the reflector

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TWITTER.COM/REFLECTORONLINE FACEBOOK.COM/REFLECTORONLINE The Reflector THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884 124 TH YEAR | ISSUE 26 Partly Cloudy DECEMBER 2, 2011 70 55 HIGH LOW FRIDAY Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy READERʼS GUIDE CAMPUS CALENDAR..................2 BAD DAWGS..............................3 OPINION...............................4 CONTACT INFO......................4 CROSSWORD.................. ..... 6 CLASSIFIEDS..........................6 LIFE.................................... .7 SPORTS.................................10 POLICY ANY 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. SATURDAY SUNDAY 74 64 HIGH LOW 74 63 HIGH LOW Police seek public’s assistance in identifying suspects BY HANNAH ROGERS Editor in Chief The Mississippi State University Police Depart- ment is investigating a series of burglaries that took place at the Cooley Building on Nov. 5 and 11. Detective Brad Massey said the suspects appear to be college age white males who could face charges of burglary if caught. They were identified through surveillance equipment on the property. “We believe (these individuals) are involved in both incidents,” he said. The building was broken into and property was stolen from offices. The police still hope to recover the stolen items. To report information, contact the MSU PD at 325-2121. BY WILL HAGER Staff Writer With final exams approaching next week, many Mississippi State University students turn to ener- gy drinks and caffeine to help prepare for the end of the semester. Mandy Conrad, registered dietician in the Health Education and Wellness Department, meets two days a week with students, faculty and staff for one-on-one nutrition counseling. Conrad said the environment during finals week is condu- cive to students developing bad nutritional habits. “More so than the rest of the year (students) get so preoccupied with all the deadlines and things that are coming up, that their diet, their exercise, everything gets put on the back burner,” she said. Conrad, said at the end of the year, she sees students relying heavily on processed snacks and energy drinks with high caffeine and sugar content. According to Conrad, eating protein and complex carbohydrates can help combat hunger and crav- ings. JuLeigh Baker, MSU health educator, said in an email student reliance on energy drinks and other stimulants stems from not getting enough rest. “Some students do not obtain enough sleep and turn to energy drinks that are mostly loaded with sugar and caffeine. These can be dangerous if con- sumed in large amounts over an extended period,” Baker said. Conrad said some students have the miscon- ception that energy drinks can be used as the sole source of fuel throughout the day. She said the trade-off for quick energy catches up in the long run. “(Energy drinks) can keep you up and help you study a little bit, but they can also cause jitters, unstable blood sugar, and when that happens, you’re going to get an energy crash and that’s what you’re trying to avoid to begin with,” Conrad said. SEE ENERGY, 2 Caffeine, sugar cause health issues BY LINDSAY MCMURTRAY | Staff Writer M ississippi State University felt many growing pains this semester as the student enrollment reached more than 20,000 students. According to the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, enrollment in fall 2011 was 20,424, a 2,400-student increase from fall 2008 and a 4,200-student increase from fall 2006 at MSU. Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs, said this increase in enrollment is the result of an effort by MSU to grow the student population by 4 to 5 percent each year. “None of the growth is a surprise to the university. It was strategic,” he said. “This was the intention of President (Mark) Keenum and those of us who work with him for the university to grow fairly aggressively.” Jerry Gilbert, provost and executive vice president, said MSU is making changes in parking, housing and classroom capacity to ease issues caused by the large number of students. “There are plans underway to build more capacity for teaching and housing as is evident by the approval to build a new classroom building, approval to build replacement housing for Aiken Village and the current construction of two new residence halls on the south side of campus,” he said. SEE ENROLLMENT, 2 BY LACI KYLES Staff Writer Each year, college students across the nation find themselves staying up all night studying for final ex- ams rather than managing their time to prepare. To avoid being part of the cram craze, Rita McReynolds, college reading and study skills in- structor, said she thinks students need to know how to study in a way that allows the student to commit the information to long-term memory. “During final exam time, the suggestion is to expand (your study time) to a five-day study plan,” she said. “If you can hit it five days in a row for as long as you can, you will have a better chance of processing it to your long-term memory.” Jannell McConnell, English teaching assistant, said students need to know even if they have not studied a lot throughout the semester, they should still work hard to study for their final exams. “If you are one of those students who hasn’t tried as hard as you should during the semester, don’t give up yet,” she said. “You can still try to do the best you can on your final if you start studying now.” Students should avoid cramming for final exams Committing information to long-term memory is most effective study method 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 12,325 13,141 13,866 14,064 16,066 17,039 20,424 1982 1989 1992 1996 2001 2007 2011 McReynolds SEE CRAZE, 3 #EXPANDING GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION | PIPER REAVES Energy drinks offer quick jolt, lasting side effects COURTESY PHOTOS | STARKVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT Two white males were videotaped exiting the Cooley Building, which was burglarized twice last month. ENROLLMENT THROUGH THE YEARS REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM FRIDAY SINGLE FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON ? HOW TO ENJOY GIVING AND RECEIVING ! OPINION | 4 RADIO STATION HOLDS PEANUT BUTTER DRIVE FOR HAITI LIFE | 8 EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS IS THE LAST REFLECTOR OF THE SEMESTER. PUBLICATION WILL RESUME JAN. 13. FOR WINTER UPDATES, VISIT REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

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The Decemeber 2, 2011 edition of The Reflector.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: The Reflector

TWITTER.COM/REFLECTORONLINEFACEBOOK.COM/REFLECTORONLINE

The

Reflector THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

124TH YEAR | ISSUE 26

Partly Cloudy

DECEMBER 2, 2011

7055

HIGH

LOW

FRIDAYPartly Cloudy Partly CloudyREADERʼS GUIDE

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

CROSSWORD.......................6CLASSIFIEDS..........................6LIFE.....................................7SPORTS.................................10

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.

SATURDAY SUNDAY

7464

HIGH

LOW

7463

HIGH

LOW

Police seek public’s assistance in identifying suspects

BY HANNAH ROGERSEditor in Chief

The Mississippi State University Police Depart-ment is investigating a series of burglaries that took place at the Cooley Building on Nov. 5 and 11.

Detective Brad Massey said the suspects appear to be college age white males who could face charges of burglary if caught. They were identifi ed through surveillance equipment on the property.

“We believe (these individuals) are involved in both incidents,” he said.

The building was broken into and property was stolen from offi ces. The police still hope to recover the stolen items.

To report information, contact the MSU PD at 325-2121.

BY WILL HAGER

Staff Writer

With final exams approaching next week, many Mississippi State University students turn to ener-gy drinks and caffeine to help prepare for the end of the semester.

Mandy Conrad, registered dietician in the Health Education and Wellness Department, meets two days a week with students, faculty and staff for one-on-one nutrition counseling. Conrad said the environment during finals week is condu-cive to students developing bad nutritional habits.

“More so than the rest of the year (students) get so preoccupied with all the deadlines and things that are coming up, that their diet, their exercise, everything gets put on the back burner,” she said.

Conrad, said at the end of the year, she sees students relying heavily on processed snacks and energy drinks with high caffeine and sugar content. According to Conrad, eating protein and complex carbohydrates can help combat hunger and crav-ings.

JuLeigh Baker, MSU health educator, said in an email student reliance on energy drinks and other stimulants stems from not getting enough rest.

“Some students do not obtain enough sleep and turn to energy drinks that are mostly loaded with sugar and caffeine. These can be dangerous if con-sumed in large amounts over an extended period,” Baker said.

Conrad said some students have the miscon-ception that energy drinks can be used as the sole source of fuel throughout the day. She said the trade-off for quick energy catches up in the long run.

“(Energy drinks) can keep you up and help you study a little bit, but they can also cause jitters, unstable blood sugar, and when that happens, you’re going to get an energy crash and that’s what you’re trying to avoid to begin with,” Conrad said. SEE ENERGY, 2

Caffeine, sugar cause health issues

BY LINDSAY MCMURTRAY | Staff Writer

Mississippi State University felt many growing pains this semester as the student enrollment reached more than 20,000 students.

According to the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, enrollment in fall 2011 was 20,424, a 2,400-student increase from fall 2008 and a 4,200-student increase from fall 2006 at MSU.

Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs, said this increase in enrollment is the result of an effort by MSU to grow the student population by 4 to 5 percent each year.

“None of the growth is a surprise to the university. It was strategic,” he said. “This was the intention of President (Mark) Keenum and those of us who work with him for the university to grow fairly aggressively.”

Jerry Gilbert, provost and executive vice president, said MSU is making changes in parking, housing and classroom capacity to ease issues caused by the large number of students.

“There are plans underway to build more capacity for teaching and housing as is evident by the approval to build a new classroom building, approval to build replacement housing for Aiken Village and the current construction of two new residence halls on the south side of campus,” he said.

SEE ENROLLMENT, 2

BY LACI KYLES

Staff Writer

Each year, college students across the nation fi nd themselves staying up all night studying for fi nal ex-ams rather than managing their time to prepare.

To avoid being part of the cram craze, Rita McReynolds, college reading and study skills in-structor, said she thinks students need to know how to study in a way that allows the student to commit the information to long-term memory.

“During fi nal exam time, the suggestion is to expand (your study time) to a fi ve-day study plan,” she said. “If you can hit it fi ve days in a row for as long as you can, you will have a better chance of processing it to your long-term memory.”

Jannell McConnell, English teaching assistant, said students

need to know even if they have not studied a lot throughout the semester, they should still work hard to study for their fi nal exams.

“If you are one of those students who hasn’t tried as hard as you should during the semester, don’t give up yet,” she said. “You can still try to do the best you can on your fi nal if you start studying now.”

Students should avoid cramming for final exams Committing information to long-term memory is most

effective study method

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

12,32513,141

13,866 14,064

16,06617,039

20,424

1982 1989 1992 1996 2001 2007 2011

McReynolds

SEE CRAZE, 3 #EXPANDINGSEE CRAZE, 3CRAZE, 3

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION | PIPER REAVES

Energy drinks offer quick jolt, lasting side effects

COURTESY PHOTOS | STARKVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Two white males were videotaped exiting the Cooley Building, which was burglarized twice last month.

ENROLLMENT THROUGH THE YEARS

REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COMFRIDAY

SINGLE FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON ?

HOW TO ENJOY GIVING AND RECEIVING !

OPINION | 4

RADIO STATION HOLDS PEANUT BUTTER DRIVE FOR HAITI LIFE | 8

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS IS THE LAST REFLECTOR OF THE SEMESTER. PUBLICATION WILL RESUME JAN. 13. FOR WINTER UPDATES, VISIT REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

Page 2: The Reflector

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITYFALL 2011

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

December 9, 20117:00 P.M.

The University Registrar announces detailed graduation information regarding regalia, invitations,

photograph’s, DVD’s, and marching instructions. This information is

available at the University Registrar’s web page address,

www.registrar.msstate.edu, under announcements/notes for you to

view and/or print.

Happy Holidays from the Department of Relationship Violence and Outreach

We want you to * Be S.A.F.E *

Be Self Aware, Focused, and Empowered

Few points to remember this holiday season: Stay ALERT Don’t get distracted. Stay aware of your surroundings Go out in groups Walk purposefully, stand tall, and make eye contact with people around you Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable— leave Make yourself a “tough target” Don’t think it cannot happen to you Should you resist? Every situation is different If being followed call 911 or drive to a police station Stay as calm as possible and evaluate your options and resources You may be able to turn the attacker off with unusual behavior such as throwing up,

screaming, or stating you have a sexual transmitted disease Keep assessing the situation as it is happening. If one strategy does not work , try

another. Possible options include negotiation, stalling for time, fleeing to a safe place, and physical resistance

After a sexual assault go to a safe place and call the police Call someone to be with you. You should not be alone

For more information visit us at www.health.msstate.edu/sas/ (662)325-2090

I’m thinking Arby’s

Try Our Combo Meal for $3!

Campusalendar

Women’s Basketball

vs. Tulane

Date: Dec. 4

Time: 2 to 4 p.m.

Location: Humphrey

Coliseum

Contact: Chad Thomas

325-9847

The Spirit of Christmas Date: Dec. 3Time: 7 to 8 p.m.Location: Lee Hall Bettersworth AuditoriumContact: Nicholas Young419-8510

A Very Mississippi HolidayDate: Dec. 2Time: 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.Location: Chapel of MemoriesContact: Lynette McDougald 325-3585

CommencementDate: Dec. 9Time: 7 p.m.Location: Humphrey ColiseumContact: Registrar’s Office325-2022

University Florist Open

House

Date: Dec. 2

Time: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Location: University Florist

Floral Design Studio

Contact: Lynette McDougald

325-3585

Men’s Basketball vs.

West Virginia

Date: Dec. 3

Time: 8 to 10 p.m.

Location: Humphrey Coliseum

Contact: Chad Thomas

325-9847

MSU groups may send information for campus calendar to [email protected]. Additional campus events can be found online at msstate.edu/web/news.

NEWS T H E R E F L E C TO R2 | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011

Class gifts, bullring set to returnBY RACHEL MUSTAIN

Staff Writer

This year, Mississippi State University Student Association will recommence the class gift project by restoring the bullring to campus. The bullring is a concrete ring encircling a large oak tree that was once used as a seating area and gathering space outside the YMCA building. It was gifted to MSU by the se-nior class of 1933 and stood on campus until the construction of Colvard Student Union required its removal.

Rhett Hobart, SA president, said the SA constitution requires each graduating class to donate a class gift, but this policy has not been followed for several years. The constitution states planning for the class gift begins freshman year and is organized over four years by the elected class council.

“Somewhere in the last 15 years we lost the class gift,” he said. “We are at a disadvantage this year for our graduating class because we have no history of fundraising in our four years here.”

Hobart said when he realized SA was not adhering to this part of the constitution he reinstated the project for the 2012 senior class but looked for an alternative gift due to the lack of funds.

“Instead of fi rst looking to bring new things to campus, we think we should restore what others before us gave that have been removed from campus or are broken and restorable,” he said.

Jimmy Abraham, director of the Alumni Association, said the bullring was an integral part of the MSU landscape for the many years it was here. It stood at the heart of campus across from the YMCA, which was a hang out area for students, and next to Miss. Highway 12, which ran through campus at the time.

He said alumni who were here during the time of the bullring remember it as a central aspect of student life.

“It was the true gathering place on campus. It is where everybody met and caught up on things. I think it would send a great mes-sage to our alums who were in school here that a part of what they were all about is now com-ing back to campus,” he said.

Roy Ruby, interim president in 2008, attended MSU when the bullring was here and said the name comes from how it was used.

“College students would sit out there and they would ‘shoot the bull,’ meaning they would have great conversations. Every now and then when a young lady would go by they would have various comments to make and wolf calls and things like that,” he said.

Hobart said the bullring is currently in storage at the Cool-ey Building and is in acceptable condition but needs restoration. The plan is for the original struc-ture to be placed in a marble cas-ing with a brick base in between the concrete legs to provide sup-port. There are a few options for its placement which need to be approved by the campus master planning committee. A decision

should be made next week. The intent is to place the

bullring as close to its original location as possible. One pos-sible location is the grassy area to the west of the front of the Union around a new tree. An-other possibility is to place the bullring around a tree outside the east entrance to the Union.

The SA constitution states the class gift should be complet-ed by April of the class’s gradu-ating year, but Hobart said the restoration of the bullring may not be complete by that time. The progress will depend on the fundraising done by the senior class council offi cers and collab-oration with university offi cials.

Hobart said he plans for class councils to continue restoring class gifts until a class has four years to follow the procedure in the constitution for a new gift. Possible gifts for restoration in-clude a second column at the entrance to campus from Uni-versity Drive opposite to the column donated by the class of 1922. Another option is the restoration of the sitting area called Orientation Park with a fountain and bricks engraved with the names of past orienta-tion leaders. This gift was do-nated by the classes of 1988 to 1992.

COURTESY GRAPHIC| OFFICE OF CAMPUS PLANNING

The original bullring served as a gathering area for students. This graphic depicts a possible location after restoration is completed.

ENROLLMENT continued from 1

Ann Bailey, director of the De-partment of Housing and Resi-dence Life, said housing is one of the major concerns addressed by university offi cials as the campus continues to grow.

“We will open two new build-ings, Oak Hall and Magnolia Hall, for fall 2012 on the recently-cleared Arbor Acres site, which is a total of 750 new bed spaces,” she said.

Bailey said with the student increase, MSU residence halls reached their capacity this year, resulting in many non-freshmen being turned away from on-cam-pus housing assignments.

“We had twice as many requests for upperclassmen and returning student spaces than we could fi ll,” she said. “In order to give those students as much notice as pos-

sible and resources to explore other local options, we part-nered with the Dean of Students Offi ce in the development of an off-campus housing website.”

Mike Harris, director of park-ing operations, said parking is another issue addressed by MSU as the student population grows.

“As with any growth, there are strains that are put on particular areas where that growth is seen. Parking is no different,” he said.

MSU parking operations sold about 20,000 parking permits this year for its 13,552 parking spaces. Harris said parking op-erations keeps a 68 percent ratio of permits to spaces available be-cause not all students and staff will be on campus at one time.

While parking operations made minor changes this year to parking lots in the south resident and commuter east zones, no major changes were made for the increased enrollment, he said.

Harris said many changes will be made for fall 2012 including two new bus routes that will al-low students to buy reduced-price parking permits. He also said MSU will add almost 300 commuter parking spaces on campus for the 2012-2013 aca-demic year.

Kibler said MSU has also cre-ated about 20 new faculty posi-tions in areas of study that have seen signifi cant growth in recent years, including biology, com-munication and kinesiology to account for the increase in class sections necessary for the large student enrollment.

Gilbert said he commends MSU faculty for its cooperation with the larger student body. MSU has worked to avoid the lay-offs of tenure-track and ten-ured faculty members.

“Dr. Keenum and I both have thanked our faculty for their con-tributions to helping us through these challenging times of grow-ing student numbers and fl at or decreasing budgets,” Gilbert said. “We need to hire more faculty and will do so when it is fi nan-cially feasible.”

Kibler said offi cials are com-mitted to managing the issues in housing, parking and faculty availability as enrollment contin-ues to grow.

Page 3: The Reflector

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NEWS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011 | 3

DAWGSBAD

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COURTESY PHOTO | TERESA GAWRYCH

McReynolds said she thinks students do not understand studying at night is less produc-tive than study times during daylight hours. She said research proves students concentrate, learn and retain information bet-ter when they study during the day instead of at night.

Students should study the hardest for his or her least-liked subject fi rst so the student will have steam left for the subjects he or she enjoys, McReynolds said. She also advised students to make a special set of notes with infor-mation they had trouble learning for one last look the night before or morning of the test.

Justin Dornbusch, a history graduate student, said he does not fi nd cramming for tests to be a good way to study. He said he moves to new study areas while he studies to keep himself from becoming distracted and bored.

“In my experience, changing locations as you study helps you retain information and prevents you from getting into a rut,” he said.

Jessica Temple, English teach-ing assistant, said students tend to remember the fi rst and last things studied more than the informa-tion in the middle, so students should mix up the order of the information they are studying.

She said she thinks cramming may help students in the short term but will not prepare them for long-term learning.

“Cramming might help stu-dents pass a test, but it will not

help them actually learn the in-formation. That means they will have to cram just as much for the next test,” she said. “A student who studies all along should be able to remember the informa-tion after the test and build on it later on.”

McConnell, McReynolds and Temple all agreed the best way to avoid the cram craze is to start studying now for next week’s ex-ams.

“You can study in little bits. If you do it every day and avoid cramming, you’ll feel so much better. It gives you so much con-fi dence when you know you’ve looked at it once, twice or three times,” McReynolds said.

Mississippi State University has many resources for students to help them improve their exam study habits. Today is the last day for free peer tutoring at the Learning Center in Allen 266. It has tutors for a variety of subjects; students can check the schedule on the door to see what is being

offered at that time.Mitchell Memorial Library

will remain open 24 hours a day on weekdays for the remainder of the semester, with special ex-tended hours on the weekends. Students can visit library.msstate.edu for today’s hours of opera-tion.

MSU Dining Services will host Pajama Jam at Real Food on Campus in the Templeton Athletic Building on Dec. 8 with a midnight breakfast menu, ka-raoke and door prizes. Dining Services will also host Caffeine Craze at the Marketplace at Perry Cafeteria Dec. 4 through 8. Colvard Student Union will also have extended hours during fi nals week.

Postmaster Ken Oglesbee re-quests students check their mail-boxes before leaving for Christ-mas break. Students who are not planning to return in the spring need to turn in keys and fi ll out a change of address slip to close the box.

ENERGY continued from 1

Sarah Anne Adamson, junior communication major, said caffeine allows her to stay up later to study and she does not plan on changing her ap-proach this year.

“The second they make a caffeine-free water that keeps you awake, I’ll stop using Dr. Pepper and cof-fee to stay up,” Adamson said after sipping on her third Dr. Pepper of the day.

Although losing sleep is seen as a temporary sac-rifi ce, Baker said getting less sleep can have more negative side effects than just an energy crash.

“If a student does not deal with the added stress very well, it can affect their health. Stress and lack of sleep can lower a person’s immune system mak-ing them more susceptible to colds and viruses,” she said.

Conrad said staying healthy and alert is crucial to having a good performance during exams. Stu-dents set up appointments with Conrad for a va-riety of reasons ranging from wanting to manage their weight better to constructing a healthy gro-cery shopping list. Maintaining healthy habits goes hand-in-hand with feeling better.

“We know stress, anxiety and things like that can impact your ability to focus,” she said. “Be-ing more alert and being more focused is going to come through treating your body right.”

Finals week= Energy Boost

Approximately 90% of adults consume caffeine on a daily basis

The top three sources of caffeine in adults are coffee (70%), soda (16%) and tea (12%). medicinenet.com

PIPER REAVES | THE REFLECTOR

BY JAY BALLARD

Staff Writer

Jesus Valdez, marketing research associate for the Thad Cochran Endowment for En-trepreneurship at MSU, won sixth place at the 2011 Elevator Pitch Competition in Fort Worth, Texas.

The competition was organized by the Col-legiate Entrepreneur’s Organization, and 128 competitors attended from many schools in-cluding Texas Christian University, Baylor University, Florida State University and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Competitors were put in a simulated real-life situation in which they only had 90 sec-onds (about the time of an elevator ride) to pitch their business idea to professionals who might be interested in acting on their ideas.

Gerald Nelson, director of MSU’s Offi ce of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer, said this competition was a true test of the competitors’ knowledge and skills in the fi eld of business.

“This was the ultimate of an elevator pitch competition at the collegiate level,” Nelson said.

This was not Valdez’s fi rst success within the business fi eld. He has already won the Mis-sissippi Technology Alliance Business Plan Competition along with his business partner, which assured Nelson that Valdez would be fully capable of doing well in the Elevator Pitch Competition. This, along with other

factors, including the fact that Valdez was al-ready running a real business, led Nelson to sign him up for the competition.

Nelson said the College of Business looks for competitions such as these to help its stu-dents excel in the world of business.

“We want our students to be able to learn about entrepreneurship and take part in many meaningful competitions and events,” Nelson said. “Jesus not only learned business, but he also practiced business and entrepreneurship in the real world.”

Valdez said he credits the MSU Entrepre-neurship Center advisory board for helping him gain presentation skills.

He said pitching his idea was no problem, but he had to work at getting it down to 90

seconds while still being as personable as he is in normal conversation. Along with being quick and personable, he had to be just as per-suasive as he would be if he had hours to pitch the idea.

Nelson said Valdez’s success in this competi-tion came from his knowledge and hands-on experience in the fi eld.

“Jesus was not just pitching an idea, he was pitching a real business,” Nelson said. “He knew what he was talking about.”

Allison Pearson, Giles Professor of Manage-ment in the College of Business and MSU En-trepreneurship Center advisory board mem-ber, said Valdez is a great example of what MSU students can do. He found a passion for it, and he now thrives and excels in the fi eld.

“He’s doing something that fi ts his own skills and abilities,” Pearson said.

Through his work with the Entrepreneur-ship Center, Valdez entered a partnership with Robbie Spears, senior interdisciplinary stud-ies major, who has created the guitar pedal company for which Valdez now serves as chief operating offi cer. The business is named The Juliet Collective.

Valdez said he and Spears want The Juliet Collective to become an increasingly better known company in Mississippi. Within the past few months, the company has earned about $15,000 in total revenue.

He said he hopes to continue in school to earn his Ph.D. so he can pass on his knowl-edge and experience to other students.

CRAZE continued from 1

MSU graduate places 6th in elevator business pitch competition

COURTESY PHOTO | UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

Jesus Valdez placed sixth out of 128 competitors.

LAUREN CLARK | THE REFLECTOR

Erin Nesbit said she always crams the night before a test. Research shows that cramming increases stress and test anxiety in students.

CORRECTION: In the Friday, Nov. 18 edition of The Reflector, the article about the Aiken Village reconstruction identified Mississippi State University as the only university in Mississippi with family housing for students. USM Pine Haven also provides housing for student families. The Reflector regrets this error.

Wednesday, November 23• 11:55 a.m. An employee reported fraud on his bank account at an unknown location.

Thursday, November 24• 1:32 a.m. A student was arrested for possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle in Starkville.

Citations:• 1 citation was issued for disregard for an expired tag.• 15 citations were issued for speeding.• 1 citation was issued for an expired driver’s license.• 1 citation was issued for child restraint violation.

Page 4: The Reflector

OPINION

CONTACT INFORMATIONEditor in Chief/Hannah Rogers

325-7905 [email protected]

Managing Editor/Julia Pendley

325-8991 [email protected]

News Editor/Micah Green

325-8819 [email protected]

News tips/Megan McKeown

325-7906 [email protected]

Opinion Editor/Wendy Morell

[email protected]

Sports Editor/James Carskadon

325-5118 [email protected]

Life Editor/Kaitlin Mullins

325-8883 [email protected]

Photography Editor/Eric Evans

325-1584 [email protected]

Advertising sales/Emily Moak

325-7907 [email protected]

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 [email protected].

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

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Copy EditorMollie C. Reeves

Do you think is important to academic

institutions?

f o o t b a l l

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Yes

no

72%

28%

Total number of votes: 87 PIPER REAVES| THE REFLECTOR

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, Christmas season has descended upon

us again. Even at my most cynical, I can’t deny the holi-day spirit. The wintry air rings with dulcet tones of silver bells and my television glows with the Claymation specials of Christmases past.

The only coal-colored smudge marring my merry heart is the pressure to be in a relationship for the holidays. I can’t even enjoy my favor-ite television program without some ostentatious jewelry ad reminding me I’m single with the type of holiday commer-cial that leaves me unwittingly digging my fingernails into my clenched fist.

The scene begins from the outside of a frosted window, inside of which a forlorn and well-dressed woman is gazing out and clutching her pearls, only to be awoken from her solitude by the brawny touch of a man’s hand upon her shoulder.

From the pocket of his khakis, he withdraws a box, opening it to reveal the ring/bracelet/watch/necklace of her most romantic and plutocratic dreams. The clip ends with a tawdry jingle reminding me that, “Holidays are for shar-ing with someone special,” or “This season, give a gift to the one you love,” or “It’s Christmas and you’re alone and you will be forever so go eat some more sugar cookies, you fat misanthrope.”

So why does America want to make me feel like a leper come Christmas time? The commercials aren’t the end of it. I grip my steak knife a bit tighter at the dinner table each time my grandmother asks if I have a boyfriend yet, and I reluctantly listen to my cou-pled-off friends’ exasperating worries of which gift to buy for their someone special.

All this talk of relationships tends to get in the way of my favorite Christmas traditions, like ignoring the white guilt I’m faced to deal with during the year’s 11 other months.

So, I’m taking back the holi-days. CHRISTMAS IS MINE. And yours. You don’t need a relationship to be happy or content or sexually satisfied this holiday season. Being single for the holidays is pref-erable, actually. Because I’m single, I don’t have to worry about buying a present for a significant other. I’m terrible at gift giving anyway. Instead, I get to buy myself some-thing extra! I’m calling this my “single achievement holiday bonus,” and you should, too.

Being single for the holidays opens up all sorts of doors. By that, I mean the doors to other people’s bedrooms. (This is where I would tilt my head and wink.) Seriously though, something about the holidays really sets the mood right. Tis the season for hooking up! Hometowns across America, rejoice!

We all need to stay warm this holiday season, and is there anything hotter than meet-ing up and getting down with some feisty festivi-ties? Get creative with the mistletoe this year and give yourself an “Oh!” holy night. (Thank me later for that one.) And remem-ber, the holidays are for giving AND receiving. Nobody likes a Scrooge in bed.

With all the pres-sure to buy gifts and ignore your grandparents, it’s easy to forget the reason for the sea-son. Don’t forget Christmas is when we celebrate the day a baby was born with absolutely no sex involved. So let that be a reminder to you — always use protection.

So my advice for getting through the holidays as a sin-gle is this: spend some time with your family, but spend some time having fun, too. Your relationship status should

have little to do with your self worth all year round, so don’t let the holidays get you down.

If you get to feeling lonely, put on your favorite Christmas carols, pour a little more rum in the cider and invite some-one over to put the XXX back in X-mas. Your real life might not be anything like the ads on television, but it could be like the ads on certain web-sites. It’s up to you.

Cheer up, and spread some cheer. Whether you spend

your holidays giving back to those in need or if you spend them on your back getting what you need, I hope this Christmas is everything you hope it to be. Take a break from the pressures of school, take sev-eral naps per day and take in all Christmas has to offer because it only happens once a year.

As for me, when I’m not throwing candy canes at television screens, I’ll be in bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, among other things.

To all my single ladies and fellas, and to all of you lovey doveys out there too, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. (I would wink again there, too.)

ʻChristmas cheerʼ requires creativityGETTING OFF THE RECORD | RACHEL PERKINS

This past weekend we sent Ole Miss back to Oxford in a bodybag to win one

of the most storied football rivalries in the U.S. for the third straight year. The slogan proudly proclaims, “This is Our State!” Be it athletics, academ-ics, traditions, or any other pil-lar of the American university, MSU strives to be the best the state of Mississippi has to offer. But after the Golden Egg is returned to our trophy case, are we done? After U.S. Newsweek ranks the best universities in Mississippi, do we stop classes? After the dust set-tles, are we ulti-mately satisfi ed with being the best Mississippi has to offer?

By the end of this semester, I have come to the conclusion that MSU and its stu-dent body are content with just being better than Ole Miss. When applying to school here, I was bombarded with statements saying, “We are the best at X in Mississippi!” I was told we have the biggest student body in Mississippi, the best engi-

neering school in Mississippi, the best football team, etc. No offense to Mississippi, but in comparison, that isn’t all too impressive.

I don’t go home to Louisiana and pride myself with the fact that my student body is big-ger than Ole Miss’s, or that my engineering school is better than

USM’s non-exis-tent one. When I brag to friends back home about my university, I don’t compare it to the rest of Mississippi because I’m not satisfied with only being the best in Mississippi. I want to be better than Louisiana universities, so that I’m justi-fi ed in leaving my home state to come here. If I didn’t see a reason to think MSU was better than what I had

at home, I would have stayed at home.

Here comes the part where I make everyone angry. According to StateMaster.com, Mississippi ranks last nationally in more categories than any other state. Statistically speaking,

Mississippi has the worst public education, the highest obesity rate, the highest teen pregnancy rate, the lowest family income, the worst dental hygiene; the list goes on for days. This state is also last in the country in not voting for Ralph Nader, though I have no idea what that says about Mississippi. StateMaster even said it’s the worst state to live in. I encourage you to look up these statistics. And for the sake of unbiased journalism, Louisiana isn’t much better, I know. But with all of this in mind, being the best of the supposed worst isn’t too tanta-lizing.

This is why over time, I’ve come to hate the “This is Our State” slogan. For all I care, Pearl River Community College can have Mississippi. I want this to be Our Region, Our Country. You never hear MIT declare, “We have the best mathematics program in Massachusetts!” Or Stanford claim, “We philoso-

phize better than those losers at USC!” Because those are both major academic powers, and striving to be the best in their respective states merely limits their accomplishments. We attend a major national university, so we should com-pete as one.

We at MSU are blessed with an extremely diverse campus, representing most of America and many countries world-wide. Unfortunately, we tend to forget this fact, and that slo-gan misrepresents our student body.

This may be your state, but to be honest, it isn’t mine. We bleed maroon and white together, but to put it sim-ply, my pride stems from Mississippi State University, not the state of Mississippi. No matter how much maroon and white I hemorrhage onto the streets of the French Quarter, I will still be from Louisiana. There is a massive world out-side of the state of Mississippi, but you have to look to see it. If our biggest concern is being the best in the state, our priorities are way out of order.

We have a whole planet to touch, but we are afraid to cross state lines. So we become lethargic, confi ned by invisible borders. And if we can’t see past those boundaries, our uni-versity will never see its true potential.

State should strive for national rankingsAN UGLY FACT OF LIFE | TIM MCGRATH

Tim McGrath is a freshman majoring in aerospace engineering. He can be contacted at [email protected]. “There is a

massive world outside the state of Mississippi, but you have to look to see it. If our biggest concern is being the best in the state, our priorities are way out of order.”

Rachel Perkins is a senior majoring in English. She can be contacted at [email protected].

“The only coal-colored smudge marring my merry heart is the pressure to be in a relationship for the holidays.”

T H E R E F L E C TO R4 | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011

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6 | friday, december 2, 2011

Across1 Some are chocolate5 Trim10 1968 self-titled folk

album14 “My body’s achin’

and my time __ hand”: James Taylor lyric

15 “Climb aboard!”16 Israel’s Iron Lady19 Former Calif. base20 “CHiPs” star Erik21 China’s Chou En-__23 See 24-Down25 “Dogma” star26 “Assuming I’m right .

. .”28 Places to treat v-fib31 Not family-friendly36 Prefix for Caps or Cat37 Confuses39 Modem owner’s

need: Abbr.42 Lara Croft portrayer45 Not very much47 Hr. related to

airspeed48 Garr of “Mr. Mom”49 Patient contribution51 Spanish hors d’oeuvre55 Driver’s gadget56 Like many bazaars59 Synopsis61 Historic Cold War

crossing point64 Offer as proof65 Navel variety66 Dramatic opener67 Part of AMEX: Abbr.68 Turn aside69 Midway game word

Down1 Henry Blake’s rank in

“M*A*S*H*”2 Tempe sch.3 Odd-shaped reef

denizen4 Keep one’s word?5 Post on Facebook, e.g.6 Passport issuer?7 Fitting8 __ squad9 Slaughter in the

outfield10 Ethically

unconcerned11 Handles differently?12 Rest a spell, or a

fitting title for this puzzle

13 Seat of Florida’s Orange County

17 Émile, par exemple18 Abbr. on some

cheques21 Landlocked Alpine

principality22 Pro Bowl div.24 Statement before a

23-Across27 Needing no Rx29 React in shock30 “I agree, señor!”32 Stat for Cliff Lee33 Share for the fourth

little piggy34 USMC NCO35 Parochial school

figure38 Light touch39 Big name in

Chrysler history40 Shout after a purse-

snatching41 Capital of French

Polynesia43 Personal transport,

in science fiction44 Refinery input46 Comet colleague50 Tibetan milk source52 Links nickname53 ‘80s baseball

commissioner Ueberroth

54 Eastern NCAA

hoops gp.57 Modern music

source58 Don Juan sort60 Cries from

successful puzzle solvers

62 Hairy TV cousin63 AAA info

BULLETIN BOARDAN IN-CLASS DISTRACTION ...

12-2-11 Solutions for 11-18-11

THE REFLECTOR

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 rentRoommate needed in Colonial Arms Townhouses. 2 bedroom/2.5 bath, washer/dryer. Spacious bedrooms. Call 901-481-1868.

HeLP WAnteDBartending. Up to $300 / day. No experience necessary. Training available. Call 800-965-6520 ext. 213.Plan for spring break now. Join the best wholesale company in the world to travel and make extra money. properties.worldventures.biz.

MISCeLLAneoUSZiggy’s Buy & $ell thrift store in Starkville. Furniture, household items, games, DVDs, plus 10 vendors selling everything from monogram items to scrapbooks to antiques. 434 Hwy. 12 West, next to Army-Navy Pawn. 312-8895.

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]

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.

OCTOPUzzLE

12-2-11

Solutions for 11-15-11

Directions: Place the numbers 1 to 8 in each of the octagons such that the numbers are not repeated in any octagon, row, column, or diagonal. The sums of the minor diagonals (diagonals that contain either four or six numbers) are provided at the beginning and end of each minor diagonal. The sum of the four numbers that border a diamond are provided in that diamond. The numbers that border diamonds do not have to be unique.

Page 7: The Reflector

By Mary Kate McGowan

Staff Writer

Some people believe that is the most wonderful time of the year. But behind all the reindeer, Santa and menorah decorations, a necessary evil lingers in the background … the deflated and almost empty wallets and bank accounts. But have no fear; a saving grace has come to every-one’s rescue. Do it yourself gifts have made an impressive come-back. And conveniently just in time for the busiest shopping time of the year.

Katie Kraft, a sophomore e l e m e n t a r y education ma-jor, said DIY gifts are more personal be-cause spend-ing time on someone is always better than spend-ing money on him or her.

“I enjoy making DIY gifts because I love the creativity that goes into making each personal gift,” Kraft said.

And that feeling of spending time appears to be reciprocated and appreciated.

Laura Lee Williams, a fresh-man biological sciences major, said she loves getting DIY gifts because they are heartfelt.

“I know that they took time out of their schedule to make me something, and that makes me feel special,” Williams said.

Not only are DIY gifts more common, they seem more ac-ceptable. Through the emer-gence of the popular website

Pinterest.com, people have dis-covered the magic and power of these personalized presents. Through this and other chan-nels, many have learned the key that unlocks the barrier between classy, crafty and other than crappy.

Rachel Cheatham, a freshman special education major, said she enjoys Pinterest because it helps to get her creative juices flow-ing.

“It also is a great source for tons of really cool and easy DIY projects,” she said.

Some people are probably asking what is Pinterest right about now.

The official website states, “Pinterest is a virtual pin-board. Pinter-est allows you to organize and share all the beauti-ful things you find on the web. You can browse pin-boards created

by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your inter-ests.”

DIY gifts are nothing new. But a common dilemma with the homemade production of gifts is when the crafter does not cre-ate something at which he or she is good and skilled. For example, attempting crocheting a scarf is probably not a good idea when you are a knitting rookie but a skilled painter. No one wants a poorly made gift — not even mothers and grandmothers. But there is no need to be frightened of the prospect of “messing up.”

Landry McMillan, a junior business administration market-ing major, said some people are intimidated to do DIY gifts be-cause they want things to look perfect, which can be frustrat-ing.

“It is worth it because gifts you make are usually not only less expensive but also more sen-timental to the person you are giving it to,” she said.

This common predicament can easily be solved with just a little bit of research. Pinterest is a good, reliable source that can even instruct on how to create the present.

“I have done a couple projects off the website, and I am plan-ning on doing more for this Christmas. It is a great way to organize all your ideas and see what other people have done,” McMillan said.

Even if the most perplexing problem about DIY gifts can be solved, just imagine the good that can come out of them for not only the receiver but also for the giver. First of all, people can save money.

“Making gifts definitely helps relieve the stress off my pock-etbook, and I do not have to worry about buying everyone a gift,” Kraft said.

DIY gifts can also serve as a remedy to help relieve stress when considering the holiday shopping frenzy, traffic and chaos.

Amanda Gilstrap, a freshman kinesiology major, said shop-ping stresses her and by making gifts it helps alleviate her stress level.

No matter what a person’s ar-tistic skill level or their specialty is, DIY gifts are a perfectly rea-sonable, financially responsible and personally fulfilling process that is sure to bring a smile to someone’s face and to wallets ev-erywhere.

friday, december 2, 2011 | 7R E F L E C TO R - O N L I N E . C O M

L i fe“Making gifts definitely helps relieve the stress off my pocketbook, and I do not have to worry about buying everyone a gift.” katie kraft, sophomore elementary education major

Interested? Addicted? Here are a few examples of interesting DIY gifts that are sure to make someone happy.

You can do this project if … You can color in the lines:

Pretty Bird Wall Art (Pictured top far left; borrowed from Blue Cricket Design; http://www.blue-cricketdesign.net/2010/08/pretty-bird-wall-art.html)

Supplies Needed:Two canvases, permanent marker, printed birds to trace, scissors, paint, wallpaper or vintage pages, glue or mod podge

1. Print off pictures of birds on cardstock or mount the picture on cardstock to make them sturdy. 2. Cut birds out.3. Glue newspaper pages, scrapbook paper or book pages to the canvases. Make sure to com-pletely cover the canvases.4. Lay canvases next to each other. Trace tree branches on the paper, then fill in the lines using a permanent marker.5. Place birds on the canvases and arrange them.6. Trace the birds, and then color them in using a permanent marker.7. Add as many details as you please like leaves, etc.

You can glue something to something else:

Jeweled Monogram Letter or Word (Pictured top far right; borrowed from Handmade by Ryoan; http://www.etsy.com/listing/78871167/jeweled-monogram-letter-m?ref=v1_other_2)

Supplies Needed:Old or broken jewelry, trinkets or knick-knacks, premade wooden letter, glue

1. Arrange decorations on letter.2. Glue decorations to letter.

You can paint something:

Painted Paper Towel Holder/ Bracelet Holder (Pictured top right center; http://pinterest.com/pin/22518066856434169/)

Supplies Needed:Paper towel holder, paint, paint brush

1. Paint a paper towel holder. Hint: Make a bracelet to put on the holder.

You can write and color inside the line:

Painted Canvas with a Quote (Pictured top left center; http://pinterest.com/pin/3096293463408983/)

Supplies Needed: Canvas, quote, paint, paintbrush1. Paint border and background.2. Write quote with pencil. Make sure it looks good, centered and proportional.3. Paint in the words.

Page 8: The Reflector

THE REFLECTOR8 | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011 LIFE

Shopping bags, coupons and crowds, oh my! We all know holiday shopping can be

quite stressful. Every year, we spend count-

less hours and loads of money on fi nding that perfect gift for every-one on our list. Some say there is a trick to tackling this holiday shopping beast.

By using online resources, marking your calendar for those post-Thanksgiving sales and do-ing a little fi nancial planning, you can take on this year’s holiday shopping with ease.

Your fi rst task should be to de-cide how much money in all you are able or willing to spend. Try and designate a certain amount for each person you want to shop for, so that you can keep a rea-sonable price range.

From there, try to get an idea of what type of items you want to search for. Another suggestion is to keep your shopping money separate from your everyday spending money to avoid over-spending.

When it comes to how you spend, be careful when using

credit cards. According to Kip-linger, try to pay with cash, so when you run out of money, you run out. If a credit card is needed, try to receive cash-back rewards and look for low interest rates.

Another option for paying for items is to set them aside on lay-away so you can gradually pay off the item with small, consistent payments instead of paying in full.

Kiplinger also suggests having a plan for paying off your bills.

Timing your shopping is a ne-cessity.

Make sure you know when to shop because timing is every-thing when it comes to the best

deals and bargains. You can never start searching

for that special gift too early, es-pecially when it comes to high-demand products or this year’s must-haves. If possible, get your easy gifts out of the way early.

A key shopping time for deals is two weeks prior to Christmas.

Look out for coupons and codes for extra savings. Websites such as retailmenot.com and currentcodes.com help you fi nd promotion and coupon deals for online retailers and products.

Other websites like savycircle.com, shopstyle.com and shopittome.com help fi nd current or upcom-ing deals. You can even sign up to receive email notifi cations when certain items go on sale.

So, take a deep breath and chan-nel your inner shopping guru.

Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but shopping can damper your holi-day spirit if you are not prepared.

By applying these simple tips, you can have a stress-free shop-ping experience. Grab that list and get busy because Christmas is just around the corner!

Ashlyn Watkins is a senior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].

GUEST COLUMNIST | ASHLYN WATKINS

Become a savvy shopper for this year's holiday season

BY JULIA V. PENDLEY

Managing Editor

When November and December roll around each year, people are fi lled with the spirit of giving, and this year, Mississippi State University’s radio station, WMSV-FM 91.1, will be continuing this great American tradition with a Peanut Butter Ra-diothon this weekend.

Steve Ellis, the station manager, said participants will be collecting both jars of peanut butter and money to go toward the purchase of peanut butter at the State Fountain Bak-ery Friday from 6 p.m. to

midnight and Saturday from 6 a.m. to midnight. All peanut butter collected will go to Haiti through Operation Ukraine, an international relief orga-nization located in Co-lumbus. The station’s goal is to collect 8,000 jars of peanut butter.

To promote the event, Aramark will provide free coffee and peanut but-ter cookies at the bakery throughout the event. Do-nations will also receive on-air benefi ts. All donors of $10, or four jars, will receive an on-air “thank you;” donors of $20 will get to record a “shout-out” at the nearby radio studio;

and donors of $30 will be able to play any song and make an on-air dedication. Groups who donate $300 will receive 30 minutes of airtime in January. For ev-ery $1,000 received, Wal mart Stores Inc. will do-nate a $100 gift card and will also be responsible for transporting all the peanut butter from Starkville to Columbus. The U.S. Air Force will deliver the ship-ment to Haiti.

The idea to collect pea-nut butter is based on the fact that two tablespoons of peanut butter provide all the protein nutrition-ally needed on a daily ba-sis.

WMSV radio station seeks student help for Haiti Saturday

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Fanning-Otis picks up win No. 600BY ELLIOTT REES

Contributing Writer

The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs defeated the South Alabama Lady Jaguars 63-47 Wednesday night at Humphrey Coliseum to give head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis her 600th career win.

Fanning-Otis is now part of an elite group becoming only the 14th NCAA Division I coach to achieve this mark. Not only did she win her 600th, but she also added to her already all-time leading wins total at Mis-sissippi State that now stands at 273 wins in 17 seasons as head coach for the Lady Bulldogs.

H o w e v e r , Fanning-Ot i s said milestones are not what she is most grateful for.

“Every mile-stone I think in everyone’s career is always special, but what are re-ally special are the young ladies, the coaching staff, the fans and the people that have been with you through those times,” she said.

Win number 600 is an out-standing accomplishment, but coach Fanning-Otis said she re-alizes the path does not stop here in order to get where the Bull-dogs need and want to be.

“It’s great, but I’m looking forward to the next win, and the next win,” she said.

Senior point guard Diamber Johnson said she is also aware that each win is important and just as big as another.

“It’s special, but looking at the bigger picture, it’s a win we need to get to be in good stance at this point,” Johnson said.

State improved its record to 6-1 overall and to 5-0 at home this season with the win over the Lady Jaguars. The Lady Bull-dogs now lead the overall series 9-6 against the Lady Jaguars and have beaten them three straight.

After getting off to a fast start scoring within the fi rst 10 seconds of the game, the Lady Bulldogs went scoreless for just over fi ve minutes in the fi rst half and trailed 7-2. With 14:50 left in the fi rst half, senior forward Ashley Brown began a 19-0 run for State with her only bucket of the game. Feeding the ball inside and offensive rebounds were a big part in the run.

“We were re-bounding. We were living in the paint, which is something we’ve been dis-cussing as a team as some-thing we need to do,” Johnson said.

South Ala-bama, in the meantime, went nearly 10 min-utes without a basket during the stretch, fi -nally scoring

with 5:46 left in the fi rst half with a layup by junior guard Mary Nixon to make the score 21-9.

South Alabama shot 14.3-per-cent in the fi rst half as State took a 29-17 lead into the half. It was the lowest percentage allowed by State this season.

“We just tried to play hard and together,” said Fanning-Otis.

The second half was a more competitive game. South Ala-bama pulled within six points at the 14:19 mark when the score was 36-30 after a 3-pointer by guard Jennifer Johnson. Howev-er, that was as close as the Lady Jaguars would get. State went on

to outscore South Alabama 34-30 in the second half.

Although senior guard Diam-ber Johnson went on to score a team-leading 22 points, they did not come easy as she shot a dismal 6-21 from the fi eld. She felt taking the ball to the hole would remedy the problem.

“My shots weren’t falling, and I don’t like to force shots. I knew I had to get the ball to the bucket,” she said.

Senior center Catina Bett also contributed with 11 points which was her highest point total of the season and crashed the boards for eight rebounds. However, she said she realizes there is still room for improve-ment.

“I feel like I’m getting my ‘mojo’ back, but it’s just going to take time and effort to get where I need to be as a player,” Bett said.

Freshman center Martha Al-wal also cashed in with seven points and two blocks. She only needs six more blocks to break the freshman single-season blocks record of 32 set by LaToya Thomas during the 1999-2000 season.

Next up for MSU is Tulane at the Hump on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs are seeking revenge after losing to the Green Wave last year.

“It’s sort of like the Xavier game in that it’s going to be pay-back,” Bett said.

Fanning-Otis is positive it is going to take an inspired effort on behalf of the Lady Bulldogs to beat the Lady Green Wave. “It is a very aggressive, success-ful basketball team coming back from an NCAA tournament ap-pearance,” she said.

The Lady Bulldogs have a December stretch which in-cludes the Reno-Tahoe Classic in Reno, Nev. leading up to the start of Southeastern Conference play on Jan. 5 against Louisiana State University at home.

Looking for tickets to the bowl game?

Mississippi State's bowl selection will be announced Sunday evening, but plans for student ticket sales are already in place.

A lottery will be held next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Humphrey Coliseum. Students can enter the building at 6:30 p.m., where they will have their ID scanned and be given a ticket with a number on it.

All student seating at the bowl game will be reserved, so come to the Hump with the people you plan on sitting with at the game.

At 7:30 p.m., the lottery will begin and numbers will be called out in blocks of 50.

Regular tickets can also be purchased through the athletic ticket office at mstateathletics.com.

The number of tickets available will not be determined until MSU knows which bowl it will be playing in.

Mullen discusses recruiting, PSU rumorsBY RAY BUTLER

Staff Writer

After beating in-state rival Ole Miss for the third consecutive year, the Mississippi State football team (6-6) fi nds itself bowl eligi-ble for the second straight season for the fi rst time in 11 years. The Bulldogs now fi nd themselves in a short rest period before learning their post-season fate.

But while some of the staff and players get to relax and catch their breath, head coach Dan Mul-len is busier than ever, traveling to numerous regions and states around the country in hopes of assembling the best recruiting class possible for next season.

“This is the busiest time of the year,” Mullen said. “This is our fi rst opportunity to get on the road, so we’ve got seven guys out beating the path trying to get some great players to come play for us here at Mississippi State.”

But similar to much of Mullen’s three-year tenure at MSU, there is an abundance of speculation of

the coach’s im-mediate future. This escalated on Tuesday, when reports surfaced Mullen was the leading candi-date to replace Joe Paterno as head coach of the Penn State Nit-tany Lions, a team that the head coach grew up cheering for.

When asked about the report, Mullen said he takes it as a com-pliment to Mississippi State foot-ball as a whole.

“I think it’s great for the pro-gram,” Mullen said. “I would imagine there are two rumors about you: either rumors that you’re going somewhere or rumors you’re getting fi red, so I’ll take the going somewhere rumor.”

When asked if he had been contacted by Penn State or any other school, Mullen denied com-ment.

“We don’t talk about that,” Mullen said. “We’ll talk about Mississippi State.”

The speculation about Penn State’s coaching vacancy comes less than a year after Mullen’s name was said to be in the mix for both the Miami Hur-ricanes and Florida Gators coaching positions, the latter being a school in which Mullen coached before coming to Mis-sissippi State. It was then that MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin and the rest of State’s athletic administration decided to raise Mullen’s yearly salary, a contract extension Mullen said he remains happy with.

“They did a great job (last year), and I’m really pleased,” said Mullen. “The school re-ally stepped up and took care of me, and I know I’m very, very happy with the agreement that we came upon last year.”

Mullen also talked about MSU’s bowl possibilities, and said State’s preparation for its bowl will begin Dec. 9, adding that the fi rst week of practices leading up to the bowl game will be open to the public.

Mullen

COURTESY PHOTO | MISSISSIPPI STATE ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Sharon Fanning-Otis celebrates with her team after reaching the 600-win milestone for her career Wednesday.

“Itʼs special, but looking at the bigger picture, itʼs a win we need to get to be in a good stance at this point.”

DIAMBER JOHNSON, SENIOR POINT GUARD

PIPER REAVES | THE REFLECTOR

Page 10: The Reflector

SPORTS stat of the day :103-53 – the combined score,

in favor of msu, of the last three egg bowls

10 | friday, december 2, 2011 THE REFLECTOR

saturday special: west virginia

vs. msu 8 p.m. sat. espnu

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chris roland | the reflector

THREE IN A ROW | Mississippi State senior running back Vick Ballard poses with the Egg Bowl trophy after State’s 31-3 win over Ole Miss on Saturday night. The win marks MSU’s third consecutive Egg Bowl victory and sends the Bulldogs to a bowl game.

by ray butler

Staff Writer

Less than a month ago, the Akron Zips marched to Starkville and dominated every facet of their contest with the Mississippi State men’s basketball team, which at the time was only playing in its second game of the 2011-2012 season. The loss left State fans with no choice but to draw par-allels to bad, unforeseen losses in past seasons.

MSU, however, has refused to let the upset at the hands of the Zips define its season, and senior point guard Dee Bost went as far as to say the loss helped bring him and his teammates back down to earth.

“A lot of teams have their ups and downs, and of course we had ours early (in the season),” said Bost. “We needed that loss, and it helped us change our focus going to New York.”

The change of focus helped the Dogs in New York, where they torched the Texas A&M Aggies and Arizona Wildcats en route to being crowned champion of the 2K Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. After the tournament, MSU came back to Starkville and beat three mid-major opponents by an impressive average of over 21 points per contest.

The wins pushed the Dogs’ record to 7-1, which is the best start for State since the 2003-2004 season. State is now the winner of six straight and is currently ranked 21st in the lat-est Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs face a Saturday night matchup with the West Virginia Mountaineers as part of the SEC vs. Big East Challenge taking place throughout the two con-ferences this week.

Under the direction of head coach Bob Huggins, West Vir-ginia is a team that is no strang-er to March Madness, having played in the NCAA tournament

four consecutive years. The high-light of that impressive run was in the 2009-2010 season, when the Mountaineers advanced all the way to the Final Four before being beaten by Duke.

This season, WVU (4-1) has fallen victim only to Kent State and the Mountaineers rank in-side the top 50 in the country in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game and field goal percentage.

Although West Virginia is not currently ranked, MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said it would be foolish to look past the Mountaineers.

“The biggest thing to simulate is when they shoot it, their best offense is to try and go get it,”

Stansbury said. “Forget the rank-ings, I promise you West Virgin-ia is one of the better teams in the country.”

To keep WVU off the boards, State will depend on junior for-ward Arnett Moultrie, who leads the Southeastern Conference with 10.8 rebounds per game. Besides having talent as a re-bounder, Moultrie has also made a huge impact on the MSU bas-ketball team as a scorer. Through eight games, the forward is sec-ond on the team with 16 points per game.

MSU’s game against West Virginia will tipoff at 8 p.m. Saturday evening at Humphrey Coliseum and can be seen on ESPNU.

eric evans | the reflector

True freshman Rodney Hood, a Meridian native, has drawn praise from head coach Rick Stansbury in State’s non-conference slate.

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MSU takes on Big East foe West Virginia