Dyer conducted over the summer, they are able to grow in the South during the winter months.

The sugar beet juice Dyer has proposed would be an odorless, colorless and environmentally friendly liquid that is sprayed on cars and road surfaces to prevent ice.

Street BEETs’ business process would include farming, juicing and distribution. The company would have an additional revenue stream from selling the leftover beet pulp to cattle and deer companies.

Dyer hopes to have Street BEETs’ sample products in consumer’s hands by January of 2020.

Following Dyer, Chinwe Okorie, an MSU graduate student studying management information

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systems in French and industrial engineering, presented on her company “Les Pieds-Chic: Sentir la Glissade,” which seeks to provide fashion footwear for women with larger-thanaverage feet.

Okorie said that while there are athletic footwear options in large sizes, there is a lack of fashion footwear for women with larger feet.

“We wear dresses like this and we wear tennis shoes and they look at you and say, ‘Oh yea you’re a student athlete, that’s what you wear.’ No, we want heels, we want sandals.

Okorie said competition in the field would not be a problem.

“Our competition is really low, as all the competitors do not carry large sizes of shoes. Although they carry designer shoes, and they’ve already made a name in the market,” Okorie said. “But they don’t carry large sizes of shoes, whereas we will have an advantage in this market because we carry wider in our ranges.”

Okorie also plans to offer an online platform where customers can send pictures

ASSAULT “They basically jumped him, cussed him, that sort of thing,” Ashlynn McCain said.

The official police complaint of the incident confirms Porter was charged with assault on the date McCain claims he was attacked. The name of the victim was redacted on the copy of the complaint The Reflector received.

“Harrison Porter did,

to give back to Starkville.

Starkville is considered home to over 70% of developers at Babel Street.

Many grew up here and others attended MSU and will always consider themselves Bulldogs.

O’Neil said Babel Street takes pride in its internship program and has experienced students’ success first-hand.

“The quality of students and graduates at MSU is second to none,” O’Neil said.

Although the internship is highly competitive, O’Neil said students gain real-world experience and meet developers from across the nation. He said this internship goes beyond ideas learned in the classroom and leaves students with knowledge of how a software company actually works.

“Here, you’re treated like a part of the team,” O’Neil said.

Babel Street has grown exponentially over the past years, and O’Neil said they have no plans of slowing down.

“We’re growing like crazy,” O’Neil said.

of their feet to be custom matched to a shoe size. Les Pieds-Chic currently has 32 working designs, along with 10 prototypes.

Les Pieds-Chic would use the Venture Catalyst startup funds for production of shoes, materials, marketing and storage The third startup presentation, “TechTellic,” was presented by Yehong Peng, a graduate student studying electrical and computer engineering.

The company is a subscription-based service that uses artificial intelligence for electricity price predictions.

According to Peng, the company’s electricity forecast service, targeted at electricity trading companies, is already prototyped, and Peng predicts that by using their product, customers will earn around half a million dollars a month.

After convening to discuss the pitches, the board decided to grant Street BEETs $1,000, Les PiedsChic $2,000 and TechTellic $2,000 in VentureCatalyst startup funding.

CONTINUED FROM 1

on or about the 29th day of September, 2018, did purposely, knowingly and unlawfully attempt to cause bodily injury to (name redacted) by striking him in the stomach and in head with a closed fist,” the complaint stated.

James McCain went to OCH Regional Medical Center the following day with complaints of head pain and rib pain

that resulted from direct blows. The history of present illness as reported

by McCain was that he was “hit from behind last night x2 during an assault, with +LOC (loss of consciousness). Also fell and injured his R hand, and reports bilateral rib pain, left worse than right.”

He was diagnosed with a concussion, a chest wall contusion and a hand contusion. Nearly a year later, the VA diagnosed him with spinal stenosis in the cervical region, a condition that places pressure on the spinal cord and can

cause neck, shoulder and arm pain. James McCain has been declared disabled by the Social Security Administration.

Ashlynn McCain heard the event, although she did not realize what was happening until later.

“Actually, at the time I didn’t realize what was happening. I was at home in my apartment, and it was probably past midnight at that point or close to it, and I heard what sounded like scuffling outside like somebody hitting the concrete … only later did I realize that that was my

father being attacked,” Ashlynn McCain said.

After the incident, James McCain called the police.

In the meantime, he walked down the street to a bar.

The police showed up about an hour later and declared him intoxicated, although they did not breathalyze him, Ashlynn McCain said.

According to Richard Starrett, a former federal prosecutor, a misdemeanor complaint with one sworn witness is enough for a police department to prosecute a case. The Reflector is awaiting a reply from the Starkville Police Department regarding whether the case was prosecuted.

“If someone is going to be prosecuted, not for a felony but for a misdemeanor, it never has to go to the indictment stage.

They can be prosecuted simply on that complaint sworn out by one witness,” Starrett said.

Ashlynn McCain said after the incident she did not feel safe in her residence with Porter and his roommates as her neighbors.

“I was pretty afraid. I had one of my guy friends come over and spend the night with me several times in the next couple of weeks.

To be clear, they never did anything, never threatened, never said anything out of

the way, never so much as gave me a side eye, but I was very nervous for quite some time afterward,” Ashlynn McCain said.

Because her father has been unable to work since the incident and has since been declared disabled by the Social Security Administration, Ashlynn said she has taken out multiple loans to pay her rent herself and her father has dipped into all of his savings for living expenses.

He also deals with chronic pain, including migraines, nerve damage and memory loss stemming from the incident, she said.

“This is nothing compared to the physical and emotional pain of the event, but I had to take out thousands of dollars’ worth of loans just to pay for rent that I would not have had to otherwise,” Ashlynn McCain said.

Ashlynn McCain said the effects of the assault have been hard on her family, and she wants the story to be known.

“It’s been very difficult for me and my family. It feels good to be able to talk about it and let people know. I want them to know who the assailants are, and I want them to know that we’re stronger than this,” Ashlynn McCain said. “It’s not ok. Consequences should be faced.”

THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 @REFLECTORONLINE

LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT

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Annual Bulldog Bash rocks downtown Starkville TALLY DUKE STAFF WRITER

Mary Georgia Hamilton|The Reflector

Jordan Miller, lead singer of the Canadian girl band The Beaches, sings and plays the bass.

The 20th annual Bulldog Bash took place this past Friday in downtown Starkville. The night was full of good music, great vibes and an overall fun atmosphere for the Mississippi State University family. Friday was filled with festivities for students, faculty, alumni and the Bulldog community.

The Maroon Market took place during the day, which consisted of local vendors, food and the community atmosphere Starkville is known for.

On the local stage, bands from the MSU community performed, along with finalists from Battle of the Bands. The music-filled day continued on into the evening with the winner of Battle of the Bands, Yonder Windbreaker. From a Paramore cover to guitar solos, Yonder Windbreaker kept the crowd captivated and engaged. They took main stage, starting out strong for the main act, T-Pain, who

would take the stage later in the evening.

Next on the stage was Cale Dodds, who brought a more country sound to Bulldog Bash. Even though this artist was talented, he did not fit in with the main stage acts, and the crowd agreed.

He did not belong in this Bulldog Bash lineup due to the headliner being a rapper and not a pop-country artist.

After Cale Dodds left the main stage, The Beaches were the next act to perform before the headliner took over the night. This Canadian girl band redeemed the night with a fun and upbeat performance. The crowd enjoyed all of the songs, even if the songs were not widely known. This alternative band put on an engaging performance, which hyped everyone up for T-Pain.

The final act of the night arrived, which is what the entire crowd was waiting for.

T-Pain took the stage and gave Starkville an unforgettable performance. Simon Loubser, a student from the University of Alabama at Birmingham,

found out about Bulldog Bash from people in his high school’s graduating class.

“I came down to visit my friends who told me about this huge concert in Mississippi, and I thought it would be a fun experience and I did not want to miss it,” Loubser said. “Getting to see T-Pain for free was definitely a highlight of my year, and Bulldog Bash was even more fun than I expected.”

Along with many other out of state crowd members, Loubster enjoyed Bulldog Bash and T-Pain.

Due to Bulldog Bash being the largest outdoor concert in Mississippi, this event attracts a large crowd from all over the state and surrounding states. This creates an increase in local business traffic, along with growing the Bulldog family, making this event a vital part of MSU history.

This was Liam Reynolds’, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, third Bulldog Bash experience.

“Seeing T-Pain perform songs I used to listen to made

BULLETIN BOARD

An In-Class Distraction

fighting the large crowd to get to the venue worth it,” Reynolds said.

The second T-Pain took the stage, he had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. Everyone was dancing in the streets of Starkville and enjoying the hype music T-Pain brought to the stage.

Getting to hear “Low” performed live was the highlight of my Bulldog Bash experience, along with many other students and community members who listened to that song in middle school.

Dalton Goode, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, came to Bulldog Bash to see his friends and enjoy the Starkville atmosphere and to get a break from his out-of-state internship for the weekend.

“I showed up a little late, and unfortunately only got to hear T-Pain, but I heard from my friends that all of the acts were great,” Goode said.

“T-Pain was better than I expected, and I really enjoyed some of the songs I have not heard before.”

BAD DAWGS Friday, September 13, 2019 • Employee reported a golf cart stolen by an unknown male, later found in C-1 parking lot.

• Student transported to OCH for medical assistance.

• Student reported her debit card stolen from her wallet in Sessums Hall.

• Student reported an unknown person representing the Social Security Office calling and asking for their social security number.

• Student reported being stalked by another student on campus.

• Student arrested in Magnolia Hall for public drunkeness and minor in possession of alcohol. Justice Court citation and referral issued.

• Non-Resident/Visitor arrested on Stone Boulevard for speeding 38/20 and suspended driver’s license. Justice court citation issued.

• Student arrested in F-10 parking lot for public drunkeness.

• Student issued arrest citation on Main Street Starkville for minor in possession of alcohol and possession of fake ID. • Student issued arrest citation on Main Street Starkville for minor in possession of alcohol and possession of fake ID. Saturday, September 14, 2019 • Student arrested on Bully Boulevard for minor in possession of alcohol and possession of a fake ID. Justice Court citation and referral issued.

• Student arrested in A-7 parking lot for disregard of traffic device and DUI 1st.

• Student transported to OCH for medical assistance.

• Officer injured his arm while riding the MSU police motorcycle off campus.

• Non-Resident/Visitor issued a post arrest citation on Lee Boulevard for minor in possession of alcohol.

• Student arrested on George Perry Street for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Justice Court citation and referral issued.

• Non-Resident/Visitor arrested in Junction for public drunkeness.

• Student was escorted out of Davis Wade Stadium for disorderly conduct.

• Student arrested in F-10 parking lot for public drunkeness.

Sunday, September 15, 2019 • Student transported to OCH for medical assistance.

• Student reported her vehicle stolen from A-10 parking lot.

• Student arrested on University Drive for DUI and possession of controlled substance.

• Student arrested on University Drive for public drunkeness and no seatbelt.

• Student arrested in Starkville for DUI. Monday, September 16, 2019 • Student reported being harassed via social media and text messages by her ex-boyfriend.

• Student transported to OCH for medical assistance.

• Student transported to OCH for medical assistance.

• Aramark Employee was transported to OCH for medical assistance.

• Non-Resident/Visitor arrested on Highway 182 for speeding 45/30, expired driver’s license and possession of marijuana. Justice Court citations issues.

• Student reported witnessing a hit and run in D-15 parking lot causing damages.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019 • Student reported his vehicle was damaged while parked in F-11 parking lot.

• Student reported a disturbance in Sessums Hall with her ex-roommate.

• Student reported her bicycle stolen from Perry Cafeteria, last seen Sept. 6.

• Student injured hip and was transported to OCH for medical assistance.

• Student reported fraudulent use of her debit card.

• Non-Resident/Visitor arrested at MSU Police Station for a felony, possession of stolen property and false information.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019 • Student reported his bicycle stolen from bike rack at Colvard Student Union.

• Student transported to OCH for medical assitance.

• Student reported being harassed in Critz Hall by other students.

Thursday, September 19, 2019 • Student issued referral for possession of marijuana in Ruby Hall.

• Student transported to OCH for medical assistance.

Friday, September 20, 2019 • Officer responded to Oak Hall for a welfare check on a student.

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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 @REFLECTORONLINE

OPINION

Letter to the Editor: Women as pastors EVAN GREGORY

MSU should be more selective with student enrollment HALLIE GREEN

Rosalind Hutton

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I believe Ms. Hamilton is incorrect on two points. The definition of “pastor” literally means “a shepherd.” This raises the question: Who are the ones that “shepherd” a church? Notice in Acts 20:28 that the elders of the church of Ephesus were told to “shepherd the church of God …”

In 1 Peter 5:1-2, the elders of the church are again told to “shepherd the flock of God …” We can clearly see that a pastor and an elder have similar roles. Also, the term “elder” and “bishop” are used interchangeably in Titus 1:5,7. I believe it is reasonable to conclude these terms represent the same office.

That is, pastors, elders or bishops are a group of people that shepherd and lead the church, and those titles are used interchangeably.

This is an issue because the qualifications laid out for that office written of in 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6 cannot be met by a woman.

Take note of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. The context of this chapter is correcting abuses of the church in the handling of the spiritual gifts, which were given to them at that time. Paul states if a woman could prophesize, they are to “keep silent.” The context of 1 Corinthians 14 makes it clear these things were to happen when the Christians in Corinth were assembled together, as in 1 Corinthians 14:23. So, it can be proven that even women which had this power still had to be “submissive.”

As Mississippi State University continues to grow, so do the advantages.

However, this expansion may be too much. We may be starting to see some negative effects of this growth, like increased traffic and massive class sizes.

One way the school could improve would be limiting enrollment. This would allow the school to expand at a slower rate which would be more beneficial to the town, improve the overall university ranking and allow for smaller class sizes.

MSU’s rapid growth affects more than those who live on campus. The push for living off campus after freshman year definitely impacts Starkville. Already this past summer, we have seen City Bagel close due to the construction of a new apartment complex.

Whether good or bad, the dynamic of this town will be affected by this new construction.

If there ever comes a freshman class greater than 5,185 students, forcing freshmen to live on campus will become unrealistic.

All of this is compounded by the plans to tear down Rice Hall, a dorm which can house 511 residents, according to MSU’s Housing and Residence Life.

In the long run, this may be a good option, but in the meantime, the school will be losing one of its biggest dorms. If MSU were to limit enrollment, the school could grow at a slower and

more realistic rate, which would allow Starkville to comfortably grow with the school.

Limiting enrollment could also help the university improve its ranking. According to U.S. News, MSU is ranked No. 211 nationally as compared to the University of Mississippi at No. 162. If our school is continually trying to better itself, one of the best ways to do this would be to raise their national profile.

A way to help raise the ranking would be raising the ACT/SAT score and GPA requirements for admissions. By doing this in

combination with accepting less students into MSU, the university could become more sought after, and our degrees could increase in value.

Another advantage of limiting enrollment is the university could lower the class size of intro courses.

Many intro classes are largely taken by freshman, and lowering the size of these classes could help freshmen with the shift from high school to college.

This academic transition can be difficult, but with a smaller group they can interact with their professor more and become better equipped for university.

According to the National Council of Teachers of English, “[a] cademic performance is important, but it is not the only measure of student success.

In the area of student engagement, findings consistently show the value of small classes. Students talk and participate more in smaller classes. They are much more likely to interact with the teacher rather than listen passively during class.”

Speaking from experience, it is far easier to zone out in a class where students feel they are invisible to a professor.

So, by lowering enrollment, the university can lower class sizes for intro classes, improving academic achievement overall.

Lowering enrollment could end up being beneficial for the overwhelming majority of this community.

This could not only help Starkville properly expand with the university at a better pace, but also support local businesses.

Limitations in student enrollment could raise the overall rankings of the university and improve the academic success of its students, while helping everyone at the university during the process.

ProJared reveals the problem with cancel culture

REFLECTIONS Paul McCartney

“I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now, I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird.”

Trivia Time!

1. From which U.S. city can a person travel south into Canada?

2. How many planets in our solar system are not named after a god or goddess?

3. According to Greek mythology, which King of Mycenae was the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus?

4. Who was the first female Prime Minister of a European country?

4. Margaret Thatcher Answer: 1. Detroit 2. One (Earth) 3. Atreus

Source: trivia.fyi

CHRIS LOWE

is a senior majoring in business information systems. Contact him at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu.

This past spring, one of the mainstays of the gaming youTuber sphere, ProJared, found himself embroiled in controversy following a public Twitter announcement explaining his decision to divorce his wife, Heidi.

Following this announcement, Heidi took to Twitter herself to level a boatload of cheating accusations against Jared and, as is typical when a famous person is found in a vulnerable state, people whom Jared had sexually communicated with in the past on Tumblr came out of the woodwork to pile on the controversy with newfound “enlightenment” about the “predatory” nature of their conversations.

As reported by Cecilia D’Anastasio of Kotaku, one day after the divorce announcement, “Since last night, at least seven of Knabenbauer’s fans have come forward to say they either sent naked pictures to or received naked pictures from the YouTuber; two of these fans [Charlie and Chai] says they were 16 years old at the time of this exchange.”

As the internet is wont to do, legions of people immediately latched on to the idea of Jared being a pedophile and accepted these accusations as true with no

CONTACT INFORMATION Editor in Chief/Mia Rodriguez 325-7905 editor@reflector.msstate.edu Managing Editor/Courtney Carver managing@reflector.msstate.edu News Editor/Hannah Blankenship

life@reflector.msstate.edu Photography Editor/Mary Georgia Hamilton Online Editor/Brandon Grisham multimedia_editor@reflector.msstate.edu

news@reflector.msstate.edu

Advertising Sales/Devin Byrd 325-2374 advertise@reflector.msstate.edu

opinion@reflector.msstate.edu

Graphics Editor/Rosalind Hutton

sports@reflector.msstate.edu

Rosalind Hutton

GUILTY!

No one should salivate at the opportunity to destroy someone else’s life, as many on social media seem to do, especially when they act on these impulses from baseless accusations. While it may be admirable to wish to defend the innocent and hold public figures accountable for their mistakes, the vast majority of cancel culture participants simply use this excuse to mask the joy they take in kicking people while they are down.

Withholding judgment until the facts are made clear may not be fun, but it is the right thing to do. Even if the accusations are true, the dismantling of someone’s career is not an appropriate response, in many cases.

In Jared’s case, even if he did cheat on his wife, I find it hard to accept his livelihood should be interfered with.

Cheaters may not be good people, but they are not evil.

Now, if Jared knowingly sexually interacted with minors, it would be a different story.

Conveniently for my argument though, Jared provided a mountain of evidence against these claims just last month.

In a 40-minute video, he

systematically dismantled them; this was accompanied by obvious physical signs of sleep deprivation and a general disheveled look.

Tyler Wilde and Andy Chalk described the main points in an article for PCGamer.com saying, “… he also shared a Medium message in which Chai said that he suffered a serious accident during PE class, and alleged that the hallucinations and memory loss described

by Chai make him an untrustworthy source … he then shared his own images of the same conversation to show that he had asked Charlie about their age, and that Charlie lied in response.”

These were accompanied by numerous examples of harassment from both people, contradictions for all of their claims and evidence they were general attention-seekers.

Of course, this has received nowhere near the coverage the original accusations did.

Many refuse to even watch the video, as it would deny them their sweet high ground, and this very refusal to highlight his innocence as much as his past alleged guilt proves exactly why cancel culture exists in the first place.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Life Editor/Mary Madeline LaMastus

Opinion Editor/Dylan Bufkin Sports Editor/Hunter Cloud

concrete evidence whatsoever, beginning a crusade against the disgraced YouTuber by spreading nude photos of him around, unsubscribing from his YouTube channel in one of the biggest massexoduses in the site’s history and harassing him incessantly any time he made an attempt to post on Twitter.

This behavior is indicative of what many call “cancel culture.” Nowadays, when any public figure does anything deemed unacceptable by the masses or is simply accused of such a thing, social media users everywhere go out of their way to sabotage that person’s career and irreparably destroy their reputation.

In fact, according to Jonah Engel Bromwich of The New York Times, “… not all cancellations are the result of transgressing fans’ expectations. Sometimes they happen for no stated reason.

All it takes for someone to be canceled is for someone else to announce, via social media, that they are.”

Cancellation is exactly what happened to Jared.

Taking the word of people with no proof to back up their claims, Twitter and Reddit users, in particular, humiliated and name-called Jared en masse any time he was brought up, attempted to organize a movement to cripple his career and even shut down his official subreddit after removing his moderator privileges. For the latter, this was after several days of turning the subreddit into an echo chamber of cruel bullying.

There is a massive problem with the internet.

Circulation/Sierra Pruitt circulation@reflector.msstate.edu

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5-Sports SPORTS

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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 @REFLECTORONLINE

Hill, Bulldogs run away to victory over Kentucky GARRETT SMITH STAFF WRITER

Mary Georgia Hamilton| The Reflector

Kylin Hill runs across the field at Davis Wade Stadium. Hill rushed for three touchdowns in MSU’s 28-13 win over Kentucky on Saturday.

MSU Volleyball uses tournament to promote the sport in Mississippi

KAYLEE RICCHETTI

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Mississippi State University Volleyball team hosted the Hail State Invitational this past week, dominating in all three matches against Jackson State University, the University of North Florida and University of Alabama at Birmingham.

These victories were a small part in MSU’s goal of promoting the sport in Mississippi.

In general, Mississippi has been behind in the popularity and promotion of volleyball at a highly competitive level.

This has mainly been due to the high costs of participating in club volleyball being a deterrent in Mississippi, according to Becky Gillette in the Mississippi Business Journal. While the sport has been growing quickly in Mississippi recently, the slow growth in the start of its popularity has put the state far behind others competitively.

The Mississippi State volleyball program has certainly been affected by the low popularity of volleyball in Mississippi among both potential athletes and fans.

However, head coach Julie Darty has said they are continually working to promote the growth of the sport throughout Starkville and Mississippi as a whole.

“We are pulling out all the stops to get people in this gym,” Darty said. “It’s a free ticket, we schedule around football and I believe it’s a really fast-paced and energetic sport. I think we are really open in letting people know that we really appreciate all the support.”

The growing popularity of volleyball among fans, especially in Starkville, has been much appreciated by the team. Gabby Waden, a sophomore middle blocker from Columbia, South

Kylin Hill is a human highlight reel. The most impressive aspect of his run game is the consistency with which he makes defenders look silly, be it with a stiff arm, a juke move, a hurtle or a dive for the goal line like the one that resulted in his first touchdown of the day against the University of Kentucky on Saturday.

Hill, a junior running back from Columbus, has been the most consistent player for a Bulldog team that has already seen a change in quarterback, along with other personnel issues revolving around injuries and suspensions, in just their first four games of the season. The Bulldogs would run away to victory, 28-13.

Hill has accounted for at least 100 yards on the ground in each of those first four matchups, the first Bulldog to do so in 29 years. He was quick to credit his success to the performance of the offensive line.

“At the end of the day, I gotta give big credit to those guys. Without them pushing, it ain’t no hundred yard game for me, or four straight hundred yard games for me,” Hill said.

A Kentucky defense led by linebacker Kash Daniel would give up 120 yards and three touchdowns to the star running back.

Hill’s production opened up the floor for freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader to get involved on the ground game, adding 125 more rushing yards, over half of which came in the final five minutes of the game. Shrader, at the helm for his first full game, threw for 17-22 for 180 yards through the air.

Hill’s increased production has been at least, in part, due to an uptick in carries. He is currently on pace to surpass his total from last year in just two more games. Hill said he will run the ball as many times as his team needs him to.

“It can be eight carries, it can be 20, 30, 40, whatever I gotta do to get the win. I just do my job,” Hill said.

“ It can be eight carries, it can be 20, 30, 40, whatever I gotta do to get the win.

I just do my job,”

Kylin Hill Running Back With 91 carries for 551 yards and five touchdowns through four games, he’s right on the fringe of a few Heisman watchlists. At his current pace, he will break former MSU running back Anthony Dixon’s school record for rushing yards in a season. With more stiff arms and hurtles likely on the way, he might just do it in style.

“I watch tooooo many Saquan highlights,” Hill tweeted on Saturday night.

He’s not the first one to make the reference, as Joe Moorhead had previously compared the MSU athlete to his former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, who is now a New York Giant.

Another huge boost for the Bulldogs came from a few key players back,

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Callie Minshew hits the ball in a game against Jackson State, which MSU won 3-0. MSU hosted the Hail State Invitational volleyball tournament and won all three games that they played.

Carolina, said that the addition of the Hail State Invitational Tournament as the second non-conference tournament at home was seen as a great opportunity for fans to see and support the team.

“Everyone loves sports in Starkville, so getting our volleyball program [in Starkville] definitely helps our fans come to our games and be a lot more supportive,” Waden said.

Not only is MSU’s program spreading the name of volleyball throughout the state by reaching out to fans, it is also through supporting high school and club coaches and players throughout the state. Darty said she believes supporting the players in Mississippi now will help build the public’s belief in volleyball in Mississippi.

“It’s going to take time, just like it is building this

program, but getting kids from Mississippi like Callie Minshew to come to a program in the state It’s all about pouring into the coaches and the players in the state,” Darty said.

Currently, the MSU volleyball team has only one player from Mississippi, freshman outside hitter Callie Minshew from Brandon.

Minshew is a huge proponent of taking advantage of the recent growth of volleyball in Mississippi through club teams and other means, and hopes volleyball can continue to grow and improve in the years to come.

“It took a lot for volleyball to get big in Mississippi,” Minshew said. “I just hope all the younger girls out there appreciate the growing club opportunities and use them so that hopefully the name of volleyball will get out in Mississippi.”

temporarily at least, off of suspensions. Their impact was felt immediately, as junior linebacker and Starkville native Wilie Gay was able to pick off a Sawyer Smith pass and take it 52 yards to the house.

The defensive score quickly swung the momentum over to the home side.

Head coach Joe Moorhead said the return of those suspended players was a “big morale boost,” specifically mentioning Gay and his immediate effect on the game.

“I think Willie is one of the top linebackers in the conferences and in the country,” Moorhead said.

“He’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s athletic, he plays with great passion. Sometimes misguided, but we’ll get him going in the right direction.”

While Bulldog fans were certainly excited to see the playmaker back on the field, they were disappointed to see him exit again shortly thereafter, when he was ejected late in the first half after his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

According to junior cornerback Cameron Dantzler from Hammond, Louisiana, other players like Lee Autry were also a huge help to the Bulldogs.

“Oh you know we miss those guys. They came back with a chip on their shoulder, ready to play. All of us were amped to play,” Dantzler said.

Dantzler was given the challenge of taking on Kentucky wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. Bowden Jr. would accumulate 129 yards on seven catches, but it would not be enough for Kentucky.

“He’s a very good player,” Dantzler said. “We tried our best to keep him contained, and we did what we had to do to come out on top.”

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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

The Career Expo is a great way to network with companies and to find out about opportunities in your field of interest! Come dressed in business professional attire and bring plenty of résumés. For more information, contact us today.

TUESDAY, 9/24/19

WEDNESDAY, 9/25/19

HUMPHREY COLISEUM • NOON - 4:00 P.M. Open to ALL majors each day!

www.career.msstate.edu • 300 MONTGOMERY HALL • 662.325.3344