Hoops tipoff with exhibition game P.
reality check: Rebels fall 37-10
10
P. 12
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5, 2012 | V
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MISSISSIPPIAN T h e S t u d e n t N e w s pa p e r
of
The University
of
M i ss i ss i p p i | S e r v i n g O l e M i ss
and
Oxford
since
1911
MPACT Impacted By Economy Politics’ place on campus Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition undergoes audit.
Ole Miss political organizations try to build support on campus during an intense election year.
Courtesy the Democratic Party
Courtesy Ole Miss Republicans
The Ole Miss College Democrats will be handing out literature Tuesday at the union and Ole Miss College Republicans will be campaigning at poll sites Tuesday.
BY QUENTIN WINSTINE qswinsti@go.olemiss.edu
GRAPHIC BY WILL STROUTH | The Daily Mississippian
Information from www.collegesavingsmississippi.com
BY LALANGIE HOSKINS lrhoskin@go.olemiss.edu (submission)
The Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (MPACT) Plan is currently undergoing an actuarial audit. Enrollment for 2012 has been deferred temporarily, according to the program’s website. The board of the MPACT program has suspended new enrollments until the audit is complete. “They have frozen it for Mississippi because there is some concern on investments and the rate of return,” said Laura Diven-Brown, director of financial aid at The University of Mississippi. “It’s under financial review to make sure it’s stable.” What does this mean for MPACT buyers? “They are still honoring plans for people like me that have one,” Diven-Brown said. “Those of us who invested early are hoping that our investments are still going to be protected, (given) the fact that the state of Mississippi is behind us.”
According to John W. Burchfield, senior vice president of Covenant Bank in Batesville, the concept of a prepaid plan is to buy into it early to guarantee that one’s tuition is going to be paid for, since tuition rates rise every year. “Do your research for grants and scholarship opportunities, more than anything,” he said. “It’s an indirect way of saving money because it cuts one of your biggest expenses.” Parents or students should make their plans known to the bursar’s office, which processes and bills MPACT. “The main thing is that they have to let us know that they’ve gotten one,” said Linda James, administrative coordinator in the Office of the Bursar. “I pull up their information and verify that they have MPACT. When they get their classes, I bill after (the) drop date, then I submit the bill for the money to MPACT and they pay their tuition.” Out-of-state students must meet certain conditions to be treated as a resident to
get in-state tuition. A nonresident scholarship is offered for those students who qualify after certain conditions are met. “If a parent or a grandparent were the purchaser of the plan, and they were Mississippi residents or the student was at that time, the bursar’s office works with us and let(s) us know, and if that is the case, we get the documentation.” Now that prepaid tuition plans are exempt by federal rules from counting toward a student’s financial aid, it’s an advantage to the student, according to Diven-Brown. Prepaid tuition plans used to be counted in the financial aid package, which would offset other aid for which one might qualify, such as student loans. “The value of the asset would have to be reported on the FAFSA as an asset if the owner is the student or the FAFSA-reporting parent, but not as an asset as a savings or checking account, which is how it’s handled See MPACT, PAGE 4
The Ole Miss College Republicans and the newly reformed Ole Miss College Democrats offer every student on campus the chance to become active early in the political process. Sophomore political science major and College Democrats President Sean Higgins is one of many students taking advantage of the political organizations on campus. Higgins said that he used to be a Republican, and even wrote articles for The Daily Mis-
sissippian last year in support of Mitt Romney, but over the summer he had a change of perspective and is now helping bring the College Democrats back to Ole Miss. “The Republican Party has been moving so far to the right, and ever since I came to college, I started moving to the left and found my place in the Democratic Party,” Higgins said. Sophomore public policy major Emilie Street said students should join the College Democrats to have a See CAMPUS, PAGE 5
Deer overpopulation a problem The overpopulation of deer has caused Oxford officials to advise homeowners to allow certified bow hunters to rid deer from their property. BY KELTON BROOKS krbrooks@go.olemiss.edu
The large population of deer have caused several car accidents, roamed through yards, trampling and eating crops, which has prompted Oxford locals to take matters into their own hands. “Homeowners and landowners put their name on a list, and the selected hunters contact each homeowner or landowner to request
permission to hunt on their property,” said Lann Wilf, Mississippi’s North Region biologist. “That’s really the only viable method in Oxford or any city scenario that you can (use to) control a deer herd.” Wilf said all of Lafayette County and part of North Mississippi is “woefully overpopulated with deer,” and giving hunters the perSee DEER, PAGE 4