THE
Daily
MISSISSIPPIAN theDMonline.com
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Volume 113, No. 2
GHOSTLIGHT
HEATHER MCMAHAN
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
A student-run organization allows members to experience the world of theater.
Comedian Heather McMahan returned to Oxford to perform her stand-up routine.
The Rebels face Middle Tennessee State University on Sept. 7.
SEE PAGE 5
SEE PAGE 7
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Campus food trucks struggle to UM receives adapt to new Grubhub system record-breaking
private donations JORDAN ISBELL
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With a total of 26,706 donors contributing 61,668 gifts, the University of Mississippi received $168.36 million in donations in the 2024 fiscal year, setting the record for the highest fundraising year in the school’s history. This is a $13.26 million increase from the 2023 fiscal year, in which UM received $155.1 million in donations. Donations fund a wide range of
HANNAH IVEY
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Among other changes by Ole Miss Dining intended to make meals more accessible, students can now use the Grubhub app to order at campus food trucks — a change that has mixed reviews so far. Students can order ahead of pick-up at various vendors across campus, however, there is not a check-in system available through
the app for these food trucks. When ordering food at locations in the student union, customers can place their Grubhub orders on the app. Once they arrive at the union, customers signal the app they are there, notifying the food service workers to start making the order. This is not the case at food trucks. Customers have to physically check in at the front window in order for their food to be made. Alexis Tran, a Hotbox Hibachi employee, described the
SEE DONATIONS PAGE 2
MARIA RAMIREZ / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Students wait outside of the Hotbox Hibachi truck for their food on Sept. 3.
expenditures across campus — including scholarships, individual school improvements and investments into medical research. “We always get funding for scholarships,” Vice Chancellor for Development Charlotte Parks said. “One thing that people really like to do is help students be able to afford to come (to school here).” The donations also
difficulties in integrating Grubhub into the food truck’s service. “It’s definitely made it harder,” Tran said. “It took us a few days to get a real system working because we’re so used to writing on the boxes, and now the tickets are printing, and there’s not a limit, so we can’t gauge how many people are here.” To order food at Hotbox Hibachi, students must place
GRAPHIC: CAMERON LARKIN / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
SEE GRUBHUB PAGE 2
Aging campus trees get the ax RAEGAN SETTLE
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KHARLEY REDMON / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Chopped remains of an aged tree in the Grove on Aug. 8.
University of Mississippi Landscape Services cut down five large trees in the beginning of August in response to safety concerns posed by the trees’ declining health. Two trees in the Circle and three in the Grove were removed. Additional trees beyond the Grove and Circle also have been cut down during the past few weeks, including one across from Farley Hall on Sorority Row and another on Poole Drive
across from the Sigma Chi fraternity house. Director of UM Landscape Services Jeff McManus said the recent removals were part of the university’s commitment to maintaining the natural beauty and safety of campus. “In some cases, structural failure was possible, and the decision to remove them was made to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors,” McManus said. McManus explained that the trees were deemed unsafe as a result of disease caused by
the fungus Biscogniauxia — a fungus that works to accelerate the decay of trees — as well as age-related decline and environmental stress. According to a study by the Mississippi State University’s Plant Disease and Nematode Diagnostic Services, Biscogniauxia can enter trees through wounds or natural openings in the bark or by small colonies that fester in healthy trees. The study says that multiple factors can hinder a healthy tree’s ability to defend against the fungus, including drought, extreme heat, wounds,
root damage and toxic chemicals. The study also found that Biscogniauxia thrives in temperatures ranging from 85-95℉. A similar study conducted by the Oklahoma State University found that there is no clear cure or treatment for Biscogniauxia, but that the best way to prevent it is to maintain the tree’s overall health. The recent removals at UM are connected to the falling of four trees in April 2024 caused by heavy rainfall and strong
SEE TREES PAGE 4