Friday, March 21, 2014
The Daily
Mississippian
Vol. 102, No. 107
The Student Newspaper of The University Of Mississippi | Serving Ole Miss and Oxford since 1911
First day of spring brings warm weather UPD
begins search for indecent exposure suspect BY ADAM GANUCHEAU dmeditor@gmail.com
Staton grew up acting in school plays and participated in theater throughout high school. Staton was cast in the play “Urinetown” her first year as an understudy, but she did not land her first big role until “The Laramie Project.” “She excels in comic timing and character work,” Pulliam said. Both students said they were honored to receive the nominations for the awards. “Of course I was ecstatic, flattered and completely floored because I did not expect it a single bit,” Burke said. Staton was similarly surprised. “I still cannot believe this happened to us,” Staton said. “Na-
The University Police Department is searching for a man who exposed himself two different times on campus Thursday. The incidents occurred within five minutes of each other Thursday around 8:30 a.m. UPD Chief Calvin Sellers urged members of the community to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. “I would just tell everyone to call us if they see anything strange going on,” Sellers said. “Be aware of your surroundings and try not to be alone, especially at night.” The suspect is described as a black male in his early 20s, between 5-feet-6-inches and 5-feet-8-inches tall and approximately 250 pounds, according to a UPD release that was emailed to all students, faculty and staff members at Ole Miss. He was wearing a gray beanie Thursday, has shoulder-length hair and was driving a blue or black older model Cadillac De’Ville, Buick or Oldsmobile. In August 2011, a white male was arrested for similar crimes on campus. He exposed himself on campus three times over two days and was arrested shortly after. Sellers said that these two incidents are not related in any way, and there is no regular pattern of similar incidents on campus. According to the 2013 Mississippi Code, “a person who willfully and lewdly exposes his person, or private parts thereof, in any public place, or in any place where others are present, or procures another to so expose himself, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction for a first offense, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500 or be imprisoned not exceeding six months, or both.” While some students joked about the incident on social me-
See LARAMIE, PAGE 3
See EXPOSURE, PAGE 3
ADITYA KHARE | The Daily Mississippian
Maggie Kalbac, left, Alice Cochran and Bailee Johnson play with puppy in the Grove on campus Thursday. Many students took advantage of the warm weather yesterday, which was the first day of spring, spending their time outdoors in the Grove. This was after Ole Miss students suffered through one of the coldest winters on record.
Two UM students awarded for performances in ‘The Laramie Project’ BY MAGGIE MCDANIEL mgmcdani@go.olemiss.edu
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. nominated two University of Mississippi musical theater students for outstanding performance awards for their performances in “The Laramie Project.” Junior BFA student Nathan Burke of Keller, Texas, and sophomore BFA student Rachel Staton from Atlanta were nominated based on their individual ensemble as actor and actress in the play, originally performed last fall on campus. The play is about an openly gay
OPINION:
male who was murdered in Laramie County, Wyo. The awards are part of the 46th annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, which was developed by Roger L. Stevens in 1969 to encourage and celebrate theatrical productions nationwide. Burke and Staton will receive the awards next month at the closing ceremony of the festival April 19 in D.C. “This is very exciting,” said Rene Pulliam, interim chair and associate theater professor. “Think of it as The Tony Awards for college theater.” Burke and Staton recently traveled to Roanoke, Va., with the
production of “The Laramie Project” and the Kennedy Center American College Theater to perform the play for evaluation in the festival. It is rare for two students from the same school to be chosen for the same award, according to Pulliam. Burke said he grew up loving movies and performing and loved to act out his favorite scenes from the movie “Dumb and Dumber.” During his time at Ole Miss, Burke has been cast in nine shows, including both main stage shows for the university and Ghostlight Repertory Theatre shows. “He is a gifted performer who brings something special to all he does,” Pulliam said.
Giant puppet theatre to visit Ford Center
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