Liz Bosarge
Senior Reporter
Stephen and Frieda Burt will be teaching a five-week dance class to couples at the Stark Recreation Center.
The class will meet every Tuesday for five weeks starting on March 29 with a focus on the nightclub two-step. The class is for couples only. Students, staff and faculty are eligible to take the class for $80, while others will be charged $120. A $10 discount is offered for two couples who register at the same time.
Jessica Barnett
Editor
The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning voted to amend its policy on weapons on campus at its Feb. 18 meeting in Jackson, Miss.
The amendments allow visitors with enhanced carry permits to bring registered weapons to public spaces on campus. This amendment does not allow students or faculty to bring weapons to campus.
Charles “LaLa” Evans met his future wife, Louise, in a café. He made $25 a week polishing shoes with his father, and when they married at age 18, he didn’t even have a ring. They worked hard in the 59 years and 11 months they spent together, whether it was Louise cleaning homes or LaLa becoming the first African-American letter carrier in Starkville, Miss. In 2011, when Louise passed away, her final words to him were “I love you.” In her memory, he showcased the many photos and videos they took over the years by turning their home into a museum called “LaLa and Louise Land.” The story captured the attention of the band, Mutemath, and the band featured LaLa in the music video for their song, “Monument.”
Jessica Barnett
Online Editor
The W will be participating in Wassail Fest for a third year on Dec. 4 in Pohl Gymnasium.
The festival celebrates wassail, a spiced cider that is usually served around the holidays. Angela Ferraez, director of major gifts and special events at The W, remembered Wassail Fest being celebrated at her dad’s store when she was younger and wanted to help create those memories for those at The W now.
Dylan Scott
Reporter
The Student Government Association hosted a public forum on Nov. 16 to discuss the state flag on campus.
The event was held at Pope Banquet Hall and included guest speaker Rufus Ward, a Columbus native and local historian. Ward gave a history lesson on the background of the state flag, including the various versions of the Mississippi flag and how they came to be. After he spoke, those attending were encouraged to discuss the topic with others at their tables. People then got the chance to share their opinion or thoughts about the flag in front of everyone at the forum.
Frederick L. Brown
Reporter
Passport to Wellness hosted its second annual “Walk to Lunch” on Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The event began with registration at the front gates of the university. At the gate, the Passport to Wellness ambassadors assisted participants in registering for the event with a sign-in sheet and special stickers. The stickers could then be used to get discounts at nearby businesses.
Liz Bosarge
Reporter
The BlackList Alumnae Association and BlackList Honorary Social Club held their annual “Rattle Them Bones 5K” for Be The Match Registry on Oct. 17 at the W campus.
It was the first year that the BlackList groups partnered with the Brotherhood of Beta Kappa Tau to host the event. The event proceeds were given to Be The Match, in honor of Eddy Doyle, a BKT founding father who recently died of cancer.
Toni Burkett
Reporter
On Friday, Sept. 18, the Starkville-Mississippi State University Symphony Orchestra performed at Rent Auditorium for the Southern Talent String Symposium II.
The program included pieces composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Camille Saint Saens and Franz Shubert. The music director was Dr. Michael R. Brown, a professor of music at MSU. Dr. Jim Borsig, president of The W, was the narrator for the arrangement known as "Carnival of the Animals." Accompanying the orchestra were Dr. Valentin Bogdan and Dr. Julia Mortyakova, both of the MUW Department of Music. Mortyakova serves as chair of the department.
Dylan Scott
Reporter
Mississippi University for Women continues to fly the state flag, despite recent controversy involving the Confederate battle flag and the massacre at a church in Charleston, S.C.
The mass shooting of nine people in South Carolina was the tipping point that got many Americans talking about whether the Mississippi flag should be redesigned. The massacre was widely regarded as a hate crime by gunman Dylann Roof, who hosted a website that had multiple pictures of him posing with the Confederate flag, along with other photos and writings involving white supremacy.