MISSISSIPPIAN THE Daily
Plaque placed outside Fulton Chapel to honor Ole Miss 8
NATE DONOHUE Assistant Sports Editor
The University of Mississippi has unveiled a plaque commemorating a 1970 campus protest by Black students at Fulton Chapel. A ceremony was hosted on Tuesday, Sept. 2, outside Fulton Chapel, where the plaque stands.
The plaque honors the Ole Miss
8, who, on Feb. 24, 1970, read out the Black Student Union’s 27 demands at a peaceful protest against racial discrimination at the university. The students voiced their desires for “inclusivity on campus.”
These eight students, along with several other Black students, were arrested; all eight were also “suspended from the university,” and the other students were “placed
on probation,” reads the plaque.
The Ole Miss 8 finished their degrees elsewhere, but in 2020, UM offered a formal apology to the group and presented Linnie Liggins Willis with her diploma, which the university denied her in 1970 despite the fact that she had completed all her required hours.
A look inside
ROUNDABOUTS
As roundabout construction continues across Oxford, delays cause headaches and stress for residents.
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FLOWERS AND FINE ARTS
Angel Morgan, employee at Farmstead Florals, lets her fine arts education bloom with her floral occupation.
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CAMMY NIESEN
Ole Miss Volleyball standout Cammy Niesen discusses her dayto-day life with The Daily Mississippian.
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‘THE SEASON’
Senior producer Scott Wyant gives insight on filming studentathletes and working on “The Season.”
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The Associated Student Body Senate changed qualifications for vice presidential candidates, approved the yearly budget, swore in department nominations and discussed liaison reports at the first formal meeting of the 2025-26 school year on Tues., Sept. 2, in the Gertrude C. Ford Student Union.
The senate discussed and passed amendments to the ASB Constitution, including the one regarding qualifications for ASB Vice President.
In its most recent form, the ASB Constitution outlined that to be eligible for
the vice president position a person must “... have served a minimum of one term as an elected member of the University of Mississippi Campus Senate or one term in the position of parliamentarian or legislation monitor on the executive council of a previous vice president.” This is outlined in Article 3, Section 2.
The current vice president, Walker Jacklin, did not meet the one-year term senate qualification when he ran for the position last spring.
After Jacklin was elected and accepted into the position in April, Chairman of the Committee on Gov-
REAGAN
TAYLOR Sports Staff Writer
The University of Mississippi, in collaboration with the Associated Student Body, implemented various changes to the Ole Miss Football game day experience — changes which went into effect during the home opener versus Georgia State.
New game day changes include additional free water stations located throughout the stadium, rentable $5 portable chargers, select items from concessions being discounted 50% and the inclusion of non-alcoholic beer to the drink menu. Ole Miss Athletics also announced a new policy surrounding field rushing.
Concession changes
Ole Miss Athletics has added the sale of non-alcoholic beer from Athletic Brewing Company during the football games. This provides more beverage options for fans.
Calen Crowson, a fresh -
man biology major, approves of the drink menu change.
“Not everyone drinks (alcohol), and (non-alcoholic beer) makes (the game) more enjoyable for those who don’t drink, so they don’t feel left out,” Crowson said.
Three new concession stands are now full grab-and-
go locations. These stands, located on the east and west sides of the stadium, are meant to decrease wait times.
“I don’t think the goal should be to keep students in their seats, but when they do leave to go get food, that’s
Plaque outside of Fulton Chapel honoring Ole Miss 8
JOURNEY GLOVER / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
DYLAN THOMAS News Staff Writer
Summer roundabout construction spills into fall
KENZIE HALL News Staff Writer
The University of Mississippi and Oxford communities have seen substantial population growth in recent years, and the need for innovative infrastructure developments has increased alongside it. Roundabouts are one of the many solutions city officials have selected to remedy densely populated roadways.
“We have interstate-level traffic counts on our highways and major thoroughfares across town,” Mayor Robyn Tannehill said in an email to The Daily Mississippian on Aug. 29. “Infrastructure is where we seem to feel the most growing pains both in developing creative solutions and funding those solutions.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation defines a roundabout as “an intersection with a circular configuration that safely and efficiently moves traffic.”
Oxford has 32 roundabouts, including those under construction and those located on campus.
One roundabout in a high-traffic area, University Avenue at Mississippi Highway 7, has been under construction for several months, with a projected completion date in November, according to John Crawley, the city engineer.
Another roundabout project is creating temporary traffic congestion as well. Construction on one roundabout at the intersection of North Lamar Boulevard and Molly Barr Road was scheduled to begin over the summer but did not commence until late August. It is now projected to be completed in December, said Crawley.
Oxonian Anna Wood believes construction of a roundabout in this location was premature and that the construction delay has caused unnecessary increased traffic.
“I know with all of the building and development on this
side of town they are expecting a major increase in traffic, as the other four (recently completed) roundabouts on Molly Barr and Highway 30 suggest, but it seems totally unnecessary until there is an actual traffic problem,” Wood said.
Crawley indicated in an email on Aug. 29 that roundabouts are an effective way to manage conflicting traffic, but only in specific cases.
“The primary factor in determining where we place roundabouts is the volume of traffic, specifically conflicting traffic movements such as intersections of two or more major roadways or intersections with multiple points of access,” Crawley said.
The city conducted a case study of one roundabout constructed at South Lamar Boulevard and Mississippi Highway 6 in 2007. By comparing the pre- and post-roundabout conditions, the city found that crashes were reduced by 37.5%, vehicle idle time was reduced by 77% and the roundabout paid for itself in two years.
Insurance claims specialist Mary Beth Mobley believes there are numerous safety benefits that stem from the implementation of roundabouts at intersections including a reduced number of crashes and crashes resulting in serious injury.
“The majority of injuries occur when vehicles collide with
each other or other objects (i.e. trees, concrete barriers) at high rates of speed. The way roundabouts are configured, vehicles must slow down when approaching and entering them. Therefore, when there are accidents, the damages aren’t as severe as they would be if someone ran a stop sign or red light at an intersection,” Mobley said in an email on Aug. 28.
The American Society for Civil Engineers reported the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found there is a 72%-80% decrease in crashes resulting in injuries where intersections have been converted into roundabouts.
A presentation on the U.S.
Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration website points out roundabouts reduce congestion by creating less delay for drivers, due to the continuous flow of traffic.
In an email sent to The Daily Mississippian on Aug. 27, Visit Oxford Executive Director Kinney Ferris insisted that city engineers are aware of Oxford’s busy tourist seasons and do all they can to avoid construction at those times.
Wood also stated that the north side of town, where she resides, was annexed into the city in 2018. Due to new developments, including roundabouts, the north side has still not received city water and sewage services promised to them.
UM criminal justice major Lauren Kirby also expressed dislike for roundabouts in general.
“I feel like the roundabouts here don’t work that well because a lot of people are coming from places that don’t use them, so everyone’s confused,” Kirby said.
In spite of the lengthy construction time, Crawley expects to see the construction of more roundabouts in the future because of their success in reducing traffic congestion on heavily trafficked roadways.
“They can be fairly disruptive to build, as evidenced by the ones under construction now,” Crawley said. “They require a lot more work than just adding a turn lane and a traffic signal. Roundabouts do take some time to get used to, especially if you’ve never been exposed to them.”
Tannehill agrees, emphasizing Oxford’s position as a state leader in infrastructure.
“We like to lead the way in Oxford,” Tannehill said. “We aren’t afraid to try new things and think outside of the box. Roundabouts have been extremely effective in solving some of our traffic woes.”
Roundabout on University Avenue undergoes construction on Aug. 28
MADISON TWIDDY / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Molly Barr Road is closed as construction continues for roundabout on North Lamar Boulevard.
JOURNEY GLOVER / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
The front of the plaque contains a short description of the Fulton Chapel protest. The back of the plaque explains in greater depth why this protest was an important step toward civil rights for Black Southerners.
Chancellor Glenn Boyce began the ceremony by introducing four members of the original Ole Miss 8 who attended the event: Linnie Liggins Willis, Donald Ray Cole, Henriese Roberts and Kenneth Mayfield.
After lauding those men and women who showed leadership and bravery in the face of racism, Boyce thanked the Mississippi Freedom Trail, the Mississippi Humanities Council and Visit Mississippi for their work in implementing the plaque and emphasized the historical importance of the Ole Miss 8 in shaping the university’s identity.
“In the life of a longstanding institution like the University of Mississippi, there are undoubtedly historical moments that forever shape who we are,” Boyce said. “The Fulton Chapel protest is one of those events, and its lessons are enduring in our history.”
W. Ralph Eubanks spoke next, a fellow of the Center for the Study on Southern Culture, a UM professor and author. He said he felt compelled to speak out about the event when, many decades after the protest, historian and former UM professor Garret Felber passed along the FBI’s file of the protest.
“The day Felber brought a copy of the FBI file of the Black Stu-
dent Union and the Fulton Chapel protest to my office, I knew that I had to write about this event,” Eubanks said. “I immediately recognized the need to break the silence that I had been conditioned to bear for nearly 50 years.”
Eubanks’s article, “The Unhealed Wounds of a Mass Arrest of Black Students at Ole Miss, 50 Years Later,” details the events leading up to the protest, as well as the protest itself. The article was published in The New Yorker on Feb. 23, 2020, a day before the 50-year anniversary of the protest.
Eubanks described how the public perception of the event has shifted over the years: What was once a mark of shame on the university is now being recognized as a bump on the road to progress and acceptance. For many years, the protest was only spoken about in hushed tones.
“The prospect that one day the university would commemorate such a brave act of radical activism, much less speak about it openly, seemed impossible,” Eubanks said. “Today, we are officially breaking the silence about the Fulton Chapel Black Power protest.”
Donald Ray Cole was a member of the Ole Miss 8. He returned to the university to work as an assistant professor of mathematics and served as the Assistant Provost. In an interview with The Daily Mississippian, Cole echoed that the plaque serves as an important reminder of the university’s past struggles while also demonstrating UM’s commitment to improvement.
“(The Fulton Chapel protest) was hush-hush … for a number of years,” Cole said. “But the fact that the university is recogniz-
ing it publicly does represent a big change in the university and shows how far the university has advanced as an institution.”
Boyce, too, believes that this plaque helps reorient the narrative.
“It’s (good) any time you can take and bring back … even history from 40 or 50 years ago and make people realize that this university isn’t that university, and that this university wants (everyone) to be a part of who we are and what we’re about,” Boyce said in an interview with the DM. “(The Ole Miss 8) were our students, and as soon as somebody becomes one of our students, they’re our family.”
After his comments, Eubanks
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welcomed Willis to the stage. Willis spoke about her difficult experience transferring from Tougaloo College, a historically Black university in Jackson, Miss., to UM, where she said racism dominated the campus.
“We, the Black students, only had each other to depend on and communicate with,” Willis said.
Willis then elaborated on the steps she and others took to rectify the issues.
“By (1970), we had organized the Black Student Union, which became our voice,” Willis said. “And that voice said, ‘Enough is enough.’ We must speak up, speak out and advocate for ourselves. And more importantly, we needed to bring our concerns to the attention of the university administration.”
From there, of course, came the Black Student Union’s 27 demands at the Fulton Chapel protest.
Grace Hosemann, a junior Southern studies and public policy leadership major from Mobile, Ala., attended the event. A student in Eubanks’s Southern studies 401 class, Hosemann appreciated Willis’s short speech.
“I love that (Willis) was here to speak, because I feel like I hear, so many times, the retelling of the story, but it’s cool to see her in person,” Hosemann said.
Willis then talked about her time on the Black Power at Ole Miss Task Force, where she worked to repair the emotional and social effects of the Fulton Chapel protest.
Before the plaque was unveiled, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Noel Wilkin and Program and Outreach Officer for the Mississippi Humanities Council John Spann spoke.
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In an interview with The Daily Mississippian, Boyce voiced his support for the ceremony.
“I thought the comments that were made were incredibly appropriate, and it was so exciting to hear some of the reconciliation and the thoughts of some of the individuals who spoke for the Ole Miss 8,” Boyce said. Cole, too, approved of the ceremony.
“I think everyone who spoke today spoke to wisdom and spoke to the truth,” Cole said. “It’s a cultural change in the university that’s being recognized today, and I appreciate that.” Hosemann believes that the location of the plaque is perfect.
“I remember I had (freshman) orientation in (the Fulton Chapel),” Hosemann said. “I had no idea about the history of it. I think it’ll be really important for incoming students, current students and past students to see (the plaque) now and remember. They’re seeing the physical architecture and the beautiful campus of Ole Miss … (but) they also see the past.” Cole believes the university has come a long way since the Fulton Chapel protest.
“To acknowledge (the Fulton Chapel protest) is almost enough in its own right,” Cole said. “But to acknowledge it and then celebrate it, and celebrate those (who) are part of it, that’s going above and beyond … Those are the little things that make a good university a great university.”
Committee applauds as plaque is revealed honoring Ole Miss 8 on Sept. 2.
MADISON TWIDDY / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Students and faculty gather outside Fulton Chapel to watch the unveiling of the Ole Miss 8 plaque on Sept. 2.
MADISON TWIDDY / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
HANNAH IVEY News Staff Writer
University enters private partnership for new student housing
After years of University of Mississippi students facing housing shortages, such as not enough dormitory space on campus to accommodate all enrolled freshmen, the university has entered a partnership with housing development Greystar to construct new student housing complexes on the Oxford campus.
Two of these facilities are already in the works, offering approximately additional 2,700 beds for students. The rooms are expected to be available for move-in by 2027.
The new housing will be built on the site previously occupied by Kincannon Hall as well as a site on West Row across from the UM School of Law. The Kincannon site will contain approximately 1,200 beds, and the West Row site will hold 1,500 beds. Construction is underway for a parking garage adjacent to the Kincannon site. The West Row site will also hold a parking garage as well as a dining facility, according to an announcement from the university.
A university request for proposals (RFP), obtained by The Daily Mississippian, lists the South Parking Lot on Athletics Lane and a site next to the South Campus Recreation Center as two additional locations where construction for student housing projects are planned.
“While the RFP included several proposed sites, the university is currently focused on the West Row and Kincannon plans, which will address the university’s most immediate need of housing students on campus,” UM Director of News and Media Relations Jacob Batte said.
Through this partnership with Greystar, the university will be able to share the financial burden of developing new housing, as well as dining and parking facilities.
“Greystar and the university will share responsibility for
various aspects of the project, including design and maintenance,” Batte said. “The university keeps the land, and the facilities revert back to the university at the end of the lease.”
This agreement is made possible by state legislation that allows the university to enter into contracts with private developers to construct new buildings on campus, according to Mississippi Rep. Clay Deweese.
“In order for the university to contract out with a third party, there had to be legislation to allow them to do that,” Deweese said. “We were able to pass the public-private partnership, or P3 bill, into law this past legislative session. We’re excited to be able to do this for the university as we address our rapid growth in housing needs on campus as well as throughout the community.”
Deweese said that the university will save money on constructing housing through this partnership with Greystar, allowing them to redistribute funds elsewhere.
“The major benefit is it allows the university to use their money on things that the university is in the business of doing — and that’s educating the leaders of the future and tomorrow,” Deweese said. “That’s where their resources need to go. Housing is a component, but being able to remove that so they’re able to allocate their resources towards the education component of the university is the greatest thing that comes with this for sure.”
According to Batte, the project is still in the design phase, so it is too early to identify specific costs.
Greystar has engaged in similar partnerships with other universities across the country. The company completed construction on the College View Apartments at Mississippi State University in 2019.
College View is a $67 million facility holding 656 student beds, a 7,000-square-
foot addition to the MSU Child Development and Family Studies Center and 46,000 square feet of retail space.
According to MSU, partnering with Greystar allowed the school to build the complex without issuing bonds or accruing additional debt.
The Daily Mississippian reached out to the university for clarification on why new legislation was necessary for UM to partner with Greystar when MSU was able to do the same years prior.
“While we cannot speak to other projects. Legislation was needed to move forward with a long-term lease for our project, and we followed that process,” Batte said.
Schools outside of Mississippi have been able to expand student housing with the help of partnerships, as well. The University of South Carolina constructed student housing facilities through a partnership with Greystar. In 2023, construction was completed on Campus Village, a housing development comprising four new buildings collectively holding 1,808 beds, which marked the largest project in the history of
the university. The University of Kentucky has constructed multiple student housing facilities through an agreement with Greystar, resulting in a combined total of over 7,000 beds across 10 complexes.
Deweese anticipates similar success for UM.
“We’re obviously very supportive of this,” Deweese said. “We’re excited to see where the university goes. We know we’re growing, and we need to do what we can to accommodate that growth, continue on that trajectory and look forward to what the future holds.”
Rendering of West Row North site
PHOTO COURTESY: UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
Rendering of West Row South site
PHOTO COURTESY: UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
PHOTO COURTESY: UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
ernmental Operations Andrew Nichols and President Pro-Tempore Wesley Templet began writing an amendment that would adjust the qualifications for the vice president role, with input from the eight other ASB Committee Chair members and Attorney General Madison Waldrop. Templet was the only vice presidential candidate that met qualifications during the most recent election.
The amendment, titled SR 258, reads that eligible candidates for vice president must, “have served a minimum of one term in either the legislative branch or the president’s cabinet of the ASB prior to the time of taking office.”
Templet discussed the struggles he and Nichols faced when trying to find the right time to present the amendment for voting.
“This was a very rushed process already this semester, but it’s the best option we’ve had in the past few years,” Templet said. “To have orientation for senators, and to meet twice before the petitioning … this is the first time we’ve been able to make it work.”
Jacklin’s election was not the first instance in which a candidate did not meet the qualifications for a role. Current ASB President Jack Jones also did not meet the one-year term qualification for vice president when he was voted into that position during the 2024-25 election cycle. However, both he and Jacklin were voted into their positions by the student body and accepted by the ASB, despite not technically being eligible.
The debate on Tuesday night over the passing of this amendment was heated and lasted for over an hour.
Many ASB Senators had different viewpoints on what the right course of action was. Some took issue with the fact that the new wording of the qualifications presented would allow someone to run for vice president without prior experience working in the senate, despite the vice president’s role being to oversee senate proceedings.
Senator Corey Kingery voted against the amendment, concluding that the adjustment in qualifications for the vice presidency does not serve the best interest of the student body.
“Because the vice president presides over the senate, that role requires direct legislative
experience,” Kingery said in a statement provided to The Daily Mississippian. “Cabinet service, while valuable, is administrative in nature and does not prepare someone to understand parliamentary procedure, legislative flow or the responsibilities of representing students through debate and amendments. Requiring legislative experience protects the integrity of our body, ensures that future presiding officers are prepared and keeps the process more democratic. In fact, our constitution required senate service until 2013, which shows there was once broad agreement on its necessity.”
Kingery went on to assert that the senate should be adding requirements to ensure competency across executive roles, not lowering them.
“Our senate deserves leaders who have earned their place through legislative experience — not just administrative appointment,” Kingery said.
Others thought that the wording did not offer enough clarification on what was designated as a “term” and how that would impact transfer students that want to par-
ticipate in the ASB and in higher positions within the ASB hierarchy.
“We are a state dominated by junior colleges and two-year colleges,” Senator Lawson Campbell said during the period of questioning. “Students come here as juniors so their first opportunity to run for a senate seat is as a junior.”
Campbell then questioned how these transfer students, should they desire to run for higher office, would go about doing so.
In the end, the amendment passed with 36 affirmatives to 13 negatives. At next Tuesday’s formal senate, senators will vote on the amendment again, and if it passes a second time, it will then go through a petitioning process. Following that, it will be put on a ballot for the Ole Miss student body to vote on.
“I’m very happy that our senate decided to pass … I think we had a very active senate and a very productive senate,” Templet said. “We did a lot of good work.”
The senate also swore in executive departmental nominations for the year. Most notably, this correlated with the creation of a new position within the presidential department: the communications liaison to the division of student affairs.
This position will be respon-
sible for “(facilitating) communications between (the ASB and the student body), especially when it comes to programming, social media and those kinds of things,” according to Jones.
All nominees were accepted but not without a lengthy period of questioning for each department — which is uncommon for the swearing-in process.
The meeting ended with a period of comment from the senate members. Many expressed disappointment over how the senate acted both during the debate for the constitutional amendment and also during the questioning period for the nominees that were presented earlier.
Once all the comments were heard, the senate was dismissed. They will meet again Tuesday, Sept. 9, where they will vote again on the amendment SR 25-8.
Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Operations Andrew Nichols and President Pro-Tempore Wesley Templet at the ASB Senate meeting on Sept. 2
AVA HERNANDEZ / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Senators Drew Sheehan and Jack Turrentine at the ASB meeting on Sept. 2
AVA HERNANDEZ / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Executive departmental nominees are confirmed at the ASB Senate meeting on Sept. 2.
AVA HERNANDEZ / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Sparky Reardon recalls his experiences as dean of students at Ole Miss
TAYLOR HILL A&C Staff Writer
Beloved former University of Mississippi Dean of Students Sparky Reardon sat down with Middle College High School football coach Bill Courtney, whose efforts to improve the Manassas High School football team inspired the film “Undefeated,” for a reflective conversation about his new memoir, “The Dean: Memoirs and Missives,” on Thursday, Aug. 28 at The Inn at Ole Miss. This event was a part of the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy’s Robert C. Khayat Lecture Series.
Approximately 300 friends, family members and students — former and current — gathered to honor Reardon’s legacy and hear stories from his years at the university that will continue to shape generations of students.
“The impact that Sparky has left on the University of Mississippi is something that’s going to be felt for generations, even after all of us are gone,” Daneel Konnar, a UM alumnus, said while introducing Reardon and Courtney.
Reardon’s career at the UM spanned 36 years, 14 of which he served as the Dean of Students. He retired from the university in 2014.
Reardon earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1972 and his Doctorate of Philosophy in 2000, both from UM. He also received his Master of Education in 1976 from Delta State University. As an undergraduate at UM, Reardon served as the sports editor and managing editor of The Daily Mississippian and vice president of his senior class. Courtney reflected on the influence Reardon has had on his own life.
“He’s my friend, but I almost have too much reverence for him to call him my friend,” Courtney said. “He’s been a mentor, he’s been a confidant, he’s been an inspi -
ration and he is my friend.”
Reardon spent over a year and a half writing “The Dean: Memoirs and Missives,” using the process to reflect on his long and rewarding career at the university.
“When I look back on everything that was given to me, people who supported me, the opportunities I was given, I realized how blessed I was,” Reardon said.
Though many people might view the Dean of Students’ role as primarily focusing on daily operations and staff communication, Reardon’s position extended far beyond the student handbook.
“Every day I collaborated with CEOs, doctors, lawyers, educators, engineers, senators, ministers and yes, even criminals,” Reardon read from an excerpt in his book about his time as Dean of Students.
But for Reardon, some of the most meaningful and difficult moments of his career came from the responsibility of helping students through their college experience, and more significantly, disciplinary matters.
“I always viewed student discipline matters as both the best part of my job and the worst part of my job,” Reardon said.
Reardon dealt with a variety of issues, from alcohol consumption and stealing to illegal marijuana growth and mattresses thrown from windows. As his book explores these sometimes funny, often outrageous memories, he reflects on how difficult it could be to handle every situation.
“Justice might be blind and, while on a college campus, one might need to be nearsighted or farsighted,” Reardon said.
Although every situation had a unique response from both him and the university, there were guidelines for disciplining students.
“We had a process where if a student took responsibility for their actions, then
it was left up to us to issue a sanction,” Reardon said.
Although he has received praise for his personality and leadership throughout his career, Reardon remains humble when reflecting on his rewarding years at the university.
“I just came to work and did what I did, and I don’t deserve all this,” Reardon said.
“I loved every second of it.”
His humility followed him through many experiences — joyful, challenging and everything in between. Reardon stayed true to his values, always keeping students at the forefront of his mind.
“There were no right answers; there were no wrong answers,” Reardon said.
“You just took care of what was brought to you, and something just kicked in.”
Students pack The Inn at Ole Miss to attend Sparky Reardon’s book signing on Aug. 28.
JACK KIRKLAND / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Sparky Reardon speaks at his book signing for The Ole Miss Women’s Council on Aug. 28.
JACK KIRKLAND / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Flowers and fine arts: How an Ole Miss graduate uses her degree to promote Farmstead Florals
ADA C. RICHARDSON A&C Staff Writer
Angel Morgan, a vendor at the Oxford Community Market, incorporates her love for flowers with her college degree by using her skills to promote a local florist business.
The farmer’s market recently made its monthly visit to the University of Mississippi campus to showcase vendors’ wares to passersby, giving students a chance to enjoy Morgan’s beautiful flowers and create their own bouquets.
Morgan, originally from Memphis, graduated last year from UM with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in imaging arts. Her booth at the campus market, Farmstead Florals, is owned by a local florist business.
“I’m at the flower farm called Farmstead Florals,” Morgan said. “We’re not even 10 minutes away from the University of Mississippi campus, headed out towards New Albany. The flower farm has been around for 10 years, and we do wholesale and sell at grocery stores locally. We also have a selfserve stand on the Square.”
Working with this business serves as an outlet for the skills that Morgan learned for her degree, which focused on creative and technical skills in photography, digital media, video and other lens-based and image-making practices. This has giv -
en her a professional eye in managing the flower booth, organizing floral designs commissioned for events and marketing for the flower farm.
“I would definitely say that I use my degree, especially with floral design and getting customers and marketing — the whole thing,” Morgan said. “My background in fine art really helps with planning and designing flowers for weddings and other special occasions.”
Morgan started working with Farmstead Florals while completing her undergraduate degree.
“This is my fourth season,” Morgan said. “It started when I was a sophomore in college. It was a summer job, and then that kind of progressed into doing more of designing behind-the-scenes stuff.”
She said that while working at the campus market, she gets to interact with different sorts of patrons than on typical market days.
“We get to interact with and hear stories from people in a little bit of a different way of campus and younger people, and they’re from all over,” Morgan said. “We get to see where they’re from, whether it be the South or another state.”
She said that integrating her passion for art and design into the work she does at the market is one of the best parts of her job there.
“My favorite part of being a vendor is designing
and seeing what kind of color scheme and bouquets that people come up with,” Morgan said. “I really love when they interact with me to build one together. It’s just a fun way to spread creativity and brighten someone’s day.”
It is nostalgic for her to come back to campus as a vendor rather than a student, and she enjoys the days when the Oxford Communi -
ty Market comes to Ole Miss.
“Honestly, I love it a lot because I have an appreciation for this kind of routine, and it brings back memories from going here,” Morgan said.
She recollected coming to Ole Miss as a child and finds being on campus now as a market vendor, and also a graduate of the school, to be a sort of full circle moment.
“My parents have always
loved Ole Miss,” Morgan said. “I came here when I was little, and went to football games. So, I think this will always be like some sort of home — no matter where I end up.”
New UM Museum Director puts focus on community
While Aug. 25 marked the start of the 2025-26 school year for the University of Mississippi, it also marked the beginning of Karleen Gardner’s first full semester as the director of the University of Mississippi Museum. Gardner was named the director of the UM Museum and Historic Houses after the retirement of former director Robert Saarino. Gardner pursued both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in art history at UM, making this a full circle moment for her.
“I came back because I got my start at this museum, and I went to school here,” Gardner said. “And I feel like there was just a great opportunity to come back and bring all the experience that I’ve gotten from different places and bring it to this museum. It’s a special place because it’s a teaching museum, and our primary audience is students.”
Gardner believes that museums play a significant role in shaping our understanding of art and its relationship to history. Museums, for Gardner, are stewards of community, which is why she is dedicated to getting to know the people that she serves.
With her new leadership comes a robust career. Gardner worked nearby at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art for 11 years, where she gained a lot of hands-on knowledge that shaped her as an educator. Her immersion into the pedagogical and education practices, as well as facilitation techniques, marked her tenure there.
Gardner has also worked at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, where she served on the leadership team during her 10-year stay, and most recently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
When asked if there were any ideas that she implemented at her previous endeavors that she wanted to bring here, Gardner emphasized creating a welcoming environment for visitors.
“I did a lot with community engagement and access, and that’s a real passion for me, making the museum free, but what can we do to make people feel more welcome and comfortable and confident in coming into a museum?” Gardner said. “Whether that’s how we write our labels or how we interact with people in the museum.”
Gardner is enthusiastic about the job the museum will do for the Oxford community, noting that it takes
building relationships to get others involved with what the museum has to offer.
“We can’t just sit in our ivory towers and expect people to come,” Gardner said. “We need to make an effort and meet people where they are. See where they work, what they do with their leisure time and just get out and become a part of the community.”
As someone who is adamant about remaining curious, Gardner sees this new role as an important learning opportunity.
“Besides my work here as a student, it’s the first time I’ve worked at a university museum, so I’m really trying to meet faculty, staff and students and really listen to them,” Gardner said. “I don’t have all the answers, so I want to hear from people who are our audiences and partners.”
Gardner, more than anything, yearns to blend her love of art, expression and history with the abundant collections of the UM Museum.
“Museums are these kinds of magical places where we can learn about ourselves,” Gardner said. “I think museums put a real focus on em
pathy, because especially with art, it’s an expression of what it is to be human. Looking and engaging with art helps us look at different perspec -
tives and that can make us be better people and have a great understanding of others and the world around us.”
Alumni Angel Morgan at the Farmstead Florals stand on Business Row on Aug. 28
MADISON TWIDDY / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Karleen Gardner
ALANA BROWN-DAVIS
A&C Staff Writer
GAME DAY
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quick and good quality (it’s nice),” sophomore accountancy major Adam Nichols said. “I think grab-and-go is a good idea that helps reduce crowding and paired with the lower prices of food is a benefit overall to students.”
Field rushes
Ole Miss Athletics released a statement indicating there will now be consequences — including arrest and loss of ticket privileges — for those who enter the field of play.
“In order to further avoid safety issues and increased SEC fines, stronger measures are being put in place to ensure field rushes no longer occur at Vaught-Hemingway. … All available stadium cameras will be used to assist in identifying violators,” Ole Miss Athletics said in an Aug. 20 press release.
Field rushes have always been an electric experience after big, meaningful wins. Last season, following a 28-10 win over AP No. 3 Georgia, fans stormed the field twice: once with 16 seconds remaining in the game and again after the game was officially over.
Following the game, the SEC fined the UM Athletic Department $350,000 for this field rush.
Some fans are disappointed by this new policy.
“It takes away energy, and I think people are still going to rush the field anyway,”
Kyle LaFleur, a freshman entrepreneurship major, said.
Ticket troubles
Ole Miss students were met with new challenges as they attempted to purchase season football tickets this year.
In July, students received an email about the process for purchasing student football tickets. Beginning on Aug. 2 with seniors, each class level was assigned a day to access the portal. A certain amount of tickets would be allotted for each class proportional to their respective size.
William Morril, a senior financing major, logged in prior to 8 a.m. on Aug. 2. The process, he said, was far from smooth.
“Some people got in immediately and got tickets,” Morril said. “Some got in and had the tickets in their cart, but couldn’t complete the transaction and the other 50% of us were stuck in the queue until around 11.”
Owen Offutt, a senior international studies major, also had to jump through hoops to purchase tickets.
“(It took) almost threeand-a-half hours for (the Athletics Department) to turn the queue back on,” Offutt said.
The next day, juniors encountered the same problems as seniors. The athletic department sought to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
“As soon as (Athletics) found that there was an issue, we contacted our ticketing software company,” Senior Athletic Associate Director Wesley Owen said in an interview
with The Daily Mississippian.
The Athletics Department postponed sophomore ticket sales until Friday, Aug. 5. By then, the athletic department had addressed the problems.
“Friday’s sale went smoothly, since the issues had been resolved,” Owen said.
In an email sent to students, the athletics department said, due to high demand, they sold out of student season tickets. Only 13,000 students were able to get tickets.
“(There are) not enough tickets for every student enrolled at Ole Miss,” Owen said.
Alcoholic beverage station in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
PHOTO COURTESY: OLE MISS ATHLETICS
G&G Fry Co. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
PHOTO COURTESY: OLE MISS ATHLETICS
Day in the life of a student-athlete: Meet volleyball star Cammy Niesen
Lives of student-athletes can be stressful. Student-athletes have to balance training, school work, social life and frequent travel at a young age. With possibly lucrative NIL partnerships hanging in the balance, they face even more pressure to perform at a high level.
However, Cammy Niesen, a captain and libero on the Ole Miss Women’s Volleyball team, excels both on the court and in the classroom. Last season, she led the SEC with 537 digs. Niesen is only the sixth Rebel to reach this achieve-
ment. She was named the 2024 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, and she won the SEC Athlete of the Week award twice along with an SEC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Niesen’s routine is the key to her success, and it starts with a healthy breakfast, using the meal as motivation to get her day started.
“That’s what gets me out of bed, my breakfast,” Niesen said. “I pretty much have the same thing every day, and I just do protein overnight oats. I just do oats and a scoop of my protein powder (always chocolate peanut butter flavored).”
After breakfast, Niesen has a lot of work to do for school and volleyball. A big chal-
lenge for student-athletes is keeping up with their studies.
“Our coaching staff is big on academics,” Niesen said. “She (head coach Bre Henry) makes sure that there’s an allotted time during travel days, where we’ll have a study hall. So that’s super nice, (having) a dedicated time to actually sit down and do homework built in, and then having the FedEx (a student-athlete academic support center), that resource has been awesome.”
Athletes have access to an athletic adviser to help them through college.
“Talking to Jon (Nance, assis
tant director of athletic academic operations – volleyball), and having him as an adviser is super helpful,” Niesen said. “Whether I have any tech issues or questions, he gets them done super quickly.”
Niesen’s focus on her education does not mean she is not serious about her business on the court. For instance, in an SEC game against Arkansas last year, Niesen set the single-game program record for digs, compiling 38 in the win.
“One of the things that I’ve been working on since Coach Taylor (Gregory), our defensive coordinator, has gotten here is keeping independent arms,” Niesen said. “(We’ll) set up three defensive players … and then we just get hit at, and then we get points for digging with one arm, or what we call a scoop, which is kind of still separated. So drills like that where there’s a reward, or you get points for doing the one arm thing.”
As a senior, Niesen is taking on a new role. Every team needs a leader — a flat team is a bad team. When it comes to Ole Miss Volleyball, that leader is Niesen.
“I think this is really the first (time) I’ve been in this kind of position,” Niesen said. “Since freshman year, we’ve had a team with a lot of upperclassmen. … I’ve kind of been waiting in line to be one of
the main vocal leaders. So I’ve kind of been used to leading a lot by example and still being vocal, but just not one of the main people.”
The team graduated many seniors this past year, making Niesen’s role especially important this season. To orient the team toward winning a championship, Niesen and other seniors have created some fun workouts and drills to get fall practices rolling.
“Me, Mokihana (Tufono) and some of the other upperclassmen have been leading the team, and we started introducing something,” Niesen said. “(It is) called the ‘compete-o-meter’ and the ‘execute-o-meter’ … We’ll say a few things like, ‘Okay, well, what are things that we can do that would help our execute-o-meter be on the high end?’ … And maybe it’s actually getting a block, scoring the point, getting kills, getting the dig — that would make our execute-o-meter (be) high.”
Those two gauges help the team evaluate their performance. Regardless of whether the outcome was good or not, if the compete level was high, players can take a positive away from the practice.
With all the noise online about college sports, Niesen avoids her phone altogether before taking the court on game days.
“I don’t like to be on my phone before games,” Niesen said. “I find it easier to stay focused and not be scrolling, especially during the season. A lot of stuff about the SEC and things get posted, so I don’t want to be focusing on that. I really want to focus on myself and the game plan for that team. I like to get there pretty early before practice and games.”
Niesen also picked up the habits of drinking coffee and listening to music to prepare for games.
“And as of last year, I just started drinking coffee when one of my
teammates got me some,” Niesen said. “So usually I go for an Americano before a game, just something like black coffee. And then, of course, we’re listening to music at the same time — just to hype us up.”
Spending hours competing in high-intensity environments makes it difficult for Niesen to settle back down after games. Fortunately, she has developed some strategies.
“I’ve been into this recovery tool,” Niesen said. “It’s called fireflies, and it’s (a device you put) a little bit below your knee and then it sends some electrical signal, and it helps with improved blood flow throughout the legs. So I like to do that. And then I have a yoga mat in my room, so I’ll always do some stretching and listen to music.”
Even in the transfer portal era, Nieson has spent her entire collegiate career with the Rebels.
“(The best part is) the community, just going to football games, baseball, soccer, softball — anything, just seeing how into sports everybody is,” Niesen said. “Obviously, I play a sport. I’m really into volleyball, but I also just love athletics in general. So seeing how much everybody seems to care about the athletic program specifically – it’s really awesome to be part of something like that.”
Of course, Niesen also loves those she gets to work with closely on a daily basis.
“(My) community and then my team, these are some of my best friends, and they are a second family to me,” Niesen said. “I feel like I got so lucky choosing somewhere and really not knowing what relationships I was going to make. The people really are my favorite part of Oxford.”
JIMMY PETRUZZI Staff Sports Writer
Cammy Niesen in a volleyball game against Little Rock on Sept. 15, 2024
PHOTO COURTESY: OLE MISS ATHLETICS
Cammy Niesen celebrates after a win against Mississippi State on Nov. 17, 2024.
PHOTO COURTESY: OLE MISS ATHLETICS
Behind the lens: Scott Wyant’s vision for ‘The Season’
DELANEY SMITH Sports Staff Writer
Inside the Ole Miss Football facility, іn an office buzzing with footage, storyboards and endless edits, Scott Wyant іs shaping the way fans see their favorite student-athletes — not just as players оn the field but also as people with stories worth telling.
Wyant, who serves as a key producer for Ole Miss Athletics and works primarily with football and baseball, is not just documenting wins and losses. He is also humanizing athletes and amplifying the heartbeat оf teams. His work is centered around the production оf “The Season,” Ole Miss’ sports documentary series posted on YouTube.
“If I can make Jaxson Dart look more human tо you than a person with a helmet, that’s the goal,” Wyant said in an interview with The Daily Mississippian.
As a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate with a degree іn broadcast journalism, Wyant has always known sports would be at the center оf his career.
“I’ve always had a passion for sports,” Wyant said.
“Broadcast and documentary work just became the right way for me tо express that.”
Before Ole Miss, Wy
ant worked at UNC Greensboro and Delta State University, where he also pursued his master’s degree. Each role helped shape his approach tо storytelling — grounded іn emotion, dynamically structured and driven by a desire tо connect athletes with the communities that cheer them on.
For Wyant, a typical workweek іs anything but. His schedule runs Thursday through Wednesday.
“Thursday we start post-show production, editing footage оr planning for our Saturday shoot,”
Wyant said. “Saturday іs game day — we shoot with a crew оf about eight. Sunday, we log footage. Monday, we plan and start editing. Tuesday, we wrap the edit and shoot new material. Wednesday, we polish and release.”
It is a demanding rhythm that repeats itself nearly year-round, particularly for football. Even the offseason brings interviews, features and behind-the-scenes content tо keep fans engaged.
Aside from Ole Miss Baseball’s 2022 National Championship, one of Wyant’s favorite projects іs the story оf KD Hill, a former Ole Miss football player who suffered a life-changing accident.
On July 21, 2023, Hill was in
a car accident in Alabama. His leg was trapped between a tree and his vehicle. He was stuck for five hours and lost his leg.
“Telling his story — before and after the accident — was powerful,” Wyant said. “Watching him return tо serve Thanksgiving meals tо the community showed the strength оf the human spirit.”
Another memorable narrative was that оf Tim Elko, a standout on the National Championship baseball team, who played through a torn ACL.
“Seeing how he led the team, how he progressed — it’s just incredibly moving,” Wyant said.
With sports seasons often following familiar arcs, keeping content fresh іs a challenge. But
Wyant sees opportunity іn the people, not just the plays.
“Yes, it’s the same sport year after year, but the characters change,” Wyant said. “Each team has its own identity, its own heartbeat.”
He draws inspiration from professional sports documentaries like Hard Knocks, often borrowing storytelling techniques tо bring a new lens tо each season.
Despite being at the helm оf many productions, Wyant emphasizes that none оf іt would be possible without his team.
“We have eight full-time staffers and tons оf student contributors,” Wyant said. “The talent and help we get іs indescribable.”
He also notes the changing landscape оf college athletics, especially with the rise оf the transfer portal.
“It’s harder tо form long-term bonds with athletes like before,” Wyant said. “It’s kind оf like speed dating. But іt also brings new stories, new energy every year.”
Wyant’s advice tо aspiring sports media professionals іs simple: Keep working.
“It’s competitive, but it’s rewarding,” Wyant said. “I’m not the most talented person here, but I love what I do, and that
keeps me going. If you enjoy it, the hard days won’t feel hard.” As for the future? Wyant is not looking too far ahead.
“I live day tо day,” Wyant said. “I love іt here. I’m not planning tо leave anytime soon.”
Through Wyant’s lens, Ole Miss athletes become more than stats and scores — they become stories. And that, perhaps, іs his biggest win оf all.
Complete the
with no repeats.
Scott Wyant holds a camera at the 2025 Oxford Regional.
PHOTO COURTESY: SCOTT WYANT
‘Bee’ scared: Why the pollination problem should concern UM students
“At UM, bees play a quiet — but vital — role in keeping
campus blooming. From the tulips lining the Circle
VIDYA ADLAKHA Opinion Staff Writer
Oxford summers are getting hotter, and the bee populations are declining faster than the dollars in my Flex after McAlister’s grand Union reopening. But pollinator collapse is not some faraway environmental issue — it is happening right here in Mississippi.
Since 2006, the USDA shows that American beekeepers have reported average annual colony losses of around 30%, nearly double the 10%15% lost in earlier decades. In 2025 alone, the Mississippi Valley Beekeeper’s Association confirmed that 10-50% of colonies in the region were wiped out. These are not distant issues — they’re reshaping our ecosystems, our food systems and even our campus life.
At UM, bees play a quiet — but vital — role in keeping campus blooming. From the tulips lining the Circle to the food we eat at Rebel Market, pollinators make it all possible.
Our very own Beekeep -
Opinion Policies:
to the food we
eat at Rebel Market, pollinators make it all possible.”
ing Club has been working to raise awareness of population decline and to support local hives, but challenges are growing. Rising temperatures, habitat loss and pesticide exposure are creating a hostile environment for pollinators. By saving the bees, we can sustain the vibrancy of campus life.
Beyond our university, pollinator decline has serious consequences for Mississippi’s economy and food supply. Bees support crops like cotton, hay and soybeans — all of which are major agricultural products in the state.
With increasing colony losses, local farmers are forced to rent commercial hives or risk reduced yields, leading to higher food prices that eventually trickle down to grocery stores and dining halls.
As students, that means the impact might show up in our budgets long before we notice the flowers are gone. And let’s be honest: the last thing we need is anything getting more expensive.
And yes, this affects stu -
dents directly. Bees and other pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat.
Almond milk? Pollinated. Avocados? Pollinated. That honey drizzle on your biscuit at the dining hall? You guessed it… pollinated.
Additionally, pollinators support biodiversity, air quality and even our mental health.
Have you ever taken a walk or bike ride along the South Campus Rail Trail or around Lamar Park? You can thank the bees for the fresh air.
But the good news? Small actions still matter.
Students can help by planting native flowers on balconies or in shared green spaces, avoiding chemical pesticides on home plants and supporting local, bee-friendly farmers at the Oxford Community Market.
Joining or supporting campus groups like the Beekeeping Club or the pollinator garden near Residential College South can also amplify efforts to create a pollinator-friendly campus.
Losing pollinators is not just an environmental issue — it is a student issue, a food issue and a future issue.
If we want to keep Ole Miss blooming and buzzing, we need to keep the bees alive.
CONTACT THE OPINION DESK AT thedmopinion@gmail.com
Columns do not represent the views of The University of Mississippi or The Daily Mississippian. The Daily Mississippian welcomes letters to the editor, which should be emailed to thedmopinion@gmail.com. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. They may be edited for clarity, brevity and libel. Third-party letters and those with pseudonyms or no name will not be published. Letters are limited to one per individual per month. Letters should include contact information, including relationship to the university, if applicable.
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Vidya Adlakha is a sophomore biological sciences major from Ocean Springs, Miss.
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