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MISSISSIPPIAN theDMonline.com
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Volume 111, No. 2
Weekend rental market eases pressure as Oxford tourism booms
Graduate student passes away HAL FOX
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ILLUSTRATION: SAVANNAH SHOOK / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
ELLE MUIRHEAD
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With football season back in full swing, Oxford is feeling the pressure incoming tourists put on the city. As the hospitality industry has been expanding to keep up with growing demand, many residents have decided to become part of the industry instead of just a part of the scenery. Over the past several years, the private home rental market, “weekend rentals,” has transformed the hospitality and tourism industry in the city of Oxford. Not only do private
rentals help alleviate the pressure of accommodating mass amounts of tourists, but they also provide locals with a new opportunity to generate extra income. “There’s a guy in my neighborhood who rents his house out for $5,000 a weekend because these rich people will pay out the nose for somewhere to stay,” said Richard Gentry, chair of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Mississippi. “It subsidizes the Oxford economy, so the townies head out.” For the last few years, most tourists have preferred
booking through agencies like Airbnb or Vrbo over hotel options in the area. Though this directly benefits the local Oxford residents who own the short-term rentals, it has, until recently, had a negative impact on the Oxford economy, according to Nadia Thornton, sales and marketing manager for the tourism agency, Visit Oxford. “For years, the 2% lodging tax at hotels, as well as the food and beverage 2% tax, wasn’t being charged by Airbnbs here which hurt the hotels and the economy,” said Thornton. “But now, legislation is helping that.” Short-term rental owners
are now required to charge the 7% state sales tax on the listed price as well as local tourism and economic development taxes. This helps both the city’s economy and tourism agency. In the last year, the hotel tax alone generated $416,253 for the city of Oxford. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, that tax generated nearly $480,000 a year. The goal is to have the hotel tax applied to private rentals. The majority of the tax money is generated during the “busy season” in Oxford — football season. The
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Medley Jane Morgan, an Ole Miss student pursuing a masters of education in counselor education, passed away on Aug. 20 as the result of a car accident. She was 24 years old. Her funeral was held at Coleman Funeral Home of Olive Branch on Aug. 23 and she was later interned at Autumn Woods Memorial Park. Morgan was born in Memphis on Feb. 20 1998, and grew up in Olive Branch, Miss., a suburb of Memphis. She attended the University of Mississippi for her undergraduate degree and graduated from the university in May of 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She was set to start her graduate studies at the university with a specialization in Clinical Mental Health just a few days after her death. Morgan worked as a psychological technician at the North Mississippi Regional Center and enjoyed her job for the interactions it gave her with her clients. As her obituary reads, “Medley was the type of person who could talk to anyone. She always made sure that she made others feel beautiful, appreciated, and special regardless of their background, circumstance, appearance, occupation, or age.” Memorial donations can be made in Morgan’s name to the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization that pledges to “transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever.”
Ole Miss primed to start season with a statement CAMERON LARKIN
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PHOTO COURTESY: REED JONES/OLE MISS ATHLETICS.
Ole Miss football competed in a scrimmage on Aug. 20 in preparation for the first game of the season.
The Rebels have been hungry to get back on the field under the bright lights at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the entire offseason. The disappointment of its Sugar Bowl loss has stayed with and fueled the Ole Miss football team for the last nine months, and they cannot wait to bounce back in a big way.
The Rebels look to be a completely different monster compared to last year. Through the transfer portal, player development and hiring a new offensive coordinator, Ole Miss is well equipped to surprise many. After coming off its first 10win season since 2015, Ole Miss is ready to kick off its 2022 campaign at 3 p.m. Saturday against Troy University. Troy, coming off of a disappointing 5-7 season
in 2021, is looking to shock everyone in Week 1 of this college football season. The Trojans will come into Vaught-Hemingway stadium with supreme confidence that they can pull off the upset. It can be easy to view this week’s matchup as a cupcake game, but the Rebels know there are no absolutes in college football. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has proven
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