The
S TUDENT P RINTZ www.studentprintz.com
SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
February 26, 2013
Volume 97 Issue 40
ON CAMPUS
Downed trees alter campus landscape Tyler Hill News Editor
During the tornado that devastated Hattiesburg two weeks ago, prominent buildings on the University of Southern Mississippi campus, including the Performing Arts Center and Ogletree Alumni House, were heavily damaged, and it will take months for those buildings to aesthetically get back to normal. Though the buildings are vital to Southern Miss in terms of academics and alumni relations, they are already in the process of being rebuilt. However, the tornado also took about 75 trees at the front of campus, landmarks that can’t be so easily replaced. Planted in the 1920s, the oaks that stood in the historic district graced the landscape of the front of campus, making it a beautiful entryway into the heart of campus. Now those same trees are nothing but stumps, leaving an
open and bare campus for all motorist on Hardy Street to see. USM Superintendent of Campus Landscape Loren Erickson surveyed the damage shortly following the storm. “My initial thoughts were shock and amazement at seeing one of our largest, oldest live oaks blown up and all the other trees lying shredded in the road,” Erickson told University Communications. “When I saw it by the light of day, I was absolutely devastated. So much of USM, and the community as a whole, kind of identifies with the front of campus. I knew there would be a huge sense of loss.” Kimberly Gaddis, an admissions counselor in the Office of Admissions, said the oak trees surrounding Lake Byron and The District made campus homey. “The front of campus has always been my favorite because of the history, and the oak trees added a lot of character,” Gaddis said. “Thankfully, the oak tree in front of Kennard-
A single standing oak remains outside of Southern Hall on the south end of campus.
Washington made it through the storm.” Erickson said the process of replanting and landscaping will be a delicate process, due to
extensive ground repair, grading and irrigation repair. If the ground is not properly restored before replanting trees and other plant life, it will become too
Mary Alice Truitt/Printz
wet and uninhabitable. Drainage has also been affected, along with grass needing to be
See TREES, 6
ON CAMPUS
MCJ professor remembered as inspiring mentor Rachel Beech Printz Writer Dr. Gene Wiggins, a professor emeritus in the University of Southern Mississippi School of Mass Communication and Journalism, died Thursday, Feb. 21 at his home in Hattiesburg. He was 69. Wiggins officially became part of the Southern Miss family in 1973 after earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from USM and a Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
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Wiggins also wrote for the Jackson Daily News and the Hattiesburg American. His public service efforts extended far beyond his job as a public information officer when he was in the U.S. Air Force. Rick Cleveland, Executive Director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, began working with Wiggins at the Hattiesburg American when he was 13 years old. After Wiggins’ visitation Monday night, Cleveland recalled one of the most impressionable lessons he received from Wiggins.
Dr. Gene Wiggins
“It was past midnight at the Hattiesburg American and Gene was outside waiting on me while smoking a cigarette,”
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Cleveland said. “He looked at me and said, ‘Why are you taking so long? We ain’t tryin’ to be Hemingway or Faulkner— hurry up and finish the damn thing!’” Cleveland, who will be reading the eulogy at Wiggins’ funeral, also recalled that Wiggins had the gift of making each person he conversed with feel important. “He made you feel important every time you spoke to him,” Cleveland said. “Not many people have the ability to do something like that. He truly dispensed wit and wisdom into
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his daily teachings, and that is what set him apart.” Wiggins made an impression on hundreds of students with his knowledge of media law, especially former student Hazel Cole, a professor at the University of West Georgia. Wiggins inspired Cole to receive her bachelor’s degree, even though she was married with a child. He also inspired her to pursue her master’s, which led her to pursue her doctorate in 2008. “Dr. Wiggins referred to me
See WIGGINS, 6
INDEX
Calendar ........................ 2 News................................3 Feature ...........................4 Arts & Entertainment......5 Opinion ............................6 Sports...............................7