02/13/19

SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • FEBRUARY 13, 2019 | VOLUME 104 | ISSUE 16

OPINION • MCGRONE CRITIQUES FRESH Bethany Morris | Printz

SPORTS • BASKETBALL BEATS LA TECH Brad Crowe | Printz

New food choices at the Fresh.

Senior Tyree Griffin celebrates after scoring against LA Tech.

PG 8

PG 11

Art Briles interview sparks conflict GRANT CHIGHIZOLA

#ARTBRILES #GRAMMYS #STATEOFTHEUNION #TEDBUNDY

State law stops SGA Senate

MANAGING/SPORTS EDITOR outhern Miss president Rodney Bennett and interim director of athletics Jeff Mitchell announced in a statement on Wednesday, Feb. 4 that former Baylor head coach Art Briles will not be hired as the offensive coordinator of the football team.

Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson also released a statement on Wednesday that publicly contradicted the statement that Mitchell and Bennett released.

“Although I respect the decision of Dr. Rodney Bennett, I disagree with it,” the statement read.

Hopson said Briles “is a man who deserves a second chance,” who “committed no crime.”

On Monday, Feb. 11, Bennett released another statement where he declared the matter closed.

“University of Southern Mississippi head football coach Jay Hopson and I have spoken on multiple occasions in recent days and met face-to-face over the weekend to chart the most successful path forward for the Southern Miss football program. Coach Hopson assured me of his commitment to overseeing a program that upholds the values of The University of Southern Mississippi. I know Coach Hopson to be a man of high ethics and integrity, and I assured him of the University’s dedication to continuing our winning tradition.

Our conversation included many topics, including the events of the past week. As a matter of practice, Coach Hopson seeks approval from and works in good faith with athletic administration on prospective student athletes who have special or unique circumstances for admission to the University, which is consistent with University protocol in student-athlete recruitment. Additionally, Coach Hopson notified the University of his desire to meet with Art Briles, which is his right to do so as head football coach and is in line with normal University processes. After an intentional and thorough review of Mr. Briles’ candidacy, I expressed my reservations, and ultimately that review led to the decision that Mr. Briles was not a viable candidate.

I consider the matter closed, and I am looking forward to working with Coach Hopson on our mutual priorities and shared goals for the Southern Miss football program and how it contributes to our vision for The University of Southern Mississippi.”

Briles was the head coach of Baylor from 2008 to 2015 where he had a 65-37 overall record, including two Big 12 championships.

While Briles has not held an offensive coordinator position at the collegiate level, he also served as the head coach at Houston from

CALEB MCCLUSKEY PRINTZ REPORTER

Courtesy Photo

2003-2007 and was a running backs coach at Texas Tech from 2000-2002. Prior to his stint at Texas Tech, Briles served as a head coach and assistant coach at the high school level in Texas.

However, despite success on the gridiron, Briles was fired in May 2016 when allegations of sexual assault by his players began to surface.

A total of 52 acts of rape were reported in a 2017 lawsuit that 31 players allegedly committed. The school acknowledged that 17 women reported sexual or domestic violence involving 19 players. The scandal led to Briles getting fired, the resignation of athletic director Ian McCaw and the resignation of university president Ken Starr.

A report released by the Baylor University Board of Regents detailing law firm Pepper Hamilton’s investigation details the failure of members of the Baylor football program and athletics department to properly respond to reports of sexual assault.

“In addition to broader university failings, Pepper found specific failings within both the football program and athletics department leadership, including a failure to identify and respond to a pattern of sexual violence by a football player, to take action in response to reports of a sexual assault by multiple football players and to take action in response to a report of dating violence. Pepper’s findings

Pictured: Art Briles

also reflect significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor’s football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of athlete misconduct,” the report said.

Briles has had trouble finding work in the football world following his dismissal at Baylor. In August of 2017, the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League attempted to hire Briles as an assistant coach.

Hours later, however, the Tiger Cats released a statement that they had decided not to hire Briles. The only official football position he has held since his dismissal at Baylor is as head coach of Estra Guelfi Firenze in the Italian Federation of American Football in 2018.

The Student Printz polled 42 students at Shoemaker Square on campus on Friday, Feb. 8, and 26 respondents said they did not know about the situation. Additionally, six females and eight males polled said Briles should not be hired, while one female and one male said that he should have been hired.

The situation became further complicated on Thursday, Feb. 7 when a report published

by Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic revealed that Hopson recruited three players with histories of sexual assault, two while head coach at Alcorn State and one while at Southern Miss.

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he Student Government Association Senate committee assigned to look into former Southern Miss President William McCain’s history has switched gears after learning they cannot change the name of buildings dedicated to war veterans.

Mississippi Code 55-15-81, which was created in 2013, states that buildings, monuments, statues or nameplates that are erected on public property cannot be manipulated if the person they are honoring was a veteran. There was a bill in Senate that was recently denied that would have added penalties to the bill, but SGA president McKenna Stone said the SGA does not plan to change the name now that the bill is known to them.

“We came across that bill, and we definitely do not want to breach any of our Mississippi laws, so we are definitely not going to be doing anything to alter the name of McCain Library,” Stone said.

According to Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, McCain enlisted in the Mississippi National Guard in 1924 and served the army in the antiaircraft artillery unit until he was reassigned as a military historian and served in Italy until late 1945.

SGA Senator and senior biological sciences major Andrew King was interested in the project when it was first announced by former Senator Jared Colley in late Nov. 2018. He said he was disappointed by the roadblock but feels the new direction they are moving toward will still be beneficial.

“It’s hard because you don’t want to make people angry,” senior history major and SGA Senate president pro tempore Caroline Carney said.

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INTRODUCTION FEBRUARY 13, 2019 ANDREW ABADIE

MAGGIE MATTESON

GRANT CHIGHIZOLA

OLIVIA SALDANA

ALYSSA BASS

MADISON COLLINS

CARLTON MCGRONE

CALEB MCCLUSKEY

Executive Editor andrew.abadie@usm.edu

Photo Editor maggie.matteson@usm.edu

Copy Editor olivia.saldana@usm.edu

Managing/Sports Editor grant.chighizola@usm. edu

News/Features Editor alyssa.bass@usm.edu

Multimedia Editor madison.collins@usm.edu

Assistant News Editor caleb.mccluskey@usm.edu

Entertainment Editor carlton.mcgrone@usm. edu

EMILY BRINKMAN

BRIAN WINTERS

OMER ASHAD

CHUCK COOK

Design Editor emily.brinkman@usm.edu

Webmaster omer.ashad@usm.edu

Graphic Designer brian.s.winters@usm.edu

Printz Advisor chuck.cook@usm.edu

-Letter to the Editor“An Open Letter to USM Admin” It was amusing to see USM’s Super Bowl commercial this Sunday, with its youths waving sparklers and donning face paint over pulsing beats that tell the viewer it is gameday. I have to say it was especially comical to watch this commercial consisting of basically none of the activities that actually put one through college. That might have required footage of USM classrooms, which would have shown prospective USM applicants how the university is happy to pay for sleek commercials and Super Bowl ad time but not so happy to pay for academic amenities.

When I started teaching here last Fall as a TA with the English Department I thought from prior experience that certain items were just commonplace in classrooms: a computer connected to an overhead projector, a document camera, a whiteboard or chalkboard with markers or chalk, maybe even a smartboard—all standardized across campus so that when an instructor mastered the tech of one classroom, they had mastered all. What I encountered instead was a mad rush days before the semester began to get these basics into the classrooms assigned to us grad instructors. One colleague found a projector perched on a roll of paper towels. Another had neither whiteboard not blackboard, never mind pens or chalk. In my case it didn’t matter if my rooms had projectors or not because grad TA’s are not provided computers and there were no available adapters for my 2016

MacBook (yes, we have to use our own personal computers for work).

Frankly, I’m embarrassed when I describe the situation to colleagues at my past schools. It makes us look bad. (I want to state here plainly that the English department does what they can with what it has; the ad hoc setups they rushed to supply are received gratefully, but the pre-semester madness itself is, I consider, an administrative failing

by USM.) Granted, I am someone who cares enough about school to be pursuing a PhD, but if I had been privy to the classroom setups when making a decision about where to go as a freshman, I would have chosen a different college. Leaving classrooms so woefully unequipped sends a message that the school does not care about actually teaching students. I want so badly to believe this is not the case, but USM’s Super Bowl ad did not give me confidence.

I implore USM to show its students, faculty, and those who are working as both that this school takes its academics as seriously as it takes its image and equip each and every classroom with a universalized tech setup, provide all faculty with computers to do our jobs, and center academics when appropriating funds . At the end of the day, that’s what we’re here for.

Sincerely, Kathryn Jensen Teaching Assistant

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NEWS FEBRUARY 13, 2019

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Shafer Center hosts underwear drive LILLIE BUSCH PRINTZ REPORTER

he Shafer Center for Crisis Intervention announced that it is holding its first community underwear drive for survivors of sexual assault. The center emphasizes that new and clean undergarments are an “important first step in the healing process.”

When a survivor consents to a forensic evidence kit, otherwise known as a rape kit, their clothes become evidence. This leaves the survivor with no extra clean clothes to wear home.

“We accept donations throughout the year. We’ve recruited folks to donate clothes and underwear,” director of the Shafer Center Kim Newell said, “but we thought a drive would be a great way to get the community involved.”

Newell credits Shafer Center volunteer Lisa Pigg for thinking of the idea.

Pigg, a social work graduate student at Southern Miss, serves as the lead first responder for the Shafer Center and has volunteered with the Shafer Center since fall 2017. As a first responder, she meets survivors at the hospital after they experience

a sexual assault.

“This leaves the survivor feeling very vulnerable,” Pigg said. “The social workers at the hospital give the survivors scrubs, but being able to leave with clean underwear can really make a difference. I think it gives the survivor a feeling of comfort.”

Head coordinator of the Title IX office at Southern Miss Rebecca Malley said the drive encourages conversations about sexual assault.

“What [the drive] can do is make students more aware of how traumatic sexual assault can be,” Malley said. “After undergoing a rape kit, you don’t even have a pair of underwear to put on.”

Despite the number of shares and interactions on Facebook, Newell said there was no increase in underwear donations. “We just announced it [the drive],” she said, certain that there will be more donations in the upcoming weeks.

The Shafer Center will continue the community drive until the end of April, which is recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The end of April does not signal the end of donations, however. The Shafer Center accepts clothes donations all year. Donations can be dropped off at both the Hattiesburg and Laurel Shafer Centers and the Hattiesburg

Brian Winters | Printz

Police Department. All sizes, adult and child, male and female, are accepted.

The Shafer Center for Crisis Intervention began as the Hattiesburg Rape Crisis Center in 1983. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to providing support for all survivors of sexual assault and individuals affected by suicide or

homicide. All of the Shafer Center’s services, including support groups and retreats, are non-discriminatory and free of charge.

If you have survived sexual assault and wish to seek help, the Shafer Center’s crisis hotline and the Southern Miss Title IX office located in Cook Library room 129 are available resources.

Southern Miss celebrates edible orchard on Arbor Day MORGAN URSY PRINTZ REPORTER

outhern Miss hosted its annual Arbor Day on Friday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. The event took place at the university’s edible orchard, which was the main focus of the ceremony. This event began with an introduction by Chris Crenshaw, Ph.D., associate vice president for facilities planning and management.

“Several years ago the university created a special task force called the Tree Management Taskforce that was designed to help us plant native trees throughout campus,” Crenshaw said. “As a result of this committee, the university has won an award every year called the Tree Campus USA award.”

Malcolm Guidry, Ph.D., an arborist who assisted with the remediation of the Friendship Oak on Southern Miss’ Gulf Park campus, then gave a short speech to the event’s attendees.

“Today is about the establishment of an edible landscape, a fruit orchard if you will, a unique movement on college campuses today,” Guidry said. “Thank you, Loren Erickson, for making this unique idea part of the green infrastructure of this campus.”

After Guidry’s short talk, five new trees were planted in the orchard with help from students from the Dubard School for Language Disorders.

According to Southern Miss’ landscape superintendent and master arborist Loren Erickson, the idea for the edible orchard began in 2015 when just a few trees were planted. The orchard, located just south of the Payne Center, now includes a total

Courtesy Photo

of 40 trees and plants, such as apple, plum, avocado and orange trees and many different berry bushes.

Erickson said he wanted to create an educational and attractive place on campus for people to experience freshly grown fruits.

“In my opinion, people really don’t know where their food comes from,” Erickson said. “I wanted to bring back all of the plants that used to grow in Mississippi that people grew out of necessity. It’s also a nice,

relaxing location on campus. I thought it would be a nice place for people to meet and walk through, and this orchard is as good as many large universities. It’s also all organic.”

Erickson said that the orchard is for anyone on campus to enjoy and that they made sure to plant enough trees to cater to the whole university.

“Anybody that walks by a tree that has ripe fruit has the right to pick it,” Erickson said. “We encourage that. We only ask that

you only pick it if it’s ripe, and we ask that you share. This isn’t an orchard to harvest necessarily, but we ask that people just sample. If there’s something they’ve never seen growing on a tree, like a peach for example, and they get a chance to eat it, that would be great.”

Erickson said that many of the fruits will ripen in May, June and July. There will also eventually be tags on each plant with the details for that specific fruit.

NEWS FEBRUARY 13, 2019

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Gulf South holds black history lecture JESSICA FIELDS PRINTZ REPORTER

ssociate professor of history at St. Francis College and author Sara Rzectuek, Ph.D., presented a special lecture Thursday, Feb. 7.

This event was part of the university’s Black History Month programming.

Rzesztucke’s presentation explored Southern black radicalism in post-World War II America with an emphasis on the Southern Negro Youth Congress.

Assistant professor of history Rebecca Turri, Ph.D., explained how the presentation came about.

“I wanted to invite a scholar who studied radical black history to campus because so often when you think of radicalism, you think about civil rights, armed resistance and black power, but there is another history out there of labor organizing and kind of the efforts made much earlier than the Civil Rights Movement,” Turri said.

The lecture expressed the importance of the Southern Negro Youth Congress: its rise, fall and demise. The Congress’ main focus was on helping African Americans gain basic human rights. However, it was eventually disbanded due to the fear of Communist conspiracies.

Graduate history and library science student John Carter said the forum was amazing to listen to.

“The actual idea of having the association between Communism and segregation was a really interesting topic to look at in general,” Carter said.

“When people began to realize what the organization was about, they decided to call them Communist and that eventually led to the downfall of the Southern Negro Youth Congress.”

Rzectuek said she struggled with trying to educate people about sensitive topics in history.

“Talking about Communism is still very fraught in this country, and that’s probably one of the hardest things. You do run into some resistance to the idea that Communists actually made contributions because there is this sort of legacy from the Cold War,” Rzectuek said.

Rzectuek said that she wants people to truly understand the impact of the Civil Rights Movement and how it forever changed history.

“I think it’s just really important for people to understand the longer progression of civil rights in the United States and issues around black freedom and the different trends and moments,” Rzectuek said. “It’s not just something that popped up in the mid-1950s, and it’s something that existed in different moments. It was influenced by things like political and diplomatic elements.

All those changes and all those issues are important to understand.”

Rzectuek said the Civil Rights Movement will continue to shape future generations.

“People in Southern Negro Youth Congress had children who were involved in other organizations later on,” Rzectuek said. “For example, Angela Davis is a very active scholar and thinker. Her mother was a Southern Negro Youth Congress member. The organization may go away, but that doesn’t mean people’s ideas and their commitment to causes go away because people raise their children with these ideas, and that is something that will carry on generationally,” Rzectuek said.

For more information about the Southern Miss Center for the Study of the Gulf South, visit www.usm.edu/gulfsouth.

Brian Winters | Printz

Sara Rzectuck talks about “Behold the Land.”

Katy Simpson Smith gives guest lecture CONRAD ACOSTA PRINTZ REPORTER

uthor Katy Simpson Smith gave a reading from a book that she is currently working on in the International Center as a part of the Visiting Writers Series on Thursday, Feb. 7.

Smith is a novelist from Jackson, Miss., with a B.A. in history and film studies from Holyoke College in Massachusetts and a Ph. D. in history from the University of North Carolina.

She has published two historical fiction novels, “Free Men” and “A Story of Land and Sea,” as well as a historical dissertation, “We Have Raised All of You: Motherhood in the South 1750-1835.” She also teaches writing at Millsaps College in Jackson while continuing her work as a novelist.

Olivia Claire, Ph.D., one of the organizers of the Visiting Writers Series, gave an introduction for Smith in which she described her personal view of Smith’s work.

“When you read about Smith’s two novels ‘A Story of Land and Sea,’ and ‘Free Men,’ you’ll read that the prose is lyrical and haunting,” Claire said. “Smith’s historical fiction takes us places that are utterly relevant to our contemporary world, and to me, that is a mark of good writing and the mark, of course, of great historical fiction.”

This view of Smith’s work is echoed throughout the critical world as evidenced by the words of Claire Fallon of the Huffington

Post in her 2014 review of Smith’s ‘A Story of Land and Sea.’ “[Historical fiction] writers must walk the line between hewing closely to the crumbling primary sources and dry historical texts that they’ve consulted or giving free rein to their imagination and potentially going too far,” Fallon said. “Few historical novelists, however, are better equipped against these pitfalls than Katy Simpson Smith: never dry, dense or false to the spirit of history, Smith’s novel flawlessly blends the beauty and idealism of American independence with the hypocrisy and devastation that lay beneath it.”

The reading Smith gave was from one of her unpublished novels titled “Weeds,” which she wrote in small pieces during the weekends while teaching as a way to continue her work as a novelist. The structure of the novel is inspired by the structure of “The Flora of the Coliseum,” a record of all the different plant species in the Roman Coliseum published by botanist Richard Deacon in 1855.

“I first heard of it [“The Flora of the Coliseum”] as a footnote in some other history that I was reading, and I thought, ‘This sounds like the structure of a novel,’” Smith said.

“Richard Deacon took each species and wrote a paragraph on it, both the botanical makeup and also the historical mystery, culinary uses and any sort of mythological stories attached to the plant, and they’re kind of like little pieces of flash fiction. In my brain, I thought, ‘If I only have one weekend at a time to work on a project, what’s better than to have to write a little flash fiction about a plant?’ And so that’s what I did; I used the form of ‘The

Marissa Haas | Printz

Flora of the Coliseum’ to create a narrative.”

After the reading, Smith offered up some advice to writers who are begging to form their own narratives and creative processes.

“Try to write as much as possible in whatever genre and not necessarily focusing on the specific story that you want to write, but

Katy Simpson Smith reads from one of her books.

writing around it,” Smith said. “Sometimes you can get very stuck on the idea of what you want your story to be, but if you take the time to write poems about it or descriptions of scenes that you might not include, you can actually free your brain up to produce the work that you want to be producing.”

NEWS FEBRUARY 13, 2019

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SGA and SCS partner with company for EagleCares CALEB MCCLUSKEY ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

he Student Government Association and Student Counseling Services partnered with 7 Cups to give Southern Miss students EagleCares, an app developed to give people free counseling services.

Eagle Cares is the Southern Miss branded version of the 7 Cups’ app that provides peer-to-peer listening. Because Southern Miss partnered with 7 Cups, students have to access the app for free.

SGA President and senior communication studies major I don’t know if this is right. I just added it because it was missing. After receiving a call from 7 Cups, Stone said she found the concept useful for students. Stone said after the first conversation, she worked with 7 Cups managers and SCS. She said the director of SCS Denna Crawford was receptive to the idea.

However, Stone said a lack of state aid left SCS underfunded, so they applied for and obtained a grant.

Stone said SCS noticed that not everyone who came to see a provider necessarily needed one. Some needed online resources or tools. She said SCS will refer students to 7 Cups if they think it will be beneficial. at SCS because of this.

“Once [branding the app] was done, and we pretty much got confirmation that it was going to happen, we got to tie a nice pretty ribbon on it. We passed a resolution through Senate to say this

is endorsed by the student body,” Stone said.

SGA Vice President and senior phycology major Corai Jackson said the resolution, which was proposed by a former senator, passed with ease.

“To my knowledge, it passed unanimously,” Jackson said. “Not one senator voted no on it.”

Stone said any student who wished to join EagleCares as an anonymous peer listener could.

“Not only is it a tool for students to get listened to, but it is also for students to practice listening,” Stone said. “As a

listener, you are essentially on call, and you can talk to students who are in need of an ear.”

Counselor Amanda Kirtland is the counselor in charge of EagleCares and said 7 Cups trains listeners in how to do active listening, a skill that helps to reduce stress and emotion regulation.

She also said students have access to over 6,000 users globally. Students can remain completely anonymous and can request someone from other cities, states or countries.

“Our need for this platform came out of the culture we are in today,” Kirtland

said. “People like things that are convenient, that are available 24/7, and that is exactly what this platform is.”

Kirtland also said if students have a poor experience, they can report the listener and find a new one, but she has not heard of anyone connecting with an unhelpful listener yet during the soft launch that happened over the break. She said she would conduct more surveys to get feedback as user numbers increase and that she expects for issues to occur eventually.

“I got [the people who signed up] to fill out a feedback survey about how friendly was it, what did they think of it and what are the kinks,” Kirtland said.

“Thus far, I haven’t heard anything rating negative.”

Kirtland said that if students are not ready to communicate with someone, they can choose a different path on the site which includes self-help tools.

“There are a lot of self-help resources in [the app], so if you want to learn about depression, anxiety, family stuff or relationship issues, they have over 30 specialized paths that you can get into, and you can merge several things,” Kirtland said.

Jackson said though the project was mainly Stone’s idea, she saw the merit in it. She said some students do not feel comfortable communicating face to face, and EagleCares gives them an option for help without face to face interaction.

“It is great. That is my general thought,” Jackson said. “I think it is a really great resource for students here on campus who may not feel comfortable going to student support services.”

SGA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Carney said she understands both sides of the argument for and against changing building names. She said she does not want to erase history but, instead, shine a light on it. The argument to remove McCain from The McCain Library and Archives came when Colley ran into the plaque beside Kennard-Washington Hall.

Colley used time at the State of the SGA address to urge Senate to create a committee to look into McCain’s involvement with the expulsion and arrest of Clyde Kennard.

“I’m going to be honest. McCain is not that frequented by people other than history majors,” Carney said. “Some people probably never heard of [McCain Library].”

Carney said she wants to help facilitate students to learn the history of McCain library as well as other

buildings and the people they are named after.

Carney said the ad-hoc committee held a meeting to talk more about their new direction and continue the legislative drafting process. Stone said she does not know how they will move forward with their new goal but suggested plaques could be a possible solution.

She also suggested an online source that cataloged the buildings, their names and their stories, which she said would be more cost-efficient. Stone said the committee is “open to suggestions,” if anyone has them.

“This process will be thorough and should serve to better educate Southern Miss students on the history of a university that we love and call home,” Stone wrote in her official statement. “We are hopeful this will result in a more complete archive of the history of named spaces on campus.”

BRILES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The player that was recruited at Southern Miss, Charles West, was accused of raping two women at knifepoint in 2015. West pled guilty to two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after both women in the cases declined to testify against West, according to a 2016 report from the Dallas Morning News.

Anna Gonzalez Rose, a 1984 graduate of Southern Miss and current M Club and Alumni Association member, said that after reviewing Briles’ situation, she was in favor of hiring the former Baylor head coach and supported Hopson in the matter.

“I initially did not know if Art Briles would be a fit for our team, or our school or our program, but I started doing my own research after the initial tweets came out about Coach Hopson considering him as the OC [offensive coordinator],” Rose said. “So by the time it was really developing and it looked like there was a chance he was going to hire him, I started buying in. I decided to put my trust in our coach. If Coach Hopson had chemistry with him and felt like he was a

fit for our team, then that was good enough for me.”

Southern Miss senior English major Emily Rasch was against a potential Briles hire.

“I think that it’s an embarrassment on behalf of Southern Miss,” Rasch said. “We are a school that promotes equality and justice for all people, and that includes sexual assault survivors and victims like myself.”

With the situations involving Briles and Hopson now over, Southern Miss will have to look to other options to fill its still-vacant offensive coordinator position, among other coaching positions still vacant.

Hopson said that at his post National Signing Day press conference last Wednesday that spring practice will start on March 19. *News editor Alyssa Bass and Printz reporters Brad Crowe and Elishah Santiago also contributed to this report.

NEWS FEBRUARY 13, 2019 School of Performing and Visual Arts presents nine days of “Revelry”

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ASHLYN LEVINS PRINTZ REPORTER

he School of Performing and Visual Arts at Southern Miss is inviting students, faculty and the Hattiesburg community to a nine-day program of art and creativity. Starting Feb. 15, the School of Performing and Visual Arts will present “Revelry,” 40 events of workshops, classes, guest artists and family-friendly events.

Director of the School of Performing and Visual Arts and professor of dance Stacy Reischman Fletcher, Ph.D., submitted a Partners for the Arts Grant last year in preparation for Revelry.

During the fall semester, faculty and staff on the Steering Committee discussed how to provide more opportunities for students to experience art outside of an art degree.

Costume shop supervisor Kelly JamesPenot has a hand in the major event alongside Reischman Fletcher. “[We] invited leaders of our student organizations to contribute their opinions on what the student body would be excited to attend. We all took a tour of the buildings and studios our classes are housed in to offer additional inspiration,” Penot said. “When it came time to formally name the event, the steering committee submitted proposals to our director. The name Revelry was selected as it is unique and captures the festive spirit of celebration. This is one of the goals of our event, to celebrate the art that is made within the School of Visual and Performing Arts.”

One of the main events includes In Essence of Being, a free event located in the George Hurst Building’s gallery of art and design and is presented by Samantha Salazar and Susan Palmisano. Another event is the Dance Gala and Theatre’s

Courtesy photo

production of “Blues for an Alabama Sky.” “On Saturday, Feb. 16, there are many hands-on workshops where students can come into our studios and create art, and on Saturday, Feb. 23, there are multiple dance master classes being held on the stage of the Performing Arts Center,” Penot said. “Students can come take a masterclass in ballet, jazz, ballroom and tap.”

“I am extremely moved by the amount of effort faculty and staff have put into the planning of the Revelry,” Reischman

Fletcher said. “I also have been moved and inspired by the amount of creative energy across the school. This is really something that is a first of its kind—it is a new idea, just like the new school.”

Darian McGehee is a junior graphic design major and is working with the art department to find volunteers for the Revelry experience. McGehee is passionate about her work and proud to have it viewed by audiences.

“I find passion through art by simply making things that make me happy,” McGehee said. “To me there is no better

feeling than finally showing a design off that has taken so long to create, looking at it and being so proud of it. Everything we create here in the art department is a part of us, and hopefully, we can show everyone that through Revelry.”

A full calendar of events can be found at the School of Performing and Visual Arts’ website, along with registration forms for specific events. The faculty and students involved with planning and preparing for Revelry hope to see many Southern Miss workers and students taking advantage of what is happening on campus.

Students celebrate Chinese New Year at tea hour KARIGAN TEER PRINTZ REPORTER

outhern Miss’ International Student and Scholar Services hosted the first International Tea Hour of 2019 on Thursday, Feb. 7. In celebration of Chinese New Year, both international and domestic students enjoyed traditional Chinese dishes and learned about Chinese culture.

Director of International Student and Scholar Services Suzanne Omran got the idea of an international coffee hour from her time as a graduate assistant. “[International Coffee and Tea Hour] is an idea that has existed in international offices all over the United States,” Omran said. “Basically, it’s an opportunity for student organizations to present themselves to not only our international student population but also to the general student population.”

Omran said that the employees at the International Center began coffee hour about a year ago, but they were not as large as this one.

“We started it quite conservatively, with a soft launch that we just started from within our office,” Omran said.

“Before this one, [International Tea Hour] has been so much smaller, but now we’ve started advertising more and pushing it to Student Leadership Involvement, not just the international student associations.”

Junior interdisciplinary studies major Shanell Brent, who works with the International Center, said the goal of International Tea Hour is to help students connect with each other.

“This event is kind of an effort between all of the students and employees at the International Center,” Brent said. “We want this to be an open space for international and domestic students. We want to allow

students at Southern Miss to be able to come together and talk about not only our differences, but also our similarities.”

Omran agreed that giving students a social opportunity to talk and learn about one another is important in a university setting.

“Any time you can find connections and common ground is so important for understanding,” Omran said. “The main goal is getting students outside of the classroom, providing them with food and letting students learn something about one another. Hopefully, we can also help them learn something about a topic like Chinese New Year.”

Junior sociology major Michael Matrick attended the Chinese New Year celebration and said that he believes inclusive events such as International Tea Hour are important for locals to attend.

“This is my first time coming to International Tea Hour, but I think it’s super cool. I think the International Center needs to start doing this more often. It’s important that people from this part of the country, or even from this part of the state, need to be exposed to other cultures,” Matrick said. “It’s really easy to come to this kind of thing because it’s fun and relatable, so I think it’s important for students to utilize events like this.”

Brent went on to describe the International Center’s goals for future International Coffee and Tea Hours.

“Today we focused on Chinese New Year to bring attention to the fact that there’s not just the American New Year; there’s more than that. In the future, we’re going to have a different theme each time—we’re really excited for March because we will be celebrating the Indian Holi festival. I think it’s important to have a community among the students here,” Brent said.

There will be another International Tea Hour held in the RC Lounge on Thursday, Feb. 14 to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

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The Lucky Rabbit reopens with a new design WILLIAM LOWERY PRINTZ REPORTER

he Lucky Rabbit, dubbed the “Happiest Place in Hattiesburg” by its owners, opened its doors to the city yet again Feb. 7 until Feb.10. An antique store with a nostalgic twist, the Lucky Rabbit is one of downtown Hattiesburg’s biggest attractions.

Founded by Abby and Brandon Thaxton, husband and wife, the store came to be after their experience at a similar store called Secondhand Rose in Minnesota. Inspired by what they saw, the Lucky Rabbit made its grand opening on March 16, 2012.

Located in the abandoned Hawkins Hardware building in downtown Hattiesburg, the Lucky Rabbit is opened for only four days each month, which allows the owners time to come up with new ideas for what the theme of the store will be when it reopens the following month.

“My wife Abby, the co-owner, is the one who comes up with the ideas. Generally, it goes by the season or whatever is going on,” co-owner Brandon Thaxton explained.

“Spring is right around the corner, so she came up with the idea to have a Volkswagen beetle with flowers coming out of it. Next month, she’s likely to continue the spring theme and have something new on display in the store,” Thaxton said.

When customers step inside the building, their eyes will immediately be drawn to half of a VW beetle on display in the lobby. Though rusted, placed inside the trunk is a collection of plants intended to play up the spring season.

Variety is the keyword at the Lucky Rabbit. Although the store sells antique

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items and other goods, the feeling of nostalgia permeates throughout the store. As old music blares throughout the building, a person’s eyes are drawn to signs all over the place and to TV monitors that play old commercials on constant rotation. Arcade games and old video game consoles dominate the lower left-hand corner of the building.

“We try to tap into nostalgic things that someone who’s either 12 years old or 90 years old can relate to. When we’re out shopping and looking for interesting stuff

to add to the building, we try to find items people resonate with,” Thaxton said.

The Lucky Rabbit is an interesting name for a business dedicated to selling antique goods and reminding people of the past. Thaxton explained that it’s partly due to trying to give the place an interesting name, but also because it’s a nickname for an old cartoon character.

“The building was built in the ‘20s, and there was a cartoon from around that time called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit,” Thaxton said.

“There’s an episode

where he’s trapped in a thrift store, and because of the situation in the short and his name, we decided to go with that name. ‘The’ was added to the name because the domain ‘Lucky Rabbit’ was already taken.”

The Lucky Rabbit has exploded in popularity over the past few years.

Initially only bringing in a few hundred customers, the number has increased into the thousands. Right now, Thaxton and his wife are concerned with maintaining the store, rather than trying to expand it.

City Council organizes project S.P.O.T. BLAIR BALLOU PRINTZ REPORTER attiesburg City Council is working on a plan to make purchasing from online marketplaces safer.

Project S.P.O.T is an initiative to provide a safe designated trading location for those who are interested in making an in-person transaction of goods marketed online. This project is designed to combat the potential for crime related to meeting with an unfamiliar person in an unfamiliar area to make a money transaction.

Councilman Nicholas Brown is working with his team to ensure that these safe places for online transactions or “S.P.O.T.s” around the city are well equipped with all of the necessary surveillance equipment to give citizens confidence when making transactions.

“It will be set up to where the city will monitor things in case anything goes south, and if it does, we will be able to go back and look at footage. The safety of our citizens is our number one priority. We want to ensure that if they want to do this, we want to ensure that we are keeping up with the changes in technology.”

“Our main purpose is to ensure the safety of our citizens.” Brown said. “We will have parking spaces set up at numerous police stations and fire stations around the city,

Courtesy Photo: Hattiesburgms.com

a space for the buyer and a space for the seller, and each space will be under constant video surveillance, which will be monitored and archived for thirty days following the transaction.”

Co-project manager Hunter White believes that with internet marketplaces

becoming more and more popular among younger crowds, it is important for the city to be proactive in providing more S.P.O.T.s for students.

“We want to find a centralized location that’s available for students to make confident transactions. Essentially, there is a need with

the rise of new online trading platforms.

Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Let Go and other apps like that are on the rise; you are seeing more and more of these online transactions,” Hunter said. “Specifically, with college students, we want to ensure that you can feel safe in Hattiesburg.”

“We are trying to make sure that this is a city they can feel confident venturing out in and not just staying on campus. I know when I was in college, I got a majority of my furniture from Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace,” he said.

According to White, while doing research for Project S.P.O.T., the team took influences from other areas around the country that have already set up something similar in their communities.

“We really focused on San Diego, and we’ve spoken with the team there and got some ideas of how they logistically put it together, more locally Mobile [Alabama] is doing it, Dallas has it, nationally you’ve got Indianapolis, Mesa Ariz., and North Carolina, so there are a lot of nationwide locations. This thing is growing,” White said.

White said the project will start small to gauge interest as research continues, with two or three S.P.O.T.s located in equal distance around the city to ensure all citizens have equal distance to them.

Councilman Brown and his team are expecting to have up and running S.P.O.T.s before next semester for up-and-coming students in the fall.

OPINION

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President demonstrates divide between parties WILL VEAZEY

PRINTZ REPORTER n 2019’s State of the Union Address, President Donald Trump opened his speech by driving for national unity among the Democratic and Republican parties. His message sought to bridge the gap between the two parties, and he generally avoided inflammatory rhetoric throughout. The response to the address exemplifies the deep political divide America has, as those who are Trump supporters liked the address, and those who do not support Trump did not like it.

Trump’s attempt to bridge the gap between the two parties was an expected maneuver. With the current political landscape, it seems that there is hardly any room for more division; however, the speech seems to have had an insubstantial result as far as bringing the two parties together. Polls taken by CNN after the address indicate that whether an individual approved of the speech or disapproved of it was largely due to whether or not the individual identified as Democrat or Republican.

The content of the address was neither good nor bad, and this article may be easily construed to have partisan bias.

However, I am attempting to examine the nature of the political divide in America by using Trump’s State of the Union to show the dangers of the current political landscape.

It is overwhelmingly obvious that Americans generally cannot find common ground across party lines. Likewise, the polls taken by CNN following the State of the Union indicate that even with the efforts by Trump to bridge the gap between the two parties, the results are futile.

It seems that the political sphere, instead of being a center for solving

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problems and finding common ground, has become completely tribal. Each side, regardless of their respective political slant, has fallen completely into a mindset of regarding the other side as not only flawed, but reprehensible to the point of not deserving to be listened to.

This flaw, or schism in the nature of American politics, is something which I believe transcends the right and the left.

It has now risen to the level of being personal and not detached from the individual. For example, if an individual

expresses that he or she follows political party A, that individual is now totally at risk of being regarded as reprehensible as a human being.

In the ideal state of the political landscape, the individual would be respected for his or her political beliefs and may be questioned on the content of his or her belief. The current landscape instead drives individuals within the Democratic or Republican Party to automatically detest the other individuals on bases that have nothing to do with the

individual, rather than only having to do with their political beliefs.

This precedent that has been set since 2016 is in many ways a revolution.

Historically, when politics have become this personal, it has led to sweeping social change. Whether that change will be, either positive or tyrannical, it is impossible to be sure. However, we should at least truly listen to each other along the way and attempt to find common ground.

We are all humans, and in spite of our beliefs, we at least deserve to be heard.

The Fresh feels new but remains dull CARLTON MCGRONE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

onsidering the number of petitions that have sprung up over the past few years, it comes as to no surprise that the Fresh would at least attempt to reconstruct its less-than-stellar reputation. Sadly, while there may be a new assortment of greasy food, the Fresh ultimately remains the same.

It is no secret that The Fresh Food Company on the Southern Miss campus has been a place that students tend to dread dining in when compared to other restaurants on campus. Their complaints seem justified, considering several heavily-signed petitions begging for some sort of change in the campus’ cafeteria.

Many students have complained that the number of options is sorely limited, catering to unhealthy food choices while ushering vegan options to the back of the cafeteria. There have also been several videos concerning undercooked, ill-prepared portions, causing further uproar about a more wellrun central dining area. Some students simply wish for tastier food and much more variety than what is currently offered.

Over the years, the Fresh has accommodated to these complaints, shifting food preparation stations, filling the menu with more unique food options and making the fiasco of throwing away trash move much quicker. Employees of the Fresh have clearly made an effort at appealing to students with these admittedly minor upgrades, and the facility deserves

much more credit than it receives. However, the most recent renovations add virtually nothing to one’s dining experience and even make changes for the worse when it comes to healthy options.

To start, the Fresh has gotten rid of its iconic chicken sandwiches that were pretty much exclusive to the cafeteria. Instead, it now offers chicken and fries baskets that are lacking in both flavor and portions.

Often compared to the local Raising Cane’s restaurant, the Fresh’s new chicken strips are virtually tasteless, as if the strips have been overcooked. While there are plenty of fries in each basket, there simply isn’t enough of both chicken and fries to satisfy a student.

Another new addition is the Fresh’s taco bar, which is easily the best thing about this new Fresh.

Rather than occasionally offering the popular Mexican delicacy, tacos are now available every day, and they’re fairly tasty. Fish, chicken and beef tacos are all options, and the queso to top it off is a nice touch.

The new pseudo-bakery adds nothing besides an aesthetic change to the Fresh. The pastries remain relatively unchanged, offering very familiar flavors of cookies. There is very little to offer beyond the usual assortment of over-baked brownies and pies.

While the burgers and hot dogs have received a new station boasting new wrappers and a holding corral, the vegan section has been pushed to the side, hardly ever manned and rarely stocked with food.

The salad bar also remains in its lackluster state, and the various vegetables that are offered are still bland

Brian Winters | Printz

and do little in the department of appeal.

Though there have been various cosmetic adjustments made to the Fresh, it blatantly remains unchanged in quality and variety. For those searching

Students socialize at The Fresh.

for a greasy meal that will only add inches to the waste, it may be perfect for your palate. However, any sort of nutrition is hard to come by when there’s such little to choose from.

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Lego Movie sequel is still awesome JACK MCCALLUM PRINTZ REPORTER

he plot of “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” might look predictable just from the movie poster, but plenty of surprises pop up throughout the movie that make it a truly enjoyable experience.

It might have seemed like there was nowhere else to go after 2014’s “The Lego Movie,” but this sequel builds on old characters while introducing new ones and maintaining the same quality of writing. The movie presents itself as a typical movie about a brother and sister’s inability to get along, but this movie addresses gender issues in a fresh and subtle manner. “The Lego Movie 2” is a stunning movie beginning to end with the same amazing visuals and meta humor that made the first movie stand out.

One of the strongest additions to the second movie is Tiffany Haddish, who voices a shapeshifting queen who performs spectacular musical numbers. The hyper-masculine character of Rex with his well-trained raptors is also a strong addition to the film and a funny self-reference to Chris Pratt’s role in the “Jurassic Park” franchise. It might have seemed the plot twists and shocks ended after the first film, but this sequel keeps the audience guessing what might be going on until the end.

It is clear that there is going to be some plot point involving gender relations as the movie poster is literally split blue and pink with the male and female leads. While this might lead one to assume the movie will be cringey and dated, the film very subtly tries to tell the audience that boys and girls are not that different. Themes of hyper masculinity also influenced the character Emmet to lose track of who he is.

The way the film deals with the relationship between the brother and sister is nice with its touching display of their difficulty communicating with each other. Maya Rudolph also adds to the humor with her playing the siblings’ mom who is referred to as “Our-MomAgeddon” throughout the film. Though there could have been fewer scenes of the real world

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as they leave less to the audience’s imagination.

The film’s world is still full of the meta humor and pop culture references that made the first film so great. The fast-paced jokes and numerous cameos make it impossible to get bored as there is nearly something for everyone.

If the “Mad Max” inspired post-apocalyptic world at the start does not interest you, surely

the scenes set in the glitter and pop musicfueled Systar System will.

The film comes through with another pop earworm similar to “Everything is Awesome” with the aptly titled “Catchy Song.” Arguably the funniest moment is the credits song singing out the names of the people working behind the scenes.

“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” might not be as great as the first film, but that is the case with nearly all sequels. The film is still great and takes its characters to interesting places and delivers a strong story. Similar to the first film, “The Lego Movie 2” is compelling, witty and so much more than a toy advertisement.

“Thank U, Next” ushers in a new era of pop CARLTON MCGRONE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

he young mega-star is back just five months after her most recent release and not a moment too soon. Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” is so much more than outstanding. It is a necessary, critical album that will no doubt be cemented as a historical release in the music world.

No stranger to daring moves that shake up the music industry, Grande bounces back from her recent tragedies and breakups with this follow up to her love-sick album “Sweetener.” As many fans of Grande will profess, “Thank U, Next” expands on the singer’s career in the most fashionable way imaginable, bringing iconic tracks that exude style, emotion and attitude. Living up to the unimaginable hype before the album’s release, there is no shortage of incredible talent in every song, and very few faults can be found throughout the album.

Starting off the album with a familiar tune, “Imagine” is a fantastic opening, inviting the listener into the heart-broken yet triumphant realm that Grande slowly pieces together through each track. The lyrics are whimsical, displaying Grande’s raw persona as she imagines a world packed with fiery, unbound love. Ending the song with her signature high-pitched vocals, Grande shows that she is clearly not afraid to break all previous notions and expectations that fans and critics may have.

“Needy” continues the more soulful journey of the album. Akin to the tone that Grande sets up in “Sweetener,” this track oozes with obsessive love, as the title may imply. This tone is promptly shattered and replaced with an anthem of independence with “NASA” as the singer claims that she now desperately needs space from her lover simply because she’s a star. “Bloodline” continues this theme, throwing the listener into the true world of the album.

Blatantly expressing the overt themes of the album, “Fake Smile” delivers a relatable message of simply stating how one truly feels as opposed to relying on dishonest tactics of manufacturing emotions.

With its incredibly smooth tone and infectious chorus, “Fake Smile” serves as a perfect mid-way point of the album. More than any song on the album, this song signifies Grande’s entire public persona, advocating self-care over appeasing others.

A personal favorite, “Bad Idea” is simply incredible, if not a bit repetitive and unneeded on the album. Definitely the least impactful of any song on “Thank U, Next,” “Bad Idea” does what it sets out to do: put listeners in an amped mood with an expertly crafted beat that extends one minute after the lyrics end.

“Make Up” presents an interesting beat that deserves to be heard for Grande’s fast rhythms and hearty lyrics, and “Ghostin” is hauntingly beautiful as the singer supposedly testifies about Mac Miller’s early death. Much like the central themes and message of “Fake Smile,” “In My Head” presents listeners with the notion of crafting a perfect image of someone without considering their faults, ultimately leading to a failing, toxic relationship. It is both beautiful and surprisingly hypnotic with its mix of hip-hop beats and soulful chorus.

The final stretch of the album is, quite bluntly, near-perfection.

With her single “7 Rings” leading the final act, Grande thoroughly introduces this new era of her life as she celebrates her riches and absurd fame with six of her best friends. This song is a truly unique and distinct twist to Grande’s music, sparking a new sound in her library of songs and providing a fresh, almost satirical look into the hip-hop genre.

The actual track “Thank U, Next” will always be a fan favorite, almost overpowering every other song on the album, considering its cultural relevance and enormous impact on the pop genre. Needing no further description, it was a very smart move to save this song for the end, effectively pumping up the listener for Grande’s grand finale.

“Break Up with Your Boyfriend, I’m Bored” simply needs no words in explaining how iconic the song’s lyrics are. Matching the almost atrocious title, this song’s beats, rhythms, tones and messages combine and explode, creating a symphonic mess of raw, untethered talent. More than any song on the album, “Break Up with Your Boyfriend” displays the singer’s angelic transformation into a force to be reckoned with in this era of music.

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The single person’s guide to surviving Valentine’s Day WILLIAM LOWERY PRINTZ REPORTER

ooking at the calendar, do you notice anything significant coming up?

No, it isn’t the 10-page essay due tomorrow, but on Feb. 14, couples around the world will celebrate Valentine’s Day. Considered by many to be the day where one shows love and affection to their significant other, many college students will celebrate the occasion by going out to eat, seeing a movie or doing something risqué. Yet, for every kissing couple, there are just as many single individuals who will feel left out of the festivities.

However, there’s no real reason to feel lonely on Valentine’s Day, since the holiday offers plenty of opportunities for single people to do something of their own interest. Here are five tips to make the most out of the occasion: 1. Don’t worry about it Society says single people need to find a date as soon as possible before the holiday arrives.

Advertisements and parents alike demand others to get busy or else. Despite this, we shouldn’t let what others say negatively affect our outlook.

Singles should not fret about finding a boyfriend or girlfriend, but this doesn’t mean the day should go to waste.

2. Enjoy the little things Valentine’s Day offers just as many possibilities for singles as it does couples. Singles can put their time and money into a fun activity for the day.

Come up with a schedule of things to do or see.

Even better, invite a friend, which lead me to the next point.

3. Get Together with friends You get to have all the fun, but why should your best mates be left out of the picture? Call up friends and see if they want to hang out with you. This is a smart move since college students are always busy

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and never have time to be with their friends. It’s a great way to collaborate and come up with an idea to make Valentine’s Day a fun day.

4. Buy discounted holiday goods What’s better than Valentine’s Day? The day after Valentine’s Day. Stores tend to discount all Valentine’s Day related goods the following day after the holiday, including candy. Unleash the sweet tooth, buy some candy. Not to the point of

possibly contracting type-two diabetes from eating too much chocolate.

5. Treat Valentine’s Day like a regular day The last tip is the most valuable one. It isn’t mandatory to participate in the holiday. There’s no need to do any of the stuff above; in fact, it’s perfectly okay to treat Valentine’s Day like any other day. School goes on, and businesses stay open.

Plus, people don’t decorate houses with pink hearts or other ilk. With that said, it’s key to remember the most important person to celebrate is you.

Valentine’s Day is an interesting holiday. Though it provides a reason for couples to celebrate their love, single people often feel left out due to the circumstances surrounding the occasion. However, singles should not feel left out, since the day allows for all sorts of opportunities for those riding solo.

Which Harry Potter House is the best to date?

LILLIE BUSCH PRINTZ REPORTER uring class, while mindlessly swiping right on Tinder, someone cute catches your eye. You click on his or her profile for a better idea of who they are as a person. Which personality qualities did they decide to list as the sum of their parts?

“Southern Miss business major.

Class of 2020.” You scan the screen, eyes skimming the bio, looking for something definite. “INFJ. Proud Ravenclaw” You immediately swipe right because you are a Ravenclaw as well. Before lunch, you already have a date set up with your fellow “Harry Potter” fan for the following night.

Forget astrology charts and personality tests; “Harry Potter” is the new level of compatibility.

After taking a Buzzfeed quiz to identify your Hogwarts house (or the official quiz on the “Harry Potter” website for hardcore fans), there is only one remaining question. Which house is the best to date?

Well, it depends on what you are looking for in a potential partner. Do you seek spontaneity and constant butterflies? Or would you prefer stability and home-cooked meals?

Perhaps you don’t want any of these things, or you want all of them. Each

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Hogwarts house carries its own pros and cons.

Gryffindors constantly crave adventures, which include making the first move and fun flirtations. Their best date idea is a new activity or restaurant. However, Gryffindors also

make impulsive decisions, which may not always be successful in the long run.

Instead of small talk, Ravenclaws yearn for heartfelt conversations. They are the best partners for stargazing and other reflective activities. However,

be wary, because Ravenclaws seek intelligence above anything else. This Hogwarts house will not be afraid to tell you if you fall short, for to them, that only means an opportunity for further education.

All Slytherins should speak parseltongue with how well they charm their way into their target’s heart. However, Slytherins hold high expectations for their partner, as they do with anyone else. Slytherins are not hesitant to discard a relationship if they find themselves disappointed or bored.

Last but not least, Hufflepuffs are loyal to a fault, even before that sacred first kiss. Hufflepuffs are the best company for a coffee house date. If you only want something temporary, however, look somewhere else.

Hufflepuffs commit with the first text.

Ultimately, no Hogwarts house is better than the others. That is the point of having four houses instead of one united: each person is unique as a potential partner. Furthermore, when exploring the dating field, respect a person’s choice of house. For example, Slytherins are not inherently evil, and Hufflepuffs are not inherently weak.

Ask why he or she identifies with that house; there will definitely be a story.

Finally, from one “Harry Potter” fan to another: wear your house name and colors proudly. If you are a Muggle, it’s all right, we forgive you. You’ll find somebody.

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Golden Eagles break two school records at Music City Challenge ANDREW ABADIE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

outhern Miss traveled to Nashville, Tenn., to compete in the Music City Challenge hosted by Vanderbilt on Feb. 8-9. The Golden Eagles came away with two event wins and two school records.

Notable schools that were in attendance: Ole Miss, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Michigan, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Maryland and Memphis. Conference USA teams Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Rice also participated.

“We’re trying to get better as a team each week, and we did just that this weekend,” Southern Miss head coach Jon Stuart said. “Two school records and multiple seasons and personal bests give us great momentum heading into the Conference Championships next week.”

Senior McKinely West won the 100m dash with a time of 6.68. Trey Johnson came in 11th place running a time of 48.33.

Junior Caleb Parker won the 60m hurdles at 7.73, which broke the school record. Parker doubled in the high jump, finishing second with a jump of 2.12m (6 feet, 11.5 inches). In the long jump, junior Eric Washington placed in fifth with a jump of 7.47m (24 feet, 6.25 inches), and senior Chedlin Sagesse jumped 7.36m (24 feet, 1.75 inches) to finish in sixth place.

Junior Sandra Szpott set the school record in the one mile run with 4:49, despite finishing in 11th place overall.

All Photos by Michael Sandoz | Printz

Sophomore Eric Richards clears high jump attempt.

Freshman Jasmine Griffin runs the women’s 60 meter hurdles.

“Sandra ran a really smart, wellexecuted race today,” distance coach Aaron Kindt said. “She found her rhythm and positioning early, which gave herself a shot to finish the last half really strong. Very proud of all the work she’s done to get herself ready for these types of moments, and hopefully, this is the first of many great races for her this spring.”

In the 400m run, senior Chenelle Ricketts ran 56.13 to finish in 12th

place. Notably, Southern Miss soccer player senior Ola Akinniyi made her first appearance in the 400m, running a time of 1:01 and finishing in 32nd place.

In the women’s long jump, sophomore Rikianne Patterson jumped 6.03m (19 feet, 9.5 inches) to finish in sixth place. In the women’s high jump, junior Jamari Drake jumped 1.66m (5 feet, 5.25 inches), and in the triple jump, freshman Marquasha Myers jumped

Junior Sandra Szpott competes in the one-mile run.

11.91m (39 feet, 1 inch) to finish in 12th place.

In the relay races, the women’s 4x400m, the team of senior Rian Robinson, Ricketts, freshman Taylor Harris and junior Aireanna Taylor finished in sixth place by running a time of 3:48.

Southern Miss will now prepare for the C-USA indoor championship, which runs from Feb. 16 to Feb. 17 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Southern Miss wins big in front of large crowd BRAD CROWE PRINTZ REPORTER inning turns heads. When a team catches fire, people gather around to watch it glow. Such has been the case for the Southern Miss men’s basketball team (15-9, 7-5 in C-USA) recently as they have captured a great deal of momentum to make a late-season push toward the top of the Conference USA standings.

A season-best crowd of 4,587 people filled Reed Green Coliseum—including former Golden Eagle and current New Orleans Saints center Cameron Tom and his teammate, Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara—to watch senior Cortez Edwards and redshirt senior Tyree Griffin lead the team to its fourth consecutive win with an overtime victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

“The crowd probably had as big a play in us winning today as anything,” admitted head coach Doc Sadler, who was elated over the support the team received on Saturday. “If we have the normal crowd, we probably don’t win this game. But because we had the crowd that we did, you know, they’re keeping us in the race.”

The game was tightly contested from start to finish, quite the contrast from the two teams’ first meeting, a 71-56 win for the Bulldogs on Dec. 29. The first half seemed to be all about defense, with Southern Miss carrying a 27-26 lead into the locker room. In the second half, however, shooters on both teams put on

quite the exciting offensive show.

In the most pivotal moments of the game—including the last two minutes of regulation and the entirety of the overtime period—one of the veteran leaders of the team took charge. Edwards hit a big three-pointer in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, and he made crucial free throws in overtime.

With under five seconds remaining, Edwards was ruled out of bounds after catching an inbound pass, giving the Bulldogs possession with one last opportunity to tie or take the lead.

“Honestly I feel like we don’t really have all the camera angles we need for the most part, so they probably didn’t have the best look,” Edwards said. “But it all worked out in the end.”

The Bulldogs’ final shot was well contested, and the Golden Eagles won 73-71.

Edwards did a little bit of everything in the winning effort, scoring 21 points to go along with a career-high 13 rebounds and five assists. Draine led all scorers in the contest with 22 points and dished out five assists of his own.

Redshirt junior Leonard Harper-Baker put up eight points and nine rebounds and redshirt senior point guard Griffin had 10 points and six assists.

Southern Miss has now won four in a row and seven of its last nine. Saturday’s win boosted the team from seventh in conference standing to fifth. The Golden Eagles have just two games remaining on their regular season schedule before bonus play begins, the next one being on Feb. 14 against UTSA at 7:00 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum.

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Senior Cortez Edwards goes for lay-up against LA Tech

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Southern Miss earns five wins in Black and Gold Invite GRANT CHIGHIZOLA MANAGING/SPORTS EDITOR

he Southern Miss softball team is now a perfect 5-0 after the first weekend of the regular season following wins over Houston Baptist, Tennessee Tech, Jackson State and Central Arkansas during the three-day event.

“Overall, we’re very pleased,” Southern Miss head coach Wendy Hogue said. “We understand we’re certainly not where we need to be, and we’re going to keep working, but as far as the goals that we set for weekend number one, I feel like we met those goals. As far as goal setting and achieving what we wanted to achieve, we did that, but it’s weekend number one of a long, long season.”

On Friday, the Golden Eagles opened up the season with wins over Houston Baptist and Central Arkansas. In the first game against Houston Baptist, the Golden Eagles earned a five-inning, 8-0 run rule win over the Huskies.

Senior Chase Nelson and sophomore Destini Brown had two hits apiece for the team, and senior Sarah Van Schaik had a three-RBI performance in the contest.

Junior pitcher Abby Trahan allowed just three hits and recorded three strikeouts in her first start in the circle for the Golden Eagles.

Later in the evening against Central Arkansas, Southern Miss jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead over the Bears in the bottom of the first inning.

The Golden Eagles added another run in the third inning before Central Arkansas responded with two runs in the top of the fourth. However, a two-RBI double from Papp, followed by a Papp score off a throwing error and an RBI single from junior shortstop Lacey Sumerlin allowed Southern Miss to respond with four runs in the

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bottom of the fourth inning.

Central Arkansas added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but Southern Miss added one and three runs in the bottom halves of those innings to come away with the 12-4 win.

Southern Miss once again earned two wins on Saturday. In the team’s first game of the day against Tennessee Tech, the Golden Eagles once again jumped out to a lead with one run apiece in the first, second and third innings.

Senior Sarah Van Schaik rounds third base.

Freshman Madison Rayner earned her first hit of her career in the third inning, which was a solo home run.

Tennessee Tech cut the Southern Miss lead to 3-2 in the top of the second with two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Once again, Southern Miss responded by scoring four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sophomores Alyssa Davis and Brown each had home runs in the inning, and Rayner added a two-RBI single

in the inning.

Two more runs from Tennessee Tech in the sixth and seventh innings cut the Golden Eagles’ lead to 8-6 in the top of the seventh inning, but a ground out ended the Tennessee Tech threat and allowed Southern Miss to take the win.

In the team’s second game of the night, another contest against Houston Baptist, the Golden Eagles once again earned a five-inning run rule victory over the Huskies. Southern Miss came out in the first inning with five runs scored and added another run in the second. The Golden Eagles were held scoreless in the third and fourth innings, but a Sumerlin RBI double put the team up 7-1 over Houston Baptist. That score was followed by a two-run RBI double from Rayner, which put the team up 9-1 and sealed the run rule win.

Freshman pitcher Kaylan Ladner allowed one run on two hits and struck out three batters in her Southern Miss starting debut.

In the team’s final contest on Sunday, the Golden Eagles achieved their third run rule win of the tournament. Junior transfer pitcher Bailie Springfield made her first start in the circle as a Golden Eagle, and pitched a perfect game until the top of the fifth inning when she allowed a solo home run. Southern Miss tacked on three runs in the first and then six runs in the second inning in the 9-1 win.

“Her [Springfield] curve was working really well today, [the] screwball did really well, her screwball’s got a little up spin on it,” Hogue said.

“She’s gritty, she’s got a very calm demeanor and she hit spots and did a good job.”

Springfield struck out three batters on 64 pitches in the contest. Nelson was 3-for-3 with one RBI and senior catcher Samantha Papp was 2-for-2 with three RBIs against Jackson State.

Southern Miss returns to action on the road against Nicholls State on Feb. 13. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Softball’s opening weekend offers positive takeaways ANDREW ABADIE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

outhern Miss opened the season with a 5-0 start, which is already an improvement after the Golden Eagles started 0-4 a year ago. This team looks to have a new set of confidence backed with better hitting and a now-proven pitching staff.

1. More power behind the bats Last season, the Golden Eagles struggled to find consistency offensively. As a team, Southern Miss hit just 18 home runs with a team batting average of .264. In comparison, after the opening weekend, Southern Miss has four home runs from four different batters, and the Golden Eagles have a .400 batting average and a .617 slugging percentage. In the 5-0 start, the team mercy ruled four out of the five teams and outscored opponents 46-12 and run ruling four out of the five teams the team faced.

2. Any pitching staff worries should go away A concern heading into the season was that the Golden Eagles had to adjust to a completely new pitching staff. It was thought that Saint Francis University transfer Abby Trahan would be the ace, and in fact Trahan was named as one of the top 100 players in the nation by softballamerica.com. However, the rest of the staff proved that it will be just as a reliable. The most intriguing performances were from freshman pitchers Kaylan Ladner and Makenna Pierce.

Ladner almost threw a no-hitter against Houston Baptist before it was spoiled in the final inning of the game. Pierce pitched against Houston Baptist on Friday night, finishing with a 1.80 ERA in five innings and allowed three runs on five hits.

Ladner, who made two appearances, finished the weekend with

a 3.00 ERA and allowed two runs on three hits. Junior transfer Bailie Springfield made her appearance on Sunday against Jackson State, where she also almost threw a perfect game that was spoiled by a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning. Lastly, Trahan provided two strong performances, throwing nine strikeouts and allowing six runs on 10 hits in 12 innings pitched.

3. The team has a new a set of confidence The Golden Eagles had an endless string of injuries that contributed to issues that occurred in 2018’s 19-36 season. Southern Miss was forced to play multiple young players and from the way it looks, the amount of time that multiple inexperienced players saw last season is paying off. Sophomores Kaley Fruge, Alyssa Davis and Destini Brown are hitting over .400 currently, with Davis and Brown hitting over .500. With seniors Sarah Van Schaik, Samantha Papp and Chase Nelson mixed into the lineup, they each bring perfect leadership that gives the team a strong mesh.

4. The Golden Eagles still need to prove themselves Even with a dominating 5-0 start, Southern Miss played teams that had a combined 63-125 record in 2018. However, this upcoming week Southern Miss will have to face Nicholls State on the road. From there, the team will travel to Waco, Texas and compete in the Getterman Classic which will include UT Arlington, Baylor and Sam Houston State. Nicholls State finished 40-15 and were the runner-ups in the Southland Conference tournament. UT Arlington finished 30-28 last season, but defeated Southern Miss last year early in the season by a score of 6-4. Lastly, Baylor finished 38-18 with an appearance in the NCAA tournament and also edged out Southern Miss by a score of 3-2 last year. The next four games look to be against competitive teams and will prove to be the true gauge for Southern Miss as they move through the rest of the season.

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Junior Abby Trahan celebrates a strike-out.