Southern Style visits Oxford

Southern Style is the official host and hostess group for the University of Southern Mississippi. It is a long standing tradition here at this University and it is also considered one of the most prestigious student groups on campus today. As a member of Southern Style, you may only serve for one full summer. During that summer you are responsible for all freshman, transfer and non-traditional student previews. Southern Style is a group that works on behalf of the First Year Experience Office in order to make new students transitions into Southern Miss as easy as possible. It was by far one of my favorite things I've done to date as an undergrad.

The group is comprised of 20-25 student leaders. The group is responsible for a 300 level course, and responsibilities are not taken lightly. One of the most important characteristics director Wynde Fitts always communicated to us was that we were a unit and must work together to accomplish our tasks.

SROW, or the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop, was one of many opportunities that helped us grow together as a team. SROW, much like Balfour & Boston, was an enriching opportunity to compare notes from other neighboring orientation leaders. We also competed in a Southern Miss themed dance, against 9 other schools, and placed first. Winning made SROW even more exciting, but most importantly it highlighted for us as a team, how much our hard work pays off. We carried this spirit and enthusiasm into the summer long work experience. Even though we were paid a small stipend, it was an excellent example of servant leadership. I would recommend other students to try out for this organization. It taught me so much about myself and working with others who come from different backgrounds than myself.

1st Place Winners!

End of a long preview day this summer.

Visit where SROW will be located for the newly selected Southern Style 2010!

http://louisville.edu/admissions/orientation/srow2010

Sigma Chi & North Carolina

As president of my fraternity, I had the rare opportunity to travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for our National Leadership Conference: Balfour.

Balfour is a excellent leadership opportunity. All of the Sigma Chi Fraternity Executive Officers had the chance to make a long (but worthwhile) road trip to Chapel Hill, the home to The University of North Carolina. The college town was somewhat different from what we were used to. Yet, the leadership conference itself was a unique growing experience for a fraternity member. It is very interesting to get to visit with fellow Sigma Chi's from all over the country. Chapter's from different states (and especially those apart from the South) were very different from what I am used to. Theta Delta at the University of Southern Mississippi is only one of hundreds of chapter's nationwide. So it was a unique experience to get to build brotherhood with Sigma Chi's from all over the country. Most importantly, we met as chapter presidents in small group sessions where we were given the time to discuss issues within our chapter's. During this time, I was allotted great incite into how to resolve some of the issues facing my own fraternity and I was inspired to be the best leader I could possibly be here at the University of Southern Mississippi. Sigma Chi fosters leadership development in and outside of the confines of a stereotypical fraternity. So, Balfour boosted my motivation to make the most out of my senior year, and always do as Dr. Joe Paul says,

"Leave Southern Miss better than you found it."

Sigma Chi at the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital in Jackson, MS. One of our philanthropic events that Balfour gives us the opportunity to improve upon at the conference.

Visit Theta Delta's website:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sigmachiusm.com%2F&h=fdc85523fe1282539fade0afd0ddd1d7

SGA visits Boston

As an executive member of the Student Government Association, we are granted the opportunity to attend one conference in the nation that pertains to leadership within Student Governments from all over the country. It as opportunity to foster personal development, as well as, take in other perspectives on leadership on college campuses nationwide.

The conference is a lot of fun and this year we had the opportunity to visit Boston. I thoroughly enjoyed this city.

I never traveled to Boston before, and this was a trip that I will never forget. The state is so full of history its unbelievable. We got to visit many famous land marks, and I got the chance to revisit some of America's roots on my trip as well. Overall it was a very enjoyable vacation away from Hattiesburg, and most importantly it helped all of us bond together as the executive branch of SGA.

My favorite part of the trip was visiting Boston College, Boston University and Harvard. It was an eye opener to visit schools in the heart of such a big city.

Here are some pictures from my trip!

Monument at Boston College. The architecture of this institution was amazing. It is a private University. Very expensive.

The Cheers Restaurant that inspired the hit TV show! Great food.

A George Washington monument in a park we visited.

I would not have changed anything about this trip. I definitely encourage everyone to visit Boston!

http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/

New Activity Hub

The new Student Activity Hub is an excellent addition to the Southern Miss campus. I have been actively involved in a variety of organizations over the course of my undergraduate career. As an executive member of SGA (Student Government Association), it has been both an honor and a privilege to be a part of the new space that was created specifically for us. The old Student Government offices hail in comparison to the new space we have (located upstairs) of the new Hub. It is also a larger space that will benefit my office, by providing me with an even greater area to work in.

As Elections Commissioner, I am responsible for both the Homecoming elections, as well as, the upcoming Student Government Executive officer elections. I have already completed one of my tasks with Homecoming being behind us, and I am greatly looking forward to my next one this upcoming spring. I remember feeling cramped in the old space provided for Student Government, and I look forward to working hard in the new offices.

Southern Miss should be proud of this great service and space they have now offered to their student leaders. The office houses multiple different organizations other than Student Government, which include, the African American Student Organization and Student Activities Office (SMAC).

http://http//www.usm.edu/pr/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2903

Chris Arguedas
Christopher.arguedas@usm.edu
LIS 201
August 30, 2009
Southern Miss – Special Collections Visit

The Special Collections visit was a great experience for me. I’m entering my senior year of college and I’ve never had the opportunity to learn about so much of our history as a University. It was enjoyable for me to learn from a hands-on on perspective about the artifacts Southern Miss has collected over the years. I really thought it was interesting to take a look at how females were required to live on campus through the Southern Miss manual. The rules were so different then for women than they are now and it gave me a broader perspective on how Southern Miss has evolved over the decades. Women were treated in college with more rules and regulations than most students in high school. Most of the memorabilia included on the visit were snapshots in time of how things once were. I especially enjoyed the picture of campus from the early 1900’s. It was nice to see how much we have grown architecturally in the past 99 years of existence. I’m proud to call myself a student here and I know that we will only continue to grow in the years to come. Another one of my favorite components of the exhibit was some of the racial documents regarding the missing visitors who were working to help combat some of the issues facing African Americans. Although it was not the brightest time for the University or Mississippi, I think it is important to remember the racial struggles that we have overcome as a college and a state. Today Southern Miss has African American leadership throughout its campus and has prospered from those administrators as well. I think it speaks volumes about how far we’ve come and it is important to remember the people who fought, and died, for the liberties we share today. I am very glad that we took the time out to go and visit the Special Collections exhibit and I hope to be able to use it in the future for research. Especially now that I am more aware of the resources available to me as a student.