Thursday, June 10, 2021   
 
MSU graduation list, deans' and president's lists now posted
The Mississippi State University graduation, deans' and president's lists are now available online at www.msstate.edu/students/lists. The university publishes these lists for each spring and fall semester for the convenience of the media, friends and family members. Users can select the list, term and year they would like to view. Data can be further filtered by state of residence and home county. The list also can be sorted by city by clicking on the city/state heading. Note, some names of students may not appear on these lists as a result of student requests for privacy from publication through the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. For more information, contact the MSU Registrar's Office at 662-325-2022. Honor graduates include all bachelor-degree candidates with exceptional scholastic averages and at least half the total required course hours earned at MSU. Their specific levels of recognition and the minimum required averages for each, based on a 4.0 scale, include: summa cum laude, 3.80; magna cum laude, 3.60; and cum laude, 3.40. Students on the President's List achieved a 3.80 or better grade-point average, based on a 4.0 scale, while completing at least 12 semester hours of course work with no incomplete grades or grades lower than a C. Deans’ List students achieved a grade-point average between 3.5 and 3.79, based on a 4.0 scale, while completing at least 12 semester hours of course work with no incomplete grades or grades lower than a C.
 
100 turbines on 13,000 acres: Mississippi OKs first wind turbine electricity facility
The Mississippi Public Service Commission has cleared the way for Mississippi to see its first wind turbine facility to generate electricity in the Delta. In its announcement Wednesday, the MPSC said the facility will be built on 13,000 acres in Tunica County and consist of up to 100 turbines and generate enough power to provide energy to approximately 70,000 homes. According to Tunica Windpower LLC's parent company Vestas, construction is expected to begin this summer and be completed by the end of 2022. "It's an honor to be a part of celebrating Mississippi's first wind-power farm in Tunica County that will bring a number of jobs and economic development opportunities to the Mississippi Delta," MPSC Chairman Dane Maxwell said in a news release. According to MPSC Central District commissioner Brent Bailey, the project will diversify production in the Delta and co-exist with agriculture. "Tunica Windpower LLC is another example of the wide diversity of energy resources available in Mississippi, as well as an example of the technical achievements and capabilities of the advanced energy sector," Bailey said. "Despite being spread across 13,000 acres, these facilities require a minimal footprint for installation and will utilize existing farm roads, allowing land managers to continue to provide food, feed and fiber -- and now energy -- from the Mississippi Delta."
 
US unemployment claims fall to 376,000, sixth straight drop
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the sixth straight week as the U.S. economy, held back for months by the coronavirus pandemic, reopens rapidly. Jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 376,000 from 385,000 the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The number of people signing up for benefits exceeded 900,000 in early January and has fallen more or less steadily ever since. Still, claims are high by historic standards. Before the pandemic brought economic activity to a near-standstill in March 2020, weekly applications were regularly coming in below 220,000. Nearly 3.5 million people were receiving traditional state unemployment benefits the week of May 29, down by 258,000 from 3.8 million the week before. Businesses are reopening rapidly as the rollout of vaccines allows Americans to feel more comfortable returning to restaurants, bars and shops. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job openings hit a record 9.3 million in April. Layoffs dropped to 1.4 million, lowest in records dating back to 2000; 4 million quit their jobs in April, another record and a sign that they are confident enough in their prospects to try something new. In May, the U.S. economy generated 559,000 million new jobs, and the unemployment rate dropped to 5.8% from 6.1% in April. Many economists expected to see even faster job growth. The United States is still short 7.6 million jobs from where it stood in February 2020.
 
U.S. Consumer Prices Rose Strongly Again in May
U.S. consumer prices continued to climb strongly in May, surging 5% from a year ago to reach the highest annual inflation rate in nearly 13 years. The Labor Department said May's increase in consumer inflation was the largest since August 2008. The jump followed a 4.2% rise for the year ended in April. The core-price index, which excludes the often-volatile categories of food and energy, rose 3.8% in May from a year before -- the largest increase for that reading since June 1992. Prices for used cars and trucks leapt 7.3% from the previous month, driving one-third of the rise in the overall index. The indexes for furniture, airline fares and apparel also rose sharply in May. The annual inflation measurements are being boosted by comparisons with figures from last year during Covid-19 lockdowns, when prices plummeted because of collapsing demand for many goods and services. This so-called base effect is expected to push up inflation readings significantly in May and June, dwindling into the fall. Consumers are seeing many prices climb for numerous reasons as the U.S. economic recovery revs up. More companies have started passing on to consumers the higher costs they are facing for raw materials and wages. The upswing in prices reflects robust consumer demand boosted by widespread Covid-19 vaccinations, relaxed business restrictions, trillions of dollars in federal pandemic relief programs and ample household savings.
 
Mississippi employers can require workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19
As Mississippi's pandemic restrictions loosen and employees return to the workplace, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has answered the question some are asking: Yes, employers can mandate employee vaccination against COVID-19. The pandemic has hit workplaces hard, leaving many employers looking for guidance around safely returning to the workplace while complying with equal employment opportunity laws. Whether employers can require employee COVID-19 vaccinations was a question high on the list, said Michael Eastman, the Center for Workplace Compliance's senior vice president of policy and assistant general counsel, at an EEOC meeting. Newly updated federal equal opportunity laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19, so long as employers comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the ADA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other EEO considerations. Other laws, not in EEOC's jurisdiction, may place additional restrictions on employers. Matt Steffey, a law professor at the Mississippi College School of Law, likened the ability of businesses to require employees to be vaccinated to employers requiring job applicants to have a certain level of education and require proof of that education. A person has the constitutional right to forgo a college education, but they do not have the right to demand to be hired without a degree when a job requires it, Steffey said.
 
New Evidence Suggests COVID-19 Vaccines Remain Effective Against Variants
The emergence of new and more infectious variants of the coronavirus has raised a troubling question: Will the current crop of COVID-19 vaccine prevent these variants from causing disease? A study out Wednesday in the journal Nature suggests the answer is yes. The research was fairly straightforward. Scientists took blood from volunteers who had received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and looked at the levels of neutralizing antibodies, the kind that prevent a virus from entering cells. "What we showed is that the neutralizing antibodies are reduced about fivefold to the B.1.351 variant," says Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Under the new nomenclature proposed by the World Health Organization, B.1.351 is now called Beta. It first appeared in South Africa. "That's very similar to what other investigators have shown with other vaccines," he says. "But what we also showed is that there's many other types of immune responses other than neutralizing antibodies, including binding antibodies, FC functional antibodies and T-cell responses." And it's that last immune response, the T-cell response, that Barouch says is critically important. Because T cells, particularly CD8 T cells, play a crucial role in preventing illness.
 
Supreme Court chief quietly gave pay raise to himself and other judges without legislative approval
Supreme Court Justice Michael Randolph used a little-known provision in a 2012 law to quietly -- and without legislative approval -- award pay raises to himself and all of the state's judges earlier this year. Randolph wrote a letter last December informing state Personnel Board Executive Director Kelly Hardwick that he was authorizing a $15,000 pay raise for himself to bring his salary to $174,000 annually and award similar salary increases for other members of the state's judiciary. That included salary adjustments for the state's nine Supreme Court justices, 10 Court of Appeals judges, 57 circuit judges and 52 chancellors. The pay raises were based on a Personnel Board recommendation of adequate salaries for judges. "As chief justice, in my capacity as chief administrative officer of all courts in the state, the salaries for judges and justices shall be as follows," he wrote before outlining the pay raises that went into effect on Jan. 1. While most every other elected official in Mississippi has their salaries set by the Legislature -- traditionally the only governmental body with the power to appropriate money -- a provision in a 2012 law gives the Supreme Court chief justice the power to raise salaries of the judiciary without legislative approval.
 
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann's inaugural nonprofit got $368k in secret donations, filings show
A nonprofit created to fund Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann's inauguration raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in secret donations, with some gifts as large as $20,000, recent tax filings show. The organization, Advance Mississippi 2020, raised the money to pay for inauguration events early last year including a gala and prayer breakfast, according to IRS documents submitted last month. The group was dissolved later in 2020 with the leftover money given to several charities. The documents are the latest example of how Mississippi politicians can use nonprofits to sidestep the usual restrictions and transparency required by campaign finance laws. Unlike many other states and the federal government, Mississippi has no rules around how politicians raise, spend and disclose cash for their inaugurations. Hosemann spokeswoman Leah Rupp Smith said in a statement that transparency has been a "central tenet" of the lieutenant governor's administration, including his push to webcast legislative proceedings. Earlier this year the Daily Journal reported on an inaugural nonprofit for Gov. Tate Reeves that raised more than $1.6 million for his inauguration festivities and transition to office. It received dozens of anonymous donations, some for $100,000 and more. The Republican's nonprofit, For All Mississippi, also paid $150,000 to a business owned by the governor's brother and sister-in-law.
 
Major scientific and technological investment sought to better compete against China
The Senate passed the United States Innovation and Competition Act Tuesday with surprising bipartisan support. The bill proposes $250 billion in investment aimed at improving America's ability to compete with China in areas like advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. The bill calls for greater investment in research and development and $50 billion alone aimed at getting more semiconductors made in the U.S. China wants to be the world leader in artificial intelligence -- a national policy says so explicitly. The country is throwing a lot of resources at the objective, something that has worried scientists and politicians here in the States. "The U.S. is doing pretty well in this global race for AI, so the challenge isn't where we are today, but where are we gonna be in ten years," said Daniel Castro, vice president at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. U.S. government funding for basic research has been declining for decades, Castro said. Samuel Hammond, an analyst at the Niskanen Center, said the government could, and should, spend more. He said there were other areas of American scientific research that need major overhauling: The fact that scientists who get government grants have to spend 40% of their time applying for and managing those grants through a highly bureaucratic process, for example. Others point out that the U.S. trains the world's brightest science students but doesn't have the visa programs to reliably keep them here.
 
Online bans, media glare hem extremists, diminish reach, experts say
In a video published online last month, Georgia militia leader Chris Hill and Eric Braden of the Texas-based Southern Patriot Council discussed the overthrow of the United States government, by violence if necessary. "It's all or nothing," Hill said. "Revolution is at hand." It's not clear who heard the call. The video was published on the Toronto-based video sharing site Rumble where it garnered just a few dozen views. Hill also promoted it on Gab, a social media site popular with some far-right figures, but only 27 people follow his account there. It's a precipitous fall from a year ago when Hill had a Facebook account with tens of thousands of followers, along with a separate, private Facebook group where he and members of his III% Security Force militia could meet in relative secrecy. Social media bans by Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have dramatically reduced the reach of extreme right figures like Hill, disrupting their ability to plan and recruit new members, according to experts who monitor domestic extremism. After the Jan. 6 insurrection, militias are finding it harder to stay under the radar of mainstream social media companies. Mary McCord, a former U.S. Department of Justice official who now heads the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University’s law school, said the flight by extremists to other platforms like Gab and Telegram mean they reach fewer people.
 
Bobby Rush Lived the Blues. Six Decades On, He's Still Playing Them.
The air was thick with termites when Bobby Rush stepped onto an outdoor stage in New Orleans for one of his first live performances in over a year -- an uncharacteristically long break, the result of pandemic shutdowns, in a career that began in the wake of World War II. It was early May, and the swarming was so bad that the blues musician wove the insects into his lyrics: "Somebody come get these damn bugs." He later moved to the ground in front of the stage, determined to continue his show in the dark, beyond the reach of the termite-attracting lights. "I never seen anything like that before," Rush said by phone a week later, from his home in Jackson, Miss. "I could hardly play my guitar." Rush has relied on practical improvisations, often in unglamorous circumstances, his entire life. On the heels of winning his second Grammy in March, and on the verge of publishing a memoir in June, Rush, now in his 80s, is enjoying a moment of recognition. "I may be the oldest blues singer around, me and Buddy Guy," he said in October, during the first of several conversations, this one via video conference. Rush sat at the edge of a couch at his son's house in Jackson, slouching to peer into a laptop screen and trotted out a quip he uses onstage: "If I'm not the oldest, I'm the ugliest." Scott Billington, a veteran producer who has worked with many blues musicians, including Rush, said the singer, guitarist and harmonica player is indeed among the last of a dying breed. “Bobby’s almost unique in the blues world today, because he has connections that go back so far,” he said. “He’s made this transition into a sort of iconic American figure.”
 
Angie Thomas, Walter Isaacson among authors set to speak at Mississippi Book Festival
The Mississippi Book Festival, an annual event dubbed the state's literary lawn party, is back on for 2021, and numerous celebrated authors are slated to speak. The event is slated for Saturday, August 21, in and around the State Capitol Building. It was canceled in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. "This year, we truly have something for every book lover in Mississippi and beyond," said Executive Director Holly Lange. "There will be compelling conversations among authors and moderators spanning every interest area, along with book signing opportunities, booksellers, children's activities and more." Authors slated to speak include biographer and former Time Magazine editor Walter Isaacson, National Book Award finalist Deesha Philyaw, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown, Pulitzer Prize winner Kai Byrd, New York Times bestselling author Angie Thomas, and others. "The prize-winning lineup of panelists for this year is just now taking shape, so stay tuned for more announcements to come," Literary Director Ellen Rodgers Daniels said.
 
Gulf Coast Research Lab retires long-serving research vessel RV Hermes
On Wednesday, the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Lab retired a long and faithful servant. The RV Hermes has served as a floating classroom for more than 64 years providing hands-on experience in education and research to both students and scientists. It was a retirement ceremony well earned. "You can't be an effective marine laboratory unless you have a vessel to get students and researchers out on the water, and this being the first vessel that we had to do that, it's very important," said Read Hendon, GCRL director. "We would not be where we are today as the state's marine laboratory and as a university without vehicles and vessels like this." The boat's wheel, bell and plaque will be enshrined onshore, while the structure will be enshrined offshore. Within the next few months, an organization dedicated to creating fishing havens in the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi Gulf Fishing Banks, will convert the boat into an artificial reef. "There's two or three items we put out there on the bottom right now: steel-hull vessels, like the Hermes and fishing boats," said the group's president Ralph Humphrey. "We also deploy concrete rubble and also materials of design -- the artificial domes, the pyramids, that sort of thing, but the steel-hull vessels are very attractive because they last a long time."
 
Survey aims to improve relationship between communities and police in rural Mississippi
Researchers at a historically Black university in the Delta are taking a closer look at policing in rural Mississippi. The team of researchers say they hope to understand and improve the relationship between community and police statewide. A group of professors at Mississippi Valley State University is collecting data focusing on two things: how citizens view their interactions with law enforcement and how law enforcement view their interactions with the community. The Southern Poverty Law Center contracted the group to begin the project last year. Ongoing research consists of newspaper searches, anonymous surveys of community members and police officers and focus group discussions. "After a murder has occurred, a murder between civilians, police arrive. Well, that is not crime prevention," said Kathryn Green, professor of History at Mississippi Valley State University. "And so what communities are saying is just more interaction with police prior to crime might be helpful in providing safety and providing confidence that community members could feel that they could talk to police about an issue in the community." Green and other researchers at the university are collecting and analyzing data to determine the issues in rural communities and inform policy advocates such as the SPLC and NAACP in Mississippi.
 
Legislators, students push for K-12 Asian American studies
When the Asian American Student Union at a Connecticut high school organized a Zoom call following the killing of six Asian women in Atlanta, senior Lily Feng thought maybe 10 or 15 classmates would attend. When she logged on, more than 50 people from her school were online. By the call's end, nearly 100 people had joined. Seeing her peers at Farmington High School turn out for the conversation -- one piece of a student-led effort to explore Asian American identity issues -- made her realize how much they wanted to listen and learn about a topic that is often absent from the curriculum. "Our Asian American and Pacific Islander community members, they want their voices to be heard," said Feng, co-president of the student group that also has brought in speakers, hosted panels and created lessons about Asian American history. "They are almost desperate to be speaking about it. This is so heavy, this is heartbreaking and it was a space for them to really voice that." As students push for more inclusive curriculum, some lawmakers, educators and students themselves are working to address gaps in instruction and fight harmful stereotypes by pushing for more Asian American history to be included in K-12 lesson plans.
 
Auburn's liberal arts dean leaving position to join professorial faculty
The dean of Auburn's College of Liberal Arts will soon be leaving the position after eight years. Effective July 1, Joseph Aistrup, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, will transition to a faculty position in the department of political science, per an email from the dean's office sent to all faculty, staff and graduate teaching assistants in the college. "I'm blessed to have worked with so many outstanding students, faculty and staff over the eight years I've been dean," Aistrup said. "They are the heart and soul of this college. However, after 28 years of serving in some type of administrative capacity in three different universities, I'm looking forward to returning to the faculty to teach our extraordinary students and to conduct my research." Aistrup was appointed dean in 2013, leaving an associate dean position at Kansas State University where he worked in various professorial and leadership roles since 2002. "I appreciate Dean Aistrup's leadership and his efforts to advance the College of Liberal Arts during his years as dean," said Provost Bill Hardgrave. "I am especially grateful for Joe's commitment to the faculty, staff, students and alumni and for his ability to position the college for continued success." Under his tenure, the College of Liberal Arts added the department of aviation and saw the completion of the Band Practice Complex and Band Rehearsal Hall Addition. "I plan to stay in Auburn to finish my career as a faculty member in political science. I will always fondly remember my years as dean of the college because of all of the great students, faculty and alumni that I had the good fortune of getting to know," Aistrup said.
 
Public health students surge at UAB, epidemiology students nearly double
The number of students enrolled at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health jumped 61 percent in 2020, reflecting the "Fauci effect" and the prominence of public health professionals during the pandemic. Enrollment in epidemiology, the study of how diseases spread, jumped 92 percent at UAB. "It is no surprise that a worldwide pandemic created interest in the field of public health," said Dr. Paul Erwin, dean of the UAB School of Public Health. The increased interest in public health professions was greater in Alabama than in other parts of the country. According to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, applications to graduate programs increased by just 23 percent nationwide last year compared to 2019. Across the country, interest in health careers rose during the pandemic. Applications to medical schools also increased in 2020 as health professionals battled the spread of COVID-19. Haley Greene, an epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health, graduated from the UAB School of Public Health in 2020. She said the pandemic shaped the interests of several students in her class. "I have noticed several public health students switch their interest in chronic disease to infectious disease, along with an influx of individuals interested in public health careers," Greene said. "I believe it is an exciting time for early-career public health professionals, as there are many opportunities now and into the future."
 
UF approves historical plaque recognizing first Black students
Students have been fighting for further recognition of the University of Florida's Black population for decades. Now, the university is working to install a plaque recognizing its first Black students. While the plaque would honor Black students' history, it's not exactly what some have been fighting for. Harley Herman, executive director of the Virgil Hawkins Historical Society, has spent the past 30 years fighting for a monument for his friend and colleague Virgil Hawkins, a Black man who was denied admission to UF in 1949 because of his race. Herman has been sending letters to UF President Kent Fuchs and the Board of Trustees since 2011 requesting approval for his proposed integration monument -- he sent his most recent letter March 27. The letters are usually prompted by events showing why the monument is important, such as the Black Lives Matter movement or the death of notable Black alumni. Herman's proposal led the Board of Trustees to revisit how to best honor UF's first Black students, UF spokesperson Steve Orlando wrote in an email. Herman's letters led to a conversation between Fuchs and Orlando where the two discussed the idea of honoring UF's first Black students with a plaque, he wrote.
 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission awards $450,000 grant to U. of Missouri for faculty development
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has awarded a $450,000 faculty development grant to the University of Missouri. The grant encourages careers and research in nuclear-related fields for future workforce needs. It is among 30 grants to 26 institutions totaling $10.7 million from the NRC. Congress authorized the NRC to provide federal funding opportunities to qualified academic institutions to encourage careers and research in nuclear, mechanical and electrical engineering, health physics, and related fields to meet expected future workforce needs. Recipients are to use the grants for scholarships, fellowships and faculty development. "Quality education is critical for nuclear safety in the future, not to mention the exploration of new possibilities in nuclear science and technology," said NRC Chairman Christopher T. Hanson in a news release. "We are honored to award these grants to advance scientific research at these fine academic institutions."
 
Rhodes College to charge fee to students without COVID-19 vaccines
Rhodes College students will go back to in-person learning for the fall semester but for those without a COVID-19 vaccine, it will cost them. Rhodes sent an email to students Tuesday that the liberal arts college will charge unvaccinated students a $1,500 Health and Safety fee per semester to cover the costs of mandatory testing. "Aligned with our long-standing practice and policy requiring health forms and vaccinations, the college fully intends to require the COVID-19 vaccination immediately upon FDA approval," the email read. "This will be required for students, faculty, staff, vendors and campus partners." Until FDA approval, the college strongly recommends full vaccination for anyone who goes to campus and flu vaccines are required for the fall. Those who do not receive vaccines must pay the fee to cover the costs of the student's weekly COVID-19 testing. Vice President for Student Life Meghan Harte Weyant, who also leads health and safety efforts, said the college invested in weekly asymptomatic testing for the spring semester which led to a safer campus. Now, Weyant said Rhodes wants to reduce the need for testing by encouraging vaccinations. Weyant said a high percentage of students, faculty and staff have already been vaccinated.
 
Spring Enrollment's Final Count Is In. Colleges Lost 600,000 Students.
New data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center provides a final tally of the enrollment decline higher education saw during the spring term of 2021: Total college enrollment fell 3.5 percent from a year earlier, a shortfall of 603,000 students. That is seven times worse than the decline a year earlier. But, as usual, the top-line number doesn't tell the whole story. Some students, institutions, and parts of the country have fared worse than others -- a trend that has persisted in the enrollment snapshots that the research center has released month by month throughout the spring. For instance, male student enrollment continued to fall more than female student enrollment. Men declined by 5.5 percent, or 400,000 students, from a year ago. That's compared with a drop of only 2 percent for women, or 203,000 students, according to the data. And while enrollment fell in almost every undergraduate major tracked by the research center, psychology, and computer and information science, were among the few bright spots at four-year institutions. Enrollment in those majors was up 4.8 percent and 3 percent, respectively, from a year ago.
 
Final spring enrollment numbers show largest decline in a decade
More than 600,000 fewer students enrolled at United States colleges and universities this spring compared to the same time last year, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Total enrollment fell by 3.5 percent year over year from 17.5 million students to 16.9 million -- the largest year-over-year drop in a decade. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released its final spring enrollment report today. The report captures data from 97 percent of degree-granting institutions in the United States. The enrollment declines outpace declines this past fall, but the spring semester numbers also include students who withdrew from college last fall and did not return this spring, said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Low-income students were more likely to withdraw from higher education during the pandemic than high-income students or students with undergraduate degrees, according to Shapiro. As a result, community colleges have experienced greater hits to their student ranks over the past year. There were no strong regional trends in enrollment declines, said Mikyung Ryu, director of research publications at the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Colleges and universities in Southern states fared slightly better, with total enrollment declining by 1.9 percent year over year. The Northwest and Midwest regions saw the largest enrollment declines this spring, with student head count falling by 4 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively.
 
Yale speaker says comment about killing White people was meant to spark deeper talk about race
A psychiatrist who told a Yale School of Medicine audience that she fantasized about killing White people defended her April comments this week and called them hyperbole that underlies a frustration about minority mental health and a desire to have more serious conversations about race. Aruna Khilanani's April 6 live stream "Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind" was billed as a way to contextualize the "Karen" and "right to not wear masks" videos circulating on the Internet. Khilanani told her audience about her own rage and that she "had fantasies of unloading a revolver into the head of any White person that got in my way, burying their body and wiping my bloody hands as I walked away relatively guiltless with a bounce in my step." She bemoaned the emotional labor that many racial minorities in the United States say they must perform when talking to White people about race, and she declared that talking to White people about the topic was "useless." After the talk made headlines, commenters called her statements racist and "evil" while some declared her speech to be important. The controversy comes amid debates about critical race theory and free speech, while some call for an increase in the number of non-White mental health professionals in the wake of George Floyd's murder. The Yale School of Medicine said Khilanani's lecture would not be made available to the general public after medical school leaders found "the tone and content antithetical to the values of the school." Khilanani told The Washington Post that the murderous fantasy she shared in April was a "metaphor to evoke emotion."
 
House representatives press for help on food insecurity, SNAP benefits
Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives have reached out to the Government Accountability Office asking that it assess the impact of food insecurity among college students and the barriers that may exist under the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In the letter to the GAO, Education and Labor Chair Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Agriculture Committee Chair David Scott (D-Ga.) noted continuing concern over hunger among students that has been exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic -- citing surveys that show as many as 40% of individuals at some campuses are not getting enough food. Prior to the beginning of the national crisis, more than one million of the college students who were SNAP eligible did not reach out to attain benefits, according to the GAO's own report in 2018. Many have struggled to understand the complexities of the program, are unaware of it or simply don't qualify. Congress eased some of the restrictions of SNAP through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act late last year, providing immediate access to benefits for those in work-study programs and those with expected family contributions of zero. The two representatives are asking the GAO to look at further solutions -- including extending those benefits for many who could become ineligible once the crisis lifts. For college students, navigating SNAP can be daunting.
 
Innovative Approaches to Addressing Financial Aid, Structural Inequities, Key to Removing Barriers to Higher Education, New APLU & TIAA Institute Research Finds
Enhancing financial assistance programs and confronting racial and socioeconomic inequities are critical to addressing college affordability and student debt challenges, according to research released today by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Powered by Publics initiative and TIAA Institute. The new research investigates best practices and possible long-term reforms to current financial aid approaches by examining leading-edge approaches underway at nine Powered by Publics institutions. Approaches include one-stop centers for emergency aid and services to meet students' financial and non-academic needs; completion and retention grants; institutional debt forgiveness; open educational resources; and industry partnerships that help students work, learn, and earn. "The past year has magnified the scale of student financial need and underscored the urgency of addressing it through reform and the development of targeted, multifaceted innovations," said Alcione Frederick, Assistant Director in APLU's Center for Public University Transformation, who led the research. "We know cost barriers disproportionately impact Black, Latinx, first-generation, and low-income students and that the pandemic has exacerbated these long-standing inequities. We're excited to release this research today to showcase effective approaches institutions can take to address financial barriers that contribute to these inequities."


SPORTS
 
Breaking down Mississippi State, Notre Dame by the numbers ahead of Starkville Super Regional
Chris Lemonis knows no NCAA Super Regional will ever be easy. Unfortunately for the Mississippi State coach, the Bulldogs seem to have drawn one of the toughest assignments of the eight host teams around the nation. Red-hot Notre Dame, which sliced with ease through the South Bend Regional with 50 runs in three games, will come to Starkville from Saturday through Monday. One team will head on to Omaha for a shot at College World Series glory; one team will end its season prematurely. So who has the advantage when the Fighting Irish come to Dudy Noble Field? Let's break down Mississippi State and Notre Dame ahead of first pitch at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs enter the Super Regional round with an RPI that ranks fifth in the country, according to WarrenNolan.com. Notre Dame is only one spot behind at No. 6. The two teams are the only pair of super regional opponents who come in back to back in that metric, which makes sense given their No. 7 and No. 10 national seeds. No. 8 seed Texas Tech checks in at ninth in the RPI, while its Super Regional opponent, No. 9 Stanford, is 11th. Notre Dame's nonconference RPI is the best in the country, but the Irish played only four games outside of the ACC prior to regionals. They beat Valparaiso three times and Central Michigan once. Mississippi State, meanwhile, went 20-3 against a nonconference schedule that had an RPI of 102 despite games against Texas, Texas Tech and TCU early on. But thanks to a challenging SEC slate, the Bulldogs' overall strength of schedule was 10th in the country. Notre Dame checked in at No. 30.
 
'Absolute Bulldog': How Landon Sims became a shutdown closer for Mississippi State baseball
Landon Sims called the infield to the mound for a meeting before South Forsyth High School coach Russ Bayer made it out of the dugout to do it himself. It was the opening game of 2018 region play in Georgia's highest level of high school baseball. Sims, South Forsyth's No. 1 starter as a junior, was on the mound. The fielders behind him committed two errors, and his catcher dropped a third strike in the top of the first. "In the blink of an eye, I think Landon had thrown eight pitches, and the bases were loaded with nobody out," Bayer told The Clarion Ledger. Bayer didn't say much during the mound meeting. Sims said everything he wanted to and more. He proceeded to strike out the side. Then he drove in a pair of runs in the bottom of the first in a 2-1 victory. Sims had a no-hitter going into the seventh. "He's an absolute Bulldog," Bayer said. "A true warrior." Bayer was reminded of Sims' heroics when he displayed the same demeanor in the top of the ninth in Mississippi State's 3-2 win over Kentucky on April 2. Sims, now a second-year reliever at MSU, forced a popup that landed in the infield after miscommunication. UK had runners on the corners with one out. Just as Bayer had three years earlier, MSU coach Chris Lemonis looked at Sims after the popup landed. Sims stretched his arms out and bobbed his hands calmly up and down. He made eye contact with Lemonis as if to say, "Everything is fine." It was. Sims got the next batter to ground into a game-ending double play.
 
U. of Utah tabs Gary Henderson as new baseball coach
The University of Utah has its new head baseball coach, and it didn't have to look very far to find him. Gary Henderson, the Utes associate head coach for the last two seasons under Bill Kinneberg, has been promoted to head coach, the athletic department announced on Wednesday afternoon. Kinneberg retired last month and the conclusion of the 2021 season, his 18th at the helm. "It was extremely gratifying to have the high level of interest in this search," Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. "Coaches from prominent programs across the country were involved and spoken to. However, as we all analyzed the candidates, it became clear that we had someone very special on our coaching staff. To have a coach of Gary Henderson's caliber and experience, who also has such familiarity with the young men in our program, makes him an ideal leader for the next era of Utah Baseball." In a coaching career spanning 31 years, Henderson has coached at brand-name programs including the University of Florida, Oregon State, University of Kentucky and Mississippi State prior to coming to Utah in 2019.
 
Former Mississippi State baseball coach Gary Henderson promoted to head coach at Utah
A familiar face for Mississippi State baseball fans is a head coach once again. Former MSU interim head coach Gary Henderson has been promoted to head coach at Utah. Henderson won the NCBWA 2018 National Coach of the Year award for leading Mississippi State to the College World Series as an interim. Henderson took over at Mississippi State in 2018 after previous head coach Andy Canizaro was fired just three games into the season. Henderson steadied the ship and led the Bulldogs to Omaha for the 10th time in program history. Despite his success and having been the Bulldogs' pitching coach in the previous two seasons, MSU director of athletics John Cohen elected to go in a different direction despite Henderson publicly saying he'd like to be hired for the job. Cohen hired Chris Lemonis away from Indiana instead. The hiring of Lemonis has worked out. Lemonis became the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 victories. He passed College Baseball Hall of Famer Ron Polk in that regard. Lemonis is also looking to lead MSU to the CWS for the second time in as many seasons. Lemonis gave credit to Henderson in his introductory press conference. "Gary Henderson and that staff, to keep that team together and keep them playing, was a remarkable job," Lemonis said in June 2018. "And what happened that last month of the season will help us as we move forward in the future."
 
Lawmakers agree NCAA needs NIL help, but how much and when?
A federal law governing how college athletes can earn money off their fame and celebrity seems certain to pass -- at some point. There is no real debate among lawmakers on Capitol Hill about whether athletes should be permitted to monetize their name, image and likeness. "There is broad consensus that Congress should pass a law that grants athletes NIL rights," Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said Wednesday during a hearing held by the Senate Commerce Committee. But less than a month before NIL laws go into effect in several states, NCAA President Mark Emmert was back in Washington renewing his plea for help from Congress -- help that is unlikely to come as soon as the NCAA would like. For some lawmakers, federal regulation of college sports should not end with NIL and the time is right to tackle other issues -- from long-term health care and educational opportunities for athletes to more uniform and enforceable safety standards. "To race to just an NIL bill and not address these injustices is tragic," Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a former Stanford football player, said before Emmert and five other witnesses testified before the committee. Wicker wants to take a different approach, calling for a "more focused bill on a faster timeline." Emmert said the NCAA plans to act on its proposed NIL legislation soon. "Preferably by the end of the month," Emmert said.
 
Senate committee heats up discussions of federal law for college athletes
Pressure is mounting on Congress to pass a federal law allowing college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, known as NIL, as numerous state laws regarding NIL rights are scheduled to go in effect July 1. While the laws differ between states, they'll generally allow athletes to sell rights to their name, image and likeness while playing college sports -- such as by signing endorsement deals, selling autographs or monetizing social media fame. Current rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association prohibit athletes from doing that. The NCAA is asking Congress to create a uniform federal law because a patchwork of state laws would create an uneven playing field for student athletes across the country, said Mark Emmert, president of the NCAA, during Wednesday's hearing held by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Only athletes who attend colleges in states with enacted laws -- which on July 1 will include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and New Mexico -- will be able to participate in NIL deals. That could harm recruiting prospects at colleges in states without NIL rules, stakeholders say. "There is broad consensus that Congress should pass a law that guarantees college athletes the right to enter into NIL agreements with third parties -- the same right that all nonathlete students have," said Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican ranking member from Mississippi. But Congress would only have three weeks to pass legislation and beat the July 1 deadline to pre-empt state laws.
 
Senators pressed to step into NCAA student-athlete 'NIL' pay debate by July 1
Congress loves deadlines, and on Wednesday senators on the Commerce Committee were told they effectively have three weeks to figure out what to do about setting rules for how college athletes may be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness. That's because a Florida state law takes effect July 1, the first of a cascade of policies in at least 19 states that sets the stage for a potentially problematic patchwork system for how participants in intercollegiate athletics may be compensated for endorsement deals, social media and use of their images in video games, referred to as NIL (for name, image and likeness). "We thought the NCAA was going to be able to step forward and set the rules," Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn said. "And had said to the NCAA, if you cannot do this we will do for you. That is the posture in which we find ourselves right now." Blackburn, who hails from a state that has crafted its own framework, asked whether NCAA President Mark Emmert was fit to continue leading the organization. "The inability to move to a point of decision has just been an insufferable ... event for so many of the student-athletes and their parents. This is why the states have taken it upon themselves to do what the NCAA has proven incapable of doing," Blackburn said.
 
In Fight Over College Athlete Compensation, States Are Now Clearly in Charge
While much remains uncertain about the coming era of compensation for college athletes, one thing seems certain: it will begin this summer in a state of chaos. With several states poised to allow athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness set to take effect next month, a Senate hearing on Wednesday made it clear that Congress is unlikely to rush through a bill to create a single federal standard on athletes' endorsement rights. Meanwhile, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which blocked compensation for decades, has delayed enacting its own new rules. The association says that it wants to loosen its restrictions on payments to athletes, while keeping some curbs in place. But it's punted on doing so to date, indicating that it prefers to wait on an imminent Supreme Court decision in a case that could redefine the extent of the association's powers. State legislatures have emerged as the most powerful force in college sports, at least for now. Nineteen of them have passed bills allowing athletes to cut endorsement deals -- and some of those are due to kick in on July 1, 2021. More states could still follow as their lawmakers rush to prevent their universities losing out on prized recruits. The hearing provided the strongest indication yet that a federal law is still far off. The likeliest scenario now, some members have said, is that Congress would act only when the impact of the different state laws becomes so pronounced that they cannot ignore it.
 
NCAA NIL hearing clarifies potential solution for law's biggest hurdle
Sen. Maria Cantwell wasted no time. In fact, in her very first question at Wednesday's Senate hearing on athlete compensation, the junior senator from Washington touched on what has been, so far, the biggest hurdle in reaching a compromise between Republicans and Democrats on a bi-partisan college athletes rights bill. From her pulpit inside a lavish, marble walled Senate meeting room, Cantwell asked NCAA president Mark Emmert if his governing body could help small, low-resource schools fund what may be requirements under a federal bill: expanding healthcare and scholarships for former athletes. A winding and sometimes rambling answer from the NCAA president produced two relevant words: It's doable. Wednesday's Senate hearing---the fifth on Capitol Hill over how NCAA athletes should earn money from their name, image and likeness (NIL)---produced little fireworks, significant revelations or even real interesting banter. Sure, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) peppered Emmert about the NCAA's stance on transgender athletes. And, yes, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) questioned Emmert's leadership directly to his face. But the most enlightening message of this three-hour affair came between the lines of Cantwell's first question: Democrats are prepared to only support a broad bill governing athlete compensation that incorporates long-term medical care and educational opportunities for athletes after they leave college.
 
A former Saints player has a message for the Coast: Get vaccinated against COVID-19
A former New Orleans Saints player is bringing a message to the Mississippi Gulf Coast: Get a free COVID-19 vaccine to help end the pandemic. On Friday, former running back Deuce McAllister will meet with elected officials and community members as part of a campaign to inform people about the COVID-19 vaccine, with a particular focus on communities of color. His tour is part of a partnership between the Magnolia Health Plan, Centene Corporation and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. McAllister was born in Mississippi and was a star player at Ole Miss before he joined the Saints from 2001-09. McAllister's visit comes as Mississippi languishes at the bottom of yet another list: the percentage of residents in each state who have been fully vaccinated. According to the state's June 9 vaccination update, 29% of Mississippians have been fully vaccinated with either two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. According to the CDC, 42.3% of all Americans have been fully vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccine is free for all.



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