Monday, June 6, 2022   
 
High costs, low prices stress Mississippi's dairy industry
Leaders with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service said high input costs and low milk prices have made it hard to be a dairy farmer anywhere in the U.S., but Mississippi producers have it harder than most. "Today, Mississippi has 55 dairy farms with an average herd size of 145, for a total of about 8,000 dairy cows in the state," Amanda Stone, dairy specialist with the MSU Extension Service, said. "That number has declined drastically in recent years. Just six years ago, there were 87 dairies in the state." Aside from problems associated with the high cost of maintaining a dairy herd and low market prices for milk, another issue is the aging population of dairy farmers. Another significant problem in the industry is receiving a lot more attention in recent years than ever before. Heat is an enemy of milk production, and Mississippi's long, hot summers make dairies difficult to maintain. A lot of work goes into keeping dairy cows comfortable so they continue to produce milk despite the heat. Mississippi does have some advantages: a long growing season for forage, excellent access to water and good grazing land for cattle. Not all parts of the country have these features. Mississippi's dairy industry produces a state average 6.2 gallons of milk per cow per day. That amount puts the state No. 42 nationally, a low ranking that has not changed much over the years, despite per-cow production rising. Josh Maples, Extension agricultural economist, said that at the national level, the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects the 2022 all-milk price will average $25.75 per hundredweight, up from the 2021 average of $18.53.
 
High costs and low prices stress state dairy industry
High input costs and low milk prices have made it hard to be a dairy farmer anywhere in the U.S., but Mississippi producers have it harder than most. Amanda Stone, dairy specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the number of dairy farms in the state continues to dwindle. "Today, Mississippi has 55 dairy farms with an average herd size of 145, for a total of about 8,000 dairy cows in the state," Stone said. "That number has declined drastically in recent years. Just six years ago, there were 87 dairies in the state." Another significant problem in the industry is receiving a lot more attention in recent years than ever before. "Mental health struggles and suicide are big issues in the dairy industry as a result of its tumultuous state over the last several years," Stone said. MSU scientists continue to support the dairy industry with research into pressing topics. Stone and MSU graduate student Kevin Braman are working to understand how sprinkler systems affect milk production and behavior in a pasture-based herd. Past research from Stone's lab has shown positive results with the pasture-based sprinkler system. Another project Stone is conducting with graduate student Michelle Fenstermaker is an effort to better understand how the mental health of dairy farmers, such as their anxiety, depression and compassion fatigue, affects their ability to perceive pain in their animals.
 
Juneteenth celebrations return to the Golden Triangle
In Columbus and Starkville, festivities, events and celebrations are in the works to observe Juneteenth. The annual Juneteenth Festival will return to Columbus with activities and entertainment for its 25th anniversary. Leroy Brooks, District 5 Lowndes County supervisor, and county Emergency Management Agency director Cindy Lawrence founded the festival 26 years ago with only a flatbed trailer and a DJ. The only break from the annual event came during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oktibbeha County residents will also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of Juneteenth events. The StarkVegas Juneteenth Committee for Unity has organized a five-day celebration June 16-20. Yulanda Haddix and Frank Nichols have led the event's organizing. Haddix said this is the largest Juneteenth celebration in the area to date. "We got together and said, 'What can we do to change this community and make sure we can bridge the gap and bring unity?'" Haddix said of the organizing committee. Attendees will have the chance to enjoy a variety of events and activities including a Sip and Paint, a Food Truck Festival, a Unity 5K Run/Walk, a gospel festival, a stage play and much more. There will also be youth focused events such as the Boys to Men Life Skills Academy. "It is the mission of the StarkVegas Juneteenth Committee for Unity to bring our community together to celebrate our common bond of freedom through the recognition, observance, education and historic preservation of Juneteenth in America," Haddix said, sharing the committee's mission statement.
 
Researchers criticize Senate plan to steer more NSF funding to 'have not' states
Top research universities in just a handful of U.S. states conduct the majority of research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), while institutions in half the country receive only crumbs. The U.S. Senate wants NSF to correct that longstanding geographic imbalance. But its solution -- to immediately allocate 20% of NSF's budget to what is currently a small program serving those have-not states -- is drawing fierce opposition from many universities and nearly 100 members of Congress. NSF's funding has been skewed toward a handful of states since it opened for business in 1950. Legislators representing rural areas have long complained that the agency was ignoring their states, and in 1979 NSF created EPSCoR to address their concerns. The Senate wants to dramatically boost geographic diversity by pumping money into EPSCoR. If the 20% mandate were in place now, for example, EPSCoR's budget would burgeon to about $1.75 billion. Proponents of the Senate plan, most of whom represent EPSCoR states, say it will result in a better use of NSF dollars. "If the United States is going to stay a step ahead of China, we need to promote the scientific talent, expertise, and capabilities found through America, not just in a handful of states and universities," says Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), the leading Senate advocate for the EPSCoR set-aside. He's also the top Republican among the 26 senators serving on the conference committee that is negotiating a final agreement with House lawmakers. Last fall, Wicker spearheaded a letter signed by 33 Senate colleagues and 26 House members, all from EPSCoR states, that argues for keeping the Senate language in the final bill. "The Senate language," Wicker says, will "ensure that institutions and researchers across the country receive a fair share of federal R&D funding."
 
Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Guest announce $17 million to improve eight Mississippi airports
On Thursday, U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), along with U.S. Representative Michael Guest (R-MS), announced the award of $17 million in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants to improve eight Mississippi airports. The eight third-round Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants include: George M. Bryan Airport, Starkville – $947,826 for runway extension. Senator Wicker said that continually improving aviation infrastructure is essential to maintaining the safety, capacity, and capability of airports in our state. "These investments in airports across Mississippi will help promote economic development, travel, and tourism jobs," Wicker said. "Air travel and shipping are critical components of Mississippi's economy to create robust centers of trade and growth," Congressman Guest said. "With these grants, Mississippi will be able to expand our critical air infrastructure systems to create an even more prosperous Mississippi." The AIP grants, which include entitlement and appropriated funds, represent the third round of funding for airfields in Mississippi.
 
Congressional elections in Mississippi are tomorrow, but district lines were redrawn this year
Voters in Mississippi are being encouraged to check their voter registration status to know what district they are in during tomorrow's primary election. State lawmakers adjusted congressional and state legislative districts this year following the release of 2020 census data. Secretary of State Michael Watson says some voting precincts may have also changed since the last election cycle. "So it's always key to make sure you're talking to your local election officials, not just about redistricting, but about everything," says Watson. "Mississippi is a bottom-up state. So our circuit clerks, elections commissioners are the real heroes who do the really hard work with elections. So making sure you're in touch with them, especially about redistricting when that happens to make sure you're in the proper precinct is very important." The largest change to the election maps is the Second Congressional District, which expanded southward due to population decline in the Delta. But lawmakers say that every district had to be adjusted to accommodate population shifts. Watson says this is a congressional election year, and there are also many local elections. "June 7, the polls will be open from 7 am to 7 pm," says Watson. "There's also a Levee Commissioner position in the Delta, so there's a handful of counties that will have that election. I encourage you to go to our website and check out our ballots there to see what's going to be on. So you can go and look, see what your ballot's going to look like. Be prepared again on election day to go vote."
 
President Biden nominates former mayor, legislator Bill Renick to TVA board
President Joe Biden on Friday announced he would nominate Bill Renick, a former state legislator and mayor of Ashland, to the Tennessee Valley Authority's Board of Directors. Renick told the Daily Journal that he's humbled to receive the nomination and, if confirmed, would advocate for clean energy, education and workforce development politics that benefit Mississippians. "With that background that I come from, I want to enhance what TVA does along the economic development and workforce development lines," Renick said. Brandon Presley, the utility regulator for north Mississippi, said in a statement that Renick knows the struggles that working families, senior citizens and business owners often face and that Biden's appointment was a "smart choice." "While we fought for two seats on the TVA board, Bill Renick's abilities, tenacity and work ethic will mean that Mississippi's voice will be heard loud and clear," Presley said. "I'm proud for my friend, Bill, and even prouder that such an upstanding man will be serving on the TVA board." Renick is currently the chairman of the commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi. He has also served as the workforce division director at Three Rivers Planning and Development District in Pontotoc.
 
Biden nominates Mississippian Bill Renick to TVA Board
Bill Renick, who is serving as the chair of the Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi, has been nominated to serve on the nine-member Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors by President Joe Biden. Renick's nomination was announced Friday afternoon. "This is an honor for someone from Ashland," Renick said. "TVA is such a major player in Mississippi, not just in electricity, but also in economic development, workforce training and education." TVA was created during the 1930s to, in part, help bring electricity to rural areas of seven states. In Mississippi, TVA sells electricity to municipalities and electric cooperatives encompassing almost one third of the state's population. TVA provides electricity in all or parts of 35 counties primarily in the northern part of the state, but stretching as far south as Rankin, Scott and Newton counties in central Mississippi. Renick would be the first Mississippian on the board since former Oxford Mayor Richard Howorth resigned from the board in August 2020. Renick will face Senate confirmation. Renick's nomination for the post by the Democratic president was praised Friday by both of Mississippi's Republican senators, Sen. Roger Wicker of Tupelo and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven.
 
Mississippi Senators urge Biden to reverse stance on pesticides
Both Mississippi Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are joining their colleagues in defense of the use of products designed to protect crops. This came about after the U. S. Solicitor General urged the Supreme Court to not hear a case about the safe implementation of various herbicides and pesticides. One of the herbicides specifically mentioned is glyphosate, which is used on approximately 40 percent of acres and enables the growth of roughly $50 billion in crops annually. Glyphosate was recently a topic of controversy as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit voted in affirmation of the initial ruling in Hardeman v Monsanto. The conclusion was that the widely used weed killer, Roundup, which contains glyphosate, caused cancer. Citing 40 years of data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and similar entities, the Senators note that the administration is undermining science. Furthermore, in a letter to President Joe Biden, the Senators express their disdain for the way the Biden administration has limited access to crop protection tools for farmers, even at a time of record inflation. Other federal agencies were also referenced.
 
Doctor named in abortion case has nothing to do with lawsuit
Dr. Thomas Dobbs has never gotten involved in political fights over reproductive health, but his name has become shorthand for a legal case that could end abortion rights in the United States. If he has feelings about the situation, he pretty much keeps those to himself. Mississippi's top public health official is named in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a dispute over a state law that would ban most abortions after the 15th week but that could be used to overturn Roe v. Wade. A leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion shows a conservative majority of justices are ready to use the case to topple the court's landmark 1973 ruling that established abortion rights nationwide. Dobbs, 52, is a physician in charge of the state health department, which regulates Mississippi's only abortion clinic. As the state's chief health officer, he is the person who must be named in any lawsuit related to abortion or other health issues, he explained recently in a post on Twitter. So, while the name at the center of the abortion debate could eventually change from "Roe" to "Dobbs," it is not the health officer but the state attorney general's office that is handling the state's case. “I had no direct involvement in any component of this legal action,” he wrote in the post. Liz Sharlot, communications director for the state health department, confirmed Dobbs’ strictly nominal role and denied a request from The Associated Press to interview him because, she said, he “did not personally initiate this case.” “The Mississippi State Department of Health’s only role regarding abortion facilities is the regulations to support the law, the inspection and the licensing of that facility,” Sharlot wrote in an email.
 
Reeves proposes a 'new pro-life agenda' -- but offers few details
In an op-ed titled "The New Pro-Life Agenda," Gov. Tate Reeves wrote that the pro-life movement must be more than anti-abortion -- but he offered few specifics about plans to improve the lives of mothers and babies in Mississippi, which ranks last in the country in most indicators of child well-being. Reeves said in the op-ed published Thursday that Missisisppi will "strengthen our social services infrastructure" and "build grant programs" for expectant mothers following the likely end to legal abortion in Mississippi. Mississippi has the highest infant mortality rate in the country and the country's highest rate of children living in poverty. And in 2020, the state recorded the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reeves' office did not respond to questions from Mississippi Today about how much money his administration would invest in those programs and whether the governor would support extending postpartum Medicaid coverage for new moms -- a measure that died in the Legislature this year. About 60% of pregnant women in Mississippi are on Medicaid. The opinion piece was published in the Washington Stand, a news outlet run by the Family Research Council, a conservative evangelical organization that opposes abortion and LGBTQ rights.
 
AP-NORC poll details rift between lay Catholics and bishops
The hardline stances of many conservative Catholic bishops in the U.S. are not shared by a majority of lay Catholics. Most of them say abortion should be legal, favor greater inclusion of LGBT people, and oppose the denial of Communion for politicians who support abortion rights, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll, conducted in mid-May, shows a clear gap between the prevalent views of American Catholics, and some recent high-profile actions taken by the church's leaders. For example, leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently called on Catholics nationwide to pray for the U.S. Supreme Court to end the constitutional right to abortion by reversing its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. According to the new poll, 63% of Catholic adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and 68% say Roe should be left as is. On May 20, the archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, announced that he will no longer allow U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to receive Communion because of her support for abortion rights. According to the poll, only 31% of lay Catholics agree that politicians supporting abortion rights should be denied Communion, while 66% say they should be allowed access to the sacrament. Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, said the rift between rank-and-file Catholics and the bishops “reveals a breakdown in communication and trust -- shepherds who are far removed from the sheep.” “This is a precarious time for the U.S. Catholic church,” she added in an email.
 
Inflation, Political Division Put U.S. in a Pessimistic Mood, Poll Finds
Americans are deeply pessimistic about the U.S. economy and view the nation as sharply divided over its most important values, according to a new Wall Street Journal-NORC Poll. The findings are from a Journal survey conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization that measures social attitudes. The survey found Americans in a sour mood and registering some of the highest levels of economic dissatisfaction in years. The pessimism extended beyond the current economy to include doubts about the nation's political system, its role as a global leader and its ability to help most people achieve the American dream. Some 83% of respondents described the state of the economy as poor or not so good. More than one-third, or 35%, said they aren't satisfied at all with their financial situation. That was the highest level of dissatisfaction since NORC began asking the question every few years starting in 1972 as part of the General Social Survey, though the poll's 4-point margin of error means that new figures may not differ significantly from prior high and low points. The survey results show that high inflation in particular is driving the dim economic outlook, said Jennifer Benz, vice president of public affairs and media research at NORC. More broadly, the survey reveals a despondent view of national unity and partisan splits over cultural issues, suggesting that a connective tissue of pessimism underlies Americans' economic and social attitudes.
 
Jan. 6 panel seeks to break through with primetime programming
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is preparing for a crucial week as it prepares to finally share with the public the fruits of its monthslong investigation into the riot in primetime on Thursday. The 8 p.m. hearing kicking off a series of meetings shows the committee is eager to reach a broad segment of Americans and relay the extent to which democracy itself was at stake that day. "The goal here is to construct this narrative," said Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow in governance studies with Brookings. "What they want to do is go through the countless depositions that they've taken and other evidence that they gathered and figure out a way to try and convey a story to the public." The challenge is making a captivating case for a wide audience, particularly those who feel they already know what happened that day or who are ready to move on from the attack. According to polling from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the country is nearly evenly divided on how much it wants to reflect on the day. While 52 percent said it's important to learn more about what happened, 48 percent said it was "time to move on." The divide is almost entirely partisan. Jesse Rhodes, a political science professor who helped craft the UMass poll, said even with the sharp partisan divide, there are those who don't have strong feelings about the attack. The committee has not yet announced who will testify at the first hearing, but it has pledged to release never before seen footage from Jan. 6.
 
An infamous day. A search for answers. Will America tune in?
Americans are processing the nightmare of the slaughter of children in Texas, the racist murders in Buffalo, New York, and the other numbingly repeated scenes of carnage in the United States. They're contending with what feels like highway robbery at the gas pump, they're nagged by a virus that the world can't shake, and they're split into two hostile camps over politics and culture -- the twin pillars of the nation's foundation. They've already been through two set-piece dramas of presidential impeachment -- indeed, through the wringer on all things Donald Trump. Now, beginning in prime time on Thursday, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is setting out to establish the historical record of an event damaging not only to a community or individual families but to the collective idea of democracy itself. After more than 100 subpoenas, 1,000 interviews and 100,000 documents, the committee has a story to tell in hearings that open this week. A story for the ages, it's been said. The open question: How much will the country care?
 
Senators say gun deal is within reach, but without Biden's wish list
Key senators said Sunday there is growing momentum to forge a bipartisan congressional response to recent mass shootings that could toughen federal gun laws for the first time in a generation. But a deal is not yet in hand, they warned, and the delicate talks are expected to continue for several more days as negotiators seek to garner enough Republican support to get a compromise bill through the Senate. Should an agreement come together, it is certain to fall well short of the parameters that President Biden laid out in a White House address on Thursday, when he called for renewing the federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, as well as significantly expanding federal background checks for gun buyers and removing the firearms industry's immunity from lawsuits. But a proposal that would encourage states to set up red-flag laws that would allow authorities to keep guns away from people thought to be a threat to their communities or themselves remains under keen discussion, as do measures tackling school security and mental health, according to people involved in the discussions. The negotiators -- and Democratic leaders -- have seized on a growing sense of national outrage following the May 14 attack that took 10 lives at a Buffalo supermarket and the May 24 massacre of 19 children and two teachers inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex. Other shootings with multiple victims have followed, including incidents in Tulsa; Ames, Iowa; and overnight Saturday in Philadelphia and Chattanooga, Tenn. By one measure, there have already been more than 200 mass shootings in 2022.
 
Summit of the Americas opens in L.A. as U.S. grapples with deteriorating relations and influence
It was the early 1990s, and the Western world seemed full of promise. The Soviet Union had collapsed, and the Cold War that had gripped and shaped global politics for decades was over. So were many of the wars in Central America and some of the most intractable and brutal military dictatorships in South America, from Argentina and Chile to Brazil. Then-President Clinton seized on the moment and the Summit of the Americas was born, with the inaugural event held in Miami in 1994. All of the countries of the Western Hemisphere except Cuba joined to debate trade, prosperity, immigration and democracy. And every one of the governments involved had been democratically elected, a sign of major progress. Now, as the U.S. prepares to host the summit in Los Angeles this week, the first time the event has been hosted in this country since 1994, many of those involved with the inaugural effort are wondering what happened to the spirit of collaboration, and why division and acrimony have come to overshadow the joint effort. And an even more existential question remains: Has this type of summit outlived its usefulness? "It was a good moment," Mack McLarty, Clinton's special representative to the Summit of the Americas, said in an interview, recalling the events of 1994. "Cooperation, trust and relationship were truly there. It was a rising tide." McLarty said he holds out hope that President Biden's administration can "set up a bridge" to reengage with other countries in the region. But many believe the window that opened nearly 30 years ago has for the most part closed. Progress from what was seen as a watershed moment in 1994 was unraveling before the decade was out.
 
Joy, sadness intertwine at Normandy's D-Day commemorations
Joy and sadness in acute doses poured out Monday on the beaches of Normandy. As several dozen D-Day veterans -- now all in their 90s -- set foot on the sands that claimed so many colleagues, they are thankful for the gratitude and friendliness of the French toward those who landed here on June 6, 1944. The sadness comes as they think of their fallen comrades and of another battle now being waged in Europe: the war in Ukraine. As a bright sun rose Monday over the wide band of sand at Omaha Beach, U.S. D-Day veteran Charles Shay expressed thoughts for his comrades who died here 78 years ago. "I have never forgotten them and I know that their spirits are here," he told The Associated Press. The 98-year-old Penobscot Native American from Indian Island, Maine, took part in a sage-burning ceremony near the beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. Shay, who now lives in Normandy, was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic when he landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. He said he was especially sad to see war in Europe once again, so many years later. "Ukraine is a very sad situation. I feel sorry for the people there and I don't know why this war had to come, but I think the human beings like to, I think they like to fight. I don't know," he said. "In 1944, I landed on these beaches and we thought we'd bring peace to the world. But it's not possible." Several thousand people attended a ceremony at the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach in the French town of Colleville-sur-Mer. They applauded more than 20 WWII veterans who were present at the commemoration.
 
Mississippi governor's school returns to MUW campus
The Mississippi Governor's School returns to the Mississippi University for Women Campus. 52 scholars from 36 school districts in the state of Mississippi will participate in the tuition-free residential honors program. Since its establishment, the program has provided nearly 3,500 students across the state with a high-quality educational experience. And the theme for this year's event is Creating a Culture of Belonging. Board members says one feature that distinguishes the governor's school model from traditional models of learning is the emphasis on the interaction between formal and informal learning. On June 11th , the school will partner with the Dream Center Golden Triangle crew for service day.
 
Leading surgeon credits Ole Miss for success and hopes to help others succeed
Dr. Marc E. Walker, a plastic surgeon and Mississippi's only pediatric and congenital hand surgeon, is the founder and clinical director of the Congenital Hand Clinic at Children's of Mississippi, the pediatric hospital at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Walker's road to success is impressive: after graduating summa cum laude and Phi Kappa Phi in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of Mississippi, he earned his MBA and M.D. from Harvard University. He then completed his residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery as well as fellowship training in hand and microsurgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital. "If it weren't for the generosity of donors before us, my college experience would have been very different," said Walker, a Carrier Scholar and student in the university's Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. "Without the additional worry of navigating financial hardship, I was able to focus on my education and pursue my dreams of becoming a surgeon." He and his wife, Dr. Caroline Aldridge Walker, cardiac anesthesiology and director of structural heart anesthesiology at UMMC, want to support his alma mater by establishing the Walker Family Endowment with a $150,000 gift. The couple's gift, established to provide scholarships for Honors College students, also honors former Dean Douglass Sullivan-González.
 
How LSU researchers are helping NASA build rockets cheaper, faster
It takes a huge amount of time and money for NASA to build a rocket. But research by two LSU professors and their graduate students helps make the process faster, cheaper and more efficient. The team, led by Professors Shengmin Guo and Michael Khonsari, is helping NASA get better data for use in "additive manufacturing," a process that uses high tech powders, lasers and 3-D printers to assemble parts in layers. Additive manufacturing allows NASA to create parts for half the cost in some cases -- and do it 2 to 10 times faster, the researchers say. But rocket parts are extremely complex and have to be built to rigorous -- and extremely precise -- standards. The materials have to be able to withstand massive, rapid changes in pressure and temperature. That means a great deal of testing and data collection is necessary. "Someone needs to characterize the behavior of the material properties and these chambers always undergo fluctuations in pressure and temperature," Khonsari said. "After you understand the nature of these properties as they change with temperature, then one has to ask how they will stand any type of a fatigue that will occur." Guo said the data he and Khonsari provided NASA had the rocket-builders coming back for more.
 
Fewer Tennessee high school graduates are choosing college
Tennessee higher education officials, like their counterparts across the country, are grappling with declining enrollment at colleges throughout the state. But a precipitous drop in high school graduates enrolling in college -- the lowest numbers seen in a decade -- has raised alarm bells and prompted state officials to double down on efforts to slow the decline and attract more students. The officials are also trying to figure out what's driving a troubling new trend line -- first-time enrollment by high school grads are falling despite several programs in place that previously helped increase enrollment. "I think everybody has the same questions, and everybody is still working on answers," Linda Martin, the University of Tennessee system's vice president for academic affairs and student success, said of national enrollment declines. According to a new report by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) released May 23, "College Going and the Class of 2021," the percentage of Tennessee public high school graduates attending college in the fall semester following their graduation fell from 56.8 percent to 52.8 percent. It was the lowest college enrollment rate since the commission began tracking the numbers in 2011. The rate also dropped sharply in 2020, from 61.8 percent in 2019, a decline that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Emily House, executive director of the commission, said she was not surprised by the decline in the enrollment rate but it was nonetheless "a shock to the system of higher education." "It's definitely not unique to Tennessee. It's going to take Tennessee and the nation a long time to overcome this," she said. "It's very much a call to action."
 
Tennessee governor signs bill repealing student conduct policies at two state universities
Last month, Tennessee struck an important victory for the rights of students at two public universities in the state. Senate Bill 1748 repealed rules that encroached on student due process rights at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Austin Peay State University. Tennessee's state universities, like other state agencies in Tennessee, publish their rules and regulations in the Tennessee Administrative Code. While this arrangement is somewhat rare for public universities elsewhere in America, it allows Tennessee's legislature and governor to enact bills that repeal specific rules promulgated by public universities. Here, SB 1748 repeals the preamble to the Student Code of Conduct at UT Knoxville and a sexual misconduct policy at Austin Peay, both of which threatened student rights. At UT Knoxville, the preamble to the student code of conduct introduces the core values the university seeks to uphold and basic expectations of students. Most of its language was innocuous enough, but one provision was particularly concerning. It declares that the "student conduct process resolves allegations of misconduct and is an educational process designed to promote learning and development."
 
Draft legislation shows DeSantis plan to control higher ed
Public higher education in Florida has come under fire in a variety of ways in recent years. The state Legislature has restricted the teaching of certain controversial topics, administered political litmus tests to faculty and subjected professors to additional posttenure scrutiny. Universities themselves have clamped down on faculty free speech to comply with state laws. But documents show the worst may be yet to come. Recently uncovered draft legislation from Florida's spring legislative session reveals plans to consolidate power in state boards run by Governor Ron DeSantis's political appointees, to make colleges more reliant on money controlled by the state Legislature, to impose restrictions on what can be taught in Florida's colleges and universities, and to strip university presidents of certain hiring powers. The Florida draft legislation was first reported by Jason Garcia, an independent journalist who uncovered the plans as the result of public record requests seeking communications between DeSantis and state lawmakers from the legislative session, which ran from January to March. Though none of the major proposals materialized during the session, the documents offer a stark picture of how Florida lawmakers envision fundamentally reshaping public higher education in the state. Critics of the proposals warn that the plan threatens academic freedom and institutional autonomy for Florida's state universities. Some see it as a dire warning of what's on the legislative horizon. The draft legislation proposes giving more authority to the Board of Governors to investigate university presidents, veto proposed budgets and fire individual employees. It also seeks to limit the ability of the board to delegate administrative powers.
 
Kyle Rittenhouse says he's attending Texas A&M
Texas A&M released a statement on Kyle Rittenhouse's announcement Friday that he wants to attend the university. "He has not been admitted as a student this fall," said Kelly Brown, who is Associate Vice President of Marketing & Communications with the university. Rittenhouse announced Friday he will be attending Texas A&M University on the Charlie Kirk Show. Rittenhouse said he had made the decision after touring the college campus earlier this year and told Kirk going to the university would be an "amazing" experience. Rittenhouse had been attending Arizona State University, but withdrew after he was acquitted in November of 2021 of homicide, attempted homicide and reckless endangering after killing two men and wounding a third during the Kenosha protests in the summer of 2020. Rittenhouse said he acted in self-defense. During the show Friday, Kirk asked Rittenhouse about the trial and said he thought Rittenhouse had to prove his innocence, rather than being innocent before proven guilty. As for what Rittenhouse will study at A&M, he said he hasn't made a decision on a major yet.
 
U. of Memphis to add $2.5M to finish Leftwich courts, moves on research, Park Ave. expansions
With sights set on research and growth, the University of Memphis is forging ahead with campus projects to increase research space and student housing while addressing maintenance on older buildings. Campus building proposals and projects moved forward with the board's unanimous support at the June quarterly meeting: A five-year capital plan prioritizing more research space, a funding plan for building new student housing for athletes on Park Avenue and an approval of $2.5 million in additional funds to push the Leftwich Tennis Center project with the City of Memphis to the finish line. Most of the projects have been outlined in the updated campus master plan, created in collaboration with SmithGroup and debuted last spring. At the top of the list is a $39 million renovation of existing lab spaces, University of Memphis officials explained in a Wednesday meeting. That would modernize nearly 90,000 square feet of building space, or a little more than half of all research space at the university, said Tony Poteet, U of M's campus planning officer. The project, he said, could also convert existing space to research space. In all, about 3% of space at the U of M is dedicated to research, and more will be needed to keep the designation of a top research university, President Bill Hardgrave told trustees.
 
Amid String of High-Profile Shootings, 2 Iowa State Students Are Victims
Two women who were killed Thursday night in a widely reported shooting outside a church in Ames, Iowa, were identified on Friday as students at Iowa State University. The students were Eden Montang, a senior in the College of Human Sciences, and Vivian Flores, a junior in the College of Agriculture, according to a statement from the university president's office. The women were attending a Bible study hosted off campus by a college ministry. The Story County sheriff said in a news conference Friday that the shooting was a "targeted act of violence" following a "domestic situation" between the shooter and Montang. The man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. Less than a week ago, the man was arrested and charged with harassment and impersonating a public official, the sheriff said, and both charges were related to Montang. More than 80 university and high-school students were in the auditorium of the church when the shots were fired in the parking lot, the sheriff said. The deaths follow a series of mass shootings in recent weeks across the U.S., including one in a Uvalde, Tex., elementary school that left 19 students and two teachers dead. The Iowa shooting appeared to be an example of intimate-partner violence, a common and sometimes poorly understood phenomenon that can go undetected on college campuses.
 
Historically Black school enrollment is rising, propelled by the Black Lives Matter movement
Freshman Travyonna Jefferson is sitting on the quad of Morgan State University in Baltimore. It's the lead up to finals, and Jefferson is studying political science. She came to Morgan because it offered her plenty of financial aid, and because it's a historically Black school. "I do like being surrounded by Black people. We all relate. I love it," Jefferson said. "It brings more comfort and a bit more security. Yeah, I feel safer here." Jefferson did consider other schools, including predominately white institutions, or PWIs. "What goes on here is you're around a bunch of people who grew up similar as you. You guys relate to a lot of the same stuff. As opposed to going to a PWI, if you say something, they're going to be like, 'What are you talking about?'" Jefferson said. Morgan State is one of the 100 or so historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, in this country. Many were established in the years following the Civil War to educate Black men and women who were not welcome at places that educated white people. Now, a number of those schools are seeing increased enrollment, propelled in part by the Black Lives Matter movement. Morgan State is one of them: Its freshman class nearly doubled last fall from the previous year. Keisha Campbell, who directs enrollment services at Morgan, points out that a lot of HBCUs have a history of social activism. The school posted a sign on campus that says: "Morgan State University: Where Black Lives Have Always Mattered."
 
Congress Should Scrutinize Higher Ed's Use of Predictive Analytics, Watchdog Says
They're the invisible infrastructure that colleges and universities rely on to target prospective students for recruitment, to build financial-aid offers, and to monitor student behavior. Now, a new report from the Government Accountability Office is urging Congress to probe how higher education uses these consumer scores, algorithms, and other big-data products, and to consider who stands to benefit most from their use -- students or institutions? The GAO also encouraged Congress to consider bolstering disclosure requirements and other consumer protections relevant to such scores. "Among the issues that should be considered are the rights of consumers to view and correct data used in the creation of scores and to be informed of scores' uses and potential effects," the office recommended. Predictive analytics have been heralded as a means to improve many facets of higher education, like bolstering retention and more equitably apportioning institutional aid, but they are not without their detractors. Concerns for student privacy abound. And critics worry poorly designed or understood models can embed and automate discriminatory behavior across an institution's operations. "Colleges were often not aware of the data and methods used to create scores used in marketing, recruiting, and sometimes determining financial-aid amounts for students," the GAO wrote in its report, summarizing an exchange the agency had with one industry expert, and describing higher ed's uses of predictive analytics that most concerned the office.
 
West Point expected to be ordered to take down portrait of Robert E. Lee
For 70 years, the slave-owning Confederate general Robert E. Lee has stared down at West Point cadets from a massive portrait in the academy's library, a slave guiding his horse in the background. But that portrait could be coming down. The commission that was established to rename military bases that honor Confederate generals is expected to recommend that West Point remove the 20-foot portrait of Lee in his gray Confederate uniform, according to two people familiar with the group's deliberations. The commander of the Confederate Army, who served as superintendent from Sept. 1, 1852, to March 31, 1855, before breaking up with the Union, has a long and complicated history with West Point. His name and likeness are all over the New York campus, from street signs to another portrait hanging in the dining hall. But the portrait in the library has drawn particular scrutiny. Other depictions of Lee as superintendent, before the Civil War, are more of a gray area. One portrait, gifted to the academy by the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1931 and displayed in the dining hall, depicts Lee in his blue U.S. military uniform. What to do with the depictions of Lee at West Point is just one of many questions the commission is grappling with in the coming months. The eight-member group is charged with reviewing a long list of Defense Department "assets" that commemorate the Confederate States of America, including 10 honoring Lee at West Point alone.
 
Free-speech group will spend millions to promote First Amendment cases
An advocacy group that has spent more than two decades fighting for free expression on college campuses is broadening its efforts to fight so-called cancel culture and other perceived threats to free speech across American society. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is renaming itself the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and keeping the "FIRE" acronym as it launches a drive to promote greater acceptance of a diversity of views in the workplace, pop culture and elsewhere. Part of the push may challenge the American Civil Liberties Union's primacy as a defender of free speech. "To say the least, we have not solved the campus free-speech problem, but we started to realize if we wanted to save free speech on campus we have to start earlier and we have to do things not on campus," the group's president, Greg Lukianoff, said. Lukianoff said FIRE has raised $28.5 million for a planned three-year, $75 million litigation, opinion research and public education campaign aimed at boosting and solidifying support for free-speech values. "There's a very strong belief in not just the First Amendment, but a culture of freedom of speech that -- black or white, liberal or conservative -- that most Americans think you should be entitled to your own opinion and not have to lose your job over that," Lukianoff said. "The voices that think of free speech as a dirty word on campus or on Twitter are actually a pretty small minority." FIRE's new expansion is also a challenge of sorts to the ACLU, which has faced criticism in recent years for drifting from its unapologetically pro-free-speech roots and taking a more direct role in partisan political fights.
 
Wicker says leak could harm Supreme Court, but scoffs at Clarence Thomas' possible conflicts of interest
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Tupelo Republican, believes the leak of the draft U.S. Supreme Court decision revoking a nationwide right to an abortion is "an attack on a key institution" and "threatens (the) independence of the Court." But by Wicker's estimation, the alleged conflict of interest created by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ruling on cases involving his wife Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist and election denier, is no big deal and does nothing to hurt the Supreme Court. "I'm not concerned about Justice Thomas and I disagree that there are apparent conflicts as you assert. His service to date has been beyond reproach," Wicker said in response to a question from Mississippi Today. The senior senator from Mississippi went on to add, "Mrs. Ginni Thomas is a free American entitled to her own views. She does not surrender her rights based on who her husband is." No one, of course, is questioning Ginni Thomas' right to have a personal or public life of her own. What is at issue is whether Clarence Thomas, as one of the nation's nine most powerful members of the judiciary, should be ruling on issues surrounding his wife's public life.


SPORTS
 
MSU Communications Claims Eight CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest Awards
Mississippi State's athletic communications department won eight honors in the 2021-22 Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest sponsored by CoSIDA. Headlining the list was senior writer Joel Coleman's national winner in event coverage, "OmaGoodness," which recapped the Bulldog baseball team's incredible comeback against Virginia in the second round of the 2021 College World Series. The piece was also the Region 6 winner in event coverage. Associate director Brian Ogden was the regional runner-up to Coleman in the category for his recap of the softball team's win last season against Georgia that saw Mia Davidson break the MSU baseball and softball career home run record. Mississippi State competes in Region 6 which includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. All submissions must have been published during the 2021 calendar year and contestants were limited to one entry per category. A total of 387 entries were submitted in the 2021-22 contest. Each category was first judged on the regional level, with the winners then advancing to national consideration. Coleman also took home regional wins in the general feature, season preview or recap and coach profile categories.
 
High standards helped Mississippi State runner Navasky Anderson clinch spot at NCAA outdoor championships
Navasky Anderson's wait ended in disappointment. Finishing fifth in the first heat of the 800-meter quarterfinals at the 2021 NCAA East prelims in Jacksonville, the Mississippi State runner had to watch the other heats if he'd qualify for national championships. Ultimately, though, his time of 1 minute, 49.58 seconds wasn't good enough. In an event where the top 12 runners advance, Anderson finished 15th, missing the cut by 0.47 seconds. (MSU teammate Leon Clarke suffered even more heartbreak, finishing 13th -- just 0.06 seconds off 12th). Coming so close drove Anderson, a redshirt junior from Kingston, Jamaica, to make sure his 2022 outdoor track season would come with no regrets. "I used that same determination and energy I had last year," Anderson said. "I tripled that. I came back this year and told myself, 'Listen, I have to be No. 1 this year.'" Anderson still has a chance. He powered his way to second in East prelims in Bloomington, Indiana, booking a hard-earned ticket to this year's outdoor nationals. Anderson is one of four Bulldogs competing from Wednesday to Saturday in Eugene, Oregon. "To be honest, it feels like all the hard work I've been putting in is really paying off right now," he said. Anderson posted a time of 1:47.83 in the May 28 quarterfinal after a 1:49.99 in the first round. He'll compete in the semifinals of the 800 at 8:14 p.m. Wednesday; the final will be contested at 9:14 p.m. Friday.
 
Mississippi State long jumper Cameron Crump excited for another shot at NCAA outdoor championships
Cameron Crump can't get the race out of his mind. It doesn't matter that it was three years ago. That Crump was a freshman doing his best to compete in the SEC. "I think about that to this day still," the Mississippi State redshirt junior admitted. Back in 2019, Crump was the anchor of a 4×400 relay that posted the Bulldogs' fastest time of the year at NCAA East prelims: 3 minutes, 7.31 seconds. It wasn't enough. MSU missed out on advancing to national championships by a mere five milliseconds, leaving Crump and his teammates disappointed. Head coach Chris Woods reassured Crump, reminding him he'd put up a great run for a freshman and would only improve, but it was hard to swallow. "I did get better, but I always think about that moment," Crump said. "What if I would have given just a little more effort and leaned across the line? We would have been there." It was a moment that has motivated Crump throughout an excellent career at MSU, and the Tate County native isn't done yet. Crump qualified for outdoor nationals in the long jump last year and did the same this year, hoping to improve on a performance he said was not his best. Crump finished 13th in the 2021 event but can atone for it at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon.
 
ESPN to air documentary on Mississippi State's national championship
Mississippi State fans will be able to re-live the 2021 College World Series title through an upcoming ESPN documentary. Set to air at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14 on the SEC Network, the film entitled Banner Year: The Story of Mississippi State's First National Title gives viewers an inside look into the university's first national championship in a total of 999 seasons of team sports. Featured in the documentary will be legends across multiple Mississippi State sports, talking about what the championship means to not only the school but the city of Starkville as a whole.
 
Monday's LSU-Southern Miss winner will be host in super regionals
The stakes for Monday's winner-take-all final between LSU and Southern Miss in the NCAA Hattiesburg regional got even bigger Sunday night. Because Miami was eliminated from its home regional in Coral Gables, Florida, the LSU-USM winner will now get to be a super regional host. The best-of-three super regional round is the last step before the College World Series. Miami, the No. 6 national seed, lost twice Sunday, 2-1 to Ole Miss and 4-3 to Arizona. The Rebels are the No. 3 seed in the Coral Gables regional, and Arizona is the No. 2. LSU baseball spokesperson Bill Franques said the Tigers would get to host a super regional if they win because they are a higher-rated No. 2 regional seed than Arizona. Because USM is the No. 11 national seed, LSU (40-21) is in effect the No. 22 national seed, based on the S-curve (highest seed meets lowest seed, second-highest meets second-lowest, and so on). If USM (46-17) wins, it would host because it would be the only national seed still alive in the paring. Ole Miss is 2-0 in the Coral Gables regional. Arizona (2-1) has to defeat Ole Miss twice Monday to advance. The Hattiesburg regional final is set for 3 p.m. Monday. LSU is the designated home team.
 
SEC approves future schedules for basketball, not football
The Southeastern Conference approved future regular-season schedules and postseason formats for six sports -- just not football -- to conclude its annual league meetings Friday. SEC presidents and chancellors reached an agreement on schedules for men's basketball, women's basketball, soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis and softball to accommodate the addition of Oklahoma and Texas beginning in the 2025-26 athletic year. Future schedules and championship formats in all other SEC sports remain under discussion and will be announced at a later date. Football scheduling was a main topic of conversation at the league meetings, with coaches and athletic directors discussing the pros and cons of switching to a nine-game conference schedule and doing away with East and West divisions. The conversation was tabled, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said any movement on the future format could come in late summer or mid-fall. Men's basketball teams will play 18 conference games: two permanent opponents home and away, one rotating opponent home and away, plus 12 remaining teams in single contests either home or away. The SEC men's basketball tournament will include all 16 teams competing in a single-elimination format. The top four seeds will continue to receive a bye through the first two rounds.
 
No decisions on SEC football schedule after expansion at spring meetings. What's next?
A common line that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey used throughout spring meetings this week was, "We'll see." He met with reporters on three different days over the course of the week at the Hilton Sandestin and was usually asked for updates about the future of SEC football scheduling. 'We'll see," was his answer then, and it was his answer on Friday after the meetings had come to a close. Plenty of discussion was had among SEC football coaches, athletics directors, presidents and chancellors, but no decision was made about the future of SEC football scheduling. One must be made at some point to adjust scheduling with Oklahoma and Texas set to join the conference in 2025, but the time for a decision was not this week. "Narrowed it down really to a couple options," Sankey said. "You never know what could emerge as we dig deeper." The focus right now remains on either an eight or nine conference-game schedule with a single-division structure. That would be a change from the current structure of two divisions with eight conference games. Sankey said the next step is work on answering some questions that were raised and seeking clarity on matters over the summer. "Look toward late-summer, maybe mid-fall for outcomes," Sankey said. But the commissioner noted the timeline is not his. Instead, it's up to the institutions and their needs for future scheduling. Texas and Oklahoma have been included in the conversation, but they are not voting members right now. "So we will continue that research and that analysis and that discussion," Sankey said.
 
SEC approves new basketball schedule, tournament structure for 16-team expansion
SEC sports fans held their breath this week, anticipating a 16-team expansion schedule to be finalized and revealed at the league's spring meetings. University presidents and chancellors did just that: for basketball. While the future football template remains in limbo, the SEC has unveiled its plan for men's basketball scheduling once Oklahoma and Texas join the conference. Teams will play home and away against two permanent opponents; home and away against one other opponent that rotates annually; and the remaining 12 opponents once per season, alternating between home and away. That amounts to 18 conference games, rather than the 20-game idea that has been floated and was discussed this week, according to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. "Eighteen allows a pretty effective rotation," Sankey said. "A lot of comfort with that. The ability to have nonconference games scheduled, which we still believe are valuable." The SEC Tournament will add two first-round games and continue to provide the top four seeds with a two-round bye to the quarterfinals. Sankey said Wednesday that men's basketball coaches have asked about moving the conference championship game from Selection Sunday to the day before, but if that happens, it will not be a quick fix, according to the commissioner.
 
SEC has deal in place to keep baseball tournament in Hoover
The SEC has reached an agreement in principle for the SEC baseball tournament to remain in Hoover for the next two years, according to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. Sankey said Friday at the annual SEC spring meetings in Destin that the conference hoped to have the deal finalized soon. The deal will keep the SEC baseball tournament at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium until at least 2024 once it is finalized with the city. The SEC has played its baseball tournament in Hoover since 1998 though multiple other cities have made bids over the years to host the popular event. Nashville, New Orleans, Memphis and Jacksonville all bid in 2016 to land the SEC baseball tournament but the league decided to keep it in Hoover. Tennessee defeated Florida in the 2022 SEC baseball tournament championship game in front of a crowd of 13,270 people.
 
Steve Spurrier has solutions for college football's NIL, College Football Playoff conundrums
Steve Spurrier hasn't coached in a college football game since 2015, but the "Head Ball Coach" still has strong feelings about the sport where he found success at three schools. Spurrier, who coached at Duke, Florida and South Carolina, was among the game's most colorful characters as well as an innovator with his "Fun-N-Gun" offense. But he didn't think he'd enjoy coaching college football today as much as he used to. Prior to receiving the AutoZone Liberty Bowl's Distinguished Citizen Award on Sunday, Spurrier said he supported players receiving name, image and likeness deals but favored a different approach to what's in play now. "I don't like the idea of buying the players before they get there or giving them money before they get there. My suggestion would be go back to the original recruiting rules," Spurrier said. "After a player gets to a college, he does very well, he can do a deal and endorse. If something wants to pay him a bunch of money, then it's perfectly all right. But they have to come and play one year, and then, you know, it's a free country." Spurrier, of course, often had quips about schools that were caught facing NCAA investigations. He once called rival Florida State "Free Shoes University" in 1994 after several Seminoles players were accused of being involved in a shopping spree at a sporting goods store. Now 77, he was more complimentary of current coaches. Spurrier praised Alabama "doing it the right way" with its championship success and didn't add fuel to the war of words between coach Nick Saban and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher over how Fisher obtained the nation's No. 1 recruiting class. He also believed college football should expand the playoff beyond just four teams. His solution? Make the College Football Playoff a 16-team playoff.
 
'What can I make in NIL?' SEC coaches bemoan lack of transparency as recruits take notice
Nine years ago, Aaron Murray tore his ACL in the final home game of his senior season and essentially opted out so he could cash in on his considerable fame as Georgia football's star quarterback. Murray, still the SEC's career leader in touchdown passes and passing yards, signed autographs for $35 a pop at an event at the Georgia Square Mall in Athens and at another in Atlanta before the Bulldogs played in their bowl game and held a camp for $100 a participant working with Everett Sports Marketing (ESM). "I was able to go out there and make some money, which was awesome," he said. Now players considering coming to Georgia are talking to coach Kirby Smart about money they can make for their name, image and likeness on the front end before they even decide to play for the Bulldogs. "I make a conscious effort to ask kids when they come in to meet, what's the most important thing to you," Smart said last week at the SEC spring meetings. "That's certainly transitioned in recent years from kids would say playing time, kids would say the ability to win a championship, kids would say proximity to home, relationship with my coach. Now, a lot of times that revolves around what can I make in NIL?" Murray is helping Georgia players now make money which is now permitted under NCAA interim guidelines put in place last summer after state legislatures passed NIL laws. The new era in college sports has created acrimony that spilled out in recent weeks with a war of words between national championship winning football coaches Nick Saban of Alabama and Jimbo Fisher of Texas A&M fueled by Saban saying the Aggies bought players in their No. 1 ranked recruiting class.
 
Big 12 boasts $426M revenue; new commissioner expected to be hired in mid-July
The Big 12 Conference is distributing a record $426 million of revenue to its 10 schools for the 2021-22 school year, a nearly 25% increase over past year and 10% higher than its peak before the pandemic. Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec, chairman of the Big 12 board of directors, said Friday at the end of the league's spring meetings that the transitioning league is in "a very strong position." Schovanec also said the search for a new conference commissioner is on track to be completed by mid-July. Bob Bowlsby, the commissioner since 2012, announced his retirement this year. He is staying on the job until a new commissioner is in place. The Big 12 wrapped up its first in-person spring meetings since 2019, which was before the pandemic and when the league reported $388 million in revenue for that completed school year. That number was $345 million last June. The revenue is expected to increase again over the next two years, the final years of the league's media rights deal. That is also a time when the league will add new members BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, likely all next summer, with powerhouse programs Oklahoma and Texas departing for the Southeastern Conference no later than July 1, 2025.
 
Women's College World Series: Home run balls, vigilant ushers and the souvenir of a lifetime
Larry Pillow stood watch in the right-field stands on Thursday at the Women's College World Series, ever vigilant. Among the usher's many duties, one stood out. When he hears a bat crush that yellow softball, his head swivels around, tracking the path of the ball. If it manages to clear the outfield fence, that ball is his. He's not a collector, looking to flip a prized memento on eBay. He's a defender of one of the most unique traditions in college sports. The Oklahoma City ushers pride themselves on tracking down home run balls and returning them to the families of the players who hit them. "The people that work out here [in the outfield], it's an honor to give it to them," Pillow said. "Because they might not ever be back here again." (Unless, of course, you're NCAA home run champion and Oklahoma slugger Jocelyn Alo, who has seven career WCWS long balls. "Some players, like Alo, you gotta give it to different parts of the family," Pillow said.) While he was talking, Alo's teammate Jana Johns launched a blast that lands between the fence and the bleachers. While the decidedly pro-Sooners contingent deliriously celebrated a grand slam that gave the Sooners a 13-1 lead, Pillow sprang into action. A security guard snagged the ball on the field level and pointed toward Pillow, who stood out in his neon yellow usher's shirt. As dozens of young fans reached their gloves out to ask for the ball, the guard politely explained it was going to Pillow, who was sending it back home with Johns' family. The WCWS staff and ushers aren't exactly sure when the tradition started, just that it's beloved and something they hope never changes.
 
College athletes push mental health to the forefront
Cailin Bracken arrived at Vanderbilt to play lacrosse already well aware of the importance of athlete mental health. She knew of at least two female college athletes, including one from near where she grew up, who had taken their own lives. Bracken was overwhelmed by college life, especially when she had to isolate upon testing positive for COVID-19 after just a few days on campus. She decided to leave the team. "I was so self-aware. I was just so trusting of my intuition in a way, and it sounds cliche, but the idea that I'm like, I need to go home even if it doesn't feel like the right decision to make in terms of my career path or my reputation or whatever else," she said. "... I felt when I got to college, like my nervous system was deregulated. I couldn't process anything. I constantly felt overwhelmed. I never felt safe." Then came the first death of at least five college athletes -- Stanford soccer goalkeeper Katie Meyer -- all of whom took their own lives this spring. It sparked concerns that colleges were not doing enough for some of their higher-profile students. Bracken wrote an open letter to college sports, calling on coaches and administrators to become more cognizant of the challenges athletes face in navigating not only their competitive side, but also their social and academic responsibilities. It isn't clear whether U.S. college athletes are taking their lives at a higher rate than others in their age range; the NCAA declined to share with The Associated Press whether it tracks athlete suicides. But universities are starting to pay closer attention to the mental health of their athletes -- in varying degrees -- and it's partly because athletes are advocating for themselves and their teammates.



The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
Mississippi State University  •  Mississippi State, MS 39762  •  Main Telephone: (662) 325-2323  •   Contact: The Editor  |  The Webmaster  •   Updated: June 6, 2022Facebook Twitter