Smoking Ban Gets Online Opposition (mm3)

Soon students may be able to breathe easier on the campus of Ole Miss.  A smoking ban was proposed and passed in the ASB senate, but still must go through faculty and administration for approval.

Student opinion on the ban varies between smokers and non-smokers.  Junior Journalism major and non-smoker Kristen Stephens said “I believe it’s a good idea. The current system ins’t working well enough and stuents aren’t always staying in the designated areas.  Getting rid of the problem altogether seems like the best solution.”

Other students, especially smokers, are not on board with the program.   Opposition to the ban gave rise to a facebook page called “Kiss My Butt Ole Miss” intended to raise awareness of the potential ban and get support. Richard Burke, a senior political science major from Natchez, is the founder of the new facebook page.  So far the page only has 31 fans since being founded back in September.  In the information bar the page says “We Intend on Keeping Designated Smoking Areas at Ole Miss”

“I'm not real sure what makes the ASB think that I deserve fewer freedoms than everyone else, but I certainly beg to differ,” Ole Miss student Kate Jones wrote on the page, “I'm fine with respecting smoking regulations. It's that a governing minority is trying to limit my actions, not because I'm doing anything wrong, but only because they don't like it.”

If you’d like to voice your opinion on the matter or link up with fellow smokers visit the Kiss My Butt Ole Miss fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kiss-My-Butt-Ole-Miss/269043923118477

Counseling Center Promotes Stress-Less Week (MM2)

Finals week can be a very stressful time for students in college.  To fight off the stress, the University of Mississippi has initiated “Stress-Less Week” beginning April 30 and going through May 4.  Stress-Less Week is made up of several activities including yoga, lawn games, massages, and live entertainment.

During this week the counseling center will open a ‘napping well’ where students can take 30-minute power naps between the hours of 11am and 2pm.  The napping well will not allow any electronics or distracting devices inside but they can be safely checked in at the front desk.   Earplugs, air mattresses, blankets, and eye masks will be available for students.  The napping well will maintain complete silence to offer students a good place to nap.

For more information on stress less week visit the counseling center’s facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Mississippi-Counseling-Center/87391980232

RA10

Double Decker Festival b-roll and interview

Study Help List

Brown Hall Students Make Study Help List

With finals at Ole Miss right around the corner, students in Brown Hall got together to help devise five important study tips.  After a bit of research, they found the five strategies below can help deplete stressful behaviors just before the big test.  Freshman Nathan Weston said, “I hope these [tips] can help some people pass.  I know I need the extra advice.”

1)    Avoid distractions

      It is important to create an appropriate study environment that is free from interruptions.  Everyone is different when it comes to studying.  Make sure your environment is conducive to your needs, no matter where your friends might want to study. 

      Do you have that friend of that is always upset about their performance on the last test until they get it back and realize they made an A?  Stay away from that person during finals.  You do not need attitudes like that to stress you out while you are preparing.  They are usually the ones not afraid to pull an all-nighter on material they already know.

2)    Break it up!

            Make sure you give your brain a rest periodically.  You cannot simply cram information inside it all day.  That’s extra stress.  Set checkpoints ahead of time that will act as goals for study breaks.  Once you reach that point, grab a snack or take a walk.  Your brain will thank you!

3)    Don’t procrastinate

            Being prepared is important to finishing any task.  Stress is reduced severely when students take the time to begin reviewing material piece by piece, instead of directly before they are asked to show what they know.

4)    Study before sleep

            Studies show that your brain retains more information just before rest.  If you must cram before a final, try your best to limit your study session to an hour and a half.  Studies show that after that time period, ability to hold on to information decreases exponentially.

5)    Be confident!

            Relax! If you went over these tips, and took the time to implement them, you’ve got this! Stay strong!

Delta Delta Delta Hosts Dinner for Parents’ Weekend

Those in the mood for a bit of barbecue and fellowship before the big Double Decker Festivities get into full were in for a treat at the Delta Delta Delta house on Ole Miss campus.  Rib Cage on the Square catered a barbecue dinner as a part of Parents’ Weekend.

For just $10 students and family members were able to help themselves to as much pork shoulder sandwich, slaw, and beans as they could eat.  The dinner was held from 3:30 to 5:30 and enjoyed a major turnout.

Freshman Tri Delt member, Dunn Latham, commented, “I had no idea Parent’s Weekend would produce such a large event.  Anyone who didn’t make it definitely missed a nice luncheon with great food.” 

Proceeds from the barbecue went to the Carson-Pitcock Scholarship Fund, a Delta Delta Delta sponsored scholarship.  The scholarship, established in 2007 by the sorority will be presented to a member based upon sorority board approval that establishes the selected student as a valued leader.

Latham stated that she is proud to represent a sorority that gives back in a creative way.  “I’m just proud that the extended Tri Delt family was able to come out and help us with such an important cause!”

Ole MIss Attractions RA #7

Mallard Point RA #6

MM1

Library to have 24/7 Hours during Exam Week

       During exam week, the John Davis Williams Library, located at the center of the Ole Miss campus, will have their doors open round the clock. While this may sound like a student's dream, it is not as beneficial as you may think.

       There have been dozens of studies in the past that have proven lack of sleep is a big contributor to poor exam grades.

       "Sure I'll be there, but I'm certainly not going to be there all night," stated freshman Zach Joos, "if I don't get enough sleep, I'll bomb my exams. I couldn't imagine anyone being fully awake and alert during an exam after they stayed up all night the night before."

       To put more salt in the wound of all-nighter students, the Starbucks Cafe located inside the library will be open until midnight all week long. If a student were to take in caffeine that late at night, the chances of having a 5am crash greatly increases.

       Which means, consequently, the chances of sleeping through an exam increases as well.

       Students, think twice before deciding to pull an all-nighter the night before your exams. 

MM1

1960s Board Game Inspires Movie

Jared Burleson

You’ll soon be able to enjoy a favorite past-time board game in a world class film production. International toy and game company Hasbro has produced a film inspired by the game Battleship.  The board game was created in 1967 and has gone through a few cosmetic updates since then but the general rules of play have remained the same.

            Battleship was first adapted to another format in 193 when a videogame was released for the Nintendo Entertainment Center and Sega Game Gear.  The game was reworked and re-released in 2011 for newer game platforms.

            The movie will be released in the US on May 18. It has already premiered in the UK and Japan.  Avid gamers and fanatics have already made it clear they’re ready for the release.

            “I’m going to come decked out in a naval whites costume,” said Scott Stogner of Saltillo, MS, “I’m so excited for this film.”  When Stogner was born the game had already been a favorite past time of his parents’ and growing up he started playing it with his friends too.

            The movie will tie together generations who have enjoyed the game.  Grandparent’s, parents, children, and grandchildren who have loved the game Battleship can now enjoy the new movie premiering on May 18.  Visit www.battleshipmovie.com for more information about the film.

RA #9

Reporting assignment #9

Paige Canfield

                                    Gavin DeGraw and Craig Morgan come to the Grove!

Gavin DeGraw and Craig Morgan will be playing for free at the grove this Friday at 8:30pm brought to Ole Miss by the Student Programming Board. All students are welcome to come. Kandace Belk a freshman at the University of Mississippi is happy with the choice of Gavin on preforming in the Grove “ I love Gavin DeGraw, there was a rumor going around that Maroon 5 was going to be preforming, but I’m happy they didn’t,”  It will be a fun concert and a great chance to hangout and socialize with friends! Kelley Killorin a freshman at Ole Miss is excited to have a concert in the grove. “I think it’s going to be really fun! I love the grove and I love Gavin, also having a concert outside will be awesome, I just hope it’s not too cold.” This concert in the grove is not the first event to be held there. Tailgating for football games is how most people identify with the Grove. Craig Morgan will be opening up for Gavin; some of his songs include You Never Know and Redneck Yacht Club. For more information on whom Gavin DeGraw or Craig Morgan are you can look them up on iTunes.

controversy and harry potter

Harry Potter has been a house-hold name ever since its first appearance in the literary world in 1997. Since then the series has become nothing short of a phenomenon with seven books, eight movies, tons of merchandise, and its very own theme park in Orlando, Florida. The book’s author, J.K. Rowling, was met with instant success. She quickly went from a single-mother on welfare to a multi-millionaire.

All seven of her books have been on the New York Times Bestseller list as well as translated into over sixty languages. The movies have also been met with tremendous success. The latest and final movie broke all national records making over $250 million in one weekend. Yet regardless of the fame, love, and success Harry Potter continue to achieve, there are still some who question the book’s themes and motives. As much love as there is for Harry Potter there is also much debate, and more so much controversy.

The debate over religion and is involvement in Harry Potter has been an on-going argument since J.K. Rowling first published the book as a children’s story in 1997. While some observers say that Harry Potter is just a fun, good read others believe the book promotes witchcraft, the devil, and other dark themes. Various religious groups have spoken out against and in favor of the series including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The main issue most religious officials say is the book’s emphasis on magic and the supernatural. They feel her writing about a world where witches and wizards are normal and accepted encourages children to practice witchcraft. J.K. Rowling dismissed this notion early on in her career saying she did not write the books to encourage witchcraft to children. Rowling herself in fact is Christian, and as said in her interviews she believes there is more than anything a Christian undertone in her writing. J.K. Rowling declares Hogwarts (the school wizards and witches attend in the book) a multi-faith school although she uses Christian scriptures and ceremonies in her books. In one book, Harry Potter actually draws a cross of the grave of a loved one. Even with these Christian messages Rowling states she is not trying to convert anyone to Christianity. This has not stopped religious officials and parents from putting up a fight. In the fourteen years J.K. Rowling’s books have been on the shelves, they have been challenge on quite a regular basis. Some schools require a signed permission slip in order to check out Harry Potter books due to parent’s complaints. The parents said the books encouraged witchcraft, and it was not something that should be on the shelves of public libraries.

    The Harry Potter series is a thrilling tale enchanted with magical creatures, tricky spells, and many unforgettable characters. It is a classic story of good versus evil with important themes such as bravery, courage, loyalty, and friendship tied in. However it is a story filled with dark magic, death, spirits and evil in its worst form. Although the series has come to an end, the series has created a religious controversy that will more than likely fuel an endless debate. The Harry Potter series will be picked apart, analyzed, and discussed for years to come.

Hooping at the Turner Center

MM#3 Double Decker Spring Run

Clint Tucker

4/28/12                    

Journalism 102                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                MM#10

Double Decker Spring Run

                The Double Decker Spring Run was held Saturday. The event was a part of Oxford’s 17^th annual Double Decker Arts Festival that started Friday April 27^th and ended Saturday April 28^th. It included a 10k run, 5k walk/run, and a Kid’s Fun Run.

                The races began at North Lamar across from Handy Andy’s and went up sorority row, around the grove, through the Square downtown, and ended back at North Lamar. 10k (6.2 miles) participants started at 10:30, followed by the 5k racers at 7:45 a.m. (3.1 miles), and wrapped up with the Kid’s Fun Run at 9:00.    

                Matt Reynolds, a 10k contestant, “ This is my third time running this and every year there is more and more people and it keeps improving. I love how the community of Oxford comes together for Double Decker, and this race is a great way for people who have never been to Oxford, MS, to come and experience what this small college town has to offer.

                All contestants received a race shirt, race number with a timing tag, and race goody bag. 

The racers had to wear the timing tag becauseit allowed the judges keep track of them and gave the

an exact time from start to finish.

                Participants that finished in the

 top 3 of the 10k and 5k were given a prize.

$200 was awarded to the of the winner of

 the in both men and womens division. There

were no awards for the Kid’s Fun Run.

                The official time of the winners were, in the male division was Barnabas Kiru, 26, Oxford, MS with a time of 30:43. In the 10k womens division Sheryl Chatfield, 50, of Oxford, MS ran it in 40:51. The 5k overall winners were; in the male division Charlie Dawson,36, of Pontotoc, MS, finished in 16:35 and the female winner was Melissa Robinson, 29, of Austin, TX, and she finished in 20:10.

Stress Less Week RA 10