A Celebration of Black History

Marian Wright Edelman, bottom center, is one of the many speakers visiting the Ole Miss campus for Black History Month.

What do you think about when someone mentions February? Most people associate it with Valentine’s Day, chocolate, flowers, boys, and maybe even loneliness. For others it is a month to look forward to the history and respect for the African American culture: Black History Month. Coincidentally this year’s theme, “Black Women in America: Culture and History”, links to March’s celebration of Women’s History Month. This year is also especially significant because it marks the 50^th year anniversary of James Meredith’s integration.

“We are connecting with the Civil Rights Committee as well as the Southern Studies center to really help advocate the magnitude of ’Opening the Closed Society: 50 Years of Integration,’” said Dr. Susan Grayzel, the interim director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women’s and Gender Studies.

Though many events are planned for the month, one that stands out the most features Marian Wright Edelman.

“You will need to read a whole book,” said Grayzel when asked what she believed was Edelman’s most inspiring accomplishment. “She is an important example of how to identify a problem and spend a lifetime changing it. It is a pretty admirable thing.”

In her early career, Edelman attended Spelman College and Yale Law School. She later became the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, as well as directed the NAACP Legal Defense and National Fund office in Jackson and was a counsel for the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C. that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began organizing before his death. She has received over one hundred honorary degrees and many awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award, the nation’s highest civilian award. As the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, Edelman concentrates on being a strong voice for children and families.

“It is a pretty admirable thing” said Grayzel. “Continuing national, political and institutionalized justice.”

The celebration of recognition of all other influential people in society, including Edelman, began in 1926. The creator, historian Carter G. Woodson, came up with the holiday with the dream that it would eventually end when black history played a key role in American history.

“I have never really thought of black history being separate from American history,” said sophomore Caroline Purcell. “I know it has always been an issue, but we grow up learning about influential African Americans and don’t think much of it. Black History Month is a nice way to be reminded of their impact.”

Black History Month events have been well on their way, beginning February 1^st and ending March 7^th. Marian Wright Edelman will be speaking at the Gertrude C. Ford Center on February 21^st on race, gender and rights. For a full calendar of events look on bulletin boards around campus or visit the Sarah Isom Center for Women’s and Gender Studies for a pamphlet.

Little Recognition Yet Deserves Praise

About 20 minutes on the outskirts of town, the Center for Water and Wetland Resources lies on 740 acres of land. The buildings were empty. Nothing stirred, similar to the calm land. It was quiet, until Dr. Ray Highsmith, the director came out of his office.

There are 8 people in Dr. Highsmith’s building and 15 people total. Currently, they are looking for an established professor with around 5 graduate students to add to the team. As we got more into the conversation it became evident that his goal is to expand. He hopes to add more people in the future. “My goal is to teach classes out here. It is hard to do because it is so far. We are trying to build it up, get more activity. That is our biggest challenge,” he explained.

The land dates back to the 1940s. It was a bait farm that stretched 160 acres. They took spring water and made it into ponds. Little by little the land started expanding. Around the year 2000, they acquired money to construct buildings. Now the center is used for many field trips for students and faculty members.

The Foundation was given money to start fresh water research. It also just received a 20 million dollar grant to work in the Gulf of Mexico for 3 years.

Some of the research scientists are from Brazil, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. They have international agreements with China and Brazil to do natural products.

Dr. Ray Highsmith went to University of Iowa for his undergraduate degree. “I had a professor take an interest in me, he took me to the Marshall Islands to come along and do some research. Well in the end it actually changed my life.” After that he knew what he wanted to do. He got a faculty job at a university in Alaska that led him to Oxford in 2005.

As the interview dwindled down, he exclaimed that if time permitted, he would love to show me the center. The center stretched on with lush green pastures full of geese flying above, and deer running among the couple of hundred ponds used for testing. “The deer aren’t a threat here. It is a safe haven for them from hunters. We research animals and how they interact in the natural habitat,” explained Highsmith. He pointed out the wild turkey research building that research mating preferences and natural behavior.

The center has an employee from Brazil who looks for small crops in Mississippi that farmers can use as products such as medicine or foods. She found a food that does not have sugar that humans can digest. “She cooked a lunch for all of us not too long ago. The food kind of looks like a potato, it was actually really good! You can eat as much as you want, but you won’t gain weight!”

One of the most important buildings that sat high on a hill, housed the piece of equipment which has been to New York, and is going on a cruise in March to the Gulf of Mexico (see picture). It cost over a million dollars, with the insurance costing 2 million. It can go over a mile deep in the ocean. It researches the seafloor, marine life, and the water.

The amazing thing about the Center is that most students have never heard of it much less the amazing accomplishments it has. It shares the same Ole Miss logo as the football players' jerseys, yet many do not know what it is. The Center has some great accomplishments to be proud of. With the grants it just received and the goals to expand, the Ole Miss community will soon be hearing a great deal about the Center making new discoveries for generations to come.

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

College can be hard for students. Sometimes students feel overwhelmed with their workload and some students just don't know how to manage their time. Luckily for the students at Ole Miss, The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning recognizes their problem and are dedicated to helping said students with their academic obstacles.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and
Learning was established in 2007. It was established to promote an on-going, university wide discussion about teaching and learning.

Learning Specialist Nancy Wiggers has heavily contributed her time and effort in helping students become better than what they already are.

"In a nut shell, we help students develop or further their study skills."

Dr.Wiggers helps students through a number of programs including supplemental instruction, workshops, and peer tutoring. Dr.Wiggers was sure to let the students know that the Center for Teaching and Learning is there for them.

"We offer service to students and will expand on those annually."

Assistant Director Susan L. Mossing works more behind the scenes with the Center. Dr. Mossing loves whats she does and says she can make more of an impact with the position holds.

"I love management and administration. I love directing programs because can impact a lot more people than just the few people you can have one on one with."

Dr. Mossing works with mostly grad students who normally go off to work in higher education themselves or with counseling programs. She likes how things operates in the Center.

"I think we have a pretty good system here. It seems like everybody is fairly happy and taken care of."

When asked where she sees the center in five years, Dr. Mossing says she would basically see an after school program for students. Although Dr. Mossing likes where the program is as of now, she stills sees a major problem.

"I think that it's hard to get students to recognize they need help and I think at some point in time it'd be great to affect the culture of the university as far as the students go so that when they get to a point where someone can help them, they'll step forward and say 'hey I need help'."

University’s Insight Park Foresees Great Future in Research

Insight Park is a new research facility run by Ole Miss.

The University of Mississippi’s Center for Insight Excellence, or Insight Park, officially opened on Jan. 2 after two years of construction.

Located just west of the Gillom Sports Center in the new round a bout, this new facility was built to help neighboring businesses emerge and grow through university research.

Insight Park caters to both small and large businesses by providing technology and advisory services to help them get started and grow. Tenants can lease space for research and office space.

Jacob Jenkins, the manager of facilities and technical services at Insight Park, explained that the park is broken up into two parts to help companies of various sizes. “Through the Innovation Center, the business incubator helps small businesses that want to be made into big businesses, and the research park is occupied by more established businesses,” Jenkins said.

The Ole Miss community is also able to profit from Insight Park through increased access to equipment and support.

Assistant Director Williams Nicholas emphasized that Insight Park will benefit the faculty and students at the university through research opportunities. “This park was built for our students and our researchers,” Nicholas said. “We want to allow intern opportunities as well as a place where researchers can partner with someone in industry.”

Despite the park having just opened, there have been a considerable amount of tenants and students join the research center so far.

Nicholas said that he is satisfied with the people they have brought in during the past month. “In the five weeks that Insight Park has been open, we have had three businesses lease building space and four UM students join as interns,” Nicholas said.

If these numbers continue to grow, the Insight Park community along with the surrounding area will experience this growth in several ways.

“Serving as an economic catalyst, Insight Park will raise the state’s per-capita income and quality of life by attracting knowledge-based businesses and high-paying jobs. By offering well-designed facilities for corporate and entrepreneurial partners, in conjunction with research expertise and service, clients will benefit from an intellectually stimulating climate,” according to the research park’s website.

The only challenge Insight Park is currently faced with is awareness. It takes a long time to establish a research park. But as word gets out about the park and its opportunities, the research program as well as the Oxford community should flourish.

Keeping Up With Oxford

The Center for Population Studies is located at 302 Leavall Hall.

Tucked away in a corner of Leavell Hall, a unique and important department is hard at work. Consisting of only three offices is the Center for Population Studies. The Center for Population Studies is devoted to the education, research, and public outreach concerning population data and demographics. The Center for Population Studies may be not the largest department on campus, but their service to the Oxford and the University of Mississippi is invaluable.

The CPS has very broad academic uses within the University of Mississippi. Research Director John J. Green is the head of the CPS and teaches a class on demographics. Although population studies is listed as a sociology elective, Green has found that demographics attract more than just sociology majors.

“We are involved in so many different projects, from health research to income research, that students from health and accounting disciplines are now taking my class,” Green said. “I believe all students can benefit from accessing demographics.”

The CPS helps educate the students by providing a database of demographics. The CPS collects and organizes all of the demographic data of Oxford. The CPS has various demographics ranging from ages to income. They are charged with keeping track of every aspect of the population and assuring the accuracy of the data. All of this information is available to the students as well as general public. Research Associate Lynn Woo works as the main liaison between the public and the CPS.

“There is so much demographic information out there and what we do is take that information and interpret it so that others can understand the data and use it for their benefit,” Woo said.

These demographics are not only helpful to the students doing research at the University of Mississippi, but also to businesses looking to open in Oxford. Businesses can directly request data about income and age range in the town of Oxford.

"It is our job to know what makes Oxford attractive,” Woo said. “We provide the information that helps determine if a business would be successful and cater to the needs of the Oxford population.”

Time for a Change

Time for a Change
By: Chris Wiese
February 16th, 2012


The Turner Center is one of the few buildings on the Ole Miss campus that has been untouched in the past decade. With new buildings being built and many others being renovated, why has the Turner Center been ignored by the University?

 If any building needs an upgrade, surely it’s the turner center. The equipment, and the facility itself, are outdated.

 Even the facilities obvious problems continue to be overlooked, from the leaky ceiling to the uneven running track. No improvements are made, nothing is fixed. The student body is growing restless.

 Michael Wiese, a senior at Ole Miss, is one of many to voice his frustration.

 “The Turner Center has remained the same since I got here four years ago,” Wiese said. “Not one new addition to the workout room has been made, and when it rains you still see buckets around the building catching water from the leaky roof.”

 Wiese and many others around Oxford have taken their workouts elsewhere. Snap Fitness is a popular alternative.

 “Snap Fitness has been great. It is nice to have state of the art equipment and machines to workout with,” Wiese said. “It’s great not to be cramped into a tiny gym with hundreds of other people waiting forever for a bench or a machine. At Snap i am in and out.”

 Mike Wachtman, a personal trainer at Snap Fitness has noticed an increase in students working out at Snap over the past few years.

 “Every semester we get a lot of new memberships from students looking for a better workout experience,” Wachtman said. “It is surprising to have students not want to work out at their campus rec facility, but with the Turner Center the way it is I can’t blame them.”

Wachtman is confused by the way the university is dispersing their money.

 “With all the money they are throwing into other buildings around campus, I am shocked that the Turner has remained untouched,” Wachtman said. “I know the students and the people who run the Turner Center are hungry for an upgrade.”

 There is no indication that a renovation is coming any time soon. For now, the roof will continue to leak, and the equipment will remain outdated.

 “I know I won’t see a new rec center in my time here,” Wiese said. “But hopefully the future students of Ole Miss and the people of Oxford Will enjoy one soon.”

An Old House Finds New Ways

Where in Oxford can you find a historic landmark, neighborhood park and a popular spot for dogs, all in one location?

That would be Rowan Oak, the fabled home of legendary writer William Faulkner.

For decades, Rowan Oak has served as an iconic landmark, attracting visitors from around the world. According to William Griffith, Rowan Oak’s curator, this well-known attraction holds a special place in the heart of Oxford and its residents.

“One [purpose] is for visitors outside the Oxford community to come and visit Rowan Oak and Oxford and learn about William Faulkner when he lived here,” Griffith said. “The second thing is it provides people in Oxford a place to visit anytime they want. From sunup to sundown they can come visit the grounds, especially this neighborhood.”

While Rowan Oak may be a treasured site for Oxford residents, its value is felt in Ole Miss students, as well. Lindsay Thomas, a sophomore from Hattiesburg, believes that Rowan Oak holds not only historic meaning but also symbolic significance.

“Rowan Oak to me is a symbol that even from a small town in Mississippi, you can have a great impact,” she said. “With Rowan Oak being in walking distance from campus, it gives us the opportunity to explore and become close to understanding where William Faulkner got his inspirations.”

Students and residents alike have the opportunity to enjoy the land that Faulkner left behind. At the same time, the area provides pet owners with a friendly place to bring their canine friends.

“After five o’clock, when everyone gets off work, this place is literally turned over to the dogs, because people like to walk their dogs here,” Griffith said. “But during the day, when we’re open, it serves as a historic house, interpreting the life of William Faulkner when he lived here. It means a lot to Oxford. It’s Oxford’s most visited site.”

This summer will mark the 50^th anniversary of Faulkner’s death. While this year celebrates the past, it also will propel Rowan Oak into the future via social media.

“Our new marketing strategy… is to take advantage more of social media. You can’t beat it for the dollar,” Griffith said.”

Incorporating social media as a marketing strategy will allow people to follow updates and announcements more quickly, including news about upcoming events, he added.

“I think using social media will…definitely help bring in more tourists if the information is more accessible, which now means being on Twitter, Facebook, and other popular sites,” Thomas said.

Some of the information that people will be more aware of includes the memoriam of Faulkner’s death and the festivities that will be going on at Rowan Oak July 6. In addition to the grounds being open to guests, there will be a marathon reading of some of Faulkner’s works. Visitors can sign up for a slot to read on the UM English department’s webpage.