A Hidden Path

A Hidden Path

Discoveries are always happening worldwide but could you imagine making a discovery of something in your hometown. According to several news posts, there have been two new encounters dealing with The Trail of Tears. The Los Angeles Times and CNN news gives information about the Trail of Tears that no one has ever known about including certain college professors.

The Trail of Tears was a part of the Indian Removal Act in 1830 passed by President Andrew Jackson, forcing all Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi river. All Native Americans took long routes that led them from Georgia all the way to reservations in Oklahoma. While traveling the Trail of Tears the Native Americans took route through Northeast Mississippi and supposedly went through Oxford, Ms.
April Holm, first year Assistant Professor of History at the University of Mississippi knows a lot of about History, but surprisingly she didn’t know about the Route through Oxford, Ms. “ I find this very interesting founding out this information about the Indians traveling through Oxford, I didn’t know what route they took actually so this is amazing.” , April Holm.

April Holm was asked what is the specific reason that Native Americans were forced from their land, “At the time cotton was a profitable crop and owners were looking for land to grow their crops, they demanded to settle where the Indians happened to be settling, and they forced them out so they could use the land to distribute more crops.”

Not only did the Natives Americans have to leave, but African Americans also had to leave with the Indians. It was said the African Americans that traveled the same route were the Native Americans slaves. Not too many people knew that blacks traveled down the Trail of Tears, and that they were slaves to not only whites but also to Native Americans. April stated, “This reminds me that there were not only whites and Native Americans but also blacks and other mixed races, I had no clue that Native Americans owned African American as slaves; I don’t see the necessity of slavery of any kind, but I don’t see the point of Native Americans using African Americans as slaves.

This shows that no matter what the new discoveries, if it new information that has been unknown it could really surprise you or caught your attention as new info about the Trail of Tears did April Holm.

Art Professor Witnesses a Da Vinci Restoration

Corey Lewis talking to her students.

      

     The Associated Press has recently reported that the Prado Museum in Spain has revealed a restored version of the Mona Lisa.

  

    The painting will be on display until March 13 and will then be moved to hang next to the original Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

    One University of Miss. Art Professor, Cory Lewis, would know a lot about restoration of the late Leonardo Da Vinci’s work.

“I actually saw the restoration of The Last Supper in progress,” Lewis said,“ watching the restorationist work is really a mind-boggling, amazing experience.”

   Lewis recalls being in Milan during the early 90’s and being able to see the restorationist work inch by inch, cleaning and repairing the paint.

“..Even though I have yet to see the restoration of the Mona Lisa, I expect it to be of the same quality,” Lewis said.

   Lewis said that if she could choose any other career it would be restoring old paintings because it’s a fascinating journey into the past and you are also able to see exactly how a painting was done.

    Many people who are not artist may not grasp the full concept of a restoration.

   These artist work day and night to make the painting look the same as it was the original day it was painted.

  “They simply, remove centuries worth of sut and grime”, Lewis said “…they brighten it up and you will actually be able to see a lot more detail.”

  Lewis also tells of time she traveled to the Opera Museum in Siena to see a certain painting by Cello and when she arrived there were grey curtains over the painting. This usually meant that something was going on.

    "So i was curious..", Lewis said. "And i looked behind the grey curtain and they had all their x-ray equipment set up. They had found a painting by Giotto that was done two hundred or three hundred years before, underneath the Cello.

  

Average Rates for 30 Year Mortgage too High?

Having the opinion on the average rating on a 30 year fixed mortgage is usually judged off where the person actually stands of being financially settled with their lives. For some it will be a little too high and for others it will actually be something that they could work with.  The average rate of this year stays the same at 3.87 percent, which is the record of being the lowest level since long-term mortgages since the 1950s.

 Merrill Magruder, a Project Coordinator of The University of Mississippi and also the housing placement director for The Luckyday Residential College. Dealing with actually housing of the campus of a college, Magruder also places her opinions on the average rates of mortgage.  

Picture of Magruder working at her desk.

"I think the average rate is too high. I think it would be a good move if they were able to lower it for the people it can not afford it," Macgruder stated.

 Even though Magruder feels it is too high, she finds is reasonable and feels that we will just have to deal with it until something is to make a change.  Having hope on whether or not the average rates to get better is questionable for us to know. Magruder thinks it is a good change for it to happen.

 "I feel it will get better, because we have seen tremendous change in our economy lately, and anything is possible of happening," Magruder stated.

 Even though the rates have lowered, the change has done nothing to make change on the housing market in order to rising up from the struggle that is it currently in.  Seeing that it still being this rate, the question is, will there be some to still buy houses? 

"I feel people will still will make the decision of buying houses, because people like to own t things, whether the rate is high or low in the economy," Magruder stated.

 Dealing with these type of rates are risky for some people to make a decision on with their time.  They think about the long run and the happenings of their decision that they have made. The thought of the their money falling in the price is something that is a big move.  Dealing with housing.  "It is similar to the way people react to the way they have to deal with housing on campus for their children to live," Magruder states. It can all be something to deal with.

UM Grad Student pursues his Passion

Above, UM grad student and professor Tom Bennitt, discusses literary stratagies implemented in poetry.

According to the United States Labor Department, "every 2 out of 5 Americans, switch careers every 5 years."

Factors such as the shift in the economy and industrial lay-offs along with jobs being relocated overseas, has forced many Americans to look for jobs elsewhere.

UM grad student and Professor Thomas Bennitt wasn't affected by any of the above mention factors, but chose to give up his Law career, to pursue love. His love of writing...that is.

Bennitt,37, was born and raised near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After college Bennitt really didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. " I had strong reading, writing, and analytical skills, so I felt that law school would suit those strengths. I spent 7 years working as a lawyer because my law degree gave me certain skills that are valued in the private sector, and I had to earn a living somehow.", Bennitt said.

After those 7 years, Bennitt made the ultimate decision to go back to school. "I decided to come back to school because I wanted to pursue a career in teaching and writing fiction, and even though I could have continued to practice law and write in my spare time, it would have been very difficult to be good at either one.", said Bennitt.

Here at the University of Mississippi, the Master of Fine Arts programs ranks in the top 30 in the nation for fiction writing and Bennitt expressed that is one reason why he chose to come here. "Ole Miss is one of the most flourishing literary towns, and it supports artists and the arts, which I love.,"said Bennitt.

Regarding advice for aspiring journalists and writers, "I would have to say, is to write what you want to write about, because it's a hard life that requires commitment and endurance. You need to have passion for it, and be proud enough of your work that you want to make it the best you can make it. The same goes for journalism. You need to be your own best editor and biggest critic. Others will give you great advice along the way, but once you get good enough, you'll learn to trust your instincts about what works and what doesn't.", said Bennitt.

When asked where he might be in five years Bennitt said, "I hope to graduate in May with my Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing, with a concentration in English Literature. I don't know where I will end up next, but I hope to keep teaching and writing for a long time."

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar

Women in today’s society seem to be taking over and every woman has a calling truly made just for her.

Kimba Langas, a native of Denver has a house over flowing with bras. They aren’t all for herself, instead they will head to the town of Mozambique, Africa. The bras are not for the women to wear, but to sell, the luxury item sold at top dollar can help the women escape sex trafficking in Mozambique. 

            Dr. Linda Spargo a native of Arkadelphia knows exactly how it feels to go through life learning that happiness comes from making a difference.

            Spargo began married life after college in Dallas in 1970. Her husband Chris Harris was the starting free safety his rookie year for the Cowboys.

            “He was there when they were called America’s Team and it changed my life,” Spargo said. “It put me around an economic group of people that were very celebrity oriented but they were still people.”

            Spargo, sitting in her chair with her legs crossed, back straight and hands folded, looked perfectly put together, like she had taken small qualities from her years as a football wife forever with her.

            “I felt like I was an observer of a lifestyle, I still worked at the apparel mart in the show room. There was a woman who did a book on the Dallas Cowboy wives and it was so traditional,” Spargo said. “I was 23 years old and I was perfectly cute, but she treated us all like we were very traditional stay at home people.”

            After six years in Dallas Spargo found her independent freedom in New York City.

Miles away in Mozambique women are fighting from being sold into sex trafficking as early as 12 years old. Without economic freedom it quickly becomes the only life these girls know and escaping seems impossible.

            With the large changes in the airline industry starting with the arrival of the 747 at American Airlines, Spargo found herself as a new flight attendant on the advanced airline.

            “I was 28 and loved living in the city and for the first time I was supporting myself, but the biggest issue for me was, American Airlines was a union,” Spargo said. “Because of union issues we were not able to provide good customer service for passengers and I hated working for that.”

             In a video with CNN, Dave Terpstra, Langas’ partner said these women finally have economic freedom and a way to support themselves and their families by selling bras that we donate through their new organization called “Free the Girls.”

Leaving New York after a year, Spargo set her sights on San Francisco, where she met her second husband. With the wine industry booming in California the two decided to wet their feet in a bucket full of grapes.

 “I knew nothing about wine and food,” Spargo said. “I remember one Christmas we ordered a Brie only made from cows who had eaten frozen grass. It was crazy.”

            Kimba Langas found the idea of donating bras a fun project, but she didn’t realize how large her impact would become.

            In her video with CNN Langas tears up saying she never thought how large the project would grow, a drive in Arizona collected 8,000 bras and another in Tennessee collected 3,000 bras, women from everywhere were coming together to help.

            In 1995 Spargo chose to move her and her daughter to Oxford, Mississippi where she could receive a doctorate in English. Then went on to work in the chancellor’s office starting with Dr. Khayat.

            Langas, wiping the tears from her eyes said Free the Girls was the first time she’d been involved in something in such a hands on tangible way.

            Spargo’s main involvement with the university was started when her daughter received a DUI.

            “There were pages and pages of DUI’s given out between 5 pm and 11 pm,” Spargo said. “I wanted to find a safer way for students to get around.”

            The idea of Rebel Ride came up in the spring of 1999 and started the next fall.

            “I’m not going to be president and I’m not going to be governor, but here I can make a difference in the life of a student,” Spargo said. “Whether it’s keeping them safe or helping them with life decisions.”

            Just like Spargo, Langas has found her way to make a difference. Free the Girls is online and ready to receive any help from women anywhere.  

Spargo at her office in the Lyceum.

            

Marriage is Forever

Marriage is a term that is taken advantage of in today’s American society, but not for Campus Crusade intern Lauren Sandifer who is about to tie the knot. Sandifer is a recent graduate of the University of Mississippi and is currently on staff with Campus Crusade ministries at the university.

W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia believes that marriage is becoming more popular and more successful for Americans with a stable family background and a college degree. Wilcox agrees that children who are raised in a strong and stable environment are more likely to get a college degree.

Sandifer is a mentor to many students at Ole Miss and guides them spiritually in their walk with Christ. Her outlook on marriage is based off of God’s plan and the way he designed marriage.

“We grow up thinking of marriage as a fantasy where the husband and wife live happily ever after but what we fail to realize is that it is something you always have to work at. In our world today, divorce is so common and having affairs are not a huge deal. Cheating on your spouse is considered a sin and we think of it so casually,” Sandifer said.

The newly engaged intern knows that marriage is not all bells and whistles. She knows that it will be a challenge to share her everyday life with someone else and to not make every decision with selfish ambition.

“I am so excited to share my life with Ben but I know that we will not make it if we don’t keep the Lord first in our lives. I believe that no marriage will last if it isn’t centered around Christ and that will definitely be something that Ben and I will always have to remind ourselves,” said Sandifer.

Marriage is rushed in so many relationships and it is a life decision. Many couples go into their marriage thinking that divorce is always an option.

“Marriage should be something where you go into it thinking that it is for life, for better or for worse and that is taken advantage of. You have to fight for your marriage at some points but I will never give up no matter how tough things get. When it comes to raising a family, children grow up seeing the way their parents treat each other. I was so blessed to be raised by such loving parents who cared for each other and that is what I want for my children as well,” Sandifer said.

Losing An Inspiration

The news of Whitney Houston’s death on February 11, 2012 shook the world and caused many tears to fall. The news was tragic, but for this music professor, she not only lost Houston, but also lost a musical inspiration.

“I saw Whitney in concert in my 20s. Her voice was so strong and she could do so many things with it. I was so impressed by what she could do, she was just amazing, perfect,” said Jennifer Robinson, a voice instructor at the University of Mississippi.

Jennifer Robinson started singing at 5 years old and knew immediately that she wanted to be a performer. Houston’s musical career inspired her to complete her work.

“Whitney did a lot of breakthrough, her voice was such a unique instrument,” Robinson said.

After receiving her Bachelor of Music degree in vocal music education from Western Michigan University and her Master of Music in vocal performance from Florida State University, Robinson pursued doctoral studies leading to her doctorate of musical arts degree at the University of Illinois all while listening to Houston’s music to inspire her.

“I believe performing picks you, you don’t really pick it. You have to absolutely love it and I believe that Whitney loved performing. She gave an incredible performance. She was really just the whole package. I remember I was in awe of her musical capabilities and her outstanding performance,” Robinson said.

Whitney Houston set world records and was the most awarded female act of all time. She was also one of the world’s best selling artists, selling more than a million copies of an album within a single week period. In 2008, Rolling Stone listed Houston as the thirty-fourth of the 100 greatest singers of all time.

“Looking back on it, I think my favorite Whitney Houston song is I Wanna Dance With Somebody because it’s just the most fun song. It just makes me want to let loose and dance and sing along,” Robinson said.

Robinson says Houston has inspired her through her schooling and into her teachings now at Ole Miss. Robinson keeps Houston in her thoughts when she is giving her students voice lessons and hopes her students can find a musical inspiration just like she found Houston to give her inspiration throughout her professional career.

Hispanic population on the rise in the U.S.

School systems around the nation are making it mandatory for students to take at least two years of a foreign language by the time they graduate high school.

In the past 10 years the Hispanic population has become the largest minority population in the United States and still growing. According to the census bureau the Hispanic population is going to rise 24.4 percent or 102.6 million by 2050. Every time you make a phone call to an automated message machine they offer Spanish and English. This sudden rise has caused school boards to alter their curriculum in order to add a foreign language mandatory course.

After the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement was signed in 1994 the U.S. has conducted much of its free enterprise in the country of Mexico. "It is important to understand ones culture as well as be able to speak the native language in order to conduct business," Said Missy Green a Spanish Professor at the University of Mississippi. Green however does not agree with the idea that our youth is being forced to learn a new language. "I feel if you really want to learn a new language that is awesome, but if you are forced to sit in a classroom you don't want how is it going to interest you," Green says.

Ccurrently a full time Spanish teacher Missy Green has studied the Spanish language since the beginning of high school, finishing second place in the state competition as a Senior. Her main focus is Human Rights mainly in Latin American countries. She has lived in three Spanish speaking countries giving her insight all different aspects of Spanish culture. Missy plans on retiring from teaching and begin working for her parents in the international food business where she will continue using her knowledge of the Spanish language and culture.

As much as Hispanic culture has seen rise in America more and more people around the globe are beginning to speak English. In Europe they only taught students how to read English but never how to speak it, but in the past five years Europe has seen a rise in the schools teaching their students how to read, write, and speak English. "I have been going over seas most of my life and the more and more I go back the more and more Europeans are becoming interested in learning the English language, it is a very big step for international trade and business," says Green.

Thanks to Spanish teachers like Ms. Green America's youth is learning more and more about the new vastly expanding Hispanic culture in the United States. Who knows in 900 years we all might be speaking English and Spanish.

Samantha Foster

February 22, 2012

Faculty Profile Story

President’s Theology Questioned

 A Republican candidate publically questioned President Barack Obama’s theology in a Sunday night speech in Georgia.

Rick Santorum, campaigning to be the Republican presidential candidate for the up coming election, made controversial statements in his speech given in Georgia. Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, questioned Obama’s theology calling it “phony theology.” He also drew links between Obama and Adolf Hitler without identifying either by name but by making remarks about World War II.

Santorum faces criticism from Mitt Romney’s advisers for his controversial statements made Sunday night. When questioned about what Santorum meant, he said he was referring to other matters.  He said he was not criticizing the president’s Christian faith but was instead referring to Obama’s energy agenda. Santorum stated that he has used the World War II metaphor a hundred times in his career.

Dr. Sarah Moses, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at the University of Mississippi, believes we as a nation have crossed the line where political candidates are being questioned about their religious views in a way that is totally unrelated to their qualifications for the job.

“In general, the validity of Obama’s Christian faith has been questioned since the last presidential campaign,” said Moses. “In some ways what Rick Santorum has said is a continuation of that same attack line.”

Moses has been a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Ole Miss since fall 2008. She received her Ph.D. from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

“Given America’s strong tradition of religious freedom and the independence of the state and the church, it should make no difference what particular faith a president belongs to. What matters are the policy positions that affect the country,” said Moses. “While a president’s faith may influence his policy views, our society should be focusing on the policies, not the faith that may be behind them. Likewise, we should not assume that a particular faith automatically means a president will have certain opinions.”

Santorum’s remarks in his speech Sunday were the latest in a series of controversial statements made by the presidential candidate that shocked many. Again yesterday, he has repeated that he was not criticizing Obama’s Christianity but referring to other matters. 

Making a Difference through Politics

With increasing coverage of the republican nominee
hopefuls, it’s clear that election season is upon us. Campaign ads are on all the channels and politicians are making promises. Throughout the dull cycle it’s hard to fully grasp the weight of the situation. How does a person get involved in such a boring career like politics? Sometimes it just takes a person wanting to make a difference like Dr. Robert Albritton.

Dr. Albritton was born in Andalusia, Alabama and grew up in a very conservative household. Dr. Albritton’s father had been one of the founders of the Republican Party in Alabama and a founder of the John Birch Society.

“I don’t think people get how conservative we were back then, we were slightly to the right of Genghis Khan conservative,” said Dr. Albritton.

Dr. Albritton would not become affiliated with politics until the civil rights movement. The many speeches and debates sparked an interest in him to get involved and make a difference.

“The issue of segregation was one of the most influencing factors in my life. I believed this was wrong and decided to become active in civil rights,” said Dr. Albritton. Dr. Albritton would go on to become a vice-president in a chapter of the NAACP as well as join in one of the marches to Selma.

After the civil rights movement, Dr. Albritton held many political positions including a seat in the state legislature of Illinois for 3 years before transitioning into teaching. Dr. Albritton taught at Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech. He then came to Ole Miss in 1998 to chair the political science department. After teaching for 35 years, Dr. Albritton will be retiring at the end of this semester.

On the upcoming presidential election, Dr. Albritton says a lot still relies on the stability and recovery of the economy. He also believes the national polls to be untrustworthy for determining the standing of any candidate. Dr. Albritton concluded that Romney was the strongest of his competition in the run for the nominee but doubts his momentum will hold strong if he does make it to the presidential race against Obama.

“As far as politics go, the best thing students can do is find a political party closest to their views and become active in it. Political parties are very important despite the media’s criticism of one another. They are the best cues for voting, especially for those of us who don’t have time to stay informed on issues.”

Advancing Technology Today

Overtime, people have gotten destination locations through word of mouth, printing directions from the internet, from following a GPS, to simply telling their phones where they would like to go and successfully getting directions. The IPhone5 is rumored to drop summer 2012 and it has struck an interest with Network Administrator, Robert Bradford, of Ole Miss.

Robert Bradford spends his days in Patterson School of Accountancy maintaining the computers and other technology in the building. Bradford constantly deals with the advances of technology and what the community will do for it.

"Personally I enjoy seeing new Technology" Bradford said. "Advancements in technology are
usually made to make lives better but the people with money only wants to
use it to make more money" Bradford continued.
"When technology is used to help the people that need it, I enjoy it even more. However, I do not understand why people spend so much for some technology and will wait in line for days to be the first to get the IPhone and IPads" Bradford said.

As a network administrator Bradford uses technology daily. He takes courses on new software whenever he can find the time. In Bradfords point of view, he really could not update himself on all the updates that take place daily because their are so many.

" Technology advances daily, making it impossible to keep up with it. Most people and organizations would go bankrupt trying to keep up with technology" Bradford said.

According to a 2011 survey that was conducted by MSNBC , 38 percent of the U.S. uses smartphones, of that, 27 percent uses the IPhone. Bradford, however; has interests in other types of technology such as new software. Marcia Bradford, Robert Bradford's daughter, watches her dad's love for technology on a daily bases.

"I see him working with technology all the time. He is always showing me new gadgets that I have never heard of and showing me how they work" Marcia Bradford said. "Since he shows me how to fix a lot of things, I always try to fix things on my own first. But if I get confused then I call him."

To Robert Bradford's family and friends, he is the go-to guy to fix their technological misfits. It seems that calling on the Bradfords has become a trend.

" I appreciate that he takes the time to show me a lot of things about computers that are very simple but important. Therefore when many of my teachers have a problem with their computers, they call on me to help because I have a basic knowledge of how they work" Marcia Bradford said.

Bradford credits his love for technology to his service for the U.S. Military. Bradford has twenty years of experience with technology.

Snapping to tell the “Ole Miss Story”

Robert Jordan adjust a camera mounted to the backboard at the Ole Miss basketball game verse Auburn.

           On the sidelines of many University of Mississippi sporting events there are always several photographers: The Oxford Eagle, The Daily Mississippian, and several other. One photographer who does not often have his picture printed on the cover of the newspaper the next day is Robert Jordan. Jordan has worked for the Ole Miss for over 25 years and now works as the director of photography for University Communications.

“To be a successful photographer requires both, sort of a left-brain and a right-brain approach, you have to understand the technical side and the fundamentals; photography is both a science and art,” Jordan said. “You have to have the other side, the creativity and the compositioning to be a successful photographer.”

            When Jordan first started at the University, he was a photographer for the public relations department. While working for public relations there was not a charge-back system, which charges for someone to cover the event.

“I covered things that needed to covered certainly; dedication, ground-breakings, events what have you,” Jordan said. “ But we also covered a lot of things minor events that did not need to be cover such as birthdays and other events, because it is easy to get farmed out and make friends and influence people by sending a photographer free of charge.”

            Jordan was then moved to the publications department where he worked more with other designers and graphic artist. Along with that he worked at the campus film-processing center.

            “There use to be a photo lab on campus that was academic support, slide processing, slide duplication that type of thing, joined forces with first sharing facilities, then eventually blurring the line between those two,” Jordan said.  “Which allowed us to get back on a charge back system.”

            Jordan still felt even with charge-back system in place it still had filters on what he could cover.

            “Those departments that have a budget can hire you and you can cover there events, unfortunately some folks don’t have any money in their budget to hire you,” Jordan said. “So money is an effect but an imperfect filter.”

Jordan hopes to change the way people think about the University Communications by attempt to do a better job at “telling the Ole Miss story.” Jordan plans to cover stories that don’t get much reorganization until after the something interesting has already been done. 

“We are just now starting to reach out to the University campus, to professors and student leaders that if got something unique going on, a unique learning experience call, email, let us know about it. If we can work it in to our schedule and we think it is the kind of thing we can use for recruiting and telling the Ole Miss story we will photograph it free of charge,” Jordan said. “So we are still available for hire but are trying to do these other projects to help tell the Ole Miss story a little bit better.

            Jordan is very excited because there is a research team that will be in the Gulf of Mexico this summer and hopes to cover their story.

            “ These are the types of things people can’t afford to hire you for the four days you will be out of the office,” Jordan said. “ But if I can say if you will cover my travel expenses, I’ll tag along and document everything.”

Samantha Foster

February 16, 2012

   

"If You Dream It, It Can Happen”

The dreams of launching a satellite will soon become reality for a group of Ole Miss undergraduate students studying engineering.

The group of Ole Miss students, who are apart of the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium, have been working on building a small satellite for the past year.  It has been a goal this group set years ago to accomplish and they are finally seeing the realistic plan to accomplish it. Kendall Holloway, a sophomore engineering student, if not apart of the construction of this satellite but has heard a lot about it.

“Believe it or not, electrical engineering students are building a satellite to be launched into outer space,” said Holloway.

The satellite is called the Mississippi Imaging Space Satellite 1, or “MISSat-1,” and is programmed to capture images of Mississippi from outer space and sent the pictures back. The pictures captured by “MISSat-1” will be digitally sent to the University of Mississippi’s campus station located in Anderson Hall. This satellite is very small and is built to operate in earth’s low orbit.

The students are all members of the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium (MSSGC).  This is a non-profit organization throughout the state of Mississippi that focuses on a higher learning of space. This organization is supported by NASA and offers scholarships and internship opportunities to work for NASA in the future. The MSSGC has departments at 12 schools in the state of Mississippi and sponsor a variety of conferences and programs to bring schools together. Dr. Atef Elsherbeni is a professor and apart of the engineering department behind constructing the satellite.

“I am not sure if other schools in Mississippi have built a satellite but no one has launched one,” said Elsherbeni. “I am not even sure how the process of others is relative to our group process.”

The students from Ole Miss are very anxious to launch “MISSat-1” and are proud to represent the university amongst other competing schools that are apart of the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium. If the satellite is a success and is launched correctly, the students from the University of Mississippi will be able to share that at the next conference of the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium.  Presenting this accomplishment at the conference would be very awarding to the community in Oxford and to the University.

Ole Miss Outdoors

Kenyotta Jenkins
Ole Miss Outdoors

Have you ever been on an adventure trip? Whether it’s white water kayaking or ice climbing, students at the University of Mississippi are experiencing trips like this due to Ole Miss Outdoors. Ole Miss Outdoors is a student run organization offered through campus recreation. They offer adventure trips, rebel challenge courses, and provide services to allow people to get out, even if it’s a weekend trip or a one day hike. The organization rents gear to students and the general public for their own trips. Ole Miss Outdoors also provides bike services to students who don’t have cars and need to get around on campus. The cost of bike rental is $25 for a semester.
Ole Miss Outdoors is mainly known for taking many adventure trips and their Rebel Challenge Course. Most of their adventure trips seem wild and fun at the same time. To get students more involved, the organization takes up to 10- 12 trips throughout the semester. Ole Miss Outdoors also plans smaller trips through spring break and during winter break. They are now trying to incorporate at least two trips this summer. The organization is currently trying to include more staff to attend trips so there will be less undergraduate students involved, and more participation by graduate students. An exciting challenge that has a lot of people signing up is their Swamp Stomper Challenge. Swamp Stomper races include canoeing, trail running, and biking. Although there will be plenty of students who signed up for the challenge, OMOD is contemplating ways to persuade the staff to do the challenge as well. One event Ole Miss Outdoors is expecting many students to join is the Ice Climbing trip. They will travel to Looking Glass, NC, to experience Ice Climbing and other adventurous courses.
The main focus of Ole Miss Outdoors is the trips they take to persuade students to get more involved with outdoors activities and to give them an experience of a lifetime. Most of the students that participate in these trips are freshmen and sophomores. In addition to letting them have fun, traveling, and teaching them about the outdoors, they try to give them the benefit of making new friends. A few of the students that usually sign up for the trips are alone, and once they depart, the students have established many unexpected friendships. Casey Armstrong, a graduate assistant for Ole Miss Outdoors, mentioned, “ Taking these trips are fun , we go many places that you wouldn’t expect; we want to get a lot of students involved so we can teach them new things and give them a great experience.”
On these trips, you would expect at least 50 or more students in attendance, but only 12 people at the most are allowed to travel; there were many students on the waitlist. Casey said, “However many students can fill up our vehicles makes the trip.” Students may travel far on these adventurous trips, but the trips are at affordable prices. The most you will pay for a trip is $500, that’s including gear and hotel fees. “I remember when school first started and we were going to the Grand Canyon; when students found out our list began to fill up in two days,” mentioned Casey.
Casey was asked if the activities benefited the community in any way, and he stated, “We have a lot of people come in and our clinics are useful, whether it’s backpacking or kayaking. Our activities mostly include the University, but we have people outside Ole Miss like high school students who are interested in learning about the outdoors.”

Speech and Hearing Center

Speech and Hearing

For students with the disability of listening and speech disorders, The Speech and Hearing Center is the respectable place for them. At the University of Mississippi, the center is located in George Hall near the student union. The forward progress of this department increases each year with a team of professionals that are on the cutting edge of their field. The graduates, supervised by professionals, teach the undergrads different material of what they themselves have learned from the department. The Speech and Hearing Center provides a large variety of different services for patients such as speech-language assessment, speech-language therapy, hearing assessment, and rehabilitation services.

While walking into George Hall, I came across this student pronouncing an assortment of different words to his teacher. Hearing this, I began to study the teacher’s evaluation of the student’s speech and the way she critiqued the student’s pronunciation. As I curiously peek through a number of different rooms to witness the teachings of the graduates, I begin to wonder if this college environment is beneficial to the student's progress. According to the head secretary, Beth Shoffner, "While attending the Speech and Hearing Center, the students seem to have a sense of comfort on campus. This collegiate atmosphere allows our undergrads to feel a place of acceptance at Ole Miss. Our students are able to benefit from the surroundings of a University setting."

At the Speech and Hearing Center, there are many different types of ways to help the unfortunate. Sign language is a huge attribute for someone who is looking into studying the field of this department. I was not able to interview a single teacher in George Hall, due to the work-load of the teachers, but I was able to talk to the receptionist, Marlania Craig. " Having the ability to use sign language is such a vital thing to have when dealing with patients that are incapable of hearing for themselves. There are many people here that need help with their school work and the department is willing to pay for that service." With all these resources of teaching, The Speech and Hearing Center is a major plus in helping patients with their disorders.

Let's Debate

Jordan Driggers

Jackson

Jour 271

13 February 2012 

         This fall will mark four years since the University of Mississippi 
was chosen by 
the Commission on Presidential Debates to be one of the campuses 

to host the 

debate. Unfortunately this fall will contain no such reoccurrence of the debate 

being on campus. Instead in 2012 the Commission on Presidential Debates has 

elected to travel to the University of Denver, Hofstra University and Lynn 

University. 

Since its establishment in 1987 the Commission on Presidential Debates has 

picked a total of 17 schools to hold the debates. The University of Mississippi 

has hosted the event only once, while a school like Washington University have 

hosted debates four times since 1987. There have also been numerous schools 

that have applied to be under consideration for hosting the debates but have 

came up short like Saint Mary’s College of California.

While the advantages of hosting the debate are likely monetary along 

with great publicity for the school. The event could have a deeper more 

profound effect on the inner programs inside the school. Hosting the 

Presidential debate could inspire a lot of undecided seniors in high school or 

freshman in college and motivate them to pursue a career in political science.

Even if the debate didn’t reach students on a level that deep, it could still 

possibly encourage intelligent voting and being active in local and national 

governments. 

An Ole Miss graduate Beau Windham who majored in political science was 

asked his thoughts on the Presidential debate returning to Ole Miss.

“I really wish the debate would return, I was a freshman when Obama and 

McCain traveled here and the atmosphere was unlike any other. It was cool to 

see so many people on campus without a sporting event taking place.”

Windham’s opinion on the debate attracting more Political Science majors.

“I don’t know whether it actually draws in Political science majors but it 

definitely gives Ole Miss alot of coverage. Its drawing students one major or another.”

The Presidential debate seems beneficial to a university in multiple ways. It is 

clear that universities are able to host the event multiple times. We are too late 

for this years debate but as a campus and a community we can prepare for the 

debates to come.