What Brought You to School in Mississippi?

What draws out of state students to Ole Miss?

Young adults from all over the nation choose to come study here at the University of Mississippi. They come from New York to California, we have it all here at Ole Miss, but what is it that brings these out of state students to Mississippi?

Mimi Driscoll, a senior from Winston Salem, North Carolina, says that the thing that stood out to her the most about Ole Miss was that it was so beautiful. Driscoll also said that she, “really liked how Ole Miss had a small school feel in a large University.” She then went on to say, “I really don’t know what stood out to me the most at Ole Miss, but it definitely hit me when I walked onto the campus the Sunday afternoon of my first visit.”

So I guess it is true that you'll know it is the school for you the second you step foot onto the campus.

What’s the hardest thing to cope with while being an out of state student at Ole Miss?

North Carolina is pretty far away from Mississippi, however it is still not as far as Los Angeles, California, where junior Mary Hasbrouck is from. When asked what has been the hardest thing to cope with while being at school at the University of Mississippi, she had this to say, “The hardest thing for me is the short breaks. For instance, we don’t get the day after Easter off, making it essentially impossible for an out of state student to spend Easter with their family.”

Driscoll agrees with Hasbrouck saying that, “At the end of the day I still live 10 hours away from home, so if I have a bad day or even a good day, I am unable to share it with my family.”

Who did you know?

Unfortunately for many out of state student that come to school here at the University of Mississippi, they only know a few people or sometimes no one when they arrive. Driscoll said that she knew only two people on her arrival here whereas Hasbrouck knew no one when she came to Ole Miss. However with the energetic and friendly people at Ole Miss both made fast friends with girls in their dorms and from other parts of the University.

Where are they coming from?

According to an article in the Daily Mississippian, they are coming from everywhere. As stated in the article, "UM freshman majority will be from out of state", Larry Ridgeway, vice chancellor of student affairs, has estimated that 52% of the incoming freshman class for the fall 2011 semester will be from out of state.

Would you change your mind about coming to Ole Miss?

Even with all of the hardships of being so far away from your family, students still agree that they made the right choice in coming to school here. As Mary Hasbrouck said, “I could not be happier with my decision to come to school here.”

It's possible that more and more universities will be seeking out of state students to attend their schools, just as Ole Miss has, because with more and more out of state students come more tuition money and more diversity.

Daily Mississippian Story on Freeing Bradley Manning

As I read through this article, I couldn't help but notice the tone of the piece, it was aggressive and seemed almost very personal. The writer makes good points about the treatment of Private first class Bradley Manning, but his valid points are set aside by his disdain for the topic. His anger and aggression can be clearly seen in his writing, and it takes away from what the story is supposed to be about, Bradley Manning, not the writer's anger on the situation. Sometimes I feel that feeling must be evoked in a story, but in this case it makes the story seem like an angry rant rather than an informative news piece. The writer should have left his personal feelings about the matter out and stuck with what the facts were, and emphasize Manning's mistreatment, but leave his personal feelings about the matter out and allow the readers to draw their own conclusions and feelings about what is happening to the Private. Personally I feel that the writer put a little too much of himself and his feelings into the piece and needed to be toned back a little. But the writer made very valid points about the mistreatment of Private Manning, things that should have a second look taken to them. Manning is a U.S. citizen who most likely did what he thought was right and moral, and he deserves the same rights enjoyed by the rest of his American brethren, it's as simple as that. If murders are allowed time with friends and family, then an American soldier should have the same luxuries no matter his crime, he is entitled to his rights.

Who's Got Gas?

As I left Oxford last Friday to go to Auburn, I noticed as I filled up my car that gas was currently priced at $3.59 a gallon and on my return to Oxford on Sunday, I noticed that the price of gas had skyrocketed to $3.68 a gallon. At this rate, it will be up to $4.oo a gallon by May and who knows by June it could be up to as much as $5.00, a price many people will not be able to afford. The rising gas prices are beginning to cause great problems for commuters and people who make their living off driving people where they need to go like taxi drivers and car services. And because of these rising gas prices, the price of many things will begin to rise, because let's face it, every single thing in this economy depends on having gasoline to transport any product or item. For now we can only wait and see what will happen, but I have a feeling that I will be walking or riding my bike everywhere from now on.

Response to "Reporting to Conclusions"

I think that this column is correct and justified in what it says about equality and being impartial in the news. I think that it is very important to be impartial if you are covering a news story, but I also think that if a flaw is shown that you must point it out even if it may seem like you are choosing a side. There is nothing wrong with pointing out the truth even if it doesn't seem to be fair or impartial, the point of the news and the media is to get the truth out to the general public no matter what, and if you catch a subject in a lie or falsehood it is your duty as a journalist to point out the fault and note the truth of the situation. I think Anderson Cooper could have possibly worded his response to the situation in Egypt a bit better, but Cooper did nothing wrong in calling out Hosni Mubarak lies, it was his job to report the truth and he did.