"It is not enough that there be a Williams College," writes Paul Fussell in his book Class (1983); "there must also be a University of Southern Mississippi to give it value." The University of Southern Mississippi is certainly doing all it can of late to oblige. With a tinpot dictator (Shelby Thames by name) whose random antics put Pore Jud (plagiarizing ex-prez of Central Connecticut State College) in the shade, a resume padding vice president, and a somnolent group of overseers which is allowing a gut-wrenching situation to become blood-curdling, USM (I assume that's its nickname) defines podunk.
What's sad is that USM clearly has a core of principled impressive faculty (two of whom just got locked out of their offices and had their computers confiscated) and committed students (many of whom are doing all they can to topple the dictatorship).