What's the hoopla about Greek Life? is their racism or is it tradition?

As more and more undergraduate students flock to the University of Mississippi Greek life seems to be on everyones tongue.

    While a lot of students across the nation live for the day they pledge those few Greek letters and be come a distinguished member among the campus community; it seems like students are looking for answers.  When I asked several students who have been at Ole Miss two or three years who were no Greek oriented why they did not join, I found that a lot of people did not know much about what the organizations did, that it wasn't going to benefit them for the future, and that they were racist.

      Is it Racism or keeping tradition? 

   As it seems to be a continuous topic that lands its self in the media as well as gossip among students is the question of wither or not segregation exists in fraternity and sorority primarily in the South.  The Crimson White, the official school paper of the University of Alabama posted an article in early September of this year discussing Alpha Gamma Delta and speculations of racisim by not selecting two recruits that looked amazing on paper but yet did not receive a bid for any of the 16  16 Panhellenic sororities. Studies show racism in Greek organizations is not unique to the University of Alabama.

      "Unfortunately, race is an issue among fraternities and sororities throughout the U.S. More than 90% of fraternities and sororities have individuals of the same race as members," writes Rashawn Ray, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., in an e-mail to USA Today.

        Is it beneficial to my future?

      A few members from the Ole Miss Greek life community shared their thoughts in a brief interview on the race question and as well as if joining an organization was necessary or not. 

   "Being in a sorority is a home away from home.  They stand for something great. Their philanthropic based."  said Anna Claire a junior accounting major and member of Tri Delta.

   "They have great alumni associations post graduation." She continued.

When she was asked how she about the racism in Greek life she said,

     "Nothing would hold us back from accepting new members [Tri Delta] ...but based on its history [Ole Miss] may have a problem with it."

   Carolyn Hopkins, the House Director of Delta Gamma believes that being in a sorority is advantageous.
    
" I was a member of this sorority it is definitely an advantage because of networking.  Our community service project is servicing the blind.  We have a very active alumni.  It's a very good networking opportunity and we have a strong history and national organization.

   Mike, Jack and Alex a rowdy group of Sigma Phi fraternity were very passionate about students being  in Greek life.

"Yes, 100% of our frat has our own job board and any member can log into, alumni post on sites all the time." says Jake.

"I joined for the brother hood.  None of my parents were in Greek organizations. You make life long friends in a 3 month pledge process." says Mike.  He goes on to address the integration of Greek life:

"Not at all we accept new members on character and beliefs.

Jake who is from New Jersey believes that race seems to only be a problem in Greek organizations in the South.

"I think the whole race issue in the Greek life only happens down here, up North I'm sure their may a little bit of an issue but nothing like down here.

In a face to face interview with a minority greek life member Chauncy Graham Omega Psi Phi he expressed his beliefs.

#Jourgreeklife

New Ole Miss Basketball Stadium

Is Everyone Ready?

By Danielle McCray

 



 

 

Recently in the year 2011, the University of Mississippi has decided to build a new basketball stadium among other sports constructions and renovations of which they are very excited for.  But that may not be the case for everyone.

 

So far the University of Mississippi has begun construction on parts of the project and are looking to be finish with the project and ready to open by January 2016.

 

The commotion seems to be about how the university intends on paying for the stadium and whether or not building a new stadium is a good move to make right now.

 

"It is definitely good for our Men's and Women's Basketball program as well as our campus," says Ole Miss Women's Basketball Assistant Coach Alex Simmons.

 

Also started in 2011 was "Forward Together".  A campaign started by the University of Mississippi in order to pay for the $150 million sports constructions. The campaign organization has also stated that no state funding will be used to build the stadium.

 

"I think it's great and over due," says Ole Miss Women's basketball Junior Amber Singletary who will unfortunately not be here to play in the new stadium. 

 

The campaign accepts donations online in a number of different ways that benefit both the gym and the person or organization donating. 

 

Once the new stadium is fully built though, the Tad Smith Coliseum will be torn down and turned into a green space.

 

"I feel like both women's and men's basketball teams deserve a new gym to make new history in.  I feel like it will also be something to add to the university campus to make it even more special than it is now," says Ole Miss Freshman Jalen Powell.

 

There's no stopping the stadium now though, there's just one question to ask.......are you ready?

 

 

See the plans for the new stadium here

 



 





 



Dont Let Finals Bring You Down

Do you struggle with stress? Are finals getting to you? Truth is you are not the only one. Stress is an inevitable problem throughout life, especially in the life of a college student. Many students and teachers across the University of Mississippi’s campus struggle with the issues of stress and anxiety around finals week.

In the dictionary stress is defined as being a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. The good news is that there are many programs throughout campus that have been created to help students deal with different forms of stress. The Counseling Center on campus is one organization that has many programs to help students over come these struggles.

One of these programs is called “Stress Less Week.” This program is fairly new within the last four years and was started because the Counseling center encountered many students who struggling with stress. Amber McDowell a Graduate Assistant at the Counseling center believes that this is an engaging way to help students through a stressful time. While the program is normally held the week of spring semester finals there were several activities this past week. One such activity is called “Pet-a-puppy.” For this activity puppies were brought to the J.D Williams Library on December 8^th.  When asked how petting puppies eases stress McDowell said, “Humans recognize a dog as something that needs love and nurture; when humans pet and play with dogs, they forget about their own needs and worries and focus their attention on those of the dog.”

For students who think that stress and anxiety only affect them, think again. Caroline Williams, an English Teacher Assistant here at the University struggled her way through Harvard University gives this advice to students, “Finals are the one thing during the semester that seems to sneak up on us, don’t let them! Plan ahead, make study guides, and go to extra help sessions. I think that the most detrimental thing to do before an exam is not sleeping the night before. If you start studying in small increments you wont have to cram all night and you may actually remember all this stuff in the long run”

With basic stress around finals weeks many students also struggle with test anxiety. Test anxiety is a feeling of sudden panic before a test, sometimes impeding a students’ ability to remember all that they studied. Professor Stephen W. White, a Psychology teacher at the university spoke briefly about how students should handle test anxiety. There is a series of steps that students can go through if having these feelings of discomfort, first they can contact the Student Disabilities Service to obtain proper documentation and further steps of action to take. White then said that most students don’t see these needs as legitimate disabilities, but he is happy to accommodate them in any way that he can. “On average I have from 2 to 3% of students go through the proper channels and contact the Student Disabilities Services about their issues.” White said. He went on to give this advice to students,

            “An interesting new study by two University of Chicago professors demonstrates an easy and effective technique for minimizing test anxiety. In 2011, Ramirez & Beilock showed that students suffering from stress/anxiety who take 10 minutes before the exam to write openly (meaning being honest) about their thoughts and feelings regarding the exam showed better performance (5% increase in exam scores) versus students who did not engage in the writing task (they actually showed a 12% decline in test scores).  So take ten minutes before an exam (or any event that promotes stress) and write down why this exam or event makes you stressed/nervous/anxious. The key is to be honest with yourself.”

              For students who wish to take their problems to the Students Disabilities Services office they can be contacted here about a process for documentation.

Ole Miss Ambassadors for Southern Hospitality

Photo by Randall Haley

Student organization could lead to better job outlooks

By Randall Haley

       Ole Miss Ambassadors for Southern Hospitality, OMASH, has given hospitality management students experience outside of the classroom.

       According to the Nutrition and Hospitality Management website, OMASH was formed in 2007 to “provide students with industry knowledge, enriching experiences, and abundant networking opportunities while actively involved in giving back to the community.”

       Dr. Jeremy Roberts, faculty advisor, said, “They give students who are majoring in hospitality management a voice in the department. They help plan events, they work on our large fundraisers we have, and they go on tours.”

       Dr. Kathy B. Knight, Interim Department Chair and Associate Professor of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, said, “In hospitality, employers look, not just at academics, but they look at work experience.”

       “Employers want to know what kind of events you have worked,” Knight said.  “OMASH helps our students get different kind of experiences that they couldn’t get in the classroom.”

       No statistics have yet been provided to show how OMASH affects the job outlook for students involved.

       “One of our former presidents got a job where he is the general manager of a restaurant and their whole tourism facility,” Roberts said. “Several of our other students work in hotels, and OMASH helped them learn the ins and outs.”

       Jacqueline Stout, junior hospitality major and CEO of OMASH, said, “One of our focuses this semester included tourism. We visited the Oxford Tourism center in which we learned about the tourism industry and the ways tourism exists here in Oxford.”

       Stout said, “The sole purpose of OMASH is for students in or outside of the hospitality major to gain more knowledge and experience in the particular sub-industries of the hospitality field.”

       Although OMASH is largely consisted of hospitality management majors, all students of the University of Mississippi are welcome to join.

       “I encourage others to get involved because OMASH is unlike any other organization in that it completely caters to its members,” Stout said.

Dr. Jeremy Roberts

http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/fcs/

http://thedmonline.com/omash-gives-students-hospitality-management-experience/
https://about.twitter.com #OMASH

Drunk Driving

Better think Twice

One of the most important functions of the Oxford Miss. Police Department is handling drunk drivers.  This is perhaps the most common danger the Department is trying to protect us from. 

“It has a damaging affect on all of us, not just us in law enforcement, but the families of the victims and the families of the DUI officers as well,” Captain Libby Lytle of the OPD stated.

The Mothers Against Drunk Driving website cites statistics indicating that every ninety seconds someone is injured in a drunk driving accident.  MADD.org also indicates that instances of drunk driving are the highest among 21 to 25 year olds, averaging 23.4 percent of all such instances.  These statistics are particularly relevant for a college town such as Oxford.

  

Megan Prescott, Executive Assistant to Chief of Police, said “even if you get home and nothing happens, I think it’s harmful because mentally you think you are invincible and nothing is going to happen to you.”

This year in Oxford, 27 DUI arrests have occurred from this September to November, which is a decrease from the previous year according to the student newspaper, the Daily Mississippian. Collegesafe.com has deemed the University of Mississippi “the safest school in the SEC” in 2012 and the Oxford Police Department is doing whatever they can to keep that title this year.

“We have extra foot patrol on the square around bar hours from 10pm to bar closing,” said Captain Lytle.

Not only is drunk driving dangerous and illegal, it is also extremely expensive.  Drunk driving costs the United States around $132 billion a year, meaning the cost for each person is around $500 every year according to MADD statistics.

When asked about the cost of defending a DUI, patrolman Kevin Parker replied, “It’s unbelievably expensive, even if you get acquitted of it, and you're found not guilty that still is a lot of money out of your pocket.”

The Oxford Police Department has a strong and cordial relationship with the University Police Department and they work together to help each other. Click  to hear what patrolman Parker has to say about the relationship.

Though drunk driving statistics can be disturbing, we all should be aware of drunk drivers and the dangers that come with driving in the streets of Oxford. When asking Ms. Prescott and patrolman Parker to give advice on drunk driving, they replied:

"I don't think it is worth it, people don't think about the long term impacts. I encourage students to walk or take a taxi,” said Prescott.

“The damage is losing your loved ones, or losing people that aren’t meant to go, and its all because someone made a selfish decision thinking they couldn’t hurt anyone else just trying to have a good time,” said Parker.

So please don’t drink and drive; and think twice before making a decision that is selfish and can be very costly in more ways than one. 

Student Health At Ole Miss

Photo By: Katie Lovett 

How students fight to maintain a healthy lifestyle at Ole Miss 

By: Katie Lovett 

A recurrent illness, or any illness, is a common factor that can play a major role for any college town. Ole Miss has been battling with its fair share of sicknesses this year, especially with the weather changing so drastically and from students being stressed out with school.

“The increased frequency of illness is related to the close contact among thousands of students, which is the norm on any college campus,” says Dr. Travis W. Yates, D.O at the V.B Harrison Health Center.

Living in a college town, it is hard for most students to steer clear of catching what someone else has. With student attendance being such a priority in most classes, it is hard for sick students to miss out on a class. 

“Our current most common illnesses are upper respiratory infection (URI) related, including the common cold, bronchitis, sinusitis and pharyngitis (sore throat),” says Yates, “and symptoms include cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, fever, headache, and fatigue.” 

Most of these symptoms can be taken care of in about 5-7 days, but other cases can be a little more serious than others. 

Photo By: Katie Lovett

Katie Willyerd, a sophomore at Ole Miss, came down with what she thought was the common cold, but it ended up being worse than she thought. Mono kept her sick in bed for about 21 days. 

“I could not find the solution to my sickness. I had never felt so tired and run down before in my life. I constantly had a fever, I was swollen and I never felt like I was fully rested,” says Willyerd.

Kristin Banks, a sophomore at Ole Miss, had a more serious case of mono. She was sick most of the fall semester and had symptoms similar to Willyerd but adding the pain in her throat, swollen tonsils and abscess in her throat. 

“After I would get over a cold or strep throat, my body could not stay well. Right after I would finish my prescriptive medicine for one sickness, I would get sick again soon after,” says Banks. 

Banks’s case ended a little worse than Willyerd’s did, due to the fact that she had to have her tonsils removed to resolve her everyday sickness’. 

Of course students and parents become concerned with why so many students are getting sick so often and why it can take so long for recovery. 

Photo By: Katie Lovett

“It is commonly suspected that stress plays a role in diminishing the effectiveness of one’s immune system, thereby contributing to increased susceptibility to illness,” says Yates.

Banks says that even though she was sick, she could not let that hold her back from trying to do her best in all of her classes. She was trying to push herself to do her best in all of her classes while struggling to get well. 

Willyerd and Banks both are healthy due to what they have done to prevent themselves from getting sick again. They have both started taking vitamin B12, washing their hands more efficiently, eating a well balanced diet and trying to get at least up to eight hours of sleep every night. 

Dr. Yates has a list of  recommendations of what students should do to prevent themselves from getting sick. 

“I recommend a healthy lifestyle including a nutritious diet, exercise, and adequate sleep, in addition to avoiding unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, to keep your immune system and health optimized,” says Yates. 

Katie Willyerd speaks about her illness 

Otis Sanford Gets to the Bottom of Things

Look it’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Otis Sanford climbing the media ladder of success. Sanford was named president of the Associated Press Managing Editors Association in October, 2009. He was appointed to the board in 2004 and joined the leadership ladder to eventually become president. He was appointed first amendment chair, then kept climbing and climbing from secretary, to vice president, until he reached the top as president.

“It was a great and fabulous honor to be thought of among my piers to lead a great news organization that represents the interest of newspapers around the country,” Sanford said, “and to make sure that the papers stay vibrant, relevant, and in the interest of the public.”

It only took writing one news article in the seventh grade for Sanford to decide journalism was the career for him. He said he started writing for his high school newspaper and took as many journalism classes as he could, but Ole Miss is the place where he really learned to be a journalist.

“Ole Miss has one of the best journalism programs around. It set the ground work for me, taught me what I needed to know, and made me appreciate journalism even more. I was attending Ole Miss when there was an incredible interest in journalism primarily because of the Watergate Scandal, and so the preparations, the class discussions and lectures, and the hands on experience at the Daily Mississippian were invaluable to me,” Sanford said.

His first year at Ole Miss was at the height of the Watergate hearings Sanford said. Senator Howard Baker, who was also part of the Watergate Committee, came to speak at Ole Miss, and Sanford was assigned to cover the event for the Daily Mississippian. He said Watergate was one of the biggest stories of his generation, and it was a very exciting time to be doing journalism.

Sanford is from Como, Miss. He attended the Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia Miss.,for two years until he graduated. He received a journalism scholarship from the University of Mississippi in 1973. He graduated from Ole Miss in 1975 with a B.A. in Journalism.

Shortly after graduating from Ole Miss, he got a job at the Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss., as an entertainment writer. After nine months of entertainment writing Sanford said he decided he wanted to do more serious writing on hard news. He left the Clarion Ledger after two years and began writing for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., as a general assignment reporter in 1977.

On August 16, 1977, Sanford recalls being assigned to write regular obituaries. Instead, he was given the opportunity of a life time. His editor at the Commercial Appeal got the phone call announcing Elvis Presley’s death. He rushed out of his office and told Sanford to go the hospital. Sanford said he immediately dropped everything he was doing and spent the afternoon interviewing everyone in the emergency room he possibly could. The article was a cover story on people’s reactions of his death and appeared front page the next day. It is still being sold around the world as a souvenir addition.

He began writing federal court beats at the Commercial Appeal soon after. He covered federal trials, federal grand juries, the FBI, and all the federal government offices in the federal building for seven years, until he was promoted to assistant metro editor.

His editor at the Commercial Appeal, Angus McEaron said, “He is really bright, very organized, has great writing ability, listens to people, and is fair minded. He is a true treasure and has a natural instinct for news. He was the smartest hire I have ever made.”

Sanford was an assistant metro editor for a year at the Commercial Appeal until he was offered a job at the Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pa. He said McEaron had moved to the Pittsburgh Press and offered him a job as assistant city editor in 1987. He said he stayed at the Pittsburgh Press until a labor strike shut down the paper.

In 1992, he became deputy city editor at the Detroit Free Press in Detroit Mich., for two years, until he got one more phone call from McEaron. He said McEaron had become editor and publisher for the Commercial Appeal and made him an offer he couldn't refuse as deputy managing editor in 1994.

McEaron said, “I stuck with him because I recognize talent. As you get older as an editor you’re trying to groom people to take your place, and he was always someone I thought could do the job.”

Sanford remained at the Commercial Appeal for several years and was named managing editor in 2002. Sanford had many successes during his time at the Commercial Appeal. In 1997 he participated in creating a student newspaper, The Teen Appeal. He said many high schools in Memphis didn't have a newspaper, and he wanted to increase participation in high schools with newspaper journalism. He said it is still going strong today, and some students even moved on to be reporters. In 2000 he started The DeSoto Appeal from scratch. He also launched the citizen editorial board in 2007.

Sanford is currently a political commentator for WREG-TV Channel 3 in Memphis. He said it gives him an opportunity to still have an impact on politics in the community. Sanford has been described as one of the best political commentators.

Sanford uses broadcast news to give his political opinions and inform the Memphis area what is going on in the government. 

WREG-TV anchor and news reporter Alex Coleman said, “Otis cares a lot about Memphis and wants to make a difference. He’ll put you to the test and get the answers the community deserves. He takes pride in being a southerner. He is committed and attached to Memphis. He can share his opinions, because he wants the best for Memphis.”

Coleman said Sanford has a huge impact on the station by analyzing big stories, what issues there are, what should and shouldn't be done, and how politicians should handle things. Sanford’s commentary appears Monday through Friday every week at 4:30 p.m. In a previous commentary he described the Shelby County Commission as "political tyrants out to stifle free speech." He also still writes a viewpoint column for the Commercial Appeal every Sunday.

Coleman said, “Otis’s commentaries and columns lets you know what is right and wrong in his opinion and really makes you think. He affects the Memphis area greatly. He is authoritative, well researched, and takes his work very seriously. Politicians even know if they have done something wrong or something people don’t like, Otis will come knocking at their door.”

                Sanford currently teaches at the University of Memphis where he holds the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Journalism. He said after 35 years of being involved in the newspaper and newsroom it was time to do something different, and he wanted to teach the new generation of journalist what journalism is all about. The University of Memphis was pleased to add Sanford to the team. 

“I love teaching and being around students. I try to help students understand this is a great profession and journalism is one of the noblest things anyone can do. You can impact society, public policy, and be a voice for people who have no voice,” Sanford said.

Sanford said his favorite experience at Ole Miss was making great long lasting friends that are still friends to this day, and sharing the experience of being at Ole Miss with them. They were very close, had great times, enjoyed themselves, built each other up, and kept each other going. He also said Ole Miss taught him the ability to write stories, be a good editor, understand the importance of newspaper style, and gave him the foundation he still uses to this day.