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

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ABOVE Winslow Rumph, Richard Dixon, Jeremy Hudson, Betsey Kelly, Phillip Psalmond and Bella, Psalmond ' s dog, gather together to illustrate the stereotypical backgrounds of the different cultures of America that are represented at Ole Miss. Richmond, Va., did not know what to expect when she came to Ole Miss, but she claimed she could not have picked a better place to spend her four years in college. The entire culture here is so unique, and I ' ve never been to a place where so much emphasis is placed around football games, Dettbarn said. There is so much etiquette, planning and celebration involved in all of it. Rachel Ruello, senior journalism major from Chesterfield, Mo., agrees friendliness, hospitality and good manners are some of the characteristics that come to mind when she thinks of Ole Miss. Although she came to Ole Miss from the Mid-West, Rnello was actually raised in the Deep South. Born in Slidell, La., she moved to Pass Christian during elementary school and spent time traveling from her home on Mississippi ' s coast to visit family in New Orleans. She moved to Missouri in 2001 when she began high school. The Mid-West way of life, especially in St. Louis, was much more fast paced, and the people ' s overall dispositions were much less friendly. It was a place where arriving on time meant you were thirty minutes late, Ruello said. Ruello defines Ole Miss as the epitome of the South, and by moving back to Mississippi, she realized the cocktail parties, football games and togetherness were what she was missing and what she needed. It is all about family, friends and old-time tradition. You come down here, and no one is a stranger, she said. With students from other states not mentioned-from Texas to New York to Alaska-it is apparent that although Ole Miss may seem perfectly Southern, it can still appeal to all kinds of people and cultures. Cultures • 2 )

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welcome to the southern po Each student at Ole Miss is like a jigsaw piece; they each fit in the puzz le of college life with ease. photograph by JOSEPH WARNER rhe rural stretch of land between Tupelo and Memphis does not claim to be much more than a road that leads traveling Southerners from the birthplace of Elvis to the home of the blues. However, at some point along this road rests Oxford, a town that makes up for its lack of size with a rich Southern history. Shaded under towering oak and magnolia trees, Oxford is the birthplace of William Faulkner, the Ole Miss Rebels and The Grove. While Ole Miss has been recognized as distinctively Southern, its beauty and traditions have influenced others throughout the country. Today, more and more students are traveling up, down and over to call this university their home. Based on the university ' s enrollment statistics, 67 percent of Ole Miss students are from Mississippi. The remaining 33 percent are mainly composed of students from other Southern states, but there is an ever-growing number of students from farther regions. Whether they are from the Northeast, the Mid-West or the West coast, these students have seen what Ole Miss has to offer and have embraced and added to the culture. Ole Miss is definitely what I expected it to be, Lauren Williams, sophomore accountancy major from Danville, Calif., said. I am able to get a great education and still be able to go out and have fun. It offers the perfect balance of the two things for 22 Cultures The entire culture here is so unique. {charlie dettbarn} Senior, History story by MARY CLAIRE JAGOR me, and I have loved being here. Williams said one of the biggest differences between California and Ole Miss is that the people here are much more easygoing and open. I have had no trouble meeting people, and they seem to go out of their way to be nice and introduce themselves, Williams said. At home, people tend to be more introverted and keep to themselves. For those who are not accustomed to such a hospitable lifestyle, Oxford ' s friendly charm is shocking yet enticing. Liz Duffy, senior from Chicago, admitted her first visit to Ole Miss pleasantly contradicted her previous stereotypes of the South. My friends and I all thought that people from the south were hicks, and though it may sound a little extreme, I thought I would see a bunch of farm boys and rednecks walking around, Duffy said. However, she found a much different place from the one she expected. I had no idea I was going to see a charming town with some of the preppiest kids on the face of the earth, Duffy said. For a little southern town to have all that fashion is amazing. My friends at home are shocked at the cocktail attire I wear to football games. Charlie Dettbarn, senior history major from

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HI ' — — — „— % m M With the Princeton Review ranking Ole Miss as a double threat of partying and studying, students have a standard to maintain. photographs by JOSEPH WARNER story by LAUREN PEDROSO £ f ; ? tfU? 24 ' Princelon Review Rankings