The Daily Mississippian October 27, 2022

SILENCE IS LOUD: Increasing the conversation around domestic violence

Millions of people experience some form of domestic violence every year. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so a section of The Daily Mississippian is being devoted to events and resources available for individuals experiencing domestic violence. If you are the victim/survivor of domestic violence, please consider using the resources presented in this edition.

RABRIA MOORE thedmnews@gmail.com

Domestic violence is defined as the willful intimidation, physi cal assault, battery, sexual assault and/or other abusive behavior by one intimate partner against an other in an attempt for control.

More than 10 million peo ple in the United States are physically abused by an in timate partner, equating to

roughly 20 people per minute.

Domestic violence can affect people of all age, economic sta tus, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or nationality. The frequency and severity of domes tic violence can vary, but the one consistency is the drive for pow er and control over one partner.

One in four women and one in nine men experience severe intimate partner physical vio lence, intimate partner contact sexual violence and/or intimate

partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contrac tion of sexually transmitted dis eases, etc.

Some warning signs of abus ers can be extreme jealousy, possessiveness, verbal abuse, ex tremely controlling behavior or forced sex or disregard of their

University mourns loss of long time professor John Winkle

University of Mississippi Pro fessor Emeritus John W. Winkle III is remembered by students and faculty members as an im mensely engaging and sup portive mentor and colleague.

Winkle died Sunday, Oct. 23, at the age of 75 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. Visitation was held at Waller Funeral Home in Oxford on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. today at the Oxford-Univer sity United Methodist Church.

Winkle, a beloved political science professor, started teach ing at the University of Missis sippi in 1974 after graduating from Duke University with a doc toral degree in political science.

“His class (The Supreme Court in a Partisan Age) was far from what you’d imagine an academic class would be like.

We went into his class every Wednesday night to have con versations and get to know each other,” Kresha Patel, a pre-law international studies major, said.

Patel believes Winkle cre ated a space where students were unafraid to share their opinions and that he ear nestly cared for his students.

“He truly wanted to get to know us as individuals and al ways reminded us that we have an ally in him. I am grateful and lucky to have experienced one of his classes,” Patel said.

Daneel Konnar, a junior pub lic policy leadership major also taking “The Supreme Court in a Partisan Age,” said that Win kle always listened to students.

“When a professor listens to you, and in a way engages in the conversation that makes you feel

John W. Winkle III speaks during the dedication of the John Winkle Reading Room in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College on Oct. 14.

GRAPHIC: SEDLEY NORMAND / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

partner’s willingness to have sex.

There is not one personality of an abuser, but abusers tend to display common characteris tics. According to the National Coalition against Domestic Vio lence, an abuser often denies the existence or minimizes the seri ousness of violence and its effect on the victim and other family members. Abusers may blame their violence on things such as drugs, alcohol or a “bad day.” The abuser may be someone with low self-esteem who feels powerless and ineffective, even though they may appear to be successful to the outside world.

Combating Domestic Vio lence

As domestic violence is be

coming a more prevalent issue in society, different institutions and organizations are working to combat this type of violence.

Earlier this month, the Uni versity of Mississippi Medical Center was awarded two grants totaling $7.5 million to research causes and ways to reduce vio lence. Part of the research will focus on determining the main causes of Mississippi’s high rate of domestic violence. Accord ing to Mississippi Broadcasting, psychologists are interested in what interventions could be en acted to better protect victims.

Experts and domestic vio lence advocates are now pushing for routine patient screenings and conversations about rela tionships in a range of medical settings, including primary care and pre-and post-natal care.

“By screening for and iden tifying unmet social needs, pro viders are better positioned to

serve their patients in a more holistic way — such as con necting patients experiencing interpersonal violence with community resources or ser vices,” Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Center for Medicare and Med icaid Services administrator for the Biden administration, said in an interview with Politico.

Gathering data can help de velop solutions and promote more equitable care for “in dividuals, families, and com munities across the country,” according to Brooks-LaSure.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has also expanded its program to include home visits to at-risk pregnant women or families with babies. Although the vis its typically address things like childhood health needs and parenting education, they can also detect and provide help for dangerous or abusive situations.

Domestic violence isn’t pure ly physical. Individuals who ex perience any form of domestic vi olence may also suffer mentally, emotionally or psychologically.

“Exposure to violence, includ ing intimate partner violence, has a direct impact on mental and physical health outcomes, and is directly tied to injury, psycholog ical distress and death in all age groups,” Brooks-LaSure said.

Research from the World Health Organization concludes that intimate partner violence and sexual violence can “lead to depression, post-traumatic stress and other anxiety disor ders, sleep difficulties, eating disorders and suicide attempts.”

Women who have experienced intimate partner violence are also almost twice as likely to ex perience depression and drink ing problems. In the most se rious cases, domestic violence can lead to homicide or suicide.

The relationship between guns and domestic violence

VIOLET JIRA

There have been only two ho micides worked by the Oxford Police Department this year. Both were the result of domestic vio lence in which a gun was involved.

OPD and other local law en forcement agencies respond to domestic violence calls more often than most people realize. This year alone, OPD has re sponded to 119 domestic violence calls, which resulted in arrests or charges filed and 395 disturbanc es that were domestic related.

On Oct. 19, the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office respond ed to a domestic violence call in which a man and a woman were arguing. Before deputies even ar rived on the scene, they learned that a firearm was involved.

According to the dispatch ers, the woman kept asking the man to give her the gun.

When deputies arrived, they discovered that two others, ages 16 and 19, were barricaded inside the house in their rooms. The man was in the house as well. Officers encountered the woman outside and, according to the sheriff’s of

fice, immediately began negotiat ing with the “white male subject to let the kids go and for him to come outside without the weapon.”

The department says that during negotiations, the man pointed his gun at deputies who fired their weapons, shooting the suspect. The man died as a result of those injuries, and the young people who were barricaded in the house were taken to a safe environment. The investigation is now being handled by the Mis sissippi Bureau of Investigations.

This instance is exemplative of two things: how guns often cause instances of domestic vi olence to become deadly and how domestic violence has the potential to impact individuals beyond the immediate actors. An overwhelming number of do mestic violence incidents nega tively implicate people beyond the spouses, including children and oftentimes law enforcement.

The acting definition of domes tic violence is violent or aggressive behavior within the home, typical ly involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. Though this in and of itself has the potential to be deadly, the presence of a gun

in the home elevates the risk. Ac cording to the American Journal for Public Health, a woman is five times more likely to be killed when her abuser has a gun in the home.

Overall, gun violence between intimate partners has risen over the past decade. An Oxford man shot and killed the mother of his children in April — though the incident remains under investi gation as Justin Maurice Morris, 33, awaits trial, the incident was believed to be domestic in nature.

Some have called for fur ther action to reduce the like lihood of guns falling into the hands of abusers, such as re stricting individuals who have been charged with domestic abuse from purchasing firearms.

Mississippi currently does not have any provisions of that sort. Felons cannot purchase or own firearms in the state, however, do mestic violence is typically charged as a misdemeanor unless the inci dent caused an injury or involved a deadly weapon or child victim. According to OPD Administrative Lt. Hildon Sessums, in the case of a domestic related arrest, usu ally bond release is predicated on the suspect not being allowed to

be around or purchase firearms.

While it seems like an ulti mately hopeless situation, there are measures that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of do mestic disputes becoming deadly.

“The basic rule is to recognize

The state of Mississippi ho tline is 1.800.898.3234. The na tional hotline is 1.800.799.7233.

Resources at the University of Mississippi: Violence Intervention and Prevention: Survivor Support Services promotes awareness of sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking. They provide train ing for students, faculty and staff while assisting victim-sur vivors of these incidents.

The Counseling Cen ter provides counseling services, including individ ual and group sessions for di verse mental health concerns.

Clinic for Outreach and Personal Enrich ment (COPE) offers free mental health counseling to faculty, staff, students and members of the community.

controlling behaviors whether a firearm is in the picture or not,” Sessums said. “Always make a report since the violence seems to increase with every incident. And it’s always a good idea to learn basic firearm safety.”

PHOTO COURTESY: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

MEGAN

The Oxford Police Depart ment is preparing to put on its 16th annual haunted house that will provide spooks and scares for a good cause. The event will take place over three days, Oct. 27 from 4-6 p.m. and Oct. 28-29 from 6-10 p.m.

Locals can look forward to not only having a lot of fun, but also knowing that their $5 entry fee will help combat do mestic violence in North Mis sissippi. Each year, OPD do nates a portion of the proceeds to a charity of its choosing.

Funds from this year’s event will be donated to SAFE, Inc. of Tupelo, a safe shelter for victims of domestic violence.

“It’s domestic violence awareness month, so it just made sense. (I was) sug gested the safe house,” OPD Capt. Alan Ivy said. “They were low on funds, and they are vital to having a place for battered women to go and be taken care of.”

Takiva Bell, executive di rector of SAFE, Inc., says that the nonprofit was ec

haunted house to combat domestic violence

static after being noti fied about the donation.

“I am just overjoyed and really pleased that we are partnering, and we’re help ing each other out,” Bell said. “We really are a communi ty in a state that offers hope and aid for all individuals of Northeast Mississippi.”

SAFE, Inc., a nonprofit founded in 1976, offers re sources such as case manage ment, mental health services, victims advocacy, sexual as sault advocacy and court ad vocacy along with many oth er services. The safe shelter also offers food, clothing and resources to provide af fordable and sustainable housing to help individuals transition out of the shelter.

“This is just another step to really help bridge the gaps in resources that are needed for our victims that we serve through the county, and even those victims that come from Oxford to know that (the Ox ford Police Department) un derstands the need, and they’re willing to help,” Bell said.

Ages nine and up are recommended for both the

haunted house as well as the haunted hayride. All ages are welcome for the trunkor-treat event that will take place today, from 4-6pm.

Rebecca Lynn Stafford, Oxford native and Tupelo resident, says that she was raised attending OPD’s annual haunted house and is excited to now share the experience with her son for the first time.

“It’s nice to be able to share something that I did when I was his age with him,” Stafford said. “I’m ex cited to see the difference in what I saw as a child and what I’ll experience now as an adult. Everything is different when you’re 10 versus 30.”

Stafford says that the event will be even better, knowing the money raised by OPD from the haunted house will be donated to combat domestic violence.

“Domestic violence can be a life or death situation. It’s amazing just knowing that your money isn’t being wast ed, knowing that it’s actually benefiting someone,” Staf ford said. “This is an import ant organization. Have fun with your kids and save lives.”

RASA supports survivors of domestic violence

JORDAN

thedmnews@gmail.com

Rallying Against Sexual As sault is a student-led organiza tion at the university that aims to raise awareness about sexual violence, educate the community on consent and bystander inter vention and support survivors.

If a student at the university feels like they are in a violent rela tionship, are confused about sex ual assault or simply wants some one to talk to regarding domestic violence, RASA is a resource.

Larissa Aquaviva, a RASA member and peer educa tor, explained what it means to be an active bystander.

“Students can be active by standers in many ways. The best thing to remember is when you

see something, do something,” she said. “Doing something can either be getting help from others, stepping in yourself or talking to the potential victim. An active by stander should step in in the way they are most comfortable do ing. As long as you do something when you see something, that is how you are an active bystander.”

Aquaviva also explained what it means to be an active bystander.

Another good resource for those seeking help regarding domestic violence is Fami ly Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi. Family Crisis Ser vices is a nonprofit agency that serves as a comprehensive victim services organization, providing advocacy services to survivors of sexual assault, child abuse, homicide, domes

tic violence and family violence.

Specific services provid ed by the organization include victim advocacy, on-site coun seling, forensic interviewing, prevention education and com munity-wide awareness events.

When asked about advice she would give to someone who is experiencing abuse, Skye Cut ler, receptionist at Family Cri sis Services, acknowledged that getting help is never easy and advised acting in small steps.

“Reach out to someone who will listen, someone you have a steady relationship with. Then, if you are comfortable, reach out to an advocate. We have advo cates here at Family Crisis Ser vices that you can talk to. When you’re ready and comfortable, reach out to the police. That is

always the hardest step, so it’s okay to start slow,” Cutler said.

Lt. Hildon Sessums of Ox ford Police Department empha sized the importance of seeking help sooner rather than later.

“If someone believes they have been a victim of sexu al assault, they should talk to someone as soon as possible, whether it’s a friend co-work er, medical provider or law enforcement,” Sessums said.

Sessums also spoke about the responsibility of friends and fami ly of those who suspect their loved one is in an abusive relationship.

“If you are a friend of an abuse victim you should be doing everything you can to help the victim get out of that situation. All too often the abuser makes the victim dependent on them,

so they feel like they can’t leave. The friend should also document the abuse for when the victim is ready to go forward with crim inal charges. The victim often doesn’t have proof of the abuse because they are afraid of the abuser finding it,” Sessums said.

While seeking help is difficult for domestic violence survivors, it is also challenging for people to admit they are victims at all. There are some common red flags with abusive relationships that students should be aware of. As a victim, you are likely to experience isolation, depres sion, helplessness and embar rassment of your relationship. Victims frequently make excus es for their abuser. They want the abuse to stop, but they don’t want the relationship to end.

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RABRIA

VIOLET

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JANE

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ASHTON

JUSTICE

KHARLEY

WILL

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SAVANNAH

CAROLINE

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POSTER COURTESY: OXFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT

Love Should Be Sweet: Alpha Chi Omega supports House of Grace

CAROLINE MCCUTCHEN thedmfeatures@gmail.com

“Here at House of Grace, we are driven by a single goal: to do our part in making the world a better place for all,” states the or ganization’s mission statement.

Established in 1998, the House of Grace provides res idential shelter and support services in their efforts to raise awareness about domestic vi olence, as well as support for victims’ families, commu nity agencies, law enforce ment and residents in need.

“We are a Christ-centered ministry educating and serving the needs of domestic violence victims and their children. We strive to build productive rela tionships and make a positive impact with all of our pursuits,” states the House of Grace.

In support of the House of Grace, Alpha Chi Omega sorori ty’s philanthropy event was filled with sweet treats, photo oppor tunities and information about the House of Grace’s mission.

“These real, strong wom en have such a steadfast drive for service and it inspires me every day. We are so honored to be able to serve our com munity,” Sydney McClain, a junior sociology major and

vice president of philanthro py of Alpha Chi Omega at the University of Mississippi, said.

All proceeds from the event will go toward the House of Grace’s philanthropic efforts, and the sorority provides the House of Grace with toi letries, resources and dona tions throughout the year.

“Every Alpha Chi is passion ate about domestic violence awareness, and I cannot wait to see how we as a chapter will grow and continue to help the women in the community,” Bella Armstrong, a sophomore physics major and assistant vice president of Philanthropy of Al pha Chi Omega at Ole Miss, said.

Ahead of their first philan thropy event, members of the chapter were thrilled to share their passion and dedi cation to promoting domestic violence awareness by serv ing the community along side their sorority sisters.

“I personally love this philan thropy because it is not common for many people to speak out for domestic violence awareness and sexual assault prevention, especially on a college campus where it is extremely prevalent,” Samantha Hallet, a freshman biology major on the pre-med track and member of Alpha

Chi Omega, said.. “So I feel as though we are making a differ ence in not only the community affected by this first hand but also our college community.”

As they support their na tional philanthropy, chapters of Alpha Chi Omega champion

the cause of domestic violence awareness across the nation.

For 30 years, members of Al pha Chi Omega nationally have shared the stories and experienc es of survivors of domestic vio lence and educated others about fostering healthy relationships.

Music can soothe the wounds of domestic violence

thus leading to our own healing.

CLAY HALE

Counseling and therapy are critically important in the treat ment of those affected by domes tic violence, but not everyone has access to those resources in the traditional sense. Some times we, ourselves, can per form our own kinds of therapy,

For many, music is a form of therapy that can alleviate some of those unattended wounds from the past. This can be testi mony to how someone overcame a difficult situation, or it can sim ply showcase a series of events that someone has gone through.

“Let freedom ring,” Mar tina McBride howls on the

first line on the chorus of her Platinum-certified sin gle, “Independence Day.”

At first glance, the song may appear to be a love let ter for the famous American holiday, but upon further ex amination, we see the song is actually about a woman escaping domestic abuse.

The faux patriotic anthem was written by Gretchen Peters over the span of a year and a half and tells the story of a woman attempting to leave her unfor tunate circumstances through the eyes of her daughter.

In “Independence Day” the our motherly protagonist es capes her violent situation and finally becomes independent from the nightmare scenario.

Peters tells the story in the classic country story

telling format, but also does not hide from the song’s core attention to the theme.

“Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong // Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay // It’s Independence Day,” Mc Bride belts on the song’s hook.

In comparison to “Indepen dence Day,” singer-songwrit er Tracy Chapman’s “Behind the Wall” — a timeless acapel la track that Chapman wrote herself — takes on the role of the neighbor and offers a folk-tailored tune that is much darker than McBride’s song.

Unlike McBride’s em powering tune of a victim overcoming her abuse, “Be hind the Wall” takes an ap proach that highlights the un fortunate actuality of many domestic violence situations.

“Domestic violence is some thing that affects so many wom en,” Armstrong said. “Being able to stand up for them alongside the real strong women of Alpha Chi Omega means the world to me and is a way that we stand to gether, stronger as a sisterhood.”

“Last night I heard the screaming // Then a silence that chilled my soul // I prayed that I was dreaming // When I saw the ambulance in the road // And the policeman said // ‘I’m here to keep the peace // Will the crowd disperse? // I think we all could use some sleep’,” Chapman sings as she recounts the events of a domestic violence case.

Domestic violence is a se rious issue that should be treated as such. This self-per formed form of therapy is not foolproof or perfect. Professional counseling and therapy is still heavily encour aged. However, this form of music therapy is something that can provide a sense of familiari ty and relatability that hopefully can begin the process of healing some of those haunting ghosts.

Jenna Price writes what “healthy love” means to her on a purple heart during Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy event on Oct. 25.

JENSEN WARE / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Sustainability Storytellers, organized by Kristen Alley Swain — an associate profes sor in the School of Journal ism and New Media, provides an opportunity for students to produce multimedia sto ries that will explore solutions to sustainability challenges.

Students from all fields can apply, and no journal ism experience is required. Members will be able to learn from award-winning journal ists, travel on eco field trips and participate in workshops. They will produce multime dia stories that will explore solutions to sustainabili ty challenges such as food,

clean water, green living, climate change, energy ef ficiency and climate justice.

Swain, long interest ed in environmental com munications, has produced studies on environmen tal justice. She also helped to create Planet Forward.

“In 2011, I had the oppor tunity to collaborate with the journalism school of George Washington University, and they launched the Planet Forward initiative. Now it’s a national consortium and has 30 universities or col leges involved,” Swain said.

In the national Planet Forward consortium, stu dents gain access to learning and publishing opportuni ties, workshops, contests and

events. Through the univer sity, students will have free access to Planet Forward training as well as publica tion opportunities. There is also a chance for students to represent Ole Miss at the na tional Planet Forward sum mit in Washington, D.C.

“It is a two-day summit, and they have the top people around the world that work in all areas of sustainabil ity to explain what they do and how students can get in volved in those issues. (They) also have workshops on how to tell stories,” Swain said.

Sustainability Storytellers members will be able to apply for funding for this opportuni ty. Through the organization, students can get their stories

about sustainability published.

“(Sustainability Storytell ers) would be a way for stu dents to produce stories about what they are doing, and those stories can be published on Planet Forward, Hotty Tod dy, The Daily Mississippian and other outlets like that.”

Planet Forward partners with organizations such as National Geographic, Pata gonia, Food and Agriculture Organization (United Na tions) and more that could publish members’ stories.

The Sustainability Sto rytellers organization plans to submit work to Storyfest, the prestigious annual Plan et Forward contest. The next deadline is Feb. 6, and entries include sustainability initia

tives or innovations or other sustainability issues. Story categories include Best Sci ence Essay, Most Compelling Character, Best Use of Science or Data, Best Scalable Inno vation and Most Creativity in Environmental Storytelling.

Winners receive national rec ognition as well as cash awards or a chance to go on a free eco logical expedition. The Grand Prize for the 2023 Storyfest Award is a trip to Iceland with Lindblad Expeditions to report on the enviornment.

Students interested in joining Sustainability Sto rytellers can fill out an on line form or email Swain (kaswain@olemiss.edu).

heard and makes you feel like you are saying something right, that goes such a long way, and that’s what Dr. Winkle did,” Konnar said.

Winkle was known for teach ing constitutional law at the Uni versity of Mississippi until his re tirement in 2013. Miles Armaly, an associate professor of law at the University of Mississippi, began teaching the constitutional law class after Winkle, and Armaly will also teach “The Supreme Court in a Partisan Age” in Winkle’s stead.

“While Dr. Winkle and I had met a couple of times, we did not know each other well,” Armaly said. “I’m honored to step in to finish his course, and I am thrilled to be working with outstanding students, but I recognize that I have very large shoes to fill.”

John Bruce, chair of the political science department, was Winkle’s colleague for more than 25 years.

“He was a delightful man. He was somebody who took great joy in student accomplishments and took even greater joy in the accomplishments of his children and his wife,” Bruce said. “His youngest son was playing base ball, and he would come and tell

me all about what his son had done. And when his wife (Ellen Meacham, an instructional as sistant professor of journalism at UM) published this fantastic book (“Delta Epiphany: Robert F. Ken nedy in Mississippi”) there was literally no one in the world that was more proud of it than John.”

Bruce also highlighted Winkle’s extensive contribu tions to the university itself.

“He wasn’t just here for a long time. He was here a long time, and he did a lot of stuff. It was the stuff in the classroom. It was his research, but it was also the contributions he made across campus in a huge range of formats,” Bruce said. “His big gest legacy is his family and the students he’s touched over the years, but he also left a mark on the structure of the university.”

Winkle was instrumental in laying the groundwork for what would in later years become the Trent Lott Leadership In stitute, and he helped to write the UM Creed, which each new student agrees to when enter ing the university. Additionally, Winkle played a large part in the creation of the Sally McDon nell Barksdale Honors College.

“Dr. Winkle had a founda tional role in establishing the honors college as we know it,

first by serving on the curricu lum committee when the Hon ors College was founded in 1997 and then by teaching our honors freshman seminars for at least 17 years,” John Samonds, associate dean of the honors college, said.

Winkle also helped to co ordinate faculty develop ment and taught several ex periential learning and special topic courses in the honors college.

“His impact on the honors college is immea surable,” Samonds said.

On Oct. 14, a little more than a week before his death, a room on the third floor of the hon ors college building was ded icated to Winkle, named the John Winkle Reading Room.

“This is a quiet space that honors students can use for study and meditation,” Ethel Young Scurlock, dean of the honors col lege, said. “We hope the historical plaque and picture of him will help us preserve and share Dr. Winkle’s legacy as an honors professor.”

Ole Miss law professor David Case knew Winkle for nearly 40 years, first as a student of his in 1984. He partially credits his deci sion to go to law school to Winkle.

“He was my favorite professor when I was an undergraduate po litical science student at Ole Miss during the 1980s,” Case said. “He

was the best professor I ever had at any level of my education. When I joined the faculty as a professor at the law school in 2007, one of the things I was most excited about was becoming a faculty colleague of John Winkle at Ole Miss.”

Case put into perspective the tremendous number of peo ple that Winkle has influenced.

Winkle is survived by his wife, Ellen Meacham of Taylor; his three sons, Johnny Winkle

(Amy) of Atlanta; Jason Winkle (Felicia) of Memphis and Will Winkle of Taylor; his brother, Joseph R. Winkle (Kimberley) of Carmel, Ind.; six grandchil dren, a niece and a nephew.

Donations in Winkle’s honor can be made to the John W. Win kle III Fund for Faculty Excellence, which provides scholarship funds for students and UM Mock Trial team members through the Uni versity of Mississippi Foundation.

John W. Winkle III smiles as one of his former students speaks at the dedication of the John Winkle Reading Room on Oct. 14.

HG BIGGS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Ally

Ally Hopper was crowned Miss University 2023 at the 74th annual pageant held on Sunday, Oct. 23 at the Gertrude C. Ford Center.

Hopper, a senior political science major, greatly im pressed the judges in all three stages of the competition. These included an onstage interview and social impact pitch, a talent competition and a red carpet competition.

Hopper’s social impact ini tiative focused on attacking addiction — an important issue she has witnessed in people and communities around her.

“I have so many plans as to how I am going to im pact change on this cam pus,” Hopper said. “I have partnered with an organi zation called Stand Up Mis sissippi and we are working together to combat the opi oid epidemic in this state.”

Hopper dedicates this mis sion to her grandfather, who died of a fentanyl overdose.

In addition to her so cial justice work behind the scenes, Hopper astonished judges in front of the spot

crowned Miss University

light, where she showed off her Rebelette skills, per forming an jazz-inspired dance routine set to the 1970 hit “Mississippi Queen” for the talent competition.

Hopper was awarded a $5,000 scholarship and is now eligible to compete in the annual Miss Missis sippi competition in June, the qualifying event for the Miss America Pageant.

Throughout the competi tion’s history, five Universi ty of Mississippi titleholders have won Miss Mississippi, and two have won Miss America.

The winner of the Miss University Pageant serves as a year-long representative for the university through various speaking and en tertainment engagements.

“I am so honored to be the new Miss University, and I cannot wait to serve the Ole Miss community,” Hopper said. “I am so excited to get this year started and go to Miss Mississippi representing the best school in the nation.”

Last year’s winner, Abigail Church, teamed up with Miss Mississippi recipient Emmie Perkins to host the event, welcoming all 10 contestants.

“These women are so

empowering to me per sonally,” Perkins said. “I think they did a great job.”

Hopper shared the stage with fellow contestants Dari yel Johnson, McKay Lee Bray, Meredith Sides, Shael en Hudson, Krystle Marva Hughes, Angela Alexander, Riley Thrasher, Chloe Bin ford and Natayla Knoke.

Thrasher earned the first alternate spot, followed by Knoke and Sides. Thrash er will undertake Hop per’s Miss University duties in the event she is unable to carry them out herself.

The contestants were not the only entertainers on the program. Perkins showed off her own vocal talents, per forming the ballad “The Im possible Dream.” The Oxford Elite Dance Company also performed between segments.

“On behalf of the Univer sity of Mississippi, I would like to thank the bright and talented students who (com peted) for the opportunity to represent Ole Miss as Miss University,” Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in an open letter to attendees. “Their talents, enthusiasm and passion for service reflect our university’s charming and lively spirit.”

For more information on the Miss University Pageant and Ally Hopper’s “Attack

ing Addiction” campaign, you can follow @missuni versityms on Instagram.

Taylor Swift has count less times proven herself as a top-tier songwriter, and if her new album “Midnights” does nothing else, it should solidi fy that for whatever few skep tics there might be out there.

Her songwriting has be come so complex that I would argue it has almost come full circle in a strange way.

“From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes // I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this // I hosted parties and starved my body // Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss,” Swift remi nisces on the vulnerable track “You’re On Your Own, Kid.”

Interestingly enough, “Karma is a cat,” is an ac tual lyric on this record. I would argue, however, that Swift still exemplifies songwriting genius here.

On “Karma,” Swift is ba sically agreeing with “what goes around comes around.” This simply means that she’s done good to others, and therefore, she can have a happy life involving a cat that loves her. The lyric is so odd that it actually works.

My final note on strong lyr icism comes from my person al favorite track: “Anti-Hero.”

Self-sabotage is the core theme, and I think it’s execut ed well from start to finish. Her vulnerability is some thing my little country mu

sic-loving heart was instantly drawn to, but I think the hu morous tone that also leaks through is really what makes it an unforgettable experience.

And then there’s the produc

heavily influenced by a vin tage technology sound.

To be honest, that’s where my problems with this record arise.

I appreciate music so much more when it’s fla vored

lyrics call for in the produc tion, but Swift does what she aims to do pretty well. It’s a story of late-night thoughts with a starry, cosmic sound.

For that, I have to score “Midnights” an impressive 8/10. Even when I wasn’t

her target audience, she still was able to rope me in with her always eloquent story telling and strong lyricism. Needless to say, there was nothing mid about “Midnights.”

Though it’s cohesive in its shimmer ing sound, the production styles on this record are just not for me. I usually find myself imagining albums as book chapters, but here it felt more appropriate to compare it to levels in video games because of how it sounded.

“Bejeweled” and “Mas termind” best embody this feeling on the record. The intros sound like they were pulled straight from a video game. And when the songs don’t necessarily sound like a video game, they’re still

with loused fingers on strings or smart piano play. Obviously, people can be creatively free with technological tunes, but the emotional songwriting would have been heightened had it been accompanied by real instrumentation.

The visual elements of the album seem to be di rected toward the 1970s, but between the classic, Pac-Man-similar production and extremely specific song writing, I would swear this album belongs in the ’80s.

I wish there was the same tenderness that the

ASHTON SUMMERS

MISSISSIPPIAN

Well, it looks like the sports desk is taking another week off to try and recuperate after Ole Miss’ loss to LSU last weekend. So, the Daily Mississippian newsroom has decided to take over this week’s pick’em yet again. Although their football knowledge is, well, interesting, they’re determined to get their predictions correct. Enjoy.

No. 15 Ole Miss at Texas A&M: Rabria Moore, Edi tor-in-Chief

Final Score Prediction: Ole Miss 45, Texas A&M 21

The Rebels took a tough hit last week, losing 20-45 to the LSU Tigers. They head to Col lege Station on Saturday trying to redeem that loss. If the Reb els want to bring a win home this week, defense definitely has to tighten up. If offense can go back to playing the way they did in the beginning of the season, they’ll be just fine.

Texas A&M hasn’t had a win in their last three games, mak ing them 1-3 in the SEC and 3-4 overall. The Aggies have won three of the last four games against the Rebels. But the Ag gies will also be missing a few key players this week, present ing the chance for the Rebels to take the win. This game won’t play out well for the Aggies.

The truth is that I don’t know anything about football, and everything here comes from a combination of what I learned on the internet and the hundreds of sports stories I’ve read as editor. But I hear that anything is possible in college football, and would I be a true Rebel fan if I didn’t say that Ole Miss is slated to win this one? Ole Miss will be 8-1 following gameday.

Kentucky is pretty good, but Tennessee is better. That’s it. That’s the prediction. Vols by a touchdown plus a field goal.

Florida at No. 1 Georgia: Violet Jira, Managing Editor

Final Score Prediction: Georgia 44, Florida 17

The Florida Gators have had a rather unimpressive season thus far, having lost four of the seven games they’ve played this year. In fact, against SEC opponents they haven’t won a single match yet. It kind of fol lows logic that against the No. 1 ranked team in the nation ac cording to the Associated Press, they’ll suffer a pretty monu mental loss. I mean, the ESPN matchup predictor gives them a 7.2% chance of winning against the team that has dominat

ed the rankings this year. It’s football, so I guess anything is possible. An upset would be an epic thing to see but…don’t bet your bottom dollar. This Flor ida Georgia matchup makes me think of Florida-Geor gia Line. I think it’s almost certain that we’ll see Geor gia “Cruise” to a win against the unranked Florida Gators.

No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 22 Kansas State: Will Jones, Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

Final Score Prediction: Kansas State 24, Oklaho ma State 23

A matchup for the ages. Big 12 rivals. Cowboys vs. Wildcats. “What team? Wildcats.”

Given my upbringing, I am immediately inclined to root for whatever team’s mascot is the Wildcats, in honor of

that quote from Troy Bolton in the 2006 DCOM smashhit “High School Musical.”

The voice of a generation.

To be perfectly honest, I probably have not watched a full football game since 2006… but this could be the start of something new?

Football fans may tell me to get my head in the game, while I may very well argue that their heart’s in the song, which is not what I’ve been looking for in predictions. They may tell me to stick to the status quo and predict the higher seed, even without having home field advantage.

When there was me and you, I may have agreed. But it only feels right that the Wildcats be victorious and bop to the top of the AP poll.

I may be breaking free from your average predicting, but it only feels right, and I hope you feel the same. We’re all

in this together, rooting for Kansas State this Saturday.

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 13 Penn State: Zachary Spooner, Copy Chief

Final Score Prediction: Ohio State 38, Penn State 10

Penn State does have a chance of winning, but af ter their performance against Michigan, that seems unlikely. Ohio State has been dom inant in every match so far. At the beginning some teams have played them close, but by the fourth quarter it’s ob vious that Ohio State will win. Penn State could not even play that close to a Michigan team that has not been doing as well as Ohio State this year.

The game won’t be close and Ohio State will remain undefeated.

OWEN PUSTELL

Start’em

Travis Etienne:

The Jaguars expressed their trust in former first-round pick Travis Etienne when they traded pro-bowler James Robinson to the Jets in ex change for essentially nothing.

Etienne has caught on in the last few weeks, averaging 7.1, 8.6 and 8.1 yards per carry in his last three games. With an increased workload, expect his targets to reach around eight per week along with about 15 carries per game. Etienne could be a consistent 20 point player the rest of this season.

Sidenote: Pick up Ja Mycal Hasty as insurance.

Sit’em Leonard Fournette:

This is a strong hunch. Tampa Bay plays Baltimore on Thursday Oct. 27, mean

NFL Week 8 fantasy preview

ing a short week for the Bucs.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady is coming off a very frustrating game against the Panthers, where his offense failed to score a touchdown. I think Brady is absolutely steam ing mad right now, and he is going to be using all the pull he has to convince offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to let him air the ball out.

If Brady convinces the coaching staff to let him take control of the of fense, look for Fournette to have a sub-10 point game.

Somewhere in the middle Gus Edwards:

Edwards had a great first week back from injury with 18.6 points against the Browns. Though that num ber sounds great coming from a Ravens offense that has been looking for a true No. 1 back all season, Edwards may be in line for a dropoff.

The most concerning part

of his performance was that Edwards played just 36% of the Ravens offensive snaps on Sunday. Though he was utilized as the goal-line back, counting on touchdowns on a weekly basis is a risky game.

Additionally, Edwards has been limited in practice this week and since Baltimore is playing on a short week, he may be on a limited snap count as he returns from injury.

Bold Take Greg Dulcich is set to explode:

Listen, the NFL is a Tra vis Kelce, Mark Andrews or hope for a touchdown league right now. If you are not an owner of either of the listed players, chances are you have low expectations for your tight end on a weekly basis.

However, if you belong to a dynasty league, Dulcich is a guy to get your hands on. The rookie has only played two games but has looked like a

strong receiving threat in both matches. He should be a solid starter now and has a good shot to develop into a top 5 tight end in the league.

With rumors of Jerry

Jeudy being on the trade block, his stock could take a step up in the next few weeks if Denver decides to deal the third year receiver.

Texas A&M: a potential turning point for Ole Miss

LARS ANDERSEN

thedmsports@gmail.com

For a Texas A&M squad with a 3-4 record, the goal seems to be less a national championship and more just a bowl game.

The Aggies’ time under head coach Jimbo Fisher can be hard to categorize, mainly because they nearly upset then first-ranked Alabama this season, despite be ing beaten by Appalachian State University earlier in the season.

They narrowly beat an Arkan sas squad that stood in the top 10 nationally at the time of the con test, but lost to the chronically un ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.

They acquired the No. 1 re cruiting class last season (accord ing to 247Sports), but have a head coach who may not see the new year from his seat in College Sta tion because A&M is, quite sim ply, impossible to get a read on.

Ole Miss, on the other hand, can be solidly placed at a cross roads in the season. After a 7-0

undefeated streak prior to last weekend’s matchup with the 5-2 LSU Tigers, the Rebels fell in a devastating 45-20 beatdown, knocking down Lane Kiffin’s squad to No. 15 in the latest AP poll and No. 3 in the SEC West.

Coming away from the loss in Baton Rouge, Ole Miss has a choice to make in their team’s identity. It has been said that the Rebels are good, but they need consistency to be great.

They don’t lack the tools to succeed, not by any means. The team can boast two top 5 SEC run ning backs, one of which (Quin shon Judkins) leads the nation in games with multiple touchdowns (5 games), a top=ranked wide re ceiver in the nation and a quarter back that often shows signs of firstround caliber talent with throws and runs that would make Archie Manning himself gasp for air.

These boons are often bal anced, unfortunately, with play calling that can turn the team into a “ground-and-pound” unit, despite leads coming primari

ly from a balanced attack, from the running backs, the quar terback and his wide receivers.

Ole Miss entered last week’s second quarter with a 14-3 lead, but saw a second half shutout, thanks to a stagnant offense that has been a perpetual issue for the team.

Death Valley in Baton Rouge and Kyle Field in College Station are some of the most hostile envi ronments in college football, and playing these teams at these venues back to back will be a considerable “prove it” period for the Rebels.

Texas A&M is not a perfect team, far from it in fact. Their play calling gets just as conserva tive when the going gets tough, as proven by their inability to finish off the Crimson Tide, de spite being within Alabama’s five yard line in the closing sec onds, and Jaxson Dart will serve Ole Miss well by exploiting that fear in the closing quarters.

The remainder of this season is absolutely winnable. The Ag gies will be tough, and Alabama will be tougher, but if the Reb

els can continue the dominance they habitually show in the first two quarters, Texas A&M will be a team to be easily put into the rearview mirror, as Oxford and all of Mississippi looks ahead

to finish a season that has been nothing short of miraculous. Ole Miss will head over to Col lege Station and play Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. CDT on SEC Network.

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart stiff arms an Auburn rusher during a game on Oct. 15.

HG BIGGS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

GRAPHIC: SEDLEY NORMAND/ THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Redefining abuse

A common entertainment trope of a distraught lover en trapped by a manipulative, abu sive partner. Characters become imprisoned in relationships, whether it be in pursuit of an im age or status. In these films, plays or shows, it’s easy to label that be havior, for example, Ike in “What’s love got to do with it.” That is text book physical abuse. Fiona’s mis treatment and unwanted arranged marriage in “Shrek” is a sad case that we can distinguish from re ality — a fairy tale. Abuse is rarely this distinct in practice, though.

Anybody is capable of being an abuser, of leveraging an inti mate relationship over a partner, of being intentionally harmful. It doesn’t take a special evil to be a manipulator. There’s probably at least one manipulator in ev erybody’s life. That’s the issue. Behavior like this is too com mon. The commonality makes it hard for those on the outside looking in to make attributions. So, sometimes the burden of confession is thrust upon the vic tim. Ultimately, concern about manipulative behavior is cor related with level of relationship.

Honesty and confession are terribly difficult in these instanc es. That awful feeling of waste and wrongdoing after what should have been a productive interaction is not a part of nor mal relationships. A sequence of strong, loving feelings quick ly followed by dejected, dismis sive stonewalling is not healthy.

The list of manipulative, abu sive behavior is extensive, so here’s my road map (I’m no dating ex pert): if it feels wrong, take a step back and think “is this a recurring event?” Think of the context, and try to see it from their lens. Most importantly, recall how you feel in these moments, how you ex pressed that and how they react ed. From there, make a decision. Abuse is often enabled through cyclical behavior that makes it difficult for a partner to leave.

How do you look out for abuse? As I said, it can be hard to tell this from that. We must understand why people end up in abusive situ ations, too. It’s nobody’s intention to get hurt, I hope. True colors aren’t shown until the sun stops shining. I mean, ignorance is bliss. Once partners realize they are be ing exploited, it’s often too late. An emotional attachment has al ready been formed, and the neces

sary separation will not be easy.

As friends, it’s our role to be a shoulder to lean on. It’s a hard position to be in, though. In vio lent cases, friends are forced to intervene and protect their peo ple. How about friends who are “in too deep?” It’s not too often we see it at this age, but as we grow older it’s fairly common to see victims stick around abusers in exchange for a lifestyle. That might be an entirely separate can of worms. Or maybe not? Depen dency is a trademark of abuse, no matter the age. Dependency is probably why familial abuse happens so frequently. A lot of young people have nowhere to go and have only ever known to count on mom and dad (or brother and sister, auntie and uncle, etc.), people they have dealt with their entire existence.

Look out for those around you and know the signs. There are resources on campus like Violence Intervention and Sup port and RASA that advocate and support against domestic abuse.

Justice Rose is the opin ion editor. He is a sopho more majoring in journal ism from Madison, Miss.

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do not represent the views of The University of Mississippi or The Daily Mississippian. The Daily Mississippian

to the editor, which should be emailed to thedmopinion@gmail.com.

should be no longer than 300 words. They may be edited for clarity, brevity and libel. Thirdparty letters and those with pseudonyms or no name will not be published. Letters are limited to one per individual per month.

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