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campus recreation
Ole Miss Outdoors takes students to extremes.
A nursing major from Nacogdoches, Texas, is one of many students who participates in lots of the intramural activities that Campus Recreation has to offer. She plays basketball, racquetball, ping pong, soccer, flag football, volleyball and tennis, and participates in March Madness brackets, the Ole Miss Outdoors Swamp Stompers race and the annual Rebel Man Sprint Triathlon.
“I highly recommend Campus Recreation activities,” said Elyse McMorries. “Not only [is Campus Rec] a great way to have fun and continue to promote your health, but it is also a great way of establishing many new friendships.”
Besides intramurals, Campus Recreation, which is headquartered in the Turner Center, offers these services:
- Fitness Center with cardiovascular equipment, Nautilus machines, free weights, stretching/resistance equipment and staff on hand, including personal trainers
- Fitness classes, including aerobics, kick boxing, pilates, yoga, indoor cycling and bikini boot camp
- Gymnasium for basketball and other sports, jogging/walking track, 10 racquetball courts, aerobics dance studio and indoor swimming pool
- 10-acre outdoor sports complex, which includes an 18-hole disc golf course
- Ole Miss Outdoors, which schedules rock climbing, mountain biking, hang gliding, fly fishing, sea kayaking and skiing expeditions
Campus Recreation is also proposing a major renovation and expansion of the Turner Center, says director Bill Kingery. Plans call for the addition of a climbing wall, bowling alley, food court, outdoor pool and sand volleyball courts.
student health services
Students can get prescriptions filled without leaving campus.
Student Health Services focuses on prevention as well as treatment of medical conditions.
“[We] provide health information on a variety of topics and preventive services such as immunizations, allergy injections, male and female routine exams, smoking-cessation assistance and high-risk drinking intervention,” said Barbara Collier, director of University Health Services, which includes Student and Employee Health Services.
Last year, the Office of Health Promotion opened its doors to provide health information on eating disorders, sexual assault, violence, high-risk drinking and nicotine addiction.
The center is also adding a physician who is board-certified in internal medicine and emergency medicine and a nurse practitioner who is board-certified in women’s health. Physical therapy kicked in a couple of years ago and includes treatment of sports-, recreational-, overuse- and work-related injuries.
religious student life on campus
Students of all faiths are welcome on the Ole Miss campus with about 20 religious organizations registered with the university each year.
“We support the establishment of student religious organizations on campus because we feel that the development of the whole person is important to the success of our students,” said Dean of Students Sparky Reardon. “The campus religious organizations provide our students with opportunities to reaffirm, establish or question beliefs about their spirituality and to seek refuge and counsel in the busy life that college students sometimes experience.”
The university has always been extremely helpful to campus ministers, said Rev. Les Newsom, of the Presbyterian Reformed University Fellowship.
“Ole Miss knows that every student needs to grow while at college, not just academically and socially but spiritually, as well,” he said.
university counseling center
Crisis services are available around the clock at the University Counseling Center, but students don’t have to have a crisis to visit.
“If students have a cold, they go to the health center; the Counseling Center is just one more part of what they might need,” said Marc Showalter, director of the University Counseling Center, assistant professor of education and recipient of the 2008 Frist Student Service Award.
The center schedules about 2,500 appointments each semester in a building the staff moved into 2-1/2 years ago. Counseling services are available to students through individual and group sessions.
“We also reach out to students by going to classes, residence halls and Greek houses to discuss issues that are important to college students,” Showalter said. “Our staff regularly consults with faculty, staff and administrators on campus to help serve students more effectively.”
a place to reflect and rejoice
Paris-Yates Chapel
Paris-Yates Chapel, completed in 2001 and home to a carillon and an elaborate, handmade pipe organ, is a gathering place on campus for denominational, nondenominational and interdenominational services. Faculty, staff and students assembled there to mourn those lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the chapel recently served as the location for the newly declared UM Memorial Day, which honors students, faculty, staff and faculty/staff emeriti who died during the preceding year. On happier occasions, the chapel is decked out for weddings, which happen frequently throughout the year.
university police department
While UM’s Oxford campus enjoys a relatively low crime rate that comes from its small-town location, the University Police Department (UPD) does not take that for granted. It protects students 24/7.
One service that helps ensure students’ safety is Rebel Patrol escorts who offer on-campus walk-along escorts for anyone concerned about walking alone on campus. They are equipped with portable radios so they have direct contact with the police. Their hours are 7:30 p.m.-midnight, Sunday-Thursday, and police officers are available to provide on-campus escorts when Rebel Patrol escorts are not on duty.
“Students appreciate the service—especially if they are given a ride,” said Thelma Curry, crime prevention coordinator for UPD.
Students also may press a button on one of the “Code Blue” phones, strategically placed emergency telephone units on campus, and they will be in immediate contact with police for assistance with any emergency situation.
