Smoking Ban Q&A

Del Mixon

JOUR 271

9/27/12

Smoking ban is clarified for concerned students

416

            OXFORD, MS- The town hall and selected members of the Associated Student Body senate, met to discuss the new implications of the smoking ban.  The meeting was intended for students and faculty to express any questions or concerns they had over the new campus wide smoking ban. The co- authors of the bill, Quadray Kohlheim, Jessica Brouckaert, and Daniel Roberts answered the majority of questions. Associated Student Body President Kimbrely Dandridge and Vice President Emmalee Rainey were also present on stage.

            The meeting began with a brief introduction of the policy and its reasons for its production. According to the senate a poll from the Social Science Institute for Mississippi State, was sent to students in May.  The results showed 78 percent of students would like a smoke free campus. Out of all the students, only 650 responded to the poll. The first questions from the audience concerned this. A faculty member said, “ If only 650 students responded to the poll, how can that accurately represent the student body?” Brouckaert responded by explaining the formula used by polling services to get an accurate sample size. From our student body, only 300 needed to respond.

            Associated Student Body Vice President, Emmalee Rainey was met with an important question from the audience. The question, asked by a student, proposed smoking zones on campus such as Fraternity row and outside the residence halls. “I do understand that many students feel like they should be able to smoke at their place of residence. It is definitely a revision we are looking into,” Rainey responded.  

            Walker Mitch, a sophomore smoker, would like to see revision to the smoking ban. “I would be happy with smoking zones within fraternity row and outside residence halls, it doesn’t make sense for smokers to be restricted where they live.” Walker attended the meeting and was satisfied with the responses from the bill writers and senate leaders.

            Other questions asked were related to the morality of the ban, questioning its restriction on student freedoms.  Students who participated in smoking protests felt the ban is un-American and an obstruction of free choice.

It was clear through the Senate’s responses that the ban would not be repealed, although revisions remain open for discussion.

Brouckaert made a point that Ole Miss is not the first SEC school to have banned smoking, and is now one of 700 campuses across the nation to have so as well.

Emmalee Rainey

earainey@olemiss.edu

Walker Mitchell

662- 560- 8107

           

Students and Faculty express questions and concerns about the smoking ban.

Brandon Skaggs

September 27, 2012

JOUR 271

Story #3

Word Count 203

OXFORD, Mississippi- The Ole Miss Theatre Department is indirectly paying tribute to the works of William 

Shakespeare as well as local theatre groups by having  Ghostlight Repertory Theatre perform The Complete Works of

 William Shakespeare. 

Ghostlight Repertory Theatre is a student run theatre organization that allows students to perform, experience, and create theatre.  Ghostlight is a great opportunity to be involved in theatre and learn various aspects of stage performance, craft, and production.  

The production’s opening night was Tuesday Sept 25th.  The show seems to have impressed a few already with effects the performance and effects including strobe lighting, “I’ve heard it’s really funny and quite awesome from others in the department,” said Skyler Thomas.  Thomas is a sophomore Theatre major at Ole Miss.  

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare being put on is the abridged version and will be shown in the 2nd floor studio room of Isom Hall.  Show dates and times are September 25th-29th at 7:30pm and the 29th and 30th at 2pm.  Tickets are $7.50 and can be bought online or at the door.  More information can be seen at www.theatre.olemiss.edu or www.ghostlightrep.org. 

Michael Baker

Journ 271

Sept 27, 2012

Traffic Accident Rate

Words 417

            OXFORD, Miss. – Car accidents on the campus of the University of Mississippi are something that the local authorities say is unavoidable, but happening at too fast of a pace. On average here in town accidents whether involving students or Oxford civilians is 5 a month. That means roughly 1 per week which in any town would be viewed as too many.

            Sergeant Knight of the Oxford police department directly related the spike in automobile accidents to the increased number of students and civilians in Lafayette County this semester.

“Whenever you have plans to accept more students into a town that hasn’t expanded as far as land goes, it is going to become crowded” said Knight. “The city council has heard this issue and is developing possible resolutions, but right now this is how it is.”

Alcohol doesn’t play as big of a role as most would probably think of a college campus. According to accidentin.com only 30 percent of car wrecks in town involve alcohol. The majority of the accidents can be attributed to attention span. Oxford PD has documentation backing the fact that most of the wrecks also occur between 2:45pm and 7pm, the hours in which classes and campus starts to die down every day. Traffic is heavy around those times usually bumper to bumper on Jackson ave.

“I’ve had two accidents since 2008 on Jackson in stand still traffic” said University of Ole Miss senior, Elijah Epperson. “Both times I was rear ended by students who just weren’t paying attention, no cell phone or anything.”

The most accidents are reported to happen at the highway 6 exit on the part that merges into Jackson ave. There is a yield sign and a slight median separating the two merging lanes but it’s proved to be hardly enough for accident prevention, Two accidents occurred at this spot earlier this month. Neither involved alcohol, but both included students, which are not totally faulted for the large percentage of accidents that take place here in Oxford, but are responsible for the majority of the wrecks. Prevention courses and awareness meetings are amongst the list of possible future resolutions constructed by the Oxford city council.

Sources.

Elijah Epperson 731-571-4362

OPD Officer Ron Knight 662 816 8960

Stand alone photo for women's rights

Nadia Marie, member of SistahSpeak, is trying to persuade people to not only buy treats but to also register to vote so "all can have a voice in this election".

Women's Rights Discussed

UNIVERSITY, Miss.-  When it comes to this 2012 Presidential Election, the rights of women have become the main concern of the SistahSpeak! members at their Wednesday night “Let’s talk Politics” meeting.

                Crystal Gomilla Johnson and the ladies of SistahSpeak! held a political issues talk on Wednesday night to discuss how ladies feel about the current women’s issues that are being analyzed and discussed during this Presidential Election.

                “Women’s issues are taking center stage in this election and all ladies need to know what is being said and being discussed and how they feel about it,” said Johnson, president of SistahSpeak!.

                Abortion rights, birth control regulation, gay and lesbian rights, and especially, welfare regulations stirred up many emotions when brought up. Many ladies that participated in the discussion felt a strong negative emotion when it was brought up that welfare should be regulated and should be limited to people in different conditions.

                “I don’t think that people on food stamps need to take a piss test or blood test. If people need them, then they should get them. Only because a few people abuse the system doesn’t mean that everyone should be punished for it,” said Mary*.

                Equal pay for women is another issue that was being discussed and explained in detail. Many women feel that all women deserve the same pay that men receive and should receive more if women do the job better than men.

                “In this society and the government have created this illusion where women were not supposed to work but since there are more single mothers now, we have to work and we should get paid the same amount. No arguments about it. If men want us to work, then we should get paid what we deserve, “said Johnson.

                Representatives from the Ole Miss Young Americans for Liberty, Lindsey Krout and Tyler Brown, came and discussed the Libertarian view points on some of the issues that were discussed.

                “I feel like as woman, men shouldn’t tell me what to do with my body. This is my body and what I do with my body, is my choice,” said Krout speaking on the regulation of abortion and birth control.

                 

A school bus is driving down South Lamar on it's way out of construction after waiting behind a flagman.

Hayden Phillips

JOUR 271

9/27/12

Bike Path Construction

424 Words

           

            OXFORD, Miss. – The bike path construction that has been present for the past six months in Oxford is projected to be completed soon.  The construction team on South Lamar has had trouble with the weather and other issues that have caused a delay in the process. They plan to be done by the end of November.

            “The rain messed us up a lot. We also subcontracted with a second company to pour the bike lane, and it wasn’t what we needed so we had to rip it up and pour more,” said Phillip Olivi, a construction worker on the South Lamar project.

            The project on South Lamar was started in March of 2012, and was initially supposed to be done by June of this year. There are many streets around Oxford under the same construction that have had the same delays. But, Olivi said that as of now all the work on South Lamar is expected to be done by the end of November.

            There are mixed thoughts about the lengthy projects from residents that use the roads on a regular basis. Many people are bothered by the hold ups in the afternoons. But, some see the bright side of the situation like John Jordan Proctor, who lives in a neighborhood off of South Lamar.

            “If all the cars have to be held up for a few months to make biking in Oxford easier and safer so be it. It’s going to open a lot more people up to living a less wasteful life, and not to mention make the ride down South Lamar much less terrifying for the biking community,” Proctor said.

            Although the creation of the bike paths will definitely improve many aspects of the Oxford community, there are many locals that are bothered by the problem. Many believe that the delays have been caused by the lack of professionalism in the work crew. Olivi said that in total about a mile of bike path had to be ripped up due to poor planning and consideration of the weather and other factors.

            The construction sites are on Old Taylor Road, South Lamar, and College Hill Road. Some people haven’t left or entered their neighborhood in five or six months without having to wait on traffic. Many regular users of South Lamar have resorted to traveling to and from Highway six by taking Highway seven, said Proctor. The projects will be done soon enough and everything will be back to normal, except better. 

Source Contact Information:
           1. Phillip Olivi - 662-902-2099
           2. John Jordan Proctor - 662-822-3348

New Bike Lanes Pop Up Around Oxford

Sydney Hembree

Jour 271

September 27, 2012

New Bike Lanes

416 Words

New Bike Lanes Pop Up Around Oxford

Jasmine Warren likes the idea of the new bike lanes, but she doubts students will take full advantage of them. 

Oxford, Miss. – Bikers and drivers question the safety of the new bike lanes being built around Oxford.

Sydney Whittle, a first semester transfer student majoring in pre-pharmacy, marvels at the idea of riding her bike to campus.

“Since my last school was based in a city, where there were no bike lanes, when I came here and saw a lot of bikes, I thought, ‘Wow, that’s neat. I wish I could ride my bike’,” she said.

While Whittle wants to bike to school instead of catching the bus or slogging through traffic, she admits she is concerned about the limited amount of space between the road and the bike lane.

“I would bring my bike next year if I had proof that the new bike lanes were safe to use without getting hit,” she said.

Janna Montgomery, the senior choral secretary for the Office of Choral Activities, knows of some bike lanes found along Old Taylor Road, but confesses she has not heard a lot about the new lanes.

“I have heard of some accidents, though, where cars get too close to riders, such as the Department Chair, Dr. Gates, who was hit while riding on the highway,” she said.

Jasmine Warren, a fifth year biochemistry major, agrees that biking is an easy way to get to campus, but it is also dangerous, for the bikers and for the drivers. She thinks that the bike lanes are a great idea, since they get riders off the actual road, where drivers have to dodge around them.

“I have had trouble before with bikers when they try to ride through traffic. They don’t even stop at the stop signs, which could potentially cause accidents,” she said.

A majority of people who live off campus take the bus or bike or carpool to school. Warren admits she thinks only 30% of people will use the bike lanes to their fullest extent.

“Even though some people complain about parking and traffic jams, they are still going to drive their car up here. To them, it is faster, or they will catch the bus,” she said. “It is highly unlikely for people to decide they will buy a bike because of the bike lanes.”

Warren’s solution to this lack of interest in the bike lanes is to advertise to the incoming freshmen.

“If you get to the freshmen first and advertise the new bike lanes, then I believe you would probably make a better and lasting impact on campus,” she said.

Contact Information

Sydney Whittle

whittlesydney@gmail.com

256-636-2178

Ms. Janna Montgomery

choirs@olemiss.edu

662-915-5115

Jasmine Warren

jlwarre1@go.olemiss.edu

662-580-9348

The Competition is Cooling Down Between Oxford Yogurt and Candy Shops

Michael Quirk

JOUR 271

Sept. 27, 2012

Sweets Shops

426 Words

            OXFORD, Miss. – Holli’s Sweet Tooth, a candy and ice cream store on the Oxford Square, has been Oxford’s hot spot for annihilating sugar hankerings since December 2006. Founded by Holli Ratcliffe and her husband Andrew, the sweets shop sells Blue Bell ice cream, candy, cakes, and specializes in Blue Bell milkshakes and sundaes. Co-owner Holli Radcliffe said that the store hopes to cater to all types of customers.

            “We have customers from 1-99, families with children 3-13, and college students are our largest consumer groups.”

             Oxford’s population has been steadily growing, and so has the amount of dessert stores in the area. In the last four years, Oxford has added three frozen yogurt shops: Bop’s and Twisters off Jackson Avenue, and Yaya’s on the Square. While the new stores pose competition to the decadent sundaes and milkshakes of Holli’s Sweet Tooth, Ratcliffe said that they have seen an increase in revenue in each of the past five years.

            When I asked Ratcliffe if the increased amount of customers has changed the hours, marketing, or products that they sell, she told me that they are still doing the same thing that they’ve been doing for seven years during the same hours. She did concede that they have a larger staff than in years past to accommodate the crowds.

            Across the parking lot from Twisters is another new establishment, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Famous for their caramel apples, the Durango, Colorado company has locations throughout the United States and Canada, including three stores in Mississippi. While they are a candy company, co-owner Gail Miller believes that their product is not in the same market as the other places in Oxford.

            “We are the only gourmet chocolate shop in Oxford,” said Miller. “We do sell Blue Bell ice cream, but our apples and our chocolate are the only of it’s kind in town.”

            Despite not viewing other dessert stores as competition, Miller said that the company faces a challenge that places like Yaya’s and Holli’s have not had to face, location.

            “We are a chain, so if people have heard about us, it helps. With our location, it’s hard for people to know that we are here. We’ve got radio and newspaper ads, Facebook and Twitter pages, to try and let people know where we are.”

            Ratcliffe and Miller told me that the new amount of shops is good for Oxford because each has their own niche. It is good to see that a business world that is typically sour to competition is sweet for a change. 

Two New Sororities Chosen to Colonize at UM

Paige Gustafson

JOUR 271

27 September 2012

News Story #3

505 words

Two New Sororities Chosen to Colonize at UM 

            UNIVERSITY, Miss.— In Fall 2012, the Alpha Delta Pi chapter will be joining the Ole Miss campus, along with the Alpha Phi chapter in Fall 2015. The process to even consider colonizing these two chapters was a long one, a process that was in the works since Bid Day 2011. An Extension Committee, a committee made up of respected leaders around campus, all 9 sororities, Panhellenic delegates, and students all participated in choosing the two new sororities.

            “Once the Extension Committee opened Ole Miss for expansion, sororities were able to apply. Then a few of the sororities that applied were invited back for formal presentations. People voted and now we have two new sororities!” said Panhellenic President Katie Kellum.

            Other than Alpha Delta Pi and Alpha Phi, the chapters of Delta Zeta and Alpha Gamma Delta also gave presentations. Kellum said it was a tough decision as to which two sororities would join campus, but Alpha Delta Pi and Alpha Phi’s outstanding presentation won the council over.

            “They both had great enthusiasm towards expanding at Ole Miss, they both could bring something different to the Panhellenic community, and they were both well liked by all,” Kellum said.

            Even though the university promised land for up to three houses, it was still a mystery as to where the land was. It has finally been decided that the sororities will build their houses across from what is now Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Alpha Theta on Rebel Drive. 

            Along with the other 9 sororities, Alpha Delta Pi will be participating in recruitment next Fall. Since this will be their first year recruiting new members, their process will be different than the other 9 sororities.   

“They (Alpha Delta Pi) will first market themselves to women who either thought the other nine chapters weren’t for them or people and leaders around campus who could not go Greek for other reasons. Then, they will only participate in the first rounds of Philanthropy until the next year of Recruitment,” Kellum said.

 The colonization of the two sororities will hopefully benefit the Panhellenic community. Kellum believes it will give a new and different option to girls who will be going through recruitment in the future. Besides the Panhellenic President, active members in the Panhellenic community also have high hopes for the new additions.

“Having these two new sororities will greatly benefit our campus. The pledge classes in each of the sororities are over 100 girls and that's too much. This will definitely help decrease the size during recruitment,” said Kappa Delta member Haley Teare.

Ryan Dougherty, member of Alpha Omicron Pi, couldn’t agree more with Teare. “There were 133 girls in my pledge class and it was too overwhelming. If it were smaller it would’ve been easier to get closer as a chapter. I still don’t know everyone in my pledge class and I don’t think that’s right,” Dougherty said.

With high hopes in the air, the Panhellenic community can’t wait to welcome Alpha Delta Pi and Alpha Phi with open arms.

           

              

           

           

Caroline Stroud

JOUR 271

Women’s soccer

September 26, 2012

348

Ole Miss Women’s Soccer Determined and Ready

OXFORD, MISS----------- The Ole Miss women’s soccer team are off to a good start this season with a record of 10-2 against big wins like Alabama and Texas Tech.  With only 2 seniors this team is heading in the right direction to their goal of making the SEC tournament. 

The teams strongest attribute is their defending, sophomore Virginia Seiler said, “no one is off the hook when it comes to defense.”

The teams only 2 losses came from some of their biggest competition Texas A&M and Missouri, they play Florida September 28^th at Florida and according to Seiler they are another big competitor. 

The Ole Miss women’s team has good chemistry on and off the field, which helps when, it comes to game time.

“We all get along and we enjoy playing with each other, it makes the game more fun when you have people you like playing with you,” said Seiler.

Lorrie Phillips the team manager also notices how well the team interacts together. “They are like a family the joke around with each other but they get serious when it comes to game time,” said Phillips.

When asked is it hard being a student and an athlete Seiler grinned and said,” It’s the price you have to pay, I try to do as much studying as I can on the long bus rides, but its definitely hard.”

The team has gained more and more fan base with every game and especially since last years season. However there could always be more supporters.

“We have a good crowd usually at every game, there could always be more but we are thankful for the people who do come, “ said Seiler.

This soccer team works extremely hard and is diligently trying to achieve their goal of making the SEC tournament this year, and the way they have been playing lately they will be good competitors. 

Their next 2 games are away at Florida and Auburn but they will be home against Georgia on October 5^th and 7 o clock.

Sources:

Lorrie Phillips

lbphill@go.olemiss.edu

662-419-9354

Virginia Seiler

viseiler@go.olemiss.edu

+1 404-558-8182