| Thursday, May 6, 2021 |
| FAA-funded MSU research program to address resin infusion needs in aerocomposites market | |
 | Begun in September 2020, a multi-year, multi-phase research program partially funded by the FAA and conducted by the Mississippi State University Advanced Composites Institute (ACI, Starkville, Miss., U.S.) aims to identify and meet needs within resin infusion technology for aerospace applications. In Phase I of the program, which takes place through October 2021, ACI is performing a technology readiness assessment for stitched and unstitched resin infusion. This includes both a literature survey by ACI, as well as a voice of the customer analysis involving feedback from suppliers, fabricators, OEMs and others within the aerospace composites value chain. According to Dr. Wayne Huberty, technical director of research at ACI, "We're talking to people up and down the value chain and learning about problems they may be having in resin infusion for aerospace. Through that, we're building up a database of information, and as we start seeing patterns and repetitions, the goal is to build a sort of 'Top 10' list of the most important and least satisfied needs to address through further research and development. In this way, we at ACI can really focus on what the industry as a whole says is the most important and can actually quantify any market satisfaction gaps that we identify." |
| Starkville company Glo teams up with Sesame Street to sell new early child development toys that help young children and those with autism | |
 | One business in Starkville can show you how to get to Sesame Street. It was April 5th when the Starkville-based company Glo launched the new line of their innovative bath toys known as Glo Pals after a deal with Sesame Street. A small splash and a burst of light are all it has taken for the small business to make ripples across the world. After finding early success selling their liquid-activated Glo Cubes, one phone call from a grateful mother changed everything. "She had gotten a Glo Cube and the first thing she thought about was her 4-year-old son, who was autistic and terrified of the bath," explained Glo vice president of business development Anna Barker. "She called us because she wanted us to know that (using the cube) was the first time in months that he had taken a bath without crying." That's when co-founders and Mississippi State alumni Barker and CEO Hagan Walker made the switch to selling the early child development toys. "It helps children with the development of their cognitive skills, fine motor skills, color recognition, problem-solving and color sorting," Barker explained. Which also happens to be what their new business partner has been doing for more than 50 years. Both Barker and Walker say their Sesame Street Glo Pals are also brought to their customers by the letters M, S and U, crediting State’s business school for getting them to where they are. |
| Republican committee declares Kevin Daniels winner in Ward 4 alderman race | |
 | Austin Check's challenge to the Ward 4 alderman Republican primary appears to be over after the party's municipal executive committee voted Monday to keep the results in place. Kevin Daniels was declared the winner of the April 6 contest by a 94-92 margin. On April 26, Check filed a petition formally contesting those results with the Republican Municipal Election Committee, claiming at least two of the primary's voters didn't actually live in the ward. The RMEC actually agreed with Check that two voters cast ballots in the wrong ward, according to the ward's mapping, but committee chairman Jack Forbus said those voters were listed in the Ward 4 pollbook. Therefore, they did not know at the time they voted they were in the incorrect ward, he said. "We voted to accept the election as is, even with these two people who don't necessarily live in the ward but were told they did and voted in the ward," Forbus said. "... (Kevin Daniels) won the primary, so now we move on to the general election." "Nobody did anything wrong," he added. Check told The Dispatch he did not intend to challenge the primary any farther. "I'm fine with it," Check said. |
| Supervisors tap Delois Farmer as new Oktibbeha administrator | |
| Oktibbeha County comptroller Delois Farmer will become the new county administrator on July 1. The board of supervisors hired Farmer from among four finalists Monday in a 4-1 vote during an executive session of its regular meeting. Farmer's salary has not yet been determined, District 5 Supervisor and board president Joe Williams told The Dispatch. Supervisors interviewed four candidates for the job April 26 to replace current administrator, Emily Garrard, who is retiring June 30 after seven years in the position. A Starkville native, Farmer has worked for Oktibbeha County since 1998 in various positions including working as bookkeeper and the deputy elections clerk. She moved into the comptroller role in 2014 after Garrard, who held the post previously, became county administrator. Farmer holds a bachelor's in business administration from Rust College. She told The Dispatch her experience working for the county prepared her for the promotion. District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller confirmed to The Dispatch she was the opposing vote to Farmer's hire. She said she felt there were more qualified candidates among the finalists. |
| Southern Gaming Summit in full swing at the Beau Rivage | |
 | The Southern Gaming Summit brought in a large crowd to the Beau Rivage Tuesday after missing last year due to COVID-19. Tuesday was day two of the three-day event that brought gaming leaders together, like Hard Rock international chief Jon Lucas, to discuss what's next after COVID. "The shutdown was certainly impactful and the opening with all the restrictions that we had it made it a little challenging, but I think there's lots of lessons learned from it," said Lucas. "Certainly, there's a time to reevaluate and re-adventure." Cashless technology, diversity and inclusion, and even online sports betting were just some of many topics discussed. "I think it's more than just betting, coming in and enjoying the experience of watching the sports they've done a really good job so if we were doing online, I think it would just as well with the online model as they have with the retail," said Jay McDaniel during the online betting session. Michael Bruffey said online betting is a hot topic that's currently in the works in the Magnolia State. "In Mississippi, the casinos offer sports betting so the question is should we be able to offer that everywhere in the state on your mobile device," Bruffey said. |
| Biden Plan Would Limit Longstanding Tax Break Used by Farmers | |
 | President Biden has said his tax proposals would make big business and wealthy investors pay their fair share. His package would also likely deliver a blow to American farm owners by limiting a longstanding tax break. The provision allows landowners to defer paying capital-gains tax when they sell investment property and put the proceeds toward the purchase of other real estate. Farmers for generations have used the tax break to cheaply and quickly relocate farm operations to lands with better soil, diversify the crops they grow and consolidate land holdings. Some have used it when exiting the farming business at retirement. Farm owners in 2012 held 915 million acres, about 40% of the land in the continental U.S. Farmers were hit four years ago when the Trump administration narrowed the use of this tax deferment, known as a 1031 like-kind exchange. The provision, named for a section of the tax code, used to apply to many types of personal property, including farm equipment and livestock. Farmers exchanged their old tractors and upgraded to newer and better ones without having to pay tax on their trade-ins. The 2017 tax law under President Trump eliminated 1031 exchanges for everything but real estate. Farmers and land brokers said the latest proposal, capping the profits from land sales that can be tax-deferred at $500,000, would add another burden on farming. Kristine Tidgren, director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University, said tax exceptions such as 1031 have allowed farmers, who often endure long periods without income between harvests, to retain as much cash on hand as possible for their operations |
| Small respite for Facebook as left and right slam ruling on Trump ban | |
 | The decision by the Facebook oversight board to uphold the social media platform's suspension of former President Donald Trump won plaudits from just about nobody. And it put Facebook, which had sought to distance itself from the saga by referring the suspension to its review board in the first place, squarely within the sights of Washington partisans. That's because the decision Wednesday came with a caveat. By suspending Trump indefinitely after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, the board said Facebook violated its own policies. The suspension was within Facebook's purview, the board ruled, but it cannot stand indefinitely because Facebook's policies don't allow for it. As a result, the oversight board, comprising academics and legal experts and marketed by Facebook as an independent arbiter of the company's content moderation decisions, punted. It gave Facebook six months to make a final ruling on Trump's account, meaning the former president could be back on the platform by the end of the year. Predictably, Republicans were outraged by the decision. But Democrats were none too pleased either. Of course, they said, the oversight board had ruled correctly in upholding the suspension. But by passing off final judgment to Facebook itself, it had abdicated its responsibility, placing it with decision-makers that many Democrats have already written off as untrustworthy and motivated solely by profit. |
| States that lifted COVID restrictions early got an economic boost. What happened next? | |
 | Who won the tug-of-war between the nation's health and economy? States that lifted business restrictions early during the COVID-19 pandemic benefited from a boost in economic activity, but those gains were limited or short-lived, as other states often caught up within a month, according to a study by Moody's Analytics. The aggressive states notched a longer-lasting advantage in employment but even in that critical category, the other states have narrowed the gap, the Moody's analysis shows. "I don't see the states, by reopening aggressively, bought themselves that much additional growth," says Moody's economist Adam Kamins. At the same time, the early reopening states didn't pay a significant price by falling behind the rest of the country after having to reinstate restrictions -- such as barring indoor dining or lowering a business's capacity limits -- because of COVID surges. Moody's took a look at the 15 states that lifted all restrictions by the end of March 2021 -- Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming. That group also imposed fewer constraints when the pandemic began a year ago and eased curbs sooner throughout the crisis, Kamins says. On an index that topped out at 100 in late February 2020, before the crisis started, the aggressive states have maintained a lead that on average has kept them about 5% ahead of the rest of the country. |
| CDC says coronavirus could be under control this summer in U.S. if people get vaccinated and are careful | |
 | Coronavirus infections could be driven to low levels and the pandemic at least temporarily throttled in the United States by July if the vast majority of people get vaccinated and continue with precautions against viral transmission, according to a strikingly optimistic paper released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report comes as administration officials and leaders in many states are sounding more confident that the country can return to a degree of normalcy relatively soon. President Biden on Tuesday announced a new vaccination goal, saying he wants 70 percent of adults to have had at least one dose by July 4. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday the modeling results give Americans a road map out of the pandemic -- so long as they continue to get vaccinated and maintain certain mitigation strategies until a "critical mass of people" get the shots. The CDC report is not a prediction or forecast. Rather, it is a set of four scenarios based on modeling of the pandemic, using different assumptions about vaccination rates, vaccine efficacy and precautions against transmission. |
| 'Turning the Corner': U.S. Covid Outlook Reaches Most Hopeful Point Yet | |
 | After weeks of coronavirus patients flooding emergency rooms in Michigan, the worst Covid-19 hot spot in the nation, hospitalizations are finally falling. On some recent days, entire states, including Wisconsin and West Virginia, have reported zero new coronavirus deaths -- a brief but promising respite from the onslaught of the past year. And in New York and Chicago, officials encouraged by the recent progress have confidently vowed to fully reopen in the coming weeks, conjuring images of a vibrant summer of concerts, sporting events and packed restaurants revving cities back to life. Americans have entered a new, hopeful phase of the pandemic. Buoyed by a sense that the coronavirus is waning, in part because of vaccinations, more people are shrugging off masks, venturing into restaurants and returning to their prepandemic routines. Mayors, governors and other local officials -- once the bearers of grim news about the virus's toll and strict rules for businesses --- have joined in the newfound optimism, rapidly loosening restrictions. Public health experts remain cautious, but said that while they still expect significant local and regional surges in the coming weeks, they do not think they will be as widespread or reach past peaks. "We're clearly turning the corner," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. |
| President Biden Backs Waiving International Patent Protections For COVID-19 Vaccines | |
 | President Biden threw his support behind a World Trade Organization proposal on Wednesday to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, clearing a hurdle for vaccine-strapped countries to manufacture their own vaccines even though the patents are privately held. "This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures," U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai said in a statement. "The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines." he pace of vaccinating against COVID-19 in the U.S. is slowing down. In some places, there are more vaccine doses than people who want them. Meanwhile, India is now the epicenter of the pandemic, and just 2% of its population is fully vaccinated. The WTO is considering a proposal to address that inequity, as India, South Africa and over 100 other nations advocate to waive IP rights for COVID-19 vaccines and medications, which could let manufacturers in other countries make their own. |
| College board, unable to work without Gov. Tate Reeves appointments, calls emergency meeting | |
| The board of trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning is scrambling to hold a special emergency meeting this Friday to consider several university agenda items --- a meeting that wouldn't be necessary had Gov. Tate Reeves made four new college board appointments on time. The Friday meeting, scheduled for the same day the terms of four trustees are set to expire, was called while the 12-person board will still have enough members to vote on certain finance items. The board is expected to consider five items on Friday that one of the trustees, due to a potential conflict of interest, is likely to recuse themselves from voting on, sources close to the IHL board told Mississippi Today. The items in question were initially on the agenda for the board's upcoming regular meeting on May 20. But since Reeves, who is responsible for naming trustees, did not make his appointments in time for the mandated Senate confirmation hearings during the 2021 legislative session, the board may only have eight members at that meeting -- exactly enough for a quorum. The anticipated recusal would render the board without a quorum and unable to legally vote on the items. Reeves has not said when he might fill the four empty seats. Without the governor's appointments, not only will the IHL board be unable to vote on any issue where a trustee must recuse themselves, but it will also be unable to hold a meeting in the event a member is absent. |
| Ole Miss deaf student sues school over lack of closed captioning | |
 | A deaf student at the University of Mississippi filed a lawsuit alleging the school discriminates against people who are deaf. The lawsuit filed by Joshua Sisco said while he was a student at the school, he pointed out to university officials the social media for the university and sports programs were not closed captioned. He said the school also did not provide closed captioning on televisions in common areas of the school including the dining areas. The lawsuit also stated Sisco received bad grades in a Chinese history class because the teacher graded students on videos shown in class that were not captioned. Sisco asked the judge to order the university to correct the captioning issue. He also asked for monetary relief, including a rebate on tuition paid while he was a student, for the school's failure to address the situation. |
| Body of missing USM honors student found at Dauphin Island beach | |
 | The body of a missing University of Southern Mississippi student who was last seen Sunday swimming on a sandbar at a Dauphin Island beach was found Wednesday. Jeff Collier, Dauphin Island mayor, said police and fire officials found the body of 20-year-old Rob Brent, of Yazoo County, six miles west of the West End Beach parking lot. "The family has been notified," Collier said in a Facebook post. "Thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time." Brent was last seen while swimming off the southern shore of Dauphin Island, and a friend reported him missing after he disappeared from sight. The U.S. Coast Guard joined local authorities in a search, which included aircraft, boats and teams combing the shore. The search for Brent was suspended Tuesday after crews searched over 1,800 square miles. Brent, an honors student at the university, was also a mentor to two Colloquium classes. Student Counseling Services at the university is available to support members of the USM community with group counseling. |
| JSU to host commencement ceremonies on Friday, Saturday | |
 | Jackson State University (JSU) will celebrate three commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8. The university will honor the 2021 Graduate Class and the Golden Diploma Class of 1971 at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, May 7, in the Athletics Assembly Center. The speaker will be Dr. Errick Greene, superintendent of Jackson Public Schools. The ceremony for the 2021 Undergraduate Class will be at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 8, at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The speaker will be U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson. JSU will honor the 2020 Graduate and Undergraduate Classes at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The speaker will be Jordan Jefferson, a 2020 graduate of JSU. |
| Researchers find learning losses may be compounded for students due to summer break and COVID-19 | |
 | This year Mississippi students are not only facing the usual month or two of academic learning loss common after the summer break, they also missed months of school in 2020 and had to adjust to virtual learning this year because of COVID 19. Delta State University Professor Temika Simmons says the learning loss is true for all students, but worse for Black, Latino and low-income children. "Often times their learning gains are lesser than their white counterparts. And then over the summer the learning loss is greater, so they're learning less than their white counterparts and then they're losing more over the summer," said Simmons. Simmons points out the greatest learning loss is in reading and math. Over the summer, she says parents can read with their children and ask them questions about the material. She adds let them figure out the tax on purchases at the store. |
| Course helps Auburn students become sommeliers | |
| Some Auburn students may have heard through the grapevine about Beverage Appreciation, a class where students get to taste alcohol for credit hours. The main purpose of Beverage Appreciation, offered through the College of Human Sciences, is to familiarize hospitality management majors with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks they might serve in their careers, especially students on the incoming culinary science track. David Martin, associate professor of nutrition, dietetics and hospitality management, is an instructor of the course in the summer and said Beverage Appreciation aims to teach students about the distribution, production and retail sales of beverages like wine, spirits and coffees. "We look at the general industry and market through a three-tiered system so that students have an idea of what jobs exist out there, what paths exist from a career perspective and the major players in the industry," he said. Martin said the course has a significant focus on wine given the importance of the beverage within culinary science, but it can also guide students into opportunities with other beverages. |
| Former LSU president F. King Alexander says his push to diversify made him enemies | |
 | Former LSU President F. King Alexander defended his record at LSU in a radio interview Wednesday, saying that he worked to diversify the university during his seven years there and that LSU was trying to create a Title IX office even as university officials were absorbing huge budget cuts and drawing up financial exigency plans. Alexander said on Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster on Wednesday that he's going to "keep fighting for students," despite being forced to resign shortly after his arrival at Oregon State University over allegations that complaints of sexual misconduct among students were mishandled during Alexander's time at LSU. Alexander emerged as a key figure in a review of LSU's Title IX policies by the law firm Husch Blackwell. The firm found LSU was not putting enough resources into enforcing the federal law, which prohibits discrimination by gender and requires institutions to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct and domestic violence among students. Alexander said that one of his proudest accomplishments at LSU also earned him a significant number of enemies: He tried to institute a "holistic admissions" standard in 2018 that evaluated potential students based on more than just their test scores and grade-point averages. |
| Bill would prohibit vaccine requirement for Louisiana state agencies and public colleges | |
 | Louisiana state agencies and public colleges would be unable to require coronavirus vaccines for entry into their facilities, if House lawmakers agree to a bill that won overwhelming support Tuesday from the Senate. Senators voted 28-9 for the proposal by Sen. Stewart Cathey, a Republican from Monroe. The measure would prohibit a person from being denied access to any state-owned, state-financed or state-operated facility based on whether that person has been vaccinated against the COVID-19 illness caused by the coronavirus. The Senate spent little time debating the bill Tuesday. It heads next to the House for consideration. |
| U. of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto makes commitment to shared governance while faculty want concrete action | |
 | Concerns over how much input faculty have over governance of the University of Kentucky reached the university's Board of Trustees on Tuesday, continuing an ongoing push by faculty against decision-making processes they say leave out their perspective. UK President Eli Capilouto kicked off the full board meeting Tuesday -- which was livestreamed and largely virtual -- by reaffirming his and his administration's commitment to shared governance of the university. Capilouto publicly made a similar commitment before the university's faculty senate on Monday and in an email he sent to the entire campus. Elected faculty representatives praised Capilouto's willingness to commit himself to shared governance, but said that they want to see that commitment backed up by action. Faculty on the board and those watching the meeting also felt that the board was not given time to discuss faculty grievances, as Capilouto and the board's chair quickly brought out members of the national championship winning volleyball and rifle teams at the conclusion of a faculty presentation. Last week, a petition -- signed by more than 500 of the university's over 2,500 faculty members -- that called for greater shared governance at the university was sent to the Board of Trustees and in an emergency meeting the university's faculty senate passed five resolutions which included suggested policy decisions that many faculty said would help maintain shared governance of the university. |
| U. of South Carolina promises transparency but will begin charging to release public records | |
 | After being sued at least twice in recent years for withholding public records, the University of South Carolina says it will now charge to gather, review and release public documents. The charges are allowed under state law. Other local and state agencies already charge the public and the media for access to records. The university will charge $25 per hour to search and retrieve records, unless the requested documents include emails or texts, in which case USC will charge $40 per hour. It will cost $20 per hour to redact records and $.10 per page to print the documents, according to USC's website. The charges will not apply to records requests that have already been filed. South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act allows public agencies to charge "reasonable fees," but those fees may not exceed the hourly rate of the lowest paid person who's qualified to gather the records. "The University of South Carolina is committed to transparency and adhering to the SC Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, and we are making significant improvements in how FOIA requests are processed by increasing efficiency and providing better service to requestors," USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said in an email. "As a result, the university will now charge reasonable fees allowable under the law to all requestors in order to recover costs associated with these improvements." |
| U. of Arkansas, Fayetteville faculty urges steps on gender affirmation | |
| More steps should be taken at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville to support transgender and gender nonconforming members of the campus community, faculty members said Wednesday. A resolution approved by UA's faculty senate listed eight proposed measures for the campus, including a change to university health insurance plans so they cover gender-affirming health care. Separately, the faculty approved a nonbinding resolution commending student leaders and recent graduate Gillian Gullett for their push to have the university do more in support of survivors of sexual violence. The faculty resolution also called for the university to issue a statement to the campus acknowledging their efforts and providing a "clear roadmap forward" that lists "concrete next steps." Michael Pierce, an associate professor of history and one of the resolution's sponsors, said during the meeting, which was held virtually, that the resolution was written "in response to recent legislation" and after "discussions with students from the trans community." Pierce said discussions were also held with officials in UA's J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and a Fulbright committee on diversity, equity and inclusion. |
| What students think about racial justice efforts on campus | |
 | When George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis last May, COVID-19 closures forced college students who might have marched in outrage with their campus peers to join protests elsewhere. That left most college leaders out of the action and, aside from releasing obligatory statements denouncing racism, somewhat off the hook on participation. In contrast, consider Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University, a public historically Black land-grant university. Hearing about his students' planned involvement in community protests, he attended to affirm his support. "I said to myself, 'Now is the moment to show up and shut up,'" says Allen, who had only been leading the institution for a few months at the time. While HBCU leaders don't feel the same kind of burden as the typical white president to prove that antiracist messages are heartfelt, they do get student requests for action. A new Student Voice survey, conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse and presented by Kaplan, finds that many students were underwhelmed by their colleges' responses to Floyd's death. Of the 2,000 college students surveyed between April 5 and 15, nearly half recall getting an email from their institution, and about three in 10 remember a statement expressing support for BLM. Colleges were much less likely to have taken bold steps, such as developing a comprehensive racial justice action plan. |
| For college students in crisis, emergency grants are a lifeline | |
| No matter how small, any unpaid balance can prevent a college senior who's otherwise in good standing from graduating. During the pandemic, this became a very real risk for some. Christian O'Neil, 25, was on track to receive his diploma last June but his college funds ran dry midway through his senior year. O'Neil had spent two years at a community college before transferring to the University of California, Riverside. His federal Pell Grant wasn't enough to cover the entire cost without taking on more student loan debt. "I was 400 miles away from home, with no expectation of help from my parents," he said. Instead, UC Riverside stepped in and offered O'Neil $1,000 for each of his remaining three quarters of school. "It was very instrumental in completing my degree," he said. Otherwise, "I would have had to drop out." Research shows that even a $100 late fee or parking fine can derail a student's graduation plans in their final semester. Now, nearly a dozen of the nation's largest public research universities -- known as the University Innovation Alliance -- are giving out "college completion grants" of up to $1,000 so students like O'Neil can get their diploma. |
| At Some Colleges, Remote Work Could Be Here to Stay | |
 | For months, colleges have weighed the risks and rewards of bringing students back to campuses disrupted by Covid-19. Now they're considering what to do about their employees. Committees at colleges and universities across the country are evaluating the future of work, asking to what extent staff and some faculty members could remain virtual and what that would mean for life on campus and off. There are broad implications, for example, for recruiting and campus density. Before the pandemic, many colleges had remote-work policies, with arrangements often negotiated for individual employees. Colleges that closed during the pandemic had to not only move their entire student body online, but also train many employees on how to use remote technology. Meetings migrated to Zoom, and office chatter moved to Microsoft Teams. In-person welcome receptions became virtual meet-and-greets. Now some campuses are surveying employees on what they want once the risk of Covid-19 abates, and the results are loud and clear. Some campus leaders now believe that flexible work-from-home policies will make or break their future hiring and retention efforts, particularly in competitive fields like technology. Campuses that don't embrace those policies may "suffer," losing talent to other campuses and to the private sector, said Andy Brantley, president and chief executive officer of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. |
| Courts view COVID-19 tuition refund lawsuits skeptically | |
| In the year since COVID-19 forced most colleges and universities to shut their physical campuses, lawyers have filed more than 300 cases on behalf of students and parents demanding refunds of tuition for educations they deemed to be either substandard or not what they were promised. While judges have dismissed many of those cases, finding them to be without merit or to fail to state a legitimate legal claim, dozens of other courts have given the plaintiffs preliminary victories by allowing the lawsuits to go to trial -- and at least two colleges have agreed to pay millions of dollars to settle lawsuits. On balance, though, most legal experts agree that the tuition reimbursement cases face a generally uphill climb in the courts -- because judges give institutions broad latitude to determine the quality of their education and tend to dismiss claims of educational "malpractice." It didn't take more than a week or two for students and families -- and plaintiffs' lawyers -- to begin seeking redress for their colleges' decisions to pivot to remote learning last spring. Even as many colleges and universities announced plans to refund fees for housing and dining services they would no longer deliver, groups of students at scores of institutions went further, suing for tuition refunds as well. |
| GOP legislatures target critical race theory | |
 | Republican-controlled legislatures in half a dozen states are taking up measures that would ban or limit the teaching of critical race theory in public schools, a new front in the culture wars that is likely to expand far more broadly in the coming years. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) earlier this year became the first to sign legislation to withhold funding from schools that compel students to adopt viewpoints that are "often found in critical race theory." The Texas state Senate has passed similar legislation. The Tennessee state House advanced its own version through an education committee this week. And legislators in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Arizona are working on bills that would impact the curriculum in public schools in their own backyards. Critical race theory, an academic concept developed in the 1970s and 1980s by leading legal theorists, holds that racism is ingrained in the history of the United States, and in laws still on the books today. It seeks to challenge that racism in order to improve equity in racial power through reforming the law. Both supporters and opponents of teaching critical race theory frame the debate in terms of freedom of speech, one that is under attack either from those who seek to promote thinking about America's racist legacies or from those who seek to ban its teaching. |
| Four bills would provide better financial transparency for students | |
| Four bipartisan bills were introduced in Congress last week that all aim to increase the transparency of information that students receive about the cost of and payment for college throughout their postsecondary education -- a change that experts and advocates say would be helpful but still wouldn't solve the student debt crisis. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans from Iowa, alongside Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota, introduced three bills April 29 -- the Net Price Calculator Improvement Act, the Understanding the True Cost of College Act and the Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act. A day earlier, the Student Loan Disclosure Modernization Act was reintroduced by Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Missouri, and Jim Banks, a Republican from Indiana, along with Senators Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, and Joe Manchin, the Democrat from West Virginia. The bills would provide clearer information about college finances to students, beginning with their search of prospective schools and continuing until they graduate. Congress has already made part of the financial aid process easier by passing legislation in December that will simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid from 108 to 36 questions. |
| Some CEOs Suggest Dropping Degree Requirements in Hiring | |
| Millions of jobs requiring a four-year college degree can be done without that level of education, some corporate leaders say. To address inequalities in business and society, some executives suggest that companies shake up their approach to hiring and consider unconventional candidates. Black Americans in particular are often left unprepared by the U.S. education system, and companies could help by hiring workers without a degree and giving them training, Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck & Co., said Tuesday at The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council Summit. "It's really important for us to recognize that because people haven't had an opportunity early in their lives, it doesn't mean that they can't make a real contribution to your company," Mr. Frazier said. "We want to just recognize that, in some ways, this is a harder population, but, at the same time, if we're committed to being the kind of country that we want to be, then this is something that business has to be willing to do." Mr. Frazier, with a coalition of dozens of other business leaders, including former International Business Machines Corp. Chief Executive Virginia Rometty, launched a startup last year called OneTen, aiming to create one million jobs for Black Americans over the next 10 years. |
SPORTS
| Citadel grad Chris Lemonis wins in return, but COVID-19 cancels reunion with Tony Skole | |
 | Before Wednesday night's game at Riley Park, Citadel assistant coach Zach Lucas walked to home plate to present a commemorative bat to Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis. The moment was supposed to be a reunion for Lemonis and The Citadel head coach Tony Skole, teammates on the military school's storied 1990 College World Series team. Skole had similarly honored another member of that team, Louisville coach Dan McDonnell, when the Cardinals visited Riley Park in 2018. But Lucas had to stand in for Skole, who was forced to miss the game after testing positive for COVID-19 on May 4, preventing an on-field celebration for the two former teammates and good friends. Lemonis' Mississippi State squad, ranked No. 4 by Baseball America and headed for a key SEC series at South Carolina this weekend, won by 10-2 over a slumping Citadel team as football/baseball standout Brad Cumbest hit a 443-foot homer and drove in four runs. But it was difficult for Lemonis to enjoy the victory with Skole sidelined due to COVID-19. "It's kind of a bummer," said Lemonis, whose team is 33-10. "I'm happy we won, but disappointed that we didn't get to see Tony and didn't get to hang out. I feel for him, but this has been tough times with COVID for everybody, and I just hope he'll be tack out there coaching soon. |
| Mississippi State baseball takes down The Citadel in road midweek contest | |
| The Mississippi State baseball team beat The Citadel 10-2 on Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina. Outfielder Brad Cumbest continued making the most of his opportunities in left field of late, going 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs for the No. 4 Bulldogs (33-10, 14-7 Southeastern Conference). The junior from Hurley also had the Bulldogs' only stolen base on the night against The Citadel (11-29).I liked the way we played tonight. Freshman Cade Smith got the start for the Bulldogs, throwing three innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts and earning the win. Logan Tanner had a nice night at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs. Freshman Kellum Clark made the most of his limited opportunity, going 1 for 3 at the plate with a walk and two runs scored. "We got a good start, our [relievers] pitched well, we played good defense and we got some big hits with two outs and with runners in scoring position," Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said in a news release. "I am excited because we have a big weekend ahead of us. The home runs gave us a little separation tonight and the ballpark played a little more offensive, so that was huge for us." |
| Mississippi State softball keeps up hot streak with doubleheader sweep of No. 17 Tennessee | |
| Carter Spexarth waited for a strike. After graduate first baseman Fa Leilua walked in front of her, the Mississippi State senior stood in with two on and two out in the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday against No. 17 Tennessee. Spexarth took the first pitch in the zone from Volunteers ace Ashley Rogers then watched the second for a ball. "I was just waiting for her to leave a good pitch and, with two outs, just do what I can --- not try to do too much," Spexarth said. On Rogers' 1-1 pitch, Spexarth got her strike. Then she delivered one. She lined the softball to the gap in right center field, bringing home third baseman Montana Davidson from second base and scoring Leilua from first. Spexarth claimed second and celebrated with a pair of fist pumps as her two-run double broke a scoreless tie. It was the impetus Mississippi State needed. The Bulldogs (29-22, 5-15 Southeastern Conference) finished off a 2-1 win in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader and jumped on the Vols (38-10, 11-9 SEC) early to win Game 2, 6-2. "We struggled before, but now it feels like everything's coming together," outfielder Brylie St. Clair said. "It just feels perfect to be able to get some wins." |
| Vanderbilt baseball games opening to full capacity May 18 for final week of regular season | |
 | Vanderbilt baseball will open to full attendance for home games from May 18-22 to finish the regular season, the school announced Wednesday. Those games will be against Florida International (May 18) and Kentucky (May 20-22) at Hawkins Field. Masks must still be worn. The decision follows the announcement by Nashville's Metro Health Department that outdoor capacity limitations will be lifted May 14. Vanderbilt baseball games have been at 40% capacity since mid-April. Vanderbilt season-ticket holders will be emailed ticket request forms and have until May 10 to reserve complimentary tickets. Remaining tickets will be available for public sale on May 17. No. 2 Vanderbilt made a bid to host an NCAA Regional and potentially a Super Regional. For those games, Vanderbilt will adhere to NCAA attendance protocols, which currently recommends 50% capacity. D1Baseball.com reported that next week the NCAA will announce 20 potential regional hosts and then trim that list to 16 on May 30, the day before Selection Monday. The NCAA previously announced that Super Regional hosts would come from the pool of Regional hosts. |
| Georgia governor to sign bill allowing college athletes to be paid | |
| College athletes in Georgia could start making money next season. Gov. Brian Kemp is scheduled to sign HB 617 Thursday, allowing student athletes to be paid if their name, image or likeness is used. "It's big business," Clint Bryant, Augusta University's Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, says. "College athletics, at that level, is huge, huge business. There's a lot of money involved." According to the bill, college athletes will not be punished or have their scholarships revoked if they are compensated. They will be mandated to inform their school if they sign a contract. They will also be required to participate in a workshop to learn about budgeting and debt. The new law, which will go into effect July 1, is expected to make a big impact at major colleges, such as the University of Georgia. For smaller schools, like Augusta University, there are still a lot of questions. Several states have passed similar laws while others, including South Carolina, are considering their own legislation. Bryant says these different laws could affect recruiting with athletes potentially deciding to attend a university in one state because of its particular law. |
| Laws banning transgender student athletes splinter GOP | |
 | Republicans saw a ready-made wedge issue to rally the GOP's base when, soon after Joe Biden took office, he moved to expand protections for transgender people, including in school sports. The president and his Democratic allies, conservatives said, were ruining women's athletics, and Republican lawmakers across the country advanced a raft of bills designed to keep transgender women and girls from playing on female teams. et what once promised to be a galvanizing force for the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections and 2024 has instead devolved into a source of division within the GOP, hobbling one potential presidential contender -- Kristi Noem -- and pitting other Republican governors against lawmakers of their own party. First Utah's Republican governor, Spencer Cox, bucked the GOP's conservative base, declaring in February that he wouldn't sign a bill banning transgender women and girls from playing female sports. Then Noem, the South Dakota governor, waffled on transgender legislation in her state, infuriating conservatives. In late April, the Republican governor of neighboring North Dakota, Doug Burgum, vetoed a similar bill. Far from a unifying new fixture in the GOP's culture wars, the question of how to treat transgender student athletes is instead inflaming rifts within the party -- and quickly becoming a litmus test for Republicans who aspire to higher office. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
