If you clicked on this article, you are either: a. confused, and have no clue what Croft is, b. a fellow Croftie and can’t wait to read this, or c. know all about the “Crofties” and want to see what other craziness goes on with us other than what you hear on campus. As a Croftie, I thought a nice little exposé would be fun to write, hopefully enjoyable for people to read, and provide insight into the Croft Institute at Ole Miss.
Here goes nothing…
So, what is the Croft Institute? Created with money given by Joseph Bancroft, the Croft Institute is the program in which all international studies majors at Ole Miss must be enrolled. Requirements include: picking a language, any language you could want, and taking a course in that language for every semester of college. Also, picking a thematic focus, either international governance and politics, social and cultural identity, or global economics. Next, we have to pick a regional focus. This is usually pretty simple since you pick the region in which your language is spoken (ie. French = France).
Now, what is a “Croftie.” Basically anyone who majors in international studies is a fellow Croftie. Although we do sometimes include international studies minors to be ~inclusive.~
What do Crofties love? Well, first of all, we love putting “CR” in front of literally anything. Coffee at Croft? Croffee. The Croft Institute formal in the spring? Crom. The sophomore class (aka the cohort) group message? Croftmores. Our favorite Croft profs? Creachers. (Okay, honestly I made that one up.) The very exclusive porch that looks out over the Grove? Crorch.
What else do Crofties love? Really intense political debates on the crorch, or basically any room within Croft. Also, we really love copying different fraternities and sororities to make Croft its own co-ed frat. We have srat shirts that say “Croft” now. Still working on the “Rush Croft” option. Also, Crofties tend to be pretty inclusive people. Pink hair? Welcome. Cartilage piercings? Welcome. (I may or may not be speaking from personal experience here).
Crofties also love foreign professors. The cuter the accent, the better. And we have plenty to chose from! Trained at Harvard AND foreign? Yes please.
As an out-of-state student who had no clue what she was doing when she chose Ole Miss, I can attain that Croft is the best thing in my life on the Ole Miss campus. The building is beautiful and welcoming. The people are intelligent and inspiring. And the acronyms can’t be beat.
Sincerely,
Croft’s not-so-secret admirer