The Daily Mississippian | October 9, 2025

MISSISSIPPIAN THE Daily

Thursday, October 9, 2025

HOMECOMING 2025

The University of Mississippi celebrates Homecoming Week across campus with the help of a mechanical shark and a parade that leads to Saturday’s football game.

Online master’s teaching program debuts at UM for spring semester

The Mississippi Department of Education allocated more than $2.9 million to continue the Mississippi Teacher Residency Program (MTR) last month for institutions across the state. For the first time, this list of institutions includes the University of Mississippi, which is set to receive $242,733.

The MTR program is designed for prospective elementary and special needs educators with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than education to obtain licenses or supplementary endorsements by completing an approval program in “geographical critical shortage areas,” according to the state Department of Education’s website.

For Kristina Livingston, assistant professor of elementary education and coordinator of the new Master of Arts in Teaching program, the MTR program’s goal

is to make sure these schools are staffed with quality educators.

“We know there is a teacher shortage, not just in Mississippi — this is a nationwide issue,” Livingston said. “We want to make sure

FCC Commissioner warns of threats to free speech

NOAH

Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez believes the Trump Administration is violating the First Amendment of the Constitution by threatening broadcasters with investigations for airing content that criticizes the president and his policies. Gomez urged students to “push back against bullies” who try to suppress the freedom of the press.

Gomez made the comments during her “First Amendment Tour” stop on Oct. 2 at the Overby Center on the University of Mississippi campus, sponsored by the Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation.

“I am visiting colleges (and) community centers. I’m doing all sorts of different events throughout the country … because I think it’s important to have people understand that their First Amendment (guarantee to free speech) rights are actually being violated almost every day by this administration, and we need people to speak up and push back,” Gomez said.

Gomez explained that the FCC’s mission is to provide licensing and resources to broadcasters.

“The reason we license broadcasters is because they use the airwaves which we manage, and as part of the licensing of those airwaves, the broadcasters do have some obligations. One of them

is to serve their local communities and to offer them a diversity of viewpoints, not just by an individual broadcaster but by having multiple broadcasters that can enable that diversity,” Gomez said.

As the sole Democrat on the current three-commissioner panel, Gomez has a limited say in what the commission pursues. Instead of promoting a diversity of viewpoints, Gomez said, the two Republican FCC commissioners have led efforts to censor other viewpoints via threats and investigations.

“The FCC has been weaponized by

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that the teachers that are in front of our students are highly trained and highly qualified.”

The program is set to start at UM in spring 2026, with the expectation that students will obtain their five-year renewable teaching license and Master of Arts in Teaching in one year.

The online program, worth 33 credit hours, is designed for students to earn their teaching certification in a way that is hands-on and affordable.

“I think it’s amazing how many people have reached out to me saying, ‘Hey, I have a degree in XYZ, but my heart really wants to be an elementary teacher,’” Livingston said. “Doing this completely online provides students with the flexibility that they need.”

The program pays for the first 12 hours of courses as well as the fee to take the “foundations of reading” test, a prerequisite to obtain a teaching license. Also included is a stipend to help pay for materials.

“If they are able to pass the

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this administration, and it is doing so by initiating investigations against broadcasters because of the content of their news and also threatening broadcasters because of content that they don’t like, such as the Jimmy Kimmel show, which is completely contrary to the First Amendment,” Gomez said.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was pulled off ABC Network last month after the talk show host made controversial comments about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s death. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr advised local broadcasters not to air the show or they could face consequences, such as fines or loss of broadcast licenses.

The Walt Disney Company, ABC’s owner, was the first to pull the plug on Kimmel’s show after Carr’s comments. Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group followed Disney and pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from their markets.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was reinstated to TVs after facing consumer backlash. The Walt Disney Company said in a statement to USA Today that they had conversations with Kimmel about his Kirk comments, and the company decided to return him to air shortly after.

Gomez elaborated further.

“But it’s the threats and the investigations that are the point, because if this ever got to some final action by the commission, the courts would reverse the commission because it’s antithetical to the First Amendment to go after broadcasters for their lawful broadcasts and for the news editorial decisions,” Gomez said.

These threats have created an environment of fear and extraordinary caution for broadcasters that sometimes involves self-censorship, Gomez said.

“What’s happening is this administration is threatening broadcasters. It’s threatening individual reporters, and their corporate parents are capitulating because this weaponization of the

foundations of reading test, they then qualify to get a threeyear alternate route nonrenewable license, which will put them in a fourth- through sixth-grade class, where they would do their practicum; they would be the full-time teacher in the room,” Livingston said.

While student teaching, program members will simultaneously be completing their master’s degree online. This streamlines the process of earning the fiveyear renewable teaching license and places students in jobs quickly and effectively.

To ensure sufficient professional development, the MTR program provides each student with a mentor in the school district in which they are working. This gives students a familiar face in the building and someone dedicated to developing them as a teacher.

“Research has shown that just having a solid mentor, someone that’s in the trenches with you in the day-to-day interactions with your students, can make a huge difference in retention and self-efficacy and how they feel about themselves as teachers,” Livingston said.

While the university is

licensing authority threatens their bottom line, and they are prioritizing their bottom line over our democracy,” Gomez said. “Our job is not to censor their content.”

The FCC has been engaging in what Gomez describes as “sham phishing investigations,” or what Gomez explained as investigations undertaken by the FCC against broadcasters like NPR without specific incidents. The FCC then loops Congressional representatives into these investigations with the hope that they then decide to seek further funding cuts.

“The FCC initiated sham phishing expeditions against public broadcasters in order to give Congress another reason to defund them, and sadly, Congress has defunded public media, and what’s so worrisome about that is that communities are going to lose a very important voice,” Gomez said.

Gomez emphasized that losing public media can have life-altering effects in emergency situations.

“(Public media can) provide the infrastructure for getting emergency alerts out in communities. If we lose that, we’re losing an important public safety feature in times of emergencies,” Gomez said. “If there’s a tornado, if there’s a hurricane, if there’s a wildfire, it is public media that’s out there telling either radio listeners or TV viewers how to react. So the FCC needs to stop these sham investigations, and it needs to continue to support the public broadcasters.”

Gomez exhorted everyone at the event to fight for free speech.

“The duty to defend the First Amendment does not rest just with the government but with all of us. When corporations surrender in the face of government pressure, they endanger not just themselves but also the right to free expression for everyone in this country. That’s why I’ve repeatedly asked companies, journalists, elected leaders and citizens alike to stand up and to speak out,” Gomez said in her remarks.

Executive Director for the Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation Steve Herman believes that it was important for Gomez to deliver her

set to start this program in the spring, other universities in Mississippi have been running this program successfully for years, including the University of Southern Mississippi (USM).

“We started out with a cohort of eight students back in 2022, but since then each year we have been graduating approximately 20 students from the program,” Hailee Hawkins, the program coordinator at USM, said in an interview with The Daily Mississippian.

“We’ve actually gotten reports of several of them getting the first-year teacher award or becoming teacher of the month,” Hawkins said. “All these things are very exciting to hear on our side. … Not only (are they) getting through the program but they are actually excelling once they graduate.”

message to the university, as it aligns with the center’s mission.

“What we’re trying to do is figure out a way forward for journalism in this country and also to speak up for good journalism, because it’s under attack,” Herman said. “The criticism is coming from both the left and the right, and people distrust the media at record numbers. We need to figure out why that distrust is so high, and the technology is changing. I suspect that most people who will read this article or look at it online are not getting their news and information these days from old fashioned television and radio.”

Herman hopes to get more important figures to come to UM to discuss their viewpoints — maybe even another FCC commissioner.

“I’d love to have one of the other two commissioners of the FCC down here who will have a decidedly different partisan point of view on things. What I hope that students and faculty and staff and members of the public that attended today do take away is the importance of the FCC, what it does, what it does not do. … I’m sure that the Republican commissioners would say the same thing about the Democratic Party commissioner on the FCC, but also that they would have an

understanding of what’s going on with the technology,” Herman said.

Junior history major William Wheeler, who attended the event, thought Gomez’s remarks illuminated his understanding of the importance of the FCC and that it was important for her to deliver her message.

“I thought that it was just a good point of view, especially from someone in such a high position at the Federal Communications Committee to give her perspective on what’s been happening recently,” Wheeler said. “I thought it was very crucial for people to understand what’s happening and what are some ways we can fix this and how people can gain a greater understanding of why (censoring free speech is) not a good thing.”

Freshman psychology major Aziza Darwish thought it was important to be informed, as well.

“I’ve always been very active about our freedom of speech and being able to advocate for our rights and for what we believe in. And when I saw the poster about her talking about our democratic values and the First Amendment, especially within the time that we’re in right now, I thought it was very important for me to be informed and

to attend the event,” Darwish said. Gomez’s marks made Darwish realize that she can be active in helping uphold the First Amendment.

“It opened my eyes as to how I should be doing more. Even though I am doing what I can, I should still be pushing toward that freedom of speech and for us to be able to fulfill those rights within our First Amendment,” Darwish said.

Gomez encouraged student journalists to continue their work and to understand their importance in upholding the First Amendment.

“The most important thing that I would like students in journalism to understand is that you are the bulwark of our democracy. You are the fourth estate, and so, therefore, learn your journalistic ethics, report the facts and don’t be afraid to push back because, like any bully, bullies respond to pushback, like Disney did with Jimmy Kimmel, like the corporate parents of the local broadcasters did when they finally stopped preempting it because consumers pushed back,” Gomez said. “If you push back against a bully, they do stop. If you capitulate to a bully, they come back for more.”

PREPPING FOR PRIMARIES

Pinkins goes independent for 2026 Senate election

NOAH WALTERS Assistant News Editor

With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, U.S. Senate candidate Ty Pinkins is trying something different. Pinkins, who was the Democratic candidate for Mississippi Secretary of State in 2023 and the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024, is now running as an independent.

During his second Senate run, the Georgetown Law School graduate and veteran Army officer is drawing on the commonalities of people in what he sees as a divisive time for the country.

“We’re so separated right now as a country, with red and blue, Democrat and Republican, conservatives, liberals — we’re so separated,” Pinkins said.

His 2024 Senate campaign led him to believe that people on different sides of the aisle have more in common than it may seem.

“We need independent candidates that can speak to both audiences and, just from my personal experience over the past several months (and) even throughout my previous campaign in 2024, there are a lot of people on both sides of the aisle, both ends of the spectrum, that understand both parties have failed us, right?” Pinkins said.

“The Republican Party has failed us. The Democratic Party has failed us. And what I try to communicate to voters, regardless of who they are, is that the only way we get out of this is if we have independents in office in Washington that can hold both parties accountable.”

Leaving the Democratic Party

Pinkins believes that the Democratic party has failed Mississippians with its lack of recent successes in winning elections, while simultaneously asking for higher voter registrations and turnout from Black voters.

“According to usafacts.org, there are two other states with a higher (voter registration) percentage than Missisissippi: Minnesota and Oregon. Minnesota, I think 83%. Oregon, 82%. Mississippi, 81% according to the Kaiser Family Foundation,” Pinkins said. “According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Mississippi ranks number five in voter registration. That totally

dismantles the Democratic Party’s argument to Black voters that we just need to register more voters.”

Pinkins also provided research from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicating Mississippi’s voter turnout was 68.9% in the 2024 election cycle — a percentage higher than the national average 65.3% and half of U.S. states.

This voting data has led Pinkins to take issue with Democratic Party tactics and to believe a new strategy will bring greater results.

“My issue is strategy with the Democratic Party, and I think it’s — I don’t want to use the word hypocritical — but I think that there’s something disingenuous about taking into consideration 43 years of loss, a 0-15 record (on Senate races), and telling an entire block of voters of a specific color that you should vote this way again,” Pinkins said.

The Independent Conference

In anticipation of potential success, Pinkins mentioned that he has been collaborating with other independent candidates in the 2026 U.S. Senate cycle in creating the Senate’s first-ever caucus for independents— the “Independent Conference.”

What Pinkins hopes to achieve with this new group is the ability to force senators on either side of the political aisle to agree with certain Senate rules and what he characterizes as “common-sense” legislation, providing gun legislation as an example.

“So now you have to compromise with these four independent veterans on who’s going to have power, right?” Pinkins said. “We want a certain amount of floor time in Congress to talk and to introduce bills. We want a certain number of amendments on any bill that’s passed before Congress. Now we can pass common-sense gun laws.”

For Pinkins, the divisiveness of the current political landscape can be traced back to the two-party system itself. He pointed out multiple times that each party held a trifecta of the Senate, House of Representatives and presidency in the federal government, and yet, in his view, failed to achieve their stated goals.

Pinkins hopes that the work of the Independent Conference will make the Senate more transparent.

“We can force each side to vote without hiding — there’s no, ‘Well,

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I don’t want to say my name and that I voted for it or I voted against it.’ No, you’ve gotta do this in the open now,” Pinkins said. “They don’t get to kill it in committee.”

Running as an independent

Successful independent candidates for office are often considered forces in their own right, such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.

In Pinkins’ view, his service in the Army bolsters his status as an independent candidate.

“I signed up to serve my country for a reason, and that reason really came into full, colorful, magnificent view in the middle of combat, and you start to understand what it means to love something more than you love yourself, what it means to serve,” Pinkins said.

On the issues

On issues like abortion rights and gun control, Pinkins holds views similar to Democrats.

“I’ve always been kind of a center-left person with regard to policies and issues that voters are concerned about, and I think I’m still center-left with regard to women’s ability to control their own body. I support that,” Pinkins said. “With regard to common-sense gun control, I support that. … With regard to guns, I might be more center-right than I am center-left because I believe in protecting the Second Amendment. I’m a gun owner. … We can pass common-sense legislation like red flag laws or making a law that says if you have a gun in your house, that gun has to be locked up in a safe.”

Pinkins is in line with the Democratic Party’s position on health insurance.

“I believe in expanding Medicaid. I believe in making sure that people have access to quality, affordable health care and lower your prescription (drug prices),” Pinkins said.

On immigration, Pinkins stressed “common-sense” reform.

“I think this may be a center issue now, used to be left or right, but I believe we need common-sense immigration reform,” Pinkins said. “A pathway for people to become citizens but also making sure that people abide by our immigration laws when they do come to this country.”

Addressing students, Pinkins

Mississippi candidate for U.S. Senate Ty Pinkins speaks to the UM NAACP chapter in Barnard Hall on Oct. 15, 2024.

touched on cost of living and safety.

“The economic and social stressors that you guys are going through is incredible. You’re thinking about throughout the day if somebody’s going to shoot up the campus. You’re thinking about, ‘Okay, how am I going to pay this five-digit or six-digit tuition bill that I’m going to have once I graduate?’” Pinkins said. “That’s not fair at all.”

Independent strategy

Pinkins knows that it is difficult for an independent candidate to win a Senate race, but he thinks a quirk in Mississippi state election law could assist his efforts.

“Mississippi law says, when we get to Nov. 3 and everybody votes, if nobody gets above a 50% threshold, the top two (candidates) have to have a runoff. My strategy is to get to that runoff, and hopefully, if I’m able to communicate well enough to voters in Mississippi in general, and especially Black voters … my goal is to be in that picture,” Pinkins said.

The Star-Spangled Banner

Pinkins sat down for this interview alongside a guitar that he said he has brought to each of his campaign stops.

When he purchased the guitar, Pinkins admits, he did not know how to play it.

“I think I had been in the Army for, at that point in time, 12 or 13 years. … I had been (in Okinawa, Japan) for several months and I found myself walking up a street called Kokusai-dori Street. And I stepped into a guitar shop and, spur of the moment, I said, ‘That is my guitar,’” Pinkins said. “This guitar has followed me all over the world, 21 different countries, all over the states and I never learned to play it.” What inspired Pinkins to eventually begin learning the guitar is a song that relates to an idea he said is central to his campaign: “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “Two weeks ago, I found the song that I wanted to learn, and I taught myself to play it. Now I play it wherever I go … because I think that’s a song that can connect us in the times that we’re in right now,” Pinkins said. “When I get the chance, I’ll play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ to open events.” Prepping for Primaries: This story is part of a series featuring candidates for the 2026 Senate election in Mississippi. As an independent, Pinkins will not participate in a party primary and will head straight to the general election in November 2026. Interviews with other candidates will be featured in future editions.

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Mr. Ole Miss Ryan Augustine goes ‘All In’ on campus community

with an admissions counselor.

CLAY HALE Editor in Chief

Long before Ryan Augustine was a Homecoming hopeful awaiting results from the University ofMississippi student body’s vote for Mr. Ole Miss last Tuesday, he was a high school senior sitting in a Panera Bread

Augustine was initially going to further his education elsewhere in an attempt to attend a different university than his brother, but after the conversation with the admissions counselor, he opted to build his own legacy at the university.

“She had a group of people from the Madison-Jackson area sit down and ask any questions, and (she would) answer. Every concern I had, she was able to answer,” Augustine, a Madison, Miss., native, said. “And I was like, ‘Oh wait, this is definitely more feasible than I think it is.’”

The senior allied health studies major, who has completed just over a month of his fourth year at the university, never intended to stay this long.

“I actually came to Ole Miss intending to graduate in three years because I’m pre-nursing, and you can get your undergraduate degree and then come back and get your nursing (degree),” Augustine said.

But once Augustine experienced the community of the UM campus, he knew he had to stay the full four years.

“As soon as I got involved and met the people here, I was like, ‘There’s no way I want to cut short my experience,’” Augustine said.

The Ole Miss community also inspired Augustine to run for Mr. Ole Miss.

This community extends to staff, as well. Augustine partnered with the UM Staff Council for his campaign to raise $2,000 for an emergency staff fund. The fund will provide assistance to UM staff members in need after emergencies — such as house fires, immediate tragedies, natural disasters or medical emergencies.

“Part of the reason I chose ‘All In’ was to represent everybody in the Ole Miss community, whether that was students or faculty or staff,” Augustine said. “And some people on campus (that) I feel like get overlooked are the staff, so making this emergency fund and partnering with the staff council was something I wanted to emphasize because I wanted to spotlight what our staff does on campus.”

“‘All In’ means a lot of different things,” Augustine said. “‘All In’ means investing in what we have here — whether it’s going to a football game … or investing in our community.”

Augustine says the community at Ole Miss is inimitable.

“That’s something really special I’ve found here, is that you can’t replicate this anywhere else,” Augustine said. “Ole Miss and the community here with the culture with the Southern hospitality, I mean, there’s just nothing better than having community you can trust now and then after graduating.”

Augustine looks forward to crossing the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday alongside his friends on the Homecoming Court. He is excited for the opportunity he has to connect with them, but he also looks forward to representing the university in a new role — Mr. Ole Miss.

Though Augustine’s slogan, “All In,” was inspired by the Bible verse Colossians 1:16, community was the match that ignited his campaign. He believes showing up at local events is a way to go “All In” on the community.

“My support system was prayer,” Augustine said. “Every person I saw, I asked them to pray for me. My core team … also supported me through everything. They stayed up late (and) were texting people, helping with ideas. If I named every single person that supported me, I’d be here for like 30 minutes trying to explain what they did, but a lot of my community showed up for me.”

In addition to being the executive director for the Student Activities Association, Augustine has served on Ole Miss Ambassadors, Ole Miss Orientation, Ole Miss Cru and the Columns Society. Throughout Augustine’s involvement on campus, he has collected a team of people thatvolunteered to help support the “All In” campaign.

Rooted in love: Riley Dellenger is Miss Ole Miss

AIDAN PONIATOWSKI News Editor

Four years ago, if someone told Riley Dellenger, a senior marketing major from Ocean Springs, Miss., that she would be named Miss Ole Miss by the university’s student body, she probably would have laughed.

But as results were announced on Tuesday, Sept. 30, on the steps of the Lyceum, that is exactly what happened.

“My freshman-year self would have never even imagined or dreamed or prayed for something like this,” Dellenger said. “The Lord has really just blessed me with this opportunity. I can’t say that I know what I’m doing at any time. Sometimes it just all falls into the places that it needs to fall into.”

In fact, it was not always a guarantee that Dellenger would find her way to the university.

“Ole Miss was not even on my radar,” Dellenger said. “I mean, I know I’m in the state of Mississippi, but I still had not really given Ole Miss a chance.”

At the insistence of a friend, Dellenger visited the university.

“I came up and I visited, and the people were so amazing,” Dellenger said. “They just drew me in. I met some faculty and staff, too, when I came and visited, and they were just so kind and encouraging. And I was like, ‘Wait, this place really feels like home.’ And I think that’s where I found myself being like, ‘Can I actually see myself thriving and doing well here?’ And I never saw

that at any other university.”

From that point on, Dellenger has made a point to be the same welcoming face on campus that compelled her to enroll, serving as an orientation leader and student ambassador.

“I was an orientation leader for two summers, and it was so amazing,” Dellenger said. “Genuinely, all those leaders are my family, and I got to welcome in new students and see them for the first time. I’ll never forget when I sat down for orientation, I literally looked at my mom and I was like, ‘I want to do this next year.’ Because they were so genuinely happy, and they were welcoming.”

In addition to her service there, Dellenger has been a member of the Delta Delta Delta women’s fraternity, College Panhellenic Council, RebelThon, Big Event, Student Activities Association and Ole Miss Cru. She attends St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Oxford.

During her time in these organizations, Dellenger has served as new member educator for Delta Delta Delta and public relations specialist for the Big Event, while currently serving as the vice president of member development for the College Panhellenic Council and co-director of member development with RebelThon.

“I love member development,” Dellenger said, “if you can tell from the titles.”

Dellenger’s campaign was aided by her time working for Jakota White’s Mr.

Ole Miss campaign last year.

“I definitely learned from the best and I got to see how (White) loved others and how he made it such a fun process,” Dellenger said. “I was always out on the plaza singing and dancing and having just the best time. … I feel like that’s how a campaign should be done, just enjoying the moment and the opportunity. And I feel like that’s kind of what my campaign was.”

For Dellenger, the opportunity to run for Miss Ole Miss allowed her the chance to promote something bigger than herself.

“I was nominated and asked to do it,” Dellenger said. “I prayed about it. And I thought about it, and, I was like, ‘This is a great way to not only have a platform but also talk about stuff I really care about and enlighten things that we don’t look at every single day.’”

Dellenger emphasized the connections she had made with students across the university during her campaign.

“I think I want to make sure every person feels seen and heard and loved, and I think having a week where I just got to do that and look at people in the eye and say my name and ask them about themselves and learn all about their story, is (amazing),” Dellenger said. “I could probably name 20 people I met from this campaign that I will never forget meeting them, and I will always say hello to them on campus. I think that’s just how Ole Miss is and something that I’m real-

ly proud of at our university.”

Dellenger said that the moment her name was announced as Miss Ole Miss on the steps of the Lyceum, she was shocked.

“I could literally cry again about it, because it was just really awesome,” Dellenger said. “I had my people behind me, and I was so grateful, and honestly a little shook. I didn’t know what was to come, but before that moment, I felt like … I got to do what I wanted to do, which was talk about my platform, make sure everyone feels loved, heard and seen and then just be surrounded by my favorite people.”

Dellenger chose the Christo pher C. Holman Memorial En dowment for her philanthropic cause, a requirement for Mr. and Miss Ole Miss campaigns.

“Over my past three years, I’ve seen a lot of people hurt … and I always was looking for some type of way I could help them more than just a hug or a prayer,” Dellenger said. “And so that research kind of (led) to me finding the Holman Fund, which supports our students, whether it be a medical emergency, loss of a loved one or a natural disaster.”

During her campaign, Del lenger emphasized the people that make up the university and all the backgrounds they may come from with her campaign slogan “Rooted with Riley.”

“I really care about roots — where we all come from, how we all get here,” Dellenger said. “I think that’s really important

for us to all think about how we have international students here, we have people from the West and the East Coast. It is such a unique experience and I always say we attract the best of the best. We attract the people that care about a place and they care about people — and you see that on game days, you see that in the library. So, just never forget your roots.”

SAA hosts ‘More than a University’ Homecoming Week

jor from Madison, Miss., said.

MICAH OWENS News Staff Writer

As Homecoming Week continues on the University of Mississippi campus, the Student Activities Association (SAA) is providing free events for students every day leading up to Saturday’s Homecoming football game against Washington State.

“Homecoming is a tradition celebrated universally at most universities, but not many schools have the amount of programming that we provide,” Mr. Ole Miss Ryan Augustine, a senior allied health studies ma-

“Continuing to have student activities for Homecoming Week helps students become engaged and feel excitement before the game at the end of the week.”

Co-directors of Homecoming for SAA are Eron Hendrix, a senior public health and public policy leadership major from Tupelo, Miss., and Sam Graves, a senior exercise science major from Jackson, Miss.

“We started planning these events when we got this position back in May,” Hendrix said. “It’s (been) several months worth of planning.”

Graves and Hen-

drix were elected to the SAA Committee team in the spring 2025 semester.

“It’s definitely one of my favorite weeks of the entire year,” Hendrix said. “Our theme this year is ‘More than a University,’ a celebration of what makes Oxford and the university feel like home.”

Each day of this week’s events features a unique activity designed to promote school spirit and community involvement.

Many students are enthusiastic about the events on tap from SAA.

“I plan on attending a lot of the events SAA hosts this week,” Ella Green, a freshman exercise science major from Brandon, Miss., said.

Homecoming Week events began with “Hotty Toddy Kickoff” on Monday, Oct. 6, in front of the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union. Students stopped by the SAA tent to pick up a free shirt.

Later that day, students were invited to “Ready, Set, Go Rebs!” an event that featured pickleball and yard games at the Union Plaza.

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, students rode a mechanical landshark, testing their balance and school pride atop a twisting and turning shark in front of the Student Union.

“I think it’s awesome be-

cause there’s always something going on on the Union Plaza,” Lizzie Gannon, a junior public health major from Birmingham, Ala., said.

The night was capped off by a showing of the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting” at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

At Wednesday’s “Homecoming is Bloomin’” event, students crafted flower bouquets with The Wild Honey Flower Truck. That night, mahjong and mocktails were featured in the Union Ballroom.

At today’s event, “Crowns and Creamery,” students can grab ice cream from the Ox-

ford Creamery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and meet the 2025 Homecoming Court. Tonight, laser tag will be played in the Grove from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The final event on SAA’s slate is the annual Homecoming Parade, which begins at 5 p.m. in the Circle and ends at the Oxford Square.

“I’m excited to pomp for the float and to watch the parade on Friday,” Caroline Odom, a junior sports marketing major from Brandon, Miss., said.

Queen Adya Praveen finds her home at Ole Miss

SYDNEY STEPP Copy Chief

Adya Praveen has lived in three different countries and multiple states, but Oxford has cemented itself as her home. Just as she chose to attend the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss chose her as its 2025 Homecoming Queen.

Praveen, a senior psychology major who was born in India and has called Madison, Miss., home since the sixth grade, won the Homecoming Queen crown after a runoff election on Thursday, Oct. 2. Her platform was centered on the people who supported her throughout her undergraduate degree.

While she never officially toured the UM campus until she arrived as a student, Praveen grew up visiting her brother who attended Ole Miss. Through these visits, she was able to learn all of the campus traditions and what the university had to offer.

“Growing up in Mississippi, I feel like Ole Miss has been all that I’ve ever known,” Praveen said. “I would come up here when (my brother) was a student. I feel like that was my first view of Ole Miss, through him and getting to see how he interacted with campus and meeting his friends and coming to football games. He was really like my first intro into what Ole Miss could provide.”

After frequently moving homes

as a child, due to her parents being doctors in the military, and often being “the new kid,” Praveen was nervous at first to start a new chapter in college. However, the welcoming environment of UM quickly eased that anxiety.

“I came here, and that’s when I realized that Ole Miss doesn’t really require you to change who you are or who you want to be,” Praveen said. “Within the last four years, I came here and I got involved with different student organizations on campus, and I really felt like I was known for who I wanted to be, and not just a statistic on a document or just like a number on a piece of paper.”

Praveen noted that freshman year was when her appreciation for the university truly set in, as she saw how it accommodates people from all types of backgrounds.

“We’re all coming from different backgrounds, different cultures, and (you’re) being independent and being away from all that you’ve ever known. You’re all going through that same experience together,” Praveen said. “That really shapes you, and it can either ‘make you’ or ‘break you.’ And I think Ole Miss — just being such a supportive environment and having so many resources and being around people that are so similar to you — has allowed it to ‘make me,’ which I’m really thankful for.”

It is because of the belonging

that Praveen found at UM during her first year that she decided to run for Homecoming Queen.

“It’s honestly completely out of my comfort zone to be able to stand and speak and really advocate for myself in this type of platform, but I think it just felt right for all that Ole Miss has given me,” Praveen said. “I wanted to then create that same community for other students who are going through the same process.”

Praveen praised the four members of her campaign team, including her campaign manager Meredith Lovitt, and cited them as examples of the relationships UM provides to students.

“I didn’t know any of them before I came to Ole Miss, and they were all friendships that were created through Ole Miss and through different clubs and organizations that I’ve been a part of,” Praveen said. “I feel like that itself holds value in just what my entire campaign has been about.”

She noted that organizations such as her sorority Chi Omega have greatly impacted her personal and professional life. She also holds leadership positions within Grove Grocery, now serving as the internal director, and also serves as pageant co-director for the Student Activities Association.

The whole campaign process and emotions she experienced,

Praveen said, can be summed up in one moment at the end of election day. The speakers her team had been using to play music on the Union Plaza had been put away, and all of the team’s homemade friendship bracelets had been passed out.

“It was like, 6 p.m. on runoff day, and there was no one out on the plaza,” Praveen said. “We were just sitting out there with me and my team, and I just felt an overwhelm ing sense of peace, knowing that I had done everything I wanted to do with the campaign, and I’ve really made some genuine friendships at the table throughout the last three weeks. So I was completely happy with the results, no matter wheth er we had gotten the title or not.”

After graduation, Praveen plans to at tend medical school.

“I’m hoping to at tend med school and … just like I’ve met people (at UM) where they are, meet patients where they are, from all different walks of life, states, towns and just be able to provide and create con nections through mere strangers,” Praveen said. “(I hope) to be able to create lifetime connections.”

Looking back, Praveen is hap py with her campaign and the connections she made by run ning for Homecoming Queen.

“At the end of the day,

Homecoming Queen is just a title, but I think what we really wanted to do was create that community through the campaign as a whole,” Praveen said.

King Terrell Atkins credits ‘found family’ for success

CAMERON LARKIN Digital Editor

Before Terrell Atkins arrived on the University of Mississippi campus, up until the moment he launched his campaign, he never thought he would run for, much less be crowned, Homecoming King.

“I probably would have cringed at the idea four years ago; the thought before would have made me so uncomfortable,” Atkins, a senior integrated marketing communications major, said. “I definitely would still be doubting myself if I didn’t have a cool group of core people to push me when I need to reach my full potential.”

When Atkins announced he was running for Homecoming King on Instagram, he concluded the post with a message he held near and dear at the core

out the support of the people he calls his “found family.”

“I included ‘Let’s do this together’ in the caption because I would not have been able to do any of this on my own,” Atkins said. “I have to do it with everyone that’s actively choosing to support me, which I’m eternally grateful for.”

The Amory, Miss., native never expected to attend UM; in fact, the new Homecoming King had aspirations of going to school in the Northeast, specifically New York University to “live the Rachel Berry dream.” However, Atkins took one step into Oxford and onto campus and fell in love.

Since enrolling at the university, Atkins has become heavily involved on campus. He has served as an Ole Miss ambassador and as an orientation leader, and it is through this involvement that he was able to find his footing on campus.

“I have been (an orientation leader) since my sophomore year, and this experience has been the biggest help in viewing Ole Miss as home,” Atkins said.

Atkins cherishes the opportunity to be the liaison between prospective students and the university and to be able to answer the question, “What’s your why?”

“Just by telling my experience, I feel like that’s what people are looking for when they come here. That’s why they want to hear from a student because they want to know what’s your why,” Atkins said.

“(Prospective students) can hear from someone who gets paid to give the gist of why they should come here, but actually listening to someone who probably wasn’t going to come here, and then fall in love, makes them excited.”

When Atkins was gearing up for his campaign, and it came time to select a slogan, he landed on the phrase “Terrell For King.” These three words may seem simple and to the point, which is exactly what Atkins was going for. His goal was authenticity, without gimmicks.

“I didn’t want to do some of the things we’ve seen before,” Atkins said. “If I was going to run, I needed to enjoy it and think it’s cool and interesting and fun and true to me.”

This campaign was a product forged in joy for Atkins, a time for him to celebrate the university and its community for the impact it has had on him.

“I wanted the campaign to be a celebration because Homecoming is fun, like in high school, Homecoming week happens, and it’s fun and it’s full of spirit and pride for one’s school, and that’s something we all carry with us every day,” Atkins said.

Atkins was the only official name on the ballot for Homecoming King, but there was an option for students to offer write-in candidates.

He admitted that, even though he ran unopposed, he was nervous and unsure — and those feelings persisted throughout the campaign until his name was announced in front of the Lyceum.

“To hear my name being called, it just solidified in that moment how much of an honor it was,” Atkins said. “It’s so easy to

get imposter syndrome and feel like you don’t belong in the space that you are in, but just having all those people there assuring me that I deserve this was amazing.”

When asked to describe himself, Atkins shared why he believes he was the perfect choice for Homecoming King.

“I think that I’m someone who has compassion and authenticity that is highly evident and contagious, and I think that when people meet me, they see a little bit of themselves in me,” Atkins said. “I think whenever people met me through this campaign, they were able to see how that spirit is able to display and reflect all the heartbeats of every student on campus.”

There is a laundry list of things that could excite someone who is crowned Homecoming King: hearing their name officially announced, the recognition, the ensuing football game and Homecoming celebration, the relief that the campaign is over and the photo shoot opportunities — all of which Atkins has or will experience in his new role.

The crowned king, however, could not help but feel giddy about the Homecoming parade. When asked what excites him most about being Homecoming King, Atkins paused, giggled and brought forth a candid answer.

“I’m so excited for the parade. This is so niche and random, but I’ve always wanted to be on a parade float,” Atkins said. “I feel like you always go to a parade, you see people throwing candy or whatever, and every time I saw a parade I was like, ‘I could do that, that would be so much fun.’”

Through all the thrill of campaigning and winning Home-

coming King, Atkins grounded himself and acknowledged that the honor is no small feat.

He reflected on his time at the university — his freshman year orientation, becoming an orientation leader himself, meeting his found family, the ups, the downs, the aced exams and even the not-so-good grades — and he shared what he wanted his legacy at UM to be.

“I just want people to be like, ‘Wow, that’s someone I’ll simply never forget,’” Atkins said. “I just want to be remembered as a light on campus and a light that will continue to spread.”

Atkins began and ended his campaign with a simple message to a community that has left a lasting impact on his life.

In his initial Instagram announcement, Atkins wrote the following:

“I’ve grown within the Ole Miss community more than I could have ever imagined. Eventually, Oxford became home, Ole Miss became family and Mississippi became something I wanted to celebrate instead of escape from. The community I’ve found here has made this place even more special to me, and in return, I’ve tried to make it feel special for others, too.”

Pop-up shop showcases student entrepreneurs

HALLIE WOOLEY

A&C Staff Writer

Student vendors transformed the student union into a marketplace of creativity on Tuesday, Oct. 7, selling baked goods, crochet crafts and custom clothing. Each piece told a story of passion and individuality crafted from personal stories.

Event organizer Caitlin Moak serves as director of student communications and marketing for the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Along with managing this event, Moak had a table of her own crocheted goods.

“Teaching entrepreneurship and management, being a part of this helps me practice what I preach and be more involved in what my students are doing,” Moak said. “I love helping these students. It’s really satisfying to see people sell out or make money from their passions, while also seeing them improve their craft each time they come to do the sale.”

Selling custom shirts, hoodies and jerseys, Jaquavius Morris showcased his business SectionAce Rags. The sophomore public health major from Meridian, Miss., began

making jerseys to honor his cousin who died last year. The initial “R” is found at the corner of every jersey in dedication to his late cousin.

“Being from a small town, I never really knew where or how I could sell my clothing, but being here and selling to students is a great experience, and I’m really honored to get to do it,” Morris said.

Known for creating handmade, custom clothing pieces, Sofia Foley started Sofia’s Studio her sophomore year of high school. Now, the sophomore general business and marketing major from Fishers, Ind., says she enjoyed the opportunity the pop-up gave her to sell merchandise to fellow students.

“I really appreciate what (Moak) does to give student entrepreneurs an opportunity to sell their work on campus,” Foley said.

“I do a lot of pop-ups outside of campus, but being able to talk to my peers and see how they connect to what I have made is really special.”

Ellie Mettham, a sophomore biomedical sciences major from Amarillo, Texas, assists in setting up the booth for Sofia’s Studio and talking to students about the products.

Nyla Reid, a sophomore public health major from Clarksdale, Miss., is the entrepreneur behind Baked by Ny, a business that sells cookies, cakes and other confections. She has loved baking since she was very young.

“Baking with my grandmother growing up made this a passion of mine early on,” Reid said. “Once I went to college and started to bake for some of my friends, they really encouraged me to do it more seriously. It’s really rewarding to me to sell what I make to students because I can tell that receiving these treats brings them joy, and I also get to make new friends in the process.”

Chelsea Lawrence, a junior general business and psychology major from Olive Branch, Miss., attended the pop-up.

“I think the pop-up shop was a great idea because it gives student entrepreneurs a chance to share their talents and grow their businesses,” Lawrence said. “It also brings more community and creativity to campus.”

Lawrence supported her fellow students by making a purchase.

“My favorite table was Baked by Ny because she was so sweet

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ needed more time to cook

ALANA BROWN-DAVIS

A&C Staff Writer

Taylor Swift has returned with a new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Inspired by the events of her record-shattering Eras Tour, Swift’s emotions are obvious in this bubbly detour from her previous, more melancholy albums “Midnights” and “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Swedish pop producers Max Martin and Shellback reunited with Swift following their work with her on “Red,” “1989” and “Reputation,” offering a brighter soundscape to her showgirl dreams.

“The Life of a Showgirl” is not lifeless, but it fails to meet listeners’ expectations. It is important to recall that Swift made the bold decision to rerecord four of her albums after a dispute with her previous record label over the ownership of master recordings in 2019.

Though Swift was already a pop sensation, the past five years have catapulted her into impressive realms of stardom. However, what we see on “The Life of a Showgirl” feels like signs of an artist who cannot slow down but needs to.

Swift is not at a standstill in her musical prowess, and “The Life of a Showgirl” is not an entirely awful album. However, she is falling into the common trap where musicians chunk out new work like fast food. In Swift’s case, this strategy is not necessary.

The album’s opening track

“The Fate of Ophelia” references Shakespeare’s heroine from “Hamlet” who represents heartbreak, a theme of Swift’s previous albums. “The Fate of Ophelia” is a transition from her earlier projects into the joyfulness of this album.

“Father Figure” interpolates the 1987 song of the same name by George Michael, its lyrics a commentary on the greed and exploitation

that runs deep in the music industry.

“Elizabeth Taylor” is filled with the glitter of the age of Hollywood, as Swift questions a lover if they could last forever.

Swift has been known to diss artists over the years, but “Actually Romantic” has to be one of her most shocking tracks. Her opening verse, “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave,” is rumored to be directed at singer Charli xcx. On her 2024 album “Brat,” Charli xcx released “Sympathy is a knife,” which is allegedly about Swift.

“Eldest Daughter” is a beautiful rumination on being the oldest child and how that experience has prepared Swift to deal with the chaos of the music industry.

“Opalite” is directly inspired by Swift’s fiancè Travis Kelce, his birthstone being an opal, in this sweet ode between the two partners.

Swift caps off the album with the

and her treats were amazing,” Lawrence said. “I bought a strawberry cake from her, and it was absolutely delicious. You can really tell she puts love into what she bakes.”

Heritage Hill Apparel, started by Mason McElroy — a senior professional sales major from Gainesville, Fla. — sells custom hats specific to Oxford, bearing the city’s name across the front. Having always wanted to have his own apparel company, McElroy

is getting a start with this pop-up.

“Getting here in front of students and having the university support what we want to do is really awesome,” McElroy said. “This really is a passion of mine, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to exercise my passion on campus.”

titular track featuring Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter opened for Swift several times on “The Eras Tour” and has seen success following her release of “Man’s Best Friend.”

The two Pennsylvania natives honor the life of “Kitty,” the showgirl character created by Swift who reminds fans that everything is not what it seems behind all of the glitz and glamour.

Overall, “The Life of a Showgirl” is a very earnest album with an intriguing concept. The problem with it is not its upbeat production, but rather, Swift’s main issues lie in how quickly the album was rushed out. With more time spent on the creative process, this showgirl would have been more dazzling.

Day in the life of basketball player Malik Dia

ALANA AKIL Sports Staff Writer

NATE DONOHUE Assistant Sports Editor

For star Ole Miss forward Malik Dia, workouts outside of organized team activities are not optional — they are a requirement. How often does he put in work on his own?

“Every day,” Dia said.

Dia, originally from Murfreesboro, Tenn., transferred to Ole Miss from Belmont University last season. He played in all 36 games and averaged 10.8 points per game. On defense, he totaled 31 blocks and 25 steals. The Daily Mississippian sat down with Dia for an in-depth look into what a day of preparation for basketball season looks like — and each of those days starts with a daily prayer.

“I thank the Lord for the day, (my) blessings,” Dia said.

Dia then lifts weights at 8 a.m. Some days, the team practices immediately afterward; other days, practices occur later on. Before practice and workouts, Dia routinely focuses on his shooting form. This slows down the game and allows him to get in rhythm.

“I think that’s really important, just finding a groove, getting a feel for the new day,” Dia said.

After practice, Dia performs cool-down activities and goes to post-practice recovery, then he begins his classwork. Dia’s classes are almost en -

tirely online. His only in-person class is on Thursdays, and he is usually able to attend class around practice. Following practice, he dedicates a big chunk of each day to his schoolwork for his multi-disciplinary studies degree.

“I have a set-up time when I want to knock out my work on a day-by-day process, and I’m really efficient with that time,” Dia said.

Dia’s academic drive was instilled in him by his parents. Even though he is a gifted athlete, they instructed him to never overlook his studies.

“My parents have always held me to be an A-B student,” Dia said. “It’s how I was raised. It’s important to me to have good grades. … School is not just a cake-walk for me; I like to take it seriously.”

Dia sometimes has team practice after school. Even on days when he does not, though, he makes sure to get back in the gym for extra work. He usually completes these personal workouts late at night.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t work on myself outside of practice,” Dia said. “Whether that’s lifting, whether that’s basketball workouts, whether that’s mental work — I do a lot of yoga now, too — there’s a lot of things that go into the dayto-day process. … But just doing practice isn’t enough.”

Throughout the day, Dia pays careful attention to what he puts into his body. The basketball staff provides healthy meals for the student-athletes.

Dia cites his dietary habits as a major factor in his and his teammates’ quality of play.

“I think nutrition is a very key component in what I’m trying to do and what this team’s trying to do,” Dia said. “(We’re) making sure that we’re fueling our bodies properly for the season coming up. It’s just as important as doing all the work out there.”

Dia stressed how, going into the season, he wants to take care of his body. The longer he does this, the better shape he will be in.

“My biggest thing is (if I can) stack days on top of days in the hydration, the nutrition, just being consistent with that,” Dia said. “I think that’s the piece I’ve been missing.”

An important part of nutrition is cutting out unhealthy foods.

“The go-to snack used to be cookies, but I can’t eat that all the time,” Dia said. “So I’ve been trying different stuff, just figuring out what it is, but nothing crazy.”

After he finishes practice, workouts and classwork, Dia relaxes with his girlfriend. Her presence is comforting, and she helps him unwind after long, intense days.

“She’s a big decompressor for me,” Dia said. “It’s super helpful to have her around. We talk about a lot of things. We have a lot of fun with each other. … It’s always awesome to have her, and I appreciate her.”

Dia also likes to decompress with video games — spe -

cifically, NBA2K, Fortnite and Clash Royale. Still, he is careful to go to bed at a reasonable time so that he is not dragging his feet in the morning.

“Recently, I’ve been trying to be in bed by 10 p.m., so that I’m not out and about doing whatever or wasting time on the video games,” Dia said.

Ole Miss Men’s Basketball’s first action of the season comes later this month in an exhibition game against St. Mary’s on Oct. 26. Though the team has a big hill to

Rebel Football seeks 6-0 start against Washington State

climb in SEC competition, Dia is hopeful for this season. He is focused on controlling what he can: himself.

“It’s a new team every year,” Dia said. “I think this team has a lot of work to do, and I can only control myself, mainly. With my preparation, my work, my output and my results — I’m going to focus on that, and I think if I do that, it helps the team a lot.”

WILSON ENGERISER Sports Staff Writer

Coming off a bye week after defeating LSU at home, No. 4 Ole Miss is aiming to stay sharp on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. against a Washington State team that would love to play spoiler to the Rebels’ postseason hopes.

Washington State’s season has been rocky through six weeks. The Cougars started with two wins against Idaho and San Diego State before being blown out by North Texas (59-10) and Washington (59-24). Their most recent game was a 20-3 win against Colorado State.

Like Ole Miss, Washington State has seen a changing of the guard at quarterback this season. Jaxon Potter, the starting signal-caller at the beginning of the season, was benched in favor of Zevi Eckhaus during the North Texas game. Eckhaus has remained the starter since. Eckhaus, like Rebel quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, had an unconventional path to Division I. He started at the FCS school Bryant for three years before transfer -

ring to Washington State. Last season, he was the backup to current Oklahoma starter and Heisman-hopeful John Mateer.

The offense under Eckhaus has looked more developed than it did under Potter, but there is room for improvement for a unit that has scored more than 30 points once.

Eckhaus’ good throws are offset by his poor decisions, such as his two costly interceptions and fumble against Washington, which hurt the Cougars’ comeback odds after they entered the fourth quarter trailing by only one touchdown.

Washington State’s glaring weakness is its subpar rushing attack. Against Washington, the Cougars managed only 25 rushing yards on 28 carries — averaging less than a yard per carry. The Cougars average only 78.2 rushing yards per game, which is fourth-worst in the nation.

The Rebels, who sit at their highest AP ranking in a decade, are clicking on offense and defense. Ole Miss’ 322.6 passing yards per game is sixth best in the country, and their 208 rushing yards per

game are No. 25 nationally. Moreover, the passing offense ranks No. 3 in the nation in yards per completion (16.29).

Over the past three games, Chambliss has led the Rebel offense to 22 “big plays,” which are considered passing plays of 15+ yards. For reference, Washington State has had 26 such plays all season.

Yes, Chambliss has been throwing well, but his receivers have put on a pass-catching clinic. Four Rebel pass-catchers — Harrison Wallace III, Deuce Alexander, Dae’Quan Wright and Cayden Lee — have more than 200 receiving yards this season.

The rushing attack is led by running back Kewan Lacy, who has 445 yards and eight touchdowns. In a press conference after the LSU game, Chambliss spoke about how Lacy’s emergence helped take the load off his arm.

“Having a back in the backfield with me does wonders for a quarterback,” Chambliss said. “It takes a lot of pressure off you, and a running back can get some yardage and help you with the run game as well. … Kewan (Lacy’s) a great player, and it just shows every week.”

On the other side of the ball, the Ole Miss defense matches up favorably with Washington State. The Rebel defensive line, led by linebacker Suntarine Perkins, defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and defensive end Kam Franklin, should pressure Eckhaus all game.

The Cougars are aware of this. The key for Washington State, Eckhaus said in a press conference, will be to establish the run game —

which, for one of the weakest running teams in the nation, will be no easy task.

“If we’re going to pass the ball successfully, we have got to be able to run the ball,” Eckhaus said. “When you establish a run game, it just really takes the life out of a defense.”

An overview of Ole Miss Basketball rosters for 2025-26

ALANA AKIL

Sports Staff Writer

NATE DONOHUE

Assistant Sports Editor

Following deep runs in March Madness last season by both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, the two programs took to the drawing board to retool, rework and rebuild their rosters for the 202526 season. Here is a look at the players who will lace up for the Rebels come basketball season.

Men’s roster

Head coach Chris Beard’s squad took a heavy hit in the offseason with the departures of starters including guards Sean Pedulla, Jaylen Murray and Matthew Murrell, forward Dre Davis and sixth man Jaemyn Brakefield. Forward Malik Dia is the only returning starter for the Rebels. He played in all 36 games last year and averaged 10.8 points per game — one of six Rebels to average double figures — and totaled 31 blocks and 25 steals. Dia projects to play a bigger role in the offense this season.

Eduardo Klafke, another returner, played in all 36 games as a freshman. Used primarily as a 3-point-shooter, connecting on 48.1% of shots beyond the arc during the 2024-25 season, Klafke could find himself in an elevated role as someone who has a year of college ball under his belt.

Guard Hobert Grayson IV, a transfer from the Division II program Ouachita Baptist, has the potential to be a key player. He started in 33 games last year and averaged 21.8 points on 46.4% from the field along with 11 rebounds per game. He also added 68 assists and 52 steals.

Another significant transfer is point guard Kezza Giffa from High Point University. Giffa led the Panthers in scoring at 14.6 points per game last season and boasts a quick first step and a repertoire of finishing moves at the rim.

Guard AJ Storr comes to Oxford from Kansas, where he averaged 6.1 points per game. Two seasons ago, he av-

eraged 16.8 points at Wisconsin. Perhaps Ole Miss will be the new home he needs to return to his high-scoring ways.

Other transfers include forward James Scott and guard Koren Johnson — both from Louisville — guard Travis Perry from Kentucky, forward Augusto Cassiá from Butler and forward Corey Chest from LSU.

Scott is the tallest player on the roster at 6-foot-10 and a defender at heart who rebounds well — an area the Rebels struggled in last season. Cassiá, at 6-foot-8, provides more length, athleticism and versatility for a team that makes its living on the defensive side of the ball.

Johnson played in only two games at Louisville last season due to injury, averaging 3 points per game; before that, though, he began his career at Washington, where he averaged 11.1 points per game during the 2023-24 season.

Perry was recruited heavily by Beard in high school before eventually committing to Kentucky. Now with the opportunity to play under Beard, the 3-point specialist and the state of Kentucky’s high school all-time leading scorer has the chance to outshine his previous role at UK.

Corey Chest joins the Rebels after two years with LSU. Last year, as a redshirt freshman, he played in 26 games before a season-ending injury. Before the injury, he averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

International shooting guard Ilias Kamardine joins the team from France, where he played for professional basketball club Jeanne d’Arc Dijon Basket. He played 48 in games and averaged eight points in just over 18 minutes a game. He shot 43.5% from the floor and 39.8% from three.

Ole Miss also added a trio of high school recruits. Forward Niko Bundalo is the highest-rated recruit in school history according to 247sports. Rivals rated him as the fifth best power-forward in the 2025 class.

Forward Tylis Jordan and guard Patton Pinkins, both ranked within the ESPN Top 100, will also join the team from high school.

“If I had to describe this team based on what we learned this

SUDOKU©

summer and (in the) preseason, we have a lot of depth,” Beard said in a press conference on Sept. 25. “Which should translate to us having very competitive practices, which ultimately in college basketball (is) very important.”

Women’s roster

Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s team lost several players, most notably five-year guard/forward Madison Scott (11.8 PPG) and guard Kennedy Todd-Williams (11.4 PPG).

Guard Sira Thinou is a key returner for the Lady Rebels. Her 10.5 points per game were third-highest on the team behind Scott and Todd-Williams, and her 79 total steals on the season were the second-most by a freshman in school history.

Another notable returner is forward Christeen Iwuala, who averaged 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 202425. She started games in both the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament and may step into a starting position next season with the departure of forward Starr Jacobs.

Forward Cotie McMahan joins the Lady Rebels from Ohio State as a premier grab in the transfer portal who received All-Big 10 honors each of the last two years. She averaged double digits in all three of her seasons with the Buckeyes and posted 16.5 points per game in the 2024-25 season. Her freshman year, she helped lead Ohio State to the Elite 8 and won Big 10 Freshman of the Year.

UCF transfer guard Kaitlin Peterson has the chance to raise the Lady Rebels’ offensive ceiling. She averaged 21.4 points per game last year, and in only two seasons with UCF, she scored more than 1,000 points.

Other transfers include forward Latasha Lattimore, who averaged 14.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game at Virginia last season; guard Debreasha Powe, a Mississippi State transfer who shot 39.8% from three last season; forward Denim DeShields, another Mississippi State transfer; Georgia Tech guard Tianna Thompson; and Central

Michigan center Desrae Kyles.

Incoming freshman guard Lauren Jacobs was the top recruit from the state of South Carolina in the class of 2025. She led her high school to multiple state championships and earned All-State Honors three times.

Jacobs will be the only freshman on the roster this season.

“(I’m) excited about Team 51 and what they bring to the table,”

McPhee-McCuin said in a press conference on Sept. 24. “(There are a) lot of unique personalities. We are incredibly diverse as far as talent is concerned. … We got a little bit of everything.”

Red, white and purple all over: why polarization is just a facade

“In the wake of rising political violence, we must reflect on why we buy so easily into strict partisanship. Perhaps the issue is not polarization but the way we treat politics like a game with winners and losers.”

TAYLOR

YOUNG

Opinion Staff Writer

It’s no secret that polarization in America has risen to new heights, and too often the news can paint an awfully dark picture. Online and off, we tend to cluster with people like us, and to our detriment, social platforms echo our own views.

Either way, it is all too easy to drift into an echo chamber where our own ideas go unchallenged and other perspectives become distorted. These echo chambers can magnify differences, as noted in a recent study from Johns Hopkins University that shows nearly half of Americans view the opposing party as “downright evil.”

In the wake of rising political violence, we must reflect on why we buy so easily into strict partisanship. Perhaps the issue is not polarization but the way we treat politics like a game with winners and losers.

In sports, we wear jerseys, chant for our side and the loudest opposing fans leave a sour taste in our mouths (picture an away game at LSU or

a cowbell-packed stadium).

Most importantly, great teams are based upon cooperation and good, old-fashioned teamwork. A Heisman-caliber player can always help, but having a stellar teammate does not guarantee you will win the game.

In politics, teams matter, but jerseys can trick us. People are complicated, and despite what media narratives may suggest, you cannot put half of America into a box. So, what can we do about it?

To get a clearer answer, I asked Professor Nathan Oakes, the director of education and student programs at the Center for Practical Ethics for his input.

“Find someone you like who disagrees with you and actually strive to talk politics with them,” Oakes said.

While his advice might sound simple, it is easier said than done. Regardless, as Oakes pointed out, “Nothing tethers you to reality like seeing the humanity in the other side.”

Having these conversations might be uncomfortable, but the best things in life never come easy.

Another factor in the hyper-

polarization that plagues our country is the dynamic of distraction. A select few can rally the masses by exaggerating the relevance of otherwise inconsequential issues. Eardrum-shattering screams can drown out other voices, but their volume does not equal representation.

Mainstream media has a habit of spotlighting provocative but niche culture war topics, such as Hasbro’s decision to drop the “Mr.” from the Mr. Potato Head toy.

Mainstream media platforms dedicate an outsized amount of coverage to issues that fire up viewers but are far less relevant than what truly affects all of us: national debt, inflation and energy, to name a few.

On campus, pretty much all of us want the same things, such as finding a good parking spot in the morning, getting to Chick-fil-A before the line is long and excelling in classes.

“If you put everyone’s beliefs, rather than their allegiances, on a line, you’d get a boring old bell curve,” Oakes said.

In other words, the middle ground is far

broader than it seems.

Looking for a place to learn how to best understand where someone is coming from? I suggest taking a philosophy class, attending ethics events on campus or joining competitive debate. Immersing yourself in conversations outside of your comfort zone is integral to building bridges and breaking down barriers of misconception.

Rivalries in sports can be all in good fun, but in American politics, we are on the same team.

I encourage everyone who

reads this to have a conversation with someone on the opposite side of the aisle. If you avoid the battle-hungry spectators and narrow in on the issues that really matter, I am confident you will discover, as I have, that America is not nearly as divided as we may believe.

Taylor Young is a second-year law student from Gulfport, Miss.

CONTACT THE OPINION DESK AT thedmopinion@gmail.com

Magnolia Letters: punk rock gone south or South gone punk rock?

CEDAR BOWERS

Opinion Staff Writer

When most people think of punk rock, battle vests with patches, cigarettes, mohawks and aggressive guitar riffs come to mind. However, the idyllic college town of Oxford should come to mind too.

Punk rock is a musical subgenre defined by do-it-yourself ethics, stripped-down instrumentation and vocals and anti-establishment rhetoric. It has a history more characteristic of Mississippi than most might think.

In fact, punk rock is not just a musical subgenre but also an anti-authoritarian movement that originated in 1970s American and British rock music.

The genre rejects the corporate and overproduced nature of mainstream rock, opting for aggressive, stripped-back vocals as opposed to mellow melodies.

Noticeably, tracks like “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols and “California Uber Alles” by the Dead Kennedys carry messages that many listeners thought “stuck it to the man,” presenting

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themselves for and by the people.

One may not think it upon first glance, but the DIY, anti-authoritarian and pro-people attitudes that characterize punk rock are undeniably Southern. In fact, the punk scene is alive and well in the South, and it makes sense why.

In a state at the constant crossroads of civil rights and resistance to oppression, the punk philosophy is hauntingly relevant. The message of Mississippi activists such as Medgar Evars and Fannie Lou Hammer is represented in songs like “Racists” by Anti-Flag, which condemns the resurgence of neo-Nazi groups in the U.S. under the Donald Trump administration.

In 2021, John Rash and the Southern Documentary Project, in collaboration with the University of Mississippi Archives and Special Collections and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, established the Southern Punk Archive.

The Southern Punk Archive acts as a physical and digital repository of media, promotional posters and oral histories, in addition to musical performances and documentary films on the South-

ern-punk scene. It commemorates a Magnolia truth: The punk-rockers of today would not be moshing and two-stepping if not for the punks that came before them. Mississippi punk rockers such as the bands Big Clown, 5th Child and Heels come from all over the state and every walk of life. The only prerequisite for ordained punkhood is an unabashed, punk-rock attitude. Punk rock is not merely the offspring of an umbrella genre but a symbol of resistance. It should be immortalized as such.

Cedar Bowers is a junior creative writing major from Tupelo, Miss.

Magnolia Letters is a new series from the Opinion Desk that aims to highlight the vibrancy of the Mississippi experience. If you wish to share your story or an element you find important in our state’s history, culture and politics, contact opinion editor Kadin Collier at thedmopinion@gmail.com.

CONTACT THE OPINION DESK AT thedmopinion@gmail.com Correction:

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