Criminals High and Low in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I Shakespeare Symposium today at 4 p.m at The
Oxford Shakespeare Festival
Kennedy reacts to SEC spring meetings p. 8
Henry IV: Photos & Review p. 5
Depot, followed by a reception. The event is free and open to the public.
T H E
D A I L Y
MISSISSIPPIAN
TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2011 | VOL. 100, NO. 146 | THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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THE UNIVERSITY
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MISSISSIPPI | SERVING OLE MISS
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OXFORD
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THEDMONLINE.COM
‘Gear Up’ gives kids confidence Ole Miss Grants
Exclusive Patent Rights to ChromaDex Corp. BY MATTHEW NEEB The Daily Mississippian
PETRE THOMAS | The Daily Mississippian
Gear Up director Ryan Whittington and counselor Kermit Tyler work with students from across Mississippi for one week in both math and English. Gear Up is a federally funded program for rising high school sophomores interested in higher education.
BY AMELIA CAMURATI Editor-in-chief
Education is at an all-time low in Mississippi, but some people are going out of their way to help students stay in school and believe they can go to college. Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, more commonly known as Gear Up, is a federally funded program for rising high school sophomores with a goal to “promote a higher learning experience by showing students that it is attainable and a necessary part of their journeys to achieve their own personal goals,” said Ryan Whittington, director of Gear Up. Serving 41 schools in 20 districts across Mississippi, Gear Up has helped over 9,000 students statewide since enacted by Congress in 1998. Thanks to a grant from
the United States Department of Education, many scholarships are offered, giving more students the opportunity to experience a college setting despite their financial situation. The program is year-round and sponsors eight summer academies across the state at the University of Southern Mississippi, Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University, among others. The University of Mississippi and the Division of Outreach are hosting three of the Gear Up summer academies in June, two in math and one in English. More than 130 students will reside in the Luckyday Residential College for one week while learning not just academics, but life lessons and self-confidence to help them far beyond the classroom. Whittington has seen the im-
pact the program has had on the students from beginning to end. “While they are only on campus for a week, it is very rewarding to see the changes that occur over that short period of time,” he said. “Not only are they more comfortable with the subject material, but they are more confident both socially and academically.” Students are on a rigorous schedule that includes a wake-up call at 6 a.m. every day and seven hours of classroom time. They also have a daily “exploring session,” where they learn about admissions, financial aid and other departments on campus. Etoshia Butler, senior biology and psychology major, attended summer programs in high school and understands the importance of getting a jump-start on college. See GEAR UP, PAGE 4
The University of Mississippi pharmacy department is continuing to make headlines this year. The department at UM Medical Center in Jackson is currently running a clinical study on the possible health benefits of Pterostilbene, a “potent antioxidant” that is found naturally in the skin of berries like grapes and blueberries. It is chemically related to resveratrol, a stilbenoid found in the skin of red grapes and is believed to be the cause for the health advantages found in drinking wine. Resveratrol is the basis of the French Paradox, which is the claim that the high cholesterol diets of the French is offset by their high consumption of wine. Pterostilbene has shown pre-clinical benefits in the areas of cardiovascular health, glucose levels, breast cancer, diabetes, LDL cholesterol and cognitive function. Dr. Agnes Rimando of the USDA research branch ARS first discovered the possible benefits of Pterostilbene through testing its effects on animals. She, in partnership with University of Mississippi
scientists, makes up the team that is currently running clinical studies in Jackson. These studies are the first human testings with the antioxidant, and it is concentrating specifically on Pterostilbene’s effect on lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and oxidative stress. The clinical study is a natural product research and is formatted to be a double-blinded, placebo, controlled, prospective study. Since Pterostilbene has shown great promise of producing positive results before even entering the clinical test, the study’s aim is to ultimately understand to what extent can Pterostilbene be beneficial to our health. Leading the clinical studies from the university is Dr. Daniel Riche, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice. “The thought process is that there is pleiotropic effects of the product,” he said. “And that can include possible metabolic benefits.” This research by the university about the benefits of Pterostilbene has not gone unnoticed. Last Monday, ChromaDex Coropration announced that it had come to an agreement with the university for the exclusive, worldwide patents See CHROMADEX, PAGE 4
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY PETRE THOMAS| The Daily Mississippian