| Wednesday, April 13, 2022 |
| Producers expect to plant more cotton, soybeans | |
 | More than half of the 4.29 million total acres of row crops expected to be planted this year in Mississippi are soybean fields, but the growth in cotton acreage may be the most significant increase over 2021. The National Agricultural Statistics Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, released its annual prospective plantings report March 31. Surveys are conducted with farm operators nationwide during the first two weeks of March to collect data on planting intentions for the upcoming season. The report estimates how many acres of soybeans, cotton, corn, rice and peanuts that producers intend to plant in the upcoming growing season. It also provides updated estimates of expected hay and winter wheat acreage. The report serves as a key market signal, as the acreage estimates will serve as the foundation of most row-crop supply projections for 2022. Soybean producers in Mississippi intend to plant 2.35 million acres in 2022, up 6% from last year. Cotton acreage intentions are at 500,000 acres, up 11% from the 450,000 acres planted last year. Corn producers intend to plant 610,000 acres, which is down 16% from the 730,000 acres planted in 2021. Rice acreage is estimated at 100,000 acres, down 5% from last year. Brian Pieralisi, a cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said most of the cotton producers he has spoken with said they planned to plant more cotton this year as soon as last year’s harvest wrapped up. |
| Major severe weather, tornadoes to peak Wednesday across central U.S. | |
 | A major weather outbreak with widespread severe storms and tornadoes, some significant, is expected on Wednesday across the central United States and Mississippi Valley. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has hoisted a somewhat rare level 4 out of 5 risk of severe weather that includes more than 5 million Americans, but broader severe storm chances include about 40 million. "Several tornadoes with some strong, widespread damaging winds, some of which could be significant, and large to very large hail will likely occur," wrote the Storm Prediction Center. Wednesday marks the peak of the multiday outbreak and represents a temporary end to what's been a rambunctious spate of atmospheric fury. On the backside of the counterclockwise-spinning surface low, moisture is wrapping northwestward into cold air tugged down from Saskatchewan. That's brewed a significant blizzard with widespread one-to-two-foot snow totals across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Surrounding that is a still formidable level 3 out of 5 "enhanced risk" of severe weather which covers cities such as Indianapolis, Springfield, Ill., St. Louis, Shreveport, La., Jackson, Miss., Nashville and Bowling Green. A slight risk encompasses areas from Milwaukee to the Gulf Coast, including Chicago, New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. Storms will be rumbling through central Arkansas and Missouri by lunchtime, closing in on the Mississippi River by 3 or 4 p.m. It's unclear how numerous discrete supercells in advance of the line will be, but they would possibly develop in any given area an hour or two before the line gets there. |
| Severe storms Wednesday afternoon and evening | |
 | Severe storms are likely across the region Wednesday late-afternoon into the evening. The weather is expected to clear for the end of the week. Early morning rain and storms will clear by mid-morning, leaving a clearing sky through the middle portion of the day. This will act to prime up the atmosphere as temperatures/moisture values climb ahead of more storms later. Daytime highs should reach the lower to middle 80s with gusty southerly winds of up to 30 mph at times. New storm development is expected along the MS river by 4-5p, and these storms will quickly track into north MS after 5p. The environment across most of the region will be favorable for supercells capable of producing damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes. Some of the hail stones could be significant (2″+), and a couple of tornadoes could be strong to significant. It is imperative for everyone to remain close to a reliable source of weather information through this event. Severe storm chances are highest across the WCBI viewing area from roughly 5p until 11p Wednesday. |
| Plans underway to improve state parks throughout Mississippi | |
 | A new golf course is being constructed at one of Mississippi's most diverse public parks as one step towards improving tourism in the state. This is part of a multi-million dollar plan to repair and improve state parks. Mississippi is investing more than $13 million to improve the museum district at Lefleur's Bluff State Park in Jackson, including expansions to a walking trail, a new pavilion, and a golf course . Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann says the investment is a way to attract new tourists and entertain Mississippians. "We're fixing to have a world-class, first-class place to take your children," says Hosemann. "Whether you're rich or poor or whatever, you'll be able to go to a place where you can take your children. Fish, stay out overnight, all that kind of things. Make something open to Mississippians that we've really neglected in the past quite frankly." The Lt. Governor says the state hired four architect firms to assess the needs of state parks in Mississippi and found that some have severe damage to infrastructure. The state allocated $38 million in ARPA funds to address these issues. Lynn Posey is the Interim Director of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. He says this funding can help to build new cabins, camping sites, and update amenities in the coming years. |
| Millions of taxpayer dollars fueling expansion efforts, new golf course at LeFleur's Bluff | |
 | While organizers and tourism officials believe a major expansion of LeFleur's Bluff -- fueled by $13.2 million from lawmakers -- will only expand their outreach and education efforts for Mississippi's children, state and federal elected leaders want the public to know they're also fans of the sport. State Sen. John Horhn said the money for the course, which lawmakers approved last week, came from capital expense funds. U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith told dozens at Tuesday's groundbreaking that the new golf park, which will feature the state's only Robert Trent Jones golf course, gives her brownie points with her colleagues in Washington. "This gives me bragging rights in the cloakroom of the U.S. Senate, because, you know, we got a lot of golfers there," Hyde-Smith told the crowd. "This gives me a lot of bragging rights there." Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said the expansion efforts will also connect several parts of the Capital City. Part of that connectivity will come from a pedestrian bridge that will be constructed over Lakeland Drive, linking the Agriculture Museum to the Children's Museum, made possible by a million dollars in transportation funding Hyde-Smith said she helped secure. The overall goal, according to organizers with the event, is to inspire Mississippi's future leaders to explore and imagine what they can be. |
| Mississippi lawmakers discuss possiblility of special session to reinstate ballot initiative | |
| Lawmakers just wrapped up an extended session; passing a medical marijuana program, a historic teacher pay raise, tax cuts, and much more. But they weren't able to come to an agreement on reinstating the ballot initiative process that was struck down by the state Supreme Court last year. There are rumors about the possibility of a special session to get it done. Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs eluded to the possibility during an interview with SuperTalk Mississippi Monday. "I'm told that there's an ongoing discussion on that and there may be a one-day special session for that," he told us. "And if there is, it makes sense. It's important." When we asked Rep. Angela Cockerham about it this morning she told us she's heard the same rumblings amongst her colleagues over the past few days. "But that's not unusual if there's something significant we were just not able to complete. I would be happy if the governor were to call it, but that's within his purview," Cockerham stated. Governor Tate Reeves is the only one with the authority to call a special session, something he’s been reluctant to do on other issues. |
| Longtime MDOT commissioner honored for years of service | |
| Former MDOT Commissioner Dick Hall was recognized for his years of service to the state. Dozens of elected officials and lawmakers gathered to honor him Tuesday. The lawmakers praised his years of service in the state legislature, where he was often very conservative with state dollars. However, they say once Hall became transportation commissioner, he had no problem asking for more funds. Hall is credited with always looking out for Mississippians and finding ways to make life better for residents. "I hope that the legislature had a new beginning this year a new start and that this is something that they will stay after the next few sessions and really fund what needs to be funded," Hall said. A tree was planted in his honor, just outside the MDOT administrative building. A plaque was also unveiled, highlighting his service and hard work. He served from 1999 until 2020. |
| Congressman Bennie Thompson announces community projects in Mississippi Delta | |
 | In March, Congressman Bennie Thompson (MS-02) announced that he voted to fund $10,527,500 in Community Project Funding for the 2nd Congressional District that will go towards eight community projects. This funding, Congressman Thompson's Office said, responds directly to some of the most pressing needs in the Mississippi Delta. "I am incredibly pleased to vote for $10,527,500 in Community Project Funding in this bill that I know will have a profound impact on the 2nd Congressional District," Congressman Thompson said. "These investments support underserved areas and foster economic development, making a real difference in the lives of so many in our community. I am proud to have fought for funding that will make our community healthier, safer, stronger, and even more resilient." During a press conference on Tuesday, Congressman Thompson presented checks for five of these community projects, including: Central Mississippi, Inc. (MS Delta Disaster Relief Shelter); Fannie Lou Hamer Cancer Foundation; I.T. Montgomery House Restoration; Cary Christian Center Facility; and Bolivar County Community Facility (Town of Rosedale). Thompson championed funding for the eight projects that will directly benefit Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District residents, including $3,000,000 for Jackson State University Center for Living, Learning and Cultural Engagement. |
| Biden scores points in Midwest with ethanol announcement | |
 | Corn-state lawmakers cheered the Biden administration's decision Tuesday to allow the year-round sale of gasoline with up to 15 percent ethanol, while the head of a petrochemical trade group questioned the legality of the maneuver and environmentalists said it would increase ozone pollution. The White House said it would allow the sale of E15 gasoline -- fuel that uses a blend of as much as 15 percent ethanol -- to be sold throughout the summer. The EPA, which regulates the sale of E15 gasoline and other biofuels, will issue a waiver to allow the sale of the fuel, the White House said. "I have been fighting tooth and nail for this, year after year," Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, said at an appearance Tuesday with President Joe Biden at an ethanol plant near Des Moines. "I always knew that we needed to make biofuels a part of our clean-energy solution." Axne and other members of Congress of both parties from the Midwest had pushed the administration to allow E15 to be sold year-round following Russia's attack on Ukraine. Facing a tough election year, marked by high inflation driven in part by elevated fuel prices, Democrats in Washington have backed several methods to lower costs for the public, including holidays from the national gasoline tax and the embrace of more biofuels. Congressional Republicans from the Midwest, including Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas, John Thune of South Dakota and Joni Ernst of Iowa, also cheered the announcement. |
| Biden's Ethanol Boost Energizes Farmers, Worries Meat Producers | |
 | The Biden administration's plan to temporarily allow higher ethanol blends in gasoline is set to boost U.S. ethanol producers like Archer Daniels Midland Co. ADM, Green Plains Inc. and Poet LLC, while lifting demand for farmers' corn, agriculture-industry executives and analysts said. The Biden administration said that increasing use of gasoline with 15% ethanol, known as E15, over the summer months would help lower consumers' fuel costs, which have climbed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The decision is seen as a win for corn growers and ethanol-producing companies, though some groups said they fear it could further inflate food prices by making grain more expensive. President Biden said the move would support farmers and the farm economy while lowering prices at the pump. Increased ethanol use could contribute to cost inflation for food companies and meat processors, because producers rely heavily on grains such as corn to feed livestock and poultry, according to the National Chicken Council. "Further and artificial demand for corn created by this administration will likely increase the cost of corn and all food products dependent on corn and corn oil inputs," said Mike Brown, president of the group, which represents poultry companies. It is difficult to tell how much the Biden administration's ethanol decision will affect food and agricultural markets, because it is short term in nature, said Ben Bienvenu, an analyst at Stephens Inc. "It is tough to make a fundamental call on how meaningful the impact could be to higher corn, food prices," he said. |
| As Ukraine war intensifies, questions from first Trump impeachment linger | |
 | It's easy to forget amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine that the war-torn country and its suddenly beloved leader were at the center of Donald Trump's first impeachment in 2019. But that seemingly distant chapter of American politics -- when the American president secretly withheld military assistance for Ukraine before asking President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to announce an investigation of his political opponents -- has a direct tie-in to today's war, according to lawmakers and witnesses central to that first impeachment probe. At the time, Zelenskyy desperately needed lethal aid, and a united front with the U.S., as pro-Russia separatists waged war in his country's east. But Trump had other ideas; though he had previously delivered shipments of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, he secretly orchestrated a hold on military aid before asking Zelenskyy to roll out corruption probes targeting President Joe Biden. Zelenskyy initiated no such probe, and the aid was eventually sent to Ukraine. But the larger war on Ukraine has underscored the critical importance of U.S. military aid over the years to helping blunt Russia's invasion and prevent the conflict from spilling into NATO countries. It has also highlighted the Trump administration's refusal to cooperate with the Democrat-led impeachment investigation, in particular the efforts to learn more about the hold on aid to Ukraine; one of the two articles of impeachment against Trump accused him of ordering nine senior aides to refuse to testify. |
| Finland debates joining NATO, possibly expanding alliance Putin hates | |
| Finland will release an official assessment Wednesday of how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has changed its security environment, beginning a process that is expected to culminate in a request to join NATO. The assessment, known as a white paper, will not advocate for or against membership, according to the Finnish Foreign Ministry, but will be used as a starting point for parliamentary debate as the country weighs a historic shift in its defense posture. Finland and neighboring Sweden are officially nonaligned militarily, but Russia's aggression has led to a dramatic shift in public sentiment -- so much so that both countries are now expected to request membership in the coming months. Their potential accession would reshape European security and draw outrage from the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin used NATO expansion as a pretext to invade Ukraine. Now, his brutal war there may bring the military alliance ever closer to his door. Wednesday's white paper marks the start of the process for Finland, where support for joining NATO has jumped to 68 percent, according to a recent poll. Sweden's ruling Social Democrats, who have traditionally opposed NATO membership, have also said they will be rethinking their position in the coming months -- although the exact timing and level of support remain unclear. Washington has also signaled support. In a briefing last week, Julianne Smith, the American ambassador to NATO, said the United States would "welcome" both countries if they want to join the alliance. |
| Consumers turn to bulk buying as inflation hedge | |
| Breakfast cereal prices are up 9% since last year. Coffee is up 11%, and bacon is up 18%. Unfortunately, there is no Strategic Bacon Reserve that President Joe Biden can tap into. In previous inflationary periods, consumers have turned to a tried-and-true tactic to deal with escalating food costs: bulk purchases. Jessica Sanchez never considered herself a Costco person, but now, every time she opens her refrigerator, she gets a reminder that her shopping identity is evolving. "Now I have like six bottles of kombucha in my fridge that I still haven't drank," Sanchez said. She used to shop mostly at regular supermarkets with her two kids in tow. "It's tough when it's like an extra $100 a week that you're spending on groceries," she said. Expecting that to continue, she bought a Costco membership in January and started buying some things in bulk. According to Scott Baker at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, that's how basic economic theory works, especially in times like these. "They basically want to bring those purchases forward to the present, when prices are lower, versus waiting to purchase those goods in the future, when they think prices are going to be much higher," he said. |
| Food prices rising? This cheeseburger explains your bigger grocery bill | |
| To understand what's driving the nation's largest increase in food prices in 40 years, just take a close look at your all-American cheeseburger. Whether it's a humble bun and patty, or piled high with fixings, the rising cost of each ingredient is the product of a range of economic forces and geopolitical conditions that are disrupting how our food gets from the farm to our tables. They include interrupted supply chains, dire labor shortages, climate disasters and, most recently, the war in Ukraine. The March Consumer Price Index report showed that the prices for food both consumed at home and away from the home (i.e. at restaurants) saw the largest 12-month increases since 1981. Those rising prices are inflicting pain across the board: from farmers paying higher production costs; to families buying groceries; to the Biden administration, which has seen its popularity sink as inflation hits historic highs. The cost of food has always been politically fraught. It is influenced by a range of factors that have long sparked debate, from land use and environmental regulations, to labor rights and immigration policy. But the current price hike has thrust the issue into the political spotlight, prompting policymakers to pursue policies intended to un-jam shipping routes, increase market competition and mitigate climate change. |
| Why there are growing fears the U.S. is headed to a recession | |
 | Warning lights are flashing for the U.S. economy. A growing number of forecasters now believe a recession is on the horizon as the Federal Reserve gears up to raise interest rates sharply to combat the highest inflation in more than 40 years. It's an unusual outlook at a time when the economy is strong by many measures. Employers have added nearly 6.5 million jobs in the last 12 months and unemployment has fallen to just 3.6%. But it's that strong economy and, particularly, the sizzling labor market as employers try to hire more workers to meet surging consumer demand that has economists concerned. As employers scramble to find scarce workers, they're bidding up wages, and that's helping to push inflation even further above the Fed's target of 2%. As a result, economist Matthew Luzzetti believes the Federal Reserve will have no choice but to crack down hard, with significantly higher interest rates. Luzzetti predicts that those aggressive rate hikes will push the economy into a mild recession by late next year. "It's probably surprising to be talking about recessions at this point, given the momentum that we've seen, particularly in the labor market," says Luzzetti, chief U.S. economist for Deutsche Bank. "The ultimate conclusion is that we are having very strong growth, but it is inflationary growth," he adds. |
| Need an organ transplant in Mississippi? You may be out of luck thanks to an insurance dispute. | |
| One day in early 2020, a Madison man noticed blood in his mouth. His symptoms escalated, and by the end of that week, he was in the intensive care unit at Merit Health Madison. When he woke up from a procedure, the gastroenterologist told him his liver was in bad shape. He had end-stage liver disease, and the only treatment option was a liver transplant. The next two years consisted of a double hip replacement, numerous procedures on his esophagus and visits with an array of specialists, including psychologists. He started a special diet and followed the rules his doctors gave him. He did all of this to become eligible as a transplant candidate at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which houses the state's only organ transplant program. In January of this year, he got the bittersweet call: his liver had worsened, and he was now on the transplant list. "The liver problem is not something that is linear, it's exponential. It doesn't just progressively get worse -- it's one day you're toddling along doing pretty well, then boom, you can fall off the cliff, and the liver goes bad overnight," said the man, who did not want his name printed over fear of retaliation and privacy concerns. But after all that work and waiting, he, along with all Mississippians with Blue Cross & Blue Shield insurance who are on the transplant list at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, is now ineligible to receive an organ as long as the hospital is out of network with the insurer. UMMC, the state's largest hospital and only academic medical center, went out of network on April 1 with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, the state's largest insurer. UMMC asked for higher reimbursement rates for its services and disagreed with the company's quality care plan, which measures hospital performance and whether services provided to patients are adequate. |
| Ole Miss strikes $5 million research deal with company warned for claiming essential oils can cure COVID | |
| In a $5 million agreement, the University of Mississippi is researching essential oils for doTerra, a multi-level marketing company the Federal Trade Commission warned in 2020 to stop claiming its products could cure or prevent COVID-19. doTerra, a Utah-based company, calls this partnership "a natural fit." The partnership was born several years ago after Ikhlas Khan, the award-winning director of UM's National Center for Natural Products Research, and doTerra's chief medical officer, Russell Osguthorpe, got to talking at a conference in Oxford. The pair came to an initial agreement for Khan's center to study lavender oil, doTerra's best-selling essential oil. In that deal, worth half a million dollars, doTerra provided 42 lavender essential oil samples in the hopes that Khan would publish a study in a peer-reviewed journal, which he did last year. In early March, UM announced it had extended the partnership with doTerra by five years. The research will be funded with $5 million from doTerra, UM told Mississippi Today. In a press release, Osguthorpe extolled the partnership: "Together, we can help to create higher standards that will allow the world to see the true benefits of doTERRA essential oils." Companies have long sought to partner on research with public universities, which, starved for state funding, eagerly take private dollars. But UM's partnership with doTerra raises questions about how a university's stamp of approval can help multi-level marketing companies obscure an exploitative business model. Josh Gladden, UM's vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs, told Mississippi Today the university's partnership with doTerra is focused on studying a potentially beneficial product. Gladden said it was his understanding that the FTC commonly issues warning letters. |
| Southern Miss Theatre's She Kills Monsters Opens April 22 | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi's Theatre program, housed in the School of Performing and Visual Arts, culminates its spring season on April 22 with Qui Nguyen's contemporary hit She Kills Monsters. In-person tickets are now available. The production continues on April 23, 29, and 30 at 7:30 p.m., and matinée performances on April 24 and May 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 seniors, military, faculty and staff, and $8 for students. The world of fantasy roleplaying games is brought to life in Qui Nguyen's contemporary hit. Agnes Evans delves into a game created by her late sister and discovers more about her sister, and herself, than she anticipated. Filled with monsters, dungeons, and, yes, dragons, She Kills Monsters is a comedic exploration of a world where fantasy and family collide. "This is one of our most ambitious productions to date. It has provided many challenges from creating articulate puppet and staging intense combat to incorporating other media like projections and animation in a way we haven't tackled before," said Dr. David Coley, Producer and Assistant Professor of Theatre at Southern Miss. "Our student actors and designers and crew members have risen to these challenges and exceeded our expectations." |
| Public college costs to fall in Georgia as fee goes away | |
 | College costs do not always go up. For almost all of the 340,000 students at Georgia's public universities and colleges, they'll be going down next fall. That's thanks to a big boost in state funding granted in exchange for eliminating a budgetary hangover that had lasted more than a decade. University System of Georgia regents, meeting Tuesday at Albany State University, approved tuition and fee rates for the system's 26 schools that will result in overall costs going down by 7.6% at the typical school. Students will save anywhere from $226 for a full two-semester load at Georgia Southern University's Armstrong campus in Savannah to $1,088 at Georgia Tech. "This is a huge win for students," Tracey Cook, the executive vice chancellor for fiscal affairs, told regents on Tuesday. College cost increases nationwide slowed sharply in 2021-22, with the College Board finding that tuition and fees rose only 1.6% for in-state students at four-year public colleges. Georgia's typical tuition and fees are lower than all but three other states in the 16-state region covered by the Southern Regional Education Board. Many students pay less than the sticker price because of other types of aid. But more than 40% of Georgia students now borrow to pay for college, with students borrowing more than $6,000 on average at some universities. |
| U. of Arkansas raises bar for out-of-state aid program, considers permanently removing minimum test scores from admission criteria | |
| A major University of Arkansas, Fayetteville grant aid program for out-of-state students has raised its minimum academic requirements as faculty leaders consider the broader question of whether to keep undergraduate admissions "test-optional." Both the grant aid program and UA's general admissions standard scrapped -- temporarily -- the minimum test score requirements after the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic. UA's faculty senate today is expected to hear how a surge in out-of-state students receiving support from UA's New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award Scholarship contributed to a record-high freshman class of about 6,000 students this past fall. Data on the scholarship recipients is part of a 10-page report that asks, "Why keep the test-optional policy of the past two years?" The report states two possible benefits for the faculty to consider: a boost to student access and diversity "along race/ethnicity and HS/regional lines" and "increased freshman enrollment and resulting options for reshaping future enrollment." UA spokesman Mark Rushing said any vote by the faculty on a change to admissions would still require approval from the provost and chancellor, and, if approved on campus, would then go to the University of Arkansas System board of trustees. Rushing also noted that a proposed change to admissions would be for the 2023-24 academic year rather than the upcoming academic year. |
| What Higher Ed's History Can Tell Us About the Present | |
 | John R. Thelin, one of the best-known historians of American higher education, likes to pay attention to the detailed human stories that have happened over decades on college campuses. It's a way, he says, to not only counter some of the blander official narratives promulgated by college presidents and others, but also to find a connection to major events in American history, reflected in the lives of students and other groups on campus. Thelin will give his last academic lecture, a Zoom presentation scheduled for Thursday evening. A university research professor in higher education and public policy at the University of Kentucky, Thelin is one of the best-known scholars of colleges and universities. He is the author of Going to College in the Sixties, Essential Documents in the History of American Higher Education and A History of American Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press), now in its third edition, a book that shows that colleges have long struggled with the financial and cultural pressures commonly discussed today. But for Thelin, the most compelling aspects of that history lie in the people on campus, and how campus life interacted with broader historical events off-campus. Thelin promises that his last lecture will be full of such stories. "The American campus is pretty spectacular," Thelin says, "but it's really just a stage set. Whatever great buildings and designs you have, until you have a script and cast, it's inanimate." |
| Campus Muster to return to full-day schedule April 21 | |
 | Aggie Muster will return to its traditional activity schedule April 21 after two years of modified ceremonies. The tradition, which began in 1883, honors Texas A&M current and former students and faculty and staff members who have died in the past year. The day on campus will begin at 7 a.m. with the flag raising ceremony in Academic Plaza, recognizing the 50-year Class of 1972, before the free Muster Barbecue at 11 a.m. with food from four local barbecue vendors and entertainment on the northeast plaza of Kyle Field. Then, the Campus Muster ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in Reed Arena with doors opening at 5 p.m. In addition to speeches from representatives from the university, the Muster ceremony will include a ceremonial address from Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service and a U.S. Air Force veteran. Following the reading of the names on this year's Roll Call, there will be a presentation of "Taps" and a 21-gun salute. The night will end with a sign off between the 50th-year class liaison from the Class of 1972 and the Muster chair, Aggie Muster Committee Awareness Executive Rachel Greve said. In addition to the Campus Muster, Musters will take place throughout the world. The formality of the "Hometown Musters," Greve said, is set by the organizers with some taking place in a backyard and others resembling the campus ceremony at a larger venue. |
| Mizzou students with no admissions test scores had similar retention rates, GPAs versus peers | |
| The spread of the coronavirus impeded students from taking the SAT and ACT for admissions, prompting colleges across the U.S. to relax entrance exam requirements. Many of these test-optional and test-free policies remain in effect, the latter meaning that institutions won't accept scores at all. More than 1,800 colleges aren't mandating the exams for fall 2022, according to FairTest, which advocates for limited use of standardized assessments. This count includes those colleges that were test-optional before the pandemic. Some of the test-optional rules are temporary. Colleges are trying out the policies, sometimes over a couple of years, as a precursor for potentially making them permanent. Data from these pilots are beginning to trickle out, including from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The state's flagship institution found test-optional admissions bolstered application numbers, but it didn't diversify the applicant pool in terms of race or income level versus previous admissions cycles. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which last month became one of the first top-ranked institutions to abandon test-optional admissions, said standardized tests help accurately predict its students' success. U of Missouri's test-optional data suggests minor differences between the academic records of students admitted with and without test scores. |
| A University Asked Professors to Help Quash a Grad-Student Strike. Hundreds Have Refused. | |
| As graduate students at Indiana University at Bloomington moved toward a strike over the past week, university leaders called on faculty members to hold the students accountable. "We cannot stay neutral in this moment," wrote Provost Rahul Shrivastav in an email to faculty members last week. The provost's email spelled out the consequences that graduate students could face for refusing to teach, including being fired and losing their stipend, health insurance, and other benefits. With the graduate students' work stoppage slated to start Wednesday, university officials sent another email to department leaders on Tuesday, reminding them of their responsibility to ensure that student instructors "fulfill their assigned duties." But many professors have effectively refused to comply. More than 400 of the university's 2,000 faculty members, as well as two-dozen departments and programs, have signed a neutrality pledge, promising not to punish any graduate students who choose to participate in the strike. The strike comes as a last resort for the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition, which is affiliated with the United Electrical Workers, after trying unsuccessfully for three years to get administrators to work with them, said Sam Smucker, a Ph.D. student and union organizer. Chuck Carney, a university spokesperson, said the strike is troubling as it comes after Shrivastav, who just recently became provost, and other academic leaders engaged with graduate students at several listening sessions over the past month and a half. Carney said the university recently increased graduate students' minimum stipends and gave all student instructors 5-percent raises. |
| College town economies are bouncing back from COVID-19 | |
 | The local economies of college towns were hit especially hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, as students fled, employees stayed home and families, alumni and prospective students stopped visiting. For many downtowns that depend largely on a university population to thrive, things are looking much brighter this year. On Tuesday afternoon, Cornell University organized a virtual forum of college and community experts to discuss their struggles and successes in reviving local economies post-pandemic. For Gary Stewart, associate vice president for community relations at Cornell, the key to survival for both college and community was to work together, no matter how bleak the circumstances. "Town-gown relations are an inexact science," Stewart said in a statement to Inside Higher Ed, but the fact that so many college towns are bouncing back illustrates the "unprecedented spirit of town-gown collaboration during a national crisis. Thanks to a rigorous science-based approach and our community collaborations, we were able to provide students with a meaningful, in-person experience starting from the fall 2020 semester." The loss of college athletics during the pandemic also deeply impacted D-1 college town revenues. John Tayer, president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber, said the University of Colorado Boulder regularly generates about $5 million per home football game. Tom Fountaine, State College borough manager, said during one Penn State football weekend in April 2019, State College generated $75,000 in parking revenue from three garages alone. On that same weekend a year later, the total was $9.40. "I think it gives you some idea of the really significant impact of what the college town experienced through that time," Fountaine said. |
| Inflation and labor shortages set to squeeze college budgets, Moody's says | |
| Colleges face their highest expense growth in over a decade as rising costs combine with wage inflation, labor shortages and a push to hire, according to two new reports issued this week by Moody's Investors Service. At the same time, volatility has returned to the investment market, and recent public funding increases are waning, Moody's said. Colleges also face mounting enrollment uncertainty that raises risks for tuition-dependent institutions that lack a national brand and deep pockets. Most of the U.S. higher education sector will remain financially stable in the near term thanks to strong endowment values and liquidity levels that grew recently, the reports said. But Moody's analysts expect the converging pressures to squeeze many colleges' budgets in fiscal 2023 and beyond. Bond ratings agencies' periodic reports can offer insight and perspective on the higher ed market's financial performance and underlying characteristics. Moody's rates institutions that tend to be stronger financially than the U.S. higher ed sector as a whole, but it still tracks a range of factors affecting colleges of all sizes and types. Its analysts expect colleges to experience median annual expense growth of 4% to 6% for the second straight year, driven by labor costs. That's substantially greater than the typical increase over the last 10 years, which was 3% to 4%. The tight labor market doesn't merely drive up colleges' costs. It contributes to enrollment uncertainty and, by extension, to unclear revenue prospects. That's because rising wages and a low unemployment rate can convince high school graduates and those who might go back to college to instead seek work. |
| New tool scores campuses on religious diversity | |
| Prospective students and their parents can find a wide range of useful information online about colleges and universities to help them decide which institutions might be the best fit. But there's no go-to resource to assess how welcoming a college is to students from various religious backgrounds. That's about to change. A group of researchers at Ohio State University and North Carolina State University has crafted a tool called the Interfaith, Spiritual, Religious, and Secular Campus Climate Index, or INSPIRES, which scores higher ed institutions on their levels of religious diversity and inclusion. Officials at 185 public, private and religiously affiliated institutions filled out extensive surveys about faith-related resources on campus, religious accommodation policies and more. Researchers analyzed the answers and scored institutions based on seven criteria, including religious accommodations, efforts to reduce bias and extracurricular and academic engagement. Campus leaders are set to receive reports of the results and personalized recommendations from researchers early next month. The institutions can then choose whether to make the information public as a resource for students and parents, in which case it'll appear on the index website, or to keep the scores private and use them as an opportunity for introspection. "Our goal is to help campuses become more welcoming, but ultimately this endeavor is meant to serve students and support their thriving in college," Alyssa Rockenbach, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor and a professor of higher education at North Carolina State, said in an email. |
| Key facts about U.S. college graduates | |
| Having a bachelor's degree remains an important advantage in many sectors of the U.S. labor market. College graduates generally out-earn those who have not attended college, and they are more likely to be employed in the first place. At the same time, many Americans say they cannot afford to get a four-year degree -- or that they just don't want to. Here are key facts about American college graduates: Nearly four-in-ten Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor's degree, a share that has grown over the last decade. In a reversal, women are now more likely than men to graduate from college. There are racial and ethnic differences in college graduation patterns, as well as in the reasons for not completing a degree. Only 62% of students who start a degree or certificate program finish their program within six years. Business is the most commonly held bachelor's degree, followed by health professions. There is a growing earnings gap between young college graduates and their counterparts without degrees. The unemployment rate is lower for college graduates than for workers without a bachelor's degree, and that gap widened as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Recent college graduates are more likely than graduates overall to be underemployed -- that is, working in jobs that typically do not require a college degree. When it comes to income and wealth accumulation, first-generation college graduates lag substantially behind those with college-educated parents. Most Americans with college degrees see value in their experience. |
| Biden Administration Looks to Speed Student-Loan Forgiveness for Defrauded Borrowers | |
| The Biden administration is working to expand forgiveness of student loans of students who successfully claim they were defrauded by schools, a key component of its piecemeal approach to reducing educational debt. For-profit colleges worry that the administration could make it too easy to apply for and obtain loan forgiveness, potentially damaging the schools' reputations and forcing some to close. President Biden's Education Department has canceled, or discharged, around $2 billion in federal debt held by tens of thousands of former students of for-profit colleges using a regulation known as borrower defense to repayment, after it determined that the schools had deceived the students about their job prospects, broken state consumer-protection laws, or otherwise harmed them financially. Most of the schools have since shut down. The department promises more such discharges as it streamlines the process and works through a backlog of more than 150,000 claims for debt relief under the program, many of which have sat unaddressed for several years. The administration is updating the borrower defense regulation, aiming to make it easier for borrowers to apply for loan forgiveness under the program. The administration's efforts come as it plots its way forward on the politically potent issue of student-debt forgiveness ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. |
| Walking along the Jesus Trail for Easter | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: This will be a special Easter for me. I will be hiking the Jesus Trail. On Easter day I will be somewhere between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. My friend and fellow Covenant Presbyterian elder Jeff Weill will be with me. Many readers remember when Jeff was on the Jackson City Council and serving as a Hinds County circuit judge for many years. Jeff took me to Edo for lunch to sell me on the trip, which he had read about in the Wall Street Journal. It was a pretty day and I was in a good mood. No sooner had he started his pitch, then I said, "Ok. I'll go." He was shocked and said, "I didn't think there was any chance at all you would say yes." One thing I have learned about life. It's extremely hard to organize a trip like this. When somebody else is up for it, that's the time to say yes and make it happen. I'm 63 and nobody has ever asked me to do a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The bus tour thing is not my deal. I knew that if I didn't say yes, I would die without this experience. I'm hoping and praying I have a profound spiritual revelation. It's happened many times before. |
| Entitlement program financial instability plus inflation equals an approaching disaster | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: As the midterm elections approach, why isn't their more interest in the approaching U.S. Social Security and Medicare policy abyss? In 2020, Social Security provided retirement, disability and survivor benefits to some 416,500 Mississippians with monthly benefits averaging $1,420 per month or $17,161 annually. That means that Social Security injects $7.147 billion into Mississippi's economy -- substantially more than the state-funded portion of the state budget. Medicare, the federally sponsored health insurance program for older Americans, served some 604,000 Mississippians as their primary source of health care finance. The Social Security Trustees Report projects that the 86-year-old program can only meet its obligations to retirees until 2035 -- after which Congress must either shore up the program's finances or see benefit reductions of between 21% to 27%. Medicare is projected to only be able to meet its obligations through 2026 without congressional intervention and without it, scheduled benefits will be reduced by 10%. In the wake of COVID, the problems plaguing health care provision and delivery are such that money is only one of a myriad of challenges. Inflation and supply chain pressures are hammering health care costs. And the reality of how Americans pay for health care is hammering governments at both the federal and state levels. One simple set of facts bode ominously for Social Security, Medicare (and Medicaid) and government officials seeking to solve these challenges. |
SPORTS
| Athletics Celebrates Maroon & White Night | |
| For one night a year, Mississippi State student-athletes from across all 16 sports trade in their usual Maroon and White Adidas uniforms for evening gowns and suits to celebrate their success over the past calendar year. On Monday, those Bulldogs -- along with their coaches and athletic administration -- packed out the Mill Conference Center for the fourth annual Maroon & White Night. There student-athletes walked the maroon carpet, had their photos taken and were interviewed by paparazzi upon their arrival before sitting down to a formal dinner and awards banquet. "To our All-Americans, to our All-SEC student-athletes, to our professional draft selections, to our coach and players of the year and for our school's very first national championship and for all of you, we honor you for the countless moments this year that made the Mississippi State family so proud," said director of athletics John Cohen. "Without a doubt, your determination, your perseverance and your resilience are among the many reasons Mississippi State is such a special place." After leading their programs to unprecedented heights, baseball's Chris Lemonis and volleyball's Julie Darty Dennis received the male and female Coach of the Year awards respectively. |
| Victory Lane: Forsythe leads Mississippi State baseball to extra-inning win over UAB | |
 | Lane Forsythe didn't know what had happened until he heard the voice. "Go, go, go!" shouted teammate Landon Sims, coaching first base with his right arm still held tightly in a brace after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. Only then did Forsythe see the baseball rolling away, getting past the first baseman and under a metal bench in the visitors' bullpen. He picked himself up and began to run, making it all the way to third base. Lane Forsythe had taken off. At long last, the Bulldogs' slick-fielding shortstop had himself a breakout offensive game -- just when Mississippi State needed it. Forsythe paced MSU (19-15) with a four-hit game, going 4 for 5 in Tuesday's 6-5, 10-inning win over UAB (21-11) at Dudy Noble Field. "That was probably his best night offensively in our program," Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said. Forsythe scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Kamren James after taking two bases on the pickoff error, crossing the plate to hand the Bulldogs a comeback win in the midweek contest. The Bulldogs face Auburn from Thursday to Saturday in Starkville. |
| Lane Forsythe, Hunter Hines ignite Mississippi State toward dramatic midweek victory | |
| It appeared the rain was coming down on Dudy Noble Field just as Mississippi State's diminishing postseason hopes would take a major hit. Alabama-Birmingham was in town Tuesday night and State's losing streak was trending toward four. But Lane Forsythe had other plans. The sophomore shortstop, who entered the game hitting .224 on the season went 4-for-5, including a 10th inning single. He then advanced two bases on an errant pickoff attempt before scoring on a Kamren James sacrifice fly to give MSU a 6-5 win. The extra inning was made possible by another struggling Bulldog. Hunter Hines stepped up to the plate with his team down two and a runner on. He sent the ball the opposite way. It floated over the left field fence, giving Hines just his second home run since March 25. And it gave MSU a new sign of life, tying the game at five and sending the contest into extra innings. A massive weekend series with No. 17 Auburn looms. |
| 'It's his time to lead': McBath confident in Forbes taking next step for Mississippi State | |
| A smirk runs across Darcel McBath's face because even he, a former NFL safety, knows his words are a joke before they come out. "It's fun. It's easy. It's a piece of cake," McBath says of defending SEC receivers. Entering his third season coaching Mississippi State's corners, McBath can hardly hold back his laugh while saying that. Having watched his guys line up against 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound receivers who look like Georgia transfer Justin Robinson, McBath knows the magnitude of the task in front of his position group. "It's a challenge," McBath backtracks. "You've gotta give your guys tools, different tools, to battle these guys." He's fortunate with his corners to have a guy such as Emmanuel Forbes to make life without Martin Emerson easier. Emerson was a 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound player with speed who could effortlessly be tasked with defending the opposing teams' top receiver. Forbes is slimmer and a touch shorter, but it hasn't stopped him from developing as one of the SEC's top corners while under the wing of Emerson. Forbes has eight interceptions in his two seasons at Mississippi State -- three of which were returned for touchdowns his freshman season. He recorded 60 tackles last season, which was most among MSU's corners. Opposing teams have been forced to go his way, and Forbes has shined. |
| Men's Golf Claims Season-Best Finish at Mossy Oak Collegiate | |
| The Mississippi State men's golf team went out with a bang by wrapping up its regular season with a season-best finish of tied for 3rd at its home event, the Mossy Oak Collegiate. The Bulldogs posted an overall score of 854, 10-under, in the events of three rounds at the Mossy Oak Golf Course. This ties for best 54-hole score of the season for Mississippi State. With their third-place finish, State claimed victory over two top-20 nationally ranked teams. "I'm happy with the way we competed this week," head coach Dusty Smith said. "With nine holes to go, we had a good chance. We just didn't capitalize on the back nine like we are capable of. We need to continue to grow and learn from being in those positions. The elite teams handle being uncomfortable, and that is the main difference." "Really proud of Hunter [Logan] this week. He continues to get better and grow which is what our program is about. Now we head into the best time of year: championship season. We look forward to our next opportunity." The Bulldogs will now move into post-season tournament time with the SEC Championship beginning April 20 at St. Simons Island, Ga. |
| Bulldogs Set to Begin Postseason Play at SEC Championship | |
| The Mississippi State women's golf team kicks off postseason play this week when they travel to Hoover, Ala. to compete in the 2022 SEC Championship. The five-day event includes both stroke and match play at the Greystone Golf & Country Club, a par-72, 6,331-yard course. Teams will begin the event with traditional stroke play from Wednesday until Friday. The top eight teams will then advance to match play on Saturday and Sunday. The final round will be televised via the SEC Network. The No. 31 ranked Bulldogs will join a ranked field of fellow ranked opponents including No. 3 South Carolina, No. 8 Alabama, No. 11 Florida, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 16 LSU, No. 21 Auburn, No. 22 Ole Miss, No. 26 Kentucky, No. 27 Georgia, No. 37 Vanderbilt. Missouri and Tennessee round out the 14-team field. In the 2021 edition of the SEC Championship, Mississippi State advanced to the final round and secured the best performance in program history when they finished second. Four of the five starters from the 2021 lineup return to Hoover on Wednesday. Mississippi State will tee off at Hole 10 at approx. 8:20 AM paired up with No. 27 Georgia. |
| Ugly softball incident in Laurel is unfortunately a sign of the times | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: So this really happened Saturday night in Laurel at a softball game involving 12-year-old girls. A team from Hattiesburg played a team from Laurel in a United States Fastpitch Association (USFA) travel league softball tournament. The score does not matter. It will be forgotten in days, if not already. What happened will not be forgotten by those who witnessed the scene. This is from eyewitnesses: During the game, Kiara Thomas, the mother of one of the Hattiesburg players, persistently berated the umpires, using vulgar language. She was warned to stop. She did not. Finally, she was told to leave the premises. She left the stands but not before threatening umpire Kristi Moore of Ellisville, again using vulgar language. Thomas apparently never left the softball complex. The game ended. Thomas accosted Moore just after she had exited the field. "You got something to say to me, b----?" Thomas said. And then Thomas slugged her with what several witnesses described as "a sucker punch." Thomas, wearing a T-shirt that said "Mother of the Year," then left, but not before a witness followed her, took a cellphone photo of her license plate and called Laurel police. Thomas was stopped and arrested minutes later. She was charged with misdemeanor simple assault and bonded out at a cost of $425.25. An initial court date has been set for May 18. A preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday. ... Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. |
| On the fringes of the Ukraine war, he'll sell his LSU football tickets to help refugees | |
 | The night he arrived in Poland, Hewitt Strange and his business partner went to one of the train stations in Krakow. Refugees fleeing from the war in Ukraine gathered there every day as they looked for somewhere to go, and hundreds of them waited along the platforms. They were mostly women and children, their families fractured by the conflict back home. Trying to help people pouring out of the neighboring country, Strange and his associate, Mateusz Zguda, had rented a small hotel that closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Around 10 p.m. on March 10, they quickly found 44 people who needed a place to stay and led them to the property they reopened that day. With no food yet, Strange and Zguda went to a nearby grocery store. Strange, a 45-year-old LSU season-ticket holder, looked in the aisles for baby food. He used his phone to translate labels, hoping he bought what the weary mothers needed for their children. "My Polish is awful," Strange said. Strange has been there ever since, spending the past four weeks in a city two hours from the Ukrainian border to house and feed refugees displaced by the war. He works with Zguda and two women to help operate their Polish-chartered foundation, Zero Camps, which has arranged 74 beds between three buildings. They can shelter up to 120 people. |
| How Alabama softball has sold out Rhoads Stadium 12 games in 2022 to set attendance records | |
 | You might have heard "Rufio, Rufio, Roll Tide Roll," come across a pair of frayed, striped crimson and white overalls in the concourse at Rhoads Stadium or seen a pink sombrero flash above the Crimson's Tide dugout. You might be lucky enough to snag a general admission seat in the Brickyard outfield seating, or you might not get a ticket at all. That's the reality for coach Patrick Murphy's Alabama softball program: a chance to see the Crimson Tide in person is becoming increasingly more difficult. "It is a testament to the product Murphy has put on the field for decades. He has built a loyal fanbase," said Alabama super-fan Emily Pitek, who wears the overalls and sombrero. "The spirit of generosity is really the reason a great crowd keeps showing up each week." The Crimson Tide (33-6, 10-5 SEC) has played 18 games in 10 dates at home this season, including nine against ranked opponents. Of those, Rhoads Stadium has sold out 12 games, with several road games hitting capacity as well, including at UAB. The cancelled Sand Mountain Showdown in Albertville was also sold out. Alabama can add to its number of sellouts when it hosts Mississippi State for a three-game series beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday on SEC Network. The UA athletics department placed a student section behind centerfield this season. Rhoads Stadium officials have had to turn hundreds of students away each weekend, according to student booster leader Chad Murdock. "One thing Murphy emphasized to us before this season was his want for a student section," Murdock said. "The idea of students being turned away at the gate is a wonderful problem to have." |
| Darius Rucker announces concert at U. of South Carolina, keeps promise after women's basketball title win | |
 | Darius Rucker will make good on his promise to perform in Columbia after the Gamecock women's basketball team clinched the national title. The University of South Carolina alumnus will play a concert at Colonial Life Arena Sunday, April 24. Doors will open at 7 p.m. The concert will be free for USC system students, with tickets distributed first-come, first-served. Rucker proposed the show on Twitter after the Gamecocks cleared the NCAA tournament's semifinals. After the team secured the championship, Rucker responded to a tweet about his previous promise saying, "I'm in. Sooner the better!!!" In addition to the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman's concert, the Gamecock players will be honored with a parade down Main Street on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The parade will begin just above City Hall and end at the state Capitol, with local leaders offering remarks and other fanfare. Rucker played a free show for students the last time Dawn Staley's Gamecocks won the title, in 2017, and a parade was also held for that team. The South Carolina women's basketball team won the national championship 64-49 against the University of Connecticut earlier this month. |
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