It's a New Year of resolutions for MUW students

Alex Woolbright

Managing Editor

Each year after New Year’s Eve college students seem to flock to the gym. The elliptical machines suddenly feel overcrowded and the aerobic classes find a fresh pair of tennis shoes hitting the wooden floors. Not only do gym memberships spike, but the ads on television for weigh loss products are at all-time high, with various men and women encouraging all to buy their product and look great. Though New Year’s resolutions can be superficial I hoped to discover that perhaps MUW’s students sought to do more than just change their body images.

Personally I vowed this year would be the year I finally became healthy. After being diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol at 18, I’d never taken these conditions seriously. Though my desire to eat healthier and work out regularly will certainly change my physical appearance, my desire certainly stemmed from a much deeper place than simply wanting a hot beach body. My search throughout the campus of MUW proved to me that many students are doing just the same.

Many students wanted to accomplish weight loss goals, but some, like the one I interviewed hoped to beat a regular college occurrence and better herself.

Bayleigh Herron, a Freshman Physical Science major from Biloxi, MS hopes not to fall into the “Freshman 15” category by keeping any extra pounds off her first year of college.

“My New Year’s resolution is to combat the freshmen 15 and to kill my Taco Bell addiction. It will show all those who believe in the freshman 15 that it can be inaccurate, and it will also help me get more comfortable with my body,” Herron says.

Herron adds, “Also, it will make my addiction to the skinny jean and yoga pant epidemic a bit more palatable for those who see me around town.”

Christopher Lucas, a Freshman Physical Therapy major from Saucier, MS, is another young freshman who will beat the freshman 15 with his resolve to stay in shape and learn new physical activities this year.

“My resolution is to complete P90x and to learn to scuba dive,” Lucas says.

Indeed, from the interviews conducted and the numbers at the Rec Center, it is apparent that many students on MUW’s campus hope to achieve physical weight loss and lead healthier lifestyles. However, there are some students whose aims are for much more.

Some like Braxton Maclean, a Freshman Communication major from West Point, MS hope to experience a more powerful and spiritual journey in the new year.

“I’m hoping to grow closer to God this semester and to better fulfill his mission on Earth,” Maclean says.

While all of these goals are certainly admirable, and I certainly hope to achieve mine, it can be extremely tough to stick to goals. A busy schedule can make students forget their goals and slowly let them fall to the wayside. However, to hear success stories of resolutions achieved can help each of us to continue working toward the goal.

Julianna Persons, a Junior Speech Language Pathology major from Macon, MS inspires all students with the goals she achieved and has kept since 2009.

“In 2009 I resolved not to drink soft drinks because I was drinking several a day. I knew it was unhealthy and ultimately it would make me feel better throughout the day if I wasn’t drug down by sugar and caffeine. So since Jan 1, 2009 I have been caffeine and carbonation free. I drink only milk, water, and orange juice,” Persons says.

Having met this goal she is not only an inspiration to anyone who has set a resolution, but she also leads a much happier life because of it.

“It has been a positive change for me, and I plan to continue to keep that resolution,” she says.

Perhaps this year each student at MUW who has made a goal can continue to work toward it and by Dec 31, 2013 achieve it, so that 2014 may bring a new year full of new changes and growth.

Rebranding The W inside and out

Danton J. Thompson

Editor

On January 14, in front a huge audience of faculty, staff, media and other members of the community, the results of a long ranging survey was shown that would provide MUW with a direction to go in when it came to branding the university for the public. The multi-media presentation, conducted by Florida based idgroup President Mona Amodeo, was met with all around praise for effectively identifying the W and its strong points that students and faculty members alike had been privy to for years. The results of the analysis will be used to design a specific course of action to draw potential students to the Columbus campus.

The feedback will focus on opportunities and experiences MUW provides that are all around unique and that simply cannot be found anywhere else. Dr. Jim Borsig, President of the Mississippi University for Women, often speaks of the "private university  feel" of the school, leading MUW to be often called one of the best kept secrets of the South.

"This is a place where you know where to go and all your teachers know your name. I think the future is very bright and all of these elements will provide this school with success for years to come," stated Borsig in his speech after being selected as president.

Despite the branding session being completed fairly recently, the W has already begun to undergo various changes around campus, much to the excitement of the students. Possibly the biggest and most visible change is the construction being done to the Fant Libary. The construction on the library has being going on since mid Fall, but when students returned from the Christmas break, construction progress had increased exponentially.

Closer to home, in living areas like Columbus and Kincanon Halls respectively, you can see the result of new renovations. The floors in Kincanon had been completely redone for the 2012-13 school year, while Columbus Hall is now home to a brand new structure to house often unsightly garbage.
The cafeteria now has new drinking machines to go along with the plethora of culinary changes that came about this year. Following the success of the To Go Station and the new Subway Cafe, the cafeteria has also definitely stepped its game up.

Last but definitely not least, in a move that will definitely appease the techies on campus, the W has updated its internet, its e-mail client and its wireless log in. The new internet clocks in with a download speed of a whopping 25.08 Mbps, which is more than enough speed to do tons of research, or marathon shows on Netflix. MyApps, the new google based e-mail client now used by MUW, provides every student on campus with 25 gigabytes of personal storage, as well as various other services provided by big name e-mail providers like Yahoo and G-Mail.

With all the new renovations and upgrades to MUW buildings and services, Mississippi University for Women is more than ready to bring in a ton of new students. MUW may be one of the best kept secrets in the South, but now thanks to recent construction, renovations and the branding ceremony, the secret is out.

Dr. Jim Borsig to be formally inaugurated

Anthony Bonner

Copy Editor

Dr. Jim Borsig will be installed as the president of Mississippi University for Women on Friday, Feb. 15.

The ceremony will be held in Rent Auditorium at 10 a.m., with all faculty asked to be in attendance.

Borsig was named president of MUW on Nov. 30, 2011, and is the 14th president of the university.

The inauguration ceremony will follow several other events that are being held to mark the occasion. On Feb. 13 from 3-5 p.m., the university will have an Afternoon of Service for students, faculty and staff. There will be an art exhibit and reception that evening in the Eugenia Summer Gallery from 5:30 -7 p.m.

On Feb. 14 there will be a special performance by pianist Elena Klionsky in Kossen Auditorium in Poindexter Hall.

A 5-K run and 1-mile walk will be held on Saturday, Feb. 16, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Since being chosen to head the university, Borsig has undertaken several initiatives on campus. Those include asking an outside firm to help with creating a consistent brand identity for MUW and establishing a committee to consider the possibility of bringing sports back to the university.

He has also spoken to many groups and organizations in Lowndes County regarding MUW’s goals and the economic impact that the university has on this area. Borsig also pushed for the university to be able to charge in-state tuition rates to students from nearby states such as Alabama and Tennessee. That is now in effect at MUW and is expected to help attract out-of-state students to the university.

Before being named as MUW’s president, Borsig worked with the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), where he served as associate commissioner for external relations and public policy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and American studies from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also earned a master’s degree from USM in political science with a concentration in public administration. He earned his doctorate in public policy and administration from Mississippi State University.

Shaping up to be a sore semester

Danton J. Thompson

Editor

“Beware the freshman fifteen.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve actually heard this phrase being uttered, let alone seeing it in print or on television shows. By the time I finally entered college, already being of the “more to love” body type variety, I wanted to heed this warning as adamantly as I could.

During the first semester of my freshman year, I stayed away from super fatty foods like pizza and such; even though I wanted nothing more than to binge on Domino’s every weekend. In the spring, I went so far as to join the Weight Training class that was to be taught in the shiny new Rec center in Stark. Being the young whippersnapper that I was at the time, I breezed through the course with shining colors and sore glutes and was aptly proud of myself, vowing not to take any more fitness classes.

Fast forward to roughly three years later and here I am about 10 pounds heavier and more out of shape than a spilt bowl of pudding. I recently enrolled in Weight Training again, possibly just to see if I still had my freshman vigor. Long story short, I do not. During my first new altercation with the weight lifting machines, the machines won in a flawless victory. I’m not saying I’m completely out of shape, but I’m obviously nowhere near the shape I used to be in.

Though it might take another semester of sweating it out in front of muscle-bound gym hounds that make me want to go sit in a corner and play Pokémon, looking at you Will Walker, I am determined to whip this body into a shape that I can be proud of.