http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfQMFoKfQ6E

Diversity in the Dorms

Court Burlingame

Jour 102

Final Project

May 11, 2011

Ole Miss’ New Generation

The University of Mississippi has long been known for its complete lack of tolerance and racial diversity. For the better part of its existence, the University has managed to maintain this image with the rest of the country. Ole Miss officials, however, are quickly attempting to overhaul this notion, and the first place to start is with the freshmen in the dorms.

Whenever a list of the top colleges and universities for diversity and acceptance is released, Ole Miss is never anywhere near the top. It is no surprise that a school such as Ole Miss, which up until recently would fly Confederate flags at football games, would have this image. Ole Miss, however, is not as segregated as many would believe.

Igor Zlatojev, who hails from Serbia and can frequently be heard chatting in his native tongue, is an RA at the Brown Residence Hall. He, like many RA’s, is someone who is of a substantially different background from the majority of Ole Miss students. This difference does not alienate him; it provides him an opportunity to reach out to those of different cultures from his own.

“As an RA here in the dorms, I’ve been able to see students of different races and backgrounds come together over the course of the year,” said Zlatojev. “This place isn’t nearly as segregated as people think it to be.”

Zlatojev is but one of the many examples of diversity in the dorms. Anywhere you look, you will be able to find students of different cultures mixing together, defying the University’s typical characterization.

Upon visiting any of the dorms, you would be hard pressed to find some sort of segregation. Whether students are studying, partying, or simply hanging out, they are reaching out to people of different races, cultures, and creeds.

“I’ve definitely made friends with people who I normally wouldn’t socialize with,” said freshman Caroline Cook, who lives in the Martin Residence Hall. “Just through meeting some girls on my floor and other people around campus, I think I’ve really stepped out of my comfort zone. Some of these people are great friends of mine who I will remember forever.

This sense of camaraderie can be seen almost anywhere on campus. In a sharp departure from the ways of the past, students are being encouraged to reach out, whether it’s in the Greek Life, athletics, student –run organizations, or even in the classrooms.

As Ole Miss steps further into the 21^st century, it is essential for us to break with the “traditions” and ideals of the past, in order to live up to our full potential. Simply changing our mascot or hosting a Diversity Week does not accomplish this goal.

By promoting a nurturing, integrated living environment in the dorms, we are able to encourage students to reach across racial boundaries. With each new generation of incoming freshman, Ole Miss is slowly but surely doing away with the image of its past and embracing a new, more progressive image of its future.

Here's a link to Ole Miss' Diversity Rocks website: http://diversityrocksonline.org/

The University of Mississippi may appear to be a diverse campus but it is easy to see that there are still some boundaries between races.

Ole Miss was a non-segregated school until October 1, 1962 when James Meredith became the first African-American student. Meredith’s admission to the University of Mississippi marked a new way of life at Ole Miss and has since inspired an expansion in racial diversity among students.

Although Ole Miss is not the most racially diverse campus in the nation with only 24 percent non-white students, it is the host of a wide range of ethnic backgrounds and out of state students.

Many of those out of state students that live in very distant states have noticed an invisible boundary between Ole Miss students. Sherif Ahmed, a freshman Ole Miss student from California, realized the separation almost immediately.

“Once I got to Ole Miss I noticed that different races don’t interact with each other as much as they do back home.” Ahmed said.

Whether the feelings towards different races are good or bad, the void that has formed between their interaction has become apparent on campus. The University of Mississippi campus is noticeably diverse but it is the interaction between those diverse groups that seems to be missing. Christian Costanza, a white Ole Miss freshman from Texas, described that issue in detail.

“We have a diverse campus here with not a lot of meshing between any two races. I think people mainly keep to themselves ... White people hang out with white people and other colored people hang out with their same color people.” Costanza said.

The diversity amongst students at the University of Mississippi is not the issue but rather it is the interaction between them. Students who travel from across the country to attend Ole Miss have noticed the boundaries between different racial groups. Many students do not see these boundaries as a reason for concern considering that there is no tension or hostility between the two races. Danielle Bonsignore, a white Ole Miss freshman from Connecticut, felt that as long as these different groups are with the people they want to be then there is no cause for change.

“No one is stopping a black kid from hanging out with a group of white guys or vice versa. Different races hang out with people of the same race because they choose to. No one is forcing them to.” Bonsignore said.

The University of Mississippi has come a very long way in diversifying its student body since James Meredith was admitted in 1962. However the boundaries between students of different is still very much apparent around the Ole Miss campus.

By: Connor Kelly

Diversity on the Ole Miss Golf Team

Laura Fraley

Diversity on the Ole Miss Golf Team Video

We All Bleed Red

Diversity on the Ole Miss Golf Team

Laura Fraley

Journalism 102

Final Project- Diversity

May 11, 2011

The men of the Ole Miss Golf team earned their fifth consecutive NCAA Regional bid and will head to Blacksburg, Va. on May 19-21. The 13-team regional will be played at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech.

The Rebels earned the No.8 seed in the Virginia Tech Regional which also features the ACC Champion Georgia Tech as the top seed, and second-seeded LSU.

The 2011 Ole Miss men's golf team roster is composed of players from several southern states, but one diverse player, sophomore Tom Brown, comes from Hertfordshire, England. Brown was raised in England and lived in the suburbs of London until he decided to attend college and play golf at Ole Miss.

"Tom came to us through a connection from another overseas player I met and continued a relationship with over the years. Tom was recommended, came for a visit and liked it," said Ole Miss Men's Head Coach Ernest Ross.

"I wasn't really recruited as such because of me being on the other side of the Atlantic, but after Coach Ross and I became acquainted we talked regularly discussing my options. In the end I was lucky enough to recieve some scholarship," said sophomore Tom Brown of the Ole Miss golf team.

Brown visited five schools in the United States before deciding on Ole Miss. "Ole Miss was superior in almost every way. The three things that made Ole Miss stand out was the campus, how nice the people were, and the fact that it was an SEC school," said Brown.

Brown is currently the only foreign player on the men's golf team, but in the past the team has had players from Sweden, England, Scotland, and Australia.

"We do try to recruit worldwide, but our overseas recruiting has been through the internet and phones. I haven't traveled overseas yet. Many times international players come to America to some of our high school aged golf academies, and I have recruited a good bit there," said Ross.

Assistant Coach, Jack O'Keefe played golf at the Universit of Arkansas with several South African players. Coach O'Keefe is using his contacts in South Africa to recruit that area.

Coach Ross believes that players from foreign countries are an asset to the golf team and bring diversity and tenacity to the team. "Most of the international players come with a real sense of purpose and have strong work ethic. It is sometimes tough being so far away from home, but Ole Miss is known for its hospitality and friendly students and faculty. It is fun to get to know and appreciate the things they have at their homes. I admire their courage for sacrificing being away from their family and friends to pursue their golf career," said Ross.

Brown enjoys the small town life in Oxford, but it has been a major lifestyle adjustment for him. "It took a while for me to get used to, but the guys on the team made me feel very welcome and now that I have settled in a I harly notice that I'm a foreigner anymore," Brown said.

Brown's greatest accomplishment so far is the spot he earned on the All SEC freshman team last year, and although he plans to return to England after his graduation, he believes that he made the right choice by coming to Ole Miss.