| Thursday, January 13, 2022 |
| Despite event cancellations for COVID, area will still honor MLK Day with service | |
 | The Golden Triangle will continue to honor the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with several activities Monday. United Way of Lowndes and Noxubee Counties canceled its plans to host a school supply distribution event for teachers. Instead, the nonprofit is asking the community to donate to either the school supply drive or its efforts to aid six families displaced by a Jan. 6 fire at Chanticleer Apartments. Columbus' annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast scheduled Monday at Trotter Convention Center was canceled due to concerns about COVID-19. The planning committee erred on the side of caution, said Tyler Wheat, communications director at the Mississippi University for Women. Meanwhile in Starkville, District 16 State Sen. Angela Turner-Ford will serve as keynote speaker for Mississippi State's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Day virtual celebration and Day of Service on Monday. In observance of COVID-19 protocols, the program will continue virtually online and broadcast on MSTV. The event will be broadcast at 8 a.m. on MSTV and livestreamed at www.mstv.msstate.edu, in addition to being made available on the MSU website. It will re-air on MSTV throughout the day with additional showings at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The celebration also will feature a performance from the MSU Black Voices Gospel Choir and remarks from MSU President Mark E. Keenum. |
| Mary Means Business: Jack's opening, Arepas moving in Starkville | |
| Starkvillians craving a good Jack's burger don't have too much longer to wait. The Jack's Family Restaurant will open its location at 780 Louisville St. on Jan. 26, according to a press release the company issued this week. The first 50 customers on opening day will receive free Jack's breakfast for a month. In other restaurant news in Starkville, one plans to move this summer and leave a prime downtown space up for grabs. Arepas Coffee and Bar owner Jose Elarba said he intends to move Arepas to a smaller location in Starkville. The Venezuelan coffee shop that opened downtown in 2019 will remain open until July or until a new restaurateur opens shop in its place. "We are not the owners of the building; we rent the place. But we are selling everything ours inside," Elarba said. "... Whoever buys will change the name and sell the food they want but everything else is set up ready and running." At long last, Godfather's Pizza is officially open in the Midtown Development at 401 University Drive. Check out the new pizza joint every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| U.S. Inflation Hit 7% in December, Fastest Pace Since 1982 | |
 | U.S. inflation hit its fastest pace in nearly four decades last year as pandemic-related supply and demand imbalances, along with stimulus intended to shore up the economy, pushed prices up at a 7% annual rate. The Labor Department said Wednesday the consumer-price index -- which measures what consumers pay for goods and services -- rose 7% in December from the same month a year earlier, up from 6.8% in November. That was the fastest since 1982 and marked the third straight month in which inflation exceeded 6%. The last time consumer prices clocked in at such an annual increase was in June 1982, but the circumstances were very different from today. While inflation right now is rising, back then it was falling after peaking at 14.8% in 1980, when Jimmy Carter was still president and the Iranian revolution had pushed up oil prices. By then, newly installed Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker had set out to crush inflation by raising interest rates dramatically, causing a brief recession in 1980. As rates reached 19% in 1981, a much deeper recession began. By the summer of 1982, both inflation and interest rates were falling sharply. Today, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused supply-chain disruptions, and a shortage of goods and materials -- particularly autos -- coupled with strong demand from consumers flush with the benefits of government stimulus are behind the inflation surge. |
| Pay raises: US employers plan to boost them in 2022, survey finds | |
 | With a tight labor market and the continuation of the Great Resignation, U.S. employers are planning to dole out bigger salary boosts in 2022, according to a survey released by Willis Towers Watson, a global professional services firm. The survey, conducted between October and November of 2021, looked at 1,004 U.S. companies and found that nearly one in three respondents (32%) had bumped up original salary increase projections from June. Companies were originally planning on giving employees a 3% salary boost, on average, but they have now increased it to 3.4%, the survey found. In comparison, employees working at the surveyed companies got a 2.8% salary bump in 2021, the survey found. People on all levels are projected to get raises, from executives and management to support staff, production and manual labor positions, the survey found. The largest salary increases are expected to appear in retail and wholesale trade, life and health insurance, finance, energy and industrial manufacturing, the survey found. The reason for these salary boosts? The labor shortage is a bigger factor than rising inflation, said Catherine Hartmann, North America rewards practice leader at Willis Towers Watson. Employer concerns over the ability to hire and retain talent far outweighed other factors for boosting salary increases, with 74% of companies in the survey citing the tight labor market. |
| Teacher pay raise plan moves forward at Mississippi Capitol | |
 | The Mississippi House acted quickly Wednesday to approve a bill that would increase teacher pay, nudging ahead of senators who are working on a separate plan. The House bill would give raises of $4,000 to $6,000. The Senate proposes an average increase of $4,700 over two years. The House voted 114-6 Wednesday to pass House Bill 530 with bipartisan support. The bill emphasizes increasing the starting pay to retain young educators who might otherwise move to surrounding states to earn more money. "We are in competition with these other states for our teachers," said House Education Committee Chairman Richard Bennett, a Republican from Long Beach. "The best and the brightest are being pulled to these other states." It is not clear when the Senate will vote on its plan. The two Republican-controlled chambers and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves must agree on a single plan before teachers could see more money. |
| State Superintendent: 'We are not teaching CRT in our social studies standards. Period. The end.' | |
 | During a Senate Education Committee meeting on Wednesday, Dr. Carey Wright, State Superintendent of Education, discussed the Department's Fiscal Year 2023 budget request, 2022 legislative priorities, ESSER and ARPA funding, COVID-19 response, and more. Yet, a key topic of discussion revolved around the Mississippi Department of Education's proposed new social study standards. Notice of the proposed changes were given on December 16th and submitted to the Mississippi Secretary of State's office, but no hearing was planned prior to the adoption of the new standards. State Senator Brice Wiggins (R) said he thinks many people in the committee room were "very, very" concerned about the fact that MDE issued the notice on the change with no hearing provided for which led to a number of questions and concerns from parents and lawmakers. Wiggins said the way MDE released the new standards is "tone deaf" given what is happening nationally on the issue. "Second," Senator Wiggins said, "the fact that there's even any interest in or connection to Critical Race Theory in these standards is absolutely crazy, considering everything that's going on in the country right now." Responding to Sen. Wiggins regarding MDE's handling of the Social Studies standards and how they came about, Dr. Wright said the revisions made were requested by teachers. Wright also said that what went out for notice did not include CRT and she does not know how it "got turned into Critical Race Theory." "We are not teaching Critical Race Theory in our social studies standards. Period. The end," Dr. Wright told lawmakers. |
| Mississippi House takes 1st step to approve tax cut plan | |
| Mississippi would phase out its income tax, reduce the sales tax on groceries and set a higher sales tax rate on many other items, under a bill that advanced Wednesday through the state House. House Bill 531 passed 96-12, with bipartisan support. It is similar to a bill that passed the House but ultimately died in 2021 because Senate leaders did not agree. "The bill this year is much simpler, easier to understand, and I would say to you an improved product over the bill that passed overwhelmingly in this body last year," Ways and Means Committee Chairman Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, said during House debate. This year's bill also faces an uncertain fate in the Senate. Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has said he wants legislators to cut taxes, but he has not released a proposal. The House bill would reduce the grocery tax from 7% to 4%. The change would be phased in over six years, starting this July. The bill also would 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. |
| Medical marijuana proposal moves to Mississippi Senate | |
| A bill to create a medical marijuana program is headed for debate in the Mississippi Senate in coming days. Senate Bill 2095 passed the Senate Public Health Committee on Wednesday. It would allow a person with a marijuana prescription to obtain up to 3.5 grams of the substance per day. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has said that amount is too large and he believes it would lead to widespread recreational use of the drug. He wants legislators to revise the bill. In November 2020, a wide margin of Mississippi voters approved an initiative to allow medical marijuana, and a program was supposed to be in place by the middle of 2021. In May, the state Supreme Court ruled that the initiative was not properly on the ballot. After the court ruling, a Republican-led group of legislators spent months negotiating to create a medical marijuana program with the hope that Reeves would call the House and Senate into special session to put it into law during the fall. Reeves never called a special session. |
| Mississippi Senate OKs revisions to 4 US House districts | |
| The Republican-controlled Mississippi Senate on Wednesday passed a plan to redraw the state's four congressional districts, sending it to Gov. Tate Reeves for his expected approval. The NAACP or other opponents could still ask a federal court to consider whether the new districts dilute the influence of Black voters. The 33-18 Senate vote was largely along party lines, with most Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed. Two Republicans voted no, and one did not vote. The plan passed the House last week mostly along party lines, with Republicans and one independent in favor and Democrats and one independent opposed. "The map that we've drawn is a very valid, constitutional plan," said Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby, a Republican from Pearl. During the Senate debate Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Derrick Simmons unsuccessfully sought support for the NAACP redistricting plan. Another member of the Legislative Black Caucus, Democratic Sen. Angela Turner-Ford of West Point, unsuccessfully sought support for another plan that put more people in the 2nd District but still keep it relatively compact by taking in densely populated areas of fast-growing DeSoto County and the areas Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson wants from the metro Jackson area. |
| Harvest reporting and tagging deer in Mississippi? It's in the Legislature again | |
 | The Mississippi Legislature is in session and topics like medical marijuana, teacher pay raises and tax cuts are receiving the lion's share of attention. Hunters may be just as interested, if not more, in a bill calling for harvest reporting and tagging of deer. Representative Ken Morgan (R-Morgantown) introduced House Bill 258 which calls for physical tagging of deer and turkeys along with harvest reporting. Although he's introduced such legislation for about 10 years without success, he said it's important enough to keep trying. "I think it's one of the better things that could happen," Morgan said. "It's something we should have done 10 to 12 years ago. When you get down to it, it's being conservation-minded, getting out good, adequate information and getting more of the public to be legal and not over-harvesting." The information provided by harvest reporting is what biologists say is important. Currently, a telephone survey and Deer Management Assistance Program data -- commonly referred to as DMAP -- are used to estimate how many deer are harvested annually in the state. Biologists with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks have said they need data on a county level so management can be more localized rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. |
| Feral Swine Project now open to nine counties, including Warren, Claiborne, Sharkey and Issaquena | |
 | Delta Wildlife, along with State partners the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and Mississippi State University, are pleased to announce that the sign up and application period for the Mississippi Delta Feral Swine Abatement Expansion Project is now open. Eligible counties include Claiborne, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Sharkey, Warren, Washington and Yazoo. NRCS, APHIS and the Mississippi State Technical Agriculture Committee worked together to define the critical areas to be considered for projects within the state. The first round Mississippi pilot project runs from 2020 to 2023 and includes Issaquena, Sharkey, Warren and Yazoo. The second round, known as the "Mississippi Delta Expansion Project," is slated to run from 2021-2024. Participating counties consists of the original four counties plus Claiborne, Holmes, Humphreys, Jefferson and Washington counties. Combined, there will be 36 smart traps deployed across the nine counties that are managed by Delta Wildlife staff, offering landowners the most effective means of whole sounder removal at no expense or effort to the landowner. Collaboration in the pilot area between Delta Wildlife, Mississippi State University, the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will provide outreach, training opportunities, trap distribution and management, monitoring and evaluation. |
| State agency fails to disclose taxpayer cost to acquire two properties near fairgrounds | |
| After a months-long effort to use millions in taxpayer dollars to acquire eyesore properties near the state fairgrounds, two of those parcels are now owned by the state, but that price tag isn't being disclosed by the agency behind the negotiations. When contacted Wednesday, the Department of Finance and Administration declined to produce the purchase prices for the old Dennery's Restaurant and OYO Hotel, both located on Greymont Street near the state fairgrounds. Gov. Tate Reeves approved a bill appropriating $10.2 million to DFA in April 2021 to go toward acquiring and demolishing three properties on Greymont and other uses related to future development there. The third property, Regency Hotel and Conference Center, has yet to agree to sell. It is the largest of the three parcels originally sought by the state, sitting on more than 6 acres, according to Hinds County landroll records. Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson said Regency's owner has sought an appraisal for the property and is waiting on that. "We gave them an appraised amount [from the state]. And the initial reaction was the thought that their property was worth a whole lot more, many times [than] that price amount was," Gipson said. Gipson said the state appraised each of the properties, the owners sought their own appraisals and the average of the two was the limit the state would spend to buy each one. Those original appraisal amounts were also not provided by Gipson nor DFA when asked. Right now, Capitol Police are patrolling the properties to keep them secure and keep vagrants out, Gipson said. |
| Restaurants could get another $40B financial lifeline from Congress | |
 | A bipartisan Senate group is negotiating a bill to provide about $40 billion in fresh funding for pandemic-battered restaurants, Senate Small Business Chairman Benjamin L. Cardin said Wednesday. While the details aren't final, the Maryland Democrat told reporters that senators are considering an aid package for struggling businesses that could more than double the amount of pandemic aid funneled to restaurants, bars and others in the food service industry. "It's pretty urgent to get done," Cardin told reporters. "The problem is floor time and how do you get to it, and also making sure we have adequate bipartisan support." The restaurant industry has been clamoring for more federal aid since burning through $28.6 billion Congress provided as part of a pandemic relief package last year. Only about a third of the restaurants that applied for aid last year received a grant under the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, leaving nearly 200,000 restaurants and bars struggling to stay afloat without aid. Cardin declined to give many details about the discussions but said $40 billion is the ballpark figure lawmakers have discussed for new restaurant aid. He said the new package would include aid to other businesses, including live entertainment venues and gyms. "We are looking beyond just restaurants," he said, while declining to offer a price tag for the entire package. Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, Cardin's chief Republican partner in the new effort, declined to comment Wednesday. "There's one issue and one issue only I'm talking about this week, and that's saving the Senate from attack on 200 years of tradition," he said, referring to the upcoming fight over the Senate's filibuster rule relating to voting rights legislation. |
| Trump slams politicians who won't say they got booster shots | |
| Former President Donald Trump is slamming politicians who refuse to say whether they have received COVID-19 booster shots as "gutless." "You gotta say it. Whether you had it or not, say it," Trump said in an interview that aired Tuesday night on the conservative One America News Network. Trump, who was booed last month by supporters after revealing he had gotten a booster shot, has become increasingly vocal in calling out those who have questioned the vaccines' efficacy and safety. It's a change in posture for Trump as he eyes another run for the White House and faces potential competition from a long list of possible Republican challengers. Even though the vaccines were developed during the Trump administration, they remain deeply unpopular with large segments of the Republican base, fueled in part by rampant disinformation. Trump, while in office, consistently downplayed the risk posed by COVID-19 and he received his vaccine privately, even as other members of his administration were inoculated in public to help boost confidence in the shots. "Well, I've taken it. I've had the booster," Trump said in the interview. "I watched a couple of politicians be interviewed and one of the questions was, 'Did you get the booster?' .... And they, 'Oh, oh,' they're answering it --- like in other words, the answer is 'Yes,' but they don't want to say it. Because they're gutless." |
| Trump is eyeing the White House and wants a more compliant Senate for when he gets there | |
 | As Donald Trump charts out his midterm elections strategy, his focus has turned to the contest for the Senate, not just in hopes of getting it back under GOP control but of having more compliant lawmakers there should he become president again. Trump's interest in the chamber stems in part from a lingering aggrievement he had over how his term in office went. Major agenda items were stymied there. And aides say Trump is determined to ensure that, should he end up back in the White House, that doesn't happen again. "If Trump is planning to run for president --- which all signs point to, he is --- the most important thing should be to elect more people to the Senate who share his worldview," one Trumpworld adviser said. "I think the biggest problem Trump had in the first four years was the lack of ideological supporters in the Senate." That determination has prompted Trump to be more nuanced, at least so far, with some endorsements. While the 45th president has given his seal of approval to candidates ranging from a local mayor to the autocratic prime minister of Hungary, he has held off on doing so in key Senate races. Trump ally and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the playbook for the midterms should be simple and shouldn't orbit around Trump or his political whims. "Try to keep our focus on defeating Democrats and not get involved in interim party fights," Gingrich said. "I think if we do those things, Trump has a great capacity to raise money, great capacity to focus issues and a great capacity to turn out his base." |
| Graham says he won't support McConnell for GOP leader unless he has 'working relationship' with Trump | |
 | Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday he would not support Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for reelection as the Senate GOP leader if he did not have a "working relationship" with former president Donald Trump. "Elections are about the future. If you want to be a Republican leader in the House or the Senate, you have to have a working relationship with president Donald Trump," Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity. He added that Trump was "the most consequential Republican since Ronald Reagan" and that he could handily win the GOP nomination if he wanted it and get reelected president in 2024. "Here's the question: Can Senator McConnell effectively work with the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump?" Graham said. "I'm not going to vote for anybody that can't have a working relationship with President Trump, to be a team, to come up with an America First agenda ... because if you can't do that, you will fail." While two pro-Trump Republican Senate candidates -- Eric Greitens of Missouri and Kelly Tshibaka of Alaska -- have publicly stated they would not support McConnell for GOP leader, so far no sitting senators other than Graham have publicly broached taking such a stand. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has tried to walk a tightrope when it comes to placating Trump while working with the GOP establishment. But he has openly supported McConnell. |
| Americans are tuning out as omicron rages. Experts call for health messaging to adapt | |
 | Even as the omicron variant of the coronavirus wreaks havoc on hospitals and COVID-19 kills over 1,500 Americans every day, public health leaders are struggling to get people to tune in to guidance that could help stem the contagion. Meanwhile, politicians are pointing fingers at the White House, saying it's botching pandemic messaging. Senators from both parties grilled Biden administration health officials about their communication strategies Tuesday. "Most Americans can't make heads or tails of anything coming out of this administration," said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. Public health advocates acknowledge fewer people are paying attention or heeding expert advice. Many -- including White House officials -- concede they're now adapting their messages to the realities of a population with a waning appetite for warnings and mandates. Some say the messaging needs to shift to become shorter and simpler and even nod to a brighter future when the pandemic is over. The problem with COVID-19 messaging, of course, is that the pandemic is not simple to understand. And public health recommendations are based on an evolving understanding of new science, so messages are necessarily complex and they change frequently. |
| Ole Miss senior named to Time Magazine's '30 for 2030' | |
| A senior at the University of Mississippi has made Time magazine's list of "A Generation Creating Change." Bobby Hudson III, a public policy leadership major from the coast, established the North Gulfport Advocacy Coalition after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The North Gulfport Advocacy Coalition is a grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about politics, social advocacy, and voter awareness. "Bobby has been blazing trails since his first year at the university," Shawnboda Mead, vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement at Ole Miss, said. "He has proven to be a collaborative leader and role model for his peers. Bobby is also highly determined and cares deeply about engaging and improving his community." Inspired by the ideas of W.E.B. Du Bois, Hudson believes everyone is capable of making a change in the world. |
| USM opens new digital humanities center | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) opened the new Center for Digital Humanities (CDH). CDH is housed in the School of Humanities and serves as a center for existing faculty work in digital humanities, expands current course offerings and adds new professorship in digital humanities. "Digital humanities offers students the chance to experiment, learn and reflect on how computational methods are implemented both in humanistic research and in their daily lives. It provides students with experiences that make them highly marketable to employers," said CDH Founder and Director Dr. Susanna Ural. The center will serve as a hub for faculty in English, History and Philosophy subjects. Faculty in Computer Science, Geography, the Ecospatial Lab and Cook Library's Digital Lab will also utilize the center. |
| U. of Alabama students return to class amid Omicron surge | |
| Thousands of University of Alabama students are back on campus. Wednesday was the first day of the Spring semester amid rising COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant. Students are required to wear a mask in the classroom and inside campus buildings. Kaitlyn Wheeler is a freshman student who is hoping the mask mandate will help keep students and faculty safe from the virus. "I think it was a good idea for the school to bring back mask wearing again, especially with this virus, it spreads like crazy and I think everybody should be wearing a mask. And I also love that the school is pushing for people to get vaccinated as well," said Wheeler. Although it's not required, campus officials are encouraging students to get vaccinated. Dr. Richard Friend is the Dean at the UA College of community Health Sciences. "We know that we can have face to face classes safely with everyone masking. And we know the experience for students and faculty is better if we can have a more normal learning experience. Our goal is to make sure the students have a safe and productive semester just like we have demonstrated we can do despite the changing healthcare environment," Friend said. |
| Governor's new regents picks could boost Sonny Perdue's bid to lead Georgia colleges | |
| Gov. Brian Kemp named two allies to Georgia's Board of Regents on Wednesday in a move that could jumpstart the stalled search for a new chancellor for its public university system. Kemp named longtime businessmen Richard "Tim" Evans and Jim Syfan to the powerful 19-member board, replacing Kessel D. Stelling, Jr. and Philip A. Wilheit, Sr., whose seven-year terms expired this month. The governor last year backed former two-term Gov. Sonny Perdue for chancellor. Two people close to Kemp said the Republican's chances for the coveted post are still alive. Stelling was said to be one of the staunchest opponents of the Perdue appointment, though other regents have raised private objections to the move. Still, some figured Kemp would abandon the idea after Perdue's first-cousin, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, announced he would challenge the governor. But Kemp has a long relationship with Sonny Perdue that outdates his rivalry with his cousin. The former governor supported Kemp's 2002 run for state Senate, tapped Kemp to fill the open post of secretary of state in 2010 and talked Trump into giving Kemp his endorsement in the race for governor in 2018. |
| Tennessee wants to incentivize colleges to graduate more STEM, health care students | |
 | To meet demand for STEM and health care workers over the next decade, Tennessee may soon incentivize its community colleges and universities to recruit and graduate students in those fields. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is proposing a change to its funding formula that would give more money to colleges for students majoring in high-need academic fields. About a quarter of all associate degrees, a third of all bachelor degrees and over half of community college certificates would qualify for this premium, according to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Gov. Bill Lee asked the commission to adjust the formula to be more responsive to the workforce demands ahead in the next 10 years. The extra money will help community colleges and universities afford creating and supporting high-cost degrees like engineering and other STEM programs. Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission Emily House and Chief Policy Officer Steven Gentile presented this change and others to the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. Its board will vote on the changes in May. Tennessee is the only state that uses solely an outcomes-based formula, according to House. The previous formula was based on enrollment numbers. |
| After Gov. Lee expressed concerns, U. of Memphis canceled faculty grant funding for inclusive coursework | |
| The University of Memphis has canceled a recent grant for its social justice programming, formed in August 2020, after Gov. Bill Lee expressed concerns about the latest initiative, according to a statement from the governor's office. The program has 14 groups focused on improving academic outcomes for students of color, retaining faculty of color and improving pay equity, as well as minority business contracting and creating diverse, equitable and inclusive coursework. The status of the entire programming is unclear. University of Memphis officials did not respond to requests for information as of Wednesday afternoon. The latest initiative offered 15-20 professors a $3,000 grant to "support faculty who are interested in redesigning and aligning existing course syllabi with the goals established by the workgroup" of the program focused on coursework. If no other funds are required of the initiative, it would be a total spend of $45,000 to $60,000. U of M receives about $123 million in state appropriations, according to recent budget documents. In a statement, Lee criticized the program as a use "taxpayer dollars" to fuel a "divisive, radical agenda." U of M, a university in a majority Black Shelby County, has a student body that is split fairly equally between nonwhite and white students: 34% of students are Black, 7% are Hispanic, 4.5% are Asian, 3.4% multi-racial and 45% white, according to recent enrollment data. |
| U. of Washington, professor clash over 'Indigenous land acknowledgement' | |
 | A University of Washington professor has been told that only prewritten "Indigenous land acknowledgement" statements may be used in the classroom after he published a syllabus with an opposing, allegedly offensive claim. The school had recommended that faculty include on their syllabi an "Indigenous land acknowledgement," an increasingly common gesture at left-wing institutions in which the speaker or writer acknowledges the native tribes believed to have occupied an area before colonial America. The university provided an example statement that says, "The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations." Professor Stuart Reges, who teaches at the university's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, objected to the school's recommendation and responded by publishing his own version of a "land acknowledgement." Reges' version of the land acknowledgment, which he included on his syllabus, said, "I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington." The labor theory of property is an academic theory that postulates authentic ownership of land or geographical area is determined by the use of labor to harness natural resources. Reges received an email approximately a month later in which the school director told him that his statement must be removed. Not long after, a free speech advocacy group came to Reges' defense. |
| Fall's Final Enrollment Count Is In. Colleges Lost More Than 475,000 Students. | |
 | New data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center provides a somber final tally of total college enrollment in the fall of 2021: It dropped 2.7 percent from a year earlier, a decline of 476,100 students. Undergraduate enrollment, which was down at every type of institution, slipped by 3.1 percent -- or 465,318 students -- from the fall of 2020. The total decline among undergraduates since the fall of 2019 -- just before the pandemic hit -- was more than a million students, the center said. As colleges navigate their second full academic year of the pandemic -- with some pivoting to online instruction as cases of Covid's Omicron variant rise -- undergraduates are "continuing to sit out in droves," Doug Shapiro, the center's executive director, said in a news release. One somewhat bright spot appeared in the center's new report: The data show that freshman enrollment stabilized in the fall of 2021, increasing 0.4 percent. Four-year private nonprofit colleges added 11,600 students to lead that increase. But enrollment for that group of students still didn't come close to what it was before the pandemic. The fall-2021 freshman class was 9.2 percent smaller -- about 213,000 students -- than it was in the fall of 2019. Data from the center also show that enrollment fell in each of the five largest undergraduate majors at four-year colleges: business, health, liberal arts, biology, and engineering. Liberal arts, down 7.6 percent, declined the most. |
| Some colleges stick with in-person classes as COVID spikes | |
 | Spiking COVID-19 cases have prompted some colleges to start the semester online and delay bringing students back to campus. Other colleges began the semester in person, then shifted to remote instruction. Still others are staying the course, remaining in physical classrooms despite the concerns of some students and faculty as coronavirus cases multiply. Across the country, college COVID-19 dashboards are showing dramatic increases in case numbers, likely spurred by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The University of Georgia logged 804 cases even before spring classes officially started. Arizona State University tallied 1,779 infected students and another 254 cases among faculty and staff. As of Jan. 11, the University of Texas at Austin listed 1,017 active cases -- roughly one-seventh of the total number it has seen since March 2020. At some institutions, in-person classes are moving ahead, even as governing boards limit the mitigation measures that can slow the spread of the coronavirus. For example, the University of Missouri welcomed students back to campus for the spring semester without a requirement for COVID-19 vaccines -- which many colleges have -- or a mask mandate. "Vaccines and boosters are critical components in fighting the spread of COVID," Gerri Taylor, co-chair of the American College Health Association's COVID-19 task force, wrote in an email. Well-fitting, high-quality and properly worn masks are another useful measure, she said. |
| Omicron Prompts Colleges to Rip Up Plans for Start of the Semester | |
| Colleges nationwide are now scrambling to map out the new term amid the current rise in Covid-19 cases, fueled by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. They are adopting a variety of approaches. Some are tightening mask mandates, introducing booster-shot requirements or trying to restrict student travel. Many, including the University of Texas at Austin and multiple California State University campuses, are pivoting to virtual instruction for at least the first few weeks of the term. The flurry of reversals and updates is reminiscent of schools' planning process in summer 2020 when dozens flipped to remote instruction on short notice. Some schools are tightening mask-wearing rules to include vaccinated individuals, and many that already required vaccinations for students and staff have tacked on a mandate that they get booster shots. On-campus testing is picking up pace again, too. College administrators say their decisions are partly about resources, expressing concerns over isolation capacity, staffing shortages and strained hospitals. Some schools held firm and launched the semester as planned, albeit with increased testing and other added precautions. Officials at the University of Michigan said that since students seemed to return to Ann Arbor whether or not classes were in person, and classrooms proved to be safe, starting the term remotely wouldn't significantly diminish the spread of the virus. Last week, Provost Susan M. Collins told faculty and graduate instructors that going remote for a couple of weeks "would be arbitrary." She wrote, "It is unclear what will be better two weeks from now." |
| Students are more stressed now than last January | |
| Almost nine in 10 college students think campuses are facing a mental health crisis, according to a new survey from TimelyMD, a student-first telehealth provider. The survey of nearly 1,700 college students found that 88 percent believe there is a mental health crisis on college campuses. While each student might have a different understanding of what a mental health crisis is, it's clear that students are suffering, said Alan Dennington, chief medical officer and co-founder of TimelyMD. "I think that the perception of there being a crisis is around how many students a respondent knows, or themself, that feels like they have stress and anxiety and have mental health issues that they don't feel are being met," Dennington said. Seventy percent of respondents said they're experiencing emotional distress or anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic and/or the introduction of the Delta and Omicron variants. And 51 percent said they have more stress and anxiety than they did last January. "Students went through the initial surge, and it had a deep impact on their education going remote and their college experience," Dennington said. "It started to get better in the summer, and then Delta came as students were getting ready to go back to school, which created more fear and anxiety. And then as students started getting used to living with Delta, Omicron comes and the numbers are higher than they've ever been." |
| Government Losses on Student Debt Climb Above $100 Billion Amid Pause on Payments | |
| The pause in student-debt repayment has cost the federal government more than $100 billion since the start of the pandemic and could cost $4 billion to $5 billion a month until the moratorium is lifted at the beginning of May, according to government estimates. With costs mounting, congressional Republicans, led by Rep. Virginia Foxx and Sen. Richard Burr, both of North Carolina, asked the Education Department on Wednesday to release documents related to how the government calculates projected losses from students defaulting on their loans. Among the documents requested is an internal report commissioned by Betsy DeVos, former education secretary under the Trump administration, that showed a far more dire picture of taxpayers' exposure to student-loan defaults than the one presented by the government. Biden Education Department officials have disputed the findings of that report. In congressional testimony last October, Richard Cordray, the head of Federal Student Aid at the Education Department, said, "There's some question whether the methodology used in that particular report...was the most accurate." In November testimony, Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal told Ms. Foxx that the Department would send over requested documents within a month, but that hasn't happened. "If you disagree with the reports, as Mr. Cordray seems to believe, then you should make the reports and contractors available to discuss that and examine the problems in their methodology," the Republicans wrote in their letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. |
SPORTS
| Iverson Molinar leads Mississippi State men's basketball past Georgia | |
| Iverson Molinar was more than willing to make something out of nothing. The Mississippi State junior point guard seized a loose ball on the left wing during the second half of Wednesday's game at Georgia and got straight to work. He cut toward the center of the key, drew contact from the visiting Bulldogs' Jaxon Etter and tossed in a runner as the whistle blew. The and-one basket -- part of a career-best night for Molinar -- helped MSU gain much-needed separation after Georgia cut the hosts' lead to just three points. The red and black Bulldogs never got close again. Molinar made sure of that. The junior scored a career-high 28 points, 17 of them in the second half, as Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) handled Georgia (5-11, 0-3 SEC) by a score of 88-72 on Wednesday. "I think it's a confidence builder for him to have such an outstanding game tonight," coach Ben Howland said of Molinar. Howland said the Bulldogs' energy throughout the game helped wear Georgia down despite the tightly contested first half. Mississippi State clearly lacked it on Saturday in Oxford as the rival Rebels claimed an 82-72 win. "All I want is the effort for 40 minutes," Howland said. On Wednesday, he got it. And the Bulldogs moved to 2-1 in conference play and set the stage for a big game at 5 p.m. Saturday against the Crimson Tide (11-5, 2-2 SEC) in Starkville. |
| Iverson Molinar scores career high as Mississippi State basketball separates from Georgia | |
| For Mississippi State men's basketball to reach the NCAA Tournament -- the goal coach Ben Howland set before the season began -- nights like Wednesday need to be more convincing earlier on. The Bulldogs wound up beating Georgia, 88-72, at Humphrey Coliseum. But without forward Tolu Smith in the lineup again, the first half Wednesday reminded somewhat of the out-of-sync opening frame against Ole Miss on Saturday. Mississippi State shot 20% from 3-point range in the first half and entered the locker room trailing Georgia by one point. It took a strong second half to turn a nervous opening period into a comfortable ending, with guard Iverson Molinar scoring a career high. "We needed this," Molinar said. "We needed this because we can see how much better we can be when we actually play a little harder on defense and be more aggressive on the offensive end. The team needed this." When looking at the Bulldogs' resume, a win against Georgia -- the SEC's worst team -- at home won't grab much attention. A loss would've been catastrophic, though. Mississippi State hasn't made a statement against any major teams yet, and while its losses against Minnesota, Louisville and Colorado State are hardly considered poor, those teams aren't ranked, either. To make a tournament run, the Bulldogs (11-4, 2-1 SEC) will need to beat the beatable teams in the SEC --- and pick up an upset here or there. |
| Mississippi State takes care of Georgia ahead of important meeting with No. 24 Alabama | |
 | Mississippi State men's basketball, despite a shaky first half, returned to the win column Wednesday night with a 88-72 win against Georgia. The result extended Georgia's losing streak to five games while it kept Mississippi State from back-to-back losses entering Saturday's meeting at Humphrey Coliseum with No. 24 Alabama. Iverson Molinar has scored in double figures every game this season, but he had his struggles in the early going -- particularly from deep. Head coach Ben Howland continued to echo he wasn't worried about his junior guard. Molinar just needed to keep attacking instead of settling for 3-pointers, Howland said. Following a two-game stretch against Lamar and Minnesota in early December where Molinar combined to shoot 3-of-18, he listened to his coach's advice. Molinar has since taken 12 attempts from deep in six games, including a 1-of-2 performance against Georgia. His aggressiveness allowed him to get crafty around bigger defenders in the paint while leading him to a team-high eight fouls drawn. He shot 5-of-6 from the charity stripe to match his 11-of-18 performance from the field. "I just gotta build on this," Molinar said postgame. |
| Bulldogs handle Georgia but need their better version this Saturday | |
| Parrish Alford writes for the Daily Journal There aren't many breaks to be had in an SEC schedule. If you're a team with March Madness aspirations a five-win Georgia foe is about as close to a breather as one might expect. However, little was easy for much of Mississippi State's 88-72 win at Humphrey Coliseum Wednesday night. Amid its struggles Georgia was competitive at Kentucky for a time on Saturday before losing 92-77. Before that it lost by a bucket at home to Texas A&M. Georgia is competent enough for stretches of time to be dangerous but inconsistent enough at other times to provide ample opportunities for opponents. MSU may indeed have March Madness potential the key word is potential, and the current Bulldogs are not the best version of themselves with Tolu Smith out of action. Sans Smith Ole Miss center Nysier Brooks dominated the Bulldogs with 16 rebounds in the Rebels' 10-point win on Saturday. Ole Miss out-rebounded MSU by a single board. That doesn't sound like much until you consider MSU is second in the league in rebounding margin, and Ole Miss is last. Georgia's next-to-last, but Smith was out again, and his absence was noteworthy again as Georgia had a plus-2 rebounding edge. MSU coach Ben Howland moved a handful of players in and out of the four and five spots. They were competitive on the glass, and Javian Davis flashed with 12 points and six boards. The group had 10 blocked shots but also put Georiga on the free throw line where it hit 20 of 25 shots. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball coach Doug Novak tests positive for COVID-19 | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball coach Doug Novak has tested positive for COVID-19, the university announced Wednesday, putting his involvement in doubt for Sunday's game against Ole Miss. In a statement posted to Twitter, Novak said he tested positive "despite having no symptoms, being fully vaccinated and having received the booster shot." "Currently, I am isolating at home where I will continue my coaching responsibilities remotely until I am cleared to return," he said. The Bulldogs have been dealing with a coronavirus outbreak, leading to a postponement of Thursday's game against Kentucky due to a lack of available players. SEC teams are required to have at least seven scholarship players and one coach available, but Novak said Tuesday that Mississippi State practiced with just six players. The coaching staff has taken a hit, too. Novak and assistant coach Eddie Benton have coached the last two games without assistants Malikah Willis and Bob Thornton. Mississippi State played with eight players last week against Alabama and with seven on Sunday against Vanderbilt, winning both. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball interim head coach Novak tests positive for COVID-19 | |
| Mississippi State interim head women's basketball coach Doug Novak has tested positive for COVID-19, a source confirmed with the Daily Journal. "Earlier (Wednesday) I tested positive for COVID-19 despite having no symptoms, being fully vaccinated and having received the booster shot," Novak said in a statement. "Currently, I am isolating at home where I will continue my coaching responsibilities remotely until I am cleared to return. I look forward to returning to the team as soon as possible in accordance with health and safety protocols." The Clarion Ledger had the report first. The minimum five-day isolation period required by SEC policy would keep Novak from coaching MSU's scheduled game Sunday at Ole Miss. Mississippi State has had positive cases roll through the program recently. Novak said in a press conference Tuesday his team was down to six available players at practice. Thursday's game at No. 19 Kentucky was postponed Wednesday morning as SEC policy requires seven players available for a game to take place. Mississippi State is 11-4 this season and 2-1 in SEC play. |
| Why a Vanderbilt fan offered his basketball tickets to students after ban | |
 | Murray Harris, a middle school teacher who is season ticket holder for Vanderbilt women's basketball, football and baseball, didn't see it as right that students were kept away from one of the biggest women's games of the year. On Thursday, the Commodores face the rival Tennessee Lady Vols at Memorial Gymnasium for the first time under first-year coach Shea Ralph. As part of a mandated quarantine period upon return to campus, Vanderbilt students aren't allowed to attend sporting events -- along with a host of other restrictions -- until Jan. 24 due to COVID-19. Last Saturday, after news of the Dec. 30 decision began to circulate on social media, Harris put out a tweet offering up women's basketball tickets to any student who wanted to attend the game. Harris, who said that as of Wednesday morning he hadn't had any takers, thought that the restriction on student attendance didn't make sense given that students -- like other fans who attend home games -- have to be vaccinated and wear a mask. "I just didn't understand the rationale, and so that frustrated me," Harris said. But there was more behind his reasoning to offer up tickets to the Tennessee game. Harris is from Cheatham County, from where legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt hailed. Despite being a lifelong Vanderbilt fan, Harris saw firsthand the impact Summitt had on women's basketball and wanted to promote support of Ralph's team, given the way women's sports are so frequently overlooked. What better way to grow the game, he reasoned, than the rivalry game? |
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