| Wednesday, January 12, 2022 |
| MSU announces spring campus dining updates | |
 | MSU Dining Services is announcing spring campus dining updates, including a new way for students, faculty and staff to view details about their campus meal plans. Instead of using Banner, meal plan holders can now log in to dining.msstate.edu to view their current meal plan, amount of Block Meals and Flex Dollars, as well as transaction history. First-time faculty and staff meal plan holders can sign up for the Dawg Bites Trial Plan, which includes 10 Block Meals and $25 Flex ($105.25 with tax). Dawg Bites plan holders can enjoy the perks of a discounted door rate, no expiration, and the ability to use Block Meals for guests. New Mobile Ordering for Select Locations: Download the Transact Mobile Ordering App to make mobile purchases at Moe's Southwest Grill, Chick-fil-A, Einstein Bros Bagels, Subway and Steak 'n Shake. Faculty and staff members can link their meal plan to make a mobile purchase or pay via credit or debit card. Starbucks App: The Starbucks location in Colvard Student Union now can be found on the Starbucks App. Place mobile orders with a credit or debit card and earn or use your points at this location. |
| Crop planning becomes difficult as fertilizer prices soar | |
 | Increasing fertilizer prices are causing difficult crop planning for Mississippi farmers. Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service Soil Specialist Larry Oldham said potash prices have increased to $800 per ton. Individual nitrogen fertilizer prices have also increased from 5% to 9% in one month. Delta Research and Extension Center Agricultural Economist Brian Mills said the price hike makes crop planning for 2022 difficult. "If you develop an enterprise budget, you can plan out where costs can be cut, and you can determine which crop will be most profitable for your situation," said Mills. MSU Extension Service staff said one way to cut high input costs is to be efficient with fertilizer application. Soil tests can determine fertilizer needs and can help overapplication of nutrients. |
| Arts council fundraiser to feature area restaurants | |
 | Starkville Area Arts Council will hold its second-largest annual fundraiser, Forks & Corks 2022, from 6-9 p.m. March 12 at The Mill in Starkville. The fundraiser celebrates the culinary arts. Attendees sample the best of some of the area's favorite restaurants with dinner, dessert, wine, music, dance and more. Bring your appetite and support arts and arts education programs by heading to The Mill for a massive Mississippi feast. This event will feature diners and dessert competitions with special guest judges from all over the South. The event also will feature the debut of, "Arts & Eats: Art, Food, & Culture in Starkville," SAAC's arts and culture cookbook. Cookbooks will be available for purchase at the event. The book features 187 recipes, 140 high-resolution photos and artworks, 23 local stories and snippets of Starkville history. Preorders will close Feb 12. SAAC will send additional information on order pickup in March. Proceeds from Forks & Corks will support year-round art education and outreach programs in Starkville and Oktibbeha County, such as Art in the Park, after-school programs, summer scholarships, and more. |
| Assistant district attorney qualifies as circuit court judge candidate | |
| A fourth candidate has qualified for the Clay and Noxubee counties circuit court judge position for the 16th district of Mississippi. Assistant District Attorney Trina Davidson-Brooks officially announced her candidacy for circuit court judge Tuesday at a press conference in West Point. The 16th district, which includes Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties, has three circuit court judges, one from each area of the district -- one from Lowndes County, one from Oktibbeha County and one from Clay and Noxubee counties. Circuit court primarily handles felony criminal cases. A West Point native, Davidson-Brooks graduated from the Mississippi College School of Law in 2009. After school, she worked at a defense firm in Jackson and performed some private plaintiff work. She also worked as an attorney adviser for the Social Security Administration and was the municipal prosecutor for the city of West Point before becoming an assistant district attorney in the District Attorney's Office in 2015. Several members of the DA's office showed their support for Davidson-Brooks at Tuesday's press conference, including District Attorney Scott Colom, who Davidson-Brooks has worked alongside for six years. If elected, Davidson-Brooks will preside as judge over upcoming cases that Colom will oversee. Davidson-Brooks will join Mark Cliett, Michelle Easterling and Bennie Jones Jr. in the race for the Clay and Noxubee counties' judge position. Only one candidate has qualified so far for each of the Lowndes and Oktibbeha county positions -- incumbent James T. Kitchens and Lee J. "Jay" Howard, respectively. Qualifying deadline is Jan. 31. |
| Medical marijuana bill filed in Mississippi Legislature 14 months after voter approval | |
 | After months of speculation and hand-wringing, the Mississippi Legislature is set to take up a medical marijuana bill in the Senate as soon as Wednesday, lawmakers said. Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, filed the long-awaited bill late Tuesday afternoon. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann referred the 445-page bill to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee for review. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, chairs the public health committee and told the Clarion Ledger he plans to bring the bill up for committee debate Wednesday afternoon, provided there are no objections from fellow lawmakers. If it passes Bryan's committee, it will be eligible for a floor vote in the Senate. Should it pass the Senate, it would head to the House and then to the governor. Speaker of the House Philip Gunn said at the start of the legislative session medical marijuana was not a top priority of his. As filed, the bill allows for medical marijuana card holders to purchase 3.5 grams of the substance a day. People suffering from cancer, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, HIV, AIDS, Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain, nausea and/or muscle spasms, among other illnesses, are eligible to be prescribed medical marijuana, according to the bill. |
| Mississippi House panel OKs bill to phase out income tax | |
 | The Mississippi House is working on a proposal to phase out the state income tax, reduce the sales tax on groceries and increase the sales tax on many other items. The House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday passed the first version of the proposal, House Bill 531. The bill will move to the full House for more debate. Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn has said eliminating the income tax is his priority this legislative session because he believes the change will make Mississippi more competitive with states such as Texas, Florida and Tennessee that don't tax income. The House proposal would reduce the grocery tax from 7% to 4%. The change would happen over six years, beginning this July. The proposal would also increase several taxes from 7% to 8.5% -- an increase of more than 21% in that rate. That would include the general sales tax; the sales tax on alcohol; and the tax on music, games, cellphone ring tones and other products delivered electronically. If the general sales tax were to increase by the proposed amount, for example, a person buying $100 of clothing would pay $8.50 in sales tax rather than the current $7. The increased tax amount would apply to in-person or online purchases. |
| Speaker Gunn's hallmark plan to eliminate income tax, reduce food tax passes committee | |
 | Speaker Philip Gunn's latest proposal to phase out the state income tax and to reduce the sales tax on groceries was quickly passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday. The bill -- a variation of which Gunn introduced last session and touted as the most important legislation of his political career -- would also raise the general sales tax from 7% to 8.5% and decrease the tax on car tags by 35%. While there are several differences in this year's proposal and Gunn's plan that passed the House last year and died in the Senate, the key distinction is that there are no longer increases on the sales tax on large items such as farming equipment, automobiles, manufacturing equipment and other items. These items are taxed at less than the 7% general sales tax rate. Last year's plan offered by Gunn increased the tax on those items by 2.5% on each $1 as it did on the items taxed at 7%. Rep. Trey Lamar, the House Ways & Means chairman and close Gunn ally, acknowledged the opposition from farmers, manufacturers and others to those increases in last year's proposal. The only increase in this year's bill is on the 7% sales tax that is levied on most retail items, and it goes up 1.5%. The entire package will result in a tax cut of about $1.5 billion in today's dollars when the income tax is totally eliminated in an estimated 10-12 years. "It is a simpler bill than what we dealt with last year," Lamar said, pointing out the bill would result in the largest tax cut in state history. He also indicated he might ask the full House to vote on the proposal as early as Wednesday. |
| Philip Gunn's plan to cut Mississippi income taxes ready for vote | |
| After a year of lobbying and jockeying, House Speaker Philip Gunn is getting another chance to repeal the state's income tax. The House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday approved the first version of a bill to phase out the income tax, reduce the grocery tax and increase the state sales tax on most items. The Republican-controlled House could vote to approve the bill as soon as Wednesday, House Ways and Means Chair Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, said. "This is the most historic and biggest policy decision this legislature would make in our careers," Lamar said. Gunn, R-Clinton, has repeatedly said his main priority this session is to eliminate the state income tax. The House passed a bill eliminating the income tax in 2021, but it died in the Senate. Unlike last year's bill, Gunn's 2022 plan does not increase taxes on farm equipment or automobiles, among other items. Lamar said he recently met with the members of the governor's office and there appears to be support for the House plan as written. Under Gunn's proposal, the first $40,000 of income reported for a single filer and $80,000 reported for a married couple would be tax-exempt in the first year after passage. Should the state continue its current trajectory, Lamar estimated the income tax would be completely done away with in 10-12 years, provided the state hit certain economic benchmarks. The income tax would not further decrease unless the state records an annual state revenue of at least $6.175 billion plus 1.5% in growth. |
| Mississippi Legislature: House counters Senate with proposal to raise starting teacher pay $6K | |
| A day after Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and the Mississippi Senate Education Committee unveiled their plan for teacher pay raises, lawmakers in the House countered Wednesday with an even larger proposal. House Education Committee Chair Rep. Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, introduced a bill to increase starting teacher salary $6,000 and give all experienced teachers at least a $4,000 raise in 2022. The bill also sets annual increases for teachers with at least three years experience. The Senate plan offers a $3,000 raise over two years for rookie teachers and gives, on average, a $4,700 raise to all teachers. The Senate plan also offers annual $500 raises and larger raises every five years -- between $1,325 and $1,625 based on experience. The House plan sets aside $17 million to give each teacher's assistant a $2,000 raise. The Senate plan does not account for teacher's assistants. The Senate bill is expected to cost about $200 million and be implemented over two years, whereas the House bill will cost $219 million and be implemented in one year. Bennett said he hasn't had sufficient time to review the Senate plan, but thinks his offering is better. |
| Separate plans propose raises for Mississippi teachers | |
| The Mississippi House and Senate are pushing forward with separate plans to give pay raises to teachers. The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday passed House Bill 530, and the whole House could debate the bill in coming days. The committee action happened a day after Senate leaders revealed their own plan to increase teachers' pay. The Senate plan would bring an average increase of $4,700 over two years. The House proposes a $6,000 increase for teachers on the lowest end of the pay scale, and smaller amounts for those with more experience. The two Republican-controlled chambers and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves must agree on a single plan before teachers could see more money. The average teacher salary in Mississippi during the 2019-20 academic year was $46,843, according to the Southern Regional Education Board. That lagged behind the average of $55,205 for teachers in the 16 states of the regional organization. The national average was $64,133. The starting salary for a Mississippi teacher with a bachelor's degree is $37,000 for the current school year, according to the state Department of Education. Teachers with advanced degrees and more experience are paid more. |
| Mississippi Teachers Could Get Significant Pay Raises Under Proposal | |
| Teachers would get yearly pay raises and significant boosts every five years under a new proposal Mississippi Senate leaders unveiled Monday. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, the Senate president, announced the plan alongside Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville. Under the proposal, educators with a bachelor's degree and no experience in the classroom would enjoy starting salaries of $39,000 instead of the current $37,000. "We are pleased with that and particularly pleased that the Senate took the time to really listen to what teachers' concerns are and to really take a look at where the deficiencies are in our current teacher salary schedule. So rather than just doing a simplistic across-the-board pay raise, they have actually rewritten the schedule," Parents Campaign Executive Director Nancy Loome told the Mississippi Free Press on Monday. Her organization lobbies lawmakers with a focus on issues affecting public school educators. Under the current pay schedule, teachers do get regular pay increases after the third year, but it often is not enough under the current system, Loome said. "While teachers really appreciate the current step increases, they are so small they really don't feel them. They are typically eaten up by inflation increases and insurance premiums," Loome said. "So the teachers liked the idea of a more significant pay bump at specific intervals." Under the Senate proposal, educators would continue to receive pay bumps of at least $500 up until amassing 35 years of experience, at which point the yearly raises would cease. |
| House unveils their own massive teacher pay raise, tops Senate proposal | |
| A day after the state Senate proposed the largest Mississippi teacher pay raise in decades, the House topped it with its own proposal that would increase all teachers by $4,000 to $6,000 a year and boost starting pay above both the Southeastern and national averages. "This is a long-term solution, not just a one-time raise where you throw $1,000 at teachers," said House Education Chairman Richard Bennett, author of the bill called the "START Act of 2022." The bill, which passed the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, will soon be considered by the entire House. "We've worked on this for two years, worked with the (Southern Region Education Board), worked with teachers, looked at other states ... This is an historic moment for our students and for our teachers," Bennett said. "This will make us more competitive with other states and help address our teacher shortage." The House plan would increase starting teacher pay from $37,000 a year to $43,125. This would put Mississippi above both the Southeastern average of $39,754 and the national average of $41,163. The Senate's plan would increase starting pay to $40,000, but would provide substantial increases at five-year intervals throughout a teacher's career. "Notably, Alabama and Louisiana, where many Mississippi teachers have moved for higher paying jobs, pay starting salaries of $41,845 and $42,547, respectively," Bennett said. The House plan would cost taxpayers $219 million a year starting next fiscal year, compared to the Senate plan, which would cost $210 million a year after a two-year phase-in. The Senate's plan includes a year-two, $44 million across-the-board increase of $1,000 per teacher. The House plan includes a $2,000 increase for teachers assistants, who are not included in the Senate plan. |
| Mississippi Senate set to vote on revamped US House map | |
| The Mississippi Senate on Wednesday is expected to approve a plan to redraw the state's four congressional districts. The plan passed the House last week mostly along party lines, with Republicans and one independent in favor and Democrats and one independent opposed. Republicans also control the Senate, and it's unlikely that Democrats will be able to block approval. Even if the proposed plan is approved, the NAACP or other opponents could ask a federal court to consider whether the new districts dilute the influence of Black voters. Political boundaries have to be updated every decade to reflect changes in population, with a goal of having an equal number of residents in each district. The plan expands the territory of Mississippi's only majority-Black U.S. House district because the 2020 Census showed the district -- the 2nd -- lost population during the previous decade. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has said he likes the proposed new congressional districts. Candidates face a March 1 qualifying deadline to run for the four seats. |
| Staffing shortages, omicron's infectiousness are leaving Mississippi hospitals in a bind | |
| The newest surge of COVID-19, accelerated by the omicron variant, is again robbing Mississippi hospitals of space and staff, leaving the state's health care systems overwhelmed. "We are dealing with a shifty enemy. It's changing the rules of the game on us," said Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, during a Tuesday morning press conference. "Some of the lessons we've learned in previous waves are not applicable to the one that we're in." While omicron does not cause as severe of illness, it is more infectious than the delta variant, meaning UMMC -- the state's largest hospital -- is fielding more COVID-19 patients than in previous surges. When the delta variant inundated UMMC in the fall, Jones said the emergency department would admit between five to 10 patients with the coronavirus each day. Recently, that number is double to triple that amount. Jones said less are needing stays in the intensive care unit. UMMC's staffing shortages, particularly in nursing, have proliferated with the omicron surge, Jones said. Around Christmas, before omicron spiked in Mississippi, about 50 of the center's 1,900 nurses would be out on any given day because of coronavirus exposure. Now, the average is closer to 90. At one point, it was 175 in a single day. Coronavirus exposure coupled with a widening of nursing vacancies at the hospital has further added to UMMC's staffing challenges. Before the coronavirus, UMMC had 70 nursing vacancies open, a number LouAnn Woodward, UMMC vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, said hospital leaders thought was bad. There are now 360 vacancies. |
| Mississippi sets patient transfer order amid COVID-19 surge | |
| The Mississippi Health Department on Tuesday ordered all hospitals in the state to allow the transfer of critically ill patients, an effort to help people in rural areas receive care as the state continues to see a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. The order applies to the transfer of patients who have had a heart attack or stroke; those who need immediate neurosurgical intervention, such as people severely injured in car crashes; transplant patients who are experiencing complications; and patients who need to be on a ventilator but are in a hospital without an intensive care unit, respiratory therapy or a ventilator. A system called Mississippi MED-COM will direct patients to places with available space and resources, the department said. The transfer order will remain in place until Jan. 23, unless it is revoked it before then. The University of Mississippi Medical Center regularly receives transfer patients from smaller hospitals. Officials there said Tuesday that the medical center is stretched because of short staffing. Part of the shortage is because of vacant jobs, and part is because employees are out after testing positive for COVID-19. UMMC has had to close more than 50 beds in recent days because it does not have enough nurses or other staff, said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, the center's vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the school of medicine. "We don't have enough staff to open up all the beds that we have," Woodward said. "Earlier in this pandemic, we had staff and needed resources to help open additional beds, and we did. Now, we have beds but no staff." |
| Nearly 4,000 Mississippi students out of schools with COVID-19 infections | |
 | The week most Mississippi schools returned after winter break, thousands of students were out because of the coronavirus' resurgence. Of 633 schools reporting from 66 of Mississippi's 82 counties, there were 3,854 new COVID-19 cases in Mississippi students statewide from Jan. 3 to 7, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health's report Tuesday. The last report, spanning Dec. 13 to 17, showed 292 students with a new COVID-19 infection. In between the two time periods, the COVID-19 omicron variant began spiking daily cases to record-high counts and driving up hospitalization rates. From Jan. 3 to 7, 10,711 students and nearly 900 teachers were quarantined due to exposure to the coronavirus. Over 1,500 teachers and staff across Mississippi schools were positive for COVID-19 that week. Even before students and teachers returned to school, pediatricians were sounding the alarm. Mississippi pediatricians have endlessly encouraged eligible students to get vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to return to normal learning and keep children and their families state. The most recent push from the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics came in a Dec. 3 letter. "Measures like school-wide mask requirements and encouraging vaccination will help keep kids in the classroom, where they can learn, play, and grow," said Anita Henderson, pediatrician and chapter president. |
| Coronavirus hospitalizations surge as staffing shortages in hospitals continue | |
 | The omicron coronavirus variant is spreading rapidly throughout Mississippi, and this high volume of cases is raising the strain on the state's healthcare system. At the University of Mississippi Medical Center, healthcare workers are in short supply. Many workers have retired, sought higher-paying jobs, or continue to work but are at home in quarantine due to coronavirus exposure. At the hospital, around 55 beds are vacant as there is no staff to care for those extra patients. Dr. Alan Jones is Associate Vice Chancellor of Clinical Affairs at the medical center. He says "At least right now if we had staff we have another unit we could open in terms of med-surge. And another unit we could open in terms of critical care. And so we still would have some capacity, physical space capacity, but we don't have the staff available." Dr. Jones says at this time there are no plans to have federal or non-profit healthcare workers come into the state to assist hospitals. An order has been signed by the state health officer to reinstate a partial system of care to address statewide staffing shortages. While previous orders limited all hospital transfers, this new order does allow for select patients with the most immediate needs to be transferred. Jonathan Wilson with the University of Mississippi Medical Center has been working with health officials to establish this program. "In this scenario it would be targeted much to those type patients that Dr. Jones and Dr. Woodward were mentioning that need very specific levels of care, transplant or trauma, heart attacks, strokes that are time-limited and need very specific levels of ICU care. And we'll be trying to manage the state's capacity the best we can working with the health department in that way." |
| 'No one is applying': Omicron pushes understaffed hospital system into crisis mode | |
| The omicron variant is pushing already strapped Mississippi hospitals across the state to their limits, as health care workers attempt to treat a growing volume of patients despite having record low numbers of nurses on staff. Most, if not all, hospitals across the state were at or near their capacities as of Tuesday morning, according to a University of Mississippi Medical Center administrator. On Monday night, a Pascagoula hospital accepted a patient from more than 200 miles away in Yazoo City. The patient had to be flown in by helicopter because of a hole in the wall of his stomach. "They called 27 other hospitals," said Lee Bond, CEO of the Gulf Coast's Singing River Health System. Mississippi hospitals have about 3,000 total nursing vacancies, according to a recent survey by the Mississippi Hospital Association. As a result of shortage and new complications from the latest COVID-19 variant, hospitals have been forced to cut capacities by closing beds and are now triaging patients across the state to get the care they need -- omicron-related or not. "The game has changed since the delta wave," Dr. Alan Jones, chancellor of affairs at UMMC said during a Tuesday press conference. "The challenges we are facing are really around staffing. Compounding that is that this is a much more infectious variant, taking more staff out that we have in the workforce." While patients are, in general, experiencing less severe symptoms, there are a higher number of patients coming into hospital than during the last surge in the fall. |
| Federal relief money would help Mississippi county health departments with critical needs | |
| If the Mississippi State Department of Health could be granted a wish, it would be for the legislature send it over $100 million of the $1.8 billion in American Rescue Plan Act money allocated to the state. "For decades, public health infrastructure, public health staffing has been underinvested, and I think as a nation we're starting to realize that," State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs told lawmakers in December. The very department that's been at the helm of the COVID-19 pandemic has some desperate needs that pre-date the coronavirus, including outdated technology and county health department buildings that pose potential health hazards. It's the same state department that, even before the coronavirus and throughout, has provided vaccinations, reproductive health services, STI and tuberculosis treatment, cancer detection and prevention, and nutritional health services. The price tag to meet its needs? $107 million. The federal pandemic relief money would be in addition to the department's annual budget request. The University of Mississippi Medical Center, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health and the Brooklyn Utility Association in Forrest County are among others competing for federal relief funds. Nearly half the money, or about $49.7 million, would support needs at county health departments. Dobbs estimated about half of the state's 92 county health departments do not have high-speed internet access. To remedy this and provide health departments with computer and communication systems with what Dobbs called "modern capabilities," would take about $14.6 million. |
| Omicron infections may have peaked, but hospitalizations and deaths will still increase for weeks, models show | |
| Omicron hit the USA hard and fast in the past month, but modeling by several universities shows the wave of infections may have crested – and hospitalizations and deaths should follow. COVID-19 infections peaked Jan. 6, according to researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington's School of Medicine. "We peaked at 6.2 million infections," said professor of epidemiology and health metrics Ali Mokdad. The group estimated the number of infections based on seroprevalence surveys. That's close to estimates by the University of Texas, Austin COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, which puts the peak somewhere between Jan. 9 and 13. "That's a range between the most pessimistic and optimistic scenarios," said Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the consortium. The crest came more quickly than the University of Washington group estimated last month, when they anticipated it would hit Jan. 27. "Omicron came in and spread so fast it infected everybody who could be infected. Also, it was the holidays, so people were traveling, which increased the spread," Mokdad said. Because hospitalizations lag infections by about two weeks, the University of Washington team estimated the daily U.S. hospital census, including incidental admissions with COVID-19, will peak by Jan. 25 at 273,000. |
| 'We have gone backwards': Covid confusion snarls Biden White House | |
 | President Joe Biden is urging schools to stay open, but there's a widespread Covid testing shortage. He calls it the "pandemic of the unvaccinated," but that has only confused boosted Americans home sick with the omicron variant. And the administration hasn't changed its guidance to urge high-filtration masks despite calls from the medical community, while recent isolation guidance has only added to the uncertainty. The White House's stay-the-course strategy on Covid is increasingly colliding with the realities of a roaring pandemic that is forcing schools and businesses to close. A half dozen former health policy makers, including some members of Biden's transition team, told NBC News that the Biden administration needs an urgent reset on its Covid strategy or the White House could rapidly lose credibility with the public. "Biden was elected president, in large part, based on a message of 'I'm competent, I'm capable, I will tell you the truth and I will get a handle on Covid in a way my predecessor could not and refused to do,' and that continues to be the No. 1 issue for most people," said Kathleen Sebelius, who served as Health and Human Services secretary in the Obama administration. While praising the administration for quickly being able to make the vaccines widely available, she said that Americans' "lives are still pretty chaotic and kind of messy and when they thought they were getting out of this they are back in it." She added, "I do think it's about competence and capability and telling the truth and using all of the tools that are at the president's disposal." |
| 'Most people are going to get covid': A momentous warning at a Senate hearing | |
 | One of the most indelible -- and ultimately telling -- moments of the early coronavirus pandemic came in late February 2020. A top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the spread of the virus was "inevitable." "It's not a question of if this will happen, but when this will happen, and how many people in this country will have severe illnesses," Nancy Messonnier said. The comment caused a blowup at the White House and among top administration officials, who had to account for President Donald Trump's consistent desire to downplay the threat during his reelection campaign. Then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar would later acknowledge that Messonnier had been "right." On Tuesday, nearly two years later, came another such plainly stated and significant warning of what lies ahead in the pandemic: for most people, an infection. "I think it's hard to process what's actually happening right now," said Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, "which is most people are going to get covid." Woodcock pitched this as being a necessary acknowledgment when it comes to charting the path forward -- recognizing that the focus now needs to be on averting the worst that widespread infections could bring in the near term. "What we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function, transportation, you know, other essential services are not disrupted while this happens," she said. "I think after that will be a good time to reassess how we're approaching this pandemic." But as with Messonnier's comment, the acknowledgment is a momentous one in the fight against the virus. There has been some hope that omicron could spike and fade relatively quickly -- as it appears to have in South Africa. But Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Health Committee, which hosted Woodcock and other health officials, noted Israeli scientists were less bullish that their country would be following the same trajectory. |
| Biden sending more COVID tests to schools to keep them open | |
| The Biden administration is increasing federal support for COVID-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge. The White House announced Wednesday that a dedicated stream of 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests will be made available to schools starting this month to ease supply shortages and promote the safe reopening of schools. That's on top of more than $10 billion devoted to school-based tests authorized in the COVID-19 relief law and about $130 billion earmarked in that law to keep kids in school. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said students need to be in their classrooms and the announcement shows the administration's commitment to helping schools stay open. "We're doing everything we can to make sure that our children have an opportunity to stay in school," Cardona said Wednesday on "CBS Mornings." "That's where they need to be, and we know we can do it safely." States are applying to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the tests, Cardona said, adding that he expected distribution to begin as early as next week. "We recognize that schools are the hubs of the community" and they should be open for instruction, the secretary added, saying it is "vital for our students." |
| Biden confronts a skeptical base as he pushes voting rights in Georgia | |
 | LaTosha Brown is one of the many Southern organizers who turned Georgia blue in 2020 for the first time in nearly 30 years. But on Tuesday, she didn't want President Joe Biden in the state. After working 70 hours a week, leading bus tours across the state and rallying voters to the polls last year, Brown, who co-founded Black Voters Matter, said she was fed up with the Democrats she helped elect. As Biden called on the Senate to get rid of the filibuster in order to pass voting rights and elections legislation in Atlanta on Tuesday, she stayed away. "So you come into Georgia, and what?" said Brown, who is based in Atlanta. "It's taken a year to talk about, 'we gonna put away the filibuster.' There's all kinds of energy and momentum I think has been squandered." As Brown sees it, she helped give Democrats power but, one year later, she and other Black voters are worse off when it comes to their ability to vote. There is frustration evident in her voice as she explains how voting rights still does not seem like a priority for the administration. Brown's skepticism exemplified the political thicket Biden entered when he touched down in Atlanta on Tuesday to give his latest speech on the need to protect democracy, pass election reforms and, if necessary, revise the Senate's rules. After months of inaction, those who have been demanding his help increasingly doubt he can deliver. |
| Mississippi lawmakers react to the fight over voting rights | |
| Mississippi lawmakers reacted Tuesday to the fight over voting rights. It comes after nineteen states passed new voting laws following the most recent election. Democrats say the new laws make it harder for people to vote while Republicans accuse Democrats of trying to manipulate state elections in a way that makes it easier for them to win. Senators Hillman Frazier and John Horhn say the current state of voting measures in the country is like history repeating itself. "When Blacks got the right to vote, they decided to suppress the vote by changing the constitution, making it very hard for Black voters to vote -- they must own property, must be able to read and write, must pay a poll tax," Frazier said. "It's very disheartening that in 2020-2021, we see states like Georgia, Florida, Texas, and others start putting more restrictive rules in place to keep people from voting as opposed to encouraging it," Horhn said. That's exactly why President Joe Biden wants Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Republicans feel these acts would damage an age-old process. Senator Roger Wicker took to the Senate floor Tuesday and talked about an amendment to the NY constitution that was presented to voters two months ago. The amendment would have gotten rid of the requirement that an absentee voter give an excuse, but voters decided to keep the requirement. "I would certainly not break a two-century consensus building provision that has withstood the test of time to tell New York they can't do that. To tell all the 50 states that they must conform to an election law that we devise here in Washington, D.C," Wicker said. |
| Democrats press Powell on jobs; GOP wants inflation fix | |
 | Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told senators Tuesday that the central bank will align its policy to a post-pandemic economy that will look different than the pre-pandemic one, as Democrats pressured him to prioritize employment while Republicans said inflation was the top concern. Appearing before the Senate Banking Committee for a confirmation hearing on his nomination for a second term as chairman, Powell, a Republican, faced GOP criticism over rising inflation. Some Senate Democrats had opposed his confirmation for a new term, criticizing his support for easing rules on Wall Street. But with bipartisan support, his confirmation is expected. "We can begin to see that the post-pandemic economy is likely to be different in some respects," Powell said in his opening statement. "The pursuit of our goals will need to take these differences into account. To that end, monetary policy must take a broad and forward-looking view, keeping pace with an ever-evolving economy." Powell said he was committed to maximum employment and stable prices. The unemployment rate was below 4 percent in December, but the labor market remains volatile as the omicron variant of the coronavirus races through the country. Sen. Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania, the panel's top Republican, said he would vote to confirm Powell, despite misgivings about the Fed's approach to rising prices. "None of the Fed's pandemic actions came without a cost," Toomey said. "This negative-real interest rate environment continues to distort markets, risk asset bubbles and punish savers. And the Fed has dramatically expanded its balance sheet with trillions in government bonds, effectively monetizing a lot of debt, facilitating profligate government spending." |
| Fed's Powell Says Economy No Longer Needs Aggressive Stimulus | |
 | Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell called high inflation a "severe threat" to a full economic recovery and said Tuesday the central bank was preparing to raise interest rates because the economy no longer needed emergency support. Mr. Powell said he was optimistic that supply-chain bottlenecks would ease this year to help bring down inflation as the Fed takes its foot off the gas pedal. But he told lawmakers at his Senate confirmation hearing that if inflation stayed elevated, the Fed would be ready to step on the brakes. "If we have to raise interest rates more over time, we will," he said. He said nothing to push back against expectations that have firmed in interest-rate futures markets over the past week that the central bank would begin a cycle of interest-rate increases in March. Some lawmakers on the Senate Banking Committee expressed misgivings with recent Fed forecasts and policy on Tuesday. "I'm concerned that the Fed missed the boat on addressing inflation sooner," said Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.). "A lot of us are. And as a result of that, the Fed under your leadership has lost a lot of credibility." Most comments from lawmakers suggested that Mr. Powell would win confirmation comfortably with support from members of both parties. "There's broad bipartisan backing for Chairman Powell's renomination because he has a record of acting thoughtfully and constructively, especially in some very difficult circumstances," said Sen. Patrick Toomey (R., Pa.). The coming transition -- in which the Fed uses both interest rates and its asset portfolio to dial back stimulus -- "could be a bumpy one," warned Kansas City Fed President Esther George in a speech Tuesday. |
| Two GOP Senate races capture the party's dilemma over Trump | |
 | The final two Senate Republican incumbents who had not revealed their 2022 reelection plans announced last weekend that they plan to run again -- and their races provide a look at the opposing efforts the GOP is taking in regard to Donald Trump as it fights to recapture the Senate majority. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who previously said he would not seek a third term, has embraced the former president, even suggesting -- without evidence -- that the FBI had advance knowledge of the Jan. 6 insurrection and did nothing to stop it. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican who was heavily lobbied by his party against retiring in 2022, squared off against Trump in late 2020 over the presidential election results, prompting the former president to seek out a primary rival against him. This spring, Republican voters in states with contested primaries will determine whether the remaining slate of GOP Senate candidates look more like Thune or Johnson, with broad implications for the future makeup of the Senate Republican conference. With midterms historically disfavoring the president's party, Republicans have a strong chance to reclaim the Senate, said Scott Jennings, a GOP strategist with close ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), especially if they keep their message tightly focused on Biden, whose approval rating is in the low 40% range. The state that could provide Republicans the most heartburn is Missouri, where several Trump supporters are contending for the nomination -- and the endorsement. |
| Pressed on his election lies, former President Trump cuts NPR interview short | |
 | Some Republican leaders are trying to move on from former President Donald Trump's failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election that he lost. "While there were some irregularities, there were none of the irregularities which would have risen to the point where they would have changed the vote outcome in a single state," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Sunday on ABC's This Week. "The election was fair, as fair as we have seen. We simply did not win the election, as Republicans, for the presidency. And if we simply look back and tell our people don't vote because there's cheating going on, then we're going to put ourselves in a huge disadvantage." But Trump -- who has endorsed dozens of candidates for the 2022 midterm elections and still holds by far the widest influence within the GOP -- is trying hard not to let them move on. "No, I think it's an advantage, because otherwise they're going to do it again in '22 and '24, and Rounds is wrong on that. Totally wrong," Trump told NPR in an interview Tuesday, referring to his false and debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The interview was six years in the making. Trump and his team have repeatedly declined interviews with NPR until Tuesday, when he called in from his home in Florida. It was scheduled for 15 minutes, but lasted just over nine. After being pressed about his repeated lies about the 2020 presidential election, Trump abruptly ended the interview. |
| House panel debunks Jan. 6 conspiracy theory touted by GOP senators | |
 | Two Republican senators attacked top Justice Department and FBI officials Tuesday about whether a mysterious protester last January 6th was actually a U.S. government informant who incited rioting at the Capitol as part of a conspiracy-laden false flag operation. Within hours, though, the special House Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection debunked the conspiracy theory, disclosing that it had interviewed the Arizona man, Ray Epps, and that he had denied taking part in any such government operation. Epps has become central to a viral -- and unfounded -- conspiracy theory in recent months after widely circulated video of him exhorting pro-Trump crowds the evening of Jan. 5 to enter the Capitol the next day. At some point, some protesters began chanting, "Fed, fed, fed," apparently suspicious that Epps was there trying to incite rallygoers on behalf of the FBI. Social media influencers have accused Epps of being part of a secret government plot to stage the January 6th insurrection and then blame it on supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Epps referred USA TODAY to his lawyer, saying, "I've been advised not to talk to anyone at this time." |
| Justice Dept. Forms Domestic Terrorism Unit | |
 | The Justice Department is creating a unit to fight domestic terrorism at a time when the threat of violent extremism has increased, a top official said on Tuesday.The number of F.B.I. investigations of suspects accused of domestic extremism has more than doubled since the spring of 2020, the head of the department's national security division, Matthew G. Olsen, said in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The national security division has a counterterrorism team, Mr. Olsen added, but a group of lawyers will now be dedicated to the domestic threat and ensure that cases will be "handled properly and effectively coordinated" across the agency and federal law enforcement. The move is in keeping with Attorney General Merrick B. Garland's vow to prioritize combating domestic extremism. It comes as the Justice Department investigates the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, an assault that underscores the resurgence of domestic extremism driven in part by the baseless perception that the 2020 election was marred by election fraud. Political events will continue to drive the threat of violence in 2022, Jill Sanborn, the executive assistant director of the F.B.I.'s national security branch, told the Senate panel. The two most dangerous types of domestic extremists, Ms. Sanborn said, are driven either by racial or ethnic beliefs, oftentimes "advocating for the superiority of the white race," or by antigovernment sentiment from members of militia or anarchist groups. Last year, the Biden administration unveiled a national strategy to tackle domestic extremism, which called for preventing recruitment by extremist groups and bolstering information sharing across law enforcement. |
| Thousands jailed long periods before trial in Mississippi | |
| Thousands of people in Mississippi continue to be jailed for long periods while waiting to go on trial because they are too poor to afford bail, judges may deny bail altogether or public defenders might not be available when they're needed, according to a new report from a group that advocates for the rights of the incarcerated. The report released Wednesday by the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law says that as of the fall, about 2,700 people had been held longer than 90 days in county jails. Of those, more than 1,000 had been jailed at least nine months and about 730 had been jailed more than a year. The problem is likely much more extensive because counties were inconsistent in reporting information about who is being held for long stretches before trial, said the center's director, Cliff Johnson. The new report is the fifth issued by the center since April 2018 about long pretrial incarceration. "The law and our criminal rules say that there is a presumption of release prior to trial and that requiring payment for one's freedom should be the exception rather than the rule," Johnson said in the news release. |
| Belhaven University to build new garage to help relieve parking issues | |
| Belhaven University expects to start construction this winter on a $10.5-million parking garage, which will give students another place to park besides on neighboring streets. The plans for the five-story garage that will be built in the center of campus have been submitted to the city of Jackson for site plan review. The plans are making their way through approvals," said Jordan Rae Hillman, director of planning for the city. Casey Creasey, executive director of the Greater Belhaven Foundation, said use of the garage, which is expected to be completed by the fall semester, will clear some of the neighborhood streets where students have had to park. Students park along Pinehurst, Peachtree, Belhaven and Arlington streets as well as on Greymont and Euclid avenues. "I think it will help with some of the congestion in those areas," she said. An on-campus parking garage has been on the university's wish list for many years, but the expense prohibited it until an anonymous donor provided the entire $10.5 million to fund it, said Roger Parrott, Ph.D., president of Belhaven University. "I've been a university president for 33 years, and I never expected anyone to give money for a parking garage," he said. "It's pretty remarkable." Parrott calls the garage "a game changer" for the campus. |
| LSU must give PETA documents about sparrow stress experiments, judge says | |
 | A state judge has ordered LSU to hand over records of an assistant professor's experiments on sparrows to an animals rights group, the group said Tuesday. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sued the university in 2020 after the school refused to release public documents, including veterinary care records and videos recorded by LSU researcher Christine Lattin. PETA says Lattin's experiments involve trapping sparrows, pumping them with hormones, exposing them to terrifying calls from predators, and then killing them. LSU turned over some of the documents after the lawsuit was filed. PETA said District Judge Wilson Fields ruled Tuesday that the school must provide all of the records. Lattin, principal investigator of the Lattin Lab, first landed on PETA's radar while she was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University studying stress hormones, or glucocorticoids, in house sparrows. Glucocorticoids are found in all vertebrates, from fish to humans, so studying the hormone and how it's used to combat stress can provide a better understanding of how animals and humans react to stress, Lattin has said. Studying the hormone in an animal can sometimes require euthanization, so Lattin said she chose to work with sparrows because they're an invasive species not native to North America, minimizing the negative impact of their removal on the environment. |
| U. of South Carolina raises COVID-19 risk status amid omicron's rise | |
 | As the omicron variant sends COVID-19 cases throughout the state to record levels, the University of South Carolina has also reported a spike. As of Tuesday, 676 students and 191 employees -- for a total of 867 people -- are actively positive with a COVID-19 infection. Since Jan. 1, 874 students and 230 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to USC's online COVID dashboard. The last time USC released daily case data was Dec. 4, when there were 19 active cases on campus, according to its online dashboard. While high, the cases thus far have had "relatively mild symptoms, but that doesn't mean we're not taking it seriously," said USC's chief health officer, Jason Stacy, during a Tuesday press conference. The student percent positive rate is 23.4% and the employee percent positive rate is 9.7%, according to USC's online dashboard. The increase in cases has led to USC upping its campus status from "new normal" to "low." While cases are on the rise at USC, more people who study and work at the university are getting vaccinated. As of Tuesday, 69% of students, 82% of faculty and 69% of staff are vaccinated; 70% of everyone on campus is vaccinated, according to USC's dashboard. That is an increase from August, when 61% of students and employees on campus were vaccinated, The State reported previously. |
| Arkansas school systems, colleges and universities walking tightropes through covid-19 cases | |
| School districts throughout the state are adjusting school day calendars to cope with the surging numbers of covid-19 cases and quarantines. Universities and colleges, facing similar covid challenges, are weighing in-person classes versus online sessions, and making a range of decisions. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock plans to begin its spring semester "as scheduled" Tuesday, Chancellor Christina Drale said in a message to the campus Monday. "UA Little Rock has had relatively few on-campus coronavirus cases and will continue to follow health guidelines to mitigate coronavirus exposure on campus. Should it become necessary, UA Little Rock has contingency plans to pivot to virtual learning for a short period of time," Drale said. Gov. Asa Hutchinson, in describing statewide test results, noted Tuesday how the statewide positivity rate had reached 30%, based on a seven-day rolling average. "So, it's very high in terms of the positivity rate," he said. Some other universities in Central Arkansas have opted to begin their spring terms with virtual instruction, including the University of Central Arkansas and Philander Smith College. UALR's William H. Bowen School of Law began courses this week with virtual instruction, the university announced last week. All of the campuses in the Arkansas State University System are beginning their spring semesters with a continuation of indoor face covering requirements, ASU System spokesman Jeff Hankins said Tuesday. Trustees for the University of Arkansas System -- the state's largest university system -- in August directed campuses to implement face covering policies "regardless of vaccination status" for indoor public settings where physical distancing cannot be assured "in accordance with CDC guidance regarding the covid-19 Delta variant." |
| Gov. Bill Lee appoints new members to U. of Tennessee Board of Trustees, campus advisory councils | |
| Gov. Bill Lee has nominated two people for the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees. Shanea McKinney of Shelby County and David Watson of Hamilton County will join the UT Board, pending their approval by the Tennessee legislature. "Tennessee's success depends on engaged citizens, and I am proud to announce these appointees who will ensure our state continues to thrive," Lee said in a statement. "I commend their leadership and willingness to serve." McKinney and Watson will be filling the vacancies left by Duke women's basketball coach Kara Lawson and Kim White, who was recently hired as the UT Chattanooga's vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs and executive director of the University of Chattanooga Foundation. McKinney is the senior advisor of product management for Cigna. She received her doctor of pharmacy degree from the UT Health Science Center. She's currently a member of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy and chairs the Downtown Mobility Authority of the Downtown Memphis Commission. Watson is a third-generation Tennessean who earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from UT Knoxville in 1973. He co-founded and co-owns Mountain View Auto Group in Chattanooga. The 12-member UT Board of Trustees governs the statewide higher education system. |
| Texas A&M professor part of study tracking inpatient hospital costs for COVID-19 patients | |
 | The first comprehensive analysis of inpatient hospital costs for COVID-19 patients in the United States from April to December 2020 was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Advances in Therapy. The study was published in October 2021 by a team of collaborators including Dr. Robert L. Ohsfeldt, a regents professor and Ph.D. program co-chair in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. "The [study] was motivated by a need to have a source of credible evidence for hospital cost for use in economic evaluations of COVID treatments," Ohsfeldt said. The study examined the hospitalization costs for COVID-19 patients, factors associated with costs and length of stay, and the monthly trends of costs and length of stay from April to December 2020 in the United States, according to a Texas A&M Today article. Results of this study showed that the median length of stay in hospitals was six days and the median hospital cost was $11,267. The median length of stay in intensive care units was five days and median ICU cost was $13,443. Older age, comorbidities and mechanical ventilation were major drivers of costs, hospital length of stay and risk of death, and a downward trend of cost and hospital stay was observed from April to December 2020, according to the study. |
| Curators reject temporary COVID-19 mask mandate at U. of Missouri | |
 | The University of Missouri System Board of Curators in a special meeting Tuesday rejected two recommendations by system President Mun Choi to require masks on campus for the first two weeks of the semester. The meeting was held over Zoom. There is no mask requirement currently. A previous mandate that was in effect was allowed to expire in October. "Face masks are effective in slowing the spread of the virus," Choi said in his presentation. He cited a University of Washington study of Missouri showing that if 80% of the population wore masks, 1.1 million fewer people in the state would become infected. "As you can see, there would be a dramatic difference," Choi said. Choi's first recommendation was to require masking in buildings with classrooms, teaching laboratories and offices where social distancing isn't possible from the start of the semester next Tuesday until Feb. 3, the date of the next regular meeting of the curators. A second recommendation received less support from the board. It was to require masks in classrooms and teaching laboratories, but not common areas of the buildings and offices, from the start of the semester until Feb. 3. MU will maintain its current course for now, Choi said. "We will continue with our current approach and do the best we can," he said. |
| Federal appeals court appears wary of tossing Indiana University's vaccine mandate | |
| The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday indicated some skepticism over a claim that Indiana University's COVID-19 vaccination requirement for students and faculty was unlawful and should be blocked. A three-judge panel of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit heard arguments for about 30 minutes by video, a measure implemented in response to the new regional and national surge in COVID-19 infections. "We're now about a year into vaccines being administered. Has any court anywhere in the United States held that a state or local vaccine mandate violates any provision of the United States Constitution?" Circuit Judge Michael Scudder asked at one point at Tuesday's hearing. Hundreds of universities and law schools have implemented vaccination requirements in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The 7th Circuit panel in August denied an emergency bid from a group of students to block the university's vaccination rule. Tuesday's arguments on the merits of the school's vaccination requirement come as the U.S. Supreme Court separately weighs Biden administration COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing mandates for large employers and healthcare workers. The university's policy allows medical and religious exemptions, and a federal judge in Indiana in July declined to block the rule. The plaintiffs are eight current or former Indiana University students challenging the rule. |
| 6 higher education lawsuits to watch in 2022 | |
| Several major pending lawsuits have the potential to crumble the pillars of long-standing practices in higher education, including whether colleges can consider race in admissions and whether faith-based institutions can be exempt from a federal sex discrimination law. Another high-profile case accuses top-ranked colleges of colluding to limit financial aid packages, while still another centers on the messy divorce between Liberty University and its former president, Jerry Falwell Jr. Below, we rounded up six key cases that we'll be watching in 2022 and beyond for the impact they will have on individual colleges and the higher ed sector as a whole: Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University; Henry et al. v. Brown University et al.; Elizabeth Hunter, et al. v. U.S. Department of Education; Houston Community College System v. David Buren Wilson; Madilyn Short, et al. v. Gov. Michael Dunleavy, et al.; and Liberty University v. Jerry Falwell Jr.. |
| Carnegie Classifications seek a new home -- again | |
 | The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education---long revered as an objective categorization of American colleges and universities -- will no longer move to Albion College after Mathew Johnson, the former president of Albion, resigned last month. "While the Carnegie Foundation did anticipate coming to an agreement with Albion College based on the outgoing president's longstanding engagement with the Elective Classifications, we had not yet formalized any agreement," Paul LeMahieu, senior vice president at the Carnegie Foundation, wrote in an email. "In light of the president's departure, we are considering new institutional partnerships to fulfill this role." When Albion announced Johnson's resignation on Christmas Eve, college officials wrote in a statement that Johnson would depart the college to serve as president of the Commission for Public Purpose in Higher Education, in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation. The commission was created by Albion and is "responsible for the stewardship and continuous development of the basic and elective classification systems of higher education institutions," according to the college's announcement. However, since the Carnegie Foundation is now seeking a new home for its basic and elective classifications, it will no longer partner with the commission, according to Lisa Gonzales, a Carnegie Foundation spokesperson. Further, Johnson "no longer has an affiliation with the Carnegie Foundation," Gonzales wrote in an email. "He will not be serving as an advisor for the Carnegie Classifications." Selecting a home base for the classification system is not a small deal, said Philip Altbach, founding director and research professor at the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. Whichever institution houses the classification system has great control over its direction, Altbach said. |
| Disruptions in hands-on programs contributed to enrollment drop at community colleges | |
| Disruptions to academic programs with significant hands-on components, such as construction trades and mechanical and repair technology, heavily contributed to pandemic-related enrollment declines at community colleges, a new working paper suggests. The National Bureau of Economic Research report also links this upheaval to falling enrollment of men, as many of the affected fields are male dominated. It found the disruptions in assembly and repair programs contributed to about 20% of the overall pandemic-related enrollment declines. The coronavirus pandemic defied college enrollment trends that came with past periods of economic contraction. Instead of more students returning to school to sharpen their skills, as occurred during the Great Recession, many didn't pursue or exited postsecondary education. These enrollment declines were particularly precipitous for community colleges. The latest preliminary figures from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show a roughly 14% decrease in community college enrollment from fall 2019 to fall 2021. The NBER report is some of the first research that aims to explain the disproportionate enrollment drops at two-year schools. Its authors, professors at Northwestern University and the University of Virginia, found that two-year colleges with high concentrations of programs focused on assembly, repair and maintenance work experienced major enrollment declines. Community colleges often host programs with laboratory or hands-on work, which were more difficult to translate to online formats during the most restrictive months of the pandemic. |
| Community colleges shift plans due to Omicron | |
| Tacoma Community College launched a marketing campaign in early December to inform local community members and potential students that more in-person instruction would be offered on campus during this year's winter quarter. A full third of classes would have a face-to-face component -- nearly two years after most U.S. colleges first shifted to remote education in response to the pandemic. Then the highly infectious Omicron variant began to spread across the country, and leaders of the Washington State institution swiftly decided to move most of the classes online. Marissa Schlesinger, provost and vice president of academic affairs at the college, said it quickly became clear that the move was necessary. Schlesinger described the turn of events as "a hiccup" in the marketing campaign to recruit students after the college experienced enrollment losses during the pandemic. But that optimistic view lies in contrast to challenging enrollment declines amid the pandemic. Student head count fell by 1,037 in fall 2020, as enrollment dropped to 6,424 students from 7,461 in fall 2019. Classes are scheduled to return to in-person teaching on Jan. 18. "We'll just keep rolling with the punches," Schlesinger said. "We are committed to our students above all." Community college leaders across the country are doing the same types of mental calculus as they rapidly adjust their plans for the winter or spring terms while also trying to gauge the risks of keeping campuses open -- and the costs of closing them. Many colleges are shifting some or all of their courses online during the first weeks of the semester, pushing back their start dates or imposing stricter safety protocols. "Everybody is scrambling, trying to have a strategic plan for how to respond when students return in case there's surges of the illness," said Gerri Taylor, co-chair of the American College Health Association's COVID-19 task force. |
| Where Research Spending Keeps Going Up | |
 | In the 2020 fiscal year, the Johns Hopkins University spent more on research and development than any other U.S. higher-education institution, concluding a decade during which research spending at the university grew by roughly $1 billion. According to newly released data from the National Science Foundation, Hopkins -- which has led the nation's colleges and universities in research spending for more than 40 years -- had research-and-development expenditures of $3.1 billion. The figure includes $1.9 billion in funding for its Applied Physics Laboratory. At all U.S. colleges and universities, research-and-development spending totaled $86.4 billion in 2020 -- up 3.3 percent from the prior fiscal year. The increase is the lowest since the 2015 fiscal year, the foundation said in a report on its annual Higher Education Research Survey. The slowdown in the growth of research spending is attributed to the early months of the pandemic, which overlapped with the end of the 2020 fiscal year and spurred a disruption in research activity. The largest share of research funding, 53 percent, came from the federal government. Federally-supported research rose 3.7 percent, to $46.2 billion. The next greatest source of research funds for colleges, 25 percent, was from institutions themselves and totaled $22 billion -- an increase of 4 percent. The foundation collected data from 915 institutions that award bachelor's degrees or higher and that spent at least $150,000 in research-and-development funds in the 2019 fiscal year. |
| White House calls for consistent rules for disclosing foreign research funding | |
| President Joe Biden's administration last week ordered federal agencies to draft uniform policies describing the outside sources of funding that scientists must disclose when they apply for federal grants, and the penalties for failing to do so. Research groups welcome the directive, but wish it had also specified what kinds of foreign collaborations might get a scientist in trouble. The new directive, issued on 4 January by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), feeds into a roiling political debate about how to protect federally funded research from attempted theft by some foreign governments. In recent years, the federal government has prosecuted some two dozen academics for failing to disclose financial ties to China, which critics say has criminalized minor violations of often confusing federal rules and chilled research collaborations. The 34-page OSTP memo fleshes out a proposal to improve research security issued 1 year ago, in the final days of then-President Donald Trump's administration, as well as a recent congressional mandate with the same goal. Academic research administrators expect it to help clarify the responsibilities of faculty and their institutions, which officially are the recipients of any federal grant. "This will provide consistent guidance to those [within government agencies] writing the rules," says Mary Millsaps, director of research compliance at North Carolina State University. "And that's been missing." Unfortunately, according to university administrators, what is still missing is any guidance on the specific research affiliations that pose a risk to national security and might prevent a scientist from obtaining federal funding. Having a list of so-called bad actors researchers should avoid, they say, would help them in advising faculty who are applying for federal grants. |
| How tough will Biden get on higher ed? | |
| The Biden administration this month is planning to finally put pen to paper on key parts of its college accountability agenda, drafting new regulations that restrict how and when colleges and universities -- particularly for-profit institutions -- can access federal funding. The Education Department's higher education priorities over the first year of the Biden administration have largely been on doling out billions of emergency pandemic relief to colleges and overhauling an array of student loan programs (like Public Service Loan Forgiveness and income-based repayment). But the administration is now turning its attention to how the Education Department directly regulates higher education as it embarks on a new round of negotiated rulemaking in the coming weeks. On the campaign trail, Biden promised that he'd force for-profit colleges to "first prove their value" before getting access to federal funding. The Biden administration notched an early education policy achievement in its American Rescue Plan Act, which included a provision changing the "90/10 rule" that restricts the share of revenue that for-profit colleges can derive from the federal government. Implementing the changes Congress made to the 90/10 rule will be a key part of the upcoming negotiated rulemaking sessions. As part of a bipartisan compromise in the Senate, the American Rescue Plan Act delayed implementation of the tighter restrictions on for-profit colleges until 2023 and also left it up to the Education Department to decide key details of the policy. |
| Pressures aligning on Biden, Democrats to forgive student loans | |
 | Advocates and lawmakers are stepping up the pressure on President Biden to act on student loan forgiveness, focusing on it as a major issue some warn Democrats could pay for at the ballot box in the upcoming midterm elections. Biden has been called on to work with Congress on the issue and provide more transparency about his authority to wipe out all federal student debt for millions of Americans. The extension once again of the student loan repayment pause amid record spikes in COVID-19 cases made advocates optimistic that more action will come out of the White House. "I think the administration needs to engage more with Congress on this because I think there's real concern," Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) told The Hill. Broad-based student loan forgiveness has gained support among Democratic leaders like Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who are looking to Biden for support on the issue as the party prepares for a critical election year. Federal student loan payments were first paused under a moratorium enacted under then-President Trump in March 2020. The freeze has been extended several times since under both the Trump and Biden administrations. Federal student loan payments were first paused under a moratorium enacted under then-President Trump in March 2020. The freeze has been extended several times since under both the Trump and Biden administrations. |
| The Bold Economic Move Joe Biden Refuses to Make | |
| As Senator Elizabeth Warren sees it, President Joe Biden can solve a lot of problems -- for millions of Americans financially, and for himself politically -- with a single move that neither Senator Joe Manchin nor any Republican in Congress could veto. The president, she says, should unilaterally wipe out up to $50,000 in student-loan debt for every federal borrower in the country. Warren has been beating this drum for just about two years, ever since she unveiled the proposal in a bid to outflank her rivals -- including Biden -- in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. The senator from Massachusetts has won influential converts to her cause over the past year, most notably Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. But Biden is not one of them. "I will not make that happen," he bluntly told a questioner asking about the proposal at a town hall a few weeks after he took office. The president's political fortunes are very different now than they were then. His ambitious social-spending agenda, already chopped in half, has stalled in the Senate. Biden's approval ratings have fallen to the low 40s, and with the pandemic raging and Congress bickering, his window for mounting a comeback in time to save his party's majorities in the midterm elections is shrinking. In Biden's struggles, progressives like Warren see an opportunity to make a fresh case for action that would prove popular with voters whom Democrats need to turn out this fall. To its backers, mass debt forgiveness is almost a no-brainer. Some economists say, however, that advocates are overstating the progressiveness of a blanket forgiveness, which would end up benefiting doctors, lawyers, and many others who have or are likely to get high-earning jobs and won't need help paying off their loans. |
| Study: High schoolers' perceptions of affordability matter | |
| In 2012, when most students in a new study were juniors in high school, researchers asked them whether they agreed with the following statement: "Even if you get accepted to college, your family cannot afford to send you." Nearly a third of the students -- 32 percent -- agreed or strongly agreed with that statement. Three years after high school, 59 percent of this group -- "the non-afforders" -- had ever attended college, compared to 80 percent of their peers, "the afforders," for whom perceived affordability was not an issue. The study results are presented in a new analysis, "College Affordability Views and College Enrollment," being published today by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. "College affordability is a major concern for families, and paying for college looms large for students, particularly students who would be the first in their families to earn a degree," NCES commissioner Peggy G. Carr said in a written statement. "This new analysis reveals that students are more likely to enroll in college if they believe their family can afford to send them. A student's belief in their ability to afford college may have important implications for how they search for information on paying for college while in high school or whether to apply." The study also looked at the relationship between perceptions of affordability, parental education level and college enrollment. The group most likely to enroll in college were students who believed they could afford college and had at least one parent with a bachelor's or other college degree. Ninety percent of those students had ever attended college within the first three years after high school. |
| Will Mississippi voters regain the ability to engage in the voter referendum process? | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: As the 2022 regular session of the Mississippi Legislature moves forward, the question of the future of medical marijuana in the Magnolia State remains in limbo. Lawmakers appear in agreement on a plan to move forward on the issue, but Gov. Tate Reeves has other ideas. Reeves rendered the issue moot prior to lawmakers returning for the current session by simply not calling a special session to address it. But now that lawmakers have returned, the governor has floated a pledge to veto a medical marijuana bill that doesn't comply with his vision of it. In the 2020 elections, Mississippi voters approved a voter initiative authorizing a medical marijuana program outlined in Initiative 65 over the express objections of the majority of legislative leaders. Mississippi voters gave Initiative 65 a 73.7% approval while giving the legislative alternative Initiative 65A only 26.3% of the vote. ... But the results of that referendum were nullified by the Mississippi Supreme Court. ... Bottom line, the court ruled that the state's initiative process is broken and that since Initiative 65 was put in motion through that flawed process and procedures, the medical marijuana initiative could not stand despite voter support. So, lawmakers now face two challenges -- first addressing the thorny issue of medical marijuana in a way that respects the voters and then finding a way to restore and repair the ballot initiative process. Both of those challenges are fraught with political danger. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State men hope to 'hold serve' against SEC-worst Georgia | |
| Mississippi State's schedule features Georgia and Alabama this week. So it's a good thing both contests are being played on the basketball court rather than the football field. MSU (10-4, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) takes on its fellow Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide in back-to-back contests at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. Alabama, the No. 24 team in the country, comes to town on Saturday evening in a chance for a significant win for Mississippi State. But before the Bulldogs can take on the Tide, they'll have to defend their home court against the SEC's worst team. Georgia has scuffled to a 5-10 start, including an 0-2 SEC mark, featuring a list of humbling losses to smaller programs: George Mason, Wofford, Gardner-Webb and East Tennessee State. That doesn't mean Mississippi State can afford to overlook its Bulldog compatriots at 6 p.m. Wednesday, though. "We need to hold serve, and we've got to do a good job," MSU coach Ben Howland said Tuesday. "We've got to have a good home court here." |
| 'Embarrassing' mistakes hindering Mississippi State's momentum ahead of Georgia matchup | |
| Ben Howland and his Mississippi State men's basketball team gathered on Monday to rewatch the entirety of their loss Saturday at Ole Miss. They watched, again, as their rival shot 58 percent from the floor and 64 percent from deep in the first half. They watched back to see Ole Miss guard Daeshun Ruffin came around a screen. MSU's defenders were supposed to switch, Howland says, but neither did. It resulted in a wide-open 3-pointer for Ruffin. "This can't happen," Howland said of the defensive gaffe. "That's just embarrassing when you put in so much time and effort." In an inconsistent and frustrating season so far where Mississippi State has had chances to show it can be a quality team in the SEC. Mistakes such as these have created an uninspiring start. Mississippi State returns to Humphrey Coliseum after its loss at Ole Miss. Looking to recreate momentum from a four-game winning streak prior to the loss, Mississippi State has the benefit of taking on Georgia on Wednesday. Georgia (5-10, 0-2) sits as a bottom feeder in the SEC while riding a four-game losing streak that includes losses to Gardner-Webb and East Tennessee State. |
| Mississippi State, Kentucky women's basketball postponed due to COVID-19 within MSU program | |
| Thursday's women's basketball game between Missisippi State and No. 19 Kentucky has been postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases within the MSU program, the SEC announced Wednesday. MSU interim head coach Doug Novak told reporters Tuesday his team was down to six available players at practice. The minimum to play is seven, according to SEC policy. This is the second time this game has been postponed. It was originally scheduled to be played Jan. 3, but positive cases within the UK program forced a postponement. Novak said the team has players who have been in quarantine as long as seven days -- longer than the recommended five -- but due to positive results on their tests, they have not been able to return. Novak was hopeful the team would get negative results in time to travel to Kentucky, but that is no longer the case. Mississippi State played and won at Alabama and against Vanderbilt last week with eight and seven players, respectively. Mississippi State's next scheduled game is Sunday at Ole Miss. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball's game vs. Kentucky postponed due to COVID-19 | |
| For the second time in two weeks, the Mississippi State women's basketball team's game against Kentucky on Thursday has been postponed due to COVID-19, the university announced. The Bulldogs had six available players -- one under the required seven scholarship players needed to play a game. A combination of injuries and positive tests has slimmed Mississippi State's roster, necessitating the postponement of Kentucky's game. Mississippi State's schedule has faced plenty of adjustment already this season. The Bulldogs' SEC opener against Florida was postponed, and when the initial matchup against Kentucky was postponed, the conference scheduled an impromptu game against South Carolina. In Mississippi State's last two wins, the team has played through reduced numbers. Ashley Jones and Rickea Jackson, the leading scorer, were unavailable for the win against Alabama, leaving the Bulldogs with eight players. Raven Farley joined the list of unavailable players for the win against Vanderbilt, in which seven players carried the load. Mississippi State feared a postponement of Thursday's game was possible, but interim coach Doug Novak said they hoped to have negative tests return Wednesday. The team generally departs for Kentucky in the early afternoon, leaving a small window. Instead, Mississippi State is unable to play. |
| Mississippi State's postponed women's basketball game against Florida rescheduled | |
| Mississippi State's women's basketball postponed game from Dec. 30 against Florida has been rescheduled for Feb. 10, the SEC announced Tuesday. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. The originally scheduled game was set to be MSU's SEC opener at home, but positive COVID-19 cases within MSU's program forced the postponement. Mississippi State instead opened SEC play with an 80-68 loss at No. 1 South Carolina on Jan. 2 -- a game originally scheduled for Feb. 6. Both programs agreed to play it earlier as their opponents dealt with positive cases. Mississippi State responded with back-to-back wins against Alabama and Vanderbilt last week despite playing with eight and seven players, respectively. MSU's record is 11-4 overall and 2-1 in SEC play as the team prepares for its game at No. 19 Kentucky on Thursday. |
| Denae Carter earns SEC freshman of the week honors for Mississippi State women's hoops | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball forward Denae Carter earned SEC freshman of the week honors for the second time Tuesday. Carter played a crucial role in helping lead Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1) to two wins last week. The first was a win against fellow bubble team Alabama in which MSU had just eight players available. The second was a home win against Vanderbilt where MSU had seven players available. Carter played 69 minutes across the two games --- combining for nine points, 17 rebounds, two blocks and three steals. She has led Mississippi State -- a team interim head coach Doug Novak admits lacks size -- in rebounding in each of the last six games. Her four offensive boards per game lead the SEC. Mississippi State returns to action at 6 p.m. Thursday at No. 19 Kentucky. |
| Bruce Pearl wants to eliminate COVID-19 protocols, treat it like flu | |
 | Auburn men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl made a bold suggestion during the pregame radio show prior to facing Alabama on Tuesday night. Pearl wants to eliminate COVID-19 protocols. Auburn radio broadcaster Andy Burcham asked Pearl if his team is at full strength for the Alabama game. "Yeah, we're at full strength," Pearl said. "And that's great. But it's going to be a season-long of that, I think. Especially the first month as schools start opening up again now and with the omicron (variant) being so very contagious, and with the protocols that they've got in place right now. It's like I'd kind of wish they'd really, truly go back to the flu -- if you don't feel well don't play and come back when you feel better. Because it's just otherwise, unfortunately, there are going to be guys that feel well enough -- Al Flanigan felt good for three days before he finally played on Saturday. But that's the protocol and that's the rules and that's what we'll live by." Allen Flanigan missed the Auburn game Jan. 4 at South Carolina before playing 19 minutes against Florida on Saturday. |
| College football head coach bonuses total about $13.6 million | |
| The outcomes of bowl games, the College Football Playoff and final poll rankings released Tuesday gave public-school head coaches just over $1.8 million in bonuses, according to tracking by USA TODAY Sports based on contracts acquired through open-records requests. That increased the head coaches' total for the season to nearly $13.6 million, a figure that does not include forfeited amounts or the value of automatic contract extensions and pay increases that coaches picked up. The total for the 2021 season is roughly 2½ times more than what head coaches got last season, when the COVID-19 pandemic's impacts included all manner of changes to bonus provisions. Georgia coach Kirby Smart added $250,000 for the Bulldogs winning their CFP semifinal over Michigan and another $200,000 for Monday night's national championship victory over Alabama. He ends with $850,000, a total that also includes $50,000 for being named Southeastern Conference coach of the year. His assistant coaches will be getting just over $2.1 million in bonuses. Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell matched Smart's $450,000 postseason total. Chadwell will be getting $200,000 for the Chanticleers' bowl victory, which was over Northern Illinois in the Cure Bowl. He'll be getting $250,000 more for the team finishing among the top 50 teams in either the USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll, the AP poll or Jeff Sagarin's computer rankings. Coastal Carolina was No. 57 in Sagarin's rankings, but it was 31st among the 34 teams receiving votes in the coaches poll and 33rd among the 35 receiving votes from the AP panel. Altogether, Chadwell will be due $600,000 in bonuses – an amount that is nearly three-fourths of his $871,250 in basic annual pay from the school for 2021. Smart's basic pay from Georgia was $7 million. |
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