In an ASB Senate Student Life Committee meeting last week, I introduced a bill that would essentially ban the song “Dixie” from University of Mississippi events. Unfortunately, the bill failed by a vote of 12 to one — I was the only committee member who voted in favor of the bill.

I wrote the resolution to ban “Dixie” because it is offensive to not only many members of our university family but also spectators at other university events. “Dixie” is a song that is heard not only by students, but also by any individual who is present in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the Tad Smith Coliseum or any other event where it is played by our band.

Before I wrote the aforementioned bill, I spoke with students, faculty and staff who are offended when our band plays “Dixie.” I also spoke with those who said that they really didn’t know much about the song. History clearly shows that the original song was written by a white man to be used in blackface minstrel show performances. White men painted their faces black and sang the song in a dialect intending to humiliate blacks and portray them as uneducated.

The song “Dixie” was written from the perspective of a freed black slave longing to be back on a plantation “in the land of cotton.” It glorifies the days of slavery and suggests that for blacks, slavery was somehow better than freedom. It implies that slavery is a positive institution.

In addition, the song was the anthem of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and was later used extensively during the eras of Jim Crow and segregation by supporters who promoted many of the hateful atrocities inflicted upon blacks during these times, including the Ku Klux Klan. Even before the Civil War, the Richmond Dispatch and New York Times labeled “Dixie” as the “National Anthem of Secession.” It was also played at the inauguration of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in 1861.

Our band started playing “Dixie” at football games in the late 1940s and early 1950s, at the same time The University of Mississippi students inaugurated “Dixie Week,” which featured a ceremonial reading of the Ordinance of Secession and a mock slave auction. Knowing these facts, it is hard to argue that The University of Mississippi originally embraced the song for reasons other than the university’s historical roots in segregation and racism. And because of these clear ties that “Dixie” has to a hurtful past, other universities — such as the University of Miami in 1968 — banned the song in the following years.

At the 20-year commemoration of the integration of our university, speaking at a black alumni reunion, James Meredith stated that there was no difference between “Dixie,” the Confederate flag and other remnants of segregation, such as white-only drinking fountains and waiting rooms. In fact, according to the book “The Band Played Dixie” by Nadine Cohodas, a group of white students protesting Meredith’s campus appearance walked out of his remarks and sang “Dixie” outside of Fulton Chapel.

There are supporters of “Dixie” who suggest that the song is not racist, but there is no accurate historical or anecdotal evidence to substantiate these claims. Yes, Abraham Lincoln enjoyed the tune of “Dixie”, but he did not support what “Dixie” came to represent.

I understand and believe that simply because someone likes the tune of “Dixie” today, it does not mean that they are racist. I have never made that contention. However, if we are going to be a great American public institution, it is disingenuous for us to sanction and embrace a song that is a relic of a past that once enslaved and discriminated against a class of people because of their skin color.

We are better people than that.

If The University of Mississippi wants to be truthful about respecting the dignity of each person in our family — as our university creed explicitly states — our band must not play “Dixie.”

I love Ole Miss and our many traditions, but I believe that a tradition that was created for the sole reason of dehumanizing blacks is intolerable. “Dixie” is one of those traditions.

Some say that we need to be slow and deliberate about making changes, but it’s been 50 years since the integration of our university, and it’s time The University of Mississippi administration do the right thing and ban “Dixie.”

Respectfully,

Sean Higgins

Sophomore Political Science and African American Studies major

smhiggin@go.olemiss.edu

The post Letter to the Editor appeared first on The Daily Mississippian.

As graduation quickly approaches, many muse that your college years are the best years of your life. The unknown that lies beyond graduation can be daunting.

The mere thought of saying goodbye to the friends you’ve grown so close to over the past few years can bring tears to your eyes. Some of your friends know exactly where they are going, know who they are marrying and have the job that they have always wanted.

In comparison, you might find yourself behind, that you’ve lived your life and now it will soon be over. This idea that now is the best time of your life and now is when you figure it all out could not be further from the truth.

As I have gotten older, I have come to adore and appreciate my grandmother more and more. One of the first things I do when I go back to my hometown is pick up a bottle of good bourbon and head straight to Grandmom’s house where we make mint juleps (with fresh mint from her herb garden, of course) and sit on her porch or walk through her gardens, discussing life and all its ups and downs.

When the melancholy of being a new college graduate set in, Grandmom’s words of wisdom came to the rescue.

Yes, college is an amazing experience. In her college years, she dressed to the nines every day and she was being pursued by one of the coolest boys on campus, with the best car. But the fun didn’t stop there. In her 20s, she married the cool boy in the nice car and moved around the country with him.

At one point they lived in a dilapidated attic apartment in rainy Seattle with a single window. That window, however, opened up to the most magnificent view of Mt. Rainier. They then moved back down south and had a late start with children. With plenty of time and money as a young childless couple, they bought a beach house with other couples and spent the whole summer skiing, tanning and eating seafood fresh from the boat. Having three children brought its own joys and adventures. Soon after, the grandchildren began brightening their lives (with the oldest grandchild being the favorite of them all, obviously). The death of her cool, car-driving college sweetheart did not put a close to the “best years of her life.”

At 80 years old, she has weekly lunch with the girls and can say and do exactly what she pleases. If she wants to have dessert for breakfast, she does. If she wants her second bourbon before the sun sets, she does. Each day is filled with more love, laughter and happiness than her heydays of college.

As you look out to the future, look with excitement and anticipation. Each milestone in life could easily top the last.

With a good attitude and willingness to accept challenges as blessings in disguise, you will be blessed with having each stage be the best stage of your life.

I, personally, hope to have a life as rich and fulfilled as my grandmother’s, and having a granddaughter bring me bourbon on my front porch would be the icing on the cake.

Anna Rush is a second-year law student from Hattiesburg. She graduated from Mississippi State University in 2011. Follow her on Twitter @annakrush.

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Whereas Williamson claims that she is tired of “picking up a copy of The DM and seeing people outraged about absolutely inane topics,” I am admittedly tired of something else.  I am tired of apologizing.  I am tired of being under the magnifying glass.  I am tired of making overt gestures of political correctness to try and justify my university and my character as an extension of that university.

After this past election night’s “riots” (another inflated term the national media used to shape the story into a narrative of Jim Crow racial tension in modern times), the university held a candlelight vigil of reconciliation the following night.  Ultimately, the gesture served its purpose – an unsatisfactory puppet show of racial unity that satiated the media’s cravings for a wholesome conclusion to this torrid affair of divisive politics and archetypal Mississippian racism.

In the sheer superficiality of these actions is where I find my problems with the removal of our traditions.  I feel as though our university is only aggravating these tensions by attempting to jump through hoops to please the national media and this generalized population of offended students.  I agree with Williamson that there are more important events in the world than the preservation of these traditions.  However, these traditions are engrained in the fabric of this university and its supporters, including me, and I simply do not believe that taking these customs away will signify any real progress.  In this age of sickeningly over-the-top political correctness, the campaign against traditions carries deeper implications of these empty crusades for tolerant sensitivity.  So, you’re right, Alexandra.  We and our university do need to accomplish something real.

Reid Posey

English Freshman

The post Letter to the Editor appeared first on The Daily Mississippian.

Here we are again, at the end of another academic semester. In many ways, it is had to believe that this is my last. So many people have touched my life over my four years at Ole Miss -— friends, acquaintances, classmates and coworkers; the list goes on and on.

But for most seniors who are at the finish line of their undergraduate education, it is easy to forget the little things, like saying, “Thank you,” to those who deserve it.

At the Phi Beta Kappa induction ceremony, the keynote speaker and recently retired Dr. Colby Kullman emphasized this point to the audience gathered in the Paris-Yates Chapel. He said that throughout his long career in academia as an esteemed professor of English, he wrote countless letters of recommendation for his students. But it was all too often, he said, that the students would fail to extend a simple “thank you” after the fact and let him know how the interview, job or graduate school application went.

Dr. Kullman’s words left an impression on me because I, too, am guilty. Out of all of the people who have impacted my life at Ole Miss, there are certain professors and advisers who deserve special recognition for all that they have done for me, whether it is writing letters of recommendation, offering academic and career advice, or just providing general counsel. Although in most cases I have been diligent about thanking my professors and telling hem how an application or interview turned out, I know that it is more than likely that a few have fallen though the cracks.

As students, we are in control of our own futures. But without the mentorship and guidance of our professors and advisers, most of us would not be as successful as we are today. Sometimes the smallest comment or slightest nudge in the right direction is all it takes to make a huge difference.

So instead of writing the typical farewell column that focuses on my own academic career at Ole Miss or my two years on staff as an opinion columnist for The Daily Mississippian, I leave you all with this final message: never forget to say, “Thank you.” A quick email or stop in their office is all it takes to leave a lasting impression and set you apart from the thousands of other graduates in the Class of 2013. Humility may be a fading art in our generation, but no one should be above giving thanks to those who deserve it.

Finally, thank you, my Ole Miss family, for all that you have given me in the past four years. Even as I prepare to move hundreds of miles away for my next step in life, I know that a part of my heart will always be in Oxford.

Lexi Thoman is a senior international studies and Spanish double-major from St. Louis, Mo.

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On April 17, the U.S. Senate voted down an amendment to a bill that would have extended background checks on firearm purchases to close a supposed loophole with gun shows. The liberal outcry that followed filled the media for days.

As I read through the reactions, I noticed a few numbers and statistics that kept popping up, so I decided to look into each one.

For starters, proponents of the amendment, such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, repeatedly claimed that between 25 percent and 50 percent of sellers at a gun show are not federally licensed. Having never been to a gun show myself, I did not know whether or not that could be true. So, I followed the link to the study, only to find out that the study included all vendors at a gun show, not just vendors that were selling firearms.

This meant that vendors that were selling concessions, souvenirs or just ammo were counted as gun show vendors. When those were removed, fewer than 2 percent of the vendors actually selling firearms were unlicensed, usually individuals who were selling from a collection.

Another number that was consistently thrown about was that 90 percent of Americans favored the amendment. I never saw any source to those numbers, but I did find a public opinion survey that asked responders if they favored background checks in general. Ninety percent said they did favor background checks. However, the survey did not go any further than a general question.

While looking for public opinion surveys about the amendment specifically, I came across multiple surveys that tell a completely different story. When asked how they felt about the amendment not passing the Senate, only 47 percent of respondents were either disappointed or angry, according to the Pew Research Center.

Additionally, in a CNN poll conducted prior to the Senate vote, only 53 percent of respondents said that they favored stricter gun control laws. A Fox News poll, also conducted prior to the vote, asked respondents what they felt was most likely to reduce gun violence. Only 26 percent of respondents answered with stricter gun control laws.

Beyond the use of faulty numbers, though, quite a few of those angry about the outcome of the vote chose to use an emotional appeal, claiming that voting against the amendment was equivalent to a slap in the face of gun crime victims, such as the children and families affected by the Newtown shooting.

What is lacking with this argument is a causal link between the supposed loophole and the Newtown shooting that simply is not there. Fewer than 2 percent of individuals incarcerated for a firearm-related crime claim to have purchased their firearm at a gun show. Other surveys and studies, including a number conducted by the FBI and ATF, have found the link between gun shows and gun crimes to be minimal or statistically irrelevant.

Unfortunately, those findings do not stand in the way of those in favor of stricter gun control. Personally, I wish would they focus their time more on curbing gun violence through means that have been proven effective, such as educational and preventive means, rather than spending their time making it difficult to legally obtain a firearm.

After all, two things hold true. First, new laws do not deter those who break laws. Second, guns do not kill people, the person pulling the trigger does.

Trenton Winford is a junior public policy leadership major from Madison.

The post A response to background checks appeared first on The Daily Mississippian.

This is probably my last column for The Daily Mississippian. I can’t believe how quickly time flies. I remember how I started my journey from China two years ago, the first day I got to Oxford and the first time I went to my journalism school, my Farley Hall. I remember how excited I was when I saw the dean, the assistant dean, the professors and the classmates. At that time, I was the only Chinese student — for that matter, the only Asian student in the journalism school.

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to study here. I learned about the United States from a Southern perspective. I learned about American music by listening to the blues in Clarksdale. I learned about Elvis Presley by going to Graceland. I learned about King Cotton by visiting the Delta. I learned that there is a different definition of poor in the United States than in China. I learned about Martin Luther King Jr. from the Civil War Museum. I learned about football by being an Ole Miss Rebel.

My classmates took me to the civil war museum to learn about Southern history. They took me to the Cozy Corner to taste barbecue, banana pudding and sweet tea. They took me to the Memphis Zoo to see the panda and China section to make me less homesick. Due to the one-child policy in China, I am the only child in my family. I grew up very lonely. I prayed that I could have big brothers or big sisters every day. My prayers have been answered. My classmates have become my siblings.

We are a family. They helped and protected me. All my professors paid attention to me. I never got that much encouragement in China.

These have been the happiest two years in my entire school life.

I learned from things that weren’t professors or classmates, as well. I had to move several times because I couldn’t find a place to live the first week. I had to hitchhike to look for an apartment because I didn’t have a car. After visiting almost every leasing office, I finally found a place. However, I had to use my imperfect English to argue with the leasing office manager about the dirtiness and roaches. I failed and had to clean the carpet and kill the roaches myself.

The first paper of my first semester was 100 pages, single-spaced. I blacked out, and almost passed out. Fortunately, all the students negotiated with the professor a week after, to make it a 20 pages, single-spaced paper, but it was still a huge ordeal for me. At that time, I didn’t even know how to write an English paper. I had to go to the writing center to ask for help. I was lucky. The student who helped me in the writing center was a Chinese Flagship program student. He had visited China twice. This made the learning process much easier when I couldn’t understand his English. He could speak Chinese to me.

I still remember my very first article, “We Are The Same,” in The DM last semester. The person I wrote about and I both got a lot of comments when the article was published. It has become my habit to write a column every week. I enjoyed sharing my opinions. Every time people told me they read my articles, I was so, so happy. Thank you for reading my words.

I want to say thank you to all the people here. There is not a single reason for me not to love you and this little town.

Say goodbye, not because we will leave but because we are moving on.

Wanfei Wu is a second-year graduate integrated marketing communications student from Yunnan Province, China. Follow her on Twitter @WanfeiWu.

The post Not a goodbye, my last column appeared first on The Daily Mississippian.

I’m so tired of picking up a copy of The DM and seeing people outraged about absolutely inane topics, like “Dixie,” the mascot and the name bestowed upon the winner of a campus popularity contest.

I swear, people on this campus sweat the small stuff so much that they’re far too dehydrated to do anything when it comes to things that are actually going to impact people’s lives. So I’m going to do my best to settle everything, and I’m sure I’m going to make a lot of people angry, but I think this needs to be said.

No one cares. No one outside of this campus cares whether the campus position is entitled Colonel Reb or Mr. Ole Miss. Or whether or not we play “Dixie.” Or what the mascot is. It does not matter one bit. Your griping is not going to change that. And getting rid of these old “traditions” is generally for the best.

Maybe you’re not offended by Colonel Reb or “Dixie.” I’m not either, but some people are. And while I think that being offended about things is a waste of energy, I can’t really argue that it doesn’t alienate a significant portion of our student body, in that it alludes to a time when our state was fighting, in part, for the ability to enslave other human beings. That’s not exactly what this institute of higher learning wants to be associated with anymore.

“Dixie” is a beautiful song, and I wish we didn’t need to get rid of it, but the fact is that we do. Just because something is a tradition doesn’t mean it’s not also bad. If you say that you don’t care what other people think of your school, I invite you to try to find a job with someone who associates your university with racism and neo-Confederacy. I’m going to bet it’s harder than if they don’t. So it’s really in your best interests to care what others think of your school.

Maybe if the students of this campus and its esteemed alumni focused more on the game of football going on in Vaught-Hemingway and less on which foamy cartoon character was roaming the sidelines, or who’s taking the field at homecoming, or which songs the band was playing (not that we don’t appreciate your hard work, band), our team could have another impressive season like last year. Would you really rather your “traditions” come back over another Cotton Bowl win?

Everyone, and I mean everyone, making a big deal out of this, no matter which side you take, please, for the love of god, drop it. It’s all, no matter how important it is to you now, completely unimportant in the long run. Instead of wasting your time keyboard-smashing each other on Twitter, perhaps you could navigate on over to a website that reports national and international news and check out what’s going on in the world outside of Oxford. There’s a lot out there, and Colonel Reb pertains to approximately none of it.

Apply your passion to productive purposes. Do something that can actually improve others’ lives. Go volunteer, or start a club, or a protest or even just do your homework. There is no reason to get worked up about tired mascots and songs when people are getting droned to death every day.

Alexandra Williamson is a senior accountancy major from Frisco, Texas. Follow her on Twitter @alyxwi.

The post Let’s have a real conversation appeared first on The Daily Mississippian.

In last weeks article, “ASB Rejects Resolution to Ban Dixie” Sean Higgins became the latest administration sock puppet to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. Sean said, “I think it’s offensive…” speaking for the nameless, faceless, never quoted multitude he believes he represents in denouncing the song Dixie for being the Confederate anthem (even though it was written by a northerner and was a favorite of Abraham Lincoln).

Mr. Higgins and his ilk will invariable overlook the real offense in the bands repertoire: Rock and Roll Part 2. The author Gary Glitter was arrested and convicted of child pornography, was deported from Cambodia for suspected child sexual abuse, had a similar arrest and conviction in Vietnam, is on the sex offenders list for life, and that is a brief and modest description of his exploits. Anyone that claims Dixie is offensive and winks at the band playing Gary Glitter’s song is only looking for a political feather in their cap.

Ricky Martin 

Ole Miss Band Parent

The post Letter to the Editor appeared first on The Daily Mississippian.

This week we all were fortunate to witness an exemplary act of courage by one of our students, Sean Higgins, when he stood alone for something that he believed in against all of the voices of his colleagues in an ASB Senate Committee meeting. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Sean’s proposal, he should be admired and respected for his unselfish willingness to stand up like a man for a cause he supported, demonstrating maturity and professionalism beyond his age. His dedicated action and commitment to service through civil discourse is something that we strive every day to instill in our students while they are here at Ole Miss. Unfortunately, we also have witnessed, once again, how some in our community choose to react disrespectfully when they disagree with an idea, proposal or recommendation.  Although Sean has received a great deal of support for his courage from many on our campus and in the larger community, there have been others who harshly attacked him in a cowardly fashion through anonymous tweets and on anonymous sports blogs. It is these cowards who deserve scrutiny for their poor behavior, not Sean.  They can only hope to one day develop the strength of character and powerful presence that he has exhibited.

N. Camp Best

Student Advocate

Vice Chancellor’s Office for Student Affairs

The post Letter to the Editor appeared first on The Daily Mississippian.

My friend told me that his girlfriend tried to renew her driver’s license yesterday but couldn’t because the DMV was closed for a holiday. I asked what holiday, and he explained that the state of Mississippi was celebrating Confederate Memorial Day.

Really guys?

Is the state of Mississippi trying to be a target? Celebrating this holiday, as well as allowing people to decide whether they would rather celebrate Robert E. Lee Day or Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is like Mississippi putting a huge “kick me” sign on it’s own back.

I moved here from Pennsylvania, so you may call me a carpetbagger or whathaveyou, but I have a very real love for this state. It has afforded me a greater feeling of home than anywhere else, and it really hurts me when I see another thing that feeds into the stereotype of Mississippi that the world has created.

Yeah, I said world.

It’s another reason for people to dismiss this rich state as just a geographic region filled with backcountry folks that don’t know anything worth considering, which is untrue.

This is a very culturally rich area and deserves much more attention than it receives. I know people that are afraid to visit Mississippi because of the outside perception of this state. That boggles my mind because their fear is based on a very different Mississippi than the one I know.

I’m not saying it’s right, but I am saying that there are things that can be done to help stop this perception of Mississippi from continuing.

The first thing that would help is to get rid of holidays like this or, at the very least, not close the DMV or schools for it.

I know how important tradition is to the South. I know how important history is to the South. But some of the traditions and history that are celebrated here do not allow this state to achieve any sort of progress. It is as if we are, at times, allowing or even electing to let our traditions paralyze us. Colonel Reb, Dixie, the heavy presence of the Confederate flag and these holidays are all examples of this.

It’s not wrong to have traditions, but we cannot allow them to consume Mississippi’s identity and exclude entire groups of people.

The kind of reactions I saw to the removal of the Colonel Reb title and the mere proposal that we think about removing Dixie from being played at games often bordered the line of offensive and did cross the line more than once.

All that I am proposing to you is that we think about these traditions and discuss what they are adding to the atmosphere of this state and its flagship school.

If we continue to think of it as all or nothing, then we will continue to be nothing more than the aforementioned stereotype.

I just want others to feel the same love and joy that I, a white middle-class male, have felt since I’ve lived here. I think we can offer that same feeling to everybody.

Phil McCausland is an English senior from Carlisle, Pa. 

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