The Daily Mississippian January 18, 2022

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Welcome Back Rebels! Special Tuesday edition

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Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Volume 110, No. 16

UM restrictions stand as Omicron cases rise

ILLUSTRATION: MICAH CRICK / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

BRITTANY KOHNE

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With the new Omicron variant, COVID-19 cases are at astronomically high levels.

Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced on Jan. 10 the COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming semester and how the university will combat the rising cases.

“The Omicron variant is now the dominant strain of

the virus. While health officials indicate Omicron cases are generally mild (especially for those who are vaccinated), the transmissibility of Omicron is significantly higher than the Delta variant,” Boyce said.

On Jan. 12, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 9,300 COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths. Nationally, as of Jan. 14, the seven day case average measures 782,766, according to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention.

Classes and other functions likely will face disruptions due to the increase of transmissibility, Boyce said.

All classes will remain inperson with a continuation of the public mask mandate in all indoor facilities. Boyce also encourages all meetings to be held virtually, when possible.

Boyce also instructed students, faculty and staff who test positive for or experience

symptoms of COVID-19 to stay home, notify their supervisors/ instructors, report their positive test to University Health Services and observe CDC isolation and quarantine guidelines.

The recently updated CDC guidelines state that if a person is exposed to COVID-19 and has not received up-to-date vaccinations — two shots with a booster — they must quarantine for five days. In comparison,

if a person up-to-date with their vaccinations is exposed to COVID-19, as long as they do not present symptoms, they are not required to quarantine.

All who test positive, regardless of vaccination status, should isolate for at least five days.

Other Mississippi public universities have taken extra measures in response to the record high COVID-19 cases in the state. Jackson State

SEE COVID-19 PAGE 2

Looking ahead to the 2022 baseball season RUBY DRAAYER

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Baseball season is less than a month away, and the Ole Miss Rebels continue to bring in the preseason accolades.

The 2021 season was one to remember, but ended in the Tucson Super Regional against Arizona last summer.

With a good chunk of the team returning due to an extra year of eligibility, all eyes will be on the Rebels to see how far they will go this year. In a preseason poll by Baseball America, Ole Miss was ranked at No.10 along with seven other SEC teams in the Top-25.

Ole Miss also received a pair of pre-season AllAmerican nods as Jacob

Gonzalez and Tim Elko were named to the third team.

The Rebels lost three key position players as first baseman Cael Baker, outfielder John Rhys Plumlee and outfielder Cade Sammons all transferred.

While losing those position players will hurt the team in some ways, the true test of the 2022 season is finding a way to replace two stellar SEC starters, Doug Nikhazy and Gunnar Hoglund. Nikhazy was the clear ace with a 2.45 earned run average and a 12-2 won-loss record in the 2021 season. Hoglund had a 4-2 won-loss record and a 2.87 ERA. Hoglund was drafted in the first round at pick 19 to the Toronto Blue Jays and Hoglund was drafted in the second round at pick 58 to the Cleveland Indians.

The pitching relievers also suffered a big loss, specifically with Taylor Broadway leaving. Broadway had 16 saves on the year and a 3.44 ERA. Broadway was drafted in the sixth round of the MLB draft at pick 185 to the Chicago White Sox. Tyler Myers, Austin Miller, Cody Adcock and Braden Forsyth were other relievers that will not be returning for the 2022 season due to eligibility or transferring.

Eight position starters will be returning this year, including California native Jacob Gonzalez (.355 BA), left fielder Kevin Graham (.342 BA), senior Tim Elko (.325 BA), senior third baseman Justin Bench ( .307 BA), sophomore center fielder TJ McCants (.300 BA), senior right fielder

FILE PHOTO: HG BIGGS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Tim Elko rounds the bases in pouring rain following a home run against USM during the Oxford Regional on June 7, 2021.

Hayden Leatherwood (.285 BA), junior catcher Hayden Dunhurst (.280 BA) and junior second baseman Peyton Chatagnier (.271 BA).

The Rebels will also be returning two starting pitchers from last year’s team.

Derek Diamond (3-5 won-loss record, 5.26 ERA) and Drew McDaniel (5-2 won-loss, 6.08 ERA) will both be crucial in

the success of the program.

Ole Miss brings in 18 newcomers, including eight transfers and 11 pitchers, who will hopefully provide the necessary aid for this season’s pitching staff.

The 2022 season will kick off against Charleston Southern at Swayze Field on Feb. 18 at 4 p.m.

PAGE 2 | THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022

COVID-19

continued from page 1 University announced that all in-person classes will be held online from Jan. 10 to Jan. 24.

In addition, Mississippi Valley State University announced that classes would begin on Jan. 10, but will remain virtual throughout the first week of classes and change in-person on Jan. 18.

Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women and the University of Southern Mississippi follow the same protocols as the University of Mississippi.

UM students and faculty have conflicted opinions and many questions on the protocols.

Lauren Flood, a sophomore biomedical science and English major, said she is excited for the upcoming semester, but apprehensive about the COVID-19 rates.

“I’m looking forward to taking new classes and finding new things to involve myself in, but I’m a bit worried about how limited my scope of activity will be because of Omicron,” Flood said. “Personally, I think the mask mandate is a good decision for events on campus, but there’s only so much the university can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Ultimately, the spread of the new variant will depend on the student

response.”

Fara Shook, a writing and rhetoric professor at the university, said that she is a proponent of vaccinations.

She recalled the 1992 measles outbreak where students and faculty were required to present their vaccination records.

“Everybody had to get vaccinated, instructors checked it off and it was no big deal. So I’m surprised and disappointed that the university has not done what we did in ’92,” Shook said.

Shook and other professors have said that the protocols are not clearly defined when it comes to whether the university will follow Jackson State or Mississippi Valley State on starting virtual. Because of this, Shook has created multiple

syllabi in case the university’s guidelines change.

“I think a lot of instructors aren’t just making one syllabus, but that they have a backup in case there becomes a different situation,” Shook said.

The Institutions of Higher Learning Director of Communications requires no vaccine mandate for students, according to spokesperson Caron Blanton.

“The federal executive orders requiring COVID-19 vaccine mandates for public university employees under various circumstances are being litigated,” Blanton said.

Previously, an executive order resulted in IHL mandating the COVID-19 vaccines for all faculty, staff and student

workers. However, the executive order has since been stayed and the mandate has been suspended.

Although the board cannot mandate vaccines, they strongly encourage members of all Mississippi campuses to get vaccinated to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The board expects there to be a rise of positive COVID-19 tests at the start of the semester, with a sharp decline as the semester continues. Universities also cannot mandate vaccinations, but can highly incentivize them.

In the City of Oxford, there are currently no mask mandates issued for indoor facilities.

Transportation hubs debut on the Square VIOLET JIRA

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It’s a new year — and while Oxford hasn’t changed much since students departed for the winter break, the way you get home from a night on the Square has. On Dec. 7, 2021, the Board of Alderman passed an ordinance shifting all taxi and rideshare app traffic to three designated pickup locations skirting the Square.

During the hours of 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., those looking for a ride home and those driving taxis, Ubers, Lyfts and all other vehicles for hire are required to meet at one of these newly designated locations. The goal of the ordinance is to decongest the Square and make finding a ride home as safe as possible for the Oxford community.

The west pickup point is located between Landry’s and Square Books. The north pickup point is near the parking garage, and the east

pickup point is on east 14th street, near the intersection with Harrison Avenue. All pickup points will be digitally monitored through video surveillance and physically monitored by the Oxford Police Department.

The possibility of this safe ride home initiative becoming the status quo in Oxford was raised in June 2021 but faced resistance from local taxi companies who feared the initiative would hurt their business and give an unfair advantage to drivers for rideshare apps such as Uber and Lyft.

“This is Oxford, Mississippi. This town is unique. We are one of the few towns in America where people still use taxis. If this comes into play, for our businesses, it’s just a matter of time,” Alfonso Jordan, the owner of Zoe’s taxi, said at a Board of Alderman meeting in June.

Ultimately, efforts to make the initiative law

during the summer months failed.

However, when students returned for the fall 2021 semester, the initiative was again shoved into the spotlight.

A resolution, co-authored

by Associated Student Body Senate Chair of External Affairs Bennett Matson, the committee of external affairs and Sen. Jonathan Amlong, passed unanimously, signifying to local leadership that designated pickup points were something the student body wanted.

“There’s a definite need for it,” Matson told The Daily Mississippian after the resolution’s passage in September.

Matson continued to work closely with the city government until the ordinance was finally approved by the Oxford Board of Aldermen in early December.

“The Executive and Legislative branches of ASB are proud to have worked

FILE PHOTO: CHRISTIAN JOHNSON / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

The initiative to establish designated pick up spots on the Square hopes to increase safety for those using ride share services and taxis to get home at night. on this initiative alongside the city government. As for future transit goals, Sen. Matson plans to work on ‘improving Safe Ride and working with OUTbus to look into getting a better busing app and potential late night routes home for students

after a night on the Square,’” according to an ASB press release.

Jacob Meyers contributed reporting.

THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022 | PAGE 3

The myth of the lost Princess Hoka focus marker and “ka’” is an old nominalizer (turns something into a noun). Many Chickasaws’ names, especially women, were nicknames they earned.

There were other Chickasaws around Oxford whose names are preserved in the land patent records from the 1830s: Iahoka, Shahhoka, Cunhoha, Eannayea, Nooscoonah, and Pullumatubby, whose land most of the University is on.

The name is nonetheless a rare reminder of the Chickasaw who lived here and owned local land before being forced to sell it by the U.S. government. Much of the land Lafayette County and the City of Oxford resides on was previously owned by Chickasaw persons, and of course the whole of North Mississippi was owned communally by the tribe before U.S. interference.

Chickasaw leaders negotiated with U.S. commissioners to include articles in the removal treaty stating that individual Chickasaws and heads of families would receive land sections of 640 acres each for them to sell at the point of removal so that they would have cash to start anew in Indian Territory in the west.

Ron Shapiro, who died in 2019, named his theater with the tribe in mind.

“He named his theater the Hoka to honor the displaced people who once called this land home,” said Matt Wymer, with the Oxford Film Festival. “The Hoka was the center of the arts for over 20 years, closing in 1997.”

As Shapiro likely knew, “selling” Native American land was rarely as amiable as history books make it out to be.

In 1829, Gov. Gerard Chittocque Brandon wrote a letter to the Alabama governor urging the removal of all “savage tribes of Indians” from Mississippi and Alabama land.

The Chickasaw had already sold land in Tennessee and Kentucky in the decades prior.

In 1830, the United States Congress passed the Indian Removal Act forcing Native Americans to move west of

the Mississippi river. This led to the “Trail of Tears” and resettlement in Indian Territory, which turned into the state of Oklahoma, meaning “red people,” in 1907. Many deaths occurred along the way.

However, the Chickasaw remained in Mississippi until 1837, when Chickasaw Removal began. Once the Chickasaw Cession survey was completed, which documented some 6,000,000 acres being given up, white settlers and land speculators began piling in.

Most of the chiefs who signed the treaty could not read or write, or speak much English, according to Lieb.

The treaty was supposed to guarantee that each Chickasaw landowner would receive at least a minimum price of around $1.50 per acre.

“If you had a family, you got two sections,” Lieb said. “If you had a large family (greater than five in the household) you got three land sections.”

The 1830 Indian Removal Act was proposed to remove Indian tribes from the Southeast so that white American settlers could occupy their land. Many in the government and in society looked down upon Native Americans and they were viewed as unequal to the white race. Really, it was about land and greed though. This was a case where the majority rule of democracy can get ugly for minorities.

“The southern tribes who were removed to Oklahoma were not ‘wild Indians,’ causing problems or attacking anyone, in large part, certainly not the Chickasaws. They were largely farmers raising corn, cotton, and other crops and herdsmen just like American farmers by the 1820s, sending their children to mission schools to learn English and other subjects.

Many had intermarried with whites since the 1700s and were of mixed blood, presenting racial appearances not unlike any American at the time,” Lieb said.

Under President Andrew Jackson, Chickasaws were told

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BRITTANY KOHNE

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In Lafayette County, the name Princess Hoka has many uses: The Hoka Theatre, a counter-cultural theatre that closed in 1996 and it’s also the name of an Oscar-like trophy given out by Oxford Film fest for a number of years.

According to popular lore, Princess Hoka was a Chickasaw princess who sold her land to Lafayette County in 1836.

But the dark truth behind the legend is far more slippery and far more complex, revealing how little most of us know about the Native Americans who once lived on the land that is now Oxford.

The City of Oxford’s history page on its website says that the land that now comprises the city once belonged to “Princess Hoka, a Chickasaw Indian maiden. Although no pictures of Princess Hoka have survived, she is famous locally as the namesake for the fondly remembered Hoka Theatre.”

But Robbie Ethridge, a professor of anthropology who specializes in the American South and Southeastern Indians, said that the concept of royalty did not exist in Native American culture.

“The princess thing had to come from — it’s apocryphal,” Ethridge said. “It had to come from white people. She would not have been called a princess among the Chickasaw. That title would not have existed at the time.”

Brad R. Lieb, the director of Chickasaw Archaeology for the Chickasaw nation, said that “Princess Hoka” is known only from the land patent record for section 21 which contains most of downtown Oxford.

Further records would have to be checked to determine if she actually lived here or somewhere else in Mississippi. She was evidently a single person because she only received one section of land after the removal treaties. The name “Hoka” does not have a translatable meaning by itself for us today. “Ho” is a

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ILLUSTRATION: MICAH CRICK / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

to leave their sacred homeland to move hundreds of miles west to Oklahoma for white people to receive land that was “rightfully theirs.” Lieb said many Chickasaws felt cheated

by President Jackson because they had helped him in his war (the War of 1812) yet he did not enforce their prior treaties that guaranteed their land in Northern Mississippi and Alabama. Instead, Jackson allowed the states to run American Indians off of their land so that greedy whites could take over their productive farms and homes.

“I suspect that most people around Oxford do not know that Chickasaws still exist,” Lieb said. “We remember our past selectively, I think, emphasizing some things and tending to forget other things. The 1830 Indian Removal Act was an act of racial discrimination, and some would say genocide in order to get the land and farms of a people who had been here for centuries and who were cooperating with the government in attempts to adapt

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to and acculturate to American society. U.S. Representative David Crockett from Tennessee was one honorable man who spoke out against the evil of the Indian Removal Act on the floor of Congress. The act passed by a narrow margin and Crockett lost his next election.”

For many non-native people, the history of Native Americans is only taught for a small portion of any American history class, but without the Native Americans, there would be no American history.

“History, as you know, is fluid and ever-changing, and we tailor it to meet the needs of our contemporary lives.

Every nation/political body/ ethnic group slants their histories toward the stories they want to tell themselves about themselves,” Ethridge said.

“America and American history is no different, and in the story of America, for a multitude of reasons that we, as Americans, would rather not confront, we have decided to make Native Americans incidental to American history.”

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PAGE 4 | THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022

UM loses beloved student, Caroline McCollum Simrall Hood VIOLET JIRA

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Caroline McCollum Simrall Hood, a senior integrated marketing communications major from Vicksburg, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 11 after a fatal car accident. She was 22 years old.

“Caroline was a beloved member of her sorority and the student body at large, and she will be missed.

On behalf of the entire university community, our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends during this extremely sad and difficult time,” Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Brent Marsh said. “As we mourn this loss in our Ole Miss family, I encourage

those affected to reach out to others for support and utilize the support services available on our campus.”

At Ole Miss, Caroline was an honors student and a member of the Delta Rho Chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Her sisters remember her as a kind and loving person who has left a remarkable legacy.

“She was a relentless and steadfast friend with open ears and the most genuine heart,” shared the sorority on their Instagram page.

“Caroline was unforgivingly and confidently her own special person whose light and love radiated through the Kappa walls. She loved with such intention and made everyone feel like someone.”

Before attending Ole Miss, Caroline attended Vicksburg

Catholic Schools. As a high school junior, she attended the Trent Lott Institute. She was a varsity and competitive cheerleader and in 2018 graduated with honors from St. Aloysius High School.

Her family remembers her as a loving and devoted daughter and sister. Her parents, Will and Holley Hood, are Ole Miss alumni.

She also is survived by her sister, Kathryn Buchanan Simrall.

A memorial was held for Hood at The Church of the Holy Trinity in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on Saturday, Jan. 15. Memorials may be sent to Church of the Holy Trinity, Jacob’s Ladder Learning Center or Rainbow Farms Therapeutic Riding Center, all located in Hood’s hometown of Vicksburg.

PHOTO COURTESY: FAMILY OF CAROLINE HOOD

THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022 | PAGE 5

UM mourns life of admired journalism professor

VIOLET JIRA

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Nancy McKenzie Dupont, a beloved professor, passed away on Dec. 25, 2021.

The university community, along with faculty, staff, students and alumni of the School of Journalism and New Media, are mourning her loss and reflecting on the brilliance and kindness she brought to the university and the school of journalism.

Dupont graduated with a PhD from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1997. She joined the School of Journalism and New Media in 2006, spending 15 years as a professor at the university. Her retirement was announced in early 2021, and she officially retired from the university in August 2021.

Current and former students remember her as caring and inspiring —

grateful for the opportunity to learn from her inside and outside of the classroom.

She enriched the lives of students as a broadcast journalism professor as well as being the faculty advisor for NewsWatch Ole Miss, the university’s student-run television news station.

“Dr. DuPont was an amazing person, professor and leader. Personally she was there from the first moment I walked in the door to the Student Media Center.

She always had the right things to say to cheer me up and everyone around her.

DuPont was a great asset to NewsWatch. (She) loved to be there and to help students learn,” said Maddie Nolan, former Editor-in-Chief for NewsWatch.

Nolan expressed that she will never forget the impact Dupont had on the newsroom and on her personally.

“She was loved by so, so many and is already missed dearly,” Nolan said. “I won’t

ever forget her and her love for the news and helping students grow in broadcast journalism.”

Dupont had a lengthy career in broadcast journalism before moving to education where she earned numerous awards, including the Edward L. Bliss Award for Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Education and the Larry Burkum Service Award.

Journalists, professors, professionals, students, alumni and all who knew her are grateful to have experienced her kindness.

“There are a lot of professionals who are thanking their lucky stars that they crossed paths with Nancy,” said Marshall Ramsey, editor at large at Mississippi Today, in response to a tribute to her on Instagram. “I know I’m one of them. Her talent was only rivaled by her kindness.”

Dupont is survived by her husband, JC Dupont.

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PAGE 6 | THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022

Bittersweet end to record-breaking season

Top: Ole Miss players and fans traveled to New Orleans with high hopes for the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl, but the Rebels ultimately fell to Baylor 21-7 .

Above: Ole Miss running back Henry Parrish Jr. leaps to catch a pass from quarterback Luke Altmeyer.

Above right: Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral suffered a lower leg injury late in the first quarter and spent the remainder of the game on crutches on the sideline. The Sugar Bowl was Corral’s final game as a Rebel after he declared for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Photos by HG Biggs.

An Ole Miss fan cheers during a New Year’s Eve parade.

THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022 | PAGE 7

PAGE 8 | THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022

Ole Miss Basketball busy over break CATHERINE JEFFERS

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While students were away, relaxing over winter break, the Ole Miss Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams were busy on the court.

Women’s Basketball off to electric start The other half of Ole Miss Basketball is off to a fiery start, going 7-1 over the break.

Coach Yo and her Lady Rebels started the season strong in the West Palm Beach Invitational, topping Texas Tech 65-50 and No. 18 South Florida 61-53, their first win over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2007.

The Rebels got off to a slow start in SEC play due to their opening games being postponed due to COVID-19.

However, the Rebels persisted, heading down to Gainesville to take on the University of Florida, beating them 74-56.

Shakira Austin earned her fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

In their toughest test thus far, the Rebels fell 58-70 to the No. 7 Lady Volunteers of Tennessee on Jan. 9. Tennessee came into the game as the nation’s leader in rebounds and Ole Miss could not come up with enough offense to overpower the Vols. Austin had another great showing with 26 points, proving herself as one

of the top players in women’s basketball right now.

In their two games since the loss, the Rebels dominated Alabama in a 30-point victory, 86-56, and beat rival Mississippi State for the first time in more than seven years, 86-71.

Coach Yo has continued to prove her dominance in Oxford and showcase that #NoCeilings is a mindset worth buying into.

Coach Yo and Ole Miss Basketball will be back in action Jan. 20 in College Station, Texas, as they take on Texas A&M at 7 p.m. CST. Men’s Basketball coming up short In their eight games over break, Head Coach Kermit Davis and the men’s team went 3-5, losing to two top ranked teams, Tennessee and Auburn, in tight matchups.

It took overtime on Jan. 5 to decide the game between the Volunteers and the Rebels, but the Rebels eventually fell 60-66. Ole Miss was without their leader on and off the court, Jarkel Joiner, as he was sidelined with an injury. Senior Tye Fagan had a great showing against the Vols, racking up 23 points and knocking down five three-pointers.

The Rebels topped rival Mississippi State on Jan. 8, 8272, where sophomore Matthew Murrell showed out. Murrell finished the night with 31

ELIJAH DOSDA / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell takes a shot during a game against Auburn on Jan. 15. points, 6-for-6 from the free throw line and drained five three-pointers.

Against the No. 4 Auburn Tigers on Jan. 15, the Rebels

held the lead for the majority of the game, but couldn’t keep up with a late Auburn defensive surge, falling 71-80.

The Rebels earned wins

against Middle Tennessee and Dayton, 62-52 and 76-68. The men will be back today to play host to the Missouri Tigers with tipoff at 6 p.m. CST.

THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022 | PAGE 9

PAGE 10 | THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022

Sunday at the Oxford Masjid

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Although the Oxford Masjid may look different than other places of worship you would find

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around town, Sunday school at the Oxford Masjid is just like any other Sunday school.

Teens sit in a circle, passing a microphone around — each taking their time to carefully recite verses of sacred scripture from the Quran. There’s a set of kids playing an intense soccer game in the field outback. Tables inside the masjid are covered in paint and glitter from arts and crafts.

However, what happens after the typical Sunday school festivities is what makes Sunday school at the Oxford Masjid unique.

Carpets are moved aside, benches are put away and the rest of the day is spent mopping, dusting and cleaning the masjid in preparation for the upcoming week.

Some of the volunteers cleaning are undergraduate students, some are Ph.D. students and some are tenured faculty members, but all are a part of the University of Mississippi Muslim Student Association.

The MSA is a diverse group of Muslim students and faculty members dedicated to developing a robust Muslim community on and off-campus. They help the entire UM population through community service projects.

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Heba Marzouk is a pharmacy student and the current president of the MSA. Marzouk is originally from Cairo, Egypt, but moved to Oxford in middle school.

Marzouk, who has lived in Japan, Egypt and America, said that she would choose to live in America given choice because of the key factor of freedom.

“We hope that that stays the same. We shouldn’t feel afraid of praying,” Marzouk said. “We shouldn’t be afraid of wearing the hijab, which, unfortunately, some people are.”

Marzouk was one of the first girls at Oxford High School to begin wearing the hijab, the scarf that many Muslim women use to cover their heads.

“I was the only one who wore it, and the first day I wore it, I had completely unexpected reactions,” she said. “Every person in the school was excited for me.”

Marzouk wrote her honors thesis on the hijab, which included the production of a documentary, the first ever to accompany an honors thesis.

“Just because I look different doesn’t mean I’m not American, okay?” she said with a laugh. “A lot of times, the media pursues

KHARLEY REDMON / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Volunteers help clean Oxford’s Masjid after Sunday school. stereotypical things and negative things that have no relation to reality.”

Marzouk addressed some of the misconceptions people have about Oxford’s Muslim community.

“First of all, we do have much more of a Muslim community than most people think,” Marzouk said. “We’re very active. It’s just never brought into the light.”

Marzouk said that many Muslim students are Ph.D., graduate and professional students. She also noted the work of Mahmoud ElSohly. ElSohly is renowned for his research involving marajuana which ranges from the testing and detection

of drugs to cancer treatment.

“Dr. ElSohly is Muslim. It’s not only students, it’s faculty and staff, and they’re core leaders in the community,” Marzouk said.

Adam Soltani is a biochemistry and Arabic major, as well as the current treasurer of the MSA. Soltani is originally from Washington D.C., and this is his first year at the University of Mississippi.

“I’ve never had an opportunity to be as close to people in the Muslim community as I have had the chance to here,” Soltani said. “ Coming from a very established mosque, you had a lot of older people leading. Which is fine, but here they really emphasize giving the younger people a chance. They gave me a chance to lead prayers.

Actually this Friday, I just led a prayer.”

Although Oxford has an established Muslim community, there are still challenges.

Mohamed Marzouk, a pharmaceutical student and the secretary for the MSA, touched on some of these challenges and what the MSA does to overcome them.

“I’ve asked multiple people on campus, ‘what do you think of Muslims?’” Mohamed Marzouk said. “They’re like, ‘all I know is what comes from the news,’ which is fair. All they get is whatever is given.”

Mohamed Marzouk, Heba Marzouk and Soltani agreed that the MSA represents and depicts the true Muslim community through action.

“We are not the kind of MSA who posts a bunch of speeches and debates about Islamic topics,” Heba Marzouk said. “We’re the MSA that shows who we are as Muslims through engagement and the services we provide.”

SUDOKU© HOW TO PLAY Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 with no repeats.

EASY

THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022 | PAGE 11

OPINION Americans cannot accept a single COVID-19 death LONDYN LORENZ

thedmopinion@gmail.com

As we enter our third calendar year of the pandemic, many say we have much to be hopeful for.

62% of Americans are fully vaccinated, the now-rampant Omicron variant is supposedly less fatal (albeit much, much more contagious) and, as a society, we seem less afraid of COVID-19, with mass events that were unthinkable in March 2020. In an interview on “Good Morning America,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said “the overwhelming number of deaths, over 75%, occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities, so really these are people who were unwell to begin with. And yes, really encouraging news in the context of Omicron…we’re really encouraged by these results.”

That’s great that you feel

encouraged. What about the “unwell” people?

As a disabled individual, albeit physically and not immunocompromised, I can’t say that I’m incredibly “encouraged” by knowing that the director of a federal agency, and seemingly the larger American community, appears to be alright with letting certain Americans die. Of course, I understand that the fewer COVID-19 deaths, the better, and it is “encouraging” that for vaccinated individuals, Omicron is less fatal, but I don’t think deaths should be used as an optimistic statistic.

Walensky isn’t the only person that makes me feel this way, it honestly comes from the American attitude as a whole. In the question Walensky answered, the interviewer asked “Is it time to start rethinking how we’re living with the virus, that it’s potentially here to stay?” I hope it’s not.

Too many people I

know believe we all have to get COVID-19 and it’ll be over with, and many think Omicron is “the strain to get,” as it is seemingly less fatal.

But what about those that won’t survive? What makes us think COVID-19 will go away post-Omicron and that a more fatal strain won’t follow that natural immunity won’t defend us from (which Delta immunity doesn’t do for Omicron)?

To me, it feels like we’re supposed to think having a comorbidity is a personal failure, a reason to die, and not something to accept and be aware and cautious of. It’s “encouraging” that chronically ill individuals will die and that their deaths will be in vain. They will not die as undeserving victims of a global pandemic after we couldn’t care less to protect them, they will die as statistics that will be celebrated as a victory.

The Mississippi State Department of Health

reports that “chronic diseases are among the most common of all health problems in Mississippi” and that “the prevalence of chronic diseases and related risk factors is generally higher in Mississippi than in other states.” People with disabilities and comorbidities will continue to die of COVID-19, and Mississippians appear to be first on the chopping block, statistically speaking.

It might be your grandma who recently had a stroke, it might be your neighbor with cancer, it might be a random person in Gautier with diabetes, but it’s going to be someone.

This is not acceptable. Our medical system must find ways to reduce the fatality rate of COVID-19, and we, individually, must do all we can to prevent others from getting it. Get vaccinated.

Get boosted. Wear a mask.

Get tested (if you can find one). And for the love of God, stop complaining about it. It spreads too many particulates.

Londyn Lorenz is the opinion editor. She is a senior majoring in Arabic and international studies from Perryville, Missouri.

Opinion Policies: Columns do not represent the views of The University of Mississippi or The Daily Mississippian. The Daily Mississippian welcomes letters to the editor, which should be emailed to dmletters@olemiss.edu. Letters 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.

Letters should include contact information, including relationship to the university, if applicable.

PAGE 12 | THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN | 18 JANUARY 2022