| Monday, March 15, 2021 |
| Mississippi State to hold in-person spring commencement in Starkville, Meridian | |
 | Mississippi State University is planning in-person spring commencements at both the Meridian and Starkville campuses, according to a media release. The Starkville campus will have four ceremonies -- two each on April 29 and 30 in Humphrey Coliseum. The Meridian campus will celebrate commencement on May 3 at the MSU Riley Center. Multiple viewing options will be available for those who wish to watch these events remotely. Those planning on attending the ceremony, including graduates, guests and university employees, will be required to wear face coverings over the nose and mouth. Sanitizing stations will be available, and special seating and distancing protocols will be in place. The Starkville ceremony will be limited to four guests per graduate, and the Athletic Ticket Office will provide electronic ticketing for contactless entry. Tickets will be distributed in early April. Meridian campus commencement at the MSU Riley Center will be held May 3. |
| Mississippi State will soon be giving out a limited number of COVID-19 vaccines | |
 | Mississippi State will soon be able to give a limited number of vaccination shots. The university says the vaccines will be available for qualifying employees on Tuesday. MSU will have a drive-thru site in the parking lot behind the Longest Student Health Center. You must be 50 and older or have underlying medical conditions if you are younger. Teachers and staff in K-12, preschool, or childcare settings may also get a vaccine, along with first responders. The school has submitted a request for more vaccines and it requested to be able to administer the shots for students. No word on when or if that request will be approved. |
| Is ballot collection, or 'ballot harvesting,' good for democracy? We asked 5 experts | |
 | A 2016 Arizona state law makes the collection of ballots by third parties a felony. The Democratic National Committee and voters sued the state over the law the same year it passed, claiming the ban violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against the state's Native American, Hispanic and African American citizens who rely more on third-party collection. They also argued it violates the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees that race not be a barrier to voting. At the time of the bill's passing, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said it would help maintain election integrity. The case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments March 2. The high court's decision could affect laws in states that allow ballot collection and may also set a standard for evaluating local elections laws nationwide. We asked five election experts, including Mississippi State University Assistant Professor Thessalia Merivaki, if collection of ballots is good for democracy. |
| When the music stopped... And the hope it is making its return | |
 | One year ago, vocalist Jennifer Davis was eager about the upcoming Starkville-MSU Symphony Association concert, a highlight of the Orchestra and Community Chorus spring season. Rehearsals were all but done. Finishing touches were falling into place. Friends had it on their calendars. Then, the music stopped, when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic in March 2020. Abruptly, the concert Davis and fellow association members looked forward to was called off. No one realized then how long all the cancellations would go on. Playing instruments and singing are passions for the musicians and chorus members. All of a sudden, in the face of a virus readily spread by respiratory droplets, those activities were considered dangerous. What followed was a year of caution, frustration and, for too many, grief. Concern for health has certainly been the top priority, but the loss of access to live performance and the arts has had an impact on community life. Haley Montgomery is president of the association board. "Our symphony has been around for over 50 years," she remarked. "We saw all across the country (orchestras and choruses) were just shuttering for the year, canceling their whole season at the outset of the year. But it's challenging because we're a traditional part of the community and people certainly look forward to these concerts." |
| Former poet laureate, others to receive humanities awards | |
 | Former Mississippi and U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey will be among those honored with Mississippi Humanities Council awards. The 2021 Public Humanities Awards is planned for 7 p.m. March 26 on the Humanities Council's Facebook and YouTube channels, The Clarion Ledger reported. The ceremony is being held online this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Trethewey will receive the Cora Norman Award in recognition of her literary career, the newspaper reported. Trethewey, a Gulfport native, is the author of five poetry collections. They include the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Native Guard." She also wrote the nonfiction book, "Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast." Others to be honored include James Giesen, associate professor of history at Mississippi State University. |
| Hwy. 389 project to convert section to 3-lane, add walking paths | |
| Mississippi Department of Transportation is preparing a resurfacing and "reconfiguration" project for a section of Highway 389 -- from Highway 182 to Highway 82. This "road diet" will convert the existing four-lane section of Highway 389 into a three-lane section with a two-way turn lane in the center and will build bike paths along the shoulders, MDOT District 1 Engineer Mark Holley told aldermen at their Friday work session. Even though the section of the highway will be going from four lanes to three, Holley said MDOT conducted a traffic study that showed this lane reduction would not significantly impact the flow of traffic even projected out to 20 years in an urban city. He said the project's purpose is to improve the condition of Highway 389 while also making transportation alternatives available. Holley said this project will begin in June and construction will last three to four months. Because it is a state highway, MDOT is covering all of the costs for the project. Mayor Lynn Spruill said the reconfigured roadway will positively affect the travel into the city from the north. The project also will tie together with a planned $12.66 million revitalization of Highway 182 -- which the city is funding with a federal grant -- that will include walking/biking paths. |
| COVID-19 numbers vastly improving throughout Golden Triangle | |
| A year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, cases of the virus are significantly decreasing across the state and the Golden Triangle. Just more than 100 confirmed new cases total have been reported in the four-county area since Feb. 27. Lowndes County still leads the Golden Triangle in COVID numbers with 6,082 total cases and 141 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020, according to the most recent data from the Mississippi State Department of Health. There were 61 new cases and four new deaths reported since Feb. 27. Data from MSDH's website also indicates the test positivity rate has been steadily declining over the last month, from 13.1 percent on Feb. 6 to 7.7 percent on Feb. 27. In Oktibbeha County, there have been 39 new cases reported since Feb. 27 for a total of 4,448, according to MSDH. There have been 96 deaths total, only three in the last two weeks. The test positivity rate also dropped from 13 percent on Feb. 6 to 9.2 percent on Feb. 27. There were 13,801 doses of vaccine administered to Oktibbeha County residents as of Thursday morning. |
| Mississippi State Department of Health reports 101 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths | |
 | The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) on Monday reported 101 additional cases of COVID-19 and two additional deaths. No counties in Northeast Mississippi reported new deaths. The statewide total number of cases since March 11, 2020 is now 300,881 with a death toll of 6,903. As of this week, around 283,953 people are presumed recovered from the virus. Mississippi surpassed 300,000 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, March 13 -- just two days after the one-year anniversary of the state's first confirmed case. The seven-day moving average for new COVID-19 cases in Mississippi is 16 per 100,000 people, as of March 13. In Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, the seven-day moving average is 15 per 100,000 people. MSDH also reported 44 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. |
| 'Outlook was dire': Robert St. John, other restaurant, bar owners welcome COVID stimulus relief | |
 | When the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly upended the daily routines of American life a year ago, Robert St. John faced a grim reality: his years running a string of successful restaurants in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area might be coming to an end. "Within a matter of days, I was having conversations with my wife and kids that we're probably going to lose this house and lose our businesses, and life is going to change drastically going forward," he recalled Wednesday. "The outlook was dire." St. John closed three of his restaurants but hung on as Washington began doling out help for small businesses starting in April. Then came the news Thursday he and thousands of other restaurateurs around the country have been thirsting for: President Joe Biden signed into law a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package with $28.6 billion for family-owned restaurants. As of Dec. 1, more than 110,000 eateries and bars -- about one of every six in the United States -- closed for business during 2020, some temporarily, others forever, according to the National Restaurant Association. Nearly 2.5 million jobs were lost and as many as 8 million chefs, servers and other restaurant workers were laid off or furloughed at some point during the past year, the NRA estimates. |
| Black churches help narrow COVID-19 vaccine disparity gaps | |
 | Mississippi faith leaders of Black churches have been integral in narrowing vaccination disparity gaps in the Black and African American community. Congregations partnered with state and local health organizations to educate their members on COVID-19, they set up appointments and help run vaccination sites, and are the safe haven when fear rattles. Without the Black church, Mississippi faith leaders say pandemic-driven disparity gaps would have been greater, leaving much of their community unvaccinated. For as long as health disparities have persisted, faith leaders' words have usurped the nation's historically harrowing and racist health care system. It's trust the medical community hasn't earned. The roots of distrust are buried so deep Pastor Reginald Buckley, of Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, said when it came to the pandemic, there were few institutions more able than the Black church to help the Black community. Many point to the Tuskegee Study of 1932, a 40-year experiment looking at untreated syphilis in African American sharecroppers. Of the 600 test subjects, 399 were under the guise they were receiving medical treatment when, in fact, they were not. But medical abuse of Black and African American people spans centuries. |
| Mississippi's top doctor: Wait 'til summer for social gatherings and avoid spring break, proms | |
 | Prom dances would be a bad idea this spring because of COVID-19, as are social gatherings and travel for spring break, Mississippi's top health officers warned Friday. Mississippians should instead hold off until summer to plan social gatherings, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and Epidemiologist Paul Byers said during a live discussion sponsored weekly by the Mississippi State Medical Association. A return to normal will be gradual, they said. The advice from Dobbs and Byers mirrored what President Joe Biden told the nation in his first presidential address Thursday night. Biden said he hopes Americans can begin resuming normal lives this summer by planning Fourth of July celebrations. He expects COVID-19 vaccinations from several manufacturers will be available to the general population by May 1. Both Dobbs and Byers believe Mississippi will be ahead of that timeline. They said vaccines should available to the general public in April. Mississippi residents 50 and older, and those 16 to 49 years old with chronic health conditions, are now eligible for vaccines, with many appointments open from a variety of suppliers. With spring break approaching, Dobbs said cases could surge because travel and holidays have been accompanied by increases in the past. Also, the doctors pointed out, cases have been going up all week. |
| Analysis: Mississippi grappling with tax-and-spend ideas | |
| Mississippi legislators are moving into the final weeks of their three-month session, and they still need to make significant decisions about taxes and spending for the year that begins July 1. A year into the coronavirus pandemic, state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said last week that one of his most important budget requests is for an increase in state money to hire public health nurses. Legislators eliminated about half of those positions in recent years. "Federal funding's been pretty good for COVID. We just need money to keep the nurses in the clinics out in the field," Dobbs said. "It's the local folks who are suffering from us not getting enough funding to keep them operational." Dobbs said he understands legislators like to keep budgets tight, but the Health Department needs stability. Legislators of course will consider spending requests for a wide array of state services. They are considering a teacher pay raise, and the most likely prospect is a plan that would give a $1,000 boost to most teachers and $1,100 to those in the first three years in the classroom. Despite the initial economic shock of the pandemic, Mississippi tax collections for the first eight months of the current fiscal year -- July through February -- were almost 9.5% higher than they were for the same eight months a year earlier. |
| 'You Can't Bathe. You Can't Wash.' Water Crisis Hobbles Jackson, Miss., for Weeks | |
 | Once again, Lavern Avant was spending her day scouring Mississippi's capital city, hoping to get her hands on a basic necessity that she and many of her neighbors had gone without for weeks. She made her newly familiar rounds, driving in and out of parking lots, picking up cases of bottled water for herself, her husband and her neighbors. This had become her new normal since mid-February, when a strong winter storm blanketed a wide swath of the state in ice and nearly collapsed the notoriously rickety municipal water system. The city's water system, parts of which are more than 100 years old, was no match for the storm. More than 70 percent of the city's water customers remained this week under a notice to boil water, including the senior living complex where Ms. Avant, 62, and her husband have an apartment. The crisis, while this time protracted, is not new in Jackson, a city of about 160,000 where a majority of residents, including Ms. Avant, are Black. In Jackson, boil-water notices are common and an enduring municipal drama has played out for decades, as white flight, an eroding tax base and poor management have left the remaining residents with old and broken pipes, but without the public funding to fix them. |
| Relief Money Could More Than Double Support For Child Care Needs In Mississippi | |
 | Inside the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package President Biden signed on Thursday is a huge, much-needed boost for the child care industry. Almost $25 billion is going toward child care providers and centers, and an additional $15 billion will go toward helping families get access to child care. The child care system has taken a huge financial hit during the pandemic -- between slashed budgets and lost income from shutdown-enforced closures. Child care centers and after-school programs are overwhelmingly run by women -- disproportionately Black and Latina women -- many of whom live below the poverty line. And the parents, especially single parents -- the majority of whom are women -- dependent on that care are losing out. Child care demands are a big reason why women are leaving the workforce at startling rates. Carol Burnett, who advocates for child care centers as executive director of the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, called the money "a game changer" for mothers in a state that has among the country's highest concentrations of poverty. "The moms that we work with -- whether they're trying to get out of a domestic violence situation, to move to economic security, whether they're trying to get out of poverty, whether they're trying to get out of a job where there is no pathway to higher income above minimum wage -- child care is the support service that they most need and making child care affordable for them," Burnett told NPR's Weekend Edition. |
| Partnership provides communication devices for ALS patients | |
| The Speech and Hearing Center at Mississippi University for Women is partnering with the ALS Association of Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter to provide communication devices for Mississippians with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). "Approximately 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year. This is about 15 new cases per day. Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with the disease and someone passes away from it," said Karen Barrett, Care Services coordinator for the ALS Association Louisiana-Mississippi. Speech-language pathology graduate students at The W and the regional ALS chapter are collaborating to assist individuals who have difficulty communicating due to ALS. The communication devices are accessed either by touch or eye movement. Patients can program the devices to communicate using individual words and/or preconstructed messages in the individual's voice. Recipients of the devices are also eligible to receive device training. Loaner devices are available for individuals who are unable to purchase the communication devices or for those who need access to a communication device quickly. |
| UM begins vaccinating students, employees | |
 | At approximately 12:30 p.m. today, University of Mississippi pharmacy students and doctors officially began administering the COVID-19 vaccine in the Tad C. Smith Coliseum. The first person to receive a dose was senior biology major Brianna Chambers. Chambers is a certified EMT, so she has been eligible to receive the vaccine since the first doses were administered in January. For the past two months, though, she has been waiting to make an appointment because she felt like other people should have the opportunity to be vaccinated before her. "I'm not actively working as a healthcare worker right now, so I didn't want to take it from someone who was. They needed it first," Chambers said. "I had gotten on the waitlist with the university, and when I got the message from the university that I could get an appointment, I was like, 'Okay, now I can get it.'" According to a statement from university spokesman Rod Guajardo, when university officials were notified earlier this week that the university was to receive 1,170 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, they first allowed campus employees who met MSDH standards for vaccine eligibility to make appointments for the clinic on March 10 and 11. Then, they realized that over half of the total available appointments were still open. "When supply outpaced demand, the university followed the recommendation of our Task Force to activate the standby list to ensure that shots get in arms of our employees," Guajardo said. |
| Grove Grocery Adds Kitchen, Central Location | |
| When Andrew Newby first saw the kitchen in the University of Mississippi's George Street House, he saw an opportunity to help connect his student veterans with the rest of campus while also meeting a need for many other students. The kitchen at the George Street House, the new home for UM's Office of Veteran and Military Services, has become a satellite location for Grove Grocery, the university's food pantry that provides free meals and some hygiene items for students and employees. At this new secondary location, Ole Miss students and employees can pick up groceries or prepare a ready-made freezer meal on the stove or in the microwave. "When we moved into the George Street House, I knew I wanted it to serve as a central beacon for food insecure students, but also help the students we serve in a number of ways," said Newby, assistant director of veteran and military services. "It puts food in front of students who need it, and it exposes student veterans -- who can sometimes keep to themselves -- to many more students than they would otherwise meet." |
| USM prof to study civil rights contributions by editor Ira B. Harkey Jr. | |
| David Davies, a professor of journalism in the University of Southern Mississippi School of Communication, is one of only two recipients of the 2021 Senior Scholar Grant awarded by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The AEJMC Senior Scholar Program is a nationally competitive grant program that provides two grants of up to $5,000 to experienced researchers for projects that contribute to a wider understanding of mass communication. The subject of Davies' research project -- titled "Ira B. Harkey Jr. and the Pascagoula Chronicle: A Forgotten Crusader for Racial Justice in Mississippi" -- will focus on the late Harkey's courageous stand as the only Mississippi newspaper editor in the state to defend integration and support James Meredith's right to desegregate the University of Mississippi as its first African American student. Harkey was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1963, but the backlash from the newspaper's readers and advertisers to his stance on desegregation undermined the publication's ability to survive, prompting him to sell it and leave Mississippi. |
| New Jackson State scholarship to honor civil rights activist John Perkins | |
| More disadvantaged men and women will have the opportunity to attend college thanks to a new scholarship program at Jackson State University honoring civil rights activist the Rev. John Perkins. The John and Vera Mae Perkins Endowment Scholarship, made possible in part from a $200,000 donation from Pinelake Church and the Perkins Foundation, will be given to students in need of financial aid who demonstrate good character, according to a news release from the university. The funds will be matched with Title III funds from the federal government dedicated to helping low-income students, bringing the total endowment to $400,000. Jackson State President Thomas Hudson said the historic scholarship opportunity will help many students beginning in spring 2022. "We're very excited and couldn't be happier with the partnership and just really the historical nature of (it)," he said. Hudson said the university was chosen in part thanks to a recommendation from Institute of Higher Learning board of trustees member Powell "Gee" Ogletree. |
| William Carey reports record spring enrollment | |
| William Carey University has posted a 15% enrollment increase for its spring trimester. Total enrollment at WCU's Hattiesburg, Tradition and Baton Rouge campuses is 4,742, which is 668 students more than spring of last year. "I am thrilled at the steady increase in our enrollment. In recent years, we have stressed programs that lead directly to employment, and I believe our efforts are having success. I commend all faculty and staff who have worked hard to make this happen," said President Tommy King. This news came as William Carey students returned to campus Feb. 22 after spending much of the winter in virtual classrooms. Spring instruction is being delivered in several ways, including small in-person classes as well as online and hybrid classes. Programs reporting enrollment increases included the Winters School of Music, the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the School of Pharmacy. The School of Education, which operates at both the Hattiesburg campus and at the Tradition campus in Biloxi, marked the largest increase with an almost 34% growth over last spring. |
| Auburn Aquaponics takes next step in sustainable food production | |
| As a result of rapid population growth, the United Nations has projected 10 billion mouths to feed worldwide by 2050. Food shortages and environmental impacts have led to the development of sustainable agriculture that seeks to counteract this eventual scarcity of resources. One such method known as 'aquaponics' combines hydroponics and aquaculture technologies in order to create a minimal waste, semi-closed system that has limited impact on the environment. Brendan Higgins, assistant professor of biosystems engineering, has worked with the University since fall 2016 and is a leading member of Auburn's ongoing Aquaponics Project. Higgins explained why sustainable agriculture systems are increasingly necessary for the future of food production. "We as a society need to rapidly develop more efficient and sustainable production approaches that simultaneously sustain high yields while minimizing environmental impacts," Higgins said. "Aquaponics does this by re-using waste from aquaculture to grow vegetables using hydroponic technology." |
| LSU's Giving Day raises record sum despite criticism over university's handling of sexual violence | |
 | LSU raised nearly $2 million during its third annual giving day, marking the most money the university has raised through the event despite the university confronting a high-profile sexual misconduct scandal. The 24-hour fundraiser last Wednesday attracted 2,897 donors who gave a total of $1.91 million for scholarships, equipment for staff and faculty and emergency funding for students, said Sara Whittaker, assistant vice president of communications and marketing for the LSU Foundation. While the foundation did receive some negative feedback regarding the timing of the fundraiser -- less than a week after the March 5 release of the Husch Blackwell report detailing shortcomings in LSU's handling of reports of sexual violence -- Whittaker said the foundation's mission is strictly to support academics at the university through fundraising. The foundation's general email account received criticism for the university over the report and the foundation over the timing of the fundraiser, Whittaker said. But the volume of emails did not exceed the level of feedback the foundation receives for other issues at the university. |
| After reports of lap dances, lewd texts, U. of South Carolina bungled sex harassment claims, women say | |
 | A University of South Carolina professor sent several text messages to one of his students asking what she was wearing, telling her to "take it off!!!" and stating, "I wanted to sleep with you tonight," according to university documents obtained by The State. After the student complained to the university, the professor called the texts "witty banter" among friends and said "take it off" referred to a Taylor Swift song. The university determined that the professor didn't violate any school policy. In a separate incident, a USC employee says she became pregnant by her boss, who threatened to fire her if she didn't get an abortion, according to a lawsuit. When she complained to the university, it rejected her sexual harassment claim, she said in the lawsuit. Two other women have filed lawsuits against a third employee, an art professor, accusing him of sexual harassment and claiming the university failed to act. Since those suits were publicized, another woman told The State the professor also sexually harassed her. They are five of the 10 women who have alleged since 2017 that USC failed to effectively respond to harassment complaints. The State examined their allegations through court records, interviews and internal USC documents. When taken together, the allegations depict a university that ignored complaints, humiliated victims and enabled unprofessional behavior. |
| U. of Kentucky plans on 'return to normal operations' this fall, president says | |
| After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the past year, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said Friday the school is planning a "return to normal operations" this fall. "We know that this past year has not been easy," Capilouto said in a message sent Friday to the UK community. "But your hard work, your commitment to a safe and healthy community and the prospects of a campus that is vaccinated and protected make planning for a return to more normal operations possible." The university in Lexington has set up a "Return-to-Work Committee with employees from across campus who are formulating a plan for our efforts to return to campus this fall," Capilouto said. The president said "we expect -- and are planning for -- 2021 classes to return to levels of in-person instruction in similar numbers to that of fall 2019 in terms of course delivery and attendance." Capilouto said while UK "still will offer flexibility to supervisors in determining remote work options for their respective units, we are prioritizing getting our employees back on campus so we can continue to fulfill our promise as Kentucky's university." |
| Survey: Most want more rural access to higher education in Tennessee | |
 | The majority of respondents to a new survey said they want more higher education opportunities in rural Tennessee. The survey, commissioned by Western Governors University, revealed that 78% of respondents support Gov. Bill Lee's focus on increasing rural access to higher education. Lee proposed $200 million to expand rural broadband access statewide during his State of the State address on Feb. 8, along with a $151.2 million increase in higher education spending. The survey also showed that 53% said state funding for higher education should increase, and that 69% said the state's HOPE scholarships should be available to those enrolled in all state-approved online universities. The HOPE Scholarship is funded by proceeds from the state lottery and available to incoming college freshmen. Additionally, 44% said online college degree programs were equitable to traditional, in-person degrees while 10% said they were better. The survey also showed that 89% of respondents believe that a more educated workforce is essential for economic recovery and to compete with other states. |
| Emails show Georgia dorm contractor Corvias cut maintenance | |
| Emails obtained by a campus workers' group show that a contractor who runs dormitories at eight public universities in Georgia laid off workers and cut back on maintenance over the summer, raising questions about whether the company was violating its contract with the University System of Georgia at the same time it was complaining of financial stress. The United Campus Workers of Georgia, a union that seeks to represent employees on all 26 public campuses in Georgia, says the system's struggle with Rhode Island-based Corvias shows the pitfalls of privatizing operations such as residence halls. Part of the Communication Workers of America, the union wants the system to avoid any future privatization deals, which would help guarantee jobs for university employees in the future. "This scheme has highlighted the dangers of privatization of public goods," the union wrote in a statement Wednesday. "By contracting out dorm ownership and operations to a private company for a 65-year deal, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents have put the well-being of students and workers in the hands of a private, for-profit enterprise." |
| UF searching for new Chief Diversity Officer | |
| Antonio Farias, UF's first Chief Diversity Officer, who oversees diversity and inclusion efforts, left his post Sunday. His resignation triggered a search for a new Chief Diversity Officer that will most likely take months, according to UF's vice president for human resources Jodi Gentry. It is unknown exactly how long the search will take, and Gentry's office is still working on finalizing job qualifications for his replacement. The position was created in 2018 following controversies at UF including white supremacist Richard Spencer's visit to the university in 2017 and an incident with an administrator who was accused of racial bias when he pushed Black students off stage for dancing during the graduation ceremony in 2018. Farias' duties included meeting with organizations around campus, such as the Black Graduate Student Organization, Black Women's Image Initiative, Pride Student Union and Student Success Services. The annual salary for the position was $288,400 in 2019, according to UF's fiscal analysis. The university created the position to better support the diverse campus environment through grants, outreach and other policies. But, in 2020 UF admitted the lowest number of Black students in the past five years. The numbers have decreased compared to ten years ago, staying under 10% since 2008. |
| Texas A&M professors: Lessons from COVID-19 will help prepare for next pandemic | |
 | Two Texas A&M professors say the lessons learned from fighting COVID-19 will help prepare experts to battle the next outbreak and possibly prevent it from becoming a pandemic. "While the world is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, public health and emergency management experts are already preparing for the next one," Angela Clendenin and Tiffany A. Radcliff wrote in an article published on the website The Conversation. "Biologists are certain another dangerous new pathogen will emerge sooner or later." Clendenin is an instructional assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and Radcliff is associate dean for research and professor of health policy. The article outlined five strategies to prepare the world for the next pandemic. Clendenin and Radcliff say governments must bolster funding for emergency management systems and empower the public to recognize their ability to contribute to the common good. The professors wrote that "effective pandemic response requires a clear, consistent voice and an actionable message that reflects best practices based on sound science." They said this pandemic has also emphasized the importance of sound supply chains and ample stockpiles of protective equipment. |
| Colleges Begin Mapping Out a More Normal Fall -- With Caveats | |
 | Colleges and universities around the country are beginning to detail their plans for next fall, anticipating more students on campus, a full slate of in-person classes and even concerts and cheering sports fans. But, they warn, plans could change. After months with virtual classes and sparsely populated dorms, schools including Michigan State University and the University of Oregon say they expect to return to mainly face-to-face classes for the 2021-22 academic year. The forecasts are couched in disclaimers in case the institutions decide to pivot back online. The announcements come as Covid-19 case counts continue to recede from wintertime highs and vaccination rates increase -- and right as prospective students are weighing their college options. “Schools are worried about enrollment,” said Chris Marsicano, an assistant professor of higher education at Davidson College in North Carolina. “And they’re worried about being the odd man left out. If all their peer institutions decide to be in-person, and they decide to be online, they might not get the enrollment they want.” |
| Experts consider equity and college reopening | |
 | Now that the fall is complete and the spring in full swing, eyes have turned to the upcoming semester. A number of colleges and universities, spurred by promising vaccine news and the beginning of admissions season, have announced that they plan to return to "normal" this upcoming fall. In-person classes and residential experiences will be the norm, administrations have said. Some higher education experts are beginning to look ahead to that return, including the possible equity concerns that may arise and how institutions can address them. "We shouldn't be talking about opening up normal, we should be talking about opening up better," said Wil Del Pilar, vice president of higher education policy at the Education Trust, an equity-focused think tank. "We know that a lot of four-year and two-year institutions weren't providing the best services to low-income students and students of color." Del Pilar said the pandemic's negative effects on students of color will likely be difficult to erase. Data from the National Student Clearinghouse show declining fall enrollment for freshmen, with particularly steep drops nationally for Black, Hispanic and Native American students. |
| Duke orders temporary 'stay-in-place' restrictions on campus to stop spread of COVID | |
| Duke University is dramatically restricting campus activities for undergraduates, including a shift to almost all remote classes, in an effort to stop COVID-19 cases from spreading. The school announced a stay-in-place order Saturday night. From midnight March 14 until 9 a.m. Sunday, March 21, Duke undergrads who live on campus are ordered to stay in their residence halls except for "essential" activities pertaining to food, health or safety. Students who live off campus won't be allowed on campus except for a few circumstances. "If this feels serious, it's because it is," Duke said in a statement signed by university officials. The order comes after Duke officials warned students earlier in the week that the university could lock down the campus, responding to a COVID-19 spike connected to in-person fraternity rush events. The university has said those off-campus parties led to the current spread on campus. Duke said the pause is needed after more than 180 students tested positive for COVID-19 in one week and another 200 are currently in quarantine. "This is by far the largest one-week number of positive tests and quarantines since the start of the pandemic," the university said. The university has not reported any citations for COVID-related violations, but said fraternity rush events are being investigated. |
| Labor Board withdraws planned rule against student employee unions | |
| The National Labor Relations Board on Friday reversed course once again on graduate assistant unions at private institutions, signaling support for these kinds of bargaining units. In its surprise announcement, the board said it would formally withdraw a Trump-era proposed rule regarding graduate and undergraduate student workers. That rule, to be withdrawn today, would have declared students who are financially compensated in connection with their studies nonemployees under the National Labor Relations Act and therefore exempt from NLRB oversight. Under such a rule, with no legal recourse before the NLRB, student unions would have been wholly dependent on their administrations to recognize them voluntarily. This happens sometimes, including at New York University in 2013. But it is not common. Many institutions continue to argue that student workers are students, not employees entitled to collective bargaining rights. Student assistant union rights at public institutions are governed by state law. Student workers, especially graduate students, counter that they carry out many of the same day-to-day teaching and research duties as postdoctoral fellows and faculty members, in addition to their studies. As an indispensable part of the university enterprise, these students say, they should be able to bargain collectively for better working conditions. |
| President Biden's Covid relief won't shield many public colleges from pandemic's blow | |
 | Dozens of public universities that never fully recovered from the Great Recession now find themselves at the mercy of budget cuts driven by a pandemic that's decimated their state's biggest industries. Many states managed to avoid a financial cave-in of their fiscal 2021 budgets, owing in large part to money doled out by Congress meant to shore up local economies battered by Covid-19. But those that largely depend on revenue from hard-hit industries like tourism and fossil fuels face big unknowns even with the new influx of federal relief President Joe Biden signed this week. Colleges and universities across the country are scrambling to stabilize their institutions by cutting costs and mulling tuition increases despite saying how wary they are of putting more financial strain on their students in a sour economy. Making deep cutbacks to public higher education could hinder low-income students' upward mobility, said Tom Harnisch, vice president for government relations at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. "Higher education is one of those state budget items that is historically one of the first items to be cut and one of the last items to be replenished," Harnisch said. His group and the think tank New America track how the pandemic has affected state higher education budgets. |
| Biloxi legislators push innovative learning in schools | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Incessant innovation is the key to economic growth suggested Martin Wolf in The Financial Times. "Historical experience confirms that growth is a race to the top," he wrote. "It means exploiting new opportunities that generate enduring advantages in high-productivity sectors and so high wages." Could this have meaning for Mississippi? And what role, if any, should government play? Yes. And government does have a role Wolf said, drawing from "Windows of Opportunity" by David Sainsbury. "There are four possible strategies towards innovation: leave it to the market; support the supply of relevant factors of production (science and skilled people); support key industries and technologies; and pick specific firms/technologies/products." According to Sainsbury Wolf said, "that governments should do the second and third, but not the last." Hmmm. They may not have read Wolf's essay or Sainsbury's book, but two Biloxi legislators have bought into the notions that Mississippi needs science and skilled people to spur innovative economic growth and that government has a role in providing that. |
| Senate spends lots of time in recess -- and in the weeds -- for medical marijuana | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: The number of times Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has recessed the Mississippi Senate in recent days would make elementary-age students green with envy. Many of those recesses, it appears, have involved medical marijuana --- time needed to strategize on how to pass a medical marijuana proposal out of the Senate, where Hosemann presides. Arguably no issue has taken more of the Senate's time this session, counting the recesses, than medical marijuana. Earlier this month on a key deadline day, with multiple bills pending that would die if not taken up, the Senate spent hours in recess presumably trying to develop a plan to pass a medical marijuana bill. They eventually did, though the Senate stayed in session until after 1 a.m. to finish its work. On the surface, the issue does not seem that controversial. Hosemann said his only intent is to pass legislation "as a backstop" in case the Mississippi Supreme Court rules later this year that the process used to gather the signatures to place on the ballot an initiative to legalize the use of medical marijuana was unconstitutional. Voters overwhelmingly approved that initiative. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State baseball sweeps Eastern Michigan with more solid pitching | |
| It wasn't a total blowout like Friday and it didn't have the dramatic flair from Saturday's walk off, but Mississippi State still beat Eastern Michigan 4-1 Sunday to earn its first series sweep of the season. Freshman starter Jackson Fristoe and sophomore reliever Will Bednar each pitched four innings, and sophomore Landon Sims came on in the ninth to close it out. Fristoe (2-0, 1.59 ERA) allowed the only EMU run of the day on a solo home run in the third. "He's a big piece moving forward, for sure," Lemonis said. "That's a power arm. The biggest Bulldog swing of the day came from senior second baseman Scotty Dubrule, who smoked a double into the gap in left center to clear the bases and give No. 4 Mississippi State (13-3) a three-run lead in the second. "When I first hit it I was like, 'Dang. That's going right to the shortstop. That's a bummer,'" Dubrule said. "But it just kept rising, and I was grateful for that." Mississippi State takes on Samford on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before starting SEC play Friday at 6 against LSU (13-3) in Baton Rouge. |
| No. 3 Mississippi State sweeps Eastern Michigan with early run barrage | |
| Logan Tanner glared down the third base line with deep intent in his eyes. Tanner knew what he'd done. The cracking of metal against leather offered enough evidence of such. So too did the chorus of cheers from the Dudy Noble Field faithful. But an artist ought to enjoy his work, right? For the second time in three at bats, Tanner looked on as he crushed a hanging breaking-ball off the second-story rigs in left field, pacing No. 3 Mississippi State (13-3) to a drama-free 4-1 win and series sweep of Eastern Michigan (4-5) Sunday. Less than 24 hours after Tanner's first long ball of the year gifted MSU its third walk-off win of the young season, his second homer in as many days put the finishing touches on another dynamic early inning offensive display that the Bulldogs lacked through its first three weeks of the 2021 campaign. "We're always trying to get it done early, we just haven't had success doing it," head coach Chris Lemonis said through a laugh. "I don't think there's a lack of intent, it's just kind of the way the game's played us." |
| Jackson Fristoe, Bednar shine as Bulldogs sweep Eastern Michigan | |
| The Mississippi State baseball team capped off a weekend sweep with another dominating pitching performance on Sunday afternoon. No. 3 Mississippi State beat Eastern Michigan, 4-1, at Dudy Noble Field. The Bulldogs (13-3) allowed only one run on four hits and struck out 13 Eastern Michigan batters. Over the course of the weekend, the Mississippi State pitching staff allowed only two runs, nine hits and struck out 39 batters. "This group threw some balls week one, and it kind of threw me off because we had been so good pounding the zone through all of our practices," head coach Chris Lemonis said. "The last couple of weeks, they're pitching the way they normally do and they've been really good." True freshman Jackson Fristoe (2-0) earned the start for MSU on the mound. He pitched four innings and gave up one run on three hits, two walks and three strikeouts. His lone run given up came on a solo home run in the top of the third inning. Fristoe pitched six perfect innings last Sunday in MSU's no hitter against Kent State. He exited the game in the fifth with the score already 4-1, and Will Bednar entered in relief. Bednar, who was supposed to be starting on Saturdays, has been working his way back from a minor shoulder injury. |
| Mississippi State men's basketball to play St. Louis in NIT first round | |
| It's not over. Mississippi State lost to Alabama by 37 points last week in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, but that won't be the Bulldogs' last act of the 2020-21 season. MSU coach Ben Howland's team was selected as one of 16 programs to play in the condensed NIT. No. 4 seed Mississippi State (15-14) will go up against No. 1 seed St. Louis (14-6) at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. This is the 10th time for Mississippi State to appear in the NIT. The Bulldogs last played in it 2018 when Howland led them to the semifinals. MSU lost 75-60 to Penn State. If Mississippi State beats St. Louis, it will play the winner of Richmond (13-8) vs. Toledo (21-8) on March 25. Then there is a possibility of a third game against Ole Miss (16-11), who earned the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, in the semifinals on March 27. The championship game will be played March 28 at noon on ESPN. |
| Drew Brees officially joins NBC Sports as studio analyst, will also call Notre Dame football | |
 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish football fans are about to become much more familiar with the sound of Drew Brees' voice. NBC Sports officially announced Monday, hardly 16 hours after the former Saints and Chargers quarterback announced his retirement after 20 seasons in the NFL, that the future Hall of Famer is joining the network as a studio analyst on "Football Night in America" and as a game analyst for Notre Dame broadcasts. The announcement, made Monday on the "TODAY" show, came as little surprise. Reports of Brees joining the network following his retirement became public almost a year ago. Mike Tirico handles play-by-play duties for Irish games and will now be joined by Brees in the booth. Tony Dungy had served as the analyst this past season; the color commentator had previously been Doug Flutie. A Tirico-Brees booth could become a mainstay and, potentially, a future "Sunday Night Football" tandem once Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth decide to pass the baton. In addition to his football work, Brees will be involved in NBC Sports' biggest events, including the Olympics. |
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