Student Printz year in review

When we came to the basement of Southern Hall to print our first edition on Aug. 25, 2011, we had no idea what was in store for the year.

We knew we would be reporting the typical stories about football games, Eaglepalooza, Student Government Association and Greek Life, and, of course, we would be receiving countless Shout Outs in reference to love at first sight and bad drivers on campus.

What we didn’t think about covering, however, were the more dramatic things that happen on a college campus, like the deaths of two students in our very first publication.

Just two months into the year, Southern Miss was forced into the national spotlight when a group of sorority girls on campus dressed up as the Cosby family for a party, and they were labeled racists and accused of blackface.

A week later, USM was under fire yet again when students were illegally given Samsung Galaxy Tablets and told they were gifts. The students were forced to return the tablets, and a few administrators lost their jobs in connection with the incident.

With all this negative attention swirling around the university, the Golden Eagle football team was having a historical season, and they took the title of C-USA champions after beating the Houston Cougars in December.

The men’s basketball team also made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in years, though their success was overshadowed when a few pep band members chanted, “Where’s your green card?” at a Kansas State player, once again causing USM to catch heat for racism.

Despite the negative attention, USM was voted into the top twentieth percentile of most popular universities in the country, and the school saw record enrollment.

Now, we are at a crossroads. Our president is resigning, and there is turmoil surrounding the hiring of a new athletic director. However, we have so many things to be thankful for.

For example, we have an excellent student newspaper on campus. In case you were wondering, we won best newspaper in the state by the Mississippi Press Association. #holdyourapplause. As an editorial staff, we have only you to thank. Well, you and The Hog, our editorial meeting spot.

We could not have had the year we did without you, your constant complaining in the Shout Out section, dumb letters to the editor and your readership. We can also thank those bright stars on campus who see the good in every situation. By this, we mean Kelly Price and Melissa McCraw, who turned an armed robbery into a campus-wide day of hide-and-go-seek.

Justin Mitchell has probably personally offended each and every one of you out there with his biting opinion articles, starting with his editor, Mary Margaret Halford, who has never been seen wearing anything other than Nike shorts and oversized t-shirts. #FratFashion
Our beloved ginger, Justin Sellers, never made it through a night toning photos without a glass of Jack Daniels and an argument with hipster Hannah Jones, usually about something stupid like a YouTube video or, really, anything else.

This year has taught us that we can deal with anything, and by we, we mean the Southern Miss community. We’ve faced some tough challenges this year, but nothing we haven’t overcome. That is a testament to the value of the education we get here, not just academically, but as people.

Southern Miss is a family, and in these uncertain times where we don’t know what the future holds, whether it be in administration or athletics, the most important thing is that we remember to hang in there with each other. Remember what made you choose to come to Southern Miss, and what makes this university special to each of you.

Keep reading The Student Printz, because we’ll all be back next year (except for Sellers, but we don’t want to talk about him leaving, it makes us emotional).

We’ll see you all on Tuesday in August, and, until then, Southern Miss To the Top.