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MISSISSIPPIAN T h e S t u d e n t N e w s pa p e r
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Preparing for crisis GETTING STRICT ON THE SQUARE The Crisis Action Team is prepared to communicate with the Ole Miss community in case of safety hazards. The team was responsible for action during the icy conditions on Jan. 15. BY NICK ANDREWS ndandrew@go.olemiss.edu
The University of Mississippi’s Crisis Action Team (CAT) continues to increase emergency preparedness and use social media to make Ole Miss a safe campus. CAT is composed of five people on campus: Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Windham, Dean of Students Sparky Reardon, Chief of Police Calvin Sellers, Chief Communications Officer Tom Eppes and Associate Provost Noel Wilkin. This past winter intersession, the Oxford campus was faced with the “threat of ice and predicted hazardous road condi-
The City of Oxford has issued new regulations to manage parking problems on the Square, including license plate tracking cameras.
tions,” and on Jan. 15, CAT made the decision to close campus. The university responded by sending texts, emails and a tweets to inform students, faculty and staff. Classes scheduled at or after noon on that day were made up later on predetermined make-up days. According to Wilkin, these make-up days were built into the schedule in case class was canceled. “We follow the same procedures each time for winter weather, and we follow a checklist that has been developed and refined over several years,” Wilkin said. See CAT, PAGE 4
UM weathers Pell Grant cuts The Office of Financial Aid is taking the new Pell Grant restrictions in stride, while trying to prepare for any additional changes. FILE PHOTO | The Daily Mississippian
BY KELTON BROOKS krbrooks@go.olemiss.edu
FILE PHOTO (QUENTIN WINSTINE) | The Daily Mississippian
BY CAIN MADDEN cain.madden@gmail.com
For many students, the difference between going to college and working after high school can depend on the Federal Pell Grant Program. University of Mississippi freshman David Miller of Clinton is grateful for the program. He is the youngest of three in
a family in which the mother is the sole financial provider. Miller said he knew that if he wanted an education, he was going to have to figure out how to pay his own way. “I think I would have figured something out, but I don’t know if I’d have been able to come straight to a university,” See GRANT, PAGE 4
Oxford officials have installed improvements to the city’s existing laws to ease the Square’s ongoing parking difficulties. After discarding the paidparking system of its “Plan A,” The Downtown Parking Advisory Council decided to go with its “Plan B.” Using cameras powered by License Plate Recognition software, the newly hired Standard Parking group is charged with enforcement of the two-hour parking limit on the Square. License Plate Recognition software is a camera that records the license plate and position of a vehicle’s tires. The first time a vehicle remains parked for more than two hours, the violation is
free, and the violator will receive a letter explaining the fine process for issuing tickets. The second time a violation occurs, a $10 ticket will be served, followed by $25 for the third offense, then $50 for the fourth. The letter also relays that $10 is added with each month the ticket goes unpaid. The fifth offense, however, results in the placement of a boot on the vehicle. A $75 fee is needed to remove the boot, plus the accrued fines. Plan B also extends the hours during which the twohour limit will be in effect. The hours are now from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. This plan is not popular with one restaurant manager.
“Parking on the Square is miserable,” said John Allgood, manager at Old Venice Pizza. “It’s miserable for my employees because they can never find a parking spot, and I think it keeps people from coming to the Square because they have a difficulty finding a spot,” Allgood said. “When they find a decent spot, they have to worry about if they have to be out of there in two hours,” he said. “That’s not necessarily a whole lot of time to shop and eat. It seems like they have to pick one or the other.” Electrical engineering junior Marcus Barnes is in favor of the parking limit during the day. “If you’re going to the See PARKING, PAGE 5