The
S TUDENT P RINTZ
October 10, 2013
www.studentprintz.com
SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
Volume 98 Issue 15
ON CAMPUS
The Pride debuts new uniform Chase Ladner Printz Reporter
The Pride of Mississippi displayed their new uniforms at the Oct. 5 home football game. This is the first time the band has changed their look in over a decade. The design of the new uniform was voted on by fans using Facebook in 2012. “Thousands of people responded,” said James Standland, director of the Pride of Mississippi. The new uniform came from three potential designs. Directors wanted to keep the look of the older uniforms intact by keeping similar designs and fonts. “We wanted a contemporary look that preserved tradition,” Standland said. Stepping away from tradition, the uniforms are no longer made of dry-clean only cotton. Instead they are made of modern sweat-wicking, washable material. According to Standland, the uniforms are also designed to be completely adjustable to fit each band member. Students received their uniforms the day before the Oct. 5 game. Because the new uniforms are adjustable, members were able
to wear them for the game without having to tailor them. “If this was 10 years ago, this would be impossible,” Standland said. “It’s athletic wear for bands,” said Director of Bands Catherine Rand. She explained that her first initiative as director was to push for the marching band to get new uniforms. “We were safety-pinning kids in,” Rand said. She explained that marching uniforms last for about a decade. The same uniforms are reused and refitted until it’s time to replace them. With the cotton uniforms, it was common for students to overheat in the beginning of the season. “The first game always needed medical attention,” Standland said. It’s the hope of the band department that the uniform change will make marching safer for students. “[The old uniforms] are like a second skin,” Rand said. “These uniforms were made just for Southern bands.” For more information about the Christopher Little/Printz Pride of Mississippi Marching Band visit usm.edu/music/bands or face- Trombone player Trent Patterson and drum major Victoria Russo showcase the new Pride uniforms. book.com/prideofmississippi.
ON CAMPUS
Student to attend top conference Ardan Thornhill Printz Reporter Robert Williamson, a senior finance-political science double major, was recently selected to present his research at the Emerging Scholars Conference at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Emerging Scholars Conference is a program that the University of Michigan’s Political Science Department initiated to encourage high-performing scholars to pursue a master’s degree in political science. Undergraduate students across
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experienced graduate students. Williamson will travel with Marek Steedman, associate professor of political science at USM. Steedman received a Ph.D. in political theory from the University of Michigan. Steedman said USM’s political science department ran a series of internal competitions with Williamson emerging as the top candidate. They then forwarded his name to the University of Michigan. “What my research is on is ‘poRobert Williamson Courtesy Photo litical polarization’ and how it affects the country will attend the confer- how people vote,” Williamson said. Political polarization is a social ence Oct. 25 to showcase their research and introduce themselves to phenomenon that can affect an in-
DOWNTOWN DINING
ATHLETIC TRAINER DIES
dividual, a group, a state or a nation in which a shift from moderate-toextreme views takes place in terms of political values. “It’s familiar in American politics that at least the politicians are deeply polarized; the question at hand is how much this is related to similar polarization in the American electorate,” Steedman said. Williamson conducted a twopart experimental study on campus in which USM students filled out a questionnaire to gauge their political views. Students then participated in a simulated election that discovers the possible connection between
ideology and voting behaviors. Williamson is a member of the Honors College where he serves as an Ambassador. The research that will be presented is his Honors Thesis and will come full-circle in the spring. “My personal opinion is when it’s abstract or in a vacuum, people have the tendency to be a bit more extreme, but in application, they are much less polarized,” Williamson said.
WEATHER
INDEX
Thursday
85/61 Friday
86/63 Saturday
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See CONFERENCE, 3
Calendar ....................... 2 News ............................. 3 Feature.......................... 4 Sports............................ 7