Reporter

As I drive through Columbus on my daily route to MUW, I came across a Mississippi State University billboard with the phrase, “Don’t be a transfer student, be a BULLDOG!” That got me thinking. How come I don’t see any MUW billboards in Columbus and the surrounding areas? Where is the advertising that MUW is putting forth? Are there ads somewhere? Does anyone even care?

I’ve been at MUW for almost a year now. Since I don’t live very far, I have always known about the university. Ever since I was a child, I would hear my parents talk about it or see it on the evening news. When it came time for me to pick a school after my time at a community college, I began to receive letters in the mail from schools nearby. I received letters from several schools.  They all showed me features about what they could offer a transfer student.

Not seeing MUW billboards and even commercials on TV, I didn’t know much about the university. I believe that if I had seen more ads for the school, I would have given it more thought. The letters from The W usually ended up on the bottom of the stack.

Now that I’m a proud student of MUW, it hurts me not to see any advertising by my school. Yes, I know that there are MUW commercials. I’ve seen them, and they are pretty awesome! They are even better than MSU’s commercials. So what’s the problem? Well, I haven’t seen them on WCBI in quite some time. I admit that I don’t watch WCBI that much. I watch WTVA, which is out of Tupelo. I’ve never seen an MUW commercial on WTVA. If the school wants to broaden its “reach” it should at least “reach” to Tupelo.  

Whenever football, basketball and baseball season comes around, all I see is MSU billboards. I enjoy looking at them because the man who takes the pictures for them is from my hometown. The only time I’ve seen an MUW billboard is on the electronic billboard that displays several ads. It is usually about an upcoming speaker at the school. One day when I was driving to Tupelo, I saw an MUW billboard displaying a message about the university’s nursing program. A couple of weeks later, it wasn’t there.  It had been replaced by an ad about bug extermination. This really hurt my heart.

In the past, the only time I’ve ever seen MUW was when it was being talked about in the news. With the new rebranding effort made by the school, I thought they would have given advertising a little more effort.  

In the future, MUW should look at what its greatest asset is and build off of that. What is its greatest asset? In my opinion, it is the cozy campus and the small classrooms. The only way I knew about the small teacher to student ratio was on the application pamphlet. I believe that if everyone else knew about it, the enrollment would go up.

Sorry that I vented a little too much, but I just want to see my school doing well. Right now, I don’t think it is on the advertising front. I hope that it does become better, because this school has so much to offer.

Reporter

The country was glued to the television as the top 68 college teams from around the United States stepped onto the hardwood.  Everyone wanted to see what great team would get the chance to cut down the net in the Georgia Dome.

March Madness was filled with excitement that could be seen in an action film.

First, it was a major upset by the No. 12-seeded Ole Miss Rebels that led to the Rebels advancing to the second round by defeating the highly favored Wisconsin Badgers. Then No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles defeated big No. 2 Georgetown Hoyas with the score of 78-68.

Harvard surprised the world by defeating New Mexico Lobos, which most sport analytics had in the top 16. It was the first-ever tournament win in Harvard’s history. Top-seeded Indiana was defeated by the Orangemen of Syracuse to make it to the elite.

People were shocked as Kevin Ware, a Louisville guard, suffered a compound leg fracture in a win over Duke. It was amazing how Louisville players rallied around their fallen teammate in the midst of how horrific his injury was. Many sports analysts thought Louisville’s season would be over, considering it had just lost its best player.

In amazing fashion, though, the Louisville Cardinals ended the part of the year most basketball fans around the country call March Madness by defeating the Michigan Wolverines in the National Championship game, 82-76 on April 8.

March Madness was filled with heart-pumping action from beginning to end.

Reporter

“Do you think we choose the times into which we are born? Or do we fit the times we are born into?” said Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln.”  

This film, directed by Steven Spielberg (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List,” etc.) and written by Tony Kushner (“Munich,” “Theater of War,” etc.), shows Abraham Lincoln in his last four months of being president.  

The film centers around Lincoln’s trials and tribulations involved in passing the 13th Amendment, which would free slaves all across the country.  Lincoln’s cabinet and the rest of Washington, D.C. are more concerned about making peace with the Confederate States of America, but Lincoln is determined to pass the amendment.  

“Lincoln” is full of some of the greatest actors of our generation.  Three-time Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis (“Gangs of New York,” “There Will Be Blood,” etc.) stars as Abraham Lincoln.  Two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field (“Forrest Gump,” “Norma Rae”, etc.) plays Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln.  Finally, Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones (“The Fugitive,” “Men in Black,” etc.) fills out the group, playing representative Thaddeus Stevens.

This is probably some of the best acting I’ve ever seen.  Audiences have come to expect great acting from the three headliners: Day-Lewis, Field and Jones.  

Day-Lewis is considered by some one of the greatest actors of all time.  His portrayal of Lincoln earned him a “Best Actor” Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.  Lincoln was originally going to be portrayed by Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List,” “Michael Collins”), but he pulled out because he thought that he was too old for the part.  Day-Lewis was then casted in 2010 to play Lincoln. I believe this was for the better.

Day-Lewis is known for plunging himself into his characters.  This movie is no exception.  He is rumored to have read several biographies of Lincoln.  He is also rumored to have stayed in character throughout most of the shoot.  This immersion goes to show everyone that no other actor could have pulled off playing Lincoln.

Like most movies, there are some people who find faults.  One of the biggest concerns with Day-Lewis’ portrayal was voice that he decided to use.  Nobody really knows what Lincoln sounded like, so Day-Lewis came up with a voice that he believed Lincoln might have used.  This was also a concern for me.  Overall, Lincoln’s voice was a little annoying, but in some parts of the film, it really worked.

I wouldn’t consider this Day-Lewis’ best work.  Probably his best work, in my opinion, is when he played Bill the Butcher in “Gangs of New York.”  As big of a fan as I am of Day-Lewis, I was slightly disappointed.  One of the things that bothered me was how softly he spoke.  I had to turn up the volume just to hear him.  Another thing that bothered me was when Lincoln began rambling off about wild stories (this is a writing issue).  It made the film longer than what it really should have been.

An unsung star of the film was David Strathairn (“The Bourne Legacy,” “We are Marshall,” etc.) who played William Seward.  The scenes with him and Day-Lewis were some of the best in the whole movie.  I could tell that both fed off each other’s skills.

This film has a lot of political jargon.   If you are not careful, you might lose yourself in the process of watching it.  The writing for this movie is top notch.  There are several excellent quotes from the movie.  It seemed like Lincoln might have said these in real life.  

The climax of the story leaves the viewer holding his or her breath.  I won’t give it away, but I’m sure most know the outcome.  It is not what you think!  Trust me!

One of the biggest compliments I can give this movie is the set and costume designing.  The sets in “Lincoln” are amazing.  From the Capitol building to the House of Representatives, everything is spectacular.  The lighting for the movie is also great.  There are a lot of shots in the film where Lincoln is profiled by his silhouette.  This makes him look more powerful than he already was.  The costumes are exactly what people probably wore in the 19th century.

There was one big error that I noticed while watching “Lincoln.”  During one of the snippets of film when Lincoln is with his cabinet, Seward is shown relaxing in his chair with his hands under the table.  The next shot shows Seward with his head resting on his fists.  This was first shown during the trailer for the movie.  I thought that Spielberg would have caught this during editing, but undoubtedly he didn’t.  This really bothered me.  It made the rest of the movie seem less professional.

Overall, “Lincoln” is a powerful movie, but I believe that it could have been better.  The acting was amazing.  I can’t stand movies that have bad acting.  I would recommend this movie to history gurus or people who love great acting.  I don’t recommend this movie to average movie-goers. They might feel bored at sometimes.  In conclusion, “Lincoln” receives three out of four stars.

If you are like, then me you probably chose MUW because it offered a home away from home.  The minute I walked onto campus I knew I could be the truest form of myself. If I liked cheesy fantasy novels and wearing red lipstick every day, then I felt that somewhere on campus I could find a special group of people who did that, too. I never had to worry about not fitting in again.

The same can be said for the gifted program I was involved with during elementary and middle school at New Hope.

In its basic form, MERIT is simply a program offered for gifted students. For 50 minutes a day students in the program work on various activities that seek to get them thinking outside of the box. While state law mandates gifted education in grades two through six, it does not for seventh and eighth grades. Without any public warning, on March 5, school officials decided to inform parents that they would be asking the school board to cut the program in the 7th and 8th grades.

While in the seventh and eighth grade, students in the MERIT program do not actually take a reading or language arts course, but are given credit for it. School officials became concerned when MCT scores showed that MERIT students were not testing as high as the officials believed they should for their intellectual level. On Mar. 5, school officials suggested cutting the program completely and a decision would be made by the school board on Mar. 8.

I admit that I was extremely angry and upset when I first heard there was a possibility that the program could be cut. So many years of my life were spent in the MERIT program, and it truly helped to bring me out of my shell. While many who know me now would describe me as ebullient and bubbly, it certainly took me years to evolve from the shy, long-haired, brace-faced little girl I once was. (And to be clear, ebullient is just a fancy way of saying bubbly. But of course I only learned that thanks to my 6^th and 7^th grade MERIT teacher).

MERIT gives children who might fade into the abyss of middle school a chance to form friendships, use their brain power and become intellectually stimulated. In a regular classroom environment, children at a gifted level may hold themselves back for fear of surpassing their peers or being teased. I remember all too well the familiar elementary school taunts of being “the teacher’s pet” or a “nerd.” Because I enjoyed reading, writing and thinking, I instantly felt out of place with some of my fellow classmates. However, the minute I stepped into the MERIT room this all changed.  Students do and will adjust better when placed in a class, if only part time, with children who are like them because they no longer feel out of sync.

While we offer many programs for other children with different intellectual needs, it’s important not to overlook gifted students because they, too, have problems and needs. These are often overlooked because of misconceptions. Gifted students aren’t all high achievers and nerds who are exempt from needing help or guidance because they are smart.

Gifted students are known to be extremely sensitive to others’ perceptions and expectations. Some spend large amounts of time feeling guilty mulling over these ideas in their brains. Some may be perfectionists whose self-worth is directly tied to how well they perform academically. It is also possible for gifted students to have learning disabilities, which can be overlooked by those who are unfamiliar with working with gifted children because they assume he or she is intelligent and can’t have problems. Finally, students who are gifted may have extreme difficulty with multiple choice tests because they can see the validity in several possible answers. These problems only highlight the fact that gifted education should be offered and how important these children are.

Eliminating the gifted program would seek to make all children average. Not all of us will become football heroes on cheerleaders, which is why we need somewhere else to go. Some of us, like me, can find out who we truly are in a program like MERIT. I walked in a shy, ugly little girl and ended up blossoming into a pretty cool person. In MERIT I learned to build a bridge, play chess, publish a book and design my own website. Not to mention, I met one of my best friends, who happens to now attend the United States Naval Academy, so I wouldn’t say MERIT doesn’t produce some top-notch people.

Thankfully, Dr. Robin Ballard, the assistant superintendent, presented a solution to the problem on March 8 saying that instead of completely cutting the program, the district would instead offer it as an elective in the 7th and 8th grades. With this compromise, students who wish to take MERIT may do so while also taking a reading class. Perhaps this will appease parents, help students and provide the test scores school officials so longingly desire.

Here’s a little food for thought:

“…as much as the world has benefited from the contributions of gifted individuals, it is disturbing…to realize that the population least likely to learn and achieve its potential is the highly gifted.”
-Joseph Cardillo

Reporter

MUW students seem to think that they are receiving good instruction in their classes, and they generally feel safe on campus.

But they really want sports to return to the university.

That’s the result of an informal student survey conducted by the Spectator.

Students ranging from freshmen to graduate students of different races and gender were asked about their experiences at MUW.

Students were asked, “If you could change one thing about MUW, what would it be?” Adding sports was at the top of the list for many students.

“Our campus is missing a lot of school spirit. Maybe it's because we don't have sport teams like other colleges,” sophomore Jasmine Weaver says.

Those feelings were echoed by others who said that team sports would enhance a student’s college experience. One suggested that, if team sports can’t be added, that perhaps individual-level sports might be an option.

One thing that everyone agreed on was that students are getting a good education at MUW.

“I've been receiving quality instruction,” says Shobal Johnson. “The teachers have a lot of information and are extremely supportive in pushing students to their potential and providing information for life after the MUW.”

Weaver agreed.

“My teachers are dedicated to helping me succeed. Pushing me in my work helps me to realize my true intellect,” she says. “I love the ‘W’ because it is small and the teachers will help you. It’s also cheaper than most schools.”

But students aren’t happy with everything about the campus. There was a request for the cafeteria to offer different meal plans again. Another student wanted to see more fish and vegetarian options added to the menu. Another said that the student health center should be open every day students are present.

There was also a plea for campus groups to work together.

“The different organizations need to be more supportive of one another,” said graduate student Shobal Johnson.

Do you agree or disagree with these comments? We’d like to hear from you. Just post your feedback here.

Lifestyles Editor

Hollywood Premier Cinemas once looked like a giant Mexican restaurant. It was plastered tan like a tortilla chip. The corners slightly curved inwards like a dusty villa. Tacos and fajitas danced in my mind. It was beautiful.

Of course, I was a kid. Then, Columbus had four theatres – each with only two screens. One was inside an abandoned mall – which sounds exciting, even a good kind of creepy. No, it brought forth a strange loneliness like a toothache in the pit of your stomach and a bothersome nostalgia that later in life you will describe as, “That makes me feel sentimental, but not in a good way. You know?” The other three theatres looked identical – like a cherry-centered chocolate bar inside a brick furnace with the words Varsity Twin or Malco Twin crunched on top. Not bad, but not tacos.

Now, Hollywood Premiere Cinemas has somehow come to match my conscious of what the theatre experience has become. Painted grey and ominous, the theatre has the appearance of a giant hardware store. Though I enjoy the aesthetic of a hardware store, the idea of assembled movies through formulaic bits of metallic pieces has left me with an unfulfilled appetite.

Feb. 21-23 was this year’s date for the Magnolia Independent Film Festival a.k.a THE MAG. Started by the late Ron Tippet in 1997, the MAG has been a long-running film festival that gives filmmakers from around the nation — and more recently other nations — the chance to premier their films in Mississippi. Though started in West Point, The MAG has since moved to Starkville.

The MAG has shed new light on the Hollywood Premier Cinemas and taken the breath from other local cinemas alike. Though all the films within the festival may not be groundbreaking material, it definitely breathes community for our humble Golden Triangle to huddle around.

I half expected long lines and free beer, even kids sneakily swapping tokes of a spliff amongst each other. I’ve never been to a film festival, so naturally, I expected it to be like a music festival. Most of the crowd was twice my age - which was disappointing. Not that I don’t like bumping elbows with older people (because I do) and not that old people are lame (which they’re not). It’s that the younger generations seem to lack interest in a local film festival. Perhaps older people are better at hiding their pot, because I saw no signs of anyone attempting to elevate their mind to a higher plane.

I saw the second and third night of the showing, which primarily consisted of short films and one short documentary. Friday night premiered Coffee, God, and Gasoline, Curvas, and One Night in March. Curvas, a Spanish short film directed by David Galindo, won best comedy of the festival and One Night in March, a documentary directed by Robbie Coblentz, won peoples favorite of the festival. Curvas was perhaps my favorite. It followed a man driving through the country who picks up and eerie woman who asks to be taken to town. One Night in March follows a true story of the 1963 Mississippi State basketball team to a championship that defied segregation.

Saturday night premiered Shooter, Restitution, Genrevolt, and This is Vanity. My favorite of the night, and best drama winner was This is Vanity. This is Vanity, a troubling and true UK short film, followed the demise and bullying of a mother and her mentally handicapped daughter. It was a beautifully shot and a personal tale that left the viewer irritated and cold towards the world.

Two directors were there Saturday night. The first I talked to was Steve Riley who directed Shooter. Shooter is a short film about a woman who meets an old friend of the family at the funeral of her father. It is later revealed that the “mysterious friend of the family” was her father’s partner in crime in assassinating John F. Kennedy.

“I’m from Irving, Texas,” Riley tells me, “Which is where all that happened.”

Steve Riley appears to be a gentle sort of man, wearing a thick leather jacket and one of those kangaroo hats that Ladies Love Cool James used to wear.

“Back then, crime scenes weren’t how they are now. I was a kid then. People could walk into crime scenes. The whole thing fascinated me, as it did everyone else,” Riley says.

The second director that night was Justin Miller. His film, Restitution, is about a husband who finds that his wife cloned his son without his consent. It is a dark science fiction film that dealt with morality.

He tells me, “It came to me as a dream first. I’ve always been a fan of science fiction. Phillip K. Dick is a big influence for me. Science fiction that is still in the realm of reality has always drawn me.”

Miller and his team from Atlanta, Ga., are traveling the festival circuit along with Riley.

“This is our first festival, so we had to be here to see it,” Miller says.

Laura Dixon of Broadcast Media Group is a young and energetic woman who tackled the immensity of the festival for the first time this year.

“They asked me in November if I’d be interested in doing the festival,” she tells me. “So since then we’ve been putting it together. The whole thing has been great, though. It’s opened my eyes to a certain area of film that I really didn’t even know existed.”

“I’m excited for next year. This time, we’ll have a whole year to prepare.

Thanks Tibbet, for the tacos once again.

Reporter

MUW Counseling Center held the first Safe Zone seminar for this semester on Thursday, Feb. 7.

I completed my training at the seminar, and learned a lot of useful information on the LGBTQ community. After the seminar was over, I received my rainbow placard and placed it on my dorm door as a safe zone for anyone who needs a listening ear. If you walk around campus and see rainbow colored placards, it means that person has gone through training to be a certified Safe Zone volunteer. Anyone who is a member of the LGBTQ community knows that person is someone who will understand their issues without judgment. If you haven’t been educated on what LGBTQ stands for, it’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Questioning.

The seminar helped to eradicate some of the myths and fears behind the community. MUW counselors Yvette Harris and Alicia Mainka helped to educate students, faculty and staff on the many issues LGBTQ face, and equipped us with knowledge on how we can help those who are part of the community feel safe. Some people do not realize that the students, family members or friends who are dealing with their sexual orientation are still human beings with feelings. Safe Zone provides a way to allow those who are part of that community to feel comfortable in their own skin without the fear of being judged or criticized.

The mystery behind LGBTQ has led people to believe in myths because of the lack of education.  Some people make the assumption, “she’s lesbian, so she is going to hit on me,” but this is a common myth. When a person is gay or lesbian, it does not mean they are attracted to every man or female that they see. It is just the same as when a straight person sees a person of the opposite sex, it does not necessarily mean they are attracted to them.

Word usage such as phrase, “that’s so gay,” can be potentially harmful to those who are dealing with these issues. We have to become more sensitive and aware about the words we say because it might be offensive to the ones around us.

To help us understand the experience of how people in the community have dealt with the issues they have faced for being gay or lesbian, Mainka introduced us to an African-American lesbian couple who have been in a relationship for more than a year. They are college students and are also living together despite the criticism and judgment they have received from family and friends.

Although their journey was not easy, they still were positive and confident in themselves and the relationship, and would not allow any negativity to affect their beliefs. They gave very inspiring stories of how they overcame the struggle of “coming out,” and how it has helped each of them figure out who they are as a person.

Safe Zone is a great way to deal with the transition many people may be facing if they need someone to talk to. By being certified as a Safe Zone volunteer does not mean that you have to accept someone’s lifestyle or that you agree with it, it simply means you acknowledge them as human beings and will support, understand and be a listening ear when they are in need. You will provide a Safe Zone for them to communicate with you, whether it’s needing help with “coming out,” relationship problems or any other problems they may be dealing with. If you know someone who is dealing with coming out, direct them to someone with the rainbow colored placard on their door, or the counseling center. Don’t let them go at it alone, and remain confidential until they are ready.

Reporter

What do you think of Poindexter? What do you think of the change from Cromwell to Poindexter?

“I love it; it is a truly beautiful building. It has easy access to the practice area and instrumentation. Most classrooms are soundproof. It has a beautiful stage with great sound!” — Matthew Cook

“The building is fantastic! It took some time because of complications. Once we got in it was just a fabulous building compared to Cromwell.” — Andrew Miller

“It’s beautiful! It’s bigger.” — Stanleysha Anderson

“I think it was beautifully renovated and very useful for music majors.  Poindexter is more up to date. Cromwell is just old.” — Karen Thread

“I think it’s really beautiful and it captures the essence of the original time period. It is a lot better.” — Sarah McClaren

“I really like it. The architecture of the building is really nice. The Poindexter facilities are 300 percent better.” — Austin McDonald

Reporter

After last week’s announcement that President Barack Obama would be continuing in his second term, many voters are reflecting on the election season as it stands. Here are opinions from several local people.

Interview with Alex Hinton

Did you vote?

“No, I don’t vote for political office, as I am dissatisfied with both the candidates on the national and state level and would rather not vote for a lesser of evils, in my opinion.”

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s Re-election?

“I kind of saw it coming, even being unaffiliated with either party, that President Obama would likely win, as there have been fewer incumbent presidents defeated. I personally thought that he did a satisfactory job the last four years. It seems that he as at least stabilized the country.”

What did you think about the campaigns of both parties?

“I thought they were both a little ridiculous. Mitt Romney’s for avoiding policy and a general dishonesty to his campaign. I think that President Obama should have focused more on facts and could have spread a much more effective message had they done so.”

Interview with Dustin Gibson

Did you vote?

“No, I had problems with my absentee ballot as I had a commitment with my job that I had to uphold.”

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s Re-election?

“I’m happy with the result. I thought that a change in the presidency would do more harm than good. The fact that a major platform of the Republican ticket was to dismantle programs that had just been instituted was unimpressive, and that they need to be seen through at least.”

What did you think about the campaigns of both parties?

“I’m a little disappointed with the president’s campaign as they could have done more with hard truth and emphasizing that as a message. I was very unimpressed with Romney’s campaign. I think he let contributors have more input than they should have.  I thought the attack ads and some of the stuff later in the election were unprofessional. He seemed to have poor public relations and an inability to relate with people outside of his economic status. He needed to better control his image if he wanted to win.”

Interview with Mary Wildsmith

Did you vote?

“No, I had difficulty with my out of state ballot due mainly to my Internet being uncooperative.”

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s Re-election?

“I expected it really, as unsure as I am of the influence that just the president has on the whole country, I don’t see it changing radically. The only disappointment I had was that he was not the second coming as the feeling of the 2008 election seemed to feel.”

What did you think about the campaigns of both parties?

“Anger for the most part. I felt that there was a lot of loaded language and obvious misrepresentation of the facts. I don’t watch television, so I did not get a lot of the campaign ads except for the more inflammatory ones, and what I saw was ridiculous.”