MILLSAPS C OLLEGE
THE PURPLE & WHITE VOLUME LX X XI | AUGUST 30, 2012
FEATURES “Porter focuses on ‘potentializing’ students by showing them that it can be fun to read.” PAGE 5.
ARTS&LIFE
SPORTS
Freshmen, find advice from true Millsapians. PAGE 3.
Backyard Brawl XIII returns to Millsaps amidst the impending threat of Hurricane Issac. PAGE 7.
Welcome to the Class of 2016
u o y e l p o e p h t i w f l Sur round yourse hé, but c i l c d n u o s t h g i m admire. It unded. o r g y a t s o t y a w it’s a good Y ARTIGUES N
SENIOR KEN
| Photo by Allie Jordan
Enhancing the Millsaps experience BY KENYA STRONG JOHNSTON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Recently, the Purple & White sat down with Millsaps President Dr. Robert Pearigen to discuss the newest developments and impending implications of Millsaps’ newest Strategic Plan and financial assessment. The Strategic Plan, “Across the Street and Around the Globe: Partnerships and Influence at Millsaps College,” consists of six goals and nine committees aimed to enhance every aspect of life at Millsaps. The goals are as follows: 1. “Achieve excellence” in all that we do. 2. Utilize our location in the capital city of Mississippi and in “the communities we touch globally” with the help of a new leadership program. 3. Create a more “sustainable
campus environment.” 4. “Reinforcing our ethical heritage and strengthening church relations.” 5. “Expand and diversify” the Millsaps student body. 6. Increase our endowment and ensure fiscal strength. Pearigen’s primary goal in every aspect of the new plan and as president of Millsaps is to “make changes that need to be made to make this a better experience (for everyone).” P&W: Can you define your vision of an excellent institution? Pearigen: Ad Excellentiam, this is what we claim to be. Excellence, in all of its parts, is fulfilling this mission of why we exist. We have to be attentive to our vision for success (going forward) and take the steps to pursue it.
Excellence is intrinsically connected to that mission and doing everything possible to fulfill that mission. Excellence is never an end mission. While our goal is excellence in all that we do, we know that it is a never ending process. P&W: How is the Strategic Plan related to our claim of Ad Excellentiam? Pearigen: The strategic plan breaks it down. We ask, what does excellence look like in each one of these areas? What does excellence look like in the political science major? In the Purple & White? In the physical presence of our campus? P&W: How will this breakdown begin to contribute to Millsaps as a whole? Pearigen: It zeroes in on each part (of the college) and says here is what we are expecting. What are the means by
which we obtain it? How do we evaluate it? What further steps can be taken? P&W: What progress has been made so far on the Strategic Plan? Pearigen: The Strategic Plan has six strategic goals and under each one there is a series of initiatives. This summer we outlined a path of action steps under each initiative to effectuate these major goals. Each initiative requires accountability, cost and a timeline. We are at a stage now where we are doing further research to fully develop the process for making these things happen. I’m not just saying it’s time to sit down and plan more though. We are anxious to get moving on this. MILLSAPS CONTINUED ON PAGE 6.
2
O PINIONS
| August 30, 2012
Some things are never funny
ALLIE JORDAN CONTRIBUTOR
Imagine a picture of 25 bodies of African descent sprawled lifeless across the ground with their faces hidden. Their clothes are worn and torn, andII behind them is an eroding, paint-chipped building. In the middle of this picture is a man carefully trying to step over the bodies; his hands are in the air to help him balance as he desperately tries to make his way through the awful consequences of what appears to be a massacre. Not horrified yet? At the bottom of this picture in bold, white letters appears: “Excuse me … pardon me … excuse me…”
An example of a meme that desensitizes viewers from important social or cultural messages. | Photo Contributed
This is a prime example of an image macro, a picture with overlaid text often pointing out characteristics of the depicted character or ideal displayed in the picture. I stumbled upon this image as I scrolled through my Facebook news feed a few weeks ago. Seeing these types of im-
SBA plans to refocus on students
KENDALL GREGORY CONTRIBUTOR
Welcome back! And to our new students, in case you haven’t heard it enough, welcome. We are so excited to finally have you on campus. All around campus, this is a very exciting time—one of great and positive change. The same is true for your Student Body Association. As you may have read in a letter that was placed in your mailbox, SBA is implementing some significant changes within the structure of our organization. While a lot of the changes that you read about
T HE P URPLE W HITE
&
Editor-in-Chief | Kenya Strong-Johnston Managing Editor | Lana Price Visuals Manager | Sonum Sanjanwala Business Manager | Juan Fernandez Photo Manager | Genny Santos
may seem to only affect the actual SBA, the ultimate hope is that these changes will facilitate a SBA that is more impactful and beneficial to our students. Although we are very happy with the progress made in the spring semester, we are working doubly hard to make sure the fall semester is even better. The first big event that we are working on supporting is the Backyard Brawl. For those of you who do not know, the Backyard Brawl is the first football game of the season and pits Millsaps against our cross-town rivals, Mississippi College. This game is unique in that it is the first game that will be held on a Thursday night, as opposed to the traditional Saturday game. Your Student Body Association will be purchasing tickets for all students so that everyone may attend the game. In addition, we will be giving away lots of GREGORY CONTINUED PAGE 8.
Section Editors
Caroline Brandon Salvo Blair Genny Santos Layout Editors Maryam Qureshi Allie D’Andrea
Staff Advisor | Woody Woodrick E-mail corrections to Editor-in-Chief Kenya Strong-Johnston, stronkk@millsaps.edu. Advertising rates available upon request. E-mail Juan Fernandez at fernajd@millsaps.edu.
age macros on social networking sites is common, and websites such as reddit.com and 4chan.org cater to people who create and share image macros and memes. By definition, a meme is an idea, behavior, style or usage that spreads from
person to person within a culture. They can be shared rapidly through the Internet—causing the memes to “go viral.” In turn, countless people form new ideas about that meme and the culture it stemmed from. Often when joke image macros go viral, they become memes. Viewing image macros like the one I described, can make people desensitized to what the picture is displaying which, in this case, is a massacre. In other cases, it can perpetuate stereotypes of races, women, religions—the list goes on, and none of these people or groups can defend how they are being displayed. All too often, image macros and memes are humorous only at the expense of another person or group of people. This is a call to hold humor to a higher standard. If a joke can’t be made without it being at the expense of another person or group, how will we ever resolve our differences and become a more unified human culture? Image macros and memes may not aim to cause divisions between JORDAN CONTINUED PAGE 8.
Living in the Millsaps moment
KENYA STRONG JOHNSTON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Coming back to Millsaps as a junior. What does that even mean? I only have two years left of college. I only have two years until I start real life. Although, in reality, I suppose this is real life. It’s all a matter of perspective. My goal for this year: live life by the moment. After spending my summer between Ridgeland, Colorado and Costa Rica I was ready to settle back into the rhythm of Millsaps life. So many of my colleagues claim, “summer wasn’t
Contributors Kendall Gregory Allie Jordan Hirni Patel Adam Shubert
The Purple & White is published weekly. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the Editor-in-Chief.
near long enough.” On the contrary, I found the length to be quite adequate for adventure – not leaving me bored and longing to return nor scampering to squeeze in the last few minutes of vacation. Summer 2012 was indeed a success. Early in the summer I rediscovered the importance of family—family of every kind. After returning home I truly understand what it means to be grateful for a small mountain town where I was raised. For the short two weeks I was there, I gaped in awe at the towering mountains and perfectly green trees. I soaked my feet in the chilling spring water that refreshes your body from the tips of your toes to the ends of your eyelashes. I concluded my summer with a trip that I thought was only to be a credit for my Spanish major. However, it turned out to be so much more. It was five and a half weeks that provided me with an opportuSTRONG JOHNSTON CONTINUED PAGE 4.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in visual and written content printed in the Purple & White do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, Publications Board, Millsaps College, The United Methodist Church or the student body. Complaints should be addressed to the Millsaps College Publications Board. Contact Kendall Gregory or Dr. Pat Taylor. Letters to the Editor Submit letters to the editor to the Purple and White at Box 15070 or e-mail Kenya StrongJohnston, at stronkk@millsaps.edu. Letters should be turned in before 12 p.m. on Sunday prior to the Thursday publication. Anonymous letters will not be published.
3
C LASS
OF
What we think you should know: Words of wisdom from your upperclassmen
2016
| August 30, 2012
Photos by Allie Jordan and Genny Santos
Get plenty of sleep, go to class and think outside the bubble. Senior Jordon Hammons Don’t part your car under the Academic Complex when it rains because security goes on a ticket rampage when the whether gets bad. They cost 20 dollars each. It’s the pits. Junior Claire Herndon
Word gets around fast on a small campus, so think before acting. Alcohol is a dark force to be reckoned with. Take opportunities and roads that would never have been considered before because they might just lead you to the place you don’t know you want to be yet. Senior Austin Deskewies
When all else fails, reach for the add/ drop form. Problem solevd. A Good reputation is easier lost than gained. “I’m not uncedided—I’m open-minded” is a mantra to keep as long as you can. Junior Anna Nations
’16 BREAKDOWN 6% 18% 6%
34%
13% 19%
46% | 54%
4%
Inte rna tion al
IL, , A , G Y, O C CA, , NC, N , R A MD A, WA , A V KY, M SC, TN,
*Statistics have been rouonded. Data received from Millsaps College Student Life.
4
C OMMUNITY
| August 30, 2012
August 30, 2012 - September 5, 2012 Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Arts&Life: In the Lewis Art Gallery: Mary Jane Parker, “Tracings”
Sports: 2:30 & 8:00p.m. Volleyball @ home
Sports: 2:00 & 4:00p.m. Volleyall @ home
5:30 p.m. XC @ Choctaw Trails
2:00 p.m. Men’s Soccer vs. Fontbonn @ Memphis
Student Life: 12:00 p.m. SBA Interest Meeting
Greek Life: Men’s formal recruitment, final party
Last day to add/ drop classes without a grade
Sunday Sports: 2:00 p.m. Men’s Soccer vs. Westminster @ Memphis
4:00 p.m. Women’s Soccer @ LeTourneau 3:00 p.m. Backyard Brawl
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Student Life: NO CLASSES, Labor Day
Arts&Life: 7:00 p.m. The Mairtin de Cogain Project, “Stories and Songs, From Cork with Love” AC Recital Hall
Sports: Intermural entry forms due 7:30 p.m. Intermural Captain’s meeting Skybox
Greek Life: 6:00 p.m. Panhellenic Recruitment Kick off
Greek Life: Women’s formal recruitment begins
Student Life: 8:00 a.m. SBA elections begin (end at 8:00 p.m. Sept 6) 6:00 p.m. Pre-Health Students - Meet Dr. Steve Case Olin Hall Atrium
Greek Life: Boy’s bid day
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nity to discover a passion I had hiding deep inside. I fell in love with the Spanish language. As I had earlier gaped in awe at the Colorado Mountains, I now ogled at the rich texture of the Costa Rican culture. I never wanted to leave. Every corner of the country I visited brought more and more depth to my passion. Even now, as I reflect on my experience, it is growing and becoming a part of my entire being. Luckily, when I returned to the United States and to Millsaps I knew I wouldn’t be leaving a single meaningful part of my summer behind. I was returning to a place that would allow for my continued exploration into the meaning of family. I decided to challenge myself in the growth of my friendships and professional relationships. I want to expand my family beyond just branches of my own family tree. I was retuning to another place where I consider myself to have been raised. Like the small mountain town where I spent my childhood, this small college in the middle of Mississippi makes me so grateful for all it can offer. I hope to find time to sit on a bench in the bowl, as
cliché as it may be, and soak up the wonderful place that this is. I also knew, thanks to the ever supportive and encouraging Spanish department, that my passion for Spanish wouldn’t have a chance to cease growing. I could say for certainty that when I returned to Millsaps, nothing would be missing. Coming in as a junior, an RA and editor in chief of the Purple & White, is a feeling that is incredibly reassuring. I know for certain that I can put myself out there in all these ways and the most fundamental elements of my being can continue to grow. If for nothing else, Millsaps is a special place for that reason alone. There’s still a lingering sense of anticipation and a small bit of fear building up around the idea that I only have two years left. However, there are multiple ways to alter my perspective on this. Option one: wow, I only have two years left! How on earth am I going to fit it all in? I like to call this incredibly anxious excitement about the future. Option two (yet again a cliché): I cannot wait to experience every instant of the next two years, regardless of what they bring. I like to call this living in the moment.
5
F EATURES
| August 30, 2012
Not your ordinary children’s book
SALVO BLAIR SECTION EDITOR
Senior philosophy and history major Jayson Porter reclines on his couch wearing a black shirt, which reads “Got Philosophy?” in broad white text across the chest. Porter places both hands on piles of colorful children’s books stacked like miniature castle turrets. A zealous glint echoes through his voice as he says, “This is what I did this summer.” This summer Porter worked with Americorp by teaching philosophy lessons to children at a local Jackson School. “The wage made it feel like an indentured servitude, but I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Porter reminisces. He grabs a slim book entitled “Ladybug Girl.” He leafs through the tales of a girl dressed as a ladybug, who in constant combat with boredom, flies across canyons and battle aliens. This book reminds Porter of his summer students. “They ask questions without presuppositions which leads to the most imaginative solutions,” he recollects with a wide smile. Having finished flipping through “Ladybug Girl,” Porter he plucks a thick blue and white book from the bottom of the stack. The book features an elephant struggling with a dilemma concerning his reality of existence. After a few moments reading about the elephant’s existential crisis, it becomes apparent that this stack of children’s books was not an ordinary pile of Dr. Seuss and “Every-
Senior Jayson Porter proudly displays the philosophically-based children’s books that he used this summer for his Americorp teaching position. | Photo by Salvo Blair
body Poops,” but it is a carefully selected reading list for young philosophers. Porter speaks with a sense of personal responsibility for the reading list. He wishes that the simple plots of these books evoke “potentiality” in the children, and
allow them to become resilient in pursuing new resolutions. Porter says he feels that other Teach for America (TFA) educators may be focusing too much on educating about the conflicts that will comprise their future adult lives, rather
than reinforcing systems that allow children to produce their own, imaginative solutions for complex moral problems. TFA encourages workers to read Paolo Ferrae’s book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” which leads Porter to believe “(TFA educators) come into schools like they are saviors.” Although an avid reader of Paolo Ferrae, Porter believes this is a contradictory practice. When Porter works at Operation Shoestring on Bailey Avenue or Project Innovation on Adelle Street, he does not believe it is his task to empower the children, because by empowering children, a teacher forces adult presuppositions on them. The lack of presuppositions is just what Porter cherishes in young minds. “So many teachers, in general, are bringing children into conversations with fiction books about slavery, I just can’t do that,” says Porter. Porter tackles this problem by seeking to “potentialize” his children. While he is reading “Ladybug Girl” with his class, Porter does not seek to empower his pupils to become meticulous readers; but rather, he focuses on “potentializing” them by showing that it can be fun to read and find new solutions to old problems. “We learn through our experiences, and when [young people] experience conversations, through dialogue, their ability for skeptical thinking increases,” he continues. Porter’s method begins to emerge as
PORTER CONTINUED ON PAGE 7.
Wottle the Throttle SALVO BLAIR SECTION EDITOR
The cap probably did not make him more aerodynamic. Dave Wottle, 1972 Olympic gold medalist, laughs, “I’m sure there’s people wandering why I wore it, you should shave your head like a swimmer I guess.” Wottle offers no definite explanation for why he wore the cap. It could be to keep his longer than usual hair out of his face while he bolted down the track, or a well-worn lucky charm, or even some sort of individualist protest. There may not have been a clear motivation for Wottle, but the cap became a legend and is archived at the USA Track and Field Sports Hall of Fame. Dave was raised in Canton, Ohio less than a mile away from the Professional Football hall of fame. He grew up with four siblings, and still has family residing there. Looking back on his youth Wottle remembers, “beating the kid named Buddy in a summer race.” If one event could foreshadow his future as an Olympian, it would be his first taste of triumph after winning a foot-race around his neighborhood. During high school, there had been no indication that he would become an international track star. “I don’t even remember watching the Olympics in 1968,” Wottle says. The high school he
Millsaps College welcomes 1972 Olympic gold medalist Dave Wottle as the new interum vice-president of admissions. | Contributed Photo
attended did not have an indoor track or cross-country team, but that did not hamper his inborn enthusiasm as an athlete. “In my years in high school I tried everything; football, soccer, baseball, all of it.” Wottle explains, “Ive never been much
of a sports watcher but I’ve always been a sports doer.” Individualism comes across as an important agenda for Wottle, who does not adhere to any athletic paradigm. “I’ve never been a hero worshipper, back when I was running there wasn’t that star athlete that I wanted to copy…I really became a distance runner by trial and error.” Wottle seems reminiscent of the passionately pursued world of distance running, which has become incredibly calculated and precise in recent Olympiads. Wottle seems to remember a time when what was style in the now scientific sport of distance running. Wottle explains he found his own unique method at Bowling Green University. At Bowling Green, a school of 16,000 in west Ohio, Olympic scouts picked up Wottle’s ability, and he was selected for the Olympic trials. Wottle qualified for the Olympics, and began training. During intensive pre-olympic workouts, despite advice from his trainers Wottle got married just days before the competition. Wottle describes the 1972 Olympics having, “a grey mist hanging over it.” He competed in two different races at Munich—the 800 meter and the 1500 meter. The 800 meter race took place before the Arab-Israeli incident, and the 1500 meter took place after. Wottle noticed a palpable difference between the two competitions. “They may have kept their feelings
close to their chests, but yea, the [second] race was not as upbeat,” he remembers. After the olympics, while running professional track Wottle began coaching at Welsh College in the off season. Slowly Wottle began drawing back on his professional track responsibilities and put a heavier focus on his career in academic management. Soon Wottle retired from distance running, and put full time focus on his career in liberal academia. Wottle previously worked for Rhodes College in Memphis and recently retired from his position there to move to Jackson, Mississippi to work for Millsaps College as Interem Vice-President of admissions. Wottle has been in Jackson for about seven weeks, and is open to suggestions for good places to have dinner. Wottle may be a newcomer to Millsaps, but he has major plans to boost the school’s admissions. First, he plans to start with “modifications in our communication plans with prospective students.” Millsaps will begin sending out hardcopy brochures and letters at a higher frequency in addition to the normal electronic correspondence. Wottle hopes these modifications will “broaden our outreach across the states.” He believes “the future of a lib-
WOTTLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 7.
6
| August 30, 2012
Going Greek? HIRNI PATEL CONTRIBUTOR
Men and women participating in Panhellenic and Intrafraternal Council (IFC) Recruitment are anxious as the events begin. Nearly 60 percent of the Millsaps student body is involved in the Greek system and all students are encouraged to at least participate in the recruitment process. According to Megan James, director of campus activities, the recruitment process is an “exciting time and also a great opportunity to meet freshmen and upper classmen.” IFC formal recruitment began on Aug 27. and will continue until Bid Day on Sept 1. The IFC recruitment process is three nights of formal recruitment. Most events are formal, and the men are required to wear either a coat or tie. All freshmen and interested, unaffiliated men are encouraged to attend formal recruitment activities for the purpose of meeting other Millsaps students. Senior Garrett Wilkerson, IFC president, says, “I still encourage guys who didn’t go through rush to go Greek. It provides academic, philanthropic, social and leadership opportunities at Millsaps.” Monday evening unaffiliated women who are going through the recruitment process will meet the Panhellenic Recruitment team—which consists of
PHI MU DELTA DELTA DELTA KAPPA DELTA CHI OMEGA KAPPA ALPHA KAPPA SIGMA LAMBDA CHI ALPHA PI KAPPA ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA EPSILON
members from each sorority—at recruitment kickoff. Panhellenic recruitment counselors are sorority women who have disaffiliated from their respective chapters for the recruitment period. They are trained to remain neutral as they answer any questions that potential new members have during the recruitment process providing listening ears as potential new members decide which sorority, if any, to join. Senior Taylor Scyster, president of the Panhellenic Council and recruitment counselor, encourages freshmen to “definitely go though the process open-minded” and to “ignore stereotypes.” The formal process consists of events hosted on three nights. After each event, the women who are going through recruitment will rank the sororities in an order of their preference after each event. The Philanthropy Round on Sept. 4, in which each potential new member creates a craft affiliated with each sorority’s charity, is the first event of formal recruitment. The event is casual, so the girls are not required to wear formal attire. On Sept. 6 the women may be invit-
ed back to up to three houses to watch skits that the affiliated women have prepared. The skits incorporate various details about each sorority. This night is more casual than the Philanthropy Round, so girls are expected to wear either a skirt and blouse or a sundress. On Sept. 7, girls may be invited back to up to two houses for Preference Night which is the most formal of the three events, and potential new members are expected to wear cocktail dresses. The potential new members
Pearigen: We have not had a discussion about that. That will be on the staff agenda.
MILLSAPS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1.
P&W: What are the immediate steps that will be taken to begin implementing the new plan? Pearigen: We are full of plans that we can be working on this year. We are working to increase, promote and continue communication with religious organizations on and off campus. Strategic goal number three in the plan is campus enhancements. One of our first goals is to reclaim the north east corner of campus where the Texaco now is. For now, I have become a big fan of pressure washing. It makes an amazing difference. Of course, we ultimately need things like a new performing arts center, but we can pressure wash now.
rank a last time before Bid Day, which will be held on Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. All other members of the Millsaps community are encouraged to support the Greek women during their run, which is the first time they welcome their new members “Recruitment is great for those who never thought they would go Greek. Greek life focuses on community service, philanthropy, and scholarship,” says James.
*Note: Pearigen recently released information on the most recent staff meeting, reporting the agreed upon changes to return the old, wooden chairs to the cafeteria.
Pearigen addresses students at Fourth Night Ceremony. | Photo by Genny Santos.
P&W: Speaking of campus enhancement, what’s the deal with Franklin? Pearigen: I had hoped that while no one was living there we could go in and renovate it. I asked for a cost to do a major renovation that would include things like the bathrooms, carpet and paint and ceiling tiles. The total cost was $2.5 million. I don’t want to just go in there and throw paint on the walls; the building needs new things like plumbing. Our students deserve that. But for now, we have to raise the money to complete that project.
P&W: Can you explain some of the recent changes in the academic departments? Pearigen: We had to consider every department and ask if it is a core element of the Millsaps experience and therefore has the potential to drive students into it. The only department we cut was computer science. This does not mean we are walking away from technology. We are continuing to teach classes. We reduced the number of people teaching in French and Spanish. We didn’t have the student enrollment to support it, but we have the student interest to add a language.
The shifting allows us to cover what we need to cover while we search for strengths in that area. *Note: There were also changes made in the Chemistry and Biology departments, the Else School of Management and the History and Computer Science departments. These changes were accompanied by modifications in different administrative staff positions. P&W: What are your plans to address continued student concern about the meal plan and cafeteria environment?
P&W: How can students be involved in the Strategic Plan? Pearigen: The first and foremost thing is to encourage prospective students to enroll. We need to get our enrollment up. Also, academic performance of students has a lot to do with the strength of the institution. It has an affect on the overall campus climate. As I mentioned in my speech at convocation, student involvement is crucial. I invite your voice and your activism. We have a large group of student leaders who are doing everything, but I want to see more students ramp up their level of engagement on campus. P&W: Anything else? Pearigen: Ask questions. I am always available to listen to your concerns and advice. My email is Rob.Pearigen@millsaps.edu.
7
S PORTS
| August 30, 2012
The rivalry continues, Millsaps takes homefield advantage
CAROLINE BRANDON & ADAM SHUBERT SECTION EDITOR & CONTRIBUTOR
Last fall, in the midst of Tropical storm Lee, Millsaps College freshman kicker Beau Brady looked at a potential field goal to win the Backyard Brawl. The damp field and heavy winds made the kick look impossible. The kick went up, but sailed too far to the left. The Majors fall to the Mississippi College Choctaws 33-27 in Backyard Brawl XII. The rivalry returns to campus this year, amidst the impending threat of Hurricane Isaac. The annual Backyard Brawl will take place at 3 p.m. this Saturday at Harper Davis Field. The rivalry began in 1920 with a Choctaw victory. The teams played annually until 1959, except for during World War II. The rivalry was rekindled in 2000, when they played each other at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson. Millsaps defeated Mississippi College 20-19. Since 2000, the two schools begin each football season playing one another, alternating between the two campuses. Millsaps hopes home field advantage helps break Mississippi College’s three-year winning streak. “It has been on our mind since spring practice that we have to be able to finish out a close game,” says Head Coach Aaron Pelch. Senior Charlie Sagan agrees, “It has everyone really focused on the game. It has been a huge emphasis through-
out the off season and fall camp that our goal is to beat MC. We even have a countdown timer in the locker room. That is our focus right now.” Pelch has faith in his returning players, specifically junior Jonathan Moore, senior Jeb White and senior Kegan Joplin. Moore is a second-year starter who
PORTER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5. one of dialogical engagement. He says the most valuable skill he’s taken away from working with young people is better understanding ways to form dialogue. When attempting to convey a moral issue to children Porter finds himself in a constant challenge to choose words and body language to enter conversations with children on their level. “(This) has definitely helped me with conversations in the adult world,” says Porter. The key to sustaining these conversations in the classroom Porter believes is to “show when you’re not sure. Learning is not something that ends when you get out of school. (Educators) should show that change is not bad, but greet a change as a new chance for more learning.” A self-described “too-serious-of-adude,” Porter notes how being silly and reading a child’s story like a broadway thespian has “made (him) more permeable to human sentiment.” Just as Porter encourages children to approach problems in their own way, his pupils reciprocate the favor by encouraging him to take in serious academic work and produce simple, and often comical dialogue. During the last portion of summer break, Porter was chosen to attend a conference for the advancement of philosophy for children at Mont Claire State in New Jersey. “It was founded in the 1970s by a man named Matthew Lippman. He essentially was very Dewien in his pragma-
tism towards education,” says Porter. Porter describes the conference as an international event. Attendees ranged from PhD’s from Turkey to Canadian schoolteachers. There was even a Singapore Army veteran in attendance as a freshman philosophy undergraduate. A wide range of thought experiments was conducted at the conference. These experiments test the validity of a schoolscenario dialogical system. This system is supposed to accentuate a group’s “potential” to listen, speak and converse in what Porter calls a “community of inquiry.” The conferences at Mont Claire provided Porter with a practical system that promotes groups’ cohesiveness. He is eager to be back with his pupils to see this methodology in praxis. “We don’t learn as individuals. We learn as groups. Without listening to other people, we wouldn’t even have language,” Porter acknowledges in retrospect. Exuberance intones his voice as he imag-
Photo Contributed
Pelch thinks will have a good season. White was recently named to second team preseason All American Team. Pelch is confident that Joplin’s abilities will be helpful to the Majors this season. “Home field advantage is huge for Millsaps. Everything is set for Millsaps. Anytime you play at home is a huge advantage,” says Coach Norman Joseph, Mississippi College’s head football coach. Backyard Brawl has always been a close game. The last three games were won in overtime and only by a margin of a few points. Mississippi College leads the current rivalry with a 7-4 series advantage. The Majors last win was in 2008 when they defeated the Choctaws 42-6. “Our game with Millsaps, if you look at the history, has two blowouts—one we [MC] won and one Millsaps won. All the other games are in the last minute of play or in overtime or double overtime. Every time we play Millsaps is going to be a battle, a war. We have the mindset to play to the
end, finish the game and fortunately we’ve come out on top but they could have gone the other way,” says Joseph. The Choctaws three-year winning streak will not affect their preparation for the game. “We don’t look at last years game or the year before. We are getting ready for this year, for this year’s game,” says Joseph. The Millsaps team has been working tirelessly to prepare for this game. “I think we have grown astronomically in terms of offense, defense, and as a team. We are much closer than we were. It’s always a learning process to get a team ready for a season and the past two weeks we have really come together. Things are starting to click for us,” says Sagan. The Mississippi Sports Council will be filming the Backyard Brawl for the movie The Grudge Match, which is based on the rivalry. The long-standing rivalry has many different aspects. “For me personally, it’s that I’ve never beat them. It’s such a motivation for me. I want to beat them terribly, and the games have been lost in heartbreaking fashion. I want to make up for missed opportunities from previous year,” says Sagan. Pelch says he loves how good the games are. “Every game is hotly and tightly contested. You always see the best of both teams, and it comes down to the last quarter to determine the winner,” says Pelch.
ines returning to work holding up a paper clip and asking, “How many different shapes could you bend this paper clip in?” “A typical answer for an adult could be something around 50, but a child might ask instead, ‘Can it be eight feet tall and made of Styrofoam?’” Porter continues.
Wottle compares his life to that amazing race in ‘72, “Even though it seems cliché, there are a lot of lessons I learned from that race,” he says. Footage from his race shows a shaggy-haired underdog rise up from the back of the pack to become the clear winner within the last 15 meters. Showing a tortoise-versus-the-hare ethos, Wottle relates, “Life’s an even pace, it’s about not giving up when you’re so far behind.”
WOTTLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5. eral arts college is to start throwing out a larger net.”
8
S PORTS
Majors gear up for fresh fall seasons
ADAM SHUBERT CONTRIBUTOR
GOLF
WOMENS SOCCER
After a 4-12-1 season the Majors women look to improve on their record. “With only four wins it is easy to go up. The girls are willing to work hard and are excited,” Coach Amanda Paschall says. Paschall enters her first year as head coach after Coach Paul Van Hooydonk resigned just before practices started. “Being a former player myself, it’s a good opportunity to duplicate the same experience for these girls,” says Paschall. The team lost four seniors last year, which included the team’s top goalkeeper. Freshman Elise Davis will step in to fill the role. The game to look forward to is September 11 at Belhaven. “The game is right across the street, we would love to have the stadium filled with Millsaps purple,” says Paschall.
MENS SOCCER
“I have higher expectations this year,” says golf coach Eddie Brescher, “Our goal is to finish in the top 40 in the country.” The rosters for both the women and men include four freshmen. Lauren was one of the top golfers in Mississippi last year and brings a welth of experience to the team. Sophomore Lauren Barattini will lead the women, and both senior Jake Sherrington and junior Drew Richardson, who was all conference last year, will lead the men. The team will host a home tournament October 22-23 at Deerfield Country Club.
This season the men’s team looks to improve on a 2-11-2 season last year. “We are going to be better no doubt. We are deeper and more competitive,” says Coach Lee Johnson. The team lost three seniors but gained 10 freshmen. “I am excited about the class,” says Johnson, “The class as a whole will make us better. Taylor Harrison, senior, is going to be a good leader on the field as well as (sophomore) Chucky Hayden,” Johnson says. The team’s first kick off at home is at 6:00 p.m. September 7 against Delta State University.
VOLLEYBALL
groups of people, but some of the images highlight concepts that are inherent and enduring cultural differences between groups. Pointing out the faults of another group of people does nothing but make the person viewing feel more powerful and “right” for not being a part of the culture or group at the butt of the joke. Another image macro to imagine: a photograph of a young, voluptuous woman. She’s all dolled up with her hair and make-up styled perfectly, wearing a low-cut blouse. At the top of the picture in bold letters it says, “That awkward moment when …” In the middle of the picture, just above the young woman’s chest it says, “when,” and at the bottom of the picture it just says, “damn.” The phrase, “that awkward moment when …” is used in a lot of memes; the phrase and images became popular through rapid digital sharing. There are
plenty of innocuous ones: a picture of a person with their fly unzipped and the phrase, “that awkward moment when … you forget to examine your zipper.” However, the woman in a lowcut blouse is reduced to having nothing of interest or worth but her body. In reality, she has hopes, dreams and thoughts. And she’s probably never seen herself displayed in this image macro. We must recognize our privilege when sharing and viewing these types of images. Some of us are fortunate enough to own a computer and have Internet access. Even if we do something as simple as “liking” a picture on Facebook of a discriminatory image macro, we are perpetuating a stereotype, continuing to belittle those unlike ourselves, and reducing human beings to nothing but what the image and bold, white letters makes of them. When a friend of mine confronted the person who posted the two above described image macros on Facebook, he quickly responded, “It’s for
the LOLZ,” and continued to post more degrading images. That phrase, a meme-ified version of the Web classic LOL (laughing out loud), shows that, to him and to whoever actually constructed the images, it’s all just a joke. Our culture, and especially our youth culture, is unaware of the consequences of these images. A joke is funny when it doesn’t hurt you personally, but what about the people that it does hurt? Image macros that stereotype those of Asian descent as overly studious or label African Americans as “ghetto” perpetuate the oppression of those groups. Images are too easily available for viewing by too many for them not to have consequences. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t find some memes and images hilarious. I’ve looked through thousands of them throughout the past few years. But, needless to say, I do not LOL upon viewing image macros and memes that reduce women as only valuable in the bed or the kitchen, or images macros and memes that make light of
CROSS COUNTRY
After a strong season in 2011 the Majors volleyball team looks ahead to a potentially historic season. “We should do very well based on last season,” says Coach Jamie Fisher, “We have a solid group of returners and also seven new freshmen that are very strong and will help contribute.” From the returning players, Raven Scott and Casey Laird were all conference last season and are among the seniors looking for a conference title. “This has the potential to one of the best seasons in Millsaps history,” says Fisher, “We could win conference but just have to do all the right things.” The team anticipates hosting Birmingham Southern at 7:00 p.m. on September 12. “They have become one of our biggest rivals and are a team that we will be competing with atop the conference,” says Fisher.
Coach Andy Till is excited about his runners’ outlook for this season. “Last fall we made good improvements finishing ninth in conference. With our new freshman runners, we could place in the top three,” says Till. In a preseason time trial two freshmen boys were in the top five. He also expects big things from sophomore Ben Parva, who will serve as the men’s team captain. On the women’s side, junior Sara Sacks will serve as captain. Junior Haley Brown had a strong season last year and will play an important role this season. The team will have four meets at Choctaw Trails in Clinton, MS. Millsaps will also host the conference championship at Choctaw Trails. “I would love to encourage the student body to come out to Choctaw Trails.” Says Till.
genocide. These images degrade and attempt to homogenize our beautifully diverse cultures; and, come on, there are just some things that are never funny. This article was originally published in the Jackson Free Press on August 8, 2012
working with the College to improve the policies that affect dining services. We want to see the hours in the cafeteria extended to better accommodate our student athletes and all students who enjoy their meals in our cafeteria. A long-held concern has also dealt with the lack of variety in meal plans. We intend to approach the necessary entities of the College administration in full support of adding another meal plan option for our students. As I hope you can see, the Student Body Association remains committed to serving you, the students, in all that we do. We have set some pretty steep goals, but they are goals that we know, in the end, will be of the benefit to our student body. As always, I encourage you to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments that you have about any aspect of what we are doing. On a personal level, I thank you for your continued support of Millsaps and look forward to serving you throughout these next few months.
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JORDAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2.
| August 30, 2012
GREGORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2.
Millsaps items during the course of the game, so please make sure you come out! Other goals that we have set for the semester include installing a printing kiosk in the library to expedite printing and to free up the other computers for students to use. We also intend to work with the College supporting of their efforts to improve and extend academic technology in the classrooms. Additionally, we will continue our work on capital improvements to the College, such as adding a dedicated student paint room on the third floor of the College Center. Finally, we are committed to