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Final Issue of this Semester!

TUESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2018

134th YEAR ISSUE 24

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

Changes to come to Maroon Alert system

New company to send alerts from new phone number COURTNEY CARVER STAFF WRITER

Around the middle of January, Mississippi State University’s Maroon Alert will transition to a new system, EverBridge.

Maroon Alerts are the texts students and faculty members receive when there is a direct threat to campus.

With the current Maroon Alert system, students and faculty receive Maroon Alerts via text messaging, but EverBridge allows for alerts

to be sent out more efficiently and more quickly, according to Emergency Management Director Brent Crocker.

“A lot of times, people think of Maroon Alert as the text messaging they get,” Crocker said. “Maroon Alert is really a system. It’s a suite of ways we try to reach students, faculty, staff and people behind the university about an emergency. We really only use it for campus emergencies.

We don’t use it for things that are happening across town or across the county. Sometimes, that does create a little bit of

confusion because we see a weather alert that impacts Oktibbeha county, but it doesn’t necessarily impact campus. So, we try to make sure we maintain our focus of campus and what we’re talking about campus.”

Crocker and the rest of the Emergency Management Department have worked for the last two years to enhance the system.

“What we did is we looked at what we have, what do other universities have, what are some trends that we’re seeing, maybe some areas that we can

improve, and where can we go from here,” Crocker said.

The current system powering Maroon Alert is MIR3.

“MIR3 does a good job of pushing out text messages, but we saw that there were some things that we could look at and add, especially with changes in technology.

But also, how we can position us for the future so that as the university advances technology, we can leverage that to share information and do the best that we can,” Crocker said.

ALERT, 2

Courtney Carver | The Reflector

Emergency Management Director Brent Crocker leads a seminar on the transition.

Merrill Flames engulf MSU employee’s home Chapel of Memories Warkentin: to host Educator, Christmas researcher, carols daredevil HANNAH BLANKENSHIP STAFF WRITER

JOHN HAYNES STAFF WRITER

The Association for Computer Machinery named one of Mississippi State University’s own as a Distinguished Member for his Outstanding Scientific Contributions to Computing. Merrill Warkentin, who joined the MSU faculty in 2001, is the first individual in the state of Mississippi to receive this prestigious honor.

Sharon Oswald, the Dean of the College of Business, called Warkentin “very deserving of this great honor” he received on Nov. 7.

“Being the first in Mississippi is a tribute to his hard work and dedication to his field” Oswald said.

Hard work and dedication have defined Warkentin for decades.

During his undergraduate years at the University of Nebraska, he dropped out of college. This was not due to a lack of interest, but a lack of finances as he did not come from a wealthy family and needed to earn some money to continue his education.

After working for a couple of years, he renewed his studies, and eventually ended up with a PhD in Management Information Systems in 1986.

WARKENTIN, 2

Russ Houston | Courtesy Photo

Josh Beck | The Reflector

Around 1:30 p.m. Monday, local fire and police departments responded to a structure fire off of East Lee Boulevard behind the Wesley Foundation building and Campus Book Mart. The house belongs to College of Engineering IT Manager Michael Lane.

An official with the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office said Monday they could not release any information at the moment regarding the cause of the fire.

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CAROLS, 2

Idea Shop culminates campus entrepreneurship MARY MADELINE LAMASTUS STAFF WRITER

The sharp smell of hardwood fills the space of Starkville’s Idea Shop. In the back, power tools fill the workshop. In the storefront, products of new companies like coffee, magnetic longboards and pottery decorate the shelves.

The theme tying these products together is pasted on the wall in large letters, ‘MAKE.’ Local Main Street shoppers pause as they walk, intrigued by the uncommonly modern storefront. This space was built by student client

specialists Michael Lane and Jacob Miller.

The place is a new shop and makerspace. Adhering to the spirit of ingenuity, the Mississippi State Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (E-Center) has partnered with the school of human sciences to create this incubator space for young entrepreneurs. The Idea Shop was long in the making, and the founders are excited about the store’s potential.

The shop features two spaces: the front serves as the retail section of the store, while the back serves as the physical workshop for product

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creation.

The E-Center searched for a permanent home for the makerspace, which was originally housed in the Patterson Engineering building. Now, its longterm space is in downtown Starkville.

An USDA rural development grant funded the project. Additionally, three private donors contributed— one being Turner A. Wingo, a 1967 MSU business management graduate and member of the MSU Board of Foundations. The new workshop is named the Turner A. Wingo Makerspace—a tribute to Wingo’s generosity.

Read more at reflector-online.com

Merrill Warkentin

TUESDAY

The melodic strains of a chorus of voices singing traditional Christmas carols will fill the varied-brick walls of Mississippi State University’s Chapel of Memories at the upcoming Carols in the Chapel event on Dec. 14.

In celebration of the Christmas season, MSU’s Christian Faculty-Staff Forum is putting on Carols in the Chapel, a simple ceremony of singing and scripture-reading, designed to reflect the traditional meaning of Christmas.

Organized by David Easley, the chief financial officer of the Mississippi State Foundation, Carols in the Chapel will take place from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Chapel of Memories.

Easley, along with his wife as piano accompanist, will lead the carols, which will include classic favorites such as “We Three Kings,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Away in a Manger,” among others.

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FORECAST: Expect sunny conditions for Tuesday, it will be on the chilly side as temperatures only reach the upper 40s. Tuesday night will be very cold, with partly cloudy skies. We could wake up to some frost on the ground Wednesday morning.

We’ll remain chilly, dry and sunny until Friday night, when we’ll introduce a slight chance of rain showers lasting into Saturday.

Emily Owen, Campus Connect Meteorologist

Bri Laverty | The Reflector

The Idea Shop and makerspace is located in downtown Starkville at 114 Main Street.

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WARKENTIN Since then, he has taught at several other universities and travelled across the world countless times, but said he is more than content to call Starkville home.

Warkentin said he acknowledges that neither his alma mater nor his current employer is considered to be a “top” school by some critics.

“I’m proud of being from Nebraska, and I’m proud of working at Mississippi State all these years, but we do face some occasional perceptions from others that aren’t really grounded in reality… I’ve had people look down at my name tag and go, ‘Oh, Mississippi?’

I feel like I want to prove that we can be great too,” Warkentin said.

CONTINUED FROM 1

Warkentin’s career covers a variety of fields within his specialty of information systems. He cited the research he was most proud of was his work with fear appeals in regards to cybersecurity.

Like a crash test dummy can demonstrate the dangers of driving a car without a seat belt, these fear appeals can illustrate how thoughtless computer use can lead to devastating effects. Warkentin has published over 20 articles on this topic alone—but according to Google Scholar, that is not even of a tenth of his publications, which have been cited almost 14,000 times.

Besides his long paper trail, Warkentin’s list of awards

is lengthy, including a vote by the International Federation for Information Processing (a United Nations organization) naming him as one of five individuals globally to receive the 2017 Outstanding Service Award. For Warkentin, service and education take priority over prestige.

“I want to give back,” Warkentin said. “I’ve been fortunate in life. I’ve had a lot of opportunity that’s been given to me; I feel like I should work hard. I don’t need to work to prove anything, and I don’t need the money anymore. I’m doing it because I have a passion for what I do.”

Warkentin continues to work with former and current

doctoral students, and he even hosted a Fulbright Scholar from Scotland.

Ali Vedadi, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University and a former doctoral student of Warkentin, is one of many who have been mentored by him. Per his own admission, Vedadi will be “forever indebted” to Warkentin.

“He is one of the most prominent scholars in the history of our field, and I’m proud to call him my academic father,” Vedadi said.

Although Warkentin is most recognized for his contributions to academia, he freely admits he has always liked adrenaline. He has been white-water rafting, bungee

jumping and skydiving.

After being introduced to flying during his time in Massachusetts, Warkentin said he got hooked, and he is now an FAA licensed private pilot.

He co-owns a Piper Cherokee, and he delights in flying his fellow faculty over Starkville.

“People think adrenaline, and they think taking chances.

These things are actually much safer (than they think),” Warkentin said. “Flying is much safer than driving, doing these kinds of things are much safer than things people do every day, like eating fried food… I do a lot of research on risk, and people have a lot of misconceptions about risk… I’ve jumped off the tallest building in New

ALERTS While MIR3 pushes out the emergency alerts in a timely manner, Crocker said he believes EverBridge is more user-friendly and efficient for both those pushing out the alerts and receiving the alerts as well.

“We partnered with EverBridge,” Crocker said.

“It’s an industry leader for emergency notifications.

They handle emergency notifications for the state of Florida, and they also handle many universities.

In our evaluations, that was something we were looking at. Can they handle what we see as important, (such as) a large number of people in a concentrated area. As far as faster delivery, they have a

CONTINUED FROM 1

great reputation for being able to push through messages very quickly. One of the things we considered in selecting a new vendor is the ease of use for people that have to send a message—with EverBridge, it works with your app on the phone.”

Furthermore, students and faculty are encouraged to download the app, EverBridge.

This new system allows for multimodal distribution when a Maroon Alert is issued.

Currently, students and faculty receive Maroon Alerts from the number 24693, but once the transition to EverBridge is complete, Maroon Alerts will come from a different shorthand, 89361.

Because of the new

multimodal distribution, students and faculty members will be required to acknowledge the notification, or the Maroon Alert will send the message via email or by phone call.

“If you don’t answer the app, one minute after that, you will get a text message,” Crocker said. “If you don’t answer the text, one minute after that, it will send an email.

If you don’t answer the email, one minute after that, it will send you a phone call and read you the automated voice message, then that will be it.”

The attempts will stop after the phone call is made, but acknowledging a message allows the university officials to know

who has received the alert.

For weather alerts, EverBridge will automatically push out notifications when alerts are sent from the National Weather Service, according to Crocker. With the app, users will be able to personalize their notification settings when it comes to alerts.

The app also allows for university officials to use geofencing.

“That’s something we never really used or considered in the past,” Crocker said. “If we want to draw a polygon on the map and tell everyone in that area the building is flooded, would we do that?

Maybe, maybe not; but it’s in our toolbox. The app allows

us to do that. It doesn’t mean we know where people are; the system can pinpoint a location.”

Colvard Student Union Business Coordinator Shellie Aultman said she is appreciative of Maroon Alerts.

“Honestly, I love it because I live right off campus,” Aultman said. “I know when I get that Maroon Alert, I know it affects me as well because I live so close to campus.”

Aultman said she believes the biggest benefit for everyone is getting acknowledgements via users and geofencing.

Aultman said both EverBridge and MIR3 are similar, but EverBridge allows

CAROLS The ceremony will open with a call to worship led by a wind and string ensemble.

Prayer, singing and a reading of the Christmas story will follow.

for a better system to knowing who is safe.

“With the aspect of why I’m using it, both of them really do the same thing,” Aultman said. “This one seems a lot cleaner, as in it wants to know where you’re at and make sure you’re safe. I really appreciate that, especially if we have another terrible situation like that false one we had a couple years ago (referring to an alleged active shooter on campus).

Definitely to know that people are safe, I think that’s good for the President (Mark Keenum), and for anyone who needs to know about their students immediately. From what I saw, that is going to be the best perk.”

CONTINUED FROM 1

Easley’s goal in organizing the event is to provide a time for MSU faculty and staff to come together and celebrate Christmas.

“It’s really intended to

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Zealand (the Sky Tower in Auckland). It’s very safe. It’s got multiple backups and brakes and everything else…

That was 610 feet in 11 seconds. It’s pretty fun… I try to do something exciting every year.”

Warkentin’s passion for new thrills, his intense devotion to education and his immense range of research all derive his “biting” curiosity.

He claims it has never stagnated—and looking at his career, it’s easy to see why.

With over a dozen articles currently in the process of being published and more on the way, no one can claim he is content to do anything but forge ahead into new frontiers in all aspects of his life.

110 Lynn Lane

be very simple. It’s a public acknowledgement of the traditional meaning of Christmas—the birth of Christ,” Easley said. “It’s a time that Christians on campus can come together as one body and celebrate a really special holiday for believers and the world.”

Easley said he loves traditional, congregational

singing, and sees it as a special way of bringing people together.

“I love traditional Christmas music, and I also love congregational singing,” Easley said. “It just joins everybody together, and lets everybody feel like they’re a part of the event.”

Mike Highfield, a professor of finance and the Warren Chair of Real Estate Finance at MSU, will read several passages of scripture for the event. Highfield’s favorite aspect of the event is the beautiful and beloved locale in which it takes place.

“For those of us who

love Mississippi State University, the chapel has special meaning, and having the opportunity to sing Christmas carols in such a unique and special place is something I look forward to each year,” Highfield said.

Unfortunately, as the event will take place after final exams end, most students will have already left for home.

However, for those still on campus, the event is open to faculty and students alike.

“We would love for any students who are on campus to come,” Easley said.

For those who will be unable to attend this event,

the Christian Faculty-Staff Forum is considering doing a similar event in the future that could be much more easily attended by students: Easter in the Chapel.

Highfield summed up the event by describing it as a great way to slow down and focus on what really matters, while fellowshipping with others doing the same thing.

“It’s a nice reminder to pause and remember the holiday season,” Highfeld said. “And it’s also a great opportunity to interact with other believers as you think about celebrating the Christmas season.”

THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2018 @REFLECTORONLINE

BULLETIN BOARD

An In-Class Distraction

BAD DAWGS It’s a crazy world out there! Here’s the staff’s picks of the crazziest things reported on campus this semester: Aramark employee reported her car was kicked by a former Aramark employee in the Fresh Food parking lot.

Non-resident/visitor tripped over a pothole at the corner of Champion Way and Bailey Howell, bruising her cheek and knees. Refused EMS assistance.

Officer injured his thumb while clearing debris out of the road way on Hardy and Blackjack Road.

Student reported someone poured soap in her drink in Rice Hall.

Parking services reported a vehicle along with the wheel locks missing from engineering alley.

Non-resident/visitor reported a suspicious male approached him in the Junction carrying a weapon.

Employee reported his vehicle keyed while parked on Buckner Lane.

Student reported another student made a bomb threat comment in Swalm Chemical Engineering Building.

Student worker for Dairy Research Barn on Turkey Creek Road was injured in a tractor accident. Subject was transferred to OCH. Student reported someone urinated on her ottoman in Rice

Hall.

Student arrested in Griffis Hall for aggravated assault domestic violence.

Officer recovered an orange cone, belonging to MSU, in the trunk of a student’s vehicle on President’s Circle. Justice Court citation issued for suspended driver’s license.

Statistics on what was reported from Aug. 2 Nov. 30 58 arrests were made.

25 citations were made in reference to paraphernalia or possession of illegal drugs.

13 people were caught driving under the influence.

13 cases involved public drunkenness.

10 minors in possession of alcohol were caught.

Three people using fake I.D.s were caught.

23 things were reported burglarized or stolen.

28 items were reported missing.

14 car burglaries or thefts were reported.

11 people reported being harassed.

Two cases of vandalism occurred on campus.

One sexual assault was reported.

125 MSU Citations were issued in reference to traffic violations.

34 Justice Court citations were issued in reference to traffic violations.

SUDOKU

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY... … in 1872, the “Dei Gratia,” a small British brig spotted “Mary Celeste,” an American vessel, sailing erratically but full-sail near the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. When the “Dei Gratia’s” crew boarded the ship, it was found seaworthy, and its stores and supples were untouched, but not a soul was onboard. The ship’s sails were slightly damaged, there was water in the hold, and the lifeboat and navigational instruments were missing.

However, the ship was still in good order, the cargo was intact and essential reserves with food and water were still on board.

On Nov. 7, the ship set sail from New York harbor for Genoa, Italy. Aboard was Captain Benjamin S. Briggs, his wife, their twoyear-old daughter, a crew of eight and roughly 1,700 barrels of alcohol.

The last entry in Briggs’ captain’s log was nine days before the ship had been found, and 500 miles away from the where it was found.

Briggs, his family and the crew were never found, and the history.com ship’s mystery has never been solved.

Keep up over the break! reflector-online.com Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @reflectoronline

CLASSIFIEDS The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m.

Thursday. The deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. Classifieds are listed at $5 per issue.

Student and staff ads are listed at $3 per issue, pre-paid. Lost and found items: Found items can be listed for free; lost items are listed at standard ad

CLUB INFO The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m.

Thursday. The deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday.

MSU student organizations may place free announcements in Club Info. Information may be submitted by email to managing@ reflector.msstate.edu with the subject heading

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“CLUB INFO,” or a form may be completed at The Reflector office in the Student Media Center. A contact name, phone number and requested run dates must be included for club info to appear in The Reflector. All submissions are subject to exemption according to space availability.

Publicize your club!

Email managing@reflector.msstate.edu

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OPINION

coffee intake Reflection of an almost-graduate You may want to rethink yourhorrific crashes, there is

BRANDON GRISHAM

LINDSAY PACE is a senior majoring in English. Contact

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

her at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

Two years and six months ago, I walked into a small apartment in Campus Trails.

A beautiful husky ran to greet me before its owner, one of my two random roommates.

A pizza box littered the floor and a TV played faintly in the background. This was my first encounter with Starkville.

To say the least, I was nervous. Though I was a college junior, I had never been to a university. I spent my freshman year at a small private college in Georgia, but by spring semester, my mother had fallen ill. At the start of my sophomore year, I enrolled at Hinds Community College so I could frequently visit home if needed.

I fared well at Hinds, meeting some of my sweetest friends, as well as my mentor, so I was not thrilled to leave.

In fact, I was directionless. I had never been to a college of more than 1,000 people, where all of my teachers knew me by name, where I established myself, where I had community in every area: spiritual, academic and extracurricular.

University would not look like this, right?

Beyond that, transferring would make me a “freshman” for a third time. I generally love new experiences and am able to find a silver lining, but doing and undoing the knots of myself became an exhausting task. To be frank, Mississippi State University offered me the most scholarship money of other colleges I applied to, so I shrugged and thought,

Rosalind Hutton

“Sure.” A month before the fall of 2016 began, I enrolled, got accepted, signed up for classes, found a place to live, packed my things and cried a lot.

When I reflect on those fears, though, I cry again, for gratitude. My first semester as a transfer student was confusing, but I quickly learned many things, such as rain jackets, are an imperative here. You must enter some classrooms from the back, lest you walk on stage with your professor. But by the following spring, roots were sinking deep into the soil of my life.

I joined a transfer student group at the Wesley, where I met several students with stories like mine. I wrote and photographed for The Reflector, and would later spend many, many hours as its photography editor. I fell in love with literary theory.

I studied abroad. I spent many afternoons at 929. I listened to guest speakers, and spoke at a conference. I made peace with my burdens.

I saw my first pride parade. I met one of my bridesmaids.

I laughed when I realized everything I hoped college would be was, knowing the stories and hearts of this place permeated the walls I first brought. Everything, all at once, was so important to me.

In two weeks, I will graduate. I will order a medium dark roast at 929 one more time and I will try to write my favorite professors letters, though I do not think words can show how much they have shaped me. I will pack up books that rattled me and little Polaroid pictures from 21st birthday and dinner dates.

What I cannot pack is the spirit of this town. How it humbled my fears and carved notches into the spaces of me. How it prepared me for the next step. How it gave my voice lungs.

To whoever is reading: do not take gratitude lightly.

Savor your seconds. And Mississippi State, thank you, thank you, thank you.

How often do you consume an occasional cup of coffee, tea or soda? Many college students rely on caffeine, especially during testing periods.

Many are also unaware caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. If you feel you cannot face the morning without caffeine, be aware of the detrimental effects over the long term. Coffee drinkers who abstain from continued consumption wind up with irritability, lower information retention and sluggish behavior. Those symptoms of withdrawal could even contribute to lower test scores for the coffee-addicted student.

Naturally, everyone faces schedules on their own terms.

Whether or not one decides to abuse caffeine, the impact can be seen on the roughest of mornings. As you drag yourself to class each day, pay attention to how wired some of your classmates are. Do you notice how a few twitch in their seats, vibrating silently along to the lecture?

Perhaps you are one of the ones doing so, frantically trying to keep up with the hectic nature of a college lifestyle. The grip this drug holds, along with many other institutions and workplaces, controls a large percentage of individuals. While only a few negative connotations are associated, there is still some cause for concern.

Many still claim the benefits outweigh the costs.

Several unfortunately notice how quitting is not easy, as

Rosalind Hutton

addiction warped their brains into chemical dependence.

Caffeineinformer, a comprehensive educational website, argues how overindulgence can lead to permanently altered brain chemistry. Our brains cope with blocked sleep receptors by creating new ones, so when the caffeine flow stops, the results can be frightening.

Dopamine is quickly replaced with lethargy, dwindling the productivity of schoolwork and studying habits. Those who choose to cram with coffee feel they need it to keep up with their hectic schedules.

Studies have been testing how caffeine affects humans since the late 19th century. Following this longrunning trend, the 2008 study “Caffeine: Sleep and daytime sleepiness,” conducted by Timothy Roehrs and Thomas Roth, focused on sleep impact and daytime performance.

Caffeine dependency was tested, along with levels of fatigue at higher doses.

All caffeine levels reduced overall sleep time, leading to lower daytime alertness and performance. Personal intake determines long-term impact, but caffeine reliance is common with the high usage rates from workers. There is little incentive to cease consumption, given the easily abused dopamine rush.

Some avoid caffeine and turn to sugar for their daily energy boost. This is not a better alternative, as the human body can only efficiently process about 30 grams per day. Along with

legitimate fear of diabetes and body fat. Any sugar that is not led into the bloodstream is stored as fat. Ironically, there is not a fat industry, but there is certainly a sugar industry.

Those who wish to care for their figure and overall health should look for the readily available nutrition facts. The first few listed ingredients are the most used, so be cautious of those which heavily include caffeine and sugars.

Everyone is entitled to ingest whatever they want, as long as its legal. Karima R. Sajadi-Ernazarova and Richard J. Hamilton of Drexel University conducted a study titled “Caffeine, Withdrawal” to determine further impact with this drug. Funnily enough, caffeine is not regulated in many parts of the world.

In North America, reports suggest that 80 to 90 percent of all adults use caffeine regularly. A 400 mg per daily intake cannot be effectively processed by the human body.

This can be easily surpassed by drinking over four cups of coffee or two energy drinks.

To claim this substance is not a drug requires denying over a century of empirical evidence, research and studies.

Inevitably, many will continue to drink coffee, tea and other caffeinated beverages. Regardless of the health risks, there is a strong desire for an immediate performance boost.

Please keep in mind this energy is borrowed from the future, not created. If you wish to abstain, try weening your intake by dwindling down to lower doses. An excellent solution is tea, which has less caffeine per serving.

Decaf options of your favorite beverages are also readily available.

Many of us need not rely so heavily on this drug, so you might want to look into decreasing your caffeine dependency—after finals, of course.

America is a secular nation, and it should be governed as such

DYLAN BUFKIN

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

I have often struggled with separating my religion and my politics. On one hand, my religion is what is supposed to guide me through the difficult choices in my life and, even further, dictate what I view as moral.

However, on the other, politics is not a personal endeavor.

My political views are what I view the ideal America as, and the problem I face is that my ideal America is secular. Where, then, do I draw the line between my religion informing my politics, and my politics informing my religion?

Politics and religion have long made their bed together, in every corner of the globe. From the concept of Divinely ordained rulers to blatant theocratic governance, a society’s religion has always helped to structure its politics.

However, the advent of secularism from the 18th century onward has led us

I agree with your argument, but I’m afraid that Jesus wouldn’t.

Rosalind Hutton

to an era of institutional separation between church and state, and it is that very century which gave us the United States of America.

The U.S. Constitution contains no mention of any favored religion, and in fact, the only time religion is mentioned at all is to express the right of freedom of religion within the U.S. To that effect, the American Civil Liberties Union refers to the Lemon Test, established as legal precedent in the 1971 Supreme Court case Lemon v.

Kurtzman, as a barometer of sorts to determine whether a policy meets the standard set by the First Amendment.

To meet the Lemon Test, a policy must have a nonreligious purpose, not end up promoting or favoring any set of religious beliefs and not overly involve the government with religion.

I could continue to list off the legal precedents which state America is, by constitutional mandate, a secular nation, but I am writing an article, not a book.

The Lemon Test serves as

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of Americans. Therefore, I would be holding millions accountable to a law they feel is illegitimate and unjust. I would be regulating their lives with no objective reason.

I understand many Christians might feel they are just preventing others from ruining their lives with what they perceive is sin, but those many need to understand their interpretation of objective morality is based off a religious faith, which many in our country do not have. In fact, Daniel Cox from FiveThirtyEight reports one study found 26 percent of Americans do not believe in God at all.

I cannot prove God exists to anyone, and no one can prove to me God does not exist. A secular nation’s law should be predicated on evidence which all can agree on and see proof of in this world, which the Divine does not fall under.

Because of this, I am disheartened to see the continued courting of religion and politics in America. Disagree on economics all you want, but it is antithetical to American values to hold one to another’s religious convictions. If we truly want to live up to, “With liberty and justice for all,” we cannot regulate “all” with a subjective view of “justice.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Life Editor/Emma Moffett

Managing Editor/Kristina Domitrovich News Editor/Katie Poe

excellent springboard to what I believe should be the way we tackle policy in debate as Americans. If I am arguing a policy point, I should be able to give you data to solidify my position, and therein lies the problem with religion in secular politics.

Let us discuss an example of this. Pew Research Center’s polling shows 56 percent of Americans who see religion as “very important” also strongly oppose same-sex marriage.

Seeing as Pew also reports 70.6 percent of Americans

say they are Christian, I will tackle this from the Christian perspective.

Traditional Christian orthodox holds homosexuality as a sin and heterosexual marriage as a holy union. Therefore, Christians are supposed to oppose homosexuality, based on moral grounds.

If you are not Christian, you have no basis to believe homosexuality is immoral, other than maybe the influence of Christian morality on American culture. If anything, the West’s tendency to worship Greco-Roman culture would lead someone to conclude homosexuality is perfectly normal.

If I were to advocate for a national law banning same-sex marriage, it would be reasonable for one to ask why. If my argument is, “It is immoral to indulge in homosexuality,” my argument would be, in my humble opinion, unAmerican.

My law would be favoring specific religions’ interpretation of sexual morality, and therefore, it would break the Lemon Test’s interpretation of the First Amendment. I would be advocating for a policy which is predicated on my personal morality alone, disregarding the moral beliefs of millions

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LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT

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Best spots to nap at MSU Best shows to binge watch during the holiday season SARAH MORGAN JOHNSON STAFF WRITER

While Starkville may be decked out in Christmas decor and resemble the set of a Hallmark movie to the average person, it seems like a prison to those with blinders on that read, “Final exams ahead. Proceed with caution.” In this limbo between wrapping up class assignments, tests and actual exams, sleep suddenly becomes the most treasured but rare commodity.

Due to extreme time restraints, sometimes, sleeping in one’s bed is not always the most effective option for those who want to make every minute count.

So, in anticipation of this conundrum, I have taken it upon myself to test out some of the best napping spots on Mississippi State University’s campus so students’ precious napping time is not spent in vain.

First, I nestled up in The Chapel of Memories. This is a famous napping spot, and even has its own instagram account, @chapelsleepers, dedicated to capturing nappers in action.

I found the pews to be very comfortable, and the atmosphere to be relaxing.

If you are not frightened by the occasional piano player strolling in or the risk of being exploited on social media while in your state of unconsciousness, this is the spot for you. I may or may not have been featured on the account, but considering how nap-friendly the place was, I give it a 9 out of 10.

Second, I tested out The Mitchell Memorial Library couches. Disclaimer: if you are a self-conscious napper, this is not the place for you.

A couch is the perfect napping spot, since it is comfortable enough to fall asleep on, but not so comfortable that you run the risk of oversleeping. You may get some dirty looks for taking up an entire couch, especially for purposes other than studying, but if you are asleep, you cannot see them anyways. I give this spot a 7 out of 10.

Third, I tried another

EMMA MOFFETT

LIFE AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Emma Moffett| The Reflector

An MSU student relaxes in the Chapel of Memories, a place where one can often find students napping.

spot in the library: in between aisles of books.

This is a less comfortable, but more private alternative to the library couches. My backpack transformed into a pillow as I fell asleep surrounded by MSU’s literature collection.

I awoke with a slightly sore neck, but a newfound motivation to finish my reading assignments. I give this creative solution a respectable 6 out of 10.

Fourth, I ventured into the lobby area in Allen Hall.

Walking into Allen Hall transforms many students into sleepwalkers to begin with, so I felt much more comfortable curling up on a bench than I thought I would. The long line of people waiting their turn in the math lab gave me understanding nods as I pulled my jacket over myself like a blanket.

The sense of camaraderie between students made for a judgement-free napping venue, and the benches were decently comfortable.

However, there was a draft,

so come prepared with a blanket of some sort if you have a cold-natured disposition. I give Allen Hall’s lobby a 7 out of 10.

Finally, I decided to test out the Dawg House in the Colvard Student Union. It felt disconnected from the hustle and bustle overtaking the rest of the Union in the best way.

While some of the noise level did creep into the room, the dark lights and comfortable chairs provided a great napping atmosphere. If you come with headphones or earplugs of some kind, I cannot see why you could not squeeze in a power nap, despite the surrounding chaos. I give the Dawg House an 8 out of 10.

A spot to nap at MSU is not hard to find. Some places may be more comfortable or private than other locations, but in the end, sleep is sleep. Whether on a bench, on the floor or in the chapel, there is a perfect napping location for every MSU student.

Campus spoof accounts provide entertainment SARAH ALLEN BOWMAN STAFF WRITER

With the popularity of meme culture and social media, anonymous Mississippi State University students and faculty have started creating unofficial campus Instagram accounts. They serve as distractions from class lectures and are a popular topic of discussion across campus. @thefallofallenhall, one of the most popular MSUthemed accounts, posted its first photo in April 2016. For anyone who has ever had the pleasure of attending a class in Allen Hall, it is easy to guess what kind of photos are posted on this account.

From patchwork floor tiles and broken desks, to discarded doorknobs and mysterious holes in the walls, @thefallofallenhall provides humorous explanations for the destruction of one of MSU’s older academic buildings.

A post of a staircase with the handrail resting on the ground, obviously somehow having come unattached from the wall, is accompanied by the caption, “Stay safe out there kids.” Another post of a chair slanted sideways due to a broken leg is captioned, “Dance like no one is watching.” Whether these posts make students

laugh or simply roll their eyes, 1,452 Instagram users have found a reason to follow the account.

Another class favorite, @msstatesquirrels, is an account documenting the overpopulation of squirrels on MSU’s campus. Lately, the account has combined pop culture references and MSU’s squirrels in order to create somewhatclever memes. While @ mssatesquirrels has not gained the same grand popularity as the previous account mentioned, it has 655 followers and counting.

An account that frequently interacts with @msstatesquirrels is @mississippi_state_ universitree. This page is all about the trees that make MSU beautiful, and possibly the most entertaining aspect of the account is when @ msstatesquirrels comment on their posts.

On Sept. 28, @ mississippi_state_ universitree posted a caption that claimed MSU’s trees are better than Ole Miss’s trees, to which @msstatesquirrels commented, “I am able to concur with this.” The trees on MSU’s campus are grandiose and everywhere, providing this account with an abundance of potential content.

Lastly, an up-andcoming account, @ limebikes.of.msu, is making

its way into students’ Instagram feeds. This account documents the unusual placement of the campus’ newest mode of transportation, Lime Bikes. The account features photos of bikes hanging from trees and abandoned in other obscure places.

The captions are often short remarks personifying the bikes. A few read, “A moment of silence for our fallen brother,” and, “Poor lonely lime bike left to face the world all on its own.” Both of these posts featured a Lime Bike left alone on the sidewalk, the first actually laying on the ground and the latter abandoned outside of a building.

Lime Bikes, like trees, are in great supply on this campus. Students can watch this account to see the various ways students desert their Lime Bikes.

Whether it is deteriorating classrooms, abandoned Lime Bikes or something in between, Instagram has your fix for MSU-related social media entertainment. Keep an eye out for campus oddities or even normalcies, and maybe you too can document an unofficial campus phenomenon via a simple Instagram account.

Note: none of the accounts mentioned in this article are official affiliates of Mississippi State University.

While the stress of finals week is wrecking havoc on college campuses across the nation, students will soon be faced with weeks of free time during the holiday season. When visiting with friends and family becomes too much, Netflix and other streaming services will host a hoard of students seeking their entertainment fix. So, here are the top shows to binge over the holidays.

For students wanting to feel both amazed and financially inferior, the Netflix Original “The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes” is the perfect show. Over two seasons, this show enters some of the most architecturally genius homes around the world. While the prices are not explicitly stated, each home is worth a fortune.

Built into hillsides, mountains and tree tops, these stunning homes and complex designs capture viewers’ interests immediately. While the average person could not afford to stay in one of these homes for a few weeks, the homeowners usually use these elaborate masterpieces as vacation homes. The structural beauty of the homes is perfectly coupled with the average viewers’ inability to purchase anything similar.

Another show which brings its viewers further from reality is the Netflix Original “MANIAC.” With only 10 episodes, this limited series can easily be watched over a few days or in one sitting for the more adventurous viewers.

“MANIAC,” starring A-list celebrities Jonah Hill,

Emma Stone and Sally Field, explores the human consciousness and takes viewers on a mental whirlwind. In less than 10 hours of run time, the show covers mental health, relationships, trauma and the role of technology in society. These complex topics, when paired with the talented cast, results in a show leaving audiences speechless, and has earned an 81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

For viewers looking for something more lighthearted

than the rush of normal American cooking shows, this show is a tranquil classic sure to keep any food lover or fan of British culture content.

Lastly, for viewers seeking even more relaxation, go no further than “Chill with Bob Ross,” now featured on Netflix.

Bob Ross’ ability to induce drug-like relaxation is known across the nation and is, once again, accomplished in “Chill with Bob Ross.” In this show, Ross demonstrates how to paint winter scenery.

“Whether students want breathtaking views, excitement or pure relaxation, these shows are sure to meet any viewer’s entertainment needs as they bundle up for the holiday binging season.” and relaxing, “The Great British Baking Show” is a sure fire hit. This show has seven seasons on PBS, two Netflix Originals seasons, yearly Christmas specials and a 98 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on both its quality and quantity, this show is the perfect selection to binge during the holidays.

The GBBS takes the elements of American cooking shows and turns it on its head. With no prize other than a title of “Best British Baker,” the competitors enter the show with pure intentions and often are shown helping one another in their challenges.

The creative challenges, delectable dishes and uniquely British customs, are pleasing to the eye and calming. Rather

However, the show does far more than cover painting. The first episode, “Pastel Winter,” begins with Ross introducing the viewer to his young pet fox squirrels. These out-of-theblue but adorable and relaxing moments are sprinkled throughout the series.

While viewers can follow his instructions and paint along, it is an equally enjoyable experience to just watch, preferably with head phones in order to become fully immersed.

In the end, whether students want breathtaking views, excitement or pure relaxation, these shows are sure to meet any viewer’s entertainment needs as they bundle up for the holiday binging season.

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SPORTS

Vic Schaefer demands the best HUNTER CLOUD SPORTS EDITOR

Rosalind Hutton

Football to make first appearance against Iowa in the Outback Bowl HUNTER CLOUD SPORTS EDITOR

In a year of firsts, new football head coach Joe Moorhead and the Mississippi State University Bulldogs will play Iowa for the first time in the Outback Bowl.

After an 8-4 season where the Bulldogs won the Egg Bowl and finished at No. 18 in the AP, Coaches, and College Football Playoff polls, they are headed to the beaches of Tampa, Florida, to make their first appearance in the Outback Bowl.

“We are excited to accept a bid to our first Outback Bowl to cap off Joe Moorhead’s successful first season as our head football coach,” MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said in a press release. “I want to

congratulate our team and our coaching staff for earning our program’s ninth-straight bowl appearance. This team featured college football’s best defense and demonstrated overall improvement throughout the year.”

The bowl game will be played on New Years Day in Tampa at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ stadium. It is the third bowl game MSU has played in Florida.

“Tampa is a great city with an endless number of entertainment opportunities for our fans,” Cohen said.

“We always look forward to playing in an NFL stadium. I encourage our Bulldog family to pack Raymond James Stadium, and send our senior class out the right way.”

MSU will have the chance to play a Big Ten Opponent

when they play the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4). Moorhead is the first coach at MSU to take his team to a bowl game in his first year since Jackie Sherrill in 1991.

“I am thrilled for our team and our tremendous group of seniors who have earned the opportunity to go out with a New Year’s Day bowl in the state of Florida,” Moorhead said. “The Outback Bowl is the perfect destination for our team. I have always had tremendous respect for Coach Ferentz and his Iowa teams.”

Tickets for the game can be purchased online under the tickets tab on HailState. com. Tickets start at $80, and MSU’s seat allotment is on the east side of the stadium. The NFL’s clear bag policy will be in place.

Column: What I learned from the experiences of my first season of covering SEC football

MEGAN TERRY

is a senior majoring in communication.

Contact her at sports@reflector. msstate.edu

The vibration of clanging stadium cowbells on beat feels completely different standing on the painted, turf sidelines under Saturday night lights.

The first time I placed both of my feet on Scott Field, I felt a wave of thrill and nerves through my core.

In those first few steps, I realized how much I love what I do.

Being a sports reporter is not as easy as it looks.

There are late nights full of excitement and team pride, but there are also low energy late nights where defeat spreads disappointment from the stands into the press conference room. There are plenty of moments where I realized how impactful repeated defeats are to a team who works so hard day in and day out.

I recall sitting in the press conference room

following the Mississippi State University loss to the University of Alabama. I sat in that room with many other reporters from local papers, TV and radio stations, waiting for MSU’s head coach Joe Moorhead and his players to come out and tell us the same things we had heard all season after a loss.

It’s not difficult to anticipate what a team will say after a loss; normally, it’s in the same pattern or theme worded almost identically each Saturday night.

Something along the lines of, “The team will continue to work hard,” “The team needs to fix certain obvious things,” and, “The team will overcome this adversity” are all expected cookie-cutter answers after a fresh loss.

The MSU-Alabama game sticks out in my mind because there was something different about the atmosphere following that game. Maybe because we were in Tuscaloosa instead of Starkville, or maybe it was because the MSU quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, a senior from Richmond Hills, Georgia, and the MSU offense showed so much improvement and synchrony that the game held an aura of hope: MSU might

actually score. Either way, the conference room was really sad after the Alabama shutout loss, a game that was full of controversy.

Games like MSU vs.

Alabama prove to be an example of how exciting, wonderful and yet, absolutely terrible it can be to turn off being a fan, and turn on the function of being a sports reporter. Nothing is quite like it, and being a journalist for almost eight years has not shown me anything that carries the emotion and suspense for so many people at once who come together to celebrate and fight like SEC football.

Despite the challenge of switching gears from fan to reporter, there are plenty of positive aspects with being a sports reporter this season.

Being able to sit in the press conferences and listen to what is happening on and off the field, the opportunities to learn from others in the field, and absorbing tools and resources to improve my reporting have been wonderful.

By branching out and trying out sports reporting, I found great people, a great experience and more enjoyment than I expected.

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is always wanting their best.

“I let them know that we are going to be in bigger ball games, so this is important,” Schaefer said. “I don’t think you just sit over there on your hands and go, ‘It’s okay, we are up 40.’ I don’t think you do that—you hold kids accountable.”

Schaefer demands the best from his players, but he also coaches like the team is losing, so they have a sense of urgency to win the game. While Schaefer may not ever coach his team to have a shutout victory, he still wants the team to play a tough defense, to hold the opponent to low scoring.

“I coach every possession like we are down,” Schaefer said. “I want us to win, I want to win a game and hold somebody scoreless. It isn’t going to happen, and I get that, but that is my goal.

I don’t want anybody to score.”

MSU is 8-0 after winning big over the University of Texas by a final score of 67-49. MSU will play No. 25-ranked Marquette at home at 7 p.m. Dec. 6, before going back on the road and playing at the University of Southern Mississippi on Dec. 14.

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Schaefer is not impressed, the most common way to see his frustration is when he takes off his jacket on the bench. Early in the season, he took it off as MSU had a 40-point lead on Furman, a game they would win pretty easily. Schaefer said he does takes off his jacket because he coaches his players hard.

“I got to get those kids ready for whenever that time comes, I got to get them ready,” Schaefer said. “So do I sit over there on my hands and let them make mistakes, or do I coach those kids as hard as I’ve coached them like that one (pointing at McCowan) since freshman year? I think I coach them.”

His hard style of coaching, and his drive to always improve his team are the reasons why MSU made it to back-to-back national title appearances.

While they have yet to win the championship, Schaefer is always preparing the team for the moment, and sometimes it means winning games in different ways.

Another aspect of Schaefer’s coaching is how he holds his players to a high standard in the way they play. He does so because there will be bigger games ahead in the season, and he

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The heart of a champion beats within the Mississippi State University’s women’s basketball team.

Schaefer recognized one player who puts in the time to improve and who showcases what a champion does.

“The game honors toughness,” Schaefer said.

“Mental toughness, physical toughness, the game will honor that. Chloe (Bibby) is always in the gym, that is why she is shooting the ball so well. She has prepared herself for these moments.”

Chloe Bibby is a sophomore from Warracknabeal, Australia, and has currently averaged 12.4 points a game. She has also shot 58.8 percent from the three-point range.

Schaefer believes her success is a result from the amount of time she spends working in the gym trying to improve.

“She (Bibby) is in there more than anyone else,” Schaefer said. “She is there early everyday. From my perspective as a coach, the game is rewarding her because she is putting in the time. She is confident, and she has a presence about her.”

While Bibby has improved her shooting, Schaefer still wants his players to impress him in one area. He wants them to make good decisions to pass the ball, and also play a hard defensive game with a lot of hustle.

“Impress me by how hard you are playing defensively,” Schaefer said. “Kids want to impress you by scoring, so they end up taking bad shots, forcing shots, or they turn the ball over–that doesn’t impress me.”

Oftentimes, when

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