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

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: : wm tr ife ' S , . .•V %- CULTU ,rc ,rf T ; ' 1.lii - Nil Australian Megan Mackander and Eva Eferink of the Netherlands came to Ole Miss looking for a new experience, what they found became so much more than they could have ever imagined. «s • V STORY BY ALINE CARAMBAT PHOTOGRAPHY BY Mi ' CHEL JARJOURA a MH m n ■ A ■ ISIIB mum 4lk i ' WFTVM iv T and Mackander have been exploring the „... s iri order t et themselves acclimated to -this American university.

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STORY BY SAMANTHA CASE ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY DEES Fourteen hundred red and blue trashcans dot the a 13-acre section of the University of Mississippi campus. Hundreds of football-thirsty fans rush from every direction towards The Grove to claim the perfect plot for their tent. It ' s just another fall Friday in Oxford, and much is under way to prepare for the over 100-year-old tradition of tailgating in the legendary Grove. No, it ' s not football season; it ' s Grove season. What makes the tailgating in The Grove worthy of being named the No. 2 sporting event in the world by ESPN? Maybe it ' s the football- shaped cupcakes or the plasma screen televisions or the chandeliers Between the tent, chairs, food, hanging above the elaborate spreads. But, what has really earned Organizing a tent Can be The Grove this esteemed L - extremely Stressfu I ranking is the rich . t • n- ,. . J , . Liza oimmons tradition and camaraderie shared by the Ole Miss fan family. makes them feel like we are taking time and effort to support the Rebels. Also, I really like to be super fashionable. On game day, what was just a plot of grass the day before becomes the site of the main event. Beginning in the North end of the Grove and ending at the edge of Vaught- Hemingway Stadium on All- American Drive, these tent plots are everywhere. Next comes the Grove menu. From fried chicken to barbecue and from delectable trays of fruit and cheese to coolers full of refreshing beverages. The Grove sees all sorts of delectable goodies on game day, making the denizens mouths water as they pass by. To an outsider who ' s been brainwashed by the stereotypical rumors of The Grove elaborate fans and decorations, this all may seem a little much just for tailgating. Against the stereotype of This close family is made up of thousands of fans who the snotty attitude, southern hospitality is epitomized in The Senior, Psychology have traveled from every corner of the country, even from places as far away as Illinois, Maryland, Texas or North Carolina. Although from many different places leading drastically different lives, the fans of Ole Miss come together to share one thing; to partake in something greater than themselves; and to carry on the tradition of tailgating in The Grove. The fans of the University of Mississippi never fail to impress. It is all about style, and the students and fans of Ole Miss know how to arrive looking the part. Upon seeing the beautiful ladies in stilettos and the perfect dress and the Grove. Any one of our classy and friendly fans will graciously welcome anyone in to their tent with open arms to their amenities and into the Ole Miss family. Between the tent, chairs, food, drinks, television and flowers, organizing a tent can be extremely stressful, Liza Simmons, senior psychology major from Columbia, said. The best idea is to split up jobs between friends and family, so you ' re not completely overwhelmed Friday night. Groving season does come with many preparations, including carrying coolers, tents and chairs from that parking place all the way across campus, but most agree these are well handsome gentlemen in sear-sucker pants and a polo, there is worth the trouble to participate in The Grove experience, no mistaking that you have arrived in the greatest place in the Each fan plays an important role in the story of The Grove South to cheer on the football team. tailgating tradition. And, each Saturday, whether the football I like to dress up in The Grove because I think that it team wins or loses, the social spectacular that is The Grove shows respect for the team, Sunny Eicholtz, senior never slows down, hospitality management major from Louisville, Ky., said. It Tlie Ole Miss | 025

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Every year the Ole Miss campus is filled with eager students ready to start class, make new friends, unite with old ones and maybe even pencil in some extracurricular activities into the mix. With the excitement that comes with starting school, there are also changes and adaptations that have to be made. Sure, some students move miles away from home and have to manage studying and their newfound freedom along with many other things they wouldn ' t have to do while living with their parents, but in some way this idea is familiar to Americans. But what if we chose to live the college experience elsewhere, say outside the borders of the U.S.? What if the question we asked ourselves wasn ' t How do I use the washing machine, but What language am I speaking? What if it didn ' t just stop with language either but --n extended into mannerisms, College seems to consume your dress attire, rules and M lives here ... In Australia we don ' t regulations? Would we A have alumni know how to act if placed somewhere not so familiar? The best way to understand how the whole . , . . , umor, ournalism process works is to ask • ' ' - ' some of the international exchange students who have chosen to study here on campus to get a better view of what happens when cultures clash. On the first day of class, we learn our professor ' s names and whether to call them Mister or Miss or Doctor. This is a common practice in America; however, other countries are not so formal when it comes to addressing their professors. again they are separate from the university, Eferink said. University is really only your classes and major or whatever. Here in the U.S., we have grown accustomed to seeing T-shirts and sweaters that display the name of a college scrolled boldly across the front. However, a majority of international students agree that it is very unlikely that you will see students from their schools do this. It ' s kind of nice, though, seeing this, Mackander said. I mean, it shows that you have fun with it. Placing a much larger emphasis on social time while in college could become overwhelming at times for exchange students. It is possible to make friends while inside a classroom; however, it is more likely that friends are made while participating Megan Mackander ' uon L 77 in extracurricular activities. This may exert problems for international students because access to transportation is not very accommodating here in Oxford. Campus is fine because every student has to walk it daily, but what about trips to the grocery store? American students have the ability to jump in their car and drive to wherever they please while in other countries this is not the case. Even the smallest villages in Spain have a bus or train that passes at least once a day, but nothing here, Maria Miranda, an exchange student from Spain, said. American kids get cars when they are sixteen, but we don ' t need them because we just walk or get on the bus or train. So, it ' s hard for We call our teachers by their first names, Eva Eferink, us to get around when there is none of that here. exchange student from the Netherlands, said. I get confused here sometimes because I don ' t know whether to call my professor Mister or Doctor? It ' s all very formal. Our professors don ' t think anything of hanging out with us or anything, but here the professors are more formal. This is a major difference between American professors and European professors. An big emphasis is on maintaining a distant professional relationship with students, whereas European professors place an emphasis on meeting students on their level. Another thing that may be overwhelming to international students is the large variety of social clubs and intramurals offered on campus. Social clubs and sports teams are minimal and usually never associated with a university. College seems to consume your lives here, Megan Mackander, exchange student from Australia. In Australia we pretty much go to class; we go home; and that ' s it. Then when we graduate, we get a job and forget about it; we don ' t have alumni. Eva Eferink agrees that Holland is similar in the way of how the universities work as opposed to here in America. We have the sports teams but not intramurals, and I walk to Wal-Mart sometimes because the walk is not bad, but sometimes I think people look at me and think, ' What is that girl doing? ' Miranda went on to say. There is one thing that most of the exchange students agree on: Ole Miss does a very good job with extending Southern hospitality. Friendly faces with warm smiles and polite gestures have become a very pleasant and welcoming feature to them. Of course we ' re polite, but you guys go above and beyond to make sure we feel welcomed, Mackander claimed. I still feel like I hold back here, like on the way I act, because people might take me as being rude. Having different people coming from all over the world to attend American universities is a great learning experience, not just for exchange students, but also for American students. Learning how other areas of the world work broadens the minds of those who ha ' e not traveled, and it helps them to become more open minded and accepting of others. Having cultures clash here on the Ole Miss campus has only bettered our recipe by adding a dash of excitement and exoticism to our already sweet down-home flavor. The Ole Miss | OZ ' .