Partly Cloudy

TUESDAYFEBRUARY 21, 2012

The

Reflector THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

5839

HIGH

LOW

TUESDAYRainy Partly CloudyREADERʼS GUIDE

CAMPUS CALENDAR..................2BAD DAWGS..............................3OPINION...............................4CONTACT INFO......................4

CROSSWORD.............................5CLASSIFIEDS..........................5LIFE.....................................6SPORTS..................................8

POLICYANY PERSON MAY PICK UP A SINGLE COPY OF THE REFLECTOR FOR FREE. ADDITIONAL COPIES MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE MEYER STUDENT MEDIA CENTER FOR 25 CENTS PER COPY.

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

6141

HIGH

LOW

6757

HIGH

LOW

125TH YEAR | ISSUE 37

TWITTER.COM/REFLECTORONLINEFACEBOOK.COM/REFLECTORONLINE

BY KAITLYN BYRNE

Copy Editor

According to retention rate data from the Of-fi ce of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Mississippi State University, MSU has the highest percentage and retention rate of African-American students attending public universities in Missis-sippi.

Philip Bonfanti, executive director of enroll-ment at MSU, said African-American students represented almost 23 percent of the MSU stu-dent body in fall 2011. Based on current data available, Bonfanti said this is the highest per-

centage among all SEC schools.Bonfanti said the spirit of MSU as “the people’s

university” is a large reason the university has such a diverse student population.

“I believe that even as we have grown in enroll-ment and academic quality over our 130-year his-tory, Mississippi State University has stayed true to its roots as the People’s University,” he said. “Our welcoming family atmosphere is attractive to people from all races, and, because of that, we ac-tually do not have to do anything special to attract a diverse student population other than continue to be ourselves.”

Jerry Gilbert, provost and executive vice presi-

dent, said MSU is welcoming as a whole, and peo-ple feel that acceptance when they visit campus.

“We come across as a very welcoming place, and I think that’s just a tradition of the land grant and MSU,” he said. “We’re not perfect, but I think we’re better than a lot of other places. I think peo-ple get a sense of the general welcoming feeling when they step on campus.”

Gilbert said even though MSU has the highest African-American retention rate out of public uni-versities in Mississippi, the retention rate of the African-American population at MSU is one of the lowest among the various student demograph-ic groups.

African-American retention highest in state

BY HAYLEE BURGE

Contributing Writer

At the Mississippi State University men’s basketball game against Kentucky, students will have the opportunity to earn their fi rst point for the new Bulldog Coalition program.

Rhett Hobart, Student As-sociation president, said the Bulldog Coalition is a pro-gram that was started two years ago, but it stayed pri-marily in the planning stages. The program serves as a way for students to earn points for the Bulldog Club before they graduate.

“I think the new Bulldog Coalition provides a great benefi t to our student body by allowing them to earn prizes for attending events on our campus,” he said. “It gives students the oppor-tunity to begin earning Bulldog Club points simply by attending events at MSU.”

Hobart said the Bulldog Club is an alumni program in which points earned give alumni priority in ticket ordering and seating options. Before the Bulldog Coalition, the only way to earn points was by donating money. With the start of this program, students will earn one Bulldog Club point for every 250 Bulldog Co-alition points earned.

In the past, students had to pay to join the Bulldog Coalition. That is no longer the case with the revamp of the program. To join, stu-dents may have their student ID scanned at the men’s basketball game against Kentucky.

BulldogCoalitionrevamped

Podcasts being utilized by some, ignored by many

BY WILL HAGER

Staff Writer

Millions of thumbs scroll past it every day on iPods across. It has been there for years, tucked in a menu between “Songs” and “Genres.” Ac-cording to edisonresearch.com, just under 50 per-cent of Americans have heard or seen one.

What is this medium half of America has yet to witnessed? Podcasts.

Podcasts are digital, multimedia fi les that can be downloaded or subscribed to on the Inter-net. They can either be audio or video-based and usually run in a series format, focusing on specifi c topics or genres.

Mississippi State University was an early adopter when it began to incorporate podcast-ing into its institution in 2005. Information Technology Services helped interested professors set up the software and equipment to podcast.

John Forde, communication department head, was one of the fi ve faculty members who began to podcast lectures nearly half a decade ago.

Along with teaching a face-to-face class, Forde said he also teaches online lessons with up to 50 students. He said students who tend to do the best in his online classes are the ones who con-sistently listen to the podcast.

BY ESHAN NEWAZ

Staff Writer

On Feb. 28, 29 and March 1, interview days for students in-terested in the Cooperative Program will be held on Mississippi State University’s campus. The cooperative education program offers students the chance to work for a company associated with their major to gain comprehensive real-world work experi-ence.

Edie Irvin, senior coordinator of the cooperative education program, said most students who obtain co-ops obtain the op-portunity through the Career Center.

“About 80 percent of the students get their jobs through the career center,” Irvin said. “The rest fi nd companies on their own.”

When asked if it is more diffi cult for non-engineering majors to fi nd Co-op opportunities, Irvin said this has to do with the types of companies which offer co-op programs.

“Availability of co-op jobs are greater for engineers because co-op was started by engineering companies years ago,” Irvin said.

Bonnie O’Neal, senior chemical engineering major, said the types of work students do vary depending on the company, the student’s major and location of the job.

Co-op provides students with work experience

PODCASTS AIRED

‘09

‘10

69,860

89,45522%

of American listeners

23%of American

listeners

FOR ALL THE LATEST,CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE

WWW.REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM@

WWW.REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF 2011

SEE PODCAST, 2

SEE COALITION, 3

SEE CO-OP, 2

SEE RETENTION, 3

BY JAMES CARKSKADON

Sports Editor

After a 17-year run at the helm of Mississippi State’s

women’s basketball program, head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis will retire at the end of this season, she announced Monday.

Fanning-Otis’ retirement marks the end of her 36-year coaching career which has seen head coaching runs at UT-

Chattanooga, Kentucky and MSU. She will retire as the win-ningest coach in MSU women’s

basketball history with a record of 281-229 with the Lady Bulldogs. In December, Fanning-Otis picked up her 600th win and currently has 608 wins to her name.

MSU said she will now serve in an athletic development role with the Bulldog Club, the fundraising arm of the MSU Athletic Depart-ment.

“I want to thank Mississippi State for the opportunity and experience it gave me to be the

women’s head basketball coach for the past 17 years,” Fanning-Otis said in a statement. “I look forward to working in the Bulldog Club in a fund-raising capacity for all our sports. I especially want to thank all of the coaches, players, staff and fans for the tremen-dous experience. I am blessed to have been a part of the growth of women’s basketball over the past 37 years.”

The coaching change follows two seasons that saw the Lady Bulldogs struggle on the court. MSU currently sits at 4-10 in SEC play, and the Bulldogs posted a losing record a season ago. In the 2009-2010 season, Fanning-Otis lead her team to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Athletic director Scott Stricklin will now make his second head coaching hire as the athletic director and said in a statement he is looking for a coach to move the program forward.

“I want to thank Sharon for her devotion to our women’s basketball program for nearly two decades and for the accom-plishments she has guided our program to during that time,” he said. “She has a great heart for people, and her work ethic and dedication to Mississippi State has taken our women’s basketball program to successes never attained prior to her arrival. The tim-ing of Sharon’s announcement gives us the opportunity to begin looking for our next women’s basketball coach. As always, we’ll identify a hard-working, intelligent coach who can move this program forward.”

Fanning-Otis led the Lady Bulldogs to six NCAA Tournament berths in her time as head coach and was also named SEC Coach of the Year in 2000. She has coached 10 All-SEC players at MSU, as well as two Kodak All-Americans.

The fi nal home game as head coach for Fanning-Otis will be this Sunday when the Lady Bulldogs take on Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.

Hobart

Reflector THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

FOR ALL THE LATEST,CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE

WWW.REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

NO. 1 TEAM IN THE COUNTRY VISITS

THE HUMP

Fanning-Otisstepping down

FILE PHOTO | THE REFLECTOR

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

MACHINE

GUN

KELLY & GUESTS

@ RICK’STHURSDAY

8 P.M.

ONLY$20

“MGK IS AN UP-AND-COMING ARTIST ON THE FAST TRACK TO STARDOM, SEEING HIM IN THIS INTIMATE OF A VENUE WON’T BE POSSIBLE IN THE FALL.” CHRIS CAJOLEAS, EVENT PROMOTER

MARDI GRAS MANIA LIFE | 6

SPORTS | 8

!

Ash Wednesday Service

February 22, 201212:05 p.m

MSU Chapel of Memories

Imposition of Ashes and Communion

All are welcome.

Sponsored byThe Episcopal Church

at Mississippi State UniversityFor information call 323-3483

Love Where You Live...

at Starkville

21 Player Lane Starkville, MS 39759

Call Now for Details!662.338.1801

Live Where You Play...

www.LindseyManagement.com

1 & 2 BR Apartments • Golf Privileges for ResidentsFull-Size Washer & Dryer • All Major Appliances

Tanning Beds • Swimming Pool • Whirlpool & Sauna • Fitness Center Business Center • Activity Room • Beautiful Golf Course Views

Furnished Apartments Available • On-Site Management

Have a Smartphone? Scan here for more

information!

Campusalendar

Disney College

Program

Date: Feb. 23

Time: 5 p.m.

Location: McCool Hall

room 124

Contact: Jennifer Riley

832-4922

Fairy Tales and Wedding BellsDate: Feb. 21Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: McCool Hall 100Contact: Beatrice Tatem 325-2090

Mississippi Model Security CouncilDate: Feb. 23 to 25Time: 9:30 a.m.Location: Colvard Student UnionContact: Ellen Davis901-355-1047

Theatre MSU presents “Dog Act”Date: Feb. 23Time: 7:30 p.m.Location: McComas Lab TheatreContact: Jo Durst 325-3203

Men’s Basketball vs.

Kentucky

Date: Feb. 21

Time: 8 to 10 p.m.

Location: Humphrey

Coliseum

Contact: Chad Thomas

325-9847

Graduation Fair

Date: Feb. 22

Time: 8 to 5 p.m.

Location: Cullis Wade Depot

Barnes & Noble Cafe

Contact: Robert McCain

325-8361

MSU groups may send information for campus calendar to news@reflector.msstate.edu. Additional campus events can be found online at msstate.edu/web/news.

NEWS T H E R E F L E C TO R2 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2012

PODCAST continued from 1

“(Podcasting) is the closest thing to being in class without being there,” Forde said. “I think it is a whole lot better than just emailing notes or just having the Powerpoints because it is as if they are sitting in on the class even though it is not live.”

He said he wears a cordless mic and records his lecture which is posted online just minutes after class ends. He said podcasting has been useful in keeping students who can not make it to class up-to-date. Forde cited an example of a girl who could not attend class because she lost her purse.

“She missed class, but it won’t really count against her, and she can go listen to the podcast, and she won’t get to see us, but she will get to hear us,” Forde said.

The range of podcasting extends beyond the class-room. Amanda Powers, reference librarian, said pod-casts have settled in to a more topic-specifi c function.

“The ones that have more staying power have ap-pealed to a really specifi c niche community,” she said. “You have to have groups of people that are very inter-ested in a topic and are willing to sit there and listen to it for the whole time and devote that time to it.”

Not only do consumers have to put in the time, so do the podcasters, Powers said.

“It is a series of skills that are not just out-of-the-box. You have to know how to upload it. You have to know … where to upload it. You have to name it and package it and fi gure out how to get it to people, how to build a following,” she said.

Podcasts can be watched or listened to anywhere you can take an MP3 player. According to edison-research.com, two thirds of podcast consumers lis-ten to podcasts through an MP3 player in the car. Ben Harvey, MSU professor, said he likes to listen to podcasts while exercising or cooking.

“I like the convenience of curating the material I like and then being able to listen to it whenever ... It is just kind of an easy thing to integrate into

different types of activities,” Harvey said.Harvey, who lived in England until he was 24,

said he listens to a variety of podcasts on art, fi lm and books. He said podcasts help him stay in the loop with old parts of his life.

“To me, personally, podcasts allow me to keep track of different phases of my life,” Harvey said. “I fi nd that podcasts allow me to keep track with a lot of stuff that is happening in Britain and that I miss from (there). It seems to connect my past.”

Powers said podcasts will always have a place in so-ciety as long as they’re producing high quality, user-centric content.

“It’s not the method that’s revered but the content that is valued,” she said. “I think that’s true of any kind of delivery mode of information.”

CO-OP continued from 1

O’Neal said she worked on various projects while co-oping for Dow Chemical Company.

“I worked in three different locations, so ev-ery time I started new, and learning the new process is the number one requirement for the co-op pro-gram,” she said.

She said no matter what work students do through the co-op program, it still contributes great-ly to their career.

“I have respect even for those who fi le papers. You will still end up learning a lot,” O’Neal said.

Mary Ann Murdock, senior chemical engineering major, said

she will be going back to work with the same company she has been co-oping with. She empha-sized the importance of co-ops for

students who want a foot in the door in their companies of choice. Murdock be-gan her co-op during her sophomore year.

“Co-op gives you the work experience you need, and, when you sit down for a full-time job inter-view, you have some-thing to talk about … you actually have things to say that are critical to the job you are given from your co-op experience,”

she said. Melissa Webb, senior electri-

cal engineering major, said co-op helped her understand which ma-jor would be well-matched to her future professional goals. She was a computer engineering major at fi rst but switched to electrical engineering after her co-op with Prism Systems.

Webb said she learned a lot from working for the company, and the part she loved most was getting to know her coworkers.

“I worked for a nontraditional, small company, therefore (I) got to know every employee person-ally,” Webb said.

Andrew Hopkins, senior psy-chology and chemistry major, said co-oping also helps students build a strong network. He said co-oping was an exciting oppor-tunity for him, and learning to assess his own progress was a vital skill. However, like any job, work sometimes may get really slow and mundane.

“I had to make these huge spreadsheets of information that were important to my boss but didn’t really tie into what I was doing at that time,” Hopkins said.

Irvin said the benefi t of the co-op program is mutual since students receive a good salary and companies gain an unbiased viewpoint from college students.

O’Neal said students also have the potential to offer companies a new perspective on daily work routines.

“(The companies) are getting a fresh perspective, which is not bogged down by strict engineer-ing rules from these young engi-neers,” she said.

Murdock said her company places great importance on the co-op program because many of the smaller projects depend entirely on co-op students, and most future employees are chosen from previous co-op workers.

“We really value our co-op pro-gram. We pretty much hire out of our co-op pools,” Murdock said.

POPULAR PODCASTSTO CONSIDER

An archive of sports-centered podcasts

hosted by an assortment of sports personalities.

Novelist Kurt Andersen looks at the creative

process behind various types of art and culture.

A thematically-tied collection of stories looking at more

distinct aspects and niches of American life.

A guest writer chooses a story from the magazine’s archives to read and discuss with The

New Yorker fiction editor, Deborah Treisman.

THE NERDIST

THE NEW YORKERFICTION PODCAST

THIS AMERICAN LIFE

STUDIO 360

THE GRANTLAND NETWORK

The weekly interview show hosted by Chris Hardwick delves into nerd sub-culture and

talks with a wide range of celebrities.

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

“Co-op gives you the work experience you need ... you actually have things to say that are critical to the job.”MARY ANN MURDOCK, SENIOR

PAPAJOHNS.COMPAPAJOHNS.COM10

NEW

$

5 SausagePIZZA

Better Ingredients.Better Pizza.

VOTED BEST PIZZA IN STARKVILLE 2011

VOTED BEST PIZZA IN STARKVILLE 2011

Limited Time Only

Unhappy with your living situation? Start fresh with us for Fall!Greentree Apartments on Lynn Lane

University Towers on University Dr.

Colony Apartments on North Montgomery

Come Try Us Out!662-323-2430

MEN’S MARCH TO END SEXUALIZED VIOLENCE

MONDAY, MARCH 5TH, 2012 4:00– 6:00 P.M. AT THE JUNCTION

“This project was supported by grant No. 2010-WA-AX-0002 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in the publication are those of Relationship Violence & Outreach and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women.”

The Department of Relationship Violence and Outreach Henry Meyer Media Center, Mississippi State, MS 662-325-2090

The Life Section

@lifereflectorFOLLOW

NEWS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2012 | 3

DAWGSBAD

R E F L E C TO R - O N L I N E . C O M

RETENTION continued from 1

According to the data, the retention rate for African-American students is 81 percent, which is only 2 percent lower than the overall retention rate of MSU. Bonfanti said the adminis-tration believes MSU can do better in both cases and is currently working on programs to increase the retention rate for all students.

Gilbert said some programs in the works include intervention at the academic probation level and student focus groups.

“We’ve talked about doing focus groups to get students together and brainstorm with them to see if there’s anything in the picture we’re not aware of,” he said. “(Retention rates are) a national problem. Many people have tried to fi gure out a solution, but no one has come up with a silver bullet saying this is what we need to do.”

Bonfanti said administration is working to identify outside factors that cause students, as a whole and by particular demographics, not to graduate.

“One factor is obviously poor aca-demic preparedness, but, more often

than not, there are also non-academic factors related to the transition of college life,” Bonfanti said. “With that in mind, the university has and is developing both academic support programs, as well as mentoring and advising programs to help support all students through this transition.”

COALITION continued from 1

The IDs will be scanned by an iTouch scanner. If a student does not attend this game, there will be an opportunity to sign up via a website that will be set up at a later date. This website will also allow students to track their points.

Chad Thomas, assistant athletic director at MSU, said he is very excited about the changes the pro-gram has undergone.

“After discussing the set-up with SA President Rhett Hobart, we agreed with his staff that we needed to have a more streamline system in place for students to get scanned and aggregate their points,” he said. “This new scan-ning system will allow students the ease of carrying one ID card and give them up-to-date information on where they stand with their points throughout the year.”

Thomas said he sees the pro-gram as a great way for students to prepare for future Bulldog pur-chases.

“We look forward to all students joining the program as it is a way for them to gain valuable Bulldog Club points after graduation that goes towards the purchase of foot-ball and men’s basketball season ticket priority sales,” he said.

Hobart said in order to earn points, students must simply at-tend MSU events and have their IDs scanned. Most events will be worth one point, but some could be worth up to three points. The points offered will be announced prior to each event.

Student organizations will be given the opportunity to apply for their events to be added to the Bulldog Coalition roster.

With the accumulation of points comes prizes.

Students will be able to claim their prizes every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Colvard Student Union suite 314.

Each year the top three students will be awarded grand prizes. The third place student will receive a $100 Barnes & Noble gift card and two general admission tick-ets to a Music Maker Productions concert of his or her choice. The second place student will be given a chance to choose between a pre-game sideline pass to a football game or the opportunity to throw the fi rst pitch at a baseball game. The fi rst place winner will have lunch with Scott Stricklin, asso-ciate athletic director, and a head coach of the student’s choice.

The athletic department fac-ulty at MSU hope this program will be an incentive for students to attend all events, not just the major ones.

Lacey Odom, junior music education major, said she hopes the program will have the stands

full at every athletic event.“Everyone goes to football

games, but it really helps the team, band and other fans when the stands are packed at every event,” she said. “I feel like this new program could make that happen.”

Join: Bulldog Coalition Decal

10: MSU Dining Coupon

25: Barnes & Noble Coupon

50: Bulldog Coalition Coozee

75: T-shirt

100: MSU signed Homecoming print

150:150: Alumni Association T-shirt

250: Stainless Water Bottle

350: MSU Tradition Prints

500: Engraved chrome cowbell

BULLDOG COALITION PRIZES

JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

78.8%

79.7%

79.8%

74.3%

72.6%

72.2%

70.9%

66.0%

75.9%

79.5%

82.4%

83.0%

2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

68.0%

68.1%

66.1%

59.0%

62.7%

64.6%

73.6%

69.0%

63.1%

70.9%

63.5%

60.6%

2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

RETENTION RATES IN MISSISSIPPI

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

ADVERTISE(WITH)

THE REFLECTOR

CALL 325-7907

Saturday, February 18• 11:20 p.m. A student was arrested for contributing to a minor on Miss. Highway 182 in Starkville.• 11:20 p.m. A student was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol on Miss. Highway 182 in Starkville.• 11:23 p.m. An employee found a bag containing a green leafy substance in Cresswell Hall parking lot.• 11:45 p.m. A student was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol on Miss. Highway 182 in Starkville.

Sunday, February 19•12:01 a.m. A student was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol on Miss. Highway 182 in Starkville.• 12:55 a.m. A student was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol and open container on Maxwell Street.• 12:22 a.m. A student was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol in Starkville.• 12:22 a.m. A student was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol in Starkville.• 12:22 a.m. A student was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol in Starkville.• 5:09 p.m. A student reported her vehicle was damaged by another vehicle while parked in a North Zone parking lot.• 6:45 p.m. A student reported losing his wallet inside Colvard Student Union.• 10:37 p.m. A student reported a marijuana pipe and other contents were found inside Burger King.• 10:26 p.m. A student reported his iPhone missing from the Sanderson Center.

Citations:• 3 citations were issued for disregard for a traffic device.• 13 citations were issued for speeding.• 2 citations were issued for expired tag.• 1 citation was issued for careless driving.• 1 citation was issued for no insurance.

Happy Mardi Gras! This day marks the transi-tion into my favorite

season of the year.Most people think they know

what Mardi Gras is: the parades winding through New Orleans and beads raining down on spec-tators weeks before the actual day of Mardi Gras, but it is so much more. To fully understand Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, and what it’s about, one must first discover the beauty of Lent, the season Ash Wednesday ushers in.

The Lenten season offers Christians a way to grow closer to God and forms the cornerstone in the preparation for Easter in liturgical denominations.

Lent stretches for the 46 days before Easter Sunday. I’m sure some people out there are ask-ing “Are you sure, 46 days?” Lent is typically advertised as a 40-day journey, and it is. However, the six extra days account for the six Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter weekend, which are exempt from the trial of your choosing.

Lent is most often categorized by this trial, or giving something up, but it is not just about denying yourself. Lent is a time to teach yourself to lean on God when times get hard or substituting an activity with spending time with God each day.

So what does all this have to do with today? Fat Tuesday is a day to indulge in that which you are going to give up for Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday.

So if you decide to give up television, then, today, you can justify spending all day sitting on the couch watching reruns of your favorite show. If you give up something a little more addictive like caffeine, today is the day to get the biggest caf-feine rush of your life.

Unfortunately, too many peo-ple do not realize this. They take part in the debauchery without following through with the peri-

od of repentance, and, yes, even drinking coffee until you cannot sit still warrants spending a little time repenting.

Now, I’m not saying all of you who go to, say, a Baptist church should not participate in Mardi Gras. What I would encourage, though, is if you participate in the fun part to also participate in the difficult part.

It is also the most rewarding ritual of the year. You put yourself in Jesus’s shoes, or sandals, and replicate his 40 days in the wilder-ness.

You don’t have to give up something life changing to observe Lent. It can be as simple as get-ting off Facebook or Twitter or not drinking so many Diet Cokes.

The key to any successful Lent adventure is to not give up no matter what.

So what if you slip up and accidently eat a chocolate chip-cookie after making it 27 days without chocolate? God will not smite you for it. Just pick up where you left off, and don’t eat another one.

Another way to stay on track is to choose a Bible verse and adopt it as your mantra. When you feel that craving for a nice, juicy steak, just repeat it over and over. I’m not saying it will making the craving go away, but it will at least distract you from it.

Take each of the next 46 days one day at time, and, before you know it, you will be relishing that day when finally you are stuffing your face with a giant bag of M&M’s.

OPINION

CONTACT INFORMATIONEditor in Chief/Hannah Rogers

325-7905 editor@reflector.msstate.edu

Managing Editor/Julia Pendley

325-8991 managing@reflector.msstate.edu

News Editor/Micah Green

325-8819 news@reflector.msstate.edu

News tips/Megan McKeown

325-7906 news@reflector.msstate.edu

Opinion Editor/Wendy Morell

opinion@reflector.msstate.edu

Sports Editor/James Carskadon

325-5118 sports@reflector.msstate.edu

Life Editor/Kaitlin Mullins

325-8883 kmullins@reflector.msstate.edu

Photography Editor/Jay Johnson

325-1584 photo@reflector.msstate.edu

Advertising sales/Emily Moak

325-7907 advertise@reflector.msstate.edu

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor should be

sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. Letters may also be emailed to edi-tor@reflector.msstate.edu.

Letters must include name and telephone number for verification purposes. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish a letter.

EDITORIAL POLICYThe Reflector is the official stu-

dent newspaper of Mississippi State University. Content is determined solely by the student editorial staff.

The contents of The Reflector have not been approved by Mississippi State University.

CORRECTIONSThe Reflector staff strives to maintain the integrity of this paper through

accurate and honest reporting. If we publish an error we will correct it. To report an error, call 325-7905.

Editor in ChiefHannah Rogers

Chief DesignerZack Orsborn

Managing EditorJulia Pendley

News EditorMicah Green

News EditorMegan McKeown

Multimedia EditorEric Evans

Life EditorKaitlin Mullins

Sports EditorJames Carskadon

Opinion EditorWendy Morell

ReflectorThe

Photography EditorJay Johnson

Copy EditorKaitlyn Byrne

Copy EditorMollie C. Reeves

In recent news, President Obama released the U.S. budget last Monday. America

was hoping for some good news, but, alas, that news never came.

The budget proposes a defi cit of $1.327 trillion. That’s a new record! Well… so was last year’s, and the year before that, and the year before that. That’s four consecutive years of trillion-dol-lar defi cits. The president surely knows how to put himself in the record books, just for all the wrong records.

When he took offi ce in 2008, the budget defi cit was 458.6 bil-lion dollars, less than half of a trillion dollars. Since Obama took offi ce, the publically-owned U.S. debt has doubled.

At the moment of writing this article, USdebtclock.org reports the U.S. National Debt to be $15,368,351,619,234, and those last six places are really guesses; the number was increasing so quickly there was hardly an instan-taneous value. Just in the time it took to write that last sentence and get a bottle of water, over four million dollars have been added. That’s the current state of the U.S. economy.

Don’t think I just felt like depressing you — there is rel-evance here. The economic prob-lems of America are arguably going to be the biggest debate topic come November with all of the presidential hopefuls pro-

posing solutions to the problem. Unfortunately, the problem isn’t as easily solved as most people would think.

It’s easy for Obama to just cut funding to certain places, thus decreasing the debt. But what if he decides to cut fund-ing to Mississippi State or PELL grants to students? That would certainly affect us. Or what if the government cuts funding on

defense tech-nology, giving fewer contracts to companies who employ our graduates? That would certainly affect us.

I am not by any means d e f e n d i n g P r e s i d e n t Obama’s irre-s p o n s i b l e g ov e r n m e n t spending. I’m simply stating it’s much easier

to chastise from behind this key-board.

My point is this, everyone wants the budget cuts, but no one wants to make the necessary sacrifi ces. The poor want more

taxes on the rich and want to keep their low-income benefi ts. The rich want to cut unemploy-ment benefi ts and don’t want to pay higher income taxes. I want the government to cut funding to other schools but not my school. That would inconvenience me, and I don’t like being inconve-nienced.

It would be great if the gov-ernment would cut funding to naval research, but please don’t cut funding from NASA. I need a job someday. Depending on the pri-orities of the person writing this article, completely different bud-get cuts would be recommended.

There is going to be a breaking point for the U.S. government one day — a point at which the politicians can no longer take the increasing defi cit. When that day comes, they will most likely pro-pose budget cuts that hit every American equally hard.

Be prepared for some hard eco-nomic times ahead. We’re going to have to make a lot of sacrifi ces to fi x this nation’s economy, and the sooner the better.

If we continue with unchecked government spending for much longer, we will lose credit with other countries. If that happens, then budget cuts would be forced upon the people. I would much rather voluntarily grind out a few years of economic hardship than watch the country go bankrupt.

These things relate directly to the students of MSU, and we have a responsibility to educate our-selves on the issues. The fi nancial decisions our government makes now — the ones we lead them to make — will affect us for years to come. So let’s elect politicians who will make those tough decisions to get America back on track.

Americans need to make sacrifices, prepareAN UGLY FACT OF LIFE | TIM MCGRATH

There are a few experiences I’ve had in my 20 years which I would qualify as

“life-changing.” My fi rst break-up. The time I switched from Yahoo to Gmail. The day I read the directions on how to micro-wave a Krispy Kreme. But I’ve never quite had my life changed in such a complete manner as I did June 6, 2008 at Millsaps College.

The Hugh O’Brien Youth Leader sh ip Conference, a f f e c t i o n -ately called HOBY, was founded by the Brad Pitt of your grandmoth-er’s era as a way to share the questions and answers he found while work-ing alongside Albert Schweitzer with the youth of America.

Mississippi consistently has one of the largest conferences in the nation, hosted at Millsaps each year on the fi rst weekend

in June, when rising juniors from all over the state do com-munity service together and share ideas to take back to their communities.

The fi rst time I attended HOBY, I’d just fi nished tenth grade and was shy, gawky and had no idea what I was about to experience. I thought commu-nity service was something you did to boost your resume, or maybe because someone made

you. After a week-

end learning from and with 200 of the best students in Mississippi, people who were like me and who wanted to make a difference and to do it now, I knew I couldn’t have been more wrong.

All 200 of these kids were buzzing with energy, eager to see what kind of difference they could make in the world. I have been back to HOBY as junior staff every summer since, and

I can tell you that manic ener-gy was not a one-time fl uke. HOBY pushes you, enables you and inspires you to succeed by changing the way you see the world.

Ever since, I have lived off of community service. The 100 hours HOBY challenged me to do passed a long time ago. The rush that comes from helping others and seeing the tangible difference you make drives me through term papers better than an NCIS marathon.

But more than that, I chase the sense of something bigger than myself that connects me to the energy people who love ser-vice share. It’s why I know Anne

Frank was right when she said people are truly good at heart. It’s what makes me who I am.

The shared enthusiasm at HOBY started my thirst for service, but the only other place I’ve felt the enormous energy of hundreds of people yearn-ing to make a difference is right here at Mississippi State University. I get emails from the Maroon Volunteer Center, and I’ve participated in many of the projects they sponsor. Never once have I shown up for a day of service at MSU to see an inadequate number of people for the job.

Growing up in my small town, I never would have imag-ined there are so many people dedicated to service, who do it because they love it, because they’re addicted to it. This is Our State. We love it, and we are determined to do every-thing we can to help it.

(If you’d like to help change the lives of some sophomores, and you’re over 21, you may be interested in being a group leader at the conference. Check it out at www.mississippihoby.org, or shoot me an email at

Service remains vital to universityONE LITTLE SPARK | WHITNEY KNIGHT

T.J. VAUGHT

“You donʼt have to give up something life changing to observe Lent. It can be as simple as getting off Facebook or Twitter.”

“Never once have I shown up for a day of service at MSU to see an inadequate number of people for the job.”

Do you celebrateMardi Gras andLent?

-Yes, I celebrate both-Yes, I only celebrate Mardi Gras-No, I don’t celebrate either

Vote online at reflector-online.comTotal number of votes: 19

Are you going to vote in the upcoming SA elections?

Yes, I believe my vote matters.

No, my vote doesn’t matter.

No, I don’t care.

838

T H E R E F L E C TO R4 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2012

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

“The economic problems of America are arguably going to be the biggest debate topic come November, with all of the presidential hopefuls proposing solutions.”

Whitney Knight is a sophomore majoring in English education. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

Tim McGrath is a freshman majoring in aerospace engineering. He can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

U.S. BUDGET The public debt has increased by over $500 billion each year since

2003.

2007

2008$163 billion

$456 billion

$1.413 billion

$1.293 billion

$1.3 billion

$1.327 billion

source: usgovernmentspending.com

2009

2010

2011

2012

FEDERAL DEFICIT INCREASES

FIRST IMPRESSIONS | JULIA V. PENDLEY

Julia V. Pendley is the managing editor of The Reflector. She can be contacted at managing@reflector.msstate.edu.

Mardi Gras about more than just good times

ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR

I’m thinking Arby’s

Try our $1ValueMenu!

Spring Grad Fair February 22nd & February 23rd

from 8:00am to 5:00pm at the bookstore. All students and University staff that will

participate in the Spring 2012 Commencement Ceremony on

May 12th are encouraged to attend. Grad Fair will provide participants the

opportunity to reserve their cap and gown, invitations, diploma frames and souvenir

tassels.

at

662-325-1576 www.Facebook.com/BarnesandNobleatMississippiState

www.ShopMissState.com

SPRING GRAD FAIR

Across1 Woolly grazers5 It follows John9 Defunct Olympic

sport13 Dieter’s snack?16 On __ with17 Crop production

toast?18 5’7” Spud who won

an NBA Slam Dunk contest

19 Words before coming or out

20 Telegraph sound21 Lover of Psyche22 Artist’s pad25 Ability to detect a

certain orientation27 Not like at all30 PLO part32 Boxing statistic33 Actress Thurman34 Saint in red36 Raised entrance area38 Ave. paralleling Park39 Useless footwear41 Switz. neighbor42 Soul44 Waist-length jackets45 Gray gp.46 Stray chasers48 Not own outright,

with “on”49 Pique50 Debate choices52 Piano sonatas,

usually54 It covers all the

bases55 Tuna of the Pacific57 Golden __61 Rice from New

Orleans62 Buckaroo at sea?65 It has banks in

Germany and Poland

66 Dance and theater in Texas?

67 Red areas, once: Abbr.

68 Case workers, briefly

69 The greater part

Down1 Do some glass

cutting, perhaps2 “Take it easy!”3 Goes astray4 Declining from old

age5 Bavarian carp?6 Friend of Fidel7 Knotted8 Mistletoe piece9 Played with, in a way10 One giving pep

talks between acts of “Carmen”?

11 Maternity ward?12 Balls14 __-1:

“Ghostbusters” auto15 Relatively cool red

giant23 Fail in business24 With 35-Down,

fairs, and a hint to making sense of this puzzle’s pairs of adjacent 10-letter answers

26 Acknowledgments27 Pacific dance28 Pews, at times?29 Intersection where

cabs hang out?31 Joie de vivre34 Tropical ring-tailed

critter35 See 24-Down

37 H.S. sophs may take it

40 Basie’s “__’Clock Jump”

43 Auto club employees

47 Hot tea hazard49 Ojibwa home51 Young pig53 Thailand neighbor

54 New Mexico ski resort

56 Buried treasure site, often

58 Iberian river59 Disintegrates60 Part of MS-DOS:

Abbr.63 Dr. Mom’s forte64 __ in Charlie

BULLETIN BOARD

2-21-12 Solutions for 2-17-12

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2012 | 5REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

CLASSIFIEDS POLICYThe deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; the deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. Classifieds are $5 per issue. Student and staff ads are $3 per issue, pre-paid. Lost and found: found items can be listed for free; lost items are listed for standard ad cost.

FOR SALEZiggy’s Buy & Sell. Don’t throw it away! Get cash for your used furniture and other items. We sell everything from furniture to antiques to music. 434 Miss. Highway 12 West, look for the orange sign with Ziggy’s picture, or call 312-8895.Faculty investment opportunity. Enjoy benefits of retirement now, as you teach. Live in your five-plex on Oktibbeha County Lake, and let rentals pay your mortgage. 340’ waterfront, five-plex, dock, ski-boat. $342,000 firm. 418-2790.

FOR RENT1 bedroom condo, stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, washer/dryer. Walking distance to campus. No pets, lease required. $385 per month. 323-5186.Canterbury Townhouses. 990 Old Mayhew Road. 2012 lease special (12th month free with 12-month lease). One, two and three bedroom newly-remodeled townhouses. Call 323-9216 for details.“Lodge at the Lake.” Great one bedroom, waterfront, dock, appliances, washer/dryer, free cable and fast access Internet. See now. Available May 1 for 15 months. $525/month. Pet friendly. 418-2790.Two bedroom, one bath cottage. Kitchen, dining area, living room. Completely furnished, in the country. Four miles from campus. Perfect for graduate students. $450 per month. 769-2542

HELP WANTEDBartending. Up to $300 / day. No experience necessary. Training available. Call 800-965-6520 ext. 213.Attention students: $15 starting pay. Flexible hours around class.

Customer sales and service. No experience required. Call 268-5097. Collegeincome.com.

MISCELLANEOUSDo you have textbooks that you need to sell? Get the most money for your textbooks. Leave a message at 546-1067 or send an email with ISBN numbers to moneyfortextbooks1@gmail.com

CLUB INFOThe deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. MSU student organizations may place free announcements in Club Info. Information may be submitted by email to club_info@reflector.msstate.edu with the subject heading “CLUB INFO,” or a form may be completed at The Reflector office in the Student Media Center. A contact name, phone number and requested run dates must be included for club info to appear in The Reflector. All submissions are subject to exemption according to space availability.

BAPTIST STUDENT UNIONThe BSU at Mississippi State invites all students to our weekly worship service, PRIORITY, on Tuesday nights at 6:15 p.m. You are also invited to a $5 home-cooked meal, called NOONDAY, on Wednesdays at noon. The BSU Center is located directly across the street from Campus Book Mart. All students are welcome. Visit msubsu.com for more information.

CAMPUS BIBLE STUDENTSIntensive Bible study Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. in room 324 of the Union. All are welcome. Email tns54@pss.msstate.edu for more information.

CATHOLIC STUDENT ASSOCIATION

The CSA invites you to join us each week at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Student mass is on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. Good food and fun fellowship can be had at $2 dinners on Tuesday at 6 p.m., followed by weekly/Bible study at 7 p.m. Come to one of these events and learn more ways to get involved! For more information,

simply “like” our Facebook page: “Mississippi State Catholic Student Association.”

FAAMSUCome join us for lively discussions. Believers welcome! Every Thursday, starting Sept. 8, in the Union room 226 from 6 to 9 p.m. Twitter: @SAUCEFORALL. We are the Freethinkers, Agnostics and Atheists of MSU.

FEMALE GRADUATE STUDENTS

New group for female graduate students in science, engineering and mathematics: Please email msu.gwise@gmail.com

LIGHT BEARERS Yeah! We Bear The Light! Come join us for fellowship, dynamic worship and inspirational devotions every Thursday at 7 p.m. Union 3rd floor, room 329.

MSU CANTERBURY EPISCOPAL FELLOWSHIP

“Spiritual but not religious?” Spirituality and home-cooking at the Episcopal Church (“Canterbury”). Free dinner, activities each Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. Canterbury Lodge, 105 N. Montgomery St., Starkville. For more information, contact Chaplain Carol Mead at 694-1178. Sponsored by Canterbury Episcopal Fellowship.MSU SHOOTING SPORTS CLUBLooking for all kinds of competitive shooters. Rifle, shotgun, pistol and multigun competitors needed. Contact Tyler Tharp at 601-618-5137 or Mike Brown at mike.brown@msstate.edu.

PHILOSOPHY CLUBTuesdays at 5 p.m. in Union 226.

SILVER WINGSThere will be a silver wings interest meeting on March 8 at 6 p.m. in Middleton Hall (by Burger King) on the second floor in the cadet louge. We will discuss Silver Wings’s purpose and its community service activities.

STUDENTS FOR A SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS

Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Union room 227.

AN IN-CLASS DISTRACTION ...

VISITreflector @reflector-online.com

ADVERTISE(WITH)

THE REFLECTORCALL 325-7907

FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER@reflector-online

I’m thinking Arby’s

Try our $1ValueMenu!

Mon- Thur

School Supplies & Art Supplies

7:30-6 Fri 9:30-5 Sat 1-4 Sun

662-323-7660

Lowest Price Textbooks

318 East Lee Blvd Across From The BSU

MSU Clothing and Gifts

7:30-8

campusbookmart.com/msu

BY MARY KATE MCGOWAN

Staff Writer

Some events occur every year without a doubt. There is Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July and, of course, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, known for its tra-dition of extravagance. The annual celebration of Mardi Gras, origi-nally brought to America by the French, has become a common fixture for many people and their way of life — and their bead col-lections.

Rachel Anderson, sophomore biological engineering major and Gulfport, native, said Mardi Gras is a big event in Gulfport and surrounding areas because that is where the French settled, and it is a French tradition.

“We are just keeping up with tradition,’’ she said. ‘‘Depending on where you go, it can be a family thing, too.”

But Fat Tuesday and all its glory is no stranger to other areas. Parades are numerous all around the country, especially in the area

between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, La.

Katie Kraft, sophomore ele-mentary education major, said when she was young her family would go down to celebrate Fat Tuesday in New Orleans.

“My aunt and uncle had a house on St. Charles Avenue, and I got to sit on a ladder and yell ‘throw me something mister.’ I collected a large amount of beads,” she said.

But Mardi Gras is not just all about the beads and parties; there is an underlying religious motive.

“Mardi Gras is a French Catholic tradition. It is a big party before Lent when people are sup-posed to be more religious and all,” Anderson said.

Fat Tuesday and all its extrava-gance ushers in Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season.

Austin Flint, sophomore his-tory major, said Fat Tuesday is important preparation for Lent and for Easter.

“The 40 days that comprise Lent are important because that is when I give up something and

replace that void with prayer and any other means as to grow closer to God,” she said.

Because of this reason, some people celebrate Mardi Gras enthusiastically.

Alex Blassingame, senior bio-logical sciences major, said it is another reason to party.

Mardi Gras has become vital to society around the coastal region so much so that schools cancel class.

“My school got Monday and Tuesday off,’’ Anderson said. ‘‘I believe the private Catholic schools got Ash Wednesday off, as well.”

Louisiana State University also grants its students a reprieve from their scholarly duties with a 2.5-day Mardi Gras holiday.

“People would skip school if we did not have it off,” Anderson said.

But for other people, the cel-ebration is a mystery.

Heather Hill, junior biologi-cal engineering major, said she does not connect the start of the Lenten season with the festivities of Mardi Gras except they happen on sequential days.

“I think of Mardi Gras as a celebration of some sort. But what we are celebrating, I do not know. I guess life and living life to the fullest,” she said.

No matter what amount of knowledge or connection peo-ple have to Mardi Gras, it is undoubtedly celebrated. From the consumption of Strange Brew Coffeehouse’s king cake frappe to the extravagant parades, Fat Tuesday is a favorite — even if the motive is just for expanding a bead collection.

LIFE THE REFLECTOR6 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2012

‘Look good , do good’ with Agape North

PINTERESTING CAROLYN HAILEY

BY EMMA HAWES

Contributing Writer

Joe Williams created Agape North with the idea that educa-tion was key, and he decided to donate uniforms after learn-ing children in certain countries could not go to school without one.

“Agape North is a clothing company with a mission focus. The people who buy our cloth-ing are promoting a mission,” he said. “The word ‘agape’ means unconditional love, and we want to show those who can and can-not afford to buy our clothes love.”

Williams had experience in the medical field, but he had to learn a lot about economics, marketing and accounting to begin Agape North. He received help from several people that had experience in the clothing industry, including a friend who used to work for Southern Tide. The headquarters are based in Memphis, Tenn., and the shirts are manufactured in Peru.

“Socioeconomic factors affect a lot of people in third-world

countries,’’ he said. ‘‘We want to give a chance to those who do not have an opportunity to school.”

Although Agape North offers assistance to Third World coun-tries, they have helped with chari-ties in the U.S. The company has worked with Service Over Self, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis.

Agape North offers quality products that will last for a long time. The polos have 3 per-cent Lycra to prevent them from shrinking while drying. Williams said he wanted to make a classic clothing that could be worn every day. Agape North offers polos, T-shirts, pullovers and baseball hats.

Agape North has been sold at stores from Kansas City, Mo., to Greenville, S.C. Earlier this month, Williams attended a retail conference in Charlotte, S.C., to showcase Agape North to stores across the U.S.

The company has also been reaching out to several college towns due to the Agape North Ambassadors program. Reed’s has been able to sell the items

due to the Ambassadors pro-gram. Olivia Cohen, Andrew Baker and Carly Warner serve as MSU’s Agape North ambas-sadors.

The Ambassadors program is open to all majors. Those who are interested can send an email to info@agapenorth.com. The program is available to college and high school students to help promote Agape North.

Prior to starting Agape North, Williams worked as a youth group leader at a church in Memphis. When Toms and Vineyard Vines were becoming popular due to college and high school students, Williams said he realized how this age group was setting an example.

“I noticed that my youth group members had a tendency to give back,” he said. “They are great because they can talk about the products in a college setting and help our product grow.”

Andrew Baker, sophomore sports studies communication major, helped Agape North become a sponsor for the MSU lacrosse team.

Olivia Cohen, sophomore kinesiology major, has learned

she to incorporate Agape North into her everyday life.

“I wear Agape North around campus, and I have learned to relate to people with differ-ent beliefs because of Agape North,” she said. “Ordinary people can use something to

cause a great impact.” Everyone at Agape North is

excited for this month because it will be making their first dona-tion trip to deliver 500 uni-forms to the Aqua Viva school in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Williams said he plans on con-

tinuing to work with Aqua Viva after the donation trip to build a long-lasting relationship.

“It will be a reward to donate the shirts to know that our hard work has paid off,” he said. “We have done so much since we began in 2010.”

The South celebrates Mardi Gras tradition

COURTESY PHOTOS | THE REFLECTOR

Agape North, a clothing brand available at Reed's, helps provide school uniforms in Third World countries.

SPORTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2012 | 7REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

ON SALE 2/24MSUCONCERTS.COMCOLVARD STUDENT UNION SUITE 314662-325-2930$5 student discount available only on 2/24,27,28

APRIL 24, 2012BETTERSWORTH AUDITORIUM

LEE HALLMISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

Join us in the Burgundy Room- Starkville’s only downtown bar that still serves drinks the

“Old Fashioned Way”

Monday: $1 Bud, Bud Light & Miller Lite Draft and 2-4-1 Bellini’s$2 Tuesday’s: $2 draft and bottled beers and 2-4-1 Bellini’s.

Wednesday’s: 3-4-1 Wells, 2-4-1 Bellini’s. Half off House Wine (4-until) &

Half off Single topping pizzas from 4-72-4-1 Thursday’s: 2-4-1 wells, drafts, Bellini’s, &

$1 Jager, Rumplemintz, Goldschlager shotsLadies Night Friday: Happy Hour all night & from 9-11pm .50 wells

for the ladies) and Happy Hour all night for the guysSaturday: Happy Hour all day and night

** LIVE MUSIC: BRAD & SARAH ** Sunday: 1/2 off Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas

110 E Main St.Starkville MS, 39759

662-320-6872www.oldvenice.com

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter@OVPC_Starkville

Coupland looking for more in final yearBY JOHN GALATAS

Staff Writer

Mississippi State senior George Coupland has had a successful career in Maroon and White. He has collected 36 wins over the pre-vious two seasons, led MSU to the 2011 SEC Western Division title, been named an All-SEC selection and named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll as well as being an ITA Scholar Athlete. But if there is one thing Coupland has had to learn about playing tennis, it’s that it is not always a solo sport.

Coupland began his journey to MSU in Hatfi eld, England, a town just north of London. Play-ing in tournaments and scouting his options, he made the decision to take his game to the collegiate level and narrowed his choices down to MSU, Texas Christian University and Tennessee with coaching being the ultimate factor in his decision.

“Tennessee, at the time, was in the top fi ve so they were pretty at-tractive for me,” Coupland said. “MSU, at the time, was ranked pretty low, but the coaches were new and I liked their attitude and loved the way they wanted to go with the program.”

Head coach Per Nilsson even fl ew out to England to watch Coupland compete. After talking about MSU and the direction he wanted to take the tennis pro-gram, Coupland was persuaded and became a Bulldog.

Balancing academics on top of competing on a high level became a tough task as he had to quickly adjust to the high level of achieve-ment. Due to ineligibility, Coup-land also sat out his fi rst year and was not allowed to play in matches or travel with the team.

“That fi rst semester for me was defi nitely a hard transition to get used to the class and the tennis,” Coupland said. “But it’s obviously worked out for me now.”

Along with his academic suc-cess, his game on the tennis court has also seen much improvement, especially his serve. According to Coupland, when he fi rst came on campus his serve was very one-dimensional and not as quick.

Now it has more variety and he can hit it big, which is key to win-ning points, assistant coach Matt Hill said.

“When George came to us, his return was his best shot,” he said. “His serve has improved im-mensely in the four years from the technical standpoint and a tactical one. His confi dence off the ground and knowing his game style has improved tremendously.”

Perhaps the biggest adjustment Coupland has embraced fully is his leadership on the court and being a team player. Since tennis is typically viewed as an individual sport, Coupland had never been a part of a team who pushed and supported each other to get better on and off the court – something Nilsson and Hill have instilled in

the players. Coupland has taken on this responsibility and his teammates have noticed, accord-ing to dobules partner Artem Ily-ushin.

“It’s real hard to explain, but it’s just awesome to play with him. It’s real important in doubles to stick with each other,” Ilyushin said. “When things don’t go well he’s the one who steps up and says, ‘Let’s go, time to work, keep work-ing,’ and he does a great job sup-porting and pushing the team.”

Not only is Coupland success-ful in doubles, but he has posted a 7-1 record in singles play thus far this season, which has been key for the Bulldogs’ success. Fellow senior Louis Cant said not many people can beat Coupland when he is at his best.

“George obviously has been winning a lot of matches,” Cant said. “George has a lot of experi-ence now – good serve and one of the biggest forehands in college, as well. He’s playing his game,

and not many people can handle that.”

Coupland said he has enjoyed his time here at Mississippi State and said he has never regretted his decision to come to college. He has accomplished many of his goals including being the No. 32 singles player in the country and beating big conference rivals.

“Beating Tennessee as a team last year in the spring season, that was one of the highlights,” Coup-land said. “Also a recent highlight was beating Ole Miss at River Hills. Those were the two biggest for me so far.”

Although his career is coming to an end, George still has one more goal he wants to accom-plish.

“I want to accomplish get-ting to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAAs,” he said. “I think it’s go-ing to take everyone giving every-thing they’ve got with every prac-tice and improve on the things they need to improve on.”

BY JACK HILL

Contributing Writer

The Bulldog Round Robin Sunday afternoon ended just as planned for the softball dogs.

After a 5-4 loss Friday night to SIU-Edwardsville and a post-ponement because of rain Satur-day, Mississippi State improved to 7-1 with two wins Sunday over SIU-Edwardsville, 5-0, and Mississippi Valley State, 3-2.

Both games featured strong pitching performances from MSU. In the fi rst game, junior Kylie Vry chalked up her fourth complete game of the year re-cording 10 strikeouts to one walk and allowing only two hits.

It was a far cry from Vry’s per-formance Friday, where she was bounced from the game after only two innings, leading to a surprising loss.

“We all just wanted to come in here today and show what we re-ally had. We didn’t show all that we really had on Friday,” Vry said.

Offensively for the Bulldogs in the fi rst game, senior designated player Brittany Bell started things off in the fi rst inning with a solo home run to left fi eld. With the home run, it placed Bell tied atop the SEC lead with four. She

fi nished the game 1-for-2 with one RBI and a walk.

In the bottom of the third, af-ter back-to-back singles by soph-omore Jessica Offutt and senior Ka’ili Smith, junior Shelby Fisher notched her fi rst career home run over the right fi eld wall, swelling MSU’s lead to 4-0.

The Bulldogs added another run on a passed ball in the sixth inning, scoring junior Jessica Cooley and Vry closed the deal half an inning later, fi nishing off her near-fl awless performance.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Stephanie Becker tried to outdo her counterpart and almost did, giving up only two runs on four hits while strik-ing out seven and walking no one in another complete game effort.

The junior southpaw im-proved to 3-0 on the young sea-son but said she still has more to learn.

“We just wanted to take it as positive, the learning experience. All in all I think it was a great defensive effort,” Becker said.

MSU walked away from both games yielding only two runs on six hits while only committing one error.

Leading the offensive charge again for the Bulldogs was Bell,

tripling in the fi rst inning and later driving home a run on a double to left center in the third.

After the Devilettes tied the game 2-2 on a double by catcher Xiomara Perez in the sixth in-ning, Smith answered for MSU in the bottom half with a single to center scoring teammate Erin Nesbit.

The run proved decisive as Mississippi State walked away with two hard-fought wins. Smith ended the day 1-for-3 but with perhaps the biggest hit of the game.

“I couldn’t do it without the three other runners in front of me,” Smith said. “I always like pressure situations; I knew I was going to come through.”

Even after a strong start to the season, head coach Vann Stue-deman said she still sees areas her young squad could improve upon.

“Each game we learned some-thing new. We could get a little bit better at running the bases; we have to improve in that area,” she said.

MSU travels to Clearwater, Fla., to play in the Leadoff Clas-sic this weekend in hopes of im-proving an already impressive start to its season.

Softball rolls in Bulldog Round RobinJAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR

Brittany Bell led the Bulldogs at the plate over the weekend and currently leads the SEC in slugging and on-base percentage.

COURTESY PHOTO | MISSISSIPPI STATE ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Senior George Coupland is the highest-ranked singles player at No. 32. He said his goal for this year is to lead MSU to the final 16 in the NCAAs.

SPORTS stat of the day :1-8 – head men’s basketball coach

rick stansbury’s record against ranked kentucky teams

8 | tuesday, february 21, 2012 THE REFLECTOR

on the tube:kentucky vs.

mississippi state

8 p.m. tues. espn

Northstar Properties

Cedar Cove Apartments

10.11 on Louisville

Del Mar Townhouses

Middlecreek Townhouses

Briarwood Townhouses

(662)323-8610 northstarstarkville.com

!

Ask about our student special with a 12 months lease•FREE WiFi•New Dog ParkCOMING SOON: FITNESS CENTER!

Thursday,February 23at 7:00 PM

WWW.COLUMBUSNISSAN.COM

Your Official MSU/NISSAN Employee Purchase Plan Headquarters

Free, Confidential Online Screening for Alcohol Abuse

Visit http://www.health.msstate.edu/scs/ 325-2091

Student Counseling Services

juST a biT OuTSide | jameS caRSkadOn

Patience running out as Dogs face UKIt’s hard to act surprised when

a Mississippi State basketball team falters down the stretch

during a season.Inconsistency has been the hall-

mark of MSU basketball for the better part of the past decade, and, despite signs this season would be different, the last three games in-dicate that it will be more of the same for head coach Rick Stans-bury. Consecutive losses to Geor-gia, LSU and Auburn would be an annoyance to MSU fans during football season, but to see a bas-ketball team loaded with top-15 talent drop three in a row to mid-dle-of-the-pack SEC teams has been maddening for State fans.

Have some fan reactions been over-the-top? Of course. Search-ing the mentions for MSU ath-letic director Scott Stricklin on Twitter will bring up numer-ous tweets saying it’s time to fire Stansbury. I personally think that kind of sentiment only does more harm than good in mid-February, but it’s clear some fans are beyond frustrated with the underachiev-ing Bulldogs.

Alas, that is the backdrop MSU will be playing in front of when No. 1 Kentucky rolls into Hum-phrey Coliseum tonight (8 p.m., ESPN) fresh off a comfortable vic-tory over Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have tended to play up or play down to their competition this season, so despite the difference in attitude of the two teams, it’s conceivable that the Bulldogs will compete with Kentucky.

Stansbury’s teams have typically played well against the Wildcats, but they have been the victims of some crushing defeats. I viv-idly remember drinks going over

my head as I sat on press row in 2010 when the Wildcats, led by superstars John Wall and Demar-cus Cousins, escaped Starkville with an overtime victory. And, of course, that same year when Kentucky narrowly beat MSU in the SEC Tournament, sending the Bulldogs to the NIT (speak-ing of the NIT, losses to Kentucky tonight and Alabama on Saturday could leave the Bulldogs on track for a top seed in the annual Tour-nament of the Not Quite Good Enough).

Tonight’s game does produce one of the more intriguing one-on-one matchups SEC basket-ball fans will see this year. MSU forward Arnett Moultrie, who is averaging a double-double per game, will square off in the paint with SEC Player of the Year can-didate Anthony Davis.

A win against Kentucky would do a lot to make fans forget about the last three games, but a blow-out loss followed by a road loss to Alabama could be the tipping point in a season that already feels like it’s on the brink. Regardless, I expect to see a fun atmosphere at the Hump tonight. Let’s just hope all the cups stay in the stands this time.

James Carskadon is the sports editor of The Reflector. He can be contacted at reflectorsports@gmail.com Bulldogs pick up series win over WSU to open season

by John galatas

Staff Writer

The Mississippi State baseball squad opened its season with a se-ries win over the Washington State Cougars.

MSU opened the 2012 cam-paign with a 6-2 win over Wash-ington State Friday night, led by the bat of sophomore Daryl Nor-ris. The win marked their ninth-consecutive season-opening and home-opening victory as seven of the nine MSU starters earned a hit. Head coach John Cohen was con-tent with his team’s opening-day offensive production.

“I was really pleased with our hitting,” Cohen said. “I think our ball club is a little less swing and miss and a little more line drive ground ball this year.”

Sophomore Taylor Stark began the scoring in a three-run second inning as he drove in Norris on an RBI single while freshmen Wes Rea and Matthew Britton both hit sac-rifice flies to extend the lead to 3-0. Washington State scored a pair of runs in the fourth inning, only to have the Bulldogs match their run production as sophomores C.T.

Bradford and Adam Frazier both drove in runs to extend the Bull-dog lead to 5-2.

Norris, who collected three hits in four plate appearances, drove in a run in the eighth to set the 6-2 final.

“I felt really comfortable at the plate,” Norris said. “I think there were a few first-game jitters out there, but I think we did a good job of hiding them, and I think everybody is going to be a lot more comfortable from now on.”

Junior Chris Stratton picked up the win on the mound after Ben Bracewell and Jonathan Holder threw a collective five innings only allowing two runs.

A rainy Saturday afternoon forced a double header on Sunday where the Bulldogs split the twin bill but clinched the overall week-end series.

Washington State struck first in game one scoring three unan-swered before Bulldog newcomer Trey Porter doubled and scored on a Matthew Britton RBI ground out. Trailing 4-2 in the sixth in-ning, Porter delivered again with a two-run homerun to tie the game.

“Trey is a good player,” Cohen

said. “He gets all over the plate and is very difficult to pitch to. When he gets those kinds of situations, he makes the most of it.”

The Bulldogs’ pitching staff col-lected 19 strikeouts and threw eight consecutive scoreless innings before Cougar Tommy Richards’ two-run single in the top of the 13th inning was enough to give Washington State a 6-5 win. Senior Caleb Reed was handed the loss as he threw 93 pitches allowing two runs on three hits while striking out nine, a ca-reer high.

“They have a lot of lefties in their lineup, and they hit the ball very well,” Reed said. “That is probably the best team we’ve played to open the year since I’ve been here.”

In the rubber match, MSU’s Mitch Slauter drove in the game-tying run and a throwing error scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning as the Bulldogs knocked off Washington State 5-4.

The Cougars built an early 2-0 lead before a Bulldog run in the third and Porter’s second homerun of the day tied the game in the sixth.

“I just want to contribute what-

ever way I can,” Porter said. “In my first at-bat, I had huge butterflies, but, once you get that first at-bat out of the way, it just comes down to playing baseball.”

Trailing 4-2 in the eighth, a leadoff walk to Adam Frazier be-gan the MSU rally. Brent Brown-lee followed with a double, and a sacrifice fly by Porter brought the Bulldogs within one run. Slauter kept it going with an RBI-double to the left center gap before Brad-ford hit a single and a throwing error allowed Slauter to plate the game-winning run.

Taylor Stark earned the win in relief while starter Kendall Grave-man went six innings allowing three hits and striking out four.

Cohen said he was proud of his team’s opening series win.

“I just have this overwhelm-ing feeling that we have the right kids, and we’re going to be better 50 games from now than we are right now,” he said. “Playing a team of this caliber was crucial in my mind.”

The Baseball Bulldogs return to the diamond this weekend as they host Kansas and Mississippi Valley State.

jay johnson | the reflector

Trey Porter, a walk-on from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, was the surprise star of the weekend for MSU, batting 6-for-10 in three games.