Casanda Anderson
Reporter
The W’s Student Success Center held a poetry night on Oct. 3 in the W room.
Students, faculty and more showcased their poetry skills. The event was held to encourage members of the W community to read this year’s Common Read Initiative book, “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson. CRI aims to explore literary heritage and inspire discussion of key issues.
Takeisha King
Reporter
Members of The W Leadership Program presented “It’s OK to Say No” in Cochran on Oct. 4.
“It’s OK to Say No” was designed to reach out to students who are taking on more than they can handle in school and let them know that it’s OK to say “no” sometimes. Organizers of the event said that at a small university such as The W, students tend to be more tight knit than at larger universities and more likely to say “yes” whenever a classmate or friend invites them to join a new organization, add a class or take on a new project. This urge to overcommit can cause negative effects on a student’s well being.
Sumra Hayden
Reporter
The Mississippi Court of Appeals heard oral arguments at The W on Oct. 3 as part of the “Court on the Road” program.
The Court on the Road program allows anyone with an interest in the court system to learn how courts work at the appellate level. Three of the 10 judges in the Mississippi Court of Appeals met at The W to hear an appeal in a civil case and an appeal in a criminal case. The Court of Appeals only deals with cases that have been previously settled in a court of law but have certain facts in dispute.
Tara Baucom
Reporter
The W is offering a scholarship in honor of Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill to graduate nursing students.
The Held-Merrill Fund is an endowed scholarship that will be offered to graduate and doctoral students who embody the character of the two sisters, who were graduates of the nursing program.
Sumra Hayden
Reporter
The W held its community service fair on Sept. 14 in the W Room to encourage students to volunteer and make a difference in their local community.
Local agencies such as the Greater Columbus Learning Center had informative booths set up for those interested to stop by and learn more about potential volunteer opportunities.
Lauren Trimm
Reporter
Enrollment has gone up 11 percent. Fall 2016 has the largest group of international students yet. More students are obtaining degrees, with a 206 percent growth since 2011.
Recent awards include the highest-ranked Mississippi university on Washington Monthly’s “Best Bang for the Buck” list, a fifth year on the Washington Monthly’s list of Top 100 Master’s Schools in the nation and another year on U.S. News & World Report’s top 20 public Southern regional universities.
Lauren Trimm
News Editor
Several projects are being planned on campus in order to continue making improvements, including remodeling The W's Demonstration School and demolishing Taylor Hall and Keirn Hall.
The first major project is the renovation of the Demonstration School. Originally home to the state's first laboratory school for teaching, the school provided education for students in kindergarten through fourth grade as well as university students seeking degrees in education. The demonstration school was also home to the first African-American member of the W faculty in 1970.
Monica Kizer
Reporter
Mississippi University for Women will honor the first six African-American women who integrated the school 50 years ago with the “Those Who Dared” celebration.
The first African-American women to attend the school were Laverne Greene Leech, Barbara Turner Bankhead, Diane Hardy Thompson, Jacqueline Edwards, Mary Flowers and Eula M. Houser Thompson. Students, faculty and staff are all encouraged to attend the events.
Kathleen Gartman
Reporter
The W Theatre Department will present a readers’ theatre version of Michael Farris Smith’s short story, “Chasing Rabbits,” on Sept. 22.
Smith is a published author and associate professor of English at The W. He has two published books and two more set to be published in 2017 and 2018.
Casanda Anderson
Reporter
Stark Rec Center hosted a one-day badminton tournament for W students on Sept. 1.
Similar to tennis, badminton is played with a racket and net but uses a birdie or shuttlecock instead of a tennis ball. The objective of the sport is to use the racket to hit the birdie over the net in the hopes that the opposing player will be unable to hit it back.
