| Tuesday, January 5, 2021 |
| Mississippi just got rid of its Electoral College-like election process | |
 | Dallas Breen, an assistant research professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and director of the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, writes for The Conversation: As Americans watch the Electoral College process of choosing a president continue to play out, they may be unaware that voters in Mississippi just decided to get rid of a similar system in their state. Like the national system of electors, the Mississippi system had its roots in both a racist election process and the desire to protect the needs of rural residents from being ignored or overruled by city dwellers. The state's 1890 Constitution requires a candidate for statewide office to win not only the majority of the popular vote, but also a majority of the 122 state House districts. A candidate could win the statewide popular vote, but if they didn't win the majority of the state House districts, the election would be decided by the state House of Representatives. Those representatives weren't required to vote in accordance with the majority in their district. This requirement has been cited as reducing the chances for nonwhite candidates to be elected to statewide office. In a state where 56% of the population is white -- the rest are Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native or multiracial -- 66% of the House districts are majority white. |
| Whether slow or fast, here's how your metabolism influences how many calories you burn each day | |
| Terezie Tolar-Peterson, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion at Mississippi State University, writes for The Conversation: It's a common dieter's lament: "Ugh, my metabolism is so slow, I'm never going to lose any weight." When people talk about a fast or slow metabolism, what they're really getting at is how many calories their body burns as they go about their day. The idea is that someone with a slow metabolism just won't use up the same amount of energy to do the same task as does someone with a fast metabolism. But does the speed of metabolism really vary all that much from person to person? I'm a nutrition scholar who focuses on the biological, environmental and socioeconomic factors that influence body composition. This question is trickier than it might first seem -- and whatever the current speed of your metabolism, there are things that will nudge it into lower or higher gears. |
| Caledonia college student with dreams of attending medical school works winters at deer processing company | |
 | Three years ago, Melanie Moore decided to change her major from nursing to biological sciences with the goal of attending medical school. With the decision, she realized she was taking on a major challenge. Just how big it would be, she had no way of knowing. COVID-19 not only ended an internship just three weeks into the job, but forced her to take most of her classes in her crucial senior year at Mississippi State online. Originally, Moore was set to graduate last spring. Instead, she accepted an internship at Disney World that was supposed to run from March until August. "I thought it would be a good experience for me," Moore said. "You have to have a lot of self-discipline, and I thought it would really help teach me to be more independent." But just three weeks into the job, Disney World shut down because of the pandemic. "I was really disappointed, especially since I put off graduating by a semester," Moore said. One thing Moore probably doesn't have to learn is the importance of hard work. With two part-time jobs, along with her studies, she has no aversion to work. |
| As Covid-19 Surges, Colleges Make Last-Minute Changes to Spring Calendars | |
 | Syracuse University laid out its plan for spring semester back in September, scheduling classes to start Jan. 25 and eliminating spring break to minimize potential travel-related exposure to Covid-19. On Monday, the school scrapped that calendar and said it would start and end the spring term two weeks later than anticipated, in the hopes of staving off further outbreaks as case numbers surge nationwide. Mississippi State University delayed its spring term by five days, to Jan. 11, acknowledging that some students may not have stayed isolated during the holiday break. "We know that with New Year's Eve celebrations there is the possibility of additional exposures and infections; this delay will allow time for infections to run their course prior to students' return to campus," said executive vice president and provost David R. Shaw. |
| Mississippi announces vaccine rollout for those over 65 | |
 | Officials in Mississippi announced a plan Monday to streamline access to coronavirus vaccines for vulnerable populations in the coming weeks. The news comes as the U.S. government officials reported a major acceleration of the vaccine rollout over the weekend after a slow and uneven start to the campaign. "We want to make sure that as many doses as we get this week, we're getting that many shots in arms," Gov. Tate Reeves said during a news conference. "It doesn't do us any good if it's sitting on the shelf." The Republican governor said Monday that people over the age of 75 will have access to the vaccine, beginning next week, at private clinics and drive-through sites. The week after, those over 65 will become eligible for the vaccine. The Department of Health has 18 high-volume drive-through sites prepared for the vaccine rollout. Approximately 174 private clinics have also requested vaccines, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said. |
| Gov. Reeves announces age-based COVID-19 vaccination rollout | |
 | Older Mississippians will begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as early as next week following the rollout of an age-based vaccination plan announced by the governor Monday. According to the plan, Mississippians 75 years or older will have access to the coronavirus vaccine beginning next week. Those aged 65 and up will gain access the following week. "Right now, the most important task that we have is getting vaccines out to the public," Reeves said during a press conference Monday afternoon. "That is our only way out of all of this." After discussions with State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and other state officials, the governor decided Monday morning to allow older citizens to receive access to the vaccine sooner than originally planned. Dobbs encouraged all health care workers, especially those working in long-term care facilities, to get vaccinated as soon as possible. He called the vaccine safe and effective, citing the fact that he received the first dose of Pfizer's vaccine with no ill effects. |
| Older Mississippians will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines next week | |
| Mississippi will push up its distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to residents 75 and older to next week, health officials and Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Monday. The state will then begin distributing doses to those 65 and older the following week. In its first phase of distribution, the state is currently administering doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to healthcare workers and long-term care residents. Originally, those 75 and older were scheduled to receive the vaccine in mid-January, and those 65 and older were scheduled for February. The state health department is now operating 18 vaccination drive-thru locations across the state. Those eligible must make an appointment on the health department's website -- which also includes a full list of locations and schedules -- or can call 877-978-6453 for more information. Meanwhile, the spread of the coronavirus continues to reach new highs in the state. |
| Mississippi lawmakers talk priorities, COVID-19 concerns ahead of Tuesday session start | |
 | The 174-member Mississippi Legislature convenes Tuesday amid record coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the state. Both the Senate and House will gavel in at noon. The current schedule calls for lawmakers to conclude their session by April 4. But that timeline may be extended if lawmakers are forced to depart the Capitol at some point due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Last summer, dozens of legislators and staff came down with the virus. "I'm worried about my legislators going back (home) and taking something from one part of the state to the another that didn't have it before," Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann told reporters last week. But House Speaker Philip Gunn on Monday nixed the idea of any planned pause in the session. Such a delay would require approval from both chambers. He noted the Legislature has enacted safety measures including spreading members out around the building and urging mask wearing. "All of the House members I've talked to want to push forward," Gunn said in a Supertalk interview, adding it didn't make sense for schools and other workplaces to be open but lawmakers not to go into work. He said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs "has not told us we have to stop." |
| Mississippi legislators set to finalize magnolia-themed flag | |
| Mississippi legislators are beginning their 2021 session Tuesday and one of their first tasks will be to finish adopting a new state flag that voters approved, with a magnolia blossom and the phrase, "In God We Trust." Legislators voted in late June to retire the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem -- a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. The image was in the upper-left corner of the flag Mississippi had used since 1894. Critics had long said the flag failed to represent a state with the highest percentage of Black residents in the nation. Young activists and groups representing business, sports, religion and education finally pushed legislators to surrender the old flag amid a national reckoning over racial injustice. Mississippi legislators are scheduled to be in session until early April, but they are returning to the Capitol as coronavirus cases are surging in the state. |
| Political analysts in preview the 2021 legislative session | |
 | Ratifying a new state flag, negotiating a teacher pay raise, and criminal justice reform are topping the priority lists of Mississippi lawmakers as they convene under the Capitol dome today in Jackson. Republican and political strategist Austin Barbour says there was a push for a teacher pay raise during last year's session, but that effort fell short after the coronavirus pandemic began to impact state spending. "Let's get the teacher pay raise across the finish line," says Barbour. "Not just because we owe it to them, but, because of the job that they do every single day. Particularly in tough times they've had to deal with because of COVID-19." Mississippi has had some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation for generations. According to the Southern Regional Education Board, the average teacher salary in the U.S. for 2018-19 was more than $62,000. For Mississippi, the average was just over $45,000. Democrat and former member of the House Brandon Jones says criminal justice reform was also top of mind during the previous session, citing Senate Bill 2123 which was ultimately vetoed by the governor. Jones believes parole reform will remain a priority for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. |
| 3 Mississippi Supreme Court justices begin new 8-year terms | |
| Three Mississippi Supreme Court justices are beginning new eight-year terms. Those inaugurated Monday were Chief Justice Mike Randolph, Presiding Justice Leslie D. King and Justice Josiah Dennis Coleman. Randolph is the longest-serving current member of the nine-person court, and he has been chief justice since February. Randolph was appointed to the Supreme Court in April 2004 by then then-Gov. Haley Barbour. Randolph was elected in November 2004, November 2012 and November 2020. He has homes in Hattiesburg and Ocean Springs. King lives in Greenville. He served in the Mississippi House from 1980 to 1994 and was one of the original members elected to the Mississippi Court of Appeals in 1994. Coleman was previously elected to the Supreme Court in 2012 and 2020. He lives in the Fentress community in Choctaw County. |
| Will Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith join futile effort to overturn Biden victory? | |
| Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi's junior U.S. senator, remains mum on whether she plans to join at least 12 of her Republican colleagues in challenging the presidential victory of former Vice President Joe Biden. Congress will meet in joint session on Wednesday to certify the electoral votes from the states. Biden, a Democrat, received 306 of the 538 elector votes from the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Though the certification of the electoral votes from the states is normally a formality, the law allows Congress to reject them and theoretically select the new president. A group of House and Senate Republicans -- ardent supporters of Republican President Donald Trump, who has for weeks pushed disproven theories about widespread election fraud -- indicated last week they will challenge those electoral votes from certain states Biden won. To be successful, they must garner a majority vote in both chambers. It does not appear the Republican objectors, based on national reports, have the votes in either chamber to be successful. Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi's senior U.S. senator, indicated after the states certified their electoral votes in early December that he would accept those results. An aide said over the weekend that Wicker stands by those comments. |
| Rep. Palazzo Backs Plot to Overturn Election, Sen. Wicker Opposed | |
| U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi's senior Republican in the Senate, says he will oppose attempts by some in his party to overthrow American democracy and stop the elected incoming presidential administration from taking power. He is at odds with at least one other GOP member of Mississippi's congressional delegation, U.S. House Rep. Steven Palazzo, who yesterday embraced the effort to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. "I cannot vote to certify the results of an election in certain states that millions of American and I do not wholeheartedly trust. ... I stand with millions of Americans who do not approve or accept the submission made by the electoral college until a complete and thorough investigation of all evidence has been conducted," Palazzo said in a statement that WLOX first reported on Sunday. The "certain states" Palazzo cited consist only of swing states Biden won that swung the election in his favor. Even after two months of tossing out vague claims of electoral fraud, the Trump campaign has not made specific allegations of voting irregularities that would have changed the election's outcome, nor have they produced evidence to back up their many wild claims. |
| Georgia election official: Trump legal team 'intentionally misled' voters on election fraud | |
 | On the eve of key Senate runoffs, a Georgia election official accused President Donald Trump's legal team of intentionally misleading voters about voter fraud and said the president persists despite evidence to the contrary. Gabriel Sterling, Georgia voting system implementation manager, explained to reporters Monday how voting was secured during the Nov. 3 election and detailed how the complaints from Trump and his allies were wrong. He specifically explained how Trump's legal team inaccurately described a video of vote counting in Fulton County, which he said was observed by representatives from each party and by reporters. "The president's legal team had the entire tape, they watched the entire tape, and then -- from our point of view -- intentionally misled the state Senate, the voters and the people of the United States about this," Sterling said. "It was intentional, it was obvious, and anybody watching this knows that." |
| Trump's Electoral College scheme divides 2024 GOP successors | |
 | The 2024 Republican primary has begun -- and the opening clash is over whether to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's election win. While Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are setting themselves up as the chief spokesmen for challenging certification of the Electoral College vote, aligning themselves with President Donald Trump, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse are staking out the opposite turf. Other Republicans, like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Vice President Mike Pence, are playing it safe and saying little. The debate underscores how fealty to Trump -- who might run again himself in 2024 -- has emerged as the defining battle line in the fight over the Republican Party's future. While past primaries have revolved around hot-button issues like health care or immigration, the forthcoming contest is being propelled, so far, by a single question: How loyal should one be to Trump? "It very much does look like the opening salvo of a Republican presidential primary campaign, at least a very early litmus test of where potential candidates are on a very important question to Republican voters as we sit here today," said Lanhee Chen, a top adviser on Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. |
| Experts: Did Trump break the law with phone call to Georgia elections official? | |
| President Donald Trump called Georgia's top election official a child. He held out the prospect of criminal prosecution if Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger didn't bend to his will. And he repeatedly implored Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes -- one more than President-elect Joe Biden's margin of victory in Georgia. "So what are we going to do here, folks?" Trump asked Raffensperger and his aides during an hour-long telephone conversation on Saturday. "I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break." But Trump's wheedling and bluster, his flattery and menace appear to have violated Georgia law, some lawyers said Monday. A growing number of officials and two past presidents of the State Bar of Georgia also called for criminal investigations into the president's effort to subvert the state's election results. Trump's entreaties to Raffensperger, contained in a recording released Sunday, capped a tumultuous post-election period in which Georgia's results have twice been recounted -- and twice confirmed. Trump's continued claims of widespread election fraud, repeatedly rejected by the courts, cast a pall over Tuesday's runoff elections for Georgia's two U.S. Senate seats. But his unusual request of Raffensperger -- in essence, to count votes that didn't exist -- crossed a new line. |
| Will millions spent on ads sway voters in Georgia runoffs? | |
| Two Georgia runoff elections that will decide control of the United States Senate will be held Jan. 5. The campaigns for the two seats have broken fundraising and spending records, becoming the most expensive Senate election in history. As of Jan. 3, between the first round election and the runoff tomorrow, the Senate candidates in Georgia have raised a total of $452,105,665. That's nearly half a billion dollars for two seats. Most of that money is going to produce and buy advertising on television, radio, digital and social media in and around Georgia. The media barrage is relentless. "The airwaves are literally saturated," said Amy Steigerwalt, a political scientist at Georgia State University. "There are no other ads running on any show on any station right now." While the Democratic candidates have raised more from small donors, Republicans have the edge with outside spending by political action committees. But Emory University political scientist Bernard Fraga said that with most minds already made up, it's not clear how effective advertising will be. "If, you know, there's ever been a contest where it's more about turning out the base instead of trying to persuade the other side, it's this runoff election," Fraga said. |
| Dr. Carrie Castille Named as New NIFA Director | |
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that President Trump has named Dr. Carrie Castille as the new, six year term director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Dr. Castille will start her new role on Monday, January 4, 2021. Dr. Castille served as Assistant Professor and Agriculture and Natural Resource Leader at Louisiana State University (LSU) prior to serving as Associate Commissioner and Senior Advisor to the Commissioner for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. In 2017, she joined USDA as State Director for Louisiana Rural Development, and in 2019 was named as the mid-south (Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri) coordinator for USDA's Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area. Dr. Castille was appointed by USDA Secretary Vilsack to the National Agriculture Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) advisory board from 2010 – 2017. During this period, she served as Chair of the NAREEE board, and also contributed to many organizations, including the American Public and Land Grant University (APLU) Council on Agriculture Research, Extension, and Teaching. |
| Agriculture Industry Bets on Carbon as a New Cash Crop | |
| U.S. farmers make their living raising crops from the soil each year. Now, some are getting paid for putting something back into their fields: carbon. Big agriculture companies including Bayer AG, Nutrien Ltd. and Cargill Inc. are jockeying with startups to encourage crop producers to adopt climate-friendly practices and develop farming-driven carbon markets. Those efforts would let retailers, food makers and other companies offset their greenhouse gas emissions by paying farmers for their fields' capacity to withdraw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and trap it in the soil. Agricultural companies, long criticized as environmental villains, say that paying farmers to maximize those natural processes can put the scale of modern farming behind a potential climate solution. Farmers, following half a decade of lean crop prices, are contemplating a possible new source of income that is less dependent on weather and agricultural commodity markets. The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that the agriculture sector accounts for 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. President-elect Joe Biden's administration also plans to pursue the concept. Mr. Biden said this month that under his administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will direct federal conservation payments to farmers who use their fields to capture more carbon. |
| Fauci says it could be 'open season' by April for those who want to get vaccine | |
| Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's foremost infectious disease expert, told Newsday that the general public could have access to COVID-19 vaccines as soon as April --- if the rollout speeds up in the coming weeks. Fauci said in an exclusive interview Monday that he hopes vaccinations of health care workers and other priority groups taking place now and in the coming weeks will be completed by the end of March. "We hope that by the time we get to the end of March, the beginning of April, that we'll be at the point where the priority groups have already been vaccinated and it's what I would call open season," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during the interview with Newsday anchor Faith Jessie and editorial board member Randi Marshall. "I think by the time we get to April, we will be at that point where a normal man or woman who has no underlying condition and no reason to be at a high risk, can get vaccinated if they want to," Fauci added. Fauci said while the slow rollout of vaccines is likely tied to the holiday season, officials at all levels of government need to do better in coordinating this complex task. |
| Wicker, Hyde-Smith praise HBCU Partnership Act | |
| U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) praised enactment of the HBCU PARTNERS (Propelling Agency Relationships Towards a New Era of Results for Students) Act, legislation they cosponsored to strengthen partnerships between federal agencies and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). "Mississippi's Historically Black Colleges and Universities prepare thousands of young people for success," said Wicker. "Greater engagement between federal agencies and HBCUs will help these institutions strengthen their impact on their communities. I am glad that the HBCU PARTNERS Act is now law." President Trump signed the HBCU PARTNERS Act into law on Dec. 31. The measure, introduced by Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) requires federal agencies to undertake annual planning and coordination of efforts to support and expand HBCU participation in relevant federal grants and programs. The law builds on the President's 2017 executive order on HBCUs. |
| Longtime educator Cochran takes on USM leadership role | |
| Noal Cochran, interim director and teaching professor of educational administration in the School of Education, has been named associate dean for educator preparation in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi. In this position, Cochran will serve as the bridge between the university, the Mississippi Department of Education and P-12 educational communities. "Dr. Cochran brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to educator preparation in our college," said Dr. Trent Gould, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. "He plays a critical role as our liaison with the Mississippi Department of Education and works tirelessly with our P-12 stakeholders to co-construct outstanding educational experiences for our students." Growing up with limited resources in rural Perry County, Cochran saw education as his ticket to a better life. He worked hard throughout grade school and earned multiple scholarships to attend college at USM. Like many Southern Miss students, the ability to earn a high-quality education while staying near to family was a desirable combination for Cochran. |
| U. of Alabama to begin administering 3,500 doses of COVID vaccine | |
 | The University of Alabama announced Monday that it has received about 3,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Richard Friend, dean of UA's College of Community Health Sciences, said the college intends to begin administering the vaccines at the University Medical Center on Friday. "UA's College of Community Health Sciences has received its first group of about 3,500 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," he said in a Monday afternoon Zoom call with reporters. "Health care providers, first responders, Capstone Village residents and employees and vulnerable populations in the UA community will be among the first" to receive the vaccine from the initial disbursement, Friend added. This first batch includes only doses of the vaccine developed by Massachusetts-based Moderna, which does not require storage in ultra-cold freezers, and is easier to administer, according to Friend. As additional vaccine doses become available, UA will gradually open up distribution to other segments of the campus community. |
| Former professor says employers shouldn't hire U. of South Carolina's computer science graduates | |
 | A retired University of South Carolina professor and department chair blasted his own school's computer science program and said employers should not hire its students. "If asked, I would specifically recommend to potential employers that they NOT hire the students being produced by this department," Duncan Buell said in early December in an email to multiple colleagues. Buell's email -- which bore the subject line "a rant that I need to tone down before sending" -- was also sent to the office of the provost, a university's top academic official. Buell did not explain in the email or in an interview with The State what issues he feels caused the department's inferior quality. The allegations raise questions about the quality of education for which many students are assuming decades of debt and for which taxpayers provide millions of dollars per year. Asked for a response, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said, "All I would say is that we strongly disagree with Dr. Buell's assessment." |
| U. of Arkansas, Fayetteville sets 3 days of drive-up testing for covid | |
| Drive-up covid-19 testing will take place for three consecutive days starting Wednesday at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville as the campus prepares for spring semester classes set to begin next week. "All members of the campus community are strongly encouraged to attend one of the testing days even if they are asymptomatic or have no known exposure," UA spokesman Zac Brown said in an email. "This will help us better identify and slow the spread of cases as we begin the new semester." Testing for UA students, faculty and staff will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. across from UA's Baum-Walker Stadium. The state Department of Health is hosting the clinic, according to the university. The state has recently seen record highs in new daily covid-19 case counts and hospitalizations. Classes for the spring term are set to begin Jan. 11, with UA like many colleges in the state offering a mix of in-person, remote and hybrid courses. |
| U. of Florida's new campus master plan: housing, transportation and nature space | |
 | The University of Florida Board of Trustees is expected to adopt the new Campus Development Agreement, which outlines plans for university growth and land use, in March 2021. Linda B. Dixon, director of planning with the UF office of Planning, Design & Construction, said a new honors hall will be built in the space currently taken up by the Broward Outdoor Recreational Complex's tennis courts and pool for additional and upgraded housing. Like the current honors housing in Hume Hall, the new building will hold a mix of honors and general undergraduate students, according to Sara Tanner, marketing and communications director for UF Housing & Residence Education. Hume will still house other undergraduate students, just not anyone in the honors program, she said. Dixon said Inner Road is also slated for an upgrade. The cramped one-way street, often a crowded mix of bikers, walkers and poorly placed parking spots, will be repaved to create two-way lanes. Lake Alice, the natural heart of campus, is scheduled for a few projects, Dixon said. More native plants will be added to its borders to help the water habitat thrive. And the trail system will be expanded with more boardwalks and an asphalt path so more people can walk and bike on all sides of the lake and enjoy the scenery and wildlife. |
| Aggies develop sanitary, hands-free door opener | |
 | Texas A&M students Austin Burt and Jorge Arroyo were on their way to Port Aransas for a fishing trip in May when they noticed a problem when stopping at gas stations: opening restroom doors with their hands was not sanitary. "We just thought of the idea that we should be able to use our foot leaving the restroom directly after washing our hands," Burt said. Soon after their trip, Burt and Arroyo began exploring solutions. Seven months later, they, along with A&M student Jack Cooper, created SanitaryPull, a hands-free door opener. "The purpose of our product is to allow businesses and customers who are dining out or coming through traditional retail chains to be able to use the restroom or go through the entrance without contaminating their hands and be able to use their foot to properly open the door and reduce contact points in places of business," Cooper said. The curved product allows a person to use the top of their foot to open a door with ease. |
| Michigan State to enforce two-year campus living policy, citing improved grad rates | |
 | Michigan State University officials are restoring a requirement that first- and second-year students live on campus, a decision that was praised by student success experts but condemned by the students themselves. The university and experts on the sophomore and on-campus student experience said the decision, announced last month, is backed by research that shows students graduate from Michigan State at higher rates when they spend their second year living on campus. Sophomore year is a formative time for interpersonal relationships and personal and career development, and the type of support colleges provide students during this time can make or break a student's education, said Molly Schaller, a higher education professor at Saint Louis University who studies college sophomores. "Academic self-efficacy is lowest during the sophomore year," Schaller said, and students are questioning themselves, their friendships and what major they want to pursue. Navigating living off campus for the first time while "questioning your college career" is difficult and makes a sophomore on-campus living requirement a "focal point" for success, she said. |
| Covid is making college students rethink their 'dream job' and plans for after graduation | |
| he coronavirus pandemic has changed the world as we used to know it before long months of quarantine and social distancing. For many college students, this has been a time of uncertainty and worry. Many schools have switched to remote classes, a lot of school resources aren't available, and the job market is one of the worst in decades. The unemployment rate for young people (16-24) is currently 11.5%, nearly double the overall unemployment rate of 6.7%, according to the Labor Department. This chain of events has led Gen Z college students to consider whether their majors will give them the opportunity to find a job in a post-pandemic world, or whether they should change their perspectives on what a "dream job" would be after graduation. Another consequence of the pandemic is that a lot of companies have chosen to have their employees work from home. An estimated 42% of the U.S. labor force is working remotely, according to research conducted by Stanford University. This has changed the geographic plans of college students -- many no longer feel the need to move to big urban areas like New York City to find a job. |
| Colleges Weigh Whether to Require Covid-19 Vaccines, or Just Urge Them | |
 | The end of the pandemic may be in sight. But thorny legal and logistical questions about vaccinations are just starting for colleges. Chief among them: Can colleges require their employees and students to receive Covid-19 vaccinations? And how should they encourage skeptics to get them? As institutions that employ and educate tens of millions of Americans, colleges can play a key role in helping vaccinate enough people to reach herd immunity and tame a virus that has killed more than 350,000 people in the United States. Immunizing their employees and students would also grease their return to in-person learning after a year of financial turmoil. But mandatory vaccinations could be a potential minefield and pit colleges against civil libertarians and antivaccine activists at a time when colleges don't feel they have the support of the federal government, said Peter F. Lake, a professor of law at Stetson University. So, for now, most are holding off on deciding whether to require vaccines, until there is clearer federal guidance. |
| U. of Illinois' COVID-19 saliva test moves closer to FDA approval, but not fast enough to meet the demand | |
| The University of Illinois has completed a critical step toward obtaining federal approval for its saliva-based COVID-19 test, but some lawmakers worry it's taking too long to help other state colleges, school districts and companies struggling to operate amid the pandemic. The test, developed by faculty at the state's largest public university, was validated in a clinical study and last week submitted to regulators for emergency use authorization, a designation that enables broader distribution, according to Jay Walsh, interim vice president for economic development and innovation at the U. of I. System. "We're working as hard and as fast as we can on this," Walsh said Thursday. "There are numerous challenges on rolling this out. We've tackled a lot of them on campus. ... We hope to be able to leverage that learning and move this quickly forward." But nearly six months after its unveiling, the test remains largely confined to the school's campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. With an emergency use request submitted, other parties will be able to use the test while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviews the application. |
| Survey: Pandemic Negatively Affected Grades This Fall | |
| Many college students are reporting that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted their academic performance, according to a survey from OneClass, an education technology company that provides virtual access to study materials. OneClass surveyed more than 14,000 freshmen, sophomore and junior students about their fall 2020 experience. Students from 232 colleges, both public and private, responded to the survey. About 85 percent of respondents said the pandemic had a negative effect on their performance. Another 9 percent said the pandemic didn't affect their performance, and about 5 percent said the pandemic had a positive influence on their performance. Responses were fairly consistent across students' levels, according to a blog post from OneClass. Slightly more sophomores reported negative outcomes than students in other years. The two main factors affecting grades this fall, according to OneClass, are academic changes and mental health. Students are navigating a changing educational experience, with remote learning and asynchronous courses in many cases, at the same time they are dealing with stress from the personal effects of the pandemic. |
| Higher Education Scholars Share Policy Hopes After Dr. Miguel Cardona's Nomination For Secretary of Education | |
| President-elect Joe Biden chose Dr. Miguel Cardona, Connecticut's first Latino education commissioner, to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education. While Cardona's experience lies in the K-12 sphere, higher education experts are hopeful about what his selection might signal for higher education policy. Announcing the nomination, Biden described Cardona as an "innovative leader" who would "eliminate long-standing inequities and close racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps -- and expand access to community colleges, training and public four-year colleges and universities to improve student success and grow a stronger, more prosperous and more inclusive middle class." Cardona began his career as an elementary school teacher in Meriden, Connecticut, the same public school system he attended. He then worked as a principal for ten years before becoming Meriden's assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in 2013. Higher education policy experts hope he'll focus on the needs of low-income and underrepresented students, as well as the institutions that serve them. |
| DeVos Criticizes Free College, Changing Title IX Rules | |
| As she prepares to leave office, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged Congress not to enact President-elect Joe Biden's proposals to eliminate tuition at public colleges or cancel student debt. "I hope you also reject misguided calls to make college 'free' and require the two-thirds of Americans who didn't take on student debt or who responsibly paid off their student loans to pay for the loans of those who have not done the same," DeVos wrote in a letter to congressional leaders, as well as to the members of the House and Senate appropriations committees on Monday. "Across-the-board forgiveness of college debts is not only unfair to most Americans, it is also the most regressive of policy proposals -- rewarding the wealthiest sector of our labor force at the expense of the poorest," she wrote. DeVos also urged Congress to preserve the new rules on campus sexual assaults her administration approved. "The regulation, which carries the force of law, holds schools accountable for responding equitably and promptly to sexual misconduct, and ensures a more fair and reliable adjudication process," she wrote. |
| Delay, dismantle, resist: DeVos leaves a legacy like no other Education secretary | |
| Betsy DeVos will soon step down from her perch as Education secretary, ending her four-year run as the most polarizing person to have led the department. The Michigan billionaire, education philanthropist and staunch supporter of school choice will be remembered as a Cabinet secretary who successfully delayed and dismantled Obama-era rules at all levels of education. Her nomination to the Education Department's top office in 2016 attracted more opposition than almost any other nominee and confrontations with public education advocates persisted throughout her term, especially during the coronavirus crisis, when she aggressively pushed for schools to reopen. If confirmed, the next Education Secretary will be a departure from DeVos. Connecticut Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona is a longtime educator who won unions' support to be the nation's next top education official, even though they have at times sparred with their state chief. |
| With Control of the U.S. Senate on the Line, Young Georgians Could Be Key | |
| As Katarina Flicker talked about the mood surrounding Georgia's runoff election for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, she recalled a question her AP history teacher once asked the class: When was the first time you realized you were a part of history? At Emory University, where Flicker is a junior studying political science, she said that lightning-bolt moment arrived for many of her classmates in November, once all the votes were counted and the shocking result was clear: Georgia had turned blue for the first time since 1992. "A lot of people actually texted me and said, Thank you for pushing me to make a plan," said Flicker, who took off the fall semester to work as an organizer for the state Democratic Party. "My gosh, it's like bringing tears to my eyes now." Flicker said the palpable energy from her classmates is a "silver lining" in a tumultuous pandemic year marked by racial injustice, protests, and political acrimony. "My generation has decided that enough is enough, and we are going to fight," Flicker said. With Georgia's runoff election upon us, the potential impact of young voters looms large. Will they stay engaged? Could they once again be the difference-makers? |
| Millsaps adjusts to COVID; hopeful | |
| Rob Pearigen, the president of Millsaps College, writes in The Northside Sun: With cleaning supplies at every entrance, educational signage plastered throughout each building and the establishment of a dedicated quarantine and isolation residence hall, the Millsaps College campus looked remarkably different for much of this past year. Students, faculty and staff looked different too -- faces covered by purple masks and lots more space (at least six feet, to be exact) between everyone. ... But in the midst of the stress and challenges of the year, we continue to look ahead and focus on the future of the college. ... With nearly 14 acres of land at the southwest corner of the intersection of North State Street and Woodrow Wilson Boulevard, property on our campus is ready ripe for transformation. Our goal is to develop the corner in a way that will benefit not only the college but the surrounding community. We hope to create a meaningful destination property for students, Jackson residents and all visitors to our city. |
| Looking for joy in the new year | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: As the old melancholy year passes, the cynical mind struggles to see hope and good cheer coming in the new year. Lonely deaths and lasting anguish despoiled the past year. Sequestered in COVID laden hospitals and nursing homes, grandparents, moms, dads, and children died alone. In past years for our families as with so many, when fatal disease overwhelmed loved ones at least one family member was continually beside them with others congregated nearby. COVID denied these intimate times of solace, prayer, and good-byes to tens of thousands. For others, family separation from seclusion at home was nearly as depressing, too often leading to death by despair or suicide. Lamentations for lost loved ones will continue far into the new year as vaccination logistics and foolish denials hinder a return to general wellness. ... Yes, vaccinations do offer hope that the suffering will ease, but how far away is realizing that hope? So, as the year turns, our joy must come not from what will be but what we can find in the midst of this continuing tragedy. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State men's basketball notebook: Missouri preview, Smith looking to bounce back, first NET rankings released | |
| When Mississippi State men's basketball coach Ben Howland watched his team defeat Missouri for the second time in the 2019-2020 season last February, he left Columbia impressed with the talent the Tigers had returning in a year. The sixth-year coach even went as far to predict Missouri would be a tournament team one calendar year later. As MSU (6-4, 1-1 SEC) prepares to face the Tigers (7-1, 1-1) at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Humphrey Coliseum, Howland's prediction looks pretty accurate. Missouri enters the matchup with impressive victories against Oregon, Arkansas and Illinois. The Tigers' lone loss came against Southeastern Conference preseason favorite Tennessee last week, but excluding that, they've been deadly. "I think they play very good defense," Howland said. "They are one of the better defensive teams in our league and they really do a good job in their man defense. They will isolate ball screens and switch some ball screens. They really get out and deny things. When you penetrate everybody is collapsing and forcing you to kick it back out." |
| No. 13 Mizzou stays on the road at Mississippi State | |
 | Missouri men's basketball lost to Mississippi State twice in Southeastern Conference play last season. Much has changed since then. Missouri now has needed depth and a healthy roster. The Bulldogs lost Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II to the NBA, but the success of their 20-win season a year ago remains top of mind. Perhaps the Tigers' worst performance last season was at Starkville's Humphrey Coliseum nearly 12 months ago, a 72-45 loss where their offense sputtered and never got going. Mississippi State, a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament prior to its cancellation due to COVID-19, also defeated the Tigers 67-63 on Feb. 29 at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers and Bulldogs only have one league matchup this season, set for Tuesday, with Mississippi State most recently losing to Kentucky by five points in double overtime on Saturday. |
| Rebounding, 3-pointers could be the difference as MU travels to Mississippi State | |
 | One week into Southeastern Conference play, there are still many unknowns. Preseason favorite No. 9 Tennessee already has a conference loss under its belt, while No. 13 Missouri has become a contender for a conference title. While the Tigers (7-1, 1-1 SEC) lost 73-53 to the Volunteers on Wednesday, they responded with an 81-68 win over Arkansas on Saturday. "It's a very fragile state when you lose a game," Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. "I don't care what you're ranked or who you are. You got to have some guys in that locker room that got some grit to them, some toughness to them." With the jury still out on whether or not Missouri is for real in the SEC, it looks toward Tuesday's matchup with Mississippi State to continue building its resume. The Tigers have had their own struggles in Starkville since before Ben Howland's hiring in 2015. The Bulldogs have won five straight over Missouri at Humphrey Coliseum. Missouri's last victory at Mississippi State was a 78-36 win on Feb. 13, 2013. |
| Analysis: In a year of ebbs and flows, Mississippi State's future feels bright | |
| In a season that saw more ebbs and flows than the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi State capped off its first season under Mike Leach with an Armed Forces Bowl victory over No. 24 Tulsa last week. And while a postgame brawl marred the immediate aftermath of the contest, the Bulldogs' win put a bow on a year that boasted incredible highs and dismal lows. In short, 2020 was a rebuilding year in Starkville. The import of Stanford graduate transfer signal-caller K.J. Costello, former top-100 recruit Tyrell Shavers and a supporting offensive cast that included senior receiver Osirus Mitchell and junior running back Kylin Hill offered optimism at an immediate fix. A win over then-No. 6 LSU in Baton Rouge the same day it lifted the 2019 national championship banner added to the excitement. Oh, but how things fell off. After MSU's emphatic open to the year, the Bulldogs went 1-6 over its next seven games and offered outputs in which there quite literally aren't enough iterations of the word "bad" to describe. Yet for as deep as 2020's valleys were, the Bulldogs inspired kool-aid-drinking worthy confidence in the latter half of the season. |
| 'Could we do this?' How Indianapolis plans to pull off a 'once-in-a-lifetime' NCAA tournament | |
| The effort to pull off a once-in-a-lifetime NCAA tournament held exclusively in Indianapolis and its immediate geographic footprint started with a phone call. In mid-November, NCAA President Mark Emmert reached out via telephone to Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb with the idea. Holcomb invited Emmert to the governor's mansion to discuss it more in person -- the two "met at the house and went over (that idea) as an exploratory endeavor," as Holcomb put it on a call Monday -- and thus began the process of planning of an unprecedented March Madness. "'Could we do this?'" Holcomb said on a Zoom call Monday, recounting his conversation with Emmert. "'Would we have an interest in doing it?' It didn't take a nanosecond to say, 'Yes, we want to, if it can be done safely.'" And so it began in earnest. After the NCAA's discussion with Holcomb, came a call to Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett along the same lines. Like Holcomb, Hogsett jumped at the opportunity. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city of Indianapolis," Hogsett said Monday. |
| Athletes lead vote initiatives at UGA, Georgia Southern, Georgia State | |
| In a year of chaos and uncertainty, the University of Georgia women's basketball team and coach Joni Taylor faced a number of emotions following the murder of George Floyd. The players said they felt confused, angry and hurt. "A lot of our ladies wanted to go to rallies and post on social media," Taylor said. "I said that can only be a starting point. ... We need to have a call to action." On a Zoom team meeting, the Bulldogs collectively decided to focus on voter registration and making sure people had access to all proper information when it came to vote in the 2020 presidential election. That became their mission. In doing so, Taylor and the Bulldogs became part of a statewide and national movement to use college sports to advocate voting. College students are the most underrepresented age demographic in voting, so women's basketball coaches in Georgia set out to educate their players on the importance of exercising the right to vote and spreading that message throughout their community. The voting rights movement has become a cause that is bringing teams together in a new era of activism. |
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