@REFLECTORONLINE
WWW.REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM
Chew on This!
The Feminine Ideal .......................page 4...................
FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017
The
Ryan Gridley Recieves Backlash
The Camphouse
page 8
page 6
Reflector
131st YEAR ISSUE 48
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Professor raises autism awareness MSU prioritizes
academic integrity
by Tori Boatner Contributing Writer
While providing lectures to inquiring minds as an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences here on campus, Diana Outlaw has something more precious than any scientific discovery: her seven year old daughter, Ayra. Ayra has autism, along with numerous other health problems. After undergoing treatment at the Autism Developmental Treatment Center for the past two years, Ayra was diagnosed. For some families, this diagnosis would be devastating, but for the Outlaw family, it was more of a learning experience. Outlaw said she always considered herself an ambitious career person. However, as a result of Ayra’s diagnosis, she said that her and her family’s priorities have changed. Outlaw said she and her family had to readjust their expectations for how their lives would be, and this adjustment led to a vast growth in positivity for her. Outlaw said after Ayra was diagnosed, her family began to celebrate milestones more often. Outlaw said she had never had to deal with a disability before, and as a result, she was unprepared for her daughter’s autism diagnosis. However, rather than letting it break her spirit, she said her daughter’s diagnosis humbled her,
by Josh Beck Contributing Writer
Academic dishonesty is an epidemic to educational institutions nationwide, and Mississippi State University is not an exception. Academic dishonesty rears its head in many different ways on college campuses. The most notorious form of dishonesty is plagiarism. However, students are also using their cell phones and the internet to covertly cheat, finding answers and exploiting the learning system. Donald McCabe of Rutgers University surveyed 63,700 U.S. undergraduates and 9,250 graduate students over the course of three years. McCabe’s study uncovered over 68 percent of undergraduates admitted to cheating in college. Ian McKay, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, who is currently pursuing his doctorate at MSU in clinical psychology, said there is an inherent difference between people who are likely to cheat and people who are not. “We all have this actual self, and then we have an ideal self, who we
Autism Awareness MONTH Jenn McFaden, The Reflector
making Outlaw more kind, more compassionate and more accepting. “Ayra is the most important thing in our lives,” Outlaw said. “It’s made me a better person.” Many people have preconceived notions about autism. Because of this, Outlaw said she emphasizes the importance of understanding how those
with autism do not see the world the way we do, and how people need “patience and compassion for that.” In many ways, Ayra is no different than any other seven year old. Outlaw said she attends Sudduth Elementary School in Starkville and often enjoys a nice lunch. When taking a break from her studies, Ayra also
likes to ride horses and watch her favorite show, “Paw Patrol.” As a family, the Outlaws enjoy shopping together and doing arts and crafts. Outlaw enjoys bringing awareness to autism within the community alongside her friend and colleague, Jennifer Seltzer, a MSU research associate in the entomology department.
want to be,” McKay said. “If the student focuses too much on who they want to be, they are more likely to cheat than if they focus on who they actually are.” Many students feel they are under more pressure to get good grades, than they are to learn material for their own benefits. In addition, there is a direct link between people who are extrinsically motivated and the likelihood of them cheating. McKay attributes this to students lacking internal regulators, because they are only trying to please others, as opposed to aiming for a sense of self accomplishment. From 2007 to 2014, MSU’s honor code website documented 1,858 counts of academic dishonesty. Seniors and freshmen accounted for the majority of cases, while the College of Arts and Sciences led the various schools and colleges at MSU in academic dishonesty numbers. The number may seem relatively small for a seven-year time span and the large population of MSU students. However, there is still much work that could be done regarding academic dishonesty. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY, 2
AUTISM, 2
She Should Run encourages women to seek office by Kristina Norman Contributing Writer
She Should Run, a nonpartisan organization that encourages women to seek political office, visited the Mississippi State University campus on Tuesday night. The event, held at Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium, fostered a thoughtful panel discussion of the challenges women face in seeking political office. Executive Director for She Should Run, Clare Bresnahan, led the allfemale panel discussion, which featured Mississippi State Treasurer, Lynn Fitch, current State Senators, Sally Doty and Angela Turner and former State Representative Kimberly Campbell. At the discussion, Bresnahan said the number of public offices available in the U.S. total 500,000. If women want to have anywhere near parity—which is an equal representation of women and men in government— Bresnahan said it will take more women taking the
Weather
Reflections
Courtesy of The Weather Channel
initiative to run for office. Among international rankings, the United States ranks low in female political representation. The Inter-Parliamentary Union, an international organization of parliaments which seeks “the peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy,” ranked the U.S. 100 out of 192 nations ranked for female political representation, which puts us just above Bulgaria and Kyrgyzstan. Catalyst.org states at the national level, women compromise 19.3 percent of the House of Representatives and 21 percent of the U.S. Senate. At the state level, only four states currently have female governors and state legislatures are made up of only 24.8 percent women. Betty Thomas, Student Association Treasurer, said the idea to host She Should Run came from sitting in one of MSU President Mark Keenum’s classes. Amy Tuck, MSU’s vice president of campus services and former lieutenant
governor for the state of Mississippi, visited Keenum’s class to discuss with them the lack of female representation in government. Tuck is one of only four women to hold a statewide elected office in Mississippi’s government. Thomas said before Tuck’s visit, she did not realize how low the number of women who currently serve and have served in the state really was. After hearing the numbers from Tuck, Thomas decided to reach out to She Should Run, as well as women holding elected offices in the state. The process of organizing the event began last semester, Thomas said, when she was serving as co-director for the Student Association’s cabinet for community and government relations body. She said the advice the panelists gave to attendees is applicable not just for women running in politics, but for women managing life in general. “I was so inspired by all those panelists,” Thomas said. “They were incredible, and they had so many
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
HI: 86 LO: 63 SKY: Stormy
HI: 79 LO: 48 SKY: Stormy
HI: 63 LO: 47 SKY: Cloudy
POP:40%
POP: 80%
POP: 10%
Women in
Politics
Jenn McFadden, The Reflector
good pieces of advice, even for women who aren’t considering running for political office.” Thomas, who does have political aspirations, said she hopes women who attended the event realize the need for them to run for office in the future. Kathleen Kiernan, an organizer for the event, said she just finished serving in
FORECAST: Temperatures will be warm for most of the weekend and conditions will be wet, mostly scattered thunderstorms. Stay dry this weekend, Bulldogs!
the Student Association’s cabinet as co-director for the community and government relations alongside Thomas. Kiernan said as a feminist and someone who wants to run for office in her home state of Georgia, she was baffled by Mississippi government’s low female representation. Kiernan, like Thomas, said she also felt inspired by
the women who participated in the panel. Kiernan said the main point for the event, however, was to demonstrate the overwhelming need for women to seek political office. “We just really wanted to show the women at Mississippi State, as well as the community, that you can be a leader,” Kiernan said.
Readerʼs Guide: Bad Dawgs Bulletin Board Opinion Contact Info
2 3 4 4
Puzzles Classifieds Life&Entertainment Sports
3 3 5 7
Policy: Any person may pick up a single copy of The Reflector for free. Additional copies may be obtained from the Henry Meyer Student Media Center for 25 cents per copy.