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MISSISSIPPIAN theDMonline.com
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Volume 112, No. 27
Getting to the root of potential causes for UM’s fallen trees Recent fallen trees on the UM campus may be caused by more problems than just poor weather, according to university officials.
SAA opts to skip spring concert HANNAH IVEY
thedmnews@gmail.com
Assistant Director of UM Landscaping Nathan Lazinsky explained why trees fall in such situations. “The soil swells up, and it gets to where the tree is almost floating in water, and when you have wind on top of that, that’s where you have failures,” Lazinsky said. “If you think about how the wind blows, it’s pulling the oversaturated roots right out of the ground.” Factors other than weather are also at play. The Grove attracts
The University of Mississippi and the Student Activities Association will not host a free concert this spring. Previous performers at these SAA-sponsored spring concerts include PARTYNEXTDOOR, Riley Green, Thomas Rhett, Wiz Khalifa and NEEDTOBREATHE, according to the ForUM. Executive Director for the SAA and senior public policy leadership major Daneel Konnar said the large number of other events on campus this semester had an impact on SAA’s decision not to include a concert in the events slated for this spring. “Due to the high number of spring entertainment opportunities — like Double Decker Arts Festival, Mississippi Day and more — and to encourage more engagement and attendance at those events, the Student Activities Association will not host a spring concert,” Konnar said. “We decided to push the Student Activities Association concert to next school year due
SEE TREES PAGE 2
SEE CONCERT PAGE 3
PHOTO COURTESY: HG BIGGS
University of Mississippi students and employees take photos of the fallen tree in the Grove in front of the student union on April 11.
JORDAN ISBELL
thedmnews@gmail.com
T
he University of Mississippi has experienced several inches of rain and strong winds throughout the past few weeks. As a result of this bad weather, multiple trees fell on April 10 and 11 on the UM campus: two in the Grove, one near the Chancellor’s House and one outside the UM Law Center. The most significant incident occurred in the afternoon of
April 11, when a 107-year-old oak tree uprooted in the Grove and fell across the Ole Miss Student Union Plaza. The tree crushed numerous light and banner poles, but none of the students walking on the plaza were injured. UM Landscape Services reported the ancient oak that keeled over near the union and another giant tree that uprooted in the middle of the Grove fell due to oversaturation from heavy rainfall. The other fallen trees on campus are thought to have succumbed for similar reasons.
‘Oxford is not Oxford without Ajax’ JERIDIANE RAY
thedmfeatures@gmail.com
Jalapeño cornbread, collard greens and butter beans just like your mom made them: These are the key ingredients that have made Ajax a key player of the Oxford food scene for over a quarter of a century. While Oxonians love
the timelessness of the diner’s menu, a recent development is making history as the first time Ajax Diner has changed ownership since its opening in 1997. Randy Yates turned over the keys to new owner Clay Scruggs on April 9. As a UM alumnus, the Tupelo, Miss., native’s love for Ajax Diner began during his time as
a student in the late 1990s. Scruggs explained how the opportunity arose to purchase the iconic restaurant on the Square. “(Yates) approached me a few months ago about if I were interested in purchasing the restaurant, and I was a little
SEE AJAX PAGE 6
Owner of Ajax Diner Clay Scruggs.
JERDIANE RAY / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN