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Marc "Heaver" Silver of Beta Delta Class
Grad Student, MS State '07
-Former Special Events Chair, Communications Chair,
Pledgemaster, "The Campaign Manager"
-Residence Director for the Department of Housing and
Residence Life at Mississippi State University
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MSU Residence hall director settles into a city he never expected to fit
By Earl Descant
Dispatch Starkville Bureau
edescant@cdispatch.comMonday, August 21, 2006 11:33 AM CDT
STARKVILLE - After four years of college few people actually return to life in a university dorm.
But that's what Marcus Silver, 26, the new residence hall director at Bryce Griffis Hall at Mississippi State University did when he moved into the new 300-student mostly freshmen residence hall this fall.
Silver, a native of Orlando, Fla., arrived at MSU in July 2005 after graduating from Florida International University in Miami where he studied sociology and anthropology.
When he arrived at MSU in the fall of last year, he moved in as director at a senior-level football residence hall, an experience in itself for the self-proclaimed avid football fan.
But this fall, he's been transferred to Griffis Hall in MSU's new Northwest Village, the home to the Shackouls Honors College. The difference is a new level of excitement.
And after a year of transition, Silver is settling into a place where he thought he never would quite fit.
How is Griffis, a house full of freshmen enrolled in the honors college, different from life with football players?
“There's more interaction with the students here. They're young, they're excited. You feel that energy. With the seniors they were more involved in their own lives .”
How has life in Mississippi been different from the life you knew in central and south Florida?
“It was a real culture shock to move here. This is a Southern town and you feel the hospitality and the sense that this is the middle of the Bible Belt, and of course Miami was such a huge city with so many different types of people. Starkville is definitely smaller. But I've really grown attached to Starkville, and I never thought I would.”
You were last a freshmen in 1998. What part of being a freshmen will probably never change, and how are today's freshmen different from even 10 years ago?
“Today, like then, they're anxious. They're nervous. It's the first time they've been away from home. And the parents are still the same. But the biggest change is probably technology. Now the kids are bringing plasma TVs, and every one of them has a computer. This wasn't the case even in 1998. We all just went to the computer lab. But now everyone has a computer, and a MySpace account. Facebook is very big now.”
Living in the football residence hall surely meant being surrounded by football. Do enjoy sports?
“I'm a huge football enthusiast.”
What college football team do you follow religiously?
“Religiously, right now, I'd have to say it's Mississippi State. But I think it's because I've grown to know them (the players.) They were my kids. They were my residents, and I guess you kind of grow attached.”
And again, as someone from another part of the country who's suddenly living among young people from across Mississippi, what regional ticks do you pick up from them? What sets them apart from students in other parts of the country?
“Humm. Wow, that's a good question ... I think it's their strong religious beliefs.”
Do you see students in other parts of the country as more secular?
“Yes, I do. I'm Jewish, so coming here for me was a little different. Mississippi is a very Christian place. I've never seen such strong religious convictions and beliefs as I've seen here. The kids all go to church on Sunday.”
You're also a graduate studying counseling education with an emphasis on student affairs. What comes next? How do you see yourself moving on?
I graduate in May 2007. And after that, I'm not sure exactly what direction I'll take. I may stay here in Starkville or head someplace else. But I want to continue working with students and student groups.”
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