The Daily Mississippian – October 7, 2013

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The Daily

Monday, October 7, 2013

Mississippian

Vol. 102, No. 30

The Student Newspaper of The University Of Mississippi | Serving Ole Miss and Oxford since 1911

UM Committee releases play-incident report By Adam Ganucheau dmeditor@gmail.com

The University of Mississippi’s Bias Incident Response Team released a statement Friday evening regarding its investigation into the Oct. 1 incident at the theater department’s production of “The Laramie Project.” The university response team began working Thursday morning after The Daily Mississippian reported that some students who attended the play, which is about an openly gay man murdered in Wyoming, disrupted the production. The play’s director and theater faculty member Rory Ledbetter said that some audience members used homophobic slurs and heckled cast members and the characters they were portraying about their body types and sexual orientations. Friday’s response team release indicated that the committee met with many people involved in the incident, including the cast and crew of the play, and

multiple recommendations were presented. Among the committee’s recommendations is a mandatory educational dialogue session led by University faculty and members of the Ole Miss Allies program for all students who attended the play last Tuesday night. “The University BIRT is united in the belief that we are a university where the objectives are learning, growing and becoming leaders,” the release stated. “The dialogue will seek to repair the harm that was done to the effected community.” Ledbetter and other sources, including the theater department’s performance report, told the DM that an estimated 20 football players were in attendance Tuesday, including some who disrupted the play. In Friday’s press release, the response team that that the specific involvement of the athletes “has not been verified and they were not the only students present.” Director of Athletics Ross Bjork and Chancellor Dan Jones

issued an apology Thursday afternoon for the behavior of the students in attendance. Additionally, Ole Miss head football coach Hugh Freeze tweeted Thursday morning: “We certainly do not condone any actions that offend or hurt people in any way. We are working with all departments involved to find the facts.” The response team encouraged anyone with information to come forward and send it to the committee at birt@olemiss.edu, or Title IX Coordinator Joseph Lawhorne at joseph@olemiss. edu. Response team co-chairs Merrill Magruder and Val Ross told the DM Thursday that the committee’s definite completion date is uncertain. Other faculty members on the committee are Camp Best, Derrick Dixon, Judith Hopper and Jeff Kellum. “We are working diligently to speak with all individuals involved or associated with the event,” Magruder and Ross said in an email to the DM Thursday.

FILE PHOTO (PHILLIP WALLER) | The Daily Mississippian

Chancellor Dr. Dan Jones speaks during a reception for LGBTQ month Thursday night.

Bid Day traditions highlight UM Greek year By KATELYN MILLER kamille3@go.olemiss.edu

KATIE WILLIAMSON | The Daily Mississippian

Chi Omega members react on Bid Day Sunday afternoon.

OPINION:

No labels makes sense

Feature photos: Panhellenic bid day 2013

Twerking, 20

Greek recruitment at Ole Miss culminated Sunday as gentlemen received their bid cards in their dorms and ladies congregated at the Lyceum to watch the revealing of their Gamma Chis and to receive their bid cards. The Lyceum has long been the meeting point for the potential new members, presumably due to “its central location and proximity to all the sorority houses,” according to Gamma Chi Jennifer Green, senior accounting major. Before bid cards are distributed, Gamma Chis traditionally gather on the Lyceum steps wearing shirts with their collective letters on them, under which are second shirts with their individual sorority letters. A member of the Panhellenic executive board announces the names of each sorority, and the Gamma Chis who belong to it remove their outer shirts to reveal to their potential

new members their actual Greek affiliation. Gamma Chi and senior art major Elizabeth Mary Wilson said she had fun with the process. “I almost tried to mislead the girls as to what sorority I’m in, because they kept trying to guess, and I’m not allowed to tell them,” she said. “That was fun!” The goal among Gamma Chis is to surprise their potential new members and promote the idea that the girls will already know at least one person in their new sorority. After being given their bid cards, the new members are so excited that they typically choose to run to their new houses on Rebel Drive or Sorority Row. An unofficial tradition of bid day is the gathering of men and unaffiliated women to gather, often with lawn chairs, in the Circle to watch the girls run. “It’s just kind of funny,” said Zach Breeding, junior environSee BID DAY, PAGE 4

SPORTS:

MORE INSIDE

opportunities too much to overcome

Opinion .............................2 News .............................4 Lifestyles .............................5 Sports ...........................12

Recap -Missed

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