Tuesday, February 4, 2014
The Daily
Mississippian
Vol. 102, No. 79
The Student Newspaper of The University Of Mississippi | Serving Ole Miss and Oxford since 1911
Soledad O’Brien to speak for Black History Month Black History Month schedule of events Feb. 3, 7, 10 and 12: Diversity Skills Training, noon in Butler Auditorium Feb. 7-9: 11th Annual Oxford Film Festival, Malco Oxford Commons and Oxford Conference Center Feb. 10: Film Screening: “The Loving Story,” 6 p.m. in Oxford-Lafayette County Public Library Feb. 11: Brown Bag: “Race and Space: Responses to The Loving Story,” noon in Faulkner Room of J.D. Williams Library Feb. 11: Lecture: Craig Wilder, chair of the MIT Department of History, 7 p.m. in Nutt Auditorium Feb. 12: Film Screening: “The Loving Story,” 6 p.m. in Room 106-D of J.D. Williams Library Feb. 13: “A Red Carpet Affair: A Celebration of Yesterday, Today and Forever,” 6 p.m. at The Inn at Ole Miss Feb. 19: Overby Center Panel Discussion: The Voting Rights Act of 1965, 11 a.m. in Overby Center Auditorium Feb. 24: Isom Center Brown Bag: “What’s It Like Being a Lesbian in the South?” by Danielle Kerr, UM graduate sociology student, noon in Faulkner Room of J.D. Williams Library Feb. 24: Former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien keynote address, 5:30 p.m. in Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 25: Multicultural Dialogue Session: Rap[ped] Up in American Culture with Bryan Cooper Owens, instructor of African-American Studies; and Timothy Abram, senior Public Policy Leadership student; 2 p.m. in Union 405 Feb. 25: Black History Month Concert, 7:30 p.m. in Nutt Auditorium
By CATY CAMBRON thedmnews@gmail.com
The University of Mississippi announced Monday that former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien will highlight the celebration of Black History Month at Ole Miss. O’Brien has won numerous awards, including an Emmy, for her reporting and most recently launched Starfish Media Group, a media production company dedicated to telling “life’s untold stories.” “Soledad O’Brien’s work complements the continued efforts of the university to stimulate healthy conversations on race and questions of identity,” Valeria Ross, assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs and volunteer services, stated in a university press release. The celebration kicks off today at noon in the Student Union lobby with a keynote speech by Barbara Combs and a performance from the university’s gospel choir. Associate sociology professor Combs released a book in November 2013 about the freedom marchers involved in the civil rights movement titled “From Selma to Montgomery: The Long March to Freedom.” Along with Combs’ discus-
COURTESY UM COMMUNICATIONS
Soledad O’Brien
sion of the celebration of diversity and culture at Ole Miss, the Lift Every Voice Awards will be presented. These annual awards are given to members of the Ole Miss community who have “contributed to the betterment of human relationships on campus,” according to Donald Cole, assistant provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs. “Appreciating our varied cultural histories and common story as Americans is critical to building an inclusive community,” freshman political science major Ryan Nolen said. Scheduled Black History Month events include train-
ing sessions, film screenings, panel discussions and Brown Bag lectures, all of which are open to the public. The celebration will conclude on Feb. 25 with a concert featuring the Ole Miss African Drum and Dance Ensemble in Nutt Auditorium. The entire schedule can be found on the front page of today’s edition of The DM. “As a communication person, I think it’s critical for all of us to remember that it is not enough to talk about the past — we must act on our knowledge,” said JoAnn Edwards, speech instructor and director of UM Speech and Debate.
GRAPHIC BY TISHA COLEMAN AND ADAM GANUCHEAU | The Daily Mississippian
Jason Derulo to headline annual spring concert By Julie LaBerge jklaberg@go.olemiss.edu
The Student Activities Association announced Wednesday that Jason Derulo, Travis Porter and Fly Panda will be the performers for this year’s spring concert. The performers were selected with the help of the association’s entertainment committee in an attempt to see what genres and artists students want to hear. “We got feedback that students were tired of country music and wanted a change,” said Alley Daily, a senior business marketing major and di-
OPINION :
rector of the association. “We are an organization that caters to our students and want to bring events that they love and enjoy.” During homecoming week the SAA also made a firsttime push toward Twitter to encourage students to tweet about who they wanted to see at this year’s spring concert. They asked students to tweet their favorite artists’ names with the hashtag #musicinthegrove. Addison Sullivan, sophomore general studies major, said she is excited about the picks. “I actually can’t wait,” Sul-
livan said. “Jason Derulo is always awesome to see, and Travis Porter was a great surprise.” Some students, however, have voiced disappointment over the performer selections. “I feel like they have been slacking on performances the last couple of years, given the fact that I know they have the ability to book great performances that have been in the Grove in the past,” said Alex Medders, junior forensic chemistry major. The number of students in the Grove for the spring concert averages around 3,000 to 6,000 people. Last year saw
UM Writing Center to move to Lamar Hall
What about the other options?
one of the biggest turnouts, when thousands of students gathered in the Grove to enjoy the performances of Grace Potter and special guest Jerrod Niemann. Bradley Baker, adviser to the association, said the members of the organization try to improve the concert each year. “Regardless who is playing in the Grove, to have a free concert is something students should enjoy and is a fun college experience,” Baker said. “We always try to one-up ourselves with different genres to bring in more of a crowd.” Junior psychology major
Brandon Beamon said he was surprised to see Fly Panda on the lineup. Fly Panda is a duo made up of rapper Lukas Ka$h and singer Winter Rae who do trap-style music with a mixture of dubstep. “When I saw Fly Panda in the lineup, I was left with the question: Who are these randoms?” Beamon said. After researching the band on YouTube, however, Beamon said he is looking forward to hearing the band at the concert. The concert will be held April 4 at 8 p.m. on the Grove stage.
SPORTS:
MORE INSIDE
Rebels look for big road win at Kentucky
Opinion ..............................2 Lifestyles ...........................4 News ..........................5 Sports ..............................8 thedmonline . com
See Page 2
See Page 5
See Page 8
@thedm_news