Have you ever thought about what the Ole Miss creed means to you? What do you think of when you think of the creed? Why should Ole Miss students live by the creed?

The University of Mississippi’s Creed states, “The University of Mississippi is a community of learning dedicated to nurturing excellence in intellectual inquiry and personal character in an open and diverse environment. As a voluntary member of this community:

I believe in respect for the dignity of each person.

I believe in fairness and civility.

I believe in personal and professional integrity,

I believe in academic honesty.

I believe in academic freedom.

I believe in good stewardship of our resources.

I pledge to uphold these values and encourage others to follow my example,”

As a freshman, academic honesty probably stands out to me the most. Going to class is a choice you make. It’s easy to skip class. You don’t have your parents telling you to go to class or telling you what to do at all for that matter.

You start making all of your decisions on your own in college and sometimes that can be scary. With any decision you make, there will be a consequence whether it be a good one or a bad one. College is the start of life in the real world. You get to choose. Are you going to make good choices or are you going to make poor choices?

Attending a university as big as Ole Miss, people are going to have many different opinions and thoughts on certain topics and ideas and this goes hand in hand with “respect for the dignity of each person.” I have met so many people in just the three short weeks that I have been at Ole Miss.

Not one person is the same or acts the same and we have to respect that. Being nice to people is a way of respecting your peers. Just a simple smile to someone while walking to class could make someone’s entire day. Stand up for what you believe in. When everyone thinks alike, no one thinks.

Sometimes the different opinions and thoughts allow others to see or view something in a way they never have before. Give your opinion. Be who you are, not who others want you to be. “Everyone is trying to define who we are,” Matt Luke, our head football coach, said. “Everybody’s trying to tell us what we’re going to be.

We’re the only ones that decide who we are. We decide that.” While Luke was talking to the Ole Miss football team, I think this is true for people in their everyday lives. We are the only ones who can decide what we are and what decisions we plan to make. You should take advantage of that.

Another part of the creed that stood out to me was “I pledge to uphold these values and encourage others to follow my example.” Instead of being a follower, be a leader. Growing up, my parents always told me to be a leader not a follower.

Just because everyone else is doing it, it doesn’t mean you should. Whereas a follower will follow in the footsteps of others, leaders create new paths. Leaders do not wait on other people to take the initiative.

Leaders live for the future, not for the here and now. As college students, we are all working to get an education to further our future plans and goals. That is the main reason why we are here at The University of Mississippi.

Don’t think that you can’t make a difference on campus just because you are a freshman. When I read the University of Mississippi’s creed, there is no doubt in my mind that I choose the perfect school!