Mind Bending Experience

 

uild a house, raise money for cancer research, be someone for a kid to look up to, or share your culture with a lot of friends and even more strangers. These are just a few of the ways Ole Miss students who get involved in campus organizations stretch their understanding of the world, meet people and just plain have fun.

The University of Mississippi is home to more than 200 student organizations whose purposes touch on just about every facet of the human experience, from politics to sports and academic majors to worthy causes.

These extracurricular activities, as they are known, are an important part of a college education. The benefits of participation are as diverse as the organizations themselves.

“I know practically everyone on campus because of Gospel Choir,” said Michael Brookings of Holly Springs, Miss., a senior in banking and finance. The choir, which is completely student-run, has about 50 members and performs at least once each semester. The group’s spring concert was in the university’s state-of-the-art Ford Center for the Performing Arts, but they also perform in local and regional churches.

Erica Crafton will be able to tell future employers that she can organize an event that involves hundreds of people and thousands of dollars. She served as event chair for Relay for Life, which raises money for cancer research, education and survivor scholarships.

“I kept tabs on everything, and, if people were slacking, then I motivated them to do what they signed up to do,” said the senior human resources management major from Chesapeake, Va. “That was the hardest part, but it was worth it.

“This is a great way to meet new people and learn to work in teams, which is where a lot of businesses are going these days,” she said.

The 6 p.m.-6 a.m. event held in April involved more than 150 students who walked laps around a track throughout the night in honor or memory of loved ones who have been affected by cancer. Other students set up fundraising activity booths. The event, which also included participants from the Oxford community, raised about $50,000.

“I got involved because my Mom was diagnosed with leukemia last March, and I think it’s important to do something to help other people,” said Crafton.

Helping people is also the motivation for the 190 Ole Miss students involved in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization. Each student is paired with a child who can use a little extra help in school or just needs a friend. The commitment is for an hour each week, but often the two will get together two or three times a week.

“She is one of the coolest little girls I’ve ever met,” said Charlie Dettbarn of her “little sister” Elisha Webb, an Oxford fourth-grader. “She has a great attitude and is very smart and very respectful.

“I help her with homework, talk to her about school. I’ve brought her to the Tri-Delt house for dinner, which she loves.”

Dettbarn said she especially enjoys being involved in something that takes her out of her daily college-student routine and into the community.

“I get so much pleasure being around her. It’s so refreshing,” she said.

Getting a taste of another culture and its cuisine can also be refreshing, and the India Association at Ole Miss has been providing just that kind of experience since the 1980s.

More than 500 people showed up for this year’s India Nite, which included dance performances, a fashion show and a catered buffet. For many of those present, seeing the Bhangra, a traditional dance from the state of Punjab, and tasting navratan kurma, a gravy-like dish made of cashew nuts with vegetables and Indian spices, were no doubt first-time experiences.

By trying different experiences and reaching beyond what they have done before, Ole Miss students learn more about the world, but also more about themselves.

“It helps me realize who I am,” said Big Brothers, Big Sisters mentor Antoine Shoemate, a junior electrical engineering major from Moss Point, Miss.