Mississippi Day provides open house experience

TANISSA RINGO

The University of Mississippi invited students, faculty, staff and alumni to campus to celebrate Mississippi Day on Saturday, April 15. The annual event took place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Mississippi Day is an outdoor event that mimics an “open house” for visitors to explore various exhibitions and demonstrations, mingle with university academic departments and engage in family-friendly activities.

Each academic department had a booth to inform prospective students and their parents about their programs.

Freshman biology major Destiny Kirksey volunteered

Hall Of Fame

continued from page 1 said. “These last four years have definitely been some of the best years of my life and receiving this honor is the perfect way to end my time at the university.”

Kelly Li, a public policy and leadership major from Hattiesburg, expressed her joy that she could celebrate her honor openly now that the results have been released.

Ethan Bailey

continued from page 1 ing,” Fruge said. “We will miss him dearly but will always remember the good times that we were able to have with Ethan and will always have him as a brother.”

Brent Marsh, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs with the chemistry department to demonstrate a creation of edible slime worms for children at the booth.

“It was very eye opening to see so many people on campus. I didn’t expect to see so many age ranges of people that showed – to kids to parents,” Kirksey said. “It was a good experience to see all the different departments entertain the kids, and it was very interesting to see.”

Mississippi Day was one of several events held last weekend, offering a chance for the public, students, faculty, staff and alumni to highlight the university’s contributions to the state of Mississippi.

“One of my favorite parts about Mississippi Day is the opportunity to give children

“I’ve been keeping the news a secret for the past couple of months now. It feels surreal getting to finally share it and getting to celebrate it with others. Everywhere I go, someone is congratulating me on this honor, and it makes me feel like I did something right and accomplished something really special,” Li said.

Li is Chinese and a first-generation immigrant, and she hoped her honor could serve as inspiration and and dean of students, urged students impacted by Bailey’s death to reach out to the University Counseling Center.

“Our hearts are heavy as we grapple with Ethan Bailey’s passing. I offer my deepest condolences to his family, friends and fraternity brothers as they navigate this difficult time,” Marsh said. “I encourage any stu - of all ages memories at Ole Miss that aren’t just tailgating in the Grove, as fun as that is,” Emily Ferris, associate director of the division of outreach, said. She has held her position since 2018. proof for other students of color that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

Ferris said the event opens up the possibilities at Ole Miss.

“They can have fun engaging with our amazing faculty and student volunteers — something they will remember forever — and at the same time, it exposes them to all the different opportunities we have at Ole Miss,” Ferris said.

Ferris has coordinated Mississippi Day for the past two years.

University of Mississippi students and faculty welcome hundreds of guests to the university’s annual Mississippi Day, highlighting various programs and opportunities on campus, on April 15.

“The whole day offers prospective students, families, visitors and even current students the opportunity to interact with the university in a new and exciting way,” Ferris said.

“I believe the biggest accomplishment is showing the next generation of students of color that come behind me that anything is possible, including the greatest honor on this campus,” Li said.

Li urged students to find something they were passionate about and pursue it.

“There isn’t a cheat code to being inducted into the Hall dent impacted by this loss to connect with the University Counseling Center for grief support and related needs.”

Bailey is survived by his mother, Ericia Busby Marrone of Nesbit; his father, Kevin Corey Bailey of Coldwater; his sisters, Madelyn Savage of Nesbit and Maggie Marrone of Guliford, Conn.; his step-father, David Mar - of Fame. You don’t have to be the smartest, the most involved or the most popular person on campus by any means,” Li said. “Find something that you are passionate about and work tirelessly to leave an impact in it. That is a true legacy and the biggest honor, getting to leave something better behind for others that come after us.”

Li, who plans on attending law school, is passionate about improving public school education, civil rights, criminal jus- rone of Cordova, Tenn.; his grandmothers, Janice Bailey of Olive Branch, and Pamela Denham of Houlka; his grandfather, Sonny Busby (Susan Rikard) of Olive Branch; his great-grandmother, Virginia Sheppard (Bill) of Horn Lake; his uncles, Randall Bailey (Heather) of Olive Branch and Chris Oaks (Andrea) of Olive Branch; and his aunts, tice, sports and entertainment law in the state of Mississippi.

“I could not have done this without the love and support of my parents, my brother Addam Li (a sophomore at UM), Justice Rose, Caleb Bohannon, Jonathan Mingo, Dr. Jennifer Simmons, Professor Chris Sparks, Dr. Bob Brown, Dr. Melissa Bass, Dr. Jennifer Parsons, Dr. Ashleen Williams, Donte Ferrell, and many more I wish I had the space to name and thank,” Li said.

Kim Arrington (Mario) of Olive Branch, Nikki Sanderson (Floyd) of Byhalia and Lisa Stegall (Matt) of Pontotoc.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Ducks Unlimited to honor Bailey’s memory.

Bailey’s funeral was held on Wednesday, April 19, at Compel Church in Olive Branch, Miss.

Creating communities is one of the biggest opportunities when attending college, and at the University of Mississippi, the Queer People of Color Club is an emerging community that aims to create a safe haven and voice for queer people.

Although the organization has existed previously, the pandemic put a temporary halt to the club, leaving it dormant for a few years. Recently, however, it has been rebranded and is set to host \events and meetings to spread awareness.

Sophomore Reagan Davis,