University of Mississippi - Ole Miss Yearbook (Oxford, MS)

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(Right) A member of the Gospel Choir practices her solo in rehearsal before the choir ' s free concert (Below) A female soloist performs during the Gospel (hoir ' s concert in Fulton (hapel. If It started as the Black Student Choir in 1974. Today it has emerged as The University of Mississippi Gospel Choir and, more important- ly, the first college gospel choir to sign with a major gospel record label. To commemorate the release of its first CD, Send Up the Praise , the 60-member Gospel Choir gave a concert in Fulton Chapel in October. The CD brings to the campus an exciting musical and spiritual tradition. According to choir member and executive producer, Peter Slade. involvement is derived solely from hard work, dedication and a love of music by its members. As a growing number of African-American students choose the University over other schools around the coun- try, the Gospel Choir provides participating students the opportunity to celebrate and develop their own culture within their college experience. SPECIAL THANKS TO RYAN PIERINI AND THE GOSPEL CHOIR FOR PHOTOGRAPHS. WRITTEN BY KARIN DEBERRY 21

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Eronraiiiife send up 8 e The Univeristy of Mississippi Gospel that allowed this to take place. Ron Briggs 20

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■life HAPPILY MARRIED Anna Smith gets up between 6:30 and 7:00 every morning, but not for her 8:00 class. She has a husband, and a two-year-old son to drive to daycare. Anna is one of many married students enrolled at Ole Miss, and her life is any- thing but that of the typical undergrad. Since spring of 1998, Anna, who is 21, has carried a full course load while caring for her son. When her husband Paul was still in school, she also worked full time. Paul has since graduated with a Com- puter Science degree and now works on campus with the Center for Computa- tional Hydroscience and Engineering. Anna is a junior, majoring in Secondary Education with Biology as her concen- tration. She is currently taking sixteen hours of challenging classes, but she doesn ' t have much time for homework. Anna ' s son Dathan is her main concern from when she picks him up at 5:00 until his bedtime at 8:30. On a typical night after Dathan is asleep, she says, Paul stays on the computer, and I do my homework, study, or read for a cou- ple of hours. The couple are asleep by 10:30 for another early start. Married life has matured Anna and made her a master at juggling obligations, but she ' s still very young, and on campus she looks like the college student stereotype. People assume that you ' re single, and you have no responsibilities other than class. They ' re always surprised when they find out I have a husband and a child. WRITTEN BY ANGELA FAULKNER SINGLE PARENT Imagine waking up every morning of everyday to breakfast with Barney. Most of the students on or off campus cannot fathom such an idea, but there is a popula- tion of students who are single parents and students at Ole Miss. Taking classes, attending classes, and meeting the requirements of classes is a huge responsibility in itself. So, what happens when you have a little person calling you mommy or daddy? Monica Lester, a senior Psychology major, juggles the responsibility of being a full-time mother and a full-time student. She enjoys the innocence and love of her two-year old son, Desmond, the future doctor, but doesn ' t enjoy having to be awake by 6:30 a.m. every morning in order to ensure that he gets to the baby-sitter and that she gets to class on time. Being a single parent requires a dose of child psychology, time-management, patience, and self-sacrifice, not to mention living with little or no sleep. It is downright difficult , as quoted by Makeshia Robey, Having a child or children is a full-time job. Work, school, and having a life are extracurricular. So, again, imagine waking up to breakfast with Barney , lunch boxes, and school buses. Imagine turning in homework assign- ments with crayola markings all over them. Imagine having a million other things to do before studying for final exams. Believe peo- ple like Monica Lester and Makeshia Robey when they say ' their hands are always full ' . Having the responsibility of a child is a force to be reckoned with. But, after all of the runny noses and skinned knees, they have the hugs and kisses of their children to warm their hearts. WRITTEN BY TWANNA WALKER 22