Ole Miss Students Lock Up Or Lose

Photo courtesy of google images.

The holiday season is approaching and Ole Miss students are preparing for the long winter break. Many students living in apartment complexes or town homes will be leaving them unattended.  This causes students' homes to be susceptible to any kind of criminal activity.  Although Ole Miss is ranked as one of the top ten safest universities, incidents such as the "Panty Thief" and the robbery at University Trails leave students unsettled.  Students are encouraged to lock all their doors and windows, and even leave a light or radio on to appear as if someone is home.  It is also encouraged that students ask their complex managers about the safety precautions taken over the winter break.  Taking all the necessary precautions helps ensure that their homes and belongings are safe.

                                                            To find out more, click here.

Ole Miss adminstrators and student leaders respond to 2012 Election Protests

Courtesy of The Associated Press

 Reported by Bracey Harris

      On election night protests broke out on the Ole Miss campus in response to the reelection of President Barack Obama.  The demonstrations, which started in front of residence halls shortly after midnight, turned unruly. Although there were no reports of property damage or injuries, the use of racial slurs has been confirmed by campus police. The incident has garnered national headlines and negative publicity for the university, shortly after its commemoration of fifty years of integration.   In response the university has established an Election Night Incident Review Committee to determine what took place.  The committee will also make recommendations on the steps that should be taken next.

      Student leaders have also contributed ideas for moving forward.  Hope Owens-Wilson, President of One Mississippi and a student worker at The William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, was instrumental in planning the "We are One Mississippi" candlelight vigil.

Courtesy of The Associated Press

Wilson wants a more open dialogue regarding race relations on campus.  Sean Higgins, President of the Ole Miss College Democrats has taken a firmer stance.  He along with several other students leaders drafted an open letter to the student body stating, "To students who believe what happened on our campus is somehow acceptable, and to those who partook in hateful speech: you are not welcome at The University of Mississippi. We do not want you here. Our campus is not a safe haven for hate."  As with Owens, Higgins wants frank discussion regarding how much the university has progressed.  He is also brainstorming with other student leaders on other ideas such as an honor code, which would hold students more accountable for  their behavior and conduct.

For more on the story click here.

Town Hall

The University openly discussed the events of Nov. 6 Tuesday night in Overby. Kenny Irby from the Poynter Institute was the moderator for a group of five panelists. The featured panelists were ASB president Kim Dandridge, Kym Clark from Action News Five, Dr. Susan Glenen from William Winter, Stewart Pirani and Emily Roland from Newswatch, and Graduate Council President Kevin Cozart. Each panelist had a chance to answer Mr. Irby’s tough questions with personal opinions. The event received great feedback from the audience. Click here for full story.

Serving For The Students

The Univerisity of Mississippi is a college campus that wants your opinions and suggestions heard. And the Ole Miss Associated Student Body Senate is here to listen to your ideas and try to put them in effect.

The Senate meets weekly to the discuss the issues on campus such as the smoking ban, dead week policy and thanking different members of the university for the services they have done.

If you want to go what is going on within the ASB Senate who can follow them on Twitter or Facebook. For a some indepth look at Senate click here.

Surge of Students

Surge of Students

Photo courtesy of olemiss.edu/library

Finals are approaching fast and students have begun to fill the J.D. Williams Library. Although final week does not start until Monday, students are already cramming for the upcoming tests. Every seat, computer, and desk is becoming occupied. These days leading up to finals are students version of hell.The coffee, or perhaps the stress of the end of the semester, brings hundreds of students into J.D. Williams Library to use its facilities.

When walking around the third floor of the library you see every nook and cranny of the library filled with a studious student, diligently working on an assignment or studying. Jacob Mcdougal, manager at Starbucks Café in the library, said the cafe's busiest week is finals week when students are constantly there throughout the day.

Through the year the library has hardly had anyone in it and those there are most likely not doing any school related work but come closing weeks into finals and the library is filled like there is a black friday sale going on. Whether it be study groups or individuals, the library is sure to see a multitude of students when this time occurs.

http://youtu.be/6W0wTk85w1U

Ole Miss Students Are Hungry No More With The University of Mississippi Food Bank

The University of Mississippi Food Bank, located in Kinard Hall room 213, opened its doors on November 8^th. The Ole Miss Food Bank provides Ole Miss students as well as faculty members with free food and for anyone to make donations. The food bank is open every Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. and every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Mission statement of the UM Food Bank is to foster a healthy college community by providing nourishing food to students in an effort to alleviate hunger on the UM Campus. There were many sponsors that helped contribute to the establishment of the food bank, such as the Ole Miss Dining Services . The committee is hopeful for the future of the food bank with plans for improvement. To see the full story, click here.

Holiday Sales Invade Thanksgiving With Gray Thursday

Courtesy of iheartthemart.com

   This year's Black Friday shopping earned $1 billion in online sales. Up 26 percent from last year, consumers are gradually using the Internet for holiday shopping, said comScore Inc.

Though the popularity of Cyber Monday has provided consumers with many online deals, technology is taking over the retail industry by catering to consumers fed up with waiting in long lines.

According to the data collected by comScore, of the most visited websites on Friday, Amazon ranked first. Following was the Walmart, BestBuy and Target corporations' websites.

Despite great increase in the Internet sales, competition for in-store revenue continue. Stores pushed doorbuster sales back as early as 7 o'clock Thanksgiving morning, dubbing the day Gray Thursday. "I think earlier sales give people a higher chance in getting what they want when they come into the store," said Walmart Co-Manager Johnny Fair.

Some traditional shoppers view Gray Thursday as a contradiction to the meaning of Thanksgiving. "You're supposed to spend the day being thankful for what you have and people are in there fighting over forty cent towels," said shopper Kyle Turner.

According to the National Retail Federation, 35 million Americans visited retail stores or websites Thursday, compared to the 29 million from last year.

For more on this story click here.

How to Prevent the 'Jiggle' Bell Rock

Photo Courtesy of Prevention.com

With the holidays in full swing, everyone occasion is full of family, fun, and a whole lot of food.

Considering no holiday get-together is complete without something to snack on, it is important to remember to keep the intake to a limit. Every holiday, there always seems to be an abundance of good things to eat, so it is no wonder people have a problem not consuming too much, as well as keeping the weight off. Health professionals are trying to save some overindulgers this holiday from having to loosen their belt buckles by providing some healthy tips.

One way to help keep from feeling 'eater's remorse' is to stick to one plate per meal time. Going back for seconds and thirds is not always the wisest decision, even if you do think there is room in your stomach. Another way to burn some of the energy off from all of the calorie intake this season is to get active. Going on a family hike or playing a pickup game of basketball will help get the heart rate up and the blood pumping.

So to prevent the 'jiggle' during these upcoming months, remember to take it slow, and try not to overdo it.

For more information, click here.

Ole Miss Students Using Adderall in Hopes of Boosting Test Scores

Studies show students rely on drugs like Adderall to help them get through exam week.  There is no exception for the students of Ole Miss. To see their opinions and professional's opinions click here.

Dead Week Causing Library Overpopulation

The JD Williams Library at the University of Mississippi has seen an extremely rapid increase in overpopulation as the upcoming week of finals approaches. However, many students are not even coming in to prepare for finals- they are coming in for what was supposed to be "Dead Week".

"Dead Week" was a term adapted from other schools around the country, including many in the SEC, and are implemented to help students improve their exam grades by increasing the amount of time they are given to study. Traditionally, a "Dead Week" occurs the week before finals, and professors are forbidden from assigning major assignments during the time allotted in order to increase student performance. The 2012-2013 school year is the University's first trial.

Ole Miss has adapted the essence of "Dead Week" in its' policy known as the "Last Week Policy".

For more on the Overpopulation problem at JD Williams story, click here.

What It Take To Be On The Ole Miss Women's Golf Team

Ole Miss Athletics is a huge contribution to the University, however a team that is seldom heard about is the Ole Miss Women's Golf team.

Senior, Ericka Schneider works extremely hard to be successful as not only a golf player, but as a representative of the University on the course. Aside from being a full-time student, she plays a full August - May season of Golf with several other women from the University.

The Women's Golf team has full access to the Ole Miss Golf Course, clubhouse, and indoor practice facilities. For more on the story CLICK HERE

Ole Miss Student Victim of Racial Abuse

Mary and Jamal Woods

Ole Miss student Jamal Woods claims that he is the victim of racial abuse on campus. Woods reported three incidences, beginning in August, in which Woods was targeted because of his race.

The most recent attack, severe vandalism to Woods’ truck, which he received for graduation just last summer, occurred the night before the election night protests. 

These recent racial issues have caught the attention of  Rev. Dwight Montgomery, The President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a Memphis based Civil Rights organization. Upon hearing of Woods’ story, Montgomery is demanding a meeting with University leaders to not only discuss Woods’ case, but also the larger race problem at Ole Miss.

The University has made several moves to heal race relations since the Election Night Protest and Woods’ story has gone public; they have sponsored a Candlelight Walk and a town-hall meeting addressing how to move forward. 

Ole Miss spokesman Danny Blanton said that he and others on the administration would be happy to have a meeting with Montgomery to discuss this issue.  The University's statement regarding Woods can be found in its entirety here. 

For more information, click here

Oxford criminals beware of two Ole Miss students

The OxfordCrimeReport.com is an online-only publication is to inform Oxonians of arrests and criminal proceedings locally in Lafayette County.


Two Ole Miss students run the publication. Jacob Batte, Editor-in-Chief, says that it can be enjoyable to do sometimes and shares that his favorite part about his job is watching the municipal courts. Jake Thompson, a writer believes that he has time to do the job because it doesn't take that much time and effort. "It's about twenty to thirty minutes every Tuesday through Friday," says Thompson.

Jacob Batte, Editor-in-Chief

These students give citizens the chance to see who were the real culprits behind that robbery last week or maybe they're in it to see their friend's arrest. "It's entertaining because you probably know the guy," says Batte about the arrest lists.

Either way these two students take this job seriously and do it the best they can. If you go to the Lafayette County detention center, then expect to see yourself on this website soon. For more information on the matter, watch the video below.

Black Is Back

 

A week after the 2012 Presidential Debate, U.S. citizens formed lines again in anticipation of the release of video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II. At midnight on Nov. 13, 2012, the video game was launched in 16,000 stores worldwide such as GameStop, Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

Within 24 hours of its release, the game earned more than $500 million making it the biggest entertainment launch of all time.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is a first-person shooter game made for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It is the ninth series in the Call of Duty video game franchise and the sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops, released in 2010.

This game brings back online multi-player availability via Xbox Live.

Unlike its eight predecessors, Black Ops II is the first video game to feature future warfare technology projected from 2025. 

As Finals Week quickly approaches, this game might be the prime example of why procrastination has a primitive spot in students' study habits. 

Oxford, MS Skate Park: A Social Community

Locals hanging out at the Oxford Skate Park

 The skate park in Oxford, MS has become quite a popular place over the last several years. Since its opening in 2006, the park has provided locals with a place to skateboard but recently it has become a place to meet new people and socialize. It has become its own little community and those who skate here really appreciate having a meeting place to hang out at because there just simply isn't anything else like it around town. Skateboarding is its own culture and the park provides an entirely separate community for the skaters. 

All are welcome at the skate park as long as you are there to skate and be respectful of the place.The park hosts occasional tournaments and events where skaters from all around the state come to participate. Learn more at, Skate Boarding Mississippi/ Events. It also helps to know what your doing but if you are a rookie there are plenty of skaters willing to share some of their tricks with you. Go by your local skate shop, Oxford Skate Board Shop and pick up a board. There's a whole new community waiting to meet you. 


For more, click here to view YouTube footage of the story.


View a slideshow of the action at the Oxford Skate Park below:

Holiday Home Security Tips for Ole Miss Students

Photo Courtesy of the Calgary Beacon

Holiday time robberies have exploded across the nation.

Soon Ole Miss students will be packing up and leaving town for nearly 2 months, making their homes a haven for local burglars.

Ole Miss' University Police Department and the City of Oxford Police Department are encouraging all departing student's to take the proper precautions to keep their home safe from intruders.
Here's more on how you can keep your home safe this holiday season.

Ole Miss greeks team up with Feed the Hunger to battle world starvation

Photo courtesy of Feed the Hunger

Every five seconds a child dies from a hunger related disease.  However, hunger is not a food problem but a distribution problem.  For that reason hunger is not typically a publicized crisis in the United States.  But for children in third world countries, finding their next meal is an everyday concern.

Feed the Hunger is the children’s ministry of New Directions International devoted to providing physical and spiritual food to children across the globe.  The organization tackles the issue of malnutrition by hosting pack-a-thons nation wide in which volunteers bag and seal meals comprised of rice, soy protein, dehydrated vegetables, and vitamin powder.  The meals are then shipped worldwide and distributed by Feed the Hunger team members.

Every year the Feed the Hunger hosts a pack-a-thon at Ole Miss.  While the pack-a-thon is not until February, Ole Miss students are beginning to gather donations and prepare for the event.  The sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma organized the first pack-a-thon at Ole Miss.  Now, this group of girls is looking for campus and community involvement to lend a helping hand.  For more on the story, click here.

Ole Miss students using Adderall may suffer the consequences

Courtesy of www.dailytitan.com

With finals week rapidly approaching, some Ole Miss students leave their former study vice, caffeine, for a new study buddy: Adderall. However, students may find the drug to be more harmful than helpful. 

The Oxford Police Department takes the use of Adderall without a prescription very seriously, and students found under these conditions will be legally penalized.

But physical consequences of abusing the drug may outweigh the legal penalties. Sleep deprivation, a common side effect from using Adderall, actually lowers test-taking performance in most cases. Additionally, using the popular drug when not diagnosed with ADD or ADHD potentially threatens the heart.

For more information, click here.

Leapfrog Program in Oxford, MS helps falling students

Mary Daniel Smith helps Tearra and Khy at Leapfrog

The Leapfrog program was established in Oxford, MS in the 1980s to help 12 Oxford Elementary students who were falling behind in their school work. Over time, the Leapfrog program has expanded to help about 140 students from Oxford Elementary and Lafayette County Elementary. Leapfrog is held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Oxford-University Methodist Church and St. John Catholic Church.

Students are able to be paired off with a one-on-one tutor for one hour to help improve reading, writing, and math skills. With the help of volunteers from the Oxford community and Ole Miss students, on average, more than 80% of the Leapfrog students are able to pass their current grade.

Members of the community donate snacks each study session for the students to eat. The directors encourage healthy eating habits for the students. After the students have done homework and school lessons for an hour, they eat their snack and go outside for play time. 

Leapfrog is a non-profit organization, and donations are always welcomed. For more on the story, watch the video below.

Ex-CIA spy Shirley Perry: Her life as a Spy

Courtesy of Shirley Perry

 Ex-CIA spy Shirley Perry, now a resident of the Oxford community is a retired spy. Her journey captures most of her adventures working in the C.I.A.  Releasing her book "After Many Days," tells her remarkable story of her life as a CIA operator during the Cold War. Ms. Perry is a mother of two and a widow to late husband Robert Perry, also an ex-spy. They both found love while working side by side during the time of the Soviet Union.

Shirley Perry has lived an enviably rich life while working in the CIA. Taking on a man's job proved that women are strong too.

Not to mention, while living in Luxembourg City, Ms. Shirley Perry founded the American School of Luxembourg in 1963. Throughout her life, Ms. Perry speaks at many institutions talking to students about her experience as a Spy. She also recommends people who have passion for this type of work to go for it because you only live once. For more information on the story click here.

Lois Shipp Shares the History of the Marshall County Historical Museum

Lois Shipp Marshall County Historical Museum Owner 

Holly Springs, Mississippi offers a plethora of historical landmarks and antiques to view.  The Marshall County Historical Museum is one of places you can expand your historical knowledge.  Lois Shipp is the starter of the museum and also leads the tours.  Shipp is full of the history of each  item in the museum so much so that she is often referred to as  a "walking encyclopedia." Her vivacious personality and old magnolia tone of voice brings the old south to life throughout the tour.
   

The museum building was originally built as a dormitory for the Mississippi Synodical Collegwomen's college dormitory, and it was saved  in the 1970's when
the county threatened to tear it down.  Shipp asked to save the building for a museum space five times before the county agreed.  The museum is filled with antiques dating all the way back to the War of 1812.  The most prized possession, according to Shipp, is the million dollar library.  For more on this story click here.

Ole Miss ROTC Exams, More Than Your Average Test

Ole Miss ROTC cadets are finishing their semester with final exams. ROTC exams are not like a students average exam. These students take their exam on a 4x4 map where they manuever Army planes and jeeps. While they manuever these planes and jeeps they are trying to avoid IED's and other types of blockages.

The exam is lead by Colonel Minami. He gives the cadets scenarios and the cadets have to decide the most approriate way to handle the situation. Colonel Minami may hand a cadet a sheet of paper indicating they are about to run into an IED. The cadet has to figure out which route he is going to take to best avoid the IED.

Minami explains that it takes a level of maturity to do these tasks. "You'll see in the game about 8 of them want to talk to me at one time and you'll see that's impossible. It takes a level of maturity to realize "Oh, my buddy on the right may be in a worse situation than me right now," so the cadets are learning how to handle these situations."

This exam helps prepare the cadets for their futures. Many of these cadets will be deployed to places like Iraq and Afghanistan and they have to be prepared for whatever circumstance is thrown their way. Here's a link where you can see a video showing the the cadets during their exam.

Ole Miss Hosts 8th Annual Adopt-a-Basket Program

With Thanksgiving break approaching for Ole Miss students, some families around the Oxford/Lafayette area won't have food to eat. The Adopt-a-Basket Program does everything it can to make sure that isn't the case. Students, faculty members, fraternities, and the athletic department all team up to help support a wonderful cause. Baskets provided for the families include enough food to feed 4-6 members. With this being the 8th year having the program, there have been hundreds of meals provided for those in need.The goal this year is to help feed 500 families. The office of the Dean of Students sponsors the program.


For  more on this story click below.

Ole Miss Riots, All Not Over It.

This November, the University of Mississippi has made some positive and negative appearances in the news. The most known event took place after the announcement of President Barack Obama’s win in the 2012 election. Reports say that nearly 400 students gathered in a riot, yelled racial slurs, and burned an Obama Biden campaign sign. 

However, this isn’t the only negative thing the University of Mississippi has been placed in the media for. Jamal Woods, who was a freshman at the university, recently withdrew because he was being harassed on campus. Woods also had his vehicle vandalized with the letters "KKK" carved into the side.

The University had a Candle Light Walk after the events, but some students say it didn’t prove they were unified. The AfriKan Activist Student Alliance says it was merely an attempt to sweep the real incidents under the rug. They feel as if Jamal’s story was only mentioned because his mother came forth and the university has not done much to secure the safety of all its students. Sasha Owens has this story. Click the video below for more information.