Busy Campus Causes Cranky Upperclassmen

With a 482 person increase in the freshmen class population, Ole Miss has gained new recognition for being most popular amongst Mississippi universities. Some upperclassmen are happy to attend a school with so much fame; however, the increase in on-campus traffic has others in a funk.

“I have to leave home at least 20 minutes early to make it to class on time,” Sophomore Alley Dailey said.

Many intersections have become swamped with pedestrians at class dismissal time. A few of the busiest areas are the University Avenue and Fraternity Row intersection, the Grove Loop crosswalk near the Student Union, and the Coliseum Drive and Hathorn Road intersection. These spots, along with other congested areas, have created animosity among drivers, pedestrians, and bikers.

“I believe I speak for all commuters when I say, sometimes I just want to run some people over,” Daily said. “And I think it’s mostly the freshmen who don’t know how to cross the street.”

According to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Larry Ridgeway, drivers don’t realize that administration has attempted to make campus more pedestrian.

“We’ve closed the Circle because there’s a lot of walking traffic there,” he said.

In addition to closing certain areas for the convenience of pedestrians, administration has added crossing guards at intersections to assist drivers. Some students find the crossing guards helpful, but Daily said sometimes they favor pedestrians, leaving drivers to sit for extended times.

“We have hired Cobra security to act as crossing guards but they have not been trained for very long,” Ridgeway said. “We have temporary University Police to train Cobra but there just isn’t enough.”

He thinks that a stop light at the University Avenue and Fraternity Row intersection would be a good idea but no plan has been set. “The population has grown because out-of-state students have realized it’s as cheap to go here as it is at home.”

If commuters take Ridgeway’s advice and “use a little creativity and pay attention to the parking map” they won’t have to wake up so early and make numerous laps around campus to find good spots.

Victoria Boatman

It's not unusual to find a college sophomore with an undecided major, and no clue as to what they want to do ten years from now. University of Mississippi sophomore Victoria Boatman is no exception.
Although a declared journalism major, Boatman has narrowed her potential career paths as either that of a lawyer, journalist or archaeologist. Whatever she decides, she knows one thing is for sure-she will have a successful career.
With a successful career comes extra money and time said Boatman. It's time and money that she plans to dedicate to give back solely to her community. "When I was in middle school I was president of our school's community service organizations," Boatman said. "Giving back to the community is just something I have always enjoyed doing."
Boatman hopes to give back not only to her local community, but to that of other nations. "I hope 10 years from now I'm traveling a lot," she said. She has only been to four places outside the county but she, "enjoyed that time so much that I hope to be able to do service work for other countries too. I just want to continue to give back."

Profile on Elise Parker

Elise Parker is a junior from Jackson, Miss, and has recently transferred from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. She transferred to Ole Miss in January as a senior because she did not like the university.

Since transferring to Ole Miss, she called the move a “wise decision.” She is currently involved with the Transfer Leadership Foundation. She has three sisters and one brother. She came to Ole Miss because home is now closer, she knows more people, and her sister, Meredith, is a sophomore at the school.

In five years, she hopes to graduate. Elise Parker’s major changed from accounting to marketing communications. She said she hopes to move back to Birmingham to start her career.

Elise’s biggest fear in life is floods. "Big bodies of water can be so dangerous, you never know what kind of damage could happen." She loves cats and has one named “Cooper.” The best thing in life that Elise has done so far is attending the “J.H. Tranch Camp” in Northern California. She went there with her father and has been a counselor there for the past two years.

'Most Popular' Response

This article on using ‘most popular’ in content is very interesting. If I were to search a topic I was interested I would definitely look at the article that had the most hits or was being frequently searched. Breaking stories up categorically is also a good idea because then readers wont be frustrated by trying to search everywhere for the topic they are most interested in. I also love when sites have a most popular page as written in the article. It makes it easy for me to find the latest news about what is going on in the world.

Classmate Profile

University of Mississippi graduate student Sharon White proves her passion for journalism as both a television and radio host. Hailing from Chicago, Ill. White has lived in California, Georgia and now calls Mississippi home. Her love for journalism began in 2000 when White relocated from Atlanta to Mississippi for an opportunity as a radio host at Rust College in Holly Springs.

Upon graduating from Rust in 2009, White earned a degree in English and decided to continue with broadcast. Her decision to attend UM was “easy “ White said.

“I had heard the school had a wonderful journalism program.”

Aside from journalism and broadcast, White also enjoys teaching the word of God as she is an active minister at Grace Bible Fellowship in Memphis, Tenn.

While being also being a minister, White continues to host for radio and expands her broadcast knowledge by taking daily classes at UM.

Article Discussion

This article pointed out some very important things on how to keep readers active on your website.
Not many people even realize how often the use the 'Most Popular' tabs when reading stores on websites.
It was also interesting to see how often websites changed the names of the tabs when the realized that
they may not have been attracting as much attention as they wanted. Overall, it was a very interesting and eye opening read.

Profile on Sidney Bayles

"The craziest thing that has ever happened to me…would have to be experiencing a tropical storm at the beach," said Sidney Bayles, a junior at Ole Miss. She was enjoying Labor Day with family and friends at Orange Beach when a tropical storm interrupted her holiday. "We didn't even know it was coming," she said. "There were signs swinging back and forth. It was scary."

Bayles,a broadcast journalism major, hopes to one day become a reporter. "I  want to do something fun," said Bayles. "Like not strictly just news." She knew where she was destined to spend the next four years after college, after having a sister play for the Women's Ole Miss soccer team. Growing up in the small town of Florence, Ala., Bayles felt right at home in Oxford. The small town feel free from all the interstate commotion is comforting for Bayles. "Sometimes I get nervous on big interstates," she said. "Last week I went to Memphis and had to have my GPS to help me out."

Classmate Profile

When entering a room on the first day of class, not seeing a familiar face or a classmate you had in the past, you might tend to clam up and not talk to the person next to you, unless you feel the need to say "What did the teacher say?" or "Are we supposed to have a quiz today?"

But if you would take the time to simply ask the person to the left of you what their name is and where they are from, you mind out a lot more than whether they know if the teacher is going to give a pop quiz.

Alexa Bafalis is a sophomore from Houston, Texas and as two extremely different families that she loves to talk about. Her parents divorced when she was six years old and both are now remarried. Both of her parent's sides of the family are extremely different, but she says it keeps things interesting.

She decided to attend Ole Miss after one of her friends suggested it to her. She came to visit the campus, and decided that this was the school she wanted to attend.

She wants to someday be the Robin Meade of her day, being a talk show host on shows like The Morning Express.

Classmate Profile

WULFORST'S HEART SPEAKS

She lived in Miami, Boston, and Atlanta, but when it was time to choose a college, it was the city of Oxford that mesmerized her.

Jordan Wulforst, 20, walked on the Ole Miss campus for the first time and fell in love and decided that this was the college for her.

"I felt it when my feet hit the campus," she said. "It's something about Ole Miss that I love."

Wulforst's greatest love is her family. Both Wulforst and her brother Jamie were born in Miami and enjoyed many vacations with their parents at Disney World.

Although most of her family still resides in Miami, Wulforst stays in touch through visits and phone calls.

Profile on Jory Tally

Jory Tally is a sophomore journalism major originally from Olive Branch, Miss and absolutely loves Ole Miss. Tally is very familiar with the Magnolia State saying, "I've lived throughout the state from Picayune to Cleveland, Miss."

What influenced Tally to come to Ole Miss were the traditions of the school. Tally does not regret her decision to come to Ole Miss at all. In fact she loves it more as a sophomore than she did as a freshman.

Tally ultimately wants to become, "a well-known- anchor for a major network such as NBC." She considers Katie Couric as her journalistic inspiration. Tally says that she knows being a journalist would be a job that she would wake up and be pumped to go to.

Classmate Profile: Jasmine Steverson

Jasmine Steverson is a senior at the University of Mississippi. Steverson is from Hollandale, Mississippi. She refers to the Mississippi Delta area as a “ghost town.”

“As far as my town goes, the population isn't even 3,000, everyone knows everyone, and there aren't even any franchise businesses.”

Ole miss wasn’t Steverson’s first choice of colleges to attend. Southern Miss had Steverson’s heart in the beginning, although she has two sisters who graduated from Ole Miss.

“I liked the location of Southern Miss, and I liked that it was more unfamiliar to me.” The main choice maker for Steverson’s future schooling was the Luckyday scholarship offered from Ole Miss. “The Luckyday scholarship was a great opportunity because it took a weight off of me and my parents.”

Steverson’s major is English and her minor is journalism. While she has no background in journalism, she isn’t blocking it out of her future.

Steverson’s future goal as an English major is to a write a book. However, Steverson doesn’t know in the future if she wants to do literary writing or journalistic writing.

Classmate Profile: Candace Coleman

Freshman year has the potential to be a challenging year as college students experience their first time away from home. With the challenges, there is the potential to grow and learn about one's self. Candace Coleman, a sophomore at Ole Miss used her freshman year to build.

"[School] taught me that I can't be best friends with everyone," Coleman said, but we can at least be cordial.

An only child living in a shared environment can be a tough adjustment but the leap can often help you grow. Although Coleman didn't meet many people in the Lucky Day Residential College (LRC), she made friends in other dorms where she began to make connections.

"My new friends Helped me focus on the important things," said Coleman. "They create gateways to meet new people in other departments throughout the school."

Although the leap from an only child to sharing a space with others can be a difficult adjustment, Coleman made the change and has networked well with others throughout the university.

Classmate Profile

Emily Quatman is sophomore from Kansas City, Mo. During her high school years, she searched for her perfect college to attend. Emily visited schools in Texas, as her family is from there, including local Missouri schools, but she felt it was just not her thing.

Her next stop were schools down South. "I visited a few other SEC schools, but then I got to Ole Miss...," Quatman said. After one visit to the Grove of Ole Miss during a game day, she fell in love and made her decision to come to the University of Mississippi.

Emily’s major is broadcast journalism, with an emphasis in public relations. Her future goal is to have a job in public relations, hoping to plan events. Quatman also has a very creative side, "I love to paint and I have decided to minor in art."

For her immediate goals, she hopes to study abroad and travel this summer. She also wants to start interning at public relations firms, departments, and other places next summer to gain more experience.

Classmate Profile

Kaitlin Harrison, 20, of Springfield, Virginia grew up an army brat with her father, grandfather, and other family members in the army. Harrison felt pressurerd to go to West Point, a military academy in New York, where her father and two older brothers attended.

"I wanted to branch out, do my own thing, and go to a school where there was a good journalism program," Harrison said.

At first, she intended to go to the University of Georgia. That journalism school is named after her great uncle, Henry Grady. Then, she decided on the University of Mississippi where she is now a junior.

Harrison said her father accepted her decision. Now, he is actually grateful that she decided not to join the military with the war and deployments going, he said. Her father and two brothers have all been deployed. One of Harrison's brothers is on his way to being a professor at West Point.

Harrison said she has no regrets of her decisison and when asked of where she would like to be in five years, she said, "I hope to be writing for a magazine, along with two kids."

Classmate Profile: Anna Frost

When looking at Ole Miss junior Anna Frost, one would automatically assume that she is the typical college student. However, she is everything but.

Frost grew up the youngest of three girls in a typical American family near Nashville, TN. She was was very active in sports all her life, and upon entering high school she earned a spot on her high school basketball team

Basketball proved tough for her, because within two years she have received five level 3 concussions. The concussions eventually left Anna with a minor brain injury.

Because of the brain injury she had to withdraw from high school, and was home schooled for the remainder of her high school career. Doctors told Anna that college would not be an option, because her brain could not handle the stress of an influx of information.

"It's a constant struggle, but I am trying my hardest," she said of college. She stands a true testament to the statement, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."

Classmate Profile

Puberty and awkward stages of life are expected trials and tribulations when going through adolescence. But for Houston native, Jennifer Nassar, divorce was the biggest obstacle.

Nassar’s parents, who divorced when she was 10, left a heavy burden on her shoulders.

“I would say the biggest thing that has affected me was my parents’ divorce, probably because I was so young and it was pretty rough,” Nassar said. “I did live through the saying, ‘what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger’.”

Nassar learned how to cope with life’s problems. She also learned what kind of man she did not want to marry.

“My biggest fear is that I will end up marrying someone like my father,” Nassar said. “That’s a big no-no because I don’t see him as a good husband or a good family-man.”

Coming to Ole Miss has been Nassar’s biggest accomplishment because she is the first person in her family to attend college. Through college Nassar said she has found faith and friends who understand her situation and who will support her.

“I have found my faith and my relationship with God,” she said. “Most of my friends that I have made have been through church and have helped bring us closer.”

Classmate Profile

Emily Quatman

9/19/11

Classmate Profile

In an interview conducted with sophomore Ole Miss student, Stewart Pirani, insight was gained into why Pirani chose to attend Ole Miss and what he hopes to be doing with his life five years from now.

Pirani’s hometown, Memphis, Tenn., had a great deal to do with why he chose to attend college at Ole Miss. The convenience of the university being so close to home was definitely a perk for Pirani choosing to attend Ole Miss.

Pirani also explained how he has grown up as an Ole Miss Rebels fan. “Since I was young, my family and I have been coming to Ole Miss almost every football weekend.” He explained how the experience of the grove makes it all the more enticing to come and cheer on the Rebels.

As a broadcast journalism major, Pirani expressed interest in the producing and directing side of journalism. He said that five years from now he hopes to be working at a major network.

Pirani explained himself as a behind-the-scenes kind of guy and would love to have the opportunity to work on the set of a television show. Pirani said that his dream would be to work behind the cameras on a sitcom or “The Daily Show.”

Classmate Profile

Alex Edwards

Alex Edwards, a sophomore journalism student at the University of Mississippi, has recently decided to change his major.

"I realized that what I learn in the classroom, is only half of what I can learn from experience in the field I want to go into," Edwards said.

His new major--art--will help him to begin his career as a photojournalist, which is better than having a bachelor of journalism degree, according to Edwards.

Edwards sparked interest in the field after reading Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva's "Bang Bang Club." The story about four photographers active in South Africa during the Apartheid inspired him to want to "make a change and make the people and world around...[him] better."

-Candace Coleman

11 am-JOUR 271-News Reporting-Univ. of Miss.: Let's Get Rolling with Our Class Blog

11 am-JOUR 271-News Reporting-Univ. of Miss.: Let's Get Rolling with Our Class Blog: Welcome, All, to our class blog! This is where you'll begin to post your work and where we'll have class dialogues and share other musing...

Let's Get Rolling with Our Class Blog

Welcome, All, to our class blog! This is where you'll begin to post your work and where we'll have class dialogues and share other musings. To start things off, I'd like you to read this article and, here, post a brief response to it. What do you think? Here's the article: "5 ways news sites are using ‘Most Popular’ features to help readers surface more content."