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

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We started with only a few ideas and a monumental mission: tell the story, the real story of the University of Mississippi, ' the one the rest of the world doesn ' t know and hasn ' t known for far too long. i Marred by decades of skewed perception, we remained chained to Meredith and 1962, to songs, mascots and Confederate flags, perpetually wounded by symbols we didn ' t create and stereotypes we couldn ' t escape. Our achievements often paled in comparison to the ever-brewing controversy at that racist school down south. Recognition often stung worse than criticism as headlines boasting how far we ' ve come were, for many of us, another way of being punished for what we once were. Perhaps it was easier to let superficial and often unsubstantiated labels tell our story than to find out who we were and why it even mattered. They ' ve given us the reputation as hard drinkers, and we ' d have to be to attend one of the top party schools in the nation. When we ' re not skipping class to refill our Solo cups, you can find us waxing poetic about the G.O.P. or dreaming of the day we ' ll either become or marry the next Miss America. Gentlemen certainly have their pick of the litter at a university boasting some of the most beautiful women on earth, but they also have to work for it. Everyone knows Ole Miss girls only come here with the intention (and the ability) of earning their M.R.S. degrees, meaning the guys don ' t stand a chance if they ' re not heading to law or medical school after graduation. After all, we have to keep up appearances around here every year as Mississippi ' s wealthiest magically emerge out of the poorest state in the nation and make their way to Oxford. (Daddy ' s Money keeps us recession- proof.) Down here in the Land of Cotton, we bask in bourbon-drenched antebellum nostalgia, which is why we maintain a time-honored system of racial and social segregation. You see, in Dixie, we firmly believe in the preservation of tradition - ALL tradition - good, bad and ugly. If we did something at least once before, that ' s enough of a reason to do it forever. It ' s our motto. Ultimately, we take great pride as the best-looking and hardest-drinking halfwits in the nation, with more money than God and permanent, card- carrying membership in the Republican Party. This narrative, sustained by a university polarized for decades over what to do with its own nnurky reputation, could have lived forever HAD WE LET IT. II

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NT LIFE pl2 George Lucas Won ' t Return Our Calls pl8 Not as Think As You Drunk We Are. p34 larity Contests are Still Popular. p52 Mississippi. Eat A Freaking Vegetable p55 ACADEMICS p72 y How to Blackmail the Chancellor p74 (Had he not agreed to this, we probably would have just Photoshopped it ourselves.) y No Matter What Your Mom Says, We Think You ' re A Worthy Human Being AND Employable. pl06 )lt ' s Not Really Studying Until Pills Enter Into the Equation, Right ? p128 ORGANIZATIONS y Overachievers pl68 ATHLETICS pl30 X Five Gins, Tnree Guys, One Really Huge Linebacker starting p136 V We Raced Barnabas Kirui Once, ' ' it Didn ' t End Well. pl46 Winning Is Kind Of Boring. Anyway. p158 Looking Back On The 2010 Football Season. Jhe Real Reason You Love ' an e ' , pl62 And It Has Nothma To Do With A Red Solo Cud

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When considering the theme for this year ' s annual, the 2010-2011 staff of the O e Miss knew it wouldn ' t be possible to tell every story necessary to fully illustrate the contradiction between their perception and our reality. We simply pursued the belief that a diverse community comprised of thousands of people - all with their own unique traits, abilities and beliefs - could no longer accept being defined by anyone but themselves. Our mission was not to suggest the university should ever reject or try to forget any part of its past. It was simply to reflect the prevailing attitude of today ' s Ole Miss, a university that understands it cannot FACE FORWARD when constantly looking back. Though the following pages are a mere snapshot of the countless experiences we all will take away from the 2010-2011 school year, they were created with the hope of giving the university ' s story back to those who live it. This is your story. THIS IS YOUR OLE MISS.