The Student Printz: October 6, 2021

SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • OCTOBER 6, 2021 | VOLUME 107 | ISSUE 7

FACULTY SENATE VOTE

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EARTH GIRL

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FOOTBALL V. RICE

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Southern Miss students demand ‘no tolerance’ of sexual assault on campus CHARLIE LUTTRELL SM2 NEWS DIRECTOR

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ozens of students protested in front of the University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus on Oct. 1 to raise awareness of sexual assault.

The protest stemmed from a viral video shared by a Southern Miss student, Adia Reed, who said she was sexually assaulted by a student in the fall semester of 2017. The video has been shared over 450 times and led students to form the protest,

which senior English major Rebecca Fish organized.

“It [the video] sparked a conversation that a lot of people who are on this campus had that same experience and have not felt heard from the administration. And so this is to open the conversation,” Fish said.

Reed was only one of the speakers at the event, all of whom shared their stories or close friends’ stories of sexual assault over the years. She created the video after learning that

Students gather at the front of campus to protest sexual assault.

the perpretrator involved in her sexual assault case re-enrolled at the school after being suspended for two years.

“This is a much bigger issue than just this,” Reed said. “It’s a slap in the face to everyone that is here right now.”

Bella Brocato, the President of the Sexual Assault Prevention Ambassadors, demanded a “no tolerance” policy of sexual assault from the school.

“This should not be a bottom-up effort and it is,” Brocato

said. “We’re tired and we’re done.”

Fish said that students have addressed their concerns with administration members, but are tired of their inaction.

Interim Title IX Coordinator Cristin Reynolds said that their office was aware of the protest prior to the event and shared information about their education resources for students, faculty

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Charlie Luttrell | Printz

NEWS MEET THE CONTRIBUTORS SM2 News Director

Charlie Luttrell charles.luttrell@usm.edu

Executive Editor

Mary Murphy mary.s.murphy@usm.edu

Entertaiment/Features Editor Loren Jones loren.jones@usm.edu

Printz Reporters

Seth Daspit seth.daspit@usm.edu Garret Grove garret.grove@usm.edu Jackson Howell jackson.howell@usm.edu A’Darius McCormick adarius.mccormick@usm.edu Dima Mixon joshua.mixon@usm.edu

Photographer

Sarah Kofman sarah.kofman@usm.edu

The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not represent those of the faculty, staff or administration of The University of Southern Mississippi. We welcome letters to the editor representing similar and contrasting opinions. To be eligible for publication, all submission must include name, class distinction, major, phone number and email address. Submissions should be emailed to printzeditors@gmail.com by 5 p.m. on the Friday before publication. Please limit them to 500 words or less. The Student Printz reserves the right to refuse publication or edit any material on the basis of clarity, space or journalistic ethics.

Opinions expressed in The Student Printz are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Student Printz, its publication manager, USM, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the USM Board of Student Publications.

OCTOBER 6, 2021 WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM Faculty Senate passes vaccine mandate resolution despite IHL restrictions GARRET GROVE PRINTZ REPORTER

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he Faculty Senate at the University of Southern Mississippi voted 33-5 to pass a vaccine mandate resolution on Oct. 1.

The resolution serves as a testament of the senate’s firm stance against the Institutions of Higher Learning’s (IHL’s) decision to block individual IHL institutions from instituting vaccine mandates. The resolution, introduced before the mandate, received support by over 86% of the 38 members present in the October meeting.

The Southern Miss resolution follows similar resolutions passed by other faculty senates at IHL Universities, including Jackson State University, Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi.

For various people on the senate, like Welfare and Environment Committee Chair Robert Press, this process is overshadowed by a central question.

“Politics or health? It’s a real basic decision here,” Press said.

“And in our state, politics is ruling over health.”

Though it can be argued that the resolution is symbolic -- even political -- in nature, administrators like University President Rodney Bennett have expressed their support for the Senate’s ability to make a statement. However, the administration has not formally supported a vaccine mandate on campus. Prior to and following the IHL’s announcement in September, the Southern Miss administration made no indication that a vaccine mandate

ONLINE THIS WEEK

A sign advertising where to get COVID-19 vaccines on campus.

would be instituted.

Southern Miss’s Division of Student Affairs mirrored this approach as well. Vice President Dee Dee Anderson expressed doubts about the effectiveness of a fully implemented vaccine mandate.

“I think we’re better off using the tools that we have with our educational pieces, and our support through our SGA, using those things to get students and faculty and staff vaccinated," Anderson said.

To bolster those efforts, there has been a vaccine incentive program for students running since July 30. However, Anderson admitted that there are no other planned incentive programs beyond the current program’s end on Oct. 15.

Faculty Senate President Brian LaPierre told the Printz that a vaccine mandate could have succeeded and even been fully implemented by the incentive program if adopted by the University. However, the September ruling from the IHL makes it almost certain that this will not occur.

Courtesy of WJTV

Billy Newman is the coordinator of the legal studies program at Southern Miss and is not a part of the Faculty Senate. He explained to The Student Printz that, because of other legal precedents, the state of Mississippi has the authority to institute vaccine mandates or choose not to.

“Our governor, our other leaders in the legislature have made it clear that they aren’t inclined to do that,” Newman said. “They just want every measure to be voluntary, which experience shows voluntary vaccination programs often don’t work. But whether or not they’re efficacious, that is the law.”

Following the passage of this resolution, LaPierre pledged to share the resolution with Bennett and inform the presidents of other faculty senates within the state of its passage. He also announced plans to be in communication with the media outlet Mississippi Today and to share the new resolution with the IHL.

Volleyball sweeps UTSA | Julian Atehortua talks music with Digital Nest Media | Southern Miss hosts National Juried Painting Exhibition | and more

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OCTOBER 6, 2021 WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM

Downtown Hattiesburg kicks off First Saturday event series LOREN JONES ENTERTAINMENT/FEATURES EDITOR

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owntown Hattiesburg hosted the first of its First Saturday event series on Oct. 2.

Though the weather was a little cloudy, the event still had a good turn out, with many Hattiesburg residents coming out to show their support for the local businesses. Downtown stores like The Lucky Rabbit, The Porter and Sage Den remained open to passersby as they took part in tons of fun activities and exhibits.

The First Saturday event series is billed as an excellent opportunity to get out with the family to do something for the day. The event offers things for everyone to do, regardless of age. Parents can shop and eat while kids play in a Scooby-Doo jump house or line up for face painting at The Pocket Museum.

In addition, there was a lot of live music and food vendors present on the corner of Main Street and Baston Street. The Lucky Rabbit hosted an individual street market with vendors offering everything from antiques to local resin and spray paint art.

Along with the local downtown eateries, there were a vast number of food trucks and vendors available. The fabulous smells led you to a wide variety of delicious food. There was BBQ , loaded fries, hamburgers, hotdogs and sandwiches up for grabs.

Take your pick of the bunch: whatever you try would be worth it.

There were also many mini-games set up throughout the venue, allowing people to compete in everything from cornhole to Jenga.

These were not the only activities happening, either. At the Historic Eureka School, there was a display for the “Cast of Blues”, which honored Mississippi’s musical legends. Guests could also participate in Pilates in the park, travel through the 16th Annual Mobile Street Renaissance Festival and find great prizes through The Pocket Museum’s Great Duck Hunt.

Not all of these events ended with First Saturday, either. The Porter began its Oktoberfest festival this past weekend at First Saturday, and the Southern Prohibition Brewery released its new beer for guests to try.

This event is a great way to support local businesses and explore the historic locals of Downtown Hattiesburg. The next First Saturday event will be held on Nov. 6. For more information, visit the Downtown Hattiesburg Association’s website at downtownhattiesburg.com. You can also follow their various social media pages across platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Students march down Spirit Park holding signs and chanting.

NEWS

OCTOBER 6, 2021 WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM

Southern Miss students demand and staff.

“As an office, we’re here as a supportive measure for our students and our faculty and staff, so we definitely want to make sure that information’s out so that people can report [sexual assault], so we are sharing that information [about the protest] if things are happening,” Reynolds said. “We are an entity of the institution. We house our sexual harassment policies, so that’s really important for us to educate on how people can report to the institution if things are happening, so that [we can

then] address to stop, prevent and remedy this kind of behavior.”

According to a 2020 report by the Association of American Universities, 13% of over 100,000 students reported having experienced non consensual contact during their time at school.

“The effects of it are lifelong.

They do not stop after you graduate college, they do not stop after ten years. They forever change your life and people who commit those crimes and cause those effects need to be held

responsible to the highest extent and to the extent of which those effects will last on you,” Brocato said at the protest.

Freshman theater major Seth Rodivich shared a story at the protest to highlight the lasting effects sexual assault can have on people. Rodivich learned that his girlfriend had been sexually assaulted, and sees how it still affects her.

“What was most gravitating about it was about how she still feels about herself now and how she feels dirty or tarnished,” said Rodivich. “Ever since then, this

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 awareness of sexual assault not only in the school or in the state, but the whole nation, has been one of my passions.”

Reynolds emphasized that her office both shares information about sexual misconduct and assault on campus and ways for survivors to report on-campus incidents. Southern Miss’s Title IX office is located inside Cook Library Room 129. You can also visit www.usm.edu/title-ix to file a report online or call 601-2666804 to talk to an office member directly.

Executive Editor Mary Murphy also contributed to this report.

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OCTOBER 6, 2021 WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM

Students rally around sexual assault survivors at on-campus protest PHOTOGRAPHER CHARLIE LUTTRELL

Senior English Major Rebecca Fish (center) joins a chant at the protest. Fish was also the event’s main organizer.

USM student Aida Reed shares her story of on-campus sexual assault from 2017.

Students march through Spirit Park.

A student protestor comforts an SA survivor after she shared her story.

OCTOBER 6, 2021 WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM Label Earth Girl helps connect bands to local listeners ENTERTAINMENT

SETH DASPIT PRINTZ REPORTER

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arth Girl is a local music label that helps promote the tightknit scene of Hattiesburg’s underground. Through their twenty-three tape releases, Earth Girl’s history shows a timeline of Hattiesburg through the words and sounds of a group of friends connected through a love of punk.

Hampton Martin, the creator of Earth Girl, said he was inspired by the punk tradition of starting and releasing music through self-made labels to open his own.

“I can’t trust anyone to do it as well as I know I can,” Martin said.

This tradition has also appealed to many Hattiesburg musicians over the years, too, with acts like Judy and the Jerks, Pleather, Fumes, Disco Lemonade, MSPAINT, Big Bleach, Baghead and Eye Jammy releasing music through the label. Though Martin has tried to release music from out-of-town bands, Earth Girl has remained a Hattiesburg-only label.

“There’s been times I’ve tried to reach out to bands out of town, but for one reason or another it just doesn’t work out. I think it’s a message,” says Martin.

Record labels have a message or continuity about the music they release, and Earth Girl is no different. Although

scene. Friends from Olympia, Seattle, Austin, Richmond, St. Louis, D.C., Indiana and New York City have all played in Hattiesburg. Even bands from Germany, Japan, Australia, Brazil and Spain have crashed in local living rooms. With each new gig, Hattiesburg gains much more of a reputation for its punk scene.

That said, the punk scene is still picking up steam. Martin joked that there needs to be more fake drama so that Hattiesburg can be viewed even remotely as “hard” or “tough”.

But Earth Girl maintains its kind yet determined attitude about music, as it best encapsulates what the label represents: a network of friends who want to create art their way.

Hampton Martin poses with a four-track recorder and cassette tapes.

Seth Daspit | Printz To support Earth Girl, visit their Bandcamp page at the actual music between the Oklahoma City didn’t seem bands is unique, the reason totally impossible, as there is earthgirltapes.bandcamp.com why they are all at Earth Girl now a living room you could and buy a tape or two! If you remains the same: to keep the crash in. would like to listen to a comscene in Hattiesburg alive and “There were just a lot of pilation of Hattiesburg bands, thriving. bands we liked that were I would recommend checking The Hattiesburg punk playing the festival, and hav- out ‘Dog City USA’. I would scene has slowly grown over ing never been, we decided to also recommend Earth Girl’s the years, with bands from drive there and go,” Martin latest release, Bad Anxiety’s the area being able to tour said. “Through talking to ‘Demonstration’, which conacross regions of the country. some of the bands there, they tains four songs written and Martin said the scene only found out about our bands performed by Martin. Earth really started to be acknowland Hattiesburg.”

Girl also has a Discogs page edged in 2015, thanks to the Since then, Hattiesburg “Everything is Not OK” mu- has been a hotspot for several you can check out at www. discogs.com/label/1182682sic festival in Oklahoma City. touring bands in the nationSuddenly, playing a show in al and even international Earth-Girl.

ENTERTAINMENT

OCTOBER 6, 2021 WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM

Southern Miss senior wins indie music award

A’DARIUS MCCORMICK PRINTZ REPORTER

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n Sept. 17, Southern Miss senior Kyle Graves received an award for his song “Wicked Woman” at the seventh annual Josie Music Awards in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Graves, alongside co-writer Ryan Purser, was honored with a Josie Music award for his lyrical work on “Wicked Woman” for their band, Four Way Stop.

“I like to consider myself a guitarist who happens to sing, if that makes sense,” Graves said. “Guitar is kind of my main thing.”

Though he did do a lot of the writing for “Wicked Woman”, Graves said he thought Purser had a much better sound for its lead vocals. So, Graves provided background vocals and electric guitar for the song while Purser sang.

“My voice really wasn’t my favorite on this song, and I said, ‘You know, I really think Ryan’s voice will sound much better with this,’” Graves said.

Four Way Stop recorded and performed “Wicked Woman”

Kyle Graves in front of a miniature of “Lofty Return”.

around the state before they submitted it to Josie Music’s Rock category. To their surprise, they ended up winning “Best Rock Song by a Duo/Group”.

“It was just literally disbelief from the time they said my name to the time that I walked on stage to the time I said my thing, said my peace and sat down,” Graves said.

Sarah Kofman | Printz

“I think it took like thirty minutes for it to actually set in.”

Four Way Stop started as a group of friends with an interest in music during their freshman year of college. Graves thought their transition from friends to bandmates went smoothly because they all have respect for one another.

“All four of us, you know, we

love each other, we care for each other, we want each other to succeed, and I think that makes it much easier than most people think,” said Graves.

The songwriter left a tidbit of advice for any aspiring or up and coming songwriters.

“Be prepared for you to be the only person in the entire world that likes that song, and be okay with that, cause you should be writing something that expresses you,” said Graves.

The Josie Music Awards started awarding indie artists of all genres in 2015 when mother-daughter duo Josie and Tinamarie Passantino created a show based on skill and talent. The gala awarded winners in more than thirty categories, from lyrics to music videos to lifetime achievements.

You can stream “Wicked Woman” on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. You can also keep up-to-date with Four Way Stop through their Twitter and Facebook pages.

SPORTS

OCTOBER 6, 2021

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Southern Miss Soccer suffers first home loss against UAB DIMA MIXON PRINTZ REPORTER

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he Golden Eagles (6-3-1) lost their first home game of the season as the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers took the match 2-1 in overtime.

With less than two minutes left in the game, UAB’s Laura Zemberyova scored the game-winning goal, ending Southern Miss’ perfect home record.

“It comes down to a minute and 53 seconds, both teams are playing well and they got their chance and put it away,” Head Coach Mohammed El-Zare said. “We had a lot of chances to put the game away and we didn’t capitalize.”

The Golden Eagles dominated the game early, not letting UAB cross midfield. However, the team only

managed to get one goal during that period, which set a theme throughout the game. For the entirety of the match, UAB outshot the Golden Eagles 14 to 5.

After the first few minutes, the Blazers took control, forcing Southern Miss to rely on its defense. Senior goalkeeper and reigning Conference USA Goalkeeper of the Week Kendell Mindnich got to work early, netting four saves in the first 25 minutes.

At the 37th minute, UAB advanced the ball down the field and got set up for a corner kick. However, Jessica Wheeler sent the corner kick right to Asha Zuniga, who scored the goal, giving the Blazers a 1-0 lead.

“I felt that, in the first half, they were definitely more ready for this game and we were not as aggressive

and assertive,” El-Zare said. “We allowed them to build out of the back and get numbers in the midfield and up top.”

The game went back and forth until halftime. Southern Miss tried to rally to win the game, but got off to a sloppy start. Less than six minutes into the second half, Southern Miss was penalized and UAB lined up for a penalty kick. However, Mindnich made a crucial save that kept the Golden Eagles going.

Then, at the 62nd minute, the Golden Eagles found its offense as Alice Campos assisted Blessing Kingsley to shoot past the Blazers’ keeper Anika Toth. Toth saved four shots on goal and allowed only this shot to pass.

“We were able to respond back in

the second half and started defending a little better from the front and scored a nice goal,” El-Zare said.

The goal served as an equalizer for the game. Both teams remained neck-and-neck even through two periods of overtime, though, ultimately, the Blazers scored with two minutes remaining.

“We’ve got to own it.” El-Zare said. “You’re going to have some challenges, you’re going to have some ups and downs and how you respond is more important than the outcome.

The Golden Eagles fall to 2-1 in overall conference play. Their next game is Oct. 8 in Ruston, Louisiana, where they will face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Backup quarterback dominates, but Southern Miss falls short to Rice JACKSON HOWELL PRINTZ REPORTER

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he spark provided by once scout team, now backup, quarterback Jake Lange was not enough as Southern Miss (1-4, 0-1 C-USA) fell to Rice (2-3, 1-0 C-USA) 24-19.

Lange took over as starter after an apparent ankle injury sidelined Ty Keyes after the first drive. “[Ty] finished the game on crutches[, so] he was out,” Head Coach Will Hall said after the game. “Losing Ty early was a big blow [as we were] down to our third quarterback. I thought [Lange] came in and played his tail off. […] Lange’s a winner and a tough guy, and he embodies what Southern Miss is about.”

Lange came in strong as he went four of six for 70 yards and a touchdown on his first drive. He connected with freshman Chandler Pittman on a wheel route for a 31-yard score, tying the game at seven apiece.

Lange finished the game 23-37 for 304 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. His yardage, completions and attempts marked the most in a game by a Southern Miss quarterback this season.

“I think when Ty got hurt I knew I was prepared. I’ve been waiting for

this moment my whole life[, and I] just want to give our team the best chance to win,” said Lange.

Lange connected with receiver Jason Brownlee eight times for 127 yards, giving the Golden Eagles its first 100-yard receiving performance of the season. Brownlee also became the first Golden Eagle to record over 100 receiving yards in a game with eight receptions for 127 yards.

Lange said his time on the scout team improved his game, which he used in his quick turnaround to taking over the offense.

“It was a great challenge every week [...] going against our real defense,” Lange said. “Being on the scout team elevated my game exponentially.”

However, four turnovers sealed the fate of Southern Miss, as they were unable to get a single turnover on Rice.

“We lost the turnover battle four to zero, and that’s why we lost the game,” said Hall. “We won every statistical thing there is to win [including] total offense, first downs, special teams [and] return yardage.”

Hall added that the team’s penalties did not help Southern Miss either.

Southern Miss started the game with two consecutive penalties on defense.

Six plays later, Rice quarterback Jake

Constantine found his receiver Jake Bailey for a 39 yard touchdown, giving Rice the early 7-0 lead.

Constantine looked sharp in this game, as he went 16-22 for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He split time in the backfield with Nebraska transfer-quarterback Luke McCaffrey, brother of all-pro running back Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey did not account for much offense, however, as he had two rushes for 16 yards and completed his only pass attempt for 15 yards.

Before halftime, Constantine led the offense down the field as Rice kicker Christian VanSickle made his first collegiate field goal from 41 yards out, giving the Owls a 10-7 lead.

The Nasty Bunch had a rough start to the third quarter as Rice scored on their opening drive with a Robert French 19-yard touchdown reception from Constantine. On the following drive, Southern Miss turned the ball over via a Lange interception on third and long. On the very next play, Cedric Patterson III took a reverse all the way to the house, giving Rice a commanding 24-7 lead.

Defensive back Tyrek Moody was ejected for targeting in the third quarter, meaning he will also miss the first half of next game.

But not everything was grim. DB

Camron Harrell took the ensuing kickoff back 95-yards for a touchdown, bringing the Golden Eagles within 10.

Harrell made another huge special teams play by securing an onside kick in the fourth quarter.

“I knew one was gonna hit. I didn’t know if it was gonna be week 1, 2, 3 [or] 4. Every time I’m back there […]

I have the most confidence not only in myself but the people in front of me,” Harrell said about the return.

“Coach Meyer knew we had it all week. We just thought the time was right and [they] made a play. I was proud of them,” Hall said about the onside kick.

The drive would stall, however, as penalties once again mounted. A personal foul on the offense negated a first down, which led to a Southern Miss punt.

Southern Miss had two more chances to reach the end zone but could not convert in time. The first try ended with an interception, and the second saw Rice run out the clock.

Instead of punting with 14 seconds left, Rice took a safety in the endzone, making it a 24-19 game. Lange’s last Hail Mary attempt was batted away

by Rice, ending the game.

Southern Miss will next host UTEP (4-1) for homecoming on Oct. 9.