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131st YEAR ISSUE 41
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
SMART buses provide passengers with new routes by Mathilda Kwabbi Staff Writer
The S.M.A.R.T. (Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit) buses have expanded their routes and added new buses to previous routes for the campus and the Starkville community area. New routes are being created because of the growing demands from customers, and they are set to begin this upcoming fall. According to Ronnie White, associate director of Parking and Transit Services at Mississippi State University, customer demand is examined throughout the year. During the grant application process, needed changes are then implemented. The grant application for the 20172018 school year was recently completed. “During our grant application process every year is when we can make changes. These changes will be a part of our program beginning fall 2017,” White said. White said these new routes include East Lee Route. This will go from the Old Main Academic Center, which is a new
classroom building, to The Retreat apartments. Another stop on that route will be along East Lee Boulevard. However, this location has not yet been determined. A bus will also be added to the Highway 12 route. This change to Highway 12 means that there will not be just two buses running. The next change will be a combination of South Loop and the Sportsplex routes. These routes will be combining into one route and will have five buses on it. This new route was created to add efficiency and eliminate overlapping. Lastly, the Old Main Academic Center will become the shuttle hub for the north side of campus. White believes these newly added routes and the newly added buses will benefit students at MSU. The new East Lee route should provide an additional route for students to use. More students will be able to catch the bus and get to where they need to go. In addition, the shuttle hub at the Old Main Academic Center will help students get closer to the center of campus. Finally, the combination of the Sportsplex and South Route will make things
Kayleigh Phillips | The Reflector
S.M.A.R.T. (Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit) currently has 12 routes. These routes are expanding and will be available at the beginning of fall 2017. There is no charge to ride the buses. The buses welcome all passengers, but passengers under the age of 16 are required to be accompanied by an adult. The buses do not run on Sundays.
more efficient. “By combining the Sportsplex and South Route and having five buses on it, it will increase our efficiency on this route,” White said.
At this time, there are no newly made buses. However, the S.M.A.R.T. has requested two new smaller buses. These buses will carry about 24 or 25 passengers only and will
be used for the downtown routes. “Currently we do not have any new buses,” White said. We have requested through the grant for two smaller
24/25 passenger buses that will be used on the down town routes. These new buses will be more efficient for downtown traffic. We will continue to use our 35 passenger.” BUSES, 2
MSU hosts 10th Norooz Festival Dog Dash 5K provides
funds to give shelter to pets by Josh Beck Contributing Writer
Rachel Bowman | The Reflector
Students perform Persian traditional dances to Persian traditional music at MSUʼs 10th Persian New Year Celebration.
The 10th annual Iranian new year (Norooz) was celebrated in the Union Wednesday night. The celebration included traditional music, dance, and Persian food. The event coordinator, Sheida Rsahi, said the event grew larger and larger in the past six years she has been involved. She said they are interested in sharing their culture with the students of Mississippi State University. This year they were able to serve the Persian food at the event for the first time. Saeed Miraee, the president of the Iranian Student
Association was dedicated to serving the Persian food. Rsahi said on new year’s the Persians will go around to neighbors houses where they are served different Persian foods at each. “It is a time of renewal and getting together,” Rsahi said. For those looking to learn more about the Iranian culture, IRSA is always available to talk. They can be found on Facebook and Rsahi said they would be more than happy to answer any questions MSU students have. Kaitlin O’Dougherty, editor-in-chief
Weather
Reflections
Jordan Patrick, Campus Connect Forecaster
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
HI: 77 LO: 60 SKY: Cloudy
HI: 74 LO: 56 SKY: Tstorms
HI: 72 LO: 53 SKY: Sunny
POP:10%
POP: 80%
POP: 20%
The Alpha Psi Veterinary Fraternity at Mississippi State University is hosting their annual Dog Dash 5K and Fun Run at 8:30-11:30 a.m. on April 2, located at The Wise Center. The event combines a dog-friendly obstacle course and run. All proceeds will go to Safe Haven for Pets, a program which provides the necessary care for animals rescued from domestic abuse households. The philanthropy chair for Alpha Psi, Brittany Sovine, explains the far reaching threats of domestic abuse. “Research shows that women won’t leave abusive situations if their pets are home because the spouse will injure the pet.” said Sovine, a second year MSU veterinarian student. Safe Haven for Pets was founded by MSU alumni and current clinical professor, Dr. Sharon Grace, in 1999. The program has since partnered with the Care
75-80%
of women who enter domestic violence shelters report that their partner has threatened, injured, or killed the family pet.
Source: 2014 Safe Haven Brochure Jenn McFadden, The Reflector
Lodge, a domestic violence shelter in Meridian. Former Alpha Psi Secretary, Hannah Plaugher, said the women are relieved to know their pets are cared for. “These women are very appreciative of all our help and care for their pets,” Plaugher said.
“We provide full board, vaccines, and will treat any underlying medical issues as well.” Alpha Psi as an organization aims to increase attendance from past runs in order to raise awareness for the cause and to get the community out with their pets. DOG DASH, 2
FORECAST: Starkville will see a cold front late tonight and tomorrow, bringing showers and thunderstorms. Dry conditions return for Sun. Have a great weekend Bulldogs.
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