Millsaps College

■ Inside ■Opinions........................2Arts & Life.....................3Features...................4 & 5News continued.............6Sports.....................7 & 8

ARTS & LIFE

VOLUME LXXX, NO.12 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012

FEATURES

SPORTS

Drummond un-folds “Generation-al Anecdotes.”

Got a question? Fisher’s got an answer.

The death of Joe Paterno stirs fond memories.

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

THE PURPLE & WHITE

Commentary by Madeline Rardin Arts & Life Editor

ewt Gingrich’s fool-ish rants and recent scandals are not go-ing to help him win

the Republican nomination for the 2012 race.

Gingrich is already haunted by a history of in!delity and failed marriages, but his ex-wife’s re-

cent accusation, claiming that he asked his former wife for an open marriage, has only further hindered his chances of becom-ing the Republican nominee.

Gingrich added fuel to the !re by handling the situation with a complete lack of grace. A"er being confronted with the accusations in the Jan 19

Southern Republican Presiden-tial Debate by CNN moderator John King, Gingrich responded with anger.

“I think the destructive, vi-cious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run of for public o#ce and I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that,” Gingrich says.

His inability to comment on the recent scandal without

throwing a temper tantrum further proves that he would be incapable of handling the Republican nomination or the presidency.

Gingrich’s three failed mar-riages and history of in!delity did not deter him from com-menting on the importance of preserving heterosexual mar-riage.

$e website Right “Wing Watch” was able to obtain ex-cerpts of a conference call headed by Jim Garlow and other religious right wingers in which Gingrich states, “$e e%ort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization.”

Dawn Turner Rice of the “Chi-cago Tribune” highlights Gin-

grich’s blatant racial pro!ling when he says,“(African-Ameri-cans) should demand paychecks instead of food stamps.”

Finally Gingrich, managed to paint himself as utterly incapa-ble of showing compassion in regards to child labor laws and poverty. While visiting Harvard University, Gingrich said that child labor laws are “truly stu-pid.”

Needless to say, his actions on the campaign trail have made him appear more as a tabloid celebrity than a possible Repub-lican nominee.

If Newt Gingrich has any de-sire to actually gain the posi-tion of Republican presidential nominee, he needs to stop mak-ing sensational comments and start appealing to the interests of the American people.

!e absurdity of Newt Gingrich’s Campaign trail

N

Two years ago, the Lady Majors basketball were a team that was reduced to freshmen, was 1-24 and at the bottom of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Now, the Lady Majors are 18-2 (10-1 SCAC) and have already clinched a spot in the SCAC tournament. Coach Winkelman is working alongside his athletes in a journey of success. However, this journey is not over. The team is back home at The Hangar Dome for the next two weeks playing at 6pm on Feb. 3 against Birmingham-Southern College, 1pm on Feb. 5 against Oglethorpe University and at 3pm on Feb. 11 against Rhodes College.

Lady Majors:

18-2

OPINIONS Contact Genny Santos, santogl@millsaps.edu

2

Editor-in-Chief... Kenya Strong-Johnston

Managing Editor... Lana Price

Visuals Manager...Sonum Sanjanwala

Layout Editors...Catherine PereiraMaryam Qureshi

Photo Manager... Genny Santos

Graphics Editor...Sonum Sanjanwala

Business Manager..Juan Fernandez

News Editor...Abed Haddad

Opinions Editor...Genny Santos

Arts & Life Editor...Madeline Rardin

Features Editor...Anna Nations

Sports Editor...Ellen Bouyelas

Advisor...Woody Woodrick

Contributors...Carpenter Stevens

Sara SacksKyle HoweMo Wilson

Andrew Ra! ertyDouglas Kennedy

Josh May

E-mail corrections to Editor-in-Chief Kenya Strong-Johnston, stronkk@millsaps.edu.

" e Purple & White is published weekly.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in articles, letters to the Editor and cartoons printed in the Purple & White do not necessarily re# ect those of the editors, Publications Board, Millsaps College, " e United Methodist Church or the student body. Complaints should be addressed to the Millsaps Col-lege Publications Board. Contact Laura Domingue or Dr. Pat Taylor.

Advertising rates available upon request. E-mail Juan Fernandez at fernajd@millsaps.edu.

" is publication may not be repro-duced in whole or in part without written permission of the Editor-in-Chief.

Letters to the EditorSubmit letters to the editor to the Purple and White at Box 15070 or e-mail Kenya Strong-Johnston,at stronkk@millsaps.edu. Letters should be turned in before 12 p.m. on Sunday prior to the " ursday publication. Anonymous letters will not be published.

PURPLE&PURPLE&PURPLEWHITE

THE

! e Sophistry of American War

By Kyle HoweContributer

In 2007, Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg directed a political documentary ti-tled “Soldier’s of Conscience.”

In this $ lm, made with o% -cial permission from the U.S. Army, eight American soldiers are pro$ led: four who believe its their duty to kill if necessary, and four who have decided, since joining the military, to be-come conscientious objectors.

Maj. Peter Kilner, a philoso-phy instructor at the U.S. Mili-tary Academy at West Point, provides the backbone of the “justness” of war argument pro-pounded by the American mili-tary, and it’s his polemic phi-losophy I ultimately take issue with in light of America’s past and present military operations.

I would like to interrogate Kilner’s central argument on the morality of killing in war. He believes a person cannot say he or she believes in human

rights if they’re not willing to defend them. He further ex-plained his position by use of the Good Samaritan parable.

In the story, Kilner com-mended the Good Samaritan for stopping to help. Howev-er, he entertained the notion: What if the Good Samaritan had travelled earlier, witness-ing the man actually being as-saulted? What then would the Good Samaritan have done? Would it be more just to watch the man get attacked than o! er help or intervene to protect the man from an attack altogether?

Kilner believes the more noble thing to do is to step in and protect the victim, injur-ing or killing the perpetrator(s) if necessary. In the parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, the Good Samaritan “soothed his wounds with med-icine . . . and took care of him.”

While proponents for the moral use of lethal violence have adopted language like “defend,” “protect” and “re-sponsibility” to cushion their justi$ cation for killing, it’s evi-dent this language is being used deceptively to advance less honorable agendas that oth-erwise might be questioned.

" e U.S. military justi$ es nearly every military opera-tion in just war theory lan-guage using terms—“Opera-

By Mo WilsonContributor

It’s the time of year when admissions counselors are telling prospective students what makes Millsaps Col-lege better than all the other schools they’re considering.

We’re all probably familiar with the catchphrases that they use: small family atmosphere, personal attention from pro-fessors and a diverse student body. Except the diverse stu-dent body isn’t so diverse.

I remember hearing about what a “diverse student body” this school had when I was ap-plying. Since I came from a semi-urban public school in Atlanta, I wasn’t expecting to arrive at the pinnacle of integration once ar-riving at Millsaps, a school in Jackson, Mississippi. So, I wasn’t necessarily surprised when I saw how many students were white, but I was a little disappointed.

Millsaps is very open-minded, liberal place, especially consid-ering how conservative Missis-sippi is. However, anyone can see that this is a predominantly white school. Millsaps may have a lot of great things, but ethnic diversity is not one of them.

In each of my classes there will be maybe one or two stu-dents who are black, if there are any at all, not to mention the even fewer number of Asian or Hispanic students whose rep-resentation is shockingly low.

With many of the black stu-dents on campus involved in sports, they tend to socially hang out almost exclusively with eachother which causes further separation between the black and white people.

Instead of a mix of stu-dents throughout the Caf ’, there is an all black table and a couple of black students sprinkled throughout the fra-ternity tables. " is Caf ’ situa-tion seems to be the same with regard to the Asian students.

Something that further shows the lack of diversity on campus is the Greek system. While there are a couple of minority students that are in the $ ve main fraterni-ties on campus, the status of the black sororities and fraternities

Diversity: is it black and (mostly) white?

Compliled by Genny SantosOpinions Editor

hipsterindisguiseI’m dressed like a robber and

I’m going grocery shopping #dryweek

sororitysophomoreprinting 120+ pages from the

library right now. don’t judge me

sassyfratstarWatching freshmen use the

Meltemp in lab is like watching a baby gazelle walk for the $ rst time

loudandproudIf I nod at the things you say

and make eye contact with your good eye a few times, you’ll totally think I’m taking notes. #millsapsprobs

biochemblondeUm. Yes, I can her you whis-

pering through the halls of new south.

MillsapsProbsShould I be o! ended that

no one’s ever tried to get me anywhere near the M bench? #ImAttractive…Right? #mill-sapsprobs

seniorsrockGin o’clock @parlormarket

with friends galore marks a beautiful beginning of the end of a senior year at Millsaps. #jacktownforever

! atKidInPlaidI was in a bad mood and then

I saw a s**tload of squirrels in the bowl, so that was cool.

babyhandzI put a dollar into the drink

machine for a Diet Coke, but it gave me a regular Coke instead. #FirstWorldProblems

elusivesophomore brushing my teeth with brown

water was de$ nitely the perfect start to my day #$ xfranklin

hipsterindisguiseMajor Access outrage at 5pm

MeowsapsSeniorgot to the library & opened

my laptop, forgetting that I had been watching black swan at the highest possible volume. uhhh-hhoops

biochemblondeGetting whiplash in the caf

due to looking at the door ev-ery time it opened. @Millsap-sProbs

seasonalseniorIf I could major in napping,

that would be just lovely. @MillsapsProbs

Not-Really-RedheadPutting o! doing homework

by doing other homework that is less excruciating. #IAmDe$ -nitelyBackatSchool

FroBrohide your pants, hide your

shorts, and hide your ugly

sweaters. " ere’s a laundry thief up in ezelle hall.

artsyseniorHow does anyone stay awake

in this library?

elusivesophomoremy laptop has recovered from

its virus but the only things it won’t let me do is go on face-book or twitter. it’s like it knows what’s best.

sportyinpinkYou know it’s going to be a

good weekend when you lose your debit card on a thursday night. #collegelife

gingerbreadgirlDinner and a show?! Oh mill-

saps how you spoil me. #buska-teers #kavahouse

babyhandzMy mom just told me she wore

my old prom dress to a party last night… #whatthewhat?!

#defi nitelybackatschool: A tweet cycle

War Continued - pg 5 Diversity Continued - pg 5

ARTS & LIFEContact Madeline Rardin, rardimr@millsaps.edu

3

By Douglas KennedyContributor

Have you ever wanted to ig-nore those bolded “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH” signs in art galleries and touch the art any-way? As if that weren’t enough, have you been hankering to see what your artistic friends have been doing on the mys-terious third !oor of the AC?

Well, now is your chance to both handle art objects and quell your curiosity.

On display now in the Lewis Art Gallery of the Ford Aca-demic Complex is the an-nual juried student show and studio art major Sue Carrie Drummond’s honors project titled Generational Anecdotes.

“"e student show gives us a chance to show o# the work of our talented students once a year in a gallery setting,” says Jonathan Webb, direc-tor of the Lewis Art Gallery.

“Most of the shows come from established artists(…)for many students this is their $rst chance to have their pieces featured which always makes for a fun,

exciting, and interesting exhibit.” Visitors to the show may $nd

themselves looking at more tra-ditional oil paintings or photographs, or they may end up in front of a hand sewn mus-tache dress.

“One thing is for sure,” says Webb, “It’s obvi-ous that the students in-cluded in this year’s exhibit are highly creative, se-riously talented, and put-ting a lot of thought into the pieces they’re making.”

“Generational Anecdotes por-trays the warmth and tenderness in family relationships, as well as the darker moments that tend to hide beneath the conversa-tion,” says Drummond, a senior.

Her work—which is exhib-ited in the “Emerging Space” within the Lewis Art Gallery—

is part of the honors program, which requires the student to $ll half of the gallery as well as

complete a pa-

per related to their work. Drummond says, “"e proj-

ect began as a re!ection of ab-sence” which has molded into an homage to connections and di#erences between families.

She presents her works in the forms of boxes and books that require the visi-tor to gently handle them in order to delve deeper into the meaning of the works.

"ese books and boxes “en-tice the viewer with curiosity, everyone wants to go through boxes, journals, etc, to dis-

cover just what is inside the container” says Drummond.

For her, the process was reward-ing, as she was able to discover that families are di#erent but all experience similar situations.

Fellow art major junior Su-zanne Glemot is “very excited to see Sue Carrie’s art come to life”, and hopes that people will come interact and take part.

“It’s great to see people outside of the department participating(…)there are some very creative pieces that I hope people will take the time to ap-preciate,” says Glemot.

"e show runs through Feb. 11. "e gallery talk and award ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow in the Lewis Art Gal-lery, and Drummond’s honors presentation will be held at 3 p.m. Feb.10.

Genny Santos

Millsaps students offer a wide variety of media in the current student art show.

A true masterpiece:Downton Abbey

By Madeline RardinArts & Life Editor

“Downton Abbey” is just what America needed, a divergence from the all too com-mon trashy reality TV.

“Downton Abbey” is a part of PBS’s Mas-terpiece Classic series that has produced such hits such as “Up-stairs”,” Downstairs”, “Wuthering Heights” and “Rebecca.”

"e series pre-miered fall in the United Kingdom and became an instant success in the United States with its premiere in 2011.

Alessandra Stanely of “"e New York Times” reports that the show’s success was a sur-prise to the producers who originally viewed the show-ing as only being a miniseries.

Stanley writes that Julian Fellows, the mastermind of “Downton Abbey”, has de-cided to add more seasons to the smash hit much to the de-light of the growing fan base.

"e PBS Masterpiece "eater website describes the series as centering on the life of the Crawley family as they deal with

the di%culties World War I. “Downton Abbey” highlights

the interaction of the family with their servants while expos-ing the lives of the help as well.

"e show includes a host of tal-

ented actors such as Dan Stevens, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville and perhaps the most widely known Mag-gie Smith as noted by the PBS Masterpiece "eater website.

Abbey’s success is par-tially due to its popular-ity among a wide age range.

Adam Kepler of “"e New York Times” reported that the hit had a signi$cant growth in the 18-to-49-year-old demograph-ic according to Nielsen data.

"e series has become such an instant success that “New York

Times” reporter Aimee Lee Ball writes about “Downton Abbey” themed viewing parties that have been sweeping the nation. "ese parties are a se-rious matter for those involved

in which the stereotypical English tea and biscuits are served and faux tiaras adorn eager fans’ heads.

Publishers and other booksellers have hopped on the Downton Abbey bandwagon by generat-ing reading lists that ap-peal to fans of the show.

Julie Bosman, “New York Times” reporter highlighted the marketing being gener-ating by including a pub-lishers take. “We’re just rid-ing that ‘Downton Abbey’

wave,” said Stephen Morrison the head of Penguin Books.

Morrison states, “I think the story lends itself to great television, but it is also the themes of great literary writ-ing with all the twists and turns in the characters.”

“Downton Abbey” seems to delight the American audi-ence’s fascination with English aristocracy. Tune in on PBS at 9 p.m. on Sunday nights.

!e DescendantsBy Josh MayContributor

Rarely does one go to the the-ater and leave deeply touched by the story. "e Descen-dants is one of those rarities.

In this $lm, the audience travels to Hawaii where land-lord Matt King, played by George Clooney, tries to rec-oncile and reconnect with his two daughters a&er his wife goes into a coma fol-lowing a boating accident.

C l o o n e y gives us an-other per-formance of a lifetime. I was com-pletely mes-merized at his portrayal of a grieving husband, his wit in han-dling some of the di%cult situations a&er his wife’s ac-cident and the secret that she kept that is soon discovered.

Shailene Woodley plays Cloo-ney’s foul-mouthed, sharp-wit-ted daughter, Alex. Woodley has come a long way from her ABC Family drama “Secret Life of the American Teenager.“

She holds her own along-side Clooney, and her per-formance is best part of the $lm apart from Clooney’s.

Scotty King playing the youngest daughter gives the $lm some of both bursts of comedy as well as one of its most heartbreaking moments when

she says goodbye to her mother. Other cast members give good

performances including Beau Bridges as Matt’s cousin, Mat-thew Lillard as a Hawaiian realtor with a connection to King’s wife and Judy Greer as Lillard’s wife.

"e production values of the $lm are gorgeous. "e on-location sites in Hawaii are absolutely breathtaking.

Alexander Payne’s directing techniques are !awless. "e best scene, is when, a&er hearing her mother is set to die, Woodley

sinks in her swimming pool to release her emotions. "e execution of the scene and camera work is exquisite.

"e $lm is nominated for $ve Academy Awards in-cluding Best Picture, Best Director, and

Best Actor for George Clooney. "e $lm also won two

Golden Globe Awards, Best Picture - Drama and Best Actor - Drama, on Jan 15.

I feel that it’s going to be a tight race for Best Picture between this $lm and “"e Artist,” with the Best Actor race even tighter with Brad Pitt for “Moneyball.”

“"e Descendants” cer-tainly ranks as one of the best movies of 2011, di-rectly behind “"e Artist. “

I highly recommend this mov-ie. You do not want to miss out on this one. “"e Descendants” receives four out of four stars.

Students present toilet paper clothing and bookpage crowns

Contributed

Contributed

FEATURES Contact Anna Nations, natioal@millsaps.edu

4

Paris haute couture springs forward for 2012

By Abed HaddadNews Editor

Every year around this time, Ateliers send down the runway innovative and dis-tinct looks.

! is time of year is particularly re-served for the Paris Haute Couture shows. Each of these designers invests an ample amount of time designing each of these looks, pay-ing particular atten-tion to detail and cra" smanship. And this year was no exception, sending down an extravagant display of artistry.

Here is a look at some of the stand-out collections for the Spring Haute Couture 2012.

Bouchra Jarrar:! is collection is not what

one would expect from a couture show. A strong ar-ray of looks, with structured tailoring, leather accents and a re# ned palette of pale roses, pewters, slates and deep forest greens. A loose blouson paired with a $ uid skirt in one look contrasts with the architecturally tai-lored jackets and coats made from Shetland wool. Jarrar places an emphasis on sepa-rates, presenting the collec-tion as a compliment to the conservative direction of fashion today, opting for a

more youthful rendition of masculine silhouettes and classic pieces.

Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci:

Tisci maintains the edge

with which he reinvented Givenchy by presenting 10 strong looks that represent the brand today.

Tisci’s carnal aesthetic is apparent from the # rst look: A long skirt with a compli-menting long sleeve top with attached pseduo-peplum, all made by piecing together crocodile scales one by one to mimic the natural look of the animal.

Similar to his past collec-tions, Tisici limits his pal-ette to neutrals, concentrat-ing on the richness of the

fabrics and heavy detailing. ! e most striking of looks is a sort of half skirt, adorned with silver crystals and # ne fringe with an attached, one shoulder chain strap, un-

der which the model wore a simple, # tted tank top.

! e mixing of so" and strong elements was a ma-jor theme, as Tisci adorned the models with large nose rings, ones that resemble In-dian opulence of the 1550s. A thoroughly modern col-lection that challenges the institution of haute couture.

Valentino:Designer duo, Maria Gra-

zia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, has reinvented the image of Valentino a" er the departure of Monsieur Ga-

ravani, opting for a more ethereal and so" looks. And this collection was no di% erent.

Inspired by Marie An-toinette’s life as an Aus-

trian princess through a s u r r e a l -ist lens, C h i u r i and Pic-cioli sent down a set of looks that de-# ne the stan-dard of haute couture.

One gown of elegant or-ganza in $ oral pattern took more than 1,000 hours of labor to com-plete, rees-tablishing the couture stan-dards of some of the most re-

spected of couturiers, such as Cristobal Balenciaga and Pierre Balmin.

Beaded gowns with golden touches moved with $ uidity down the runway, display-ing the workmanship of the Rome-based atelier.

Perhaps, the most strik-ing of looks was the beaded silk and tulle top paired with crisp white trousers, a testament to structured tai-loring in a sea of tulle and organza.

Contributed

Designers’ newest collections wait for their debut on the runways of Paris fashion week.

Dear Fisher,I have a problem: a live-in boyfriend. One little problem, it’s not my boy-friend. He’s my roommate’s. How do I approach the situation since he al-ways overstays his welcome? It’s just

awkward, but I don’t want to be the mean about it. Any ideas?

Sincerely,NotHisGirlfriend

Dear NotHisGirlfriend,Your concern is de# nitely justi# ed. Number

one: If him staying over is making you uncom-fortable, then that is not alright. Number two: If he is staying over past visiting hours, then that is against the rules.

When approaching the situation, you just need to be straightforward with your room-mate. Tell her that it is not ok with you that her boyfriend is always around, but make sure to stay open and really listen to what she has to say. To be honest, she might not even realize that it is a problem. Just bringing it up to her might be enough.

If just bringing it up isn’t enough for her to tell him that he needs to sleep somewhere else, then setting up ground rules for the room might be a good option. You might suggest that she spend some time over at his dorm room while you are doing homework or when you should be sleeping or designates times when you know you will want to be in the room alone. She may not be receptive of the idea, but it is worth a try at least for your sanity.

If it is an issue that he is always around and you cannot talk to just her, then make a point to let her know that you need to talk to just her. Alone. ! e last thing you want is for him to be sitting around while you tell her that her inconsiderate, sleazeball of a boyfriend can’t live with you anymore.

Just be prepared in case thing go awry. ! ere is the possibility that she will not take it well. But, if this happens, know that you shouldn’t be afraid to call your R.A. ! at is what they are there for: to help solve disputes. He or she may be able to help calm things down. You might even consider talking to your R.A. before try-ing to talk to her to see what the policies are and to make sure that what she is doing is, in fact, against the rules.

Hopefully, she will respect your opinions and concerns enough to remedy the situation. But really, the worst thing that could happen would be that one of you moves out, and that might not be all that bad because if that is the case, then your problem is taken care of two-fold. ! e boyfriend is out of the picture, and you have your own room.

Sincerely,Fisher

If you would like to receive a response from Fisher, please email your question to natioal@millsaps.edu

Fisher knows best:Hope for the

hopeless

?

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Write for The Purple & White!Contact Editor-in-Chief Kenya Strong Johnston

for more informationstronkk@millsaps.edu

FEATURESContact Anna Nations, natioal@millsaps.edu

5

Take a look at where we’ve

been, what we’ve seen and

what we’ve experienced.

Millsa

ps

bumpe

r sticke

rs

say it

all:

Trips

& tr

avels

War contined from pg. 2

Cause,” “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and “Operation En-during Freedom”—that will pacify the American constitu-ents, painting America as the Good Samaritan of the world.

In a 2001 article by the “pro-gressive” Howard Zinn, an American social activist, he gives his opinion on the just-ness of war in Afghanistan.

He reports that “twice, US planes bombed Red Cross warehouses” by mistake.

A Red Cross spokesman said in response that “now we’ve got 55,000 people without food and blankets, with nothing at all.”

Zinn continues with more doc-umentation of the destruction of the city of Kandahar, which was “attacked for seventeen straight days,” with more than “500,000 people fleeing the bombs.”

Zinn accurately deduces that

“the war on terrorism has be-come a war against innocent men, women and children, who are in no way responsible for the terrorist attack on New York.”

American armed forces, framed as the Good Samaritan, ostensibly intervene to “protect the innocent and defend the human rights of the victim,” as Kilner would advocate. How-ever, they do so with ruthless and indiscriminate force. I

In attempting to “protect the innocent,” the Good Samaritan has now injured, maimed and/or killed everyone else who hap-pens to be traveling on the road that day. Inevitably, due to this aggressive and excessive use of violence, the Good Samaritan usually ends up killing the vic-tim it was purported to protect.

Kilner’s specious use of the Good Samaritan story to validate America’s mili-tary aggression is hypocriti-

cal and detached from reality. In direct response to Amer-

ica’s definition of a moral war, I also conscientiously object.

Diversity contined from pg. 2

troubles me. ese organiza-tions operate largely out of the public, or white, eye of campus.

e black fraternity, whose name an average student can-not remember, does not have a house on campus, and the black sororities lack a lodge. is di-minishes their presence on campus, a campus where about 60 percent of the population is Greek and where most socializ-ing takes place at the frat houses.

e Greek party scene is even whiter. Except for the couple of members who are racial mi-norities, the black and other minority students on campus do not normally attend the frat parties. I rarely see a black per-

son at a fraternity house unless it is one of the few black mem-bers of that fraternity.

Now, the fact that Millsaps does not have as a diverse stu-dent body as it sometimes claims is not a death sentence. No matter how good our in-tentions may be, Millsaps is an expensive liberal arts school lo-cated in Mississippi. e lack of diversity on campus is not sur-prising, but it is troublesome.

I would encourage Millsaps students, faculty members, admissions counselors, Greek members and anyone else who has an interest in this campus to start thinking about how we could make this campus more inclusive and diverse. Talk to minority students to hear their ideas about it and really listen to what they have to say. ey have a perspec-tive that you may not, and it is important to listen to their

voice when considering race. In the meantime, stop re-

ferring to Millsaps as a “di-verse campus.” It’s not.

Think you’re all that in the

Caf’?

Send us your Caf’ creation and you

could get it published

Please send submissions to

natioal@millsaps.edu

By Sara SacksContributor

Within the past three years at Millsaps College there has been a great rise in the retention rate of students. From a 78% reten-tion rate in the fall of 2008 to an 88% in the fall of 2010, this 10% increase is impressive to the faculty and stu-dents at Millsaps. However, this past semester has seen a drop with !gures still being determined by Millsaps faculty.

So, what is it about our be-loved institu-tion that has recently driven students away? And, what can we do as Mill-saps citizens to ensure our insti-tution’s survival?

Faculty and students have varying answers.

Junior Rose DeVries, a trans-fer student from Montana, describes her overall experi-ence at Millsaps thus far as “overwhelmingly positive”.

"e year before her transfer to Millsaps, Devries read “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell from which she derived her “captivation with the idea

of the South,” and which in#u-enced her decision to transfer.

However, Mitchell’s ver-sion of the antebellum south was not the only in#uence in this junior’s decision.

“If I wouldn’t have liked Millsaps, I wouldn’t have come

here. It was de!nitely the aca-demics and the feel of Mill-saps that made me decide to come here,” say DeVries.

However, she understands that many students at Mill-saps do not share her fascina-tion for the South. She says that most of the students she has talked to who transferred away have not had a problem with academics, but just want to “get the hell out of Mississippi.”

Janet Langley, transfer student advisor, says there are many dif-ferent reasons students decide to transfer from the college.

“A big reason,” says Langley “is that students from far away want to be back closer to home.”

"is and other issues such as

grades, !nancial troubles and choosing a major not o$ered at the school can attribute to a stu-dent’s decision to stay or leave.

Randall Bolden, a sopho-more now at Ole Miss, says he le% Millsaps because the theater major was cancelled.

Before his decision to leave, Bolden met with the president

of the college, Dr. Robert Peari-gen, and many other theater majors who faced similar issues.

“"e meeting proved that the president and faculty were not sure how they were planning to solve our problems,” says Bolden.

Despite the fact that Bolden felt the need to transfer schools in order to persue his theater de-gree, he says, “I had a great expe-

rience at Millsaps College. I met friends that will always be in my life. However, I feel that Millsaps still has some growing to do.”

Langley attests that Mill-saps is trying to aid this growing process constantly.

“We are always working on re-tention,” says Langley. “In fact, we are in the process of writing a new retention plan. Some-times Student Life will do stu-dent satisfaction surveys, and

we try to respond to issues that students have expressed to us.”

When asked if responses to the surveys are conducive to

retention plan e$orts Langley responds that not enough stu-dents participate in the surveys.

“We always want more respons-es than we get,” Langley laughs.

She urges stu-dents to help faculty to create a more reten-tive atmosphere for students.

“Any student may call or email Martha Lee for an appointment to meet with Dean Katz to talk about what’s on there minds,” she adds.

Langley brings up an interesting point; “We could have the great-est professors and the great-

est curriculum in the world. But, without our students, we wouldn’t be a college.”

Similarly, it is part of those students’ responsibility to voice any opinion they think may bene!t the institution that is working to shape them as scholars and human beings.

NEWS Contact Abed Haddad, haddaag@millsaps.edu

6

Positive retention rates require student input

Contributed

From left to right: Previously a member of the class of 2014, Randall Bolden; transfer student advisor, Janet Langley; and recent transfer from Montana to Millsaps, Rose DeVries.

Modern day Titanic: love story includedBy Carpenter Stevens Contributor

Safety is one of the big-gest concerns with sail-ing the seas on cruise ships.

Travelers go on cruises trust-ing they are safe and secure.

However, in the wake of the capsizing of a Costa Cruises ship near the coast of Giglio, Italy on Jan. 13 has some re-considering safety on the seas.

“"e capsizing has made me fearful of going on an-other cruise,” says Millsaps freshman Christina Tilton.

Emma Mitchell, also a fresh-man, went on a cruise for her senior trip this past May.

“Even though the accident happened, I will still go on cruises because these types of accidents are very rare and un-likely to happen most of the time,” she said. “I am not put o$ by cruise ships because of the accident, I just think that the cruise lines have some work to

do to make sure these a c c i d e n t s do not keep occurring.”

While ac-cidents are rare, cruise liners are making a more thor-ough e$ort to make sure that there are safety pre-c a u t i o n s for any s i t u a t i o n .

One hundred years af-ter the Titanic sank, some travelers still fear sinking.

"e cruise ship Costa Con-cordia began taking on water a%er hitting rocks o$ the Italian coastline.

"e ship’s captain, Frances-co Schettino, said in a state-ment to CNN reporters that

he was pressured by some of the ships managers to steer the ship to an area where colli-sions had previously occurred.

However, the cruise line and its a&liates are criticizing the captain’s behavior. When the ship began to sink, the captain #ed on a life ra% and was then ordered back to his ship. Lat-er, in another interview with CNN, Schettino said that he

was tossed into the water even t h o u g h p r e v i -ously he a d m i t t e d to aban-doning the s i n k i n g ship and its pas-s e n g e r s .

"e lack of precau-tion and prepared-ness of

the Costa C r u i s e s

sta$ is coming under !re by news sources everywhere such as CNN, USA Today and "e New York Times.

Fear resulting from the Costa Concordia accident is likely to hurt the $29.4 billion cruise industry.

Among the sad tales of this ac-

cident is that of Jerry and Bar-bara Heil of Minneapolis. De-vote Catholics and volunteers; the elderly couple saved their entire life for a cruise. "ey were described by their church community to Hu&ngton Post reporter Patrick Condon as “kind and good people that brought fudge on Christmas.”

"ose sentiments are what keep the couple’s four chil-dren hopeful that their par-ent’s bodies will be found.

“We are waiting patiently for the rescuers to safely try to !nd our parents. Our prayers and thoughts are with our parents,” said a family friend who was re-porting on behalf of the family.

Daughter Sarah Heil, tells WBBM radio in Chicago, “"ey raised four kids and sent them all to private school, elementary to college, so they never had any money. When they retired this was to be a big deal- a 16-day trip. "ey were really excited”.

Graphic by Sonum Sanjanwala

XLVIXLVIWhat do you think...Who will win the Super bowl?

Ghali HaddadFreshman

“Dude, Giants. Because Bill Belichick is an a**hole. I mean jerk.”

Edna ChukwuemekaFreshman

“I’d have to say Giants, be-cause I saw them play and they have way cuter players.”

Tim GillisJunior

“Giants. Manning.”

Logan DukesSophomore

“Patriots, because Tom Brady is hot!”

Adi SabharwalSenior

“I think the Patriots, but it’s going to be a close game.”

Joe Pa’s living legacyCommentary by Andrew Ra! ertyContributor

Coach Joe Paterno, or “Joe Pa” to most, ranked among the best football coaches ever.

! e legend-ary Penn State football coach gave everything he could to cre-ate a successful football pro-gram and im-prove the lives of the young men he coached.

Paterno’s pass-ing on Jan. 22 occurred only three months a" er being # red from his head coach-ing position.

At age 85, Pa-terno was caught in the unforgiv-ing details of the Jerry San-dusky child sex-abuse scandal. He was plastered across news stations and magazine cov-ers for the last months of his life. Allegation a" er allega-tion brought plenty of nega-tive attention that surely le" lasting impressions for some.

Even amid the chaos, Paterno’s accomplish-ments are hard to overlook.

In his previous 46 years at Penn State he was a strength

not only on the # eld, but also in the community.

Paterno won 409 football games during his Penn Sate coaching career, placing him as the all time leader for wins in the Football Bowl Series.

He also led the Nittany Li-

ons to 37 bowl games, two na-tional title appearances and sent more than 250 players to the National Football League.

However, Paterno did not only contribute on the # eld. To many, he was a backbone of the Penn State community.

Even those who did not attend the university rec-ognized Paterno as both a leader and an inspiration.

! e widespread support and recognition was apparent, espe-

cially a" er his death. Students, faculty, friends and commu-nity members gathered around the contributed statue on the Penn State campus to wish Pa-terno a peaceful passing and mourn the loss of a great man.

Amid the confusion of the Jerry Sandusky case, Paterno was diagnosed with severe lung can-cer. ! e diagnoses came only 65 days prior to his death; however, many believe emotional turmoil was truly the death of him.

Former Florida State Univer-sity coach Bob-by Bowden was quoted on ESPN.

“You can die from heart-break and I am certain that is what happened

to Joe Pa,” says Bowden.With the success Paterno had

on the # eld, it is a shame that he will be remembered, by some, for the reason he was # red.

When looking back, people should be able to commend his accomplishments and successes at Penn State and elsewhere.

Joe Paterno is easily one of the greatest football coaches. It is too bad that is not how he will be remembered by most.

Contributed

Kenya Strong JohnstonEditor-in-Chief

Although they’re still months away, the excite-ment of the upcoming Olympics is growing daily.

! e biannual prospect of in-ternational community sends a tingle of hope through the lives of people everywhere.

Every year I watch the Olym-pics on television (praying that one day I will be in attendance). I cannot help but be in awe at the thought of how many other peo-ple are watching the same exact thing as me. How cool is it that in those moments of trans# x-ion to a screen, we all put aside our di$ erences and become engrossed in a close # nish, a tragic loss or an underdog win?

Here in the United States, we currently boast the most med-als (110) won in the 2008 sum-mer Olympics in Beijing. ! e Chinese came in a close sec-ond with 100 medals. ! ink-ing about this race for medal circles though, it appears that

the Olympic games are so much more. To the people of the world they are a chance to understand a global commit-ment to not only their coun-tries, but also their passions and hope that they too can be represented on a world stage.

! e Olympics bring a chance to those “common” to become world-class athletes. ! ey bring a chance for 10 minutes of fame. ! ey o$ er a global opportuni-ty to support your country in a non-political, worry free way.

! e Olympic games bring to the world a three-month commonality that shields us all, momentari-ly from evils of the world.

Our news becomes joyous and # lled with inspiration. Our conversations turn from opinions on Obama to the strength of Michael Phelps.

Of course, (and unfortunate-ly) “evils” still continue but for that period of time they do not prevail, leaving everyone with a new sense of ease and freedom.

As the dawn of the London Games emerges ever clearer on the horizon, it is my goal to take the excitement and pas-sion that is found during those months and apply it now, to my life. By no means do I wish to ignore those things impor-tant in our world, but more to translate that feeling of awe and ease into my conversations, my thoughts, and my actions.

Olympic dreams

Edna ChukwuemekaFreshman

“I’d have to say Giants, be-cause I saw them play and they have way cuter players.”

Logan DukesSophomore

“Patriots, because Tom Brady is hot!”

Ghali HaddadFreshman

“Dude, Giants. Because Bill Belichick is an a**hole. I mean jerk.”

Tim GillisJunior

“Giants. Manning.”

SPORTSContact Ellen Bouyelas, bouyeen@millsaps.edu

7

Joe Paterno’s contributed statue at Penn State University where many mourned his passing.

1. If you could trade places with any-one for a day, who would it be?

! e United States Surgeon General

2. If you were a super hero what would your super powers be?

! e ability to be invisible and " y

3. What is your favorite movie? Remember the Titans and Brown Sugar

4. Ultimate goal in life: To have a ful# lling career in health care.

At the moment I’m shooting for state epi-demiologist or some # eld in preventive medicine.

5. If you had six months to live, what would you do before you died?

Forgive those who have done things to me that I thought were unforgivable; and do 3 good deeds a day even if it’s as simple as making someone smile!

6. Plans for a! er graduation: I’m planning on going to graduate school

and getting a Maters in Public Health

7. If you inherited a million dollars and were forced to spend it in a week, what would you do with the money?

I would travel to Nigeria; make sure my family is taken care of # nancially, espe-cially my baby brother; and give the rest to cancer research.

Major Athlete:

Contributed

Classi" cation: SeniorSport: Basketball

By Ellen BouyelasSports Editor

Millsaps track and # eld has a challenging sea-son ahead of it this year.

With the program so new and a small number of athletes on the team compared to competitors, the ultimate goal of winning conference will take enthusiasm and willpower from the players.

Even with this in mind, the team seems more deter-mined to succeed than ever.

“I think our program is a very young program. I do think that we have a lot of potential if we all stick to the program in the upcoming years,” says Freshman sprinter and hur-dler Shane Harrington. “It is great because Coach Andy Till is the driving force to inspire us all to be our best and work hard towards a common goal.”

Harrington says his biggest personal goal is to try and bene# t from the team in as many ways as possible, whether through points or helping the team grow.

“It is de# nitely something special you don’t see on every track team,” Senior thrower Kasey Laird says of the team’s growth. “We pride ourselves on the fact that we support each other on every event.”

“Team bonding is an un-derstatement; we are a fam-ily,” Harrington states. “We all come together twice a week for practices as well as eat in the Caf together a$ er practice.

! is past weekend we

all went to the reservoir to play ultimate Frisbee.

! e little things are what make us stand out, and our close-knit team is the heartbeat of our program.”

! e two athletes agree that

the constant goal for each team member is to continue bond-ing, and also to keep breaking personal records and accu-mulating points in each meet.

Laird points out that she would love to see the women this year place higher than # $ h place like they did last season.

Harrington says the athletes’ strength this year is that they want to see the team succeed so badly they push each other to do the best they can. ! ey are dedi-cated and train hard, and he can-not wait for all of their hard work to pay o% this season, he says.

Laird echoes, “As a team we have a lot of people who are ready to dig in and give all that they can. Pretty much ev-eryone is buying into the pro-gram. ! ey would do anything coach told them to do. We trust him. We trust each other.”

! e track team will be hosting a 5K run on Feb. 11 as a fund-raising event. A table is set up in front of the Caf or forms are also available in the athletic o& ce for anyone interested in signing up.

Majors develop family atmosphere“Team bonding is an understatement”

Genny Santos

Preparing for the season ahead of them, the Millsaps track and fi eld team is training daily and focusing on building positive team chemistry.

SPORTS Contact Ellen Bouyelas, bouyeen@millsaps.edu

8

Hero stats:9.9 points per game10.3 rebounds per game35 steals24 blocked shots

Janice

Okeke