| Monday, July 16, 2018 |
| Higher Education Commissioner Plans 13-Stop Listening Tour | |
 | Mississippi's new commissioner of higher education plans a listening tour to meet with students, faculty, staff and others. Commissioner Al Rankins Jr. became the leader of the state's eight public universities on July 1, taking over for the retiring Glenn Boyce. Rankins had been the president of Alcorn State University since 2014. Before that, he was a deputy commissioner of higher education and a professor at Mississippi State University. |
| New Commissioner of Higher Education to tour universities during first days in office | |
 | New Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Al Rankins, Jr., will tour the state's universities to gain insight and perspective on those who attend and work there. He was named the new commissioner on March 23. He began serving in this role on July 1. As commissioner, he provides leadership to the university system, including all eight public universities in Mississippi. "On each visit, I hope to meet with small groups of students, faculty and staff to have productive round-table discussions, along with open forums and time to meet with alumni, community leaders and elected officials," Rankins said. |
| MSU-Meridian graduate joins rural physician program | |
 | A recent graduate of Mississippi State University-Meridian's kinesiology program has been accepted into the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program. Emilio M. Luna-Suarez, a Philadelphia native, is the first student from the Meridian campus and one of nine MSU students this year named to the prestigious program. "MSU-Meridian has prepared numerous students in clinical allied health since the inception of our kinesiology, clinical exercise physiology program four years ago," said Terry Dale Cruse, MSU-Meridian's administrative director and head of campus. "We celebrate the accomplishment of Emilio and are delighted our faculty prepare students for such incredible opportunities." |
| Sorry AC/DC, rock and roll is noise pollution, Mississippi State study shows | |
 | A recent study by Mississippi State University researchers shows that contrary to what rock band AC/DC famously hypothesized in its 1980 classic song, rock and roll is noise pollution and can have a harmful effect on environmental systems. Researchers in MSU's Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture exposed ecosystems of lady beetles, aphids and soybean plants to rock music, country music and more conventional urban sounds to test the effects of noise on an environment. As part of the experiment, ecosystems "shook all night long" to AC/DC's "Back in Black" album, repeated for two consecutive weeks. The album contains the band's hit "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution." |
| The prehistoric shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico is so fertile you can see it from space | |
 | It is subtle, and it blends in well with the surroundings, and if you are not looking for it there is a good chance you will scan right over it. But once someone points it out on a true-color map, it is impossible to unsee: a crescent of off-hue land in Mississippi and Alabama that is so perfectly-arced it looks unnatural. In reality, this arc is super-fertile, cultivated land surrounded by dense forest. It is the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico as it existed 145 million years ago. The region, "Black Belt," was originally named for the color of the soil -- a dark, rich black that indicated high concentrations of carbon nutrients. "One visiting the Black Belt today would likely see lots of agricultural fields filled with corn, cotton, and soybeans, as well as cattle production," said JoVonn Hill of Mississippi State University, who studies Southeast biodiversity. |
| Tobacco whistleblower details dangers of drug addiction | |
| In 1994, Victor DeNoble anonymously mailed a photo of a lab-tested rat to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, becoming the first whistleblower against the tobacco industry. That was what he told the audience of more than 100 gathered in the Bettersworth Auditorium at Mississippi State University Saturday for Community Counseling Service's Bloom Where You Are Planted conference for addiction and substance abuse awareness. DeNoble's presentation focused on the health side-effects of tobacco and nicotine he discovered while an employee of the tobacco company, Phillip Morris International. Originally, he was working to discover a man-made version of nicotine, which could be added to tobacco products, to reduce cardiovascular disease while still remaining addictive. The day-long program also included motivational speakers and representatives from MSU Collegiate Recovery Community -- a support group for students struggling with drug addiction. |
| Starkville may consider swap to garbage bins | |
| Starkville may consider switching from providing garbage bags to residents in favor of 96-gallon tip carts after Starkville Sanitation and Environmental Services Director Calvin Ware and Mayor Lynn Spruill floated the idea during a Board of Aldermen work session on Friday. Ware, speaking during the work session, said costs are a primary reason for considering the switch to garbage bins. This year, he said, garbage bags are estimated cost $12 to $14 per roll -- though he said that price can fluctuate based on the price of oil. "At 12,000 rolls, it's gonna cost us $145,000 maybe -- that's just the lower estimate," Ware said. "... When we order, if we catch the oil prices down, we may get them for $145,000. If we get them on the higher end, we may be looking at $180,000." Ward 3 Alderman David Little said it might be worth having the conversation about tip cans. However, he warned that garbage bags tend to be a controversial subject in Starkville. |
| As officials push public housing relocation for Pecan Acres, residents seek answers | |
| Citizens pressed Starkville Housing Authority officials during a Thursday evening forum for details about a proposed land swap development that could see the public housing complex relocated. Christopher Dobbs, a Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based developer, is looking to build a replica of the 70,000 square-foot Pecan Acres low-income housing development on land on the north side of Highway 182, west of Reed Road. That new facility would then be swapped with Pecan Acres' current location on Highway 12 across from KFC, which is being eyed for commercial development. At Thursday's forum, which a few dozen people attended, citizens asked questions about tenant reception to the proposal, as well as about how the new housing would fit onto the land that's being considered on Highway 182. |
| Nashville expert plucked to head Marty Stuart center development | |
 | An expert in the country music museum world has been plucked to fundraise and spearhead development of the planned Marty Stuart Congress of Country Music here, it was announced Saturday evening. Nashville's Carolyn Tate was named to the position Saturday, according to the center's attorney, Andy Taggert, in an exclusive to The Neshoba Democrat. Tate comes to the Congress of Country Music after a 25-year career with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville where she served most recently as the senior vice president for museum services. The Marty Stuart center will showcase Stuart's vast collection of country music memorabilia, including some belonging to such stars as Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. Stuart's extensive photography collection, as well as his and wife Connie Smith's memorabilia, will also be included. The state awarded $2 million in bond monies for the renovation of the old Coca-Cola building for the center's warehouse. |
| Modest revenue growth good news for Mississippi lawmakers | |
| End-of-the year revenue collections suggest Mississippi's lawmakers could have a little extra money to spend when they return for their election-year session in January 2019. Preliminary numbers released by the Legislative Budget Office show that thanks to strong May and June collections, the state's General Fund ended $88 million over the level that budget writers had estimated back in the spring of 2017, when they were putting together spending plans for the year that ended June 30. "We pretty well did what we expected we would do," said state economist Darrin Webb. "There were some months that we did a little better, some months we did a little worse." |
| Hall's acknowledgment defends McGrath's professionalism, provides cover for Reeves | |
| Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall praised the work of Department of Transportation Executive Director Melinda McGrath, who has found herself in the midst of controversy after saying Senate pressure led to the decision to construct a frontage road off busy Lakeland Drive in Rankin County to accommodate residents in a neighborhood where Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves lives. "Melinda McGrath does a super job," Hall said. "I have been in state government for a long time, and she is as professional as I have ever dealt with. If she makes a recommendation, I know she believes it is the right thing to do." |
| For some in the Delta, revisiting Emmett Till's murder about appeasing Mississippi's conscience | |
| David Jordan was a student at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena when he pooled his money with others to purchase gasoline to drive the 30 miles to Sumner to witness the trial in September 1955 of the two men accused of brutally killing Emmett Till. Jordan, 85, now an African American state senator whose district includes Leflore County where events leading to the brutal murder of Emmett Till originated, said witnessing the trial and the events surrounding the death of the Chicago teenager had a major impact on his life, just as it did on the nation and on the ensuing civil rights movement. "In a sense, it all started with Emmett Till," said Jordan, who as well as a being a politician and former educator, has for years been a civil rights leader in the Delta. In a report to Congress in March, the Justice Department said that is would reopen the case of Till's murder in 1955, the Associated Press reported this week. |
| Congressional bills call for broadened duck season framework | |
 | Mirror bills have been introduced in Congress which, if passed, will allow states to end duck seasons later and extend opportunity for youth, veterans and active military personnel into February. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) introduced S. 2942 and representatives Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) introduced H.R. 6013 which mirrors Hyde-Smith's bill. Both bills, known as the Migratory Bird Framework and Hunting Opportunities for Veterans Act, call for extending the windows of opportunity for states to set seasons to January 31 as opposed to the current end set at the final Sunday in January. According to the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine, hunting, fishing and wildlife watching generated an estimated $2.7 billion in Mississippi in 2017. Of that, $1.14 billion was attributed to hunting. |
| FEC: Kelly received contributions exceeding limits in 2015 special election | |
| U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, who represents Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, received "excessive contributions" totaling $75,100 when he first captured the north Mississippi House seat in 2015. The issues, according to the FEC audit, were resolved during the investigation with the loan being repaid and contributions returned. The issues arose during a field audit of the 2015 special election where Kelly was one of 13 candidates vying to replace Alan Nunnelee, a Tupelo Republican who died in office earlier that year. This election cycle Kelly faces Democrat Randy Mack Wadkins, originally of Iuka, who is a chemistry instructor at the University of Mississippi, and Reform Party candidate Tracella Lou O'Hara in the November general election. |
| Greg Hunley joins The W as human resources director | |
| Mississippi University for Women has named Greg Hunley as director of human resources. Hunley brings more than 12 years of human resource management and business administration experience to The W. Karen Clay, general counsel at The W, said, "We are very fortunate to have Greg join our MUW family. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I think the university will benefit from his collaborative model approach to human resources." Previously, he held the position of personnel director for the Columbus Municipal School District. Hunley has also served as diversity research and assessment specialist for Mississippi State University; recruitment, retention and program specialist for MSU; and human resource generalist for the University of Mississippi's Department of Human Resources. |
| Boil water notice issued for U. of Mississippi | |
| The Mississippi Department of Health has issued a boil water notice the University of Mississippi and any individuals who receive their water from the university. The notice was issued just after 1 p.m. on Friday after the Mississippi Department of Health determined the presence of E. Coli bacteria in a water sample. It is recommended that any water being used for drinking, cooking or bathing be boiled for at least one minute before being used. No timeline has been given from the University for when the notice might be lifted, but those impacted by the notice are encouraged to flush faucets once the notice has ended. |
| Ole Miss police officers to undergo tactical active shooter training | |
| Officers with the University of Mississippi Police Department will undergo tactical active shooter training next week. The training is mandatory for all UPD officers. It will be conducted at the Buddy East Range and Shoot House between July 17 and July 19 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. This training will help officers learn how to respond quickly and effectively to possible active shooter situations. |
| FCC to Fund Expansion of UMMC Telehealth Services | |
 | Mississippi U.S. Senator Roger Wicker joined Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr to announce the agency wants to provide up to $1 million to help expand telehealth in the state. Wicker invited Carr to visit the University of Mississippi Medical Center earlier this year to see how they provide healthcare to rural areas. Carr says the FCC wants to help expand remote monitoring services. He says they'll vote on the plan next month. On Friday, Carr and Wicker visited Ruleville to talk to low-income patients who took part in a 2014 telehealth pilot project that remotely monitored diabetics. "We are at the cutting edge of this type of medicine because we have to be, because we need to be in Mississippi," said Wicker. |
| Students still smoke even though Southern Miss is tobacco-free | |
 | Rules and regulations at the University of Southern Mississippi call for no smoking and no tobacco use of any kind on campus. It's been that way since the campus went tobacco-free Jan. 1. Why, then, are students still smoking? "It's not very well enforced -- people still do smoke on campus," said Destiny Toler, a December graduate and now an Aramark employee at the university. "It's peer enforced. If somebody tells you to stop smoking, you stop smoking." Southern Miss greatly restricted tobacco use in 2011, at that time limiting smokers to 20 designated areas around campus and imposing fines on those who violated the rules. But now Toler says smoking occurs everywhere and is no longer restricted to those designated spots. At the time of the conversion to tobacco-free, Jim Coll, the university's chief communications officer, said enforcement would be up to students. |
| Devastating illness fails to keep Southern Miss student from pursuing her dreams | |
| Jasmine Whiteside still struggles to articulate all the amazing aspects of her story. That's understandable -- she only recalls pieces of it. Today, the University of Southern Mississippi alumna and Hattiesburg native is a successful graduate student at Ohio State University, well on her way to a doctoral degree and a career in a field that will benefit communities across the country. But as she progressed toward her graduation from Southern Miss in 2013, she contracted a rare and life-threatening illness that left her in a coma. When she woke up six months later, she couldn't even think about graduation. Instead, she needed to learn to speak, walk, read, write and take care of herself again. Now, well on the way to recovery, she's done all those things and more. |
| EMCC's Lion Hills Golf Club installing championship quality greens | |
| East Mississippi Community College's Lion Hills Center and Golf Club is in the final phase of converting the golf course greens to a premium grass that has become the industry-leading standard at high-end golf courses across the country. "We will be the only public golf course that offers daily-fee play in our area with this kind of grass," Lion Hills Director of Golf Will Arnett said. "There are some public golf courses in Tuscaloosa that have it but we will be the only one locally." Play has been temporarily suspended on holes 1-9 as the greens are converted to Ultra-Dwarf Tif-Eagle grass. The conversion process that began in late June is expected to take about eight weeks to complete. Arnett said the students are gaining valuable hands-on experience they typically would not be exposed to while in college. |
| Young minds learn to 'Hack the Future' at Choctaw event | |
| The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians hosted nearly 60 students from all over the state and country this week as part of its first "Hack the Future," an event that encourages young coders, entrepreneurs and engineers to solve real-life problems using advanced technologies provided to them. The Office of Economic Development coordinated and came up with the event. John Hendrix, the office's director, said the idea came after recruiting new industry to the region and seeing a need for the program. The MBCI has partnered with a number of Mississippi community colleges and universities, including East Mississippi Community College, Mississippi State University, Mississippi Coding Academies, Holmes Community College, Hinds Community College and East Central Community College, as well as a number of industries. |
| LSU president paid most among Louisiana college presidents, more than national average | |
 | LSU President F. King Alexander remains the highest-paid president of a public university in Louisiana and collects more than the national average, according to a report released Sunday. Alexander's salary of $610,666 places him 62nd in pay among 251 college chief executives, the Chronicle of Higher Education says. The national average is about $560,000, up 5 percent from the previous year. Alexander, who has held his job since 2013, leads both the LSU system and its flagship campus. Holding twin jobs more than justifies what he is paid, said Stephen Perry, chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors. Alexander's pay has been static for the past several years. His contract has been extended by the Board of Supervisors to 2021. |
| U. of Kentucky adopts controversial new rules for sexual assault complaints | |
 | Last year, the University of Kentucky got 159 complaints about student sexual assault. Fewer than five of them went to a disciplinary hearing. The year before was similar: 153 student complaints, but only six hearings. After a year of work and countless meetings, UK has adopted new rules for those hearings. But advocates for victims fear those controversial changes will further discourage student victims from coming forward. Already, the vast number of student reports of sexual assault come not from students but from official "reporters" such as faculty and staff. Amid the fraught issue of campus sexual assault, advocates worry these latest moves could chill even those small numbers. In a campus-wide email, UK President Eli Capilouto said the goal was fairness. |
| South Carolina college, university funding plummeted after Great Recession, new report says | |
 | South Carolina has lagged behind the rest of the country in funding higher education since the Great Recession, according to a new report. Per-student spending on higher education in the Palmetto State ranked 40th in 2016, down nine places from 2008, where it ranked 31st, according to a report from the American Federation of Teachers, a nationwide teachers union. "Only five states had larger reductions in state support," the report said of South Carolina. "This has meant higher costs for students. Tuition for two-year and four-year colleges is up 37 and 28 percent, respectively." The report comes as the University of South Carolina raised its undergraduate tuition 2.9 percent. |
| Bucking Critics, U. of Wyoming OKs Controversial 'Cowboys' Slogan | |
 | The University of Wyoming's Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Thursday to approve a marketing campaign that had drawn objections from some faculty members, in part because of its slogan, "The world needs more cowboys." The university also released some campaign materials. The campaign prompted criticism from some faculty members, who said it excluded women and others who may not identify with the popular image of a white, macho cowboy. Some Native Americans on the campus also protested the slogan, saying that "cowboys" holds a negative historical connotation for them. The university has said that the campaign, which was created by Victors and Spoils, a company in Boulder, Colo., seeks to redefine the image of the cowboy. |
| The Education of a Brotelier | |
 | Wearing a red vintage T-shirt, an Eric Church baseball cap and a backpack, Ben Weprin bound down a sidewalk of Roosevelt Island in New York, home of the Cornell Tech campus, a satellite of Cornell University, looking like a college student on the first day of class. "There's our hole," he said while trying to climb a wall to take a peek into the $125 million project that his hotel development company is building here. Like at all Graduate Hotels, there will be an emphasis on design that connects the local history with the collegiate experience. Mr. Weprin is the founder and chief executive of AJ Capital Partners, the Chicago real estate company that is behind Graduate Hotels, a four-year-old chain of boutique hotels situated near college campuses and designed to cater to the nostalgia and local boosterism that are part of the culture of university towns. He and his company are trying to create a brand that will find year-round business by catering to more than just alumni coming back for once-a-year football weekends or 10-year anniversaries of their graduating classes. |
| Study skills can boost academic success | |
 | Angela Farmer, as assistant professor of educational leadership at Mississippi State, writes: Study skills are likely not the first priority of students fortunate enough to still be enjoying some of the dog days of summer. However, it is worth planning early to realize positive academic outcomes during the school year. One recommended source that helps guide students toward effective strategies for lasting success is "Straight-A Study Skills" by Muchnick and Muchnick. The book helps students see school as their job with "regular" but essential components such as the following: show up on time, work hard to impress the authority, be nice, be a team player, demonstrate leadership, get involved. While these may sound like common-sense ideas, the book targets students' consciousness to help them understand why being on time and working hard are not just suggestions but critical components for one who aspires to be an effective student. |
| Is government the problem or part of the answer to rural poverty? | |
 | Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "Rural poverty skyrockets as jobs move away," read a headline on TheHill.com. "The number of rural Americans living in poverty has skyrocketed in recent years amidst an economic evolution that has cost hundreds of thousands of manufacturing and mining jobs." The problem is twofold, the article says -- key employers in rural areas have shut down or moved away and educated young people move away. ...Despite record employment numbers in Mississippi, many of our rural counties fit this description. |
| Better phone, internet service aim of new task forces | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Dennis Seid writes: My 16-year-old probably wouldn't mind giving his opinion about our home internet service to Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley. Presley is putting together task forces in each of the 33 counties under his purview. Starting in August and wrapping up in September, he'll meet with each task force to see where high-speed internet and cell phone coverage is lacking. "We know it's a problem because we here it every day at the Public Service Commission," Presley said. "And I don't think there's a better way to help solve these issues than to involve the citizens ... this is a very critical issue." Like many of you, we are plugged in at our house with our cell phones, laptops and gaming consoles. |
SPORTS
| MSU Athletics making decisions with every dollar in mind | |
| As a member of the Southeastern Conference, Mississippi State is in an elite class, but it doesn't act like it. In a study of 2016-17 college athletics finances, USA Today recently revealed MSU is one of 31 schools with an athletic department that has more than $100 million in revenue. It the first time in school history MSU has reached that benchmark. But MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen doesn't aim to be in that group. His goal is to compete with the nation's best programs. That's why Cohen and MSU Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Financial Officer Jared Benko feel good about the athletic department's fiscal strategy that encourages but isn't influenced by revenue increases. "Everything is relative to your competition. We have to do it differently than our competition does it. We're not going to out-money the SEC," Cohen said. |
| Mississippi State AD John Cohen pleased with work at Dudy Noble Field | |
| The transition from baseball coach to athletic director has not weakened John Cohen's relationship with baseball. Through the spring, Cohen and his wife Nelle would often take in games from the upper deck, which was closed from the public due to continuing construction, offering the two some privacy at the game. From that vantage point, he was given the best view possible of his favorite part of the new Dudy Noble Field: the new so-called Left Field Lounge. Aside from the challenges of a midseason coaching change, the 2018 MSU baseball season was working through a home stadium that remained an active construction zone through the season. It was viewed as a necessary evil in the grand plan to have one of college baseball's best venues fully operational for the 2019 season. |
| More projects to come for MSU Athletics | |
| The revenue generating sports on Mississippi State's campus have been given their due. The football program got a new complex in 2013 and is about to get a renovated locker room at Davis Wade Stadium; the basketball programs got the extensive practice facility in the Mize Pavilion in 2011; the baseball team will soon see the fruits of two years of labor and $55 million in the new Dudy Noble Field. They are not the only ones seeing significant financial backing from the athletic department. In MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen's exclusive interview with The Dispatch, he covered some of the projects underway and those coming in the near future. It is projects in all phases that has Cohen viewing his job as a wheel constantly turning; he sees no construction cycles, but constant improvement. "I don't see it as a cycle because for something to be cyclical suggests there's a beginning and an end," Cohen said. "There is no beginning and there is no end. It just keeps moving forward. |
| Mississippi State to cut concession prices 25-60 percent at this season's sporting events | |
| When Mississippi State fans attend games this year, they'll notice a dramatic change in what they pay for things like sodas, hot dogs and nachos. Beginning this fall, prices on food and beverages at all MSU sporting venues will be cut dramatically -- by up to 60 percent on some items -- through a collaborative effort between the university and Aramark, the university's food services provider, as part of the university's "#MoorValue" marketing campaign, named after new head football coach Joe Moorhead. "Providing our fans and families with more affordable food and beverage options is extremely important," MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said in press release announcing the change in pricing. "We will continue to explore innovative ways to enhance the game-day experience for our Bulldog family." For families such as Adam and Melissa Davis, who have two children who they take to games, the savings at the concession stand could be substantial. |
| Mississippi State expected to face different projections at SEC Media Days | |
| This should be the year the Mississippi State football team's mountain to climb looks like a bunny hill. Recently, Southeastern Conference Media Days has brought with it an annual tradition of MSU being projected to finish near the bottom of the SEC Western Division, only to see the Bulldogs outperform those predictions. With eight returning starters on offense and seven more on defense, those projections likely will change for MSU in 2018. In the last five years, the media poll at SEC Media Days has predicted MSU to finish sixth, fifth, seventh, seventh, and sixth in the SEC West. The Bulldogs finished fifth, second, sixth, sixth, and fourth, outperforming the projection each season. National projections have been more kind. Phil Steele picked the Bulldogs to finish third in the division behind Alabama and Auburn. Athlon Sports has MSU No. 14 in its preseason top 25 behind No. 1 Alabama and No. 7 Auburn in the division. |
| 2018 SEC Media Days: Five storylines to keep an eye on during a busy week in Atlanta | |
| All 14 SEC coaches and three players from each team will make their way around the College Football Hall of Fame and the Omni Hotel this week, getting fans and media ready for the 2018 college football season that comes on the heels of an All-SEC national title game in the same city seven months earlier. The conference has undergone a bit of a face lift since then. Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald suffered a nasty ankle injury in the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss but is back with new coach Joe Moorhead -- a proven offensive genius. Finding out how he has adjusted to the new offense while rehabbing will be fascinating, especially since the Bulldogs are the chic pick to do some damage in the West. |
| Five questions for Joe Moorhead | |
| The top questions Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead should face at SEC Media Days: Can you coach at this level? Will your offense be similar to the one run by Dan Mullen? What is Nick Fitzgerald's status? How well will the players adapt in a return to the 4-3 defense? Who will be the Bulldogs' breakout receiver? |
| SEC Media days move on to Atlanta | |
| SEC media days are being held where all of the participating football coaches and players would love to be when the regular season and their careers end. In the city that hosts the SEC Championship Game and at the College Football Hall of Fame. Atlanta has been home for the SEC Championship Game since 1993. SEC media days begin today and run through Thursday. It's the first time since the SEC began holding media days in 1985 the event is taking place outside of the Birmingham, Ala., area, including the previous 17 years at the Winfrey Hotel in Hoover. Herb Vincent, the SEC's associate commissioner for communications, said conference officials had discussed for the last few years the possibility of moving media days to a new location. "It's become such a big event -- and one of our signature events -- so we've been talking about taking it to different parts of the SEC footprint," said Vincent. |
| AD John Cohen believes in Mississippi State basketball programs | |
| In John Cohen's days as Mississippi State's baseball coach, he used to enjoy running in the concourses of Humphrey Coliseum, sometimes getting a view of the women's basketball practices run by Vic Schaefer. He would go out of his way to call then athletic director Scott Stricklin to rave about the defensive intensity, assuring him Schaefer would succeed at MSU. Now, as the athletic director himself, Cohen gets even more joy watching Schaefer's program, all while maintaining confidence in Ben Howland to take the men's team to the same heights. In Cohen's exclusive interview with The Dispatch, he described what it's like to be the athletic director for both programs. For the women's team, the job isn't an aggressive one. Athletic directors often find themselves chasing a new facility, an improvement or something to help their current coach reach the next level. The women's basketball program doesn't need that, as only tournament luck separates it from a national championship. So what is it like to be the athletic director for that kind of program? |
| Bulldogs proving productive this summer | |
| Last summer, Mississippi State's men's basketball team lauded its team chemistry and continuity. The Bulldogs carried that camaraderie onto the court going 25-12 and reaching the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament. It was MSU's first winning season in five years. Now with all five starters back, their top six scorers returning and the No. 16 signing class in the country coming in, expectations are high for the Bulldogs and coach Ben Howland to take things even further in 2018-19. "It's been a great summer so far," said MSU senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon. "Everybody is working hard towards our goals for this season. Overall, I think this is probably the best and most improved summer that I've had since I've been here." |
| Quinndary Weatherspoon impressed by Mississippi State freshmen | |
| Quinndary Weatherspoon remembers a time when he had little trouble navigating through the lane during practices at Mize Pavilion. That was three years ago when Weatherspoon was a fearless freshman on a Mississippi State team that went 14-17 in head coach Ben Howland's inaugural season. Ninety-seven games played and 83 starts later, the going has gotten tougher for the standout senior. Weatherspoon is forced to battle not only the fellow teammates who helped him guide MSU to its first 20-win season since 2012 but also a recruiting class that ranked as the nation's 16th-best. "We're just so much bigger on the court," Weatherspoon said. "It's so much harder to go in the lane now than it was three years ago. The practice, atmosphere and competition is way better and way different from last year." |
| Dak Prescott still a hit at Mississippi State | |
| Kason Woods' eighth birthday doesn't come until October, but he might have received the best part of his present Saturday. Woods was one of 700 first- through eighth-graders to attend the second-annual Dak Prescott Football ProCamp at Mississippi State's practice fields. "He has been in love with Dak since he played for State. He's followed him through," said Ashley Woods, Kason's mother. "As soon as he was old enough, we got him in." Kason had some one-on-one time with Prescott and fellow former Bulldog Fred Ross in a drill, as Prescott threw a pass to Woods with Ross in coverage. Kason also received a signed picture of Prescott in a Dallas Cowboys uniform, which Ashley Woods used to fan herself on the hot day at MSU's football complex. "When I host something like this, I want to go to special places, special cities that mean something to me. That's back at home in Haughton, Louisiana, here and Dallas," said Prescott, who partnered with ProCamps Worldwide to do the event. |
| Dak Prescott enjoys giving back at annual camp | |
| Mississippi State's favorite son returned to hold his annual summer football camp this weekend. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott greeted around 700 campers from first to eighth grade on his alma mater's practice field. "It means a lot and is humbling to say the least just to be here," Prescott said. "This is really where I grew up and took that next step in my life. I became a man here so just to be able to come back and give to these kids. I can see myself in them." It is the second straight summer Prescott has partnered with ProCamps Worldwide to host football camps at locations that played a role in his current success. He has hosted camps in his hometown of Haughton, Louisiana, as well as Dallas this year. |
| Coach Dusty Smith announces Mississippi State's 2018-19 men's golf schedule | |
| Mississippi State men's golf coach Dusty Smith announced a 2018-19 schedule Thursday that will have his team play a 10-event regular-season slate that includes the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship in West Point. "We wanted a schedule that featured challenging tournament fields as well as championship golf courses that will help us grow as we progress through the season," said Smith, who led MSU to an NCAA Regional last season. "I feel like the new tournaments on the schedule will get us out of our comfort zone and ultimately make our team better because of it. I am looking forward to this upcoming season and the opportunity to coach this team." The fall campaign tees off with two new events. On Aug. 31, MSU will take its first swings of the season in California at the Carmel Cup, a three-day tournament at the Pebble Beach Golf Links. A couple of weeks later, MSU will compete in the Louisville Cardinal Challenge on Sept. 14-16 in Louisville, Kentucky. |
| Across the SEC, football fans opting not to travel with their team | |
 | Ahead of its annual rivalry game against Ole Miss, Mississippi State sold fewer than 2,000 tickets to the Egg Bowl in Oxford, about half as many as from just two years prior. Already this year, the University Florida ticket office has been informed that South Carolina is releasing 2,500 tickets of the 5,000 its fans could purchase for the game in the Swamp. Even Alabama, where national championships grow on trees and fans traditionally have rolled into visiting towns like a tide, couldn't sell more than 1,200 of its 2016 allotment of tickets to a game at Arkansas. It just means more tickets for the home crowd, the SEC likes to tell us. Although lately, it has meant less when it comes to attendance from visiting fans. A Gainesville Sun survey showed a marked decrease in attendance at games from visiting fans over the last five years. It's a trend the league acknowledges -- but without any apparent interest in changing it. |
| Alabama trustees to consider purchase of metal detectors for athletics department, system leadership | |
 | The University of Alabama System board of trustees is scheduled to meet on Monday to consider an agenda including a proposal to buy metal detectors for the UA athletics department and an update on the plans to find a successor for Chancellor Ray Hayes, who plans to step down at the end of the month. The agenda does not indicate how many metal detectors will be purchased for the athletics department. The university declined to release details ahead of consideration by the trustees. Last fall, the university tested pass-through metal detectors at the stadium during the home game with Mercer University. At its spring meetings, the Southeastern Conference announced it had decided that metal detectors would be utilized at SEC football stadiums and other events as determined by each campus by 2020. In 2016, UA implemented clear-bag policy for football games at Bryant-Denny Stadium. |
| U. of Louisville Will Change Stadium Name After Papa John's Founder Used a Racial Slur | |
| The University of Louisville will rename its Papa John's Cardinal Stadium to formally cut ties with the pizza company's founder, John H. Schnatter, after he used a racial slur on a business conference call. "I have decided, with the support of our Board of Trustees, to rename our football stadium 'Cardinal Stadium' and to remove John Schnatter's name from the Center for Free Enterprise at our College of Business, effective immediately," said Neeli Bendapudi, the university's president, in a written statement. "I have stated since my first day on this job that my commitment to the University of Louisville is to make it a great place to learn, a great place to work, and a great place in which to invest. We can only accomplish this if we truly celebrate diversity, foster equity, and aim to achieve inclusion." Schnatter stepped down after Forbes reported that he had used a racial slur during a conference call in May. |
| U. of Kentucky cuts financial ties with pizza magnate John Schnatter | |
| The University of Kentucky will remove pizza magnate John Schnatter's name from a free enterprise institute and the business school's main atrium, following the University of Louisville's lead in disavowing Schnatter after he admitted using a racial epithet in a conference call. "We appreciate Mr. Schnatter's understanding that his unacceptable language is contrary to the values of the University of Kentucky," UK President Eli Capilouto said in a statement Friday afternoon. "We believe in his sincerity to try to make amends. But attempting to continue any financial relationship with Mr. Schnatter would be a painful and unnecessary barrier to our efforts of building a community where everyone is welcome and belongs." Schnatter has pledged $8 million to the UK Gatton School of Business. |
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