When CIA meets Corporate America

If you watch much TV, you may associate the CIA with lots of security intimidating tactics and private isolated individuals.

The Central Intelligence Agency more commonly known, as the CIA is one of the largest, most elite US agencies of the country. According to its official website, the CIA is responsible for providing intelligence on a wide range of national security issues to senior US policymakers.

It prides itself on going far beyond the measures of other US agencies and accomplishing what others can not.

Recently, on Tuesday, November 30, the CIA visited the University of Mississippi’s School of Business Administration to meet with undergraduate business students and MBA students. Two informational sessions were available.

There, many career opportunities and benefits for business majors, from internships, co-op programs to future careers, as well as skills and traits, were discussed.

“I saw the importance of being able to communicate effectively and fluidly with people. Many CIA careerists rely heavily on their ability to connect and communicate to others naturally,” said Kennedy Horton, MBA Candidate.

“It is very important to be able to listen to others and communicate your own thoughts and positions effectively so that a mutual understanding can be established. Being able to connect to others well in one-on-one situations is important and skills we can all benefit greatly from.”

The CIA hopes to provide students with life-altering experiences. No specific classification is needed. However, the agency is in pursuit of finding a younger audience like freshmen and sophomore.

Most internships and career opportunities are based in the Washington, D.C. area. Each opportunity is a 90-day program with a $20,000 stipend and is highly competitive.

During the visit, the agency put great emphasis on the following positions:

· Operations Officer- This career recruits and handles sources of foreign intelligence.

· Collection Management Officer- A person working as a CMO manages the collection, evaluation and dissemination of the CIA intelligence information.

· Staff Operations Officer- This career guides, coordinates and supports overseas intelligence collection.

· Collection Management Officer—Headquarters Specialist- A person has extensive interaction with US intelligence customers like personnel from the different US departments like the FBI and Homeland Security.

· Language Officer- This career applies advanced foreign language skills, experience and expertise.

“During the session, I learned most positions with the CIA, in particular the sensitive ones, require a tremendous amount of writing. It seems like many CIA employees spend a good chunk of their careers time writing and editing reports,” said Horton.

“I also was reminded of how important accounting, finance, and writing skills are.”

The CIA, however, looks for no particular field.

“They are really looking for the right individual rather than a specific field,” said Tony Ammeter, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs.

The CIA, under the National Clandestine Services hopes to hire well-rounded individuals. It offers fast-paced careers with a variety of work experiences and environments.

For more information on careers and internships, please visit www.cia.gov or visit UM’s School of Business Administration

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Winter break is around the corner and soon we will be done with finals, going home, and enjoying good food and good times with friends and family. What would you do if family and friends were almost 10,000 miles away?

That is the question that many international students at Ole Miss are faced with. Stay in Oxford? Go home? There are many variables that make these students decisions. Is it a financially viable option? Is the time spent traveling worth the time that they would be at home? Will life in Oxford be easier than going home?

Many of the international students live in Guess Hall on campus. To much disappointment, Guess Hall will close on December 11^th and reopen January 2^nd, forcing these students to relocate to another dorm on campus for 3 weeks.

“It’s not really easy to international students to move every time,” said Ahra Lu, a transfer student from Korea. “I decided to go to a friend’s house.”

Without much information being shared by the Office of International Programs to the students, many are left without direction and need to make plans for themselves over the six-week break. Studying seems to be on the agenda for many international students who will be staying here for winter break. Some are choosing to leave Oxford and experience other places in the United States.

Other international students are traveling home, choosing the comforts of their own beds and the culture that they are more familiar with. “I am going home. I want to see my friends and family,” said Sayuri Nishinaka, a transfer student from Japan. “I miss my family and friends. I miss my boyfriend, too. As much as I like Oxford, it’s not as good as home.”

Approximately 3% of the student population at Ole Miss is international students and that number triples when talking about Ole Miss faculty, according to Tayla Burns and Jean Robinson of the Office of International Programs.

Artwork meets Nature

Many of the students at The University of Mississippi who majors are in art posses a unique creative ability. There is a quote that states, a picture says a thousand words. These students create the art that speaks to us.
When you walk through the halls of Meek, there is an unidentifiable odor that roams the air. Easily identifiable are the sometimes unusual art works that are displayed in Meek. Like the claw foot bathtub filled with dirt and flowers made with linen and wire growing from it, the wedding dresses designed from garage bags, or the see through individual attempting to scale the front of the building with a rope. That we can all see.
What viewers generally miss out on is the chance to know the behind the scenes stories of these pieces.
The Art Department has exhibitions of students art work in the gallery that is located on the first floor of the building. There is generally a new exhibition every two weeks that includes a reception. Students are given a chance to showcase their work, and people are able to ask any questions about the process of the artists.
Currently being shown in the gallery is the thesis of four graduate students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts. BFA majors Jamie Johnson and Priscilla Harmic are two people whose hard work has been awarded this honor.
Johnson and Harmic both themed their thesis around nature by taking photos of butterflies and other insects. Johnson got the idea to work on this theme from just walking around campus. “I saw all the butterflies outside and I thought how could I represent this really amazing moment which is also something that you are always doing with photography. You are trying to capture these moments” says Johnson.
She elaborates more saying “…so I got this idea to just start taking photographs and try to think of a way to represent the fleeing, the fragile transcend nature of all these things I’m seeing.”
Coming up with the idea to do their thesis on nature was really just the beginning of the process they had to take to getting their work up and ready to be shown. I spoke with a friend of Harmic and she gave detail as to how much work really goes behind these things. She says “Priscilla has gone above and beyond starting with these images of culture that she has grown herself.” She went on “You know it wasn’t something that she went out and took photos off the internet or went to the biology department……it started with her extending her project from multiple semesters starting doing the screen prints, doing minor cuts and stamps to these Van Dyke prints.”
The same goes for Johnson, along with taking two other art studios this semester that all require the same amount of attention for detail and personality. She says she spent roughly over 45 hours a week after school in preparation for her thesis.
It is truly amazing the amount of time and sweat that these students put into something that goes up and captures our eyes for maybe only the day but places stills within our minds forever.

Sources Paper
Jamie Johnson
BFA Artist
Jejohns7@olemiss.edu
601-795-3432

Priscilla Harmric
BFA Artist
phamric@olemiss.edu

Thomas Grosskopf
BFA Artist
662-871-7173
grosskopfthomas@hotmail.com

University of Mississippi Art Department
662-915-7193
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/art/current_exhibitions.html

Campus Ministries Helping Others

Eric Lee

FCA gets involved with the community

Community involvement is very important to the athletes and members of FCA. Ole Miss’s Campus Ministries are trying to do more for the good of the community. All the ministries are trying to reach out in new and different ways to make sure they are giving rather than giving.

One such group is Fellowship of Christian Athletes. FCA leaders have worked hard to find ways of helping others in the community. More than a meal(Tuesdays) and National walk a kid to school day(Wednesday) are two ways they are helping reach out to others.

FCA leaders found ways to make homeless and underprivileged people in the community feel at home. These leaders and athletes help with More than a Meal on Tuesday nights. This is very important to these athletes because they see how much their involvement with underprivileged people affects others. They go to the meal and interact with everyone there. This makes all the attendants feel comfortable because it makes it seem like these students are there for support and friendship. These athletes spend a great deal of time trying to get everyone to blend in to the community. This is just one small step that can turn a community around for the better. These student athletes have become well equipped for the life that is ahead of them just because of their willingness to help others more than themselves.

Many of these Christian athletes think that being a role model is extremely vital for younger kids that are overweight. These athletes walk these kids to school every Wednesday in hope that the next generation will learn that each step is important. These athletes hope that their presence in these kids life will give the young children a boost to want to get out and be active. Athlete’s involvement with these children affects the way kids look at their own life especially since they look up to college age athletes. FCA is a part of the larger project which is nationwide, that helps overweight kids all around the country.

Another Campus Ministry that is trying to reach the community is Reformed University Fellowship. They provide people that attend their services with many outreach programs from helping kids in school to visiting nursing homes. To learn more about RUF and their ministries check out their website, http://www.olemiss.ruf.org/.

Sources: Garrett and Alan-FCA Leaders, Ole Miss RUF ministry

Moving On

As construction of the University’s new law school comes to a close, talks of the “Big Move” arise. “We plan to compact the move into a two-month period. Although the move is drastic, we intend to keep this move structured, to prevent any disruption to the students.” The move is set to begin around the 13^th of December, continue through Winter break, and end in late January of 2011. The University has hired an Alabama-based moving company that proved themselves to be quite efficient, after moving almost all of the content within the University’s new Residential College.

Three major issues concerning the move are being addressed. Firstly, the transportation of the entire law library and its archives to the new location, while the move itself isn’t as big of a concern as the organization of the archives. The Law School houses thousands upon thousands of federal archives, which the students fully utilize throughout their studies. Library staff say it is already a difficult task to keep many of the files in order. Also, seeing as some of the files date as far back as the late 1800’s, keeping them in mint condition has become a task in itself. Archive keepers share some of these files haven’t been Xeroxed, making them irreplaceable. While the University places its trust in the movers, some of the library’s staff remain unconvinced. “It’s just alot to move in such a short time. I’m not even sure if somProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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of the files
have ever seen sunlight, let alone withstand such a great move,” states Allison Kemp, a third year law student and library receptionist. Administration has reassured staff that it will do all it can to try and maintain the upkeep and organization of these valuable documents.

Yet another problem that faces the University is the question, “what will we do with the students during this move?” It appears the move will begin right as the students begin their finals. This obvious flaw in planning was overlooked as the University booked the moving date prior to the exam schedule. It seems the move will have little affect on the students, as the University has requested the classrooms in use remain untouched until a later date. However, it’s apparent the hustle and bustle of the move will still pose as somewhat of a distraction.

Lastly, it seems some debate still surround the use of the old law building. While some claim that it might simply be converted to a new department, others speculate that it will be torn down to make way for a new high-rise parking garage. It seems there is no certainty concerning the building’s future, and administration states it hasn’t been alerted of any breakthroughs in the matter.

Additional research has shown that the University’s $50 million will be utilized in any way possible. The new law building will also house the Dean’s new office. More information on this can be found through the following link, http://law.olemiss.edu/UM_Lawyer%202010/campaign.html.

The Center for the Study of Southern Culture Prepares for the 18th Oxford Conference for the Book

With the University of Mississippi's spring semester right around the corner, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture has plans in motion for the 18th Oxford Conference for the Book. The conference will be presented by the CSSC March 24-26, 2011.

Each day the conference will take place somewhere different. The events will kick off on Thursday with a luncheon at the John Davis Williams Library, and program sessions will follow that afternoon at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. Friday’s session will be at the Gertrude Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts. The conference will conclude its sessions on Saturday at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics.

The Oxford Conference for the Book is free, and is open for the community and students who have a passion for reading, writing, and literature; authors, editors, publishers, and people from all aspects of the industry will be at the conference to read and talk about their work or other individuals’ work.

Among the notable list of guests attending the event are Pamela and Jon Voelkel, Ally Condle, Jack Pendarvis, Megan Abbott, Michael Kupperman and many others.

Fifth and Ninth grade students from the Oxford area are invited each year to come and listen to an author speaking at the conference. Ann Abadie, the Associate Director of CSSC, shared that, “Students are given their personal copy of the author’s book, so that the child can read the novel beforehand. Children will then get to hear the author speak about the work they read and meet the author. This year, fifth grade students received a copy of “Middleworld,” and will have the opportunity to hear authors Pamel and Jon Voelkel discuss this work.

Ann Abadie discusses the Oxford Conference for the Book here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFEFoJ6XdJA.

It takes a lot of work and preparation for such a large event. Ann Abadie says that students from all departments across campus volunteer to help with this event.The Director of CSSC, Ted Ownsby, shared, “Students are encouraged to volunteer and to attend this event.” With a chuckle he added, “They are usually happy to volunteer unless it’s close to the end of the semester with theses due.”

Students who are interested in volunteering for the Oxford Conference for the Book can check the Center for the Study of Southern Culture’s website at http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/index.html. Students can also call the CSSC at 662-915-5993 for more information.

Ted Ownby, Director
Barnard Observatory 209
hsownby@olemiss.edu

Ann J. Abadie, Associate Director
Barnard Observatory 210
aabadie@olemiss.edu

http://oxfordconferenceforthebook.com/

The Bike Lock Bandit

A clever prankster has been locking stranger’s bikes together on the Ole Miss campus over the last semester.

It’s not yet April but the one who’s been deemed the “Bike Lock Bandit” doesn’t mind making unsuspecting students look like fools.

The Bike Lock Bandit simply locks bikes together in the stands placed around campus. No one knows the exact reason behind the madness but most signs point to mischievous play. It doesn’t seem hateful enough to be something done for any other reason than a laugh.

Though it may be just a prank, there are mixed opinions on the matter. Some say it wouldn’t bother them and some say it would be very irritating. It all depends on what you have on schedule when you find your bike locked up. If you are in a hurry you probably wont have a problem keeping in that giggle.

The culprit uses Kryptonite steel cable bike locks to do his dirty work, so bolt cutters seem to be the only way to get them off.

There are currently no suspects in this seemingly trivial crime. If it’s a joke the culprit is missing the punch line, by not sticking around to see the expressions on people's faces. If and when the Bike Lock Bandit is caught justice will be swift. These pranks will not be taken lightly.

Since it has only occurred less than a handful of times, there have currently been no actions taken to prevent the Bike Lock Bandit from striking again. If it were to get worse the university may beef up security or even go as far as putting up surveillance cameras.
If you thought the University Police were locking your bike think again and remember the Bike Lock Bandit is still at large, so be careful of where you park your bike

This is one of the crazier things to happen with bikes. When you hear about bike crimes its usually about theft. Here is a link to an article about a bike thieves in London: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/jun/15/bike-crime-london

Mississippi Truth Project

Chinese Now The Fastest Growing Class At Ole Miss

Melanie Layden
Jour 102
Modern Language Department


Coming in the spring semester, Ole Miss will now be offering Korean as a language course. This new addition will be the tenth language that the Modern Language Department offers at the University of Mississippi. Recognized as the top language department in the state, Ole Miss is proud to be the first to offer the Korean language to students as a major and minor.

During the hard economic times, language as a major has been decreasing nationally, but here at Ole Miss, languages are still going strong. In fact, one of the most popular rising majors for the 2010-2011 school year is Mandarin Chinese. Over the past five years, Chinese has risen to be a popular class taken by college students.

There are now about 400 state schools that offer some form of Chinese as a language course, one of these including Oxford High School right here in Mississippi. High schools will now be allowed to offer a non-European language to students. In some cases, the typical Spanish or French courses will be changed to Spanish or Chinese. “Sadly, French is not being taught as much as it used to,” said Marta Chevailer, a French instructor of seven years at the University of Mississippi, “It has become replaced by languages that have become more popular like Chinese and Arabic.”

“Mandarin Chinese is a language that we have recently seen really take off, obviously just in the past five years, but we have had the language offered for about ten years here at the university,” said Dr. Dyer, the chair of the Modern Language Department at Ole Miss. When asked what college students plan to do with their Chinese education for a career, Dyer explained that many computer science and engineering students take the courses to prepare them for technology in the future.

Along with students majoring in a language, studying abroad has become more popular throughout the years, especially during the summer. While students have different reasons for studying overseas, the opportunity to study in another country, even continent, is a rewarding experience. Henry Jones, a junior this year from Ole Miss, has been studying abroad in Scotland this semester. Even though the university he is at offers classes in English, Jones says that being able to experience another culture is an education all in its own. The Modern Language Department encourages their students to spend some time abroad to further their horizon of the language they study. By the 2012 semester, there is set to be at least five more locations in China for Mandarin Chinese students to study abroad.

^This is Dr. Dyer, Head Chairman of the Department of Modern Languages, talking about the recent speaker they had last month.

Sources:

Dr. Donald Dyer
Chair of Department of Modern Languages
Office: (662) 915-7298
E-mail: mldyer@olemiss.edu

Marta Chevailer
French Instructor
E-mail: mrego@olemiss.edu

Henry Jones
Student, Junior, Business major
E-mail: jhjones4@olemiss.edu

Web site:

www.olemiss.edu/depts/modern_languages

Pups of Oxford are barking up the wrong tree

The dogs of Oxford are ‘barking up the wrong tree’ according many Oxford officials. After recent hearings mans best friend has been ordered to stay much closer to their owner when out on the town.
The Board of Alderman met on Nov. 16. Their verdict of the meeting stated that dogs of Oxford have to be on a leash within the city limits of Oxford, unless of course on private property. The office of the mayor was not able to comment on the ruling over the busy weekend.
While this ordinance is being enforced for the safety of animals and humans, many dog owners feel that it is unfair to restrict the animals when there is no outlet for the dogs such as an Oxford dog park.
“I just don’t think its fair that I can’t even take my dog out to play Frisbee in the park because he has to be on a leash, I mean I would understand if he was a violent dog but he is just playful. He is in a smaller yard all day so I am aggravated I can’t take him somewhere to run around.”, dog owner Aaron Smith said about the new ordinance.
Many of the dog owners living in the Oxford area are also students, which often times means cramped yards for their pets to roam. Perry Woods a law student said that her three small puppies loved going to Lamar Park to run around with the other dogs, but now when they go on leashes they often misbehave.
Not having a designated area for dogs to roam free is creating some anger in the student community and some are even ignoring the new rules. “If my dog is just running around and playing, and I get issued a fine I’m going to fight it. What are you really going to put a price tag on my dog playing in the park? It is not fair at least give us somewhere to go.”, Bryn Mahan a college student stated.
However Pat Lamar Park is still described as an ‘anything goes’ park. But if Oxford residents are willing to pay a monthly fee there is one exclusive dog park to the area named Pampered Paws in which they can join.


http://www.bringfido.com/attraction/621/
http://www.pamperedpawsoxfordms.com/
ajsmith7@olemiss.edu- Aaron Smith Student at Ole Miss
bkmahan@olemiss.edu-Bryn Mahan Student at Ole Miss
epwoods@olemiss.edu- Perry Woods Law Student

Prevention, Not Preparedness, Is Key When Dealing with Terrorism at Ole Miss

http://http//articles.cnn.com/2010-11-27/justice/oregon.bomb.plot_1_tree-lighting-justice-department-portland-resident?_s=PM:CRIME

Prevention, Not Preparedness, Is Key When Dealing with Terrorism at Ole Miss

Amidst the joy of the holiday season in the quain city of Portland, Oregon, residents attending the annual tree lighting ceremony were in for a scare when they heard of a potential bomb threat set by a 19-year-old Oregon State University student, who also had ties to the well-known terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

While the Ole Miss community does not seem a likely target for a terrorist attack, Dr. Cark Jensen, Director of the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies disagreed. "A terrorist attack is as likely in Oxford as any other place in America", Dr. Jensen said.

Junior legal studies major Lauren Hoemke agreed. "It wouldn't suprise me", she said, "Majoring in legal studies has really opened my eyes to how easy it is to make and obtain serious weapons.

Though intelligence and security studies is only a minor at Ole Miss, when it is combined with majors such as computer science, engineering, and foreign languages, it will play a critical role in preventing future attacks. "My fondest hope is that one of our graduates will be the key to preventing the next 9-11", said Dr. Jensen.

Dr. Jensen, as well as his students, would all have the same approach if there was a terrorist attack at Ole Miss today. "The goal is to prevent terrorist attacks before they occur", he said.

Elizabeth Younger, a junior international studies major, had the same mindset as her professor Dr. Jensen. "With the skills I've learned in the minor, I hope I could identify and prevent that type of threat before it could become a reality."

"Your chances of dying on the interstate in a car crash are exponentially larger than your chances of becoming a victim of terrorism", Dr. Jensen said, "but I also try to keep my eyes open and behave as any good citizen would."

Hoemke echoed Dr Jensen's thoughts. "While the chances of an attack are not as high up as they could be, it is important for all students to be ready and educated because terrorism issues are big issues."

University Police Department and Oxford Police Department could not be reached for comment.

Keke Rockette
December 6, 2010
Mississippi Truth Project

The William Winter Institution of Racial Reconciliation has a new oral historian who is helping with the new Mississippi Truth Project.

Rhondalyn Peairs is an Oxford native, oral historian who has been brought in to help with the William Winter Institution of Racial Reconciliation’s Mississippi Truth Project. The Mississippi Truth Project is a journey through history with counties all throughout Mississippi. It is an assignment William Winter Institution of Racial Reconciliation took upon themselves to complete by going to different counties and finding out history from the county’s point of view.
Peairs has been to counties from Lafayette County to Neshoba County investigating and finding out the ‘truth.’ During her time of working here at Ole Miss she will be ‘ bringing things back to the forefront.’ According to Peairs several children in Oxford County say that they are tired of people coming from a different place and knowing more about their county then they do.
Peairs further explained her job and what she does as an oral historian.
“Oral history is kind of like deconstructing history. It’s reclaiming history. Oral history serves to equalize, enhance, and to fill in gaps,” Peairs continued, “this is nothing new. It has just be brought back to the forefront. It is not just the big people. It is everybody.”
Over time Peairs along with Patrick Weems, program coordinator of William Winter Institute of Racial Reconciliation, will continue gather history and facts and they will be published on a detailed website: http://www.ms.civilrightsproject.com
Not only is Peairs looking at the history of the community people but she is also looking at the history of the facilities in the community.
“She’s doing Oral History all around the state. She is looking at Health care facilities, Police departments, she is looking into racial situations from the past and possibly present. This is to hopefully give clarity for where they are now” said Weems
According to Patrick Weems after the history is recorded it will be documented in Mississippi State Archives in Jackson, Ms. This website is available to all of MississippProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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to view and possibly add more legitimate history.


Patrick Weems and Rhondalyn Peairs can both be contacted at 662-915-6734
Pweems@olemiss.edu

School of Sociology and Anthropology Uses Diverse Media to Study the Social World

Leavell Hall quietly displays postings of studies of social interactions across the
world. As stated in the School’s mission and purpose statement on the Ole Miss website,
the sociology department “systematically studies the social world (that is) human social
life.” Most interesting are three recent examples of studies of diverse societies using
various media to help students “acquire intelligence and civil competence,” with the use
of writing, television, and university courses.
Assistant Professor, Ross Haenfler wrote a book entitled, ‘Straight Edge: Clean
Living Youth, Hardcore Punk, and Social Change’ (Rutgers, 2006). After completing an
eight year ethnographic study, he even assumed such a lifestyle. He reported that this
group is perceived differently in separate parts of the nation, although is it really a
subculture where young people can belong to a group without feeling peer pressure to
perform certain ways. Not only was the written word utilized to share Haenfler’s
findings, but there was also a televised special on National Geographic Channel.
Dr. Jason Klodt, Associate Professor of Modern Languages and 2010 UM
Humanities Teacher of the Year presented ‘Growing Up on Film: Youth and
Disaffection in Contemporary Spain,’ on the UM campus this fall. He writes, “Film has
become the de facto model of and for youth culture” and particularly in Spain, youth is
portrayed in cinema as “a brutal period of desperation and anomie.” Dr. Klodt further
states that this challenge of the role of Spain’s youth “interrogates the future of Spain
itself.” This topic certainly raises questions about social change and Dr. Klodt’s
research presentation is a powerful way to share his social analysis findings.
The new Winter Intersession Course entitled “Islam and Global Politics” sparks one’s interest as its premise is “Is there an inevitable clash of civilizations?” and “Are
Islamic and Western ways of life (in)compatible?” This course will examine not only
these questions, but will also “explore the diversity of Muslim groups – from Al-Qaida to
secular Muslims—and the role of Islam in current global conflicts.”
The Sociology department and Meek School of Journalism share common
purposes to enrich the learner’s life. Both aim to promote “civic and social competence”
and “enrich character and provide resources for living a meaningful and useful life.” The
use of media in the Sociology Department is an aspect that demonstrates the relationship
between sociological research and journalism.

The Department of Philosophy and Religion Offers Two Fresh New Courses for the Spring

With the end of the semester approaching, many students are bored with class and trying to put together an exciting schedule for the Spring 2011 semester that also fulfills graduation requirements. For students still looking for hours, the Department of Philosophy and Religion is offering two fresh new courses.
Students looking for hours in Humanities or for a popular class to enjoy will have the chance to experience Religion 386: Religion and Film, formerly known as Topics in Religious Studies. The class has returned for Spring 2011. Professor Ryan Weimer is pleased to bring this course back for the spring. It is a special course which will not be offered every semester at Ole Miss. However, it has been so popular among Ole Miss students in the past that the Department of Philosophy and Religion has permanently added it to the list of course offerings. Now is the time to enroll since students have no way of knowing when it will be offered next. It has received many good reviews on the Ole Miss course evaluations list. Art student Maebh McGonagle says that she has heard this course is interesting and would be interested in taking it to complete her humanities credits based on the reviews she had heard from fellow students. But this is not the only exciting course being offered by Philosophy and Religion this spring.
The Department of Religion is offering a brand new course called Religion 395: Medical Ethics. “We thought there would be some interest in this course. Issues in medical ethics are in the news every day. Many people's views on these issues are informed by their religious tradition,” Says Dr. William F. Lawhead, Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. “However, most people don't knowthat within a particular religious tradition, such as Christianity, there is a wide diversity of viewpoints and conclusions all developed from the same basic principles,” he says. Medical Ethics is taught by Professor Sarah Moses, who specializes in theology and religious ethics. This course will explore theological thinking on medical issues. Ms. Moses reminds students that this course is not to be confused with a similar medical ethics course offered in philosophy. The department has a wide variety of classes to choose from to hopefully capture the diverse thoughts, majors, and beliefs of the students at The University of Mississippi.

Students in need of a few more hours should check out the courses that Philosophy and Religion has to offer.

William F. Lawhead
Professor of Philosophy and Chair Department of Philosophy and Religion.
Phone: (662) 915-7345
Email: WLawhead@olemiss.edu

Sarah Moses
Professor of Religion
Email: SMoses@olemiss.edu

Www.OleMiss.edu

http://olemiss.edu/depts/religion/

Ole Miss ROTC Recruits Numbers Dropping

The ROTC program here at The University of Mississippi offers students tremendous benifits throughout their collegiate careers. Wheter it be scholarship opportunities, other financhial benefits, or the traditional viewpoint of doing anything for your country, its easy to see why students find the ROTC program intriguing. However, according to a student who asked not to have his name revealed, the number of recruits joining the ROTC has dropped over the las couple years. He stated that he feels that the reason the number of recruits jining the ROTC has declined because of the continuing military involvement in the Middle East and other countries. "People obviously dont want to fight in any wars, and with America being at war with two countries at the present moment, it may cause people to be hesitant to join the program."

This seemed to be a popular trend for students who were thinking about joining the ROTC program, but were still a little skeptic. In an interview with a possible soon to be ROTC member
James Hynes, he stated that the idea of going off to war immediately following graduating college was of course on his mind. "Yeah i know I will probably go to war after college if i decide to join the ROTC, but the thought of having my tuition paid for and to only be serving for four years is a nice trade-off. Who knows, we might finally end the war by the time i graduate." In reference to the war ending, President Obama has said that he plans to recall troops gradually begining this last July. With the number of ROTC recruits declining here at The University of Mississippi, look to see the ROTC program produce more advertisements and to see more on campus recruit campaigns arise. Look to see students who are already members of the ROTC branch out, and try to bring in recurits themselves. The benefits of the program are of course well known. Paid for tuition as well and room and board. you will have life long connections and of course learn valuable life lessons along the way. Look to see the number of recruits joining the ROTC rise this next few years as recruiting efforts increase dramatically. For all the information you need on the ROTC, and to see for yourself how the recruiting campaigns are going visit the Ole Miss ROTC website at www.olemiss.edu/orgs/arotc/

The Astronomy Open House at Kennon Observatory provides guests a peek into the heavens through one of many telescopes.

Each month, University of Mississippi astronomers open the doors of Kennon Observatory to the public, providing an alternative source of entertainment for children and parents.

With today's technology- video games and cell phones- it is hard to keep kids focused. Yet, each month astronomers find their open house full of kids.

Oxford resident Preston Turner has taken his son to the Kennon Observatory’s open houses many times.

“He really enjoys doing it. He has gotten to see Saturn and all it's rings. He said it looked like a UFO with wings,” Turner said. “They allow kids to come on clear nights, and it's really neat looking through big scope.”

Kennon Observatory houses several telescopes under its copper-domed roof, though it did not originally hold the telescopes. From 1859 to 1939 the Physics and Astronomy Department occupied Barnard Observatory before Lewis Hall and Kennon Observatory were built.

Consisting of two domes, Kennon was built in 1939 during the tenure of Professor William Lee Kennon. Separate domes were built for two telescopes. The larger dome includes a 15-inch refracting telescope with co-aligned visual and photographic telescopes and 25-inch portable Dobsonian telescope.

The smaller dome, after being renovated in 1997, now holds an electronic CCD camera attached to a 12-inch Schmidit Cassegian telescope. This electronic CCD camera makes fixed telescopes behave like tracking telescopes, following the motion of the sky and offering viewers a larger image of the sky.

The CCD electronic camera is a main attraction at the Open House. It usually grabs the attention of children. These telescopes provide kids a new experience they are not accustom to these days. Making the telescopes at Kennon tough competition for video games and computers.

On December 10^th starting at 5:30 p.m. the Oxford community is welcome into the doors of Kennon Observatory located on the Ole Miss campus. Admission is free, and as long as the weather permits the show will go on. Although its main audience tends to be children the observatory and telescopes are sure to grab the fascination of adults as well. You’ll be in awe at the treat you are in for.