| Thursday, June 16, 2022 |
| State's soybean crop looks strong early on | |
 | Mississippi's anticipated soybean acreage -- 2.35 million acres -- is higher than in recent years, and it may grow even larger by the end of planting season. Trent Irby, soybean specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Mississippi growers have already exceeded the 2.22 million planted in 2021. The anticipated soybean acreage this year will be the largest planted since 1988. "At the end of the day, we could even be a little higher than that estimate, as we've had some acres shift from other crops into soybeans," Irby said. "There will also be a few more acres planted as double-crop soybeans are planted behind harvested wheat." Will Maples, Extension agricultural economist, said USDA projects a 2022–2023 average farm price of $14.40 a bushel for soybeans. This price is up from the $13.25 average in 2021. "The soybean market remains positive and is influenced by strong export demand for U.S. soybeans," Maples said. Nationally, about 50% of the soybean crop is exported, and the remainder is crushed for oil and meal, which is used for animal feed. |
| Energy producers encourage conservation habits as usage increases during heatwave | |
 | As energy prices skyrocket due to increased consumption and the cost of production, Commissioner for the Northern District of Mississippi, Brandon Presley, said the Public Service Commission (PSC) is taking steps to mitigate the impact on residents' wallets. Mississippi's energy needs are serviced by several entities that include 26 electric cooperatives, Entergy, Mississippi Power and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) which covers most of North Mississippi as well as parts in the Central and East parts of the state. TVA announced that June 14th was the fourth highest day of electric use in June in TVA's history. The usage has been driven by the extremely hot weather much of the South has been experiencing with common temperatures in the mid-90's. Due to the increase in usage and nationwide concerns regarding energy production, TVA has encouraged customers to conserve energy by doing several things, including: Keeping garage doors closed as much as possible. This will help slow hot air from trickling into your home. While these requests can seem strange, they are not unprecedented. Commissioner Presley said they have seen these recommendations before at other points of high temperatures and increased energy usage. While consumption is rising, Presley said the commission is not anticipating higher rates than usual for summer months. He said they are looking at options that would lower costs which will be announced in the coming weeks. "Consumers are pinched at the gas pump and we are looking to bring rates down as low as possible," said Presley. |
| State chamber addresses workforce issues | |
 | Business and economic development leaders throughout Meridian gathered at the MSU Riley Center Tuesday to hear from the Mississippi Economic Council about the state of Mississippi's business climate. In a new report published this year, the MEC found the number one issue plaguing Mississippi businesses was the lack of qualified employees. MEC president Scott Waller said the statewide chamber of commerce had gathered data from business leaders throughout the state in 51 meetings in 18 communities last fall. In those meetings, he said, MEC heard employers' concerns and used the data to set goals for moving Mississippi's economy forward. "The very first bullet point there, the stigma that a student who doesn't attend four-year college is not successful, is something we still deal with today," he said. "This came up in practically all 51 meetings." Addressing the lack of qualified workers, Waller said, will require skilled workers in trades, certificate programs and other industries that don't require a four-year degree. Rebranding higher education to include community college degrees and trade programs, he said, is crucial to the state's success. "We've got to figure out how to deal with that so that every single career pathway is valued equally," he said. "When we can get to that point, we can begin to see a big difference in how we develop workforce in our state." Waller said MEC set a goal of 55% of Mississippi's workforce having some sort of higher education, either a four-year degree, community college degree or skills certificate, by 2030. |
| MDOT announces $10.8M in grants for transportation projects | |
| The Mississippi Transportation Commission has awarded over $10.8 million in grants for multimodal transportation projects across the state. With the commission's approval, the Mississippi Department of Transportation announced the regional and municipal airports, ports, railroads, and public transit systems that will receive the grants, including: George M. Bryan Field, $188,432 -- south hangar ramp expansion, renovation, and related; Golden Triangle Regional Airport, $154,526 -- aircraft parking ramp construction and rehabilitation; and Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit (SMART), $161,000 -- buses and insurance. |
| Mississippi lawmakers weigh in on possibility of suspending state gas tax | |
 | Mississippi leaders are discussing whether or not to suspend the state's gas tax. Some of Mississippi's surrounding states, like Georgia, suspended gas taxes as inflation climbs. Now, Mississippi lawmakers are weighing in on the possibility of that happening in the Magnolia State. State Sen. Joey Fillingane says although there have been some discussions, he doesn't think Mississippi will suspend its gas tax. He says that's because Mississippi has a small gas tax of 18.5 cents per gallon, and it's not tagged for inflation. According to Fillingane, some surrounding states tag the gas tax for inflation, which means as gas prices go up, the overall amount of gas tax grows as well. "In Mississippi, it doesn't matter if you're paying $1, you know, per gallon, or $5 per gallon," said Fillingane. "The state's only going to collect 18.5 cents per gallon towards MDOT improvements on roads and bridges... The roads are already in bad disrepair in many instances, so I doubt very seriously you're going to see a suspension of that 18.5 cents." Fillingane says all money collected from the state's gas tax goes straight to the Mississippi Department of Transportation. |
| Negotiations to buy Regency Hotel ongoing, despite questions from state, WLBT about who owns it | |
| More than a year after negotiations began for the State of Mississippi to purchase three properties near the State Fairgrounds, Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson said one property has yet to be acquired because of questions about who actually owns it, which 3 On Your Side first explored weeks ago. That property, the Regency Hotel and Conference Center, sits on six acres of land on Greymont Street, according to Hinds County land roll records. Gipson said he spoke to employees at the state's Department of Finance and Administration, who had been handling negotiations to purchase that property. "They are still in negotiations with the owner. One of the issues was, there was some issue with the title of the property, the title, who actually owns the property has been a complication," Gipson said. "But I did get word that the investors who own the property have put in process their own appraisal." Gipson said the other two properties, acquired by the state earlier this year, will be demolished starting next week: Dennery's Restaurant and the OYO Hotel. "It's going to totally change the way you view the downtown area," Gipson said. "And eventually the third property will come on board." Gipson said despite those delays, development talks continue for the eleven additional acres that will be folded into the state fairgrounds property. He revealed Wednesday that his agency has already put into motion a 10-year master plan for the entire complex. |
| Fed Raises Rates by 0.75 Percentage Point, Largest Increase Since 1994 | |
 | The Federal Reserve approved the largest interest-rate increase since 1994 and signaled it would continue lifting rates this year at the most rapid pace in decades to fight inflation that is running at a 40-year high. Officials agreed to a 0.75-percentage-point rate increase at their two-day policy meeting that concluded Wednesday, which raised the Fed's benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 1.5% and 1.75% on Thursday. New projections showed all 18 officials who participated in the meeting expect the Fed to raise rates to at least 3% this year, with at least half of all officials indicating the fed-funds rate might need to rise to around 3.375% this year. "We're not trying to induce a recession now. Let's be clear about that," Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said at a news conference. But he said it was becoming more difficult to achieve what is known as a soft landing, in which the economy slows enough to bring down inflation while avoiding a recession. That represented an implicit concession that the risks of a downturn could rise as the economy digests tighter monetary policy. "It is not going to be easy," Mr. Powell said. "There's a much bigger chance now that it'll depend on factors that we don't control. Fluctuations and spikes in commodity prices could wind up taking that option out of our hands." The U.S. mortgage market has been slammed by the prospect of tighter money, and many lenders were quoting a 30-year fixed rate above 6% on Monday and Tuesday, levels that haven't been reached since 2008. Two large real-estate brokerages announced layoffs on Tuesday as home-purchase demand has stalled. |
| Wall Street gets back to tumbling after one day of respite | |
 | Markets worldwide are back to tumbling on Thursday, and Wall Street is down close to 3% in a nearly total wipeout as worries about a fragile economy roar back to the fore. The S&P 500 was 2.8% lower in early trading, more than reversing its blip of a 1.5% rally from a day before. Analysts had warned of more big swings given deep uncertainties about whether the Federal Reserve and other central banks can tiptoe the narrow path of hiking interest rates enough to slow high inflation but not so much that they cause a recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 685 points, or 2.2%, at 29,983, shortly after 10 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 3.4% lower. The S&P 500 was on track for its sixth loss in the last seven days, and all but four of the 500 companies in the index were lower. Wall Street fell with stocks across Europe after central banks there followed up on the Federal Reserve's interest-rate hike on Wednesday. The Bank of England raised its key rate for the fifth time since December, though it opted for a more modest 0.25 percentage points than the 0.75-point hammer brought by the Fed. The U.S. economy is still largely holding up, driven in particular by a red-hot jobs market. But more signs of trouble have been emerging. More economists are considering the possibility of a U.S. recession. |
| Democrats face congressional rout amid historically terrible headwinds | |
 | Midterm election years are almost never good for a president's party. Even before the calamitous events of the past ten months, Democrats knew the first midterm election of President Biden's tenure in office would be a challenge. But the cascade of catastrophe that has so dented what little American optimism remained in the waning days of the pandemic and the associated economic recovery has even the most optimistic Democratic Party strategists and pollsters staring into an unprecedented abyss. Their standing, about five months before voters head to the polls, is worse than it has been for any president in modern times, by almost any indicator. A new study compiled by Gallup comparing widely used barometers of midterm attitudes since 1974, which has made the rounds widely in Democratic circles this week, underscores just how bad the atmosphere has become. "Today's polls indicate a tsunami," said David Paleologos, who heads polling at Suffolk University. Interviews with half a dozen Democratic strategists and pollsters -- most of whom declined to put their anxiety on the record -- show a party clinging to hopes that voter anger can be spread across the aisle. They point to numbers that show that while Democrats aren't popular, neither are Republicans, and that several major events still to play out before the midterm elections will underscore the GOP's chief weaknesses. History is not a source of hope for Democrats, especially those relying on pro-Biden sentiment for their own chances. Only twice since 1974 has a president's party gained seats in midterm elections. |
| Democrats' Risky Bet: Aid G.O.P. Extremists in Spring, Hoping to Beat Them in Fall | |
 | Even as national Democrats set off alarms over the threats posed by far-right Republican candidates, their campaign partners are pursuing an enormously risky strategy: promoting some of those same far-right candidates in G.O.P. primaries in hopes that extremists will be easier for Democrats to beat in November. These efforts -- starkest in the Central Valley of California, where a Democratic campaign ad lashed Representative David Valadao, a Republican, for voting to impeach Donald J. Trump -- have prompted angry finger-pointing and a debate within the party over the perils and wisdom of the strategy, especially in the middle of the Jan. 6 Committee's hearings on the Capitol attack. The concern is obvious: In a year when soaring gasoline prices and disorienting inflation have crushed President Biden's approval ratings, Republican candidates whom Democrats may deem unelectable could well win on the basis of their party affiliation alone. "I realize that this type of political gamesmanship has existed forever, but our country is in a very different place now than we were in previous cycles," said Representative Kathleen Rice, Democrat of New York. "For these Democratic groups to throw money at raising up a person who they know wants to tear down this democracy is outrageous." The Democratic effort extends well beyond Mr. Valadao's race. But it is not clear that Democrats will be able to maintain control over what they may unleash, especially in a year when their party's president is suffering through record low approval ratings and inflation has hit rates not seen in 40 years. |
| McConnell's gun safety gamble | |
 | Mitch McConnell is breaking character yet again, and this time it's on one of the most polarizing issues in American politics. Once known as the Senate's "guardian of gridlock," the GOP leader is publicly endorsing the chamber's bipartisan framework on gun safety, wading into a topic so volatile with his base that it ended one Republican lawmaker's career this month. While McConnell's position didn't surprise his GOP colleagues, it continues a pattern of cutting against his reputation and easing up, ever so slightly, in his push to stop the Democratic agenda. McConnell cautioned Tuesday that he'd support gun safety legislation if it reflects the bipartisan framework. Yet his support for such a package would probably put him in the minority of his conference, continuing a trend on some of the 50-50 Senate's most high-profile topics. "His issue has been: 'We've got to be engaged in conversations. Typically we're not. This time we are,'" said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who is undecided on the guns deal and may oppose it. "In this conversation, it seems to be more circling around that: 'What do we both agree on? OK, let's move on that.' That doesn't offend me. In fact, I think that's helpful long-term." His Republican allies say he's got an eye on long-term goals -- trying to help preserve the legislative filibuster, giving his own party some cross-aisle accomplishments and ensuring its message stays focused on the upcoming midterm elections. But of all the topics where McConnell has given ground, guns is by far the most divisive. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) views McConnell's backing of the framework as an endorsement "with a reservation." |
| Jan. 6 hearing to show Trump's pressure on Pence, Aguilar says | |
 | When the House committee investigating Jan. 6, 2021, meets Thursday, the highest-ranking member of House leadership serving on the panel will be in an unusual position: praising a leader of the opposing party. The hearing will focus on the intense pressure then-President Trump and conservative lawyer John Eastman put on then-Vice President Mike Pence to either reject certain states' electoral college votes or delay Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. "Mike Pence did his job," House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) told The Times. "He did his job throughout. He didn't waver in his reading of the Constitution. Even after all of that, the president of the United States still used every method to call him names, to call him out, and to summon a mob to get him." With the help of committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the four-term California congressman will take the lead in laying out the panel's case Thursday, arguing that it would have been disastrous for the country if Pence hadn't adhered to the vice president's largely ceremonial role in counting the votes, and had instead embraced Trump's theory that he could be an arbiter of whether states' votes were acceptable. "If the vice president would have succumbed to pressure, or if the vice president would say that he or she was more loyal to the president than the Constitution, we would have had a constitutional crisis that would have threatened the republic," Aguilar said. Aguilar said he sees the value of having someone in a political leadership position make the argument. “It’s important as a partisan to say that the vice president did his job,” he said. |
| Despite push, states slow to make Juneteenth a paid holiday | |
| Recognition of Juneteenth, the effective end of slavery in the U.S., gained traction after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. But after an initial burst of action, the movement to have it recognized as an official holiday in the states has largely stalled. Although almost every state recognizes Juneteenth in some fashion, many have been slow to do more than issue a proclamation or resolution, even as some continue to commemorate the Confederacy. Lawmakers in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and other states failed to advance proposals this year that would have closed state offices and given most of their public employees paid time off for the June 19 holiday. That trend infuriates Black leaders and community organizers who view making Juneteenth a paid holiday the bare minimum state officials can do to help honor an often overlooked and ignored piece of American history. Last year, Congress and President Joe Biden moved swiftly to make Juneteenth a national holiday. It was the first time the federal government had designated a new national holiday since approving Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Yet the move didn't result in an automatic adoption from most states. |
| Abortions Increase in the U.S., Reversing a 30-Year Decline, Report Finds | |
| The number of abortions in the United States has increased, reversing what had been a three-decade decline, according to a new report. The uptick began in 2017 and, as of 2020, one in five pregnancies, or 20.6 percent, ended in abortion, according to the report by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. In 2017, 18.4 percent of pregnancies ended in abortion. The new data was released as the Supreme Court prepares to issue a ruling that could effectively overturn the Roe v. Wade standard that has made abortion legal in the United States for nearly 50 years. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, issued a statement excoriating the increase in abortions. A news release from her group said that the new report found "substantial increases in abortion in states like California, Illinois and New York, which have expanded their abortion policies in recent years and where there are virtually no limits on abortion up to birth." In fact, the percentage increase in the number of abortions in those states was less than in some conservative states, like Mississippi, where the number of abortions increased 40 percent from 2017 to 2020, and Oklahoma, where the number of abortions rose 103 percent during that time. The growth in Mississippi is striking because it is a 2018 Mississippi law banning most abortions later than 15 weeks into a pregnancy that is currently before the Supreme Court. The Guttmacher report said that Mississippi residents used to seek abortions in surrounding states, but because those states enacted restrictions that led clinics to close, more patients went to Mississippi's one abortion clinic. |
| College enrollment declines in Mississippi | |
 | The number of students attending college in Mississippi is declining, and experts say this could have a negative effect on the state's workforce. The Southern Regional Education Board has released its 2021 Fact Book on Higher Education and has identified Mississippi as one of several states with a decline in college enrollment. While graduation rates have risen two points in recent years, post-secondary enrollments have fallen at a similar rate. Stephen Pruitt, President of the Regional Education Board, says the exception to this trend is a slight increase in the number of people with an associate's degree. Pruitt says there has been a "4% increase between 2014-2019 in the number of working-age adults with associates degrees or higher. Not quite at the SREB average yet, but getting there. But if we don't pay attention to the fact that we've gotta get more people into postsecondary opportunities, it can only hurt us over time." Experts say this decline in college enrollment can erode the state's skilled workforce. According to the Regional Education Board, people with bachelor's degrees earn nearly 80% more on average than those with a high school diploma or GED. |
| UM population studies experts share projections, outlook for 2030 census | |
 | The discovery that Mississippi's actual population is significantly higher than 2020 U.S. Census numbers indicate could affect future federal funding and possibly other factors, according to University of Mississippi population studies experts. Mississippi was among six states in which the Census Bureau reported found significant undercounting as part of its Post Enumeration Survey, a follow-up examination the bureau conducted for the 2020 Census and released recently. "We will absolutely miss out on dollars," said Anne Cafer, director of the UM Center for Population Studies. "More than $20 million a year for the next 10 years. And that will be felt most acutely by the state's most vulnerable residents." The cause of the undercount remains unclear. The report does not detail any potential causes of the undercount nor does it include information on possible overcounts or undercounts at a municipal or county level. Census data can affect state and local projects such as redistricting, grant applications and economic development programs. A variety of state and local projects rely upon census data, including redistricting efforts, grant applications and economic development efforts. |
| MDOT issues Oxford University Transit over $80k for vehicle insurance | |
| The Mississippi Transportation Commission recently announced the award of approximately $3.2 million in funding for multimodal transportation projects throughout the Northern District, including: Oxford University Transit, $85,834 -- vehicle insurance. The Commission approved the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to award grants to regional and municipal airports, ports, railroads and public transit systems throughout Mississippi. "The multimodal nature of our transportation network today and tomorrow is clear," said Commissioner John Caldwell, Northern Transportation District. "Each community grant is another piece to an intricate puzzle of economic opportunity. When we all work together and our transportation network is connected on land, sea and air, we all win." Funding for these multimodal grants comes from the Multimodal Transportation Improvement Fund. Money from this fund is allocated specifically to support multimodal grants each year. Grant applications, which include project details and funds requested, are reviewed and approved by a multimodal committee specific to each separate mode of transportation. |
| DSU hosting alumni event June 23 | |
| The Delta State University Alumni Association will be traveling to Jackson for the annual Greater Jackson Area Alumni Event at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 23. This year's event will be held at the Mississippi Children's Museum. DSU President William N. LaForge, along with Alumni Association staff and other University guests, will be sharing news from campus. Entertainment will be provided by Delta State alum Cole Furlow. Proceeds from the event's silent auction and 50/50 raffle will benefit the Greater Jackson Area Scholarship fund, which is awarded to incoming freshmen from the Jackson Metro area who plan to attend Delta State. Previous scholarship recipients will be honored and recognized at this year's event. "Green and White nation is coming to town! Local alumni and friends of the University unite! This year's event is sure to be unique because we will celebrate the young alumni who have benefitted from our Jackson Chapter's efforts through our local scholarship," says Melissa Love, DSU Jackson alumna and board member. "We are especially excited to have Cole Furlow play at this year's event." Furlow is a Jackson, MS native, multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer, composer, and photographer. Furlow completed his education at Delta State in the DMI program with a focus in Studio Theory and a minor in English. |
| Tek 2 Go camp introduces students to advanced manufacturing | |
 | Middle school students from across Northeast Mississippi are getting an up close look at advanced manufacturing as part of the "Tek 2 Go" Camp. It is a hands-on lesson in welding for students at the Tek 2 Go camp. Jerry Pettigrew, an instructor at ICC, says students in this camp have a unique opportunity. "Tek 2 Go camp is to introduce middle school age students into advanced manufacturing. Take away the perception it is a menial job, it's not dirty, not nasty, a lot of high tech parts involved into it," Pettigrew said. This is the thirteenth year of the Tek 2 Go Camp. It is sponsored by the Community Development Foundation, ICC, Hawkeye Industries, and the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund. Throughout the week, students will learn about computer numerical control, or CNC, machining, welding, and robotic painting and welding. Students say the camp is not only fun but also is a great way to learn about advanced manufacturing. "I've thought that engineering and all this would be really cool to do and to see the machinery and all that, being able to learn all that stuff and knowing that in the future would be a great thing to do," said seventh grader Elliott Swain. |
| Lawsuit challenges Mississippi private schools grant program | |
| Mississippi is violating its own constitution by directing $10 million in pandemic relief money to private schools, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by a parents' group that supports public schools. The lawsuit challenges the Independent Schools Infrastructure Grant Program. In April, the Legislature passed and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed two bills. One creates the grant program to help private schools pay for water, broadband and other infrastructure projects. The other allocates the $10 million for the program, as of July 1. The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, the Mississippi Center for Justice and Democracy Forward filed the lawsuit in Hinds County Chancery Court on behalf of Parents for Public Schools, an advocacy group founded more than 30 years ago. The lawsuit asks a judge to block the grant program, which would make up to $100,000 available to any in-state school that is a member of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools and that is accredited by a state, regional or national organization. The parameters of the program exclude public schools from applying for the infrastructure grants. The lawsuit cites Section 208 of the Mississippi Constitution, which prohibits the use of public money for any school that is not "a free school." Private schools "can operate only so long as students pay tuition," but public schools have an obligation to serve every child, the lawsuit says. |
| Nine charter schools vying to open in Mississippi in 2023 | |
| Nine proposed charter schools have made it to the second round of Mississippi's application process. The applicants are all looking to open in 2023, with all but one run by new operators. While most schools would offer just one or two grades at launch, if approved they would eventually serve a larger group of students. Charter schools are free public schools that do not report to a school board like traditional public schools. Instead, they are governed by the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board, which oversees the application process to open a new charter school. They have more flexibility for teachers and administrators when it comes to student instruction, and are funded by local school districts based on enrollment. Charter schools can apply directly to the authorizer board if they're planning to open in a D or F district. If an operator wants to open in an A, B, or C district, they need to get approval from the local school board. All of the proposed schools being reviewed this cycle would be opening in D or F districts. Currently, Mississippi has eight charter schools. Most are located in Jackson, but there are schools in Clarksdale and Greenwood. Amanda Johnson, the operator of Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School, said she is applying to expand her school, in part, because parents have asked her for it. "We made promises to those families to do what we needed to do to prepare their child for success in high school and beyond," Johnson said. "We feel this is a continuation of the work we are already doing to prepare our scholars for college and career success." |
| Dolly Parton donates $1M to pediatric infectious disease research | |
 | In the latest string of Dolly Parton's philanthropical work, the country music icon gifted $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease research. The funding will help advance Vanderbilt's leading studies on the causes of disease, understanding resistance to antibiotics and preventing and treating infections in children with cancer. "No child should ever have to suffer," Parton said in a statement. "I'm willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible." Her financial support of scientific research at VUMC spans years, with multiple $1 million donations. Parton gifted $1 million toward coronavirus research in 2020 to VUMC, some of which was credited with funding the development of Moderna's vaccine. As the country music star received her first dose of the vaccine at VUMC, she urged others to follow suit. "I just want to say to all of you cowards out there: Don't be such a chicken squat," Parton said in the video. "Get out there and get your shot." Among Parton's other donations to VUMC was helping transform the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt Pediatric Cancer Program in honor of her niece, Hannah Dennison, who was successfully treated for leukemia as a child at the Children's Hospital. |
| What happens when a faculty member reports harassment? Here's how U. of Kentucky investigates | |
 | This school year, the University of Kentucky received 331 reports from employees related to discrimination and harassment. Those reports, after they are made by employees, are investigated by the Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity (Institutional Equity). From the 2021-2022 school year, there are 87 investigations still pending or in progress. UK also received 162 equal opportunity inquiries, which are not necessarily complaints, but could be questions or concerns related to topics like parental leave, according to UK spokesperson Jay Blanton. The number of reports has increased in recent years, with the number made in the 2021-2022 school year more than doubling since the 2017-2018 school year, according to data provided by UK. The university attributes that in part to more trainings being available for students and employees, and doing more work to raise awareness about the services offered by Institutional Equity, Blanton said. "We believe the increase, at least in part, is attributable to university efforts to raise awareness," Blanton said. "We have work to do here, but raising awareness, educating more members of our community and helping people address these concerns and issues when they do occur is a critical responsibility." Additionally, Blanton said UK has seen an increase in the number of supervisors reaching out to the office for advice on how to address a situation before it escalates. |
| Hazing involving alcohol is entrenched on Mizzou's campus, report says | |
 | Heavy alcohol consumption is entrenched in Greek life on campus and the culture resistant to change, states a report by a committee of the University of Missouri Faculty Council. "It's really, really hard to change the culture of alcohol" in fraternities and sororities, said Phil Wood, MU psychology professor. He's the outgoing chair of the faculty affairs and student affairs committee of the MU Faculty Council. The committee met with Jeff Zeilenga, former MU dean of students, the month after freshman Danny Santulli was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning resulting from a hazing incident at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house. The fraternity also is known as Fiji. Santulli is at his parents' home in Minnesota, but unable to see, walk or communicate, according to the family's attorney. Santulli's situation isn't unique and Wood provided a timeline of hazing incidents in Missouri that related to deaths and serious injuries dating back to 1980. It includes a 1990 MU Bid Day Bash incident in which 35 were injured, including a high school student who grabbed an electrical wire while drinking a can of beer while beer cans were being thrown at him. MU student Brandon Zingale nearly died in a hazing incident in 2017. Zeilenga retired at the end of the semester when he spoke with the committee. One of the challenges, Zeilenga told the committee, is that MU allows freshmen students to live in Greek houses, which he called a hazard. Mizzou is one of only five institutions in the country that allows that, he told the committee. |
| Purdue faculty condemn secretive presidential hire | |
 | Friday's announcement of a new president at Purdue University came as a shock to faculty members caught off guard by the transition. Now they're charging Purdue with conducting a secret presidential search that has called into question the administration's commitment to transparency. While faculty members acknowledge that new president Mung Chiang -- currently the dean of Purdue's College of Engineering -- has impressive credentials, they accuse the Board of Trustees and outgoing president Mitch Daniels of eroding the norms of shared university governance by bypassing an open search process. They also note that Purdue officials have offered little explanation as to why the university went with a secretive presidential selection process, a move they feel is unbefitting of a public institution. Chiang is set to begin on Jan. 1 after Daniels officially steps down. Purdue remains tight-lipped on the matter, revealing few specifics about why it chose a secret search. But one thing that seems clear from university statements is that administrators have had their eye on Chiang for a while. Tim Doty, a spokesperson for Purdue, said by email that trustees "had been closely watching the performance and readiness of Dean Chiang for several years---in a role that was intentionally expanded over that period to test his leadership abilities in a variety of dimensions. Chairman [Michael] Berghoff made clear the board would have conducted a formal search process if it had been less than fully confident Dr. Chiang was uniquely qualified to lead Purdue into the future." While the search may have riled transparency advocates, it falls within Indiana law. |
| Higher Ed's Enrollment Crash Has Been Underway for Years | |
 | The news about college enrollment has been persistently bleak since the pandemic began, even as colleges have resumed in-person operations and the effects of the pandemic -- thanks to widely available vaccines -- have begun to wane. But a recent report clarifies something important about the downturn, which has become one of the most widely discussed trends in higher education during the past two years: Undergraduate enrollment was already on the decline well before the pandemic. Data from the "Report on the Condition of Education 2022," produced by the National Center for Education Statistics, show that the slide in undergraduate enrollment began in 2011. By the fall of 2019 -- before the pandemic had begun -- the number of undergraduates had shrunk by more than 1.5 million students. The undergraduate-enrollment slump includes a slow exodus of male students from higher education in the decade before the pandemic. In 2009 there were 7.6 million male undergraduates, a number that had decreased by roughly 5 percent by 2019. That decline was intensified by the pandemic; data from the fall of 2020 show a 7-percent drop in male undergraduates from the year before. The number of women has also declined since 2009, but starting from a much higher base than the men. |
| SREB Reports Reveal Two-Year College Enrollment Drops in South | |
| This week, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on improving education in its 16 member states in the South, released reports that show sustained declines in two-year college enrollment in the region. These drops were happening even prior to the pandemic despite overall education levels in the South continuing to rise. "It is troubling to say the least," said Dr. Stephen Pruitt, president of SREB. "We're now trying to bounce back from a pandemic, and we're seeing the job market shifting to all or most livable wage careers requiring some postsecondary degrees. If we continue down the road that we're on, where people are not engaging in postsecondary education, then we may see a lot of people who are unemployable by 2030." According to recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse, two-year college enrollment then dropped by 15% nationwide in fall 2020, followed by an estimated one-year decline of 7.8% in fall 2021. "We're looking at a national crisis right now," said Dr. Jason Lane, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Society at Miami University in Ohio, referring to recent higher education trends in the country overall. "When we see fewer students coming into higher education, that has a long-term, potentially negative impact on our ability as a nation to be competitive, to innovate, and to continue to lead the world around issues of research and development. For a lot of reasons, we should be paying attention to this right now." |
| The Problem Nobody's Talking About: The Male-Graduation Gap | |
| Even before the pandemic forced tens of thousands of Americans to quit college, Oscar Joya struggled to stay in school. In 2018, when he was a sophomore, he'd dropped out of the University of Washington to earn tuition money and focus on his mental health. One quarter off stretched into two, until Paul Metellus, the student-success coordinator in the college's Brotherhood Initiative for men of color, helped Joya stitch together the resources he needed to re-enroll. "He was always on my case, in the most positive way," recalled Joya, who is the youngest of four children of Mexican immigrants, and the first to attend college. But he continued to struggle financially, and in the spring of 2020, in the midst of the first Covid outbreak, a long overdue tuition bill caught up with him. Unable to pay the balance, and barred from registering from classes until he did, Joya dropped out again. This time, he was certain he wouldn't be back. "My debt was too large, and it was way too unrealistic for me to return," Joya said. For decades now, men have trailed women in college completion. Barely 40 percent of men earn a bachelor's degree in four years, compared with just over half of women, federal data show. Even fewer Black and Hispanic men graduate on time -- 21 percent and 32 percent, respectively. But the pandemic, which has led to a disproportionate enrollment decline among male students, is expected to deepen the divide. Nationwide, male enrollment has fallen 8.6 percent over the past two years, while female enrollment has dropped by 6.5 percent, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. There were nearly three million more women enrolled in college this spring than men. If this trend continues, it will have enormous consequences for the economy and society at large, affecting everything from unemployment rates to marriage patterns. |
| Feds should improve safeguards against foreign entities stealing intellectual property from colleges, watchdog says | |
| Federal agencies should beef up protocols for identifying colleges at high risk of inadvertently sharing technology, research and other sensitive information with foreign entities, a Congressional watchdog said in a report Tuesday. The Government Accountability Office developed eight similar recommendations for the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the FBI. They suggest the agencies regularly evaluate factors that place universities at risk and share their evaluations with appropriate government offices. Tuesday's report is a public, pared-down iteration of one released in March, which the GAO confirmed will not be released. The private version of the report discusses how federal departments coordinate and share information about potential leaks in higher education to foreign countries. Policymakers across the political spectrum have grown increasingly concerned about foreign meddling in U.S. affairs, particularly from China. In higher ed, this has partially manifested as a federal crackdown on foreign gifts and donations made to colleges. |
SPORTS
| Yeager, Hines Named First Team South All-Region By ABCA | |
| Mississippi State second baseman RJ Yeager and freshman designated hitter Hunter Hines have both earned spots on the 2022 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I South All-Region team, it was announced by the association on Wednesday (June 15). The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. I All-America Committee. Yeager and Hines recently garnered All-America accolades by Collegiate Baseball and the duo added to their list of honors on Wednesday by earning first team spots on the ABCA's South All-Region squad. Yeager led the Dawgs during the 2022 season with a .317 batting average and finished sixth in the SEC with 18 home runs. His 56 RBIs ranked seventh in the league. The graduate from Lynn Haven, Florida, also ranked seventh in the SEC with a .668 slugging percentage and recorded 15 doubles, one triple and three stolen bases during his lone season in Starkville. As for Hines, he ranked in the top 10 in the country in most home runs by a freshman with 16 on the season, while he ranked second among the Diamond Dawgs in that category. Overall, Hines posted a .300 average at the dish with 13 doubles, 16 home runs and 52 RBIs while starting and playing in all 56 games for State primarily as the designated hitter. |
| Which Major League Baseball franchises have former Mississippi State players? | |
| Many Mississippi State fans base their professional baseball affinity off where former Bulldogs have landed. There is a strong portion of Atlanta Braves fans due to proximity and Chicago Cubs fans due to the organization's strong presence on TV in past decades, but the variety stems further with Mississippi not having a professional team. Many Mississippians side with the San Francisco Giants because of Will Clark and, perhaps with a new generation, Will Bednar. The Single-A system allows for many other teams to be chosen based off the 2021 MSU national championship roster. For those undecided, a plethora of former Bulldogs find themselves on MLB and minor league rosters throughout the nation. Here's a roundup at where they are today. |
| After 'rough' 2021-22 season, Mississippi State men's basketball players expect better | |
 | Tolu Smith couldn't sleep. The Mississippi State big man found it hard to get much rest when the Bulldogs' struggles last season crossed his mind. Smith was haunted by blown leads, made miserable by missed opportunities. "I was watching film all the time like, 'What could we do better?'" Smith said. It was a fair question amid a disappointing season for MSU. Entering the season with NCAA tournament hopes, the Bulldogs floundered down the stretch and wound up with an 18-16 record. After a first-round loss in the NIT, coach Ben Howland was fired. "We all feel like we were much better than what we were," forward D.J. Jeffries said. "It was rough. It was just hard. We were so talented. We all felt like we could have been much better." Jeffries was one of four transfer players who joined Smith and guard Iverson Molinar in Starkville, assembling what might have been Howland's most talented roster in seven years. It didn't work. Mississippi State lost close game after close game, sinking to the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference standings. The painful defeats piled up: at Arkansas, at LSU, at Alabama, against Auburn in overtime and plenty more. And they're still hard for the Bulldogs to forget. The attrition after Howland's firing cost the Bulldogs several talented players, but it allowed new coach Chris Jans to rebuild the roster through the very same transfer portal. |
| Southern Miss athletics director Jeremy McClain receives contract extension | |
 | Southern Miss announced a contract extension Wednesday for Athletic Director Jeremy McClain. McClain's new four-year deal will keep him under contract until April 30, 2026. McClain has served as USM's athletics director since April 2019, helping to oversee the athletic programs' transition to the Sun Belt Conference from Conference USA, which is due to be completed on July 1. "Jeremy has demonstrated exemplary service and dedication to our Department of Intercollegiate Athletics," University President Rodney D. Bennett said in a news release. "Extending his contract ensures the continuation of our current momentum to support the holistic growth and development of our student-athletes, which enhances their ability to compete at the highest levels both on and off the field." McClain previously served as the athletics director at Troy for just under four years. He has made several key personnel decisions during his tenure at USM, including the appointment of football coach Will Hall and men's basketball coach Jay Ladner. |
| Louisiana governor signs law to give NIL collectives more power | |
| Another state in the SEC footprint has removed the prohibition of schools from directly or indirectly arranging for a third party to provide compensation to a student-athlete through NIL. After the Louisiana State Senate approved a bill allowing schools, their affiliates and boosters to compensate student-athletes for use of their NIL in early June, Gov. John Bel Edwards reportedly signed it into law on Wednesday. The revision allows coaches and school personnel in Louisiana to also facilitate deals for its student-athletes. The law became effective this past Friday. Other states -- especially in the Southeast -- have amended NIL laws that empower collectives' to have a significant impact on high school recruiting. "The SEC is arguably the most competitive football conference with the most diehard fans in the country," Dan Greene, a NIL expert and associate attorney at Newman & Lickstein, said earlier this month. "Many of those diehards are now state lawmakers in that territory. They have realized that they have to do whatever they can to keep their football programs competitive, which means making necessary changes to their respective NIL laws." Before the new law, schools in Louisiana – especially LSU – couldn't have any contact with their students regarding NIL deals. On top of that, there were limitations on the roles of boosters in current NIL contracts with players. Additionally, legislators said previous legislation put LSU and other state schools in Louisiana at a "distinct competitive advantage" on the recruiting trail. That was especially true when competing against Texas A&M and Alabama. Both schools are in states with much less restrictive NIL laws or none at all. |
| Alcohol could soon flow at Crimson Tide games as UA, Tuscaloosa end public fight | |
 | The war of words between the City of Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama appears to be over with a celebration over drinks to come. After rare public sparring over a plan to sell alcohol at Crimson Tide sporting events, the two sides announced a detente Wednesday. With it, Alabama's plan to introduce booze sales at sporting events is back in motion, according to a statement from athletics director Greg Byrne. The university posted a news release earlier Wednesday announcing a plan to "further support safety, event personnel" that didn't specifically mention alcohol sales but hinted at it. Byrne's statement sent to AL.com by a UA spokesperson confirmed it. "We appreciate our partnerships, especially with the City, and the efforts of all the public safety personnel and first responders who work in and around our venues," Byrne's statement read. "With the recent expanded collaboration between The University of Alabama and City of Tuscaloosa we will continue our due diligence and revisit the opportunity for alcohol sales at select athletics events with our University leadership." The issue dated back to February when UA announced a plan to introduce booze sales to athletic events. The city responded by adding service fees to tickets to events where alcohol was served, a no-go for Alabama. What followed was a public battle between the city, mayor Walt Maddox and university officials. A statement from UA president Stuart Bell to reporters on Feb. 15 called the city fees "arbitrary" and argued Alabama athletics attendees pay more in sales taxes than all but one SEC school. |
| ACE, higher ed groups oppose paying student-athletes as employees | |
| A dozen higher ed groups and one college accreditor released a joint statement last week opposing paying college athletes as employees. Led by the American Council on Education, the organizations submitted an amicus brief to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as part of Johnson v. NCAA. The case is meant to decide if Division I student-athletes should be considered college employees based on their participation in interscholastic sports. The groups' reasoning follows long-held arguments that college athletes are students first and that intercollegiate athletics are not business ventures. Collegiate sports can be big money makers for colleges and states. In 2021, the NCAA earned $1.15 billion in revenue, the majority of which it distributes back to its member colleges. That figure doesn't include revenue from highly profitable bowl games in the college football postseason, which are not managed by the NCAA. Several coaches at public colleges and universities rank among their states' highest paid employees. In Johnson v. NCAA, several athletes who played for their colleges argue their participation in Division I sports should classify them as employees entitled to payment under the Fair Labor Standards Act. In their brief, the higher ed groups argue that a handful of NCAA teams carry the rest financially and that a majority of college sports teams operate in the red. "It would make little sense to read the FLSA as treating student-athletes as employees merely because a small fraction plays on teams that are revenue-positive," the statement read. A decision in Johnson v. NCAA is expected later this year. |
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