Congratulations! You made it through syllabus week. Everyone is settling in and learning how to navigate their new schedules. The only bad part about this week is all the numbers — numbers explaining how to calculate your grade, the number of absences you are allowed to have and the number of assignments that you will have to do, to name a few. Before you get too down on yourself, let me tell you some numbers that you can actually get excited about.
The inside of The Pavilion before a game. The Pavilion is the most expensive basketball arena in the SEC. (Photo by: Ariel Cobbert)
The largest and most important number is 96.5 million— the amount of money it took to build the Pavilion, a brand new state-of-the-art facility. It has the capacity to seat 9,500 people, including 1,700 premium seats, 3 club areas and courtside and baseline student seating. The entire Rebel nation is able to show up and support the teams.
“My favorite part about the Pavilion is how spacious it is. There’s really not a bad seat in the house. The student section is always packed,” said Amanda Billingsley, a junior IMC major.
Ole Miss teamed up with Daktronics to develop the largest center-hanging display board in college sports, consisting of 2,400 square feet of LED screen and 13 video displays. No matter the seat, every fan feels as if they are sitting court side.
“It’s pretty sweet how it seems like there’s no corners on it at all,” Ryan Underwood a senior marketing major, said.
The facility also features over 1,500 square feet of locker rooms for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The staggering numbers don’t stop there. Not only is the facility equipped with features that enhance the game experience — it also has amenities that benefit the entire student body. The attached five-story parking garage has 800 parking spaces available to students.
“Yeah the new Pavilion is awesome. I’m just happy they built the parking garage, we desperately needed more parking spaces,” Connor Londrigan, a senior finance major said.
Students will be able to access the Pavilion on a daily basis. Through the main entrance, there is a Steak ‘n Shake, Raising Cane’s, Rebel Locker Room by Lids, a wifi-enabled lounge and the ticket office.
“I really like that there are places where students can just hang out,” Billingsley said. “There are benches, couches and places where you can charge your phone.”
The Pavilion is more than a cool new study spot. It also has Oxford’s only Steak ‘n Shake and Raising Cane’s. Now, when the lines in the Union are too long to bear, students have more options for meals.
“I’m excited about Raising Cane’s and Steak ‘n Shake. The Union is always too crowded,” Alise Fuller, junior marketing major, said.
All of these numbers equal satisfaction with the Ole Miss student body. People can’t seem to get enough of the Pavilion, and if you haven’t been, you need to check it out.
