Thursday, August 16, 2018   
 
Mississippi State, Starkville Habitat break ground on Maroon Edition home
After years of trying, Lou-Quan Lucious finally got to see work begin on her Habitat for Humanity home on Tuesday. Lucious, 25, is the recipient of the 10th Maroon Edition Habitat for Humanity Home, which is being built through a partnership between Mississippi State University and the Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity. The Maroon Edition homes are geared specifically toward getting involvement and volunteers from Mississippi State University. MSU President Mark Keenum said that can include university staff, faculty and retirees. However, the home, which ties into the Maroon Edition First-Year Reading Experience, is especially focused on students. "We ask all incoming students to read a common book to have a shared experience as they come and matriculate into our university," Keenum said. "We also want them to have a shared service experience as well. What better experience for them to be able to share than to come and help somebody be able to have a home?"
 
Trump administration plans to reorganize agriculture research offices, alarming some scientists
Scientists are raising alarms over a Trump administration plan to overhaul two federal offices tasked with food and agriculture research, calling the move a ploy to slash funding to projects on climate change, nutrition and other top concerns. The plan, announced by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue last week, would relocate one top research office -- the Economic Research Service -- into the Office of the Secretary, a political branch of the Agriculture Department. It would also move ERS and a second scientific office, the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, out of Washington, D.C., by the end of 2019. But a number of leading agricultural scientists and economists say the move risks gutting both agencies and stifling important federal research. "It seems weirdly punitive," said Sonny Ramaswamy, who served as NIFA's administrator until his six-year term expired in May.
 
Gov. Phil Bryant calling special legislative session for infrastructure funding
Gov. Phil Bryant on Thursday morning said he plans to formally announce this afternoon a special session of the Legislature to deal with road and bridge funding. The long-anticipated session is scheduled for Aug. 23-24. Bryant has said for months he wants lawmakers to return to Jackson and figure out how to devote more money to the state's crumbling roads and bridges. But Republican House and Senate leaders had remained at odds over such funding, as they have for the last three years as business and transportation leaders have lobbied for more money. Bryant so far over his two terms has held off calling lawmakers into costly special sessions unless they have at least the broad strokes of an agreement. He said he'd like lawmakers to "get in and get it done in two days." "We're working out a few final details," Bryant said Thursday morning at his Governor's Health Care Economic Development Summit.
 
Trump, a liability to some, seen as a positive by Mississippi GOP campaigns
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant enjoys hanging out with President Donald Trump. "I can't tell you how much fun it is to be able to go to Washington D.C., now," the second term Republican governor recently said at the Neshoba County Fair. "The last eight years before President Trump I would go to the national governors meeting -- I would probably skip the black tie event in the evening (at the Obama White House). Now it is so much fun being in the White House -- lots of fun making America great again." Bryant made it clear that while Trump will not be on the ballot in November, he will be an issue -- an issue that he believes will be a net positive for Mississippi Republicans. "If they (Democrats) want to get out here and say we need to have a check, a stopgap to Donald J. Trump, I am looking forward to it. Bring it on," Bryant said.
 
Remember Mississippi: Inside a super PAC that spends on everything but winning
The two billionaire mega donors poured $1.25 million into a super PAC that was supposed to supercharge Chris McDaniel's insurgent bid to be Mississippi's next Republican senator. A year later, much of the money from Illinois shipping supply CEO Richard Uihlein and New York financier Robert Mercer is gone. Only a fraction was spent reaching voters who could boost the former state lawmaker's uphill battle against Cindy Hyde-Smith, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's preferred candidate in a November special election that will determine who finishes out retired GOP Sen. Thad Cochran's term. What the Remember Mississippi super PAC has provided, however, is a generous payday for at least 18 campaign consultants who received the lion's share of the money, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission records.
 
Signs of Danger for GOP in Polls of Mississippi's U.S. Senate Race
The race in Mississippi for the seat that U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran vacated in April is functionally tied between Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy, a leaked GOP poll from Hyde-Smith's campaign found. Buzzfeed News first reported the poll on Sunday, Aug. 5. It showed that the other Republican in the race, Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel, is running about 10 points behind Espy and Hyde-Smith. In the 2014 Republican primary for the seat, McDaniel narrowly lost a bid to oust Cochran. Because this race is a special election, there will be no primary this time. Both Republicans will go head to head against Espy in a jungle-primary-style election. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the election will have a runoff. "Our polling shows we've got a path to victory," the Espy campaign wrote in an email to supporters after the leaked poll was reported. Last month, the Espy campaign's internal polling found him narrowly leading Hyde-Smith 39-37, with McDaniel lagging behind at 13 percent.
 
Espy Poll of Mississippi Senate Race Shows Path to Victory for Democrats
A Democratic poll of the Mississippi Senate special election shows former Rep. Mike Espy having a path to finishing first in a runoff this fall. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was appointed earlier this year to replace longtime GOP Sen. Thad Cochran, is running for the remainder of his term this November. Candidates from all parties will run together on the same ballot, and if no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top-two finishers will advance to a late-November runoff. In the poll conducted for the Espy campaign, Hyde-Smith finished first on the initial ballot with 29 percent. Espy was in second with 27 percent, followed by state Sen. Chris McDaniel at 17 percent. The Mellman Group surveyed 600 likely votes from Aug. 1-7, and the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
 
Trump Revokes Ex-C.I.A. Director John Brennan's Security Clearance
President Trump revoked the security clearance of John O. Brennan, the former C.I.A. director under President Barack Obama, on Wednesday in a striking act of retaliation against an outspoken critic. The president threatened to do the same to other former national security officials who have antagonized him. Citing what he called Mr. Brennan's "erratic" behavior and "increasingly frenzied commentary," Mr. Trump dispatched Sarah Huckabee Sanders, his press secretary, to read a statement saying that Mr. Brennan had abused his access to the United States' secrets "to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations." The revocation of Mr. Brennan's security clearance also appeared to be a way to change the subject from damaging accusations in a tell-all book by Omarosa Manigault Newman.
 
Hundreds Of Newspapers Denounce Trump's Attacks On Media In Coordinated Editorials
More than 300 news publications across the country are joining together to defend the role of a free press and denounce President Trump's ongoing attacks on the news media in coordinated editorials publishing Thursday, according to a tally by The Boston Globe. The project was spearheaded by staff members of the editorial page at the Globe, who write: "This relentless assault on the free press has dangerous consequences. We asked editorial boards from around the country -- liberal and conservative, large and small -- to join us today to address this fundamental threat in their own words." Marjorie Pritchard, the Globe's deputy managing editor of the editorial page who spearheaded the effort, told NPR's Morning Edition, "this editorial project is not against the Trump administration's agenda. It's a response to put us into the public discourse and defend the First Amendment."
 
Inn at Ole Miss granted resort status; can now sell beer at on-site events
Visitors to the Inn at Ole Miss can now drink beer during their stay. The hotel, which stands on the campus of the University of Mississippi, received approval from the Mississippi Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control for qualified resort status on July 25. The Inn was previously able to serve wine and liquor through third-party vendors, but beer was not an option as the hotel, along with most of the Ole Miss campus, is located in Lafayette County where beer sales are prohibited. However, being granted resort status will not allow guests to carry alcohol to other parts of the campus. Drinks may only be consumed on the grounds of the Inn. The shift in status for the Inn was essential, Kirk Purdom, executive director of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, said in an interview.
 
Students begin their move back to Ole Miss
Students began their trek to Oxford for move-in day on Wednesday. Freshmen came to move in and begin their college careers at Ole Miss. Over half the student population comes from out-of-state and say their excitement for school to start trumps the thoughts of being far away from home. One student from Florida said she's excited to see the seasonal changes in Mississippi and hopes she has a great year. Others say the move-in was exhausting, but they're still excited to see what their first school year brings. Classes at Ole Miss begin August 20th.
 
Oxford: 'No more sleepy little college town' thanks to the Eli Manning effect
William Griffin of Jackson can remember in the mid-1970s when Oxford had only a couple of restaurants on its town square. If you wanted a good steak, The Sizzler was a few miles west on Mississippi 6. "I never thought I'd see Oxford turn into what it has become today," says Griffin, a two-sport athlete at Ole Miss. What it's become is a city that has won a multitude of awards over the past decade, from Money magazine's Top 100 Best Places to Live in 2007, Outside Magazine's 20 Best Small Towns in America in 2008 and a Top 101 Safest Cities in the United States, according to safehome.org in 2017. These days it is known for its dining, music, arts -- and, oh yes, seven home football weekends each year for the Ole Miss Rebels.
 
SOCSD approves purchase of 2,000 iPads
Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District will have 2,000 iPads within the next two months to help incorporate technology in the classroom. During Tuesday night's regular meeting, the board approved the purchase of 40 carts for the 2,000 iPads and 40 Apple TVs for $127,158. Over the course of four years, SOCSD will pay $797,900 for the 2,000 iPads, which amounts to $199,475 annually through September 2021. Superintendent Eddie Peasant said the district is working toward a one-to-one ratio for technology in the classroom. The majority of the iPads will be at Armstrong Middle School, which houses sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students, but they will also be placed at Starkville High School and Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary.
 
Mississippi School of the Arts planning repairs, upgrades
After a year in which budget cuts were so sharp writers were told not to use the printers and urgent calls went out for donations of toilet paper, the Mississippi School of the Arts finally has a little extra cash for housekeeping. The arts school's 15th year of operation will also be the first year it has state bond money, thanks to a $1 million appropriation in House Bill 1649 that authorizes the money for repairs and rehabilitation to the school's campus, which is part modern student center and part historic college. MSA Executive Director Suzanne Hirsch said the bond money will be spent to open up a pair of new classrooms, repair the parking lot and install accessibility features, and other building-by-building renovations. "One million doesn't go extremely far for state property, but it will make a huge difference for us," she said. District 39 Sen. Sally Doty, R-Brookhaven, said she will reintroduce legislation in 2019 that would simplify MSA's purchasing and hiring procedures.
 
Interim engineering dean for U. of Tennessee appointed to White House job
The University of Tennessee Knoxville's interim engineering dean, Lynne Parker, is leaving her post for a White House job where, among her duties, she will advise President Donald Trump. Parker is expected to begin her new position Monday as assistant director for artificial intelligence for the Office of Science and Technology Policy, according to a news release from UT. Parker, who took over the Tickle College of Engineering in an interim capacity as Wayne Davis was appointed UT's interim chancellor, is wrapping up her leadership role at UT on Wednesday. However, she will maintain her affiliation with UT Knoxville as the strategic research adviser for the Tickle College of Engineering and a professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
 
Students learn by doing in UGA's Warnell fisheries class
There's no substitute for real-world experience, and that's just what students in the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources got during a Maymester course that teaches some of the essential skills required for aspiring fishery experts. Armed with nets, waders, snorkels and diving masks, the students visited several sites stretching from Georgia's coast to its cool mountain streams. At each site, they learned fish collection and identification skills for the state's freshwater and coastal fishes as well as conservation issues affecting environments across the state. This course is one of more than 3,500 experiential opportunities for undergraduate students at UGA, which is the nation's largest institution where experiential learning is mandatory for all undergraduates who have enrolled since fall 2016.
 
Texas A&M's Corps of Cadets welcomes new members and their families
More than 700 incoming Aggie freshmen from across the country and beyond descended upon the Duncan Dining Hall on Wednesday to begin their journeys as members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. "Today is the culmination of two-plus years of recruiting," said Col. Sam Hawes, assistant commandant of recruiting for the Corps. Hawes called the Corps "the heartbeat of Texas A&M" and expressed excitement "about the men and women in this group of students. They are excited about being Aggies and being in the Corps." Immediately upon entering the dining hall, students and their families were temporarily separated as current cadets guided the cadets-to-be through registration paperwork and apparel gathering. Members of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association lined up to greet parents, guardians and other family members and provide insight into the journey on which their student was preparing to embark.
 
U. of Missouri students move into residence halls
Madeline Boucher brought a few cartloads of things from home for her room in Bluford Residence Hall, but her mom, dad, grandma and hundreds of volunteers were available to help. "I'm super excited," said Boucher, of Mackinaw, Illinois. "Mizzou is a dream. I'm nervous about leaving my family, but I know I'm going to have a big support system at Mizzou. They'll be like a second family." Boucher will study diagnostic medical ultrasound when the fall semester starts Monday. She said she chose the University of Missouri because it's one of the few schools that offers a master's degree in the field. "When I toured the campus, I fell in love with it," she said. Though there is intense competition for students among private apartment buildings, Boucher said she wanted to live in university housing on campus. "They stressed the importance of living on campus, especially in my freshman year," she said.
 
Education Funding, Eaten Up by Pell Grants, Once Again on Menu
While military and health care costs have received plenty of airtime in recent years, the federal education budget hasn't gotten a thorough vetting on the Senate floor since 2007. That will change if the Senate takes up later this week a massive $856.9 billion spending bill for the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and a smattering of smaller agencies. In the 11-year stretch since the full Senate last debated education appropriations, the Great Recession came and went, exploding the number of students either finding themselves out of work or in need of retraining. As tuition and other higher education expenses ballooned in tandem, Congress also loosened the federal purse strings, including making it easier to qualify for Pell Grants, which help nearly 7.5 million predominantly lower-income students afford college.
 
Students are spending less than ever on course materials
A decade ago, students spent an average of $701 per year on required course materials. Now, according to the latest data from the National Association of College Stores, they are spending under $500. The reason for the spending drop is the "increased use of free and lower-cost digital and rental materials," according to Estella McCollum, vice president of research and consulting at NACS. In its latest annual report on course material spending, published Wednesday, NACS said students were still more likely to buy course materials than not, but that the number of students using free course materials is increasing. This year, 32 percent of students reported using free course materials, compared with 25 percent last year and 19 percent in 2016, according to the NACS data. Just under 60 percent said their professors had provided them with the free materials.
 
Enough 'Do More With Less.' It's Time for Colleges to Find Actual Efficiencies
If controlling costs were a baseball game for colleges, what inning would it be? Panelists at a recent conference suggested the seventh inning (almost there) and the fifth (a ways to go). Rick Staisloff said the game hadn't even begun: "We're warming up the band to start singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'" Staisloff, who spent many years as chief financial officer of a small institution, Notre Dame of Maryland University, and as a finance-policy analyst for Maryland's higher-education commission, now consults with colleges on finance and strategy. Most campus leaders, he finds, do not know how much they spend to educate students in various majors, and so don't know where to find efficiencies. Detailed data can bust some preconceived notions: Staisloff cites one college where religious studies was bringing in more net revenue than some preprofessional subjects.
 
The Fate of Black Colleges Post-Omarosa
The Trump administration's relationship with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) started with a lot of flash and a little substance. Dozens of black educators in the Oval Office for a photo opportunity with the president. An executive order on black colleges that didn't live up to expectations. And a host of unforced errors. Black college leaders and their advocates, though, remained cautiously optimistic. After all, they weren't exactly thrilled with the Obama years, and at least the early months of the Trump-era had placed a spotlight on the often-neglected institutions. And, above all else, they thought, they had the president's ear -- and that was due in large part to Omarosa Manigault-Newman's presence in the West Wing. That direct line was cut in December when Omarosa -- a black college graduate herself---was unceremoniously fired from the White House. And in her new book, the former reality star and senior White House aide is inflaming what was already a tense relationship between between black colleges and the administration.
 
30 more women sue USC over former gynecologist as new interim president welcomes freshmen to campus
An additional 30 women sued USC on Wednesday, claiming that the university failed to protect them from abuse and mistreatment by the longtime campus gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. The new claims bring the total number of patients suing USC to more than 340 and come as students return to the Los Angeles campus for the start of the fall semester. Interim President Wanda Austin, a graduate of USC's engineering school who was selected last week to steer the university during a search for a permanent successor to C.L. Max Nikias, was set to address incoming students Thursday. "I will tell everyone gathered that the university's senior leadership is fully committed to bringing about change that will renew us -- in both purpose and action," Austin wrote in a letter issued Wednesday to alumni, students and staff. "My decision to serve as interim president was motivated by my love for, and dedication to, our great university."


SPORTS
 
'Beefing Up the Bulldogs' with Mississippi State football team
SEC football begins in just two weeks, and teams are working hard to prepare for the 2018 season. On Wednesday night, the Mississippi State football team took an unusual break from practice. They were treated to a steak dinner as part of the Mississippi Cattlemen's "Beefing Up The Bulldogs" campaign. The coaches and players also got to hear about Mississippi Beef and the animal sciences program on campus and get an inside experience in agriculture.
 
Confident Mississippi State ready to contend in SEC West
Mississippi State isn't shying away from its status as a contender to win the Southeastern Conference. Instead, first-year coach Joe Moorhead is embracing the sky-high expectations and is pleased that his players feel the same way. "Hype and confidence are two things that I don't worry about with the team," Moorhead said. "We are a very confident group, and I think we have a good reason. We have earned a right to be confident." Mississippi State returns most of a team that finished with a 9-4 record last season, including a 4-4 mark in the SEC. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald returns for his third season as the starter after throwing for more than 4,000 yards and running for more than 2,000 over the past two seasons.
 
Mississippi State tailbacks eager to make their mark
There's no denying the success Joe Moorhead was able to generate with Saquon Barkley. Barkley totaled 3,837 yards of offense and 45 touchdowns over the past two years with Moorhead calling the plays for the Penn State running back, who went No. 2 overall to the New York Giants in the NFL Draft this past April. So when Moorhead was hired at Mississippi State, the first assistant coach he brought on board was Nittany Lions running backs coach Charles Huff hoping to recreate that same magic formula in Starkville. But instead of one feature back, the Bulldogs have a room full of talented tailbacks -- Aeris Williams, Dontavian Lee, Nick Gibson and Kylin Hill -- each one eager to make a mark.
 
U. of Alabama to announce renovation plans for Bryant-Denny Stadium
The University of Alabama athletics department will announce a long-term facilities plan Thursday that includes a major renovation to Bryant-Denny Stadium, The Tuscaloosa News has learned. The update to the Crimson Tide's football stadium is expected to reduce seating by a small percentage from its current capacity of 101,821. It includes plans for a new video board in the south end zone and additional luxury boxes. The long-term plan will also affect Coleman Coliseum, softball's Rhoads Stadium and other athletics facilities. All facilities plans are subject to approval by the board of trustees. UA is expected to announce a capital campaign to raise funds for the facilities improvements. An announcement previewing Thursday's news conference says the athletics department will introduce "The Crimson Standard." Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, football coach Nick Saban and UA President Stuart Bell are scheduled to speak.
 
Auburn AD Allen Greene: 'We have to be willing to test the boundaries'
A small crowd gathered at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday to hear Auburn University Athletics Director Allen Greene speak about the Auburn family, Auburn University athletics, and how welcomed he was into Auburn. When Greene applied for the athletics director job, he had never been to Auburn before. But after talking to the search committee, he realized that Auburn was the place he wanted to be. "I didn't realize this whole 'Auburn family' thing was a real thing," Greene said. "I later realized not only was it real, but it was so engrained and embedded in people's hearts and minds. People bleed orange and blue. I couldn't help but become overwhelmed and overtaken with the passion and the pride, the sense of loyalty and the sense of love." When it comes to Auburn athletics, Greene said he feels the program has lived in its own bubble for too long. Auburn athletics needs to plan a way to keep its history and tradition, but also find a way to break out and do some new things to propel the program forward, he said.
 
Who has the real Death Valley? LSU, Clemson to 'settle' the issue with 2025-26 series
The battle for who has the real Death Valley is finally on. LSU and Clemson announced Wednesday that the schools will meet in a home-and-home series. LSU will play at Clemson's Memorial Stadium in South Carolina on Aug. 30, 2025, while Clemson visits Tiger Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026. The games will mark the first time the two southern football powers will play on each other's home fields, which they both refer to as Death Valley. The schools have met three times in football, all in bowl games. "We have put an emphasis on bringing Power 5 teams outside of the Southeastern Conference to Tiger Stadium as often as we can," LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said according to a university news release. "It's what we want and most importantly it's what our fans want."
 
Tennessee football, UConn 'in discussions' about resolving football agreement with a game
Tennessee and Connecticut are discussing a possible football matchup. The schools signed a contract in 2008 for a home-and-home series. The agreement called for a game in East Hartford, Conn., in 2015, with the Huskies making a return trip to Knoxville in 2016. In 2014, Tennessee announced that it had reached "a mutual agreement to suspend that series" with UConn to create the opportunity for the Vols to play two neutral-site games. They played Bowling Green in Nashville to open the 2015 season and Virginia Tech in Bristol during the 2016 season. Then-Vols athletic director Dave Hart sent Warde Manuel, who was UConn's AD, an amendment in 2014 that outlined the schools' agreement to push back the series. Manuel signed the amendment, which stated that dates for rescheduled games "shall be mutually agreed upon by Sept. 26, 2015." The series was never rescheduled, and the home-and-home now appears unlikely, but UConn coach Randy Edsall remains interested in playing Tennessee.
 
Under new NCAA rule, basketball players will have expenses covered if they leave, return to college
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has made a new promise to Division I basketball players: under certain conditions, if a player leaves and returns to the same university, the institution must pay for the player's degree and other expenses. Though this appears to be a positive shift in the package of reforms that the NCAA announced last week in the wake of an alleged kickback scheme in men's basketball, the association could not immediately confirm how many athletes might take advantage of the new rule -- or how much it will cost institutions. A few prominent programs and athletic conferences have already started complying, even though it doesn't take effect until next year. "To some extent it constitutes an acknowledgment that the previous system was deficient" in assuring players an education, said Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist and professor at Smith College. He said the move was "a good step."



The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
Mississippi State University  •  Mississippi State, MS 39762  •  Main Telephone: (662) 325-2323  •   Contact: The Editor  |  The Webmaster  •   Updated: August 16, 2018Facebook Twitter