Loss of Rebel Ride Still Giving Students Problems

With Rebel Ride suspended indefinitely, drinking and driving is becoming a more prevalent problem.

 College towns are filled with drinking of all kinds, from young to old. What college towns are also filled with are drunk drivers. In the past, The University of Mississippi has provided a safe option for students to get to and from the bars without having to drive or pay for a taxi. In October of 2013 this privilege was taken from students leaving many with thinking at times that they had no other options than to drive after drinking. This is dangerous for the driver, passengers in the car, also pedestrians and other drivers.

Rebel Ride showing that it is no longer in service. Picture from theDMonline.

            A few nights ago, a student was driving home from the bars and accidentally hit a car. A cop saw the incident and pulled the student over. She was arrested and charged with a DUI. Eleanor Schutte was at the scene of the crime, and when asked about what happened, she thought this could have easily been avoided had we still had Rebel Ride. “What happened the other night was really sad, but could have been avoided so easily. I know that there are other options thank driving after drinking, but Rebel Ride always made that easier for students and they did not have to think. I hope for the best with the Rebel Ride situations, and I hope that one day Ole Miss will have a safe ride option once again.” 

The students car the day after the incident, minimal damage, but could have been prevented if there was a safe ride options for the student who drove.

            Davis Rogers, the newly elected ASB president, ran his campaign on three platforms he wanted to hit, one of them being Rebel Ride. “Rebel Ride has been inactive due to legal issues concerning the past company over the past two semesters. Our goal is to stabilize Rebel Ride and in its transition phase to the student-led Safe Ride Committee. By the end of the semester, I will aid this committee to get Rebel Ride up and running so that it will continue to benefit the safety of the student body.” Alexandra Presley helped with Davis Rogers campaign, and thinks that Rogers’s idea to bring Rebel Ride back was a huge contributing factor as to why he won the election. “I believe that his idea to try and have a student-led committee to bring Rebel Ride back was genius, I think that the students have the initiative and need for the safe ride service, so they will be the ones to get it done.” With all the incidents and students wanting Rebel Ride back, there is still hope that one day the Ole Miss campus will be filled with the wonderful busses again.

Ole Miss Track and Field Face Setback With Construction on Track

Student athletes have dealt with several inconveniences since the recent testing of the Ole Miss track and field stadium.

 The Ole Miss men's track and field team practices at Oxford High as an alternative to their home track.

As the Ole Miss men and women's track team prepared to start their outdoor season they were faced with a major setback. Construction workers discovered a slight dip in the middle of the field and it is currently being investigated. 

The Engineering experts consulted with the track administration and asked that the track remain closed until further notice. They have not released any concrete evidence on what is actually the problem with the track but they have stated that the cause might be Oxford's rain showers. In the Daily Mississippian they describe how the track has cavities under the surface. 

Because of the testing of the track, two meets that the Rebels were scheduled to host, including the Ole Miss Duals that would have been held on the 26th of April, have now cancelled. 

"The track being shut-down caused a major impact on the attitudes of the team, positively and negatively", said Kennadi Bouyer. Bouyer is a freshman here at the University of Mississippi from Seattle, Washington. She is majoring in History. She competes in both the sprints and jumps programs here at Ole MIss. "The track being closed really affects my teammates that compete in the field events", said Bouyer. "There is no where to jump or throw since we have been forced to practice in the IPF (Indoor Practice Facility)". 

After the Enginering experts announced there was still more testing to be done to the track, the coaches talked with the principal of Oxford High School and fortunately they were allowed to practice on their track. Oxford High's track coach met with coach Greg Stringer and they set up a practice time for Ole Miss, which would be 5:00 p.m. Coach Stringer is the assistant coach and the jumps coach here at Ole Miss. He was unhappy with the testing of the home track and did everything in his power to locate another practice facility that would accommodate them. "The closing of our track discouraged some of the athletes and practicing in the IPF became so hectic that I decided to reach out to our community schools and ask them for help", said Stringer. "We are very grateful for Oxford High in letting us use their facility". 

Ole Miss men and women track team normally practiced at 3:00 p.m. every evening, but their academic advisors changed every athletes schedule to accommodate them to be able to practice at 5:00 p.m. at Oxford High School. 

"The changes within our schedule might be the hardest part to get used to", said Phillip Young. Young is a transfer junior here at Ole Miss from Florida State University. "I used to have tutoring at night and now all of my tutoring sessions are in the morning and my schedule is busier". 

The Ole Miss track team has had many success this year, including the mens team being ranked in the top 12 nationally. Also, the Ole Miss pole vaulter, Sam Kendricks, is ranked number one in the country.

Stray cat problems arise in downtown Oxford

Stray cat problems arise in downtown Oxford

Local Oxford residents complain that the feral cat population might be getting out of control.

You may not notice them on your Sunday stroll through the square, but feral (stray) cats are a problem in the Oxford-University community.  While this is a countywide problem, a large concentration of feral cats can be found in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the downtown square.

“I’m sure the trash from all the restaurants and bars on the square make this problem worse”, said Gayle Henry, who moved to Oxford a year ago.

“I have a neighbor two houses up from me and he puts cat food out all over his driveway for the stray cats. I think he thinks this is harmless, but it has turned out to be a huge problem. I see at least ten stray cats a day, and I’m not exaggerating. It also attracts raccoons, and other animals”, said Cummings Lee, a resident of Fillmore Avenue two blocks away from the square.

Residents of Fillmore Avenue photographed a stray cat underneath their house

 amongst the plumbing and HVAC equipment. Photo by Walton Kay.

Lee and others look to the people and city of oxford to find a solution to the feral cat problem.

"Last spring, my girlfriend brought home a cat from a box of ‘free kittens’ left out on the square. We need more kind hearted people like her who truly care for these animals, then we may start to see the population of feral cats begin to dwindle as they find new homes,” says William Fowler, a student at the University of Mississippi.

The Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society (OLHS) has multiple Spay/Neuter programs geared towards offsetting the massive stray population. 

The first is the Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) in which OLHS has partnered up with Animal Clinic of Oxford and Crossroads Animal Hospital to provide an affordable way to spay/neuter pets for low-income residents. In 2012, OLHS launched another program called the Prevent a Litter Program (PAL). PAL provides an avenue for anyone to donate towards the spaying and neutering of the animals in our community.

Students at Ole Miss have responded to the issue as well. Feral University Rebel Rescuers (FURR) is a fully recognized student organization at Ole Miss. They employ the trap, neuter and return technique, which includes trapping a cat, paying for surgery and recovery, and returning the cat to the location it was found.

The Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society encourages the community to join together in an effort to spay/neuter all stray animals. Feral cats keep the rodent population at a minimum but may carry diseases of their own due to lack of proper care. The Oxford Animal Control phone number is: (662)-832-7633.