Front page of The Delta Statement

1. DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY
THE DELTA STATEMENT
Become a Legacy: Delta State Football:
Statesmen defeat CSU over
Pig Pickin’
Alumni Association creates
new Legacy Program
A3 B2 thedeltastatement.com or @StatementOnline
Serving the Delta State community since 1931
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 5
Winners of the barbecue contest at Pig Pickin’ on Saturday show off their awards.
Photo by Najawon Wilson
Pig Pickin’ 2014
a great success
SEE PIG PICKIN’ A5
Quitoya Warren was granted her wish to go on a shopping spree at the Mall of America during last year’s Green-and-White Awards. Photo by Elisabetta Zengaro
SEE Make-A-Wish A5
Conor Bell
Copy Editor
Claire Griffi n, a DSU junior
social work major, did not
know what to expect at
state Speaker of the House
Philip Gunn’s town forum, but
took away from it a lesson in
government.
Last week, Gunn has been
traveling around the state on
a tour called MS Solutions-an
Ideas Tour. He and his staff were
gathering ideas and hearing
concerns from state residents in
eight different cities.
On Sept. 24, the speaker
made a stop at Cleveland City
Hall addressing a crowd of
nearly 40 people.
“We have been in 27 cities in
this state over three years and we
make a point to visit the Delta.”
he said. “We want to see what the
needs are here and what daily life
is like. We want to know your
concerns in this region and what
we can do to help.”
Many attendees were local
governmental leaders, business
owners and community members.
DSU President William LaForge
and six students were also in
attendance.
Getting more jobs in the
Delta was a key concern that
many attendants expressed.
One person said the state
needs to provide better incentives
to get jobs in the Delta.
“What incentives do y’all
think could the state provide to
get jobs?” Gunn questioned.
Instantly, another person
answered “better infrastructure.”
“We put money to four-laning
highways instead of just
improving roads and bridges,” he
continued. “I know you can’t just
build a building and put jobs in
it, but better infrastructure would
improve access.”
Another attendee said better
education could lead to better
jobs.
“It’s clear we are in a
knowledge economy. So, it’s
important that if manufactures
and industries come in, their
workers are educated,” she
said.
Griffin said she only
went to the forum because
Cora Jackson, a social work
instructor, encouraged Griffin
and her classmates to attend
a public meeting where
policies and services would be
discussed.
“I wasn’t sure how it
would be because I had never
been to anything like it,” she
said.
But after the forum,
Griffin said she “learned much
about community issues.”
“I really enjoyed it,” she
said. “I learned a lot of issues
that this community faces,
and I also learned what the
government does to work for
the community’s benefit.”
The forum continued and
Gunn heard about problems
Deltans face every day such
as better Internet access for
libraries, seat belts for school
buses and other issues.
Gunn also made stops
in Senatobia, Louisville,
Ridgeland, Pearl, Tupelo,
McComb and Picayune. His
tour is in its third year.
Bowsher speaks on state of the nation’s finances
Former Comptroller General of the United States Charles Bowsher served in the position for 15 years. Photo by Elisabetta Zengaro
Elisabetta Zengaro
Editor-in-Chief
Most children have a
favorite athlete whom
they consider their hero
and look up to. Here
at Delta State University, the
Lady Statesmen and Statesmen
are heroes for many children,
having raised a record amount
of money for the Make-A-Wish
foundation.
Delta State raised $8,154.62
from 2013-2014 for Make-A-Wish
to lead the Gulf South
Conference and fi nish fi fth
nationally in NCAA Division
II—a record high for the Lady
Statesmen and Statesmen. In
2012-2013, Delta State raised
only $303 to fi nish in the bottom
of GSC.
“Our conference has
a 100 percent participation
commitment, meaning that
every school in the conference
Philip Gunn visits
Cleveland City Hall
Delta State raises record amount for Make-A-Wish
La Tia Penn
Advertising Manager
Charles A. Bowsher, who
is the former Comptroller
General of the United
States, sparked off the
Delta State University Colloquia:
Distinguished Speakers Lecture
Series with his segment titled,
“The State of Our Nation’s
Finances: An Insider’s View.”
On Thursday, Sept. 26,
Bowsher spoke inside Jobe
Auditorium, in front of students,
faculty, staff and community
members.
“If you don’t address
challenges, things can get much
worse. If you do address them,
it must be done skillfully,” said
Bowsher.
Bowsher was born in
Elkhart, Ind. on May 30, 1931.
He majored in accounting
at University of Illinois, and
later received his MBA from
University of Chicago. He was
a member and house president
of Phi Kappa Alpha.
“Because I was born in the
depression...we were definitely
frugal,” said Bowsher.
Bowsher served as
Comptroller General of the
United States for 15 years, and
was appointed by President
Ronald Reagan.
“In two years, we will
be $21 trillion in debt. That’s
$20 trillion more than when
Reagan was in office,” said
Bowsher when speaking on the
nation’s future.”
After Bowsher gave
the audience a peek into his
knowledge of this nation’s
finances, there was a slight
change in the format of the
colloquia series - the speaker
was joined by the President
LaForge; a faculty member,
Dr. Clint Woods; and two
students, Mikel Sykes and
Kristen Swarek, for a panel
discussion.
During this panel
discussion, questions ranged
from “How can recent or future
college graduates withstand
pressures?” from Dr. Woods, to
“What would be some of the fi rst
steps you would take to correct
the defi cit?” by Sykes.
With a congressional
mandate to audit, evaluate,
or investigate virtually all
federal operations, GAO under
Bowsher’s leadership became
increasingly involved in some
of the most important issues
of the day, producing in depth
reports both at the specifi c
request of Congressional
committees, or on its own
initiative. GAO issued major
studies on issues ranging
from health care reform and
the savings and loan banking
crisis to the federal budget
defi cit and efforts to “reinvent
government.” Meanwhile, the
agency continued to monitor
“high risk” governmental
activities that could lead to
major losses from waste, fraud,
abuse, or mismanagement.
Jessica Woods
Staff Writer
The 29th annual Pig Pickin’
took place Sept. 26 and
27 at Statesmen Park
fi nishing with the then-ranked
No. 12 Statesmen football
team winning 72-8 against
Central State University.
This event was sponsored
by the DSU Alumni Association.
Festivities started Friday
with the Barbecue Competition
Cooks’ Meeting at 5:15 p.m.
Following the Cooks’ Meeting
was the Polk’s Sponsors’ Social
at the Hugh E. Walker Alumni-
Foundation at 6 p.m.
At 8 p.m., the Alumni
Tailgate “Party” kicked off at
Statesmen Park, and the musical
group Southern Halo performed
from 9:15 p.m-11:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the 26 teams
competing at the Pig Pickin’
barbecue competition were
judged in categories of sauce,
baked beans, sausage, chicken,
ribs and pork.
But before the cooking
competition began, the day
started off with the 23rd Annual
Delta State Triathlon, Phi Mu
Bunko Tournament and Delta
State Softball Alumni gathering.
The cooking competition
began at 10:30 a.m., but in the
meantime, fans could take in a
little Delta State baseball, as the
Statesmen hosted an intra-squad
scrimmage.
will contribute some amount to
Make-A-Wish,” Michael Vinson,
graduate assistant for compliance
and academics said. “In years
past, the conference as a whole
raised less than the $8,154.62
that we, at Delta State alone,
raised last year. It was far more
than our school has ever raised
and was the fi rst time we raised
enough to fund a wish.”
At the annual Green-and-
White Awards this past April,
Swayze Pentecost, development
and communications
coordinator of the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Mississippi,
granted Quitoya Warren’s wish,
after acknowledging DSU’s
fundraising efforts for Make-A-Wish.
As a result of the money
Delta State raised, Warren,
a 16-year-old Make-A-Wish
recipient from Moorhead, Miss.,
was able to go on a shopping
spree at the Mall of America.
“It was extremely gratifying
to be able to grant a wish for a
local wish kid,” Vinson said.
“Our student-athletes and
community were very touched
when this was announced at our
annual Green-and-White Awards
ceremony.”
Make-A-Wish is Delta
State’s philanthropy project. The
Make-A-Wish foundation raises
money to grant the wish of a child
diagnosed with a life-threatening
medical condition, according to
the website for Make-A-Wish.
On average, the organization
grants a wish to children in the
United States and its territories
every 38 minutes.
According to the website
for Make-A-Wish Mississippi,
Make-A-Wish Mississippi was
founded in 1984 in memory
of a girl from Gulfport, Miss.,
diagnosed with a life-threatening
condition, who dreamed to go
to Disney World. Her wish was
granted thanks to money people
raised on her behalf. Since
then, Make-A-Wish Mississippi
has become the 36th chapter
of Make-A-Wish in America,
granting over 100 wishes per
year.
“As a former Statesman,
community service has always
been important because of
the support our community
gives to us,” Vinson said. “Our
community feeds us, comes to
our games, and does whatever
they can in order to help make
us successful. In 2012, I got the
privilege to work with special
needs kids of the Miracle League
in North Carolina.
“This was an eye opening
experience that touched my
baseball teammates and me
deeply. We still talk about that
day with those kids and the
motivation they gave us to try and
win the College World Series.”