I heard the line " I am glad you showed up with shirts and shoes on" today and it fell as flat on the crowd of Mississippians as it did on me. No one laughed because number one it wasn't funny and number two , why propel stereotypes that aren't true in the first place. I know that it was a common joke but I believe its frigid reception shows the attitude that Ole Miss students and the city of Oxford have towards the portrayal of our state and town to the national media. If all you've got are archaic ideas of Mississippi you need to check them at the door. Yes , we have had a terrible history concerning race, but notice I said history, not present situation. We have deep history and yes there is a Confederate monument and the James Meredith Civil Rights monument within a quarter of a mile of each other, with the Lyceum in the middle. (this is not my observation, and I could remember who to give credit to I would) Bottom line that is where we stand as a university and state, remembering the past but learning from the mistakes and moving toward the future. So please acknowledge that we have come a long way from nearly 50 years ago, but we are not stagnant we are moving forward. Lets not mock ourselves for our roots, but realize that roots keep us grounded and without them, those Mississippi magnolia trees wouldn't be here today.