Revised: 'Going Greek'

Jordan Wulforst

12 September 2011

‘Going Greek’

426 words

With 1300 freshman girls waiting to wear their letters, and Ole Miss Greek rush right around the corner, the question of adding more sororities on campus has intrigued many students.

Junior Bentley Bryant, recruitment team member for Kappa Kappa Gamma, commented on the matter. “It is unbelievable how many girls are going out for rush this year, we are so excited and expect to have a pledge class of 130 to 140 girls, versus last year’s 88,” Bryant said. “There has been a lot of talk about the addition of possibly two new sororities.”

Bryant explained that adding two new sororities on campus would be a beneficial thing. Rush would be less exclusive having eleven sororities, making it so that every girl has a home and a choice.

The question would be whether the school could handle adding two more sororities. The addition of two new sorority houses on campus would mean finding land to build them on and the finances to support it. This could mean that the sororities added to campus may not have a house, and if they do it most likely would not be on campus.

Sophomore Anna Kathryn Ward, Phi Mu rush team member, also spoke about rush this year and the possible addition of new sororities. “Last year Phi Mu took its largest pledge class consisting of around 100 girls. It is hard to say how many girls Panhellenic will allow us to take this year because of last year’s rush,” Ward said. “The addition of more sororities would be an awesome thing. It would really expand Ole Miss Greek life and strengthen the program. I know that there is major talk of adding sororities, and I really hope they do.”

Many sororities are eager for new charters to be set up on campus, this definitely taking some “rush pressure” off of the actives. For rush 2011, sororities will have to make wise decisions on what girls they can accept due to grades, and other factors that will affect a girl’s rush process. “Some sororities on campus are on probation for grades and have a very strict grade policy, this is definitely going to make the rush process more selective,” Bryant said.

Greek rush in the next couple of years may be looking at the slow addition of new sororities. Greek life is very popular at Ole Miss, while choosing not to rush is as well. Ole Miss is expected to grow in undergraduate student size in the years to come, which could possibly means a higher interest in Greek life.

Revised: Classmate Profile

Jordan Wulforst

Jackson

Journalism 271

20 September 2011

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.

Faulkner's Geographies: A Photographic Journey

Jordan Wulforst

Jackson

Journalism 271

4 October 2011

Famous for his many written works, William Faulkner’s memory remains in the small town of Oxford, Miss. An exhibition of photographs has been dedicated to Faulkner located at the University of Mississippi Museum.

The exhibit is titled Faulkner’s Geographies: A Photographic Journey. Sophomore Lauren Price recently visited the exhibit for a history class assignment. “The exhibit was so interesting, it was cool to see into the life of such a notable man and writer,” Price said.

Price described the exhibit in a way with such great detail. Price enjoyed the fact that these photographs had been preserved for this long and appreciated that she was able to view them. "I loved looking at photographs that may have inspired Faulkner to write his stories, so much history was in that exhibit."

The exhibit is closely tied with an annual conference, the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference. The exhibit gives conference director Don Kartiganer a way to express his love for Faulkner’s work. Kartiganer has been studying the writings of Faulkner for quite some time.

The conference held every year brings together Faulkner fans from all over. This is a time when they can gather, view, and discuss his works. Faulkner’s fans are the one’s who keep not only his memory, but his stories, alive.

According to the exhibit Director, new pieces were added to the collection this past year. Director Kartiganer has a true passion for showing others into the life of William Faulkner and was ecstatic about this new addition.

Kartiganer stresses that the photos not only show people into the life of William Faulkner. But they also represent the themes and inspirations for some of his most famous works. The photographs represent some things that Faulkner was able to look at and use as an idea to write his many stories.

The preservation of these photographs serve as not only a dedication to the great works of Faulkner, but they make a point that he is still well known today. A large crowd of people continue to come to the annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference every year.

The opening reception for the exhibit was held on Sunday July 27^th at 1 p.m. The exhibit will continue to be open to the public until Tuesday October 1^st. More information can be found at http://museum.olemiss.edu/2011/05/faulkners-geographies/ .

The Old South and the New South on exhibit

1958 Chevrolet junk truck

By Sharon White

The Center for the Study of Southern Culture is hosting the David Zurick collection at the Gammill Gallery in the Barnard Observatory Lecture Hall at the University of Mississippi until Oct. 14.

The exhibit, "Southern Crossings: Where Geography and Photography Meet," is a collection of black and white images of the Old South and the New South representing geographical areas of its culture and lifestyle.

One exhibit from the Old South is an abandoned 1958 Chevrolet truck disintegrating from the lack of use and harsh weather, and parked in a field surrounded by an overgrowth of bushes, grass, and weeds. Representing the New South are the franchises; Checkers, Winn-Dixie supermarket, and Days Inn.

In each image, the artist utilizes angles, lines, and shadows wrapped around colors of black, white, and gray. The 23 images are the brain child of geographer, writer, and photographer David Zurick, professor at the University of Kentucky.

Zurick has traveled through the winter months and county roads of the South, since 1996, permitting various landscapes to dictate what the South was all about through the lens of a vintage view camera.

"The sheet film provided me with excellent negatives," Zurick wrote in his 2010 book "Southern Crossings Where Geography and Photography Meet."

http://www.eku.edu/news/professors-new-book-examines-dichotomy-american-south

David Wharton, assistant professor of Southern Studies and director of Documentary Projects at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, read the book and invited Zurick to Ole Miss for an exhibition.
"The exhibit began in August before the fall semester, and David was here in September and spoke to several of my classes," Wharton said. "The reception from the students was great."

Zurick captures the Old South and the New South with a collection of rivers, woodlands, gardens, antebellum homes, and farm life combined with modern buildings, highways, and cities, bringing geography and photography together and a new appreciation for the South.

Freshmen Continue to Read

As the freshman class of 2015 settles down after a few weeks of college classes, Student Affairs is celebrating their recent success. This recent success was the freshmen common reading program. The common reading program is one book that the entire freshmen class is given to read over the summer before fall classes.

A few weeks ago author Rebecca Skloot came to visit campus and give the keynote address at the freshman convocation. If you are not a freshmen or faculty member, you were probably wondering why she was here. Skloot is the author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, the common reading book chosen by the faculty at the University of Mississippi.

Because of the overall success of the program, UM has chosen to continue the freshmen common reading program. “This past year was a pilot year, it went well and we had a lot of positive feedback,” Banahan said.

A small committee formed by Leslie Banahan, vice chancellor for student affairs, selected the book. The committee consisted of Associate Provosts; Robert Cummings, English professor; Dewey Knight, associate director of financial aid; and one librarian.

“The book is used by 100 different schools,” Banahan said. “It had a broad appeal, while telling a compelling story.”

The committee to choose the book has also decided to let all faculty members help nominate a book for the upcoming class. “It helps students being able to talk about one subject matter, and forming different opinions,” explained Banahan.

But was the reading program all the rage between freshmen and should they continue?

Lauren Loyless, freshmen, said, “I believe it was a good idea, it brings people together while having a conversation starter.” Loyless said she enjoyed the different topics in the book, citing science and philosophy in there.

Loyless also believes that the university should continue with reading program. “If students take the time to read the book, it can be a huge success.”

Some freshmen, on the other hand, Loyless is worried about. “Some of my friends were like no, I’m not going to take time to read this.”

While we may not know exactly how effective this common reading program is right now, the university will know down the road after a few more freshmen classes come through.

One World, Two Artists

One World, Two Artists book with pictures.

Vibrant colors line the wall as you walk around the exhibit at the University Museum. This exhibit is, named “One World, Two Artists,” is by John Alexander and Walter Anderson. Both artists were born in the south: Texas and Louisiana, respectively.

Both artists are from different time periods, yet still share a common southern heritage in their paintings. The paintings included the coast and ocean, rolling mountains, plants and animals, and other areas were the artists grew up.

Alexander was born in 1945 in Beaumont, Texas. The region, dry and rugged areas, is where most of Alexander's inspiration comes from. Anderson, on the other hand, was born in 1903 in New Orleans, La. Anderson drew his inspiration from being a naturalist and observed the regions he was in.

Josh Farrell, a sophomore, was there for a class assignment viewing the exhibit. “I really appreciate the different styles of the two artists combined.” Farrell continued to mention that even though he was there for class he “really enjoyed studying the paintings.”

The museum is working in conjunction with Ogden Museum of Southern Art in Louisiana to show the exhibit. The exhibit started on August 23^rd and will last until December 3^rd. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on the exhibit, click here.

It feels like your captured right in the middle of nature when you walk into the exhibit of One World, Two Artists located at the University of Mississippi Museum in Oxford, Miss. The exhibit is organized by the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, La. The art gallery is filled with numerous paintings by John Alexander and Walter Anderson.

The paintings of the exhibit attempt to reflect the inspiration the two artists shared in Southern culture and nature varying from animals, plants, and bodies of water. These paintings display the life of animals in nature and show the self-expression of the artists and the emotions in time.

“The first poetry is written against the wind by sailors and farmers who sing with the wind in their teeth. The second poetry is written by scholars and students and wine drinkers who have learned to know a good thing. The third poetry is sometimes never written but when it is, it’s by those who have brought nature and art together in one thing.” Walter Anderson quoted those words and it expressed Anderson’s passion in his art.

Walter Anderson was born in New Orleans, La. He was a talented poet writer, painter and studied nature. Anderson’s inspiration for his art work was from the South. Anderson started painting in the 30’s; a couple of examples from his early work are the paintings of the White Throat Sparrow and the Chimney Swift both drawn in 1934.

Although Anderson was born in Louisiana, his family had a shearwater pottery business in Ocean Springs, Miss., revealing more to him of the Southern life. His main inspiration of his work came from a visit he took to Horn Island. Anderson did most of his drawings mainly in water color and did others by pencil sketching.

John Alexander shared similar inspirations as Anderson and was also inspired by Anderson. Alexander followed Anderson by going to Horn Island as well, to capture the visuals of the island.

However, Alexander’s paintings of the beauty in animals in nature were drawn by charcoal. Alexander grew up in Louisiana like Anderson and was inspired by the Texas and Louisiana culture. His paintings are very realistic and detailed. Alexander is now in his 60’s and his artwork is still being showcased.

The name of the exhibit, One World, Two Artists mirrors the areas and nature that connected Anderson and Alexander. The works from the artists have similar characteristics and inspirations but are all unique. It is seen through the work of the artists that the Gulf Coast was the main inspiration for the two painters.

The exhibit started on August 23 and will run until December 3 and the opening reception begins September 22 at 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. The University of Mississippi Museum opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. and is opened Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information about the exhibit, visit http://museum.olemiss.edu/category/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/ or call 662-915-7073.