THE DAILY
MISSISSIPPIAN
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Volume 103, No. 54
T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D OX F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1
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UM sociologists conduct study on campus racial climate FERDERICA COBB
fscobb@go.olemiss.edu
One student recalled his classmates mocking their Asian professor. Another recalled a group of young men hurling sexist remarks at her sorority sisters. Yet another recounted a peer who dropped a class because the professor was a black woman. These are just a few of the diary entries from a sociology study launched in August to measure the racial climate on campus. More than 400 students have already recorded their on-campus experiences with racism, sexism, homophobia and Islamophobia. The study, called “Everyday Racial Experiences of College Students,” is being led by three University of Mississippi sociologists: Professor Kirk Johnson, Professor James Thomas and Professor Willa Johnson. The study requires student volunteers to keep a diary of their on-campus racial experiences, good or bad. Students can write about any type of ethnocentric behavior that they witness or experience. Ethnocentrism is judging other cul-
tures or groups as inferior to one’s own. Kirk Johnson hopes the study will help them to figure out underlying causes of racial issues. “So, there may be a lot of
randomness that people link as connected with, say, the noosing of the James Meredith statue or some racial slur that somebody hears in class or some racist graffiti somebody
Willa Johnson said the idea for the project evolved out of a conversation with the chancellor after a meeting. “The question came up out of this conversation:‘Is race measurable? Do we have a race problem on this campus?’” said Johnson. The study is not focusing on crimes or widely reported incidents of racism. Instead, the sociologists’ focus is to use these diary accounts to gain insight into backstage racism, which hinges on the idea that white people are more likely to express racial tendencies when they are not directly in the public eye. “I think the extent to which racism is occurring in dorm rooms and in student housing PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY: CADY HERRING and in student organizations is something sees on the way to their dorm,” that we don’t have a good grasp Johnson said. “But we’re tryof, and it’s something we need ing to understand what kind of to do a better job at figuring underlying patterns give rise to out,” said sociology professor what may seem to be chaos or disorder.” SEE SOCIOLOGISTS PAGE 4
University commemorates fall of the Berlin Wall MIA SIMS
masims@go.olemiss.edu
Twenty five years ago Sunday, the Berlin Wall was torn down after 30 years of serving as an emblem of the Cold War. This week the university commemorates the fall of the Berlin Wall and the effect it had on those in Germany during that time. The Croft Institute on Monday had Ulrich Bach, associate professor of German studies at Texas State University, speak on different forms of symbolism within German cinema. He aimed to describe to those in the audience how movies play a part in the reinvention of the events in Berlin during that time. Bach compared directors Leander Haubmann and Louis Malle, describing their films’ relation to Germany’s former totalitarian government. Bach
also described in depth particular aspects of German cinema, including heritage movies. “Heritage movies appealed to international audiences, and they all deal with some aspect of Germany’s totalitarian legacy,” Bach said. Bach also spoke of Berlin School films, which he expressed portray everyday life, pay attention to precise framing and also aim for reflection over representation. Within the audience PHOTO BY: CADY HERRING were students and Ulrich Bach, associate professor of German studies at Texas State University, gives a speech on cama variety of German pus Monday. professors. “The events that tant to those of us who weren’t tional studies major. “Dr. Bach’s occurred 25 years ago when the even alive at that time,” said lecture helped to typify the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Alex Borst, sophomore interna- themes of that period through Union dissolved seem very dis-
film as well as show how German directors are attempting to shape future themes in film as time moves on and those events continuously fall further away from the public’s collective memory.” Monday’s event was a continuation of an ongoing series hosted by the university. “We received a grant from the German embassy to host a series of events, and we proposed to show three films and two lectures,” said Christopher Sapp, associate professor of German and linguistics at Ole Miss. The Croft Institute previously screened “The Legend of Rita” Nov. 3 and “No Place to Go” Nov. 5. The remaining film, “A Train to Freedom,” will be shown at 5:30 tonight and a lecture by Professor Konrad Jarausch of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday.