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Walking T H E Walk SPECIAL CEREMONIES ALLOW OLE MISS STUDENT ATHLETES TO GRADUATE WITH ALL THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE. WRITTEN BY ABIGAIL MEISEL
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ILLUSTRATED BY FR ANK ESTR ADA
E
ven if you’re a star athlete, it’s hard to be in two places at once. Every year, a handful of Ole Miss athletes face the disappointing news that a major competition falls on graduation day, which means they’ll be traveling during commencement. Although they don’t get to walk with their peers, the university does make sure they get the same pomp and circumstance — at special graduation ceremonies held just for athletes. “Part of their scholarship is that they have to compete in all their events,” said Jon Nance, assistant director of athletic academic operations. “We want them to have the experience of an Ole Miss graduation, so we hold a special ceremony just for athletes.” Nance and Jennifer Saxon, associate director for Student Athletic Enhancement, organized two special graduations for athletes May 13 and May 17 in the auditorium of the FedEx Academic Success Center. Speakers at both events included Ross Bjork, former vice chancellor of intercollegiate athletics; Bob Baker, senior
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PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY OLE MISS ATHLE TICS
associate athletic director of student-athlete development; Larry Sparks, interim chancellor and former vice chancellor for administration and finance; and Noel Wilkin, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. Beau Briggs and Josh Seiple of the Ole Miss men’s golf team were playing in the Southwestern Regional Golf Championships at Stanford the second weekend in May. They attended the May 17 ceremony along with football player Floyd Allen, who was at an NFL tryout during the May 11 commencement. “There were just three of us students, but Ross Bjork gave a really good speech, and I was glad that Jon Nance was there,” Briggs said. “He’s been my friend and mentor throughout my time at Ole Miss.” According to Saxon, the student-athlete graduations are very intimate because of the small number of attendees. “These students have worked so hard to represent the University of Mississippi at such high level,” Saxon said. “We want to say thank you to the students and their families.”
SCHOOL OF GENERAL STUDIES Josh Seiple of Castle Rock, Colorado, played on the golf team and earned his bachelor’s degree in the School of General Studies in August. He posted five top-10 finishes during his golf career at Ole Miss, including a career-best fourth place this year at the Marquette Intercollegiate. Floyd Allen of Houston, Texas, was a wide receiver on the football team and was named Student-Athlete of the Month in December 2018. He graduated from the School of General Studies in August where he was a triple major in African American studies, psychology and education.
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INVITATION OXFORD | SEPTEMBER 2019