| Thursday, March 31, 2022 |
| This Is What Happens When Globalization Breaks Down | |
 | Hagan Walker contemplated the geography of the planet and felt pangs of agitation. The vastness of the Pacific Ocean seemed to be stretching wider. His start-up company, Glo, makes novelty items -- plastic cubes that light up when dropped in water. He started the business six years ago in the compact town of Starkville, Miss., while relying on factories 8,000 miles away in China to make his products. That distance suddenly felt unbridgeable. It was December 2020, nearly a year into the pandemic, and China's industrial might was sputtering. The factory making Glo's next order in the Chinese city of Ningbo warned him that the costs of key materials like plastic were soaring. The shipping industry was straining under an overwhelming flow of goods from Chinese plants to American consumers. Booking a shipping container seemed akin to trying to catch a unicorn. Calm and reserved, Mr. Walker, then 28, was generally comfortable with risk. In 2016, fresh from Mississippi State University with an engineering degree, he turned down a job at Tesla that would have paid him $130,000 a year. Instead, he opted to remain in Starkville, his college town, to start his own business. By now, the disruptions to the supply chain are widely known. The still unfolding turmoil has been amplified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine along with fresh Covid lockdowns imposed in China. Yet the story of how a single container made it from coastal China to central Mississippi shows the complexity of the troubles -- a condition unlikely to give way to normalcy anytime soon. The still unfolding disruptions caused by the pandemic have only been amplified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine along with fresh Covid lockdowns imposed in China |
| Starkville flower farm starts from the ground up | |
 | Because a striking 80% of flowers in the US are imported, there are only certain assortments you can get from a grocery store or florist. Most flowers are unable to handle the elements when shipped, which leaves consumers with a limited variety of options to choose from -- unless you're buying locally. Knowing this, Mary Dowell tends to grow most of her crops from seed, offering a wider selection of flowers when it comes to her garden and Starkville-based business, PetalRow. Dowell, a mother of four, recently retired critical care nurse, and now, a flower farmer, started out like any other. She didn't have any knowledge on how to grow something. But when Spring 2020 rolled around, she took a small hobby to another level and grew a flower farm out of her backyard. "I knew nothing," Dowell said. "I wasn't even trying to be a flower farmer. I found these things because I was pursuing weird hobbies like everybody else. Then, the next thing I knew, I was looking up YouTube videos on how to grow them." Just like her plants, Dowell's passion for gardening grew until it spilled over from hobby to business. However, she never lets herself lose sight of what's important: finding joy in the small things. Whether or not you find those simple moments in gardening, Dowell knows it's important to find that joy somewhere. |
| College research teams return to Mississippi to study latest wave of severe storms | |
 | The return of severe weather to Mississippi has also brought the return of research teams from the University of Alabama Huntsville and other colleges to collect storm data. "All the ingredients just kind of lined up together to put Mississippi right in the heart of the chance for some severe weather again," says UAH student Josh Huggins. They return exactly one week after coming to study the recent tornado on March 23. "Today does pose kind of a unique case for us and the fact that we have the chance for very high-risk non-thunderstorm winds," Huggins says. "What we're feeling out here right now (10:30 a.m.) with these stronger wind gusts that are well out ahead of the mainline." The five to six UAH teams were spread up and down Highway 45 as part of the Perils Project, which seeks to better understand the progression of tornadoes and other storms so that they can be identified earlier and give places like Mississippi more time to prepare. "Understanding these linear storm systems as they progress throughout the Southeast," Huggins says. "Since that is such a common storm type for us out here." Huggins was part of the group in Brooksville working with their mobile Doppler and LIDAR system. Another team was based in Amory with what they call their Mobile Integrated Profiling System. It features a radar system that measures wind profiles to help researchers track the wind patterns that lead up to major storms. |
| Mississippi governor signs largest teacher raise in years | |
 | Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Wednesday authorizing the largest pay raise in a generation for the state's public school teachers, long among the lowest-paid in the nation. House Bill 530 becomes law July 1. Teachers will receive average increase of about $5,100 -- a jump of more than 10% over their current pay. Lawmakers and the Republican governor have said boosting the salaries could help Mississippi attract and retain classroom professionals. The average teacher salary in Mississippi during the 2019-20 academic year was $46,843, according to the Southern Regional Education Board. That lagged behind the average of $55,205 for teachers in the 16 states of the regional organization. The national average was $64,133. Under the new law, teachers' base pay will increase by a few hundred dollars most years, with larger increases with every fifth year of experience and a more substantial bump at 25 years. A beginning Mississippi teacher with a bachelor's degree currently receives a $37,000 salary from the state, and the local school district can provide a supplement. Under the new law, the base pay from the state will be $41,500. Teachers with higher degrees and more experience are paid more. |
| Teachers to see average pay bump of $5,140 | |
 | With Gov. Tate Reeves' signature on House Bill 530, Mississippi has gone from one of the lowest teacher pay rates in the country to now having an entry level pay higher than the national average ($41,163). When the new school year begins on July 1, school teachers across the state will see their pay increase by an average of $5,140 annually. The new starting pay for a teacher with a bachelor's degree and no experience will bump from $37,000 to $41,500, an increase of $4,500. Annual step increases will start at a minimum of $400, and every five years there will be at least a $1,000 milestone increase. Assistant teachers will also benefit from the new law, and their pay will increase by $2,000. Isabel McLemore is a first grade teacher at Sudduth Elementary in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District and has been in the profession for 15 years. McLemore is excited for what the increase means for Mississippi's future but also for her coworkers now because teacher's assistants will also see a pay raise. "I'm grateful for this because it's hard to support a family on a teacher's salary," McLemore said. "You don't go into teaching for the money; you go in to help children. Many of us have side jobs just to support our family. I'm not only excited for myself but mostly for the other people I work with, especially the teachers' assistants. They work so hard to help us, and they deserve to be recognized." All of the Golden Triangle's senators and representatives voted in favor of the bill. |
| Money to be lost if ARPA funds are not appropriated | |
 | As there is still more work to do at the state capitol, lawmakers have voted to extend this year's session. One of the items legislators have not yet gotten around to is the appropriation of the $1.8 billion that came from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. While Speaker of the House Philip Gunn would like to slowly roll out the federal stimulus dollars -- half this year and half next year -- Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson believes cities and counties across the state need a bulk of the money now. "My strong belief is those funds need to go out as soon as possible. I wish we could have done something before now," Hopson said in early March. One of the reasons Hopson and his peers in the Senate believe the obligating ARPA funds should be appropriated in full during the current session is the impact inflation will have on the money. In a recent interview on Middays with Gerard Gibert, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Josh Harkins said "if you hold those any longer, your $1.8 billion is worth about 7 or 8 percent less next year." With the current inflation rate (7.9 percent as of February 2022), say none of the $1.8 billion is appropriated this year, that number will decrease to less than $1.66 billion. If just half of the obligating ARPA funds are appropriated, the state will lose a total of over $71 million. |
| Mississippi could become final state with equal pay law | |
| Mississippi could become the final state to enact a law requiring equal pay for equal work by women and men, after the Republican-controlled state House and Senate passed the final version of a bill Wednesday. The bill goes to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, and he has not said whether he will sign it. When he was lieutenant governor, Reeves let a similar bill die. A 1963 federal law requires equal pay for equal work, but Mississippi is the only state without its own equal pay law. Alabama enacted one in 2019. Republican Sens. Brice Wiggins of Pascagoula and Nicole Boyd of Oxford were among the six lawmakers who negotiated the final version of the bill. Wiggins described it as "business friendly." Boyd said the bill is "a good step in the right direction." Democratic Sen. Angela Turner Ford of West Point voted "present," which counted neither for nor against the bill. She said said after the vote that employers could save money by paying unequal wages because lawsuits could be difficult to win. Turner Ford also said the bill does not ban unequal pay based on race. A 2017 report by the Mississippi University Research Center showed women earned 27% less than men for fulltime work in Mississippi, compared to a 19% wage gap nationwide. The study said some of the gap could be explained by the types of jobs women and men were working, but the unexplained wage gap remained about 18% in Mississippi and about 15% nationwide. |
| Mississippi Legislature passes equal pay bill, but advocates say it's inefficient | |
| Both chambers of the Legislature on Wednesday passed a final version of an equal pay bill. If Gov. Tate Reeves signs the bill, Mississippi will become the final state in the nation to have such a law on the books. Advocacy groups, however, have said the legislation is inefficient and would do more harm than good. Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch has advocated for an equal pay law for several years. Today she applauded the Legislature for passing such a law. "Today, the Legislature has taken a critical step forward for empowering women by passing a law promoting equal pay for equal work for Mississippi women," Fitch said in a written statement. "When Governor Reeves signs this bill into law, we will join the rest of the nation in promoting the basic fairness of equal pay." The legislation simply allows employees to file a lawsuit in state court against employers if they believe they've been paid less for doing the same type of work as someone else of the opposite sex. Federal law already allows employees to sue for sex-based pay discrimination in federal court, but that process can often be more lengthy and expensive than going through state courts. If signed into law, the legislation would not apply to workplaces that use a seniority system, merit system or a system to set the pay scale for employees. |
| Mississippi Legislature passes equal pay bill. Advocates say it's terrible | |
| If Gov. Tate Reeves signs House Bill 770, Mississippi will no longer be the only state without an equal pay law on the books. "This is a very historic day for the House, and for the state of Mississippi," said House Judiciary A Chairwoman Angela Cockerham, I-Magnolia, lead author of the bill. "This has been a journey ... over years ... I think we have a very comprehensive, substantive bill." But some advocates of equal pay for women say the measure Mississippi lawmakers just passed is worse than not having a law and they'll urge Reeves to veto it. One women's advocacy group said it will urge women to continue using federal law and courts if Reeves signs HB 770 into law. "This bill actually codifies discrimination against women for being caregivers, working mothers," said Cassandra Welchlin, director of the Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable. "If a woman takes off for being pregnant or caring for a child it punishes her, would allow her to be paid less, without supportive policies of maternity leave, breastfeeding, care giving. This will by far be the worst law in the country," Welchlin said. "We plan on sending the governor letters urging him to veto the bill." Senate Judiciary A Chairman Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, and Sen. Nicole Akins Boyd, R-Oxford, defended the final version sent to Reeves. |
| Governor Reeves, Senator Blount tangle over confirmation of Gaming Commission Chair Hopkins | |
 | Governor Tate Reeves (R) came out swinging Wednesday morning against Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) and Senate Gaming Chairman David Blount, a Democrat, after the confirmation of Al Hopkins, Sr. as Gaming Commission chairman was held up by Blount. Hopkins is being considered for reappointment to the Commission after having been approved by the state Senate twice before. At issue now for Senator Blount and the Senate Gaming Committee was Hopkins' refusal at his reconfirmation hearing to answer specific questions regarding his position on a specific gaming statute. Blount asserts Hopkins, who previously voted against expanding gaming, wants to change the rules regarding legal casino sites to expand gaming on the Coast. "Mr. Hopkins has refused to take a position on whether he would continue to push changing the long-established rule if confirmed," Sen. Blount tweeted. "My only goal is to maintain the current rule -- in place since Katrina -- regarding where casinos may be located on the Gulf Coast. I am happy to support Mr. Hopkins if he will make that commitment." The Governor's office maintains that for Hopkins' confirmation to be held up by the Democratic Senate Chairman unless the nominee promises to fall in line with his policy positions is wrong and should not be allowed by the Lt. Governor who appointed Blount to that role. |
| Farm groups push for allowing growers to plant on protected land | |
| The planting season for commodities like soybeans, corn and spring wheat are getting underway around the country. And with the global supply of those commodities disrupted by the war in Ukraine, some big U.S. farm lobbying groups have an idea about how to increase their output. It involves some changes to the federal Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP, which pays farmers not to plant on some of their land. The CRP has two major goals, according agricultural economist Scott Irwin at the University of Illinois. The first: "to help balance supply and demand," he said. When supplies are lower, farmers can sell their crops at a better price. "The second goal is conservation," he said, to protect water, wildlife habitat and soil. With commodity prices soaring, Irwin said some U.S. farmers might be eyeing their CRP land. "If it is possible to use those acres, I'm confident that there's some farmers out there in the U.S. that will," he said. A couple of farm lobbying groups are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow farmers to plant on some 4 million acres of prime farmland enrolled in the CRP. "There's growing concern over the war's likely effects on global food security," said Shelby Myers, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation. "This is a call from the U.S. to say, 'Is there a way to help mitigate that?'." |
| Mortgages Rates Surge to Highest Since 2018 | |
 | The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate loan jumped to 4.67%, mortgage-finance giant Freddie Mac said Thursday, marking the weekly figure's highest reading since December 2018. The 30-year fixed rate rose from 4.42% a week ago, continuing a steady rise that has pushed home-loan rates within sight of 5% for the first time in four years. This year's surge in mortgage rates was hardly unforeseen, given the record lows reached in the pandemic period and concerns about high U.S. inflation readings, but it has unfolded faster than expected. At the beginning of the year, the average rate on America's most popular home loan was 3.22%. Higher mortgage rates typically slow home buying activity, but the number of applications submitted by hopeful home buyers has risen for three of the past four weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, showing the U.S. home boom is far from over. Expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates several more times this year to control inflation are driving up mortgage rates. Before the central bank raised rates for the first time since 2018, the Fed's decision to unwind its purchases of mortgage-backed securities had started |
| Biden Plan Would Release a Million Barrels of Oil a Day From Reserve | |
| President Biden is considering a plan to release one million barrels of oil a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for as long as 180 days, a move that would add a large amount of oil to the global market, according to a person familiar with the White House deliberations on the issue. Mr. Biden could announce the plan to tap the reserve as soon as Thursday, said the official, who requested anonymity because the plan was not ready to be announced Wednesday night. The idea would be to combat rising prices at the pump. The president's public schedule, which was released Wednesday night, said he would deliver remarks Thursday afternoon on the administration's "actions to reduce the impact of Putin's price hike on energy prices and lower gas prices at the pump for American families," a reference to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Oil prices fell after the plan was reported. By Thursday morning the price of West Texas Intermediate, the American crude oil benchmark, was about 5.7 percent lower. The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark, was similarly down, about 4.3 percent. If fully enacted, the president's plan would release 180 million barrels from the reserve, which is intended to help the United States weather spikes in demand or drops in supply. About 550 million barrels are in the reserve, which has a reported total capacity of about 714 million barrels. |
| Putin being misled, U.S. says, as fighting in Ukraine continues | |
 | Russian President Vladimir Putin's advisers are shielding him from how badly the invasion of Ukraine is going, top U.S. officials said Wednesday, as the conflict raged on despite peace talks and the number of Ukrainians who have fled their country topped 4 million. Putin's advisers may be afraid to deliver bad news to a leader who has been willing to take increasingly extreme measures against people who dissent within the Russian system, U.S. intelligence officials said. One worrisome consequence, Pentagon officials said, was that negotiations underway between Russia and Ukraine to end the nearly five-week-old invasion could be undermined by misinformed expectations and directives from the Russian side. "We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military, which has resulted in persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership," White House spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield told reporters. "We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth." Top U.S. officials said that Putin's alleged information problems are one of the weaknesses of the Russian system. "One of the Achilles' heels of autocracies is that we don't have people in those systems who speak truth to power or have the ability to speak truth to power. And I think that is something that we're seeing in Russia," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters during a visit to Algiers. |
| 'We've got to stop fooling ourselves': Enthusiasm gap keeps getting worse for Dems | |
 | At the end of October, Republicans held an 11-percentage-point advantage in voter enthusiasm. By January, that margin had ticked up to 14 points. Now, according to the most recent NBC News poll, it has swelled to 17 -- a massive advantage that has foreshadowed devastating losses in Congress in prior years. The latest poll would be bad enough for Democrats. But it's the trend line that is especially grim, seemingly impervious to a series of events -- including President Joe Biden's State of the Union address and the nomination of a judge to the Supreme Court -- that Democrats had predicted might improve their candidates' prospects in the fall. It's beginning to look like nothing is going to bail the party out this year. The last time the enthusiasm gap was this wide, in 2010, Democrats lost more than 60 seats in the House. "Things could change," said David Axelrod, previously an adviser to former President Barack Obama, in an email. "But with only a quarter of the country believing things are headed in the right direction, the president sitting at a 40 or 42 [percent] approval and inflation at a 40-year high, the atmosphere clearly is not promising for Democrats to buck historical trends." Even without the enthusiasm gap -- a measure of voters' level of interest in the midterm elections -- Democrats would be limping toward November. But now they're confronting a super-charged Republican electorate, too. In the NBC poll, about two-thirds of Republicans say they have a high level of interest in the midterm elections, compared to half of Democrats. The party's current enthusiasm deficit is a reversal from 2018, when Democrats retook the House. |
| UM, Manufacturing Institute conference promotes networking, women in manufacturing | |
| The Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence at the University of Mississippi is teaming with the Manufacturing Institute for a one-day conference, "Step Forward: Advancing Women in Manufacturing." on Thursday, Mar. 31 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Inn at Ole Miss. "We are hosting [the conference] in conjunction with the Manufacturing Institute," said Tyler Biggs, CME associate director for external operations. "This is an all-day networking and career development day in which we're trying to bring together female students, young professionals and leaders in the industry to network and learn about career and leadership opportunities in the manufacturing sector." The conference will be a great way for attendees to network and learn about opportunities in the manufacturing sector, according to the director. The hope is to connect together Ole Miss students, young professionals and industry leaders who can highlight pathways for women to grow their careers into leadership positions within the manufacturing industry. Panelists include Emily Lauder, vice president of Toyota Manufacturing Mississippi Emily Lauder, operations manager at Raytheon Frankie Adaire and director of operations at Milwaukee Tool Transito James. |
| UM works to fill Fraternity and Sorority Life vacancies | |
 | Since the resignation of Arthur Doctor was announced in June 2021, the University of Mississippi's office of Fraternity and Sorority Life has been in search of a director. The office is also hiring two assistant directors. The office has experienced a number of changes in leadership over the past year. After the resignation of Doctor, who had served in the director position since 2018, was announced, Brooke Hubbard, who had previously served as an associate director, then assumed the position of interim-director. Hubbard departed from the role after the conclusion of the fall 2021 semester. Since early January, Brent Marsh, assistant vice chancellor and dean of students, has simultaneously served as interim-director of FSL. Greek life is a core part of the University of Mississippi experience for a large portion of students. Over 39% of undergraduate students at UM are Greek affiliated. The office has faced a number of challenges throughout the past three years, navigating multiple instances and allegations of hazing and misconduct within UM fraternities. Last year, two fraternities were suspended within two months -- Pi Kappa Alpha in November and Kappa Alpha Psi in December -- due to hazing allegations. According to Marsh, candidates will be aware of the challenges like these confronting Greek organizations. |
| USM Theatre performs classic show | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi theatre program, housed in the School of Performing and Visual Arts, continues its season on March 31 with Noël Coward's classic comedy Blithe Spirit. In-person tickets are now available. The production continues on April 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m., and a matinée performance on April 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 seniors, military, faculty and staff, and $8 for students. Noël Coward's classic comedy tells the tale of a ghostly love triangle. The last thing Charles Condomine expected when inviting Madame Arcati to his house was that he would once again encounter the spirit of his late wife, Elvira. It's probably a good thing his second wife, Ruth, can't hear or see what her predecessor is up to. This hilarious haunting has been delighting audiences for 70 years. "Rarely have such big questions about death and the afterlife been explored with such wit and hilarity," said Dr. David Coley, Producer and Assistant Professor of Theatre at Southern Miss. "Blithe Spirit will prove to be a delightful occasion for all audiences." |
| Alumni Enrichment Institutes an MS Got Soul at JSU, State Science Fair at USM | |
| Jackson State University recently announced that it is an Alumni Enrichment Institute Partner for the 2022 Alumni Enrichment Institutes. The designation will allow 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni to travel to the United States in summer 2022 to collaborate with U.S. counterparts following a series of virtual 2021 Leadership Institutes, a release from JSU says. The Alumni Enrichment Institutes are part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative. Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has supported 5,100 Mandela Washington Fellows from across Sub-Saharan Africa in collaboration with U.S. professionals. Before arriving at JSU, Alumni Enrichment Institute Participants will attend Welcome Events in Washington, D.C., where they will engage with U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies and government agencies with an interest in Africa, a release from JSU says. Beginning in late July, JSU will host 25 African alumni for a two-week Alumni Enrichment Institute, which the U.S. Department of State sponsors. The cohort will be part of a larger group of 200 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni hosted at eight educational institutions across the United States. Participants will engage in programming on topics such as the United States' diverse culture and society, resiliency and ethics in leadership and social justice principles. |
| Schools will receive grades this year, prompting mixed reactions from administrators | |
| For the first time in two years, public schools will be graded on student performance, prompting excitement from some school leaders and frustration from others who are concerned about how COVID learning loss will be represented in the data. Public schools in the state receive A-F letter grades through what MDE calls its accountability model. It measures elementary, middle and high schools on a variety of factors including student performance and improvement in tested subjects like math and reading, as well as growth during the school year, and graduation rates. In the spring of 2020, public schools across the state were closed because of the pandemic and state tests were not administered. The following school year, schools and districts were granted a waiver so that state tests would still be administered, but students would not be required to pass them and districts would not be graded on their performance. Results from that school year saw a decrease in the number of students passing, the first snapshot of how learning was impacted by the pandemic. Mississippi public schools will receive grades for this school year because of efforts by Gov. Tate Reeves and the federal government to return to pre-pandemic norms. At the March State Board of Education meeting, Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) officials said it was their goal to minimize changes to the accountability model, so that test scores and grades could be compared to their pre-pandemic counterparts as much as possible. |
| Hey, take your time choosing a major: Partnership between Southern Union and Auburn has a new option | |
 | For the past three years, Southern Union students have been able to start working toward their eventual college major by also taking classes at Auburn University. The program is called Path to the Plains, and it offers "pathways" to 27 different Auburn majors. But what about students who want to major in something else, or who have no idea what they want to study? Good news. There's a new "exploratory" pathway for that. Path to the Plains, founded in 2019 as a partnership between Southern Union and Auburn University, is one of several concurrent enrollment partnerships offered at Southern Union. Concurrent enrollment, a form of dual enrollment, allows students to start on their major classes right away. In the past, some students couldn't find a match between their interests and one of the 27 pathways. "We wanted to come up with a way to give students another avenue for those whose degree pathway was not offered yet," said Tyler Laye, director of academic programs at Southern Union. "That's where the exploratory pathway came in." The addition of the exploratory courses this fall will allow students to explore over 150 majors offered at Auburn by taking them through a variety of classes. Additionally, every course taken at Auburn through the program will be offered at Southern Union prices. |
| U. of South Carolina donor would reconsider decision to pull $20 million gift if troubled trustees leave | |
 | A major University of South Carolina donor said she is waiting to see who will lead the board of her alma mater before reversing her decision to take back a $20 million pledge, one of the largest in school history. Lou Kennedy, chief executive of West Columbia-based Nephron Pharmaceuticals, told The Post and Courier that she was unhappy with the board's actions during a pair of presidential searches over two years. Those incidents included a small group of trustees flying secretly to Florida on the school plane to convince retired West Point Superintendent Bob Caslen to come to the school in 2019 and USC Board Chairman Dorn Smith dismissing her opinion about finalists in the search last year. Kennedy quit the presidential search panel and vowed to halt future pledges to USC, including one worth $20 million, after the dustup with Smith. "I don't want to give $20 million if that's going to be the go-forward basis," Kennedy told The Post and Courier. "Why would my $20 million want to go to continue these kinds of efforts?" But a major shakeup of the board could be coming. Smith along with four other trustees could lose their seats if a legislative college trustee screening panel does not recommend them for a reelection votes by the General Assembly in May. |
| U. of South Carolina School of Law moves up 12 places in US News & World Report's annual rankings | |
 | The University of South Carolina School of Law has moved up 12 places in the annual rankings of the nation's law schools by U.S. News & Word Report. The USC School of Law is now ranked 84th, and it is tied with St. John's University law school in Queens, New York. It's most recent highest ranking came in 2017, when it ranked 87th. USC School of Law, which has 632 students, had been rated 96th. Most of the state's 10,000-plus lawyers and hundreds of judges are graduates of the USC law school. Law School Dean William Hubbard said Wednesday, "This law school is on the rise, and we will continue to advance in the years to come." Hubbard added, "I am so proud of the work of our faculty, staff, and students in lifting the law school 12 places in the rankings. The superb scholarly productivity of our faculty, their dedicated teaching, and the quality of our students -- and their hard work -- have led to higher bar passage and improved employment outcomes. "Our staff also deserves great credit for guiding our students and communicating the accomplishments of our faculty and students. It has been a team effort, " Hubbard said. In 2020, when being interviewed by law school alumni for the dean's job, Hubbard indicated that improving the law school's ranking would be one of his goals and that he -- as a former president of the American Bar Association -- might be able to do that. |
| U. of Florida names search committee for next president | |
 | The University of Florida Board of Trustees has named a 14-member Presidential Search Committee to identify finalists to succeed UF President Kent Fuchs, who previously announced his intention to leave office later this year. The committee of eight men and six women, drawn from among trustees, faculty, administrators, alumni and an undergraduate student, will spend several months working with a search firm to identify and evaluate potential candidates. Under new state law, the work of the search committee won't be open to the public. "UF will follow the parameters of the new state law, which makes the names of candidates confidential until the finalists are selected and 21 days before they are interviewed," UF spokesman Steve Orlando said in an email to the Gainesville Sun on Wednesday. The finalists will be interviewed by the UF Board of Trustees, and those interviews will be made public, Orlando said. The trustees' top choice will go to the Board of Governors of the State University System for confirmation. A new president is expected to be in place by January 2023, according to Orlando. Fuchs said in January that he intends to step down in about a year to become a professor at UF. |
| Professor's lawsuit claims U. of Florida let politics trump safety over COVID-19 | |
| A professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida has filed a lawsuit against administrators who he claims offered conflicting and shifting demands for in-person classes at the start of the fall term, forbade him from discussing COVID-19 with his students, and ordered him to undergo a mental exam when he pushed back. Professor Richard Burt, who teaches in the English department, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Gainesville on Tuesday, seeking unspecified monetary damages and an order from the court blocking administrators from suppressing his rights to free speech. The University of Florida declined to respond to pending litigation, according to Hessy Fernandez, UF director for strategic communications. Last year, three UF professors file a lawsuit in federal court claiming they were denied permission to provide expert testimony in a case challenging a new state elections law that places restrictions on voting by mail, among other things. Two law professors later joined the suit after they were told they needed permission to file friend-of-the-court briefs in a case challenging another state law requiring felons to pay all their court fees and fines before they could have their voting rights restored. Other allegations have been made in recent months that political influence from Gov. Ron DeSantis has stifled academic freedom on campus and hindered safety measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. An investigative team from UF's accreditation authority is set to visit the campus in April. |
| Florida state universities at odds with current college accreditor | | |
| With Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to sign a bill that would lead to periodic changes in accrediting agencies, members of the state university system's Board of Governors are criticizing the current accreditor of Florida colleges and universities. The bill (SB 7044), approved during the legislative session that ended March 14, would require state colleges and universities to change accrediting agencies at the end of each accreditation cycle -- a process that can last up to 10 years. During a meeting Tuesday, Alan Levine, chairman of the Board of Governors' Strategic Planning Committee, suggested that tensions with the current organization have been building for some time. "I've held my tongue on this for a year now," Levine said, before listing examples that he said gave him "grave concern" about the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC. Levine pointed to SACSCOC writing letters to higher-education officials on three issues at Florida State University, the University of Florida and the University of South Florida. Levine on Tuesday slammed SACSCOC for exerting what he called "undue influence" through its involvement. But Wheelan on Tuesday defended SACSCOC's letters as part of a standard procedure used by accreditors. Wheelan said SASCOC never "accused" UF of anything but was seeking information, and did the same thing in the other instances cited by Levine. Wheelan said she has never faced accusations like the ones Levine leveled. "This is the first time in my almost 18 years here that I've ever been accused, when we sent one of those letters |
| Texas A&M law school rises to top 50 nationally | |
 | The Texas A&M School of Law in Fort Worth is now ranked 46th nationally and second in the state of Texas, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2023 edition of Best Graduate Schools, which was released Tuesday. A&M Law has risen 65 spots in the national rankings and climbed from fifth to second in Texas over the last six years. The school's enrollment has more than doubled since 2019. Two of A&M Law's programs were ranked in the top 10 nationally. Dispute Resolution was ranked fourth, and first in Texas, and Intellectual Property Law was ranked sixth and tied for first in Texas. "When we acquired the law school, we were hopeful about what the future would hold," Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp said in a news release. "In the years since, we have succeeded beyond even my wildest expectations. But we're still just getting started." |
| Texas A&M to grant free tuition, room and board to its Ukrainian students | |
| Ukrainian students across the Texas A&M University System's 11 campuses and research centers will receive free tuition starting next semester, Chancellor John Sharp said Tuesday. The university system will cover all tuition and fees, as well as certain living expenses, for the students. At least 14 students from Ukraine have been identified as eligible for the financial support so far, Associate Vice Chancellor Tim Eaton said. The number is likely to increase as more students are identified, he said. The move is part of the university's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, Texas A&M announced it would be cutting research ties with Russian entities and might do the same with study abroad and faculty exchange programs in Russia. "Our students from Ukraine are in a unique, sad and difficult position as their homeland is under attack, their family members are either fleeing to safety or fighting to save their country's sovereignty," Sharp said in a Tuesday memo to the university system's presidents. "In many cases, our students from Ukraine will no longer have homes to return to, and their parents remain unable to work ... or worse." |
| U. of Missouri System changes leadership structure for School of Medicine | |
 | University of Missouri System President Mun Choi is restructuring the School of Medicine by combining the roles of dean and executive vice chancellor for health affairs. As part of the restructuring, Steve Zweig, dean of the School of Medicine since April 2020, will be stepping down from his post, although he will continue working as a full-time family physician. Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Barohn will begin working in the new dual role June 1, after the end of the academic year. According to an open letter from Choi and Latha Ramchand, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, the decision will "provide further alignment between MU Heath Care and the School of Medicine." The school will be able to accelerate "decision-making, progress and recruitment in order to move more quickly, strategically drive research and continue to improve training and opportunities for our students," Ramchand said in a news release. In the open letter, Choi said the new structure "better integrates the trifold mission of education, research and delivery of care." The letter also referenced other institutions that have made similar decisions such as University of Michigan, Ohio State and University of Pennsylvania. |
| Student affairs workforce faces retention issues, report says | |
| Early and mid-career student affairs professionals are leaving the field for other pursuits amid compensation and work environment concerns, according to a new report from NASPA, a higher education association for student affairs administrators. Some 88% of professionals surveyed said a lack of competitive salaries in comparison to jobs' required experience and education could contribute to people leaving the profession. The report recommends collaboration from higher education professionals at all levels to improve workforce satisfaction and retention. NASPA's work highlighted four areas of discussion: student needs and expectations; social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; professional preparation and development; and workforce satisfaction and retention. "They're not mutually exclusive," said Amelia Parnell, vice president for research and policy at NASPA, who also served on the Future of Student Affairs task force. "If we're already talking about professional development and training, there's a lot of opportunity to talk about how to train a group of professionals to work in a flexible work environment." "We need the support of college presidents, VPs and academic affairs," she said. "Everybody's input and involvement is required to make this work." |
| 28 percent of academic women say they've been passed over | |
 | About three in 10 female faculty and staff members say they've been passed over for a promotion or other opportunity for advancement at work because of their gender. That's compared to 11 percent of male workers, according to a new Gallup survey of some 10,500 U.S. academics at a two- and four-year institutions. Some 33 percent of Hispanic women and 30 percent of Asian women surveyed said they'd been professionally passed over due to their gender, compared to 28 percent of white women (and 28 percent of women over all). Black women were the least likely group of female workers to say they'd lost out on a professional opportunity or advancement due to their gender, at 24 percent; Gallup attributes this more to a sample size issue than any major challenge what's known about how gender and race intersect in the workplace. The last time Gallup asked this question of working women in general, in 2013, some 15 percent of respondents said they'd been passed over professionally due to their gender. That's a much smaller share of women than in the academic sample. Stephanie Marken, executive director of education research at Gallup, wrote in an analysis that the findings have particular implications for all COVID-19-era academic workers, for whom burnout is a real threat -- and for women most of all. |
| Nearly a third of women working for colleges say gender hurt their careers | |
| Some 28% of women working for colleges believe they have been passed over for a promotion because of their gender, according to new survey data from Gallup. Hispanic and Asian women were more likely to say they missed an opportunity for career advancement due to gender than others, with 33% and 30% saying they thought they'd been passed over, respectively. A lower share of women also reported they were being paid fairly for their work than men. Only 35% of women agreed or strongly agreed they were paid fairly, versus 47% of men. The new Gallup data comes at a time of high concern about whether higher ed treats women employees fairly and gives them adequate opportunities to advance in their careers. Scholars have been debating evidence indicating the pandemic disproportionately hurt women researchers' publishing productivity -- a key concern because of the academy's "publish or perish" culture. Concerns have also been raised since women are underrepresented in authority positions in the higher education sector. Women make up 44% of tenure-track faculty but only 36% of full professors, according to the American Association of University Women. Only a third of college presidents are women, according to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, and just 22% of presidencies at the 130 universities with the highest research activity are women, the Women's Power Gap Initiative said. |
| College enrollment drop sparks recruitment scramble | |
| On Valentine's Day, her hometown college offered BreAnn Stineman a seat in its Class of 2026. The "Certificate of Admission" from Indiana University of Pennsylvania validated her achievements as a mostly A student. "I told everybody," the 18-year-old said. "I was so excited." But she's not going yet. Stineman plans to take a "gap year" to work at a nursing home after graduation. High school during the pandemic, with long spells online or wearing masks, has felt grueling. For now, paychecks beckon. She wants to earn and save. "I need a break, you know?" Stineman said. "I definitely need a break. I just want to work. That's all I want to do." Colleges across America face a daunting challenge: Their student head count has shrunk more than 5 percent since 2019, according to a national estimate, as debate over the value of higher education intensified during the public health crisis and economic tumult. That's an enrollment loss of nearly 1 million students. Some drifted out of college, while others never started. Many colleges are on an urgent quest to keep current students and recover their lost freshmen. At stake are not only the education and career prospects of huge numbers of young adults, but also the financial health of regional colleges and universities. Once students leave, they often don't return. Gap years can become permanent. "How do we get these people to come back -- especially in a strong job market?" asked Courtney Brown, a vice president with the Lumina Foundation, based in Indianapolis, which promotes learning beyond high school. Privileged universities are weathering the upheaval, Brown said. "It's everybody else that is hurting." |
| Some Ivy League Colleges to Play Down How Selective They Are | |
| When the University of Pennsylvania on Thursday details this year's undergraduate admission decisions, one data point will be notably absent: the acceptance rate. The eight Ivy League schools are set to notify prospective students of their fates Thursday evening. This year, only five will also say publicly what share of applicants actually got in. Penn, for instance, will provide information on roughly how many people applied and how large it expects its first-year class to be. But not everyone admitted actually enrolls, so even enterprising readers will have trouble calculating the acceptance rate. Applications to prestigious schools have ticked upward for years, and changes to admission policies during the pandemic put that growth into turbo drive. Acceptance rates at some of these institutions slid to the low single digits last year. Harvard University, for example, admitted 3.4% of the 57,435 people who applied to join the class that started in 2021. Now, some admissions officers say, drawing so much attention to how few candidates made the cut is doing more harm than good, ratcheting up panic among high-school students and their parents and perpetuating a myth that it is nearly impossible to get into a good college. "We're focusing not on how hard we are to get into, but on who these young people are that we chose," said E. Whitney Soule, Penn's admissions dean. |
SPORTS
| How Mississippi State's Olympic sports have fared during spring seasons | |
| Baseball dominates the headlines for Mississippi State's spring season along with a sprinkling of football. But athletic director John Cohen has himself a decent collection of other spring sports showing signs of promise this season. From a softball team with preseason aspirations of hosting postseason play to a men's tennis team in the national rankings, it has been an exciting spring in Starkville. Softball's Mia Davidson continues to reign supreme. Her 13 home runs lead the SEC and her 79 total bases rank second. She's up to 82 career home runs, which continues to add to her legacy. Last month, home run No. 70 broke the SEC all-time record. The team got out to a 16-10 start this season, including some tough non-conference matchups, but has turned it up since. The current seven-game winning streak was ignited by a home sweep of Ole Miss two weekends ago. Samantha Ricketts' crew has a long way to go before the mid-May SEC tournament, and the path there isn't easy. MSU's slate features series against No. 13 Tennessee, No. 24 Missouri, No. 4 Alabama, No. 17 Auburn, No. 8 Kentucky and No. 20 LSU. |
| Cook Headlines Record-Breaking Day At The Ballpark | |
| A blustery day at the ballpark saw multiple records fall as Mississippi State outlasted Middle Tennessee in a marathon, 19-14 victory. The game lasted nearly three and a half hours, and winds blew consistently at 20-plus mph with gusts up to 50 mph. The 33 combined runs scored are the most in MSU history. The teams traded the lead four times over the final five half innings, and the Bulldogs (23-10, 4-2 SEC) scored seven in the top of the seventh to win the ballgame. "It was a wild game. I'm really proud of the fight, the willingness to battle the conditions, to pick up their teammates and have their backs and to just find ways to continue to compete," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "They didn't get frustrated by the conditions or the results we were seeing. I thought they did a really good job of sticking with us and getting back to what works for our team, which is everybody all-in, finding energy, having fun, even when we lost a lead. They were able to refocus and do that, and I think it showed up on the field. Crazy game, but a lot of fun to see the fight." Mississippi State resumes conference play at No. 11 Tennessee on April 1-3. The Friday series opener is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT, and the Saturday game is set for 1 p.m. Both games will air on SEC Network+. The series finale on Sunday will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network at 11 a.m. |
| What to know about Mississippi State vs. No. 2 Arkansas baseball | |
| Arkansas baseball will host Mississippi State for a three-game series at Baum-Walker Stadium starting Friday. The defending national champion Bulldogs (16-10, 3-3 SEC) have struggled more than expected to start the season, losing three of their first six weekend series. Meanwhile, the Razorbacks (19-4, 5-1) have won all five of their weekend series, including two sweeps. The Razorbacks' weekend pitching rotation has remained the same since opening weekend: righthander Connor Noland on Friday, lefthander Hagen Smith on Saturday and righthander Jaxon Wiggins on Sunday. Based on last weekend's rotation against Alabama, the Bulldogs will likely start all righthanders: Preston Johnson, Parker Stinnett and Cade Smith in that order. Bats aren't usually the problem for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are tied for fourth-most total runs scored in the SEC with 212. Arkansas' 171 total runs rank No. 10. Mississippi State has scored in double-digits in 12 of their 16 wins. The Bulldogs' leader in batting average, third baseman Kamren James, is hitting .340. Hunter Hines, who has been the designated hitter for much of the season, is tied for the team lead with eight home runs and has a team-best 31 RBIs and .667 slugging percentage. Arkansas' offense hasn't been as high-powered as anticipated, but it's done enough to back up strong starting pitching. Mississippi State has had the opposite issue, with its high scoring often making up for poor pitching. |
| Following rainout, Hogs get Bulldogs | |
| Coming off their highest-scoring game of the season, the No. 2 Arkansas baseball team will have to wait another couple of days to get back in action after Wednesday's scheduled game against Arkansas-Little Rock was canceled due to inclement weather. The University of Arkansas (19-4, 5-1 SEC) will continue its home stand with a visit from defending College World Series champion Mississippi State on Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium at 6 p.m. The series opener is scheduled to be broadcast on the SEC Network. The weather for the visit from the Bulldogs (16-10, 3-3) is expected to be welcoming, following severe storms overnight Wednesday that spawned a likely tornado in Springdale, with daily high temperatures in the upper 60s and little chance for rain. The Razorbacks rallied from an early six-run deficit, their largest of the season, to power past the Trojans 16-8 late Tuesday in what was the highest combined score and the Hogs' highest run total of the year. Wednesday's cancellation was the second week in a row the Razorbacks have lost a mid-week game. Arkansas was scheduled to take on Nebraska-Omaha last Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium, the home park of the Kansas City Royals, but frigid conditions caused a cancellation. |
| 'They attack you': John Cohen impressed by effort, skill of Chris Jans' New Mexico State teams | |
| John Cohen watched the New Mexico State men's basketball team play six times during the 2021-22 season before poaching its coach. The Mississippi State athletic director said he became the biggest Aggies fan in Starkville by the time he officially hired NMSU head coach Chris Jans for the same position on March 20. "Chris Jans is ready to invest in the people of Mississippi," Cohen said during Jans' introductory press conference three days later. "He's ready to elevate our program. He's ready to position our student-athletes to compete for championships. And he's ready to bring a brand of basketball back to the Hump of which our fans will be proud." To Cohen, summing up Jans' coaching style at New Mexico State is simple. "They attack you --- offensively, defensively," Cohen said. "They attack, and they don't give up." The Aggies' aggression helped earn them three NCAA tournament bids --- and likely a fourth before the COVID-19 pandemic ended things early in 2020 -- in just five years under Jans. New Mexico State earned a No. 12 seed in 2018, 2019 and 2022, winning a tournament game this season thanks to an upset of UConn on March 17. |
| Mississippi State basketball hires David Anwar as assistant coach, keeps George Brooks on staff | |
| Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans has added David Anwar, another former New Mexico State assistant to his staff. "Coach Anwar is a tireless worker armed with a resume of production," Jans said in a school release Wednesday. "He is an expectational relationship builder with student-athletes and anyone he meets. David is a quality person who is well-respected by his peers because of his character and his integrity. Coach Anwar was a valuable member of our program at New Mexico State from day one and will continue to be as he transitions to the Bulldogs." Anwar was on Jans' staff the past five seasons at New Mexico State. The Aggies have won four of the last five WAC championships and went 64-13 in conference play. MSU also announced that George Brooks, who has coached at MSU for the past 12 years, will remain on the staff. "George Brooks is a Bulldog," Jans said. "He is synonymous with Mississippi State basketball, and we are thrilled he will continue with our staff as we move forward. I have quickly learned how revered and how respected Coach Brooks is across the state of Mississippi and the country. George has been invaluable as we mold our program to fit our vision." |
| Who could replace Martin Emerson at cornerback for Mississippi State? | |
| Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett was in attendance for what he called a "phenomenal" workout by cornerback Martin Emerson at Mississippi State's pro day on March 22. Unfortunately for Arnett, no one on the Bulldogs' 2022 roster quite seems ready to replace the shutdown corner -- not early in spring practice, anyway. "I watched Martin Emerson at pro day, and I don't feel like I see Martin Emerson running around out here right now," Arnett said Saturday. But Arnett insists that's alright -- for now, at least. The Bulldogs still have more than five months before their 2022 season kicks off against Memphis on Sept. 3. That's no easy task, as Emerson proved himself one of the best cornerbacks in the Southeastern Conference if not the country. Pro Football Focus gave Emerson an 89.6 out of 100 coverage grade, the second-highest mark among all corners since 2020. The Pensacola product is a likely second- or third-round pick in April's draft, leaving a void across from rising junior Emmanuel Forbes at cornerback for the Bulldogs. Thankfully for Mississippi State, there are plenty of potential reinforcements -- and none of them is expected to step perfectly into Emerson's shoes. |
| Claybrook promotes MUW's athletics, and more, at Rotary Club | |
| Touching on everything from the academic prowess of her university's athletes to the need for donors for a proposed ballpark, Mississippi University for Women Athletic Director Jennifer Claybrook spoke before the Rotary Club of Columbus on Tuesday at Lion Hills. But her underlying theme was urging attendees to drop by the campus and see what many local residents have not yet discovered about their "other" local state university. "The W always has a lot to offer," Claybrook said near the end of her talk. "I'm here as the director of athletics and campus recreation, but please come out, if not for athletics, for something else. We'd love to have you." Claybrook has been on the job since July, bringing considerable experience to the position. She has been a student-athlete, softball coach and athletic director at LaGrange College, a Division III school in Georgia, a status that has a direct connection to The W. "We're currently in the process of joining Division III," Claybrook said. "Division III is the perfect place for us. It talks about the student first and then athletics." Claybrook, who was accompanied to the Rotary luncheon by Jim, her husband of 21 years, and sons James Jr. (JJ), 14, and Roy Allen, 12, is practically a poster child for Division III athletics. She compiled a 3.84 GPA while playing softball and basketball for LaGrange, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in middle grades education in 1999. |
| Deion Sanders updates health status: 'Trying to get back to the old Prime' | |
 | Deion Sanders is feeling much better, as he continues to recover from having two of his toes amputated, he said on The Rich Eisen Show. "I'm not high-stepping yet, but the hand is behind the head. I'm moving slowly, but surely and I'm moving briskly, I really am," said Sanders. Sanders, who is entering his third season as Jackson State football coach, is leading the team through spring practice. He's been posting Instagram videos of himself working out on an elliptical machine and lifting weights. Sanders said he's gained a lot of strength since his time in the hospital. He missed three games during the 2021 season after doctors found blood clots in his leg that led to his left big toe and the one next to it being amputated. "I'm on my elliptical again because I had lost like 40 pounds," said Sanders. "When I was in the hospital, I lost 40 pounds, I wasn't eating nothing but applesauce. Lost 40 pounds, but I gained 50 back. So now I can't fit in my suits so I have to trim down because I hadn't been able to do cardio. I was eating everything in the world. I mean I was Chris Rock-ish at one point. I'm trying to get to the old Prime right now." |
| You know Harry, Skip and Chip. Now, Chris and Stefan Caray aim to create their own legacy | |
 | Chris and Stefan Caray have heard the question their entire lives. With a last name so synonymous with Major League Baseball, it's impossible to dodge. Will they carry on the legacy of their great grandfather, Harry, grandfather, Skip, and father, Chip, in the broadcasting industry? The identical twins, set to graduate from the University of Georgia in May with a degree in sports broadcasting, will get their first major opportunity this summer when they'll take over radio broadcast duties for the Amarillo Sod Poodles, a Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. "I think, to have an appreciation for what they did, but do it our own way, is how I would say we want to carry on that tradition," said Stefan. "Because if I wanted to go and be like 'holy cow,' or 'a swing and a drive' all the time, it's not authentic, and it'd be a remix or a copy of what they've all done." Chip Caray begins his 13th full-time season as the Braves television play-by-play broadcaster next Thursday when the reigning World Series champions open the season at home against the Reds. The former Cubs broadcaster who spent time calling Braves games on TBS with his late father, Skip, said he never pressured his oldest (of three) sons to get into the industry. He was realistic with Chris and Stefan, pointing out the positives within the industry as well as the times that they'll be away from their families for months at a time. |
| March Madness paying off for players under mishmash of rules | |
| At long last, some of the cold, hard cash in the billion-dollar world of college sports is hitting the wallets of the players themselves by legitimate means. One expert estimates by the time next year's Final Four rolls around, every men's basketball and football player on a major Division I roster could be making $100,000 or more. On one hand, it's a long-overdue development that will forever change the landscape of what has been widely disparaged as among the most unfair labor markets in America. On the other, trouble could be looming for an industry with few rules that doles out big bucks to teenagers with big dreams. "We have gone from a strict prohibition to now being more liberal than any other sports organization in existence," Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski said of the changes that have taken hold over the past nine months. "And that's a really odd transformation that we need to somehow, I think, strike a middle ground here, eventually." This week, Kansas, Villanova, North Carolina and Duke will play in the first Final Four to be held under the new world of "name, image and likeness" (NIL) endorsements in college sports. That world is comprised of a loosely regulated mishmash of state laws and university-written rules that set different standards across the nation with little transparency about which players get what or where it comes from. "I think NIL has kind of become something that we all hoped that it wouldn't, but we thought that it probably would at some point," Mississippi AD Keith Carter said. |
| Bipartisan Bill in Congress Seeks Overhaul of NCAA Infractions Process | |
| For years now, college coaches, athletes and administrators have skewered the NCAA for an infractions process they say is unfair, dawdling and lacking transparency. Turns out, at least two U.S. senators feel the same. This week, senators Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Cory Booker (D., N.J.) will introduce a bipartisan bill, the NCAA Accountability Act of 2021, that establishes strict requirements of the long-maligned NCAA infractions process, overhauling the operation by involving the Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney general. The 10-page bill, obtained by Sports Illustrated and scheduled for release later Tuesday, is an attempt to streamline, shorten and bring greater equity to an NCAA investigative arm that has drawn harsh criticism from virtually every corner of college athletics. It has now caught the ire of high-ranking congressional leaders at a time when the college sports industry has faced its most extreme scrutiny. Just in the last two years, lawmakers have held more than a half dozen hearings over what they deem to be injustices within the industry. The NCAA Accountability Act of 2021 touches on an oft-criticized process: the NCAA's enforcement of violations through sometimes years-long investigations. The bill creates a set of deadlines to facilitate quicker investigations, shortens the statute of limitations on violations and establishes a new appeals process. |
| Ahead of the Final Four, Democrats weigh college athletes' struggles | |
 | Sen. Christopher S. Murphy said he was riveted to the television Monday night as the University of Connecticut women's basketball team defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack to advance to the Huskies' 14th consecutive Final Four. But being an admitted college sports fan has made the Connecticut senator and several of his fellow congressional Democrats all the more aware of the challenges facing college athletes. And a group of Senate and House Democrats convened a series of virtual panels Wednesday making the case for improved rights, compensation and equity for NCAA student-athletes. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., talked about first paying attention to college basketball in the early 1990s, watching the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, the Duke University men's teams with Christian Laettner and the Michigan Fab Five. "I think it was the Fab Five that really got me paying -- I was in high school -- but it got me paying attention to college sports differently and got me to the point of understanding, like, how much money is generated in college sports, and then I went on to play college sports," Bowman said. Murphy and Bowman started with a discussion that set the table, with Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., moderating a subsequent discussion on issues specific to women's college athletics. Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, a former scholarship football player at Stanford University, and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut closed with their pitch for legislating a bill of rights for athletes. |
| Trans athletes become campaign flashpoint for GOP | |
 | Republicans are zeroing in on the debate surrounding trans women in sports in hopes of revving up their conservative base ahead of November's midterm elections. The debate is emerging as the latest flashpoint in the country's culture wars, with conservatives calling on transgender women to be banned from competing in women's sports. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the latest transgender athlete caught in the debate's crosshairs after she became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division 1 national championship in any sport earlier this month. Ohio Senate candidate Jane Timken invoked Thomas in a campaign ad criticizing rules allowing transgender women being allowed to compete in women's sports. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who has been floated as a potential 2024 presidential contender, has also focused on the issue. "I think you're going to see Republicans taking on a whole host of cultural issues that have been simmering for a while now," said Terry Schilling, the executive director of the conservative group American Principles Project. "This is actually a result of a few decades of a ... one-sided truce from Republicans really refusing to engage in any meaningful way on these hot-button cultural issues." A Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey released to The Hill this week found that 63 percent of Americans said gender-transitioning athletes should not be allowed to take part in opposite-sex sporting events, while 37 percent said they should be allowed to compete. However, the polling also showed stark partisan divides on the issue. |
| Tenn. lawmakers push for collegiate transgender athlete ban | |
| Tennessee would ban transgender athletes from participating in female college sports under legislation gaining traction inside the state's GOP-controlled General Assembly. The measure is one of 17 bills that have been introduced this year in Tennessee targeting LGBTQ people -- more than any other state in the country, according to civil rights activists. "Even amid one of the most extreme time periods for anti-LGBTQ politics in our country's history, lawmakers in Tennessee have distinguished themselves with one of the most anti-LGBTQ legislative agendas in the country," said Sam Ames, director for advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project, in a recent statement. Last year, no other state enacted more laws targeting transgender people than Tennessee. That included banning transgender athletes from playing girls public high or middle school sports. This year, lawmakers returned to the Nashville-based Statehouse looking to expand that ban to colleges and universities. The proposal cleared key legislative hearings Wednesday in both the House and Senate despite objections from Democratic lawmakers. Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has not publicly weighed in on either bill, but he has previously declared that allowing transgender athletes to participate in female sports would "destroy women's sports." Scrutiny over transgender athletes has come to the forefront once again after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas started smashing records this year. She was on the men's team her first three years, but she is competing for the women this season after transitioning. Also on Wednesday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a similar transgender athlete ban for middle and high school sports, as well as college. |
| Pac-12 to dissolve San Francisco HQ, go remote and save millions in rent | |
| The Pac-12 on Tuesday announced it's leaving downtown San Francisco next year when its lease expires. Where's the new headquarters? Nowhere. There will be no conference office in the traditional sense, only a facility for content production. Most employees will be allowed to work in fully remote fashion, a move that will save millions in rent annually and generate additional revenue for the campuses. The conference office has been in San Francisco for a decade and spent tens of millions of dollars on rent. According to a news release, the decision is "designed to provide Pac-12 staff with the benefits of work flexibility while also envisioning regular opportunities for employees to come together in person within the Pac-12 geographic footprint, including at Pac-12 campuses to foster greater collaboration with member universities." The conference paid approximately $8 million in occupancy for the San Francisco office space in the 2020 fiscal year, according to the most-recent financial documents available. An undetermined fraction of that amount will support the production facility, with the remainder distributed to the schools -- perhaps $500,000 to $750,000 per campus per year. That's comparable to the salaries for two assistant football coaches or, for some programs, an offensive or defensive coordinator. Not surprisingly, the decision was approved unanimously by the university presidents and chancellors who form the Pac-12's Board of Directors. |
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