Slice of Life • News from the Division of Student Life

In this Issue:

Ole Miss Student Produces
Katrina Documentary for Public TV

Happy New Year! We hope this finds you resting and recovering from that wonderful holiday break with your student -- in some cases about 5 weeks! And you thought it was going to be a vacation.

In this issue of “Slice of Life,” the online Division of Student Life newsletter, we bring you information on student honoraries, written by campus icon and Dean of Students Sparky Reardon. January is flu season and it seems as if the cold weather always brings on ailments of one kind or another, so our Director of Student Health, Barbara Collier, offers some good tips on keeping healthy. Jackie Certion from the Academic Support Center offers tips to help students, especially those who under-achieved last semester, improve their performances this semester. Finally, we have an awesome article from our Director of Student Media Ralph Braseth about the hands-on teaching opportunity provided by the otherwise disastrous Hurricane Katrina. Every one of these individuals is dedicated to helping your student have a better experience while here in college.

We are trying to bring you information that will help you help your student succeed at The University of Mississippi. Please let us know if the information we have provided is helpful, if you have suggestions for future articles, or if you have questions for me or any of the other contributors. As always, thank you for entrusting your student to us and for partnering with us to help them grow and achieve.

Sincerely,

Whitman Smith

Staying Healthy in the New Year

Barbara Collier, FNP, Director
Student Health Services

Dear Parents:

Your children are back from the Holidays and I hope rested. The next couple of months there will be an increase demand for health care at the Student Health Center due to Upper Respiratory Infections and Influenza. Students who are ill will reduce their wait time by coming shortly after we open at 8:00 a.m. Appointments are not made and students are seen on a first come first seen basis.

Whitman Smith, Director of Orientation, asked that I write to you with information that might be helpful in preventing students from becoming ill or help them gain access to health care. The CDC and American College Health Association recommend immunization against influenza. We started vaccinations in October but it is still recommended that vaccinations against influenza be continued. Vaccinations are given at V.B. Harrison Student Health Center between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost of the vaccination is $20.00 and will be added to the Bursar bill.

If your child contacts you regarding high fever, headache, body aches, and possibly a cough, please recommend that he/she come for treatment. If h/she has Influenza there is an antiviral drugs that if given within 48 hours can reduce the severity and duration of the illness. No antibiotics will be effective against Influenza.

Most Upper Respiratory Infections are caused by viruses which are spread through coughing, sneezing, and from hands touching frequently touched objects. Antibiotics are not effective in treating viral infections. Treatment is symptomatic designed to relieve symptoms. After contracting such a virus, the student will be ill for about 7 days depending on his/her immune response.

The most important thing to stress to your child is adequate rest 7-8 hrs per night and frequent hand washing. They will be contagious until they are without fever for 48 hours following infection with the influenza virus.

Ole Miss Student Produces
Katrina Documentary for Public TV

Dr. Ralph Braseth,
Director of Student Media

Some of the most profound learning opportunities take place outside the classroom. That statement was proved once again when Hurricane Katrina ripped ashore in August of 2005.

Since that time hundreds of Ole Miss students have made the trek to the Gulf Coast to assist in rescue, recovery, support and now in the rebuilding efforts. The lessons learned from the nation’s worst natural disaster are truly remarkable and start with the understanding of humility and the development of empathy.

Never have I been as proud of Ole Miss students as I was to see them respond in the aftermath of Katrina. Our young people touched thousands of lives and in the process learned something very important about themselves: the most important events in one’s life often involve serving and helping others.

I had the honor of taking more than a dozen students to the coast to cover the biggest news story in Mississippi. Our Ole Miss journalists covered Hurricane Katrina for professional media outlets including magazines, radio, newspapers, online and television in addition to their own student publications.

Brandon Ross, a journalism major and the Student Media Center online editor, and I made a dozen trips to the coast in the 10 months following the hurricane and documented the impact of Hurricane Katrina on Mississippi with film, photos, video, audio and words.

One of the most compelling stories we uncovered was the effort of the coast’s five newspaper staffs and their unwavering dedication in providing news and information to coastal residents.

Brandon Ross and I co-produced a 30-minute documentary entitled “Pressing On” which will premiere on Mississippi Public Broadcasting television on Thursday, January 18, at 8:00 p.m. For those parents living in Mississippi, we hope you will tune in.

The documentary also was recently named as an official selection in the documentary category for the Oxford Film Festival.

Ross’ work is truly remarkable and a testament to the talent of our Ole Miss students. As a student life professional, it is most gratifying to see our students recognized for their many contributions to the well being of our state.

Brandon’s effort is also a testament to my personal belief that what students learn outside the classroom is often as important as what they learn in the classroom.

I’ve had the pleasure of serving Ole Miss students since 1989 both as a professor in the classroom and as a student life professional. Currently, I teach our Ole Miss students in a learning laboratory, the S. Gale Denley Student Media Center. The Center is a newsroom where students produce a daily newspaper, a daily TV newscast, and one of the nation’s top yearbooks. We operate a 24/7 professional radio station and continue to develop our new online media efforts.

Our student media center is arguably the finest college newsroom in the country. It’s certainly the finest newsroom in Mississippi, academic or professional.

The next time you visit your daughter or son on the Ole Miss campus, I please visit us in the Student Media Center. We welcome visitors.

Resources for
Student Success

Jackie Certion, Academic Advisor
Academic Support Center

If your student did not have such a stellar first semester, there are many resources available to help him or her get on the right track. In addition, parents can do a lot to help their students survive the sometimes turbulent waters of college life.

The University has resources in place to help students get on solid academic footing. There is a special 3 hour course offered only to freshmen on academic probation – “Academic Skills for College” (EDLD 101). The course details the development of academic skills which include: time management, note taking, how to read textbooks, preparing for and taking examinations, and orientation to University life.

The University Writing Center, while not a remedial or a proofreading service, can be a big help in successfully completing writing assignments. For many freshmen, writing skills need to be stepped up a notch from high school, and the advisers at the Writing Center can be a big help.

Parents can help by ccontinuing to convey confidence in their student's ability to be successful. We understand that a student’s level of intelligence is not always reflected in his or her grades. College is not just more demanding than high school, but it also requires that students skillfully set priorities. Successful time management is essential.

Attending classes, studying, working a part-time job, participating in extracurricular activities, and finding time for friends, family and self can be very difficult to balance.

Just because your student was a little slow getting out of the racing block does not mean he or she cannot complete the race. Earning a college degree takes perseverance. Please encourage your student to take advantage of their resources starting with the Academic Support Center located in Martindale 350.

Students can also visit Hill Hall Monday – Thursday from 1- 4 PM for Academic Success Training for reading strategies, time management skills and more.

Freshman Honorary Organizations

Sparky Reardon, Ph.D.
Dean of Students

Dear Ole Miss Parents,

Many of your students work diligently during the semester to achieve good grades and we appreciate the assistance and encouragement that you give them to do this. Please know that there are numerous ways that The University of Mississippi wants to recognize your student for his or her achievement.

Students who achieve a 3.5 to a 3.74 grade point average will automatically be recognized by inclusion on the Dean’s Honor Roll and those with a 3.75 to a 4.0 grade point average will merit inclusion on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll. This is done automatically through the Registrar’s Office and your student should receive notification early in the spring semester.

Academic Honorary organizations have long been a part of Ole Miss. There are Academic Honorary organizations which recognize achievement from the freshman year to the senior year. Many of these are affiliated with national organizations and might require an initiation fee. Some are strictly based on grade point and others are based on grade point, as well as leadership and service.

Students who start as freshmen joining these organizations and who get involved in campus life usually end up being included in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. Those who excel academically are eligible for Taylor Medals, Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Beta Kappa.

Why should your student join an academic honorary organization? First, students who join as freshmen receive recognition which motivates them to aim for higher standards. Secondly, those who join find themselves in the company of other achievers and are exposed to faculty members who serve as advisors. Finally, inclusion in these groups serves students well when it comes time to ask for recommendations or to fill out applications for jobs or graduate schools.

For more information, visit the Dean of Students web site or contact us at 662-915-7248.

Last Updated: November 30, 2006 8:26 AM