The
S TUDENT P RINTZ
September 19, 2013
www.studentprintz.com
SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
Volume 98 Issue 8
CP South groundbreaking
Zachary Odom/Printz
Wednesday morning, members of the Luckyday Foundation, school officials and Dr. Rodney Bennett break ground together on the site of what will be the new Century Park South Residence Halls. The $55.6 million housing project, located behind the Thad Cochran Center, plans to have 954-bed spaces. Two of the three buildings are scheduled for completion by July 2014.
ON CAMPUS
Green is the new black Initiative to fund green projects
Monicia Warner News Editor When students cast their ballots Tuesday in the 2013 Homecoming elections, they’ll be asked to make an important decision regarding sustainable projects at The University of Southern Mississippi. “The Green Fund is going to be
ASTRAL PROJECT
the official title on the ballot,” said Marcus Ocmond, Chairperson for the Student Government Association’s Committee on Sustainability. The Green Fund is an initiative spearheaded by the SGA that seeks to provide money for sustainable projects on campus. The money would be pulled from either an annual student fee or a small increase in tuition. “A student Green Fund can
provide an avenue of empowerment to the students because, as its designed, [students] are both the input and the output,” said Haley McMinn, USM assistant director for sustainability. “Students will take a very active role in the success of Southern Miss in our quest to minimize our impact on the environment and future generations.” In Tuesday’s election, students will be asked to vote yes or no in
support of the Green Fund and asked to choose a specific dollar amount they would be willing to contribute. The initiative will only appear on the Sept. 24 Homecoming ballot. According to Ocmond, the initiative is still in the rough draft phase and the financial aspect hasn’t been finalized. It could involve an opt-in system, opt-out system or an annual student fee.
The opt-in system would allow students to log into their SOAR accounts and contribute money to the Green Fund. The opt-out system would automatically sign students up to donate to the fund, but they could opt-out at any time via their student accounts. “It’s not set in stone,” Ocmond
MISS AMERICA
SMAC
WEATHER
INDEX
Thursday
89/67 Friday
88/71 Saturday
PAGE 3
PAGE 6
PAGE 8
79/65
See FUND, 3
Calendar ....................... 2 News ............................. 3 Feature.......................... 4 Opinion.......................... 6 Sports............................ 7 SMAC ............................. 8