Reunion brings record crowd to campus

by Barbara Lago and Tobie Baker

record crowd attended the Black Alumni and Family Reunion held at The University of Mississippi March 6-8.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” said Josh Davis, assistant director of alumni affairs. “More than 400 alumni registered, and many of them brought their families. It was our largest crowd ever.”

Held every three years, the weekend gathering has routinely drawn up to 150 alumni.

“I enjoyed the hugs, embraces and loud screams as people reunited,” said Rose Flenorl, Ole Miss Alumni Association president. “Some [alumni] had been away for 30 years. Others have come to every reunion. It was emotional to see people reconnecting.”

Increased attendance may be linked to suggestions from alumni for making the reunion more enjoyable, such as making the event more family-oriented and including peer-nominated awards. Activities also included a career fair, panel discussions, a Greek show, nightly entertainment and campus tours.

One of the best-attended events of the weekend was a panel discussion about African-American student activism and history at Ole Miss during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. “It provided alumni with an opportunity to share feelings, some hurtful things of the past, that had been suppressed,” Davis said. “It was cathartic, and now their question is, ‘Where do we go from here?’”

Notably, while the black experience on campus is less than 50 years old, the university is starting to see children and even grandchildren of black alumni graduate from UM, said Thomas Wallace, assistant to the provost.

Flenorl agreed. “It was amazing to see how many alums had children who have graduated from Ole Miss or are currently attending Ole Miss,” Flenorl said. “Many brought their high-school children with them to learn more about attending college at Ole Miss. It is a compliment to Ole Miss that alums… want their children to attend their university.”

These family legacies reveal the level of pride they have for the institution, Wallace added.

“The changes that have taken place and the progress you see here at Ole Miss have enabled us to truly become one of America’s great public universities,” he said. “It’s important that we continue to hold on to that momentum.”