| Thursday, April 1, 2021 |
| Mississippi State offers free COVID vaccines to students and employees | |
 | Not too long ago, Mississippi State University (MSU) announced it was offering free vaccines to all employees. Now, the university extended its offer to its students as well. MSU emergency manager Brent Crocker said the university currently has 1,170 Pfizer vaccines and 300 Johnson and Johnson shots available for students and employees. "We understand that students sometimes feel like if they do get it, they're not going to be very sick," he said. "But we need them to also understand that they could pass it on to someone else." No one understands that concept better than State junior, Olivia Snell. With a 96-year-old great-grandmother, she decided to get the vaccine to regain the ability to visit her without worrying about getting her sick. Snell is awaiting her second dose appointment. She feels that it could only help her fellow classmates to receive the vaccine too. "A normal college life is really important," she explained. "A lot of us aren't getting a lot out of online classes and I know like for sporting events, we all want to get back in there and cheer on the Bulldogs. So, I think if everyone really just did their part to get back to normal, it would make a big difference." |
| Bird scooters available for rent in Starkville | |
 | Bird scooters have arrived in Starkville. Bird, an electric scooter ride-sharing service, delivered a fleet of 25 scooters to the city Tuesday. Mayor Lynn Spruill said she has been communicating with Bird, and the company has a privilege license to conduct business in the city. This is not the first time a company renting scooters tried to do business in Starkville. In 2019, Lime brought its scooters to town but had some issues with Mississippi State University. MSU allowed Lime bicycles on-campus but not the scooters, Jeremiah Dumas, MSU executive director of parking and transit services, told the Dispatch in 2019. However, users still brought them onto campus, causing sometimes dangerous conditions such as people hitting cars. Dumas confirmed Wednesday the university will not allow Bird scooters on campus either. If scooters are found on MSU's campus, he said, parking and transit services will confiscate the scooters and report back to Bird. Natalie Sawyer, a spokesperson for Bird, said in an email to The Dispatch that the company brought the scooters to Starkville with the intention to satisfy the transportation needs of residents and visitors. She said Bird has been in contact with the university about the no-scooter policy, and the company will be utilizing its technological capabilities by placing a geofence, or virtual perimeter, around the campus. |
| Power of the Almond opens today in Starkville | |
| The Power of the Almond is officially open today in Starkville. Owner Kirk Hutchinson announced the keto, celiac and diabetic friendly restaurant and bakery earlier this year. The restaurant at 60 Technology Blvd in the Research Park had its ribbon cutting today at 10 a.m. The online menu lists casseroles, chips and dip, artisan soups, flatbreads and coffee drinks. Hutchinson previously told The Dispatch the menu and operating hours will continue to expand and change over time. Be sure to check out the new eatery from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. The bakery will be open until 5:30 p.m. There’s an update on the Starkville Smoothie King. The smoothie shop has started its groundwork at 308 Hwy. 12. A representative from Smoothie King announced its target opening date is around mid-June, so be on the lookout. |
| King Cotton Crawfish Boil competition returns to Starkville | |
| After two years of cancellations, the city of Starkville announced it will once again hold its annual King Cotton Crawfish Boil. The boil is the largest fundraiser each year for the Starkville Main Street Association with this year's goal being $10,000. Businesses and friends can enter as teams to compete for the best-cooked crawfish. Tickets to check out the event are $25, including sampling the crawfish and drinks. Paige Watson is the Special Events and Projects Coordinator at the Partnership. She said with this being the city's first official event since the pandemic, she feels it will be one for the books. "It's our largest and typically most loved, most fun so you know I can say that without hesitation," she said. "We're very very excited and I think it's going to be really great." To keep attendees safe, Watson added the organization will have hand washing stations, tents will be socially distanced, and this year they're offering to-go servings of the crawfish. |
| Jeffrey Altman named acting director of Mississippi Department of Transportation | |
 | The Mississippi Transportation Commission (MTC) named Jeffrey C. Altman, P.E., acting executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). Altman will assume the role effective April 1 following the retirement of MDOT Executive Direct Melinda McGrath after 36 years of state service. "It was with great reluctance that we accepted Melinda's retirement earlier this month," said Commissioner Tom King, MTC Chairman. "Jeff has served the state for 23 years, most recently as MDOT Assistant to the Executive Director. He has the knowledge and leadership skills to take the helm and keep Mississippi moving on a safe, efficient and effective transportation network." Altman began his public service career in 1998 in the MDOT Planning Division. In 2009, he was named assistant director of the Local Public Agency Division, a function of MDOT that oversee federal money for local government projects. He became LPA division director in 2012. Since 2019, he has served as assistant to the executive director. A native of Wiggins and graduate of Mississippi State University, Altman lives in Rankin County with his wife and children. |
| Mississippi lost 7,000 jobs last month. But economist says outlook still positive | |
 | Mississippi has continued its mostly steady bounce back from the economic lows caused by the pandemic, but the latest federal employment report showed the state lost 7,000 jobs from January through February. The new data came as a surprise to state economist Corey Miller, who said Mississippi had largely been adding jobs since the immediate downturn from the pandemic. Miller said a likely factor in the drop was severe winter storms that hit the state in mid-February. The storms not only caused power outages, but had residents and businesses in parts of Jackson without running water for a month. "I tend to think that's going to turn around in the next few months," Miller said, referring to the job losses. "The outlook for our economy is pretty optimistic for the state and for the nation." The state's unemployment rate for February was 6.3%, down .1 % from its rate the month before, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. The department's chief labor market director, Mary Willoughby, said since the height of the pandemic in April the state has showed consistent economic improvement. |
| Mississippi legislators wrapping up work for 3-month session | |
 | Mississippi legislators will end their three-month session on Thursday, and that will give Republican Gov. Tate Reeves a few days to sign or veto dozens of bills they passed. One bill would prohibit certain types of restraints from being used on imprisoned women during pregnancy, labor and delivery. House Bill 196 specifies that pregnant inmates cannot be assigned to top bunks, and it says that a baby born to an imprisoned woman may remain with her for three days unless a medical provider has a reasonable belief that this would harm the newborn. Another bill awaiting his consideration is House Bill 374, which designates a list of new specialty license plates that the state could sell. One of the new designs would feature the new state flag that voters approved in November, with a magnolia encircled by stars and the phrase, "In God We Trust." The extra fee that people pay for the state flag license plate would go to the state Department of Archives and History. If Reeves signs the bill, the new state flag license plate will replace a specialty license plate that had been available since 2019, featuring a flag designed by Jackson artist Laurin Stennis. Many people saw the Stennis flag as an unofficial alternative to a Confederate-themed state flag that legislators retired last year. |
| Conservation groups aren't giving up on Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund | |
| Plans to create an Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund that would be used to improve outdoor recreation across Mississippi, were shot down in the Senate. Alex Littlejohn is the Director of the MS Nature Conservancy, which supported the House version of the bill. "We had some parameters that we didn't want to move on because we thought it was a good bill. We thought it was good policy out of the house, and we didn't want to give up on those points that we thought were good for Mississippi." Specifically, they felt that diverting a portion of the existing sales tax on sporting goods for the fund was the most viable route, but the diversion was removed in the Senate. The Senate also took issue with the structure of the board of trustees under the House proposal, claiming that the board wouldn't be subject to legislative oversight. That's something that Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann had been critical of as the Senate received the bill from the opposite chamber, citing issues with a non-government entity having control over the fund. According to Ducks Unlimited, which also supported the house version of the bill, the Senate version didn't allow nonprofit entities (like Ducks Unlimited) to apply for grant funds, nor did it allow funding to be leveraged with Farm Bill dollars and support private land projects. Littlejohn says at the end of the day, they just had to agree to disagree. But they aren't giving up on making it happen in the future. |
| GOP Insurance Chief Mike Chaney discusses benefits of expanding Medicaid | |
| The federal pandemic relief bill contains a big incentive for states that haven't expanded Medicaid. Mississippi is one of 12 states holding out on the expansion. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says currently the federal government pays about 80 cents on the dollar for Medicaid coverage. If Mississippi were to expand, that amount would increase to 95 cents. Chaney, a Republican statewide elected official, said Medicaid expansion could provide health care coverage options for those who do not currently qualify under the Affordable Care Act. "Medicaid expansion is not about putting people on the welfare rolls," Chaney said. "This is about expanding health care availability to those people that make 138% of the poverty level or less. And that's about 300,000 to 400,000 people in this state. They're the poor, those with AIDS, the infants, the disabled, the folks that fall through the cracks that are not able to get on the Affordable Care Act and not able to qualify for Medicaid as it exists now." |
| Biden Infrastructure Plan Aims to Boost Economy's Productivity Over Time | |
 | The Biden administration's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package enacted last month aimed to get the economy back on track fast. Now, officials are set on increasing the speed limit for the long term. The roughly $2.3 trillion spending proposal unveiled Wednesday would make investments in infrastructure over the coming decade that officials say would enhance the economy's productivity, such as through public transportation upgrades that make it easier for commuters to get to their jobs, or rural broadband expansion that improves workplace technology. Economists say those types of changes could enable the economy to grow more rapidly over the long term and lift living standards without triggering worrisome inflation. But critics, including business groups and many Republican lawmakers, say the administration's plan to pay for the measures through tax increases will damp investment, undercutting the boost to growth. Some note the plan will add to federal budget deficits, at least temporarily. And some observers say parts of the package won't do much to raise productivity and change the economy's long-term growth trajectory. Federal spending on domestic physical infrastructure, research and development, and education and training has declined steadily since the 1960s to between 1% and 2% of gross domestic product recently. Mr. Biden's plan would increase federal investment by 1% of GDP over eight years. |
| Infrastructure push sets off feeding frenzy in Washington | |
 | President Joe Biden has laid down his opening bid on infrastructure: a sprawling and ambitious $2 trillion plan designed to rebuild the country's roads and bridges, expand access to clean water and broadband and create what he says will be millions of jobs. Now everybody wants a piece of it. The White House's rollout of the biggest infrastructure package in at least five decades has sparked a lobbying frenzy in Washington, a mad dash among lawmakers and lobbyists to weigh in on the legislation and sway the Biden administration to include their pet projects or exclude the corporate tax hikes they don't want to pay. The early jockeying for influence over the plan portends a fierce debate about the details that could last much of the year, if not longer. Veteran lobbyists said the package could spark the most intensive lobbying effort in history, dwarfing the efforts to shape President Barack Obama's stimulus bill in 2009, President Donald Trump's tax overhaul in 2017 and even the massive relief bills passed during the pandemic. |
| Home health care is infrastructure, Biden administration says | |
| The Biden administration rolled out its infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan, Wednesday. It calls for about $2 trillion worth of investment into roads and bridges, updating the electric grid and building out green energy infrastructure. But the proposal takes an expansive view of just what's meant by "infrastructure." Included under Biden's broader definition of infrastructure: more funding and resources for home health care workers. "As a matter of policy coming out of the White House, this is not a surprise, just simply the vehicle in which it's contained at the moment," said Bill Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. Putting health care into an infrastructure package is unusual, he said, but he hopes it works "to address the very low level of compensation that many home care aides receive." But having such a broad concept of infrastructure could make it harder to pass a bill, according to Diana Furchtgott-Roth, who teaches at George Washington University and worked at the Transportation Department during the Trump administration. "I think that there are going to be people who are going to want to break it up into different kinds of bills," Furchtgott-Roth said. |
| Apple CEO Tim Cook: Voting should be easier than ever, Alabama native says | |
 | Apple CEO Tim Cook, a native of Robertsdale and graduate of Auburn University, is speaking out against Georgia's election law. In a statement to Axios, Cook says that due to advances in technology, voting should be easier than ever. "The right to vote is fundamental in a democracy. American history is the story of expanding the right to vote to all citizens, and Black people, in particular, have had to march, struggle and even give their lives for more than a century to defend that right," Cook said. "We support efforts to ensure that our democracy's future is more hopeful and inclusive than its past." In the wake of Georgia's new election laws, some large corporations have faced pressure to speak out against the measures. The chief executives of Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, both based in Georgia, called the law "unacceptable," opening an unusual rift with Republican leaders who championed the legislation and typically enjoy a cozy relationship with the state's business community, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday. Those companies along with other Georgia-based companies, like Home Depot and UPS, have faced the threat of boycotts over the law. Republicans insist the changes are needed to restore voters' confidence. |
| Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective for at least 6 months and protects against South Africa variant, study shows | |
 | Six months after getting a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as part of a 46,000-person clinical trial, volunteers remained more than 90% protected against symptomatic COVID-19 and even better protected against severe disease, a new company study found. Out of 927 trial participants who fell ill with COVID-19 more than a week after their second dose, only 77 had received the active vaccine, compared with 850 who got a placebo. There were no serious safety concerns among the 12,000 volunteers who are least least six months past their second dose, according to the newly released findings. Many, however, did have typical, short-term side effects such as fatigue and sore arms. The study also showed that the vaccine is effective against a virus variant called B.1.351, first identified in South Africa. The new data is likely sufficient for the vaccine to meet the criteria set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for full approval. All three COVID-19 vaccines authorized so far -- from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson -- are being distributed under emergency use authorizations rather than full FDA biologics licenses because they did not have long-term safety and effectiveness data. |
| Stadium proposal could offer opportunity for UMMC | |
| More details are coming to the surface on Jackson State's hopes of building a new football stadium. While JSU plays football at Veteran's Memorial Stadium, they don't own it. Instead, the state does, and UMMC has long had its eyes set on developing this site for a medical expansion. Economic developers are cheering the prospect of a win-win in this new stadium proposal. This would open the door to tear down Veteran's Memorial Stadium for the expansion of a medical research park across from UMMC. The stadium idea is now taking speed again in what economic developers said could be a big financial win for the area. "They could develop that land with additional research opportunities, creating new high-paying jobs in the medical field, helping to attract more doctors, researchers," said CEO and President of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership Jeff Rent. "These are high wage earners, and one of the jobs in economic development is not just to create new jobs but new high paying jobs." This is only in its beginning stages. JSU has gotten the approval to spend the $250,000. Leaders will now start the stages of contracting someone to study the sites and see the cost of building the new stadium since construction costs have skyrocketed since this was first proposed ten years ago. |
| Greek life does not track asymptomatic COVID-19 tests for events | |
 | When the University of Mississippi Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life began allowing Greek organizations to host events at the end of February, leadership operated under the university rule that 25% of event attendees would have to get a COVID-19 test. However, FSL is never notified of those results. "With the asymptomatic testing, we submit this guest list, and then we get back the list of the students that have been randomly selected for asymptomatic testing," FSL director Arthur Doctor said. "Because of HIPAA rules and health regulations, we are not getting any record of the positive test results." The office advises Greek chapters to send FSL a complete guest list at least a week in advance, and those who are chosen to receive an asymptomatic test are required to get their tests during the week of the event. Original guidelines warned organizations that if anyone on the guest list refused to get tested, the event would not take place. Nonetheless, there is currently no step in the process of asymptomatic testing for events that ensures students who test positive won't attend. Greek events can now include multiple shifts of 125 members and dates, and members can now bring guests that do not attend the university. |
| USM earns national recognition for education certification program | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi is earning national recognition for turning out National Board Certified Teachers. According to graduates of the program, the certification amplifies teacher's skills. "What was most important for me was that it forces you to examine every decision you make as a teacher," said Bethany Howell, an NBCT second-grade teacher at Longleaf Elementary School in Hattiesburg. "And there are so many things that are just habit or just the way things have always been done and what I have realized is that that's not always the best way." Now ranked first in the Magnolia State and 12th in the nation for turning out NBCTs, USM's World Class Teaching Program has graduated 1,073 students that have earned the NBCT credential. And, it doesn't come easy. "It's a lot of different aspects of the classroom environment that you have to basically prove that you are an effective teacher in all of these areas," Howell said. But they know it's worth it. "I think I am a much more effective teacher now that I have been through the process, and I just see things differently and I use my time differently so that I am able to be as effective as possible," Howell said. |
| USM engineering student competes nationally | |
| Ocean engineering student Andrew "Drew" Smith recently represented The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) in a national debate competition sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Smith, a senior from Madison, teamed up with Joseph Bell, a junior from Waveland, in the fourth annual Ethics in Engineering Case Competition held last month in a virtual format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-six colleges and universities, each represented by a two-student undergraduate team and accompanying faculty, presented their solutions to a fictional case involving ethical, business and engineering dilemmas. The event also provided opportunities for students to learn about Lockheed Martin and its technologies, including a Q&A session that allows students to ask questions from a panel of Lockheed Martin employees and recruiters. Dr. Mustafa Kemal Cambazoglu, assistant professor of ocean engineering at USM, served as the team's faculty representative for the Lockheed Martin competition. He praised the diligent efforts of Smith and Bell, who made it past the first round of the competition and narrowly missed reaching the final eight. |
| Pool tables, diner, computer lab: Here's what's inside William Carey's new student center | |
 | William Carey University students can now enjoy a new student center complete with a restaurant, game room, student lounges and more. The Tommy and Sandra King Student Center on the Hattiesburg campus was dedicated on March 26. Construction for the student center began in May 2019, but there were some minor delays caused by pandemic-related disruptions to supply chains. "The King Student Center makes a statement, not only to our students but to our community about the value we place on the student, the student's development and the potential that each possesses to go out and change the world," Jimmy Stewart, vice chairman of the WCU Board of Trustees, said at the dedication. Since King became president in 2007, the number of students at WCU has doubled, from 2,500 to more than 5,000, the university said in a media release. During the same time, the number of residential students in Hattiesburg tripled, six new dorms opened and many new programs were established. |
| Day cares, education groups get another $3.5M in emergency education funds | |
| Gov. Tate Reeves awarded another $3.46 million of emergency education funds to child care centers and educational organizations in the state. This marked the third round of applications and awards for the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER). The funding is meant to provide relief to schools that have been most significantly impacted by COVID-19. Reeves' office highlighted two priorities for the $34.6 million Mississippi received: first, educational services for children up to 12 years old and those with disabilities; and second, innovative educational solutions for children of all ages, including college students. The third and last round of funding was a repeat of the first round. The money went to those that applied but did not receive funding in the first round and all other eligible applicants. Money left over in the $34.6 million pot will be used to defray administrative costs and toward a supplemental grant, said Holly Spivey, Reeves' education advisor. The U.S. Department of Education announced the nearly $3 billion in GEER funds in April 2020 to "quickly be made available to governors to ensure education continues for students of all ages impacted by the coronavirus national emergency," the department said in a press release at the time. |
| Gogue Center reopens, moving sold-out, postponed performances outdoors beginning April 18 | |
 | The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University announced Wednesday it will reopen in April with outdoor concerts on the lawn and porch of its Amphitheatre at the City of Auburn after a a 13-month hiatus from live, in-person performances. The Gogue Center, adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines, will present a series of six sold-out performances from its inaugural and second seasons postponed due to the pandemic. Artists featured in the Gogue Center's Spring 2021 performance lineup include: Zakir Hussain & Masters of Percussion on Sunday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. Jazz at Lincoln Center Septet with Wynton Marsalis on Wednesday, April 21 and Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. Dover Quartet and Bridget Kibbey on Friday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra Directed by Scotty Barnhart on Thursday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on Monday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m. The move to reopen follows artists resuming touring and putting in place health and safety protocols. The center's current outdoor performance operating protocols call for all Spring 2021 performances to be presented outdoors in the amphitheater at a reduced capacity as approved by Auburn University. |
| Cater Hall effected change for Auburn women | |
| Today, Cater Hall houses Auburn University's Honors College, but many Auburn students may not be aware of the place the building holds in women's history on campus. Cater Hall once served as the mansion for four University presidents and stood as a symbol of prestige and class with its unique Neo-classic design when first constructed in 1915. With the admission of women to the University, it became the Social Center for women and the office for the Quad dormitories for female students. The Social Center was seen as the "core of student life on campus," according to the United States Department of the Interior. In 1946, Katherine Cooper Cater became the new Dean of Women and a role model for her students while residing in the hall now named after her. Although this marked many progressive changes for women, female students were strapped down for decades by strict rules from male-dominated faculty. With the social revolutions of the 1960s and early 1970s, including the civil rights and feminist movements, Auburn University co-eds began demanding change. |
| Under pressure over LSU scandals, Gov. John Bel Edwards appoints another woman to LSU board | |
 | With a sexual misconduct scandal roiling LSU and a group of female state lawmakers demanding accountability, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Wednesday that he was appointing two women to positions on the LSU Board of Supervisors and the Board of Regents. Edwards -- who appoints all but a lone student member of the 16-person LSU Board of Supervisors -- has been taking heat over the board's handling of allegations that high-ranking LSU officials failed to report and properly investigate allegations of sexual harassment, domestic violence and rape at LSU. Several members of the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children have argued that LSU needs more women in supervisory roles; only two of 16 board members are women. Now, there are three. Edwards is appointing Laurie Lipsey Aronson to a seat on the board that had been held by former Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation president Ronnie Anderson since 1997. In a news release announcing the appointment, Edwards said Anderson's term had expired. Aronson is the chairwoman of Lipsey's, the Baton Rouge-based wholesale firearms distributor. She is also the president and chief executive officer of the men's apparel company Haspel, another business started by her family that is known as the originator of seersucker suits. Aronson’s father is Richard Lipsey, a former Board of Regents chairman who frequently weighs in on matters involving LSU. |
| U. of Tennessee hopes to vaccinate 'as many people as possible' before the end of the spring semester | |
 | With about a month left in the spring semester, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has a huge goal: vaccinate "as many people as possible," said Dr. Spencer Gregg, director of the Student Health Center. UT has been vaccinating students, faculty and staff as they were eligible under Tennessee's rollout plan. Now that Tennesseans ages 16 and up are eligible, UT is opening up appointments for all students. Gregg said, ideally, 100% of the campus will get vaccinated. "That truly is our goal," Gregg said in an interview with Knox News. "We would love for everybody that's going to be on campus to have been vaccinated." On campus, UT is offering two options. Students and employees can be vaccinated at the Student Health Center or through larger weekly vaccination clinics open to the public at the Student Union. They are also encouraged to look for vaccination opportunities off-campus, through the Knox County Health Department, medical providers and pharmacies, where there may be a larger supply. Between appointments at the Student Health Center and the public clinics, UT is administering about 2,000 vaccines each week, Gregg said. As of March 30, UT has distributed over 7,700 vaccines to students, employees and members of the public. |
| Texas A&M Regents confirm M. Katherine Banks as president of flagship campus | |
 | Texas A&M University's flagship campus will soon have a new leader at the helm following the Board of Regents' Wednesday confirmation of M. Katherine Banks as president. Banks, currently vice chancellor of engineering and national laboratories and dean of the Texas A&M College of Engineering, assumes her duties as the 26th president of the university on June 1. She also will be the vice chancellor of national laboratories and national security strategic initiatives, continuing her involvement with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Bush Combat Development Complex at the RELLIS Campus. In a Wednesday interview, Banks said she is honored and humbled to be selected for the position. "This university is amazing," said Banks, 61. "It's unique. Texas A&M is a special place. The core values, the respect of tradition, is truly the foundation of this great institution. And building upon that foundation to reach preeminence -- in my opinion, there's no other university in the country that can have a larger impact on the world today than Texas A&M." |
| Texas A&M custodial staff receive groceries to go at drive-thru event | |
| Texas A&M students and community members distributed food packages to 635 university custodians Tuesday afternoon. It's an act of kindness that recipient Laverne Walton said goes a long way. The drive-thru event, co-hosted by The REACH Project and Fish Aides Service Committee, was a COVID-19-safe version of the annual Custodian Banquet and was held at A&M's Fan Field Parking lot. Fish Aides event planner Burke Bridges said his organization, which is under the Student Government Association, started the banquet back in 2007. The event was canceled last year because of the pandemic. The REACH Project is a community nonprofit that aims to serve custodial, dining and other support staff from A&M. REACH Founder Max Gerall said the organizers packed bags for every custodian at A&M, plus a few extra in case they were needed. He said that recipients drove away with enough food to make a meal for a family of five. The recipients all work at A&M and are employed by the university's contracted custodial, grounds and maintenance service provider SSC. |
| Use of force decreases after prisons use U. of Missouri study to train officers | |
 | When corrections officers in prisons are trained to talk with inmates and give them space, it can reduce incidents where they use force, a new University of Missouri study found. In the time since the study was conducted, the training has been implemented widely in Missouri prisons, said Kelli Canada, associate professor in the MU School of Social Work, one of the study authors. The study was done with the cooperation of the Missouri Department of Corrections. The "crisis intervention team" training has been used by police departments in dealing with individuals with mental illness. Because many inmates have a history of mental illness, corrections officers before the training were interviewed about their knowledge of mental illness. "One of the things we look at is behavior change" in the officers, Canada said. "That's kind of the reason we did interviews before the training. We wanted to see changes in attitudes and stigma with mental illness." After the training, officers had fewer incidents of using force, she said. |
| Florida State scrambles to explain alleged abuser's long tenure | |
 | In January 2020, Florida State University received an urgent report that Richard Feiock, then the Augustus B. Turnbull Professor of Public Administration, had engaged in an "inappropriate sexual relationship" with a visiting female international student. Less than two months later, on the day before he was scheduled to be interviewed as part of the university's attendant investigation, Feiock said he was retiring -- and Florida State ended its investigation. The university had already gathered pornographic images from Feiock's work computer. Feiock had already been reported for and counseled about sexual misconduct involving students in 1991 and 2005, according to a lengthy university investigation shared first with the Florida Phoenix and then Inside Higher Ed. Curiously, though, his personnel file had been purged of these records. Feiock was also reported to have sent a student sexual messages more recently. Multiple sources said Feiock's dean at the time knew about that issue, several years ago, but did little. Numerous witnesses told investigators that Feiock was known to prey on international students, and women from Asia in particular. Deeply unsatisfied with the lack of resolution, professors within the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy are now demanding that Florida State hold Feiock accountable for his actions. They also want to know why Florida State didn't act sooner to protect vulnerable students from someone they consider to be a "predator." |
| Cleaning A College In A Pandemic: 'Without Us This Campus Shuts Down' | |
 | There's a lot that is different this spring on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville. It's quieter, since coronavirus safety protocols restrict large gatherings, and the dorm common areas are often empty. But there's one thing that hasn't changed: On most weekdays, you can find Lavonda Little at Reid Hall, a four-story residential building, working as a custodian, a job she's held for the last 16 years. "It's my everyday performance," she says, pushing her large yellow cart filled with supplies down the first floor hallway. She starts her cleaning routine in a common room on the first floor, doing the dishes in the communal kitchen. Then she gets to wiping: the tables, the door handles, the blinds, the piano; "everything that's touchable," she says. All across the country, campus custodians and cleaning staff, like Little, have become essential during the pandemic. Colleges intent on opening in-person and housing students on campus have leaned heavily on their building and facilities teams to do it. At the University of Florida, which typically enrolls more than 35,000 undergrads, Tanya Hughes has been at the center of that effort. She's the associate director of building services, and oversees a team of 120 staff, including Little. "It's been a wild ride," she says. "In my almost four decades of being here, I don't think it's been this interesting." |
| U. of Pittsburgh Orders Students to Shelter in Place After Positive Cases in 13 Dorms | |
 | The University of Pittsburgh has ordered students to shelter in place amid a worrying rise in Covid-19 cases on the campus. The university's student newspaper reports that the order is effective Wednesday night, and follows what Pitt called a "consistent increase" in positive cases. The announcement came the day after the university said cases of the coronavirus had been found in 13 residence halls. "Previously, most of the spread was off campus," Chris Bonneau, president of the faculty senate, told The Pitt News on Tuesday. "However, it seems like we now have an outbreak on campus." The more-transmissible B 1.1.7. strain of the virus, known as the "U.K. variant," has been found both on campus and in the surrounding county. The university said in its announcement that students would be allowed to leave their residences for only a few specific reasons, including to attend class, exercise, and pick up food. The shelter-in-place order will last until administrators determine "that it is safe to lift." |
| What's in the $2 trillion infrastructure plan for higher ed? | |
| President Biden unveiled his new infrastructure legislation plan Wednesday, proposing billions of dollars for higher education over eight years. The plan -- which is about $2 trillion in total -- would give $12 billion to updating infrastructure in community colleges and $50 million to the National Science Foundation. Historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions would also be in for more funding under the proposal. The plan calls for a $10 billion investment in research and development and $15 billion to create 200 research incubators at those institutions, with the framing that those investments could eliminate racial and gender inequities in R&D and STEM. Of the $40 billion dedicated to improving research infrastructure and laboratories, half would be set aside specifically for HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions. While there are some additions they say could be made, many in higher education are applauding the plan and its proposed investment. "One thing that strikes you when you look at the summary the Biden folks put out is just the number of ways higher education serves in the recovery," said Jon Fansmith, director of government relations at the American Council on Education. "It's a pretty impressive commitment to higher education but I think it also demonstrates how inextricably linked colleges and universities are to the health of our economy." |
SPORTS
| Diamond Dawg Gameday: host Kentucky | |
| For the third straight weekend, the No. 5 Mississippi State baseball program will meet a ranked Southeastern Conference opponent when No. 21 Kentucky comes to Dudy Noble Field for a three-game series beginning on Thursday (April 1). The first two games of the series will be aired nationally on the ESPN family of networks, with the series opener at 6:30 on ESPNU and the Friday, April 2 contest on SEC Network at 6 p.m. Dave Neal and Chris Burke will be on the call for both contests. Saturday's series finale will air on the SEC Network+ and start at 2 p.m. Mississippi State (17-7, 2-4 SEC) enters on a three-game skid after falling to No. 1 Arkansas last weekend, while Kentucky (18-4, 5-1 SEC) has won five straight. It is the sixth straight time dating back to 2012 that MSU or UK enter their series matchup with at least one team ranked, while both have been ranked in three of those seasons (2021, 2017, 2013). Dating back to the 2018 season, the Diamond Dawgs have won 10 of it last 13 SEC series. That span includes four sweeps by the Bulldogs (2018 - Florida; 2019 - Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia). As a pitching staff, Mississippi State continues to own some of the best numbers in college baseball. The 2.97 ERA sits No. 3 in the SEC and No. 13 in college baseball, while MSU is one of only three Power 5 programs to rank among the top 15 in both strikeouts per nine innings (No. 2; 13.2) and WHIP (No. 7; 1.08), along with Vanderbilt and Indiana. |
| Mississippi State baseball looks to rebound against Kentucky | |
| A week after getting swept at home, the Mississippi State baseball team has a chance to right the ship. Mississippi State, now ranked No. 8 by the D1Baseball.com, hosts unranked Kentucky in a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field. The games will be played at 6:30 tonight, 6 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Bulldogs (17-7, 2-4 SEC) have lost four straight conference games entering the weekend. Following the Sunday loss to No. 2 Arkansas to cap off the sweep, head coach Chris Lemonis had a message for his team. "I told them, I said 'We have a good team, but we have to play better. The only thing we can do and the only thing we can control this week is how hard we work this week and try to improve and get that good feeling again,'" Lemonis said. And while Kentucky is unranked, the Wildcats (18-4, 5-1) are cruising through their schedule up to this point. Kentucky has won five straight games, including a sweep at Auburn last weekend. The only conference loss for the Wildcats is a 5-3 Sunday loss to Missouri. |
| Mississippi State softball snaps nine-game losing streak with extra-inning win at Southern Miss | |
| Granted a break from the constant grind of its Southeastern Conference schedule, the Mississippi State softball team finally got back into the win column. On Wednesday at Southern Miss, the Bulldogs (16-14, 0-9 SEC) emerged victorious for the first time in three weeks, beating the Golden Eagles (18-12, 0-0 Conference USA) by a score of 2-1 in nine innings to avoid falling to .500 on the season. "It felt like a little bit of a sigh of relief to get back on track for everyone," Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. Senior designated player Carter Spexarth landed the go-ahead double just inside the left-field line in the top of the ninth, scoring senior catcher Mia Davidson to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. Mississippi State stranded graduate first baseman Fa Leilua and Spexarth for their 11th and 12 runners left on base of the night, but the late score was enough. Mississippi State will hope to build on Wednesday's win with a doubleheader Saturday at North Alabama as the Bulldogs continue their break from SEC action. Game 1 begins at 1 p.m., and Game 2 starts at 3:30 p.m. |
| Bulldogs Open Final Home Series with Sweep of Georgia | |
| Mississippi State volleyball made a statement Wednesday (March 31) in the Newell-Grissom Building, sweeping Georgia in the first contest of its final series of the season. Mississippi State volleyball (5-14, 5-14 SEC) overcame three Georgia (7-14, 7-14 SEC) set points to capture the opening frame in extra points, 28-26, then carried the momentum through the next two segments to pull off the straight set victory. "What an impressive outing for the Dawgs," MSU head volleyball coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "It was an all-out battle in that first set, and I'm super proud of the girls for being so composed and confident and for executing our game plan." MSU's middle blocker duo of Deja Robinson and Jessica Kemp combined for 15 kills with just one error, attacking at a .452 mark. Robinson also tallied nine blocks to go along with her eight kills. Mississippi State looks to end its 2020-21 season with a series sweep of Georgia as the two teams meet for the last time Thursday (April 1) at 1 p.m. CT in the Newell-Grissom Building. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball adds high-scoring Tulane transfer JerKaila Jordan | |
| Mississippi State made a major splash in the transfer portal Wednesday night. The Bulldogs officially announced the addition of former Tulane guard JerKaila Jordan, the reigning American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. She will be immediately eligible. "JerKaila is a high character, hardworking, blue-collar player that has proven to be a very efficient scorer against multiple defenses," MSU head coach Nikki McCray-Penson said in a news release. "She was the freshman of the year in a competitive conference, and we think she's going to be able to help us both offensively and defensively. She is coming in with the mentality that she wants to win and help us compete for championships." Jordan, a New Orleans native, finished her freshman season averaging 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game. She was previously rated a five-star recruit and the No. 45 player in the 2020 class and was one of just three freshmen, along with Iowa's Caitlin Clark and UConn's Paige Bueckers, with at least 28 points in three consecutive games. Jordan also becomes the second major import for McCray-Penson since she took over for Vic Schaefer last April. Temple guard Ashley Jones joined the program in December after spending time at West Virginia and Temple. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball adds AAC Freshman of the Year JerKaila Jordan | |
 | The Mississippi State women's basketball team didn't have the season it hoped for this year, so some good news is welcomed. After losing six players to the transfer portal in the last couple of weeks, the Bulldogs picked up a transfer of their own. AAC Freshman of the year JerKaila Jordan announced on social media Wednesday that she was leaving Tulane to join Mississippi State. Jordan capped her freshman year with a 25-point outing in a loss in the second round of the WNIT to Ole Miss. The 5-foo-9 point guard from New Orleans averaged 16.7 points and 3.9 assists this season. MSU coach Nikki McCray-Penson just completed her first year in Starkville, so this is part of a culture change for a winning program that had not missed the NCAA Tournament since 2014 and finished as runner-ups in 2017 and 2018. |
| Soccer to Close Out Spring Against Columbus State | |
| Mississippi State soccer welcomes DII opponent Columbus State to Starkville on Thursday for a 3 p.m. matchup to close out the 2020-21 season. The Bulldogs (5-4-3) have never faced the Cougars (5-1-1) before. With the match against Alabama slated for April 10 being canceled, this will be the final match of the season for MSU. It will be an exhibition for Columbus State, but will count for the Dawgs. Mississippi State has played its entire spring season at home, touting a 3-0 record thus far. The Dawgs look to make it a winning streak of four on Thursday at the MSU Soccer Field. Though they haven't faced the Cougars previously, it's still a familiar opponent for one individual. Assistant coach Nick Zimmerman was a coach for Columbus State before coming to Starkville to be with the Bulldogs. "We're just preparing as if it was any other normal opponent," said head coach James Armstrong in his podcast on Tuesday. "Obviously Nick might have a little further insight into a couple of individual players or tendencies, but Brian Dunleavy is taking the lead as usual for our scout." |
| SEC spring meetings to follow different format, won't be in Destin | |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey announced Wednesday the conference will not conduct its traditional in-person SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida. "The SEC Spring Meetings provide an opportunity to celebrate our achievements, plan for the future and focus on our mission to serve people through our universities," Sankey in a release. "We have learned a lot in the last year including how to conduct effective meetings through technology. We believe a combination of smaller in-person meetings on varying dates and continuing use of virtual meeting technology is more appropriate given the current circumstances than a multi-day indoor conference room gathering." The SEC spring meetings generally serves as a vehicle in which university officials from all departments comes together as well as head coaches in the sports of football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The meetings are designed to discuss current issues, consider conference and national policy changes, provide input to the NCAA and develop overall strategy for the conference. The meetings traditionally conducted in Destin during the week of Memorial Day will now be conducted through different formats throughout the spring and summer. |
| Florida looks to bounce back in SEC baseball vs. Ole Miss | |
| Florida baseball fans will find out a lot more about their Gators in a key series vs. No. 3 Ole Miss that starts at 8 p.m. today at Florida Ballpark. Are the No. 15 Gators (16-8, 3-3 SEC) more like the team that opened the conference schedule with a sweep of Texas A&M or something like the squad that was swept last weekend at South Carolina? The first game tonight against Ole Miss (20-4, 6-0) will be carried on the SEC Network. Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan has altered his weekend pitching rotation, going with reliever Franco Aleman (0-1) in place of Tommy Mace tonight, followed by righty Christian Scott (0-1) instead of Jack Leftwich starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Hunter Barco (3-2) keeps his place in the rotation for Saturday's 1 p.m. contest. In their last meeting in Gainesville, the Gators outscored the Rebels 24-10 to clinch a series sweep. The two teams have a long history, posting an even 52-52 record since their first meeting on April 12, 1922. |
| Georgia lawmakers pass bill to allow pay for college athletes | |
| College athletes in Georgia could eventually be paid for the use of their name and image, according to a bill approved by the General Assembly on Wednesday. The measure, House Bill 617, would begin to allow students to earn money, and it prohibits schools from canceling their scholarships for doing so. But students might not see a windfall anytime soon. The legislation wouldn't take effect until either the NCAA changes its rules or Congress passes a bill to allow student compensation. The question of whether college students could be paid for their performance, which can earn millions of dollars for their schools, is also being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. The court heard arguments Wednesday on whether the National Collegiate Athletic Association's rules are allowed to make athletes ineligible if they're paid. Students would have to wait to receive any money. Their compensation would be placed in an escrow account that they couldn't access until at least a year after graduation or withdrawal. Opponents of the measure have said students shouldn't receive payment besides scholarships related to their education. |
| Walker Foundation to donate up to $1 million more toward baseball building at U. of Arkansas | |
| The Razorback Foundation announced Wednesday a donation of up to $1 million by the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation toward the construction cost of the Hunt Baseball Development Center at the University of Arkansas. The Walker Foundation will match up to $1 million total in new donations toward the baseball center, which is scheduled to open sometime this summer. It is at least the second major donation toward the project by the Walker Foundation, which also donated $5 million as a lead gift for the building in 2018. Johnny Mike Walker, the son of the late Willard and Pat Walker, was a Razorback baseball letterman in 1975. "As a former Razorback student-athlete, and avid Razorback fans, we are honored to give this gift that will help put the finishing touches on the nation's best collegiate baseball stadium in the country," Mandy Macke, executive director the Walker Foundation, said in a press release. Arkansas' baseball stadium added the Walker family's name shortly after the 2018 donation. The Walkers donated more than $1 million toward the construction of Baum-Walker Stadium in the 1990s. The Hunt Center is approximately 52,000 square feet and the cost to build the facility is approximately $27 million. |
| North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams announces retirement | |
| North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball coach Roy Williams announced his retirement Thursday after 33 seasons as a Division I head coach. Williams, 70, won three NCAA Tournament titles at North Carolina, his alma mater and finishes his career with 903 victories (third all-time). He advanced to the Final Four nine times and was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. Before returning to North Carolina in 2003, Williams was the head coach at Kansas for 15 seasons. He is the only coach with 400 wins at two schools. Prior to becoming the Jayhawks head coach in 1988, he spent 10 years on the Tar Heels bench as an assistant under the legendary Dean Smith, who was a mentor to Williams. Over the course of his career, Williams coached 32 future NBA first-round draft picks and became the third coach ever to reach the men's NCAA Tournament on 30 occasions. His 79 wins in the "Big Dance" ranks second all-time, and his teams earned 13 No. 1 seeds. |
| In AP survey, ADs raise worries about women's college sports | |
| To hear many of those in charge of Division I programs tell it, the state of play for women's sports could get worse, not better, under proposals that would put more money in the pockets of some college athletes. Via a new Associated Press survey of athletic directors, and in conversations with ADs and conference commissioners during March Madness, a picture emerged of concern for sports other than the two largest revenue-generators, football and men's basketball. The AP asked 357 ADs a series of online questions shortly before various differences between the men's and women's basketball tournaments were put on full display over the past two weeks, drawing complaints from players and coaches, along with mea culpas from the NCAA. Granted anonymity in exchange for candor, 99 athletic directors participated. The most striking of the results released Thursday: 94% of respondents said it would be somewhat or much more difficult to comply with Title IX gender equity rules if their school were to compensate athletes in the biggest money-making sports. "Sharing revenue with student-athletes is not feasible. That only works if universities are then absolved of Title IX requirements," one AD wrote in the survey. |
| Supreme Court skeptical of NCAA's case for withholding benefits from student athletes | |
 | Supreme Court justices on Wednesday seemed highly skeptical of the NCAA's arguments that it is protecting the integrity of amateur college athletics by opposing greater compensation for athletes, but also leery of "blowing up" the organization's authority with long-lasting results. "How do we know that we're just not destroying the game as it exists?" Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked. The NCAA is contesting a lower-court ruling that would allow colleges to offer greater academic-related perks to Division I football and men's and women's basketball players, including scholarships for graduate degrees, paid postgraduate internships and computers and other types of equipment related to education. But in 90 minutes of arguments held via teleconference, justices across the ideological divide grilled the NCAA's lawyer and repeated criticisms that the organization invokes its defense of amateurism as a way to increase profits while keeping its labor cost low. Justice Stephen G. Breyer worried about the court interfering with a system that has brought “joy” to millions of people. “This is not an ordinary product … and it’s only partly economic, Breyer said, adding “So I worry a lot about judges getting into the business of deciding how amateur sports should be run.” |
| NCAA Pressed by Supreme Court Justices on Player Compensation | |
| The NCAA faced a barrage of skeptical questions from the Supreme Court Wednesday as it sought to defend tight limits on the types of compensation that college athletes can receive. Over more than 90 minutes of oral argument, justices across the ideological spectrum questioned how, consistent with U.S. antitrust law, the National Collegiate Athletic Association could lawfully prohibit schools from competing for athletes by offering better benefits. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of several big sports fans on the court, said the antitrust laws shouldn't work in a way that provides "cover for exploitation of the student athletes." The NCAA rules, he said, mean schools are effectively conspiring with one another "to pay no salaries to the workers who are making the schools billions of dollars, on the theory that consumers want the schools to pay their workers nothing. And that just seems entirely circular and even somewhat disturbing." While the NCAA took a battering during much of Wednesday's arguments, it wasn't clear that the student athletes were assured a victory. Several members of the court openly worried about the potential implications of its eventual decision in NCAA v. Alston, which is expected by late June. "How do we know that we're not just destroying the game as it exists?" Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked. |
| Supreme Court hears NCAA athlete compensation case | |
| U.S. Supreme Court justices seem skeptical of the argument that sports fans will lose interest in Division I games if college athletes are permitted to receive compensation in the form of financial aid and other benefits for playing. The justices made their doubts clear during a hearing Wednesday for a case involving the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which opposes compensating college athletes. The hearing was held via conference call, and the justices acknowledged concerns by athletes that they are being exploited for their talents, but the justices questioned whether that's reason enough to rule in their favor. The athletes contend that the NCAA's limits on education-related financial aid violate antitrust law, while the association maintains that its restrictions are essential for its business model. The skepticism expressed by some of the justices is a positive signal for opponents of the NCAA's position, but it is too early to draw conclusions about how the court will rule, said Audrey Anderson, a lawyer for Bass, Berry & Sims and former general counsel at Vanderbilt University. She said several justices seemed torn and concerned about how their decision could disrupt and dismantle the college sports model. Anderson noted that even the court's conservative justices expressed a negative view of Waxman's argument. Early in the hearing, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas questioned why the NCAA's amateurism standards apply only to athletes and not coaches. "It just strikes me as odd that the coaches' salaries have ballooned and they're in the amateur ranks, as are the players," Thomas said. |
| It's Easy (and Legal) to Bet on Sports. Do Young Adults Know the Risks? | |
 | Analysts and recovery advocates worry that efforts to research the long-term implications of legal sports betting and warn participants about the risks for addiction are falling short, particularly for people in their late teens and early 20s who are most vulnerable. "We're now in a phase where the nation has an appetite for sports betting," said Dr. Timothy Fong, a professor of psychiatry with specialty in addiction at the University of California, Los Angeles. "It's created this new form of entertainment that society has approved, but that form of entertainment does have a potential for addiction." Long restricted to Nevada, sports betting expanded rapidly after the Supreme Court overturned federal prohibitions against it in 2018. It is now legal in 21 states and Washington, D.C. In many states, people can legally and conveniently wager money using their smartphones. Most adults who bet on sports do so without major negative consequences. But about 1 percent of American adults have a gambling disorder, in which the core symptom is continuing to gamble despite harmful consequences, said Dr. Fong, who is a director of the Gambling Studies Program at U.C.L.A. Young adults are at particular risk for developing a gambling problem, especially if there is a family history of gambling or if they are introduced to it at a young age, Dr. Fong said. |
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