| Thursday, August 27, 2026 |
| Why the US-Canada trade war could change how American farmers grow their crops for years | |
 | U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada is getting personal for American farmers. After trade talks between the two longtime allies fell apart in mid-August 2026, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on a wide range of Canadian imports worth roughly US$20 billion (CAD$27 billion). Canada responded on Aug. 25, 2026, by announcing its own plan to put retaliatory tariffs of 15% to 50% on the same value of U.S. goods, effective Sept. 8. Canada's list includes dairy products and agricultural equipment, and there is an unspoken threat that it could expand to a crucial component in fertilizer that U.S. farmers rely on. I have studied agriculture and water quality for more than a decade, including whether trade rules change how farmers manage their land. In my assessment, the enduring effect of this trade war on U.S. agriculture, if it continues to escalate, won't be a single bad season. Across thousands of farms, farmers may have to reduce their fertilizer use as prices -- already high from supply disruptions because of the war in Iran -- rise. It may have little visible consequence at first, but the lasting impact could emerge later in smaller future harvests if this trade war continues. |
| New York Times correspondent Thomas Fuller talks resilience and change at Fall Convocation | |
 | Thomas Fuller delivered the keynote address for freshmen and first-year transfers at Fall Convocation at the University of Mississippi on Aug. 25. Students and faculty gathered in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion for the event. Fuller is a Page One correspondent for The New York Times and the author of this year's common reading experience book, "The Boys of Riverside." Fuller's book details the journey of the varsity football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, Calif., and was dubbed the Best Book of 2024 by Amazon. The author touched on his own hardships while he was a student and his travel experiences. He emphasized the United States' culture of resilience and the nation's ability to offer its citizens plentiful educational opportunities. Fuller, who has visited over 40 countries, marked this attribute as noteworthy. "I can confidently say that America is the most patient place of all those countries," Fuller said. "We don't have a national test that you take once, and that decides the path of your future education and career. We are encouraged to fail, to get up and try again." Chancellor Glenn Boyce was unable to attend, but he made a video welcoming the Class of 2030 and emphasizing the class' importance to the student body. |
| Staff of two suppressed U. of Alabama student magazines go to federal appeals court | |
| Attorneys representing student staff at two University of Alabama magazines shut down by the school late last year appealed a lower court ruling to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday. A U.S. district court in May refused to issue a permanent injunction to halt the suspension of Alice, a magazine that focused on issues related to women, and Nineteen Fifty-Six, that highlighted subject matters that dealt with the Black student community on campus. The school claimed that continued publication of the magazines could violate federal guidance on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. "Closing these magazines because of their editorial perspectives related to race and gender perpetuates discrimination, rather than fighting it as the university claims," said Sam Boyd, senior supervising attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, in a statement. "We urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to protect the First Amendment rights of the students and editors at these magazines and stand up for all students at the University of Alabama and beyond." The university cited a memo sent by the former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi that provided recommendations to remain compliant with policies ordered by President Donald Trump that targeted diversity, equity and inclusion. |
| Water, AI divide public mission of HPC Data Center at U. of Alabama | |
| Marketed to be "the future of research computing," the University of Alabama's High Performance and Computing Data Center is set to open in early 2027. In the original plans for the HPC center, it is referred to multiple times as being "focused on water," but, more recently, artificial intelligence has been at the forefront of the HPC's public goals. The shift in focus is part of a larger plan to market artificial intelligence as a defining feature of the University and an incentive for industry partnerships nationwide. Tuscaloosa is a national hub for water research, with the Alabama Water Institute, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Water Center and U.S. Geological Survey Hydrological Instrumentation Facility all located on campus. The growth in water research was noted as former Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby secured $44.5 million in federal funding for the center to support hydrological research. The remaining cost of the center was funded by the Alabama Education Trust Fund. |
| Louisiana higher education board expands anti-hazing policy in honor of Caleb Wilson | |
 | Louisiana's higher education board strengthened the anti-hazing policy for college campuses across the state Wednesday, including a requirement that any organization connected to a hazing incident that leads to a student's death be permanently banished. "It's really hard because we don't want to see another child's life taken or even hurt for that matter," Caleb Wilson's mother, Urania Wilson, said to the board. "I know Louisiana can be the leader for the country in this bill, and I just want to thank you all." The Board of Regents amended its uniform anti-hazing policy to incorporate the Caleb Wilson Hazing Prevention Act, passed by the Legislature this spring. Wilson, 20, was a Southern University student who died in an alleged fraternity hazing ritual in February 2025. He had been pledging the Omega Psi Phi fraternity chapter at Southern, his parents said. As part of the ritual, pledges were said to have been lined up to receive punches from fraternity brothers, police said. Wilson was reportedly hit four times before seizing and collapsing to the floor. |
| Avride brings bigger food delivery robots to U. of Tennessee | |
| With classes starting up for the fall semester and hungry Vols back on campus, a new and improved Grubhub robot has taken to the University of Tennessee's sidewalks. Vol Dining recently switched its delivery robot partnership from Starship Technologies to Avride, an autonomous vehicle and delivery robot company based in Austin, Texas. The change comes after Starship ended its delivery robot service at colleges and universities across the country. Ryan Moore, public information officer for the University of Tennessee Police Department and Public Safety, shared information about the change and what students can expect from the new robots. Students will continue ordering robot delivery through Grubhub with no change to the ordering process. However, the new robots have some distinct differences in their technological features. "The Avride robots have a greater capacity for larger orders, improved high-accuracy tracking and navigation, and LED-panel digital eyes that give them distinctive visual personality," Moore said. Moore also said that the new robots have a more reliable navigation system that uses more intricate mapping technology. |
| Gov. Abbott orders Texas higher ed agency to help create three-year bachelor's degrees | |
| Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create a plan to bring three-year bachelor's degrees to Texas. In a Wednesday letter to higher education Commissioner Wynn Rosser, Abbott pitched three-year degrees as a way to make higher education more affordable, efficient and attainable for Texans amid a growing need for a college-educated workforce. The state has struggled to meet its 2030 goal of ensuring 60% of working-age Texans have a college degree even as Abbott has mandated tuition freezes and colleges have increased enrollment and grown dual credit opportunities for high schoolers. A three-year bachelor's degree would reduce the credits required for graduation from 120 to 90, helping students save time and money in select, high-demand fields. But those models have been rare, and faculty groups like the American Association of University Professors oppose the shortened timeline out of fear that reducing requirements would devalue a degree. |
| 3-year college degrees grow more popular in the US, saving time and cash. But critics aren't sold | |
 | Giles Sims, 34, was sick of getting passed over for jobs because he didn't have a college degree. But with a wife and a widowed mother to help support, he needed a quick solution. So the laid-off web developer turned to one of a growing number of three-year degree programs. "I can't afford to be out of the workforce for four years. That just seems like forever, and the three-year made it seem less daunting," said Sims, a student at Ensign College, a private Salt Lake City school that recently changed all its bachelor's degrees to require fewer classes than a traditional four-year degree. The condensed programs have exploded in popularity. As of this spring, 26 U.S. states have a college that offers at least one reduced-credit, three-year bachelor's, according to the nonprofit research group RAND. Advocates say these programs are a solution to the college affordability crisis and a godsend for non-traditional students like Sims. Critics, however, worry that they'll narrow too much what students learn, confuse employers, limit graduate school options and create headaches in fields that require state licenses. "This is not innovation. This is just cutting corners," said Todd Wolfson, AAUP's president. |
SPORTS
| Soccer: Bulldogs Host Oklahoma State On Thursday Night | |
| Mississippi State will play the only Power Four school on its non-conference schedule on Thursday night when the Bulldogs host Oklahoma State on SEC Network+. Kickoff has been moved up to 5 p.m. CT due to forecasted weather in the Starkville area. The Bulldogs will look to extend regular-season home winning streak against non-conference opponents. MSU is 12-0-0 in regular-season, non-conference matches at home since Aug. 31, 2023. The two teams met just last year, but both look very different. Of the 27 combined players that stepped on the pitch in Stillwater last fall, only 13 remain on these two teams with Reganne Morris having swapped sides in the offseason. There are several student-centered promotions scheduled for Thursday. All students in attendance can claim a raffle ticket for a chance to win free MSU soccer gear or a signed mini ball from head coach Kevin O'Brien. Additionally, there are 200 free hot dogs available to any students that attended New Maroon Camp in August. |
| Baseball: MSU To Play Fall Exhibition In Jackson, Tenn. | |
| Mississippi State will be making another trip to a professional baseball stadium this fall. The Diamond Dawgs are set to take on Western Kentucky in exhibition action at Rockabillys Stadium -- home of the Jackson Rockabillys of the Prospect League -- on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. and presented by Yukon Outfitters. "We're excited for the opportunity to take our team to Jackson this fall to play in front of our fans and alumni in West Tennessee at a professional stadium," said MSU head coach Brian O'Connor. "It's been over a decade since we've played Western Kentucky, so it'll be an intriguing matchup against a quality opponent. Opportunities like this are not only great for our team, but are great for the continued growth of college baseball." Tickets will go on sale to Rockabillys season ticket holders immediately. Ticket sales will open to the public on Thursday, Sept. 3rd. The Rockabillys website (rockabillysbaseball.com) is the only official ticket outlet. The Bulldogs also have a pair of exhibition games scheduled against Auburn and Southern Miss in Biloxi on Oct. 8-9 respectively. MSU will play the fourth of its allotted exhibition games at Dudy Noble Field in late October with the opponent and specific date to be announced later. |
| Men's Hoops Finalizes 2026-27 Coaching Staff | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans finalized his coaching staff for the 2026-27 season as announced on Wednesday. Dylan Sortillo has been hired as director of operations, while Jonathan Comer, Damien Davis, Jalen Gibbs, Zahree Harrison, Noah King and Tonny Trocha-Morelos have been added as graduate assistant fellows. Sortillo served as a director of operations at Illinois-Chicago and Dartmouth in addition to being an assistant coach at Florida Southwestern State before coming to Mississippi State. He also spent time as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Augustana College, in Illinois. The Bulldogs are slated to face Tennessee Tech on November 2 for the 2026-27 season opener at Humphrey Coliseum. |
| SEC schools -- except LSU -- approve penalties for signing returning pro athletes | |
 | SEC presidents approved stiff penalties to deter schools from signing players with pro experience, with one notable school -- LSU -- sitting out. LSU abstained from Wednesday's vote on penalties, a source familiar with the vote confirmed on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. That came a day after the school was part of a unanimous, 16-0 vote to enforce rules against fielding athletes who dropped out of pro leagues. LSU football coach Lane Kiffin has recruited at least two players who were made NCAA eligible by a Louisiana court injunction, and LSU men's basketball coach Will Wade was pursuing another player. Neither Kiffin, Wade nor LSU's administration has offered public comment since the SEC announced Tuesday night that it would enforce the bans against pros. That announcement said commissioner Greg Sankey was "authorized to enforce this expectation with penalties." The issue is the latest off-field mess for college athletics, bubbling to the surface after various courts issued injunctions allowing fifth-year players to return to school. |
| Can the SEC really stop LSU from signing ex-NFL players? We asked a few legal experts | |
| A legal battle could be brewing in the SEC. In a way, it's already begun. And LSU is on the front lines of the fight. It has been since Aug. 19, when a Baton Rouge judge awarded a temporary restraining order to a group of roughly 30 athletes who filed suit in search of a fifth year of eligibility. That ruling paved the way for coach Lane Kiffin to start adding former NFL players to his first LSU roster -- and for the SEC to pass a new rule aimed at prohibiting him and other coaches from doing so. Kiffin isn't alone. Texas signed a center who participated in NFL minicamps this past summer, and the Kentucky men's basketball program added a forward who played in NBA Summer League games. But LSU is driving most of the chaos. The Tigers hope to add at least three players to their football team before the season kicks off Sept. 5, and two of them appeared on NFL rosters in August: tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris. Neither player is eligible to play for LSU under the new SEC rule, which was passed Tuesday evening. But will they challenge the new measure? And if they did, could it hold up in court? Sam Ehrlich, a former lawyer and Boise State professor who researches legal aspects of the sports industry, generally thinks that conference-specific rules can hold up. The key is competition. The more some rules differ from league to league, the more likely it is that the college sports world can withstand the antitrust lawsuits that have slowly eroded the NCAA's authority to write and enforce its policies across the last five years. But what if the conferences have some of the same rules? That's where things can get "real, real wacky," Ehrlich said. |
| Big 12 becomes latest conference to ban former NFL players while NFL reiterates its rules | |
| The Big 12 Conference on Wednesday followed the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences in banning players who were on NFL rosters from returning to college. The decision by the Big 12 came a day after rulings by the SEC and Big Ten. Earlier Wednesday, the NFL made it clear that players who leave the NFL to return to college won't be allowed to come back to the league this season. NFL executive Troy Vincent reiterated the longstanding policy at the league's meetings Wednesday, saying any player who returns to college would not be eligible to play in the NFL until 2027. Atlantic Coast Conference leaders were also discussing the topic this week. Cal football general manager Ron Rivera said Wednesday he hopes the ACC joins the Big Ten and SEC in turning away former pros. "I think when somebody makes a decision, goes in a certain direction, I think they've made their decision," said Rivera, a former NFL player and coach. "I'm disappointed that people are looking for ways to cheat the system or beat the system." |
| Big Ten rewards commissioner Tony Petitti with five-year extension | |
| The Big Ten and commissioner Tony Petitti agreed to a five-year contract extension that will keep him with the conference through the summer of 2033, the league announced Wednesday. "Tony has provided outstanding vision for the Conference through extremely turbulent times," Pamela Whitten, the Big Ten council of presidents and chancellors chair and Indiana president, said in a statement. "We're thankful for his leadership and appreciate his spirit of innovation and collaboration as we continue to navigate the changing landscape of college sports." Petitti became the Big Ten's seventh commissioner in 2023. The Big Ten announced that approval of the extension was unanimous among league members. With the extension, Petitti would be in position to negotiate the next Big Ten media rights contract. The league's current seven-year, $7 billion deal is set to expire in 2030. |
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