The university will host the third annual Mississippi Day on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. in the Circle, Union Plaza and Galtney-Lott Plaza. With each academic department having its own tent, it will be a day full of activities that entertain and inform the community about everything happening at the university.
The event is open to students and the public and will showcase the best of UM’s achievements, involvements and programs on campus. There will also be a variety of food trucks and activities for students and families to enjoy, such as a rock climbing wall, stuff-a-pup booth, a bounce house, photo booth, snow cones and more.
“Mississippi Day 2024 will be similar to previous events in that visitors can expect to engage in hands-on learning activities offered by UM’s academic departments,” Emily Ferris, Mississippi Day coordinator and associate director of the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, said. “These activities will allow visitors of all ages to participate in learning and academic discovery.”
Along with all 10 colleges at UM participating in the event, more than 70 individual academic departments will participate as well.
“The Department of Art and Art History is all about creativity, so folks who stop by our booth will have the opportunity to make and take a creation of their own,” Stacey Rathert, coordinator for the art and art history department’s table and instructional assistant professor of art and sculpture, said. “There will be coloring pages for little ones, ‘spin art’ and buttons.”
Ole Miss Esports will bring games from its programs for the community to try out.
“Inside the student union, we have been given the privilege to set up a demo of our games,” John McDermott, director of esports programs, said. “We will be having two (Nintendo) Switches that will be set up to play Super Smash Ultimate, and then we are planning to bring over some of our computers in order to debut and feature our (virtual reality) headsets that are available in our facility.”
Current students are also encouraged to attend the event — each year, thousands of students come from hours away to attend the University of Mississippi. Whether for SEC culture, Greek life or academics, every individual has their purpose. But when students find their niche, it is often hard to venture outside of their initial interests and see what else this university has to offer.
“I feel like outside of my sorority and Rebelettes, I never know what else is going on,” Kimber Spelts, a junior marketing and risk management major, said. “I feel like so many students get wrapped up in their own classes, jobs and organizations that we sometimes get tunnel vision.”
Lindsey Middleton, a sophomore integrated marketing and communications major, attended last year and is excited to attend again.
“I went last year and it was a lot of fun,” Middleton said. “I love when the school hosts events like these that allow for the entire town of Oxford to be more involved with the university.”
Other students who may not have been aware of the event seem open to trying it out.
“I had no idea this event was happening or was even a thing, but it is at a really good time of day so now I will definitely go,” junior finance and real estate major Pearce Hughes said.
Ferris is hopeful for a successful turnout this semester after building the event up over the last two years.
“It is a celebration of all the exciting things happening at Mississippi’s flagship university,” Ferris said. “We anticipate year three being the largest event yet.”
