The Daily Mississippian | April 4th, 2024

Navigating safety in off-campus freshman housing

MARY EVANS thedmnews@gmail.com

As the student population at the University of Mississippi continues to surge, so do safety concerns — especially in the first off-campus freshman housing site, The Quarters. Recent reports from the Clery Daily Crime Log indicate a higher rate of incidents being reported by students in The Quarters versus those in on-campus dormitories.

From August 18, 2023 to March 30, 2024, there have been roughly 89 incidents reported to the University Police Department at The Quarters, with offenses ranging from minor violations like noise disturbances to more serious crimes like assault and possession of drugs. In the

same period of time, roughly 58 incidents have been reported at Stockard Hall.

Chief Daniel Sanford, who has been with the University Police Department for more than two years, explained the challenges with incident reports in freshman dorms.

“Any time you have freshman dorms, you will have some challenges since many of the occupants are on their own for the first time,” Sanford said. “There is also a bit of a learning curve the first time a person lives with roommates, so personality clashes and differences of opinion will happen from time to time.”

Initially, the main issue with The Quarters was jurisdiction. With both Oxford Police Department and UPD involved, the two departments have made The Quarters

ASB elections rulings released

ASHLYNN PAYNE

KHARLEY REDMON

DENTON JENKINS thedmnews@gmail.com

After the conclusion of the Associated Student Body spring elections, the University Judicial Council released judicial rationales on three Elections Review Board hearings that were appealed.

One rationale, Jack Jones v. ASB Department of Justice, revealed that ASB Vice Presidential Elect Jack Jones, a sophomore economics major, faced disqualification from the race by the Elections Review Board — a decision that was later overturned by the judicial council.

The facts presented in Jack Jones v. ASB Department of Justice correspond to facts presented in ERB Hearing H. This hearing, held on Tues -

The highs and lows of being a residential assistant

As students are considering job opportunities for next year, on- and off-campus residential assistants offer insight into what their experiences have been like.

CARTER

If you live on campus at the University of Mississippi, it is likely that you have a residential assistant, but how much do you really know about their day-to-day life?

All RAs seem to have a routine that helps them juggle the early mornings and late nights that the job requires as well as their school schedules and personal time.

Yersaiyn Yerkin, a junior mechanical engineering major born in Kazakhstan, is an RA at Luckyday Residential College. According to him, an RA’s schedule can vary depending on the day.

“Every year, the housing executive staff will change or modify certain things the RAs need to do, but

MISSISSIPPI DAY

Ole Miss is bringing the celebrations of Mississippi Day to life for the third year.

right now we have two-hour desk shifts for six hours a week,” Yerkin said. “We do rounds every time we’re on duty, which means walking around the building with a duty partner to ensure the safety of our residents and inspect the condition of our halls. Sometimes, you’ll need to deal with many incidents while other times, you might not even get a call for the whole night.”

Skyla Walters, a junior art major, serves as an RA at Residential College South. Walters has made an effort to maintain a healthy relationship with her job, primarily through structure and balance.

“Make sure you set boundaries not only with your residents but also with yourself and prioritize your sleep and your well being,” Walters said. “Having to be over

several students can be difficult, and it’s easy to say they can reach you at any time no matter what, but when you get endless 2 a.m. phone calls because of lock-outs and you’re not on duty, it can get taxing.”

For all of the difficulties, Walter thinks interacting with students makes the job rewarding.

“My favorite part is getting to meet so many different types of people. New students are an interesting bunch, and seeing them go in and out of the dorm is always fun,” Walters said.

Yerkin concurred, adding that being an RA at UM has given him much support in both his education and personal life.

“I have a wonderful supervisor

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Student parent group hosts Gathering at the Grove

The University of Mississippi’s Student Parent Association will host its annual Gathering at the Grove on Saturday, April 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event will take place on the Grove Stage and is open to all students and children and offers food, games, art and more activities.

Sandwiches will be provided, but parents and members of the community can bring sides and desserts.

The association gives students with children access to additional resources and the ability to connect with other student parents. It also can help student parents get groceries, financial aid, housing, child care and more.

Events like the Gathering at the Grove allow the association to connect with student parents and foster a community on campus.

“That’s part of what the student parent association does, create opportunities for parents and students and their kids and to experience something great on our campus. We’re just looking to make our campus even more family friendly,” Work-Life Resources Coordinator Lynn Wilkins said.

Wilkins talked about the unique struggles that

CAMPUS SAFETY

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strides to enhance efficiency and ensure student safety.

“UPD and OPD co-respond to The Quarters since some of the complex is leased by the university and some of it is leased by individuals,” Sanford said.

“Upon arrival at a call for service, the officers determine which agency is responsible for the call based on the event’s location, and then they address it accordingly. Generally speaking, UPD will be the primary reporting agency for incidents that occur within university-leased spaces.”

The Quarters was leased to help provide more housing in light of increased enrollment.

In the 2013-2014 school year, 16,677 undergraduate students were enrolled across all UM

student parents face.

“This is a group of students who are very stressed for time, and so sometimes they’re not always able to come back and make a study group at night.

Sometimes it might be easier for them to do something right after class while they’re still on campus,” Wilkins said.

Many student parents have a tight schedule, so setting flexible dates and understanding their position can go a long way.

“It’s important to be aware that a student parent has these kinds of extra pulls and extra demands, and to be generous about it,” Wilkins said. “Acknowledging that and working with their schedule can be just a godsend for a student parent.”

A study done by the National Postsecondary Student Aid showed that more than one in five college students — 22% of all undergraduates — are parents.

“Becoming a parent is something that can happen at any point in an educational journey,” Wilkins said.

In the future, Wilkins hopes that UM will make its physical environment more welcoming to families with additions such as playgrounds and other kid-friendly areas.

“One thing we could do is we could look at the physical environment. The more oppor -

campuses. Within a decade, that number has increased to 18,533 for the 2023-2024 academic year. This school year, new freshmen enrollment is 46.3% higher than it was at the beginning of the academic year in 2013.

The university plans to lease more apartment complexes for the upcoming academic year beginning in August 2024.

The university will lease 130 furnished bed spaces at the Lark Oxford complex and 65 bed spaces at Gather Oxford Apartments according to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees board book released on Jan. 18. It will also lease 126 beds at Taylor Bend Apartments and 200 bed spaces contracted under Beacon Oxford Investors, LLC, according to the March 21 board book.

Sanford explained that the university is striving to enhance campus safe-

tunities for child care on our campus, the better that we’ll be serving parents, whether they’re employees or students. We could have kid-friendly spaces in some of our pub -

lic spaces,” Wilkins said.

With the help of the association and the support and kindness of students, UM can be a safe place for student parents and their families.

“My hope is that students can be tolerant of that and be understanding of some of the demands that are above and beyond what a traditional student has to deal with,” Wilkins said.

ty in light of this growth.

“Since I became chief in 2021, UPD has experienced a tremendous amount of support from the university because campus safety is a huge priority for Chancellor Boyce,” Sanford said. “He and the student affairs leadership have supported my efforts to retain, train and equip our officers and other UPD personnel.”

Lieutenant Adam Peacock, who has over two decades of service at UPD, has implemented a system in which officers are assigned to specific areas on campus to foster a sense of familiarity and trust with the student community.

“We try to staff the same officers in the same areas all the time so that they can get to know the members of the community, and the members of the community can get to know them,” Sanford said. “It is my hope that these relationship-build-

ing efforts will lead to increased trust and confidence in the department and aid in our efforts to keep our community safe.”

Traditional dorms like Crosby, Martin, Stockard and Stewart, which house 700-1,000 students, have at least one RA to monitor the students on each floor.

Freshman history major and Stockard resident Larry Larmann explained that while his RA is “a chiller,” he still feels obligated to follow some rules.

“At the end of the day, it’s nice to know that when things do happen, I can talk to my RA and be fine,” Larmann said.

As for the contemporary dorms such as the Residence Halls, Luckyday and Burns, each floor is divided by gender and is strictly regulated by RAs on a much smaller scale.

The Quarters has 10 RAs and houses 354 residents according to Jacob Batte of UM

News and Media Relations.

Adriane Arinder, a junior resident at The Quarters and an integrated marketing communications major, has noticed an increase in incidents on the freshman side of the building.

“I always see cop cars parked out front, but I never know why. I guess it’s just a freshman thing,” Arinder said.

Looking ahead, Sanford acknowledged the need for constant adaptation to the ever-growing student body and campus jurisdiction. As UPD continues to hire more officers, Sanford is confident that UPD will be able to handle whatever comes their way next year, even as UM leases apartment space to use as off-campus university housing.

“Our goal is to see that our community members receive the best service possible, and we feel that the co-response model best fits this need,” Sanford said.

Parents paint childrens’ faces at Gathering at the Grove on April 6, 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY: LYNN WILKINS

Legislative roundup: bills that could impact LGBTQ Mississippians

ing at public universities.

Mississippi lawmakers have recently introduced bills that would place restrictions on LGBTQ Mississippians. Although most bills did not make it out of committee, four bills are advancing in the legislature.

House Bill 1607 creates the Mississippi Women’s Bill of Rights. The bill defines biological sex and states that, “Biological differences between the sexes are enduring and, in some circumstances, may warrant the creation of separate social, education, athletic or other spaces in order to ensure safety or allow members of each sex to succeed and thrive.”

House Bill 585 creates the Dignity and Safety for Incarcerated Women Act. It states that bathrooms, changing rooms and sleeping areas are limited to the use of members of one sex and prohibits any incarcerated individual from entering these spaces unless he or she is a member of that sex. The bill was amended to also regulate student hous -

Senate Bill 2753 creates the Safer Act, which prohibits individuals from using restrooms in public buildings that do not correspond with their biological sex. Public buildings must provide either single-sex restrooms and changing areas or unisex restrooms for individual use.

House Bill 1647 authorizes the implementation of a state insurance exchange as well as income tax deduction. It authorizes the commissioner of insurance to “establish any program or promulgate any rule, policy, guideline or plan or change any program, rule, policy or guideline to implement, establish, create, administer or otherwise operate a health insurance exchange.”

The Daily Mississippian reached out to the authors of the bills for a comment but received no response prior to publication.

Rob Hill, Mississippi state director for the Human Rights Campaign, said that HRC is fighting these bills.

“We are engaging our mem -

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bers around the state and calling the legislature, lieutenant governor and speaker in an attempt to kill these bills on the floor,” Hill said. “Mississippi is unfortunately one of the states where we see an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.”

Freshman psychology major Skyller Sing gave her opinion on the bills being considered by the Mississippi Legislature.

“Bills such as House Bill 585 and Senate Bill 2753, as well as the other two bills, could have detrimental and possibly deadly consequences for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals,” Sing said. “Not allowing individuals to use facilities that best align with how they identify not only puts them in mental (danger), but physical danger as well.”

McKenna Raney-Gray, the LGBTQ Justice Project staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, said that the bills target LGBTQ people who have the least amount of protection structurally. “I remain disheartened at all the potential legisla-

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tion on schools and attacking people who have the least amount of protection structurally in our society. I wish that’s not what I was doing during the legislative session, but it is,” Raney-Gray said.

Currently, the ACLU is tracking 479 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S., with 19 of those in Mississippi.

“We’re in the midst of an explosion in bills from one year to the next. Last year, our high water mark was 31 bills that negatively affected LGBTQ+ people in Mississippi,” RaneyGray said. “LGBTQ+ people are a discreet minority that is easy to identify and discriminate against in a way that is exciting to some base voters or is interesting to some people who are not usually affected by the legislation itself, so it’s used as a tactic to discriminate and attack a minority group for political gain.”

Cullen Peele, press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, said that the bills are not being passed for a policy issue; they are meant to stir up stigma and hate against

the LGBTQ community.

“These bills by no means are meant to tackle a policy issue. It’s purely meant to stir up stigma (and) discrimination, and roll back the clock on rights that have been gained by LGBTQ+ people nationally, which is the reason why these bills are proliferating all over the country, but also in Mississippi especially. These bills are again meant to stir up a lot of hate and stigma and it is especially the case when there’s so many pressing issues involving, for example, public education,” Peele said.

Sing shared her perspective as a queer Mississippian.

“As an LGBT+ individual who has lived in Mississippi their entire life, it is important to me that we see progress,” Sing said. “Our state has quite a reputation for being a very hateful body, and I believe that it’s about time we show that there are individuals in this state that care about those who are underrepresented. Basic human rights are a necessity, not a privilege.”

GRAPHIC: MILO GILDEA / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

UM hosts third annual Mississippi Day

The university will host the third annual Mississippi Day on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. in the Circle, Union Plaza and Galtney-Lott Plaza. With each academic department having its own tent, it will be a day full of activities that entertain and inform the community about everything happening at the university.

The event is open to students and the public and will showcase the best of UM’s achievements, involvements and programs on campus. There will also be a variety of food trucks and activities for students and families to enjoy, such as a rock climbing wall, stuff-a-pup booth, a bounce house, photo booth, snow cones and more.

“Mississippi Day 2024 will be similar to previous events in that visitors can expect to engage in hands-on learning activities offered by UM’s academic departments,” Emily Ferris, Mississippi Day coordinator and associate director of the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, said. “These activities will allow visitors of all ages to participate in learning and academic discovery.”

RA

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who is constantly supporting me and teaching me, whether in our jobs or life in general,” Yerkin said. “My favorite part is getting to help and serve people, and the residents are awesome if you are willing to invest time and get to know them. It’s a wonderful way to get to know so many people.”

Walters also told one of her favorite stories about holiday activities bringing students together.

“I often think about the day of our dorm-wide Halloween

ASB

continued from page 1

day, March 26 at 6 p.m., resulted in a ruling to disqualify the candidate from the vice presidential election.

According to the Hearing H ruling, text message evidence was presented, “showing that the candidate’s campaign manager notified a Greek chapter that they could receive points for voting in the election.”

Hearing H said that this was in violation of ASB Code, Title V.c § 121 C which reads: “Any attempt by a candidate, campaign representative, or organization to coerce, bribe, incentivize, intimidate, or force a person to vote or campaign in any form, shall result in the candidate’s immediate disqualification.”

According to the judicial rationale, Jones was approved to appeal his disqualification to the UJC, and he provided new evidence and witness testimo -

Along with all 10 colleges at UM participating in the event, more than 70 individual academic departments will participate as well.

“The Department of Art and Art History is all about creativity, so folks who stop by our booth will have the opportunity to make and take a creation of their own,” Stacey Rathert, coordinator for the art and art history department’s table and instructional assistant professor of art and sculpture, said. “There will be coloring pages for little ones, ‘spin art’ and buttons.”

Ole Miss Esports will bring games from its programs for the community to try out.

“Inside the student union, we have been given the privilege to set up a demo of our games,” John McDermott, director of esports programs, said. “We will be having two (Nintendo) Switches that will be set up to play Super Smash Ultimate, and then we are planning to bring over some of our computers in order to debut and feature our (virtual reality) headsets that are available in our facility.”

Current students are also encouraged to attend the event — each year, thousands of students come from hours away to

community builder, which are basically events that are meant to bring together our community,” Walters said. “Even though messes were made, it was a lot of fun, and a lot of the students came, and one of my fellow RAs even dressed up in a blow-up Among Us costume that everyone got a kick out of.”

While on-campus RAs expressed difficulties maintaining balance, Cayden Rodrigue, a senior biochemistry major from Brandon, Miss., and an RA at The Quarters off campus, expressed the opposite.

“My facility, The Quarters, has an excellent clubhouse, pool, gym and game room,”

nies. This evidence led the UJC to overturn the disqualification allowing Jones to proceed to the runoff. More details can be found in the judicial rationale on the ASB Website.

“As a candidate, I felt the Department of Justice worked to address issues both as they arose during the election and are working now to address issues before the next election,” Jones said. “There are checks and balances put in place in ASB elections, and I feel they worked exactly as they were supposed to this election season.”

ASB presidential candidate

Jackson Scruggs, a junior public policy leadership major, attended two separate appeal hearings that challenged three rulings made by the ERB.

The facts of Jackson Scruggs v. ASB Department of Justice correspond to ERB Hearing B.

The first violation detailed in Hearing B found that the candidate’s campaign manager had not resigned from the Committee on Govern -

attend the University of Mississippi. Whether for SEC culture, Greek life or academics, every individual has their purpose. But when students find their niche, it is often hard to venture outside of their initial interests and see what else this university has to offer.

“I feel like outside of my sorority and Rebelettes, I never know what else is going on,”

Kimber Spelts, a junior marketing and risk management major, said. “I feel like so many students get wrapped up in their own classes, jobs and organizations that we sometimes get tunnel vision.”

Lindsey Middleton, a sophomore integrated marketing and communications major, attended last year and is excited to attend again.

“I went last year and it was a lot of fun,” Middleton said. “I love when the school hosts events like these that allow for the entire town of Oxford to be more involved with the university.”

Other students who may not have been aware of the event seem open to trying it out.

“I had no idea this event was happening or was even a thing, but it is at a really good time of day so now I will definitely go,” junior

Rodrigue said. “This is one of the reasons I prefer living as an off-campus RA versus on-campus. I feel like I can have more work/life balance.”

Though many RAs make an effort to connect with their residents, some students in off-campus housing see less of their RAs. Lola Fyke, a freshman psychology major, rarely saw her RA unless he was involved in one of The Quarter’s community events. The complex often holds small events/parties for their residents, such as a recent create-your-own bouquet event.

“My RA doesn’t seem very strict on rules,” Fyke said. “He is very involved in all the parties

mental Operations before the deadline set by the attorney general at the time, Helen Phillips, a junior public policy leadership major and ASB presidential candidate.

The hearing found the candidate in violation of ASB Code Title VI § 102 (C) and ASB Code Title IIa § 108 (C) (2b), ruling it an “intermediate violation with a penalty of probation where the candidate was not permitted to post on social media from 12:00 a.m.-11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 21st, 2024.”

In the corresponding appeal, the UJC nullified this decision stating that Scruggs was not responsible for the first violation and that, “The ERB had overstepped its jurisdictional bounds set by the ASB Code and Constitution.”

The second violation in ERB Hearing B determined that the candidate had violated Title V.c § 121(B) which states: “Coordinated campaigning or other support, including donations of money or campaign mate -

UM

finance and real estate major Pearce Hughes said. Ferris is hopeful for a successful turnout this semester after building the event up over the last two years.

“It is a celebration of all the exciting things happening at Mississippi’s flagship university,” Ferris said. “We anticipate year three being the largest event yet.”

that happen in our building.”

To make sure students are in compliance with housing rules, on-campus dorms receive room checks performed by RAs, while off-campus residents in The Quarters have safety checks instead. Those checks are not performed by RAs.

“The Quarters have university health and safety checks each semester, and we are notified in advance,” Fyke said.

Savannah Abbott, a sophmore double major in Chinese and psychology, lives at The Quarters and agreed with Fyke that it is a relaxed environment for freshman residents.

“I’m in a GroupMe with most

rials, for candidates by groups not comprised exclusively of University of Mississippi students is prohibited. Students may not publicly campaign for a candidate while acting on behalf of a university department or academic school.”

A university staff member posted on social media in support of the candidate’s campaign. This post was then reposted by Ole Miss Football Head Coach Lane Kiffin, garnering 20,000 views. Based on text message receipts, several hours transpired between the post going up online and the candidate requesting the post be taken down.

The ERB ruled it, “a major violation with a penalty of no public campaigning on Thursday, March 21, 2024.”

Scruggs later appealed this decision to the UJC. However, the UJC upheld the ERB’s sanction and decision.

The facts of Jackson Scruggs v. ASB Department of Justice (2) correspond to ERB Hearing F.

of the occupants in my building, including the RAs,” Abbott said. “From what I’ve seen in the group chat, the RAs are kind of hands-off. Our building has switched around a couple RAs throughout the year, so I’d say they’re very relaxed when it comes to rules and regulations.”

Whether on-campus or off-campus, Yerkin encouraged everyone to consider becoming an RA.

“I would really recommend everyone consider applying to this position,” Yerkin said. “It really is a wonderful way to get to know so many people.”

ERB Hearing F determined that the candidate participated in public campaigning within a residence hall and outside of the permissible hours. The ERB determined this a violation of Title V.c § 121 (P) and Title V.c § 121 (N) due to a campaign banner at a Greek house outside of campaign hours and outside of the Union Plaza.

The ERB decided, “This was a major violation with a penalty of a monetary fine of $120.”

Despite Scruggs appealing this monetary fine with the UJC, the council upheld the decision made by the ERB.

In addition to these appeals, the ERB released five other hearing decisions that can be found on the ASB website.

“Last week, we witnessed the student government in its most complete form,” ASB President Sara Austin Welch said. “I am more than proud of the dedication that many individuals in this organization have shown to ensuring justice for our candidates.”

hosts Mississppi Day on April 15, 2023. ASHTON SUMMERS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Hotel prices continue to surge, impacting visitors

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Springtime in Oxford brings a host of activities. Large weekend-long events like country music superstar Morgan Wallen’s concert, Double Decker Arts Festival, graduation and baseball games draw massive crowds to town.

These events increase demand for hotel rooms, often leaving those hoping to visit Oxford frustrated with high prices and forced to turn to out-of-town lodging and alternatives like Airbnb.

As of April 1, hotel rates for 2024 graduation weekend — May 10-12 — start at $799 a night at Home2 Suites by Hilton, $1,309 a night at The Courtyard By Marriott, $449 a night at The Hampton Inn and Conference Center and $417 a night The Hampton Inn Oxford-West. The Inn at Ole Miss is completely booked.

When demand falls, so do prices: A summer weekend at the Graduate Oxford in July starts at $232 a night. The same room will cost $959 a night on graduation weekend. Grace Glazier, an integrated marketing communications major from Tallahassee, Fla., said these prices limit her family’s visits to Oxford.

“My family does not get to come as often as they would like due to the continued rise in hotel costs and limited availability,” Glazier said. “For my upcoming graduation in May, my family

had a hard time finding a room for everyone attending, even though we were eight months away. The prices for the remaining rooms were through the roof. Thankfully, we were able to use a friend’s condo, because otherwise there was no way we would be able to all stay in Oxford.”

Multiple students reported having to book hotels beyond Oxford in other North Mississippi cities such as Batesville, Senatobia and Southaven.

“My family comes up all the time from our house on the coast. We often had trouble finding a hotel room in Oxford for big events,” Angele Holman, a sophomore allied health sciences major, said. “The 2023 Egg Bowl resulted in us having to stay at a hotel all the way in Batesville due to Oxford hotel rooms being fully booked. Not an ideal situation for sure.”

Attempts to contact hotels were unsuccessful.

With hotel rooms in such high demand, Airbnb and other short-term rental services have risen in popularity in years.

According to AirDNA, as of April 3, Oxford has 900 active short-term rental listings and 1,333 listings in total between AirBnB and Vrbo.

The average daily rate for all short-term rentals is $536.90, an 8% increase from last year’s average.

Linda Lewis Raney is the owner of The Barn Nest, an Airbnb-listed house located 10 minutes out-

side of Oxford that she has operated for approximately 15 years.

Raney said that while many commercial hotels often use algorithms to adjust their prices, increases during major events are standard for all businesses.

“I’m going to get a minimum of twice as much for a game weekend or time. That’s a standard procedure for me and pretty much everyone,” Raney said. “It’s a supply-and-demand thing.”

On a normal day, Raney’s smallest room rents for around $115 dollars. On a game weekend, it ranges anywhere from $300 to $375.

Raney also shared that operating costs have gone up over the years, and expenses subtract around 50% from her net income.

“I try to keep up. I don’t let anything get old or frayed, certainly not dirty, and I used to attempt to make a light breakfast,” Raney said. “I’ve stopped doing that because of many reasons. The prices of pastries and things were going up so much, and people were just bumping out of town as fast as they could get.”

Raney theorized that the short term rentals are offered by people who rent out their primary residences during high-volume weekends.

“They put it on the market for games they don’t want to go to, (so) most of the time, it is not available. I cannot figure that part out,” Raney said. “But there’s a lot of competition for Airbnb.”

As for booking a hotel room

or Airbnb on busy weekends, Raney urged students and their visitors to be proactive.

“I wish at Ole Miss orientations one thing they would say is, ‘Book your graduation weekend now,’” Raney said.

“I just talk to so many desperate people and feel for them.”

With Oxford and the University of Mississippi growing every year, it is unlikely this problem will be resolved soon.

“I want my family to be able to experience all the fun weekends and excitement that Oxford has to offer. It’s really hard being able to have them on these large weekends due to

the high prices, large demand and limited vacancies,” Holman said. “I feel like these are the weekends that truly show off the true essence of Oxford.” Raney encouraged potential Oxford visitors to plan their trips on off-weekends..

“One thing I want to say is, come to Oxford when it’s not an event weekend. It’s so much more fun, easier to get around and you can get a reservation,” she said.

Kharley Redmon contributed reporting.

An employee works the front desk at the Graduate Oxford on March 6.

ASHLYNN PAYNE/ THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Nine new sculptures have been added to Oxford’s Yokna Sculpture Trail as a new exhibition schedule begins. The sculptures are located at Lamar Park, the University of Mississippi Museum, Powerhouse Community Art Center and Meek Hall.

Founded in 2015, the trail consists of 15 to 20 large-scale sculptures placed throughout the campus and community.

With a staggered two-year exhibition schedule, the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council welcomes admissions from local and regional artists. Each artist is able to enter up to three works to be considered.

“When community members see themselves reflected in social spaces, they feel a sense of respect, ultimately allowing people to identify with the place they are from, live in or are visiting,” YAC Director Wayne Andrews said. “The sculpture trail works to engage artists from different backgrounds, skills, and traditions to create a more cohesive community.”

A committee of Oxford community members, YAC members, University of Mississippi students and UM museum staff

Yokna Sculpture Trail introduces new artwork

review artists’ submissions and select sculptures to be installed.

The UM Department of Art Sculpture faculty and members of the UM Sculpture Society lead installation crews and work with artists to coordinate the process.

“Part of the fun of the sculpture trail is taking time to reflect on each of the different works and imagining what the artist was inspired by and the feeling or message they are trying to share with the work. While the artist has a vision, concept and thoughts behind the creation, it is a two-way conversation as to what the viewer brings to the work,” Andrews said.

The chosen artists will have their sculptures placed along the sculpture trail.

“We hope to increase access to the arts, connect our community members to the resources in Lafayette County such as the arts council and museum and highlight the talent in the students and instructors at the University of Mississippi,” Andrews said.

Five of the statues chosen by the committee, including Jen Torres’s “When Home No Longer Makes Any Sense,” Tim Glovers’s “USA Monument,” James Wade’s “Prairie Stack,” John Walrod’s “Space Cowboy”

— also known as “Boldly Go Rodeo” — and Earl Dismuke’s “Big Dreamer,” have been added to the walking trail that winds through Lamar Park.

UM Museum now hosts Allen Peterson’s “Iron Beehive,” and John Bannon’s “Drop #3” and Reynaldo Alaniz’s “Madre” will soon arrive at the UM

Museum for visitors to view.

Ellis Barber’s “Sentinel” is set to join the collection of creative works in the Powerhouse Sculpture Garden.

Andrews stressed the importance of having publicly accessible art.

“Engaging in public art generates excitement and ul -

timately leads to increased foot traffic, which benefits surrounding businesses,” Andrews said. “Art brings people together. Displaying art in public places and making it accessible to everyone inspires engagement and a feeling of belonging to a community.”

Chris Lane has ‘Big, Big Plans’ for his show at Proud Larry’s

Country music sensation

Chris Lane is returning to Oxford on Friday, April 5 for a concert at Proud Larry’s.

For Lane, the velvet ditch has always stood out as a perfect destination for his brand of high-energy country music, thanks to its devoted fan base of college students. Almost five years later, Lane reflected on his first time playing in Oxford in 2019.

“I remember that being one of my favorite shows. …The crowd knew every single word and they sang so loud,” Lane said. Lane shared that the upcoming Proud Larry’s show is a part of his vision to bring his sound directly to the hearts of college towns. Inspired by country artist Kenny Chesney, Lane’s tour features a series of intimate shows that aim to recapture the energy and audience connection he felt in his earlier career.

“I saw Kenny Chesney do something very similar to this, where you go back into a really small venue that you’ve outgrown and just go in and play music,” Lane said. “Keep the tickets cheap and have a good time and a good night.”

As Lane gears up for his concert, he also embraces the challenge of playing at smaller venues.

“I think the biggest challenge

of the whole thing will probably be the quality of sounds. But you know what, I already knew that going in. Challenge accepted,” Lane said.

From chart-topping hits such as “Big, Big Plans” and “I Don’t Know About You” to his newest E.P., “From Where I’m Sippin’,” Lane promises to deliver a night full of thrilling crowd favorites.

“‘From Where I’m Sippin’ is really just where I’m at right now in life. I’m getting back out there and starting to play some songs,” Lane said.

Lane shared that his most recent song, “Mistake,” was written for his wife, Lauren Bushnell.

“It’s a unique way of writing a love song since ‘Big, Big Plans’ was a career song for me,” Lane said.

Lane said that one of his biggest challenges being on tour is leaving his young family behind. However, he balances his career with his love for his family by bringing them along on parts of the tour.

“I’ve taken a lot of time off of work because I’ve got two kids under two years old at home right now, and when they’re this young it definitely makes it harder,” Lane said.

While on tour, Lane also misses one of his beloved pastimes: golf.

“One of my favorite things in life is to play golf. I’m gen -

erally off the bus in the morning to find a great golf course to play on, but some days it’s super challenging,” Lane said.

Lane is most excited to play “Big, Big Plans,” “I Don’t Know About You” and “Take Back Home Girl,” because of the “big reaction”

he gets from the crowd.

“The audience’s energy is everything for the artist. … I’m probably speaking for all artists, but specifically for me, I feed off of the crowd,” Lane said.

“For some reason, Oxford’s always stuck out in my mind as a great college town,” Lane said. “There’s a lot of great country fans, and I’m excited to get back. It’s been a hot minute.”

With a heart full of love for his family and his music, Lane promises to bring enthusiasm to every strum of his guitar.

“When Home No Longer Makes Any Sense” by Jen Torres at Lamar Park.

CECELIA MOSELY / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

MARY EVANS

Chris Lane

PHOTO COURTESY: ROBBY KLEIN

Beyoncé’s new album, “COWBOY CARTER,” was released on Friday, March 29, to kick off the Easter weekend, which is nothing short of a happy coincidence.

Beyoncé’s country album took five years to come to fruition. The creation of this album stemmed from an instance in which Beyoncé did not feel accepted within the country music world. Many sources suspect that this occurred at her 2016 Country Music Association Awards performance alongside The Chicks. Beyoncé morphed those feelings into a timeless masterpiece, displaying her versatility and tenacity not only as an artist, but also as a person.

On “COWBOY CARTER,” Beyoncé showcased the true essence of duets, collaborating with musical artists Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton and Post Malone.

“II MOST WANTED,” a heartwarming ode to friendship and loyalty featuring Cyrus, reminds me of the days in my childhood I spent watching “Hannah Montana” and drinking Capri-Suns. Picking one of America’s biggest childhood stars with country roots as her first duet on the album might have been one of the best strategies Beyoncé implemented throughout this album.

Following this track, “LEVII’S JEANS” stands out as the unforeseen sunny outcast on this album. With roots in Texas, Post Malone is not unfamiliar with the country genre, and this track is one of his first career encounters with country music. Honestly, I would be excited to hear more. There is such an effortless, yet passionate aura in this song, and each artist feeds off the other as the song progresses.

Beyoncé shuts down the haters with ‘COWBOY CARTER’

Beyoncé does not stop at those impressive duets. Paying homage to the trailblazers that paved the way for her presence in country, she features Country Music Hall of Famer Willie Nelson in two interludes,“SMOKE HOUR ★ WILLIE NELSON” and “SMOKE HOUR II.” Nelson, one of the founders

of the outlaw country genre, played a vital role in the progression of country music and facilitated smooth transitions at key points in the album.

Beyonce also features beloved country icon Dolly Parton on an interlude “DOLLY P” and then again on her single “TYRANT.”

She features yet another revolutionary idol, Linda Martell — the first Black woman to perform on the Grand Ole Opry stage — on an interlude named after her, “THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW.”

The artist also samples “Oh Louisiana” by Chuck Berry on an interlude of the same name. Berry’s contributions to country and rock music created spaces for more Black artists to defy the odds and continue to grow their platforms.

With themes of rebirth, Beyoncé includes several covers and samples that knocked the boots right off my feet on “COWBOY CARTER.”

“BLACKBIIRD,” a reworked version of “Blackbird” by The Beatles, is the second song on this album and first cover of this album, followed the song we were all waiting for: “JOLENE,” a cover of the legendary tale sung by Parton. Beyoncé’s majestic rendition of this song maintains its elegance and allure while adding a new assertive spin to the original narrative.

On her fun, upbeat song “YA YA,” the singer samples Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walking” as well as The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.” She also samples

other influential artists, such as Patsy Cline and Fleetwood Mac. In short, Beyoncé’s covers and samples balance the scales of respecting the foundations with her fresh perspective to create these singles.

As Beyoncé guides us through her impressive tracklist, she characterizes the grit and the Southern origins of this album with her graphics.

One symbolic graphic was the flashing neon signs on tracks “FLAMENCO” and “LEVII’S JEANS.” These graphics reference the older architecture of country honky-tonk bars located throughout the American South. Alongside these graphics, Beyoncé picked a plethora of graphics that symbolize the South, like empty glass bottles on a gravel road and rain dripping on an old cigarette-filled ashtray.

Beyoncé continues to prove that she is not just a singer, but also an artist dedicated to her passion.

Amid all her creative choices, my favorite will always be the lyrical techniques and harmonious aptitude of this piece.

Beyoncé opens the album strongly with “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” a piece focused on withstanding adversity in a place determined to remain the same. She sings “Hello, my old friend / You change your name but not the ways you play pretend / American Requiem / Them big ideas (Yeah) are buried here (Yeah) / Amen.”

This opening piece signifies the meaning of this album and the reasons she decided to make “COWBOY CARTER.”

These lyrics reference the covert, as well as overt, racism that she faced when she initially attempted to dabble in the country genre. Beyoncé called out America for founding itself on liberty and individuality while simultaneously restricting Black artists from expressing their individuality.

Two TikTok viral singles from “COWBOY CARTER” made history in February 2024, with Beyoncé being the first Black woman to top the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” held the No. 1 slot and “16 Carriages” also held the No. 9 slot. Undoubtedly, Beyoncé defied all odds and expectations with this album while respecting the origins of her newfound success in this genre.

“COWBOY CARTER” album cover

Ask A&C: What’s your favorite Easter tradition?

In “Ask A&C,” University of Mississippi students ask questions about university and Oxford life, and members of the arts and culture writing staff answer with their personal takes. This week, sophomore exercise science major Avery Stewart asked: “What’s your favorite Easter tradition?”

Aaron Barrow

While a tough choice, I would have to say that dyeing eggs with my family the night before Easter is my favorite Easter moment. The dyeing and decorating in and of itself is neat, but the real treat comes once Easter is passed and I get to crack them bad boys open before treating myself to some hard-boiled eggs.

Nate Donohue

Eating exorbitant amounts of candy is my favorite Easter tradition. My favorite candy is Starburst Jelly Beans, but I am also a huge fan of Cadbury Mini Eggs, Hershey bunnies and Peeps (especially the ones that are dipped in chocolate). Jelly beans are actually one of my favorite foods ever, but I only ever get to eat them during Easter season. Therefore, I try to consume as many as possible before they disappear from shelves.

Paleif Raspberry

My favorite Easter tradition would be getting visits from the Easter Bunny. No, I do not believe in the Easter Bunny anymore. However, I love keeping kids’ beliefs about magical creatures and forces

alive. Believing in something magical and wholesome has given me so many great memories and has partially made me into who I am today: a faithful and imaginative person.

Jane Dunn

While this is kind of basic, my favorite Easter activity has to be a good old-fashioned egg hunt. From sitting inside while the eggs are being hidden to running around racing all my cousins, it is all such good fun. Growing up, I remember the long minutes it took the adults to actually do the hiding. My cousins and I would all be sitting in our circles guessing where the golden egg would be hidden that year, though never giving our real guess away in case someone would beat us to it. As an adult, I love to see the kids of the next generation experiencing the same thing I did.

Lydia Waters

My favorite Easter tradition would have to be the Easter lunch I have after church. I love going to a good Easter service and getting together with family over a good meal. We will eat foods such as ham, mashed potatoes, rolls and cherry pie. This tradition means a lot because I get to spend quality time with my family after not seeing them much during spring semester.

Gracey Massengill

My family always has an Easter brunch where we open a few gifts. Growing up, the gifts always included a wooden egg that was painted with a milestone of the year. My favorite egg I have received is one with the Harry Potter cast as bunnies; I was obsessed.

Sydney Stepp

The Easter vigil service that takes place the night before Easter Sunday is my favorite Easter tradition. My family’s Easter is normally extremely busy, and sometimes a long Easter service in the morning just is not possible. But with the Easter vigil, we get to partake in an ancient and traditional form of worship during the evening while also celebrating the message of Easter. The use of candles and the procession during the service make it feel just that much more special.

GRAPHIC: MILO GILDEA / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

RAEGAN SETTLE

The stars are aligning for an out-of-this-world solar eclipse next week. To celebrate, the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library will host an extravaganza on Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The free public event will be hosted by the University of Mississippi Center for Mathematics and Science Education.

The CMSE mobile planetarium and space telescope will offer views of the eclipse and information. CMSE staff and volunteers will lead graphic activities and crafts for all ages.

Though the eclipse itself will take place on Monday, April 8, beginning at 12:30 p.m. and peaking at 1:50 p.m., the solar eclipse extravaganza is meant to prepare community members for the event that many will not be able to experience during work or school hours.

“We want to get people informed, get people glasses, get them prepared, even though the eclipse is not until Monday,” Christian Clark, graduate research fellow at the CMSE, said.

The inflatable planetarium is likely to draw the most attention at Saturday’s event.

“Attendees will receive Oxford-specific eclipse infor-

Local library to dazzle with solar eclipse extravaganza

mation and eclipse viewing glasses,” Clark said. “We’ll have the CMSE mobile planetarium where people can experience the eclipse as they would see it from Oxford and as they would see it from space. In the planetarium, I can change the location and the time, and that’ll be really fun.”

Mobile planetarium shows will last approximately 15 minutes. Approximately 20 people will be able to view each show. To guarantee a spot in the planetarium experience, attendees should arrive early to secure a ticket at the library specifying their assigned viewing time.

Clark said the CMSE will also distribute ultraviolet reactive beads and pipe cleaners to make a bracelet at the event.

“The beads change colors under UV light,” Clark said. “Basically, the idea is that the beads will be white inside and turn colors outside, but during the eclipse, the beads will start to fade because there is less UV light.”

CMSE staff will lead a graphing activity to demonstrate how eclipse days differ from average days.

“We will graph light intensity and UV intensity. It is really neat to watch the intensities fall throughout the day as the eclipse is happening and watch them

rise after it is over,” Clark said. Meridith Wulff, head librarian of the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library, said crafts will be offered at the event for families to take home. Children can use the chalk and black cardstock included in the craft kit to draw their own solar eclipse.

“The take-and-make activities are meant to continue the learning at home,” Wulff said. “We want the kids to take what they learned and keep applying it.”

The solar eclipse extravaganza is designed for families to come and go at their convenience. Attendees should park across the street from the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library at the Oxford Skate Park parking lot.

GRAPHIC: MILO GILDEA / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Where

CAMERON LARKIN thedmsports@gmail.com

Women’s college basketball used to be the odd sport out in college athletics. People used to write it off as a boring, unimportant and inconsequential sport. That is not the case anymore, as the women’s side of college hoops has finally caught up with the men’s side in terms of viewership and interest.

Caitlin Clark. Paige Bueckers. JuJu Watkins. Angel Reese. Hailey Van Lith. Even some of the most casual basketball fans recognize those names because of the buzz they create for women’s basketball.

“When I first started (playing in college), when I was a freshman, we couldn’t even use the March Madness branding, and now to see this ... I expected to continue to grow this year, and I think that’s the coolest thing,” Iowa player Clark said.

This year’s NCAA Women’s March Madness has broken record after record for viewership, toppling even last year’s record-breaking tournament.

The Women’s March Madness championship ratings have skyrocketed over the past three years, going from around 5.5 and 6.1 million viewers in 2021 and 2022 to a staggering 12.6 million in last year’s LSU versus Iowa dogfight. These numbers have grown to rival those of the men’s championship and even the NBA Finals.

All of this came to a head during the Iowa versus LSU rematch on April 1. When the viewership analytics came out, they showed that the Elite Eight matchup between the Hawkeyes and the Tigers was not just the most viewed women’s basketball game of all time, but it also out ranked every MLB, NHL and MLS

Women’s college basketball:

is the spike in attention coming from?

game from the last season; furthermore, only one NBA game and one college football game had higher viewership.

What has caused the sudden uptick?

The answer is simple: The storylines, star power, parity and entertainment value are just about on par with the men’s game; in some cases, the women’s game even outperforms the men’s.

This is not a knock on men’s college basketball, but there are no pressing storylines that draw in fans, or at least none that compare to the women’s game right now. Some people may rush to point out UConn and its potential back-to-back championship run, or Purdue’s quest to finally make a Final Four under Head Coach Matt Painter after years of disappointment. These are important storylines, but they pale in comparison to the drama we saw in LSU versus South Carolina in the SEC Tournament championship game, the aforementioned LSU versus Iowa, UConn women’s quest to return to the pinnacle and the emergence of Watkins and USC as perennial contenders.

“The storylines surrounding women’s basketball are nonstop and compelling,” sportscaster Ana Schatz said to Forbes writer Susan Shaw.

“There are a dozen teams which have serious action to win it all, which keeps coverage and scoreboard watch at an all-time high. The parity and depth of high-level teams is truly something to behold.”

Another component that has allowed the game to flourish is the support from men in college basketball as well as the NBA.

“Stakeholders in the sport can point to other factors that led to a spike in popularity,

including a more fluid group of teams making deep NCAA Tournament runs and a legion of NBA players using their social media platforms to promote women’s basketball and make it more socially acceptable for men to watch,” USA Today’s Dan Wolken reported.

Something that has become very evident is that women’s college basketball is rich in superstars, while men’s college basketball is, for lack of better words, falling behind the curve.

A big reason for this fact is women’s basketball players, by rule, cannot enter the draft and have to stay at the college level until they do one of three things: graduate, play four years or reach the age of 22. This has severely impacted the product of women’s college basketball in a positive way for multiple reasons.

The players have so much time to develop, fans get to spend time with players for more than one year and programs are able to build their rosters more sustainably. All of these factors culminate in a favorable, entertaining and competitive product that, as of late, has drawn massive viewership numbers.

The men, on the other hand, are allowed to enter the NBA draft after only one year of college, and, like it or not, that has had a negative impact on the entertainment value of men’s college basketball. For starters, it causes a wave of hyper-talented players who opt to go a route other than college, a fact that is personified in many consensus NBA mock drafts that show five out of the top 15 players selected are from overseas or the NBA G-League Ignite team.

Additionally, men’s players like Reed Sheppard, Rob Dil-

lingham, Jared McCain and Cody Williams are set to enter the NBA draft after only playing one year in college. The men’s game is constantly having to replenish its superstars.

Conversely, Clark, Bueckers, Reese and Van Lith have been in college for four years, so all of them have had a chance to make lasting impacts on their respective programs and fans during their tenure.

South Carolina’s Dawn Staley has long been a proponent and advocate for women’s basketball. Now that women’s basketball is getting the national attention it deserves, can anything hold back the sport?

“It’s a double-edged sword when it comes to this answer,” Staley said. “I’ve said it before that it’s been intentional to hold women’s basketball back. It’s no longer intentional anymore because they see we’re bursting at the seams.”

Women’s college basketball was never supposed to directly compete with men’s college basketball, but it seems as though the two sides

are in a fairly even battle in terms of entertainment value.

College basketball is at its finest when both sides are firing all cylinders, and this year is a perfect example. Both Elite Eights provided some of the most entertaining basketball of the last decade, and this weekend’s upcoming Final Fours seem like they could be even better.

Andreya Carter is a former college basketball star and now works as a sports analyst and broadcaster for ESPN.

“There’s definitely buy-in, and now that the conversations we’re having on ‘First Take’ and ‘Get Up’, they’re getting attention once they are put out there on social media, people are adding into the conversation and giving their opinions,” Carter said. “So for the coordinating producers on those shows to see women’s college basketball being a hot topic and people wanting to talk about it and wanting to jump in the conversation after the show is over, that’s a good sign.”

Ole Miss Esports League of Legends team looks to jump into pros

Dermott noted that this year alone, Ole Miss Esports has earned around $11,000 in winnings.

seed, at minimum a two seed.”

The Ole Miss Esports League of Legends team has been the pride and joy of the program, currently ranked No. 3 in the nation and fighting for promotion to a semi-professional division after a recent tournament. League of Legends is an online battle arena video game that was developed in 2009. Two teams of five players fight in player vs. player combat, both attempting to occupy and defend each end of the map. The goal is to destroy the opponent’s central command hub.

The Ole Miss Esports League of Legends team, founded in May 2021, has won multiple tournaments that have paid out large cash prizes. In its most recent matchup against CCG Esports, a fellow amateur team, Ole Miss fell short of the grand final and $12,500 prize pool but received a solid $3,125.

Director of Esports John Mc-

The team is in Tier 3 Amateur and playing in relegations matches to move up a division into Tier 2- Semi-professional. If they gain promotion, they would join an illustrious list of universities who are at that level.

“As it stands right now there are only three other colleges in all of the United States that can call themselves professional in this sense,” McDermott said. “In League of Legends specifically, there has only been one college to ever promote. We aim to be the second.”

With promotion to pro status on the horizon, the team is currently competing at the top end of the collegiate level.

“They are also in the process of their college playoffs right now,” McDermott said. “They are essentially a lock for the national championships and most likely will be a number one

The team has been in the same position before and have taken lessons from their experiences. Head Coach of the Ole Miss Esports League of Legends team Brandon Collamer said that this team has moved past their previous shortcomings.

“We were okay last year making the Sweet 16 of nationals before falling,” Collamer said. “This year we’ve improved tenfold, taking series off teams with former pros, along with our own improvement happening at a rapid pace.”

This improvement is evident in their race for promotion as they near toward meeting their fate. The strides made in just a year’s time could prove to be everything needed to push them over the line.

“We managed to break our third/fourth place curse last year and made our first finals last week.

Now we’re in a position to make the NA Challengers League, which would be the equivalent of Tri-

ple-A in baseball,” Collamer said.

With the addition of new games such as College Football 25, coupled with the ever-grow-

ing nature of League of Legends, there is no telling the heights Ole Miss Esports will reach.

CAMERON LARKIN / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

The Ole Miss Esports League of Legends team prepares for a tournament.

PHOTO COURTESY: JOHN MATTHEWS

KD Hill, Kyle Wakefield headline FCA breakfast

IAN SPARKS thedmsports@gmail.com

The Ole Miss Fellowship of Christian Athletes will host Breakfast with Champions on Saturday, April 13. The event is available to the public with purchase of either a single ticket, Red Level, Blue Level or Rebel Level passes. It will take place at the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center at 7 a.m., and those in attendance will hear Rebel favorite and former football player KD Hill speak about his faith journey.

Hill, a former defensive tackle, was involved in a tragic accident that threatened his life. He miraculously survived the crash but had part of his leg amputated at the scene of the crash in order to remove him from the vehicle.

“I just knew God was going to make a way for me if I made it through three hours,” Hill said in an interview with The Ole Miss Spirit last fall. “God heard my prayer. He sent his angels and they protected me and my little brother and the medical peo-

ple in the field. This is my story and he knew I could handle it.”

In addition to Hill, recent Ole Miss folk hero Kyle Wakefield, also known as “The Electric Mop Man,” is slated to speak at the event.

Wakefield burst onto the scene with his electrifying antics at Ole Miss Men’s Basketball games this year that garnered him national attention, including an appearance on SEC Network’s Marty & McGee, where he shared his passion for his job that went viral as love poured in for the Katy, Texas, native.

Those who plan to attend the event have expressed how excited they are.

“Getting involved with FCA has been one of the best decisions of my college life,” Rifle shooter M’Leah Lambdin said. “Through FCA, I have been able to further develop my relationship with Christ, while also growing relationships with like-minded individuals who show me how deeply the Lord shows his love on this campus.”

Wakefield shared why he is looking forward to Breakfast with Champions.

“I’m most looking forward to meeting with all members of the Ole Miss community and sharing my story with Christ,” Wakefield said. “I can’t wait to inspire many members of FCA across all sports and organizations, players and coaches alike.”

FCA is a crucial part of Wakefield’s upbringing, and being able to come into community with others and hear about their journeys is something that resonates deeply with him.

“I’ve been a part of (FCA) since junior high, and I learned so much during that time,” Wakefield said. “What I love most is how different everyone’s stories about their path to Christ are.”

The Breakfast with Champions is a tool for anyone involved in FCA to congregate and join in fellowship around a common goal: strengthening their faith.

Abigail Green is a member of the Ole Miss Track team, and she is a regular attendee of FCA.

“With FCA, I have learned that I am more than just my sport,” Green said. “This organization has provided a safe community for me every Monday night that has shaped the way I live.”

This year has been a big one for Wakefield with all of the media attention he has gar-

nered for himself and Ole Miss Basketball. Despite all of this, he remains grounded.

“I just hope that I inspire other people around me and that I can help others come to know that throughout all the hardships we face, God will always be there for us,” Wakefield said.

Reaction to 2025 SEC football schedule

LUKE DUNAVANT thedmsports@gmail.com

The Ole Miss Football team’s schedule for the 2025-2026 season was released on Wednesday, March 20. The conference schedule is identical to the 2024-2025 season’s slate with flipped locations. With quarterback Jaxson Dart and tight end Caden Prieskorn, as well as a plethora of receivers, projected to leave, the football program could look vastly different in a season’s time. Here is how the 2025-2026 schedule shapes up. Dates and times of games are to be announced.

Georgia

As long as Head Coach Kirby Smart is at the helm at Georgia, the Bulldogs look to be a daunting opponent for just about every team. With a slew of five-star players coming in, Georgia will retool after the loss of players such as quarterback Carson Beck, who will almost certainly declare for the NFL draft after next season. This game will be in Athens, Ga., and Rebel fans know what happened last time Ole Miss took the trip east.

Kentucky

Kentucky’s football team is an unknown for the 2025-2026 season. After underwhelming seasons in 2023, 2024 could be a breakout year for the Wildcats and an opportunity to build for 2025, when they will host Ole Miss. Alternatively, Kentucky could be bad again, depending on the development of their young players.

Mississippi State

The 2025-26 season will be Jeff Lebby’s second year as head coach of the Mississippi State football program. The Bulldogs have a young team and in Lebby’s second year, with his system firmly in place, the Bulldogs could be dangerous. Starkville, Miss., is the home of the Egg Bowl in 2025.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma could be one of the more dangerous teams in the SEC in 2025-2026. The Sooners will be firmly in the SEC with players who could make an impact. They will most likely benefit from transfers attracted to the SEC. Norman, Okla., is always

a tough place to play, so we can expect the crowd to be very loud.

Arkansas

The Razorbacks have long been near the bottom of the SEC. With an influx of talent, the Razorbacks will look to finally make a push to the top of the conference. However, 2025 projects to be more like the last few years for the Razorbacks: disappointing.

Florida

The Gators are firmly in the middle of the pack, not being bad enough to be at the bottom but never good enough to be a serious contender. Who knows which transfers will be in and who will be gone? Who knows if Head Coach Billy Napier will still be the coach? Florida may be the biggest wild card on the 2025-2026 slate.

LSU

LSU is constantly a threat in the SEC, as they produce consistent NFL talent. Behind Head Coach Brian Kelly, the team should be very good even two years from now. Luckily, the Rebels will not have to travel to

Death Valley for this matchup.

South Carolina

The Gamecocks are a lot like the Razorbacks, so most of what was said about that team applies here, too. The team should not be much

of a challenge for the Rebel squad.

However, Head Coach Shane Beamer is known for pulling at least one magnificent upset every year, so all we can do is hope that he does not in Oxford in 2025.

Lane Kiffin looks onto the field during a game while standing on the sideline.

PHOTO COURTESY: JOSHUA MCCOY / OLE MISS ATHLETICS

‘He’s got a chance!’ Former Ole Miss athlete among 25 selected for ‘Bachelorette’

LUKE DUNAVANT thedmsports@gmail.com

The 21st season of “The Bachelorette” is quickly approaching, and Rebel fans of the show can expect to see a friendly face on their screens.

Former Ole Miss tight end Jonathan Hess will be among the bachelors competing for the affections of bachelorette

Jenn Tran. Hess, 24 years old, is an assistant coach for the Ole Miss Rebels and started the fire extinguisher touchdown celebration trend.

Hess, along with 24 other contestants, will go on a series of dates with Tran in hopes of

receiving the final rose she presents at the series’ conclusion.

Lane Kiffin took time out of his press conference on Tuesday, March 26, to talk about Hess.

“I feel like it’s kind of like the basketball tournament or the playoffs in football,” Kiffin said. “I feel like if (Hess) can make it and get some momentum going and get past the beginning — to where people see a lot of him — then I think he’s got a chance because of his personality.”

Season 21 of “The Bachelorette” will air on ABC during the summer.

Since 1970 2023

• Former Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

• Former Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

• Still practicing at his privately owned law firm for over 50 consecutive - located at the same place, being the Oxford Square, Downtown, Oxford, Mississippi.

• Practiced at his privately owned law firm for 45 consecutive years - located at the same place, being the Oxford Square, Downtown, Oxford, Mississippi.

• Taught the Mississippi DUI Law and 5 different Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure courses each and every semester at the University of Mississippi for 29 consecutive years.

• Taught the Mississippi DUI Law and 5 different Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure courses each and every semester at the University of Mississippi for 29 consecutive years.

• A member of the Chancellor’s Trust at the University of Mississippi since 1981.

• A member of the Chancellor’s Trust at the University of Mississippi since 1981.

• Former Municipal Prosecutor for the City of Oxford, Mississippi for over 6 years.

• Former Municipal Prosecutor for the City of Oxford, Mississippi for over 6 years.

• Former Municipal Court Judge for the City of Oxford, Mississippi for 8 years.

• Former Municipal Court Judge for the City of Oxford, Mississippi for 8 years.

• Former Vice President and President of the Lafayette County Bar Association; member of the Mississippi Bar Association, etc.

• Former Vice President and President of the Lafayette County Bar Association; member of the Mississippi Bar Association, etc.

• Appointed by the Mississippi State Bar to the Mississippi Commission on Attorney Ethics and Attorney Violations of the Canon of Ethics and All Mandatory Rules concerning the Practice of Law. Occupied the positions of Vice Chairman and Chairman and served for 18 years.

• Appointed by the Mississippi State Bar to the Mississippi Commission on Attorney Ethics and Attorney Violations of the Canon of Ethics and All Mandatory Rules concerning the Practice of Law. Occupied the positions of Vice Chairman and Chairman, served for 18 years.

• A Founding Member of the National College for DUI Defense conducted at Harvard Law School.

• A Founding Member of the National College for DUI Defense conducted at Harvard Law School.

• Selected as one of the Top 50 DUI Attorneys in Mississippi by the National Advocacy for DUI Defense.

• Selected as one of the Top 50 DUI Attorneys in Mississippi by the National Advocacy for DUI Defense.

• Selected as one of the Top 10 Best Attorneys of Mississippi in for Client Satisfaction Award by the American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys.

• Selected as one of the Top 10 Best Attorneys of Mississippi in for Client Satisfaction Award by the American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys.

• Selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Organization.

• Selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Organization.

• Recipient of the DISTINGUISHED AWARD OF MERIT for 1989 from the Mississippi State Bar given to one Attorney in the State each year for outstanding contributions to the practice of law.

• Recipient of the DISTINGUISHED AWARD OF MERIT for 1989 from the Mississippi State Bar given to one Attorney in the State of Mississippi each year for outstanding contributions to the practice of law.

• Voted “Best Attorney in Oxford, Mississippi” in the Grove’s Choice Awards.

• Voted “Best Attorney in Oxford, Mississippi” in the Grove’s Choice Awards.

• Member of the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys

• Member of the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys

• Member of the National League of Renowned Attorneys - Top 1%

• Member of the National League of Renowned Attorneys - Top 1%

• Awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Distinction by RNCC.

• Awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Distinction by RNCC.

• Member of the American Jurist Institute - Top 10 DUI/DWI Attorney for Mississippi

• Member of the American Jurist Institute - Top 10 DUI/DWI Attorney for Mississippi

• Member of the American Society of Legal Advocates - Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyers in the State of Mississippi

• Member of the American Society of Legal Advocates - Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyers in the State of Mississippi

• Selected by the Attorney and Practice Magazine as one of Mississippi’s Top 10 Attorneys, et cetera.

• Selected by the Attorney and Practice Magazine as one of Mississippi’s Top 10 Attorneys, et cetera.

Jonathan Hess

PHOTO COURTESY: ABC

Legalized discrimination: New laws threaten LGBTQ community

In classic Magnolia State fashion, legislation that discriminates against minority communities has recently gained traction in the legislature.

Four Mississippi bills that target the LGBTQ community have progressed forward during this legislation and, in turn, garnered controversy.

House Bill 1607, self-righteously named the Women’s Bill of Rights, looks to provide specific definitions for terms like man, woman, mother, father, etc. Many of these descriptions are written in ways that conflate sex with gender, excluding transitioning or gender-fluid individuals. For example, the bill defines “man” as, “an adult human of the male sex.”

The bill goes further right by outright defining “sex:”

“‘Sex’ means a person’s biological sex, either male or female, as observed or clinically verified at birth. ‘Sex’ is objective and fixed: there are only two (2) sexes, and every individual is either male or female. ‘Sex’ does not include gender identity or other terms intended to convey a person’s subjective sense of self. ‘Gender identity’ and other such subjective terms may not be used as synonyms or substitutes for ‘sex.’”

The last definition in particular would be celebrated by the Westboro Baptist Church.

The deliberate attempt to legally invalidate gender non-conforming individuals’ identity is authoritarian and harms a percentage of the population which has been consistently growing over the past

decade. What’s more, the bill does not write out legal penalties for those who behave in manners which might violate or contradict the framework provided, meaning that the laws could be broadly interpreted to punish queer individuals.

Perhaps most ironic of all, the so-called Women’s Bill of Rights does not lay out a single right for any of the individuals defined within. This greatly limits the volatility of such legislation, which is a good thing. Keep in mind Mississippi was home to the Goon Squad, a group of Rankin County police officers who tortured individuals in place of doing simple investigative tasks. Imagine the dystopia the state would come to be if lawmakers were given the liberty to assign punishments for having a non-traditional gender or sexual identity.

Well, legislators hold exactly that power. They chose to not load the bill with legal penalties, though.

So, if the bill goes as far to explicitly define the experience of gender and sex for millions of individuals in the state but does nothing to enforce the observation of these definitions, what is the purpose of writing and passing such legislation?

To give lawmakers the benefit of the doubt, there is potential that the bill could serve as a reference point in court cases. Republican Rep. Joey Hood argues that this bill is a document meant to ensure consistency and protection of women.

Interestingly, Rep. Hood inadvertently gave the public some insight to how harmful this bill could be in regard to gender non-conforming individuals: “Now, if someone wants to identify as some -

thing else, that’s not going to give them the effect under the statute. We’re just saying under the state of Mississippi and the law, this body right here, we’re saying if a statute or anything says male, female, woman, boy, that means the sex that you’re born with.”

If this was the intended purpose of the bill, lawmakers would leave interpretation and implementation to local governments, which would perhaps be a more grave sentence for queer people across the state.

I can only picture the resources that will hypothetically be invested in the bathroom police. I wish I could unimagine the hypothetical, lewd stop-and-frisk necessary to determine the sex of bathroom-goers. I digress.

The fact that this bill lacks a backbone could be a good thing. It could mean less opportunity for things to go south. Still, it also leaves the backdoor open for adverse interpretation. Furthermore, this is one of the most egregious instances of legislators engaging in image politics. House-Bill 1607 passed through the chamber on a 82-30 vote, with all of the disagreeing votes coming from the Democratic party.

The Republican party mindlessly pushed this bill through in order to flex their reactionary muscles once again. In what has quickly become a stale, tasteless way to display political ideology, image politics pollute what has otherwise been a relatively progressive legislation session.

Justice Rose is the opinion editor. He is a junior journalism major from Madison, Miss.

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 with no repeats. DIFFICULTY LEVEL

Headliner; 51- Neckwear; 52- Personal quirk; 54- Nacreous; 61- ___ about (roughly); 63- Legree’s creator; 64- Buck follower; 65- Stuck in ___; 66- Satisfied; 67- Lewd look; 68- Head of France?; 69- Mai ___ (drink); 70- Venus de ___; DOWN 1- Water: Sp.; 2- Camp beds; 3- Memorable times; 4- Remove the antlers; 5- Middle Eastern bread; 6- ___ first you don’t...; 7- ___

Three things pro sports can learn from March Madness

FRED WILLIAMS JUSTICE ROSE thedmopinion@gmail.com

March Madness has been even more exciting than we typically ask for as fans, despite the Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team’s inability to seed in the tournament and the Lady Rebels’ early exit. While the upsets may not be as severe as the spectacles we witnessed last year, underdogs and medium seeds have progressed much further than anticipated.

Four-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide and their balanced attack have exceeded expectations by advancing to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Eleven-seeded NC State and D.J. Burns Jr. are the biggest Cinderella stories, besting Duke in an Elite Eight match that got away toward the end.

However, March Madness has many redeeming qualities as a televised sporting event outside of upsets. In fact, I think professional sports, especially the NBA, could learn a lot by taking notes from the 68team collegiate tournament.

The prominence of women’s sports

The NCAA is chock-full

of talented athletes in every sport. There is no exception to this rule, whether it be men’s or women’s sports or football or rowing. Any time you gather any number of teams similar in talent, you can expect to consistently see strategy and skill spark up.

So, the emergence of women’s basketball is not because all of a sudden women are competent and have learned how to dribble and shoot. Instead, the rise of the sport is due to continued exposure and investment. Look at the WNBA. While not the most financially successful business endeavor, women’s basketball as a whole is much more popular and accessible due to the commitment from television networks to broadcast the immense talent of these women. What we are seeing today regarding the discourse surrounding the sport is a culmination of decades of investment. In fact, the NBA owns and is the driving promoter of the WNBA brand.

Still, it helps that we are witnessing generational talents in NCAA Women’s Basketball. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is the most prolific scorer in basketball right now, shredding defenses night to night on her way to becoming the lead -

ing scorer in college basketball history. Seeing Clark pick apart LSU before detonating them in the third quarter was a thing of beauty. What’s more, Clark approaches the game with a killer mentality that any hooper can appreciate.

Other stars like LSU’s Angel Reese and Southern California’s JuJu Watkins have kept fans entertained and engaged with their larger-than-life attitudes and undeniable skills on the court. I mean, Watkins looked like a prime Brandon Roy while pouring in 51 points against Stanford earlier this year. If you don’t like that, you don’t like NCAA basketball.

Fewer ads

Watching the NCAA tournament in a world where the NBA plays commercials during free throws is a godsend. It’s a look at what life should be like. Sigh.

It was not too long ago when the NBA was less money-hungry. In recent years, however, NBA game length has increased exponentially due to broadcasters constantly looking for more opportunities to show us Burger King Whopper ads.

Of course, collegiate games have ads, but they relegate many of these commercials to halftime, team timeouts and

dedicated television timeouts. Even during moments that feel ad-heavy during the tournament, there is almost certainly another live game to tune into.

It doesn’t help that NBA games sometimes become annoyingly long due to official reviews which referees seem to judge incorrectly more often than not. Yes, I know what the last two-minute report suggests. However, I also have two working eyeballs — a skill that many refs envy.

Ironically, while the NBA might play the most commercials, it is not the pro sports league struggling the most with game length. That would be the MLB, which has recently sought to eliminate many of the lollygagging characteristics of baseball. I mean, the sport is literally called America’s pastime — and it does that a little too effectively.

Single-elimination

Many of the upsets we love and seek dearly are purely due to the significant variance introduced by playing a single-elimination tournament. Basically, anything can happen in one game. It’s the same reason why the NFL playoff has many unpredictable moments and draws the most viewers

of any North American sport.

We are starting to see other pro sports begin to implement or promote single-elimination tournaments. The NBA introduced the In-Season Tournament this past winter to great acclaim from fans. The MLB heavily supported the World Baseball Classic last summer, too. While these tournaments have hybrid elements in which losing teams still have the opportunity for redemption, later rounds are classic sudden-death.

Finally, another major reason people love the single-elimination style of the NCAA tournament is the opportunity to hit big on bets.

I think we are at a point as sports consumers where we must accept that betting drives a lot of athletics conversation and consumption. March Madness being designed the way it is renders it a bettor’s paradise with the opportunity to cash out at every turn.

Fred Williams is a junior political science and African American studies major from Greenville, Miss. Justice Rose is the opinion editor. He is a junior journalism major from Madison, Miss.

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