“I know that it’s a group of 15 men and 15 women who serve the university in some capacity, but I don’t know how they serve exactly,” said Josh Barber, a junior at the University of Mississippi.
Many students on the Ole Miss campus are likely in the same boat as Barber. Even though the Columns Society is often dubbed one of the biggest honors on the UM campus, it seems strange that so many students are oblivious to why the group exists.
In an interview with The Daily Mississippian, Columns Society President Preston McWilliams answered some of the questions students may have about the organization.
McWilliams is a senior from Ridgeland, Miss., and a general engineering major on a pre-med track with a manufacturing minor. His journey in Columns started in his sophomore year.
McWilliams explained the organization by quoting the Columns constitution.
“The purpose of the Columns Society is based off of our constitutional purpose as an institution dedicated to serving the University of Mississippi as a body of official hosts and hostesses,” he said.
McWilliams also noted that as the official hosts and hostesses for the university, members of the Columns Society have a set of core principles that guide the work they do.
“Through a commitment to the principles of humble service, leadership and integrity, the men and women of the Columns Society constantly serve their constituents in a hospitable capacity with a respectful, composed and positive demeanor, so as to promote the university in all of its functions,” McWilliams said.
For McWilliams, the best representation of this comes from an individual with a serving heart for their community and campus, even when those events can take up an impressive chunk of their free time.
“Over the years, I have found that it really harps on the service aspect of our constitution. There’s a lot of events that Column Society members work that are not particularly glamorous and that can be a time commitment,” McWilliams said. “I’ve had the opportunity to talk to people who have never had any experience with the University of Mississippi or even the state of Mississippi. While you are dedicating some of your free time to the university, I think it’s really important because of the huge impact that you can have on the representation of our state and our university.”
Junior civil engineering major and first-year Columns member Ben Jackson shared some of the meaningful experiences from his time in the society thus far.
“The first big event I was able to work with the Columns Society was when Dolly Parton was reading to kids in the Ford Center for an event called Storytime with Dolly,” Jackson said. “We greeted guests and helped them find their seats. We passed out programs and then when they were on their way out, we handed out books to them.”
Jackson went on to discuss how he has had the opportunity to help with historically monumental events, such as the 60th anniversary of UM’s integration.
“We worked a ton on events dealing with James Meredith and his family. I was backstage helping the Meredith family and other big speakers for that event (The Mission Continues: Building Upon the Legacy at the Ford Center). This included helping them get from the green room into their positions to go on stage and getting them situated when they were sitting on stage,” Jackson said.
McWilliams shared some words of advice to those interested in applying to the Columns Society.
“I would tell anyone who’s applying to just be very honest in their application. Just be genuine, and I think that your qualities will shine through,” McWilliams said. “If you’re looking for a way to give back to Ole Miss and serve in a way that you can see the positive impact you’re making, Columns is a great organization to join for that.”
Applications for the Columns Society are officially open until Nov. 1 on the ForUM.
Rabria Moore, editor-in-chief of The Daily Mississippian, is a part of the Columns Society but was not involved in this article editorially.
