Students appear in Playboy

Three students from Southern Miss featured in the May 2007 issue of Playboy magazine autographed copies Wednesday at Books-a-Million in Hattiesburg.

The signing took place at the Hwy 98 location from noon until 2 p.m. Protestors never showed despite rumors area churches might picket the event.

"We're excited about it," said manager Bobby Jewel. "It is always a great thing to have local people here to sign."

The magazine sent photographers to Hattiesburg in October to hold interviews and take photos of USM students for their "Girls of Conference-USA" edition. Of the approximately 20 women who tried out, 12 were photographed. Four of those were chosen and appear in the magazine which hit shelves Friday.

The students featured are listed as Tracy Alexander, Terra Biboise, Adrianne Day and Kala Marlane, and each student's name is a variation on the actual spelling. Marlane did not appear at the signing.

"My mom is really excited about it," said Alexander, a 26-year-old nursing major who first saw an advertisement for auditions in The Student Printz. "I've always read Playboy."

Each woman agreed Playboy was careful to remain tasteful.

"If they ask me, I'll do it again," said Day, who is featured in a solo photograph separate from the other three who appear side by side.

Overall, the event was quiet and civil. The women signed copies while chatting cordially, and both men and women bought copies of the magazine within 14 paces of the Christian Living section of the store.

Junior Matt Broome attended the event out of curiosity. "I thought it would be a fun thing to do. I wanted to see if I knew them from class," he said. "I have no problem with it."

All of the USM students featured have known for months they were among those chosen, and the anticipation has been intense.

"I am nervous," said Day, a 22-year-old paralegal studies major, "but it's more of an excited nervous. I've always wanted to be in the magazine but never thought I would have the opportunity."

Day added she was reluctant to tell people she was going to try out for the magazine, but after finding out she had been chosen to appear inside she told everyone she knew.

Biboise, a junior nutrition major, said her experience with Playboy was overwhelmingly positive, adding, "You are only young once, and when this season in life is over it won't come again."

The eight-page nude pictorial also includes students from the following universities: Texas El Paso, Memphis, Tulane, East Carolina, Rice, Houston, Central Florida, Alabama, Marshall, Tulsa and Southern Methodist.

Playboy last featured the "Girls of the Conference USA" in its October 2000 issue.

Video of the interview process is still available in the studentprintz.com multimedia section, and cropped photos of both Day and Alexander appear in the online edition.