Home of the Mudslingers
SPORTS | 8
INTRODUCING THE CLASS OF 2012
AMERICA: OPINION | 4
Reflector The
FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM 124TH YEAR | ISSUE 32
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Experiencing reparation therapy BY ZACK ORSBORN Chief Designer *Editor’s Note: The woman interviewed wanted to remain anonymous. For those purposes, she will be named Beth.
I
n mid June 2008, Beth, a student of Mississippi State University, boarded a plane with no luggage and no idea about what she was about to experience. All her father told her was she was going to camp in Utah. “I didn’t really know that it was going to be so terrible. I didn’t want to go, but I wasn’t refusing to go because I thought it was going to be kind of like summer camp. I figured there would be therapy there. I didn’t realize that it was going to be like boot camp,” she said. Raised in a conservative home, Beth’s “lifestyle choices” were deemed immoral and wrong by her parents. Beth first discovered she was a lesbian in the sixth grade. “I just kind of never liked boys. I liked girls,” she said.
JAY JOHNSON AND ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
The only gay person in her family, Beth had apprehensions about telling them. She wanted to be able to control her sexuality. “If I didn’t want to become gay, I should be able to make myself not gay,” she said. In high school, Beth developed self-esteem issues due to being teased. The word “DYKE” was written on her car. The only guidance Beth had was from her open-minded friends and her theatre troupe. SEE
REPARATION, 7
Aiken Village renovations delayed, bids being accepted On campus apartments now scheduled to be completed fall 2014 BY LACI KYLES Staff Writer
Plans to renovate Aiken Village have been delayed as Mississippi State University decides how to efficiently reconstruct the site in a way that best serves students. Aiken Village is now scheduled to open in fall 2014. Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs, said MSU wants to make sure the project is done right and a quality unit is built, even if that takes more time.
“The demolition of the current set of apartments has turned out to be more complicated than we thought it was going to be,” he said. Kibler said MSU is currently accepting bids from a number of demolition contractors and the final bid will be taken on Thursday. From there, MSU will move to begin the process of tearing down the structure and transporting the material containing asbestos to a location approved by the federal government, a task that has proven to be costly, he said. This spring, proposals and plans should be fi-
nalized and rental prices and structure layout are a few of the main concerns being discussed. “We cannot afford to price Aiken Village above what an average student can pay,” he said. Although the rent price will be higher, so will the quality of the complex. “When it’s finished this will be an apartment complex that Mississippi State is proud of. There will be no comparison between the old Aiken Village and the new site.” Kibler said the new complex will be a new era for Aiken Village residents, even though some of those who grew to love it will be finished with their schooling by that time. Residents were notified via email and had a total of 16 months to make arrangements to find new housing, and forums were held with residents to discuss their concerns with the project. “Our goal was to make this inconvenience as
G Resolutions N I V passed at SA O FF US M O P senate meeting M A C BY JAY BALLARD
A three-hour Student Association Senate meeting Tuesday night resulted in the passing of some major legislation. Rhett Hobart, SA president, said this meeting stands out from any other meeting he has ever attended. “It was a great senate meeting,” Hobart said. “It was one of the best I’ve seen during my time here.” One of the first orders of business was to replace some senators due to scheduling conflicts, and four new senators were welcomed Hobart into the senate Tuesday night. Halston Hales, SA vice president, said he is happy to welcome these new senators into office. “We are excited to have them because new senators means fresh ideas,” Hales said. Among the topics discussed at the meeting was the issue of the bullring, the 2012 senior class gift. The bullring project was officially approved at the meeting as well as the budget for its construction. Hales said the budget for the bullring was set at $15,000. If the senior class is unable to raise this much money, SA will pay the remaining balance.
Staff Writer
CAMPUS CALENDAR...................2 BAD DAWGS..............................3 OPINION ...............................4 CONTACT INFO...................... 4
Keep your options open. Take your time. Visit and tour the properties, check reviews online and contact previous renters if possible.
DISTANCE Will you be driving, walking, biking? Figure out how long your commute will be, and then practice it during the times you’ll be traveling.
Do not forgot to include deposit, furniture, groceries, bills and a little money for some extras.
“Try to drive from the apartment to school at the times you will be going to class to see how long it actually takes. ”
“Consider things such as laundry, moving furniture up flights of stairs and what type of utilities are included in the rent.”
Jessica Temple
Courtney Hall
BEWARE OF CLASSIFIEDS
“I walked into a house that was for rent, and there was a four foot by three foot hole that you could see through the ground.”
Melissa Grimes
English graduate student
Sophomore biological sciences major
Recent MSU graduate
ASK OTHER STUDENTS Everyone has been there. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.This will give you a realistic idea of what to expect and may comfort you.
Everyone has heard a Craigslist horror story. Avoid this by doing your research. Check out offcampushousing.msstate.edu.
ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
POLICY LIFE.............................. ........6 CROSSWORD...............................5 CLASSIFIEDS.......................... 5 SPORTS...................................8
Each year, students at Mississippi State University face a decision that could make or break the following 12 months — where to live. With limited space available in the residence halls, most students must choose off-campus housing beginning their second year at MSU.
DO NOT SETTLE
SEE SENATE, 3
READERʼS GUIDE
SEE AIKEN, 2
BY LAUREN CLARK
BUDGET
Staff Writer
seamless and easy as possible,” he said. “We wanted to make sure everyone found out at the same time. It’s a permanent loss of something (the residents) liked.” Kibler said the majority of the residents were on schedule to graduate before the renovations began anyway and that a website was established for them that contained all available information on places to live in Starkville. He added that the Baptist Student Union offered free services to help any residents with the moving process. Rhett Hobart, Student Association president, said that while the delay has caused some inconvenience for residents, the end result will be worth it. “We think the new unit is a state-of-the-art facility,” he said. “The benefit of the wait is a better facility long term.”
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