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FRIDAY OCTOBER 5, 2018

134th YEAR ISSUE 11

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

MSU Dining Services puts away plastic straws TORI BOATNER STAFF WRITER

Each day, Americans use 500 million drinking straws, which, according to the National Parks Service, is enough to fill 125 school buses. Looking to create a greater impact on the environment, Aramark and Mississippi State University Dining Services committed themselves to lessening the use of disposable plastics by 2022.

Aramark Marketing Manager Andrea Pichardo said the initiative is a great way to show students they are intentional

about environmental conservation.

“By reducing single-use plastics, like straws, we have the opportunity to make meaningful achievements in minimizing our environmental impact,” Pichardo said.

In an effort to decrease the amount of plastic used, straws were removed from drinking stations in dining halls. For guests who prefer drinking from a straw, they may ask for one from the cashier.

Lea Cornelius, a junior animal and dairy sciences major, said she was surprised when she noticed dining service stopped

offering straws.

“I am a person who doesn’t like to necessarily drink from a cup that is not from my home, especially when flu season is approaching,” Cornelius said.

Cornelius said when she learned the lessening of straws was a part of MSU’s effort to protect the environment, she began to look into the possibilities this initiative would bring to wildlife and the ocean.

“Many marine animals typically mistake a small item, such as a straw, as food (and) that leads to death,” Cornelius said.

STRAWS, 2

SCHOOL BUS

Rosalind Hutton

Each day, Americans use enough plastic straws to fill 125 school buses.

—The National Parks Service

Esports named an official club sport MSU to play Ole Miss in Esports Egg Bowl Oct. 13 EMMA KING

STAFF WRITER

The Mississippi State University esports team has reached a new milestone: being named an official club sport.

Esports is essentially an organized, team-based competition taking the form of video games. The c o m p e t i t ive atmosphere of MSU Esports presents a unique community through the team’s shared love of video games.

The club was established in 2012 as Esports @ MSU, but the recent addition as a club sport has also renovated Rosalind Hutton

the team’s name. From this now on, the team will now be known as MSU Esports.

Steven Knecht, MSU’s coordinator for competitive sports, believes the club’s recognition is well deserved.

“The organization shows that they compete at the highest level they can reach, possess the tools to thrive for years to come, and show the potential for a rising trend in today’s world,” said Knecht.

“UREC wanted to take part in a growing recreational trend that will hopefully Jason Deshong | Courtesy Photo bring more students MSU Esports competes in a variety of games, such as Overwatch, Fortnite and Call of Duty. and more interest to Mississippi State Fortnite and more.

University.” stopped pushing for growth, No games are out of as we are aware that this is Esports teams often question for this team, a marathon, not a sprint,” as members Deshong said. “We want to frequent large, though, m a i n s t r e a m are looking forward to keep making opportunities games such expanding their groups and for our players, school and as League of adding more to the list. community.”

MSU Esports President Leg ends, Being named an official Overwatch and Rocket Jason Deshong credits the club sport follows a year League, but MSU Esports current officers and last of long nights, tough practices much more year’s cabinet for the group’s conversations and lots of variety. With 19 active latest level of success, but paperwork for the group. teams competing, the said it will not stop there.

MSU Esports is grateful to “Despite reaching one the university for recognizing club covers a wide range of games including Call of our long-term goals as the goals and efforts of its of Duty, Hearthstone, a new cabinet, we have not members.

ESPORTS, 2

Panel discusses ‘Minorities in STEM’ COURTNEY CARVER STAFF WRITER

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STAFF WRITER

Courtney Carver | The Reflector

Professors, graduate students and undergraduate students compose a diverse panel Wednesday, where they discuss minorities in STEM research at the Colvard Student Union.

engineering student Rania Bassou, Head and Endowed Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering Dennis Truax, senior chemical engineering major Kristen Hubbard, graduate

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aerospace engineering student Randa Bassou, electrical and computer engineering professor John Ball and junior chemical engineering major Deonante Frazier.

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THE REFLECTOR STAFF

Services and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

“Our message is one of hope and empowerment,” said Angela Mallette, outreach coordinator for Stand Up, Mississippi. “We want students to stand up for their friends and families; be brave enough to ask for help if they need it and encourage each other to seek recovery.”

In 2017, there were more than 72,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive states nearly one million U.S. college students meet standard clinical criteria for current alcohol or other drug dependence. With substance use an everpresent concern on college campuses, officials at MSU felt it was time to begin conversations on campus.

Mississippi State University’s Office of Student Affairs and the Collegiate Recovery Community partnered with Stand Up, Mississippi to bring an interactive presentation to campus next week called “Opioids: What Can You Do?” Amidst the rising overdose numbers across the state and the country, Stand Up, Mississippi and its partnering agencies decided to take their message directly to college campuses across the state.

The partnering agencies include the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Board of Pharmacy, the Mississippi offices of the FBI, the Department of Human

STAND UP, 2

SA Recap: Senate makes appointments, appropriates funds DYLAN BUFKIN

Members of groups including the National Society of Black Engineers, Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers hosted an open mic discussion Wednesday in the Fowlkes Auditorium in the Colvard Student Union.

The discussion, including a panel of undergraduate and graduate students along with two professors, was open to students. The topic of discussion was minority students furthering their education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

On the panel, there was graduate aerospace

Stand Up, Mississippi to discuss how opioids affect college students

The Mississippi State University Student Association met Tuesday to discuss new appointments and a new act. Following the brief meeting, the Senate left to convene with the other branches of SA for the second SA General Body Meeting.

First, SA Vice President Jake Manning nominated candidates for an appointed seat in the Senate. According to Manning, these candidates were either from the runnerup pool in the last election or students who have specifically reached out to Manning expressing interest.

For this meeting, Manning presented four appointees: Hadley Brennan,

FORECAST: This weekend, we can expect mostly sunny skies with unseasonably warm temperatures for October.

For Friday, we’ll have mostly sunny skies. On Saturday it will still be warm at kickoff time for the SEC showdown between MSU and Auburn, but the good news is there is no rain in the forecast. For your Sunday, you can expect more sunny skies.

Jacob Lawrence, Campus Connect Meteorologist

Sarah Abbott Martinson, Noah Methvin and Shayla Nelson. These appointees were then voted upon by the Senate, and all of them were voted into office. However, they first must be sworn in by SA President Mayah Emerson, which will occur the next time she is available for a Senate meeting.

Following the appointments, the Senate discussed Act 3, which appropriated funds for several organizations on campus.

The two largest appropriations went to the Society for the Advancement of Creation Science, which received a total of $2,000 for their Ravi Zacharias Lecture Series, and to the Latino Student Association, which received a total of $1,300 for its Hispanic Heritage

Month events. Notably, the Black Student Association is the first organization to be denied funding for already reaching their cap of $2,000 dollars per semester.

Lastly, the Senate went to meet with the rest of the SA for the second General Body Meeting. This month’s meeting was comprised of the separate branches discussing shared projects, then sharing those projects with the room.

Some significant ideas from the meeting included a sporting event music playlist in which students vote on the songs they would like to hear at sporting events, a new system for dealing with game day trash on the Junction and a waiting list for classes that notifies students when a spot has opened in a class.

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BAD DAWGS Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 Student issued arrest citation in Starkville for minor in possession of alcohol.

Student issued arrest citation in Starkville for minor in possession of alcohol.

Student issued arrest citation in Starkville for seatbelt violation and DUI. Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 Student issued arrest citation in Starkville for minor in possession of alcohol.

Student issued arrest citation in Starkville for false information.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018 Student issued arrest citation in Starkville for minor in possession of alcohol.

Student issued arrest citation in Starkville for false information.

ESPORTS

The club’s vice president, Jacques Crochet, believes the inclusion in club sports will help make a name for eSports.

“Being included as a club sport is a huge honor, and we hope to represent Mississippi State the best

Monday, Oct. 1, 2018 Employee reported an MSU Adidas hoodie and Adidas sneakers stolen from Davis Wade Stadium.

Student reported losing her keys and wallet containing her debit card, last seen on SMART bus.

Student reported fraudulent charges on her bank card.

Non-resident/visitor reported he was assaulted in the Junction on Sept. 29.

Employee reported a car window was shattered while a landscape crew was weed eating in the Fresh Food parking lot.

Student reported his bicycle stolen from Nunnelee Hall bike rack.

Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 Student worker reported being assaulted by a student in Montgomery Hall. Referral issued to the student.

For more Bad Dawgs, please visit reflector-online.com

“We’re really excited to be partnering with Stand Up, Mississippi to educate our student population regarding opioids and substance use,” said Blake Schneider, program coordinator for the Collegiate Recovery Community at MSU. “It is events like these that are critical in breaking down the stigma of addiction

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and encouraging students to seek support. Even if we only deeply impact one student, it will be a huge success; that is one life that we can say that we saved.”

The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9 in McCool Hall, and it will include a discussion with representatives from Stand Up, Mississippi, as well as the Collegiate Recovery

STRAWS “By using less straws, it will help prevent plastic trash pollution.”

Christine Lashley, MSU Office of Sustainability coordinator, said she expects the amount of waste collected by the university to be impacted by this initiative. Lashley said if straws are not readily available, people may be more likely to use nondisposable cups.

“The green movement is getting more media attention,” Lashley said. “It’s

Community. This meeting is just one in a series of town hall meetings that are open to the public and being held throughout the state this year to educate communities about the growing issue of opioid abuse.

For more information, please contact Mallette at 601-359-1288, or visit www.StandUpMS.org.

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a good time for Aramark to show that they’re also taking a stand for the environment.”

The Office of Sustainability is also promoting other energyefficient ideas. By 2042, MSU is expected to be carbon neutral. xLashley said they are installing more energyefficient air conditioners, trying to recycle more and using renewable energy, such as solar.

Lashley also mentioned an Eco Kit Aramark

provides separate from a meal plan. The kit is $30 and includes 2 cups for hot and cold drinks with a straw. The kit also includes a reusable clamshell that can be used at dining facilities for to-go meals. A student can bring the dirty clamshell back the next time they eat in the dining hall and receive a clean one.

“I think it’s really great what they’re doing,” Lashley said. “I’m expecting it will bring about an awareness of disposable items.”

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we can, while also bringing recognition to esports as a serious competitive sport,” Crochet said.

Most of the members said they have turned to video games as an escape at some point in their lives. MSU Esports hopes to present to them not only an escape, but also a

fundamental self-esteem booster that gives members the confidence to succeed.

This year’s Egg Bowl, which has been played between the football teams of the University of Mississippi and MSU since 1901, will feature a new esports addition. The Esports Egg Bowl will take

place at the Pavilion Oct. 13, where it will be free to the public and streamed online.

The team said excitement an understatement when it comes to this event. Similarly to becoming an official club sport, the team saw the Egg Bowl as a possibility years in the future.

Now that it is less than

two weeks away, players are looking forward to the potential of bringing home their first Egg Bowl trophy. This will also be the first time they have played onstage.

Deshong said he hopes the team’s recent developments will convince skeptics that video games

PANEL Senior electrical engineering major Reginald Williams asked the panel how vital these student organizations are to student, especially minority, success.

Every person on the panel agreed events such as

are a widely-pursued passion.

As the team moves toward its first Egg Bowl, its passionate players can reminisce on how far MSU Esports has truly come.

“I bet they (MSU Esports) will do incredible things here in Starkville,” Knecht said.

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the Minorities in STEM discussion are extremely important.

“Organizations like this are important,” Truax said. “It provides an opportunity for individuals to get together.”

Along with Truax, Rania

believes making relationships is a vital part of student success, especially for minority students.

“First of all, I think these organizations and discussions are really important,” Rania said. “It allows us to know what kind of difficulties other students are struggling with.

As students at Mississippi State, we have great counseling services; sometimes we would not need something as formal. Sometimes, we need something like a friendly gathering. It is really important to have these types of events because this is what these are about— reaching out to students who are struggling.”

Although the event was for minority students, many of the panelists said they loved seeing non-minority students and professors at the event as well.

“I think for many of us, some of our teammates or classmates do not know what exactly we are going through,” Rania said. “It would be really great for people who are not actually minorities to come to these events as well, so they can try and think about what struggles we are going through.”

On the panel, Truax and Ball were both non-minority professors; however, they want to enhance the diversity in their departments and fields tremendously.

“We don’t look at individuals in our departments in context of a segregated diversity,” Truax said. “The opinion that we find most of the faculty have, if not

the totality, is that any person can achieve the degree and achieve success if they are willing to invest the time.

The entitlements that have been given to individuals like me aren’t widely enjoyed by others. I would like for each individual to embrace who they are today, look at the deficiencies that they need to overcome, and work to overcome them.”

Senior industrial engineering major Jessica Brown is the co-president of the National Society of Black Engineers. She said she put this discussion together to help minority students get the insight they need to succeed.

“I think the panel did a great job of saying why it is so important,” Brown said.

Truax said he was thankful to be selected as a part of the panel.

“It has been a positive experience for me,” Truax said. “I appreciate the invitation. We are often times excluded for another reason that I guess a lot of people don’t think we have a voice in rooms of conversation like this. I like the opportunity to get engaged and learn from what individuals are saying.”

According to Brown, she was not aware of how the professors felt when it came to discussions such as minorities in STEM. “I never noticed the professors, especially the nonminority professors felt that their opinions didn’t matter,” Brown said. “They want to be included just as much as we want to be included. That was

really eye opening.”

Dean of Engineering Angela Verdell, also the director of Diversity Programs and Student Development in the Bagley College of Engineering, said she believes discussions like this encourage students to find their place and make a difference.

“Having events like this is important for underrepresented minority students because it helps them to create a sense of belonging,” Verdell said. “It allows them to be able to express themselves and be able to draw insight from others, so they can persist.

What we are trying to do in the college of engineering is to help provide a space for students where they are comfortable, where they can be successful, where they can graduate and where they can go on and have successful careers. This is just one of those avenues.”

Verdell said she was grateful for the faculty members who participate in events like this one.

“We are thankful to our faculty members for coming and participating,” Verdell said. “They help to shed light for students, so students can understand things from our faculty members’ perspective as well.”

This discussion usually takes place once a year in the fall; however, Brown is hoping to have another panel discussion at least one more time during the school year because of the turnout at Wednesday’s event.

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MSU students form The Basket Cases Theatre Company COURTNEY CARVER

What started out as a great idea soon turned into reality for four college students.

Alumni Luke McFathrich, an artistic director and head writer for the Basket Cases Theatre Company, graduated from Mississippi State University in August 2018, receiving his bachelor’s degrees in marketing and theatre. At MSU, McFathrich came up with the idea to create a theatre company with his friends.

“I approached them with the idea of creating stuff together, and all I had was a name,” McFathrich said. “We sat down and created the aesthetic and mission statement. From there, the four of us created what we wanted to do as a company together. We were all interested in children’s and educational theatre.”

McFathrich decided to name their company The Basket Cases because the term describes him and his friends perfectly.

“It just kind of hit me,” McFathrich said. “It is famous for kids our age, most famous from ‘The Breakfast Club.’ It describes people who are kind of out there and a little removed, but it gets more and more accurate the later we work into the night. We just get crazier and crazier as the night goes on.”

Alongside McFathrich from the very beginning is junior Emma Denson.

Emma, also an artistic director and writer for the Basket Cases Theatre Company, is a communication major with

an emphasis in theatre.

Emma said she remembers how McFathrich approached her with his idea for The Basket Cases.

“So it all started with nothing,” Emma said. “He drew what he imagined as a logo on a napkin. It went from that to a list of shows we want to do.”

It took no time at all before Emma, McFathrich, alumni Austin Howeth and MSU senior Alyssa Parrish began planning what would be the start of their company.

According to McFathrich, the group started preparing for their first show in September of 2017.

“The first production we did was ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker,’ modern play with musical adaptions of the Grimm’s fairytale,” McFathrich said. “I wrote the adaptations, so what we did differently was we made the shoemaker a woman and set it in modern times. All of the references and comedy were very accessible to families and children.”

While McFathrich wrote the script, Emma helped develop the scenes of their production, and the show was premiered in December 2017 during finals week.

“We started rehearsals in November with five actors, and put the show up finals week,” McFathrich said. “We opened the night of the last day of finals, so we were rehearsing during finals week. We will never do that again. We were over capacitate every performance.”

According to Emma, there were many parents thanking them for their Christmas adaptation of

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The Basket Case Theatre Company | Courtesy Photo

Left to right: Luke McFatrich, Brett Armour, Emma Denson, Jamie Taylor, Alyssa Parrish and Austin Howeth work together to produce “The Elves and the Shoemaker.”

the “The Elves and the Shoemaker.”

Since the company was just starting off, Emma and McFathrich funded the production completely out of pocket.

“The majority of it was done the final month before the show,” Emma said. “Jamie Taylor, our costumer, pitched in with some money as well. It was completely out of pocket with one donation for our first show.”

Since their first show, The Basket Cases have produced their own rendition of “Call of the

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Wild” and “The Ugly Duckling.” As they have produced more shows, the company has found their style.

Upon starting his freshman year at MSU, Eli Denson, Emma’s brother and a music education major, began his involvement with The Basket Cases as the musical director for the company’s next show “Frost.” This will be Eli’s first production with The Basket Cases.

“Once they (Emma and McFathrich) realized I was coming to State, Emma approached me in May,” Eli

said. “I was big time in on that because this was going to be a great opportunity for me to see which way I want to go with music and everything.”

For “Frost,” Eli will write all of the music. While Emma, Eli and Luke had very conflicting schedules over the summer, the three resorted to creativity in order to get their scripts and music written.

“I worked a little on it over the summer, but I didn’t have a lot of time because I was going on mission trips,” Eli said. “Emma was in Sarasota, Florida, and

Luke (McFathrich) was in Starkville. We had to put the script on Google Docs and come up with creative ways to communicate.”

For the pieces The Basket Cases produce, the company has a minimalist style.

“Our style is more abstract and minimalist,” Emma said. “The design of all of Basket Cases work relies on minimalism and imagination, as opposed to the giant spectacle.”

Because of the minimalist perspective of The Basket Cases, there will only be a pianist and violinist during “Frost.” This will be the first production The Basket Cases has done with have live music.

“Luke and Emma came to me and said they would like for the different characters to have different themes,” Eli said. “It is a great opportunity for both of us. Being in the arts, there are different forms of arts, and when we do something like this, we are meshing the visual arts with the audible arts.”

The Denson siblings are both very passionate about The Basket Cases.

Furthermore, the two are seen as a dynamic duo as they work together for the next production.

According to Emma, working with her brother has brought the two closer, and it makes her proud to see her younger brother embracing his creative side as opposed to the more logical side he often favors.

The Densons and McFathrich are all working together alongside their fellow peers trying to produce their spin on Jack Frost, “Frost,” set to open at the end of November.

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OPINION

‘Don’t Stop Believing’ in our MSU football team “Don’t stop believing!”

“MSU!”

“Hail State!”

“Maroon!”

“Fight, fight, fight!”

“Go Defense!”

“White!”

“Hail State!”

“Let’s go, Bulldogs!”

“GTHOM!”

GRACE GILMAN

is a senior majoring in English. Contact her at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu

Last Saturday’s game against University of Florida was disappointing for a myriad of reasons.

Losing to a team we wanted so badly to beat is upsetting, and it was not the way many fans thought the night would go.

However, the biggest disappointment came in the fourth quarter, when a large majority of the fans started to chant at head coach Joe Moorhead to put in the backup quarterback.

Boos rang throughout the stadium as the plays became increasingly unsuccessful, and the usually deafening rings of the cowbells died out.

Our job as fans is to stand by the players currently on the field, not make them feel worse or

Rosalind Hutton

completely abandoned.

Although seemingly absent in the last game, one amazing quality of Mississippi State University’s fans is how we always seem to continually cheer on our team, win or lose.

In 2017, Chandler Rome of The Anniston Star said MSU fans create an atmosphere unlike any other in Davis Wade Stadium.

“The atmosphere inside Davis Wade Stadium is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s the best gameday

experience and atmosphere I’ve seen in more than 10 years of attending and covering SEC football,” Rome said.

Furthermore, Paul Finebaum from the SEC Network claimed we have the most genuine fans in the SEC. “I’ve been here many times. They are simply the best and most genuine fans in college football. I have one request, more cowbell,” said Finebaum in a 2016 podcast.

Choosing party over propriety JOHN HAYNES STAFF WRITER

When asked in an interview with Jake Tapper of CNN about whether or not Brett Kavanaugh deserved the presumption of innocence with respect to the allegations of sexual assault against him, Senator Mazie Hirono said she puts “his denial in the context of everything that I know about him in terms of how he approaches his cases,” as reported by Michael Burke of The Hill.

Hirono’s statement is troubling, because like many of her colleagues on both sides of the aisle, she seems to place her political affiliation over her morals. Hirono is more concerned about Kavanaugh’s conservative affiliation and its impact on future Supreme Court rulings than about how a nominee to the highest court in the land should be treated.

Her answer reveals, for her, Kavanaugh’s approach to cases takes priority over all else.

According to Alexander Bolton of The Hill, during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing prior to the allegations, Senator Corey Booker stated it was his “I am Spartacus” moment when he released confidential documents relating to Kavanaugh’s time with the G. W. Bush administration.

Booker was just trying to improve his image, not actually reveal anything of substance. Booker is also a potential presidential candidate for 2020.

Senator Lindsey Graham took time out of his questioning of Kavanaugh to slam the hearing as an “unethical sham,” adding he hoped “y’all (the Democratic Party) never get” political power, as reported by CNN. Graham and most other Republicans were content to send Kavanaugh’s nomination to the floor for a full vote until Senator Jeff Flake stated he would refrain from voting on Kavanaugh

unless the FBI was allowed a week to investigate.

Unfortunately, it is likely less than 10 senators have considered changing their vote on Kavanaugh in the wake of these allegations.

According to Audrey Carlsen and Wilson Andrews of The New York Times, Neil Gorsuch, another Trump nominee, who had no allegations of sexual assault brought against him, was confirmed 54-45 by the Senate, almost entirely by party lines. A similar situation was expected with Kavanaugh until the new allegations leaked.

Both Republicans and Democrats are to blame for this state of affairs. When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chose to ignore former President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, Democrats were frustrated, and rightfully so. According to C. Eugene Emery Jr. of Politifact, despite McConnell’s claim, he was only following the precedent set out by thenSenator Joe Biden in a 1992 speech. McConnell ignored the Constitution by refusing to provide “advice and consent” for the president.

When Kavanaugh’s nomination comes to a vote, assuming the FBI investigation does not change the status quo, expect a confirmation, albeit with a smaller margin than with Gorsuch. Nothing less than hard evidence can change the hearts and minds of Republicans, and a full refutation of all allegations would have a very limited impact on Democrats.

Save for a scant handful of senators, these very serious, yet unfounded, allegations have had essentially no affect on the final outcome.

Even though McConnell chose to impede Garland’s nomination, Democrats are not solving any problems by voting against nominees on party lines. American politics will only become further polarized when parties refuse to find common ground.

DYLAN BUFKIN

is a sophomore majoring in English. Contact him at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

Recently, the Trump administration released a 500-page environmental impact document by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, where the NHTSA predicts earth will see an increased temperature of seven degrees by 2100, as reported by Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis and Chris Mooney with The Washington Post.

Were this to occur, the same article states many scientists believe the coastal cities of the U.S., and the world for that matter, would experience massive flooding, and heat waves would rack the entire globe.

However, this is no worry to the NHSTA, for they argue this conclusion is inevitable.

The earth will burn in a fire of its own denizens’ making, and there is nothing for us to do about it. At least, this is what they say in order to justify the continued environmental deregulation of businesses in America.

Keeping with the same source as before, the Trump administration rolled back nearly half a dozen major environmental protections, saving companies hundreds of millions in costs.

This is compounded with the continued “climate change is a hoax” rhetoric coming from the president, and President Donald Trump’s shocking U.S. exit from the Paris climate agreement.

These actions speak loud and clear, past any sort of political acrobatics. The Trump administration is far more concerned with shortterm economic numbers than the long-term health of our planet. This nihilistic viewpoint of inexorable

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global destruction coming from the U.S. is disheartening at best, and self-destructive at worst. If humanity is causing climate change, it can certainly work toward lessening its own contributions to the problem, and saying otherwise is both scientifically inaccurate and unhelpful.

Basically, the NHTSA is arguing the further deregulation of cars, specifically, this would just be a comparatively small amount of carbon in relation to the world’s output. Plainly put, this is a dumb thing to say, much less to put into policy.

The report is both arguing human actions cause climate change and human actions have no overall effect, but if we are measuring by global output compared to national output, we are never going to think we can affect anything.

The Environmental Protection Agency found in 2016, transportationrelated emissions accounted for 28 percent of the U.S.’ greenhouse gas emissions, which is no small amount.

The NHTSA, who is supposed to care about this percentage, states the reduction of emissions in cars “would require substantial increases in technology innovation and adoption compared to today’s levels and would require the economy and the vehicle fleet to move away from the use of fossil fuels, which is not currently technologically feasible or economically feasible.”

Here is the thing, there will be no economy if our largest coastal cities are swallowed by rising oceans. There will be no economy if millions are dislocated from their homes and workplaces because their houses are under water.

There will be no economy if heat waves make crops unfeasible and agricultural labor deadly. This whole “environmental regulations are too harmful to businesses to be worth it” argument is asinine, for businesses are obviously more concerned with their short-term profits, rather than the future of our

nation and planet.

The ability to procrastinate on this issue is long gone.

NASA reports geological evidence has shown this cycle of warming is 10 times faster than ice-age-recovery warming previously seen on Earth, and they calculate there is a 95 percent surety of direct human causation in this process.

The human reaction to this knowledge has been akin to a person being diagnosed with cancer and waiting until it is stage 4 to get treatment, and it is sickening that we are so laissez-faire about the future of our race.

I am not suggesting every person go vegan, recycle everything possible and walk everywhere, because this is not possible for everyone.

“Our planet contains all of us, varied as we are, and we should begin treating it with the respect it deserves, rather than accept impending doom.”

Modern society cannot accommodate this lifestyle for everyone, and not everyone is willing to make such major lifestyle changes in an instant.

However, if you can do any of these things, it can only help the fight against climate change.

The biggest contributors to climate change are large corporations.

The Guardian’s Tess Riley reported environmental watch groups, CDP and the Climate Accountability Institute, found 71 percent of greenhouse gas emissions traceable to 100 major companies, such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Chevron.

Tackling major companies’ emission output is the only way for us to effectively combat our impact on the planet. Will the companies hate us for it, and will they lose money?

Yes, they will have to make serious, costly adjustments to comply with a productive regulatory system, but they will get over it. If they do not get over it, their business models will just have to deal with the destruction of modern civilization. A loss of millions or billions of dollars is worth the saving of billions of lives from famine, heat stroke and home loss.

The issue before us is one of priorities. We must discover what we, as Americans, value more.

If we value money above all else, we may continue on this path, make billions and not worry about the consequences for our future children; but, if we value the continuing betterment of our nation and interconnected world, we must take action to preserve our way of life for future generations to enjoy.

We have created a continually advancing society, propelled by human technological innovation and ideas, and it would be a waste to see the clock reset by our own hubris.

I am not perfect in my pursuit of this goal. I eat meat quite a bit, but I do attempt to walk most places. I recycle when I can, but it is not like I seek it out.

However, I know the problem will not be fixed, vegan me or not, without a massive overhaul of our national view of climate change.

This is not a partisan issue.

Democrats will not magically survive global catastrophe because they supported environmental regulation, and Republicans will not magically get their ironic comeuppance, apart from everyone else.

Our planet contains all of us, varied as we are, and we should begin treating it with the respect it deserves, rather than accept impending doom.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Life Editor/Emma Moffett

Managing Editor/Kristina Domitrovich News Editor/Katie Poe

Believing,” and then the minute a sack happens, they shout for the player to get removed while he is still on the field.

Moorhead is optimistic about the future of the team, and therefore, MSU fans should be, too.

According to Tyler Horka of The Clarion Ledger, at the press conference after the Florida game on Saturday, Moorhead promised the team will work successfully as a unit soon. “It’s not if—

The time to act on climate change is now

CONTACT INFORMATION Editor in Chief/Emmalyne Kwasny

What happened last Saturday does not reflect what is typically said about MSU’s fans.

We need to remember no matter how the game is going, it is the job of the students to continue cheering for the players on the field.

Shouting criticism and booing only has the potential to make the players perform even worse.

It looks hypocritical if one minute, a fan is cheering and singing “Don’t Stop

it’s when,” said Moorhead, as reported by Horka.

Putting trust in a coach who just arrived in Starkville is a lot to ask, but showing support is the first step.

Not only do we need to make sure we continue to show up and stay the whole length of the game, but we need to stand by the team, even through the bad stretches.

The outpour of boos and chanting of another quarterback’s name was shocking to say the least. It is not reflective of what was said about MSU’s fans in the past, the way they should be now.

Going into Saturday’s game against Auburn, MSU fans should remember not to jump ship if the game starts to go south.

Chanting at the coach to change his line-up will not make him change his mind, and it can only potentially make the players perform even worse.

Players get shouted at all the time from the opponent’s fans—they do not need to hear it from their side of the stadium as well.

Circulation/Sierra Pruitt circulation@reflector.msstate.edu

Letters to the editor should be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. Letters may also be emailed to editor@reflector. msstate.edu.

Letters must include name and telephone number for verification purposes. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish a letter.

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Reflector is the official student newspaper of Mississippi State University.

Content is determined solely by the student editorial staff. The contents of The Reflector have not been approved by Mississippi State University.

CORRECTIONS

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

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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2018 @REFLECTORONLINE

SPORTS

Championship standard set by basketball leaders in preseason HUNTER CLOUD SPORTS EDITOR

Head coach Ben Howland sat at the table in the first press conference for the 2018-2019 Mississippi State University’s men’s basketball season. The season is officially five days underway, as their practice started a month before the first game.

With confidence, Howland said he was excited to begin the season with the assistance of returning players.

“Our guys have been doing a good job, they have been good competition, they have been working real hard,” Howland said. “Having guys back from last year’s team, we have a lot of experience that is returning which is obviously very important.”

The team went from having zero senior players to two this season. It is also the team that went deep in the NIT last year, making it to the semi-finals. The experience level has changed, and leaders have emerged.

“What is great is the leadership from our players,” Howland said. “I am always catching Q coaching his teammates, ‘You should have taken that shot, shoot that shot.’ It was kind of fun to see how guys are trying to help each other and coach each other.”

One of the effects of having strong leadership in a team is that they are able to improve on and off of the court. Howland said the team has a very positive attitude.

“They are a very, very positive group. They really compete out there in between the lines,” Howland said.

“Outside of it, they are supportive of one another.

So it has really been good. We have really good leadership and really good culture.

Abdul is a good leader, both by example and being real positive with his teammates.”

The team has spent countless hours working on their game individually.

Quinndary Weatherspoon, a senior guard from Canton,

said they have also worked hard to improve as a team.

“Everyone has been working hard since the summertime,” Weatherspoon said. “From my freshman year to now, I think this is the most competitive team we have ever had. Being in the gym everyday, trying to get better at our own game, I think that will make our whole team much better.”

Rosalind Hutton

Weatherspoon said the team has come together and the time spent in the gym is just an example of how much the culture has changed at MSU from previous seasons.

“I think it is just us being together as a team more,” Weatherspoon said. “We do more team things now instead of everybody being all separate. I think us playing as a team and having everybody in the gym together is helping us a lot.”

Howland said he hopes the team can play a grinding defense, as well as a highly potent offense. He believes the team has put in the amount of work required to improve as they approach the start of the season.

“Hopefully we can do

both. I think this team is going to do a lot better shooting the ball than they did last year,” Howland said. “These guys are gym rats. Thursday night before we started our official practice, they were playing five on five until midnight. That is so gratifying as a coach to see how excited they are for the season.”

The season will start Nov. 9 against Austin Peay State University. This season, the team will play teams like Clemson University, University of Dayton, and Arizona State University who all made it to the NCAA tournament last season, and they will also face an SEC schedule where eight teams made the tournament.

“It is a really tough schedule for us,” Howland said. “That was by design. We do not have any easy games, per say. Our league is such a monster it is incredible, there is no breather, every game is hotly contested, really tough game every night. That is what makes the league great.”

This tough schedule may be the thing to prepare for what Weatherspoon called “the team’s ultimate motivation” as they are a month away from the season opener.

“We are trying to win a national championship,” Weatherspoon said. “That is all we have been talking about this year, that is all the motivation we need to get in the gym and get better.”

Aric Holman, a senior forward from Owensboro, Kentucky, said he and Weatherspoon have been motivated since high school to put MSU back on the top of the college basketball world, and back to the NCAA tournament.

“We already had our heads up high when we first got here, and when we first got here, we told ourselves we wanted to get this program back on top,” Holman said.

“That is why we sacrificed and stayed all four years. We love our teammates, and we just want to go out with a bang.”

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Rosalind Hutton

Defense plans to cage the War Eagles HUNTER CLOUD SPORTS EDITOR

Mississippi State University’s football team has struggled to produce on offense. However, defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said his defense has risen to the challenge.

“I think our guys approach has been really solid,” Shoop said. “I think Tuesday we had a really good practice, a really physical practice today.

We really want to establish a level of toughness, especially against a team like Auburn.”

The margin of error is so thin, which means Shoop will have a tough challenge for the third week in a row of playing teams with unorthodox formations.

“That’s college football in 2018,” Shoop said. “We come in here and talk about sports sometimes. I think you can make the case that being a defensive coordinator in college football is the hardest job in all of sports.”

One of the things the defense needs to improve on is helping the team win the field position battle and getting turnovers.

“What we don’t do is we don’t get a lot of three and outs,” Shoop said. “We need to get more three and outs.

We only have five turnovers, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team not have a fumble recovery in the first five games—that has been a point of emphasis this week.”

One of the toughest challenges, besides the struggle to force turnovers, is the level of play and style of play in the SEC. Shoop said it takes some time to get adjusted to.

“It is different, I truly believe it is different,” Shoop said. “The other teams on our schedule, they are literally coming in here trying to kill us, kill us. I say kill us, obviously I’m saying it facetiously, but these teams try to knock your head off. That is how they

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play in this conference. To me, we got to step up and play to that same intensity.”

Saturday’s game is the final game before the bye week, which is why Shoop believes his team will hold nothing back.

“Our kind of battle cry this week, obviously we understand this is the week before the bye week,” Shoop said. “There is nothing really to hold back on, it’s giving everything you have got. I think our guys enjoy being out there, I told our guys, ‘When is good not good enough?

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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2018

OPIOIDS: What Can You Do? Tuesday, October 9, 2018 6:30 p.m.

McCool Hall Mississippi State University Starkville, MS

Join us for a town hall meeting to discuss the opioid crisis affecting our state and learn what you can do to help!