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

Page 33 text:

In a land of endless bars and daliances in The Grove, Ole Miss students still like to kick back and relax in the simplicity of Sardis. A t the beginning of the school year, a Friday afternoon class is just as unbearable as the swel- tering Mississippi heat. Students in these never-ending lectures pass the time by daydreaming of a million plac- es they would rather be. While lying in bed can be rather appealing, sitting on a sandy beach with a cold beverage is much more enticing. Unfortunately for the students at the University of Mississippi, the clos- est ocean is at least five hours away, so the chances of making it back in time for Sat- urday ' s football game are highly unlikely. How- ever, a place only 20 minutes from campus possesses most of the ameni- ties a day at the beach has to of- fer. Sardis Lake, familiar to students sim- ply as Sardis, was constructed in the 1930s as a reservoir to control flooding across Lafayette, Panola and Marshall counties. Recreational activities, such as fishing, boating and hunting, are popular in the area, but students have adopted activities of their own, making it as much of a tradition here as The Grove. While the sand more closely resembles dirt and the wooded atmo- sphere is far from tropical, Sardis Lake gives students a vast expanse of beach- front real estate to enjoy the water and sun with their friends. When the week- end begins, caravans of dirt-stained pickup trucks and SUVs toting co-eds in swimsuits, Styrofoam ice chests and fishing poles can be spotted traveling down College Hill Road. I have never seen another place like it, Liz Duffy, senior hospital- ity management major from Chicago said. The first time I went there was one night during Rush week freshman year, and I still think that was one of the most fnn parties 1 have ever been to. People tailgate out of the back of pickup trucks around a huge bonfire, and then go back the next morning to swim and lay out. It ' s kind of like a weekend play- ground. Recruitment week at Ole Miss is also recognized as a silent week be- cause incoming freshman and Greek members are not permitted to converse outside formal recruitment activities. Therefore, it has become a tradition for freshman to avoid the bars and spend their nights out at Sardis. It ' s one of the best parts of freshman year because you get a chance to hangout with just your class, and you can meet people you would have other- wise not met in a crowded bar, Holly Mayatte, sophomore marketing major from Wiggins, said. Matt Rutherford, senior political science major from Memphis, agreed Sardis is an experience very different From the one in the bars. It ' s almost like an escape from the monotony of the Square. Ruther- ford said. It ' s a real release to drive down those country back roads with your friends and be outdoors, wheth- er you go camping or boating. I can ' t remember a spring at Ole Miss since m freshman year that didn ' t involve a few pretty days at Sardis. My dad went to State, but even he remembers going on fishing trips to Sardis when he visited Ole Miss in the ' 70s, Virginia Thompson, senior insurance and risk management ma- jor from Lexington, ky., said. Other popular activities at Sardis include skeet shooting, swim- ming, riding four-wheelers or off-roading. I shot a gun for the first time when I went skeet s h o o t i n g there, Regan Shackelford, senior famih and consumer science major from Atlanta, said. Everj timewego.it is an adventure. It ' s a place where you can get stuck in the mud and still have fun. A drive down the rocky dirt road to Sardis ' beachfront is often inaccessible for smaller cars and sedans. When the ground is damp, sometimes even larger SUVs are un- able to avoid being bogged down in the mud. I thought it would be a good idea to follow some of my guy friends who were going off-roading one night, and we ended up trying to get my Yukon out of the mud un- til 6 a.m.. said Kourtney Fargason, senior elementary education major from Nashville. I still enjoy going to Sardis. but 1 will never take m own car out there again. Siinlis • 29

Page 32 text:

fcc ■; v; O PPOSITE. » , ., .iimseii on r ■ orr classes and ch ... J cro . ' . c . Masort and shley Woodvard en j a ' J-. .: c; off-roac ' : ' ■■k j i » 16? •■■• ■ 9k? 1 . ' . cFjfl ED V -.» - f ■T rfy . ymmK Ar - 0 K T ... » 7 ' , v2: ' ' Jul J ' U fiF V . «? ' ' • ? R ■SffiEns . Foun photographs fey JOSEPH WARNER story by MARY CLAIRE JAGOR 28 • Sardis

Page 34 text:

From Italy to Florida, students travel the globe searching for the best experiences has to offer. photographs by MADISON HALBROOR story by ALEX MCADAMS