| Wednesday, August 28, 2013 |  |
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| Green Zone Program at Mississippi State University Provides Mentors For Student Veterans | |
 | More men and women who serve in our military are returning home from the frontlines ready to pick up where they left off, but transitioning can be difficult. They may not be on the front lines, but some Mississippi State University student veterans are still fighting personal battles within. That's why last fall the Center for America's Veterans started a program to better serve their student veterans. "We also look for other ways to enhance the educational experience and the green zone is intended to do that it's intended to increase retention and increase graduating rates that's the bottom line of the green zone," says Ken McRae. |
| Transit system coming along | |
 | University and city officials are making progress on implementing a new mass-transit system for Starkville. The Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit, or SMART, system is currently planned to commence operation in January, according to Mike Harris, director of parking services for Mississippi State. The new transit system will add two new six-day routes to the five five-day routes the university already operates. |
| SMART public transportation routes delayed until 2014 | |
 | The launch of two main public transportation bus routes is now expected in early 2014 as purchase orders and vehicular modifications are completed in the coming months, Mississippi State University Director of Parking Operations Mike Harris said Monday. Officials previously hoped to have the full system active in the fall semester, but Harris said additional time is needed to "get things right" for route expansion and integration. "When we started looking into this, we said we wanted to do it right," Harris said. "When it is time to cut the ribbon, we want a fully functional system instead of something we're trying to piecemeal together. If we started trying to push it out immediately, I don't think it would go out in a manner it should." |
| Mississippi State makes energy use strides | |
| Mississippi State University received national recognition for its continued energy efficiency efforts at the Starkville campus. The August edition of the Facilities Management Decisions magazine included the winners of its Facility Maintenance Decision Achievement Awards. The awards were broken into four categories -- sustainability, renovations & retrofits, financial management and personnel management. |
| MSU ranks 71st on Washington Monthly list | |
| Mississippi State once again is listed among the top 100 in Washington Monthly magazine's College Guide and Rankings. In a report released Monday, the university is 71st in the annual ranking of national universities, based on contributions to the public good in the three categories of social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and doctoral degrees) and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). The Washington Monthly report comes on the heels of National Science Foundation survey data that ranked Mississippi State among the nation's top research universities, placing 91st overall among public and private institutions based on $226.1 million in total research and development expenditures. |
| Lost Pizza Company now open | |
| Preston Lott and Brooks Roberts co-founded The Lost Pizza Company in Indianola and Cleveland in 2007, but they are both graduates of Mississippi State University, and Lott said they remained big fans. "We come to the games still on the weekends, and we're always back and forth through here," Lott said. "The campus is completely different than it used to be. Coming back brings back a lot of good memories." Tuesday was the franchise's first day of business in Starkville. |
| Preparedness Week meant to educate locals | |
| There are many good reasons why the Federal Emergency Management Agency chose September as National Preparedness Month. FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security created National Preparedness Month 10 years ago in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, hence their choice of month. Several dangerous hurricanes have also made landfall in Septembers past. Meggan Franks, assistant director for student leadership and community engagement at Mississippi State University, said this September would bring another, more positive coincidence to campus. |
| Champ starts 4th season as Mississippi State's heralded mascot | |
| Champ has made himself at home on the couch in Lisa Pritchard's office at the Animal Health Center, laying on his side and snoring. For Champ, also known as Bully XX, the days of being just a dog are coming to an end. On Saturday Champ will don the Mississippi State University harness and begin his fourth year as the live mascot. |
| Judge dismisses Gaskin's Ward 4 challenge | |
| Former Starkville alderman candidate John Gaskin's petition for judicial review of the Ward 4 primary was dismissed after Special Judge Lester Williamson Jr. denied a motion Monday to declare a portion of Mississippi law unconstitutional. Williamson found that Gaskin's petition for review, filed with the Oktibbeha County Circuit Court on June 11, fell outside of the 10-day requirement provided by Miss. Code Ann. 23-15-927. Law states such petitions must be filed "within 10 days after any contest or complaint has been filed" with a local party's executive committee. Gaskin is not expected to appeal the decision. |
| Former MSU Professor Will Await Trial Behind Bars | |
| A former Mississippi State professor, whose murder conviction was overturned, will remain behind bars. After two delays, Judge Paul Funderburk ruled late Tuesday afternoon that bond for David Parvin would not be granted. The Monroe County Circuit Court Judge also set a November 12th trial date. Parvin was convicted of killing his wife in 2011. When appealed, the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned the judgment and ordered a new trial. This hearing had to do with his action on June 25th, while in custody at the Monroe County Sheriff's Department. |
| Bryant blasts nuclear waste disposal critics | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant on Tuesday said people -- particularly the media -- are overreacting to and uninformed about proposals for nuclear waste storage in Mississippi. "I am disappointed in the overreaction, and that's what it is, overreaction," Bryant said Tuesday. "It's amazing to me that any discussion about nuclear power causes such a reaction. ...What other topics are we not allowed to discuss? Alternative energy? Wind power or solar? ...There's been no discussion that I have heard about using a salt dome for permanent storage." Bryant also said he believes U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo's emphatic "no nuclear storage" comments Monday were based on media overreaction, although Palazzo appeared to differ. |
| USM professor: U.S. risks lengthy campaign if it hits Syria | |
 | The director of the University of Southern Mississippi's Center for the Study of War and Society said if the U.S. strikes Syria as punishment for using chemical weapons against rebels, it risks becoming involved in a bloody and expensive conflict. Dr. Andrew Wiest said a military response could even lead to greater violence in the region, at least in the short term. U.S. intelligence officials are convinced the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against rebel forces last week, and are building a case for military action without using ground forces. Missile strikes could come in the next couple of days, U.S. officials said. Wiest said intervention is a risky move, which could involve the U.S. in that country for years to come. |
| Fifty years after March on Washington, economic gap between blacks, whites persists | |
 | Even as racial barriers have tumbled and the nation has grown wealthier and better educated, the economic disparities separating blacks and whites remain as wide as they were when marchers assembled on the Mall in 1963. When it comes to household income and wealth, the gaps between blacks and whites have widened. On other measures, the gaps are roughly the same as they were four decades ago. The poverty rate for blacks, for instance, continues to be about three times that of whites. "The relative position of blacks has not changed economically since the march," said William Darity Jr., a professor of public policy, economics and African American studies at Duke University. "Certainly, poverty has declined for everybody, but it has declined in a way that the proportion of blacks to whites who are poor is about the same as it was 50 years ago." |
| The March on Washington: 50 years later | |
 | August 1963 was an exciting time for a 20-year-old Rust College student as excitement built toward the momentous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now 70 and a chemistry professor at Rust, Dr. William Scott recalled the social and civil rights climate of those times on the 50th anniversary of the historical march. As various civil rights and other groups organized busloads in communities around the nation for the trip to Washington -- including Northeast Mississippi communities like Holly Springs and West Point -- retired Tupelo attorney James Weir, 72, was already in the nation's capital working for the summer in the office of Congressman Arthur Winstead of Mississippi's 4th District. "It was an exciting time," Weir said. "They were talking about the march, but there was a lot going on in Washington -- civil rights, the Cold War, it was right before Vietnam." |
| Hattiesburg's DuPree to take part in celebration in D.C. | |
 | Hattiesburg Johnny DuPree will be among other leaders and dignitaries joining President Barack Obama and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter today at the "Let Freedom Ring" celebration in Washington, D.C. The event will cap a week-long commemoration of the 1963 "March on Washington," one of the lynchpins of the civil rights movement in the United States. It also will mark the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech on steps of the Lincoln Memorial that came to define the historic gathering at the National Mall. DuPree, the first African-American mayor of Hattiesburg and Mississippi's first African-American major-party nominee for governor, said he was honored to be invited to the event. |
| After the March on Washington different backgrounds yield different solutions in South Mississippi | |
 | Two people set out from Biloxi last weekend for Washington headed for the commemoration of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. One hopeful. One skeptical. One born in American, the other in Africa. Both boarded a bus much as people from across America did 50 years ago, riding to the nation's capital in search of justice. For both, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is a historical figure, someone they first encountered in books or school. |
| News of King's 'dream' slow to reach South Mississippi | |
| In 1963, the March on Washington for Peace and Freedom wasn't even the biggest story in The Daily Herald, the predecessor to the Sun Herald. It was a much different world -- 15-minute nightly news on the networks, no 24-hour news channels, no internet, no smartphones. Newspapers dominated, and news traveled slowly, deliberately. And news of the "I Have a Dream" speech traveled slowest of all. "Lt. Gov. Paul Johnson, a militant anti-Kennedy segregationist ended 16 years of frustration today with a record-smashing Democratic runoff victory for governor," began the lead story in the Aug. 28, 1963, edition. "The balding political veteran overwhelmed former Gov. J.P. Coleman by a landslide margin after a bitter campaign capitalizing on deep-seated opposition to President John Kennedy and his civil rights program." The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't mentioned in the article about the march, the second-largest story on the page, which appeared on the opposite side of the paper. Neither was the word "dream." |
| Sen. Terry Burton Appointed to Major Education Committee | |
 | State Senator Terry C. Burton of Newton has been appointed to a major education committee. Burton, a member of the Southern Regional Education Board, has been appointed to its Commission on Career and Technical Education. Burton was appointed to the post by the chairman of the group, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. Burton represents District 31 in the Mississippi Senate. He says the new appointment will allow him a unique opportunity to improve the career and technical applications of our community and junior colleges. |
| U.S. Chamber leader: American business must lead country | |
 | American business should step in and provide leadership when those in Washington, D.C., can't or won't, a leader of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday. Executive Director of the Southeast Region Moore Hallmark delivered his blunt message to local business people Tuesday during the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce quarterly luncheon at the Carriage House Restaurant. The current climate in Washington does not look good, Hallmark said. |
| Agri-Center director planning for fall field trips | |
| Rural Mississippi had fewer agricultural jobs compared to the manufacturing sector beginning in 1965 and has continued to have fewer farming jobs as part of the overall state economy. With Facebook and video games and other distractions, more young people have a growing distance between food they eat and the land it where it grows. Lee County Agri-Center Director Torrey Mitchell has plans this fall to expose elementary school students to learn more about agriculture. Before leaving to visit area schools Tuesday to recruit for field trips, Mitchell surveyed growth of his plans, cotton and pumpkin crops planted on Agri-Center property. On the job for about five months, Mitchell has followed the agri-tourism model that turns rural areas into fun experiences for young people who haven't grown up on farms like many Mississippians did generations ago. |
| New Census Numbers Show Recession's Effect on Families | |
 | The portion of American households made up of married couples with children under 18 fell to 20 percent from 40 percent from 1970 to 2012, the Census Bureau said Tuesday as it detailed other fundamental changes in family life. The share of people living alone, meanwhile, rose 10 percentage points, to 27 percent. The analysis also found that the recession profoundly affected American families from 2005 to 2011, resulting in a 15 percent decline in homeownership among households with children and a 33 percent increase in households where at least one parent was unemployed. The recession also saw more mothers enter the work force and an increasing dependence on food stamps. "During the recession, economic well-being worsened for families with children," said Jamie Lewis, a demographer in the bureau's Fertility and Family Statistics Branch who helped write the analysis. |
| Napolitano warns large-scale cyberattack on U.S. is inevitable | |
 | Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned her successor on Tuesday to move quickly to prepare for an inevitable large-scale cyberattack against the United States. Napolitano, delivering her farewell address at the National Press Club, said her successor should move fast to strengthen the nation's cyber defenses. "Our country will, at some point, face a major cyber event that will have a serious effect on our lives, our economy and the everyday functioning of our society," said Napolitano. Only 10 years old, the Department of Homeland Security is the largest agency in the country, encompassing a wide range of federal responsibilities and offices that range from immigration and border enforcement to port and aviation security. |
| 'Colonel Reb' title now 'Mr. Ole Miss' | |
| A longtime honorary title was replaced Tuesday night by the University of Mississippi Associated Student Body Senate. Student judicial leaders last spring declared unconstitutional the title "Colonel Reb," a popularly elected male honor roughly equivalent to the female honor "Miss Ole Miss." The new title, as decided by a 35-0 margin of ASB senators, with 10 abstaining, will be "Mr. Ole Miss." Those who held the title of Colonel Reb include Chancellor Emeritus and former football standout Robert Khayat and "Gentle Ben" Williams, the university's first black football player. |
| 'Colonel Reb' title now 'Mr. Ole Miss' | |
 | When students at the University of Mississippi vote this fall on their favorite campus personalities, "Colonel Reb" won't be on the ballot. Instead, students will pick from candidates for "Mr. Ole Miss," a popularly elected male honor roughly equivalent to the female honor "Miss Ole Miss." Fall personality elections are Sept. 24. Student judicial leaders last spring declared unconstitutional the longtime honorary title of "Colonel Reb." The new title was selected Tuesday by a 35-0 margin of Associated Student Body Senate members with 10 abstaining. |
| Ole Miss professor helps students understand respect | |
 | The University of Mississippi has enrolled one of its largest freshman classes ever this semester. And, they weren't on campus long before they got a lesson on this new milestone in their lives. In fact, they learned more than they ever imagined from someone who had an incredible story to tell. |
| U. of Mississippi physicist's studies of black hole cannibalism make prestigious journal | |
| A global team of scientists, including a University of Mississippi physicist, has uncovered a curious case of cannibalism among super-massive black holes in space. The research findings appear in the July issue of "Physical Review Letters," one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed academic journals in the field. "Universality, Maximum Radiation and Absorption in High-Energy Collisions of Black Holes with Spin" is co-authored by Emanuele Berti, UM assistant professor of physics and astronomy, along with fellow researchers Ulrich Sperhake, Vitor Cardoso and Frans Pretorius. |
| Ole Miss law school sets up free legal clinic | |
 | A University of Mississippi program that provides free legal assistance to low-income people is teaming with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyer Project for a clinic to help qualifying Lafayette county residents with family law matters. The clinic, set for 1-4 p.m. Sept. 5 at the UM School of Law, will help participants prepare court documents for divorce, custody, child support, name changes and emancipations. The event is organized by the law school's Pro Bono Initiative. |
| Student employees at U. of Mississippi left unpaid for 28 days | |
 | An error at The University of Mississippi's Department of Student Housing caused a delay in payment to around 130 student Community Assistants, formerly known as Residential Assistants, this month, leaving many to fend for themselves and inspiring others to help out. CAs for the fall semester were required to arrive to campus on Aug. 3 and were supposed to receive their first paycheck on Aug. 15. "The CAs are given the choice on how they want their compensation to be received, so we had to gather all of that information," said Tracey Vaughn, interim director of student housing. "So to pay the students it has to go through multiple steps, it's not just our office. It has to go through our office, the Vice Chancellor's office and then to (Human Resources). HR has to enter all of that information to get it into the system. The deadline to have that information was on the ninth. So with the time there was no way we could have gotten all of those forms through." |
| USM plans ribbon cutting, convocation | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi will hold a ribbon cutting today on its Gulf Coast campus in Long Beach for a building that will house the College of Arts and Letters. The 10 a.m. event celebrates the completion of Elizabeth Hall. It also marks the end of five major building projects the school took on after Hurricane Katrina devastated the campus in 2005. After the ribbon cutting, Southern President Rodney Bennett will speak at an 11 a.m. convocation in the auditorium of the Fleming Education Center. |
| New Mississippi program offers future teachers free college education | |
| If you want to become a teacher, a new state program can help you go to college for free. Eligible students can receive up to $15,000 a year to attend a four-year institution in Mississippi. But those who apply must first make the grade. Some students aren't too happy with the eligibility requirements. In one class at USM Gulf Park, more than a dozen college juniors and seniors dream of one day being at the head of their own classroom. And for some, those dreams come with the worry of paying for college. Incoming freshmen who are interested in the program must have a minimum of 28 on their ACT and a 3.5 GPA in high school. College students who apply must also have at least a 28 ACT score and a 3.5 GPA. Many students said those grade requirements put this new financial aid program out of reach for them. |
| New Mississippi program offers future teachers free education | |
| A new state program can help you go to college for free. Eligible students can receive up to $15,000 a year to attend a four-year institution in Mississippi, WLOX reports. But those who apply must first meet the eligibility requirements. This year, to lift the burden of student loan debts and help boost the number of exceptional teachers, the state legislature approved the Teacher Education Scholars Program. Eligible students can receive up to $15,000 a year, which covers tuition, room and board, and books. In return, those who receive the money must agree to teach in a Mississippi public school for at least five years. "That's a great scholarship benefit, but I think they're going to have a hard time finding a lot of people who meet the requirement," said USM Senior LaQuita Gresham. |
| Former Alcorn State coach loses wrongful termination suit | |
| The state Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of Ernest T. Jones' complaint against Alcorn State University after his firing as the Braves' football coach. Jones was fired as football coach in 2008. A Claiborne County judge sided with the university in dismissing Jones' complaint in 2011. Jones was fired exactly a year after being hired as the Braves' coach. He signed a three-year, $140,000 contract in December 2007. Alcorn State went 2-10 under Jones. The Appeals Court on Tuesday denied Jones' arguments that his firing was unjustified. |
| Derrington selected as East Central Community College biology instructor | |
 | Dan Derrington of Clinton was recently selected biology instructor at East Central Community College in Decatur, announced ECCC President Dr. Billy Stewart. Derrington, who began his new duties on Aug. 12, 2013, previously served as student worker in the Office of Graduate Studies and served as an ACT tutor for the Office of Continuing Outreach Services, while a graduate student at Mississippi College. A 2006 graduate of Meridian High School, Derrington received a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Mississippi State University in 2011. |
| Bowles named ECCC heating, air conditioning instructor | |
| Clarence Edgar "Eddie" Bowles III of Chunky was recently selected heating and air conditioning technology instructor at East Central Community College in Decatur, announced ECCC President Dr. Billy Stewart. Bowles, who began his new duties on Aug. 12, served the past year as a product analyst at Fairbanks Scales in Meridian. A 2004 graduate of Meridian High School, furthered his education at Mississippi State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2011. |
| 'God Particle' researcher to discuss find at U. of Alabama today | |
 | A scientist on the research team that discovered the subatomic particle nicknamed the "God Particle" last year will discuss the find at the University of Alabama at 3:30 p.m. today. Albert de Roeck, a senior research scientist at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research near Geneva, is scheduled to speak in Gallalee Hall, Room 227, on the UA campus. CERN houses the particle accelerator used during research that led to the 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson particle, a subatomic particle that gives other particles mass, according to a release from UA. |
| A&M's Reveille VII to be honored at more modest memorial service | |
 | For perhaps the first time, the once highest ranking member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets will not have a military-style funeral. Instead, the former first lady of Aggieland, Reveille VII, will be memorialized more modestly than previous Aggie mascots, The Eagle has learned. Most notably, there will be no taps played for Reveille VII, an Aggie tradition carried out for at least five of the six previous mascots, according to stories and documents filed at the A&M archives. The upcoming memorial will be at Reed Arena, a change of venue from Kyle Field, and there will be a moment of silence instead of a prayer. Reveille VII, the American Collie who served as Texas A&M's mascot from 2001 to 2008, succumbed to a respiratory complication May 30. |
| U. of Arkansas Researchers Study Deadly Tornadoes | |
| New research from the University of Arkansas finds that tornadoes cause greater damage when traveling uphill --- and that the twisters tend to climb toward higher elevations rather than going downhill. Engineering researchers studied images of the 2011 deadly tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Joplin, Mo. The research team found similarities between the two tornadoes and say the findings likely apply to all tornadoes. The research was conducted by civil engineering professor Panneer Selvam and civil engineering graduate student Nawfal Ahmed. |
| Colleges with the best value? New rankings upend conventional wisdom | |
 | Quick, what's the top national university? Harvard? Princeton? Instead, try the University of California in San Diego. A set of college rankings released this week by Washington Monthly uses a different sort of metrics than, say, the more familiar kind used by U.S. News & World Report. Rather than seeking to rate universities based on reputation or difficulty of admission, the evaluators looked at how colleges and universities did based on what it considers three public goods: social mobility, commitment to research, and commitment to service. |
| There's Not Enough Work For Veterinarians | |
 | There are way more veterinarians than there is work for them to do, according to a recent survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association, as the nation's veterinary schools continue to crank out graduates. A report from the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates the supply exceeds the demand by the equivalent of 11,250 full-time vets. "There is a palpable tension," says Christopher Byers of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. "Right now, as a profession, we have so many veterinarians who are not being utilized to their full capacity. And now it is our job to figure out why that is and to come up with ways to rectify that." So now, the schools are in a bind --- tuition money on one side, market realities on the other. Dan Givens, an interim dean at Auburn University, says veterinary medicine is a calling that attracts people no matter the economics. And, he says, given public health threats, too much talent in the workforce has upsides. |
| 2 Drone-Journalism Programs Seek Federal Approval to Resume Flying | |
 | Two fledgling programs created to teach journalism students how to use drones in their reporting are applying for permits so they can resume operating unmanned aircraft outdoors, their directors said this week. Both programs received cease-and-desist letters from the Federal Aviation Administration last month. Matt Waite, of the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln's College of Journalism and Mass Communications, and Scott Pham, of the Missouri Drone Journalism Program at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism, said on Monday that they were in the early stages of what will probably be a process taking months to obtain a certificate of authorization, or COA. Public agencies, such as police departments, that want to fly drones outdoors are required to apply for the FAA permits. The drone-journalism programs fall within the "public agencies" category, an FAA spokesman, Les Dorr, said on Tuesday. |
| New religious dorms part of faith-based housing trend | |
 | The new Phi Kappa Theta fraternity house at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln is exclusive: it only houses students who are members of the Roman Catholic Church. Nebraska is one of several public and private universities that are adding various forms of faith-based housing. This fall alone, new residences are also opening up at Florida Institute of Technology, Troy University and Texas A&M University at Kingsville. Most of these residences are privately owned by groups -- and for students at public institutions, that separation from the university generally avoids legal issues raised by government support for religion. But that's not the only type of housing that's growing in popularity. Interfaith living-learning communities, where students learn about spirituality but aren't required to believe in any religion, are on the rise as well. |
| Editorial: Nuclear waste? 'Not now, not ever' | |
| The Sun Herald editorializes: "When Congressman Steven Palazzo heard of possible plans for bringing the nation's nuclear waste to Mississippi, he declared: 'Not now, not ever.' While Palazzo represents only one of four congressional districts in the state, those four words should be the rallying cry of all Mississippians." |
| BRIAN PERRY: Tea Party's animal house | |
| Consultant and columnist Brian Perry writes: "Tea Party politics has taken on an air of Animal House. No, I don't mean Animal Farm, the George Orwell allegory against communism. In that novel, animals take over the farm and run it as a collective into corruption and destruction. The Tea Party version would have been shorter, with the animals burning down their own barn. I mean the 1978 John Belushi vehicle Animal House, from which national Tea Party groups seem to invoke those memorable words by Dean Vernon Wormer, 'The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.' Let's be clear. The Tea Party was never about being an arm of the Republican Party." |
| SID SALTER: History of Mississippi far more than clash of symbols | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "The gentleman from Lucedale never uttered a word of profanity, but his phone call was intended to chew me out for daring to suggest in a positive review of former Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat's new book that he showed courage in trying to change the image of the university and by extension our state. He repeatedly stated that Khayat's efforts in addressing some of the university's more controversial symbols were an attack on the state's 'history and heritage.' Four times, he returned to those phrases because I refused to agree with his point of view. I reminded him of Mississippi's long battle over symbolism and the utter futility of trying to find a solution that pleased everyone. ...The story of our state can't be told in old songs and symbols. Mississippi's great bewildering story can best be told in the evolution of our people -- all of our people -- and that story relies first on the certain knowledge that our symbols mean different things to different people." |
SPORTS
| Tupelo product embraces his Mississippi State family | |
| P.J. Jones has had plenty of reasons not to smile over the years, but he's in a very happy place right now. The concept of family was a jagged one for Jones growing up. He moved from a rough area of Detroit to Tupelo in 2007 and didn't have a father figure there to guide him. The road to becoming a man has been rocky, but Jones is on solid footing now at Mississippi State, where football has given him what other areas of life haven't. That's why the junior defensive tackle has an easy smile and an endless amount of gratitude. "We're a real family here at Mississippi State, and that's something I really never had growing up," Jones said. "I just embraced it. I try to come with a positive mindset every day. Where would I be without this sport?" That's not a pleasant question to ponder, but Jones doesn't have time for what-ifs. He's too busy soaking up the college experience, the SEC experience – even the hard parts. |
| Oklahoma State to use pair of QBs against against Mississippi State | |
| Oklahoma State released its post-spring depth chart on April 23. An "or" separated quarterback J.W. Walsh and Clint Chelf on the final line of the offense that day. Through summer workouts, fall camp and up until now, just days before the Cowboys' season opener against Mississippi State at Reliant Stadium in Houston Saturday, the "or" remains. "We're going to play both players. That's really what I've said throughout the spring," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "It has not changed. We have two guys who deserve to play in the game, so we'll play both of them." |
| Bulldogs prepare for two quarterbacks against Cowboys | |
| Just because the Mississippi State University coaching staff is preparing to see two quarterbacks Saturday doesn't mean the game plan will be drastically different. Oklahoma State University coach Mike Gundy has stressed for the last few months he will not name a starter but insists on playing both senior Clint Chelf and J.W. Walsh behind center in the Texas Kickoff Classic matchup against the Bulldogs. "We're going to play both guys (and) that hasn't changed since the spring," Gundy said. "Both quarterbacks have improved. I don't really know any other way to say it, than what I've been saying the last five months. Both guys have been doing a good job, we're glad we have them and they'll both get a chance to play." |
| Talented group of freshmen making strides for Mississippi State | |
| D'Runnya Wilson has now gone from a unknown three-star late signee to a player who has exploded onto the Mississippi State University depth chart. The freshman wide receiver from Birmingham, Ala., is one of two first-year players to suddenly arrive on the Bulldogs two-deep Monday along with five-star sensation Chris Jones. MSU coach Dan Mullen suggested in his media conference the Bulldogs may travel with "six or seven" freshman when the team leaves Friday afternoon for Houston. MSU will play No. 13 Oklahoma State University in Reliant Stadium for the 2013 Texas Kickoff Classic. "With the young guys, it's all about how you adjust to the speed of the game out there," Mullen said Monday. "It's not just about making plays but making plays within the system." |
| Mississippi State WR Wilson runs up depth chart | |
| Many Mississippi State followers expected heralded freshman defensive end Chris Jones to appear high on the depth chart. That was not necessarily the case for De'Runnya Wilson, who will backup Joe Morrow at receiver. Not bad for someone with little game experience, even at the high school level. "De'Runnya took advantage of guys being out," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "He took advantage of getting reps and made a lot of spectacular catches as well as being a consistent player." |
| Ole Miss, MSU release women's hoops slates | |
| A non-conference trip to Hawaii highlights the first women's basketball schedule for new Ole Miss coach Matt Insell, while Mississippi State faces eight home games against five different teams that reached the NCAA tournament last year. The SEC released its women's basketball schedule Tuesday afternoon. The Rebels and Bulldogs play Jan. 23 in Oxford with a 7 p.m. tip and Feb. 23 in Starkville, a 2 p.m. tip. |
| U. of Missouri's tutoring program is chapter in new book | |
 | Missouri's athletic tutoring service is the focus of a 21-page chapter in a new book set to be released in September exploring the dark side of college football. "The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football" is set to be released Sept. 17 and is written by Sports Illustrated's Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, a former CBS News correspondent and current "60 Minutes" reporter. The book is described as an "explosive and revelatory portrait reported from deep behind the scenes of big-time NCAA college football." A chapter in "The System" details the lowlights of Missouri's Total Person Program, specifically the case of former MU running back Derrick Washington, who was accused of a sexual assault against one of the program's tutors. |
| U. of Tennessee PD chief explains interest in supporting backpack ban | |
 | A loud explosion in the middle of the second quarter shook Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in 2005, where the Sooners were hosting the Kansas State Wildcats. Joel Hinrichs III, a lone man with a backpack, detonated a bomb about 100 yards outside the entrance to the stadium, killing only himself. University of Tennessee Police Chief Troy Lane was an assistant chief at Kansas State at the time and had travelled with the team. "If you've ever been to a football game when they fire a cannon, it sounded a lot like that," Lane said. "Everybody kind of paused and looked around." The new ban on backpacks in Neyland Stadium, announced this week, was not Lane's idea, but the chief said he was very supportive in part because of the 2005 experience. |
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