COURTESY: COLUMN SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
Austin Vitale was recently invited to rejoin The Columns Society of the University of Mississippi for the third year in a row, the first person in the group’s history to do so.
Vitale is a senior public policy leadership and English major from Moorpak, California. He is member of the Sally McDonnell-Barksdale Honor College, the Trent Lott Leadership Institute and Delta Psi Fraternity. Columns Society is an organization of up to 28 members and is one of the most sought-after roles for students at the university. The society comprises the host and hostesses of the university, who represent the student and staff body. The students come from across the country and hold a variety of offices and leadership positions.
Vitale said there was a Trent Lott Leadership Institute lunch for incoming freshmen the Sunday before school started and was able to eat with two Columns members at his table and one of them described the society and its importance.
“It seemed like such an honor, and I decided right at that point that I wanted to be one of them one day,” Vitale said. “After that, I worked to secure all leadership positions and lock everything into place to apply for it.”
Vitale served his second term as vice president, one of the three board positions offered in Columns. In his vice presidency, he was in charge of scheduling events and handling communication between the members and advisors.
“He kept us organized and on top of events,” Murray Miller, a junior Columns member, said. “Austin is unique because he can quickly go from fun-loving, hilarious and witty to professional, organized and polished. He always represents the university well and can always make people laugh.”
Leslie Brahan, the society’s faculty advisor, said Vitale exemplified the values of The Column Society with “a commitment to service with a humble heart and integrity.”
