The Daily Mississippian | April 18th, 2024

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

At a school like the University of Mississippi, it would be an overstatement to say that the students who attend school today are attending at a “most transformative time.” Historically, UM rarely finds itself unaffected by the social upheavals that define the contours of history. Still, students today are making the transition into adulthood in a world that is changing more than it stays the same.

Today’s editors of The Daily Mississippian — now in its 112th year — are part of a rich journalistic tradition. As a result of this, we often find ourselves looking back through decades of the newspapers, each one telling us things about our campus and its students that now exist only within those pages. Student opinions on international affairs and editorials about campus elections are in abundance, but you have to squint between the lines to really understand the culture — what clothes people wore, what music they listened to and what things they valued.

The function of this edition of the DM is to enshrine a clear snapshot of what Ole Miss students are like in 2024. It is as much for the readers of today as it is for the historians of tomorrow. Amid everything else that is going on in the world, we are taking a second to talk about ourselves.

I am the 112th editor of the DM and this is my last edition. In farewell, I’d like to thank our adviser Dennis Moore, SMC staff members Jared Senseman, Steven Miller, Shantra Joynes, Larz Roberts and MacKenzie Ross, as well as professors in the School of Journalism and New Media for their guidance. I’d also like to extend my deepest appreciation to the editors, writers, photographers, designers and artists of the 112th, 111th and 110th volumes of the DM. Working with these students has been the honor of my life. At the DM, we do our best — nothing would have been possible in the past three years without these people.

To the community of the University of Mississippi, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you.

Thank You, Violet Jira

VIOLET JIRA editor-in-chief dmeditor@gmail.com

HAL FOX managing editor dmmanaging@gmail.com

REESE ANDERSON copy chief thedmcopy@gmail.com

KHARLEY REDMON enterprise news editor thedmnews@gmail.com

ASHLYNN PAYNE news editor thedmnews@gmail.com

JUSTICE ROSE opinion editor thedmopinion@gmail.com

CLAY HALE arts and culture editor thedmfeatures@gmail.com

CAROLINE MCCUTCHEN assistant arts and culture editor thedmfeatures@gmail.com

CAMERON LARKIN

WILL ROMANO sports editors thedmsports@gmail.com

ASHTON SUMMERS photo editor thedmphotos@gmail.com

KENNEDI STANCIL assistant photo editor thedmphotos@gmail.com

ERIN FOLEY

LIBBY FLANAGAN design editors thedmdesign@gmail.com

SAVANNAH SHOOK AVERY THOMAS social media managers thedmsocialmedia@gmail. com

WILL JONES multimedia editor dailymissmedia@gmail.com

HAILEY AUSTIN online editor thedmonline@gmail.com S.

4 Rebels anonymous: Maintaining

ARTS AND CULTURE

5 Behind the culture of Mississippi’s ‘No. 1

SPORTS

LARZ ROBERTS Director of Student Media

DENNIS MOORE Editorial

OWEN

OPINION

REBELS ANONYMOUS: MAINTAINING SOBRIETY AT THE SCHOOL THAT ‘NEVER LOSES A PARTY’

BELLA BREWER thedmnews@gmail.com

Good times in a college town like Oxford often include tailgating, listening to live music on the Square and social events around town and on campus. More often than not, alcohol is part of the equation.

According to Visit Oxford Mississippi, there are 19 bars on the Square, inviting those who visit to relax and enjoy a drink. Numerous restaurants on the Square also serve alcoholic beverages. It can seem as though alcohol is around every corner in college. According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “27.4% of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 reported binge drinking in the past month.”

Still, there are individuals in the University of Mississippi community who choose to remain sober. So, what does sobriety look like in a college town?

For freshman Chinese and international studies double major Cali Orman, a support system is vital.

“I maintain sobriety with people who respect my choice of remaining sober,” Orman said. “A lot of times, I hear people say that they can’t have fun unless they are drunk, and that is really sad because it’s totally not true.”

Mason Glaze, a graduate assistant for the Collegiate Recovery Community is four years sober. He explained the importance of being involved in a like-minded community.

“The meaning of sobriety is truly up to the individual,” Robbins said. “Though I am not in recovery, I see sobriety as something beautiful. When I hear people tell their recovery story, you can literally see the impact that it has on others.”

For some UM students, maintaining sobriety has been easy.

“Alcohol has never been of interest to me, but I sure do have a handful of friends who drink and do stuff like that. So (in) maintaining sobriety, I kind of just stick to what I was taught in the household and try to stay close with God,” freshman exercise science major Jordan Sanderson said.

Though they may be less visible than fraternity parties, sober events do take place frequently on campus.

“The Collegiate Recovery Community holds so many unique events to provide not only a safe space but also a community of support around sobriety. For example (they host) tailgates, mocktail events, game nights, movie nights and more,” Robbins said.

The William Magee Center hosted an alcohol-free Valentine’s Day event, Boos Not Booze, to give those interested a space to feel comfortable and included. Freshman general business major Francesca Procaccini was in attendance.

“Managing staying sober for me looks like attending meetings weekly and staying tied into the local and immediate sober communities on campus and in Oxford as a whole,” Glaze said. “I maintain my recovery first and foremost.”

Sometimes, maintaining sobriety means living a different version of college life.

“For me and those that remain sober beside me, staying sober during this time means that there are things that I do and do not do that go against the common or average way of living for many people in similar ages or periods in their lives,” Glaze said. “An example might be that I frequently spend my nights outside of classwork and the gym in anonymous meetings at the William Magee Center focused on working a strong recovery program.”

Autumn Robbins, student outreach specialist for the William Magee Center for Alcohol and Other Drugs and Wellness Education emphasized that what it means to be sober is different for everyone.

“The meaning of sobriety is truly up to the individual. Though I am not in recovery, I see sobriety as something beautiful. When I hear people tell their recovery story, you can literally see the impact that it has on others.”

- Autumn Robbins

Student outreach specialist for the William Magee Center for Alcohol and Other Drugs and Wellness Education

“I really enjoyed the Valentine’s Day cocktail event that was at the William Magee Center. My friend and I went because we were without a valentine, and so we just decided to partake in a non-alcoholic mixer event,” Procaccini said. “Many people think drinking is the center of our college lives, but when the (William Magee) center is able to create a sober atmosphere, it makes me feel more comfortable in being here,” Pocaccini said. Robbins emphasized the importance of normalizing sobriety.

“It is so beyond important that sobriety be accepted inside and outside of campus. Our generation advocates so much for mental health and being yourself, but we tend to judge those who do not fit into our bubble,” Robbins said. “I do not care for the bar scene and am typically responded to with odd looks and a quick end of conversation when I tell people that. This is exactly why sobriety needs to be accepted.”

Sanderson believes that drinking is not synonymous with having a good time.

“A lot of people will say, ‘You are missing out,’ but I still have a good time at parties and hangouts with my friends,” Sanderson said.

“Being sober has just all around put me in a better spirit the majority of the time around my friends who do drink. I feel more happy and relaxed while others are depressed and anxious.”

Choosing sobriety is not a weakness, Robbins said.

“Sobriety means strength. Sobriety is strength,” she said.

BEHIND

When people think of the University of Mississippi, the words “party,” “Greek life,” “tailgating” and “bars” come to mind. Partying has been a notorious part of UM’s culture for years. Students from all over the United States attest to the school’s rollicking reputation; some enroll in UM because it is known as a “party school.”

UM is ranked among the top 15 party schools in the country, along with schools like Tulane University, the University of Alabama and Howard University, according to Niche. The school ranking and review website uses student reviews and nightlife statistics to rank colleges based on the vibrance and diversity of their party scenes. Also according to Niche (and common perception), UM is the No. 1 party school in Mississippi.

UM’s home, the city of Oxford, contributes to its lively reputation. Countless festivals, cultural events and music and performance venues give cause to social gathering.

Freshman exercise science major Amelia McKinley from Ridgeland, Miss., said that before she came to Ole Miss, she knew it was a party school.

“I heard stories that people would go there and ‘go crazy’ and that partying would take control of people’s lives,” McKinley said. “The question, ‘Are you going out tonight?’ is one of the most common questions that I get, (more so) than ‘How are you?’”

From McKinley’s perspective, partying carries social significance for students at UM.

“I think partying is big in Oxford because it is known as the home of the school that has ‘never lost a party.’ I think, socially, if you don’t party or go out, you tend to be left out, and it can be harder to meet people,” McKinley said. “I tend to have a good time and know my limits, but I’ve seen so many who don’t. I’d say I go out at least once a week, and that’s not considered a lot.”

Before attending UM, Pearl, Miss. native Christiana Davis, a freshman double major in communication sciences and disorders and special education, was not as aware of the school’s party culture as some other students.

“I didn’t really know much about the party culture until I got here, honestly. I knew it was a big football school, but I didn’t know it was also a big party and Greek life school,” Davis said.

For Davis, partying is something she enjoys from time to time. However, she always makes sure her priorities are in order.

“I go out very occasionally, but I also treat it as an incentive. So if I don’t have all of my homework done before a party or before going out, I don’t go because at the end of the day, I’m here for school, not to party

24/7,” Davis said.

She also believes that some students may take partying too seriously.

“I think some students should relax on (partying) a bit,” Davis said. “Like, babe, it’s Tuesday and you have an 8 a.m. The bar will still be there this weekend. I promise.”

Most of the bars on the Square, where students often gather to drink and socialize, are exclusive to people who are 21 or older — the legal drinking age. However, many underage age students purchase and use fake IDs to sneak into 21-plus establishments and drink.

A junior student at the university purchased a fake ID and asked to remain anonymous. Being caught with a fake ID is illegal in Mississippi,

with maximum sentences of $500 or six months in jail.

“(Obtaining a fake ID) is fairly easy. It’s just expensive. If you don’t order with a large group, they can be hundreds of dollars,” the student said. “I got mine from a website. I placed an order with a group of kids in my dorm and got it for about $60.”

One motivation for using fake IDs is FOMO — otherwise known as the fear of missing out.

“Initially, I got it to be able to go out to bars and socialize because I hated being left out. It can be hit or miss these days, but it works most of the time,” the student said. “Now, I usually just use it if I’m entertaining friends or buying nicotine.”

thedmsports@gmail.com

We are perhaps in a golden era of football at Ole Miss. With Head Coach Lane Kiffin at the helm, the Rebels are looking to become, if not a dynasty, at least a yearly contender. The team has achieved 10-win seasons and New Year’s Six Bowl appearances in two of the past three seasons. 2023’s record-setting 11-win campaign was capped with a Peach Bowl victory.

Success is hard to come by in the SEC, especially against the likes of Alabama and Georgia. One thing that has helped Ole Miss stay nationally relevant is Kiffin’s willingness to adapt when building his roster.

Managing the transfer portal and NIL are keys to success in today’s football world, and Kiffin has both

developed high school players and attracted transfer talent to assemble what may be one of the best-balanced teams in Ole Miss history.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receivers Jordan Watkins and Tre Harris and tight end Caden Prieskorn are just a handful of highly successful transfers that have transformed this football program.

The team is heading into next season as an odds-on favorite to make the new 12-team College Football Playoffs, which could help make the Rebels a perennial contender for years to come. The Rebels have the No. 1 transfer class in the 2024 season, causing many fans to think that next season poses an opportunity for the team to win it all.

The transfer class is led by Walter Nolan, a defensive lineman from Texas A&M. The team has a chance to revive the Landshark defense with Nolan and a slew of other defensive recruits.

The football program is also retaining key players from its current roster. With players such as Dart, Harris and Prieskorn — all of whom could have opted to declare for the NFL draft — deciding to stay another year, Ole Miss has found itself in a fortunate position. The coaches have retained top talent while also bringing in four- and five-star high school and transfer recruits to fill the gaps.

Jason Olson, a freshman computer science major, is stoked about the future of Ole Miss Football.

“The Ole Miss Rebels football team is in a very good place with Coach Kiffin,” Olson said. “Although we lost some players, the players we brought in should be more than enough to replace the ones that we lost. I’m very excited for the future of this program and the fact that I’m here right now.”

In mid-December 2023, as Kiffin received a contract extension, Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter shared his gratitude for Kiffin, praising his accomplishments since taking over Ole Miss Football in December 2019.

“Our football program is experiencing unprecedented success under Coach Kiffin, and we could not be more excited about what the future holds under his

leadership,” Carter said when Kiffin signed his extension. “In just four years, he has established our team as a sustained winner that is on a trajectory to championship status. With our continued investment in the program and the tremendous support of the Grove Collective, the Ole Miss family is committed to providing Coach Kiffin the resources needed to compete at an elite level.”

After his extension, Kiffin praised his coaching staff and players.

“They’ve done amazing to win 10 games in two of the last three seasons,” Kiffin said. “I think of where it was when we got here and where it is now and what’s going on in terms of recruiting leading into next year. It’s really amazing to be part of it.”

Brendan Keys, a freshman accounting major, thinks Kiffin has been instrumental in turning over a new leaf for the football program.

“The Ole Miss football program has a very bright future. The portal king (Lane Kiffin) is an absolute menace and an amazing coach,” Keys said. “(He) transformed a mediocre Ole Miss team into a top-10 team.”

Ole Miss has been on the cusp of greatness for two of the last three seasons. Kiffin has proven that he cares about this program enough to build one of the best transfer portal classes as well as arguably the nation’s best coaching staff — all of which has revived a once-dormant fanbase.

Cooper Chapman, a freshman business major, shared that he thinks 2024 might be the Rebels’ year.

“Going to Ole Miss games my entire life, I have seen the worst of the team, and I am very much excited to see what this team can accomplish in what I think is their (best) chance to win a championship,” Chapman said.

Lane Kiffin watches players warm up before a game against Auburn on Oct. 21, 2023.

Keith Carter retrospective: Ole miss athletics rises to national prominence

RUSS EDDINS thedmsports@gmail.com

Ole Miss has become a nationally relevant sports brand under the leadership of Keith Carter, the University of Mississippi’s Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics.

Since Carter’s appointment on Nov. 22, 2019, Ole Miss has won national championships in baseball and women’s golf, the football team has played in two New Year’s Six bowl games and Ole Miss has scored its highest finishes in the Learfield College Directors’ Cup. In the 2021-22 season alone, 16 of 18 Rebel sports teams made the NCAA tournaments.

Carter has handled all that while navigating COVID-19 lockdowns, the introduction of NIL, the formation of the Grove Collective and the complexities of the transfer portal

Carter’s first major move as athletic director was to hire Lane Kiffin as the head coach of the football team. That move has paid off big time for Carter and Ole Miss.

Under Kiffin, Ole Miss football has completed two 10+ win seasons and competed in two NY6 bowls. Most recently, the Rebels defeated Penn State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and ended the 2023 campaign with their highest AP final ranking (No. 9) in over 50 years.

“(We) needed something that would kind of galvanize the program,” Carter said in an interview with The Daily Mississippian.“Then to hire Lane Kiffin was a good move on both sides. … Hopefully we’re just getting started.”

After the acquisition of Kiffin, Carter landed softball Head Coach Jamie Trachsel, who led the University of Minnesota to its first Women’s College World Series. Since Trachsel took the helm, the Lady Rebels have made two NCAA Regional Finals appearances and collected 12 conference wins during the 2022 season, the most in program history.

In Carter’s second year as the athletic director, 16 of 18 Rebel teams reached their respective NCAA tournaments. Ole Miss recorded its highest finish (No. 20) in the Learfield Cup standings, the highest ever for any school in Mississippi.

During that same year, the Ole Miss Baseball team won its first College World Series championship, arguably the most outstanding achievement in the history of Ole Miss sports.

“I think the consistency of our 18 sports has been good. … We’ve been able to elevate the brand of Ole Miss Athletics,” Carter said. “I think (we) have had some national prominence and relevance that’s been really cool.”

Carter’s most recent major move was hiring Chris Beard as the head coach of men’s basketball. The former NCAA coach of the year made an immediate impact on the team with a 13-0 start to the 2023-24 season.

Even though the men’s team did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament and finished the season

7-11 in conference play, Carter granted Beard a long-term contract extension.

While Carter acknowledged that people judge athletic directors on how much they win, he wants people to remember him as someone who worked hard and treated people well.

“We’re not gonna win at all costs. … We want to make sure we’re treating people the right way, building a great staff, a great culture and bringing in student-athletes that fit that culture and want to be Ole Miss Rebels,” Carter said. “I guess what I would want other people to think about me is that I worked really hard for this great institution. … I put our student-athletes first … and then ultimately that I was a good person.”

Just as much attention is now paid to an athletic director’s handling of the changing dynamics of collegiate sports as to the program’s total wins and losses.

“It’s interesting with the way NIL, the portal and the (Grove) collective are all happening at the same time,” Carter said. “It’s been a little bit

of a perfect storm for change and growth and getting out of your comfort zone. (It’s) a little bit like COVID in some ways. … You’re trying to be proactive, but at the same time, you don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself.”

As was the case all over the country, COVID-19 took a toll on athletics, and it has been an uphill battle reestablishing Ole Miss as a force in sports.

“(The COVID-19 pandemic) was tough. … It felt like every day, there was new information that was happening in real-time. You were trying to make the best decisions you could with the information you had,” Carter said. “It was comforting to know that everybody was kind of fighting the same battle.”

Almost every sport for which Ole Miss fields a team has benefited from Carter’s leadership.

“We’ve got a lot left to do,” Carter said. “That’s what we talk about a lot here. We want to continue to push the envelope, be aggressive, be creative and continue to make Ole Miss a national brand.”

Keith Carter smiles after a football game against Arkansas on Oct. 7, 2023, in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

WHAT IS OLE MISS?

BRYNN BATES ISABELLE FROST thedmnews@gmail.com

Many stereotypes surround Ole Miss, but what is the University of Mississippi’s true identity?

Before they begin their time at the University of Mississippi, every student has an idea of the university’s collective identity. Ole Miss has been called a party school, a rich school, a football school, a racist school and much more. When students’ time in Oxford comes to a close, they often look back and realize it was nothing like what they thought it would be.

So what is Ole Miss, really?

Adjunct Professor of Law Instruction, Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Philip Levy spent his undergraduate and graduate school years at UM.

“I always thought of Ole Miss as a party school for fraternities and sororities. If you can’t get plugged into the fraternity or sorority life, well, you’re not going to find your place. I think that Ole Miss stereotype totally undersells the breadth and the amount of diversity that I see now,” he said.

“I think for most students, the perspective still is that it’s just a social school or it’s just a party school, but you can get a fantastic education and compete with just about anybody in the country,” he said. “Coming out of all this, I firmly believe that, and I think it’s not a fair perception to say that all this is just a social school and not also an academic school.”

Senior biochemistry major and Laurel, Miss., native Kasia Hosey’s experiences as a former UM College Panhellenic Council president have influenced how she views the university.

“Most of my leadership has been within Greek life, so I have definitely seen the drinking and partying aspects of the Ole Miss experience. However, many would be shocked to see just how committed the Greek life community is to academics, service and breaking barriers on a national scale,” Hosey said. “Contrary to popular belief, this place is full of people who are willing to see, love and respect you for who you are.”

While some students and alumni have found their preconceptions about Ole Miss to be untrue, others have had experiences that affirm the beliefs they arrived with, such as freshman integrated marketing communications major and New Jersey native Reagan Phalines.

“Coming into Ole Miss, I knew it was preppy and there were a lot of people with a lot of money. Now that I’m here, that stereotype is definitely true,” Phalines said. Even students from closer to Oxford have heard such stereotypes.

A native of Fulton, Miss., senior integrated marketing communications major Brady Wood is a member of the Pride of the South Marching Band and the for mer president of the Baptist Student Union. Wood was also crowned homecoming king by his peers in the fall 2023 personality elections.

“I often heard when I announced I was coming here that Ole Miss students had some sort of superiority complex and that everyone is stuck-up in Oxford in comparison to the surrounding area,” Wood said.

Unlike Phalines, Wood believes that UM has defied this stereotype.

“Through my time at Ole Miss as a student, I can confidently say that I have never experienced a more welcoming, uplifting (and) positive student body than what exists here,” Wood said. “Through organizations like the band, the Baptist Student Union, Ole Miss Orientation and a variety of others, I felt like I had found the place that I could call home.”

Other stereotypes are a result of UM’s racist past — the university did not admit any Black students until the enrollment of James Meredith in 1962.

“I would say the most common stereotype at Ole Miss is that everyone is racist, and another one would be that they make African Americans feel like they don’t belong,” Deja Johnson, a senior criminal justice major, said.

“When I decided I was coming to Ole Miss at the end of my senior year in high school, I heard both of these comments throughout the duration of the summer, but I don’t believe that either of these statements are accurate. I’m not saying that there aren’t a few bad apples here on campus, but I don’t let one or two people ruin the majority,” Johnson said.

Erik Hom, a Chinese-American associate biology professor from New York City, has

“I always thought of Ole Miss as a party school for fraternities and sororities. If you can’t get plugged into the fraternity or sorority life, well, you’re not going to find your place. I think that Ole Miss stereotype totally undersells the breadth and the amount of diversity that I see now.”

- Philip

adjunct professor of law instruction, criminal justice and legal studies

Levy

Ole Miss students celebrate during a game against Arkansas in VaughtHemingway Stadium on Oct 7, 2023.

taught at UM for a decade and has witnessed firsthand the university’s evolution over the years.

“I think it’s more that there’s ignorance (at UM),” Hom said. “When I first came here … most of the issues of race were literally black and white. I remember most people wouldn’t know how to respond to me. I’ve been called a Mexican, and folks just completely mix up my name. Like, they’d call me ‘Dr. Kim.’”

Although these problems were shocking for Hom when he arrived, he pointed out that the university has become a more diverse place since his career at UM began.

“Now that we have more out-of-state and international students, I think it helps give way to new things,” he said.

Every school, UM included, comes with stereotypes — good, bad and ugly. But, with the university’s efforts to expand diversity and welcome students and faculty of all backgrounds, it seems that the question “What is Ole Miss?” requires more than a one-sentence answer.

“We have some students who come here and get full rides that are very accomplished and smart and will maximize the resources that they have, and we have kids here who are just partying every day,” Hom said. “We are extremely diverse in many ways.”

Aileen Lambert, LGBTQIA+ programs and initiatives coordinator in the UM Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement, echoed Wood’s praises of UM’s inclusivity.

“There’s probably an assumption that people in the South are homophobic or close-minded, and I think that’s a gross assumption,” Lambert said. “I found that people are curious. I’ve found that especially students in the LGBTQ community here are really excited to connect with one another and are really excited to support and help and engage with one another.”

Other students noted the sense of community at UM and throughout Oxford.

“I knew the stereotype of Ole Miss being a party school when I came here, but as a student athlete it does not feel like that because it isn’t what I make it to be,” Cade Flatt, a sophomore risk management and insurance major and member of the track team, said. “I would say not being in

“When I think of Ole Miss, I think of a place that allowed me to grow into my own. I only wish that those producing the stereotypes that are most well-known could see the university through the lens of my personal experience.”

- Kasia

former UM College Panhellenic Council president

18,533 undergraduate students

the party scene and bars too much, I notice how the school feels like a community.”

Sydney Stewart is completing her Masters of Science in athletic training after attending Auburn and earning her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science.

“Before coming to Ole Miss, I thought it was going to be really similar to Auburn except I thought there wouldn’t be much crossover between the university and the Oxford community,” Stewart said. “As soon as I got here I realized how small this area is and how the community is so involved with everything the university does. Watching the entire school and community buy into the traditions is so much fun to be a part of.”

Differences in backgrounds and lifestyles coming together is what makes UM unique. With such a large and diverse student population, there is a lot to learn from one another.

“There are 20,000 students at Ole Miss, and there are 20,000 ways of being at Ole Miss,” Lambert said.

Every person who walks through this campus has their own background, goals and experiences, so it should be no surprise that the identity of our campus comes from the identity of the students.

“While it’s been historically known as a university fixated on drinking, partying and Greek life, Ole Miss is so, so much more,” Hosey said. “When I think of Ole Miss, I think of a place that allowed me to grow into my own. I only wish that those producing the stereotypes that are most well-known could see the university through the lens of my personal experience.”

Hosey

A student studies in the Grove on April 16.

A UM student rides on a mechanical landshark outside of the student union on April 9

class on April 15.

*OXFORD CAMPUS

The good, the bad and the situationship: Do students commit anymore?

CLAIRE REYNOLDS thedmfeatures@gmail.com

The generation that grew up in an era of iconic romance movies like “A Walk to Remember” and “The Notebook” might assume that the all-consuming love depicted in these stories is representative of the romantic relationships young people aim to cultivate. However, some students at the University of Mississippi believe this to be far from the truth.

“No one is looking for anything serious. Everyone just wants to hang out,” Cheyann Jordhamo, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major, said. “I think it is our generation as a whole, but I also think being at a big SEC party school, people just want to have fun.”

Many students have swapped the classic “Notebook” love story for what is growing to be notoriously known as a “situationship.” There are countless opinions on what exactly a situationship is, but this intrapersonal connection is defined by its ambiguity.

According to Jordhamo, situationships are not an endeavor for the faint of heart.

“I would define a situationship as stressful. It

is basically just two people hanging out until someone catches feelings, and then it is done,” Jordhamo said. “When one person catches feelings and the other does not, it becomes ‘I don’t want a relationship, so let’s just end this here.’”

While some, like Jordhamo, view the vagueness of a situationship as a nuisance, others enjoy the idea of a less restricting connection.

“I feel like the ambiguity of situationships leads to more prompted conversations or open dialogue of ‘How do you feel about this? What do you see us as?’” Elle Lockard, a junior English major, said. “It makes people more willing to talk about how they view the relationship that they’re continuing to be involved in.”

Lockard believes that the lack of labels within situationships means more opportunities for personal development and estab -

“I would define a situationship as stressful. It is basically just two people hanging out until someone catches feelings, and then it is done.”

- Cheyann Jordhamo a sophomore pre-pharmacy major

lishing what an individual wants in a partner, as opposed to just accepting what a suitor brings to the table.

“I feel like there’s a lot of important independent growth that needs to come from evaluating what you want and what you need in a person, because what you want and what you need in a person are not always the same thing, even though we all want it to be,” Lockard said.

While Lockard and her boyfriend met each other in-person, she also respects the approach many take by turning to dating apps.

“I don’t think that there’s anything in regards to the validity of the relationships that gets decreased by talking on dating apps,” Lockard said.

“I think it puts so many different types of people in front of you looking for different things that it is almost overwhelming.”

Sophomore chemistry major Maranda Bullard met her boyfriend on

Tinder.

“Although unconventional, I think (dating apps) are a great way to meet people, and sometimes it works out,” Bullard said. “Although for my situation, it took a while for us to actually hang out, but it was totally worth it.”

There is much stigma surrounding the use of dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and others that are branded as being “designed to be deleted.”

“A lot of dating apps have become more hookup-based, but I do recommend them. They work. I do think some (people) are not suited for th em, but I think it is just (dependent upon) what they want and are looking for,” Bullard said.

While Lockard warned about the overwhelming nature of dating apps and Bullard testified to their effectiveness, people searching for relationships in the LGBTQ community find even less solace in swiping.

“I’ve looked at my friends’ Tinders before, and you can scroll endlessly, but when you’re on same-sex Tinder, you’ll notice that you can swipe for three minutes and you will run out of people within a 20-mile radius very, very quickly,” junior biology major Colin Gordy said.

Situationships are prevalent in Oxford’s gay community.

“Something else that is present would be DL boys” Gordy said.

DL, short for down-low, is a term used to describe individuals, typically men, who are not public with their attraction to members of the same sex.

“I don’t know if that term is commonly used outside of the community, but situationship isn’t something I would use to describe a relationship between an openly gay person and a DL person here,” Gordy said.

Gordy takes a negative view of situationships, considering them a result of social media gamifying romance.

“I don’t think that situationships are a natural part of human connection. It is something we have fabricated as a result of having access to billions of people across the world through social media and dating apps,” Gordy said. “Social media and dating apps have turned dating and genuine human connection into a game.”

John Gilder hugs Maranda Bullard as she laughs in Lamar Park on April 15.

A guide to Thursday nights in Oxford

“A long time ago, the locals figured out that Thursday nights are our weekend,” actress and Oxford resident Elise Fyke said. For long-time Oxonians and University of Mississippi students, Thursday evenings in Oxford have become one of the most cherished nights of the week, offering no shortage of activities. Here is a Thursday night itinerary featuring some local favorites that promise good food, exciting events and fun times.

GRACEY MASSENGILL

thedmfeatures@gmail.com

#1

5 p.m. – Dinner at South Depot Taco Shop

An early dinner on the Square is always a good time, and meeting friends at South Depot Taco Shop, 1004 Van Buren Ave., is a great start to the weekend. Who could say no to pulled pork nachos with queso on the side?

#2

6 p.m.

– Thacker Mountain Radio Show at The Powerhouse

Stroll through the Square to get to your next destination: The Powerhouse at 413 S. 14th St. Here, the weekly Thacker Mountain Radio Hour features live music from an in-house band and guest artists, plus a reading from and interview with an author. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., so if you would like a seat closer to the front, skip the Square walk and get there early. Many people enjoy listening to the radio show in their cars, but to experience it live with every sense is a treat. Thacker is the perfect place for students to experience a different side of Oxford’s creative culture. “It’s seeing old friends, and enjoying new experiences, writers and music (is) just a fun time,” Fyke said. “It feels very collective and homey.” The weekly talent lineup and location can be found on the Thacker Mountain Radio website.

#3

7 p.m. – Bingo at Moe’s BBQ

After a lovely time at the immersive radio show, take a walk to Moe’s BBQ, 311 S. Lamar Blvd., and enjoy a few rounds of bingo. Get there earlier and pick your seat at the Penny Bar downstairs or enjoy a table upstairs at Moe’s. It is $5 per bingo card, and the prizes range from Moe’s merchandise to flat screen televisions.

Psychology graduate student Sydney Wicks described his ideal bingo night. “I get two boards, some chicken fingers or some type of food to start things off and get ready for the game,” Wicks said. “It’s just a fun, casual bingo night with friends and sometimes strangers that you become friends with later.”

#4

7:30 p.m. – Board games at The Growler

The Growler, 265 N. Lamar Blvd., is a relaxed beer garden off the Square that allows patrons to have a quiet and intimate conversation with their friends. Play some board games, grab a drink or just have a lively chat.

#5

8 p.m. – Dessert at Yaya’s Frozen Yogurt

Yaya’s, 100 Courthouse Square, is the perfect place to satisfy your sweet tooth. Try the original tart yogurt flavor topped with strawberries and Snickers bites — you will not regret it.

#6

8:30 p.m. – Late-night music at the Lyric or Proud Larry’s

Check out venues such as the Lyric Theater or Proud Larry’s for live music performances. Most of the time, you will need a ticket prior to Thursday night for the Lyric, 1006 Van Buren Ave. You could also head over to Proud Larry’s, 211 S. Lamar Blvd., and pay at the door. Expect a $5 fee if you’re under 21 years of age.

And

#7

10 p.m. – Snack run at chicken-ona-stick

After an evening of fun, your belly may be in need of a small snack. Head to one of the Chevron gas stations north and south of the Square for some of the world’s best gas station fried chicken (on a stick). It’s an Oxford tradition for a reason.

Loaded teas and muscle tees: wellness culture prevails across UM campus

DENTON JENKINS

JORJA CARTER

CAMERON LARKIN

thedmnews@gmail.com

Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle while managing the stressors of college life can be difficult. Still, health and wellness remain pillars of the college experience for many students at the University of Mississippi. Through things like nutritional supplements and physical activities, students prioritize Reilly Kuertz, a freshman integrated marketing communications major, maintains a mix of physical activity and nutritional supplements.

“I take my health really seriously by working out around four times a week,” Kuertz said. “I try to eat as best I can and take an apple cider vinegar vitamin every day, vitamin D and magnesium. I also supplement with four ounces of kombucha every day and sometimes green tea at night.”

Many students turn to a most ubiquitous pickme-up: caffeine.

“I usually get one form of caffeinated drink in the morning every day to get started,” Ariana Mosoufi, a freshman business major, said. “I try not to get the teas specifically every day, but I’ll get them usually four or five times a week. They definitely make me feel a lot more energized, and my body craves them.”

Mosoufi is referring to Loaded Teas, one of the most popular health supplement trends to sweep the South in recent years. Containing no actual tea, these brightly-colored drinks can be seen in the hands of students throughout the day as they criss-cross campus. There are more than five loaded tea shops within Oxford — not counting The Tea truck on campus. Despite the popularity of the teas, there remain questions about their ingredients and overall health benefits.

“Loaded teas are a concern not just because of caffeine, but the other herbal and vitamin/mineral supplements that they contain,” Emmy Parkes, director of the Coordinated Program in Diabetics, said. “The Food and Drug Administration governs supplements differently from regular grocery store or restaurant foods, so any health claims on loaded teas are not approved or verified.”

The teas notably have high amounts of caffeine — a fact that many students have come to enjoy.

“I have some form of caffeine almost every day, and I get a headache sometimes if I don’t,” Grace Schafer, a senior accounting major, said. “I think it has become somewhat of a habit to have a fun drink. If I haven’t had some form of caffeine, I don’t feel like I am being as productive as I could be.”

UM

While some students turn to nutrition to bolster their wellness, other students put a larger emphasis on physical exercise.

Nelson Cleveland, a junior international studies and Arabic major, frequents the gym.

“My intention with the gym right now is dependent on wanting to do better physically. By doing physical activities, I want to look better and I want to be healthy,” Cleveland said.

Similar to the withdrawals some students reported experiencing without their caffeine, Cleveland noted a negative effect of skipping the gym.

“Skipping a day (at the gym) causes a lot of guilt,” Cleveland said. “I had to take two months off because of an injury, and it was actually miserable just because everyone’s like ‘you should be working

out right now.’”

UM’s campus recreational facilities have seen a steady increase in attendance. From July 2022-2023, South Campus Recreation Center saw a 27.3% increase in participation compared to July 2021-June 2022, though it should be noted that enrollment also increased during that time frame.

“I enjoy going to work out a couple times a week, running or just playing pickleball or basketball,” R.J. Moore, a sophomore public policy leadership major, said. “I used to drink energy drinks all the time, like almost every day, but I quit drinking those and I now drink coffee a couple times a week. I’m just not really reliant on anything to give me energy anymore, so that’s nice.”

Shayla Hanson, a sophomore biology major, follows the CrossFit regimen.

“I stay conscious of what I eat and go to the gym pretty consistently,” Hanson said. “I enjoy CrossFit, but if I’m not doing CrossFit, I run before my weightlifting workout. I also take amino acid pre-workout or an energy drink prior to exercise.”

Cleveland, who has been an avid gym-goer since high school, said that wellness culture is a good thing not just for himself, but also for society as a whole.

“I think (wellness culture) is a good thing,” Cleveland said. “It also definitely reflects society moving in a really strong direction because it’s less of a luxury (now) and has become normalized.”

students participate in goat yoga on April 15.

A UM student walks around campus while carrying a loaded tea on April 12.

how does that make you feel? students open up about mental health

NOAH WALTERS HANNAH IVEY thedmnews@gmail.com

Discussions about mental health and anxiety are becoming more common among University of Mississippi students.

“University students in today’s world as a whole seem to have a significant amount of anxiety,” Kris Brasher, instructor of therapeutic recreation for the Department of Health, Exercise and Recreation Management, said. “We discuss topics like anxiety in class relatively frequently, and many of the students are quite open about feelings of anxiety, panic attacks and the sort.”

Since 2007, the Healthy Minds Study has annually examined mental health issues among undergraduate and graduate students, utilizing data from more than 530 colleges and universities, including UM. The most recent report found that 46% of college students have received a lifetime diag nosis of a mental health disorder.

Anxiety and stress-related disorders orig inating from various causes have always been present in the university setting, according to Brasher. He attributes the uptick in conversations about mental health to destigmatization.

“Today’s world is far more accepting and open to anxiety being a ‘normal’ response that

“I think mental health talk is huge among students these days, especially on social media,” Galeziewski said. “From my perception, it is often a very casual conversation that happens on the internet and in social settings, which is interesting to me because by nature it is a pretty serious topic to be sharing with others so casually.”

While acknowledging the benefits of openness, Galeziewski expressed caution about too much transparency, citing a potential for the casual tone to do more harm than good.

“I don’t necessarily think that it should be more or less openly discussed, but I do think that the way that it is discussed should be considered,” Galeziewski said. “By this I mean that the conversation often becomes disingenuous among students, and it should be discussed as a serious matter.”

Senior nutrition and dietetics major Lily Langley shared a different opinion about approaching mental health conversations,

once they are in college, even if they have never struggled with it prior. It can feel very isolating at times. It is easy to feel like you are ‘crazy’ or ‘abnormal’ when you are struggling mentally when in actuality, so many people go through the same thing. The more we bring these issues into light, the less alone people feel.”

Langley also serves as the president of UM’s chapter of Active Minds, a national non-profit organization that seeks to educate college students and spread awareness about mental health issues on campus. The group has more than 100 members from different backgrounds and hosts events such as outdoor yoga and movie nights.

“Active Minds helps make students aware of the mental health resources that we have on campus,” Langley said. “We help connect students to the mental health services they may require. We also host stress-relief events to help students come together as a community to take time for themselves.”

Freshman English and creative writing double major Hanny Zermeno is a member of Active Minds.

“Issues of mental health are damaging on their own, but if they are not treated or they are disregarded, they can lead to serious physical and permanent dangers,” Zermeno said.

Speaking from personal experience about her mental health journey, Zermeno emphasized the positive impact that treatment can have.

“It can be lonely sometimes when I feel like I have no one to turn to, and I can get so lost in my head about things that it’s hard to reach out for help,” Zermeno said. “Just recently, I began going to counseling here on campus, where they offer free sessions with medical professionals and graduate students who are always so willing to listen and help anyone seeking their guidance. It has been so great to have that support from people who only want to see you heal and succeed on campus and in life.”

Like Zermeno, senior integrated marketing

communications major Sarah Jane Yerger’s mental health issues stemmed from experiences before her time at the university, but they were exacerbated when she began college.

“My mental health got really bad as I began college, and during my freshman year, I struggled with an eating disorder that has altered my life in more ways than I can count,” Yerger said. “I struggled silently for a long time before seeking health toward the end of my spring semester freshman year.”

Yerger explained how she continually seeks support and advocates for others to do so if needed.

“I am in therapy once every few weeks, and I am a huge advocate for counseling,” Yerger said. “It is important to share your thoughts with someone unbiased and impartial and who will give you the very best advice.”

Yerger also encouraged others to seek solutions outside of counseling.

“Over the years, I have found methods that help me cope when my anxiety is high or I start feeling depressed,” Yerger said. “A few things I like to do to get out of my head are to go for a nice walk outside, play with my dog, watch an old Disney movie, go for a long car ride around town with the windows rolled down, color or listen to my favorite Christian playlist. These are all things that help me decompress and not be so consumed with my thoughts.”

Todd Smitherman, a professor and director of clinical training for the Department of Psychology, explained that more students are seeking

proportion of students who seek counseling or therapy for mental health problems, with 36% of students reporting seeking services while they were in college,” Smitherman said. “So there is some good news here that treatment-seeking is increasing.”

UM provides many professional services for students struggling with mental health, including the University Counseling Center, the Psychological Services Center and UMatter.

“More students are seeking support and counseling services, and the stigma previously associated with help seeking is diminishing,” Director of the University Counseling Center Juawice McCormic said. “Students are more open about seeing counselors to take care of their mental health. During this academic year, we have provided over 12,000 hours of services for our students.”

The building blocks of Ole Miss Athletics: old plans altered, new projects emerge

CAMERON LARKIN

thedmsports@gmail.com

Ole Miss Athletics’ CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign, launched in January 2022, set out to drastically improve athletics facilities on campus, enhance the student-athlete experience and raise the bar for each program to be able to compete at the highest level.

The $350 million initiative stemmed from Ole Miss Athletics’ top-25 finish in the 2020-2021 Learfield/ IMG College Directors’ Cup, a scoring machine that evaluates how well each college’s sports teams finish in their respective seasons and compiles those results into a ranking system.

Prior to the CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign, the Forward Together Initiative set aside roughly $222 million for various construction projects, including the Sandy and John Black Pavilion, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium renovations, a new track-and-field complex and updates to Oxford-University Stadium.

Ole Miss Athletics managed all of the Forward Together projects between 2014 and 2018, delivering on its promise to create a better, more sustainable working and playing environment for coaches and student athletes.

In recent seasons, Ole Miss Athletics has made a name for itself on a national level, winning a baseball national championship, a women’s golf national championship, making deep runs in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament and securing double-digit win seasons and a Peach Bowl victory in football.

University of Mississippi Vice Chancellor of Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter explained the significance of the CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign.

“The CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign symbolizes our commitment to excellence and our unwavering resolve to win championships at Ole Miss,” Carter said. “This (campaign) is not only about facility enhancement but also about investing in the future success of our program. Rebel nation is the most passionate fanbase in college sports, and we’re confident that this campaign will unite the Ole Miss family as we take our program (to the next level).”

As with any high-profile project, things have deviated slightly from the original plan. Some ideas that were part of the initial proposal — like the renovations to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — have been sidelined.

“Right now, I would say it’s the volatility of construction (impacting plans),” Joseph Swingle, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Capital Projects, said. “With football, it would be a multi-year construction project, and with NIL and the transfer portal, it just doesn’t make sense to disturb a quarter of (Vaught-Hemingway) for multiple years, multiple seasons. It’s still being looked at, but for now it’s tabled.”

Other projects have risen in importance. There are now plans to revamp the golf complex.

“We just finished the programming for golf, so that one is in the fundraising stage,” Swingle said. “That’ll be a totally donor-based project.”

Title IX has played an integral role in the prioritization of women’s sports in the CHAMPIONS. NOW. campaign.

According to the Department of Education’s Athletics section of Title IX Regulation. 52872 at ｧ ___.450(b): “The regulations go on to provide that a recipient that operates or sponsors interscholastic, intercollegiate, club, or intramural athletics shall provide equal opportunity for members of both sexes. A number of factors are set forth to determine equality of opportunity including but not limited to the provision of equipment, scheduling of games and practice time, travel and per diem allowances, assignment and compensation of coaches, provision of locker rooms, provision of medical and training facilities, provision of housing and dining facilities and publicity.”

This provision gave rise to the softball stadium renovations, the women’s soccer arena plans and the golf construction project. Because baseball facilities received a sizable renovation not long ago, it was time for softball to receive improvements as well. Additionally, delaying the football plans gave way to

much-needed renovations to women’s sports facilities.

“With what we did with baseball in 2017, we needed to do (with) softball (renovations), too,” Swingle said. “Now, with bringing softball up to par, we are able to do something more with baseball. (Along) with the football project, we added the soccer project, and women’s golf will be part of it. Then we’re doing a feasibility study for rifle and the Gillom Center (for women’s sports).”

Current construction on the softball facility will spill over into the 2025 season. Since the stadium is essentially being shifted to face another direction, construction impedes seating on all sides.

“(The athletics department) is committing to Ole Miss Softball,” Ole Miss Softball Head Coach Jamie Trachsel said. “Not everyone can say that’s where they’re at. To not just compete, but to compete and win championships here, whether that’s in conference or postseason play, it just takes what it takes. And (the administration) is willing to go to that space.”

Baseball stadium renovations are set to break ground after the conclusion of the 2024 season, which will be about an 18-month project – meaning there is reasonable hope that it could be ready by the 2026 season, according to Swingle. However, unlike work at the softball facility, additions to Swayze Field will not affect seating capacity.

“I am beyond excited about the facility upgrades that will be happening through the CHAMPIONS. NOW. campaign,” Ole Miss Head Baseball Coach Mike Bianco said. “We have an outstanding facility, but to continue to compete in the best baseball conference, you must look to the future or you will be left behind. This upgrade will not only benefit our players but also our tremendous fanbase.”

Improving fan experience is one of the main focuses of this campaign.

“It’s just the excitement of being able to put money into sports to give the student-athletes and the fans a better experience when they come to Ole Miss,” Swingle said.

Story Lee thedmfeatures@gmail.com

Music is essential to the human experience. We are one of the only species with a concept of musicality, and we have used that to tell stories, inspire emotion and find our own meaning in the songs of others. Because of this, the music a group of people listens to is a window into their culture, personalities and values.

Today, music preference varies widely — some students opt for more popular artists and genres while others pride themselves on listening to artists few others have ever heard of. The following is a slice of what Ole Miss students are listening to. Some of these songs have deep emotional significance to their listeners, while others are enjoyed simply for their musical qualities. But they are all important to chronicling the varying tastes and passions of our campus in 2024.

2020

“Peace” by Taylor Swift

“It’s a beautiful song, especially lyrically. It essentially expresses that because most of her life is public, she can give her partner so many things but she will never be able to give him peace, mostly because she simply cannot control what the outside world thinks of her or the relationship itself,” Maddie Murray, a freshman elementary education major from Pass Christian, Miss., said.

2013

“Nirvana” by Sam Smith

“It gives me a really nostalgic vibe, and I play it as a feel-good song, especially when I’m driving,” McKenzie McDonald, a freshman communication sciences and disorders major from Aberdeen, Miss., said.

2009

“Wake up Sister” by Parov Stelar ft. Max

“I have probably listened to this song every day of the new year,” Kaitlyn Steinroder, a junior film production major from Wake Forest, N.C., said. “It just has this swanky vibe with a mix of jazz and house. It’s good to put on when I’m getting ready, walking, driving, daydreaming. It’s versatile and makes me want to dance.”

2020

“Selfless” by The Strokes

“I have been loving the entire ‘New Abnormal’ album, and that song is a good example of how it uses unique, almost happy sounding melodies to tell a sad story,” Leighton Hewitt, a freshman journalism major from Covington, La., said.

1977

“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac

“It was my grandfather’s favorite and my mom’s, so it naturally became mine. They both passed away, so when I listen to it, I think of them,” Lauren Hondlik, a sophomore theater arts major from Cleveland, Ohio said.

2011

“You Said” by The Horrors

“The song has an amazing collage-like overlaying of different instrumentals, with several cool variations of synthesizer,” Annie Evans, a freshman business major from Iuka, Miss., said. “The whole song is very fun and is a great example of creative contemporary new wave and neo-psychedelia.”

2022

“All My Love” by Noah Kahan

“I love Noah Kahan’s personality. He shows true emotions in his music, and it brings me so much joy. I feel like today’s generation likes music that they can relate to and makes them feel something, and that is exactly what this song does for me,” Sadie Platz, a senior allied health studies major from Water Valley, Miss., said.

2021

“No Chances” by Twenty One Pilots

“I’ve been a fan of them for a long time, and I think this song is a culmination of their previous work. It combines many of the different musical styles they have explored in their albums while also providing the climax to the story this album is trying to tell,” Ian Watson, a junior computer science major from Florence, Miss., said.

2017

“Drew Barrymore” by SZA

“I love her voice in it, and she touches on some aspects of the expectations on what being a woman is and being perceived in society,” Miah Hopkins, a freshman math education major from Houston, Texas, said.

2023

“How Much Is Weed?” by Dominic Fike

“I really love this song because he doesn’t shy away from being honest about the hardships he faced or his burnt bridges. And it kind of encapsulates the feeling of growing up and having to look back on old memories knowing that things have changed so much,” Grace Wiggins, a freshman elementary education major from Pascagoula, Miss., said.

2024

“Taken

For A Fool” by Dylan Ault

“It reminds me of back home, so I listen to it when I’m homesick,” Colin Spears, a sophomore integrated marketing communications major from Vernon, Texas, said.

2012

“Flowers In Your Hair” by The Lumineers

“It reminds me of the pre-college days where life felt simpler and I was carefree. It brings back feelings of nostalgia and utter bliss anytime I turn it on. When it comes on, everything goes away,” Grace Baldus, a freshman allied health studies major from O’Fallon, Ill., said.

Like it or not, ‘Greek life culture is Ole Miss’

“ Greek life culture is Ole Miss,” non-Greek affiliated student Katelin Drake, a senior psychology major, said.

When one Googles the University of Mississippi, most photos that appear are images associated with fraternity and sorority life. It is weaved into everything within the UM community.

“Greek life is just another part of the Southern college experience. It finds itself on buttons, stickers, game day bags, outfits, room decor, sweatshirts, t-shirts and social media,” Madison McKee, a non-Greek affiliated junior majoring in English, said.

UM has one of the strongest Greek systems in the country, with 48% of the student body on the Oxford campus being active members of fraternities and sororities, totaling approximately 8,700 students, according to the campus Interfraternity Council. There 18 fraternity chapters and 15 sorority chapters at UM, the majority of them with massive houses to accommodate their

members on campus.

Greek groups are governed by three panels, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Panhellenic Council and the IFC. The university’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life also supports Greek members and chapters.

“Even among the three different councils, the community is so strong,” junior integrated marketing communications major and Alpha Omicron Pi President Kenlee McDaniel said.

Sara Rodgers Smith, a public policy leadership and integrated marketing communications double major, shared what drew her to join a sorority.

“I joined Delta Gamma and just had a sense of unity, like every girl was similar to me. I had never had a sense of belonging like that,” Smith said.

McDaniel echoed Rodgers’ sentiment.

“(Greek life) makes campus, number-wise, feel smaller and allows you to connect with people who have similar values, goals, ambitions and aspects that you have,” McDaniel said. While fraternities and sororities may be best known for their social events such as date parties, band performances, swaps and formals, Greek organizations also host philanthropy events in which they raise funds for organizations throughout the semester.

Mia Sonnenbaum, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering and president of the Xi Zeta chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., shared how her chapter has made moves within the community.

“We really strive for hitting all of our national programs while still serving the community. This year we were able to do things for our Women’s Wellness Initiative, Operation Big Book Bag, Project Cradle Care, and we were able to host an annual Youth Symposium with our local alumnae chapter,” Sonnenbaum said.

Greek life often enhances its members’ personal development by providing friendship, support, guidance and other resources.

“I knew that I wanted to experience a sisterhood and be part of something that was bigger than me. I have people who I wouldn’t have known or wouldn’t have been so close to without these (Greek) letters,” Sonnenbaum said.

A common criticism of Greek organizations is their exclusivity, which sometimes creates a divide within the student body. Non-Greek students have expressed feelings of seclusion within such a Greek-centered environment.

“I feel like it can kind of separate people,” Drake said. “When I first came to Ole Miss, every single conversation I had with girls was, ‘Oh, what sorority are you in?’ and when I would say I wasn’t, they wouldn’t know how to hold a conversation outside of that.”

Students within Greek life hold many positions of power on campus, dominating many leadership roles within clubs and organizations.

Former Associated Student Body President Sara Austin Welch, newly elected ASB President Hannah Watts and the 2023-2024 Homecoming Queen Anna Ware Brown are all members of Greek life at UM. Daneel Konnar, who is a member of Phi Delta Theta, was Mr. Ole Miss in

2023 and executive director for the Student Activities Association. Sam Sepe, the reigning Miss Ole Miss, is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

According to IFC, the academic GPA of Greek life participants on campus on average is higher than that of non-Greek students.

“I don’t think it’s surprising that students in Greek life hold high GPAs on campus. Greek life has high expectations of its members and participants to achieve the top-shelf status they currently have as well as to meet a past-set standard,” McKee said.

Greek Life also offers networking resources and opportunities to its members.

”Greek life is a great stepping stone. It allows you to gain qualities and gain experience,” IFC Beckett Abington said.

As the 2023-2024 academic year comes to an end, many Greek organizations are already preparing to welcome the freshmen of fall 2024. With freshman class numbers continuing to grow, IFC is focusing on how to adapt to such large numbers while also ensuring each person feels seen and heard.

“We don’t want anybody to be left out. Equitability is such a big word that I have for this year (We’re) making sure that everybody gets a fair shot and a fair chance,” Abington said.

Greek life’s presence on the UM campus is undeniable, whether one is associated with it directly or not. Abington offered a sweet sentiment.

“Ole Miss is unique in the way that Greek life is an artery,” Abington said. “It is a piece of the heart of the Ole Miss campus.”

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. strolls during Union Unplugged on Feb. 29.

Phi Mu actives celebrate as they embrace their bid day buddies when the potential new members run home on Aug. 20, 2022.

Pledges enter VaughtHemingway Stadium on Oct. 7,2023.

Food scene in Oxford serves diverse cuisines

The South is known for its hearty, comforting cuisine. Many University of Mississippi students grow up on homecooked meals, whether that be Southern food, other American cuisine or dishes from their families’ home countries outside of the United States.

Oxford has a wide range of restaurants to cater to these different palates. Besides traditional Southern-American cuisine, restaurants in town include Japanese joints, an Indian eatery, Mexican mainstays, Greek grills and more.

Mexican cuisine, for example, has taken over the town. There are 20 Mexican restaurants in Oxford. El Agave and El Charro Cocina and Cantina are solely sit-down options, while others, like food truck El Colibri and The Taco Shop, serve up street-style tacos.

On the Square, dining options abound. Bouré, McEwen’s and City Grocery have an elevated ambiance. Ajax Diner serves Southern fare in a downhome atmosphere, while Proud Larry’s offers casual dining and live music.

“The food culture in Oxford is fun,” Emily Metcalf, a sophomore Arabic and exercise science double major from Jackson, Miss., said. “There’s plenty of options of places to have dinner with friends and walk around the Square or hang out. It’s really good in the social aspect.”

Owner of Maharaja Indian Cuisine Madhu Ankisetty, from India, shared what he believes his

restaurant gives to Oxford.

“We bring a rich and diverse culinary experience to the local food scene,” Ankisetty said. “We offer a unique blend of flavors, spices and dishes that enrich the community’s dining options.”

Although there are plenty of restaurant options throughout Oxford, an important factor to consider is whether they meet all of the dietary requirements of the student and Oxford resident population.

“I’ve noticed there are no nutrition facts for most restaurants,” Metcalf said. “I think that’s pretty much anywhere you go, but it is still a struggle here. Even for some of the health-conscious restaurants, I can’t find them.”

Sophomore international studies and Chinese major Kendall Brown from Ocean Springs, Miss. indicated that some dietary restrictions are accommodated in Oxford.

“The food scene in Oxford caters to me as a vegetarian, especially at Mexican and Asian places because the food lends itself to being less centered around the meat as the focus of the dish,” Brown said. “On the other hand, we don’t really have restaurants that cater to stricter dietary restrictions like allergies or religion.”

Metcalf shared her favorite restaurants in Oxford.

“One of my favorites is Luv Shak,” Metcalf said. “It is pretty hidden, but when you find it, they have the best chicken parmesan. It’s a really cool spot. I also love Kabuki because sushi is my favorite food.”

Brown also shared her personal favorite restaurant in Oxford.

“One of my favorite restaurants is Zaap Thai because the tofu they add to their dishes is really nicely cooked, and they have a ton of options that are all super flavorful,” Brown said.

Whether you like a home-cooked meal, a quick bite to eat or food from a different culture, there is a good chance that Oxford has it.

Dennis Van Oostendor, owner of The Luv Shak.

Owner of Maharaja, Madhu S. Ankisetty.

James ‘Blind Jim’ Ivy: Was a Black man the inspiration for Colonel Reb?

HAL FOX thedmnews@gmail.com

When poring over past volumes of yearbooks at the University of Mississippi, the strong Confederate character and white supremacist worldview that plagued the campus for decades come clearly into view. In the 1937 edition of The Ole Miss yearbook, a member of the Delta Psi fraternity is dressed in Klansmen’s robes, with Delta Psi heralded as, “hooded figures of the night;” Kappa Alpha Order fraternity members are described as, “gentlemen of the Old South — the knights of the Confederacy.”

The Confederate battle flag is a constant sight, emblazoned acr oss yearbook covers and waved in photographs by crowds of Rebel football fans. Colonel Rebel, a caricature of a Southern plantation owner and the university’s former mascot, made his first appearance on the cover of the 1937 yearbook.

Scattered among the pale faces and Confederate banners, the last person you would expect occasionally appears in photographs of the segregated university: a Black man. He is showcased orating to large crowds of freshmen, intermingling with white students in the stadium bleachers and standing around with a sign hanging on his neck that says: “Blind Jim: Ole Miss Freshman Dean on the road with the Rebels. A donation will keep him traveling with the team.”

James “Blind Jim” Ivy was a peanut vendor who came to UM in 1896.

The son of a former slave, Ivy was blinded while working on the Tallahatchie Bridge when hot tar got in his eyes. He became an “athletic talisman” for the university in 1896 when his enthusiastic cheers were credited with turning the tide for the Ole Miss Baseball team against the University of Texas. Students would bring Ivy on the road for f ootball games.

At the same time that the Ole Miss marching band and Rebelettes performed in Confederate regalia, a Black man was being hailed as the unofficial mascot of the school. Many cling to this as proof that the university was an institution proposing an alternative vision of racial harmony. Some use Ivy’s story to defend symbols and remnants of the Old South today and continue to tokenize him as a mascot.

The Colonel Reb Foundation, an organization that has been advocating for Colonel Reb’s reinstatement since 2003, has a page dedicated to Ivy on its website.

Former Ole Miss Historian David Sansing suggested that Colonel Reb may have been based on Blind Jim.

“If you look at the photo of ‘Blind Jim’ in the three-piece suit, with the hat, there’s a striking resemblance. The original Colonel Rebel emblem is a spitting image of ‘Blind Jim’ Ivy, except for white skin,” the website says, quoting Sansing.

Brandon Griffin is a UM alum and the 2022-2023 president of the Colonel Reb Foundation student organization. When he was a student, he frequently donned a Colonel Reb suit at football games. Griffin believes that Colonel Reb is neither an inherently racist symbol nor a C onfederate symbol.

“For some people that reality (that Colonel Reb is a racist sym bol) is true, to them that could be what Colonel Reb stands for,” Griffin said. “I do not personally see Colonel Reb as a Confederate symbol becau se Colonel Reb was started in 1937, which was nearly 70 years after th e Civil War had ended. Colonel Reb is an inanimate mascot and logo and not a living creature from the 1860s.”

While symbols are up for subjective interpretation, it is undeniable that the character Colonel Reb emerged from a culture steeped i n longing for the Confederacy. One needs only to open the very same y earbook in which the former mascot first appeared to find an image of a horse-mounted Klansman carrying a torch.

Stephen Monroe, associate professor and chair of UM’s Department of Writing and Rhetoric, wrote a book titled “Heritage and Hate: Old South Rhetoric at Southern Universities,” part of which delves into Ivy’s history. He believes that Colonel Reb, like other Old South and Confederate symbols, is far past his expiration date.

“As just one member of the UM community, I feel strongly that we should officially and unofficially retire Old South words and s ymbols. The cartoon of Colonel Rebel is an example. It was officially retired years ago, but it still remains highly valued and visible amongst some in our community,” Monroe said. “Instead, I think we should gather around inclusive and unifying symbols. We need to express our school spirit for the university of the present and future, not of the problematic past.”

UM is undergoing something of a mascot crisis. Since Chancellor Robert Khayat removed Colonel Reb as the official mascot of the un iversity in 2003, a black bear mascot temporarily held the title in 2010 until 2018, when the university introduced Tony the Landshark.

Despite the university’s official disassociation from Colonel R eb, he has stuck. Nowadays, images and merchandise of Colonel Reb seem to outnumber those of Landsharks 10:1, both at games and in unofficial merchandise stores. The lack of a popularly accepted alternative mascot has created space for fans to reappropriate Colonel Reb merch, and so fans search for ways to justify the character’s problematic origins.

One picture from the 1954 yearbook encapsulates the tone of Ivy’s relationship to Ole Miss. Snickering freshmen with haphazardly shaved heads (a defunct campus tradition) removed their hats and bowed to Ivy, who wore a stoic expression, unable to see and therefore receive the students’ jeering accolades.

“The relationship between Ole Miss students and Blind Jim was genteel racism in its purest form and it broke none of the codices of white supremacy, but their fondness for him was genuine,” Sansing sai d.

Ivy died on Oct. 30, 1955, and he was memorialized with his own page in the 1955 yearbook.

“Never has there been on the Ole Miss campus a truer Rebel fan than Blind Jim,” the memorial page reads.

Funds initially collected to pay for Ivy’s medical treatment were instead directed towards the foundation of a scholarship in his name for Black Mississippians to attend one of Mississippi’s segregated Black universities, not UM. James Meredith would not desegregate UM until 1962, only seven years after Ivy’s death.

The memorial page and its glowing description of Ivy’s relationship to the university portrays a sanitized version of his story, though. It highlights the genuine fondness shared between Ivy and students that Sansing alluded to, but it fails to truly capture the racial dynamics at play.

Unfortunately, only photos remain — photos unable to communicate a full picture of the man James “Blind Jim” Ivy.

Brandon Griffin poses as Colonel Reb in front of a 175th Anniversary of UM sign at the student union.

A photo of “Blind Jim” Ivy from the 1955 edition of The Ole Miss yearbook.

Amid identity crisis, Ole Miss students remain divided on mascot

RAEGAN SETTLE

thedmfeatures@gmail.com

Numerous changes to the school’s mascot over the past 15 years have left students confused over who or what represents Ole Miss Athletics.

When asked, many UM students could not name the Ole Miss mascot. Tony the Landshark? Rebel the Black Bear? Colonel Reb? Students’ quizzical faces were telling.

Hailey Mewborn, a sophomore special education major from Memphis, believes it is time to end the debate and stick with the landshark.

That is, unless one of UM’s campus celebrities is on the table. Enter Juice Kiffin: the social media-famous unofficial mascot of Ole Miss Football.

“I would choose Juice over the landshark any day,” Mewborn said. “I wear Juice buttons to games all the time. My only fear would be if (Ole Miss Football Head Coach Lane Kiffin) leaves Ole Miss. He would have to leave the dog.”

Kiffin welcomed the yellow Labrador retriever as his family pet two years ago. Known for fetching kickoff tees at home football games, Juice has over 55,500 followers on social platform X — more than any player on the team.

While Juice has recently gained popularity as a mascot candidate, a significant number of students still favor Colonel Reb. The white-goateed Confederate army colonel is considered by many to be an offensive symbol of slavery, yet some students, alumni and Ole Miss fans continue to support the former mascot.

Jackson Sutliff, a business major from Austin, expressed fondness for the controversial figure.

“I like Colonel Reb, but I understand why the university removed him,” Sutliff said.

In 2003, Chancellor Robert Khayat and Athletics Director Pete Boone led UM administrators’ decision to remove Colonel Reb as the school’s on-field mascot. Thus began the ongoing battle to replace the colonel with a figure loved by all Ole Miss fans.

After seven years with no official mascot, students led an effort to select a new on-field representative for Ole Miss Athletics. Rebel the Black Bear won the election.

Rebel represented the two subspecies of black bears residing in Mississippi. The American black bear occupies the northern one-third of the state, and the Louisiana black bear is found in the southern two-thirds. The mascot was also inspired by

Oxford author William Faulkner’s short story titled

“The Bear.”

Rebel may have won the vote, but he did not win the hearts of Ole Miss fans. In 2017, then-Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter announced the university’s choice to replace the black bear with Tony the Landshark in the 2018 football season. The landshark honored Tony Fein, a former Ole Miss linebacker who passed away from a drug overdose in 2009.

Fein popularized the “fins up” gesture when he threw his hand above his head following a successful tackle during the 2008 practice season. The gesture and mascot gained traction among Ole Miss fans for a few years as the Landshark Defense overpowered opponents on the football field.

Today, however, Tony the Landshark is rarely, if ever, spotted at sporting events. Legend has it his fierce countenance scared youngsters in the

Juice Kiffin sits on the sideline during the 2023 Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, 2023.

Grove. A lackluster Ole Miss defense over several subsequent seasons diminished his impact, as well. The landshark’s low visibility has prompted many students to consider him a failed mascot.

It is not often that a phenomenon like Juice Kiffin comes along. Considering the yellow Lab’s astronomical approval among UM fans young and old, should the university consider another mascot change?

Junior real estate and finance major Cooper Edmonson supports one last transition.

“I don’t think the landshark really makes any sense now that Juice is such a big symbol of the university,” Edmonson said. “Honestly, our mascot should be a yellow Lab instead of a landshark. We don’t really use the landshark on the field, and it’s kind of creepy. We should make the switch.”

GRAPHIC: MILO GILDEA; PHOTO COURTESY: CAROLINE LAYMAN / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Fit check: UM students are ‘flier than ever’

UM students talk about everything fashion, from iconic designers to inspirations and their personal styles.

JERIDIANE RAY thedmfeatures@gmail.com

For many students, college is the first time that they are able to explore their identities and passions without the influence of their parents. Brimming with the desire to express themselves, many University of Mississippi students have turned to fashion as an outlet to express their individuality and discover who they really are.

To some students, fashion may mean an outfit, but for students like sophomore international studies and Arabic double major Jackelyn Facio and junior integrated marketing communications major Amarie Raymond, fashion carries deep personal meaning.

Facio described fashion as a way of “rebranding” to distance herself from her past.

“I think it honestly sprang up as soon as I got to college, and I left away from home and small-town judgments. I was like, ‘Let me rebrand myself.’ Clothes have always

been something I was drawn to,” Facio said.

A native of Pascagoula, Miss., Facio explained that fashion helped her adjust to college and served as a motivating force in her life.

“Clothes were a big part of motivating me to go to class and make the transition from high school to college a lot easier,” Facio said. “I think clothes really helped me because I was like, ‘Okay, what am I going to wear today?’”

Raymond’s commitment to fashion originated during the COVID-19 pandemic and led her to business and networking opportunities.

“COVID-19 was a time when influencing was kind of a bigger thing,” Raymond said. “I went from 1,000 followers to 5,0006,000 during COVID-19 just because I was promoting brands. People were hitting me up and were like, ‘Can you wear my hoodie?’ or ‘Can you do this?’ because I was

posting my outfits I was making throughout COVID-19.”

A few years later, “flier than ever” is how Raymond describes fashion today. The internet constantly churns out popular micro-trends like ballerina-core and coquette. By contrast, fashion trends have developed to become more bold and unorthodox. UM students reported that the Big Red Astro Boots, flared pants, baggy jeans, ribbons, bows, oversized items, bandanas, cowboy boots, teeth jewelry, jogging sets and waist beads took fashion to another level.

Alongside these generational fashion trends, students can be seen dressed in what is most simply described as today’s campus fashion. A distinct mix of Southern styles and national influences, UM’s campus has become an inclusive space for fashion to thrive.

Columbia, Miss., native and sophomore psychology major Mary Turnage shared her

Amarie Raymond Jackelyn Facio

Mary Turnage

take on her personal fashion style as a college student.

“This year, I’ve been really into belts with buckles,” Turnage said. “I’ve been getting more into the big-pant, little-shirt era, and I’ve been really into knitted layering.”

Meanwhile, junior integrated marketing communications major Ashlyn Black draws inspiration from 1990s street fashion.

“I’m trying to get back into jorts and big pants. Like, my dad has these Tommy Hilfiger shorts that are really big, ripped and torn,” Black said. “I’m trying to get back into a jean shorts moment.”

Freshman theater arts major Chris Carter expressed his appreciation for congenial, casual wear that represents his current style, which is partially derived from his childhood.

“Growing up, I loved jeans, skinny jeans in particular, (and) graphic tees. … I don’t try to dress up a lot of the time. So I think graphic tees, jeans and sneakers are most definitely staples for me,” Carter said.

Senior integrated marketing communications major Baleigh McGillivray shared her approach to adapting to inconsistent Mississippi weather by giving The Daily Mississippian a “fit check.”

“It’s going be a little cold, so I thought I would layer up with a cute turtleneck. I love these pants, and they’re like business pants. I don’t really know what you call these (pants), but they’re so comfy and I don’t really like jeans, so when I can wear these anytime, I definitely will,” McGillivray said. “I (also) just really like this jacket. I don’t get to wear it very often because it’s very hot, but I just thought it looked cute.”

Along with McGillivray, junior public policy leadership major Mateos Lozano gave insight into the creative choices behind the outfit he chose to wear on a rainy day.

“So underneath I have … an environmental ECO (UM Environmental Coalition) shirt. It’s club merch. I thought that these pants would match really well with the green,” Lozano said. “This orange sweatshirt doesn’t really stand for anything. I just thought it would look good.”

What is an outfit without a little bit of bling? Junior legal studies major Emma Harvey revealed her attitude toward accessorizing.

“(I like) mixed metals. I can’t decide whether I want to wear gold or silver at any point in time. I feel like they both look good with everything,” Harvey said. “(With) gold and silver, you can make it work with any color, and they’re just fun. I think it’s fun to

mix them together.”

For junior business management major Alex Blissard, a hat is the ultimate accessory.

“I’ve been really into those hats (that are) almost like a graphic hat,” Blissard said. “I like the ones with the flatter bill and the string across the top. Those are so cute.”

The Houston, Miss., native even finds ways to spruce up her work uniform.

“So now for today, I’m wearing a polo and jeans and New Balances. My polo is courtesy of Ole Miss Admissions. I’m at work, so that’s what I have on. I just got these New Balances, so I’m pretty excited about those. But yeah, that’s the ‘fit,” Blissard said.

Fashion trends often rise up from social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, along with the help of musical artists.

Facio believes that five-time Grammy winner Kali Uchis’ most recent album, “Orquídeas,” contributed to a rise in Latin American-inspired fashion.

“Kali Uchis dropped an album, and she has this vintage Latina essence to her, like the unblended line lip, big bamboo hoops, thin eyebrows, tight shirt and some really cute jeans,” Facio said. “I feel like that really influenced a lot of the creators I saw on my feed.”

As this year’s fashion continues to evolve, Raymond hopes that the future of fashion prioritizes individuality and nonconformity more.

“I think that people are just going to evolve into being more themselves and just wearing what they want to wear and not really choosing a specific aesthetic,” Raymond said. “And I think that in a minute, ‘trends’ are going to be so much harder to follow because we’ve taken these set trends like baggy jeans and ‘70s wear and have mixed them in with everyday style.”

Facio insisted that fashion aids in self-exploration and confidence and recommended that everyone use style to learn more about themselves.

“If you’re a reserved person, fashion is such a great way for you to just put yourself out there and be your own kind of extrovert within your clothes. Let your clothes do the talking for you, because people will go up to you be like, ‘Hey girl, I love that bow,’ and it just helps so much with confidence,” Facio said. “I really do recommend people, incoming freshmen, anyone going through a large transition of their life to just explore their fashion, and it’ll kind of help with their transition for sure.”

haven; 48- Charge per unit; 49- Country; 52- PC linkup; 53- Overhaul; 57- Curved molding; 58- Vote into office; 60- Approach; 61- Summer shirts; 62- Embankment; 63- Chip in; 64- ___ It Romantic?; 65- Feathered creature; 66- Caustic substances; DOWN 1- Biblical twin; 2- Minus; 3- Use a surgical beam; 4- Erik of “CHiPs”; 5- Like toxic rainfall; 6- Dreadlocks wearer; 7-

Emma Harvey

Amarie

Raymond

all degrees are valuable

“Why get a liberal arts degree when a large portion of Americans are currently living paycheck to paycheck?”

DAVID RAMSEY thedmopinion@gmail.com

In 2024, rising tuition, the increased cost of living and the student loan debt crisis have left students frightened to pursue the traditional four-year bachelor’s degree that has represented the foremost means of advancing in the workforce for generations. Nowadays, college degrees are not only essential for advancing in many careers, but for those with the financial means, they are also a benchmark in becoming an adult.

I am no fan of student loan debt. Neither is President Joe Biden, but 43 million Americans currently have student loan debt of some kind, and it is slowly, but surely, damaging universities’ public image. The New York Times reported that the percentage of young adults that believe a college degree is very important has gone from 75% all the way down to 41%. A large portion of this belief comes from the fact that a college degree does not guarantee the financial stability in life after college that it once did. These are scary things, and Mississippi State Auditor Shad White has been outspoken about the ill effects of liberal arts degrees in the state.

It’s worth questioning: Why get a liberal arts degree when a large portion of Americans are currently living paycheck to paycheck?

As a student majoring in a liberal arts discipline, public policy leadership, I feel I cannot answer that question for everyone, but I am confident in why I made that decision. I have experienced opportunities and internships and developed personal relationships, knowledge and critical thinking skills

that would not have been possible without my ongoing liberal arts education.

Many business moguls, conservatives and industry workers are quick to demonize liberal arts degrees as a waste of time, framing the issue as young students paying sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars to play around for four years only to learn very little in terms of practical skills.

It is safe to say I could not effectively engineer a new Baltimore bridge or build a hypersonic missile, but I have been given an education.

College degrees in practical fields like STEM, accounting, law and medicine are truly valuable, and I do not wish to undermine their importance. They provide a future for millions of Americans and help make the world a better place.

This, however, is no reason to degrade the value of the liberal arts. A liberal arts education is essential to navigating our complex world. Learning how to think, adapt to change and effectively deal with coworkers is an essential part of any job. While the future career of a liberal arts student may not be as easy to map out, the work of creatives is essential to the advancement of society. If we all designed bridges for a living, who would write the press release when they were finished?

Liberal arts majors must forge their own path with the skills they have been given, which can be trickier than

pursuing a straightforward job in computer science or engineering right after graduation.

I will note that finding affordable college options in today’s economy is essential. College is not for every American, and unaffordable college is not for any American. It is important to be mindful of future debt when deciding which university and major best suits one’s needs.

The value of a college degree is more than what job it gives you immediately after college. The value lies in how your degree teaches you how to think, how it teaches you to grow up. College is the purgatory between adolescence and adulthood, and undergoing this challenge is essential to become not only an effective member of the workforce but also a well-developed individual.

David Ramsey is a junior public policy leadership major from Madison, Miss.

LIV BRILEY thedmopinion@gmail.com

TWhat is the spirit of 2024?

“Maybe I’m biased as an upcoming graduate, but for me, 2024 is a year of transformation, not degradation.”

here are many words that come to mind when thinking of the cultural atmosphere of the United States this year — divisive, competitive and volatile, to name a few. Between quite possibly the most controversial run up to a presidential election of all time, new discussions surrounding artificial intelligence and its place in the workforce, and the fiercely competitive job market, it is clear that we live in tumultuous times.

I hope that these words do not define this year in history, though. Maybe I’m biased as an upcoming graduate, but for me, 2024 is a year of transformation, not degradation.

While the COVID-19 pandemic still remains an issue, the lingering effects of lockdown have settled into a new normal. Zoom is no longer a technological novelty or learning curve but a regular aspect of our daily lives as students and employees. Working from home, which was once rare and often frowned upon, has become a selling point on many companies’ job listings. People are learning how to maintain their creativity and effectively collaborate while not occupying the same physical space. Students have begun to feel the growing effects

Opinion Policies:

of advancements in artificial intelligence, too. Educators are placing a greater focus on how to work with artificial intelligence rather than continuing to fight its usage. With unemployment rates at historic lows, the job market is increasingly competitive for new graduates, which adds a sense of urgency to getting our degrees before the well runs dry.

When it comes to politics — both in Mississippi and on a national level — there is a sense of impending change. Political parties are more divided than ever, and no matter how the upcoming presidential election turns out, our country will no doubt experience dramatic shifts.

On a state level, the re-election of Gov. Tate Reeves orients Mississippi in a religious, conservative direction that many students, myself included, are fearful of. The threats against reproductive freedoms and access to fertility care being brought before the Mississippi Supreme Court have the potential to drastically alter the rights of women in a way not seen since the emergence of Roe v. Wade in 1973.

No matter your beliefs regarding the political climate, there is certainly a lot of change on the horizon, and the future is hazy. For those of us who

are graduating this May, this change coincides with one of the biggest events in our lives. Between deciding on our future careers, where we want to move after college and who we want to be as adults, there is a lot of uncertainty involved with any graduating class. Of course, the graduating class of 2024 is the same class that graduated from high school and began college during the onset of the pandemic with more uncertainty, fear and general confusion in the world than any generation had seen in quite some time.

While transformation can be scary and daunting at times, it can also lead to new experiences and personal growth that never may have been achieved otherwise. One of my favorite quotes about this comes from writer Elizabeth Gilbert:

“In life, we must always be prepared for riotous and endless waves of transformation. So, while 2024 may involve some riotous change, and maybe at times even feel endless, all we must do is steady ourselves and try to ride the waves.”

Liv Briley is a senior integrated marketing communications major from Lemont, Ill.

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 thedmopinion@gmail.com. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. They may be edited for clarity, brevity and libel. Third-party 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.

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

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

Since 1970

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

• Still practicing at his privately owned law firm for over 50 consecutive - 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.