WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Ole Miss Tries to Shake 'Partying' Reputation

Ole Miss Tries to Shake 'Partying' Reputation

Football weekends in Oxford include noise, excitement -- and, of course, booze. Cameras from WLBT sister station WMC in Memphis caught students holding beer relays in the Grove on campus.

It's one of the reasons Ole Miss landed at Number 2 on the Princeton Review's annual list of top twenty party schools in America.

Longtime dean of students Sparky Reardon says the problem runs deep.

"We realize we're part of a national culture of alcohol abuse on college campuses," says Reardon. 

Oxford Mayor Richard Howorth agrees.

"Changing the culture is not something that can be done with a stick," Howorth says. "We have to try to do everything in our power to try to turn that around."

Citing three deadly accidents involving drunk underage student drivers, downtown Oxford is changing -- quickly. The crackdown is evident in undercover footage. Bouncers check ID's strictly. By 9:00 p.m., wristbands are worn by all aged 21 and up, and everyone else is kicked out. Bars close at 1:00 a.m., but even then the crowd moves into neighborhoods, especially onto campus.

Fraternity Row is one place where college students stroll up and down the street from one house to another. It's where large crowds wait in large lines to get in. It's where security closes down the streets. And it's a tradition at Ole Miss called "late night."

"We're trying to teach them that they're organizations within the framework of an educational institution and not bars," says Reardon. 

It's a message circulating slowly. If you search "Ole Miss" on www.youtube.com, you'll quickly find a video offering answers to an interesting question, keg stands and beer bongs. There are videos of college-aged kids seemingly bragging about the party school distinction.

It's bragging that university provost Carolyn Staton can't stand.

"I think it says more about them and their attitude about education than it does about Ole Miss," she says. 

The university is trying to change. Ole Miss now requires all freshman to finish an online course called "alcohol-edu" before they're allowed to register for a second semester. There's an alcohol policy in place, too. Anyone caught breaking the rules twice faces suspension for a full semester.

"Know the law, obey the law, and take responsibility for your actions," says Reardon.

It's a mantra Ole Miss hopes will help shake its party school reputation.