| Monday, September 17, 2018 |
| Record-setting enrollment at Mississippi State tops 22,000 | |
 | In its fifth consecutive year of historic growth, Mississippi State celebrates its 140-year anniversary by accelerating student enrollment well over the 22,000 mark, an attainment that's been a top priority for MSU President Mark E. Keenum. With this fall's arrival of 22,201 students, Mississippi's leading research university is seeing 318 more enroll than last year's 21,883, while also growing diversity of the student body to more than a quarter -- 27 percent -- of MSU's degree-seeking population. A record number of new transfer students also is contributing to the university's unprecedented enrollment, and first-time freshman numbers are up from fall 2017. New opportunities for students to attain membership in the nation's most prestigious academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa, expanded undergraduate research and distance education programs, and more study abroad ventures and scholarship options through the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College are at the heart of the increase. |
| Typewriter exhibit at Mississippi State showcases history of entertainment, literary greats | |
 | These may have been the aspirations of Steve Soboroff when he started collecting famed typewriters from the greats nearly two decades ago. "The amount of time these people spent on these things and their relationship with them and the idea of me thinking, 'My god, (Jim) Murray, Lennon, (Ernest) Hemingway and all these people were working with these machines as their partners,' was the factor to me," Soboroff told ABC News in 2015. Several pieces from Soboroff's extensive collection are now on display at the Mississippi State University Mitchell Memorial Library. "It's truly amazing," said Sarah McCullough, coordinator of cultural heritage projects at MSU libraries. "There are nine typewriters and we even have a hat that belonged to Truman Capote. In Tom Hanks', there's a note he wrote to Mr. Soboroff that is still in the carriage." |
| Barrier islands protect coasts from storms, but are vulnerable too | |
 | When hurricanes like Florence make landfall, the first things they hit often are barrier islands -- thin ribbons of sand that line the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It's hard to imagine how these narrow strips can withstand such forces, but in fact, many of them have buffered our shores for centuries. Barrier islands protect about 10 percent of coastlines worldwide. When hurricanes and storms make landfall, these strands absorb much of their force, reducing wave energy and protecting inland areas. Here in Mississippi, a string of uninhabited barrier islands off our coast separates Mississippi Sound from the Gulf of Mexico. Behind the islands is a productive estuary, important wetlands and cities such as Biloxi and Gulfport. Because the Mississippi River has been dredged and enclosed between levees to keep it from spilling over its banks, this area does not receive the sediment loads that the river once deposited in this part of the Gulf. As a result, the islands are eroding and disappearing. |
| Rockin' out in Starkville: The All-American Rejects set to headline MSU's Bulldog Bash | |
| Alternative rock/power pop titans The All-American Rejects are headlining Mississippi State University's 19th annual Bulldog Bash on Friday, Sept. 28 in downtown Starkville. Branded Mississippi's largest, free outdoor concert, Bulldog Bash is sponsored by MSU's Student Association and again will be held at the intersection of Jackson and Main streets. Clark Beverage Group Inc. is title sponsor for this year's event. Bulldog Bash is one day prior to the MSU Bulldogs' highly anticipated Southeastern Conference matchup with the University of Florida Gators at Davis Wade Stadium. For more, visit HailState.com/gameday. Bulldog Bash action kicks off at 3 p.m. with the "Maroon Market," which features food and retail vendors and performances by local musicians all afternoon. Interested artists and vendors may email bulldogbash@sa.msstate.edu for more information. |
| MSU-Meridian plans informational meeting about MBA program | |
 | A meeting is planned at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18 in the Deen Building at the Mississippi State University-Meridian Riley campus for people interested in the professional MBA program at MSU-Meridian. The new professional MBA program accepted its first class of 23 students this summer and is seeking to grow. Program director Paul Spurlin said students must apply to the MSU-Meridian graduate school to be considered. A business background is not required and students may come from many different experiences, Spurlin said. The requirement of a GMAT or GRE exam may be waived for applicants with more than five years of professional experience, according to the university's website. Classes are held in the evening. |
| Into the fire: Dozens of area college students balance studies, volunteering as rural firefighters | |
| Mississippi State freshman Mitch Graves was walking through the university activities fair on the Drill Field his first week of classes, looking at his different extracurricular options, when someone from one of the booths shouted: "Hey! You wanna be a fireman?" That was how Graves ended up at East Oktibbeha Fire Station a few nights later, along with several other MSU students, all of whom were interested in volunteering their time responding to emergency calls like medical emergencies, vehicle accidents and, of course, fires. It was that night that the Los Angeles native "fell in love" with firefighting. A year later, and Graves is one of 24 students either certified or training with the Oktibbeha County Volunteer Fire Department, which has 126 firefighters total. They're all volunteers and on call 24/7. |
| Are you a well-meaning white parent who perpetuates racism? | |
 | Mississippi journalist Donna Ladd writes in The Guardian: I was having a mid-morning breakfast at Whole Foods in Jackson, Mississippi, when a young white mother I knew from around town walked up wearing workout clothes and pushing her youngest daughter in a stroller. "I wanted to tell you that after I read the story you ran in your newspaper about Jackson's school integration history, I decided to send my daughter to public school," she said, referring to her kindergarten-age child. But her timing was auspicious. "You should read this," I said, reaching into my tote bag for the new book, White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America by Margaret A Hagerman, PhD, a sociologist at Mississippi State University. "She can help you avoid mistakes as a white parent in a majority-black school." She looked excited to read it. A few hours later, I was sitting with Hagerman in her office 110 miles north to talk about her book. |
| Starkville-based Camgian to expand to Tuscaloosa | |
 | Starkville-based Camgian Microsystems, a pioneer in advanced sensing systems and technologies, will expand to Tuscaloosa, Ala. Camgian is a leader in developing integrated sensing platforms that provide real-time situational awareness. "We are excited to expand our operations and look forward to a long and productive relationship with the community of Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama," Dr. Gary Butler, founder, chairman and CEO of Camgian, said. Camgian will become the first anchor tenant of the new business incubator and accelerator, known as The Edge, where it will house its new Center for AI and Machine Learning. Created in 2012 by the University of Alabama, the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and the city of Tuscaloosa, The Edge broke ground in 2017 on a 26,300-square-foot facility that will be managed by the Culverhouse College of Business. |
| Starkville may partner with bike-sharing company | |
| Starkville aldermen will consider on Tuesday partnering with a bike-sharing company as a step for improving bicycle access in the city. Aldermen heard a presentation from John Ursy, operations manager for Lime in Starkville -- a bike -- and scooter-sharing company that is in cities across the United States. The company brought its bikes to Mississippi State University a few weeks ago, Ursy said, and is looking to expand on its on-campus success by spreading into the city. The program, if aldermen approve it, would be the first partnership between Lime and a Mississippi city and will come at no cost to Starkville. Ursy said the company is looking to have 22 deployment locations, primarily along Main Street, University Drive and Russell Street, and about 100 bikes for the city. He said the number of bikes in Starkville will fluctuate as people ride onto campus and vice versa. |
| Help wanted: Jobs are available, but finding qualified workers is a challenge | |
| One of Gov. Phil Bryant's favorite phrases is, "Mississippi wins with people," when referring to the state's economic development efforts. With state unemployment near a record low, it seems the state is doing what it needs to do when it comes to landing the businesses and industries and growing the ranks of tax-paying workers. "Winning with people" suggests that companies are finding the workers they need and want. And by many regards, they are. But at separate but related career and workforce development summits last week in Tupelo via the CREATE Foundation, local and regional economic development groups and the Appalachian Regional Commission, it was clear that companies are having more difficulty finding the workers they need. The issue has been bubbling beneath the surface for years, and ironically has only worsened as the overall economy has improved. |
| Lottery, education are focuses of legislative forum | |
| A new lottery and public education spending dominated Starkville forum where four local legislators spoke about the results of last month's special legislative session. District 37 Rep. Gary Chism (R-Columbus), District 38 Rep. Cheikh Taylor (D-Starkville), District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson (R-Starkville) and District 16 Sen. Angela Turner-Ford (D-West Point) participated in the forum, which the Starkville Daily News hosted in the Starkville Police Department community room. While the legislators said some good came of the special session, they also seemed skeptical of some of the measures that passed, especially a state lottery. Roberson said he voted for the lottery because it seemed apparent it was something most Mississippians wanted. State voters approved a lottery in 1992, but legislators never permitted one until this year. However, Roberson said he views it as a "self-tax" and doesn't see it solving any significant problems. |
| Chris McDaniel on MSNBC to African-Americans: stop 'begging for federal government scraps' | |
 | U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel was booed by a live MSNBC audience at Ole Miss on Friday morning after he said African-American Mississippians should stop "begging for federal government scraps." Republican McDaniel and other Senate candidates were interviewed on the "Morning Joe" show from its live broadcast in Mississippi. Interview panelist Eddie Glaude Jr., a Moss Point native and chairman of African-American studies at Princeton University, asked McDaniel about his support for the controversial state flag, comments about hip-hop music contributing to gun violence and praise of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. After the show, McDaniel in a message to the Clarion Ledger, said: "It was an 11-minute segment. And that one sentence is your primary focus? I easily clarified my position --- that is, Mississippi being the dead last state of the Union in terms of wealth and economic prosperity, based on outdated economic models." |
| GOP Senate candidate to African Americans: Stop begging for 'government scraps' | |
 | Republican Senate candidate Chris McDaniel was booed by a crowd during a live taping of "Morning Joe" on Friday after saying that African Americans have spent 100 years "begging for federal government scraps." The comment from the GOP candidate came during a segment of the MSNBC show taped at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Panelist Eddie Glaude Jr. asked McDaniel about his stance on the Confederate flag, saying that 38 percent of Mississippi residents are black while asking McDaniel how he would appeal to those voters and convince them "you are not a danger to them." "I'm going to ask them, after 100 years of relying on big government to save you, where are you today?" McDaniel said. "After 100 years of begging for federal government scraps, where are you today?" McDaniel was met with loud boos from the audience and quickly sought to clarify his comments. |
| McDaniel: Black Mississippians Begged for 'Government Scraps' for 100 Years | |
| The 38 percent of Mississippians who are black voters have been "begging for government scraps" for 100 years, Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate, said Friday morning in a special Mississippi edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe broadcast live from Oxford, Miss. Pressed further, McDaniel offered a different answer. "What I would say to the 38 percent is that I am a candidate who wants to expand your liberty and opportunity," McDaniel said after the boos died down. "We can't keep doing it the same old way and expect different results." McDaniel also defended the state flag, saying it should remain because Mississippians voted to keep it in 2001. |
| McDaniel: Trump under pressure to support the GOP establishment | |
 | Chris McDaniel says President Donald Trump is a prisoner of the Republican political establishment. And Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is hammering McDaniel over it. That's dangerous political territory for McDaniel, because Trump is exceedingly popular with Republicans. Hyde-Smith and McDaniel are in a tense battle for Republican votes in Mississippi's U.S. Senate race. McDaniel has asserted that Trump was pressured to endorse her by the Republican Party establishment, notably Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. A White House source familiar with the president's thinking bristled at McDaniel's assessment Friday afternoon, calling it "insulting." "The president makes his own decisions and it's insulting and unhelpful for anyone to claim otherwise," the source said. "Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith earned his trust and support, and the president is confident the people of Mississippi will make the right decision in November." |
| Chris McDaniel was a rising GOP star, but now he's fighting for political survival | |
 | Down in the polls, short on cash, and running out of time, Republican conservative firebrand Chris McDaniel says he's far from cooked in his bid to win a U.S. Senate seat from Mississippi that he believes was stolen from him four years ago. But polls say otherwise. "When I first ran four years ago, what did the establishment say? 'Not a chance, he may get 15 percent of the vote, his political career is over.' Didn't happen," McDaniel said. "We were one of the first 'Drain the Swamp' candidates. We're going to be fine." McDaniel's 2018 campaign has seen a dramatic reversal of fortune from the 2014 Senate run that made him a tea party darling, garnered national attention, branded him as a conservative star on the rise, and shook the Republican Party establishment to its core. "For some reason, though, the fire hasn't started burning very brightly for Chris' campaign this time," said Marty Wiseman, former director of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University. "It's kind of left him sitting dead in the water." |
| Espy, McDaniel commit to Millsaps-MPB debate without Hyde Smith | |
| A U.S. Senate debate jointly hosted by Millsaps College and Mississippi Public Broadcasting will be held – with or without incumbent interim U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Candidates Chris McDaniel, a Republican, and Mike Espy, a Democrat, have agreed to participate in the Oct. 4 debate at Millsaps, according to a news release from the debate partners. Lesser-known candidate, Tobey Bartee, a Gautier Democrat, also will participate. But Sen. Hyde Smith has consistently avoided committing. Last week at a campaign event in Ridgeland, Sen. Hyde-Smith said the slim Republican majority in the Senate made her concerned about missing votes. "We have to see how the scheduling works out, and if it works out. But we're extremely busy, and with the margin, you know that's a big reason you cannot miss a vote," Hyde-Smith said. "We have just enough votes to get things passed and no one can afford to be absent from that." |
| Analysis: Legislative transparency a matter of perspective | |
| A Republican leader of the Mississippi House says the Legislature operates more transparently now than ever. But a longtime Democratic senator says the Legislature falls short of even its own past practices of conducting public business out in the open. House Speaker Pro Tempore Greg Snowden of Meridian and Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory presented contrasting views last week at a forum sponsored by the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University's Stennis Institute of Government. Snowden was elected to the House in 1999. He said when he first arrived at the Capitol, the only way to read a bill was to fetch a paper copy. Now, he said, bills are posted online, and amendments that are offered during House or Senate debates often appear online within minutes. The floor debates themselves are available live on the legislative website. |
| State Public Safety Commissioner says agency done with Nike products | |
| Mississippi's public safety commissioner disclosed Saturday that state police will no longer buy Nike products, saying the athletic apparel maker is unpatriotic and fails to support those in uniform. "As commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, I will not support vendors who do not support law enforcement and our military," Commissioner Marshall Fisher said in a statement Saturday to The Associated Press. It isn't immediately clear how much gear the state police agency buys from Nike or if it purchases directly from the athletic apparel maker. Department spokesman Warren Strain said the department has bought shoes and shirts from the company, as well as tactical training uniforms. But Mississippi's Republican establishment is jumping to support the cause, with Gov. Phil Bryant lauding his appointee's decision. |
| With Gov. Bryant's support, Mississippi law enforcement agency to dump Nike | |
| The Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which includes the state's Highway Patrol troopers, will no longer purchase any Nike products, according to Commissioner Marshall Fisher and Gov. Phil Bryant. The decision by the public-safety department is a reaction to a recent Nike decision to run an ad campaign starring Colin Kaepernick. In 2016, as quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick began sitting and, then, kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice, particularly police killings of African Americans. In response to an inquiry by Mississippi Today, Fisher said: "As commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, I will not support vendors who do not support law enforcement and the military." Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, said: "The governor had been spending too much time with the president," referring to Donald Trump, whom Horhn said has politicized Kaepernick. |
| Hosemann visit 'promotes the vote' in DeSoto County | |
 | The person in charge of overseeing the electoral process in the state of Mississippi is getting proactive about promoting the right and obligation for citizens to vote on Election Day, Nov. 6. Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann held a meeting about voting and cyber security in the election process Thursday at the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando. The informational meeting that included many of the county's elected officials and election commissioners, was one of several he is holding across the state. Hosemann said he took to "campaigning," so to speak, statewide as he looks to vastly improve the meager turnout of the June 5 primary. DeSoto County, a county that typically attracts a good response at the polls, had a surprising low turnout of under eight percent for that election. |
| Allegations throw Kavanaugh confirmation into turmoil | |
| Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination was plunged into chaos after a woman accusing him of sexual assault spoke publicly for the first time about the allegation on Sunday. The fallout from the decades-old allegation is putting a spotlight on Senate Republicans, who must decide if they want to rush forward with Kavanaugh's nomination with questions lingering over the Senate's debate and vote. Republicans have been confident for months that Kavanaugh would be confirmed by October, when the court starts its next term. But they are under intense pressure to delay a vote after Kavanaugh's accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, told The Washington Post that in high school in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed at a party and forced himself on her. Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans quickly defended Kavanaugh, noting he had undergone multiple FBI background checks, and questioned the timing of the allegations. |
| Big Storms Leave Small Marks on the U.S. Economy | |
 | Hurricanes upend lives and destroy wealth, but leave little lasting imprint on the broader economy. That is one of the main takeaways from an examination of the economic effects of storms in recent years. With Hurricane Florence hitting the U.S. East Coast, and potentially more storms to come in the weeks ahead, it is a time to assess the economic impacts of natural disasters. Hurricane Harvey last year flooded the nation's fourth-largest city by population, Houston, destroying $125 billion worth of property, according to estimates by Moody's Analytics Inc. But lost economic output was just $8.5 billion, a barely perceptible sliver of more than $19 trillion of national economic output, according to Moody's. For the U.S. economy as a whole, output grew at a healthy 2.8% rate in the quarter when Harvey hit Texas. Payroll employment growth slowed in the weeks after Harvey, rising just 14,000 in September, and then bounced back with growth of 271,000 the following month. Individual claims for unemployment benefits briefly climbed, and then resumed a trend of shrinking to historic lows. |
| Trustees name Nora Miller 15th president of MUW | |
| Trustees on Friday named a new president of the Mississippi University for Women without conducting a full search, elevating acting president Nora Miller after a day of listening sessions on the Columbus campus. She becomes MUW's 15th president, the first alumna member of the "long blue line" to lead the institution. Miller has worked there for 17 years, most recently as chief financial officer, becoming acting president in March as former leader Jim Borsig prepared to retire. Miller said she wants to focus on financial sustainability. She's also focused on recruiting more students, making sure they stay enrolled and pushing them to graduation. With 2,738 students, MUW is the second smallest of Mississippi's public universities. |
| Nora Miller appointed president at MUW | |
| Friday was supposed to be the first of several "listening sessions" held on the Mississippi University for Women campus during its process to find a successor to Jim Borsig, who retired as the university's president in June. But by the end of the day, the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning had heard enough. After going into executive session at 5 p.m., the board soon emerged to announce it had selected Nora Miller as The W's 15th president. Miller, a MUW alumna who had been serving as acting president since Borsig's retirement, has 17 years of service at the university, most recently as senior vice president for administration and chief financial officer. Miller said Friday's announcement will allow the university to move in some areas that she had not pursued as acting president. |
| Mississippi University For Women Has A New School President | |
 | There was a major move on the campus of Mississippi University for Women on Friday. The Board of Trustees of the state's Institutions of Higher Learning unanimously named Nora Miller as the university's new president. Prior to becoming president Miller served as the senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She's a graduate of MUW and becomes the first alumni president at the university. Miller has worked at MUW since 2001. Now that she's the university's top leader, Miller said she wants to focus on three main themes: adaptability, positivity, and responsibility. |
| Obesity still growing problem in Mississippi, U.S. | |
| Mississippi has more company at the top end of the scale. Now there are seven states where obese adults make up 35 percent or more of the population. Mississippi weighed in with 37.3 percent of adults with a body mass index of 30 or higher -- which translates to about 30 pounds of excess weight. But West Virginia has the top spot with 38.1 percent of adults qualifying as obese. "These numbers are probably underestimated," because people tend to overestimate height and underestimate weight, said John Hall, director of the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research and a physiology professor at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. It's not just that people are a little overweight. More and more adults are 100 pounds or more over healthy weight ranges. "The trends for severe obesity are even more alarming," Hall said. "Severe obesity is increasing equally rapidly." |
| U. of Mississippi welcomes hosts of 'Morning Joe' to Ford Center | |
 | Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's Morning Joe spoke to a crowded auditorium at the Gertrude C. Ford Center on Friday night after airing their show live from the Square earlier that morning. Scarborough and Brzezinski discussed the state of journalism and politics during the Trump administration with award-winning authors Jon Meacham and Walter Isaacson. The panel answered questions about the rise of President Donald Trump and his 2016 presidential campaign, and Scarborough said Trump's strategy would not be replicated a second time. "It just so happened that Hillary Clinton did not campaign in Wisconsin, didn't campaign enough in Michigan, did not campaign in the industrial Northwest, Scarborough said. "And Donald Trump figured out how to win with enough white votes. Mark in down right now that will never happen again." |
| Morning Joe talks Trump Effect and the Media at Ole Miss | |
| The Gertrude Ford Center for the Performing Arts hosted NBC's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski in a conversation with presidential historian Jon Meacham on Friday evening. The "Morning Joe" stars and Meacham discussed the state of the country as it relates to President Trump, his relationship with the media and what it means in a historical context. "We have a president who represents the most vivid manifestation of a lot of the American prejudices against a free press," Meacham said. "There's never been a president who thought they'd been dealt with fairly. There's never been a politician, really, who thought they'd been dealt with fairly." The "Trump Effect," Meacham said, is the idea that the consequences of the President's actions have a widespread -- often negative -- influence on the public. Both Scarborough and Brzezinski said they were well aware of the phenomenon, and cited examples of the moment they first realized its existence. |
| Shots fired near Ole Miss campus | |
| Shots were fired near the Ole Miss campus Saturday night. Students were sent a Rebalert at 7:50 p.m. advising them to avoid the Hathorn Road area. The University sent another alert at 8:38 p.m. saying authorities cleared the area. It also stated the University of Mississippi and surrounding areas had been cleared of any dangers by local authorities. |
| Ole Miss student injured in hit and run | |
 | The University of Mississippi Police Department is investigating a hit-and-run accident involving an Ole Miss student. It happened around 2 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of Northgate Drive and Sorority Row. The press release says a vehicle struck a pedestrian, who was found a short time later at the scene with severe injuries before being transported to the hospital. UPD asks anyone who may have information about this incident to please call (662) 915-7234. |
| Eaglepalooza returns to downtown Hattiesburg | |
 | Eaglepalooza returned to downtown Hattiesburg for the first time since 2015 on Saturday. The event kicked off Saturday at 3 p.m. with Front Street as the backdrop. Eaglepalooza was put on by the Student Government Association at the University of Southern Mississippi. This year's lineup featured Colony House, The Weeks, the Hot 8 Brass Band, BrothaJosh & the Quickness, Paul Johnson & The About Last Nights, and The Lanna Wakeland Band. Those who came out says this year's event topped the years prior. |
| Delta State, Cleveland middle school partner for STEM education | |
| For teachers at one Cleveland school, the challenge of engaging students in the classroom won't be quite as daunting this year. Delta State University was recently awarded a Hearin Foundation grant in the amount of $80,000 to develop science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, activities and curriculum in partnership with a local school and Cleveland Central Middle School was chosen. Dr. Robert Kagumba, assistant professor of biology and science education at DSU and one of the co-writers of the grant, said CCMS was an ideal choice for a partner school. "We wanted to work with students at this important part of their educational journey. This is the time they are really developing their personality and character, it's the same way with their career interests. Research shows that if you catch them at that time, there is a higher possibility of influencing them toward pursuing a career in a STEM field." |
| Interim EMCC President Randall Bradberry says he's up to the challenge | |
| The new interim president of East Mississippi Community College says he's up to the challenge of leading the school. Randall Bradberry will serve as EMCC's leader until a new president is hired. Bradberry said that during the transition period, his main focus is to make sure things are maintained until the college names a permanent president. Some of his goals include making sure students feel comfortable and focusing on day-to day-activities. "If I didn't feel like I was up to the challenge, then I would not have taken this job," he said. Bradberry's career in education goes back several decades. He said he's always loved football, and believes that sports play an important role in society and at EMCC. |
| Meridian Community College scholarship aids military spouses/dependents | |
| Meridian Community College is offering a Military Spouse/Dependent Scholarship to help with some of the financial burdens of attending college. The recipient of the scholarship must be enrolled in at least one, three-hour MCC course; maintain a 2.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale); present military identification to MCC personnel for verification and be a spouse or dependent of an active duty service member. The recipient may reapply each semester for this scholarship. Scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. MCC will pay half the cost of tuition up to $700, said Pam Baranello, veterans and military services coordinator at MCC. |
| U. of Alabama has plan to deal if flat enrollment continues | |
 | The decrease in fall enrollment at the University of Alabama was not a surprise -- university officials signaled in the spring that they expected growth to be flatter after a historic high in 2017. The dip was less than half a percent, but it broke a 16-year streak of continuous growth, which was in high gear from 2003 until 2017 when it reached a historic high of 38,563. UA's growth has had far-reaching implications for the city of Tuscaloosa's economy, infrastructure and more, so any fluctuation in enrollment is bound to have effects off campus. However, UA President Stuart Bell and Executive Vice President Kevin Whitaker say the decrease isn't a sign that a national trend of enrollment declines is finally catching up with the Capstone but evidence of a shifting strategy as the administration looks ahead to the next decade. |
| Higher education has faced declines before | |
| Any discussion of projections of future enrollment declines in higher education bears some historical consideration, according to a research with the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. "One example I think about ... at the beginning of the 1980s, a lot of enrollment managers were really worried about a pending college enrollment crisis. My own generation, Generation X, was smaller than some previous generations. But that didn't materialize," said Jason Dewitt, the center's research manager. The reason the crisis didn't happen is women began to make up a higher percentage of college students, he said. "It is just a good example of how colleges face enrollment pressures. Historically, they have been able to reach new people, new groups of students, it is kind of interesting to think about what that means today," DeWitt said. "Colleges have always had cycles of pressure on enrollments, and one way they have been able to adapt to that is to be able to reach new groups of students." |
| President Leath: More than 30,000 enrolled at Auburn University | |
 | Enrollment at Auburn University is high, as is the standard of being accepted into the school, according to university president Steven Leath. "The demand for an Auburn education is the highest it's been in maybe ever," Leath said Friday. "Applications were up 21 percent just this year, which is an incredible increase in applications. "Our enrollment is 30,440, which I believe is the largest we've ever been," he continued. "This is with really, really strict standards, where kids are having to achieve more to get in. With that application surge, that's where we ended up." The president's remarks came during a board of trustees meeting at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center on Friday morning. He told the trustees that Auburn welcomed roughly 4,800 freshmen to campus this semester, with nearly 60 percent of the freshman class consisting of students from the state of Alabama. |
| Auburn's College of Engineering reveals $18 million renovation to lab | |
| The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University celebrated an $18 million renovation to the Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory on campus Friday. The building, which is located at 311 W. Magnolia Ave. and formerly known as the Textile Building, was originally constructed in 1929 to prepare future engineers for the textile industry. The upgrades were made possible by a $10.5 million donation from Carol Ann and Charles E. Gavin III and include renovation of the Gavin Laboratory, demolition of the Engineering Shops and L Building and creation of the Carol Ann Gavin Garden. The garden is expected to be completed in spring 2019. Chris Roberts, dean of the College of Engineering, said he and the staff have dreamed of having such a facility for many years. "Charles gave us a great charge, to have this building reformed to serve our region for the next 100 years," Roberts said. "We hope to illustrate to you today that we're doing just that." |
| Trump taps former UGA ag dean Scott Angle for USDA NIFA post | |
 | Scott Angle, a former dean of the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has been tapped to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The agency, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was created in 2008 as an umbrella for federally funded agricultural research, a major source of research revenue for universities such as UGA that have strong agriculture programs. Angle was dean of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from 2005 to 2015, when he stepped down to take a job as president and CEO of Alabama's International Fertilizer Development Center. The White House recently announced that President Trump had nominated Angle for a six-year appointment as the agency's head. Angle's appointment would give UGA another high-level USDA connection. Sonny Perdue, a UGA graduate and former Georgia governor, is U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. |
| After U. of South Carolina reverses course on resuming classes, students scramble to return | |
 | It usually takes Charlotte Overton about four hours to drive from Greenville, N.C., to the University of South Carolina. Overton planned to drive back to campus after USC told its students that classes would resume Tuesday. But when USC changed those plans Saturday night, saying classes now will resume Monday, Overton's plans got a lot more complicated. With many roads in eastern North Carolina closed and no obvious, direct driving route, Overton bought a $300 plane ticket from Raleigh to Charlotte for Sunday. "When you email students saying classes will be canceled, we all plan around that," said Overton, a graduate student in USC's public administration program. "A lot of I-95 is closed. There's no easy way for me to get to Columbia." Overton is one of many USC students scrambling to get back to campus in time for classes to resume Monday. |
| 'We are not lowering standards': LSU president makes spirited case for new admission rules | |
 | LSU President F. King Alexander on Friday disputed charges that that the school's new admission policy is watering down standards. "We are not lowering standards," Alexander said. "We are just taking a better look at these kids, which they deserve because they worked on this for four years." Under the new rules, students who previously would not have been accepted are getting a more detailed look from the admissions office, which has sparked controversy. "We think these kids deserve a closer look now that we have the tools to do so," Alexander said during a nearly 90-minute, spirited meeting with the editorial board of The Advocate. Jose Aviles, LSU's vice president for enrollment, said what school officials call a "holistic" approach to reviewing applications is nothing new, and used by top schools in other states. "It has been around for more than 40 years, probably more than 50 years," Aviles said. |
| $2.1 billion: U. of Kentucky launches biggest fundraiser ever | |
 | University of Kentucky officials kicked off a capital campaign Friday night to raise $2.1 billion, its largest goal ever to expand scholarships, conduct research, build up the endowment and bolster athletics. In announcing "Kentucky Can: The 21st Century Campaign," President Eli Capilouto said he thinks the school's momentum will attract donors big and small to further propel the state's flagship university. "I think we have a good story to tell," he said. "It's one that I hope builds confidence and trust. What is most precious to us, our greatest treasure and hope is our students, and we start there. To me, it's an opportunity to invest in infrastructure and talent ... and with the magic of compounding interest, to seed something for the future." |
| 'I'm very concerned.' U. of Kentucky's black freshman enrollment drops by double digits | |
| The number of black freshman at the University of Kentucky dropped by 50 students this fall, an alarming statistic for a school that's been pushing for more diversity. Provost David Blackwell said officials attribute the decrease to several factors, including an increase in the number of students who identify themselves as being of two or more races. In addition, he said, UK last year lost student recruiters in the crucial markets of Chicago and Atlanta. Blackwell said UK has already replaced the two recruiters, in addition to adding two more to focus on high schools in Kentucky and around the country. In addition, UK will rehire a company that helps publicize applications to specific student populations. "I'm very concerned about this," Blackwell said. "Hopefully, with the correctives we've put in place, this will turn around." |
| U. of Florida launches international student video | |
 | In an increasing climate of uncertainty for international students coming to the United States, the University of Florida is trying to get the word out that students from other countries are welcome. UF's International Center launched a video this week, #YouAreWelcomeHere, that it hopes will help continue to attract the best undergraduate and graduate students from around the world. The four-minute, YouTube video chronicles the lives of three international students at UF and the International Center as a resource. "We want the best talent from around the world and we want to work with the whole world," said Leonardo Villalon, dean of the UF International Center. "So I think it's very important for universities and especially UF to send a message to be clear that we are very happy to have international students here and it's a great place to study." |
| Mun Choi: U. of Missouri System to get $260M in new investments over five years | |
 | University of Missouri President Mun Choi on Friday announced $260 million in investments to the University of Missouri System over the next five years in a speech to the university community at the Missouri Theatre. It comes after what Choi called "painful" cuts and reallocation of $180 million that he said has made the UM System "stronger and more resilient." "We need to get back to the fundamentals" while breaking from tradition that impeded excellence, Choi said. "We are facing a crisis in confidence in higher education and the value we provide." There's a planned $50 million investment for research and creative works. "It's critical for all of us to increase research performance," Choi said. He said the research would be measured against national benchmarks including research awards and publishing research in high-quality publications. |
| Congressional spending bill means increases for student aid, research | |
 | An appropriations deal reached by House and Senate negotiators last week largely reflects the priorities of the upper chamber, including higher spending on student aid, career and technical education, and university-based research. The spending bill for fiscal year 2019, which begins October 1, would increase the Education Department's total budget to $71.5 billion -- a second year in a row Congress has boosted funding, despite calls for heavy cuts by the Trump administration. The maximum Pell Grant would be raised by $100 to $6,195 in the agreement. And the National Institutes of Health would get $39.1 billion, a number sought by Senate appropriators and a $2 billion increase over the previous year. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican and chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, said the agreement is a bipartisan effort to invest in the U.S. workforce and support students at each stage of their academic careers. |
| New national survey finds generally positive views of higher education, but with weak points as well | |
| In 2017, national surveys by Gallup and the Pew Research Center found significant public doubts -- more than in previous years -- about higher education and its role in American society. While the questions in the two polls were not identical, both polls pointed to doubts about how higher education is run. And the skepticism was greatest among Republicans (although there were also doubts among Democrats and Independents). Today, WGBH (Boston's public radio station) is releasing a national survey of adults (conducted with ABT Associates) that generally finds a more positive outlook among the more than 1,000 people surveyed. But in key areas, such as the use of affirmative action, the public does not support the policies favored by most higher education leaders. And the survey found doubts on how colleges respond to sexual assault and student mental health issues. The survey found the public thinks more highly of public than private institutions, and that Ivy graduates are seen as elitist. The public is split on the idea of taxing the endowments of wealthy private colleges. |
| How Americans have come to see college as a requirement | |
 | Paul Glastris, the editor in chief of Washington Monthly, writes in The Washington Post: Ever since it declared itself arbiter of college excellence 35 years ago, U.S. News & World Report has ranked schools based on measures of wealth, fame and exclusivity. But when this year's list was unveiled Monday, it featured a surprising new metric: "social mobility," defined by the magazine as "how well schools succeed at enrolling and graduating students from low-income families." This was seen as a big deal because the magazine's rankings from the start have reflected the opposite values. By focusing on factors like SAT scores, spending per student, alumni giving and surveys of peer institutional leaders, the rankings have long created incentives for college presidents eager for better U.S. News scores to raise prices, compete for status and market themselves to the children of the affluent. In this way, U.S. News has been both a driver and a validator of an increasingly elitist and dysfunctional American higher education system. |
| Our Opinion: Top teachers must be appreciated | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal editorializes: Mississippi needs creative strategies to attract teachers. It's no secret that top flight teachers are a major ingredient in the state's recipe for future success. The best path forward for a state that has been mired in cycles of generational poverty is a robust public education system. And the most impactful educational tool is a high-quality teacher. So how does Mississippi get more top teachers? Increasing salaries is certainly one element. Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves both recently announced plans to elevate teacher pay next year, and we hope they follow through with a meaningful strategy. But salaries are not the only strategy to employ. Another tool is to find innovative ways to attract people into the field. That includes revising alternate route paths that allow professionals from other fields to quickly become certified to teach. It also includes building on programs like the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program, a joint venture by the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University that creates an honors college-type experience for education majors with the highest academic credentials. By offering big scholarships and study abroad opportunities, the program restores prestige to the profession. |
| Gifted education can often be misunderstood | |
| Angela Farmer, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Mississippi State, writes: In most classrooms across the nation, it is reasonably easy to ascertain which students process, retain and apply the information most readily. While they may also be the students who achieve the highest grades in the selected course, that doesn't necessarily mean that those individuals meet the definition of gifted. According to the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC), the gifted moniker is reserved for those individuals who perform within the top 10 percent on standardized, nationwide assessments. Gifted does not always relegate itself strictly to one, succinct measure. |
| Closing skills gap requires funding | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: Years before Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, conservatives would regularly tune in to hear Paul Harvey on the radio. Admired for his unique voice and storytelling talent, Harvey broadcast his conservative messages for over three decades. He was particularly known for revealing to his audiences "the rest of the story." During the remainder of this year's national political season and next year's state election cycle, voters would do well to adopt Harvey's approach. Don't let politicians get away with only telling part of the story. Get the rest of the story too. An example of this emerged at last week's Summit on Career Education and High-Paying Jobs, held at Itawamba Community College's Belden Center in Tupelo. Listen and you will hear state politicians touting Mississippi's "lowest ever" unemployment rate and recent job growth. |
SPORTS
| No. 14 Bulldogs prepare for SEC opener | |
| Mississippi State moved up two more spots to No. 14 in both major football polls on Sunday after starting the season 3-0. The Bulldogs now prepare to face their first test in Southeastern Conference play at Kentucky and hope things go better than the first foray by Ole Miss inside the league. The Rebels were waxed by the defending national champion, top-ranked Alabama, 62-7 at home on Saturday night. After beating Louisiana- Lafayette 56-10 at home, MSU will begin its conference quest against unbeaten Kentucky on Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. The Bulldogs have won eight of the last nine games in the series including a 45-7 victory in Starkville last season. Kentucky (3-0, 1-0 SEC) is coming off a 48-10 win over Murray State in Lexington on Saturday and features the SEC's second-leading rusher in Benny Snell Jr. |
| Nick Fitzgerald, No. 16 Mississippi State Rout La.-Lafayette | |
| Nick Fitzgerald admitted that he wasn't on his 'A' game last weekend at Kansas State, which served as his first game of the season. The fifth-year senior changed up the script against Louisiana-Lafayette and hushed a few critics regarding his passing ability. Hitting on several long throws and converting on third downs, Fitzgerald accounted for 350 yards of offense and six touchdowns to lead No. 16 Mississippi State to a 56-10 victory Saturday night. Fitzgerald ran for 107 yards and four touchdowns, the second time he's had four rushing touchdowns in a game. Fitzgerald also completed 14 of 21 passes 243 yards and two touchdowns. It was a far cry from the performance he had last Saturday and he focused on remaining calmer in the pocket against Louisiana. |
| Nick Fitzgerald, No. 16 Mississippi State romp | |
| Mississippi State hit the ground running -- and passing -- in a 56-10 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium. Led by senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, the Bulldogs (3-0) racked up 607 total yards -- 331 on the ground, 276 through the air. Fitzgerald had four rushing touchdowns and two more passing. After a poor passing performance against Kansas State a week prior, Fitzgerald completed 14 of 21 passes for 243 yards, with his touchdown passes covering 39 and 25 yards. "I was confident, knocking the rust off in his first start, particularly in our system, that he was going to improve coming out in game two," said first-year head coach Joe Moorhead. He added that Fitzgerald's early success running the ball was due to him staying in "the flow" of the offense. Fitzgerald said the offense found its rhythm early on. |
| Nick Fitzgerald looks dominant as No. 16 Bulldogs slice and dice Ragin' Cajuns | |
| Nick Fitzgerald casually made his way from midfield to his team, congregating in the end zone for the playing of the alma mater. On the way he ran into quarterbacks coach Andrew Breiner, where he was stopped for a hug and some words accompanied with a smile. Together they turned to the swaying masses to the north and joined the rhythm. Over their heads beamed the results of their work: 56 points and a win. This week, no context was needed. No. 16 Mississippi State was impressive enough in its win over Kansas State last week, but it came with the caveat of Fitzgerald's passing performance: 40.7 completion percentage, 5.7 yards per attempt and an interception. No such qualifiers were needed Saturday after Fitzgerald completed two-thirds of his passes, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the 56-10 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. |
| Nick Fitzgerald has stellar night in Mississippi State's 56-10 win | |
| Nick Fitzgerald heard about his passing efficiency, or lack thereof, all week. It didn't take long for the senior quarterback to prove to the 56,505 at Davis Wade Stadium that he can make the throws Bulldog fans have clamored for. Fitzgerald lit up the Ragin' Cajuns defense for 243 yards through the air on 14-of-21 passing and two touchdowns as he led No. 16 Mississippi State (3-0) to a 56-10 win. After completing just over 40 percent of his passes against Kansas State a week ago, Fitzgerald faced criticism concerning a slew of leaky passes in States' win over the Wildcats. He didn't misfire much against Louisiana during his clean 66.7-percent performance, and he also ran for 107 yards and four touchdowns. |
| Bulldogs enjoy another offensive explosion | |
| Tucker Day might be the loneliest player on the Mississippi State sideline these days. The sophomore punter was called upon once on Saturday and has only appeared five times in three games. Day's solitude is due to the aptitude the Bulldogs have shown on offense under Joe Moorhead. Through three games, MSU is averaging 587.7 yards and 50 points per game. "Offensively, we operate at our highest level when we're able to run the ball successfully and complete passes at a high percentage but never at the expense of explosive plays and protecting the football," Moorhead said. |
| Mississippi State defense continues to impress in blowout win over Louisiana | |
| The Mississippi State defense didn't have to be perfect in Saturday's 56-10 win over Louisiana, but it nearly was anyway. The No. 16 Bulldogs (3-0) gave up a field goal on the Cajuns' 54-yard, game-opening drive, then stymied every other attempt to reach the red zone until late in the fourth quarter, when UL scored a touchdown against the Bulldog backups who were in for mop-up duty. "It was a nice drive, right down the field," MSU coach Joe Moorhead said. "But I think we responded pretty well. We dictated the tempo of the game in all three phases after that and took another positive step forward." In the eight drives after the opening field goal, the Cajuns' drive chart was telling: turnover on downs, punt, turnover on downs, turnover on downs, end of the first half, punt, interception and punt. |
| Notebook: Aeris Williams joins offensive fray in easy win for No. 16 Bulldogs | |
| Joe Moorhead is a fan of Aeris Williams. It's easy for Mississippi State's football coach to see the skillset that produced a 1,000-yard season last year. He was thrilled to see that skillset put back to use. The West Point native MSU running back was held out of last week's game against Kansas State, but after a week of earning playing time back, he went off for 101 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. He was MSU's most-used running back -- a departure from the Kylin Hill show of the first two weeks -- in the No. 16 Bulldogs' 56-10 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. "I was very excited for him. He came back and had a very good week of practice, did all the things right from an accountability standpoint and off-the-field, had a very good week of practice and earned his carries," Moorhead said. |
| MSU Notebook: A-Train back on track | |
| Aeris Williams appears to be back on track after limited touches during the first two games. The Mississippi State senior running back did not see the field last week at Kansas State but answered by eclipsing the century mark on the ground on Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette. Williams carried 11 times for 102 yards and scored on a 3-yard run to start the second quarter. "I was very excited for him," said MSU coach Joe Moorhead. "He came back and had a very good week of practice and did all the right things off the field from an accountability standpoint. He earned his carries and earned his time. Kylin (Hill) got a little dinged up but it's a very formidable 1-2 punch." The West Point native has now reached the end zone five times in the last six games he's played. It was his first 100-yard rushing game since Nov. 3, 2017 against UMass. |
| James Jackson's debut worth the wait | |
| Sept. 1, 2018 is a day that James Jackson will never forget. It's also a day he had been waiting on for a long, long time. Jackson graduated from Pascagoula High School a semester early in December 2017 in order to get a jump on his college career at Mississippi State but redshirted for the Bulldogs last fall. When Jackson took the field against Stephen F. Austin, it had been nearly two years since he last played in a game. "It was all worth it," Jackson said. Not only did Jackson play for the first time, he notched two tackles against the Lumberjacks as well. "I was nervous at first but once I got out there I had help from the older guys and it was just like playing ball," Jackson said. "Except there were a lot more fans than back when I was playing in high school." |
| Ole Miss, Mississippi State announce eSports Egg Bowl | |
| The Egg Bowl has been played between Ole Miss and Mississippi State since 1901 and the rivalry is entering the 21st center, technologically speaking. On Thursday the Ole Miss and Mississippi State eSports clubs announced in a joint press conference at The Pavilion the eSports Egg Bowl. The inaugural event is sponsored by CSpire and will take place at The Pavilion on Oct. 13. It is free to the public and will be streamed online. eSports, which has seen a rise in popularity over the past decade, involves groups of gamers who compete in team-oriented video games on either console or computer platforms. "We're hoping this garners support for eSports with both schools," Ole Miss eSports club president Cray Pennison said. "eSports is something that's kind of taken the West Coast by storm and a lot of companies and a lot of schools have pushed a lot of awesome stuff over there. It's just now reaching here to the Southeast and we want to be sort of the first to, not only do it here, but who does it the best." |
| Texas fans of 'Last Chance U' meet at East Mississippi Community College game | |
| Longview, Texas resident Randall Latch, his wife, Jaye, and the couple's daughter, Christine, drove six hours from their hometown to Scooba on Aug. 30 to watch the East Mississippi Community College football team take on Hinds Community College in the season opener at Sullivan-Windham Field. Unbeknownst to the Latch family, another couple from Longview also attended the game. Dr. George Shankle, Jr., and his wife Tracie, sat in the same row the Latch family was sitting in, about four seats away. Although the two families were both from Longview they had not met before. That changed before the game was over. Both families decided to attend the game after watching the first two seasons of "Last Chance U," a gritty Netflix documentary highlighting the Lions' 2015 and 2016 football seasons. "We started binge watching it during Christmas of 2017," Randall Latch said of the series. "You see all of this terrible stuff going on in the country. Then you had 'Last Chance U' showing you something great happening here in the U.S." |
| What's next? Looking ahead at what Southern Miss game cancellation means for rest of 2018 | |
 | Southern Miss isn't playing football this weekend. Hurricane Florence made sure of that. An unexpected open Saturday is weird and uncomfortable. But, to borrow USM coach Jay Hopson's favorite word, it's reality. There's no sense in lamenting losing a playing date. Getting to Boone, N.C. would've been a dangerous adventure for Southern Miss, and getting out wouldn't have been much easier. Sure, there's a chance the game could've been played. But the risks were too high to justify making the trip. Which leaves Southern Miss fans with one option for what to do this weekend: Look ahead to what the cancellation means for the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss' 2018 season diverges into two separate futures. There's one world where USM makes do with an 11-game regular season, and another world where the Golden Eagles push to play 12. |
| Kentucky football: UK gets first look at several newcomers | |
| Just call Chris Rodriguez a mini-Benny. That's pretty much how Kentucky star Benny Snell sees the true freshman, who got his first carries in the Cats' 48-10 win over Murray State on Saturday. "He reminds me of freshman me," Snell said of Rodriguez, who got two carries for 43 yards, including one that covered 27 yards and in which he carried several Racers with him. "He falls forward. He fights for every yard. He never lets just one guy tackle him. ... He's got that edge about him. He wants to score. I see myself in him so much." It's the type of play UK has seen from the 5-foot-11, 218-pound running back from McDonough, Ga., since he arrived on campus. "We saw that in camp: hard runner, great yards after contact," offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said. "That's what I saw in fall camp and it was nice to see him in a game atmosphere and to be able to do that, too. I was really excited for him." |
| Alabama shows Ole Miss not in the same league two years after rivalry's peak period | |
 | There was a time not too long ago when Ole Miss stood up to Alabama, when goal posts came down, games were decided in the final minutes and the Crimson Tide's supremacy in the SEC was challenged. t proved a fleeting period. Scandal rocked Ole Miss. Its innovative coach, Hugh Freeze, resigned in the throes of turmoil. By the time the two teams met again Saturday, the sliver of a gap that once separated both programs had widened into a canyon so wide it could have swallowed the town of Oxford -- the site of Alabama's latest rout, a 62-7 victory. One year after Alabama showed no mercy in a 66-3 rout of the Rebels, it laid waste to Ole Miss again, carving up the Rebels in clinical fashion and then mocking them by using their "landshark" sign to celebrate the destruction. |
| Hurricane Florence: Most Georgia fans understood kickoff time change | |
| Three hours before No. 3 Georgia was set to kickoff against Middle Tennessee, Milledge Avenue was a quiet thoroughfare as Bulldog fans took a more leisurely approach to Saturday's game in the wake of nearby Hurricane Florence. Many fans interviewed before the game assented they had to make some 11th hour changes to their personal game plans, but most were understanding of the situation. On Thursday morning, it was announced the game between the Bulldogs and Blue Raiders was being moved up from its original 7:15 p.m. kickoff "in consideration of all constituencies involved, including fans, support staff and law enforcement." Amanda Mobley of Valdosta, tailgating near Boggs Hall on Lumpkin Street, admitted she was looking forward to a full day of tailgating before the game, but she was also sympathetic to those in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia who were in harm's way. |
| LSU defense, worn out and missing players, pulls through in 22-21 upset of Auburn | |
| Saturday's Southeastern Conference opener with Auburn was certainly a mixed bag for the LSU defense. No. 12 LSU made some miscues on that side of the ball -- but conversely, the defense made enough good plays to do its part in taking down No. 7 Auburn with a thrilling 22-21 upset in Jordan-Hare Stadium. While the offense scored the points LSU needed late, the defense did its part. "Coach Aranda told the defense we had to bow up and make plays," said cornerback Greedy Williams, who had one of LSU's two interceptions off Jarrett Stidham. They did, despite the heat and some crucial injuries. |
| Is a football building in Auburn University's future? | |
| Auburn University athletics director Allen Greene shared a concept for a potential future football ops building with the university's board of trustees this week. "The board has not been formally briefed on this possible project," university president Steven Leath said during the board's workshop Thursday. "So we're not here today to get approval. We're not here to get any details on finances. We're here really so Allen can get all the board up to speed on what they're looking at as a possible project." Greene showed the trustees a visual presentation depicting a 3D model of what the exterior of a football-only complex might look like. He also showed a screen bearing images of football operations complexes at other SEC schools, including Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU, and the recent years in which they were constructed. "Our Athletics Complex was built in 1989," Greene told the board. "We've had some renovations done to that property, but we have not had what I would call a major renovation." |
| TrueSouth premiers Sept. 18 on SEC Network | |
| Fans of SEC football and Southern cuisine can tune in to SEC Network at 6 p.m. on Sept. 18 to see TrueSouth, a show celebrating Southern cuisine and its many facets and hosted by a couple familiar Oxford faces. Executive produced by ESPN The Magazine's Wright Thompson and hosted by Southern Foodways Alliance director and three-time James Beard Award-winner John T. Edge, TrueSouth is a first-of-its-kind feat for the primarily sports-centric SEC Network. However, Edge said, it's a match made in stereotype-defying heaven. "What we hope to accomplish is embedded in the title, 'TrueSouth.' We want to tell honest stories about this region and use food as a way to get there." Edge said. "Food is, along with music and along with football, quite frankly, one of the totems of Southern culture. It's the way we express ourselves. It's the way we tell people who we are." |
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