Thursday, March 18, 2021   
 
7 ways to avoid becoming a misinformation superspreader
Colleen Sinclair, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Mississippi State University, writes for The Conversation: The problem of misinformation isn't going away. Internet platforms like Facebook and Twitter have taken some steps to curb its spread and say they are working on doing more. But no method yet introduced has been completely successful at removing all misleading content from social media. The best defense, then, is self-defense. Misleading or outright false information -- broadly called "misinformation" -- can come from websites pretending to be news outlets, political propaganda or "pseudo-profound" reports that seem meaningful but are not. Disinformation is a type of misinformation that is deliberately generated to maliciously mislead people. Disinformation is intentionally shared, knowing it is false, but misinformation can be shared by people who don't know it's not true, especially because people often share links online without thinking. Emerging psychology research has revealed some tactics that can help protect our society from misinformation. Here are seven strategies you can use to avoid being misled, and to prevent yourself -- and others -- from spreading inaccuracies.
 
Storms moving eastward, leave trail of damage in Deep South
Storms that left splintered homes and broken trees across Alabama and Mississippi moved into Georgia and Florida on Thursday, rousing residents with early morning warnings as forecasters said the threat of dangerous weather would move up the south Atlantic seaboard. About 20,000 homes and business were without power and the weather service said at least two people were hurt when an apparent tornado struck southwest Alabama, destroying a house. Pieces of homes and twisted metal laid amid broken trees in the hardest-hit areas, but no one died and the region appeared to escape the kind of horrific toll many feared after ominous predictions of monster twisters and huge hail. "Overall, we have a lot to be grateful for, as it could have been much worse," Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement. Additional damage was reported in Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi, where video showed an apparent tornado at Brookhaven. High winds blew down signs and trees in northeast Texas, and hailstones the size of baseballs were reported near the Alabama-Mississippi line, the weather service said.
 
Google to invest more than $10 million in Mississippi
On Thursday, Google announced plans to invest more than $10 million in Mississippi in 2021. Nationally, Google plans to invest more than $7 billion and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs across the U.S. this year. "I believe a lasting economic recovery will come from local communities, and the people and small businesses that give them life. Google wants to be a part of that recovery. That's why we plan to invest over $7 billion in offices and data centers across the U.S. and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs in the U.S. this year," said Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. In summer 2021, Google plans to complete construction on the first Google Operations Center in the U.S. located in Southaven. The Operations Center will provide customer and operations support for Google's products and services to assist Google's customers and users around the world. "Google's significant investment in DeSoto County is one that will stimulate the local economy and the entire region well into the future," Gov. Tate Reeves said.
 
Senate confirms three members to archives and history board following failed overhaul effort
The Mississippi Senate on Wednesday confirmed three nominees to the state's Department of Archives and History board, a move that came only after lawmakers killed a proposal to let the governor and lieutenant governor select the board's membership. Nancy Carpenter of Columbus, Spence Flatgard of Ridgeland and Edmond Hughes of Ocean Springs were unanimously approved to serve on the agency's board of trustees until 2026. Carpenter, a Columbus tourism official, is starting her third term on the board. Flatgard, an attorney, and Hughes, an Ingalls Shipbuilding executive, are new to the nine-member panel. Another new board member, Helen Moss Smith of Natchez, has not yet been confirmed by the Senate. Two senators who handled the confirmations did not respond to Daily Journal inquiries about the status of her confirmation Wednesday. The four MDAH board members had been awaiting Senate confirmation since last year's session, when lawmakers declined to take them up. Wednesday's confirmations follow a controversial plan advanced by the Senate that would have let Gov. Tate Reeves and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann select who oversees the agency. As it stands, the board picks its own members, which are then forwarded for approval by the Senate. It's a system supporters say insulates decisions on historical issues from outside influence.
 
Poll: Most Mississippians believe state has an obligation to help with Jackson water crisis
More than half of Mississippians believe the state has an obligation to help Jackson and its residents with the current water crisis, according to a poll released Wednesday. The ongoing water crisis is the result of decades of inaction from city leaders, who put off routine maintenance and meaningful infrastructure repairs as the city's tax base and revenue collections diminished. Current and former city leaders, having dealt for decades with aging and brittle pipes, say they need investment from the state and federal government. A poll from Millsaps College and Chism Strategies released on Wednesday found that 55.3% of those polled believe the state needs to help the city repair its water system, while 29.5% did not and 15.2% were unsure. There was less of a consensus over where the funding for repairing the capital city's water system should come from. Of those surveyed, 33.2% believe funding should come from a combination of federal, state and local tax dollars. Those who believe funding should come from Jackson's city government alone came in a close second, making up 32.6% of survey responses. The poll also found that 16.4% believe funding should come from the federal government alone, while 11.4% said it should be the state government and 6.7% were unsure.
 
IRS postpones April 15 U.S. tax deadline to May 17
The IRS and Treasury Department will postpone the April 15 tax-filing deadline to May 17, the agencies announced Wednesday. "This continues to be a tough time for many people, and the IRS wants to continue to do everything possible to help taxpayers navigate the unusual circumstances related to the pandemic, while also working on important tax administration responsibilities," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig in a statement. In addition, taxpayers can also delay payment of any money owed the IRS until May 17. If payers still need more time to submit their returns, they can request an extension (but not taxes owed) until Oct. 15 by filing Form 4868. The extended deadline applies only to federal income returns and taxes, meaning that taxpayers will need to check to see if due dates for state taxes have been changed. Not all states follow the same filing deadline as the federal government.
 
Senate hearing showcases deep partisan divide over LGBTQ legislation
An extraordinarily large number of members of Congress wanted to testify at the first Senate hearing for a civil rights bill that would give LGBTQ people explicit legal protections from discrimination, and their messages set out the personal nature of the partisan split that will mean a tough path to becoming law. Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the first openly lesbian member of Congress, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that discrimination remains a daily reality for that community in employment, housing, public accommodations and education. Baldwin said passing the bill, known as the Equality Act, would expand a decades-old anti-discrimination law to cover more people in the majority of states where there aren't protections, not diminish the rights of others. But a trio of Republican senators raised concerns that the bill's sweeping language would stop others from living as their full selves. Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith told the committee that the bill's changes to the definition of sex would "totally undermine" women's sports by allowing transgender women to join and have significant advantages. "I know the importance of sports for females from my own first-hand experience playing both youth and high school basketball," Hyde-Smith said.
 
Most Mississippians now willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, poll shows
Mississippians are generally more open to getting a COVID-19 vaccination than they were in early January, according to a poll released Wednesday. The poll from Millsaps College and Chism Strategies found that 63% of those polled said they will definitely or probably will get vaccinated. Another 13% reported already being vaccinated. Of the remaining people surveyed, 20% said they probably or definitely will not get vaccinated and 5% are unsure. Mississippians have reconsidered their stance on the vaccines since the same poll was conducted in January, when nearly half of survey takers said they may refuse to receive the vaccine or were unsure about it. This change in public opinion is likely due to the dramatic increase in vaccine rollout over the past few months. People who may have been hesitant to receive a vaccine when they were first approved have seen friends, family and neighbors get vaccinated safely over the past few months. "Voters are learning more about the necessity of the vaccines, how participation in vaccination will help the nation return to normal more quickly and receiving encouragement from medical and public health experts along with a noticeably different tone from federal officials. These things have truly helped move the needle for us," said Dr. Nathan Shrader, chair of the Department of Government and Politics at Millsaps College.
 
Virus tolls similar despite governors' contrasting actions
Nearly a year after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the nation's first statewide shutdown because of the coronavirus, masks remain mandated, indoor dining and other activities are significantly limited, and Disneyland remains closed. By contrast, Florida has no statewide restrictions. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has prohibited municipalities from fining people who refuse to wear masks. And Disney World has been open since July. Despite their differing approaches, California and Florida have experienced almost identical outcomes in COVID-19 case rates. How have two states that took such divergent tacks arrived at similar points? "This is going to be an important question that we have to ask ourselves: What public health measures actually were the most impactful, and which ones had negligible effect or backfired by driving behavior underground?" said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Though research has found that mask mandates and limits on group activities such as indoor dining can help slow the spread of the coronavirus, states with greater government-imposed restrictions have not always fared better than those without them.
 
Have we become more patient during the pandemic?
We've all been doing a lot of waiting these days; waiting for COVID-19 tests, for the vaccine and for this whole horrible thing to be over. We didn't exactly have a choice. And businesses have been waiting, too. But now, as vaccines roll out and the economy slowly reopens -- and the waiting game feels like it might be headed toward some version of a finish line -- we're in a hurry, according to Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science and marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. "When we think that something is almost over, we become extremely impatient. The surprising effect is as things become nearer, it is harder to wait for them." And, despite all the practice at waiting we've had, we might find that we haven't learned much. "We don't find that patience in one context is necessarily related to patience in another context," Fishbach said. If economists are right and people want to make up for lost time, things could get inconvenient fast. There could be waits for a treadmill at the gym, for tickets to a hit movie, for that restaurant table on Friday night. Jamol Pender, who researches queuing theory as a professor of operations research and information engineering at Cornell University, said companies should be thinking about how they're going to deal with lines now.
 
Asian Americans grieve, organize in wake of Atlanta attacks
Asian Americans were already worn down by a year of pandemic-fueled racist attacks when a white gunman was charged with killing eight people, most of them Asian women, at three Atlanta-area massage parlors. Hundreds of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders turned to social media to air their anger, sadness, fear and hopelessness. The hashtag #StopAsianHate was a top trending topic on Twitter hours after the shootings that happened Tuesday evening. "I think the reason why people are feeling so hopeless is because Asian Americans have been ringing the bell on this issue for so long ... We've been raising the red flag," said Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood, executive director of the Atlanta-based Asian American Advocacy Fund, which does political and advocacy work across Georgia. Many were also outraged that the suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, was not immediately charged with hate crimes. Authorities said Long told police the attack was not racially motivated, and he claimed that he targeted the spas because of a "sex addiction." Six of the seven slain women were identified as Asian.
 
Jaborius Ball joins USM as inclusion and multicultural engagement head
Jaborius Ball came bouncing into his new position two months ago within the office of Student Affairs at the University of Southern Mississippi and has been on a determined roll ever since. Ball, a native of Foxworth, was named the university's new director of inclusion and multicultural engagement in January after previously serving as coordinator of African American student affairs at the University of Arizona. To say he is appreciative of this new challenge is a bit like saying a basketball is round. "Being intentional, I was seeking an opportunity to serve students back in my home state," Ball said. "I've had the good fortune of working in the state of Michigan and the state of Arizona, but never in the state that made me who I am today." As part of its ongoing mission, USM's Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement promotes the holistic development of multicultural students through leadership development, educational programming and collaboration with university departments. The office strives to increase recruitment and retention of multicultural students by creating a sense of community and assisting students in becoming successful graduates.
 
Teresa Crum named new housing director at Southern Miss
The University of Southern Mississippi recently announced the hire of Teresa Crum as executive director of housing and residence life. Crum most recently served as senior vice president of operations at Servitas, a national student housing company for institutions of higher education. She brings nearly 17 years of experience in housing and higher education with her to this role at USM, which she begins March 22. "After leading the search committee for the executive director of housing and residence life position, I am excited to welcome Ms. Teresa Crum to USM. We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Teresa's experience and skills joining us at USM," said Sirena Cantrell, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students. "She brings years of diverse housing experience with on- and off-campus housing entities. I truly believe she will set this program up for success moving forward. Living on the Hattiesburg campus at USM must be a transformative experience for our students, and I believe that Teresa will work hard to enhance the live-on experience for current and future Golden Eagles."
 
College advisors launch academics podcast
Auburn University advisors from three different colleges have started an advising podcast to help students and parents prepare for their advising sessions. Meredith Powell, undergraduate academic advisor in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, and Jonathan Hallford, an advisor for the College of Liberal Arts, host the podcast called "Advising 2 Bits" where they discuss topics including financial aid and scholarships. "It's meant to enhance, not replace an advising session," Powell said. The podcast is a resource for students to learn more about topics in depth before meeting with an advisor. "We have limited time with each student, so that gets them to a starting point that is a little bit deeper than starting from scratch when they walk in," Hallford said. Instead of meeting and talking in person, they meet on Zoom and record audio for the podcast through their own computers. Branden Farmer, student services coordinator for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, completes the trio and works behind the scenes, managing and editing the podcast. They chose the podcast medium because they said that students often ignore emails and newsletters.
 
College enrollment increase from Tennessee Promise program may stall by 2022, comptroller says
Despite initially increasing the number of high school graduates going to college, Tennessee's landmark free program is not sustaining long-term growth in enrollment and graduation rates. Now, the state may consider new initiatives to jump-start efforts to educate more Tennesseans, according to a new state Comptroller's Office report. In fact, four years after the launch of Tennessee Promise, which allows students to attend community college tuition-free, the college-going rate of Tennesseans has declined from 64.4% to 61.8%, according to the report. And fewer of the program's participants remain on track and graduate compared with those in 2015. That year, nearly 65% of high school graduates in 2015 enrolled in college courses either the summer or fall after graduation -- a 6% increase from the year before. Between 2015 and 2019, the rate decreased to today's college-going rate of 61.8%, according to the report. Though the number of students attending college has increased since 2014, the state predicts the number of Tennesseans actually earning degrees or credentials likely will slow after 2022.
 
Columbia mayoral candidate fights U. of South Carolina's alcohol licenses: 'Shirking their responsibility'
The University of South Carolina has not been playing by the same rules when it comes to alcohol sales that the school has demanded of bars in Columbia's Five Points, according to a Columbia mayoral candidate who is protesting the college's liquor licenses. City Council member Daniel Rickenmann filed a legal objection last June to the renewal of the liquor license at Colonial Life Arena, where the Gamecocks play basketball and concerts are held, and he also has objected to the liquor license for Williams-Brice Stadium, home of the USC football team. USC has objected to 10 alcohol license renewals since 2017, including at a bar, Group Therapy, run by former star Gamecock quarterback Steve Taneyhill. But the university has not done enough to to ensure that minors are not obtaining alcohol at its events, according to Rickenmann. In his objection, the councilman also cited added risks and expenses for public safety such as police because of additional drinking and the atmosphere that is created by serving alcohol at Colonial Life. USC started selling beer and win during Gamecock games last year but could sell alcohol at concerts.
 
Oregon State places president on probation over ties to LSU sexual misconduct scandals
The Oregon State University Board of Trustees voted 12 to 2 Wednesday to place the university's president, F. King Alexander, on probation, effective immediately. The vote concluded a fraught board meeting centered on a report released earlier this month that found Louisiana State University mishandled dozens of sexual misconduct allegations, including allegations against its former head football coach Les Miles, over a period when Alexander was LSU president. Alexander was president at LSU from 2013 through 2019. Alexander, who became Oregon State's president last year, will remain on probation until June 1, when the board will reconvene to once again discuss his fate at the university. In the meantime, the board will "conduct an evaluation to gather feedback to help inform President Alexander's success and to address leadership feedback received by the community," according to the resolution trustees passed. The board's executive committee will also hire an independent consultant to review the recommendations of the LSU report and follow up on outstanding questions from the board. The results of this review will be made public.
 
Oregon State places former LSU president F. King Alexander on probation following Husch Blackwell report
Oregon State University has postponed its decision on the future of its president, former LSU president F. King Alexander. Instead, the board voted, by a vote of 12-2, to put him on probation through June 1, 2021. The move came after a nearly six-hour meeting by the Oregon State University Board of Trustees Wednesday, including nearly two hours in a private executive session. During his probationary period, Alexander must develop an action plan to “rebuild trust and relationships” across Oregon State University, the board said. The board called the special meeting to decide whether Alexander should keep his job there, despite criticism of how sexual misconduct complaints were handled during his time as president of LSU. As he fought to keep his job during the meeting, Alexander repeatedly slammed LSU as he described the many obstacles he said he faced during his time in Louisiana. He characterized LSU as a seriously underfunded place where "athletics tried to run the university" and where certain segments of the Baton Rouge community were opposed to change.
 
Ohio senator wants partial refunds for college kids who don't graduate
Ohio students who attended a public university or college but never graduated could get 50% of their tuition back in a "voucher" for another program under one state senator's proposal. "One of my concerns has always been students who drop out after two years, 2.5 years in a college or university," Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, said. "This is intended to give those students a second chance." Partial refunds are just the start. The bill, which didn't yet have a number Wednesday, proposes a number of sweeping changes to the way Ohio's public colleges and universities operate. The goals, Cirino said, are to push back against the rising cost of higher education, raise graduation rates and make sure more kids are graduating with "skills the labor market is seeking." "Nothing in my bill is intended to be a slap on the hand of higher education," Cirino said. "But sometimes you need a little push from the outside." The bill also attempts to codify a commitment to free speech by requiring schools to adopt policies that give students the "broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, learn and discuss any issue."
 
FBI warns of increased ransomware attacks targeting colleges
A group of cybercriminals is increasingly targeting colleges, schools and seminaries and attempting to extort them, the FBI's Cyber Division has warned. In an advisory to cybersecurity professionals and system administrators published Tuesday, the FBI said that criminals are leveraging software called PYSA ransomware to access IT networks, block access to vital information and systems through encryption, and demand payment to restore access. In a double-extortion tactic that has also been employed by criminals using other types of ransomware, the criminals are not only requesting payment in exchange for making encrypted data accessible again. They are also threatening to sell sensitive information such as Social Security numbers on the dark web if institutions or affected individuals do not meet demands. PYSA ransomware, also known as Mespinoza, has recently been used in attacks on educational institutions in 12 U.S. states and the United Kingdom, the FBI reported. The agency became aware of PYSA in March 2020. In addition to educational institutions, the ransomware has been involved in attacks on government entities, private companies and the health-care sector. The criminals behind PYSA ransomware have not been identified.
 
Why This Popular College Guide Will Stop Publishing ACT and SAT Score Ranges
A best-selling college guide is going test-blind. The Fiske Guide to Colleges, a widely used source of information for applicants and parents, will stop publishing ACT and SAT score ranges for all 325 institutions listed in its pages. In an email to The Chronicle on Wednesday, Edward B. Fiske, the guide's creator and editor, said the change was "simply the right thing to do in the current context." The current context is this: Circumstances have shredded the status quo, complicating the very meaning of test scores and all that they supposedly tell us. Previously, the Fiske Guide listed the range of test scores for the middle half of enrolled freshmen at each college, a standard practice in the admissions realm. But "several recent trends have conspired to call into question the validity of admissions-test data -- and hence the reliability of using them," the introduction to the forthcoming 2022 edition of the Fiske Guide says.
 
Trump's diversity training ban finds new life -- in Iowa
President Biden killed a controversial Trump-era executive order banning "divisive concepts" in federally funded diversity training upon taking office. Now Iowa legislators are seeking to revive the ban within their state. They've made some significant progress: Senate File 478, as the legislation is known, passed the Iowa Senate this month, with yes votes from all 33 Republicans present and four from Democrats. The bill is now pending before Iowa's House Judiciary Committee. Separately, this week, the Iowa House passed a similar version of the legislation, House File 802, along party lines. Republicans control both houses of the Iowa General Assembly. With very similar language to the Trump order, the Iowa bills prohibit race and sex "stereotyping" and "divisive concepts" in diversity training. Such ideas are that one race or sex is "inherently superior" to another, that the state of Iowa is "fundamentally" racist or sexist, and that a person, by virtue of race or sex, is "inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously." The bills apply to public colleges' and universities' staff or student training, led by employees or contractors. Institutions may continue training that fosters a "respectful" workplace or learning environment for all.


SPORTS
 
Student-Athlete Development Hosts Networking Night For Bulldogs, Caps Spring Slate
The Mississippi State Student-Athlete Development office hosted its largest event of the spring semester in March, inviting all fourth- and fifth-year Bulldogs to attend its annual Networking Night. The event, which featured 35 employers from throughout the region, provided student-athletes with the opportunity to grow their network and practice engaging with business professionals in the workforce. "This event is very important because it helps pull together several programs we do throughout the year," Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development Briana Vaughn said. "Whether they realize it or not, student-athletes are always meeting important people throughout their career, but sometimes, student-athletes don't have the space to sit down, vocalize and articulate who they are, what they are about, where they are from and who they want to be in the future." Last semester, the Student-Athlete Development office hosted mock interviews, giving Bulldogs the opportunity to gain one-on-one interview experience with more than 40 professionals from across the Southeast. Mock Interviews and Networking Night both fall under the professional development pillar for the program's Life After Sport Initiatives. This year's Networking Night was entirely virtual. Once organizations logged onto the site, student-athletes could decide who to talk with from a list of all the organizations present. A total of 107 conversations took place during the event.
 
Analysis: Three burning questions heading into Mississippi State's spring practices
Mike Leach's second spring in Starkville is taking on a different look. With the COVID-19 pandemic under slightly more control, Mississippi State is expected to get a full spring slate ahead of its maroon and white game scheduled for April 17. But things won't be completely settled when MSU gets back into the swing of things over the next few weeks. Here's a look at some of the most pressing position battles heading into spring ball: Is Will Rogers the de facto No. 1 quarterback, or does Jack Abraham supplant him? How does MSU balance its receiving corps? Erroll Thompson is gone, so what happens at linebacker?
 
Ford Clegg, Hunter Logan Lead Bulldogs To Best Finish Of The Year
Mississippi State's men's golf team played the final holes of a suspended third round at the Tiger Invitational on Wednesday morning. The Bulldogs finished at 4-under for both the round and tournament, climbing into eighth place in Round 3. It was MSU's best finish of the year and best score against par of the spring semester. "I'm really proud of this team and the fight we showed this week," head coach Dusty Smith said. "I thought we took some nice steps forward and learned from our last experiences a little bit this week." Ford Clegg led the way, claiming his fourth top-10 finish of the year. The junior finished tied for sixth with a 7-under 209 for the tournament, marking his best score against par since firing a 12-under 198 to win the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in October. He finished the third round with a score of 68, which is his eighth round under 70 this year. With three holes remaining, Hunter Logan ended Tuesday's competition at 1-under. He shot even par the rest of the way on Wednesday to finish in a tie for 20th, his best finish of the season. The Bulldogs will host their annual home event, The Old Waverly Collegiate, on March 26-28 in West Point.
 
LSU allows limited tailgating at spring sports for first time since COVID pandemic began
LSU loosened its restrictions on pregame tailgating for spring sports, allowing limited gatherings on campus before games for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began last March, the school announced Wednesday. In a release, LSU said fans can tailgate before No. 10 LSU hosts No. 6 Mississippi State in the opening Southeastern Conference baseball game Friday night at Alex Box Stadium. The school hasn't decided on a tailgating policy this fall. Tailgating, a beloved tradition for LSU fans, had been banned on campus since last fall because of the coronavirus. LSU let small family groups eat and drink near their cars. It outlawed the trappings of a large party, such as tents, trailers, tables, coolers, grills and communal food and beverage areas. Now, after receiving approval from the Governor's office, the city of Baton Rouge and the Fire Marshal, 15 people from the same household can congregate in parking lots and around motor homes. The loosened restrictions correspond with Louisiana moving to Phase 3 of its reopening plan. Under the new rules, LSU can fill its outdoor spring sport venues to 50% capacity. It sold about 5,000 tickets for this weekend's series.
 
Pay for college athletes in Georgia pitched in General Assembly bill
Legislation before the General Assembly would pave the way for college student athletes in Georgia to receive financial compensation when institutions profit from their playing abilities. The bill, sponsored by House Higher Education Committee Chairman Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, would allow Georgia athletes to earn compensation for the use of their "name, image or likeness" by the public, private or technical colleges they attend. It aims to prepare Georgia for the legal impacts of a future when -- either by choice or a judges' orders -- the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) starts permitting student athletes to gain financial benefits for their talents. "This is just to put a straw man in place should it be decided at the national level so our student athletes can avail themselves of it," Martin said Tuesday at a state Senate Higher Education Committee hearing. "I don't know if this is the best thing happening for college student sports, but it is happening. So we need to be prepared."
 
Prominent NCAA tournament players launch '#NotNCAAProperty' protest as March Madness begins
Several college basketball players participating in the men's NCAA tournament joined a protest on social media against the NCAA as its signature event was set to begin, criticizing college sports' governing body for not allowing athletes to be compensated for the use of their names, images and likenesses. "The NCAA OWNS my name image and likeness," Rutgers guard Geo Baker said Wednesday night on Twitter. "Someone on [a] music scholarship can profit from an album. Someone on academic scholarship can have a tutor service. For [people] who say 'an athletic scholarship is enough,' anything less than equal rights is never enough. "I am #NotNCAAProperty." The hashtag #NotNCAAProperty is being used "to underscore their concern that the NCAA too often treats college athletes like dollar signs rather than people," Ramogi Huma, executive director of the advocacy group the National College Players Association, said in a statement announcing the protest. The statement called for athletes to obtain representation and receive compensation by July 1; meetings with NCAA President Mark Emmert and with members of President Biden's administration to encourage legislation to give college athletes "physical, academic, and financial protections"; and urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of the plaintiff in an upcoming case regarding NCAA rules on athletes compensation.



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