Student Hit By Car Raises Concern for Pedestrian Safety

Caroline Connolly, sophomore, was hit by a car on Student Union Drive while on a crosswalk. Student safety on campus is a big concern and the university needs to find ways to help students feel safer on campus.    

        

Connolly's accident occurred on the crosswalk between the Student Union parking lot and residence hall parking lots.

Caroline Connolly, sophomore, was hit by a car while crossing the street on a crosswalk on April 7. The incident happened on the crosswalk on Student Union Drive between the Union parking lot and the parking lot between Deaton and Hefley Halls. Connolly was walking back from the Turner Center around 7:30 p.m. and was hit by a truck while crossing the street on the way back to her dorm.

Connolly saw the truck coming while she was on the crosswalk, but the truck was coming too fast for her to move out of the way. The driver of the truck eventually saw Connolly and quickly stepped on the breaks, but not fast enough to stop without hitting her.

“I saw the car coming, but he was coming so quickly, looking for parking spot, that I didn’t have a chance to move,” Connolly said.  

The driver took Connolly to the hospital where she was immediately checked for injuries.

Fortunately, Connolly didn’t have any severe injuries, but experienced several scrapes and suffered a large bump on her head. She is currently recuperating from the incident and is expected to make a full recovery.

Incidents like Connolly’s are not uncommon around campus. Many cars around campus are pulled over and ticketed for running stop signs or speeding.

“Getting hit by a car is my biggest fear and student drivers are careless and don’t pay attention to the speed limit, so walking on campus is always dangerous,” said Molly Brosier, sophomore.

Traffic safety for students is very important and even students who obey the law by crossing on crosswalks can get injured. The university should come up with different ways to ensure student's safety while on campus.

More stop signs and streetlights by crosswalks could help student’s safety. Connolly’s incident occurred on a road with a crosswalk where there isn’t a stop sign and dim lighting. The implementation of a simple sign or brighter light could have prevented the incident and could prevent future incidents from occurring.

“There should be a stop sign or flashing lights on the crosswalk to help drivers watch out for pedestrians crossing the street,” Connolly recommended.

In addition to physical structures, the university could help pedestrian safety by educating both drivers and pedestrians. Drivers need to be more aware of their surroundings, not texting or talking on the phone while driving. Drivers should also use turn signals when appropriate and check mirrors when changing lanes or backing out of parking spots.

“The university could help students feel safer by enforcing the speed limit and teaching students that pedestrians have the right of way while walking around,” Brosier said.

Drivers are not the only ones to blame for accidents. Pedestrians also need to be aware of their surroundings. Looking both ways before crossing the street and being aware of surroundings is very important for pedestrians while out on the streets.

Changes at the Residential College Reconstitute Image and Purpose

Senior Faculty Fellow of the Residential College, Marvin King, is implementing changes to create a community-based atmosphere in the residence hall for the 2014-15 school year.

One of King’s changes includes rearranging the tables in the cafeteria to encourage interaction and increase people skills among residents.

Residential College Senior Faculty Fellow, Marvin King, is in the process of creating a new purpose and image for the residence hall.

The Residential College (RC) currently houses athletes and scholars. The RC differs from the average dormitory because students must “maintain academic good standing at the university” among other requirements to maintain residency.

The application process for acceptance into the RC will remain the same, however, King will require each resident to complete eight community service hours per year.

“I would like to be able to say that in this building, we produce thousands of hours of service,” said King, “eight hours per resident is not a large commitment.” King will allow members of the Honors College and Greek community to count service hours toward the RC requirement.

King has devised an incentive for residents to maintain a high GPA and complete or exceed the required service hours. The RC has 12 four-person suites that are in high demand among residents. King described the current method of assigning quads as a “random lottery”.

“I would rather reward people who do service and get good grades. They should have first pick,” said King.

King hopes that rewarding high achieving upperclassmen with first choice in room selection will inspire freshman residents to strive for similar achievement. By giving upperclassmen an incentive to maintain high grades and exceed service hours, King hopes that they will exemplify model behavior to freshman residents.

One of King’s goals is to bridge the gap between the atmosphere of a “regular” residence hall and the Residential College.

“The only reason that I dislike living in the RC is because there isn’t much sense of community,” said freshman RC resident, Lauren Resch. “When I visit my friends in other dorms, the walls are decorated, the doors are open, and everyone knows everyone on their floor.”

Since King began his position as Senior Faculty Fellow during the summer of 2013, he has been trying to change this aspect of RC life. He has reached out to residents and determined what clubs and activities would flourish at the RC. King also developed and appointed members to the RC Cabinet. All of these changes, however, still have not transformed the RC into the community that King envisions.

In March, King held a photography contest in the RC. The winners of the contest had their photos printed and displayed on the walls. King hoped that the photography would transform the white-walled hallways into a welcoming space.

One of King’s main goals for the RC is to increase interaction between residents. Small improvements have been made this semester to aid the process, such as putting a baby grand piano in the lobby, creating a Facebook group, and rearranging the tables in the cafeteria on a weekly basis.

Next year King plans to establish a community atmosphere in the RC immediately by creating interest groups and hosting weekly meetings by floor during the first week of school.

“I feel that the changes Dr. King is making to the RC are necessary and will make the residence hall a more enjoyable place to live…I think I can handle eight service in turn for a better community environment,” said Resch. 

Residential College South takes residents on networking trip in Nashville

Marvin King, Faculty Fellow of the Residential College South, took fifteen students to Nashville to meet Ole Miss Alumni and tour facilities there. 

Students lunch with alumni at the First Amendment Center of Nashville. 

          Fifteen students loaded for the five-hour drive to Nashville early Friday morning. Lead by Faculty Fellow Marvin King, the caravan went to network with alumni of the University of Mississippi and tour multiple facilities.

Marty Dickens (right) and Charles Overby (left) host lunch
at First Amendment Center Friday. 

          After months of planning and contacting alumni in Nashville, King said he was pleased with the trip. 

“I think it went well. It met or exceeded most people’s expectations," King said. "We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into but all of the alumni were really accommodating and that made a big difference." 

       The first stop for the attendees was the First Amendment Center of Nashville, hosted by prestigious journalist Charles Overby and businessman Marty Dickens. Students lunched with Overby before touring the Center, which holds a brief history of media representation.

           The group then made their way to the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, where they met president and CEO Michael Burcham and took a tour of the facilities. Freshman mechanical engineering major Bryce Johnson stated that he received the most advice at this stop. 

"Talking with Michael opened my eyes to how rigorous the demands for an entrepreneur are," Johnson said. "Even though not everyone came back with a job offer or connection, we definitely got a lot of advice about how to network and what to expect in the real world."
Later that evening the students attended a panel of alumni at Caterpillar Financial Center.  There students got the opportunity to question a surplus of graduates and receive their recommendations. The panel consisted of many different occupations and areas of interest. 

Students attend tour of the Entrepreneur Center Friday evening. 

"The panel was very beneficial because it gave us a lot of real life advice," freshmen Ariyl Onstott said. "At college you hear a lot of people in college, whether its students or faculty, that give a lot of great advice on how to get internships, careers and experience but nothing can compare with talking to people who are out there in the real world.”

       Saturday morning brought the group to Puckett's to meet a new group of alumni over brunch. Mikael Naylor, mechanical and electrical engineering major and attendee, favored the informal brunch. 

“My favorite stop on our trip was having brunch at Puckett’s Saturday morning,” Naylor said.

“It was an easier environment to talk in and far more personal. We were able to learn from people who have gone through everything we are going to go through. No matter what industry you’re going through there are certain things that always apply such as networking and applying for internships. Though I was not able to contact anyone in my field I was able to make some great connections and find some possible internships."

Attendees have informal lunch with alumni Saturday at Puckett's. 

  
   The trip would not have been possible without the dedication of King and the alumni who attended, Naylor observed.

“It was a good opportunity and it’s certainly not something I would have been able to do on my own. I’m so proud Dr. King was able to come up with this program and contact everyone who came," Naylor said. "It was such a valuable experience."

        When King took on the position of Faculty Fellow at the Residential College South, he guaranteed that he would bring big changes. Months later, evidence of those changes are increasingly evident. 

"I’m just excited to see the students excited," King said. "To see that they might get some opportunities out of this makes my day."