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MISSISSIPPIAN
Celebrating Our Hundredth Year | The Student Newspaper
Retrial set for former Ole Miss student connected to slaying
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Oxford High School principal faces criticism in wake of intruder
Until April 8, students have the opportunity to recognize faculty and staff who have shaped their college careers. The 17th annual Thomas Frist Award for Outstanding Student Service honors University of Mississippi professors and staff members for their dedication to service based on students’ letters of nomination. Students can nominate those who they feel have gone the extra mile, and winners will be announced at graduation. Ellen Meacham, co-chair of the Frist Award committee and journalism professor, urged students to consider nominating staff who have helped them in a significant way.
MEEK AUDITORIUM
NIGHT OF ONE-ACTS A student-directed series of two one-act plays will be performed tonight at Meek Auditorium.
SPRING SPEAKER CATHY FRIERSON TUESDAY The Croft Institute for International Studies welcomes its final speaker, Cathy Frierson, a native of Mississippi. She was a National Merit Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, and earned her Ph.D. in Russian History at Harvard University. 7 p.m. Croft Room 107
FILE PHOTO | The Daily Mississippian
BY KEVIN WILLIAMS The Daily Mississippian
Oxford High School Principal Michael Martin faces criticism from some parents concerned about security measures after a fugitive entered a classroom on Wednesday, March 23. Waymon Terry Russell entered the OHS campus in an attempt to evade a federal officer who was in pursuit after Russell fled the scene of a car chase that resulted
in a wreck, local law enforcement officials said. According to OHS Principal Michael Martin, the fugitive entered a classroom in the ROTC building through a door that was momentarily ajar to accommodate students and faculty who were exiting the building. Russell then quickly left the classroom through another door. When administrators became aware of the incident, the entire school was placed on immedi-
ate lockdown at approximately 12:45 p.m. “We were in lockdown in at least 30 seconds after the perpetrator entered,” Martin said. The “lockdown” process follows a set of safety procedures that include an information blackout. According to Martin, no information is released to students or faculty about the incident in order to avoid a security risk.
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Frist award recognizes deserving staff and faculty members The Daily Mississippian
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8 p.m. $7.50 with student ID.
BY KEVIN WILLIAMS
Former Ole Miss student David Jackson Williams is out of jail on bond awaiting a new trial in the 2005 stabbing death of fellow Ole Miss student Demetria Bracey, according the Associated Press. Williams was convicted of the murder of Bracey, of Jackson, in November 2007 and sentenced by Lafayette County circuit judge Andrew Howorth to life in prison. He claimed the murder was part of a murder suicide pact made with Bracey, with whom he was romantically involved at the time. The Mississippi Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Williams in November 2010, citing significant trial errors as reason for the reversal of Williams’s conviction and the order for a new trial. Williams was released on $100,000 bond on Wednesday, March 23. The retrial is scheduled for October 17 and will be presided over by Judge Howorth.
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“Students may not realize that taking 30 minutes of their time to write a letter can make a huge difference for staff members to see the impact that they have had on their students,” Meacham said. “If someone has done something for you, this is a great way to repay them.” As a previous recipient of the award, Meacham serves on the committee with 15 other winners, an ASB representative and a representative of the graduate student council. The committee will give one faculty member and one staff member the award, as well as the $1,000 prize. Last year’s recipients said they felt very honored and humbled when they learned that they had received the Frist award. Crime prevention coordinator Thelma Curry and assistant
dean of students for multi-cultural affairs Valeria Jones tied for the 2010 staff recipient. Curry said that she tries her best to be as helpful and supportive to students and believes that small acts of kindness go a long way. “Sometimes just speaking with people can make a difference,” Curry said. “It can be hard for some students to adjust to college, so I try to be understanding and open-minded to them.” Her knack for recognizing when someone needs help and responding to students’ needs is what got the attention of the students who nominated her. “It feels good knowing that someone values you,” Curry said. “It makes you feel that you have done something right and have had an impression on somebody.”
History professor Charles Eagles was the faculty winner last year, and said he was stunned to learn that he was the recipient of the award. His devotion to his students is what won him the recognition, a quality he believes several of his colleagues possess as well. “Everyone needs to realize that there are so many people on campus who do things for students,” Eagles said. “The committee ought to be flooded with letters of nominations for staff that students feel have helped them somehow.” Eagles, Curry and Meacham all agree that being nominated by students makes receiving the award more meaningful. “I appreciate getting recognized See FRIST, PAGE 4
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