THE
Daily
MISSISSIPPIAN theDMonline.com
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Volume 112, No. 5
Can’t find a parking spot? Here’s why.
Ole Miss player sues Kiffin, UM
PHOTO: JULIA GRAVES / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
PggA lot near Crosby Hall at capacity on Sept. 18.
HAL FOX REESE ANDERSON
thedmnews@gmail.com
The University of Mississippi has sold almost 3,000 more parking passes than there are spaces available for students to park in. There are 14,960 total parking spaces available for students and faculty, including residential spaces, and 17,701 parking passes sold so far this year. Hal Robinson, assistant director of parking and transportation systems, explained that this is by design — and further, that UM decreased the ratio of permits to spaces between this year and last. “In fiscal year 2023 (last school year), we sold Commuter Blue permits at a ratio of 2.1 to 1, meaning we sold 2.1 parking permits per parking space,” Robinson said. In the 2021-22 school year, the department sold passes at a 2 to 1 ratio and observed
that some lots were not being fully utilized. “Higher enrollment resulted in a much higher usage in fiscal year 2023 than anticipated, and the 2.1 to 1 ratio that year resulted in some excessive demand in some areas. This year, fiscal year 2024, we returned to a 2 to 1 ratio, which is the common standard rate for this type of parking zone,” Robinson said. In 2022, UM welcomed the largest freshman class in university history on campus. That occurred again in 2023. According to students, these unprecedented enrollment numbers have exacerbated issues with finding parking spaces. “It’s been so bad compared to last year that some people will park in areas that aren’t even parking spots. They’re not in the way of traffic, but they aren’t parked where they’re supposed to be,” Matthew Hearn, a senior computer engineering major, said.
“They usually get tickets, but they don’t care because there’s not anywhere else to park.” Hearn is far from alone. Libby Claire Jones, a junior math education major, laments purchasing one of the most expensive parking permits because she cannot find a space when she needs one. “I have Commuter Blue. I feel like it’s a waste of money because there’s so many students on campus this year,” Jones said. “I could have just ridden the bus for free and gotten closer to some of my classes because most of the Blue spots are filled, and I have to park in the farthest ones.” Aside from various residential parking designations, there are three parking pass options available for students living off-campus: Commuter Blue for $250, Commuter
SEE PARKING PAGE 3
Reduce, reuse, recycle with RebelTHON BELLA BREWER
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As football season kicks off, Ole Miss fans are not the only things packing The Grove. Blue and red trash cans are a familiar sight on game days, an effort to contain the hundreds of pounds of trash generated by tailgaters. Where others see trash, some see an opportunity to raise money and help others. RebelTHON, a service organization at the University of Mississippi, is ramping up its mission to support Children’s of Mississippi in Jackson, the only children’s hospital in the
state. The organization normally fundraises by hosting a yearly dance marathon, but this year, RebelTHON has found an additional way to raise money for the hospital. Byron Swetman, a junior computer science major and director of outreach for RebelTHON, outlined the new plan. “I was searching for service projects that RebelTHON could do for more support. I learned that the Office of Sustainability and the Environment at the University of Iowa had a for-profit recycling program,” Swetman said. “They recycled cans and bottles for monetary means. So I thought that I had something to work with.” Swetman reached out to Kendall McDonald, a UM alumnus and former public policy leadership major who currently works for the Office of Sustainability at the University of Mississippi. After some research, Kendall found that the state of Mississippi cannot publicly recycle cans and bottles for profitable means. GRAPHIC: SEDLEY NORMAND / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
SEE REBELTHON PAGE 2
QUACKS Newly opened restaurant Quacks is bringing hot dogs and good times to the Oxford Square.
SEE PAGE 5
DART Jaxson Dart proved many people wrong this offseason. His improvement has spilled over into this season, as he has excelled in the first three games of the year.
SEE PAGE 9
JOHN MATTHEWS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Lane Kiffin watches Rebels on the side line in Vaught Hemingway Stadium on Sept. 2.
PIER CUMMINGS
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Ole Miss football player DeSanto Rollins is suing Head Coach Lane Kiffin and the University of Mississippi, citing negligence, racial discrimination and sexual discrimination. The suit was filed on Sept. 14 in the Oxford Division of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. He is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages from Kiffin, defendants and the university and $30 million in punitive damages from Kiffin alone. According to the lawsuit, Rollins is alleging that he was subject to a hostile educational environment for requesting and taking a mental health break, which culminated in Rollins being kicked off the team after missing consecutive practices amid a battle with his mental health. Rollins, formerly a backup defensive lineman, has suffered many injuries throughout his career. After injuring his Achilles tendon in the summer of 2022, he claims to have “suffered severe depression, anxiety, frustration, embarrassment, humiliation, a loss of sleep and loss of appetite” as a result of his accumulated injuries. In August of that same year, he aggravated an LCL injury in his knee, which Rollins claims exacerbated his depression. After a February 2023 meeting with Kiffin, Rollins alleges that he was demoted from defensive tackle to offensive tackle on the scout team. Rollins questioned whether this move was “a choice or a command.” According to the lawsuit, Kiffin replied, “If you don’t like it, then you can quit.” After this, Rollins told Kiffin that he would be taking
SEE KIFFIN PAGE 8