DailyMississippian The
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
thedmonline.com
Vol. 100 No. 296
Dining services introduces new Plus 1 meal plan BY MARGARYTA KIRAKOSIAN mkirakos@olemiss.edu
Find somewhere to live, buy books, get food. These are the necessities each semester requires, and as this semester comes to an end, it’s time to think about ordering a meal plan for the fall. Next year, Ole Miss Dining Services will offer a new meal plan. The Plus 1 plan will allow one meal per day at any Ole Miss dining location, including the Johnson Commons, the Starbucks in the J.D. Williams Library and The Marketplace in the Residential College South. In addition to that meal, there will be plan options for extra anytime meals. “The new meal plan structure was introduced in response to feedback that we received from students,” Joshua Halliday, marketing manager of Dining Services, said. “Students will benefit from the Plus 1 meal plan because it allows them to use their meal plan across campus.” English and classics junior Douglas Odom was one of the first students to try out the new meal plan. “I had the Rebel 50 this past year, which worked just fine for me, but being able to use a meal at Starbucks in the library or
Einstein’s Bagels is very convenient,” he said. Odom also said he liked not having to use Flex every time he wanted one meal, a feature which may attract students who usually depend on Flex for meals. “This new Plus 1 meal plan sounds like a good idea,” computer science major Shelby Sherman said. “I don’t have a meal plan and use Flex. In general, I eat on campus once a day – that’s why I would like to have Plus 1 meal.” Students who generally rely on meal plans have also seen Plus 1 as an appealing alternative. “I have a commuter meal plan, which means I can use 50 meals only in JC,” Spanish major Caroline Huey said. “I like this meal plan because it is enough meals for me, and I can roll over those I didn’t use in the previous semester to the next one, but sometimes I wish I could have meals in the Union. That’s why the Plus 1 meal plan seems like an interesting offer. The only drawback is that you need to fit your meal in $7, but it is a common problem for all meal plans. It would be great if there were more meal plan combos.” Halliday said there are retail prices in the venues on campus
MALLORY SIMERVILLE | The Daily Mississippian
Insurance risk management sophomore Sam Cooper has his card swiped at the Johnson Commons. Students will have a new meal plan option in the fall called Plus 1 that allows them to get one meal per day.
and meal combos will be decided by each individual venue. The Plus 1 meal plan is not ideal for everybody. Hannah Duke, an elementary education major, has a standard RC meal plan, which includes unlimited RC dining, 100 meals at other locations and $200 of Flex a semester. “It is very convenient, and I never run out of meals,” Duke
said. “The Plus 1 meal plan is definitely not as convenient as the meal plan I have right now. Besides, I need more than one meal per day sometimes.” The Plus 1 meal plan allows people to have a meal at the following locations: Starbucks in the J.D. Williams Library, Einstein Bros Bagels, Towers Grille, Crosby Market, Burger Studio, Chick-Fil-A, Magnolia Kitchen,
Topio’s, Zoca, Toss It Up, McCormick Café, Sunday Brunch, Subway, Subway Mobile, Southern Tsunami Sushi, Bistro 1848, C3 Express, Papa John’s, POD, POD Express and Pinkberry. Returning students can sign up for the Plus 1 meal plan by May 11 and receive an unlimited drink card for free on the Dining Services website, olemiss.campusdish.com.
Possibility of public school privatization Vice chancellor candidate
GRAPHIC BY CAIN MADDEN | The Daily Mississippian
BY MARIDANE HEWES maridaneh@gmail.com
A new bill facing the Mississippi Legislature could allow certain areas to create statefunded private schools. The Mississippi Public Charter Schools Act of 2012, or SB 2401, addresses the privatization of public schools. Failing schools, a rating of which is determined by the Mississippi Department of Education’s Accountability Results, would have the option to become
private schools. Charlie Mitchell, assistant dean of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media, recently wrote an article discussing the issue of privatization. He said privatization is the result of the state essentially dropping out. Right now, the state, counties and cities operate the public schools, and the schools are funded with public money. If this bill passes, the new private schools will receive state funding to operate.
The use of public funds for private or charter schools would take funds away from public schools and school districts that may also be having problems meeting the needs of students. “I believe it to be in our best interest to demand the best for all of our students, not just those that can afford it or those in which learning and achievement is easy,” Brian Harvey, Oxford School District superintendent, said. Schools in other states have made the switch to private systems. Some of the schools are doing well, while others have not improved at all. “If we want to have strong and vibrant communities, we must continue to stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves, while maintaing high standards of achievement for all,” Harvey said. Harvey said the relationship between schools and communities is reciprocal. Where one finds strong schools, one also finds strong communities. It is also true that where one finds See SCHOOLS, PAGE 3
addresses student affairs
FORREST SMITH | The Daily Mississippian
Vice chancellor of student affairs candidate Edward Whipple presented his philosophy for student affairs Monday afternoon at Bryant Hall.
BY RYAN GROVER drgrover08@gmail.com
Vice chancellor of student affairs candidate Edward Whipple described Ole Miss simply as “a beautiful campus and great people.” In a Monday afternoon meeting, Whipple presented his vision for student affairs
and touted his experience in similar positions. He began his presentation explaining how the sinking of the Titanic was the result of a lack of leadership – the captain ignoring warnings of ice ahead, the slow lowering of the life boats and the lack of binoculars used by the lookouts. Whipple then posed the question: “Is student affairs headed for a fate like the Titanic?” He said student affairs needs strong leadership that will take advantage of the tools they have been given. Throughout the presentation, Whipple exhibited his awareness of current trends and the need for change. He cited educational leaders and statistics showing the unsatisfactory tendencies of American students. “America cannot lead in the 21st century unless we have the best-educated, most See CANDIDATE, PAGE 3