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Dawgs play Quidditch
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132nd YEAR ISSUE 10
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26 2017
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
MSU and SOCSD Partnership School set for 2019 completion DEVIN EDGAR NEWS EDITOR
After a construction delay due to large amounts of summer rainfall, the Mississippi State University and Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Partnership School is slated for a Spring 2019 completion date. The $27.5 million school, which broke ground on construction in May, was originally anticipated to open in November 2018. The school will serve every sixth-and seventh-grader residing in Oktibbeha County, and will also be a demonstration site for student teachers and faculty members in MSU’s College of Education. Other universities across the country, like Louisiana State University and the University of Chicago have campus lab-schools and a private elementary school, respectively. However, according to Devon Brenner, assistant to the vice president of research and economic
Devon Brenner | Courtsey Photo
A render of the MSU and Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Partnership School expected to be completed in spring 2019. It will serve sixth-and seventh-graders in Oktibbeha County.
development at MSU, those schools are often only available to the elite, with many of the students being professor’s or administrator’s children. The partnership school will be housed on MSU’s campus but built in conjunction with the public school district. Once completed, it will be the only school in the nation designed this way.
“Other campus-based schools are not a realistic picture of what life is like for students or teachers,” Brenner said. “They clearly aren’t meant to serve a broader community, but our Partnership School is designed to do exactly that.” Although construction just began this year, the Partnership School has been on MSU’s and SOCSD’s
agenda since 2015, when it was announced the Oktibbeha County schools and Starkville city schools would consolidate. David Shaw, MSU vice president of research and economic development, said after watching his daughter go through Oktibbeha County schools, he knew the struggles the county school district was facing first hand.
After consolidation efforts, Shaw said he traveled to colleges in Arkansas, Ohio and Alabama to research the models of many campusbased elementary schools to begin formulating ideas for something similar in Starkville. In late 2015, it was decided the partnership between MSU and SOCSD for a sixth-and seventh-
grade school would be a realistic fit for the entire community, therefore putting the partnership school into action. “Once we settled, it was just like this was the match that sparked a fire of enthusiasm,” Shaw said excitedly. “It created a huge, ground swell of momentum from all aspects of the community with parents, MSU and the entire district being behind it.” SOCSD Superintendent Eddie Peasant said as generations go by, children learn differently, which is why the way educators’ teaching should grow alongside of the student. However, he said the classrooms never changed to accommodate those changes. Complete with podstyle classrooms and floor-to-ceiling glass, the 128,000 square-foot building is both innovative and complementary of the way children learn today, Peasant added. PARTNERSHIP, 2
Confederate statues on college campuses stir up controversy HANNAH EAST
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Recently, the presence of Confederate monuments across the south has been called into question, particularly on college campuses. The rekindling of this issue comes on the coattails of events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which one woman was killed and several others injured. Mississippi currently has over 130 Confederate symbols across the state, including ones located on college campuses. The two main universities in the state, Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi, both house monuments of controversy. The bust of Stephen D. Lee, the first president of MSU and former member of the Confederate Army, sits in the middle of the Drill Field on MSU’s campus. Similarly, a statue of a Confederate soldier is located on Lyceum circle on the campus of Ole Miss.
a new institution that looks to the future and not to the past,” Keenum said. “It’s important to remember that President Lee was a leader of reconciliation efforts after the Civil War.” Alison Greene, associate professor of history at MSU, was one of over 30 professors from colleges across the state to sign a letter calling for the removal of the state flag this year. She said the flag went up 30 years after the Civil War when white supremacists held absolute control over the state. “I do think that historians, particularly those of us who work on U.S. and Mississippi history, have an obligation to speak to and of this history,” Greene said. Greene also said she believes individual communities must engage the question of how to handle Confederate monuments, adding that communities are responsible for the discussion of their histories of white
According to Mississippi law, “no statue, monument, memorial, or landmark from any war can be removed from a public property unless it is being moved to another approved location or if it blocks visibility for drivers.” However, in reference to college campuses, a university’s president can authorize the removal of Confederate monuments. This was seen at both Duke University in Durham, North Carolina and the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, earlier this year. MSU President Mark Keenum addressed the controversy over the school’s statue of the first president. He stated in an email that the monument is there to recognize and honor the first president of the university. “With respect to Stephen D. Lee, I will say that his bust on the Drill Field is a reminder of the work that Mississippi State’s first president did to build
Noah Siano | The Reflector
The statue of Stephen D. Lee on the drill field is one of two confederate monuments housed on the Mississippi State University campus.
supremacy. John R. Neff, director of the Center for Civil War Research at Ole Miss, was a part of Chancellor’s Contextualization Committee chosen to revise the plaque placed near the
Confederate monument in a way that accurately describes the school’s historical role in the Civil War. Neff said students across college campuses are “absolutely affected” by these monuments.
It is difficult to determine to what degree each person is impacted, Neff said, since different students are affected across a vast spectrum. Personally, he said he would not like to see these monuments destroyed. Read more at reflector-online.com
MS Votes allows students to register to vote on MSU campus
E E T T O O VV TODAY!
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
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LINDSAY PACE STAFF WRITER
Mississippi State University students have an opportunity to become registered voters through Mississippi Votes on Sept. 26 at five different locations on campus. Mississippi Votes is a non-partisan, civic awareness organization existing to “register, educate, inform, and
empower” voters across the state, according to their website. To increase voter registration, the organization examines each community’s needs in order to develop specific solutions to voter registration setbacks. For Oktibbeha County, one such setback is a lack of registered voters. In a town with over 20,000 college students, Oktibbeha County stands as the
FORECAST: The next three days should be dry and hot as a high pressure ridge sits over much of the eastern half of the country, however we will be watching a cold front pass through for the weekend that will FINALLY bring fall like temperatures to the area. -Jordan Darensbourg, Campus Connect Meteorologist
least registered county in Mississippi. To remediate this, Mississippi Votes recruited several student ambassadors to bring civic awareness to MSU and the greater community of Starkville. One ambassador, senior agribusiness major Betty Thomas, strives to educate students of their civic rights after a group of 30 of her friends said they did not vote during the 2014 mid-
term election. “I was just flabbergasted, because in a national election with major implications, none of them had voted for anyone, were registered to vote, knew how to vote, or knew how to vote absentee. And it just kind of solidified my passion for making sure that young people exercise their right, and know how to exercise their right, to vote,” Thomas said. VOTE, 2
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
@REFLECTORONLINE
PARTNERSHIP
BAD DAWGS Wednesday, September 20 4:58 p.m. Non-resident/visitor reported his cell phone missing while attending Career Fair at the Humphrey Colliseum. Thursday, September 21 2:43 a.m. Students were arrested for petit larceny at the Phi Kappa Pi house after MSU PD officers responded to alarm on the MSU signs on Stone and Russell. 2:27 p.m. Student reported his bike stolen from Magnolia Hall. Friday, September 22 9:07 a.m. Construction Site Manager reported copper wire stolen from site at Wise Center. 9:30 a.m. Student was issued referral for possession of a stolen iPad. 12:38 p.m. Student reported his bicycle stolen from McKee Hall, last seen on Sept. 12. Saturday, September 23 11:15 p.m. Non-resident/visitor was arrested on Barr Ave for DUI refusal and disregard of traffic device. Justice court citations issued. Sunday, September 24 1:06 a.m. Student was arrested on George Perry for DUI 1st. Student referral issued. 6:40 p.m. Student reported his vehicle was damaged in Moseley Hall parking lot. 9:20 p.m. Student reported being harassed via telephone by an unknown person. 9:42 p.m. Student reported fraudulent charges on his debit card.
“This provides all of the students in our district the opportunity to learn in a state-of-the-art facility and also the experience of going to school on the campus of a university,” Peasant said. “Their experiences will stand out from those of sixth-and seventh-graders anywhere else.” Aside from the modern technology which will be featured, Shaw and Peasant agreed that being located in the heart of MSU’s campus will provide added benefits to each student. Each student will have a list of resources at their fingertips, Shaw added, without having to take a bus. “Classes will be able to walk to the archaeology and chemistry buildings and they will have access to the library,” Shaw said. “If I put myself in the place of a sixth-or seventh-grader, I would just think ‘man this is so cool that I get all of these opportunities.’” In addition to classroom space, the building will also house five classrooms and 12 offices for the MSU College of Education,
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which will be ideal for the teacher preparation program. By using the school for sixth-and seventhgrade, Shaw added that it would bring together both elementary and secondary education students to collaborate throughout their
observation for the student teachers. Brenner, who was previously head of the curriculum, instruction and special education department within MSU’s College of Education, said although it will largely benefit education students,
“Even though most consider it [partnership school] closest to teacher education, there are opportunities for collaboration with human sciences, psychology, math, the college of engineering K-12 outreach program and the veterinary school.” -Devon Brenner, MSU assistant to the vice president of research and economic development four-year education at MSU. Outside of each classroom, there will be tables equipped with audio devices which will allow each student teacher to listen to the classroom lesson. The floor-to-ceiling glass will also provide easy
she does not want to lose sight of the fact that the partnership is a universitywide initiative. “When this project began, I was promoted into the office of research to represent this project across the entire university,”
VOTE Mississippi Votes at MSU takes a non-partisan, community-minded approach to remove fear and anxiety from the voting process. On campus, Thomas and other ambassadors go to various clubs and organizations to encourage students to vote. They are partnering with the College Republicans, College Democrats and the Student Association for National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 26. “I’m really excited that we’re starting here and I’ve been trying to get as
Brenner said. “Even though most consider it closest to teacher education, there are opportunities for collaborations with human sciences, psychology, math, the Bagley College of Engineering K-12 outreach program, and the veterinary school.” In addition, MSU student organizations pertaining to community service, leadership and education will be able to rent classroom space to hold meetings, Brenner said. Honors college students and student-athletes may also have opportunities to mentor children attending the partnership school. Overall, Peasant said the best part about being involved in this partnership is the opportunity to “educate educators.” “Throughout their four years of education, these student teachers will be heavily involved in our district,” Peasant said. “I think that will come to our advantage when they graduate, and we start trying to get some of them to work for us. It’s going to be a total package.”
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many students involved as possible,” Thomas said. David Sides, a thirdyear international business major, helps organize many of Mississippi Votes’ offcampus programs. One outreach program is newvoter registration within Starkville high schools. The organization will provide 30-45 minute peer-to-peer seminars with first-time voters to teach them the importance of voting in an election. Like Thomas, Sides became passionate about politics in college after he assisted a candidate in a mayoral campaign last year. “It’s like, ‘I have no idea I’m doing, I’m just a sophomore in college, what am I supposed to be doing?’ and you’re running around
like a chicken with its head cut off, but you realize it’s not all that complicated,” Sides said. “It’s not hard to have your voice heard.” Sides is also an ambassador for Community Campuses, a branch of Mississippi Votes which trains volunteers to visit Starkville neighborhoods, registering citizens to vote door-to-door. A chief tenant of Mississippi Votes’ mission is to bridge the conversational gap between members of the community. In Oktibbeha County, this gap lies between students and residents. “We’re half the population of Oktibbeha County,” Sides said. “We’ve got to have our voice heard.” In light of the 2016 national election, Sides
and Thomas are diligent in empowering students to engage in elections not only in the country, but within their communities. “For all of the people feeling frustrated with the political system right now who want to take action, it can be hard to do so,” Thomas said. “Voting gives young Mississippians the opportunity to take action and be a part of the change more than just tweeting about it.” Students who cannot register to vote on Tuesday can visit the Circuit Clerk at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse. The Student Association has obtained a P.O. Box address for students who would like to register to vote in Oktibbeha County.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 @REFLECTORONLINE
BULLETIN BOARD
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 cost.
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 club_info@ reflector.msstate.edu with the subject heading
“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.
An In-Class Distraction
SUDOKU
September 22 puzzle solutions
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY... ...in 1960, for the first time in U.S. history, a debate between major party presidential candidates is shown on television. The presidential hopefuls, John F. Kennedy, a Democratic senator of Massachusetts, and Richard M. Nixon, the vice president of the United States, met in a Chicago studio to discuss U.S. domestic matters. Kennedy emerged the apparent winner from this first of four televised debates, partly owing to his greater ease before the camera than Nixon, who, unlike Kennedy, seemed nervous and declined to wear makeup. history.com
The mystery of the inflatable infant
SHOP LOCAL A RECENT STUDY REPORTS MSU STUDENTS CONTRIBUTE OVER $80 MILLION TO THE ECONOMY! MANY LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS STARTED THEIR CAREER AS MSU STUDENTS.
Noah Siano | The Reflector
The giant blow-up baby turns heads on the Drill Field outside of the Union. Secured by ropes and stakes, whoever left the baby is at least making sure it is not going anywhere.
Walking to class and seeing a baby—any baby—on the Drill Field can really brighten a person’s day. Seeing a GIANT baby, however, can lead to laughter, confusion and a slew of Snapchat stories documenting the oversized, diaper-wearing infant. Who is responsible for the baby? How did it get there? Does it have giant inflatable parents? Nobody knows. Not even the baby’s Twitter account, @MSU_baby, has provided any answers. Event Services deigned to reveal the baby is intended to bring awareness for Child Health Day, but did not disclose who abandoned the child outside of the Union. If you have any clues as to the baby’s appearance, tweet @reflectoronline to get in on the case.
-Sam Gibson, managing editor
SUPPORT THESE ENTREPRENEURS BY SHOPPING WITH THEM. HAIL STATE!
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 @REFLECTORONLINE
OPINION
NFL players are not being paid enough zachery abunemeh contributing Writer
On Aug. 28, Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions became the highest paid player in NFL history after signing a deal worth $135 million, according to Bleacher Report. While impressive, this record is not likely to stand, as each new quarterback contract seems to set the bar a few million dollars higher. There is plenty of speculation about who will be the next to break the bank, with our own Dak Prescott named as a possible candidate. No matter who receives the next massive contract and regardless of how much they earn, there is one indisputable fact: they will be underpaid. NFL players are massively underpaid compared to the athletes in other major American sports (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB). According to Forbes in 2015, the average NFL player was paid just over two million dollars, the lowest of all the major sports (NHL: 2.9 million, MLB: 4.4 million, NBA: 6.2 million dollars). A major factor in why the average football player is paid so much less than other professional athletes is the extent of income disparity between the players. While certain players, like Matt Stafford and Derek Carr, are paid over $100
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
million dollars, there are more players being paid less than one million dollars, creating wide income outliers. If all things were equal between the sport leagues, is it such an injustice if NFL players are underpaid? Maybe not, but it is impossible to look at the facts and believe “all things are equal.” In terms of simple revenue, the leagues are not
just unequal, the NFL is the undisputed king. According to Market Watch, the NFL made $13 billion last year. They do not just lead North American sports in terms of profits, but lead all major sport leagues throughout the world. The next closest league is the MLB with $9.5 billion. The NFL leads all sport leagues by over $3 billion, and more
than doubles the profits of the NBA and NHL. This raises a logical question: Where does all the money go? Well, the system the NFL uses to share revenue is far more complex than the NBA’s. According to SB Nation in 2016, NBA players earn half of all revenue collected by the league— about $3 billion—while NFL
Trivia Time!
players earn just under half of all revenue—about $6 billion. Ziller says that while NFL players may earn double that of NBA players, “that money is spread over almost four times as many athletes.” It is simply impossible to pay football players fairly without a higher percentage of the revenue being used for paychecks.
While NFL players can fight for a better salary, it is hard to imagine NFL owners ever changing the current system. Why? Because they simply do not trust the players. Due to the violent nature of football, the average career length for a NFL player is almost two years fewer than any other sports league (NFL: 3.5 years; NBA: 4.8; NHL: 5.5; MLB: 5.6). Thanks to chronic traumatic encephalopathy—a neurodegenerative disease found in people with frequent head traumas—and other long term injuries, the average career length for NFL players is getting shorter. This means NFL players earn less money in less time than any other professional athlete. They simply face a lose-lose situation. I know it is hard to feel sympathy for athletes who earn millions of dollars while the average American cannot imagine earning so much over their lifetime. Yet, while most Americans see football as a passion or a privilege, but for over 1,000 men, football is their livelihood. Every Sunday, they risk everything they have worked for on every single play. NFL players risk their minds and bodies for our entertainment, only to earn far less than any other professional athlete.
REFLECTIONS
1. What year was the two dollar bill last printed in
Jeff Sessions
the U.S.? 2. What do the letters “ZIP” stand for in the U.S. postal code? 3. What is the largets species of terrestrial crab in the world?
“Honest poeple can disagree on policy. But where there can be no honest disagreement is the need to change our nation’s debt course.”
Source: triviaq.fyi
Answer: 1. 2014, 2. Zone Improvement Plan, 3. The coconut crab (Birgus latro)
Congress needs to repeal the U.S. debt limit Steven Wierich
is a senior majoring in economics. contact him at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
Earlier this month it was revealed President Donald Trump had brokered a deal with Democratic leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, to suspend the debt ceiling--funding the government for the next three months. According to Bob Bryan at Business Insider, the bill passed in the House by a 316-90 vote, with most of the opposition coming from Republicans. While it is good we will not have to worry about a government shutdown for the next few months, this deal ultimately showed us why Congress should permanently repeal the debt ceiling. Even though buzzwords such as “fiscal cliff ” often get thrown around in the news during these negotiations, a lot of people are not familiar
with the details of our debt ceiling. Basically, since the U.S. government makes appropriation decisions the year before they are put into place, lawmakers do not know the exact amount of revenue they will have access to for the calendar year. Around the middle of the year, it becomes clear the government will not have the money to cover all their obligations. This problem is alleviated when the Treasury Department borrows money to cover the outstanding costs, which is where our national debt originates. The debt ceiling was created to limit how much the U.S. could borrow to cover their debt, although it is ultimately artificial— Congress can simply raise or suspend the limit whenever they want. While this process may seem fairly benign, for the past few years the threat of defaulting on the debt has been weaponized by members of Congress. They have done this in order to force their opponents to negotiate over spending issues. Over the years, this has
only led to unnecessary tension in Washington. Defaulting on our debt is one of the most economically catastrophic decisions our leaders can make. According to Jason Furman and Rohit Kumar of the Wall Street Journal, if lawmakers decided to default, Washington would either stop paying bondholders or they would simply choose not to meet all of their obligations. This could include cutting anything from payments for disabled veterans or for defense contractors. In either scenario, our leaders would be making a ridiculously irresponsible decision, especially since the U.S. has never defaulted on our entire debt. It is almost impossible to predict the repercussions of a U.S. default, but I am willing to estimate it would be at least as bad as the housing crisis of 2007-2008. However, it could be far worse. The fact some of our representatives have flirted with this idea is mind-boggling, and clearly indicates this power should be removed from the table.
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FISCAL YEAR
DEBT LIMIT
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Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
wrong with being concerned about the U.S. national debt, this is not the time to do something about it. The time to embrace fiscal conservatism and budgettrimming is during the appropriations phase in the prior year, not when the country is staring down a potential default. Now, the government has made their commitments
and must follow through. Otherwise, they will destroy the trust they have built up over the past few centuries. If Congress wants to take a serious step towards making debt limit negotiations less tumultuous, they should pass legislation removing the ceiling before we find ourselves staring again at the precipice of a U.S. default.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Life Editor/Will Wells
325-7905 editor@reflector.msstate.edu
News Editor/Devin Edgar
If Congress were to permanently repeal the debt ceiling, it would give our Treasury Department the freedom to more efficiently handle the government’s debt payments without having to worry about interference from political actors. In general, it is more costly for the Treasury to make payments when the debt ceiling is approaching, which means it costs taxpayers money before the limit is even reached. It would also decrease market volatility, and combat the lowered consumer confidence resulting from approaching the debt ceiling. Of course, there are Republicans who say eliminating the debt limit would be antithetical to their fiscally conservative values. According to Burgess Everett and Josh Dawsey for Politico, members of the Freedom Caucus were promising a robust fight over the debt ceiling come December. Some senators, such as John Cornyn of Texas, were adamant they did not wish to pursue removing the debt limit. While there is nothing
Circulation/Erin Blake circulation@reflector.msstate.edu
Letters to the editor should be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. Letters may also be emailed to editor@reflector.msstate.edu. Letters must include name and telephone number for verification purposes. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish a letter.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Reflector is the official student newspaper of Mississippi State University. Content is determined solely by the student editorial staff. The contents of The Reflector have not been approved by Mississippi State University.
CORRECTIONS
The Reflector staff strives to maintain the integrity of this paper through accurate and honest reporting. If we publish an error we will correct it. To report an error, call 325-7905.
THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 @REFLECTORONLINE
LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
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Quidditch is brought to life on MSU’s campus Emma moffEtt Staff WritEr
Wizards, wands and all things Harry Potter conjure up an image of bookworms who worship the ground J.K. Rowling walks on. However, the Quidditch Club at Mississippi State University is defying stereotypes and focuses on far more than just Harry Potter. The game of Quidditch plays the same role in the wizarding world as football does on any SEC college campus. People love it, live it and breath it. Just like football, the intricacies of the sport could not be explained in a few sentences. However, the main point is fairly simple: score against the other team while flying on a broom. The sport, even without the flying, is very unique. Team members try to score points against the other team by knocking certain balls into three large hoops. There are designated players called seekers who
search for the snitch, which in the “Harry Potter” franchise, is a tiny, gold ball that flies through the air. If a seeker catches the snitch, the game is over and the team who caught it is the winner. In the real world, where flying on brooms are not an option, the players run around in a field with brooms between their legs and follow many of the same principles as the fictional version of the game. Gavin Funderburg, club member and MSU junior, said he was previously the president of his high school’s Quidditch Club and enjoys the sport. “It seems pretty ridiculous, because you are running around with a broom between your legs in front of everyone on the Drill Field,” Funderburg said. “But it is really just about having fun, getting some exercise and hanging out with people who enjoy this same kind of thing as you.” Practicing on the Drill Field, the club attracts a lot
of attention from many spectators. Kyle McCrary, MSU senior engineering major, said he did not realize MSU had a Quidditch Club on campus before joining, and is very interested in letting others know it exists. Being a part of the Quidditch Club does not require any prior Harry Potter knowledge.
Hayden Manning, the president of the Quidditch Club, said he wants people of all types to feel welcome in the club and believes quidditch is a great way for people to connect, exercise and enjoy a unique game all at the same time. “It is really just a fun game in general,” Manning said. “You really don’t have to be interested in Harry
Potter to be a part of it. In fact, it’s best if you try to distance yourself from that idea if it bothers you.” With the rising popularity of quidditch, people often have trouble disassociating the game from the books. However, the sport is simply one detail of the book which exploded into its own activity. Since the sport was
created in a fictional world, people might overlook the work that goes into playing it. However, Quidditch Club members work hard and have the scars to prove it, the game requires some level of athleticism and dedication. Club members practice a series of drills including running, throwing, catching and evading, all while keeping a broom carefully tucked between their legs. Even if you lack natural athleticism, you can make up for it with commitment and hard work, something valued by everyone in the Quidditch Club. Manning said the group is always looking for people who would be willing to devote their time, even if they are not be athletically inclined. “If you stick with it, it will teach you huge commitment,” Manning said. “That’s something we are really looking for in new members. We want people who would keep coming out here.”
Prior to Friday’s open mic night, John Williams, Wesley Foundation fellowship core leader, said events like the coffee house and open mic night are an important part of the group’s outreach. “Events like this started to help students meet us and to see who we are and what we do and to show people that you can be involved in a faith-based group without having to feel like you have to have a faith,” Williams said. Williams said events hosted by the Wesley Foundation are an alternative to the Friday night party scene and provides a fun and casual environment for those who desire a calmer setting. Those who attended
the open mic night were welcomed by a group of students trying to make everyone, especially those new to the organization, feel at home. In addition to the friendly and smiling faces, a variety of sweets, coffee and hot chocolate welcomed those attending the event. There was a multitude of board games and a microphone open to anyone brave enough to show their talent. Those who approached the microphone to sing, play a musical instrument or recite poetry were met with a warm and interactive audience, whom both applauded and sang along to familiar tunes. During one performance,
students Ryan Stallcup and Lesley Beck were joined by the audience in their rendition of “I Lava You” from the Pixar short film “Lava” which preceded “Inside Out” when the film was in theaters. Almost everyone present knew the song and the room erupted in both song and laughter as everyone stumbled through the lyrics. The primary performers engaged in motions and gestures to illustrate the story of the love between two volcanoes. Chloe Nelson, a MSU student in attendance, said she has been involved with the Wesley Foundation since the beginning of her college career. “It’s one of the first places
I went to as a freshman, and I’ve stuck here, and I have just kept meeting new people every year,” Nelson said. Another student, Aimee Garnier, had some advice for freshmen looking to become involved with the Wesley Foundation. “Don’t be afraid,” Garnier said, “Even if you
are a little nervous, come and you will find people who you can hold a good conversation with and who will become really good friends with you.” Future coffee house and open mic nights take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Fridays in the downstairs building of the Wesley Foundation.
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
Coffee and community at the Wesley Foundation
mia rodriguEz
Contributing WritEr
On Friday, the Wesley Foundation held its first coffee house and open mic night. The Wesley Foundation is a student organization promoting Christian values and hosts a variety of events, ranging from group worship to Jimmy Fallon inspired game nights. They also organize retreats, which members said allow students to grow in both their faith and their connections with other students. The group’s next retreat will be from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 in Long Beach.
Review: ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ Emma dray braSWEll Staff WritEr
“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” is a sequel to 2014’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” Because the original was so well received, the second film had a lot of hype and expectations surrounding it. The original Kingsman movie was a new take on the classic spy movie, retaining the classic spy movie feel with secret agents going on missions to defeat the bad guys. The second movie attempted to continue this idea with yet another villain standing in the Kingsmans’ way. While not as good as the original, almost no sequel is. That being said, “The Golden Circle” was definitely worth seeing. With the film’s combination of action,
comedy and quality characters, the audience will once again find themselves sitting at the edge of their seats and wondering what will happen next. A huge reason for the movie’s unpredictability is the villain in the story. Movies like these tend to rely on their villain for more action-packed scenes and interesting plot-lines. If the villain is boring, then the movie is boring as well. Because the bad guys are so important in the Kingsman series, the actors who portray the villains deserve a lot of credit for capturing the audience’s attention. Instead of bringing back Samuel L. Jackson, who played the villain in the first movie, this film introduces Poppy, played by Julianne Moore. Moore supplies many twists in the film, much like Jackson’s character from the first film.
“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” introduces another interesting group of characters, the Statesman, who are the American version of the British Kingsman. In the movie, the Kingsmen find their “cousins”, the Statesman, and ask for their help in dealing with the Golden Circle, the drug trading business Poppy runs. This introduces an entirely new set of characters Eggsy, the film’s protagonist, must work with. Because of this, the casting director was given the opportunity to include many new famous faces to the film, including Channing Tatum and Elton John. While many new faces were introduced, the backbone of this movie was its returning main characters. Colin Firth’s Harry Hart, Taron Egerton’s Eggsy and Mark Strong’s Merlin all returned. This gave the
movie more emotional ties between characters, offering the audience a deeper connection to the film. The only confusing point in the movie is why the Kingsman were specifically involved with a drug cartel in the first place. They were of the first to be targeted by Poppy, and instead of being drugged, they were bombed. This seemed incongruent with the cartel set-up—Poppy was aiming to sell her drugs in the United States, so why would she target a British secret service agency? Overall, the movie was a quality film, one worth the time and money to watch. Because the original Kingsman film was of such high quality, it was difficult to create something that lived up to audience expectations. Despite lacking the originality of the first, it offers just as much action and comedy.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 @SPORTSREFLECTOR
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Bulldogs not dwelling on loss, look to rebound JOSH BECK
STAFF WRITER
Following the 31-3 loss to No. 7 University of Georgia (4-0, 1-0), No. 24 Mississippi State University (3-1, 1-1) aims to rebound against No. 13 Auburn (3-1, 1-0) this Saturday. The decimation of MSU Saturday gave players, coaches and fans a moment of pause after many fans had high expectations going into the game. However, head coach and longtime quarterback guru Dan Mullen approached the loss in a similar manner to how he advises his quarterbacks: understand the mistake, see what you did well, learn from it and ultimately move on. Understand the mistake, or in Saturday’s case, mistakes. Mullen said the loss came down to lack of execution at all three phases of the game. However, he was quick to note practice will correct these mistakes, and he was proud of the effort his players showed throughout the entire game. “I thought we played with good energy and effort tonight, we just needed a little more execution,” Mullen said. To the casual observer the score resembles a onesided beat down, but Mullen sees his team as circuit. A perfect team shines bright and performs well, however if one wire or, in this case, player is not connected the light might flicker or turn off. “When we watch the film, we will see nine guys doing the right thing, but see one or two guys make a mistake and you can’t do that against a team as good as Georgia,” Mullen said. On quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, Mullen was quick to quell any sort of uncertainties about the quarterback’s
Noah Siano | The Reflector
After a blowout loss to No. 7 Georgia, Nick Fitzgerald and No. 24 Mississippi State will travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium, the home of Kamryn Pettyway and the No. 15 Auburn Tigers.
performance. Mullen said he noticed his quarterback was
“It is over with and it stinks, but we have to move on, watch film, learn from it and get ready for next week.” -Nick Fitzgerald, MSU quarterback not consistently making the wrong throws, he was just hurrying through his reads
and not allowing the plays to develop. The junior QB from Richmond Hill, Georgia, was unremarkable in Saturday’s game going 14 for 29 totaling 83 yards with two interceptions. Fitzgerald mirrored his coach’s words and composure after the loss and understood there are more games to be played. “We just have to put this one behind us,” Fitzgerald said. “It is over with and it stinks, but we have to move on, watch film, learn from it and get ready for next week.” An ability to move on from loses is something coaches try to instill in a quarterback and it is often referred to as “QB amnesia”. However, the sting of an embarrassing loss on
national television should not be dismissed too quickly. Truly successful teams are able to harness the disappointment and turn it into motivation for their next games. Junior defensive lineman, Braxton Hoyett, understands losses can plague a locker room if not addressed properly. Hoyett, while only recently made a starter, is a leader on the defensive side of the ball along with standout teammate, Jeffery Simmons. “I told Jeffery [Simmons] I feel like we have to have a player meeting just to get everybody on the same page,” Hoyett said. “We need to
get everyone back to playing Mississippi State football and don’t feel like we are too good for any of the opponents we face.” The general theme from the players and coaches was, while UGA has great athletes, MSU gave them the game by not executing like they did in prior games. This may be due to poor practice spilling over into the game as both Mullen and Fitzgerald said the team struggled in practice to be consistent and sharp heading into the Georgia game. Senior cornerback Tolando Cleveland somberly explained to the media it was
not necessarily the offensive prowess of UGA that beat the Bulldogs on Saturday, but the lack of execution on the field. “We just have to have the right guys, in the right place, at the right times,” Cleveland said. “We beat ourselves. They didn’t do anything we weren’t prepared for and it is all practice.” MSU has a week to sort things out before traveling to Auburn, Alabama, next weekend. The Auburn Tigers boast another talented and athletic defense similar to UGA. In addition, the initially inept Auburn offense has come into its own. The Tigers put up 51 points on the University of Missouri scoring touchdowns on their first four of five drives. Their success was impressive given the fact they were without their leading rusher junior Kamryn Pettway and leading tackler senior linebacker Tre’ Williams. Pettway did dress out for the game but according to Auburn’s head coach Gus Malzahn, he was not completely healthy. The possibility of Pettway’s return for the game against MSU is another element Todd Grantham needs to take into account heading into Saturday. However, Mullen is approaching the next week as an opportunity, rather than a challenge. “The great thing about the SEC is you usually end up playing a better team the next week,” Mullen said. “It’s not always about the one game. It’s about multiple games, and that’s what I told the guys after the game.”
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