| Wednesday, July 14, 2021 |
| Mississippi State launches online ag, human science degrees | |
 | Mississippi State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) introduced a new online master's degrees through the university's Center for Distance Education. CALS master's degrees are now available in agribusiness management, agriculture with an animal and dairy sciences concentration, and early intervention. Enrollment is open for classes beginning in August. The recent offerings are in addition to two existing CALS online degrees -- a master's in food science, nutrition and health promotion with a health promotion concentration, and a bachelor's in human development and family science with a child development concentration. The Master of Agribusiness Management is a 30-hour interdisciplinary degree in CALS and the College of Business, administered through MSU's Department of Agricultural Economics. The 31-hour Master of Agriculture degree in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences prepares students to advance in animal feeding, breeding and production. The Master of Science in Early Intervention, also 30 hours and offered through MSU's School of Human Sciences, is an innovative and comprehensive program designed to address the shortage of trained professionals with expertise in working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers with special needs and their families. |
| Buddy the dog could leave hospital in August | |
 | Buddy the dog's veterinarians say he continues to improve every day. Buddy has been recovering at Mississippi State University where he will stay until his wounds are healed. Right now, there is a very small area in the middle of his brow that isn't completely healed, and his eyelids still have a ways to go before they can protect his eyes. Buddy has undergone a series of five skin grafts and has new skin on his snout. The hope is that Buddy will be able to leave the hospital in early August. |
| Golden Triangle school districts find new ways to make school supplies affordable | |
 | School districts across the Golden Triangle are finding creative ways to assist children and families with school supplies costs and needs as kids return to school this fall. The Discovery Center at Emerson Family School in Starkville will host a "back to school bash" 10 a.m. to noon July 31. Families Strengthening Families Coordinator Barbara Culberson said this drive-through event will provide students with school supplies and backpacks for the upcoming school year. "We are trying to make sure the families have a good start for the school year," Culberson said. "We usually do this every year anyway, but we just tried to make sure we stepped up our efforts this year because we know families are really hurting from the pandemic." Aside from supplies, the back to school bash will offer free medical screenings for students. Culberson said parenting information packets will also be available to give parents information on different services Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District offers, classes they can participate in and tips on parenting skills. Multiple organizations in Starkville have donated supplies. While the event is first-come, first-served, Culberson said she believes there will be enough supplies for all families who would like to take part. Donations are still being accepted. Anyone interested in contributing supplies can contact the Discovery Center at 662-320-4607. |
| Tate Reeves, Thomas Dobbs: COVID delta variant poses increasing danger in Mississippi | |
 | With the COVID-19 delta variant fueling what State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs calls "a surge of cases in kids" with "more tragedy on the way," Mississippi's top doctor and Gov. Tate Reeves are urging unvaccinated Mississippians to seek out the shots. "It is clearly a safe vaccine, and I encourage Mississippians to get it," Reeves said during a visit to Tupelo on Tuesday. Reeves and Dobbs visited Tupelo as part of a statewide swing honoring the Mississippi National Guard for its role in the management of mass vaccination sites across the state. While here, they emphasized the impact of the more transmissible delta variant of COVID-19. In addition to spreading easier, medical experts and researchers also generally agree that the delta variant can produce more severe infections. Despite concerns with increasing cases caused by the delta variant, Reeves said he would not re-impose any mitigation measures. "The fact is, every single Mississippian has had an opportunity to get the vaccine," Reeves told reporters. "There are some who have chosen not to. I encourage them to do so." However, not every Mississippian is eligible to be vaccinated right now. No vaccine is approved for children under 12. |
| Children affected by latest COVID-19 surge, raising concerns over back-to-school plans | |
| The latest surge of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi, caused by the Delta variant, is also hitting the state's younger population, increasing concerns over the return to schools next month. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs tweeted Tuesday morning that 12 minors have been hospitalized due to Delta infections in Mississippi, and 10 of them are now on ventilators. This trend contrasts sharply with the earlier strains of COVID-19, which were much less transmissible and did not infect children to the extent seen with the Delta variant. Over the past three weeks, the number of confirmed Delta cases in Mississippi has increased nearly sevenfold, up from 29 to 231. Those 231 cases only represent a small surveillance sample though, so it is undoubtedly only a small fraction of the Delta infections in the state. During an interview on SuperTalk Radio's Gallo Show on Monday, Dobbs predicted that infections in younger people will cause a large wave of infections and negatively impact school district plans to reopen fully with in-person instruction. "It's going to be disruptive," Dobbs said. "I think Delta's going to take its toll on having a successful, vibrant school year because kids are going to have to be quarantined, they're going to have to be isolated. We're going to have outbreaks and all that kind of stuff." |
| Seven Mississippi children hospitalized as delta variant surges | |
 | Seven Mississippi children are currently in the hospital due to COVID-19 infections, with two of the young people on life support, the state's top health official announced Tuesday. Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said in a tweet that seven children infected with the virus were in the intensive care unit (ICU) and two of them were on ventilators. The health official apologized for a previous report from the state health department that incorrectly said 12 children were in the ICU and 10 of them were on life support. According to WAPT, ABC's Jackson, Miss., affiliate station, Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said Tuesday that the hospital was treating four of the hospitalized children, noting that the hospital has recently "had more pediatric admissions than we had early in the pandemic." The hospitalization numbers come the same day the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 219 new coronavirus infections and 10 additional fatalities, bringing the state total to 325,072 confirmed cases and 7,451 deaths due to COVID-19. According to data shared by the health official, 94 percent of the total cases in Mississippi from June 7 to July 5 were among individuals who were not vaccinated, and 93 percent of those who died due to COVID-19 during that period had not received a COVID-19 shot. |
| Mississippi officials block COVID vaccine misinformation | |
 | The Mississippi State Department of Health is now blocking comments on its Facebook posts that relate to COVID-19 because of a "rise of misinformation" about the virus and vaccinations, a health official said. "The comments section of our Facebook page has increasingly come to be dominated by misinformation about COVID-19," state health department spokesperson Liz Sharlot said in a statement. Sharlot said allowing the comments that "mislead the public about the safety, importance and effectiveness of vaccination" is "directly contrary" to the state's public health mission, which includes encouraging members of the public to be vaccinated against the virus, which has been recently making a resurgence in the state. Only about 31% of Mississippians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a statistic that ranks near the bottom of U.S. states. Sharlot said the comments will be back when the department has "the resources to effectively curb misleading, harmful and off-topic commentary that disserves the public." Federal regulators have said the vaccines are safe and offer strong protection against contracting the potentially life-threatening disease. |
| U.S. Covid-19 Case Counts Have Doubled in Recent Weeks | |
 | New Covid-19 cases are on the rise in a number of states across the U.S., worrying health officials and epidemiologists as many Americans remain unvaccinated and the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads. The U.S. is averaging more than 23,000 new cases a day, double the seven-day average of around 11,300 cases three weeks ago, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. On 17 of the past 18 days, the seven-day case average was higher than the 14-day average, also suggesting cases have been rising nationally. The uptick follows a significant slowdown in Covid-19 metrics after a deadly winter surge, when newly reported cases peaked at around 240,000 cases a day in mid-January, and it comes as public-health officials push to reinvigorate the nation's vaccination campaign and get shots to undecided or isolated Americans. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly all recent Covid-19 cases and deaths from the disease are among unvaccinated people. Americans 65 and older, who are most likely to die from Covid-19 infections, have high rates of vaccinations. |
| Speaker Philip Gunn struggles to garner support for income tax-sales tax swap | |
| As he tours the state selling his plan to eliminate Mississippi's individual income tax and increase sales taxes, House Speaker Philip Gunn utters a common refrain: "No one has really been able to tell me why from a policy standpoint it's a bad idea ... From a policy standpoint, no one's been able to poke a hole in it." But leaders and groups across the political spectrum have poked holes in or raised concerns about his plan. And those holes and concerns have been based primarily on policy -- the particulars of Gunn's proposal, not politics. Advocates for poor and moderate income Mississippians say the plan would unfairly shift more of the state's tax burden onto them. Ditto for retirees. Big business interests such as manufacturers fear the sales tax increases in the plan would increase their "input" costs drastically down their supply chains. Small businesses fear this, too. Some of Gunn's fellow Republican lawmakers fear the sea change in tax structure would tank the state budget. Democratic lawmakers fear this, too. Farmers, teachers, business leaders, conservatives, progressives, the lieutenant governor and Senate, the governor -- who himself advocates eliminating the income tax but opposes corresponding sales tax increases -- have expressed skepticism, if not outright opposition, to Gunn's proposal. Analyses by state economics experts have been mixed, and even the conservative think tank Gunn credits with the impetus for his proposal has panned some particulars of the plan. |
| Hinds County, Delta lose population, DeSoto and the Coast make big gains as legislative redistricting process begins | |
| The Mississippi Legislature is preparing for what could be a contentious redistricting process and preliminary data already shows that many of the state's 174 legislative districts will be redrawn. The census data released in April for apportionment purposes showed that the state lost 3,383 residents as compared to the 2010 census, the first population loss in 60 years. According to these numbers, each of the Senate's 52 members will represent about 56,998 residents, less than 2010 when each senator represented 57,063. In the House, each of its 122 members will represent about 24,294 people. The biggest winners in terms of added representation, according to preliminary population estimates that the U.S. Census Bureau performs annually, were the three coastal counties of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson; Lafayette County; and suburban counties such as DeSoto (Memphis, Tennessee), Rankin and Madison counties (Jackson) and Lamar County (Hattiesburg). The biggest loser was Hinds County, which lost 17,319 residents compared to the 2010 census, a loss of 7.6 percent of its population. Five Delta counties (Washington, Sunflower, Coahoma, Leflore and Bolivar) lost a combined 26,000 residents in the last decade. Another county that lost more than 6,000 residents was Lauderdale (8,300 residents or a 8.83 percent loss). |
| Mississippi lawmakers discuss voter access amid nationwide reform | |
 | Last year, more people showed up to vote in the 2020 general election than ever before. Since then, Democratic President Joe Biden says there's been a nationwide Republican push to tighten ballot restrictions. Under the microscope are southern states legislatures like Texas and Georgia. In Republican led Mississippi, some Democratic leaders believe the voting process is already restrictive. Senator Angela Turner-Ford of West Point is chair of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus. "We don't even have the days of early voting they have in Georgia and yet there's even more of an effort in Mississippi to make the process more restrictive than it is," said Turner-Ford. "There does not seem to be a general appetite for early voting in the state of Mississippi and I think the governor actually said it will not happen." Earlier this year during the 2021 legislative session, there were bi-partisan efforts to expand early voting in Mississippi. Representative Jansen Owen was among a handful of Republicans supporting the measure but it ultimately died in committee. Owen did support efforts to clean up voter rolls. "Having a process in place that makes sure we're keeping only registered voters on the rolls who live in Mississippi, making sure that our rolls are not too bloated in some of these areas, I think that's an important reform," said Owen. "As far as our security is concerned we need to work on it and of course we need to work on it to where we're not unfairly affecting legal voters who should be on the rolls." |
| As violence spikes, Gov. Reeves to announce Public Safety increase in Jackson | |
| After a rash of crime and violence in Mississippi's capital city, Gov. Tate Reeves has announced plans to increase the Department of Public Safety's role in Jackson. A press release Tuesday announced that Reeves has signed House Bill 974 which authorizes the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to acquire the State Capitol Police Department. "Effective July 1, 2021, the State Capitol Police Department functions as a stand-alone subsidiary of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and works in collaboration with existing sworn personnel," the release stated. Additionally, Reeves has also signed Senate Bill 2788, which authorizes the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol to set up radar on highways in municipalities with a population above 15,000. Reeves and Sean Tindell, Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, will talk about their planned safety initiatives at a press conference on Wednesday, July 14, at 2 p.m. With homicides surging 38 percent over the same period last year, there has been talks by Jackson council members of bringing in the Mississippi National Guard to help subdue violent crime in the city. |
| House Republicans post record fundraising ahead of 2022 race | |
| The committee charged with helping Republicans wrest control of the House in 2022 raised $45.4 million over the last three months, a record quarterly haul during a year without a national election. That total was bolstered by $20.1 million raised in June, the highest ever monthly off-year total, according to numbers shared with The Associated Press before a public filing deadline. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last week announced that it had raised $14.4 million in June, bringing its second-quarter total to about $36.5 million --- its best ever for that stretch. The large sums signal that excitement is high among donors to both parties as they prepare for what is expected to be a contentious midterm election season. Democrats hold a razor-thin majority in the House, but Republicans have history on their side: The party that occupies the White House typically sees large losses in both the House and the Senate. GOP fundraising has also been bolstered by former President Donald Trump, whose name continues to dominate fundraising pleas for small-dollar contributions, even as he continues to spread lies about the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. |
| Senate Democrats, White House agree on $3.5 trillion budget package | |
 | Top Senate Democrats and White House officials reached agreement late Tuesday on an overall spending target of $3.5 trillion for a filibuster-proof budget reconciliation package that Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said will fund "every major program" President Joe Biden proposed in his economic plans. Biden will come to the Capitol Wednesday to help Schumer and Budget Committee members pitch the spending target to the broader Senate Democratic Caucus over lunch. In a key selling point for his fellow centrists Democrats, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner told reporters the plan will be "fully paid for." The $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, combined with $579 billion new spending in a bipartisan infrastructure bill that is still being drafted, will bring the total new spending on infrastructure, climate, child care, education and paid leave programs to $4.1 trillion. That figure "is very, very close to what President Biden asked us for," Schumer said. "Every major program that President Biden has asked us for is funded in a robust way." Senate Democrats are also adding to Biden's proposals a "robust expansion of Medicare," including funding for dental, vision and hearing benefits, Schumer said, noting that was a priority for Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. |
| GOP state voting restrictions 'un-American,' President Biden declares | |
| President Joe Biden declared that preserving voting rights is an urgent national "test of our time" on Tuesday, as Texas Democrats took dramatic action to stymie Republican efforts to tighten ballot restrictions in their state. Biden, who has proclaimed protecting ballot access the central cause of his presidency, has faced sharp criticism from allies for not doing more, though political headwinds and stubborn Senate math have greatly limited his ability to act. Despite his ringing words on Tuesday, he avoided any mention of trying to alter the Senate filibuster rule that stands in the path of federal legislation. Speaking at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Biden called the efforts to curtail voting accessibility "un-American" and "un-democratic" and launched a broadside against his predecessor, Donald Trump, who baselessly alleged misconduct in the 2020 election after his defeat. Biden called passage of congressional proposals to override new state voting restrictions and to restore parts of the Voting Rights Act that were curbed in recent years by the Supreme Court "a national imperative." Yet, instead of raising the possibility of fighting the filibuster, he appeared to tacitly acknowledge the fading hopes for the bills, saying he would launch a nationwide campaign to arm voters with information on rules changes and restrictions ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. |
| How Cuba Protests Reveal President Biden's Political Challenges In South Florida | |
 | The widespread protests across Cuba this past weekend revealed significant political challenges President Biden faces as he seeks to support the demonstrations without hurting their cause -- or his own political interest. Biden says the United States stands with the thousands of Cubans who have taken to the streets to protest food shortages and high prices amid the pandemic. "The Cuban people are demanding their freedom from an authoritarian regime," Biden said at the start of an unrelated White House meeting on Monday. "I don't think we've seen anything like this protest in a long, long time -- if ever." But in Florida, where there's the country's largest Cuban American population -- a crucial voting bloc in the nation's largest swing state -- many want more than words of support. Some want the U.S. to lead an international intervention against the communist regime. "The Biden administration has itself a political gift from the gods," said Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster in Florida who has encouraged Biden to visit Miami and speak directly with the Cuban American community there. If handled correctly, Amandi said Biden can make great strides in erasing a lingering perception about the Democratic Party being a bunch of socialists. |
| 'The consequences are going to be unbelievably bad': George W. Bush slams President Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal | |
 | Former President George W. Bush on Wednesday offered fresh criticism of the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan, as the U.S.-backed government in Kabul appears increasingly imperiled and Taliban fighters continue to make rapid gains across the country. Asked whether the drawdown was a mistake, Bush told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle in an interview: "I think it is, yeah. Because I think the consequences are going to be unbelievably bad and sad." Bush, whose administration launched the U.S. military invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, specifically cited the plight of Afghan women and girls whom he said could "suffer unspeakable harm" at the hands of the Taliban. Bush expressed similar concern for the fate of thousands of Afghan translators -- as well as their families -- who aided U.S. and NATO forces throughout the two-decade war effort. "It seems like they're just going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people," Bush said. "And it breaks my heart." The remarks from the former president come as even senior Biden administration officials have acknowledged what Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby described as a "deteriorating security situation" in Afghanistan, where the Taliban claims to have overtaken 85 percent of the country's territory. |
| Child Tax Credit payments begin Thursday; extra cash could help parents save for college | |
| Under the latest federal COVID relief package, the Child Tax Credit was expanded to make it so a portion of that credit would be paid before Tax Day. Beginning Thursday, July 15th, families will receive $300 per month for a child under six and $250 per month for a child under 18. To qualify for the full credit, families must have made less than $150,000 in 2020 as a married couple or $75,000 as a single parent. The payments will be issued every month until December 2021. State Treasurer David McRae says he hopes some families can use their federal Child Tax Credit payments to begin making progress toward their college savings goals. McRae says in Mississippi, there are two different types of college investment savings plans -- MACS and MPACT. A MACS account is just like a savings account. MPACT on the other hand, lets you lock in today's tuition rates and protect your family from any future hikes. You then get set up with a payment plan, so by the time your child goes to college, it's all prepaid. For $25, any Mississippi resident, including grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even family friends, can start a Mississippi 529 plan. |
| Asylum Hill Project: Millions in State Funds Buoy Medical Center's Quest to Honor Former Asylum Patients | |
| The construction crew digging out a new road almost a decade ago also uncovered an on-ramp to a long-buried history: the resting place for more than five dozen coffins. But not the final resting place. The accidental discovery of the remains of patients from the bygone Mississippi State Hospital for the Insane was an outrider of a tally now estimated to be in the thousands: people laid in now unmarked graves on what is today the grounds of the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). For at least eight years now, UMMC officials have sought a path that sustains campus expansion -- for the sake of future patients -- while honoring those patients from the past. Now, with $3.7 million in support from the Mississippi State Legislature, the Asylum Hill Project has realized a breakthrough: funding to exhume the graves and furnish a final place of honor for the people who lie in them. "This will allow us to bring back into the community, as best we can, their individual stories and humanity," said Dr. Ralph Didlake, professor of surgery, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMMC. |
| UM Public Health Programs Welcome First Epidemiologist to Faculty | |
| The School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi has hired Victoria Zigmont as its first epidemiologist in its public health and health sciences programs. Zigmont joins the UM Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management from the Department of Public Health at Southern Connecticut State University, where she focused her research on chronic disease prevention, food insecurity and epidemiology methods. She earned her Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration in epidemiology and a minor in biostatistics from Ohio State University. "Since my time at Ohio State, I have been both teaching epidemiology and working with large health systems to apply epidemiology methods to improve patient outcomes," Zigmont said. "Epidemiology includes things like predicting the spread of COVID-19, as is popular now, and how changes in lifestyle or medicines can help to prevent the development of diabetes. I bring both a strong research base, experience in teaching and practical experience applying epidemiology to the program. The practical experience within a health system allows me to provide examples that help to make epidemiology come alive for students." |
| Mississippi Professor Excited to 'Dance Like the Stars' | |
| Nancy Maria Balach will be dancing like the stars in August, and the University of Mississippi professor and Chair of the Music Department is "over the moon" about the opportunity. Balach is one of the celebrity dancers for the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Mississippi's Dance Like the Stars 2021. The annual competition raises money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Mississippi and this year's goal is set at $210,000. Funds are raised through donations given in support of a chosen celebrity dancer. Balach was introduced to Dance Like the Stars in 2019 through her support of former Ole Miss baseball pitcher and past celebrity dancer Brady Bramlett. "I'm a big fan of Brady and we worked a lot together," Balach said. Balach said dancing is not as easy as it looks when you're watching the "Dancing with the Stars" television show in the comfort of your own home, but it's easier compared to other things. "Dancing is the easy part," Balach said. "The hard part is the fundraising." In 2019, Bramlett and his partner won first place by raising a total of $18,261 and participants raised $224,740 altogether. |
| U. of Alabama construction: What to know about the major projects in 2021 | |
 | The signs for even more growth on the University of Alabama campus are clear, with several construction projects underway, costing hundreds of millions of dollars in total and some impacting greater Tuscaloosa. Construction takes up a huge chunk of the summertime, with UA intentionally doing as much work throughout the season as possible to minimize impact on students and faculty during fall and spring semesters. UA's associate vice president for construction Tim Leopard updated us on every construction project happening on campus in summer 2021, along with other projects that will begin soon, collectively costing more than $350 million. These include the New Tutwiler Residence Hall, the brand new Hewson Hall and the 2nd Avenue Overpass. The listed budget for each project is what Leopard said they call "total project cost." This includes construction, infrastructure, landscaping, paving, anything happening in and around the building. Also IT systems, wireless networks, audio/visual components, furniture, architecture fees -- basically everything that it will cost to build a building from planning, design, through construction. And despite the pandemic, the campus development team "never stopped" moving forward on the school's various construction projects, Leopard said. The division implemented health and safety protocols for the project, allowing them to take advantage of the lull in campus activity last summer. |
| Fulbright-statue opinions heard, U. of Arkansas provost says | |
| It is "wrong to say" that only some are being heard when it comes to opinions about a University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus statue of former U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright, the university's provost said Tuesday. "The voices about different opinions on how we should move are, you know, extraordinarily varied," said Charles Robinson, speaking at a student-sponsored event Tuesday on the UA campus. "And so it would be wrong to say that the president of the [UA] System is listening to just one constituency. All the constituencies are being heard." Robinson, UA's provost and executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, responded to a student question about whether those making decisions about the statue "have to listen to stakeholders and higher powers and upper-class citizens of the state" who may be political partisans. A UA System spokesman said in an email Tuesday that Donald Bobbitt, the system's president, is "still in the process of having conversations and collecting feedback" after receiving former Chancellor Joe Steinmetz's recommendations on the statue and other campus issues. Bobbitt, whose office is in Little Rock, did not attend the event Tuesday. "He said he's likely to reach a decision later this summer and have some plans in place as the new school year begins," spokesman Nate Hinkel said. |
| 'We need more doctors.' Alumnus gives $22 million to U. of Kentucky for scholarships, new building | |
 | A 1980 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine has donated $22 million to the state's largest university, with the bulk of the money going to scholarships for financially struggling medical school students from rural Kentucky counties. UK celebrated the donation of Dr. Michael Rankin at a ceremony Tuesday. Rankin's $22 million donation is the second largest one-time donation in the school's history. In 2015, Tom and Jan Lewis donated $23 million for a new honors college. Rankin has previously given $1.5 million, bringing the total amount he has donated $23.5 million, according to UK officials. Of the $22 million contribution, $12 million will support the "Michael Rankin MD Community Scholarship Endowment." The scholarship provides money to medical students from rural Kentucky counties that need additional financial support. Rankin said he felt the need to fund the scholarship to attract more doctors from all parts of Kentucky. |
| Top-ranked HiPerGator AI supercomputer paves the way for growing AI Initiative at U. of Florida | |
| Following recent rankings from Top500, the most referenced global list of supercomputers, the University of Florida's HiPerGator artificial intelligence has been named the most powerful and energy efficient university-owned supercomputer in the United States. Besides its national advances, HiPerGator AI also ranked No. 2 worldwide for energy efficiency. The rankings not only bode well for the Artificial Intelligence Initiative, but are also welcoming news in UF's pursuit of becoming a top five public university. "The AI initiative and HiPerGator AI will dramatically enhance the reputation of UF by allowing its students and faculty to become experts in AI," the director of UFIT Research Computing Erik Deumens wrote in an email. Students and faculty from all academic disciplines will be able to utilize AI to solve real-world problems and conduct innovative research, which is an important criteria to get into the top five national public universities, Deumens said. Since the beginning of HiPerGator AI's use in 2013, the supercomputer has been drastically enhanced by an $80 million donation from UF alumnus Chris Malachowsky and NVIDIA -- a computer systems hardware company he co-founded. NVIDIA has been an essential partner to the university by providing technology to improve HiPerGator's computing power. |
| Texas A&M Task Force 1 seeking volunteers for emergency response team | |
 | Texas A&M Task Force 1 is seeking applicants for 11 volunteer positions to assist in its mission of responding to a range of emergencies in the state and nationwide. TX-TF1 recently responded to the partial collapse of the condominium building in Surfside, Florida, and assisted with the search for survivors. TX-TF1 is one of 28 federal teams under FEMA's National Urban Search and Rescue System. The task force was formed in February 1997 after the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. TX-TF1 responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and has been deployed more than 100 times on a variety of search and rescue missions. Operations Chief Chuck Jones said last week people from "all walks of life" and a range of professions join the task force, with the majority of members, but not all, coming from public safety such as firefighting. The open positions cover a wide range of skill sets, including a canine search specialist, a communication specialist and a rescue specialist. "Our job is to respond to a lot of different emergencies. We respond to tornadoes, hurricanes and all kinds of natural and man-made disasters," Jones said. He said the task force also assists with combating wildfires, helping state agencies and a range of other tasks. |
| College program in Texas seeks to produce future farmers | |
 | Kaysi LaPoint visited the farm owned by her extended family in Lamar, Colo., as a child. They grew wheat and milo and raised cattle, and she loved "every minute of time spent out in the land" and learned the ins and outs of farming along the way. "That sincere love and joy of being involved in agriculture has never left me," she said via email. LaPoint, a junior at West Texas A&M University studying animal science and agriculture business and economics, now leads the first university chapter of the Texas Farm Bureau, a membership organization that advocates on behalf of famers in the state. Her group is a part of an ongoing pilot program called the Texas Collegiate Farm Bureau, a network of campus chapters dedicated to creating a community of students interested in agriculture, promoting agriculture education and deepening students' knowledge about the industry. The American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents farm bureaus across the country, has about 118 Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters across 35 states, but this is the first time the program has taken root in Texas, with two initial chapters. West Texas A&M, located in the Texas Panhandle, launched its chapter in fall 2020, and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville followed in spring 2021. Midwestern State University, Tarleton State University and Vernon College also are also planning to launch chapters, according to the Texas Farm Bureau. Whit Weems, director of organization for the Texas Farm Bureau, said the organization launched the initiative because it wanted to do more targeted outreach and offer more support to college students interested in agriculture. |
| Boston College faces fury over vaccine exemptions denied over abortion link | |
| Boston College is facing a wave of Catholic parents and students "disgusted" by religious exemptions being denied over a link to aborted fetal tissue used to test the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines. Some of those parents told the Herald Monday they are rallying together in a desperate attempt to change the Jesuit school's stance before fall classes begin on August 30. Some are also concerned top athletes could drop out. "This is a nightmare," said one mother. BC said in a statement that because Pope Francis told Catholics they have a moral obligation to take the vaccine, an exemption is not being granted to members of that faith. Other religious exemptions will be reviewed case-by-case. "Boston College is requiring all students, faculty, and staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine prior to the start of the fall semester," college spokesman Ed Hayward said. He added: "Exemptions are considered for legitimate medical and religious reasons. A religious exemption may be granted if vaccination goes against the fundamental tenets of a faith. Given that Pope Francis, Cardinal Sean (O'Malley), and millions of Catholics worldwide have been vaccinated, it is difficult for Catholics to make an argument against a COVID-19 vaccination." |
| U.S. Education Department Will Relax Aid-Verification Rules in 2021-22 | |
 | Amajor burden for students and colleges alike has been lifted, at least for one year. The U.S. Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it will waive verification requirements for most of the information that federal-aid applicants must provide during the 2021-22 enrollment cycle. The change, intended to ease the challenges students and institutions are experiencing because of the pandemic, means that fewer low-income students will have to provide additional proof that their financial information is accurate. In a July 13 "Dear Colleague" letter describing the change, an Education Department official wrote that the verification process would focus on stamping out identity theft and fraud. That thunderous sound you hear? It's college-access advocates applauding like mad. After all, verification is a procedural barrier that disproportionately hinders low-income and underrepresented applicants. Students -- not to mention the school counselors and college advisers who help them complete the FAFSA -- aren't the only ones who will benefit from the one-year change. Many college officials have reason to breathe a sigh of relief, too. After all, verification places an administrative burden on financial-aid offices, which must oversee the process. |
| College plans rebound although cost remains a top concern, survey finds | |
| Last year, many high school seniors dramatically changed their expectations about the future. This year, more students are getting back on track. Nearly two-thirds of parents, or 63%, said their child's post-high school plans have returned to what they were before the global pandemic, according to a report by Discover Student Loans. Of those who have changed their college plans, most said they will now go to a school closer to home, attend an online university or go to a less-expensive place. Discover polled 1,000 parents of college-bound students in May. When Covid brought the economy to a standstill, one-quarter of last year's high school graduates delayed their college plans, according to a separate survey from Junior Achievement and Citizens, largely because their parents or guardians were less able to provide financial support. Even now, cost remains a top concern. Although about 40% of parents said their ability to help pay has improved since this time last year, 63% remain concerned about having enough money for higher education, Discover found. |
| New Approaches To STEM Engage Traditionally Underrepresented Students | |
| When Dr. Felesia Stukes joined the faculty at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in 2017, she was the first Black computer science faculty member in the HBCU's 150-year history. Today, she is working hard to lay a foundation for her students to become future colleagues. Part of that process requires understanding the reasons why students of color all too often choose not to pursue STEM fields despite interest and ability. Students of color may feel marginalized in a disproportionately White field. Likewise, women may still feel out of place in a room mostly filled with men. That's why Stukes says she intentionally designs experiences and opportunities for JCSU students to feel included. Stukes is currently collaborating with Black computing faculty at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Howard University to form research groups designed to cultivate an inclusive environment for Black undergraduate students across the institutions. The project is funded by a grant from Google Research and seeks to encourage students to remain in STEM majors, graduate and go on to graduate school. |
| Cornel West's Resignation Letter Cites 'Decline and Decay' at Harvard Divinity School | |
| In a letter posted on Twitter on Monday, the philosopher and activist Cornel West announced his resignation from Harvard Divinity School, concluding a public dispute with the institution after it declined his bid for tenure. In the letter, dated June 30, West laments the "decline and decay" at the school, and cites discrimination he describes as "the shadow of Jim Crow ... expressed in the language of superficial diversity" among the reasons for his departure. Jonathan G. Beasley, a Divinity School spokesman, said in an email that the school had no comment on the letter. Multiple attempts to reach West were unsuccessful. The letter's release comes after West announced in March that he'd be leaving Harvard, which he said had denied him tenure against the recommendation of a faculty committee. Though Harvard later offered to consider him for tenure, West told The Harvard Crimson, the fact that that reversal came only after weeks of public outcry cemented his decision to leave. West has had a long and tumultuous history with Harvard, of which he is an alumnus. West's resignation letter comes amid a broader conversation about race and tenure in academe. |
| Acclaim, fundraising spread unevenly among Black colleges | |
| Two recent high-profile faculty appointments could be a fundraising and enrollment bonanza for Howard University, one of the nation's most prestigious Black colleges. Many other Black schools are not so fortunate; in fact, many are struggling. Some, especially smaller private colleges, have been fighting for their survival for years, with weak endowments, aging buildings and steady enrollment declines, all made worse by the coronavirus pandemic. "While larger HBCUs often have the funding resources necessary to attract accomplished talent like Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates, many smaller institutions need donors to step forward, contributing much-needed financial resources for us to compete," said Dr. Paulette Dillard, president of Shaw University, a private Black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Billions of dollars in federal virus relief will help higher education, but it may not be enough to change the long-term fortunes of some historically Black schools. An Associated Press analysis of enrollment and endowment data shows wide disparities among 102 historically Black colleges and universities, and a further divide between private and public institutions. Last summer's protests over racial injustice brought renewed attention to historically Black colleges and universities and led to a surge in private donations, at least for some. |
| Howard-bound Nikole Hannah-Jones plans to 'even the playing field' for HBCUs. Here's how | |
 | Home is where the heart is, and Nikole Hannah-Jones was eager to return home to her alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and start educating the next generation of journalists. But before she got there, her tenure approval was blocked by the university's politically-appointed Board of Trustees as well as a wealthy conservative donor, amid controversy over her Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project for the New York Times. In August, Hannah-Jones will join the faculty of Howard University as the inaugural Knight Chair in race & reporting. In an interview with the Times, she said she always wished she had attended a historically Black college or university (HBCU). In establishing the Center for Journalism and Democracy, Hannah-Jones will bring a new vision -- and new visibility -- to Black journalists at the university and HBCUs across the nation. The Center will support programs at HBCUs across the U.S., Hannah-Jones said. Jennifer C. Thomas, an alumna, associate professor and faculty advisor of Howard's student chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, said that while Howard may no longer be "the best-kept secret" among universities, now is a great time to provide support to lesser-known HBCUs. And the controversy over Hannah-Jones' journalism and critical race theory only underscores the urgency. |
| SC State University fires president amid low enrollment at historically Black university | |
 | South Carolina State University's board of trustees voted to fire college President James Clark on July 13, ending a five-year tenure that had been marred by recent criticism that the former AT&T executive had not done enough to salvage the historically Black university's enrollment struggles. In a brief statement, board chairman Rodney Jenkins said the majority of the board had voted to terminate Clark for cause effective immediately. "The Board thanks President Clark for his service to South Carolina State University over the last five years of his term and wishes him much success in his future endeavors," Jenkins said. Clark's lawyer, Donald Gist, told The Post and Courier that Clark was "shocked and dismayed" by the board's actions, saying they had offered no substantive explanation to the public for their decision. "This university's stability has constantly been called into question, and once again the board has taken a step that we believe is a very damaging and drastic step to oust another outstanding leader of South Carolina State University," Gist said. The vote to fire Clark came just months after he received a boost of support from Nikki Haley when the former S.C. governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations toured the campus and said she believes in Clark's vision for the school. Instead, Clark is out and the school is poised to search for a replacement. |
| A New Higher Ed Coalition Forms To Push For Doubling Of Pell Grants | |
| A new coalition of higher education organizations has formed to press the case for doubling the Pell Grant, the federal program that provides financial aid to low- and moderate-income students to attend college. The Double Pell Alliance is launching a campaign to advance the #DoublePell movement. Its website can be found here. The push to double the Pell comes just as the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee begins to mark up the main bill that provides funding for federal higher education programs. Included in the initial version of the bill is a provision that would increase the maximum Pell by $400 next year, from $6,495 to $6,895. That's a significant boost to be sure, but it falls short of what many advocates had hoped for, which is to increase the maximum Pell to $13,000 in just a matter of a few years. An example of the more aggressive approach is the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act. introduced by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.), chairman of the House Education & Labor Committee. |
| Republicans press Catherine Lhamon on her past OCR leadership at hearing | |
| President Biden's pick to lead the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education maintained her strong opinions of current Title IX regulations during her confirmation hearing Tuesday, even as Republican senators criticized her previous tenure at the department. Catherine Lhamon, who was nominated to serve as assistant secretary for civil rights in May, said she believes the regulations surrounding Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 enacted by the Trump administration permit "students to rape and sexually harass with impunity." Lhamon tweeted a similar statement last May, prompting a question about it from Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana. "I think that ... the regulation has weakened the intent of Title IX that Congress wrote," Lhamon said, adding that she was particularly concerned about the lack of responsibility for institutions to investigate reports that aren't made to the Title IX coordinator or any other designated mandatory reporter. Republicans' uncertainty about Lhamon's nomination was evident from the outset of the hearing. |
| Social Security clock still ticking as pandemic imperils future of retirement safety net | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Understanding the impact of Social Security on Mississippi's economy and on our people is a heavy lift. Let's start with the basics. Nationwide in 2019, 54.1 million people received Social Security old age benefits, 9.9 million received disability benefits, and 61.2 million were covered under the Medicare program, that according to the Social Security Administration Trustee's Report. This past year in Mississippi, some 416,500 retirees received Social Security benefits averaging $1,420.12 per month or $17,161.44 annually. That means Social Security pumps $7.147 billion annually into Mississippi's economy -- in this the state with the deepest poverty in the nation. Some perspective comes from the fact that Mississippi's Fiscal Year 2022 state budget is close to $21 billion, but the state-funded portion is closer to $6 billion. The rest is paid by the federal government. The current Social Security Trustee's Report still holds that Social Security will be able to meet current obligations until 2035, at which time either Congress will act to shore up the program or recipients will see a 21 percent reduction in benefits that will grow to a 27 percent reduction. Medicare is projected to be able to pay scheduled benefits through 2026, when a 10 percent reduction is projected without congressional intervention. |
SPORTS
| Resolution introduced in Congress honoring Mississippi State Baseball | |
| Mississippi Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, along with Congressman Michael Guest have introduced a resolution in recognition of the Mississippi State University baseball team winning the 2021 NCAA College World Series. The resolution cites the team's historic season, outstanding players, and the pride the championship brought to Mississippi. "Congratulations to the Mississippi State University Bulldog baseball team on their outstanding achievement," Wicker said. "Their hard work and dedication throughout the season and the College World Series have paid off, resulting in the first national title in the university's history. They have made their school and our state proud." "Following an unprecedented year, the Mississippi State University baseball team helped unite many Mississippians through one of America's most cherished past times, and capped their season off with a national championship that included moments that will go down in MSU history," Guest said. "As a Mississippi State University alumnus, it's a special moment to recognize one of the greatest accomplishments in Mississippi sports history in Congress alongside Senator Wicker and Senator Hyde-Smith. Congratulations to the coaches, staff, and young men on the diamond. Our whole state is proud of you for bringing home a national championship." |
| Mississippi State OF Rowdey Jordan selected by New York Mets in 11th round of MLB draft | |
| Mississippi State outfielder Rowdey Jordan will be seeing some familiar faces in the New York Mets' organization. The Bulldogs' center fielder was drafted by New York with the No. 322 overall pick in the 11th round of the MLB draft Tuesday, joining former teammates Jake Mangum, JT Ginn and Cole Gordon in the Mets' farm system. Jordan was the only Mississippi State player selected Tuesday in the draft's final 10 rounds after four Bulldogs were drafted in the first two days of the event. Right-handed pitcher Will Bednar went to San Francisco at No. 14 overall in the first round, outfielder Tanner Allen went to Miami in Round 4 and pitchers Eric Cerantola and Christian MacLeod went to Kansas City and Minnesota, respectively, in Round 5. Three MSU signees were drafted in between Bednar and Allen on Sunday and Monday. Left-hander Maddux Bruns closed out the first round at No. 29 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, outfielder James Wood was drafted by San Diego at No. 62 overall in the second round, and shortstop Jordan McCants went to the Marlins with pick No. 88 in Round 3. |
| Where Mississippi State's roster stands after the MLB draft | |
| As the dust continues to settle from the 2021 MLB draft, the outlook of the Mississippi State baseball team's 2022 roster is getting clearer and clearer. Will Bednar, Tanner Allen, Rowdey Jordan and other important Bulldogs from this year's national championship season are off to pursue their professional futures. But Mississippi State returns several major contributors, will bring in a talented freshman class and is poised to improve its roster through the transfer portal. Here's a look at who the Bulldogs lost, who they'll gain and who is back to make an impact next spring. |
| Mississippi State passion helps ease the awkward in stranger road trip | |
| Parrish Alford writes for the Daily Journal: There was a national championship at stake, and the rules were different. Eric Kendrick and Jacob Chancellor had to get to Omaha and were willing to blow the lid off the first directive from mothers to children world-wide: Don't talk to strangers. The hastily conceived plan involved not only talking to a stranger but joining him on a midnight ride through America's Heartland, stopping only for the truck's intake of gasoline ... and the disposal of other fluids. Then there was the matter of sharing a hotel room with a stranger. Eric Kendrick and Jacob Chancellor shared restaurant tables and basically traveled joined at the hip. Somewhere along the way they crossed the bridge from strangers to friends. It might have been Kansas City. "It took me to Kansas City before I started being myself. I was that nervous," Kendrick said. ... The trip was unusual, but as it turned out two strangers were more connected by their passion for MSU than they realized on the front end. |
| Tony Vitello agrees to contract extension, raise with Tennessee baseball | |
 | Tony Vitello isn't going anywhere. The Tennessee baseball coach agreed to a contract extension and raise that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college baseball, UT announced. Vitello will earn $1.5 million per year and his contract runs through June 2026. Vitello has a 134-68 record in four seasons, including the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. His extension and raise follows the best Vols baseball season this millennium. Vitello led UT to its first trip to the College World Series since 2005 this season. The Vols won 50 games for the third time in program history and the first time since 1995. UT won the SEC East for the first time since 1997. The 42-year-old Vitello was set to earn $600,000 this year before incentives or the voluntary reduction in pay he took because of financial pressures COVID-19 put on Tennessee athletics. Tennessee was preparing to make a sizable financial commitment to its coaching staff and facilities to sustain the program's success, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the Tennessee baseball program told Knox News in early June. One of the sources indicated the investment could place Tennessee among the nation's biggest spenders on college baseball and make Vitello one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation. |
| AD Ross Bjork says Texas A&M prepared for 'most transformative time in our history' | |
| College sports venues are dormant, but there's plenty happening off the field. College athletes are two weeks into having the opportunity to earn money through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, and there's talk of the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams as the sport prepares for a season with COVID-19 in the rear-view mirror. "It's the most transformative time in our history," Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork said Tuesday at the Brazos County A&M Club's monthly luncheon at Embassy Suites. "Think about all the things that are happening right now." The NCAA recently ruled that athletes in all sports could transfer once without having to sit out a season. The Supreme Court also recently sided with college athletes in the case of NCAA v. Alston, allowing them to receive cash for academic awards. "We have to adapt to that, and we're figuring out what all that means as we move ahead," Bjork said. "So the most transformative time in the history of college athletics is right here. We can either choose to really embrace it, to run towards it and say, 'A&M can be a leader.' We can be a leader in name, image and likeness. We can be a leader in academic awards and whatever." |
| Senate race in Arkansas will include 2 former Razorback players | |
| Former NFL player Jake Bequette on Monday announced he's challenging Arkansas Sen. John Boozman in next year's Republican primary. Bequette, an Army veteran who also played for the Arkansas Razorbacks from 2008-11, launched his bid with an online video shot inside Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium touting his football and military background. "What's happening in Washington these days is a disgrace. Democrats have been taken over by radical socialists, and too many Republicans just go along to get along," Bequette says in the ad. Boozman, who was first elected to the seat in 2010 and was reelected in 2016, faces a crowded primary next year. Other challengers include Jan Morgan, a Hot Springs gun range owner who unsuccessfully ran against Gov. Asa Hutchinson in the 2014 GOP primary. Boozman, also a former Razorback football player from 1971-72, won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump this year. He reported in April having more than $1.1 million in the bank for his reelection bid. |
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