Are professor perceptions of student stereotypes present in Ole Miss classroom?

Courtesy of Ole Miss Law School

It's no secret that Ole Miss students place social labels on their peers solely from what they’re wearing, if they're involved in Greek life or not, or even based on a students dialect. Do professors on the Ole Miss Campus do the same? Is there a correlation between a students classroom performance and what stereotypical group they are placed in?

University of Mississippi junior and sorority member, Mckenzie Baldorossi, feels that professors do share the same prejudicial biases that students hold about their classmates and that often times, professors do immediately categorize a student into a stereotypical group just from their appearance. 

Ole Miss football player and fraternity member, Hunter Raines, feels that at first, professors may think that an athlete could be viewed as a "slacker" and that the athlete may believe they're going to receive a certain grade solely based on their campus prominence. However, after the professor gets to know the student as an individual, they may find that the athlete shows an incredible amount of effort in their academic work.

Zach Schwartzman has more on the story.

Do Student Stereotypes Among Teachers Run High On The Ole Miss Campus?

Courtesy of Ole Miss News

We know how students perceive other students on the Ole Miss campus, and we know how outsiders perceive students on the Ole Miss campus, but what about the teachers? What are the stereotypes professors see on campus and does it effect a student's performance in the classroom?

According to some Ole Miss students, stereotypes are definitely acknowledged by teachers simply because the stereotypes are so devout. Their concern wasn't that professors categorize all types of students, but rather, a certain few seem to stand out the most.

Ole Miss professors, however, believe that these stereotypes do not necessarily stem from a student's ideologies or upbringing; instead, they are usually formed due to the organization in which a student is involved.

Margaret Collins has more on this story.

FedEx Academic Center at Ole Miss Helping Student-Athletes Achieve Academic Success

FedEx Student Athlete Academic Support Center
Photo Courtesy of olemisssports.com

In 2005, thanks to a $2.5 million gift over five years from FedEx, the University of Mississippi was able to build the FedEx Student-Athlete Academic Support Center in 2007.  This building provides a state-of-the-art facility for student-athletes at Ole Miss to be able to get on top of their schoolwork, and balance academics with the time demands of their respective sports.

The FedEx Center is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every weekday and on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Various staff members in charge of each individual sport, and that particular team's academic standing, make up the facility's Academic Support Staff.

Hawtin Buchanan has more on this story, which you can watch by clicking here.

Square Books Shapes the History and Culture of Oxford

Square Books is a general independent bookstore located on the historic town square of Oxford, Mississippi, which is the home of the University of Mississippi and many great writers, including William Faulkner.

Square Books Jr. is in a building adjacent to the historic Neilson's Department Store, and is a children’s bookstore that offers various types of books and toys for kids. 

Square Books is known for its strong selection of literary fiction, books on the American South and books written by Southern writers. The store hosts 150 author events a year and is a founding co-sponsor of the Oxford Conference for the Book.

Darby Radcliff has more on this story, which you can watch by clicking here

Paid parking returning to the Oxford Square

The Board of Alderman voted earlier this month to implement paid parking on the Square from 10 AM to 10 PM, but not everyone is on board. 

Parking on the Square has been an ongoing issue in Oxford for some time. Since the removal of parking meters in the 1960s, parking has been what City Parking Manager Matt Davis called "a free-for-all" with minor regulation and no collection of revenue for the city.

But that is soon to change as over 300 parking meters are set to be put up around the Square and surrounding side streets by August as part of an effort to raise money for a future parking garage. According to an article in the Oxford Eagle, the Board of Alderman spent over $300,000 to purchase these meters. Not everyone is so quick to agree with this new policy. Pete Porter has more on that story.

Student Athletes now allowed by NCAA to receive unlimited meals

The NCAA has just agreed to provide Division I student-athletes with unlimited snacks and meals during their athletic seasons as well as mandatory. The rule will go into effect August 1, 2014 but had to first be approved on April 24, 2014, by the NCAA board members.

Prior to the new ruling all Division I sports were only allowed to provide students with 1 incidental meal a month outside of the breakfast, lunch, and dinner allowance that is included into their scholarship. The decision of the ruling came about after Shabazz Napier, a guard for the Connecticut men's basketball team, made a comment in an interview that he sometimes "goes to bed starving."

Ole Miss will be placing the rule into effect for the student-athletes at the University. Matt Ball, the Senior Assistant Athletic Director, says that the plan can cost the school anywhere from $500 to $5,000 extra dollars depending on what all they will provide for athletes next year.

Amber Singletary has more on this story, which you can see by clicking here.

Students in Oxford, MS Host Poetry Slam to Break Silence

Ole Miss junior, Jalisa Giles, explains how she came up with the idea to host a poetry slam. April 27th, 2014 in Oxford, MS.  Photo Credit - Jared Boyd

Do you ever feel the need to get something off your chest?  As finals week approaches, Ole Miss junior, Jalisa Giles, took to the stage of Cups of Oxford to do just that. 

Giles, a Vicksburg, MS, native, along with a host of performers, participated in a poetry slam, free and open to the Ole Miss, Oxford, and LaFayette community.

The event was titled Song Cries, Vol. 1 – Broken Silence.

The artists took to the stage to sing songs, play guitars, and recite monologues.

One well-received segment was a piece written by, Chealsea Williams-Simpson, a junior from Byhalia, MS, revolving around marriage, love, and pain.  “I got the idea from the TV drama, Scandal.  The characters resonated with me so deeply, but I tried my best not to spoil the show for anyone who hasn’t seen it.”

Also taking the stage, was Giles, the woman who spearheaded the idea of breaking silence.  Her poem, comparing a turbulent relationship to a severe storm, stirred up audience members, as a real-life tornado watch went into effect for surrounding areas.

Despite the gloomy weather, Giles was thrilled with the turn out.  “I got [the Ole Miss community’s] attention,” she said, just after the show.  She hopes to make her poetry nights a regular event, although she anticipates growing her event to larger areas than the small espresso café.

Customers study and listen in on the performances during "Broken Silence."  April 27th in Oxford, MS.  Photo Credit - Jared Boyd

“The event last night was something well overdue in the community,” said Colin Cody, an audience member and student from Memphis, TN.  “I feel there haven’t been that many off-campus events that unify the student community, where anyone is welcome to voice their thoughts and opinions.”

In the future, each poetry event Giles sponsors will feature an open mic portion of the show.  Giles hopes that this will promote everyone to give honest expression and dialogue back to the Ole Miss family.  Will you be there to break your silence?

To view more of Jared Boyd's coverage on this story CLICK HERE.