Monday, May 10, 2021   
 
Low broadband access hinders modern producers
From computer programs that regulate moisture sensors to smartphone apps that allow growers to monitor market data, most facets of agriculture continue their shift to digital platforms. This transition makes reliable internet access no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Despite Mississippi agriculture's annual economic impact of around $7 billion, broadband infrastructure is in short supply in the state's densest agricultural hub: the 19-county Mississippi Delta. Broadband is defined as internet access with download speeds above 25 megabits per second and upload speeds of at least 3 megabits per second. Brian Mills and Devon Meadowcroft, Extension agricultural economists based at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, compiled data that illustrate the limitations facing many counties and how the lack of broadband access creates significant disadvantages to growers wherever fast internet is scarce. Their study used Federal Communications Commission broadband data and U.S. Census population statistics to examine farm employment and population with no broadband access in each of the state's 82 counties.
 
Low broadband access hinders modern producers
From computer programs that regulate moisture sensors to smartphone apps that allow growers to monitor market data, most facets of agriculture continue their shift to digital platforms. This transition makes reliable internet access no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Despite Mississippi agriculture's annual economic impact of around $7 billion, broadband infrastructure is in short supply in the state's densest agricultural hub: the 19-county Mississippi Delta. Broadband is defined as internet access with download speeds above 25 megabits per second and upload speeds of at least 3 megabits per second. Brian Mills and Devon Meadowcroft, Extension agricultural economists based at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, compiled data that illustrate the limitations facing many counties and how the lack of broadband access creates significant disadvantages to growers wherever fast internet is scarce. While nearly 20% of the state's overall population lacks broadband access, Mills and Meadowcroft specifically examined the Delta after the relationship between the rate of farm employment and lack of broadband access became apparent. However, many areas in south Mississippi suffer from the same lack of resources.
 
Alabama, Mississippi residents go green for improved diet, well-being through Harvest for Health
Fresh, home-grown vegetables are becoming more plentiful in counties across Alabama and Mississippi with the expansion of a program designed to increase healthy food options and provide more opportunities for physical activity. The introduction of the Harvest for Health initiative signifies a major step for participants in the ongoing Chronic Disease & Health Disparities Program at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. Gardening activity will be phased into the program beginning this month. Participation is open to several counties across Alabama and Mississippi. The Alabama counties are Bullock, Calhoun, Dallas, Madison, Marengo, Monroe, Sumter, Talladega and Walker, while the Mississippi counties are Bolivar, Grenada, Humphrey, Panola, Sunflower and Yazoo. Participants will be given all the supplies they need and will be getting support from a master gardener from area extension services. The Harvest for Health program includes a team from several institutions in Alabama and Mississippi, including principal investigator Monica Baskin, Ph.D., Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Ph.D., R.D., and Claudia Hardy, MPA, from UAB; Jennifer Bail, Ph.D., R.N., from UAH; Rudy Pacumbaba, Ph.D., from Alabama A&M University; David Buys, Ph.D., and Jeff Wilson, Ph.D., from Mississippi State University; and Angela Duck, Ph.D., R.N., from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
 
Buddy making progress at MSU
Buddy the dog continues to recover at Mississippi State University after a juvenile intentionally set fire to his face in Tate County several weeks ago. On Saturday, the Tunica Humane Society shared a new picture of Buddy at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. The Facebook post read, "Our sweet boy ventured out on his own today. Sniffing around the play yard at Mississippi State. Getting better everyday! God is Faithful" Bandages continue to cover his entire head except for his nose and mouth. He recently underwent skin graft surgery. Doctors placed fish skin over his face. The juvenile who set fire to Buddy also confessed to tying an electrical cord around the dog's neck. However, due to the juvenile's age, the child will not face criminal charges.
 
Starkville, Oktibbeha County considering juvenile curfews
Authorities in Starkville and Oktibbeha County are weighing whether to implement a juvenile curfew in an attempt to decrease crime among teenagers and pre-teens. Oktibbeha County supervisors announced Monday they would host a public hearing to address the potential of a juvenile curfew in June. Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said after she heard the county was considering a curfew, she wanted to establish one as well. The announcements come weeks after several high-profile crimes in the Starkville area, including a fatal shooting on Easter Sunday, a shooting in McKee Park April 20 and two people killed on Pilcher Street March 3. "We are at a crossroads in my opinion," Spruill said in the city board of aldermen's work session April 30. "We have had activity north, south and in the middle of our city, and I think this is a time to recognize, to some extent, that we want parents to do it, but parents don't seem to be parenting like they need to be." City aldermen and county supervisors largely expressed support for the curfew, though some said they would like to see tangible data on the effectiveness and success rates of juvenile curfews before fully supporting one. I am in favor of doing the things we can do that will be beneficial to reducing crime in town," Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker said, "and if the curfew is one way to do that, I am interested in seeing some data."
 
Mississippi health officials talk Pfizer vaccine use in kids 12 to 15
As the Food and Drug Administration gears up to authorize Pfizer vaccine use in 12 to 15-year-olds by next week, Mississippi health officials urged local doctors to enroll as vaccine providers. "Get ready, be supportive," State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said to the doctors during a livestream discussion Friday. "It'll keep outbreaks down, cases low and kids from quarantining." Dobbs said Emergency Use Authorization for vaccine use in 12- to 15-year-old children could come in the next couple of weeks. State Epidemiologist Paul Byers noted 16- and 17-year-olds are already eligible for the Pfizer vaccine but haven't been getting it in significant numbers. To have school get back to normal, with students attending in-person unmasked, it is vital they are vaccinated against COVID-19 infection, he said Friday. During the discussion, Mark Horne, Mississippi State Medical Association president, likened vaccinations to wearing a seat belt. He said a seat belt is a simple, life-saving mechanism a person will be glad they used should they be in an accident. Vaccine skepticism increased after 15 women developed a rare blood clot after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Administering the vaccine was paused for 10 days, but people can get the vaccine again. Dobbs highlighted the rarity of the blood clot cases noting just 15 people out of about 8 million who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine experienced the clot.
 
An Extended Pipeline Shutdown Could Impact Gas Prices In Southeast U.S.
The shutdown of one of the largest refined products pipelines in the United States following a ransomware attack has prompted speculation about what could happen to gas and diesel prices if the shutdown continues. Colonial Pipeline said Sunday afternoon that it was "developing a system restart plan" and that some smaller lines were operational. "We are in the process of restoring service to other laterals and will bring our full system back online only when we believe it is safe to do so, and in full compliance with the approval of all federal regulations." The impact of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown has so far not been felt at the pumps, with the national average holding steady at $2.96 a gallon on Sunday, according to American Automobile Association. But given the pipeline's size and importance for the U.S. East Coast, a prolonged disruption could change things. The company has not set a public timetable for restoring full service. States in the Southeast would likely be among the first ones impacted should the current shutdown continue, as the region relies heavily on the pipeline system for its supply. The pipeline shutdown comes amid growing concerns over vulnerabilities in the country's infrastructure after several recent cyberattacks.
 
Mississippi businesses keep lights on thanks to PPP loans changes
The federal Paycheck Protection Program has provided life support to Mississippi rural hospitals facing bankruptcy and closure. It has kept the lights on for the state's rural electric utilities and boosted the prospects for expanding broadband access in a state that ranks at the bottom for connectivity. And now, it may help sole proprietors from Gulf Coast fishermen to Delta farmers stay in business whose loan applications from this sector are outpacing the national average by 27%. Initial restrictions held back the potential benefits to Mississippi businesses when it was passed with bipartisan congressional support. Those restrictions were removed as the nation went into a freefall from the coronavirus pandemic. "If the intent of the program was to blunt an economic cliff caused by continuously growing unemployment, it did that," said Gordon Fellows, president of the Mississippi Bankers Association. "The SBA (Small Business Administration) had to build the plane while we were all flying in it in the middle of a crisis unlike anything any of us had ever experienced." The federal Paycheck Protection Program has provided life support to Mississippi rural hospitals facing bankruptcy and closure. It has kept the lights on for the state's rural electric utilities and boosted the prospects for expanding broadband access in a state that ranks at the bottom for connectivity. And now, it may help sole proprietors from Gulf Coast fishermen to Delta farmers stay in business whose loan applications from this sector are outpacing the national average by 27%.
 
Corn Is the Latest Commodity to Soar
America's biggest cash crop has rarely been more expensive. Corn prices have risen 50% in 2021 and a bushel costs more than twice what it did a year ago. Corn has been one of the sharpest risers in the broad rally in raw materials that is prompting companies to boost prices for goods and fueling concern among investors that inflation could hobble the post-pandemic economic recovery.Lumber prices have shot to more than four times what is typical, pushing up home prices and obliterating renovation budgets. Copper, a cog of industry found throughout the home and in electronics, hit record prices Friday. Crude oil hasn't cost so much since 2018 and soybeans are trading at their loftiest level since 2012. With corn climbing toward a record, Americans can expect to pay more for all sorts of items at the grocery store as well as at the gasoline pump. Corn is a key ingredient in making products ranging from tortilla chips and chicken wings to bourbon and Coca-Cola. About 40% of the U.S. crop is blended into motor fuel. Analysts say high corn prices are lifting makers of fertilizer and farm equipment while helping consumer products and food companies justify their own price increases. U.S. farmers, who are seeding fields for a big autumn harvest, are also benefiting.
 
Census will reshape political maps in Mississippi: Who could gain, lose?
States are set to receive detailed Census information in September, and Mississippi legislators will use those numbers in a tough political battle -- deciding how to redraw the four U.S. House districts and the 174 state legislative districts. Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature and the committees that will draw new district lines, so they have an advantage over Democrats. Three of Mississippi's U.S. House districts are majority-white and held by Republicans, and one is majority-Black and held by a Democrat. That balance is unlikely to change. The boundaries of the majority-Black 2nd District will need to expand because people have been moving out of the rural Delta during the past decade. A similar expansion was needed, for the same reason, during redistricting 10 years ago. A 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision in an Alabama case eliminated the requirement for states with a history of racial discrimination, including Mississippi, to receive federal approval of redistricting plans or changes in election laws. That preclearance requirement was in Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act. But people drawing Mississippi's new congressional boundaries should not be able to obliterate the majority-Black congressional district because Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination against minority voters.
 
Mississippi marijuana proposal hits snag over public notice
Signature gathering will be delayed for a broad-based marijuana legalization proposal in Mississippi because of an error in notifying the public about the ballot initiative, the secretary of state's office said Friday. Initiative 77 would legalize cultivation, possession and use of marijuana, authorize a 7% sales tax on the products and allow marijuana smoking wherever tobacco smoking is allowed. It proposes to replace Initiative 65, the medical marijuana ballot measure that voters approved in November. Mississippi law requires the secretary of state to publish the title and summary for each proposed initiative within 10 days after those documents are filed The notice must appear in "a newspaper or newspapers of general circulation" in the state. A news release from Secretary of State Michael Watson said that his office sent the notice to the Mississippi Press Association. Its affiliate, Mississippi Press Services, distributed the notice to many newspapers for them to publish, but it missed five newspapers on the list. Layne Bruce, executive director of MPA and MPS said in the release that the organizations regret the error. "We will work diligently to avoid this kind of oversight in the future," Bruce said.
 
Progressives want to go bigger than President Biden on free school meals
Progressives in Congress are pushing to go much bigger than President Joe Biden's plan to expand access to school meals: Make them free for everyone. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Friday intend to introduce legislation in both chambers that would make breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks free to all school children regardless of household income levels. The left's pitch for universal free meals comes after a year of relaxed rules that have allowed schools to serve free meals to all students, regardless of whether they normally qualify for help. It was one way the Agriculture Department responded to the crisis last spring. School leaders and some anti-hunger advocates are increasingly making the case that the policy should continue after the pandemic because it is easier to administer, increases revenue for school nutrition programs and reduces stigma for children from low-income households who need help. The measure would also provide an incentive of up to 30 cents per meal to schools that get 25 percent of their food from local sources. The bill would define that as food produced within state lines or within 250 miles of the school or school district. Such an incentive would provide local farmers with up to $3.3 billion in additional income per year and increase local food sales by up to 28 percent, proponents of the bill predict.
 
White House seeks to separate science, politics to avoid another Sharpiegate
Eager to the turn the page on the Trump years, the Biden White House is launching an effort to unearth past problems with the politicization of science within government and to tighten scientific integrity rules for the future. A new 46-person federal scientific integrity task force with members from more than two dozen government agencies will meet for the first time on Friday. Its mission is to look back through 2009 for areas where partisanship interfered with what were supposed to be decisions based on evidence and research and to come up with ways to keep politics out of government science in the future. "We want people to be able to trust what the federal government is telling you, whether it's a weather forecast or information about vaccine safety or whatever," said Jane Lubchenco, the deputy director for climate and environment at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. People need to know "it's not by fiat, somebody's sort of knee-jerk opinion about something," added Alondra Nelson, the science office's deputy director for science and society. Nelson and Lubchenco spoke to The Associated Press ahead of a Monday announcement about the task force's first meeting and part of its composition. It stems from a Jan. 27 presidential memo requiring "evidence-based policy-making."
 
Inside Arizona's election audit, GOP fraud fantasies live on
On the floor of Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where Sir Charles Barkley once dunked basketballs and Hulk Hogan wrestled King Kong Bundy, 46 tables are arrayed in neat rows, each with a Lazy Susan in the middle. Seated at the tables are several dozen people, mostly Republicans, who spend hours watching ballots spin by, photographing them or inspecting them closely. They are counting them and checking to see if there is any sign they were flown in surreptitiously from South Korea. A few weeks ago they were holding them up to ultraviolet lights, looking for a watermark rumored to be a sign of fraud. This is Arizona's extraordinary, partisan audit of the 2020 election results in the state's most populous county -- ground zero for former President Donald Trump and a legion of his supporters who have refused to accept his loss in Arizona or in other battleground states. Theses ballots have been counted before and certified by the Republican governor. Much of the country has moved on. And yet, in this aging arena, Republicans are searching for evidence to support claims they already believe. The effort has alarmed voting rights advocates, election administrators and civil rights lawyers at the U.S. Department of Justice, who this past week demanded confirmation that federal security and anti-intimidation laws are being followed. Senate President Karen Fann responded Friday by telling the department it had nothing to worry about.
 
Anthony Fauci says wearing masks could become seasonal following pandemic
Anthony S. Fauci, the nation's leading infectious-disease expert, said Sunday that people may decide to wear face masks during certain seasons after the coronavirus pandemic has ended to help avoid spreading or contracting respiratory illnesses like the flu. In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," the chief medical adviser to the White House pointed out that the public has grown accustomed to wearing masks and added that quantifiable data shows that its use has helped stem the spread of other viruses. "We've had practically a nonexistent flu season this year merely because people were doing the kinds of public health things that were directed predominantly against covid-19," Fauci said. Fauci added that it is "conceivable" that during seasonal periods where respiratory-borne viruses such as the flu are prevalent, people might decide in the next year or two to wear masks to diminish the possibility of either spreading or catching these diseases. Since the beginning of the pandemic, mask mandates have been a source of political contention, with officials either seeking to require face coverings to help stem the spread of the virus or arguing that they violate personal freedom.
 
Executives, workers see future of remote work differently
As increasing vaccinations make returning to the office a reality, tensions between workers and managers are rising about what that should look like. While Google, Twitter and Microsoft have embraced flexible and remote work, the heads of JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have expressed frustration with it, as did the CEO of Washingtonian magazine in a Washington Post opinion piece that sparked a strong reaction from employees. Most executives and workers say they prefer a mix of remote and in-person work, said Bhushan Sethi with business services firm PwC. But, "we are seeing a disconnect in terms of what executives, employers are looking for versus employees," Sethi said. PwC surveys found leaders favored more frequent office time sooner than workers did. Sethi said many top managers want to strengthen company culture and collaboration with in-person interactions. But a lot of workers don't want to give up their newfound flexibility, said Harvard Business School professor Tsedal Neeley. "It's a critical mass. Their culture as they've known it has changed. People, individuals, have changed."
 
Uncertainty surrounds Mississippi's college board as governor has not disclosed new board appointees
Mississippi's College Board handles the funding for Mississippi's eight public universities. Friday, the board rushed to take up budget items before the terms of four members expired. Among the items addressed; extending leases for the University of Mississippi Medical Center and insurance policies for students. Board Member Tom Duff says they have been working on the insurance plan for at least a year. "We are saving about $224 per student compared to the previous average, so it's a savings of over $800,000," says Duff, who attended the emergency meeting virtually. "And David has done a great job of trying to get this so all of the IHL students can participate at a lower price." Governor Tate Reeves did not make new appointments to the board which must be confirmed by the state senate. Eight members are a quorum, but an absence could delay finalizing important decisions. Also on Friday, a spokesperson for the governor's office told several media outlets there are no vacancies and the governor will make those appointments at the appropriate time. Retired Jackson State University Professor Ivory Phillips was at the meeting and he's concerned about how the situation is being handled by the governor. Phillips says "Each month there are critical issues that come up. So there's no such thing as 'Oh, we can slide into the next month' because something critical will be missing. It may be academics, or it may be tuition, or it may be personnel, but every month there's something critical that comes up."
 
College Board's upcoming vacancies bring up questions about Governor's appointment timeline
A special called meeting from the College Board sparks questions about the Governor's timeline for making various appointments. Headshots of the four College Board members whose terms expire at midnight had already been removed from Board room at the time of Friday's noon meeting. With no new appointees waiting in the wings, it leaves eight members. That's the minimum number needed for the board to conduct business which could be a potential issue if anyone is out or recuses themself from a vote. Governor Reeves office said he'll make appointments at the appropriate time and a special session won't be needed. But some are concerned that those weren't made sooner. Senator Hillman Frazier says delays have become the norm for Reeves. "That's been one of the bad qualities of the Governor, because when he was serving as Lieutenant Governor, it took him a long time to make appointments to committees and assign bills to committees and that put us in a very difficult position for processing legislation," said Frazier. "This is part of him. Very slow to make appointments. It does not serve the state well to delay appointments like this." But it's not isolated to the College Board. Reeves has yet to appoint two Board of Education members and his appointments weren't made in time for the first state flag commission meeting. Still, Senator Joey Fillingane says it's not a fair comparison to look at the timeline of appointments from previous Governors... pointing to the flooding, prison violence, and pandemic that Reeves has dealt with.
 
Pre-paid tuition plans financial shape presents different outlooks
The state's pre-paid college fund is Janus-like in that one side of it is in great financial shape, while the other will likely require a taxpayer bailout in seven years or less. The Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program is split into two separate plans. The Horizon plan is the part of MPACT that is in solid financial shape, more than 118 percent fully funded and still accepting new applicants. The Legacy plan is in serious jeopardy, even if it is better shape than the year before. It is only 74.5 percent fully funded and will become insolvent by 2028. The problem for taxpayers is that they will be on the hook for the deficit, as the plan is guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the state. MPACT is what is known as a 529 plan, which has tax advantages designed to encourage saving for future educational costs. There are two types of these plans: prepaid tuition plans and educational savings plans. MPACT is the former and parents pay into the plan, which then covers tuition and other expenses. The good news about the Horizon plan, says state Treasurer David McRae, is that even with annual tuition increases, it is well positioned to avoid any future issues thanks to strong recent investment returns, except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He says institutions need to be held accountable for tuition hikes that exceed the rate of inflation.
 
Irene Pintado receives MUW's Kossen Faculty Excellence Award
Discovery drives Irene Pintado to pursue excellence every day. Pintado looks at each Mississippi University for Women student as an individual with unique talents and gifts. Her goal is to create an atmosphere in which each student thrives. Pintado takes the same approach with research projects. Whether she is working on projects that impact the community or The W, Pintado has demonstrated excellence in professional and scholarly endeavors. Pintado's versatility and dedication were recognized recently when she received the Kossen Faculty Excellence Award. Connie ('64) and Tom Kossen established the Kossen Faculty Excellence Award endowment. Every year the endowment funds a $5,000 award to recognize an outstanding faculty member. "I was surprised and honored," said Pintado, who has been at The W since the fall of 2007. "I am grateful to have colleagues that nominated me for the award and more importantly who support me in the job of teaching every day." Mark Bean, professor and chair of The W's Department of Health and Kinesiology (H&K), said Pintado added rigor and relevance to the curriculum when she arrived on campus in the fall of 2007. He said she has played a vital role in enhancing the Master of Science in Health Education program by helping students to understand complex concepts in a way that is easily understood and applicable.
 
Grant helps Mississippi medical students work in rural areas
University of Mississippi Medical Center officials say they are seeing an impact from a multimillion dollar grant that aims to get more doctors working in rural areas. In July, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration awarded the UMMC medical school the first $1.9 million of a grant that is worth at least $7.6 million. In addition, the school is eligible for an extra $5 million at the end of the first year. IMPACT, the RACE Rural Track Program, covers funding for more medical students to get clinical training in rural areas. They can now spend a large portion of clinical training in places like UMMC Grenada or Magnolia Regional Hospital in Corinth. Dr. Sheree Melton, assistant professor of family medicine and clerkship director for the Department of Family Medicine at UMMC, said in a medical center news release that some students are training in rural hospital systems and then signing contracts to work there after graduation.
 
Endowment memoralizes 'boys'
A scholarship endowment paying tribute to the lives of three University of Mississippi students has grown to more than $468,000, and three new recipients of the scholarship say they feel honored to represent the men for whom the scholarship is named. Continuing gifts from the Kappa Alpha fraternity have expanded the Charles Walker Kelly, Samuel Clayton Kelly and Bryant Mason Wilbanks Memorial Scholarship Endowment that remembers the lives of lifelong friends tragically killed in a 2011 car accident. All natives of Madison, Mississippi, the friends graduated together from Madison Central High School, attended Broadmoor Baptist Church, enrolled in Ole Miss and pledged the same fraternity. Now their legacies are kept alive by fellow KA brothers who receive the annual scholarship awards. This year's recipients are Andrew Cofield of Memphis, Tennessee, Peyton Greenwood of Flowood, Mississippi, and Westbrooks Ross of Madison, Mississippi. "One of the biggest fears of a parent who has lost a child is that the child will be forgotten," said Ken Wilbanks, the father of Mason Wilbanks. "Thanks to the generosity and support of KA and the Ole Miss community, our sons' legacies will continue on the Ole Miss campus long after we are gone. It is truly humbling and such an honor to be able to present these three scholarships annually to active KA members in memory of Mason, Sam Clayton and Walker. I know our boys are smiling knowing they are continuing to help those in the fraternity they loved so much at the university they loved so dearly."
 
'Starting to return to normal': AU graduation weekend brought much-needed tourist revenue to area
Hotels and other tourism-centric businesses are recovering from a tough 2020, thanks to a resurgence of activity around Auburn University and Lee County. "I really feel like people are just itching to get out and go do things," said Cat Bobo, communications manager for A-O Tourism. "This past weekend was (Auburn University's) graduation. We pulled the hotel numbers this morning just to check them out because we had heard from restaurants that it was an insane weekend. ... It was an 89 percent occupancy over the two nights of graduation. "People stayed longer for this graduation and spent more nights in hotels, which is fantastic – it generated almost $1 million dollars in revenue in one weekend." And downtown Auburn's favorite tourist destination for lemonade is faring better this year. "We're starting to return to normal; we're definitely seeing a lot of people getting out and walking around town that we were not seeing last year," said Michael Overstreet, who manages Toomer's Drugs. "We are improving every day, but we're not quite back to where we were. We hope to be back to normal by the fall when students return."
 
How much might new LSU president William Tate IV get paid? Here's the latest on his contract
Newly chosen LSU leader William Tate IV hopes to start his new job on July 2, but that depends on how quickly he and officials can finalize his contract. LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Robert Dampf is in charge of the negotiations and said he and Tate already have come to agreement on "general concepts." Dampf added, "I don't think we're going to have troubles with the contract." But the devil is in the details -- like how much will Tate be paid? Tate deferred to Dampf, who looked to LSU general counsel Winston DeCuir, who said it's not finalized yet. "My intention is to be here as long as you'll have me," Tate said. "Point of fact is I have to perform. ... What I'd like you to say in X number of years is not just that the guy was an African American president, but he did a dadgum good job and we're thankful he was here." Tate hadn't been at the University of South Carolina long enough for his salary records to be easily accessible to the public. But the provost he replaced last year made $400,000. His boss, University of South Carolina President Robert Caslen had an annual salary of $316,200 in 2019, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which charts executive pay at higher education institutions using public records and reporting. Their latest analysis was updated in March. F. King Alexander, whose 2019 resignation to move to Oregon State University began the ride that ended with the naming of Tate on Thursday, received $663,928 base pay plus another $55,194 in benefits and incentive monies after seven years at the helm as LSU president, according to state records.
 
South Carolina President Robert Caslen welcomes new alumni of 'U. of California' at graduation
University of South Carolina President Robert "Bob" Caslen called graduates at a Friday commencement ceremony "the newest alumni from the University of California." "It's now my honor and privilege to officially congratulate you as the newest alumni from the University of California," Caslen said at the end of a nearly three hour ceremony. The moment, which was caught on video and recorded by USC, is circulating on social media. Some in the graduating class laughed. Others at the ceremony jeered. One person on a video can be heard saying "What?" in a confused tone. The university president apologized seconds later and corrected himself after someone on the stage let him know about the error. Caslen, an Army general, told the gathering "I owe you pushups" after using the incorrect name. "The president speaks at 15 separate ceremonies all across the state during spring commencement season, congratulating thousands of University of South Carolina system graduates," said USC spokesperon Jeff Stensland. "It's a joyous time for our graduates, their families and the entire university community. President Caslen apologizes for accidentally saying 'California' instead of 'Carolina' at the end of last night's ceremony and regrets any attention it may have drawn from the accomplishments of our graduates." The 2021 Class of USC has had graduation activities all week, culminating in Friday evening's commencement. Another commencement occurred on Saturday morning and another is planned for Saturday evening.
 
Updated South Carolina law grants in-state tuition to veterans regardless of when they served
Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill granting all military veterans and their dependents in-state tuition at South Carolina's universities regardless of when they left the service. McMaster's signature May 6 amends a 2015 law supported by then-S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley which granted in-state tuition to all former service members using education benefits from the GI Bill. Veterans and their spouses don't have to currently live in South Carolina to apply for the in-state tuition rate but must move here after becoming enrolled. The law from Haley's tenure, however, specified that a veteran must apply to South Carolina's schools within three years of leaving military service to be eligible for in-state tuition rates. Under the bill signed by McMaster, that time limit no longer applies. The GI Bill covers the cost of in-state tuition but doesn't cover the difference in out-of-state fees and tuition. Haley's law helped incentivise former service members to consider South Carolina for their education. It can lead to huge savings for veterans. At the University of South Carolina in Columbia, for example, the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition is nearly $10,000.
 
'It's kind of surreal': U. of Tennessee holds graduations in Neyland Stadium
After a year unlike any other, the University of Tennessee is celebrating with graduation ceremonies unlike any other. For the first time, students are graduating at Neyland Stadium. There is an extra layer of celebration for students, as these ceremonies are the largest in-person events UT has had in over a year. The pandemic closed the university last spring and postponed 2020 graduation ceremonies. Although ceremonies were conducted in the fall, they were much smaller than the ones planned for this weekend. For Haslam College of Business graduates Taylor Sherick, Matteo Sforza and Valentina Rezk, graduation was also a sweet reunion: It was the first time the friends had seen each other in nearly a year because of COVID-19, they said. "The last year and a half has been really, really hard," Sherick said. "It's kind of surreal," to be graduating in Neyland Stadium, she added. "It's been a breath of fresh air to finally celebrate," Rezk said. The friends met their freshman year, and as they prepared to graduate, the three said they're grateful for their time at UT and to be able to have a graduation ceremony. Ceremonies began on Friday morning and will run through Sunday. Over 4,800 degrees will be given out this weekend: 3,548 undergraduate degrees, 1,065 graduate degrees, 121 law degrees and 91 veterinary medicine degrees.
 
Arkansas universities' retention rates climb
College students at the state's four-year public universities returned for their second year at higher rates compared with other recent freshman classes, according to fall 2019 retention data from the state Division of Higher Education. Retention rates increased at eight of 10 public universities in a time period that overlapped with the pandemic, rising overall to 77.1% from 75.2% a year earlier. Officials at the two universities that boosted their fall-to-fall retention rates the most -- the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock -- described increased outreach to students as a factor. Providing economic support, as well as going into "hyperdrive" in talking to students, may have fueled the rising college retention rates, said Willis Jones, an associate professor of higher education who is set to join the University of Miami this fall. Jones is currently a professor at the University of South Florida. Federal coronavirus relief funds have included emergency grants for college students, with schools disbursing the money. Universities also provided reimbursements to students affected by dorm closures, and schools used existing funds for emergency student support to offer help to those who needed it after covid-19 emerged in Arkansas last spring. "I think a lot of students who may have been on the fence felt like with some of that extra financial support, going ahead and remaining in their sophomore year would be advantageous for them," Jones said.
 
UF graduates attend first in-person commencement ceremonies since 2019
When Madisun Murphy was 9 years old, her parents took her to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to watch UF play against the University of Kentucky. The game ended with a victory for the Florida Gators, 48-14, with the stands going wild. In awe of the bright colors and enthusiastic crowd, Murphy knew she wanted to one day attend a game as a UF student. Eleven years later, Murphy walked across the stage of the O'Connell Center to receive her bachelor's of science in psychology. "I don't think it really hit me yet," Murphy said. "But then when we turned our tassels, that's when it became real." From April 29 to May 3, around 10,000 students graduated in the Class of 2021 -- the first class since December 2019 to have in-person graduation ceremonies. The following weekend, 3,000 graduates from spring, summer and fall of 2020 registered to return to UF's campus to attend in-person commencement ceremonies, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan wrote in an email. During the ceremony, graduates were allowed to remove their masks for stage photos and videos. Handshakes between graduates and faculty on stage were not permitted. "I felt very safe," Sidharth Sharma, a 21-year-old UF chemistry junior, said. "They had really good protocols to keep everyone six feet apart with masks."
 
Graduating Texas A&M student develops vitals-monitoring device for pets
Stephanie Young was working as a veterinary technician as a high school student in her hometown of Levelland, hoping to become a vet herself one day, when she noticed a dog was unusually still following a standard procedure. "At that moment, the whole clinic just flew into a frenzy" in an effort to revive the dog, Young said. The dog died, Young said, "and I will never forget sitting with the veterinarian and the owner in the clinic room saying, 'I'm so sorry, there's nothing we could've done.' And I didn't want that to happen to another pet." Four years later, Young, who is set to graduate from Texas A&M on Saturday, has developed a solution -- a wireless device for pets that measures heart activity and body temperature. Initially, Young said, she thought the vet clinic she worked at couldn't afford to have a vitals reader, but more research showed monitors of that sort didn't exist for pets. She created her first device that clipped to an animal's paw while still in high school. "The veterinary clinic space is about 10 to 20 years behind the human clinic space, so that year I had a science fair project and I said, 'You know what, I'm going to try and build something myself that can do all of these things,'" Young said. Young said she dropped the idea once she came to A&M, thinking she wasn't cut out to be an entrepreneur. But Young's community at A&M pushed her to pursue innovating her invention and she eventually met Brianna Armstrong, a veterinary student at A&M who became the co-founder of the device, known as SKYPaws.
 
U. of Missouri diversity director apologizes for 'missteps' in rollout of social justice centers restructuring
The University of Missouri's diversity director on Thursday apologized to the Faculty Council for communication "missteps" in a plan to restructure social justice centers on campus. "I certainly take ownership over the way this rollout happened and particularly for our failures in communication," said Maurice Gipson, vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity. The restructuring plan has been halted in order to gather feedback from stakeholders, he said. July 1 is no longer a target date for implementing the plan. "We've put this on pause right now, just to listen," Gipson said. Campus protests developed when information leaked that a restructuring of the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center, LGBTQ Resource Center, Multicultural Center and Women's Center was planned and that the center coordinators may lose their jobs. The Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center isn't part of the current restructuring consideration, said MU spokesman Christian Basi on Friday. The MU chapter of the American Association of University Professors unanimously adopted a resolution directing administration to halt the restructuring plan and to retain the current center coordinators. And there were more protests.
 
For some Black colleges, this is a great year in admissions
Check out the #MSU25 hashtag on Twitter and you'll see some of Morgan State University's next class of freshmen. One woman boasts, "After getting accepted into 15+ schools, I have decided to further my education at Morgan State University." Another says, "Two years ago I was not aware that undocumented students were allowed to achieve a higher education. Thanks to God and my community, today I have decided I will be attending Morgan State University majoring in communications and political science." Many students pose with the "I'm In" banners that the university sent out with its admissions offers this year. This is of course the admissions class that was most influenced by the pandemic. Students couldn't visit campuses where they wanted to enroll, and many had to decide based on factors other than the campus visit. Many students of all races said in surveys that they wanted to attend colleges close to home (if they didn't get into Harvard University or someplace similar). Black students were influenced by reports of racial tensions at many predominantly white campuses. And many Black students were influenced by finances -- questioning how they could afford a higher education.
 
A Historic Decline in U.S. Births Signals More Enrollment Troubles
Already bracing for an enrollment crash expected to hit in 2025, higher education got more bad news this week: The U.S. birth rate fell 4 percent in 2020, marking the lowest number of births since 1979 and the sixth consecutive year of declining birth rates, according to a report released this week by the National Center for Health Statistics. Once that "demographic cliff" hits, the new data show, it won't let up for more than a decade; babies born in 2020 won't reach traditional college-going age until 2038. So enrollment managers who have already spent years stressing about declining birth rates and high-school graduation rates -- some of the effects of which are already visible -- should brace for the long haul, said Nanci Tessier, senior vice president at the Art & Science Group, a higher-education consulting firm. "What's clear is that the years ahead are not going to be any easier," said Tessier, who has worked as a chief enrollment officer at three institutions. "It's just going to be more and more challenging for colleges and universities to be able to fill their seats." Birth rates could drop even further when 2021 data are tabulated, factoring in babies conceived during the pandemic, said Nathan D. Grawe, a professor of economics at Carleton College whose 2018 book Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education awoke many colleges to the coming enrollment threat. (Since Covid-19 didn't affect day-to-day life in the United States until March 2020, most data from that year don't account for the pandemic.)
 
Should Business-School Hopefuls Skip the GMATs? Some of Their Power May Be a Myth
For years, M.B.A. students and admissions experts believed that top consulting firms and investment banks wouldn't let job applicants even interview if their score on the GMAT -- the standardized test required for most graduate business and management programs -- was below a certain threshold. In recent years, that may have become a myth. As many business schools across the country began waiving test requirements last summer for the GMAT, some prospective students began wondering what skipping the test would mean for their chances at landing a job at a top firm. "Candidates are anxious about this," said Petia Whitmore, a former dean of graduate admissions at Babson College and founder of admissions consulting firm My M.B.A. Path. Some students, she added, are concerned that getting a test waiver from a school will be counted against them in the hiring process. "Even those who got a waiver are saying: Should I take a GMAT later, so I'm not out of the MBB [McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group and Bain, the Big Three strategy consulting firms]?" Now, firms such as Bain, Goldman Sachs and McKinsey say that's not the case. They, too, have put less emphasis on standardized tests as part of their recruiting in recent years. That change may not have trickled down to applicants and admissions officials.
 
Vaccines and containment mean fewer COVID-19 cases at colleges
Vaccination rates are picking up across the country, including at colleges and universities. Students and staff are still catching COVID-19, but the large spikes that characterized the fall semester are now mostly absent. Most of those eye-popping outbreaks last term were at large public universities, which are now being helped by more available testing, better guidance and the protective immunity of their previously infected students. "We just got better at this. Colleges and universities just got better at quarantining, just got better at early identification of these things," said Chris Marsicano, a professor of higher education and director of the College Crisis Initiative at Davidson College. "Practice makes perfect." Students, he said, have also likely become more compliant with regulations and have rushed to get the vaccine when they're eligible. Last week, the University of Alabama reported 39 cases. Clemson University reported 53. Both universities had been reporting hundreds of students infected earlier in the semester. But of course, those 40 or 50 students do add up. Higher education has not completely escaped COVID-19 infections this year. Of the 660,000 cases The New York Times has cataloged at colleges and universities since the pandemic started, about 36 percent of them occurred in 2021.
 
This Research Project Aimed to Vaccinate 12,000 College Students. It's Found Just 1,000.
The pitch was ambitious: More than 12,000 students at 20-plus universities would regularly take Covid-19 tests to help determine whether the disease spreads after vaccination against it. Now, not two months later, two sites have dropped out of the study because of recruiting problems, and just 1,000 people have enrolled, U.S. News & World Report found. The researchers have now widened participation eligibility to college students beyond the 21 initial sites. Shortly after the study began, in late March, states nationwide began to expand eligibility for vaccinations to people above the age of 18. The study requires daily swabs, occasional blood tests, and a diary -- and one's close contacts must also jump through hoops. Half of the participants had to remain unvaccinated for weeks to serve as a control group. It's been a challenge to find unvaccinated students, Audrey Pettifor, a professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a co-principal investigator for the study, told U.S. News. Participants must also not have been previously infected with Covid-19. The study is one of the highest-profile efforts to examine Covid-19 transmission in higher education.
 
Yale Prepares to Take Its Succession Test
Investment pioneer David Swensen was the face of Yale University's endowment for more than 35 years before he died last week. Behind the scenes, Yale began confronting a future without him years ago. The university has ramped up preparations for this moment since Mr. Swensen was diagnosed with late-stage renal cancer in 2012, said people familiar with the matter. His illness brought new urgency to succession planning on the part of both Mr. Swensen and Yale. In the years after his diagnosis, Mr. Swensen gave regular updates on his health to Yale's investment committee. He also kept and regularly revised a list of potential successors. He discussed what he viewed as their strengths and weaknesses with people who will play a role in determining who gets the job, including Yale President Peter Salovey and some members of the endowment's investment committee, said some of the people. Mr. Swensen's long tenure created immense wealth for the Ivy League university. He outlasted several Yale presidents and oversaw the endowment's growth from $1 billion when he started in 1985 to $31.2 billion as of June 2020. His investment philosophy reshaped the way endowments and foundations invest, transforming the business of endowment management from a backwater function to a prestigious business.
 
Can Mississippi stop rural brain drain?
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: "Our country is in the throes of a most painful and unpredictable transition," contended Maria Kefalas and the late Patrick Carr in Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America. "Too many young people in their twenties and thirties are leaving." Lewis Whitfield, Senior Vice President of the Create Foundation in Tupelo, pointed me to this book written in 2001. The problem described has continued to grow across America and particularly in Mississippi, which was one of only three states to lose population in the latest Census. The 17 counties served by the Create Foundation in northeast Mississippi make up one of the strongest economic regions in the state. Yet, "12 of our 17 counties are losing population," said Whitfield. Nonetheless, the foundation's 17-county region gained population overall. Whitfield said Create Foundation strategies to sustain its region focus on educational attainment, broadband development, highway and bridge improvements, leadership development, and racial reconciliation. He said a key goal is to help make its rural communities wonderful places to live so young and old will choose to live there even if they have to commute to more urban areas to work.
 
Task of redrawing U.S. House districts not as daunting as in 2000
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: In 2001, House Speaker Tim Ford of Baldwyn supported the plan of fellow Democrats to place much of suburban Jackson in a congressional district with northeast Mississippi. Explaining the congressional redistricting effort featuring the Tupelo to Jackson district, Ford off-handedly dubbed it "the tornado plan" because of the way it looked on the map. Ford's intent was not to sabotage the plan, and most likely opposition to the plan would have been intense regardless of what it was called, but the "tornado" moniker stuck and not in a good way. Indeed, the moniker helped galvanize opposition. The political landscape of the state was much different in 2001, though in hindsight the writing already was on the wall portending the rise of the Republican Party and fall of the Democratic Party. As a result of the 2000 Census, Mississippi's number of U.S. House seats was reduced from five to four -- not because the state lost population but because it did not grow as much as other states. Legislators faced the difficult task of redrawing the districts, knowing they would be forced to pit two incumbent U.S. House members against each other.
 
Packed Mississippi college baseball stadiums do not appear to impact stats on COVID spread
Frank Corder writes for Y'all Politics: Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves lifted the state's COVID-19 mask orders for businesses and public venues on March 2, 2021. He further allowed stadiums and arenas to operate at 50% capacity at that time. K-12 schools were the only places where masks were required. Then, on April 30, 2021, Governor Reeves announced that capacity limits on indoor arenas and outdoors venues were lifted, allowing for sports and event spaces to return to normal. K-12 schools continue to be the only places where masks are required. During this period, large gatherings have occurred in Mississippi, primarily on college campuses in Forrest, Oktibbeha, and Lafayette counties as the University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State and Ole Miss have all hosted Spring football games as well as nationally promoted college baseball games. All three baseball programs are ranked and drawing large crowds as they make their push toward hosting regionals in the month ahead. On April 17, 2021, Mississippi State hosted Ole Miss in a key SEC matchup with national seeding implications. That contest drew over 13,300 fans to the Starkville game at Dudy Noble Field. In fact, that game was not far off of the all-time on-campus attendance record of 15,586 set in April 2014. Since that time (April 17 through May 5), transmission rates statewide have cumulatively increased 1.21%. Forest County cases increased 1.23%, Lafayette cases increased 1.497%, and Oktibbeha cases increased 0.677%. Similarly, in Hinds County, cases have increased 1.421%. Those figures do not indicate a correlative effect between large baseball gatherings and major increases in localized COVID transmission.


SPORTS
 
No. 16 MSU Advances To NCAA Round of 16 For 15th Time With 4-2 Upset Of No. 10 UCF
Mississippi State's 16th-ranked men's tennis team (18-9) had to dig about as deep as it possibly could Sunday in pulling out an incredible 4-2 victory over 10th-ranked, and No. 9 national seed, UCF (22-4) on the Knights' home courts at the USTA National Campus. The victory propelled the Bulldogs into the NCAA Round of 16 for the 15th time in its 25 all-time appearances in the NCAA Team Championship, including four of the last five. State's Round of 16 matchup will feature a familiar foe in No. 8 Texas A&M, which downed Oklahoma 4-1 Saturday to advance. The Bulldogs and Aggies will square off Monday, May 17, at 7 p.m. ET. MSU will make a return trip to Orlando for the match, as the final four rounds of the 2021 NCAAs will be held at the USTA National Campus. The Bulldogs' victory over the Knights Sunday was the first-ever meeting between the teams in men's tennis and improved State's all-time record in the NCAA Championship to 31-24. MSU is now one of only 15 teams in the nation to have reached the NCAA Round of 16 15 or more times in the last 30 years the tournament has been held.
 
No. 4 Bulldogs drop extra innings game, win series over No. 19 Gamecocks
South Carolina salvaged a win on Sunday afternoon, but the Mississippi State baseball team walked out of Founders Park with a big series victory on the road. No. 19 South Carolina beat No. 4 Mississippi State, 4-3, in 11 innings on Sunday afternoon. The Gamecocks, who trailed by a run in the ninth inning, tied the game up on a RBI double from Jeff Heinrich with one out before winning on a RBI double by David Mendham in the 11th. Mississippi State (36-11, 16-8) won the series, 2-1, and is one game back of both Arkansas and Tennessee and a half-game back of Vanderbilt for first place in the SEC. outh Carolina took an early 2-0 lead off of Mississippi State starter Jackson Fristoe when Mendham hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning. The Bulldogs battled back and cut the lead to 2-1 on a Kamren James sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning, then took a 3-2 lead with solo home runs from Tanner Allen in the fifth inning and Rowdey Jordan in the sixth inning. But unlike the first two games of the series, Mississippi State's offense did not continue to put up runs. The Bulldogs stranded 13 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded two times and stranding three base runners in extra innings. MSU was 2-15 at the plate with runners on base and 0-7 with runners in scoring position.
 
Mississippi State softball wins seventh straight game
Mississippi State softball keeps winning. After starting the season 0-13 in Southeastern Conference play, the Bulldogs ended the regular season Sunday with their seventh consecutive victory, all of which came against SEC opponents, finishing a sweep of No. 22 Georgia by earning a 4-3 win Sunday in Starkville. "You can't ask for a better senior weekend," head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release. "I love that they all played a big part in the weekend. They mean so much for this program. All three of them came in, and didn't start here as freshman, all transferred in and bought into what we are doing. They have been leaders for us ever since they stepped on campus. It is really special to see them continue to grow within their time in this program. They have all grown in their confidence in their softball and skills on and off the field and are leaders for the younger players following behind them. I am really proud of all three of them and of this whole team. They are coming together at the right time and its really special to watch it happen." MSU (32-22, 8-15 SEC) has played itself all the way into a No. 9 seed in this week's SEC tournament and will face No. 8 seed Ole Miss at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Tuscaloosa.
 
Bulldogs Set to Compete in NCAA Baton Rouge Regional
For the 10th time in program history, the Mississippi State women's golf program earned a spot in the NCAA Championships. State opens play in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, taking place May 10-12 at the LSU University Golf Club. The regional field consists of No. 4 LSU, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 12 Baylor, No. 13 Oregon, No. 19 Maryland, No. 12 Alabama, Oregon State, Houston, Miami, North Texas, Purdue, Tulsa, Sam Houston State, Kennesaw State, East Tennessee State, Jacksonville State, and Quinnipiac. The top six teams after 54 holes of stroke play will advance to the NCAA Championships site at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. "We're really excited to get down to LSU," MSU head coach Charlie Ewing said. "There is some familiarity with playing there a couple weeks ago. Hopefully, it will be a tournament we can play as a team and put together a full 54 holes." MSU finished in eighth place at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic, ahead of five ranked teams, while Hannah Levi shot back-to-back under-par rounds. After a top-15 finish in Baton Rouge and a strong top-5 finish at the SEC Championship, Levi will take the number one spot in the lineup for regionals.
 
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott takes 20% stake in Walk-On's restaurant franchises
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is a new investor in the restaurant industry, taking a 20 percent stake in Walk-On's, a sports-themed bar and eatery, the parties told CNBC. Prescott will take co-ownership of Walk-On's in its Dallas-Fort Worth and Waco-area locations and joins former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who is co-owner of the parent company, Walk-On's Enterprises. The financial terms of Prescott's investment were not made available. In a Zoom interview with CNBC on Monday, Prescott called the equity deal a "genuine connection," since Walk-On's is based in his home state, Louisiana. "I grew up going to some Walk-On's," he said. "We had a Walk-On right there in Bossier City. On the bathroom, when you walk in, my high school picture is probably still there." Prescott, 27, signed a four-year, $160 million deal ($126 million is guaranteed) with the Cowboys in March. He'll make $75 million in 2021, including a $9 million base salary and $66 million signing bonus, the largest in NFL history. In 2019, ESPN reported Prescott made over $50 million via endorsement deals from companies including sports apparel-maker Adidas, Beats by Dre (owned by Apple), and Pepsi.
 
Brett Favre hasn't repaid $600,000 of $1.1 million he promised from Mississippi welfare fund
A year after promising to pay back $1.1 million in welfare money he received, Brett Favre has yet to pay back $600,000 of that money -- and he's not under a formal agreement to do so. Favre voluntarily repaid the state of Mississippi $500,000 in May 2020 after the state auditor's office found that a nonprofit paid the retired NFL quarterback welfare money for speeches he never gave. Logan Reeves, spokesperson for the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor, said no one in the office has spoken to Favre since he made his promise and paid the $500,000. "There is no update to provide," Reeves said. "He made the commitment which was in our press release a year ago today. He made the commitment to continue repaying the remainder of the $1.1 million after he made the $500,000 remittance." Reeves stressed that Favre is not under any formal agreement to pay the remaining funds. Reeves added Favre hasn't been charged with a crime. A representative of Favre did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Because the investigation is still ongoing, no demands have been made for the money to be repaid -- and Favre might not be the one who has to pay back the funds, Reeves said. "If he decides to make no further payment, that's his decision until there's some type of callback action taken by the federal government," Reeves said. "And that may or may not happen."
 
Missouri baseball losing streak gets one game longer
Missouri coach Steve Bieser said Saturday night that the 2021 MU baseball season was the most challenging season he had ever been a part of. It did not get any easier Sunday. The team fell 10-2 to Tennessee, extending its losing streak to nine games. The Tigers (13-32, 5-19 Southeastern Conference) are at a point where they can expect their opponents to have double-digit run totals day in and day out. For this reason, an onus is on Missouri batters to make sure the team does not fall too far behind. That ... didn't happen Sunday. Missouri notched two runs on three hits, and one of each of those came in the ninth inning, when the game was already out of reach. Other than those hits, the Tigers only had three baserunners. n the postgame press conference, Bieser said that the team is disappointed with how it has represented the University of Missouri this season. "We know there are still six games in hand," Bieser said. "And if we really want something, we have to go after it and work for it. I'm hoping this team can regroup and finish this thing strong because what we saw today was not indicative of what we want to see from our team."
 
Will Frizzell's grand slam lifts Aggie baseball over No. 11 Ole Miss 6-5 in series finale
The load got heavy, but Texas A&M's Will Frizzell carried the Aggie baseball team to a much-needed series win over 11th-ranked Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon at Blue Bell Park. Frizzell capped a five home-run weekend with a grand slam in the seventh inning to lift Texas A&M to a 6-5 Southeastern Conference victory in the rubber game. Frizzell hit a two-run homer in the first inning to tie the game, but Ole Miss (33-14, 14-10) scored single runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings to be in position to beat A&M for the 11th time in the last 13 games. The Aggies (27-23, 7-17) were stumbling toward their sixth straight losing series until Ray Alejo and Logan Sartori drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. That set the stage for Frizzell who put life into the crowd of 1,340 and the season with one mighty swing. "It felt really good," Frizzell said. Little had felt good for A&M's offense, which had been 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position until that swing.
 
Roll Vax! Alabama Drafts Nick Saban to Champion the Vaccine
With a Covid-19 vaccination rate that ranks among the lowest in the country, Alabama is enlisting someone with experience leading the state to the top of the national rankings: Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban. Saban taped a public service announcement this week for the Alabama Department of Public Health urging Alabamians to get vaccinated, the state says. His endorsement comes as demand for the shot lags far behind supply in the state and the federal government is threatening to reallocate doses to places where residents want them more. In advertisements set to run next week on television, radio and social media, Saban gives fans a compelling reason to get vaccinated: to help support Alabama's football team. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey, Auburn basketball legend Charles Barkley and many of the state's college football and basketball coaches have taped similar messages for the campaign. But easily the most significant participant in this state crazed by college football is Saban, who won his sixth national title with the University of Alabama last season.
 
As Kim Mulkey joins LSU during sexual assault crisis, her defense of Baylor looms large
LSU may have scored a star women's basketball coach in Kim Mulkey, but some question the optics of hiring her while the university is reeling from the fallout of a sexual assault scandal. Mulkey gave her first news conference as LSU's women's basketball coach on April 26, where she described her love of her home state of Louisiana and what brought her home after two decades and three national championships at Baylor University. Hours before that news conference, a group of eight current and former LSU students filed a federal Title IX lawsuit against the university, alleging that LSU failed to follow the federal law that requires institutions to investigate sexual misconduct complaints and that bans them from discriminating based on gender. Many cheered Mulkey's hire as a win for the other component of Title IX, which mandates gender equity in sports. She will out-earn most male head coaches at LSU for any sport, with her contract paying $2.5 million in her first year and rising to $3.3 million by the end of her eight-year deal. LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron will still out-earn her by a significant margin: his base salary is $6 million, but is paid closer to $7 million annually thanks to bonuses on top of it. But Mulkey has drawn criticism for her comments about a sexual assault scandal that engulfed Baylor in 2017. Mulkey defended Baylor then, telling reporters to "find another story to write" because "the problems that we have at Baylor are no different than the problems at any other school in America." Mulkey told reporters she was "tired of hearing it" when one asked about the sexual assault scandal.
 
How Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart responded to fans upset about team kneeling during anthem
In the days following the Kentucky men's basketball team's decision to kneel during the national anthem before a game at Florida on Jan. 9, UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart's university email was flooded with complaints from fans. Four days after the team's controversial protest, Barnhart sent a form response to the hundreds of fans who had emailed him their thoughts on the issue. "Thank you for taking the time to send an email regarding the team's decision to kneel during the national anthem," Barnhart wrote in an email distributed by Shellee Hein, Barnhart's executive assistant. "Your interest in our program is appreciated and your feedback is valued. The comments we have received have been both positive and negative. "My faith is the most important thing in my life, and it is my faith that ensures that I extend grace to those with whom I might not agree. While I will always stand for the national anthem, I respect the First Amendment rights of those who choose to express themselves differently." More than 200 people emailed Barnhart between the team's protest Jan. 9 and when the response email was sent Jan. 13. Of that group, only six emails voiced support for the decision to kneel during the anthem. The emails were obtained by The Courier Journal through the state's open records law. Barnhart's response is the first public acknowledgement of his personal feelings about the basketball team's protest. He closed the email by referring fans to the joint statement he had issued with UK president Eli Capilouto on the night of the protest:
 
A Northwestern U. Cheerleader Sued an Athletics Official. Now Faculty and Students Are Protesting His Promotion.
For years, cheerleaders at Northwestern University have complained that they've been paraded as sex objects to entertain wealthy donors and forced to suppress their racial identities to fit a certain mold. On Friday, a crowd of faculty and student supporters marched to the home of the university's president, Morton O. Schapiro to protest the decision to promote an athletics official who they say played down the cheerleaders' grievances. Protest organizers say hundreds turned out for the event. At issue was the hiring of Mike Polisky as the university's new athletic director. Polisky is one of four Northwestern employees who, along with the university, was sued in January by Hayden Richardson, a senior and member of the cheer team. The federal lawsuit alleges that the university failed to adequately respond after Richardson complained about being groped by drunken fans and alumni at tailgates and fund-raising events. The head cheer coach, Pamela Bonnevier, expected cheerleaders to mingle with powerful donors, the lawsuit states, and it became clear to Richardson "that the cheerleaders were being presented as sex objects to titillate the men that funded the majority of Northwestern's athletics programs." Richardson said Polisky minimized her concerns and accused her of fabricating evidence of mistreatment. Asked to confirm published reports that Bonnevier was fired late last year, a university spokesperson said the coach's contract was not renewed after an investigation by Northwestern's Office of Equity found that she had violated university policies on discrimination and harassment, as well as nonretaliation. Bonnevier could not be reached on Friday.
 
N.C.A.A. Chief, Pressured by State Laws, Pushes to Let Athletes Cash In
The University of Miami has long been able to make a glossy pitch to the students it hopes will star on its sports teams: an exceptional athletic tradition, respected academics, South Florida's sun-kissed glamour. For months, though, coaches at Miami -- and every other college in Florida -- have had a new selling point: Play here and, thanks to a new state law, maybe make some money off your athletic fame. Florida and four other states are poised to allow players to make endorsement deals starting this summer, and with universities in other states anxious about losing recruits, the N.C.A.A. is moving anew toward extending similar rights to college athletes across the country. In an interview with The New York Times on Friday, the N.C.A.A.'s president, Mark Emmert, said he would recommend that college sports' governing bodies approve new rules "before, or as close to, July 1," when the new laws are scheduled to go into effect in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and New Mexico. The changes together promise to reshape a multibillion-dollar industry and to test the N.C.A.A.'s generations-long assertions that student-athletes should be amateurs who play mainly for scholarships and that college sports appeal to fans partly because the players are not professionals. Under a proposal that has been before N.C.A.A. members for months, student-athletes could be paid in exchange for use of their names, images and likenesses by many private companies. The plan, which could take effect on Aug. 1, would also let players earn money through advertisements on their social media accounts. "We need to get a vote on these rules that are in front of the members now," Emmert said.
 
Mark Emmert to meet with lawmakers amid states' push to pay college athletes
NCAA President Mark Emmert told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday that he will be meeting in Washington next week with senators and congressmen concerning legislation based around college athletes ability to make money from use of their names, images and likenesses. The meetings have taken on greater urgency as the number of states enacting related laws with effective dates of July 1 or sooner has grown to six in recent weeks. On Thursday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill that brought his state alongside Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and New Mexico with college-sports name, image and likeness (NIL) laws set for July 1. Last summer, Nebraska enacted an NIL law that allows its colleges to select any date on or before July 1, 2023 for implementation. Altogether, there are now at least 13 states with these types of laws, and NCAA officials -- along with those representing various conferences and schools -- have been lobbying for a single federal measure. Three bills have been introduced in this Congressional session, and Emmert is set to meet with one of those authors, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., on Wednesday, a spokesman for Moran said Saturday. Emmert mentioned meetings, in person or via Zoom, with numerous other lawmakers, including Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and the committee's ranking member, Roger Wicker, R-Miss. But time is running short for a bill to get through Congress and the White House by July 1.



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