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

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When students returned to the hallowed halls of the University of Mississippi this fall, they may have found them just a bit more crowded. Overall university enrollment totaled 18,344 in the fall of 2009, a record number representing a 4.2 percent increase over fall 2008. While an increased number of students on campus can cause a few inconveniences, some Ole Miss students see the increased numbers as a positive. The University always has a homey feel regardless of the number of people on campus, said Virginia Burke, junior triple major from Charleston, Mo. While popular locations on campus like the Union and Turner Center might be a little bit more crowded, the crowds are still made up of friendly Ole Miss students. Other students, like Josh Randle, senior political science major from Amory, say that the new numbers have handle most any kind of an increase in the students going through the recruitment process, Wallace said. If the university ' s student population continues to increase, Randle said that other concerns could arise, including a lack of parking or study space. The university should strive to maintain its current student faculty ratio, and if enrollment becomes increasingly larger the university might consider raising its admission standards, Randle said. Although having more students on campus can bring about a few challenges, students like Burke believe that the benefits far outweigh any difficulties. If anything, increased enrollment adds to our campus by fostering diversity within the student body and helping us to expand student venues, such as the addition of Einstein Brothers Bagels as a new dining location on If anything, increased enrollment adds to our campus by fostering diversity within the student body and helping us to expand student venues. - Virginia Burke Junior, Triple Major not affected the Ole Miss they know and love. The Ole Miss campus has a very small and intimate environment while boasting all of the advantages of a larger institution, Randle said. I have yet to notice a substantial difference in the way that the university functions from the past year. According to a University of Mississippi press release, expanding access to Mississippians and continuing to draw students with strong academic and leadership skills has been the two-fold focus of university enrollment efforts. Chancellor Dan Jones said that he believes this year ' s enrollment bears the fruits of that labor. We have not only enrolled our largest class of new freshmen but also our largest class of honors students and our most diverse student body, Jones said Enrolling a freshman class of 2,576, an 8.4 perce nt increase over last fall, creates the potential for a number of challenges. Since university policy requires almost all freshmen to reside on campus, an increased number of students created the need for additional university housing. The new residential college fulfilled this need by providing 465 more beds to the university housing system along with a great new community. Another area of campus life that was affected by the spike in freshman enrollment was the Greek system. Assistant Dean of Students, Scott Wallace said that the number of students who signed up for recruitment did increase but not significantly. I think our processes are set up in such a way to campus, Burke said. The growth in the student population can be attributed to a number of factors, said the Director of Enrollment Services, Whitman Smith. He pointed to good marketing efforts by the enrollment services staff, the Presidential Debate that Ole Miss hosted in 2008, and a strong showing in athletics as three of reasons more students wanted to become a part of the Ole Miss family this year. Smith also said that he believes that the downturn in the economy is driving more students to stay in-state for an affordable education. In a University of Mississippi press release, Provost Morris Stocks echoed Smith ' s view that Ole Miss provides an affordable education and gave his own take on why so many more students chose Mississippi ' s flagship university this year. We like to think this milestone - growing to 18,000-plus students - is because college-bound students are learning that the University of Mississippi is the place to go if you want to experience amazing opportunities, Stocks said. Burke agrees, saying, It is great to see students around the nation take advantage of enrolling at the University of Mississippi. Ole Miss gives its students so many opportunities from interning during a Presidential Debate to studying abroad all over the world to earning a Rhodes Scholarship and it is great to see the university get the recognition it deserves. the ole miss 019

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Students patiently Kinard Hall as they wait in line inside o pay for their larking decals. People, People Everywhere Story by: Claire Graves Photography by: Elizabeth Rainey Students have to learn to cope with more people on campus because of an enrollment increase, but that is not always a bad thing. 018 the ole miss

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BiliiililiiiiHiiiliiii Stnrv nv fCfltnprinp .Innnsnn %. Story by: Katherine Johnson Photography by: Jasmine Phillips The brand new Residential College offers students a different look at on-campus living. Coming to college provides students with an abundance of new freedoms they were not able to experience before. One of which, being the privilege of living on their own, away from their parents. At Ole Miss, however, this freedom serves as a bit of a disadvantage because freshman are required to reside on campus. Now, with the new residential college, on campu s housing seems to be slightly more appealing to students. Students living in the residential college are given a choice of apartment style rooms where each student shares a bathroom with no more than one other person. Although everyone loves having private bathrooms, the perks do not stop there. Students are provided with a cafeteria, teaching kitchen, fitness room, library, classrooms, and a computer center. With all of these amenities right outside their bedroom door, students do not have to leave the residential college for anything other than class unless they choose to. While all of these appealing factors may spark every student ' s attention and interest, the residential college is far more that just a building housed with great bathrooms and its own library. The residential college was meant to promote a community of students living together. The intentions are for students to live in the residential college multiple years to make this community stronger and more vibrant versus other residence halls where new groups of students come in every year. The purpose of this community of students is to help promote academic excellence, creativity, and mutual understanding of each other ' s differences. Dr. Daniel O ' Sullivan, associate professor of French and senior fellow of the residential college, lives with his family in the new facility. The senior fellow is the only faculty member that lives in the residential college. He is there to keep the stability of the community in place and to help provide the guidance needed on a daily basis. Students and professors often don ' t understand each other as well as they could, O ' Sullivan said. I am learning more about the pressures that students face, which makes me more understanding of them, and I hope that the members of the residential college will come to understand faculty better. We ' re not, or at least, we ' re not all, humorless, rigid curmudgeons who only care about what we teach and assigning difficult papers and exams. We became professors because we care about developing our students ' minds and building their character. Students are each assigned a faculty mentor who is there to provide them with guidance, whether it be academic related or just personal advice. Faculty mentors are active in the residential college in hopes of helping to guide the students while also providing a chance for a student faculty relationship that would not otherwise be possible. The faculty mentors are encouraged to attend all residential college activities, and they can also eat with students in the residential college ' s cafeteria whenever they choose to. I think the residential college is definitely a positive addition to campus, said Michelle Pesek, sophomore biology major from Dallas, Tx. The residential college community provides personal connections that are sometimes lacking within other 020 the ole miss