| Thursday, April 2, 2026 |
| MSU mechanical engineering seniors, FEMA partner to aid in tornado recovery efforts | |
 | When the 2025 Tylertown tornado struck, it left more than damaged homes in its wake. For many residents with mobility challenges, it also threatened an essential aspect: their independence. This academic year, seniors in Mississippi State University's Michael W. Hall School of Mechanical Engineering capstone design course stepped in to help mitigate these issues. Partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, students have developed customized accessibility ramp designs for residents affected by the storm. "The capstone design course is meant to bring together everything our mechanical engineering students learn at Mississippi State," said instructor Aidan Duncan. "What makes it unique is that every project is developed with a real partner. Companies and organizations bring us real challenges, and our students work with professional engineers to develop practical solutions. In the case of the FEMA project supporting recovery in Tylertown, students were able to apply their technical training to something that directly serves a community in need." |
| Cybersecurity Threats on the Rise | |
 | With the increasing cybersecurity threats that businesses of all sizes are experiencing. Forbes magazine reported 2026 will be a pivotal juncture for cybersecurity. In Mississippi, companies and organizations are facing these threats with focused measures. Martin F. Rivera, Director of Mississippi Cyber Initiative, explains that MCI, spearheaded by Mississippi State University, was created to address cybersecurity challenges within the state and across the nation, thus positioning Mississippi as a leader in this critically important field for decades to come. "MCI aims to be an economic development catalyst, leveraging collective expertise from academia, the private sector, law enforcement, state, federal, and local government, the Department of Defense, and the Mississippi National Guard to improve our state's cybersecurity posture," said Rivera. "Through MCI summits, cyber events, and cyber tabletop exercises, our collaboration with state and federal agencies raises awareness, provides education, and offers training to organizations seeking to improve their cybersecurity resilience. Our forums provide organizations opportunities to network with cyber professionals, cyber industry companies, state, and federal cybersecurity agencies. Our goal is to help businesses and organizations become more cyber resilient." |
| Campus Landscape shapes MSU campus with unsung work | |
| Every single day, thousands of students converge on Mississippi State University's campus to study, hang out, meet new people and learn. The students walk on clear sidewalks, sit in courtyards surrounded by beautiful greenery and lay in the sun on the carefully manicured drill field. The privilege of a clean and enjoyable campus is not something that just happens, though. There is a dedicated team of people who work tirelessly to make sure all areas of campus are nice and enjoyable for everyone who comes to visit. Mississippi State University's landscaping and grounds team, officially called Campus Landscape, really cares about the work its members do. Jimmy Shannon, the MSU Grounds Supervisor, acknowledges the importance of taking diligent care of the campus grounds. "We really work hard because we know we're the front door of the University, and if students' parents come with them and see us taking care of this place the right way, they know that we'll take care of their child when they're here," Shannon said. Every day looks different for these teams. They are constantly adjusting to a plethora of different things, from weather to events that are happening on campus. Jim Bo Hearnsberger, the associate director of campus grounds, noted that the groundkeepers have to adapt to constant changes. |
| From the ballpark to mission control: MSU alum is apart of the Artemis II mission | |
 | Video: MSU alumnus Matthew Ramsey is the NASA mission manager for Artemis II. |
| Magnolia Mornings: Teen contest announced to promote litter prevention, cleanup | |
| The Mississippi State University Extension Service has announced the "Art Doing Its Part" contest for 9th–12th graders. The teens can lead the way in encouraging Mississippi residents and visitors to take pride in the state and actively participate in litter reduction, prevention, and cleanup. "Art Doing Its Part" invites teens to develop a piece of artwork, a slogan, and a short reflection that raise awareness about the connection between local litter and waterway pollution. Winners will be selected from the seven regions of the state, and the teens' work will be featured in a statewide marketing campaign, including on billboards, T-shirts, a traveling art exhibit, outreach materials, and a beach beautification project. |
| Mississippi's Agricultural Future: Water, Trade, and Strategic Positioning | |
| By 2045, Mississippi could very well become the agricultural center of America. The idea isn't far-fetched, and Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson's vision has strong supporting evidence. Driving trends: a historic water resource shift from West to East, strategic investments in value-added agriculture, climate migration patterns, and the China soybean agreement which was announced last November. "Mississippi's favorable growing climate, coupled with abundant water resources, can position our state as the center of food production for the United States of America within 20 years," said Gipson, emphasizing the convergence of challenges and opportunities facing the state's largest industry. Gipson's strategic plan comes at a critical juncture. The nation's agricultural crisis, fueled by high input costs, skyrocketing inflation, high interest rates, the loss of global trade, and the lack of a new federal farm bill for three years, has hit Mississippi producers hard. Dr. Keith Coble of Mississippi State University (MSU) added another perspective: with global population growth leveling off rather than exploding as predicted, domestic food production becomes even more critical. "We really may not need as much of the global food demand that we thought we would have to meet," noted Coble. "That's exactly why we need to be thinking about what we can do domestically in Mississippi for our people." |
| Delta Ag Producers Find Success Using Direct Marketing | |
| With deep concerns about profitability for the top agricultural commodities produced in the Mississippi Delta, there is increasing interest in how farmers might diversify, including direct marketing of niche crops. Delta Council Executive Director, Frank Howell, said direct marketing of ag products is a complicated subject. "Especially in these challenging times, it is important for producers to look at different ways to bring in income," said Howell. "As you look across the Delta, you see producers working to market their crops through different means or planting specialty crops that hold the potential of greater market ability. It is fair to say there is a great risk that comes with that, but there can also be a big reward. We have a great example in the catfish industry which started with a very small footprint and now is a big market." |
| Starkville hosts Mississippi Tourism Association spring summit | |
| Mississippi tourism has surged to record levels, and industry leaders hope to continue that momentum. This week, more than 200 tourism leaders from across the state have gathered for the two-day Mississippi Tourism Association's Spring Tourism Summit. Established with the mission to unite all sectors of the tourism industry through advocacy, promotion and education, the MTA is the state's tourism association. The summit brings together tourism professionals, destination marketing organizations, state leaders and hospitality partners from across Mississippi for two days of professional development, networking and collaboration. "Tourism is a vital economic driver," said Rochelle Hicks, director of tourism for Visit Mississippi, a division of the Mississippi Development Authority. "In calendar year 2024, we had 44.2 million visitors ... For us, we had $18.1 billion in economic impact from tourism. Over 135,000 jobs are filled by tourism, and we're the fourth-largest industry. "People don't always realize what that means to a community," she continued. "Right now, there are 300 people in Starkville, and they're eating, they're staying in hotels, they're shopping -- they're contributing to the community. So people are depositing money in the community, and those dollars go into the economy and help pay for healthcare and education and other things that you have to pay for in the community. " |
| Mary Means Business: Amata Italian announces it will open 'soon' | |
 | Stark Road is rocking and rolling. Just across from Cardiology Associates, early dirt work is underway for a new development known as the "Steeldriver property." While additional details from Donaway/Williams Architects and the project representative have not yet been confirmed, site plans indicate the Steeldriver Medical Office Building and Surgery Center will span approximately 13,800 square feet, featuring 12 exam rooms and one operating room. Farther down the road near UEC Movie Theatre, Candlewood Suites – an IHG hotel brand with more than 400 properties and 37,000 rooms – has submitted an application to the city. The proposed four-story, 94-room hotel would be one of nearly 200 Candlewood Suites currently in development. Also in town, a local store is getting a new name, but keeping the same vibes. B-Unlimited, 221 E. Main St., announced last week that all of its stores will now operate under the name Game Day Apparel. The Starkville location has already updated its signage and social media. |
| Starkville Derby, where every wiener is a winner, runs for fourth year | |
| The world's largest wiener dog race isn't for another three weeks, but statewide tourism leaders got a preview Wednesday when eight dachshunds had a mini-race during the Mississippi Tourism Association's Spring Tourism Summit at The Mill Conference Center. One of Mississippi's largest arts festivals, the Starkville Derby on April 25 kicks off with the popular canine competition. "We have 315 wiener dogs coming from as far as Seattle and Rhode Island to race in the Cotton District," said Derby host and founder Alden Thornhill. " And this is a mini-version of our track. We have 100-foot turf tracks that we roll out the day of, with tens of thousands of fans." The Starkville Derby features 200 food and art vendors, live music, flyovers, a kids' zone, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, and more. Each Derby kicks off with a call to post from a bugler, the blessing of the race track, and a flyover. |
| Area schools concerned about new accountability standards | |
| Changes made to Mississippi's public school accountability model will reset how districts are graded this year, raising the bar for schools to earn higher ratings. Though they welcomed the higher standards, some area superintendents say the new model -- particularly the short timeframe districts have to adjust to the new standards -- raises concerns. "We want to be the best we can be for our students. ... We'll be better because of these new rankings. We'll shoot to achieve higher," said Lowndes County School District Superintendent Sam Allison. "But just giving us a year turnaround to make these changes, that's difficult." SOCSD Superintendent Tony McGee, on the other hand, took no issue with the lack of adjustment time. "Change is always difficult no matter when it's given to you," he wrote in an email to The Dispatch. "We know accountability is needed to ensure we are doing the best for our students, and ... we welcome higher standards. If change is coming, sometimes I've found it's just as well to handle it all at once." He expects the biggest impact SOCSD will see outside of the new cut scores lie with college and career-readiness points, awarded through the Mississippi Readiness Index. |
| Meridian police report significant crime reductions since July 2025 | |
 | The Meridian Police Department has reported significant crime reductions since July 1, 2025, as the department increased staffing and improved response times, according to Police Chief Malachi Sanders. The department increased manpower from 42 to 80 officers, Sanders said. Response times have improved by more than 60 percent. Shootings are down approximately 45 percent, from 680 to 373, Sanders said. Homicides are down approximately 57 percent, from 7 to 3. Burglaries are down approximately 36 percent, from 278 to 179. The department has removed 118 weapons from the streets, Sanders said. According to recent FBI reporting, many cities are seeing modest declines in crime, Sanders said. In Meridian, the reductions are significantly stronger across multiple categories. "We've put more officers on the street, improved our response times, and stayed focused on the work," Sanders said. "The numbers are moving in the right direction because our people are doing their jobs every day." |
| Legislators haggle over 'Christmas tree' spending, immigrant wire transfers, youth court as 2026 session winds down | |
| Legislative leaders on Wednesday night were still haggling out final details of a so-called "Christmas tree" spending bill to fund dozens of lawmakers' special projects across the state, hoping to conclude their regular legislative session on Thursday. Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood, told Mississippi Today that he and House leaders were still working through the particulars, but that lawmakers would likely settle on a list of projects sometime Wednesday night. A $200 million to $400 million projects bill is typically one of the final items that legislators vote on before they end a session. For the last several years, lawmakers have funded the projects with cash, though they have borrowed money in lean years. Earlier this week, legislators approved the budget for the Department of Finance and Administration, the state agency that disburses the money for projects. The budget bill authorized the agency to spend up to $253 million on projects, though the final Christmas tree bill could spend less than that. Lawmakers did not pass a project last year due to political bickering between Republican leaders of the House and Senate. |
| Legislature approves free community college courses for adults | |
 | A program that would offer select free community college courses to adults is set to become law within the next week. The program, branded as UPSKILL by sponsor Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, and touted as one of Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann's priorities for the session, will allow people to go back to school to upgrade their skills without having to spend huge amounts of money they may not have, Boyd said. Students will have to be at least 24 years old and pursuing classes in priority sectors, as determined by the Mississippi Office of Workforce Development, to be eligible for the program. The fund would cover tuition costs for eligible students after all federal aid is disbursed. The UPSKILL program also emphasizes apprenticeships and career experiences, Boyd said when she presented the bill to the Senate, to make the transition from classroom to workforce as efficient as possible. This provision in Boyd's bill is accompanied by a House bill establishing the Office of Apprenticeship in the state government. |
| Legislature votes to add $6M to private school tax credit program | |
| For the first time in years, state leaders have voted to increase the amount of tax credits available to Mississippians who donate to private schools. The Children's Promise Act program currently allows people to claim up to $18 million in tax credits in total. Under a bill headed to the governor, that state would instead allow people to claim up to $24 million in tax credits starting in 2027. Since 2020, private schools and foster care organizations have been receiving money through the Children's Promise Act, which gives donors dollar-for-dollar tax credits for up to 50% of the donor's state tax liability. House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, originally touted the program as a way to give money to nonprofit organizations that care for foster children, but a provision to give tax credits to private-school donors was tucked into the bill when it was passed in 2019. House Bill 1944, which passed the House and Senate this week, would change the buckets of money available to different organizations, giving private-school donors access to more tax credits. |
| Creation of energy infrastructure fund sent to Governor | |
| Lawmakers have agreed to create a fund geared toward energy infrastructure. The chambers adopted the conference report for HB 1393 on Tuesday, sending the measure onto the governor's desk. The Mississippi Energy Infrastructure Fund looks to establish funding to promote loans, grants, and other financial incentives for the development and promotion of energy projects in the Magnolia State. Despite the Mississippi Development Authority requesting upwards of $100 million, State Senator Kevin Blackwell (R) said no money was allocated to the fund. The legislation states that the fund will consist of "money from any source designated for deposit into the fund." According to Senate Energy Chairman Joel Carter (R), the measure was requested by the governor and the MDA. The fund will be administered by MDA for projects that locate in Mississippi or expand within the state. The legislation has a three-year repealer, meaning lawmakers will review it during the 2029 session. |
| Lawmakers look to "Strengthen Mississippi Homes" with new mitigation program | |
| The Legislature has sent a bill to the governor that establishes the "Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program" to aid homeowners across the state in retrofitting insurable property to resist loss due to hurricane, tornado, hail, or other catastrophic windstorm events. Both the state Senate and House unanimously passed the conference report creating the mitigation program on Wednesday. The program outlined in SB 2409 will be administered by the Mississippi Insurance Department. It will provide grants to retrofit dwellings to resist loss from windstorms. The retrofits must meet or exceed the FORTIFIED roof standard of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). While the program is being established for homeowners in all areas of the state, the Coast delegation was a driving force behind the measure authored by State Senator Walter Michel (R), chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee. Jackson County State Senator Jeremy England (R) celebrated the legislation late Tuesday after it cleared his chamber, saying the goal of the bill is to lower insurance costs not only on the Coast, but for all of Mississippi. |
| Bill to ease Mississippi ABC delivery woes fails to advance | |
| A proposed fix for Mississippi's alcohol delivery problems died at the Capitol and some lawmakers are pointing fingers. "My concern is to get out of this debacle," said Rep. Hank Zuber, R, chairman of the House State Affairs Committee. Zuber said he is frustrated that the proposed solution is not moving forward. "I went to two restaurants yesterday and last night to see what the inventory was like. One restaurant had no vodka, the other had a very limited amount of wine," Zuber said. The House rewrote Senate Bill 2838, turning it into the Emergency Alcohol Distribution Act. It would have temporarily allowed retailers to buy alcohol directly from out-of-state sellers and bypass the ABC warehouse system. That would have been limited to two years. But the bill died after it was sent to conference and Zuber blamed the Senate for not moving the idea forward. "Citizens of Mississippi, they have their fingers crossed and they're praying and hoping that everything works out," Zuber said. Some package store owners are not upset it died because they say direct shipment was not a workable solution. "I mean, it's easy to say it. I just don't believe it's that easy to do it," said Josh Sorrell, owner of Spillway Wine & Spirits. “Those guys down there at the Capitol are trying to complicate a mayonnaise sandwich. I mean, here we are. It’s the conveyor belt that’s broken and we’re trying to fix everything but,” Sorrell said. |
| Lawmakers approve 50-50 joint custody in divorce cases and send bill to the governor | |
| Lawmakers sent a bill that makes 50-50 joint custody the legal standard for divorce cases in Mississippi to Gov. Tate Reeves Wednesday. If Reeves signs the bill into law, chancery court judges, or chancellors, would be required to favor equal parenting time in custody cases. Parents could present evidence showing why that's not in the best interest of their children. The legislation also exempts parents who agree on a different custody arrangement outside of court. The law would go into effect in July. Proponents say the legislation will create equal opportunities for fathers who have suffered from courts' bias that mothers are more worthy of custody. Critics say the bill feigns equality but will be less equitable for vulnerable women and children, including infants who are breastfeeding and mothers who are in domestic violence situations. Rep. Dana McLean, a Republican from Columbus, pleaded with her colleagues on the floor Tuesday to reconsider the legislation. McLean said it was problematic that breastfeeding infants would also be subject to a presumption that being separated from their mother half the time was best for them. |
| Babies Are More Likely to Die in Mississippi. Doctors Want to Study Why. | |
| The grandsons of Mississippi Sen. Michael McLendon, R-Hernando, were stillborn in August 2025. He is pushing for more research and transparency as to what causes fetuses and infants to die before their first birthday or in utero by supporting the creation of a fetal and infant mortality review panel under the Mississippi State Department of Health. "We got an issue in this state and every single family is at risk. We have to find what is causing this," McLendon said on the Senate floor on March 11. "Is it because God is looking down upon us and saying, 'Mississippi, I'm targeting you'? My God doesn't do that. My God is a loving God. But is it something that we have created here? Is it our water? Is it our air? It can't be our economics because it affects everyone. ... So what is it about Mississippi that this happens to us?" House Bill 1637 would establish the panel, which would review fetal deaths and the deaths of infants up to one year in age and "establish strategies to prevent infant deaths." The health department requested that the Legislature create the panel, Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg said on the House floor on Feb. 4 when introducing her bill. MSDH would pick the members of the review panel, who would be experts in the infant and fetal mortality hemisphere, and members would elect a chairman. |
| Mississippi lawmakers send bill that criminalizes abortion-inducing medication to governor | |
| People who distribute, or intend to distribute, abortion-inducing medication in Mississippi could face a criminal charge and up to 10 years in prison if convicted, under a bill lawmakers are sending to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. Experts say criminalization could lock up desperate Mississippians and scare doctors away from prescribing these medications in clinical settings for non-abortion purposes, such as stopping postpartum hemorrhaging and easing symptoms of miscarriages. Lawmakers added restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs to a drug trafficking bill that passed the House 76-38 and the Senate 37-15 on Tuesday. Republicans control both chambers. Rep. Celeste Hurst, a Republican from Sandhill, said she introduced this amendment to keep abortion medication, such as mifepristone and misoprostol, from entering Mississippi. But there is virtually no way for Mississippi to prosecute providers who send abortion pills across state lines, according to Mary Ziegler, an expert on abortion law and a professor at University of California at Davis School of Law. Shield laws in states where abortion is legal protect abortion providers, patients and helpers from out-of-state investigations, lawsuits and prosecutions, Ziegler told Mississippi Today. |
| Watson to announce 2027 election plans | |
| Secretary of State Michael Watson (R) will make a campaign announcement Tuesday, April 7 as he turns his attention to the 2027 statewide election cycle. Watson said earlier this year that he would not be seeking a third term as Secretary of State. The Secretary, who is expected to announce a run for Lt. Governor, said Wednesday he will be hosting 11 stops across Mississippi next week to speak to supporters. Current Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R), a former three-term Secretary of State, is term limited and will not be seeking re-election to the office in 2027. Watson will make his initial appearance and announcement Tuesday morning in Pascagoula, where he attended high school, before going to Gulfport, Hattiesburg and Jackson. Then on Wednesday, Watson will be in Meridian, Starkville, Tupelo and Oxford. Thursday, Watson has announced stops in Olive Branch, Cleveland, and Brookhaven. Prior to taking office as Secretary of State, he served three terms in the State Senate representing Senate District 51 in Jackson County. He attended the University of Mississippi, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a law degree. |
| Judge: Mississippi oyster lease law potentially creates monopoly, violates Constitution | |
 | A Harrison County judge has ordered the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to permanently end a private oyster-bottom lease program that the state Legislature created, finding it unconstitutional and contrary to the public's right to catch oysters. "The offending sections of the On-Bottom Lease Laws permit DMR, in its sole discretion, to lease the overwhelming majority, if not all, of the productive public reefs to a few private companies under agreements that would restrain trade by excluding (oystermen) from the productive reefs and meaningful competition with the private companies in harvesting and selling oysters in the free market and interstate commerce," Chancery Court Judge Jim Persons wrote in his ruling. Persons temporarily halted the program Aug. 25 while the lawsuit was pending. His recent ruling made the ban permanent. It says the law violates the U.S. and Mississippi constitutions. Persons found that the law, crafted with input from DMR, potentially creates a monopoly for private enterprise by offering private leases on 80% of oyster harvest areas, which are mostly in the western Mississippi Sound off Pass Christian's shore. Only a small portion of those areas include productive reefs where oysters grow, so the public could be left with muddy water bottoms. |
| Supreme Court appears skeptical of Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship | |
 | President Donald Trump's unusual presence at the Supreme Court on Wednesday didn't seem to sway the justices, who sounded broadly skeptical about his attempt to upend the country's long tradition of birthright citizenship. Trump looked on from the front row of the public gallery as Solicitor General John Sauer attempted to defend Trump's executive order that would deny U.S. citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants and foreigners on temporary visas. The court's conservative majority joined the liberals in aggressively questioning Sauer about the potential implications of disturbing the decades-long consensus on citizenship. The president sat through about an hour of arguments before silently exiting after a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union stepped to the lectern to attack Trump's policy as a violation of the Constitution's 14th Amendment and Supreme Court precedent dating back to the 19th century. Chief Justice John Roberts suggested it was strange for the administration to seize on some narrow exceptions to the birthright citizenship rule, such as an exclusion for American Indians and for children of diplomats, in order to justify denying citizenship to millions of children of undocumented immigrants and visitors. "I'm not quite sure how you get to that big group from such tiny and idiosyncratic examples," Roberts said. |
| Diabetes advocates cross their fingers as a bipartisan bill revives efforts to lower insulin costs | |
 | Two-year-old Bain Brandon has Type 1 diabetes and needs insulin to live. But even with health insurance, the price tag isn't cheap. A one-month supply of insulin vials and a three-month supply of backup pens for the Mississippi toddler cost his parents $194 last week, according to his mom, 29-year-old Marlee Brandon. They can afford it right now -- but she worries about the future. "One day, Bain will be an adult, and he won't be able to be on our insurance anymore," she said. "I feel like a lot of people don't realize how much and how expensive it is." A bipartisan group of senators is aiming to relieve that cost burden with the INSULIN Act, a bill to cap the cost of the lifesaving drug at $35 per month for Americans with private insurance plans. The bill, introduced last week by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-Maine, Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and John Kennedy, R-La., would also start a pilot program to provide more affordable insulin to uninsured Americans in 10 states. A somewhat similar bill passed in 2022, as part of the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping package from Democrats that successfully capped the drug at $35 per month for older adults on Medicare. |
| Trump unites divided GOP leadership behind Homeland Security deal | |
 | President Donald Trump and GOP leaders united behind a plan Wednesday to end the record-breaking partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, committing themselves to a two-track strategy that includes passing a reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement funding by June 1. With the shutdown stretching into its seventh week and pressure growing to pay DHS workers, Trump rallied behind a Senate plan that envisioned passing a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill to provide immigration enforcement funding that Democrats have rejected. The move could convince House Republicans to revisit a Senate-passed proposal that would fund all of the department except for the two immigration agencies at the heart of the conflict: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, and Customs and Border Protection, which is home to the Border Patrol. That plan, which the House set aside in favor of an eight-week funding extension, could gain new life with the assurance that more money for immigration enforcement would be coming through reconciliation. |
| Trump Tries to Sell Americans on War in Iran | |
 | President Trump sought to reassure skeptical Americans that the war in Iran is in the national interest, arguing that the operation was necessary to decimate a regime threatening the U.S. and insisting that economic pain would be short-lived. In a 20-minute address from the White House, his most direct sales pitch to the nation since the war began a month ago, Trump said the U.S. had succeeded on the battlefield and declared that U.S. military objectives would be completed "very shortly." Trump said he still aims for a diplomatic agreement to end the war. But in the meantime, he vowed to hit Iran "extremely hard" in the coming weeks and pummel the country "back to the Stone Ages, where they belong." Analysts say the U.S. and Israel have achieved tactical military success in Iran, striking more than 12,300 targets, sinking more than 155 vessels and killing senior figures such as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But the monthlong conflict has also led to strategic setbacks: Iran has tightened its hold over the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran's already hard-line regime has turned more firmly against Washington and the country's nuclear ambitions have yet to be completely snuffed out. |
| FBI declares suspected Chinese hack of US surveillance system a 'major cyber incident' | |
| The FBI last week deemed a recent China-linked cyber intrusion into a sensitive agency surveillance system a "major incident," meaning it poses significant risks to U.S. national security, according to one congressional aide and two U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter. The bureau first told Congress on March 4 that it was investigating suspicious activity on an internal agency system that contained "law enforcement sensitive information." The FBI did not publicly identify who was behind the activity at the time, but POLITICO previously reported that China is suspected. The FBI determined the intrusion meets the definition of a major incident under a federal data security statute known as FISMA, said the three people. Congress was informed of the decision earlier this week, according to the aide. This person, like others in this report, was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the investigation. The determination suggests the hackers successfully compromised swathes of sensitive data stored directly on FBI systems, likely marking a major counterintelligence coup for China. FISMA requires agencies to tell lawmakers within seven days about any digital intrusion it has determined is "likely to result in demonstrable harm" to U.S. national security. |
| Young men flock to Catholic churches -- for faith, community and girlfriends | |
 | About 100 young adults dressed in business casual were packed into a pizza shop. "Come to church with us!" they shouted in unison. "In New York City!" added Anthony Gross. He flashed a wide, white grin and raised the roof. Gross had helped organize this meetup at the Pizza Box in Greenwich Village. Soon, he would lead these Catholic and Catholic-curious young people to a Mass at St. Joseph's Church a few blocks away. After Gross moved to New York last summer, he started documenting his search for "The best Catholic church in NYC." His criteria included the beauty of the church, a community of young people and "no whack political stuff." He declined to elaborate what constituted "whack political stuff." "I'm not a political influencer at all," he said. "And I wouldn't even say I'm a Catholic influencer. Catholicism and my faith is just one part of my personal brand." Gross, 22, makes his living as a content creator. "The pendulum is swinging," he wrote in the caption of one video. "Gen Z is turning back to God." So why are young people flocking to St. Joe's? "Our culture pushes that the meaning of life is consumerism and career," Father Boniface Endorf said. "And they're looking for something more than what they can produce and what they can buy." |
| Bye, myOleMiss! It's time for a new Experience | |
 | For the first time since its launch in 2008, myOleMiss will not be used by University of Mississippi students to register for fall classes starting April 13. Replacing the student portal is Experience, a student information service (SIS) of Banner by Ellucian. The transition is part of a years-long initiative of the university, called Project Encompass, to modernize its information systems. The initiative began in fall 2022, with the platforms of Banner by Ellucian selected for student information services, and Workday selected for administrative and employee services during spring 2025. The university launched Experience on March 16 this year, though the platform will not take the place of myOleMiss as the primary academic portal until the fall semester. Starting April 13, students will complete their course registration using the new Experience platform. Tony Ammeter, associate provost, co-chair of the Project Encompass initiative and the project director for the Banner student information system solution, said the change was to help provide a more user-friendly, streamlined experience for UM students. |
| More than 1,000 attend Passover Seder on U. of Florida campus | |
 | More than 1,000 Jewish students, faculty, alumni and community members gathered April 1 at the University of Florida's O'Connell Center for what organizers said was the largest single‑seated Passover Seder in the United States. Hosted by the Chabad UF Jewish Student & Community Center, the event aimed to ensure that no Jewish student at UF observed Passover alone. "This is more than a Seder -- it's a powerful statement of Jewish pride, unity, and resilience," said Rabbi Berl Goldman, director of Chabad UF, in a press release before the event. "At a time when Jewish students are seeking connection and strength, we are creating a space where they can celebrate their identity together with joy and meaning." University leadership, along with state and local elected officials and community dignitaries, attended the event to show support for UF's Jewish student community. |
| U. of Tennessee students working behind scenes at Big Ears Festival to bring it to life | |
| At this weekend's Big Ears Festival, Tennessee students made their impact. Numerous students worked the event in various ways, helping with the flow of the festival. Some students worked the festival for their major, some worked as part of their main jobs and some worked for the fun of it. Despite the different motivations, they all worked behind the scenes to keep Big Ears running and alive. Jessie Karrh is a junior majoring in advertising and minoring in music business who worked the festival this weekend. "I decided to work this festival because my goal is to get a job in the music industry, specifically live music and touring, so any opportunity for getting hands-on experience is one I will take," Karrh said. "Selling music festival merch and advertising it to customers fits in perfectly to what I'm studying right now." The festival was over the course of four days, from Thursday to Sunday. Numerous artists played in different venues across the city, making it not only about the music, but about exploring and seeing multiple places and shows. People from France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Japan and many other places around the world came to Knoxville for Big Ears. For the weekend, Knoxville became a melting pot of different music enthusiasts from across the world. |
| Young U. of Texas student founders push innovation in medicine with pain-detection prototype | |
| At the University of Texas, three pre-medicine undergraduates are aiming to change the field they have yet to enter. After participating in an American Academy of Pain Medicine fast-paced problem-solving event, dubbed a "hack-a-thon," students began to brainstorm what it would look like to develop a device to read and measure pain through signals in the brain. With the tool the students had in mind, "if their body is in physical pain, we would detect it," Raimah Rahman, now a UT sophomore, said. Driven by a desire to give doctors a tool to understand pain and replace the subjective 1-10 pain scales many doctors use today, the trio has treated the project like a full-time job, working with UT professors and advisers to turn the idea of a tool into a reality. One year after they had the initial idea, they've successfully designed a headband with small electrodes that can read brain signals emitted when a person is in pain. On a Friday evening at UT's Innovation Tower, the university's student government held the first ever "Builder's Bullpen," a pitch event for student entrepreneurs to compete for $5,000 in seed funding. SynapSense, the winning team, was awarded the pot by a judging panel of three successful entrepreneurs. More than 100 students gathered to watch the competition unfold. |
| Mizzou refreshes its brand with the new 'Let's Show the World' slogan | |
 | "Let's Show the World" is the newest slogan adopted by the University of Missouri and will begin to appear widely in Mizzou-related material. The slogan, meant to promote the university's reach and impact, will be used with social media posts, fundraisers, merchandise and advertisements. At a training session Tuesday afternoon, the University of Missouri's Branding and Management Department unrolled a number of examples showing various strategies for using the slogan. "'Let's Show the World' captures Mizzou's momentum as a top-tier, land-grant university and the world-wide impact made by our researchers, faculty, students and staff," said Sonja Derboven, director of licensing and trademarks at Mizzou. The audience was also told that the slogan will emphasize Missouri as the "Show-Me State," often used to showcase the practical attitude and toughness of state residents. |
| U. of Michigan Research Center Faces Local Opposition | |
 | The University of Michigan wants to bring hundreds of jobs and a high-performance computing facility to a township nearly 20 miles away from its Ann Arbor campus. However, local opposition could derail the project. Among other concerns, the local leaders and community members say they are worried the facility could make the township a target for terrorism. They also accused the university of lying to them. The Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night "declaring strong and unequivocal opposition" to a proposed computational research facility to be built in collaboration with the Los Alamos National Laboratory. University officials have cast the project as a computational research center focused on science, energy and national security. The site will be used for nuclear weapons research, but officials have repeatedly said such weapons will not be manufactured there. |
| Syracuse Drops 84 Programs Including Classics, Ceramics and Italian | |
 | Syracuse University is closing or halting enrollment in about 20 percent of its academic programs, in a move that the school's provost said was designed to create a university that would be "more focused, more distinctive and more aligned with student demand." The overhaul was revealed in a letter from the provost, Lois Agnew, that was sent on Wednesday to students and faculty members. And while the letter did not list the cuts, a spreadsheet provided by the university showed that the humanities and the fine arts represented the largest share. Classics and ceramics are out as majors, along with a host of others that had attracted few students. In all, 93 of the 460 academic programs at the school will be closed or paused, meaning that no new students will be able to enroll in those majors. Coursework in the areas will still be offered, and minors in many of the subjects will continue to be available. Similar changes are happening at universities around the country, as students seek out fields that they believe will more directly translate into higher-paying jobs, a recent analysis by the American Enterprise Institute showed. College administrators, following the market, have been reducing humanities offerings. |
| Nearly Everyone's Using AI at Cal State. And Nearly Everyone's Worried About It. | |
 | Nearly everyone in the nation's largest public university system is already using generative artificial intelligence. And almost no one fully trusts it. That tension emerges from a sweeping new survey of more than 94,000 students, faculty, and staff across 22 California State University campuses, which finds AI deeply embedded in learning, teaching, and work -- even as concerns about accuracy, ethics, job security, and long-term impact remain widespread. Cal State officials say it is the largest study of AI in higher education to date. Ninety-five percent of respondents reported trying at least one AI tool, and most use it regularly at work, school, and in their personal lives. Students, 84 percent of whom use OpenAI's ChatGPT, lead the way. Yet most respondents said AI-generated content must be verified by human research. The survey results come amid debate over the Cal State system's nearly $17-million deal with OpenAI to provide students and employees with access to a university-specific version of ChatGPT. That contract ends June 30. A petition with more than 3,300 signatures is urging Cal State's chancellor, Mildred García, not to renew it. |
| AI Pushing Students to Consider Changing Majors, Data Shows | |
| Nearly half of college students have considered changing their major over concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on the job market, new data shows. In the three-plus years since generative AI went mainstream, college students have been inundated with gloomy predictions and reports that the technology will soon replace large swaths of entry-level white-collar jobs. And for some industries, it's already starting: Between 2022 and 2025, early-career workers in AI-exposed occupations -- such as software development and clerical work -- experienced 16 percent relative employment declines, while employment for more experienced workers remained stable. Such AI-related disruptions are causing many college students to second-guess their career plans, according to a new survey of 3,801 students that Gallup and the Lumina Foundation published Thursday. It found that 47 percent of students have thought about switching their major either "a great deal" (14 percent) or "a fair amount" (33 percent) amid the rise of AI. |
| Nursing Is the Surefire New Path to American Prosperity | |
| Miranda Mammen became a licensed practical nurse after earning a community-college diploma. Later, she went back to school for a bachelor's in nursing and worked in an emergency room during the pandemic. Four years ago, she got her doctorate and became a nurse practitioner. With each step, the 33-year-old has boosted her pay and responsibilities. These days she is working at a primary-care clinic in Lincoln, Neb., earning about $120,000 a year. She conducts annual physicals, treats respiratory illness and abdominal pain, and manages chronic conditions. She and her husband, a garage-door technician, own a three-bedroom home, contribute to their 401(k)s and are taking their child on a trip to Florida this summer. "We don't really have to worry about getting our bills paid," Mammen said. "That definitely takes away the stress of the economy that I know a lot of people are experiencing." Factory work used to be Americans' most reliable ticket to the middle class. Office jobs offered another dependable route. But as automation, globalized manufacturing, and now artificial intelligence threaten or narrow some of these paths, healthcare jobs have become the surest bet. At a time of uncertainty in the labor market, nursing offers not only stability but, for some, a pathway to real prosperity. |
| Rethinking Aging on College Campuses | |
| As colleges nationwide focus on artificial intelligence and workforce readiness initiatives to prepare students for their careers, the University of California, Los Angeles, is expanding its attention to a different population: older adults. Through an age-friendly university initiative, UCLA is redefining what aging looks like on campus -- vibrant, inclusive and rooted in lifelong learning. The initiative began in 2018, when UCLA became the first campus in the University of California system to join the Age-Friendly University Global Network, a consortium focused on improving the lives of older adults through education, research and community engagement. In February, the university built on that foundation by introducing a more coordinated, campuswide approach -- including a cross-disciplinary task force and a new website aimed at promoting healthy aging and combating ageism. The initiative engages a wide range of older adults, including retired faculty and staff, alumni, and community members interested in continuing education. While some participants audit courses or pursue certificates, others engage through mentorship programs and volunteer opportunities. |
| What can financial metrics actually tell college leaders about their programs? | |
| As institutional budgets come under pressure nationwide, many college leaders are seeking answers to a deceptively simple question: What are the costs and benefits of running their academic programs? The question is straightforward, but the answer is often complex, subjective and fraught with human and educational consequences for every given program. It becomes even more fraught when leaders use those financial metrics to make decisions about which programs to keep or kill in these times of budget constraints. Whether officials use the best numbers or whether those numbers answer the right questions are often contested issues. Scores of colleges are taking hard looks at their offerings and the costs behind them as they try to manage budget pressures. And some states are mandating that colleges cut programs based purely on metrics such as enrollment -- without any accounting for their costs or benefits. But determining program costs is more complicated than simply adding up expenses, given how interconnected college operations are. |
| Lawsuits Are the New Trump Tactic in the Fight to Overhaul Education | |
| Again and again, the Trump administration has been blocked in court over repeated attempts to force schools to bend to its will. Now, the executive branch is bringing its own lawsuits to force colleges and school districts to comply. For the past year, the administration has tried coercing universities into adopting portions of President Trump's agenda, opening civil rights investigations and cutting essential federal research funding until they agreed. Recently though, the pressure campaign has struggled to produce the head-turning results Trump officials envisioned. Federal judges in California and Massachusetts have ruled that the administration's aggressive tactics broke the law. And after the administration signed deals with six elite universities last year, there have been none in the past four months. Now, the government is testing a new strategy, filing or joining 10 lawsuits in the past five months against universities, school districts or states over education issues. Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, said the wave of lawsuits from the government signaled that the administration was shifting from what he described as a "ready, fire, aim" approach. |
SPORTS
| Introducing STATE 1878: Connecting Fans To Mississippi State Athletics Like Never Before | |
| STATE 1878, an independent membership community built for Mississippi State fans and supporters, launches today with a focus on deepening engagement and strengthening the connection between Bulldog fans and Mississippi State's athletic programs. "I believe Mississippi State Athletics is capable of competing with anyone and winning at the highest level, and I believe the Bulldog Family is one of the most powerful forces in college athletics when it is fully aligned around its programs and its people," Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "STATE 1878 channels that force. It connects our fans directly to the student-athletes who compete relentlessly in Maroon and White, creates meaningful NIL opportunities that invest directly in those athletes, and unites our entire community around a shared belief in taking Mississippi State Athletics to new heights. This platform was built for our fans and for this moment. We are fully behind it." Named for the year Mississippi State was founded, STATE 1878 offers fans direct access to Mississippi State student-athletes and coaches through breaking news, in-depth interviews, recruiting coverage, behind-the-scenes storytelling, and program updates that go beyond the box score. |
| Baseball: Bulldogs Clash In Top 5 Matchup | |
| A marquee Southeastern Conference showdown arrives at Dudy Noble Field this weekend as No. 4 Mississippi State hosts No. 5 Georgia in a three-game series that could carry significant early-season implications in the league race. First pitch for Thursday and Friday will be at 6 p.m. while Saturday's finale will start at 1 p.m. All three games streaming on SEC Network+. MSU (25-4, 7-2 SEC) enters the weekend as one of the nation's hottest teams, riding a nine-game winning streak and boasting an unblemished 18-0 mark at home. State has won 20 consecutive games at Dudy Noble Field dating back to last season, tying the third-longest home streaks in program history. UGA (24-6, 7-2) presents one of the toughest test yet for Mississippi State, featuring one of the most explosive offenses in college baseball. Georgia leads the comparison on paper in power numbers, slugging .649 with 87 home runs, while MSU counters with a balanced attack hitting .336 as a team with a .443 on-base percentage. The series opens Thursday night with sophomore left-hander Charlie Foster taking the ball for MSU against UGA right-hander Joey Volchko. |
| Why Reed Stallman is having Mississippi State baseball's most surprising breakout season | |
| Reed Stallman remembers feeling about as nervous as he possibly could before his first meeting with new Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O'Connor. Everything had moved so quickly. The Bulldogs' season ended June 1 in a loss at Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional final. About an hour after the final out, players were informed on the team bus that O'Connor was hired as the new coach. They bussed back to Starkville the next day, where O'Connor and the new staff were waiting for an immediate team meeting. One-on-one exit meetings began soon after. There was urgency because the transfer portal opened June 2. Stallman wanted to return to Mississippi State in 2026 because of the blanket eligibility waiver for former junior college players. But with a new coaching staff, there wasn't certainty he would be wanted. "Walking into that meeting was one of the most nervous feelings that you can possibly have," Stallman said. "You don't know if this guy is going to tell you you need to find your fourth school or if he's going to tell you, 'Hey, we want you back.'" Twenty-nine games into the season, Stallman is having a breakout as the starting first baseman ahead of a top five series at Dudy Noble Field between No. 4 MSU (25-4, 7-2 SEC) and No. 5 Georgia (24-6, 7-2) starting April 2 (6 p.m., SEC Network+). |
| Purvis High Alumnus Jacob Parker Makes Big Impact as a Freshman on the No. 4 Ranked Mississippi State Baseball Team | |
| For all of their lives you couldn't talk about one Parker without talking about the other. Until now. Jacob and JoJo Parker gained fame in the baseball community as youth league stars, Purvis High School state champions and pro prospects. They were inseparable. Until now. Both were Mississippi State baseball commits until last summer when JoJo, the eighth overall pick by Toronto in the Major League Baseball draft, chose the professional path. "When you talk about one, you talk about the other," said Tony Farlow, their coach at Purvis who retired this past season and being Purvis head coach for 27 seasons. "There was always a "friendly" competition among the brothers, Farlow said. "I think they're very competitive with each other. I think they're best friends. They just grew up doing everything together." JoJo, a middle infielder, is generally regarded as the No. 2 or 3 prospect within the Blue Jays' organization and within the top 70 Major League prospects. "I told my wife the other night, Jacob's been doing pretty good for State, and then JoJo hit a (spring training) home run last Saturday," Farlow said. Jacob Parker chose the college path. |
| Georgia baseball ready for another 'big atmosphere' at Mississippi State | |
 | One of the biggest college series of the season so far is here. A top five matchup between Georgia baseball and Mississippi State starts Thursday night, April 2, in Starkville, Miss. The teams are tied with Texas for first in the SEC at 7-2. The showdown will come in one of the best settings in the nation, Dudy Noble Field, where Mississippi State has won 20 straight dating back to last season. The Bulldogs that wear maroon boast the nation's top home attendance at 11,521 per game and drew 14,834 on March 21 against Vanderbilt. "You've just got to go play good baseball, man," Georgia coach Wes Johnson said. "It's going to be tough. You think about it, I've told everybody we've got the toughest road schedule in our league." Georgia is No. 5 in the USA TODAY coaches poll. Mississippi State is No. 4. "It's kind of hard to ignore the atmosphere, the environment," catcher Daniel Jackson said. "I think it's fun to be a part of anyway. You get the chance to make the stadium go quiet when we're doing good. Makes it fun." |
| Men's Tennis: No. 6 Mississippi State Face Key SEC Road Tests at No. 35 Arkansas, No. 11 Oklahoma | |
| No. 6 Mississippi State hits the road this weekend as the Bulldogs continue SEC play with a pair of ranked matchups, traveling to face No. 35 Arkansas on Thursday and No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday. Thursday's matchup features a meeting with Arkansas, where the Bulldogs have historically dominated the series. Mississippi State holds a 36-8 all-time advantage over the Razorbacks, including a 15-2 record in matches played on the road. The trip also marks a return for head coach Matt Roberts, who faces his alma mater in Fayetteville. The Bulldogs will look to continue their success in the series while adding another ranked win to their resume. On Saturday, Mississippi State travels to Oklahoma for a top-15 showdown. The Bulldogs hold a 5-2 edge in the all-time series against the Sooners and enter the match riding a four-match win streak in the matchup. With both teams ranked inside the top 15, the contest presents another opportunity for Mississippi State to strengthen its position heading into postseason play. |
| Delta State's women's basketball legacy endures even as national spotlight has faded | |
| A sparse crowd drifted into Walter Sillers Coliseum for Delta State's first women's basketball game in 1973. It was a 4 p.m. tipoff against Holmes Community College -- announced only in the local paper in rural Cleveland, Mississippi. There were no tickets, no concessions or buzz. Just a handful of curious women's basketball fans with no clue what this team led by a former high school coach named Margaret Wade could be. "We had no expectations because, see, the coach came from the high school, and she had never coached college ball," said Dot Bright, a 1962 Delta State graduate who still lives just a few blocks from the school. "So we thought, 'Oh, OK. It's all in the family. We thought it was just little hometown people." What Bright and a few others saw that day was the beginning of something bigger. Within a couple of years, Delta State became one of women's basketball's early powerhouses. The Lady Statesmen were the first No. 1 team when the women's college basketball poll debuted 50 years ago and won three straight national championships in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) from 1975-1977. The Lady Statesmen will be recognized during "The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience" being held Thursday-Saturday at Arizona State's First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The poll has served as a road map for the rise of the sport, though a lot has changed since the NCAA took over in 1982. |
| Despite the outcries against it, NCAA tournament expansion 'will happen.' Here's why that's the case | |
| Two years ago last month, as negotiations over the future of the College Football Playoff heated up, executives from college sports' richest and most powerful conferences, the SEC and Big Ten, gave all other FBS leagues an ultimatum. If the two conferences were not granted a majority of the money and decision-making authority within the College Football Playoff, they'd start their own postseason event and leave everyone else behind once the contract ends in 2026. If that seems like a bluff or fantasy, take for instance SEC commissioner Greg Sankey's comments in 2024 reliving those negotiations: "There was a belief that all of us had to stay together as is. I never viewed it that way." Now, some 25 months after those conferences threatened to implode football's postseason, the basketball version -- the NCAA tournament, the industry's crown jewel -- enters its most seminal stretch. A controversial expanded tournament concept is on the horizon; the end of the event's television contract is a mere five years away; and the gap between the haves and have-nots -- attributed mostly to conference realignment, athlete compensation and transfer movement -- has never existed in such a significant way as it does today. |
| Louisiana universities are paying athletes. Should the public get to see who gets how much? | |
 | Weeks after journalists filed a lawsuit against LSU seeking records on how much it was paying athletes through revenue sharing, Louisiana lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday that would carve out an exemption to public records law and make those payments -- as well as amounts allocated to individual sports -- confidential. "These are safety protections when it comes to the student athlete," Rep. Tehmi Chassion, D-Lafayette, who authored the bill, said. Revenue sharing refers to funds paid to athletes directly out of athletics department budgets. The original bill, filed in late February, sought to make contracts with college athletes through a university's revenue sharing program private. But amendments added Wednesday went a step further, clarifying that dollar amounts and percentages of the pool of money allocated to specific athletes and individual sports would not be public record. Legislators raised questions about the proposed law obfuscating how public funds are spent. "This is really broad," Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Houma, said. "And I'm concerned that we're expanding confidentiality so much that we're losing necessary transparency." |
| NCAA proposes barring players who opt in to, remain in draft | |
| After two high-profile cases in basketball this season, the NCAA Division I Cabinet will consider proposed changes to eligibility rules, including one that would bar athletes who have entered and remained in a professional sports draft from competing in college. The Academics and Eligibility Committee proposed the changes Wednesday, and the cabinet could take action within weeks. The new rules, if approved, would be effective for athletes entering college this fall. "These proposed changes reflect ongoing work by Division I members to modernize our rules to align with the current era of college sports," said Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, chair of the cabinet. "As Division I members proceed with reviewing all eligibility rules in the months ahead, our focus will be establishing rules that have objective criteria that can be consistently applied for both prospects and current student-athletes." |
| NCAA imposes steep penalties for 'ghost' transfers, but many doubt they will stick | |
| The NCAA Division I Cabinet approved emergency legislation Wednesday designed to stop programs from signing players who circumvent the transfer portal, but the coaches, general managers and attorneys who know the issue best are divided on whether the rules will hold. As with most issues regarding player eligibility and movement in college sports, challenges may loom in the courtroom next fall. The legislation approved Wednesday imposes severe penalties on programs that accept players who transfer without entering the portal: a half-season suspension for the head coach from all coaching, recruiting and administrative duties, and a fine equal to 20% of the school's football budget. "I am grateful the DI Cabinet approved the FBS Oversight Committee's recommendation to impose significant penalties on head coaches and programs who circumvent transfer rules, along with immediate accountability," Vanderbilt coach Clark said in a statement released by the NCAA. "This is a necessary step to address a critical roster management issue facing our sport and to protect the integrity of football's transfer window." |
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