| Thursday, March 3, 2022 |
| MSU issues international travel update | |
 | The International Institute is actively monitoring the situation in Ukraine and how it may impact travel to the surrounding region. Currently, there is no restriction on travel to Europe except for travel to Ukraine and immediately surrounding areas. All faculty-led Study Abroad programs to Europe are continuing as planned. Our campus community's health and safety are our highest priorities. If the conflict affects any of our programs or additional countries in Europe, we will communicate program changes to our students, faculty, and campus community at that time. |
| MSU Hosting Charles H. Templeton Ragtime & Jazz Festival; MSU Hosting Fundraiser for Camp Kesem | |
 | Mississippi State University will host its 16th annual Charles H. Templeton Ragtime & Jazz Festival from March 24-26 in the Charles Templeton Music Museum located on the fourth floor of the university's Mitchell Memorial Library. The festival is making its in-person comeback after being held virtually in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival begins with the Gatsby Gala in the lobby of Mitchell Memorial Library at 6 p.m., which will feature 1920s-inspired fashions that the MSU School of Human Sciences fashion design and merchandising students created and MSU Fashion Board members will model. Admission is free and era-appropriate outfits are encouraged. ... Mississippi State University's chapter of Camp Kesem is launching an in-person camp this year after the new chapter's planned summer programming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Camp Kesem offers activities for children ages 6-18 who have a parent impacted by cancer at no cost to families, with individual donations and corporate support providing funding. The group will host a fundraiser called "Make the Magic" on April 2, which will include a formal dinner and a silent auction, with all proceeds going toward this summer's program. The event takes place at 6 p.m. at the Storehouse on 1437 Fire Station Rd. in Starkville, and attire is formal. |
| Mississippi Senate OKs pay bill 'by teachers, for teachers' | |
 | Mississippi senators acted quickly Wednesday to unanimously pass a teacher pay raise bill, sending it back to the House for possible debate within the next three weeks. The vote came a day after the Senate Education and Appropriations committees approved a version of the bill, which would give teachers an average $4,700 raise over two years. "It's a plan by teachers, for teachers," said Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar, a Republican from Leakesville who held public hearings last year to gather ideas about pay raises. After Wednesday's vote, senators gave DeBar a standing ovation. The House must act by a March 24 deadline. It can accept changes that the Senate made, which would send the bill Republican Gov. Tate Reeves for his expected signature. Or, it can seek final negotiations with the Senate to try to make changes. DeBar said he hopes the House will send the bill to the governor this week and remove it from potential disputes over separate tax-cut proposals. |
| Mississippi Senate passes teacher pay raise bill, sends proposal to House | |
 | The Mississippi Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a $230 million teacher pay raise plan, sending a signal to House leaders that teacher pay remains a top priority. "It's a plan by teachers, for teachers," said Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar, who's spearheaded efforts to pay educators more. Wednesday's vote came one day after the Senate Education Committee begrudgingly met at the last minute to pass the House's pay raise legislation to keep some version of a teacher pay bill alive. The House Education Committee did not meet on Tuesday to consider a pay raise proposal, essentially killing its chances in the Legislature's 122-member lower chamber. If the Senate committee had not met Tuesday to consider a pay raise package, teacher pay would have died on the calendar. "We once again are saying that this is so important to us that we're willing to again document this as being a House bill because nobody in this chamber cares whose name is on the bill at the end of the day," Republican Sen. David Parker of Olive Branch said. "We care that the teachers get the support and assistance they need to do their jobs." |
| House vs. Senate: How do their teacher pay plans compare? | |
| Despite all the debate in the Legislature over teacher pay raise bills and which one is the best, they are in reality remarkably similar. This year, both the House and Senate put forth legislation that would increase salaries for public school teachers. Late on Tuesday, House leaders killed a Senate bill on a crucial deadline day, essentially forcing Senate leaders to pass a House bill to be used as the vehicle to provide Mississippi teachers a pay raise. Though the House bill is the vehicle that survived, either chamber's plan could ultimately get signed into law. The House bill costs nearly $220 million per year. The Senate bill costs about $230 million. Both bills provide $2,000 pay raises for teacher assistants. A key difference is that the House bill is enacted in one year. The Senate proposal is phased in over two years, though, the bulk of the salary increase in the Senate bill is in the first year. The Senate plan provides teacher assistants a salary increase of $1,000 in the first year and another $1,000 hike in the second year. The House plan provides teacher assistants the full $2,000 increase in the first year. More than likely, the issue of teacher pay will be decided late in the session where House and Senate leaders meet in a conference committee to work out the differences. |
| Proposal to partially restore citizens initiative process clears major legislative hurdle | |
| A plan to allow citizens to circumvent political power and directly change state laws remains alive in the Capitol, although state leaders are tweaking the proposal. The Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee on Tuesday afternoon approved House Resolution 39, which partially restores the citizen's initiative process. The resolution allows citizens to directly change state laws but not the state Constitution, as the previous initiative process allowed. "I think (the House) has a good base bill that we can build upon," Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Chairman John Polk said. The proposal would require initiative sponsors to collect an equal share of signatures from the state's congressional districts, and require the Secretary of State's office to verify the signatures. The resolution would prohibit legislators from altering a law that was passed by voter initiative for two years, unless two-thirds of the lawmakers in both chambers believe that a major emergency exists. Polk, R-Hattiesburg, added language to the resolution requiring lawmakers to settle on a final proposal later in the legislative session. The resolution will now head to the full Senate chamber for consideration. The last day the Senate has to pass the resolution is March 9. |
| Tourism leaders in Mississippi seek aid in coronavirus recovery | |
 | Mississippi's tourism industry is continuing to recover from the economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The state's economy has not been as heavily impacted by the pandemic as other states, which advocates attribute to the Governor's position on avoiding government mandates and shutdowns. Danielle Morgan is Executive Director of the Mississippi Tourism Association. She says lawmakers need to invest in the state's tourism industry, which brings in billions of dollars annually. "We had a round one of that tourism recovery during the CARES Act," says Morgan. "It was incredibly successful. As a matter of fact, other states have modeled their recovery programs after Mississippi. Competition's ramping now. We were at the forefront, but now they're catching up to us. So we definitely want to make sure that we continue that momentum, we continue to grow as well as recover." Two bills are expected to be taken up in the House chamber in the coming days. One measure would create a Department of Tourism, the other would fund advertising efforts for the state. Representative Becky Currie chairs the House Tourism Committee. She says it is important to market Mississippi across the nation to attract tourists and bring in outside dollars. "And you'll see in television a lot of other states advertising, and we don't do that very well," says Rep. Currie. "But we are determined to make sure that we show other states that we are ahead of the game, we're number one in the nation for recovery, and we want to make sure that people know about us and say 'You know, I'd like to go spend a week in Mississippi." |
| Senate committee strips 'Centene amendment' out of Medicaid legislation | |
| Senate leaders on Tuesday evening stripped language out of a Medicaid bill that would have functionally voided the state's contract with health care giant Centene. The House last month approved legislation that would prohibit the Mississippi Division of Medicaid from entering into contracts with companies have paid over $50 million in settlement agreements with the state -- legislation seemingly aimed directly at Centene. The language was added to an existing bill when Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, introduced it as an amendment. The legislation was sent to the Senate Medicaid Committee for consideration, where Senators expressed concern over the consequences of suddenly separating from Centene, which manages health care benefits for hundreds of thousands of Mississippians. "I thought the amendment was just calling for too much too soon," Senate Medicaid Chairman Kevin Blackwell said, adding that he hopes to conduct hearings over the summer to examine the state's Medicaid system. The state Attorney General and State Auditor investigated Centene and its Mississippi subsidiary, Magnolia Health, for around two years over its billing practices to the Division of Medicaid. |
| After another major deadline at the Capitol, here's what bills survived and died | |
| Tuesday, March 1, was the deadline for committees in the House and Senate to pass out general law bills that originated in the other chamber -- a major "killing deadline" that resulted in hundreds of bills dying with or without a committee vote. The next major deadline for the Legislature is March 9, for the full chambers to take action on the other chamber's general bills. Most spending and tax bills face later deadlines than general bills. Although bills might have died, there is a possibility some might be revived by inserting language through the amendment process into bills that remain alive. The 2022 Mississippi legislative session began Jan. 4 and is scheduled to end on April 3. Here's a look at general bills that lived or died with Tuesday night's deadline. |
| Wicker says he'll seek Armed Services post over Commerce | |
| Senate Commerce Committee ranking Republican Sen. Roger Wicker said Wednesday he'll seek the top GOP spot on the Senate Armed Services Committee next year after current ranking member Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma retires. "I think Jim Inhofe is going to be a great leader for our side and a great teammate for chairman Reed for the rest of the Congress," Wicker said in an interview with POLITICO. "I think most people would assume correctly that someone in my situation, given that choice, would take the leadership position on Armed Services. I look forward to working with Jim Inhofe until the very end." Wicker, who has served since 2007, finds himself in an enviable spot. Inhofe's pending retirement gives the Mississippi senator top dibs on two committees starting next year, though he can only lead one. Before entering politics, Wicker served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1976 to 1980, and retired from the Reserve in 2003 as a lieutenant colonel. He also served on the House Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee from 1995 to 2007. |
| What if Congress isn't hopelessly locked in partisan gridlock? What if it's getting a lot done? | |
 | We all know, for a fact, that Congress can't get much done. It's always deadlocked, gridlocked, locked in a partisan fight, each party marching in lockstep, ready to lock horns once more to block the other side from destroying America. But what if all that's just a story we tell ourselves to make sense of politicians' incessant bickering and a steady stream of negative headlines? What if Congress is actually getting stuff done? "Congress is not in gridlock," said Frances Lee, a political science professor at Princeton University. If you look just at the number of bills enacted, Congress' productivity has been slowing down for some time now, from passing an average of around 828 bills per two-year meeting in the 1950s to less than half that -- merely 339 -- in the past decade. But if you look at a different metric, the number of pages of public laws enacted, the prevailing narrative changes. According to statistics from the Brookings Institution and CQ Roll Call's own calculations, the 116th Congress was actually the most productive since the 80th in 1947–48, the farthest back Brookings' data goes. The 117th Congress has continued this trend toward longer, presumably more substantive bills. "The top-tier issues that get most of the press, that's where most of the division is," said Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi. "The second tier -- including a number of issues that come before [the Senate Commerce] Committee with Sen. [Maria] Cantwell and me -- are issues that are done with virtual unanimity." "There's a lot of consensus that goes on even at a time when the more visual issues make us seem too partisan," he added. |
| Fed's Powell to Discuss Rate-Rise Plans With Senate Lawmakers | |
 | Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell returned to Capitol Hill on Thursday morning for the second of two days of testimony, this time before the Senate Banking Committee. Before a House panel on Wednesday, Mr. Powell offered an unusually explicit preview of anticipated policy action when he said he would propose a quarter-percentage-point interest-rate increase at the central bank's meeting in two weeks amid high inflation, strong economic demand and a tight labor market. Mr. Powell said Wednesday that before Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week, he expected the central bank would follow that initial rate rise with a series of increases this year. "For now, I would say that we will proceed carefully along the lines of that plan," Mr. Powell told the House Financial Services Committee. "We're going to avoid adding uncertainty to what is already an extraordinarily challenging and uncertain moment." While he said it was too soon to say how the war and heavy sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow would influence the U.S. economy, he revealed a general urgency to continue tightening policy. Mr. Powell effectively ended a debate in markets and among other Fed officials over whether they would lift rates from near zero this month with a larger half-percentage-point increase. At the same time, he laid the groundwork for the possibility of half-point increases this summer, pushing back against the idea that more traditional quarter-point increases represent a speed limit for the Fed. |
| Judge Jackson Begins Making Her Own Case for High Court Seat | |
 | The confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will begin on March 21, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced on Wednesday, as the Supreme Court nominee began meetings with senators in a quest for bipartisan support from the polarized Senate. The chairman, Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, revealed the timetable and joined Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, in urging Republicans to consider voting for Judge Jackson even though nearly all of them voted against her confirmation last year for an appeals court post. Judge Jackson, 51, has been confirmed by the Senate three times before. The last time was in June, when the 53-to-44 vote confirming her to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit included three Republicans in support. Yet the votes of even those Republicans are not assured this time around. Once routine, strong bipartisan support for a Supreme Court nominee has become a thing of the past. Changing that dynamic will require Judge Jackson, the first Black woman ever nominated to the court, and Democrats to mount a persuasive case that she is highly qualified and merits a court seat even if Republicans see her as too liberal. Believing that the judge is her own best advocate, Mr. Durbin said she would be available to all members of the Judiciary Committee before the coming hearing as well as other lawmakers who want one-on-one meetings. Mr. Durbin said he had reached out to a handful of other Republican senators who he thought also might vote for Judge Jackson. Democrats also say that an extensive questionnaire that the White House returned to the judiciary committee on Monday should help Republicans get a full picture of Judge Jackson, as it details her opinions in more than 500 district court cases and a wealth of other information. |
| Jan. 6 Committee Says Trump and Allies Might Have Committed Crimes | |
| The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol said in a court filing Wednesday that President Donald Trump and some of his allies might have committed crimes by seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The filing came as part of legal proceedings over the testimony of John Eastman, a lawyer and professor at Chapman University who advanced a fringe legal theory after Mr. Trump's loss to Joe Biden. Mr. Eastman claimed that Vice President Mike Pence could stop certification of the election on Jan. 6, 2021, as part of his ceremonial role as vice president. The panel's immediate aim with the filing was to force Mr. Eastman to hand over thousands of pages of emails that he is suing to withhold. A spokesman for Mr. Trump didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The panel suggested it had evidence that Mr. Trump potentially engaged in conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstructed an official proceeding and committed fraud -- serious federal charges that could eventually be referred to the Justice Department for consideration. Such a move would immediately thrust the Justice Department into a political firestorm. No president has ever been prosecuted criminally -- and some legal theories hold the president is immune for a variety of conduct while serving in office. Any prosecution of Mr. Trump for actions taken during his final days in office would raise legal questions about presidential immunities and powers that have never been definitively answered by U.S. courts. |
| Russia crisis forces Pentagon to rework defense strategy on the fly | |
 | Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced the Pentagon to rework its long-term defense plans just as it was set to release them to the public. The Biden administration is delaying and revisiting its National Defense Strategy, the blueprint for how the Pentagon will meet immediate and long-term security challenges, as the U.S. and its allies scramble to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the threat Moscow poses to Eastern European countries. Though the administration will continue to view China as its No. 1 threat, people familiar with the process say the Ukraine crisis will mean a larger emphasis on Russia in the strategy. "They're rewriting it to include more of a flavor of Russia and the rest of the world as a result of what's happening in Ukraine," said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who has consulted with the Pentagon on the strategy. "The previous version had been very China-centric, and they're rewriting it to be a little more global, while still seeing China as the pacing challenge," Cancian added. The last National Defense Strategy was released in 2018, and was one of the most significant documents to come out of the Pentagon in years. It shifted the focus from wars in the Middle East to "near-peer" competitors China and Russia, and influenced everything from budgets to programs to training. Beyond the strategy, the crisis in Eastern Europe is forcing the Pentagon to reassess other plans as well, a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers Tuesday. The U.S. has deployed thousands more troops to Germany and Poland in recent weeks, a significant boost meant to deter Russia and reassure NATO. |
| Neutral Finland, Sweden warm to idea of NATO membership | |
| Through the Cold War and the decades since, nothing could persuade Finns and Swedes that they would be better off joining NATO -- until now. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has profoundly changed Europe's security outlook, including for Nordic neutrals Finland and Sweden, where support for joining NATO has surged to record levels. A poll commissioned by Finnish broadcaster YLE this week showed that, for the first time, more than 50% of Finns support joining the Western military alliance. In neighboring Sweden, a similar poll showed those in favor of NATO membership outnumber those against. "The unthinkable might start to become thinkable," tweeted former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, a proponent of NATO membership. Neither country is going to join the alliance overnight. Support for NATO membership rises and falls, and there's no clear majority for joining in their parliaments. But the signs of change since Russia began its invasion last week are unmistakable. The attack on Ukraine prompted both Finland and Sweden to break with their policy of not providing arms to countries at war by sending assault rifles and anti-tank weapons to Kyiv. For Sweden, it's the first time offering military aid since 1939, when it assisted Finland against the Soviet Union. Apparently sensing a shift among its Nordic neighbors, the Russian Foreign Ministry last week voiced concern about what it described as efforts by the United States and some of its allies to "drag" Finland and Sweden into NATO and warned that Moscow would be forced to take retaliatory measures if they joined the alliance. The governments of Sweden and Finland retorted that they won't let Moscow dictate their security policy. |
| Putin and Macron share 'not-so-friendly' phone call | |
 | In a 90-minute phone call Thursday with President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron warned the Russian leader that "he was committing a serious mistake" by invading Ukraine, and that "his actions would punish his own country," according to an Élysée Presidential Palace source. Putin initiated the call with Macron, the source said, describing it as "not-so-friendly." Putin balked at Macron's concerns, the source added, and said the Russian leader was attempting to "maintain his justifications for the invasion on Ukraine" and that if "Ukrainians did not accept the conditions laid out in a diplomatic path demanded by the Russians, then they would obtain its goal by military force." The source added: "Putin's goal is to take control of all of Ukraine." The Kremlin's version of the phone call described the conversation as a "frank exchange," and that Putin disputed "many of the points" Macron raised regarding Russia's reasons for its "special operation." |
| Mississippi gas prices up 17 cents from one week ago | |
| As Russian attacks on Ukraine continue, gas prices in not only Mississippi but across the country continue to rise. As of Thursday morning, the average per gallon price for regular gasoline in Mississippi was $3.37, which is seven cents higher than Wednesday. One week ago, that number was at $3.20. The current national average is $3.73. During his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. has worked with 30 other countries to release 60 million barrels of oil from reserves to "help blunt gas prices here at home" amid Russian sanctions. "And we stand ready to do more if necessary, united with our allies." Biden said. "I know news about what's happening can seem alarming to all Americans, but I want you to know, we're going to be okay." According to AAA, as the conflict escalates, the oil markets will likely respond by continuing to increase the price of crude oil to reflect more risk of disruption to tight global oil supplies. Many of the world's biggest oil markets -- including ExxonMobil, BP, and Shell -- have announced that they are quitting Russia or halting new investments in projects to explore and develop fields. |
| ASB campaigns to increase Student Activity Fee | |
 | The Ole Miss Student Activity Fee team has launched a campaign urging students to pass ASB's proposal to change the Student Activity Fee from $5 per semester to $2 per credit hour per semester in their upcoming spring 2022 election next Tuesday. According to ASB Treasurer Alex Mabry, if the Student Activity Fee (SAF) remains at its current rate, the funds will be depleted in two and a half years at the current rate of spending. Ole Miss's SAF was designed in 2015 to be a resource for Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) that are in good standing with the university. Each semester, both undergraduate and graduate students pay a $5 fee that goes to a collective fund. The fall deposit was $93,340, which was added to $60,000 the fund had in reserve, and the total spending for the fall was $106,000. In the spring $50,000 has been spent so far. According to Mabry, only 25% of the 330 RSOs on campus use the SAF Fund. Mabry became aware of the impact of the diminishing SAF funds when she traveled over the summer to the SEC Exchange, a conference for SEC student governments. Auburn University has the highest SAF of $873 per semester, with Vanderbilt University having the second highest at $715. The second lowest SAF comes from the University of Kentucky, which is $16.25 per semester. "Our SAF is the lowest. We are not even competitive with the rest of the SEC, and there is so much potential for what we can do," Mabry said. "I love this with my whole soul. I know it is a great thing, and it isn't even an opinion thing. The numbers truly speak for themselves." |
| Reaction: Ole Miss lifts mask mandate | |
 | The University of Mississippi gave the green light for students and faculty to take their masks off while on campus. "I'm actually very excited about it," student Caroline Boyd said. This gives her a chance to see new faces. "I think it's the right step as far as getting back to normal and moving on past this pandemic that's affected everybody. I'm excited to be able to go back to class and see people's faces." People on campus have the option to wear face coverings in indoor places on campus. Masks will only be required on transportation networks and in healthcare settings. "It's more of like a normalcy thing and that's really great to me," student Elizabeth Henken said. The university decided to lift the mandate because of the decreased number of Covid cases and hospitalizations. |
| Autherine Lucy Foster, U. of Alabama's first Black student, dies | |
 | Autherine Lucy Foster, the University of Alabama's first Black student, has died. She was in Tuscaloosa just last week to cut the ribbon on the newly-named College of Education building, where she once sheltered from a racist mob. The building, previously known as Bibb Graves Hall, is now called Autherine Lucy Hall. "For you to bring me out today, the Lord must be on each of our sides," she said Friday, before quoting both Psalm 23 and Ralph Waldo Emerson. "If I am a master teacher, what I hope I am teaching you is that love will take care of everything in our world." Her family confirmed the death to AL.com Wednesday afternoon and said they're requesting privacy during this challenging time. "She was known, honored and respected around the world after she broke the color barrier at the University of Alabama," her daughter Chrystal Foster said in a statement. "She passed away at home, surrounded by family. We are deeply saddened, yet we realize she left a proud legacy." "The UA community is deeply saddened by the passing of our friend, Dr. Autherine Lucy Foster," said University of Alabama President Stuart R. Bell. Other campus trailblazers also remembered Lucy Foster's legacy on Wednesday. UA Vice President for Community Affairs Samory Pruitt, who became the university's first Black vice president in 2004, said she continually inspired him with her "humble, caring, visionary and courageous spirit." |
| 'She meant so much to all of us': U. of Alabama officials speak about Autherine Lucy Foster and her life | |
 | Autherine Lucy Foster's last public comments, given Feb. 25 during the dedication of Autherine Lucy Hall on the campus of the University of Alabama, emphasized love. Foster's words resonated with UA President Stuart Bell, who spoke Wednesday outside the building that now bears her name. "Her focus was to charge us to love one another. While that sounds a little bit simple, I think coming from someone who lived a life like she did it's wisdom we shouldn't ignore or brush over," Bell said. "We are saddened for her and her family, but the wonderful honor and opportunity we all had to spend those few hours with her last Friday and the boldness that she spoke with to our students and to this community, and, quite frankly, to this nation about what her life was about and looking forward to the path we should all be following, it certainly inspires me, but it takes a little bit of the sadness away," Bell said. Foster's impact on the student body was appreciated by Quinvarlio Kelly Jr., president of UA's Graduate Student Association. "She meant so much to all of us. We would not be on this campus, we would not have had the opportunity had she not broken the barrier that she broke, not only for African-Americans, but a barrier that was there prohibiting individuals from getting an education," Kelly said. "I think about the significance of today being the first day of Lent and Dr. Foster's message centered around love. If there was one word that I took away, it was that we should always operate in love and look at humans in the image of God and treat them the way we want to be treated and that their creator made for them to be treated," he said. |
| 'The first of its kind': Auburn University and Fort Benning agree to $18 million, 10-year environmental services partnership | |
 | Auburn University and Fort Benning have agreed to an $18 million, 10-year environmental services partnership. Starting in April, Auburn University's Department of Risk Management & Safety will manage environmental services at Fort Benning by helping the post manage hazardous waste, water and air and by providing other environmental education and training services. "Our goal is to help them create more efficient processes and improved coordination of personnel, on-site inspections and tracking of materials," said Chris O'Gwynn, executive director of Risk Management & Safety at the university. Guests from Fort Benning and members of Auburn University met for lunch on Wednesday in the Devall Ballroom on Auburn's campus to listen to remarks from those who established the partnership and to witness the signing of the contract. O'Gwynn said this partnership was a "collaborative effort" that began in 2021 with discussions between the two organizations. He said it's "the first of its kind" between the university and the Army. Edward Thomas Jr., College of Science and Mathematics Interim Dean and Professor, was tasked with leading the effort to establish this agreement. This partnership will also provide research benefits for the university including the faculty, staff and students and will provide the opportunity to "streamline operations, maximize efficacy and partner with a major land-grant institution," according to a release from the university. |
| Political science professors discuss war in Ukraine | |
| Faculty from Auburn's political science department held a panel Tuesday evening to discuss the war in Ukraine. "This is going to be one of those moments where we will look in history 30, 40 or maybe 100 years from now, and we remember how this plays out," said Matthew Clary, professor in political science. Peter White, assistant professor in the department of political science, discussed the Russian and Ukrainian military performance. He pointed out that originally, Russia wanted to take over Ukraine and gain control within 24 hours with minimal damage, but this has not been the case. "Right now, [Russia is trying to stop doing this cleanly and quickly], and is going to do it relatively slowly and messily," White said. White discussed the strengths of the Russian military and its invasion strategy. "Russia's military is structured around methodically blowing things up with rockets, cannons and bombs. A lot of analysts are scared that this is what Russia is going to do now," White said. White said that the Russian military has a long list of things it has done wrong. White said that Russian troops were not told they were heading to the Ukrainian border for training exercises, but instead that they were there to invade Ukraine. White explained that many conscripted Russian soldiers were abandoning their trucks, so a lot of the food and resources could not get to the front line for the military. |
| U. of South Carolina professors weigh expanded ban on consensual relationships with students | |
 | University of South Carolina faculty is considering an expanded ban on consensual romantic relationships involving professors and students. Faculty leaders also want to expand what is considered bullying among professors and administrators. The proposed change about relationships comes in the wake of a number of high-profile lawsuits filed against the school and several professors, which involved allegations of sexual harassment and consensual relationships. In a presentation on the consensual relationship changes, faculty leadership said the revisions were meant to "provide greater protections against exploitation of students" by expanding the prohibition of student-professor relationships. The proposal would cover any students over which a faculty member has teaching, grading, mentoring, advising, clinical supervision, evaluation, or recommendation power for funding, admissions, employment, fellowships or awards. The change also would add limitations on romantic relationships between faculty in a supervisory role and their subordinates. Current policy is only one sentence in length calling on professor to "refrain" from romantic relations with students they teach. Any relationships that violate the policy would have to be reported to a supervisor and Human Resources so the student or employee could be assigned new supervision. It is unclear whether the faculty member would face any sanctions for entering into such a relationship. |
| Georgia lawmakers hear plan to aid low-income college students | |
| The chair of the state House of Representatives' Higher Education Committee made his pitch Wednesday to the group for legislation that would provide financial aid up to $2,500 to some undergraduate college students in Georgia who can't pay their tuition. House Bill 1435, sponsored by Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, is the latest attempt by Georgia lawmakers to provide a more robust need-based aid program for students attending the state's public colleges and universities. Georgia is one of only two states that lacks broad need-based financial aid, experts say. The bill proposes aid for students who have completed at least 80% of the credit requirements toward their degree or certificates. The Georgia Student Finance Commission would determine income eligibility. Martin believes the legislation could initially help about 4,000 students. "This is a full and firm commitment ... to making college more affordable and available to all across Georgia," Martin told the committee. The percentage of Georgia students from low-income households has increased in recent years. More than 55% of Georgia college graduates carry debt, and of those who do, the average debt burden is $28,081, according to a Georgia Budget & Policy Institute fact sheet. |
| U. of Florida grads' dating app Jungle matches users based on ideal date location | |
 | You can find anything in the jungle -- even your soulmate. University of Florida alumni Sebastian Galindo and Jake Nolan have launched a new dating app, Jungle, for college students. Users match when they choose the same location for an ideal date in the area. "The idea came from using Bumble and Tinder pages and being frustrated because you can have 100 matches, but it's very hard to actually meet the person face-to-face," Galindo said. Galindo said that the easiest way to set up a date that follows through is to meet at a local restaurant rather than at someone's house. He said that having common interests, especially when choosing a date location, is a great conversation starter. Thus, Jungle was launched on Jan. 18. UF student and Jungle brand ambassador Juliana Tarcson said that she can see the app becoming a staple in college towns. "I think it's a really good idea because we all know how insane hookup culture is here," she said. "They're kind of just preying on that market and whether or not it's a bad or good thing." Anhaf Rahman, a UF student and Jungle user, said the app is very innovative in terms of how to match with people, but he hasn't had any success yet. He said the biggest problem was the cap at 15 likes for the day. |
| Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams discusses health disparities with Mizzou audience | |
 | The value of knowing your audience and tailoring your message to get the results you want is a skill Jerome Adams learned to use as a public health official working in government. Adams, the surgeon general during the Donald Trump administration, on Monday was the keynote speaker to conclude Black History Month at the University of Missouri, with its theme of "Black Health and Wellness." He spoke to an audience of around 75 people in Stotler Lounge at Memorial Union on the topic "Why Health Inequities Are a Social Justice Issue." He was labeled as possibly "the nicest guy in the Trump administration" in a Washington Post headline. "You have to be realistic about the audience you're working with," Adams said. "The real challenge is how do you find a middle ground." Infant mortality is much higher among Black children than white children, he said. It wouldn't be good to lead with claims of institutional racism as health commissioner of Indiana in trying to get funding from a super-majority of white, Republican lawmakers. "Instead of leading with race, I talked with them about how infant mortality is higher in rural communities," he said. Many of them were from rural areas and he worked in information about Black infant mortality when it fit. "That resonated with them," he said, resulting in $18 million to lower infant mortality in the state. People are more likely to compromise when race isn't part of the equation, he said. A similar approach is needed for those who are vaccine-hesitant. "There's still lots of barriers out there," Adams said. "When we blame and shame people, we push them away." |
| COVID cases are dropping, but some Missouri faculty still want masks | |
 | As COVID-19 cases decline and many Missourians contemplate when it will be possible to return to a life completely without masks, some University of Missouri faculty members still want more COVID-19 protection measures on campus. Martha Kelly, secretary of MU's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, blamed Missouri state leaders for politicizing the pandemic and pressuring the UM System Board of Curators to follow suit. The Board of Curators is the governing body for all four University of Missouri campuses. "The campus policy around COVID is ... directly due to the politicization of COVID in this state, and I think a lot of the frustration of faculty is that part of a curator's job is to protect us ... from political manipulation," said Kelly, who also is an associate professor. "I would like to see our president and our chancellor and our curators empower our campus to make decisions that it needs to make," she said. MU's temporary mask mandate expired Oct. 15, creating confusion among some faculty and students. The city of Columbia allowed its wider mask mandate to expire on the same day. "I would like (it) if we still had the mandate," MU professor and Faculty Council Chair Kathleen Trauth said at the time. "It keeps us protected, but I can see the other perspective." MU spokesperson Christian Basi said it's important to note that the administration's preventive measures have worked. MU has had only had six new COVID-19 cases reported in the past seven days, Basi said Tuesday. |
| 'Dangerous Ground': Republican Lawmakers Target Gender Studies at U. of Wyoming | |
 | Legislation to defund gender and women's studies at the University of Wyoming has stoked faculty fears about how far lawmakers will go to stop public colleges from teaching courses they don't like. The Wyoming Senate voted on Friday to pass a budget amendment that would prevent the university from using state money for its gender and women's studies program and courses, a move that would effectively eliminate them. While a version of the amendment died in the state's House and its future is unclear, the mere possibility of its passage has left some Wyoming professors shaken by what they see as an infringement on their academic freedom. "This amendment is incredibly ideological," said Michelle Jarman, an associate professor of disability studies who serves as associate director of the gender and women's studies program. "It's basically saying that one person's belief system should dictate an entire university curriculum, and that is dangerous ground." The amendment's Republican sponsor, Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, and other proponents believe the program perpetuates a progressive agenda and is "training activists," as Steinmetz said in Friday's session. Another supporter said gender and women's studies is "an extremely biased, ideologically driven program" with no "academic legitimacy." |
| Facebook is shutting down its college student-only social network, Campus | |
| Facebook attempted a return to its roots as a college-focused social network with the fall 2020 launch of Campus, a private section within Facebook that was only open to those with an @.edu email address. However, the initiative didn't succeed, as Facebook is now alerting users that Campus will fully shut down on March 10. Through an in-app message, Facebook is informing users that its Campus pilot will close down and that Campus profiles, groups, posts and other data will be deleted. Ahead of its shutdown, users will be able to view their data and download it using an export tool, the message noted. "Since we launched the Campus pilot, it's been our mission to help bring college communities closer together. But we've learned that the best way to support students is through Facebook Groups," the message explains. Originally, Facebook had presented Campus as a way to appeal to make the social network appealing to younger people by offering college students a private place where they could connect with classmates, join groups, learn about upcoming campus events, get updates from their school's administration, and chat with others. However, Campus was not offered as a fully separate app -- it was accessible from the "More" section alongside other Facebook verticals, like Watch, Dating, Gaming, News and others. This may have made it feel more like a part of Facebook itself, rather than a truly private network. |
| Tom Skilling, mentor relive college glory days, reflect on how far weather tech has come | |
| It was 1970. Tom Skilling was a meteorology major at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Louis Uccellini was among his student group in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences program. When Uccellini left his long island home in 1968, headed for Wisconsin, he had no idea where the road would take him. He was never interested in broadcasting -- instead, he had a keen mind for research. Skilling's fellow classmate and lifelong friend rose through the ranks and ultimately headed our nation's premier weather service -- a position he took on back in 2013 and held until retiring at the end of 2021. Now that Uccellini has a little more time on his hands, he and Skilling hit the road and headed back to a place near and dear to both of them five decades after they left. It's also where some significant meteorological science was born. And thanks to Uccellini, the technology developed has become a fundamental component of our global observing system. As kids, Skilling and then Uccellini were both captivated by winter storms. And as college students, a gravitational pull led them to Madison. In the mid-20th-century, atmospheric science was brewing like a spring thunderstorm in at UW-Madison. UW scientist Dr Verner Suomi wanted to observe weather from space. He developed early instruments that were part of the payload on Explorer 7, a rocket launched back in 1959. After multiple upgrades -- and a few more missions in orbit -- satellite meteorology was born in the middle of the Dairy State. |
| Some Colleges Are Winding Down Surveillance Testing, Once a Key Covid-Mitigation Strategy | |
| Last spring semester, Duke University regularly ran more than 20,000 -- once more than 30,000 -- coronavirus tests a week on its students, staff, and faculty. By last week, that number was roughly halved, to a little more than 12,000 tests. At its peak testing pace, Cornell University was running about 40,000 tests weekly for the on-campus community, said Gary A. Koretzky, an immunologist who is vice provost for academic integration. Now administrators are running about 6,000 a week. Both colleges are planning to do even fewer tests in the future. Starting March 21, Duke will no longer require students who are compliant with its vaccine and booster mandate, and who have no Covid symptoms, to be tested. Cornell stopped mandating surveillance tests for the vaccinated and boosted last month. The decisions come long after a wave of colleges stopped requiring vaccinated students to participate in surveillance testing in the fall of 2021 term, in part as an enticement to get the shots. Meanwhile, other colleges, including George Washington and Harvard Universities, are still testing their vaccinated students frequently. Cornell and Duke are both wealthy private colleges that didn't face the same financial or political pressures over Covid-prevention protocols as some in higher education, and each of their extensive testing programs garnered outside attention. That they are drawing down their programs signals that for a growing number of colleges, Covid's current risks are worth tolerating. |
| A wave of colleges drop mask mandates following new CDC guidance | |
| Many colleges are lifting their campus mask mandates after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance last week saying most people in the U.S. can stop wearing face coverings indoors because they live in areas with low to medium risk of COVID-19. The changes are debuting at colleges large and small. Just this week, major private institutions -- such as Northeastern, Elon and Boston universities -- announced plans to loosen their mask policies. Several public flagships, including the University at Buffalo, in New York, and the University of Montana also recently announced similar changes. The lifted mandates come as many cities and counties end their own face-covering requirements in the wake of the CDC guidance. However, some of the colleges dropping their mandates are keeping masking requirements in place for certain areas, such as campus health centers. The CDC's new recommendations shift how the agency is determining whether coronavirus countermeasures are necessary. It directs counties to consider the number of new coronavirus-related hospital admissions and their strain on local health systems rather than solely relying on community case counts. The guidance also makes clear that surges in the virus could once again require mitigation measures such as mask wearing, said Leana Wen, a health policy and management professor at George Washington University. "This is not like an on and off switch of restriction, but rather a dial," Wen said. |
| Russia-Ukraine war disrupts study abroad programs | |
 | As the Russian assault on Ukraine continues, ripple effects are being felt across higher education, particularly in study abroad programs. Colleges are recalling students already in Russia or Ukraine and hitting pause on upcoming study abroad sessions in those countries. Twelve students were at Middlebury College's school in Russia when the war broke out last week -- three from Middlebury and nine from other U.S. colleges, according to Middlebury College spokesperson Sarah Ray. As of Wednesday night, three students had left; the majority will depart Friday, and the last student will leave Russia over the weekend, Ray said. Middlebury College made the decision Monday to recall students from Russia. Similarly, the Council on International Educational Exchange, an international education nonprofit supporting study abroad efforts, announced that it is suspending its spring 2022 programs in St. Petersburg and moving students to other locations in Eastern Europe. Study abroad came to a halt in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic largely froze travel. Some programs have been slow to return, meaning that there probably would be more students in affected countries had COVID-19 not forced a pause. Study abroad in nearby countries has also been affected as colleges rethink programs in places such as Poland and Georgia, nations adjacent to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. |
SPORTS
| PREVIEW: Women's Basketball Ready For SEC Tournament | |
| The Mississippi State women's basketball program is set to open the 2022 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament in Nashville on Thursday at 6 p.m. when the Bulldogs square off against the No. 7 seeded Wildcats of Kentucky. The SEC Tournament is being held in Nashville, Tenn. at the Bridgestone Arena. The event will run from March 2-6. Mississippi State earned the No. 10 seed in the tournament while Kentucky earned the No. 7 seed. The winner of Thursday's contest will play No. 2 seed LSU on Friday at 6 p.m. The next three SEC Women's Basketball Tournaments will be held in Greenville, S.C. Since 2015, Mississippi State is one of only two schools to win an SEC Tournament Championship. Kentucky enters Thursday on a 6-game winning streak. Since defeating the Bulldogs on Feb. 15, the Wildcats have won five straight. Kentucky trailed MSU by 15 with seven minutes to play. The Bulldogs were playing their second game in three days the last time the two teams played. The Wildcats are led by Rhyne Howard who averages 20 points and seven rebounds per game. Kentucky is averaging just under 72 points per game and allowing 65 points to its opponents. With a win over Kentucky on Thursday, Mississippi State will play LSU on Friday at 6 p.m. for a chance to advance to the tournament semifinals. |
| SEC Tournament is underway, and it could be win-or-go-home time for Kentucky | |
 | The University of Kentucky women's basketball team has won six games in a row to resurrect what looked like a rapidly dying 2021-22 season. That spirit of survival will serve the Wildcats well as they embark Thursday night on the start of postseason play, where every game from here on out could well be UK's last. Kentucky (15-11) is the No. 7 seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Wildcats face No. 10 Mississippi State (15-13) Thursday at 7 p.m. EST. UK and Mississippi State are both considered to be "on the bubble" for NCAA Tournament admission so Thursday night's game might not be a win-or-go-home scenario -- but it well could be. Charlie Creme's NCAA Tournament bracketology predictions for ESPN had the Wildcats in the field as a No. 11 seed entering Thursday. The winner of the SEC Tournament receives the league's automatic berth into the NCAA field. Fall short of that and you await your fate in the at-large pool on Selection Sunday the night of March 13. The Kentucky-Mississippi State winner will take on No. 2 SEC seed LSU (25-4) in Friday night's quarterfinals at 7 p.m. |
| Four-Homer Night Lifts State To Run-Rule Victory | |
| Mississippi State hit four home runs in an 8-0 run-rule victory over Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs have now won via the run rule in six of their 10 victories this season and are averaging 8.6 runs per game in wins. Mia Davidson got things started with her 78th career homer in the first inning. Chloe Malau'ulu followed her with another solo shot in the second. MSU broke the game open in the fifth inning, when both Matalasi Faapito and Paige Cook hit two-run homers. Cook's blast came after she returned to the plate following an apparent double when an illegal pitch was called. "It's nice to see up and down the lineup to have someone other than Mia Davidson hit a home run," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think it's credit to a lot of work the hitters have been doing, especially with DJ Sanders, our volunteer. Chloe really has shown power all year long, so to see it show up in-season and in games for us. Same thing for Paige [Cook]. I told her she did a great job, tough play there. I gambled, said give her another swing, because I didn't like the outcome with our baserunning decision there, and she made it pay off. She didn't get too sped up and didn't let it fluster her." Mississippi State will host the Bulldog Invitational on March 4-6. Furman, Alcorn State and Jacksonville State will be in attendance, and MSU will play five total games. |
| Impending Southern Miss-CUSA divorce has entered the courts | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: The Sun Belt Conference announced the league's 2022 football schedule Tuesday. As expected, Southern Miss is prominently featured, playing eight Sun Belt opponents. But Conference USA released its '22 football schedule two weeks ago, listing Southern Miss as a conference member playing eight CUSA foes. Here's the deal: Will Hall, the Golden Eagles coach, expects to have, as he puts it, "night and day" more talent and depth next season than he had last year. He does not, however, have nearly enough depth to play 16 conference games in two different leagues, often playing two games on the same day in two different stadiums. Something has to give. It will. My guess: Southern Miss will play its first game as a new Sun Belt member at Troy on Oct. 8. Louisiana Tech, the team CUSA lists as Southern Miss's opponent that day, will have to find someone else to play or will have an open date. All this ultimately will be decided in the courts where Southern Miss – and Marshall and Old Dominion – apparently will have a strong home-court advantage. Marshall, located in Huntingdon, W.V., and Old Dominion, located in Norfolk, Va., are both leaving CUSA for Sun Belt. So it is that CUSA must litigate against the three schools in the courts in those schools' respective states. Good luck with that. As one lawyer put it, "That would be my worst nightmare as a litigator." |
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