NCAA final ruling
On Dec. 1, the university received the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions’ final ruling. Fifteen of the 21 allegations were Level I, the most serious classification. Penalties included three years of probation running from Dec. 1, 2017, to Nov. 30, 2020; a financial penalty of $179,797; an additional year of postseason bans in 2018; and scholarship reductions through the 2018-19 season.
On Dec. 15, the university submitted to the NCAA written notice of its intent to appeal the decision.
“We have the best legal team in the country to handle our NCAA appeal. We added Mississippi-based firms to further strengthen an already exceptional team so that we are in the best possible position to win this appeal,” Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter wrote in a statement. “We believe the additional penalties imposed by the COI are unwarranted, which we will make very clear at the appropriate time in our written submissions on the merits of our appeal.”
As a result of the NCAA ruling, several football players have transferred to other universities. The transfers of quarterback Shea Patterson to the University of Michigan and wide receiver Van Jefferson to the University of Florida are among some of the departures from the Ole Miss football program.
Contextualization
On Dec. 5, the university announced a March 2 unveiling of several contextualization plaques on campus. The contextualization plaques will be placed at Barnard Observatory, Lamar Hall, Longstreet Hall, George Hall, in addition to a plaque recognizing the university’s enslaved laborers in the constructions of Barnard Observatory, the Croft Institute, the Lyceum and Hilgard Cut.
In addition to the announced plaques, after public input, Vitter accepted an additional recommendation to add a contextualization plaque for the stained glass windows in Ventress Hall. The windows recognize the University Greys, a group of Ole Miss students who left the university in 1861 to serve in the Civil War.
The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context has created a website with renderings of the plaques, which detail the history behind the naming of the buildings recommended for contextualization.
SAE closing
On Dec. 12, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon national headquarters announced the closure of its chapter at the University of Mississippi. It cited health and safety concerns, as well as members not upholding the fraternity’s national standards for behavior, as reasons for the chapter’s closure.
The university released a statement saying the closing of the chapter came after reports of hazing allegations and an investigation by the Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct, the results of which were shared with SAE headquarters.
“The actions that led to this decision are deeply disappointing and troubling,” the statement reads. “Hazing will not be tolerated and we support the actions of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity to close the chapter.”
All current members were suspended from the fraternity indefinitely, and members recruited in the fall 2017 recruitment period were released.
SAE headquarters said it hopes SAE can re-establish the chapter someday.
“Although we regret the closure of any chapter, there are situations in which it becomes necessary and warranted. We remain optimistic that we can re-establish Mississippi Gamma in the future and members who exemplify our Ritual and beliefs and who serve as leading role models on campus and the greater Oxford community.”
Snow delays extend intersession courses
As intersession courses began to wind down, a Jan. 12 winter storm closed campus. Across Mississippi, snow and ice created dangerous conditions on the roads. Locally, the university, Oxford and Lafayette County schools were closed. For students taking intersession courses, the final day of courses was delayed, which also affected the final exam schedules.
Another storm last Monday forced more closures Tuesday and Wednesday, further hindering the final exam schedule. Final exams were moved to Thursday, lengthening the intersession period by nearly a week.
