As midterms wrap up, we look back at what has been an interesting semester here at MC. From burning dryers and pink floods to a week of severe winter weather, the spring semester has been nothing short of surprising.
With COVID-19 limitations and mandates being loosened, more activities have taken place across campus this semester compared to the fall. Clubs and tribes have hosted more events, campus ministry activities have increased, and the MC sports teams have been able to compete much more. Chapel has even been held in person. This semester has provided a sense of hope for many.
Just last week, the mandate instructing all on campus to wear masks while outside was lifted. Students, faculty, and staff were pleased with this decision. “I know there will still be the need for precaution in the coming weeks, but I believe it is a great step towards the normalcy that the entire student body has prayed for,” junior Dakota Murphree said.
Though students are thankful for the decision regarding masks, many wish campus administration would have decided to give us a week-long Spring Break. “I understand the reasoning behind not allowing us to have an entire week off,” Michaela Cooper, a junior, said. “I just think an entire week would allow us time to catch up on assignments and much-needed rest.”
While many students would agree with Cooper, most were still thankful for the Spring Break Day MC did have. On Tuesday, March 3, no classes were held, providing students with one day off. Some used this opportunity to catch up on work, while others took part in more fun activities such as shopping trips, family visits, beach trips, and relaxing time spent with friends.
As Spring Break has come and gone and midterms are coming to an end, professors are advising their students to continue to work hard and strive for their best. “Now that midterms are over, it’s time to buckle down and keep pushing forward,” communications professor Mignon Kucia stated. “Finals will be here before we know it.”
Though we’re only halfway there, it won’t be long until we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Keep working hard, MC students.
On March 8, Mississippi College announced that longtime athletic director and head men’s basketball coach Mike Jones is retiring. Jones has been the head basketball coach for 18 seasons split over three stints, amassing 342 career wins. He has been the school’s athletic director for over 20 years. MC also announced that Kenny Bizot will be the next athletic director.
Jones says that it was God’s calling for him to retire, “I’ve been talking about it. I’ve had some health issues over the years. My wife and I have talked about it. One day coming to work, God put it on my heart that it was time for me to step down. I called Sheila and told her that I needed to talk with Dr. Thompson. I went over and told him that it was time for me to step down and retire from athletics. I think without question or reservations that it was a God thing that it hit me on the way to work. My heart was at peace with it, I was at peace with it, and I had clarity.”
Jones took over as MC’s head basketball coach in 1988. He coached for 14 seasons in his original stint, from 1988 through 2002. He then coached two seasons from 2006-2008. He then took back over in 2019 and coached the last two seasons. His overall record at Mississippi College is 342-127. Before coming to MC, Jones coached for four seasons at Copiah-Lincoln (Co-Lin) Community College where he shined with a 112-20 record. Jones was named Athletic Director at MC in 1999 and has served in that position ever since. Jones also helped lead MC back to Division II several years ago.
Even with all of his accolades, which includes inductions into the Mississippi Sports, Mississippi College athletic, and Co-Lin athletic halls of fame, five conference championships, and three conference Coach of the Year awards, Jones points to leading young men as his biggest career highlight: “The biggest highlight of my career here is watching young men find Christ. Watching guys go out and do extremely well in their profession. I’ve got a lot of players who have done that. Those have been big highlights.”
He also points to the many relationships he has built: “The people on this campus. The faculty and staff, our coaching staff, my staff, those are highlights, the relationships I’ve built with them and the friends I have made. Wins and losses are always good, and I love to win, and I think I am a winner, but all the other things are a lot more important to me. Throughout the years, it’s just been a great thing to see people be successful.”
Another of his career highlights is that he also has the court in AE Wood Coliseum named after him: “That still gives me goosebumps when I walk down on the floor and I see my name there. That was a tremendous honor.”
Bizot comes from Co-Lin Community College and he played under Jones here at MC from 1990-1994. He also is a former assistant coach at Mississippi College and UT-Tyler and has over 20 years of coaching experience.
This week, I got a text from a friend. His name is Daan Christensen. He is Dutch. I met Daan the first day of my study abroad semester in Spain in the bathroom of the language school I was attending. He was the first student I met and coincidentally my first friend. Our encounter was rather odd; I had to ask him how to turn off the water faucet.
Daan and I became quick friends. Our bond became fraternal; he, having been two years younger than me, was like a younger brother.
Though only 18, Daan’s ability to feel and make sense of the world always stunned me. He was and is the philosopher type. He and I would often have intimate, long discussions about anything and everything, oftentimes over a game of chess. He was incredibly smart and fun-loving. An extrovert, he attempted to show me a world I had never known.
Daan’s message on Wednesday came as a surprise.
I had sent him a message the week prior having thought of him and wanted to see how he was. He was not good, he said. In fact, the sincerity and sadness in his voice was frightful. His best friend had died in a horrific accident, and his grandfather lay dying, having received a cancer diagnosis just two weeks prior. “I’m not really good right now,” he said.
I could not have imagined the gravity of Daan’s situation. His friend had fallen from the apartment balcony while Daan was asleep in the same room; they had been drinking. Daan was woken the next morning by police interrogating him. “I can only remember it in pictures,” he said of that morning. “It was like a nightmare.”
Less than a month later, his grandfather fell ill and was taken to the hospital. The doctors revealed he was consumed with cancer. He had only weeks to live. Daan credited his grandfather as the only father he had known. His diagnosis was just another shrouding wave of tragedy. His father had died of suicide as a child.
As Daan narrated his story, I ached with pity. Then, Daan spoke of a third person…a nameless man from Africa he met on the train.
Daan told me how he had just wanted to be heard and confided in the fellow. There are less expectations from strangers. Daan detailed the death of his friend and the agonizing experience of watching his grandfather die. The man happened to be a Christian. They spoke for over an hour. Daan had never been interested in religion, as most young Europeans are not. It is my experience that the young European seeks to try everything and then determine what is suitable or good for their life. They want no advice, no guidance. Daan had been this way when I knew him. Yet, he was a thinker. We had spoken about God before.
Daan told me that he left the man feeling something. He couldn’t really describe it, but I knew exactly what he meant. Daan’s story sent chills up my spine. I knew the man had been no stranger. He was a deliverer. You see, I had called for him.
I often make it the habit to pray for other people in other people’s lives. Simply put, I pray for strangers. This time, I had prayed for an African man.
When Daan first told me that his friend had died, I asked him a question: “Daan, do you have hope?” He responded, “I don’t believe in hope.” So, I prayed.
My prayer was simple and one I had prayed before: “God, I cannot be with Daan during this time. But would you send someone? Someone to be a light. Someone to give him hope. May he feel you. May he experience you.”
God heard me.
I have no doubt that the African man was God-sent. I have no doubt that he was the stranger I was praying for. Daan told me that the man had asked him if he knew the meaning of his name: Daan Christnesen, literally Daniel, son of Christian. He told me he had never liked his name before, that it was boring and old-fashioned. Now, “I’m proud of it,” he said.
What is in a name? Shakespeare asked this. Though I doubt he was the first. I do not know where Daan is today or what he is thinking, but I continue to pray for him. I pray he will finally understand who he was made to be, that he would fall in love with the Creator instead of the creation. He is a dear friend, one I would miss sorely in heaven.
Swerve, an annual campus dance competition for charity, will look a little different this year because of COVID guidelines. It will be held on April 16 in Swor Auditorium with multiple showings for 270 audience members throughout the day.
Planning for Swerve usually begins in the spring semester, but because of uncertainty with COVID and whether it would be held, it started later than usual with a number of protocols set in place.
Swerve will only be open to students, faculty, and staff that attend or work at MC. Individuals who are not a part of the MC community are not allowed to attend due to limiting seating options and having to socially distance everyone in the building.
However, those on the Student Productions Committee are in the process of working to make it happen virtually. Chip Wilson, the Assistant Director of Student Engagement, said, “We are working on a way to virtually attend Swerve, but are not 100% certain it will be possible due to the price of the ticket and a viewing platform.”
Swerve is one that students look forward to seeing every year when all tribes and clubs prepare to shine. However, it wouldn’t be what it is without the help of the Office of Student Engagement, who work alongside the offices of AV and Event Services to put this together to make it happen.
During this time, students have the chance to come up with their own theme, the songs/mix their routine will have, and members of their team. The team that wins the first-place prize will have the money from ticket sales go straight towards their philanthropy.
Of all the events that happen on campus, Swerve is unique and sets itself apart in such a way. COVID has shut down many things, and whether Swerve would happen or not was anyone’s guess. Wilson said, “Hannah Moore, who is the committee chair, and Wesley Thomas, the board director, have done a phenomenal job with helping create the event, even on short notice.”
This event is not only for those in clubs and tribes, but it is also open to the rest of campus who want to show off their skills and be a part of this fun event and create a team if they choose.
MC is a university that is all about giving back to the community, and participating in Swerve allows students the opportunity to have fun while also being able to help others wherever they can.
Swerve is a great event that even in the time of COVID will not be affected. It’s where students, faculty, and staff can expect to see great performances and experience and participate in the fun atmosphere as this campus tradition continues to make the hearts of everyone happy at a time like no other!
One year ago this month, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. With vaccines rolling out at varying speeds across the country, and a reasonable hope that this pandemic is on its way out of our lives, I propose some resolutions for the “new year” ahead.
Most people make plans for improvement when the clock chimes midnight on January 1, but I propose we do the same for the month of March. When I consider all that I experienced, all that my friends experienced, and what people across the world experienced because of the virus, I conclude that March should be a season of reflection, as winter turns to spring.
My generation and others adapted to the challenges COVID-19 posed, and this anniversary should not solely be one of loss. More than half a million people lost their lives from this virus; others lost friends, family, college or job experiences, and much more. Who would’ve thought 2020 would turn out the way it did? No one knows what tomorrow will bring; no one knew what March 2020 would bring.
A year later, we should remember, reflect, and resolve to live life to the fullest. I believe that the end of this pandemic is in sight, if we all remain vigilant and do our part. In anticipation of that great day when all this is behind us, here are some resolutions for your consideration.
Enjoy every moment with richness and extravagance, for you never know when the next life-changing event may happen.
If you read a lot during quarantine, keep that up. If you watched Netflix a lot during quarantine, it’s time to move on to books.
Keep a mask on your person, even if we don’t need them, as a courtesy to your fellow humans.
Buy good toilet paper and lots of it, for you never know when such a common necessity could become a luxury item, like Dutch tulip bulbs or an air fryer.
Go out and buy some good pairs of pants, for when your next meeting is moved back into an office.
Reevaluate your “poker face,” for the next time you react you might not have a mask behind which to hide.
Use your vacation time and travel everywhere, for you never know when you might not be able to travel farther than your mailbox.
Work a side gig if you want, but don’t let the grind turn you to powder.
Spend quality time with your family and friends, for you never know when you might see them again
Shop from local brands, for they add value and make communities unique
Be grateful always, and never shrink from a challenge, for you never know the impact you could have on someone else
COVID-19 took a lot from us, but it left us valuable lessons. How and with whom we spend our time is important, and we should take every opportunity to grow ourselves and our neighbors. I hope that this virus, if it cannot be eradicated completely, will soon find a home on the list of vaccinations everyone gets as a matter of course.
On March 16, Mississippi opened COVID-19 vaccinations to everyone age 16 and older regardless of employment, pre-existing conditions, or citizenship. The Mississippi State Department of Health has an interactive map of vaccination sites across the state available at https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/14,0,420,976.html#providerMap .
Many sports programs in the Gulf South Conference have been competing this spring. At Mississippi College, a few of the sports that have their season normally in the fall are participating this spring. One of those teams is the men’s soccer team.
The men’s soccer team just finished an undefeated spring regular season at 4-0 and won Group A in the GSC Soccer Spring Championship Series. The Choctaws have outscored their opponents seven to one in those four games.
Head coach Kevin Johns points to the defense as one of the team’s biggest reasons for success: “Defensively we are very good, we had a lot of players returning in that area and it has always been a strong part of our team.” He also points to having depth on the roster that understands how he wants to play defense and its importance to success. Johns added, “There is not that much coaching we have to do, we just have to let them play, and they have leadership qualities that know what they expect from themselves and from us coaches.” The team consists of many veterans that Johns thinks very highly of and trusts that their abilities as leaders for the entire team will allow the Choctaws to be very successful the rest of the season.
Senior Abel Perez has been one of the leaders for the Choctaws. Over his four years at MC, Perez has played in over sixty matches and has seen a lot of growth in himself from his freshman year to where he is now: “I’ve been improving each year. We have had a lot of different coaches and I have learned a lot from each of them.” He has a similar opinion to Johns on the reasons for the team’s success: “We have great players this year. We can count on each other in games, and we train and practice well together. We do not have individual groups, we are like a family.”
Each season brings new challenges to athletes, but this season has been different for veterans like Perez, as COVID has changed preparation for games. However, Perez spoke very highly on how the team has handled the protocols as a team: “We’ve been doing great! We follow and meet the protocols in place and we accept them.” Though he wants to do well in the spring, Perez knows that this spring season is preparation for the normal season that happens in the fall, which he will be able to participate in as a result of the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility to fall sport athletes due to COVID-19.
The GSC tournament begins for the Choctaws on March 21 in Meridian, Mississippi, at 3:30 p.m. They will play Delta State or Shorter. The GSC championship is scheduled for the weekend of April 2-3 in Huntsville, Alabama.
During quarantine, many people tried out new hobbies. Art, cooking, fitness, and reading are some of the more notable endeavors, but there were plenty of new and nuanced skills to be picked up as well. During MC senior Addison Seal’s quarantine, she turned to crafting her own earrings.
“It started off over quarantine as a hobby,” Seal says when explaining how she first got into making earrings. “I had seen some other people make polymer clay earrings, and I really liked the way that they looked. Then, I ordered a pair and liked the light feel of them, so I kept buying them. However, I couldn’t afford to just buy every pair that I liked, so I decided to order my own start-up kit and work with it that way. It was so much fun starting off as a quarantine hobby, and then it became this dream that I’ve been able to make into something really cool.”
Polymer clay earrings are a big trend among MC students, notable for their unique appearance and often colorful designs. The process of making them is simpler than one might think. Seal explains, “You buy the clay, or you can mix clay together if you want a specific color. Then you mold it to the shape you want and bake it in the oven. Once it’s out of the oven, you just piece it together with backs and connectors.”
Seal spent a good portion of her time practicing and developing earrings for personal use, but during Christmas break, she decided to give them away as Christmas gifts.
“The popularity from giving them away as Christmas gifts boosted my confidence enough to make an Instagram and Facebook page called @addie.maes.clay. Addie Mae was a nickname my grandmother gave me, and a bunch of people here at MC have caught onto that, so it was cool to tie all of this into family and things like that. I officially posted the page after Christmas.”
Those pages on social media are where Seal posts about her earrings, offering photos of her designs as well as taking orders for anyone who wishes to purchase them. She has released collections for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day, and her newest collection will be focused on spring. Collections typically include a set of five designs with pairs made in advance, but she also does custom orders.
Seal takes a great deal of care with her earrings, shaping them into designs that range from studs to intricate dangles. However, she is also mindful of the metal backings used for the earrings in order to better fit people with metal allergies.
“I only buy gold-plated posts because I know that people may have a concern with nickel allergies. If I advertise a silver backing, I make sure to let people know the gold-plated backings are always an option,” she explains.
The designs for her earrings are beautiful, characterized by bright colors that are meant to catch the eye. But beyond the beauty of Seal’s work, there is also a distinct meaning behind each design she wants people to take with them following a purchase.
“I can’t believe the satisfaction I get from sitting at a table, thinking of an earring design, and then bringing it to life. That helped me sit in awe imagining how the Creator of the universe must feel looking at His own creations, hand-molded and hand-perfected. I tell people all the time that my earrings are not perfect by any means, but they’re created with so much love. They’re imperfect just like the person who buys them, and that’s completely okay. We’re all imperfect humans, but we’re all uniquely and wonderfully made in God’s eyes. It’s a small analogy with clay earrings, but it’s the joy I find imagining the joy our Father has in seeing all of His creations and how it’s so good.”
It’s such a meaningful notion made equally wonderful in its simplicity of being analogized to earrings. There’s such a personalization to each design, and one can’t help but feel as if they were created with intentionality behind it. Every earring is unique much like all people are unique. Few things can so beautifully capture that individualistic touch, but that is precisely what makes Addison Seal’s designs a profound creative endeavor.
If you ask a student what makes a college campus home, they will generally say something abstract, like community, roommates, or the independence they have been long awaiting. But what makes Mississippi College home are the Resident Assistants (RAs) that host each individual student and foster their stay here, going above and beyond for their every need.
RAs, known for dormitory checks and enforcing rules, are truly the binds of community and a comforting hand throughout your years at college. However, as COVID-19 has swept away the social contact which students have been accustomed to before the pandemic, the virus has given RAs just as many obstacles to endure, and overcome.
RAs have been forced to embody one word through these unprecedented circumstances: adaptable. As rules and regulations alter on a moment’s notice, RAs have had to respond to administrative decision making that alters based on any newfound CDC information. These changes include, but are not limited to, ensuring students wear masks properly, maintaining health procedures, and creatively engaging in community with their residents.
The hosts of our halls learned adaptability from the very beginning of the 2020 school year when administration informed them that they had one day of training before jumping into the job. Even for students that are second or third year resident assistants, the job as a whole had changed from what they previously experienced.
Morgan Henry is a returning RA who oversaw the freshman girls’ dorm East Tower last year and now serves in West Tower, an upperclassman girls’ dorm. Henry was asked if the community in her current halls has looked different from the previous year. “From my hall last year, it’s much more disconnected. All residents really have their roommate now. It’s been harder to build community across the hall when I never have anyone in one sitting except for Zoom meetings,” said Henry. It has been challenging to try to relate to people, but that has made Henry more intentional in getting to know her residents. “No more movie nights in my room,” she said.
Through the rushed training process for RAs, it was a struggle to learn the new procedures. “Our training this year was shorter and normally we would have a week for training, but this time it was just a day of training. And now, we’re all constantly relearning the job,” said Henry. For RAs that were new to the job, like Oliva Perkins, this was a different story. “I don’t have much to compare it to, but there was a strong emphasis on masks and the new regulations that you will have to enforce, especially when there is no visitation for both the opposite and same gender,” said Perkins.
While suite-style, premium housing certainly has great appeal, community dorms seem to have their perks during the COVID-19 era. Perkins was asked if RAs have seen a loss of interaction with their hallmates. “They definitely have between each other. Community dorms still maintained some community because you would see people more frequently in the bathrooms and halls,” said Perkins.
Although there have been many challenges for RAs with sporadic instances like floods, fires, and infractions, they have remained steadfast and never cease to come to any of their residents’ aid. Whether it’s carrying mattresses to other dorms for students evacuating their dorms damaged in the fire or sending self-care packages to their rooms in the middle of midterms week, your RAs will rush to your side. With this kind of service and dedication, even COVID could not hinder them from doing their job exceptionally well.
Spring is on the way for 2021. It is a season characterized by warmer days, flowers blooming, and sunshine bringing life back to the world after a long winter. It is a time to begin anew and try new things. Many people may pick up new hobbies, go new places, and have new adventures. Others may simply choose to sit down and find a new book to read to mark the occasion. If anyone is looking for a new book to fill their minds this spring semester, the Collegian staff has offered some of their own recommendations.
Kyle Hamrick: “Where I Come From by Rick Bragg and The Awakening and Selected Stories by Kate Chopin.”
Meredith Stratmann: “Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.”
Meagan Eubanks: “If you’re looking for a fun and easy read, I like the Charlotte Holmes series!”
John Mark Pinter: “To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1984 by George Orwell, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.”
Rachel Faulk: “The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.”
Marquisha Mathis: “This is Me by Chrissy Metz and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.”
Kienna Van Dellen: “Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper.”
Morgan Miller: “The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness, and Circe by Madeline Miller.”
The 1975 have been my favorite band since I first heard them in fall 2016. Since then, they have journeyed from a nostalgic, ‘80s pop-rock pitched band to somewhere between The Strokes and Jimmy Eat World, and then something that resembles music like The Police to Brian Eno and it seems everything in between.
When I first heard their fourth studio album, “Notes On A Conditional Form”, on the day it was released, it only further solidified my belief that they are the greatest band of the modern age. The record is brilliant, imaginative, introspective, emotional, and raw — all things that make this band unique and special.
NOACF combines elements from every genre without feeling cluttered, and I want to emphasize — every single genre. It has a real tenacity about it while being very humbling. The album feels like it’s in a paper bag, not quite knowing what it is, but the band pulls it off and creates something that doesn’t sound like it was written in a studio. It’s something that sounds like a piece discovered or found, something pre-existing.
All of their records are lengthy, but NOACF crosses a new threshold with 22 tracks. To give this album justice, I wish I could discuss each song individually, but there are not enough pages in the newspaper. So, I will hit on a few of my favorites.
We see Matty Healy asking questions on this album while sonically touching the entire spectrum of the music that influenced this band. The 1975 are masters of surprise, change, and timing. This album is kicked off by a statement from Greta Thunberg where she restates her position on the need to act on the climate emergency while accompanied by melodic, ambient music in the background.
“People,” the following track, wastes no time with pleasantries. The boys shove themselves in your face with a heavy, desert-rock guitar riff as Matty Healy demands people to wake up because the world is literally on fire. Already undeniably one of the best and most elastic vocal performers of his generation, Healy has never sounded so alive: barking, shrieking, and snarling, ripping his vocal cords to shreds. If there’s still any question about whether The 1975 is a rock band, “People” will put that debate to rest.
“Frail State of Mind” speaks to the condition of anxiety that too many of us feel and face too often. It is filled with the band’s signature drum pocket, written and performed with a lot of sensibility, and feels personally addressed to the listener. It makes you feel okay for leaving your friend’s house by 8 p.m. or staying in for the night.
“The Birthday Party” is about the interesting social minutiae of house parties. Healy reflects on society’s relationship with intoxication and issue-avoidance, reflecting on a birthday party preceded by a time of Healy’s life he regrets. The music video to this track is set in a virtual world called Mindshower, a conceptual digital detox world the band created. It has a sound of its own, truly.
“If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” lands later in the album. It is their highest charting single to date in the U.K. It alludes to the sound they introduced themselves with: a glittery ‘80s arrangement, a saxophone solo, and a sleazy hook you won’t forget. Healy sings of an online relationship. Is it love? No. Will it last? Does it matter? Probably not. Let’s dance.
As you reach the hour mark, the music styles take a creative turn. “Shiny Collarbone” is as British as it gets. It’s a garage beat with sample lyrics from Jamaican artist Cutty Ranks. You think, “Wow, they just did that. They just went there.” It’s unbelievable to say the least.
“I Think There’s Something You Should Know” is about feeling a sense of identity loss and unease with who you are. It is also very British, hitting an electronic pop that U.K. dance clubs will likely love to sample.
“Nothing Revealed/Everything Denied” is an angsty hymn with a choir singing, “Life feels like a lie, I need something to be true,” followed by Healy rapping, or “flowing,” as he says.
“Don’t Worry” is a very unique song because it is the only 1975 song that the band did not write. It was written in the ‘90s by Matty Healy’s father, Tim Healy. It’s a piano ballad by both father and son, written about Healy’s mom who was battling depression at the time. Healy says he remembers listening to his dad play it on the piano as a kid in Manchester.
Finally, Healy gives an authentically touching depiction of the band’s formative years and love for each other in “Guys.” In the song, he sings, “I started wetting my eyes because I’m soft in that department,” which is very on-par for this song because you might want to grab a tissue.
This album is a symbol of the band’s confidence at its peak. They constructed a genre-hopping masterpiece that I believe will age very well. Available on all platforms, check out this revolutionary piece of art, “Notes On A Conditional Form.”
The Mississippi Collegain 