4.27.22

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022

137TH YEAR | ISSUE 23

Starkville updates rental housing code: What does this mean for owners and renters?

HEATHER HARRISON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Starkville updated its rental housing code in March. Rental owners now must register with the city and pay a $15 fee per rental housing unit.

Mayor Lynn Spruill said the amendments to the rental housing code were needed because several apartment units in town became inhabitable, and the city wanted to avoid that from happening again.

The updates allow code enforcement officers to inspect the residence even without permission of the owner.

“I think it help it keeps them (the prop-

erty owners) accountable,” Spruill said, “and allows us to have a better handle on making sure that … project or complex stays in a condition that people can be proud of, and they can be safe living in.”

The city has a complaint form on its website where apartment tenants can voice concerns about their rental properties. This is how code enforcement officers know to inspect certain units. Spruill said the complaint form is not new, but it allows city officials to hear concerns.

The property maintenance code defines what conditions are ac-

ceptable for housing.

The CDC also provides guidelines for standing water and tall grass.

If an officer drives by and notices appearance flaws on the outside of a complex, the officer may contact the owner of the property to see inside. If the owner denies the request, the officer may visit the municipal judge and get a warrant for a property inspection of the inside of the apartments.

“Usually if it’s not kept up on the outside, it’s not kept up on the inside,” said Starkville building official Stein McMullen.

Spruill said the rental housing code is needed

File Photo | The Reflector

Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill

to ensure rental housing units are up to standard and are in good living conditions.

McMullen said the updated code allows code enforcers to know

Heather Harrison | The Reflector

The rental property inspection complaint form is available on Starkville’s website.

what properties are in the city and who owns them.

“It gives us that database of who owns it so we can find them a lot sooner and have a little

more enforcement power to get it done quicker without having to go through a whole, long process,” McMullen said.

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SKY Campus Happiness offers meditative techniques JORDAN BROCK STAFF WRITER

Ivy Rose Ball | The Reflector

The Speaking Center is located on the third floor of the Old Main Academic Center and helps students with their speech skills.

New center assists with communication skills HANNAH RAE KENNEDy STAFF WRITER

The Speaking Center at Mississippi State University is a new resource that aims to improve the public speaking skills of students and faculty.

Within a 30-minute consultation session, trained consultants at the Speaking Center can help with specific assignments and general speaking improvement.

Cheryl Chambers, an

instructor of communications at MSU, said the center is currently geared towards students and faculty, but the goal is to spread beyond campus and allow availability to members of the community.

“We saw other similar entities on campus like the Writing Center and the Career Center, and we wanted to be able to offer something to help in this particular area since it is something that a lot

of students struggle with,” Chambers said.

According to Chambers, students do not have to come in with a speech for class in order to meet with a consultant.

Chambers said anyone can attend an appointment public speaking tips.

Chambers reinforced the center's goal to be another layer of assistance for improving communication skills.

CENTER, 2

SKY Campus Happiness provides stress management tools and techniques for success through the use of breathwork and meditation, yoga and personal awareness seminars. Mississippi State University recently established a chapter of the organization.

With over 100 chapters across the U.S., SKY Campus Happiness is a nationally recognized club. However, MSU is the only university in Mississippi with an available chapter.

This program is a branch of the International Association for Human Values and Art of Living Foundation and was designed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

SKY Campus Happiness has five key goals: emotional intelligence, breathwork and meditation, inclusion and belonging, service and leadership.

The club also aims to provide opportunities for community service projects and trainings, both on and off campus.

Chandra Sarap, a research

Hailey Storey | The Reflector

Students participate in a Sunday afternoon yoga class at the Sanderson Center.

associate of chemistry and advisor of SKY Campus Happiness, founded the new campus organization.

While his doctoral is focused on chemistry, Sarap said he also has a passion for the mental health of students.

Sarap discovered this program while he was working on his doctorate degree and said he felt the program changed his life for the better.

"When I was working on my Ph.D, I was working 10 to 12 hours a day. I was working so much I wanted to quit my Ph.D. My adviser suggested me to meet with the university’s doctor, so I met with

him," Sharap said. "Instead of prescribing me a pill he suggested I do the SKY program, so I did, and it completely changed the trajectory of my life."

Sarap said he brought this club to MSU to help students develop their breathing skills and meditative states.

"After COVID started, many people went into a depression, and a lot of things happened," Sarap said. "It is a high time for having some tools and techniques that they can incorporate in their life to get out of the anxiety and depression."

HAPPINESS, 2

Ear th Week promotes sustainability with week-long events MSU's Office of Sustainability offered fashion show, learning opportunities and fair to celebrate

"I think the Starkville Strong movement is a beautiful way of presenting ways to help, ways to plug in to the community," Jones said.

"When this awareness is not brought to the table, the community can often fall short on what is productive in the long run."

Clay Roberts, a sophomore majoring in business, said he thinks hosting Earth Week events is beneficial.

"I think Earth Week is important on campus because it's important to acknowledge the risk our planet is in," Roberts said. "Often, we overlook the imminent danger our climate is facing for the sake of convenience."

LIzzIE TOmLIN STAFF WRITER

Mississippi State University's Office of Sustainability hosted Earth Week from April 19 to April 22.

During the week, students had the opportunity to learn about Earth Day and participate in related activities.

Students were invited to join other environmental activists to celebrate the earth and advocate for sustainability.

The week presented activities such as a sustainable fashion show and a campus clean up.

The fashion show entitled "Flower Power" featured Mary Jones, who is a local designer

Landon Scheel | The Reflector

Landon Scheel | The Reflector

A colorful banner hangs on a tent at the Earth Week event on the Drill Field. Earth Week was held during April 19 to April 22.

Emma Van Epps holds an Earth-friendly sign.

and creator of Pink Plaid Vintage.

Within two months of planning, Jones and the MSU Climate Reality Project created a sustainable collection for 20 individuals to feature in the show.

"Events such as 'Flower Power' are important to shed aware-

of entirely secondhand textiles and materials," Jones said. “Although the waste ethics on clothing production are poor, Pink Plaid aids in bringing light and creation to the matter.”

Jones reiterated her statement that the community could improve by coming together often.

ness on trivial problems that we have a hand in," Jones said. "Power is held in the multitudes."

Jones said she believed it was important for the community to gather and thought the fashion show accomplished this goal.

Raised in the Starkville community, Jones

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has been a sustainable clothing activist in town for years.

Jones shared how her business, Pink Plaid Vintage, assisted in reducing the waste of clothing production.

"I am intentional of the purchases I decided to make, eventually leading into the cultivation

FORECAST: We have made it past the April showers, and we are making our way into summer weather. As the week continues, expect to see the temperatures continue to rise. With highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s, it would be a nice time to lay out by the pool and soak up the sunshine.

Courtesy of The Weather Channel

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RENTAL

Spruill said all rental housing owners are subject to the code, and the city plans to treat them equitably.

“If you own rental housing, then this is the way we’ve addressed it,” Spruill said.

Spruill is a property owner, and she said she paid her registration fee and is happy to give code enforcement officers permission to inspect her properties if needed.

“I’m proud of my properties,” Spruill said. “I keep them up.”

Revised code is "part of the change"

Starkville Strong founder Brandi Herrington said the rental housing code update is a step in the right direction.

“This is a culmination for us; having this code enforcement be put down the way it is and out there feels like a win for Starkville Strong,” Herrington said.

Herrington said the rental housing code issues were spotlighted by the Catherine Street evictions.

The Catherine Street evictions occurred in August 2021 when Ferretti Property Services of Cleveland, MS, suddenly issued eviction notices to the apartment residents.

The evictions received recognition from news media throughout the state and nation sparked

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by Mississippi Free Press article by Nick Judin.

“They’re part of the story. They’re part of the change,” Herrington said about the Catherine Street eviction victims Herrington said in some cases, apartment rental owners would turn over quickly, leaving dilapidated conditions for the next owner to fix. The cycle would continue to repeat until the living conditions are inhabitable.

The Catherine Street apartments had multiple different landlords over the years. Most operated from out of town. Spruill blamed absentee landlords as part of the rundown housing problem.

“It’s not the local people for the most part that’s the problem,” Spruill said. “It’s the people who do not have on-site visibility for their own pieces of property.”

Herrington said stricter code enforcement can prevent evictions like Catherine Street.

“Code enforcement is the first step in putting responsibility and accountability where it needs to go,” Herrington said.

She said the loopholes in the old enforcement were exposed, so people are more aware of the problems now.

“There was a system there before, but it

wasn’t an efficient system,” Herrington said. “Pinpointing that as part of a problem I think is what catapulted this; it became a catalyst of this next step to sort of put accountability back into place.”

Herrington said Starkville’s low-income housing is separated from the rest of the community. Also, she said the city lacks affordable housing. She said keeping affordable housing up to code provides a nicer atmosphere for tenants and owners.

“People are going to see the benefits not just for the tenants, but for the landlords as well,” Herrington said. “You provide a better, wellkept place, then they might be more likely to take care of it, and that’s mutually beneficial.”

Spruill said city ordinances are updated when issues are highlighted for city officials, and they need to improve an ordinance’s language.

Additionally, ordinances are updated when state and national laws are changed.

Starkville previously had two code enforcement officers, but one officer switched jobs, so the city only has one now. Spruill said the city is hiring another officer soon since the city is required to have two.

Affordable housing facility updates

Starkville Strong and The Village nonprofit group tried to start an affordable housing facility in Maben, MS. Maben citizens and town officials shot down the idea in a Board of Alderman meeting last fall. The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors also disapproved of the idea when Starkville Strong representatives approached the board.

Herrington said the affordable housing facility would need to be in Starkville to best serve Starkville Strong’s community.

So, she said, she can see good reason in why the Maben plan did not work out. She said Starkville Strong is working on an affordable housing facility in the city, but details will be arranged in the future.

“We decided that we would look for a facility here, and we’re in the process of that,” Herrington said.

Spruill said affordable housing in town is due to supply and demand. She said two projects are in the works on Reed Road and West Side Drive and another down Sand Hill Drive. The apartment complex on Reed Road is called Park Grove, and people are moving into the units now.

“I think, from that perspective, we’ve got new affordable housing coming to town,” Spruill said.

Heather Harrison | The Reflector

The Catherine Street apartments sit mostly abandoned after the evictions last fall.

Heather Harrison | The Reflector

The rental housing code update provides standards for owners and renters in Starkville.

EARTH

Earth Week included events that informed attendees on advocating for better environmentalism on campus.

Madelyn Hunter, a junior majoring in biochemistry, said Earth Week was wellorganized.

"I think the Earth

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Week festivities were an overwhelming success.

Josie Nasekos and Mary Jones did an amazing job organizing the 'Flower Power' event that took place Wednesday on the Drill Field," Hunter said.

Hunter was able to participate as a model in the show.

"I was honored to

walk in the fashion show, which was entirely comprised of clothes that Mary designed using recycled materials and natural dyes," Hunter said.

Hunter said this experience also promoted sustainability throughout the community.

The week concluded Friday, April 22, with an Earth Day Fair on the Drill Field. Activities included a food truck and games.

According to Hunter, support for sustainability should be combined with fun.

"While certainly there is much hard work

CENTER

"While young people are becoming excellent when it comes to technology and interacting in that form, I believe that the face to face, and specifically public speaking skills, are becoming less common, less used, which means that we want to see more improvement in that area," Chambers said.

Chambers added that employers rank communication skills very high when considering future employees.

Lana Estes, a senior communication major and former intern of the center, agreed.

Estes said most working professionals utilize public speaking as a part of their jobs, so working on these skills is vital to future career opportunities.

"The goal is to meet students where they are at

Hunter believed that the week had been a success.

"I think Earth Week is meant to be a celebration and a time for more people to become aware of the ways that they can help, and I think it definitely succeeded in that this year," Hunter said.

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and help them improve," Estes said.

Estes said students should leave their sessions with an increased confidence in their abilities.

Besides specific assignment assistance, Elly Lamb, a senior communication major, said the real goal of the center was the gained improvement in confidence.

"The Speaking Center is a great resource to allow people the opportunity to develop themselves in ways that they have not had the chance to in high school or college," Lamb said.

Estes shared the same opinion.

"Public speaking is important not just for their grades but for their life," Estes said.

Hope Kullman, junior

communication major and Speaking Center intern, emphasized the training consultants and interns go through to help students with public speaking.

Kullman compared the consultants to the Supplemental Instruction leaders on MSU's campus.

Kullman said the center is not driven for specific classes, so it is open to all students of all majors.

“I just think it is so cool that we have a place where students can come and leave with a weight lifted off of their chest,” Kullman said.

To spread the word about this free resource, staff from the Speaking Center held the Snack and Chat event on March 29 in the Dawg House.

Lamb described the event with enthusiasm.

“We felt like having it at

the Dawg House was a great way to get traffic from students because everybody is in the Union,” Lamb said.

According to Lamb, at least 309 students were able to visit and learn more about this new resource.

Guests had snacks and spend time mingling with staff of the Speaking Center. Students could to write about their public speaking fears and personal goals.

According to Chambers, the event was essentially an open house for the Speaking Center.

Chambers said the goal of this event was to expose students to a resource that they might not have known existed.

For more information on events and speaking assistance, visit The Speaking Center website.

HAPPINESS Sarap said the organization had received funding from MSU. This funding allowed the club to host a weekend retreat with three hour daily sessions to learn and practice breathing and meditation techniques.

Sarap has been active in these techniques and wants to share this information to other students.

Using his experience, Sarap has taught free breathing and meditation classes in the Joe Frank Sanderson Center.

Yuliya Gluhova, a senior majoring in anthropology and officer

that has to be done, showing students that sustainability can be fun and engaging really increases the likelihood that they will commit to doing the less fun things: sorting recycling, cleaning up litter and advocating for change at the university level," Hunter said.

Courtesy Photo | MSU

Marcus Williams visits the Speaking Center and receives assistance from consultants.

Courtesy Photo | MSU

Devin Hutchins speaks at the Speaking Center in the Old Main Academic Center.

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in SKY Campus Happiness, said she had been heavily impacted by the organization.

With the organization, Gluhova said she has found a community with like-minded people who can understand the struggles of college and who wish to better themselves mentally.

"I thought this was a good idea to have this club because we don't have a club like that," Gluhova said. "I mean, we have the counseling center and yoga classes in Sanderson, but we have nothing like a meditation and breathing techniques club."

She said she felt the club is important to have on campus.

"SKY Campus Happiness is important because students need a place where they can find a community to just relax together," Gluhova said.

"When you meditate in a community with other people, it is a totally different experience."

Gluhova said she learned the importance of spending time by herself.

"I think the things SKY Campus Happiness teaches students is really beneficial for them, even if they don't continue practicing meditation and

breathing techniques in the future," Gluhova said.

"I think having that knowledge is really important because they can implement it at any point in their life."

Kirsten Porch, a senior majoring in fashion design and merchandising, has practiced meditation and agrees the club is a great addition to campus.

"I think SKY Campus Happiness can bring awareness to a practice that can really help the mind," Porch said. "I practice meditation on my own and am really excited to go to one of their Sanderson events."

Hailey Storey | The Reflector

Along with yoga classes, the Sanderson Center hosts breathwork and meditation classes.

THE REFLECTOR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022 | @REFLECTORONLINE

BULLETIN BOARD

An In-Class Distraction

SUDOKU

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April 13 Puzzle Solutions

Dontae Ball | The Reflector

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Saturday, April 16, 2022

A student was arrested on Sorority Row for speeding and DUI.

A visitor was arrested on East Lee Blvd for careless driving and possession of marijuana.

Thursday, April 14, 2022 A student reported being shot with an airsoft rifle while walking from Giles Hall.

Friday, April 15, 2022 A student reported her bathroom was damaged in Deavenport Hall.

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A visitor was struck in the face by a foul ball at Dudy Noble Field.

Sunday, April 17, 2022 A student was issued a referral for a disturbance with his girlfriend outside Herbert Hall.

A visitor was arrested on Hail State Blvd for no tag, no license, no insurance and possession of a controlled substance.

A student reported her car tire was slashed while parked on Sorority Row.

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Two birds, one stone: MSU needs more private study rooms, less abandoned dorms LUKE COPLEY is a junior majoring in English.

Contact them at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu

Last week, I participated in a student-led focus group. It was late in the evening in McCool Hall, and a handful of undergrads asked a series of leading questions about our study habits and practices. The prevailing conversation topic for the duration of the hour was the private study rooms scattered around campus.

You know them.

There are a few in the basement of the library; they line the ends of the third floor of Old Main Academic Center. They are exceptionally well-lit rooms with floor to ceiling glass on one wall. If you stare too long at one already occupied, a fellow student will look back at you with the mammal-anxiety of an animal in an enclosure.

Maybe it was because one of the organizers opened with the preface that their project was about needing more study rooms, but it seemed it did not matter what they asked us—what music we listened to

Samuel Hughes | The Reflector

Two students are working in room 1100 of the Old Main Academic Center, one of 14 study rooms available for use in the building.

while studying, or whether we study in a group—the conversation always turned back to the quality of ambient noise in study rooms, or their ability to foster accountability between groups.

Despite the aforementioned fish tank feeling, study rooms are as good as my focus group suggested.

My bedroom is full of all of my favorite things:

namely my bed, and I can spend upwards of an hour on the mental preparation step of studying when surrounded by such immediate distraction and comfort. Comparatively, I once read "Essentials of Cultural Anthropology" (second edition) by Kenneth Guest cover to cover in one sitting when I was sitting in a private study room in Old Main.

My only real complaint is the same as my focus group iterated and reiterated: real estate is hard to come by. There is no worse feeling than that academic impotence upon finding every study room of the library already occupied.

According to the aptly named "Rooms" tab on the Mississippi State University libraries website, our campus is

equipped with 20 study rooms, though, I count at least 22. There are four in the library of veterinary sciences, 14 in Old Main and two in the Mitchel-Memorial Library.

They omit the two rooms in the basement near the bound journals. Meanwhile, the MSU newsroom reported an enrollment of 23,806 in 2021.

Sure, many STEM buildings have common spaces for students within a particular major, but those of us in majors that produce less wealthy alumni are left to fend for ourselves.

Realistically, of course, there is not 23,000 people clamoring for a private study room at any given time, but I also think it would be fair to say more than 22 people trying to get one at the same time cannot be a rare occurrence.

Asking the school to build a series of prefabricated study rooms would be over-zealous—real estate is hard to come by, after all—but what about Rice Hall? In 2019, Hannah Blankenship for The Reflector reported on Rice's uncertain future after it ceased being a dormitory, claiming the university was exploring a number of options, including refurbishment, repurposing and even a tentatively scheduled demolition. Now, Rice is serving as an ad-hoc office space for the music

department. Luckily, according to the MSU housing website, Rice Hall housed 511 people in its heyday, so there is still some vacancy.

The building could be repurposed into a surplus of private study spaces, even if it is only in the weeks toward the end of the semester when things heat up. A system could be set up where students check in at the front desk of the old building and scan their IDs to receive a room assignment and a key. Specific colleges could reserve a floor for a night, where TAs could float around room to room, offering assistance and advice.

All the rooms should have desks already, and each floor should theoretically have a functional communal bathroom. No one would expect the showers to be turned on, but I think a cold blast of water could come in handy for those all night cram sessions.

Study rooms are an amazing tool that MSU offers students to help with the workload we take on when enrolled here.

Rice Hall might be a little shabby, but that is not to say it is not functional, and at the right angle, even lovable. It has the potential to be that same great tool for students, just more fit for our size of enrollment. We already paid for the building. We might as well use it.

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f i g i l t Landon Scheel | The Reflector

Brad Cumbest lit it up at the plate this weekend, going 7-13 at the plate with two home runs and four total extra base hits. The Hurley, Mississippi, native’s efforts against the Rebels earned him SEC player of the week honors.

Marlar: Are the Diamond Dawgs back, or is it too soon?

After two straight SEC series wins, is MSU baseball back to form, or should fans curb the enthusiasm?

tanner marlar

sports editor

Want to talk ball? Email the editor at sports@reflector.msstate.edu

How 'bout them Bulldogs?

After winning back to back series against the Auburn Tigers and Ole

Miss Rebels, Mississippi State University baseball is yet again trending upward at the right time.

The pitching seems to be coming around, as Preston Johnson is trending towards a 100 strikeout season, and the bats are finding more consistency.

Before the Auburn series, I was quite critical of this team and their ability to make it to the post-season.

To paraphrase myself, I said if they wanted to make it to the postseason, they would have to show some

signs of it sooner rather than later.

Well, MSU baseball, consider the signs shown.

However, let's all reign in some expectations because MSU still has their work cut out for them. They're still under .500 in conference play, and the schedule going forward is by no means a cakewalk.

MSU will travel to Columbia, Missouri, this weekend to face off against another set of Tigers. Mizzou hasn't really impressed or depressed anybody this

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season, as they currently sit at 22-15 before a midweek tilt with Missouri State on Tuesday. MSU will also be in action on Tuesday, as they'll face off against Ole Miss yet again for the rights to the Governor's Cup. It's after the Mizzou series, though, that the going toughens up again.

MSU will play host to the Florida Gators, who will have then been two weeks removed from their recent shellacking against Tennessee (let's be honest here,

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor can be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. They can also be emailed to editor@reflector.msstate.edu and have a maximum wordcount of 350 words.

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Tennessee is shellacking everyone at this point).

Then, they'll travel to College Station to face a scorching Texas A&M team. The Aggies are arguably the hottest team in college baseball right now, and if they can ride that wave for a few weeks, the Bulldogs might be in trouble far away from home.

I say all this to reach this point. Yes, the Diamond Dawgs are on a roll. However, they've got a series win against a good Auburn team, but other than that, they

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.

managed to take a road series against their rival who happened to be right there with them at the bottom of the SEC West standings. They're still under .500 in conference play and have plenty of work to do.

This team is looking better, that's a fact.

Before people set the expectations through the roof again, though, Bulldog fans need to take a look at the road ahead.

The boys have given themselves a chance, now it's up to them to decide what they do with it.

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, email editor@reflector.msstate.edu or call 325-7905.

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LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT

5

MSU creative arts journal celebrates 10 years

Samuel hugheS

Contributing writer

Mississippi State University’s creative arts ournal, The Streetcar, is hosting its 10th volume release party Friday, April 29, at NineTwentynine Coffee Bar. This is the first time the event has been held in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The night’s events will begin at 4:30 p.m. with the release reception downstairs. Free food and drinks will be available while supplies last.

Artists included in the new volume will read their work, and staff involved in the production will give speeches.

About 200 copies of The Streetcar will be free to attendees.

The release party will be followed by an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. as an opportunity for anyone to share their creative works, from comedy to music.

Anyone, student or not, is encouraged to attend.

An arts market featuring work from the journal will be open upstairs.

The Streetcar, sponsored by the Shackouls Honors College, is an art journal produced annually by students to display the creativity of artists at MSU. It includes many different types of creative works including poetry, prose, digital art and photography.

Based on the submissions they receive, the editorial staff display a

theme.

This year’s theme explores changing gender roles, femininity and the objectification of the female body.

"Through a gradient of colors, the art presented in this journal will highlight the various waves of feminism that have contributed to our understanding of what it means to be human," The Streetcar introduction reads.

"From blue to pink, feminism has come to be recognized by purple, a combination of previously gendered colors that have come to represent an equalized experience. In this journal, we wanted to uplift the art that revolts against traditional constructs of gender and inspires a conversation about a world without superficial borders, a world undefined."

Co-editor-in-chief Riley Cutler believes The Streetcar is a significant opportunity for students to prompt discussion on important topics through their art.

"We're trying to tell a story and force the reader to think about a perspective or something that they've never necessarily thought about," Cutler said.

Cutler, a senior biological sciences major with a minor in art, has art work in the issue.

She said she loves having her art published because art becomes its own entity.

"There's this discourse created between the viewer and the art

work because they're going to have experiences you don't have and perhaps interpret it in different ways," Cutler said.

Grace Jones, an English major who graduated in December, is a photographer and writer. She believes The Streetcar is important as a collaborative opportunity for students to express themselves, as well as a work of art for people to experience.

"I'm excited to see how it turns out, and to grab a coffee and to see my work in it. This is the first time I think my pictures have been printed and published," Jones said.

Unlike many art publications, The Streetcar offers free publication.

Students of any area of study may submit their creative works from September to December. Staff can gain valuable experience in editing and publication, members said.

Trevor Wycoff, the journal’s graphics designer and production manager, thinks The Streetcar is a valuable opportunity for artists and production staff.

"Production of The Streetcar is such a large and long process that you learn a lot about the program, you learn a lot about creating something, you learn a lot about representing individuals and you learn a lot about working with people closely over a long period of time," Wycoff said.

Courtesy Photo | The Streetcar

The Streetcar will celebrate its 10th year of production with a release party followed by an arts market at Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar.

Wycoff encourages people to come to the event at 929 and meet the creative people in Starkville.

"The kind of people that come out are really interesting. They're really nice, they're really fun to be

around and we have a lot of free stuff going on at the release party, so do come out," Wycoff said.

Black Voices Gospel Choir hosts 50th concert

Kerrigan ClarK

life and entertainment editor

Mississippi State University’s Black Voices Gospel Choir will host its 50th concert and celebration 4 p.m. Saturday, April 30, in the Colvard Student Union Foster Ballroom.

With the choir performing its first concert in April 1971, the group will be celebrating and honoring the legacy of the performers that came before them.

The group stressed it is not just a campus organization but also a ministry. The group's motto is, "To praise and not to perform, to exalt and not to entertain, for service and not for show; this is why we sing, to the glory of his name."

Natalie Fields, a senior culinology student, is the president of Black Voices. She said her hopes for the event are that people are touched by their performance.

"My hopes for the event are that if we touch at least one person, then we did an effective job," she said.

"I want to win more souls for Christ, because if we’re the only Jesus that somebody sees, I want them to see him in the purest form which is freedom and love."

This year, the group will be bringing Grammy-nominated gospel singer Ricky Dillard to MSU. Hosting an artist is a new experience many group members have not had the opportunity to have.

Dillard is also hosting a gospel workshop with the students the day before the concert to help them prepare and teach them new techniques.

Santosh Kumar T K | The Reflector

Black Voices of Mississippi State University is hosting its 50th concert and celebration April 30. This year, Grammy-nominated artist Ricky Dillard is coaching and directing students.

Peyton Brown, a senior educational psychology student, is the vice president of the group.

He said he was excited to have Dillard sing with them.

"I’m super excited for the workshop," he said.

"I’ve been singing all my life, but I’ve never had the opportunity to have a hands-on workshop with a person well known like Ricky Dillard. I’m excited to learn and excited to see his view and his presence of God." Black Voices is a student-led organization, meaning all of the directors and musicians are

students. So having a trained artist come to work with the group is something they greatly appreciate, members said Fields also expressed the gratitude she feels about Dillard coming to work with the group.

"I think it will be an interesting change to get direction from somebody, not that we don’t know what we’re doing," Fields said, "but from somebody who knows what they’re doing. It will be nice to see how our dynamic and sound can change with him."

Just as with any other

group or campus ministry, students leave every day. Since both Brown and Fields are seniors, they have seen many of their group members come and go.

But one thing that holds constant with the group is their understanding of their purpose and their love for God, even if their sound may change with the changing of members.

Brown said the group does not see members leaving as a sad occurrence but as a positive learning opportunity.

"There has been changes in voices, changes in singing, and

I feel like some people can look at it as maybe a bad change or some people will look at it as we don’t sound the same. But I look at it as a we’re just in a season of change," Brown said.

"Anytime someone is in a season of change, that means things are working for the better. And I think that is the epitome of Black Voices right now. We’re just in a changing season with things getting better.

It’s only up from here."

Le’Roy Davenport, assistant director of outreach for Holmes Cultural Diversity Center and adviser for

Black Voices, said he wants the MSU and Starkville community to see how much work the group has put into the performance.

"I want everyone to see the hard work the students have put in, to support the MSU students who have put in a lot of hard work. And secondly, it’s not every day people get a chance to see a Grammy award winning artist for free," Davenport said. "I also just hope that God be praised. We want to make sure that we can allow the Starkville and campus community to enjoy the concert."

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