| Wednesday, May 12, 2021 |
| Reminder: Telework agreements ending May 17 | |
 | As a reminder, on May 17, 2021, all Mississippi State University employees with existing telework agreements should return to in-person work. All existing telework agreements will expire May 17, 2021. Employees with remote work arrangements prior to the COVID-19 pandemic may be permitted to continue with those arrangements and should consult with their supervisor, and have approval from their vice president. Employees who have medical conditions requiring an accommodation which may include telework should complete the existing process for requesting a medical accommodation through Human Resources Management. Two task forces will be created to discuss the future of remote work at Mississippi State with considerations of the benefits and challenges of remote work associated with the continuation of high-quality services; team efficiency and effectiveness; leadership development of individual employees and teams; and supervision models. The first will be for 12-month employees, and will be initiated soon. The second will focus on 9-month faculty, and will be created at the beginning of the fall semester. Information regarding the composition of these task forces will be forthcoming soon. |
| Starkville plans to reuse wastewater as fertilizer | |
 | Once wastewater leaves a person's house, they probably never think of it again, but now Starkville engineers have plans to reuse the water. Reused wastewater may sound odd, but with nowhere to store the water, Starkville Utilities had to find somewhere to put it. "We found that our lagoon is at capacity and we had to find an alternative and this is what we decided to do and upgrade our system to where we can remove it safely and environmentally friendly," said chief wastewater operator Thomas Ware. Ware said the wastewater won't be a liquid after it goes through their new machine. After the process waste will be 75% solid. Starkville Utilities is partnering with Mississippi State University for the next steps. "I take the byproduct of it and make it into something -- a 'Class A' fertilizer you can use it for produce," said waste operator Kody Dupre. "We've been training on it now for about 2 months getting it set up, getting it dialed in, getting the right polymer," said Ware. Starkville Utilities plans to have fertilizer ready for Mississippi State within the next month. |
| SPD chief: Auto burglaries 'at heart' of city's juvenile crime problem | |
 | Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard said juveniles are the ones behind the majority of the auto burglaries in Starkville and drew a direct link between the guns they've stolen from cars and the increase in violent crime that has occurred over the past months. He said there were 12 auto burglaries reported in the city over the last seven days, with one weapon reported stolen among those cases. "The reality is ... that firearm is probably in the hands of a juvenile right now," Ballard told a group of Starkville area educators, ministers and other residents at a community meeting held Monday night at Starkville High School. The auto burglaries are the driving force behind a proposed juvenile curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., which both Starkville aldermen and Oktibbeha County supervisors are considering in hopes of decreasing what many residents fear is an escalation of violent crime among juveniles. Over the past two months, there have been multiple violent crimes allegedly committed by juveniles, including a fatal shooting on Easter weekend, a shooting without injuries in McKee Park on April 20 and a fatal shooting on Pilcher Street on March 3. Golden Triangle area law enforcement have said previously auto burglaries are one of the major ways criminals obtain weapons used in violent crimes. Ballard previously told The Dispatch the peak time for vehicle burglaries is between midnight and 4 a.m. |
| Two charged with series of home invasions | |
 | A pair of 20-year-old men have been charged in connection with home invasions in Chickasaw, Oktibbeha and Pontotoc counties. Marcques Clinton of Houston and Corey Wilson of Tupelo are currently being held in the Chickasaw County Jail. They will have their initial appearance in Chickasaw County Justice Court in Houston Wednesday where a judge will set bond. The pair of suspects is accused of a trio of home invasions, which differ from standard break-ins. Officials said the first home invasion occurred on April 18 in Pontotoc. The following night there was second in Starkville, followed by a third invasion on April 30 in Chickasaw County. "When we realized there was a similar case in Pontotoc County just 24 hours earlier, we sent out investigators over to talk with them and compare notes," said Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard. Besides some similarities in the events -- two armed men kicking in doors and holding people at gunpoint -- investigators had trouble linking the crimes. "They did not show a propensity for a single location or a type of victim," Ballard said. "The victims were white and African-American. Some were in a rural setting, but one was not far from downtown Starkville." |
| Revenue estimates stay high, $212.1 million in April over sine die estimates | |
 | Total revenue collections for the month of April FY 2021 are $212,138,179 or 28.53% above the sine die revenue estimate. Fiscal YTD revenue collections through April 2021 are $804,166,758 or 17.69% above the sine die estimate. Fiscal YTD total revenue collection through April 2021 are $756,875,684 o 16.48% above the prior year's collections The FY 2021 Sine Die Revenue Estimate is $5,690,700,000. April FY 2021 General Fund collections were $372,806,339 or 63.96% above April FY 2020 actual collections. Sales tax collections for the month of April were above the prior year by $48.3M. Individual income tax collections for the month of April were above the prior year by $78.2M. Corporate income tax collections for the month of April were above the prior year by $191.8M. |
| Pascagoula Chevron Refinery not affected by pipeline disruption, still shipping out fuel to Mississippi | |
 | Across the country, including in the Magnolia State, gas lines are long and many pumps are out following the Colonial Pipeline being shut down this week after being hacked. The Colonial Pipeline typically supplies about 30 percent of the state's gasoline. However, with panic-buying now taking place, state leaders are working to up the supply. The Department of Transportation announced Tuesday night that Mississippi is on a list of 10 states that can now allow overweight loads of gasoline and other fuel on interstate highways in order to help with the shortages. However, the Colonial Pipeline is expected to function properly by the end of this week. For the Chevron Refinery in Pascagoula, that is good news. Under normal circumstances, Chevron sends out between 115 to 125 tanker trucks each day, all loaded with gasoline to service 100 local stations. That gas goes to stations that are Chevron branded, as well as those that are not. Because of the pipeline situation happening this week, Chevron said truck traffic has increased significantly as they continue to work to meet the needs of drivers throughout the region. |
| Commissioner Andy Gipson urges public to refrain from 'panic buying' gas | |
 | Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson is encouraging the public to refrain from "panic buying" fuel due to the halted operations of the Colonial Pipeline. The company expects to restore operations by the end of the week. "I want to encourage the public across the state to purchase the fuel they need, but not over buy or panic purchase fuel," Gibson said in a news release. "Mississippi does not face a gas shortage due to the pipeline disruption, but panic buying could exhaust, and in some cases has already exhausted some local station supplies. The Department's Regulatory Services Bureau is closely monitoring this situation." "The East Coast and landlocked states without refineries may see disruptions," Gipson continued. "You'll see it on the news, I'm sure. But the Colonial Pipeline supplies less than 30 percent of the fuel in Mississippi. Our river terminals at Vicksburg, Greenville and Aberdeen are continuing to receive an abundant supply of product -- increased, even, because of the delay in shipping on the pipeline. Our land terminals are continuing to fill orders. The Plantation Pipeline is increasing supply and the Pascagoula Chevron Refinery is operating without disruption." |
| Mississippi small businesses bounce back | |
| Nancy Isaacson discovered the Southern Bagel Company in Long Beach on a 12-mile bike ride from her home in Waveland. The retired teacher joined customers buying bagels to go at the small Mississippi Gulf Coast business. Nearby, a steady stream of bagel fans lined up for this delicious breakfast treat in Harrison County. It is a positive sign for small businesses in Mississippi as America turns the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic. About 58 percent of American adults received at least one COVID vaccine, and reports show coronavirus cases dropped to a seven-month low nationwide. With the USA opening back up amid an easing of health protocols in recent weeks, that's good news for Southern Bagel Company co-owners Anne Marie Guille and her husband, David. They are thrilled to see the sales uptick at their home-grown business. A three-hour drive from the Gulf Coast, Houston Cottrell, owner of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Madison County, is delighted his martial arts business is bouncing back, too. It's quite a comeback story. On March 4,2020 straight line winds devastated his building. "While trying to rebuild, the state was shut down due to COVID-19,'' Cottrell said. Working to rebuild the structure, classes happened for Jiu-Jitsu patrons via Zoom. Struggles persisted, but the Mississippi business lived on. |
| Which rose first: the price of chicken or corn? | |
 | The Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly consumer price index -- a read of inflation -- comes out Wednesday. Keep in mind that a few months of higher prices does not mean an inflation trend. But certain commodities have been getting more expensive. On Monday, copper hit an all-time high. Now raw food commodities, such as wheat, corn and soybeans are getting pricier. And when that happens, those price hikes can ripple throughout the supply chain. One big reason why the price of corn is up about 50% this year is because of a different pandemic. African swine fever crippled pork production in China, which is now trying to buy up corn to restore its pig population. So China has turned to U.S. corn, and that drives prices in the United States," said agriculture professor Daniel Sumner at University of California, Davis. He said American farmers have been growing more corn to meet demand, so they have less room for other crops. "Corn takes land away from wheat. Well, that reduces wheat supply, and you increase the price of wheat as a consequence," Sumner said. Animals that eat this pricier grain are now costing more per head, said Glynn Tonsor, who teaches agricultural economics at Kansas State University. He said that's driving up the price of pork, beef and also chicken, which people have been eating more of throughout the pandemic. |
| Madison County Economic Development Authority to put spec building in Mega Site | |
| The Madison County Economic Development Authority announced Tuesday they plan to bring a 100,000 square foot speculative building to the Madison County Mega Site in partnership with Agracel and Ergon. MCEDA Executive Director Joey Season said they enjoy seeing the mega-site continue to grow and attract businesses. "Madison County is ready to compete in this fast-paced market," Deason said. "Our organization is laser-focused on enhancing the competitive edge of the Madison County Mega Site and today's speculative building announcement is another significant step in providing unsurpassed value to prospects. MCEDA is thankful for Agron's vision to make this building a reality." Owned by the newly formed Agron, LLC, the industrial shell building will initially be constructed to 100,000 square feet, with the ability to expand to 300,000 square feet. Clayton McKinnon, Regional Development Director of Agracel's Gulf States Office, said that the building will have great flexibility to meet a project's individual requirements. Construction is expected to commence this summer. The Agracel speculative building will join an Amazon fulfillment facility set to be substantially complete in August. |
| Mississippi requests $2 billion in federal COVID relief funds for state, local governments | |
| The state of Mississippi has applied for more than $2 billion in American Rescue Plan funds -- a key first step to the state receiving the federal stimulus money for local and state governments to spend. While Gov. Tate Reeves, supported by House Speaker Philip Gunn, opted this week to discontinue participation in an American Rescue Plan program that provides the unemployed in the state an additional $300 weekly in federal benefits, Department of Finance and Administration spokeswoman Marcy Scoggins confirmed the state had requested the federal funds for state and local governments. The U.S. Department of Treasury set up a mechanism this week to begin the disbursement of $350 billion to state, local, territorial and Tribal governments as part of the American Rescue Plan that was passed earlier this year to provide financial relief to governmental entities and individuals who might have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mississippi is slated to receive $1.8 billion to be spent by the Legislature. Half of that money, based on Treasury reports, will be disbursed to the state this month, with the remainder scheduled to provided in 2022. The money must be spent by 2024. |
| Petitioning starts for plan to expand Mississippi Medicaid | |
 | Health care professionals on Tuesday became the first people to sign petitions to put Medicaid expansion on the November 2022 ballot in Mississippi. Organizers of Initiative 76 have a year to gather more than 106,000 signatures. But to reach the ballot in 2022, they must finish gathering signatures before the Legislature meets early next year. Medicaid is a health insurance program for the needy, aged, blind and disabled. It is paid by federal and state money. Mississippi has about 3 million residents, and Medicaid already covers more than 763,500 people. That is 25% of the population. Supporters of Initiative 76 estimate that expansion would add about 200,000 more people, primarily those working low-wage jobs that do not provide private health insurance coverage. Dr. John Gaudet is a Hattiesburg pediatrician who is sponsoring the initiative. He said Medicaid expansion could help people like his niece, who was diagnosed with a digestive tract disease when she was a child and still has health challenges as an adult. Gaudet said she is a dispatcher for an ambulance company but cannot work enough hours to keep insurance coverage through her employer. He said she is considering applying for disability benefits, but expanding Medicaid would allow her to continue working without worrying about big medical bills. |
| 'Not a political issue, a human issue': Miss. health advocates want Medicaid expansion on the ballot | |
 | After a decade of the state Legislature averting Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act, in a state notorious for poor health care, Mississippi advocates say it's time for voters to decide. They want Medicaid expansion, estimated to cover over 200,000 Mississippians, on the 2022 ballot. A coalition of Mississippi medical experts, patients, small business owners and nonprofits initiated a statewide campaign -- Yes On 76 -- Tuesday morning at the Mississippi Hospital Association's offices in Madison. The campaign kickstarted with a petition in support of ballot Initiative 76 that will need to amass over 106,000 signatures by October to make their 2022 goal. Over 21,000 will need to come from each of the five congressional districts as they existed in 2000. "If you believe in your community and you believe in small town Mississippi, you have to believe in Medicaid expansion," Mississippi Hospital Association president Tim Moore, a key player in the ballot initiative, said Tuesday. Initiative 76 seeks a constitutional amendment that would require Mississippi to supply low-income residents with medical assistance under the state's Medicaid program. The majority of program costs would come from federal funding, the proposed initiative notes. |
| 'Human issue, not political': Medicaid expansion ballot drive begins | |
| Jonathan Smith of Amory was on Christmas break from his job as a forklift operator in 2017 when he thought he was having a stroke. Doctors instead found a brain tumor, then determined he had a rare cancer of the nervous system. Smith said his company was in the process of switching insurance providers, and employees were without health coverage for about three months -- including Smith when his cancer was diagnosed. Many treatments and surgeries later, Smith, now 35, cannot work, owes more than he could ever repay for medical care, and his family struggles. He's just learned he needs another surgery. Smith on Tuesday spoke to a crowd of medical providers and advocates for the kickoff of the "Yes on 76" drive to put Medicaid expansion before Mississippi voters on the 2022 midterm ballot. Smith says he would be one of about 200,000 uninsured Mississippians who could receive health coverage if Mississippi were to expand Medicaid through the federal Affordable Care Act, with federal tax dollars footing most of the bill. "A lot of times I feel helpless," Smith said. "But today I feel pretty good. This is something I can do, something I can help with... I'd like to be healthy enough to be a better father to my children... I should be battling the cancer, not worried about how to pay for my medicine." |
| Liz Cheney booted from Republican leadership spot | |
 | House Republicans voted quickly on Wednesday to remove Liz Cheney as their No. 3 leader over her repeated criticism of Donald Trump, an extraordinary power shakeup that ties the party tighter to Trump and threatens to create a new litmus test in the GOP. The remarkable and fast-moving campaign to dump Cheney, Congress' highest-ranking Republican woman, and replace her with a Trump loyalist was orchestrated by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and his top deputies. The California Republican and his allies complained that Cheney's constant readiness to call out Trump's lies about the 2020 election was a distraction that prevented the party from unifying around a cohesive message to win back the House next year. Cheney briefly addressed the conference before the voice vote, vowing to keep fighting. "If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I'm not your person, you have plenty of others to choose from. That will be their legacy," said Cheney, who elicited a smattering of boos from her colleagues at the start of her remarks. "But I promise you this, after today, I will be leading the fight to restore our party and our nation to conservative principles, to defeating socialism, to defending our republic, to making the GOP worthy again of being the party of Lincoln," she added. |
| 'Rationals' vs. 'radicals': Anti-Trump Republicans threaten third party | |
| Over 100 former Republican officials will sign a letter on Thursday declaring that if the Republican Party does not break with former President Donald Trump and change course, they will back the creation of a third party. The letter, headlined: "A Call For American Renewal," is an exploratory move toward forming a breakaway party, two of its organizers said. The group is dismayed by what it says is a modern Republican Party driven by its allegiance to Trump, who continues to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen from him. "The Republican Party is broken. It's time for a resistance of the 'rationals' against the 'radicals,'" said Miles Taylor, one of the organizers. Taylor, while serving in the Trump White House, wrote an anonymous opinion piece in the New York Times in 2018 headlined: "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration." The group first raised the threat in February, following the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters to try to disrupt congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory. The letter highlights the wide intraparty rift over Trump. Most Republicans remain fiercely loyal to the former president. |
| Biden health team plans for potential COVID-19 vaccine booster shots | |
 | Senators on Tuesday pressed President Joe Biden's top health officials to address the slowing pace of COVID-19 vaccinations as an administration adviser raised the possibility that booster shots may be needed within the next year. "Everyone must have the opportunity to get vaccinated regardless of race, zip code, disability, primary language, or internet access," said Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash. "We are also seeing the vaccination rate slow -- a reminder that making sure people can get vaccines is just half the battle. We need to make sure they do get them." Ranking member Richard M. Burr, R-N.C., also expressed worries about vaccination hesitancy. "Maybe I was naive when this started. I thought staying out of the hospital was enough of an incentive to get a vaccine. For many people, it's not," Burr said. "The most challenging days may be the weeks and months ahead." White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, COVID-19 vaccine development leader David Kessler, and Food and Drug Administration senior official Peter Marks acknowledged that challenges remain in the next phase. |
| Samantha Power wants to restore U.S. prestige by getting 'vaccines into arms' around the world | |
 | Late last fall, as Joe Biden prepared to take office and act on his promise to restore America's global leadership, Samantha Power had something to say. It was all well and good for Biden to declare "America is back." But nothing would prove it more, after four years of Donald Trump, than a show of sheer American competence. "The United States can reenter all the deals and international organizations it wants," Power wrote in an article in late November for Foreign Affairs magazine, "but the biggest gains in influence will come by demonstrating its ability to deliver in many countries' hour of greatest need." The coronavirus pandemic, she argued, provided just such an opening. By spearheading global vaccine distribution, the United States could beat China at the biggest soft-power contest in generations, regain its reputation as the world's "indispensable" nation and, not incidentally in Power's view, do good. Months later, she finds herself in position to argue the case directly in the upper echelon of the administration and to act on it, as President Biden's administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, with a seat on the National Security Council (NSC). Among many other things, the 10,000-strong organization has spent decades building health systems and promoting vaccine campaigns around the world. |
| Younger adolescents get ready to receive COVID-19 vaccine | |
| Parents, schools and vaccine clinics rushed to begin inoculating younger adolescents Tuesday after U.S. regulators endorsed Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 12, a decision seen as a breakthrough in allowing classroom instruction to resume safely around the country. A handful of cities started offering shots to children ages 12 to 15 less than a day after the Food and Drug Administration gave the vaccine emergency use authorization for that age group. Most communities were waiting for a federal advisory committee that meets Wednesday to sign off on the move, while anxious families called clinics and pharmacies to ask about the soonest appointments. In Atlanta, 12-year-old Jane Ellen Norman got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday morning. The girl said she looked forward to having "a little bit more freedom." Her mother, English Norman, said she also booked an appointment for her 14-year-old son immediately after learning that the FDA on Monday had declared the vaccine safe for the nearly 17 million 12- to 15-year-olds in the U.S. Now, the entire family -- including Norman's husband, a physician, and their 17-year-old son -- has begun the vaccination process. "We're five for five," the 52-year-old artist said. |
| Hartwig family makes $800K pledge to Mississippi school | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi is celebrating a donation to its College of Public Health in honor of the college's founder. Dr. Geoff Hartwig and his wife, Dr. Marcia Hartwig, of Raleigh, North Carolina, have pledged more than $800,000 to the school in honor of Dr. Lynn Cook Hartwig, who was director of the college until breast cancer forced her to retire in 1995. Lynn Hartwig, Geoff Hartwig's first wife, died the next year. She was 48. In a news release, Lachel Story, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions, described Lynn Hartwig as a "visionary public health leader" in the state. "This generous gift honors her legacy while preparing the next generation of public health professionals challenged with improving the health of the state, region and beyond," Story said "We are immensely grateful for Geoff and Marcia - for both their generosity and their desire to honor Lynn in this special way." "The Hartwigs are such incredible people, and they would be the first to say this wasn't about them, that this was about Lynn and what she did," said Stace Mercier, executive director of the USM Foundation. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves still silent as Board of Education vacancies again stall key votes | |
| Gulfport School District is awaiting approval for additional flexibility next year to be able to reduce achievement gaps, increase student learning and other goals because the board overseeing public education in the state has too many vacancies to take a vote. And in one Delta county, funding for an early learning program for preschool children hangs in the balance for the same reason. The nine-member State Board of Education is currently operating with only five members, and soon to be four after a longtime member rolls off next month. The low numbers means any time one board member must recuse him or herself from a vote, the board can't proceed. Two -- and soon to be three -- of the vacancies on the education board are Gov. Tate Reeves' responsibility to fill, while Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Speaker Philip Gunn each have one seat to fill. Hosemann and Gunn have said they are actively meeting with candidates to determine who to appoint. But Reeves remains silent about when he'll make his three appointments, ignoring questions from Mississippi Today over the course of several weeks. Meanwhile, the board cannot take critical votes. |
| Cheating at School Is Easier Than Ever -- and It's Rampant | |
 | A year of remote learning has spurred an eruption of cheating among students, from grade school to college. With many students isolated at home over the past year -- and with a mass of online services at their disposal -- academic dishonesty has never been so easy. Websites that allow students to submit questions for expert answers have gained millions of new users over the past year. A newer breed of site allows students to put up their own classwork for auction. "Consider hiring me to do your assignment," reads a bid from one auction site. "I work fast, pay close attention to the instructions, and deliver a plagiarism-free paper." Some educators fear the new generation of cheaters will be loath to stop even after the pandemic recedes. "Students have found a way to cheat and they know it works," said Thomas Lancaster, senior teaching fellow in computing at Imperial College in London, who has studied academic integrity issues for more than two decades. He said cheating sites number in the thousands, from individuals to large-scale operations. Educators say stress and pressure, both significant effects of the pandemic, are a big reason why students cheat. "Especially in a time of stress, they make poor choices," said Camilla Roberts, president of the International Center for Academic Integrity and director of the Kansas State University Honor and Integrity System. |
| William Tate IV will still be LSU president after South Carolina tried to keep him, board chair says | |
 | Even after LSU named William Tate IV its next president, University of South Carolina leaders were trying to convince him to stay -- but Tate told LSU leadership that he still fully intends to come to Baton Rouge. Tate, currently South Carolina's provost, is expected to start at LSU in early July. But over the weekend, South Carolina President Bob Caslen ignited a firestorm of criticism over plagiarism allegations and other mistakes in his commencement address, leading some to try to hatch a plan to make Tate his replacement, according to the Post and Courier. "Some university leaders are discussing efforts to have Tate stay in Columbia and take over for Caslen, which was the ultimate plan when he was hired as the school's academic chief in 2020," the Post and Courier reports. "Tate was a finalist for the USC president job in 2019." Caslen offered to resign from his presidential post and admitted that he lifted parts of his commencement address from a retired U.S. Navy admiral's speech to University of Texas graduates in 2014. He also congratulated Gamecock graduates over the weekend as "the newest alumni from the University of California." But LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Robert Dampf said he spoke with Tate at length Tuesday afternoon, and Dampf said the incoming president told him "he is 100% committed to LSU." |
| UF will have full capacity classrooms and relaxed COVID-19 protocols during Summer B | |
| The University of Florida is planning to loosen COVID-19 restrictions and return to full capacity classrooms as early as Summer B, with Summer A and C classes remaining mostly virtual. Summer A and C classes will maintain many of the same COVID-19 policies seen during Spring and will serve as a transition period to in-person classes starting May 10. This time will allow staff and faculty to make necessary preparations for their classrooms and allow the UF community time to get vaccinated, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan wrote in an email. Currently, it is expected that 80% of students and 90% of faculty at UF have been vaccinated, UF's Director of Screen, Test & Protect Dr. Michael Lauzardo wrote in an April 28 COVID-19 update. Summer B will see the lifting of social distancing policies and increased campus facility capacities, according to UF spokesperson Steve Orlando. Summer B classes will begin June 28. Many courses will remain online during Summer A and C, with some classes being taught in-person with limited seating capacity or in HyFlex format -- a course design that allows students to attend in-person while others engage remotely. |
| Michael Bloomberg Gives $150 Million to Help Universities Diversify STEM Doctorates | |
 | Michael Bloomberg is donating a total of $150 million to Johns Hopkins University and six other institutions of higher learning to increase racial diversity among students seeking Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering and math. The effort was announced Tuesday in a joint statement from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Bloomberg's alma mater and the recipient of most of the money. Funding will also go to a handful of historically Black colleges and universities and minority serving institutions: Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, Prairie View A&M University, Spelman College and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The initiative is being named in honor of Vivien Thomas, a Black surgical laboratory supervisor who is best known for his work to develop a lifesaving cardiac surgery technique to treat "blue baby syndrome," or infant methemoglobinemia, which occurs when there is not enough oxygen in the blood. The donation from Mr. Bloomberg, a former New York City mayor and a longtime benefactor of Johns Hopkins, comes amid longstanding concern over the lack of racial diversity on campuses and the rising costs of higher education. In 2018 Mr. Bloomberg donated $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins to create a fund aimed at helping low-income students attend. |
| Gates Foundation attempts to redefine 'value' in higher education | |
 | When the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation created the Postsecondary Value Commission two years ago, the foundation's leaders were thinking about ways to measure economic outcomes for students earning certificates and degrees -- outcomes that could include postcollegiate earnings and the ability to repay debt, earnings premiums for degree earners or certificate earners, and economic mobility after college. The 115-page report being released today is consistent with those goals. It calls for the release of more information to help students make better choices about where to go to college, eliminating "completion gaps" and "removing affordability as an impediment to postsecondary value." (Inside Higher Ed received financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for coverage of the foundation's report on the value of higher education. Inside Higher Ed maintains editorial independence and full control over the content.) But much has changed in the past two years, and the report also reflects current socioeconomic realities, including the murder of George Floyd and the inequalities of COVID-19. |
| Why Doomsday Hasn't Happened | |
 | As Covid-19 surged across the country last spring, leaders at Wofford College considered five possible scenarios for the institution's finances in the fall of 2020. At one end of the spectrum, the small private liberal-arts college in South Carolina would welcome close to its typical number of students back to campus and suffer minimal disruption. At the other end lay a 15-percent plunge in enrollment and tuition revenue. It was, says Christopher L. Gardner, chief financial officer, "what we tongue-in-cheek called the doomsday scenario." If it were to come to pass, he "would have really had to think hard about 'How do we continue to operate the institution that our students have come to expect?'" Last spring many college leaders, pundits, and observers -- including me and others at The Chronicle -- expected most colleges to start last fall much closer to the doomsday scenario than the minimal-disruption one. A wave of room-and-board refunds and PPE, Plexiglas, and webcam purchases left institutions gushing red ink. Some states were projecting double-digit declines in tax revenues, boding ill for support of public colleges. Surveys indicated that many college-bound seniors were second-guessing their plans to attend four-year institutions that might, or might not, hold in-person classes. Some analysts forecast waves of heavy revenue losses and college closures. But the sky didn't fall, at least not for everyone. |
| As Colleges Strive for a Return to Normal, Students With Disabilities Say, 'No Thanks' | |
| The pandemic has accelerated the conversation about disability accommodations on college campuses, as requests long labeled impossible, such as remote learning and recorded lectures, were universally adopted overnight. Now, as many colleges roll out plans for a return to "normal" this fall, students, professors, and disability activists are questioning the way people conceive of normalcy -- and whether or not it's a state that's even desirable to return to. "'Normal' was normal for some people and was terrible for a lot of people," said Jasmine E. Harris, a professor and expert on disability and antidiscrimination law at the University of California at Davis School of Law. "The pandemic is this breaking down of the wall between students and professors in higher education. Suddenly, our internet all cuts out at various moments, and we all have people walking in the background or are trying to make sure that our pets are quiet." These humanizing and direct views into their personal lives have forced people to fundamentally rethink the ways they work and learn, and needs that many disabled people have lived with for years are suddenly mainstream. Now, Harris said, students across the board "are more attuned to how they learn and what doesn't work for them." |
| Feds detail $36 billion in pandemic relief for colleges | |
| The U.S. Department of Education released guidance Tuesday for $36 billion in emergency funding that will be provided to higher education institutions, along with a final rule that expands access to emergency grants to undocumented and international students and those attending college under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, policy. The third round of funding from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, which was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, passed in March, will give $10 billion to community colleges, $2.6 billion to historically Black colleges and universities, $190 million to tribal colleges, and $6 billion to other minority-serving institutions. Colleges can use the funding to disburse emergency grants to students regardless of their citizenship status, whether they completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or are eligible for federal financial aid. However, the grants must go to students deemed by their institutions to have exceptional need. The aid can also be used for student retention efforts such as academic or mental health supports, or cancellation of debts that accrued during the pandemic and prevented students from continuing their education. |
| Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders Bill Would Fight Hunger On College Campuses | |
 | Democrats in the House and Senate are introducing legislation Tuesday that would make pandemic-related food benefits for college students permanent. The push is being led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent. In the December relief package, Congress increased the number of low-income college students eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the duration of the pandemic. That included students who are eligible for work study, have an expected family contribution of zero dollars, or qualify for a maximum Pell Grant on their federal financial aid form. According to The Century Foundation, this expansion affects about 3 million college students. The legislation proposed Tuesday would make these changes permanent, including requiring the U.S. Education Department to notify students that they may be eligible for SNAP when they fill out their student aid applications. The bill would also require the department to collect data on hunger and food insecurity and would create a $1 billion-a-year grant program for institutions to address hunger on campus. |
| Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, GOP to Test Bipartisan Possibility With China Bill | |
| An effort in the Senate to ramp up federal support for U.S. research and development in the aim of better competing with China heads toward an initial vote on Wednesday, posing a test of lawmakers' ability to bridge sharp partisan differences across most of the congressional agenda. The Commerce Committee is expected to vote on whether to send the package, framed around a $100 billion, five-year injection to American colleges and universities, to the full Senate. While Republicans and Democrats have both emphasized the need for stronger efforts to confront China's campaign to best the U.S. in technological development, getting agreement on actual legislation and powering it through the 50-50 split in the Senate is proving a challenge. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who successfully propelled President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion pandemic-relief bill to passage in March, has individually sponsored the Endless Frontier measure that's aimed at China. How it proceeds will offer a key indication as to whether a bipartisan deal is possible on a broader infrastructure package. "The majority leader has set a very ambitious timetable, which we're trying to accommodate," Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, said of the research-and-development-focused bill. "There is opposition out there. There are members of our committee that have severe reservations." |
| If President Biden means his tough China talk, look to Senator Wicker's SHIPYARD Act | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: In his "interim" national security document issued in March, President Joe Biden sounded sharp concerns about China, and he ramped up that tough talk in his first address to a joint session of Congress in April. "China and other countries are closing in fast. We have to develop and dominate the products and technologies of the future," Biden said in the congressional speech, warning Chinese leaders that the United States will maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific "just as we do for NATO in Europe -- not to start conflict -- but to prevent one." That the U.S. president would express concern over U.S. relations with China makes sense. ... China is America's top naval competitor, but with two carriers and 14 nuclear subs, the U.S. advantage is steep. Close behind China is Russia, a nation with the largest and most powerful nuclear ballistic missile submarine in the world. So, if Biden's rhetoric on China is something he believes, he could do worse than to throw his support behind a sweeping piece of legislation designed to bolster American naval superiority and shipbuilding capacity moving forward authored by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Begins Postseason At SEC Tournament | |
| Mississippi State is one of the hottest teams in the conference as it begins SEC Tournament play on Wednesday, May 12. The Bulldogs, winners of seven straight and eight of their last 10 conference games, will meet Ole Miss at 11 a.m. CT in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Wednesday. State (32-22, 8-15 SEC) is set up for a second chance at their conference schedule. The Bulldogs opened SEC play in Oxford, Mississippi, against the Rebels. With a win on Wednesday, MSU would be set to face No. 1-seed Florida, their second SEC opponent of the year, on Thursday morning. Only host Alabama brings a longer winning streak into the tournament. The Crimson Tide has won ten straight. MSU has averaged 4.7 runs per game over its winning streak, while the pitching staff has excelled, posting a 1.71 ERA. Two Bulldogs picked up awards from the SEC coaches, the league office announced on Tuesday. Chloe Malau'ulu was chosen to the SEC All-Defensive Team after leading all nominated right fielders in assists (3) and total chances (49) in league play. No other nominated right fielder had more than 20 total chances. Paige Cook was selected to the All-SEC Newcomer Team after locking down a role as MSU's everyday second baseman this season. |
| For red-hot Mississippi State softball, SEC tournament offers chance at 'do-over' after rough start to conference play | |
| After a rough start to Southeastern Conference play, the Mississippi State softball team could have used a "do-over," coach Samantha Ricketts said. Now, in a way, the Bulldogs are getting one. Mississippi State -- the winner of its final seven regular-season conference games -- has a chance to stay hot and make amends for its poor early play this week in the SEC tournament. The Bulldogs (32-22, 8-15 SEC) earned the No. 9 seed in the event and will face No. 8 Ole Miss (34-19, 12-12) at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A win would set up a date with No. 1 seed Florida at 11 a.m. Thursday. It's the ultimate chance for Mississippi State, which was swept in succession by the Rebels and Gators to begin the year, to prove things have changed for good. "It is nice to kind of go back to where we started and knowing that we're a much different team than we were then," Ricketts said. "We're excited going in, and we want to make sure that we continue to play our best ball at the right time of the year." So far, Ricketts' squad has picked perhaps the perfect portion of the season to not only hold its own but scorch its conference competition. After dropping its first game at South Carolina on April 30, the Bulldogs won the following two to claim the series, swept a doubleheader with No. 19 Tennessee on Wednesday at Nusz Park and swept then-No. 22 Georgia over the weekend in Starkville. |
| Ole Miss, MSU softball teams square off in SEC Tournament | |
| Ole Miss and Mississippi State meet in an SEC Tournament first-round game Wednesday in Tuscaloosa. The Rebels and Bulldogs both reached the postseason with momentum, but in different ways. The No. 8 seed Rebels were swept at No. 3 Alabama last weekend – the site of the SEC Tournament and Wednesday's 11 a.m. first pitch. The No. 9 seed Bulldogs (32-22, 8-15 SEC) are coming off back-to-back sweeps, last weekend against Georgia, to run their win streak to seven games. MSU won the last two games of the South Carolina series then took two against Tennessee. It's the longest SEC win streak in 23 years. The Ole Miss-MSU winner faces No. 1 seed Florida on Thursday morning. MSU coach Samantha Ricketts was glad to send her senior class out with a big final weekend in Starkville. Their development has been key in this late-season run up the SEC standings. "I'm really proud of all of them and of this whole team," Ricketts said. "They are coming together at the right time, and it's really special to watch it happen." |
| In seventh college season, Mississippi State pitcher Carlisle Koestler hopes to cap storybook career with Omaha run | |
| Carlisle Koestler thought it was over. Told his elbow injury would require surgery, the Southeastern Louisiana pitcher knew his senior season had come to an end after just four starts. Koestler knew there was a chance his time in college baseball had just run out. "I really thought, 'Man, this might be it,'" he said. But Koestler's story -- and his unique career -- was far from over. Now in his seventh year of college, the Mississippi State right-hander has taken a rare path to the school he grew up wanting to play for. It took three schools, two transfers, a position change, an injury and a pandemic, but Koestler has found his home in Starkville as the Bulldogs' 2021 regular season nears its end. "Who in the world would have ever written that story?" Hinds Community College baseball coach Sam Temple said. "That's just amazing." |
| NCAA Regionals Postponed Second Day in a Row Due to Inclement Weather | |
| For the second consecutive day, due to inclement weather and poor course conditions, the first round of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional has been postponed. With the Bulldogs set to tee off Tuesday at 10 a.m. in a shotgun start, the team is now expected to tee off Wednesday morning to complete the first round. Official pairings and tee times will be updated on Golfstat.com as soon as they are established, including those regarding the final two rounds. Per the NCAA Participant Manual for the regional, if 54 holes cannot be completed, the committee will advance teams and individuals by the following: 36-hole scores, 18-hole scores, or original seeding of teams used for selection to championships. In addition, play will not extend beyond Wednesday, May 12. In the case that teams advance by their seed, No. 4 LSU, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 12 Baylor, No. 13 Oregon, No. 19 Maryland and No. 21 Alabama will advance to NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, May 21-26. |
| Rain again washes out NCAA regional at University Club | |
| Heavy rain and unplayable conditions canceled play in the NCAA Baton Rouge women's golf regional for the second straight day Tuesday, setting up a do-or-die situation Wednesday at the University Club. NCAA officials have again called for a 10 a.m. shotgun start, with an attempt to complete as many holes as possible. Under NCAA rules, the regional must be completed by Wednesday evening. However, a 70% chance of rain is again forecast. If no golf can be played, the top six-seeded teams in the 18-team field would advance to the NCAA Championships, May 21-26 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Those teams are, in order, LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor, Oregon, Maryland and Alabama. LSU golfers are set to tee off at 10 a.m. on holes 1-3. Live scoring is available at www.Golfstat.com. |
| Southern Miss baseball aims for first NCAA Super Regional since 2009 | |
 | Southern Miss baseball has been here before. The Golden Eagles enter the final week of the regular season in a familiar spot. They've got 20 Conference USA victories for the fifth straight season, and they're in line to snag a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament's regional round. Coach Scott Berry has Southern Miss (33-15, 20-7 C-USA) rolling going into this weekend's four-game series at Florida Atlantic (27-21,16-12) starting Friday at 4 p.m. CT. "Obviously I feel good about where this team has gotten from the beginning," Berry said. "We went through growing pains with the youth early, but now we're playing as well as we have all year. You just try to really look at the next opportunity as one you've got to commit to and win." Berry has plenty going for him. But even if USM adds a conference title to its already expansive trophy case, there will still be something missing if it stops there. The Golden Eagles haven't advanced past an NCAA Regional since its magical run to the College World Series in 2009, the only year USM has ever made it to Omaha. |
| AD Allen Greene: Auburn hopes to have full capacity at Jordan-Hare Stadium this fall | |
 | After an unusual 2020 football season, Auburn athletic director Allen Greene is hoping for a return to normalcy this fall. Greene told reporters Tuesday that the athletic department has had discussions about capacity in Jordan-Hare Stadium and that Auburn is hopeful it will be able to have full capacity when the upcoming football season kicks off. "Our hope, like everybody else in the country, is for full capacity. If we have to adjust down the road then we'll adjust down the road," Greene said. "Most of the colleagues who I've spoken to – not just in our league but around the country -- are doing that." A return to full capacity would be a stark contrast to 2020, when Auburn was limited to 17,490 -- which was 20 percent capacity -- due to the coronavirus pandemic. Greene emphasized the importance of people being vaccinated in order for Jordan-Hare Stadium to welcome 87,451 people when the Tigers kick off the 2021 season on Sept. 4 against Akron. "This is probably a great time to give a plug to say we need to vaccinate," Greene said. "We don't make the decision in our department; neither do any of our peers. The decisions are made with the health officials, so the better our communities do with regard to COVID vaccinations, the more opportunity we have to have everybody together again." |
| Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signs name, image, likeness bill for college athletes | |
 | Tennessee became the 15th state to pass a bill allowing college athletes to earn money for the use of their name, image and likeness. On Tuesday night, Gov. Bill Lee signed House Bill 1351, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2022. Tennessee is the latest state to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) bill into law. Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and New Mexico have NIL laws that will take effect July 1. Some states are moving ahead of the NCAA, which has been considering changes to its NIL rules. It's a move that would fundamentally alter a system of amateurism that prevents athletes from participating in endorsement deals, monetizing their social-media followings or getting paid for signing autographs amid an enterprise that generates billions of dollars for their schools. But the NCAA's proposals would conflict with provisions of state laws. Tennessee's bill would affect college athletes in men's and women's sports, but especially high profile teams. There are four Division I FBS college football teams in the state -- University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, University of Memphis and Middle Tennessee State University. |
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