| Thursday, July 14, 2022 |
| MSU hosts seed, ag technology short course | |
 | Seed industry representatives, agricultural professionals, producers, crop consultants and research scientists are encouraged to attend the Seed and Agricultural Technology Short Course at Mississippi State University Aug. 15-16. Hosted by the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the short course will be held at the Bost Extension Conference Center at MSU. Participants will learn about carbon credit market economics, agricultural autonomous technologies, management and implementation of precision agricultural information and data, and prescriptive and high-speed planting technologies for seed and crop production. MSU faculty, seed industry professionals and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will also discuss postharvest pest management, industrial electrical safety, seed-borne diseases, state and federal seed laws, and principles of seed and grain storage and drying. The second day of the short course will feature a hands-on demonstration and training in seed processing, cleaning and conditioning equipment. The short course registration fee is $50, which covers meals, lecture sessions and printed materials. |
| SPD officer uses CPR to save drowning man | |
 | What could have been a horrific Fourth of July accident was averted after a Starkville Police Department officer administered life-saving CPR to a drowning victim, Frank Darnell Elam. Elam, 26, of Eupora, his wife, son, and other family members love to swim. So they booked a room at the Microtel Inn & Suites in Starkville to swim and enjoy the Fourth of July holiday. A car accident four years ago left Elam partially paralyzed. Elam could swim before the car accident and has never had trouble swimming since. So together, the family headed to the hotel's pool. "My wife, little sister, niece and my child were already in the water when I got in. And considering my history, they felt no obligation to monitor me or anything. I hopped in shortly after them and went for a refreshing backstroke through the pool," Elam told The Dispatch. "A little bit of water came across my face and I reacted because it kind of stunned me but I didn't feel in danger. I didn't even exhibit signs of struggle. I turned over and started swimming to the ladder." The next thing he remembers, though, is waking up surrounded by officers and paramedics, his wife in hysterics. One of those officers was SPD Officer Lane McTaggart. At 7:53 p.m. on July 4, McTaggart was dispatched to the Microtel, to reports that an adult male had drowned in the hotel's pool. McTaggart arrived at the scene swiftly, rolled Elam onto his back, assessed that he was unresponsive and immediately began to administer CPR. |
| Three arrested for Kroger parking lot robbery | |
| Three arrests have been made in connection with an armed robbery that took place Sunday evening in the Kroger parking lot. Marquavious Turnipseed, 23, and Aliza Cox, 24, both of Starkville, have been charged with armed robbery. Courtney Neal, 31, of Tupelo has been charged with accessory after the fact and giving false identifying information. The victim was selling items on Facebook Marketplace and was meeting the suspects at Kroger for the exchange. "He met the suspects at that location," said John Michael Lay, sergeant over criminal investigations. "Instead of paying for the items that they were there to purchase, they pulled out a weapon and robbed him and fled the scene." Investigators used Facebook to determine the suspects' identities. All three were arrested Monday. Lay said this was an isolated incident. But the department is encouraging people who meet to exchange items in a similar fashion to do so in safe, secure locations like the SPD parking lot downtown. "You can come here to the Starkville Police Department parking lot and make that transaction, especially when you're dealing with somebody who you do not know," he said. "All of our outside lots are video recorded, the safety of officers, things of that nature anyway. They're (SPD) open to the general public at any point in time." The suspects are being held in Oktibbeha County Jail. Bond has not yet been set. |
| MHP program focuses on officer wellness, resilience | |
| Major John Poulos wants you to know that a career in law enforcement is tough. Not for the reasons you might think. It's not just the trauma on the officers from seeing the unthinkable every day. It's the trauma that passes on to those officers' spouses and children, too. Poulos is the director of the 10-34 Project at the Mississippi Highway Patrol, which focuses on officer wellness and resilience. Tuesday, at Lion Hills Center, he explained his new project to a joint meeting of the Columbus Rotary Club and the Lowndes County Republican Women. "In law enforcement, we use 10-codes on radio transmission in law enforcement," he said. "A 10-34 for the highway patrol means 'officer requesting backup.'" Poulos said wellness and resilience training is a major deficiency throughout law enforcement, but it is needed now more than ever. An experience his son -- also a state trooper -- had underscored this and helped him decide to take on the 10-34 Project after 10 years in MHP's public affairs division. His son responded to a wreck where people were trapped inside a burning car, and he aided firefighters on scene in getting them out. One died in the crash, the other was an 18-year-old girl who was badly burned and died a few days later. "As a father, and being a trooper for 24 years, I started questioning how that affected him," Poulos said. "What he experienced (getting her out of that car) was traumatic, and then she passed. Losing someone is not something that we're good with." The son said he was OK, Poulos said, but he wondered. “What do we do to make sure he’s good?” he said. |
| Neshoba County Fair: Here's the schedule for Mississippi's Giant Houseparty | |
| In less than 10 days, the Neshoba County Fair will be back in action. Kicking off on Friday, July 22, and concluding on Friday, July, 29, the 2022 edition of "Mississippi's Giant Houseparty" will feature the usual rides, food, political talk, and horse races. On the music side of it all, this year's lineup includes Scotty McCreery, Sawyer Brown, Michael Ray, and Hotel California. Season tickets, camper permits, and utilities will be sold at the main gate July 16-17 from 1-6 p.m., July 20 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and July 21 from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Daily tickets can be purchased at the gate for $20. Children nine and under get in free. |
| The 2022 Neshoba County Fair political speaking schedule is out | |
 | The 2022 Neshoba County Fair will kick off on Friday, July 29th. "Mississippi's Giant Houseparty" features, entertainment, rides, games, food, horse races and political speeches. In the Neshoba County Fair's 2022 program, State Representative Scott Bounds, who serves President of the Neshoba County Fair Association, said that he is excited, "about serving you as President of this grand tradition we all embrace." "The 2022 fair promises top notch nightly entertainment," Representative Bounds said. "Rodeo action and exciting horse racing on Mississippi's first licensed horse racing track. Livestock shows. Outstanding crop, home and 4-H exhibits. Carnival and "fair food" opportunities! And, political speaking at Mississippi's most revered political stump. But make no mistake; it's the cabin and camping atmosphere that brings back generations for a week of family, fellowship, food and fun." Every year, sitting public officials and candidates for public office from the the local, state and national levels meet to speak at Founder's Square. This year's lineup of public and political speakers will take place on Wednesday, July 27, and Thursday, July 28. Y'all Politics will be covering speeches live. |
| Former Tupelo mayor asks state board to help oppose Tupelo housing project | |
 | A former state agency director and a current state lawmaker want a Mississippi board to help them scrap an affordable housing project in Tupelo that's drawn the ire of some city residents. Former Mississippi Development Authority Director Glenn McCullough and state Sen. Chad McMahan on Wednesday asked the Mississippi Home Corporation Board at its regular meeting to pull back federal tax incentives for the project and re-examine the proposal. "This board exists to represent the best interest of the people, the taxpayers," McMahan, a Republican from Guntown, said. "It is within your authority to review and re-examine this application." The Home Corporation, which administers the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, has already awarded tax credits to finance the Flowerdale Commons project in Tupelo, which is set to be constructed on Colonial Estates Road. The project in contention is set to have 46 units and 107 parking spaces. The units would target "working class" residents making a total gross family income of $60,000. Ever since news of the housing units began to circulate in the northern part of the city, residents along Colonial Estates voiced concerns to elected officials over their property values decreasing and increased traffic clogging the road. |
| Entergy power customers will get an $80 credit next month | |
 | Just in time for the dog days of summer, Entergy Mississippi customers are going to get a little help with their electric bills. Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley said Wednesday that customers of Entergy can begin signing up to receive a one-time $80 check from the state's largest electric utility starting Aug. 1 using the company's website. Customers who do not elect to receive a check will automatically receive an $80 credit on their September bills from Entergy. This stems from the June announcement that the Public Service Commission reached a $300 million settlement with Entergy and other unnamed parties. Presley said the $80 refund will go to all 421,000 Entergy customers. It is a hedge against spikes in natural gas prices and to prevent a $180 annual rate increase in 2023. The commission also imposed a a moratorium on certain Entergy profits for four years. "Our job at the PSC is to be a watchdog, not a lapdog agency, and this $80 refund is a direct result of our action to protect the pocketbooks of Mississippians against over-profiting by corporate monopolies," Presley said. |
| New incentives for self-generated renewables a 'win for clean energy' | |
| The Mississippi Public Service Commission on Tuesday added a new rebate and low-income credits in its updated rule on compensating homeowners for generating renewable power. With hopes of growing the number of Mississippians self-generating renewable power, the PSC announced a $3,500 rebate for home and small business owners purchasing a system such as rooftop solar panels, as well as higher payments to households earning up to 250% of the federal poverty level. "These new rules will make Mississippi open to business to clean energy technology developers, manufacturers, and installers, and will help boost low-income opportunities allowing Mississippians to experience the cost-saving benefits of solar energy," Central District Public Service Commissioner Brent Bailey said. Net metering works by customers selling any extra renewable power they generate back to their utility company. Mississippi has the second-lowest number of participants -- roughly 300, as of February -- among states with a net metering law. It also was one of the last states to adopt net metering, starting the program in 2015. Clean energy advocates were critical of the original rule because, unlike in most states, net metering customers in Mississippi aren't reimbursed at the retail price for their generated power. |
| Charge your EV 'coast-to-coast' with new GM charging network at Pilot Flying J travel centers | |
 | To get more consumers comfortable with driving electric vehicles, General Motors and Pilot Company have pledged to build a "coast-to-coast" EV charging network at Pilot Flying J travel centers across the U.S. The network is intended to eliminate battery "range anxiety" for drivers taking their EVs on the road. Electric vehicles now account for 4.6% of all passenger vehicles being sold in the U.S., and registrations for new EVs soared earlier this year. When finished, the network will include 2,000 direct current fast chargers across 500 Pilot and Pilot Flying J locations, company leaders said Wednesday. "We are targeting 50-mile intervals to make convenient, reliable, and safe coast-to-coast EV travel a reality," Pilot CEO Shameek Konar said. The rollout of charging stations, which will be scattered across the U.S., begins in early 2023, and the charging network could expand as demand increases. The partnership builds on Pilot's $1 billion initiative to transform its travel centers into a "destination" stop for travelers, with upgraded restrooms, more food offerings, and free Wi-Fi in some locations. The units will charge vehicles at a rate of up to 350 kilowatts. Hester estimated it would take about 10 minutes to charge for 150 miles. |
| MDOC installs air conditioning in state prisons | |
| Mississippi Department of Correction Commissioner Burl Cain said he's working to install air conditioning units in every state prison. "When we got Unit 26 air conditioned, the inmates complained because they said it's too cold. Whoever heard of Parchman being too cold in the summer?" Cain said. It's a new and cooler beginning for those serving time in Mississippi state prisons starting at one of the hottest: Parchman. "Seventy-five percent of its complete, 40% of the population is covered. We thought we'd get it down in the 70s. But we never thought we'd get it to 68 doing it the way we did," Cain said. The project has cost $600,000 from MDOC's budget, more from ARPA funds, and additional money from the Inmate Welfare Fund. Central and Southern Mississippi correctional facilities are next in line for units. However, the A.C. installations aren't just for inmates. Cain said the units will help correctional officers who work in the prisons. "Everybody knows we need to hire more people and nobody wants to go sit in a prison, inside the building and you know, burn up all day and sitting in one place. And just looking at the inmate and watching now," Cain explained. So, how will this improve the prisons overall? "It creates less problems for us. We want to have an environment where you can do the time in rehabilitation. We don't want you to come back to prison. I think we needed to do it for our correctional officer then also for peace and harmony with the inmates in condition to confirm and improve," Cain said. |
| Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners welcomes former MDA and MSU Executive Dr. Mike McGrevey | |
| At the end of June, Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners announced that Dr. Mike McGrevey, former Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) and Mississippi State University (MSU) Executive, has joined their team. The consulting firm offers business development, governmental affairs, and public relations services; strategic planning; issues management; and more to clients around the globe. Dr. McGrevey will provide counsel on site selection and infrastructure for economic development projects and connect clients with local, state, and federal incentives, financing tools, and investment opportunities. "We're very excited to have Mike join the team," said Katie Bryant Snell, a founding partner of the firm. "He brings decades of experience and has already started working on new economic development projects in the southeast. Looking forward to bringing new jobs and industries to the region." Dr. McGrevey's experience ranges from economic development to public and private sector service, academia, and the military. |
| State subpoena targets Gov. Bryant's communication with USM Athletic Foundation | |
| Attorneys are wrangling Mississippi's former governor into the welfare department's massive civil lawsuit, which one attorney called a "no-holds-barred death match." The attorney for the state agency is subpoenaing the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation for any of its communication with former Gov. Phil Bryant and his wife Deborah Bryant. The Mississippi Department of Human Services filed a civil lawsuit in May accusing dozens of people -- including retired NFL quarterback and famed USM alumnus Brett Favre -- of misspending or wrongly receiving welfare funds. But the complaint did not name the athletic foundation, even though it received $5 million in welfare funds to build a new volleyball stadium at USM -- one of the more egregious revelations in a sprawling $77 million welfare scandal that broke in 2020. The complaint doesn't mention the volleyball building at all. A subpoena filed Monday may signal the state's intent to add the USM scheme to the civil complaint and explore whether the Bryants are culpable. The subpoena also asks for any communication between USM athletic foundation board members or employees and Favre, nonprofit founder Nancy New, her sons Zach New and Jess New, former welfare department director John Davis and retired wrestler Ted "Teddy" DiBiase Jr. The private attorney the welfare agency contracted to bring the civil suit, former U.S. attorney Brad Pigott, also filed a notice Monday with an initial list of people he's calling to testify, which does not include Bryant. |
| Defendant: Ex-governor ordered payments to NFL's Brett Favre | |
 | A defendant in a Mississippi welfare fraud case said in a court document she directed $1.1 million in welfare money to former NFL star Brett Favre at the direction of former Gov. Phil Bryant. Mississippi news outlets report that the accusation, which Bryant denies, is in a filing on behalf of defendant Nancy New, who, with her son, once ran a nonprofit group and an education company in Mississippi. After pleading guilty in April to criminal charges, Nancy New, 69, and her son Zachary New, 39, agreed to testify against others in what the state auditor has called Mississippi's largest public corruption case in the past two decades. Her court filing is in a civil case filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services against Mississippi Community Education Center Inc., once run by the New family. In the 29-page document, her attorneys say she was acting at the direction of MDHS officials in the awarding of various contracts and allocation of funds. A spokesperson for the former governor released a statement denying the accusations, according to WAPT-TV. "These allegations made against Gov. Bryant are false. Every claim against these individuals was discovered and prosecuted as a result of an investigation Gov. Bryant requested of the state auditor," the statement said. |
| How will Mississippi's abortion ban be enforced? Coast police don't know or won't say | |
 | After Mississippi's abortion trigger law went into effect July 7, all abortions except in cases of rape and danger to the life of the mother are classified as felonies. Providers of illegal abortions, defined by law to include those who provide or prescribe pills to induce miscarriage, will now face up to 10 years in prison. But questions remain regarding how the law will actually be enforced. Two Mississippi district attorneys, in Jackson and Natchez, have pledged not to prosecute abortions. Meanwhile, the offices of Coast district attorneys W. Crosby Parker and Angel Myers McIlrath have not returned repeated Sun Herald inquiries over the last week regarding whether and how they will prosecute abortions. The Sun Herald also contacted law enforcement agencies, which are tasked with investigating crimes before they can be prosecuted. Biloxi police spokesman Milton Houseman told the Sun Herald in an email the department is bound to investigate all reported felonies "in the same manner," and that, "if an illegal abortion is classified as a felony, our understanding is that a police officer does not have discretion on enforcement." Houseman also said the department was awaiting "guidance from the State Attorney's Office to help determine our investigative procedures," but did not respond to a follow-up email asking whether the department had already requested such guidance. At this preliminary stage, in cases of reported abortions, Adams said, "we'd heavily rely on a doctor or a physician or somebody in a medical field to help guide us, because we're police officers; we don't know much about medical procedures or things like that." |
| Some Doctors Rethink Careers After States Restrict Abortions | |
 | Giovannina Anthony is among doctors who have rethought their careers since the Supreme Court removed constitutional protections for abortion. An obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Anthony has conducted medical abortions at her clinic in Jackson, Wyo., for 17 years. She was the only abortion provider in the state before telemedicine-based startup justthepill.com. The Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24 has put her work in doubt. If Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, agrees that the decision now triggers a state law banning abortion except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother's life, it will be take effect within five days. Mr. Gordon is awaiting an analysis of the Supreme Court decision by Wyoming's attorney general, a spokesman for the governor said. Dr. Anthony, 55, said she considered retiring early after the Supreme Court's decision. Instead, she decided to push to keep conducting abortions in Wyoming. If the trigger law takes effect, she and other doctors said they plan to file for a court injunction against it. "I initially felt like I had no fight left in me. Now I'm feeling a little more in fight mode," she said. "I feel like I can make a difference. And for me, that's a reason to stay." The overturning of Roe v. Wade has changed the work of some doctors performing abortions and other healthcare workers involved in the procedures. In response, some of the doctors and workers are traveling to other states to practice temporarily or moving to states where abortion remains legal from states where it is now restricted. Others said they plan to stay in states curbing abortion to provide access in cases when it remains legal. |
| Attorney for Mississippi abortion case calls Roe v. Wade reversal 'tremendous victory' | |
| One of the attorneys in Mississippi's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, which ultimately brought an end to nationwide abortion access in America, testified before Congress on Wednesday. Of the six witnesses to testify in the more than five-hour-long hearing of the House Oversight Committee, Erin Hawley was the only one on the anti-abortion side of the contentious debate. Hawley serves as senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom. ADF describes itself as "the world's largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, parental rights and God's design for marriage and family." Hawley assisted the state of Mississippi in arguing the Dobbs case, working closely with Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Solicitor General Scott Stewart. "The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs corrects a 50-year wrong, one that resulted in the death of over 60 million unborn children," Hawley said in her opening statement. "Roe v. Wade was premised on egregious legal errors, and its reversal is a tremendous victory for life and for the American people." The hearing, while contentious at times, mostly featured Republicans asking questions of Hawley and Democrats asking questions of the other five witnesses, who favor abortion rights. The witnesses and representatives contradicted each other at times on issues such as when life begins and the definition of abortion. |
| Young Voters Are Fed Up With Their (Much) Older Leaders | |
 | Alexandra Chadwick went to the polls in 2020 with the singular goal of ousting Donald J. Trump. A 22-year-old first time voter, she saw Joseph R. Biden Jr. as more of a safeguard than an inspiring political figure, someone who could stave off threats to abortion access, gun control and climate policy. Two years later, as the Supreme Court has eroded federal protections on all three, Ms. Chadwick now sees President Biden and other Democratic leaders as lacking both the imagination and willpower to fight back. She points to a generational gap -- one she once overlooked but now seems cavernous. "How are you going to accurately lead your country if your mind is still stuck 50, 60 or 70 years ago?" Ms. Chadwick, a customer service representative in Rialto, Calif., said of the many septuagenarian leaders at the helm of her party. "It's not the same, and people aren't the same, and your old ideas aren't going to work as well anymore." While voters across the spectrum express rising doubts about the country's political leadership, few groups are as united in their discontent as the young. A survey from The New York Times and Siena College found that just 1 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds strongly approve of the way Mr. Biden is handling his job. And 94 percent of Democrats under 30 said they wanted another candidate to run two years from now. Of all age groups, young voters were most likely to say they wouldn't vote for either Mr. Biden or Mr. Trump in a hypothetical 2024 rematch. Young Republican voters were the least likely to say they want Mr. Trump be the party's nominee in 2024, but Kyle Holcomb, a recent college graduate from Florida, said he would vote for him if it came to it. "Literally, if anyone else other than Biden was running I would be more comfortable," he said. "I just like the idea of having someone in power who can project their vision and goals effectively." |
| Father of missing UM student asks for information on whereabouts of son | |
| The family of missing Ole Miss student Jimmie "Jay" Lee has released a video statement asking for the any information on the whereabouts of Lee. In the video, Jimmie Lee, father Jay Lee, said he is calling and reaching out to anyone that could have a tip on his location. Lee's father goes on to thank his family, friends and the community of Jackson, Mississippi for their encouragement. He also thanks the community of Oxford for their role in the search for Lee. "I'm thankful for the Oxford community for their involvement and everything that their doing," he said. "You're very kind." "I can remember my son coming to this college being willing to face the unknown without a problem," said Lee's father. "I'm so proud of him for that. I want everyone to know that whether you were black, white, green, polka-dotted, it didn't matter who you are, he was there to help if he saw the need." If anyone has any information regarding Lee's whereabouts or his activities on Friday, they are asked to call Oxford Police Department at 662-232-2400; University Police Department at 662-915-7234; or Crime Stoppers at 662-234-8477. Information and tips also can be shared via social media: Facebook: @OxfordMSPolice or @OleMissPolice or Twitter: @OxfordPolice or @OleMissPolice. |
| History Is Lunch: Stephanie Rolph -- Hodding Carter III and The South Strikes Back | |
| On July 13, Stephanie Rolph presented "Hodding Carter III and The South Strikes Back" as part of the History Is Lunch series. Originally published in 1959, Carter's book explores the beginnings of the white Citizens' Council in the Mississippi Delta and its battles over integration and voting rights. University Press of Mississippi has reissued the work with a new introduction by Rolph. In The South Strikes Back, Carter presents a historical overview and traces the formation of the Council, its treatment of African Americans, and its impact on white communities across the state. He also examines trends working against the Council -- the federal government's efforts to improve voting rights for African Americans, economic growth within African American communities, and especially the fact that the Citizens' Council was founded on the defense of segregation's status quo and dedicated to its preservation. Stephanie R. Rolph is associate professor of history at Millsaps College. She earned her BA in history from Millsaps College and her MA and PhD from Mississippi State University, both in U.S. history. Rolph is the immediate past president of the Mississippi Historical Society and author of Resisting Equality: The Citizens' Council, 1954–1989. History Is Lunch is sponsored by the John and Lucy Shackelford Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation for Mississippi. |
| Large number of U. of South Alabama students say they struggle to buy food | |
 | Noting a decline in students' financial, physical and mental health over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, 20 universities recently adopted a new survey to gauge students' sense of well-being and to create initiatives to address critical needs affecting campus wellness. According to a news release last week, schools including Butler University; California State University, Sacramento; and the University of South Alabama have launched the Student Well-being Institutional Support Survey, or SWISS, to gather students' health insights for new support strategies. It said the survey is housed within a data platform from the tech company Qualtrics, which turns data relating to mental, physical and financial well-being into "actionable data." In terms of physical health, the University of South Alabama's adoption of the survey found a large number of students struggling with food insecurity, with a third of them reporting an inability to pay for food consistently. In response, officials said they're launching a new wellness website to highlight food resources for those students, in addition to the university's free food pantry. "That was pretty eye-opening," Brian Allred, director of campus recreation and wellness at the University of South Alabama, said in a statement about the findings. "Food insecurity wasn't even on my radar prior to the survey, so this has impacted the direction we're going to take." |
| 20 applicants seek U. of Arkansas, Fayetteville's top post | |
| Twenty applicants vying to become the next chancellor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville include the interim chancellor, Charles Robinson, and UA's business dean, Matt Waller. An outgoing college president -- Rodney Bennett at the University of Southern Mississippi -- and senior administrators at the University of Alabama and Oklahoma State University have also applied. Listed candidates as of last Friday include one woman out of 11 applicants currently working at colleges or universities. Not all of the 20 candidates had biographical information readily accessible online, but as few as two are women. The University of Arkansas System released the names and titles of applicants actively seeking the job as of the July 8 deadline for receiving "best consideration." UA System officials released the list after a request made under the state's public disclosure law. Nate Hinkel, a spokesman for the UA System, in a statement called it "very likely" that more than 20 candidates will end up being considered for the job, adding that "the active recruiting process will also continue moving forward in identifying a highly qualified, diverse pool of candidates for consideration." Hinkel referred to the diversity of top hires made at UA System President Donald Bobbitt's recommendation for various UA System colleges and universities. Bobbitt, through Hinkel, declined to comment on the applicant pool so far. Bennett in 2013 became the first Black president at the University of Southern Mississippi, a public university with about 14,000 students. His last day as president will be Friday, according to a June 30 statement from the school. He previously served as vice president of student affairs at the University of Georgia. |
| Three more women sue Louisiana universities, claiming they failed to stop sexual predator | |
 | Three more women have sued the Louisiana Board of Regents and the systems for LSU and the University of Louisiana, saying they were sexually assaulted by the same man between 2015 and 2021 and that university officials failed to intervene. Their lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court, is the second in recent months to focus on how universities handled reports against Victor Daniel Silva, a 2020 UL graduate. Silva racked up sexual assault allegations at LSU, UL and Louisiana Tech -- schools he attended between 2014 and 2020. But none of those universities bothered to warn one another about his behavior as he transferred between them, the plaintiffs charge. When Silva would face a sexual misconduct allegation at one university, he was able to easily enroll at another and resume his problematic behavior, the lawsuit alleges. The plaintiffs in Wednesday's lawsuit, and a plaintiff who filed a separate suit in May, allege that the universities ran afoul of federal and state laws, which require campuses to investigate reports of sexual misconduct and to warn one another when students disciplined for such behavior try to transfer to another state school. The plaintiffs have also sued Lafayette Consolidated Government, the Lafayette Police Department and the respective presidents of each university. The women are not identified by name in court filings, and Silva is not listed as a defendant in Wednesday's suit or in the May lawsuit. |
| Henderson: Task force on tenure can increase understanding, benefit Louisiana higher education | |
| Does a legislative task force charged with discussing tenure in Louisiana higher education pose a threat to faculty members' academic independence? University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson, who will serve on the panel, doesn't see it. "Tenure has been a hot-button political issue emerging around the country the last couple of years," Henderson said. "It's not surprising that public officials in Louisiana want to explore it, to have a conversation." But Henderson said he sees the ultimate outcome of the conversation -- it is mandated to begin with the committee's initial meeting by Aug. 1 and end with a report by March 1 -- as vindication for tenure. "Indeterminate tenure is an integral part of higher education and has been," Henderson said. In general, tenure was established to protect academic freedom for faculty members who teach and conduct research, which is sometimes controversial. Henderson said a common misunderstanding about tenure is that it provides a lifetime guarantee of employment for faculty members in higher education. But that's not the case, he said: Tenure protects academic freedom; it doesn't protect faculty members for wrongdoing. It ensures them due process. |
| MU Engineering develops bridge-building curriculum for K-12 students | |
 | With replacement of the Interstate 70 bridge at Rocheport taking place a few miles away, a professor in the University of Missouri College of Engineering has developed a bridge-building curriculum for K-12 students. Sarah Orton, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, developed the curriculum with cooperation of the Missouri Department of Transportation and Lunda Construction, the contractor on the Rocheport bridge. The curriculum will be online and free to teachers. Orton said she wants the curriculum to engage students in a real-world situation. "We want to help them learn about bridge design and get them interested in the whole construction process," Orton said. As part of its proposal for the bridge work, Lunda agreed to implement innovative training and outreach in science, technology, engineering and math. "They're actually going out to several schools to make presentations," Orton said. There was a trial run for the curriculum in June, when elementary students on campus for a camp built bridges using toothpicks and gum drops. Representatives with the bridge contractor also presented information to the students. "They learned about how bridges work and had some fun, too," Orton said. |
| U. of Michigan Picks Santa Ono as Its Next President | |
 | The University of Michigan has tapped a veteran president as its next leader, filling a gap that opened in January when Mark S. Schlissel was fired for cause after an investigation into his interactions with a subordinate. Michigan's elected Board of Regents voted unanimously in a special meeting on Wednesday to make Santa J. Ono the university's next president. Ono will leave his current position, held since 2016, as president and vice chancellor of the University of British Columbia, in Canada. Ono also spent four years at the helm of the University of Cincinnati. In both positions, he cultivated a reputation for connecting with the campus community, often through social media. A molecular immunologist, Ono, 59, is Michigan's 15th president and its first of Asian descent. He will take office on October 13, according to a university release, and will be responsible for Michigan's three campuses, health system, and robust athletics program. A 17-member committee, led by the regents Sarah Hubbard, a Republican, and Denise Ilitch, a Democrat, led the search for Schlissel's replacement, in conjunction with the search firm Isaacson, Miller. In terms of public image, Ono offers a marked contrast with Schlissel. Under fire for much of his tenure, Schlissel was criticized for lacking the common touch, particularly with students and alumni who voiced concerns about sexual assault. Ono, by contrast, has preached the virtues of the personal presidency, at times showing a level of vulnerability that is relatively uncommon for a person in his position. In 2016, for example, Ono told an audience at a mental-health fund-raising event that he had twice attempted suicide, first in his teens and again in his late 20s. |
| UCF removes anti-racist statements from department websites | |
| The University of Central Florida has removed anti-racist statements from departmental websites, a move that one professor has decried as an "infringement on academic freedom" in the wake of the passage of a Republican-backed law that restricts how race can be taught. Ann Gleig, a religious studies professor, said in an email Wednesday that the anti-racist statement on the philosophy department's website and those of other departments have been taken down. The philosophy department's statement was crafted in the summer of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, she said. "This is a complete infringement of academic freedom," Gleig said. "The statement was crafted over a period of time with dialogue and input across a twenty person plus faculty trained in philosophy, religion and cultural studies and the humanities." Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis last spring signed into law what he has called the "Stop WOKE Act." Restricting how race is discussed in schools, colleges and workplace training programs, the law prohibits any teaching that could make students or workers feel they bear personal responsibility for historic wrongs because of their race, color, sex or national origin. |
| This Professor Was Investigated for an 'Offensive' Land Acknowledgment. Now He's Suing. | |
| A computer-science professor is suing the University of Washington for allegedly violating his First Amendment rights and retaliating against him after he included a land acknowledgment in a course syllabus that one administrator deemed "offensive." The lawsuit, filed by Stuart Reges and supported by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, is the latest example of a faculty member's contention that a college's efforts to be inclusive infringe on academic freedom. Across the country in recent years, colleges have begun creating and publishing land acknowledgments to recognize that their campuses sit on land once held by Indigenous people. The moves often are a response to community demands. t the same time, the acknowledgments have gained critics, with some arguing they mean nothing without further action to support local Indigenous communities. Earlier this year, FIRE urged administrators at San Diego State University to drop a requirement that syllabi contain land acknowledgments because it "imposes an institutional orthodoxy on its faculty that contravenes the university's strong commitment to freedom of speech." The university's faculty later voted to drop the requirement. "There's a growing movement on campus to push a particular ideology," Reges said in an interview on Wednesday. "And there's been an unfortunate narrowing of allowed opinions -- you know, this idea that it's OK to express progressive ideas, but conservative ideas are not OK." |
| Bomb threats disrupt campuses across the country | |
 | A series of bomb threats this week targeted college campuses across the country, many of them community colleges. While no bombs have been found, the threats come amid a surge of such menaces this summer, which are concerning to law enforcement officials and college leaders, who say they're disruptive to campus life and disturbing to students and employees. Two Eastern Florida State College campuses closed and reopened after evacuations Wednesday in response to a bomb threat. A slew of community colleges in Virginia were targeted Tuesday, including Eastern Shore Community College, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Peninsula Community College and Paul D. Camp Community College. Regent University and Norfolk State University, a historically Black institution, received threats, as well, according to 13News Now, an ABC affiliate news station in Virginia. The Federal Bureau of Investigation press office issued a statement saying that the agency "is aware of bomb threats received by multiple colleges and universities." "The FBI takes all potential threats seriously and we regularly work with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility," the statement read. "As always, we would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious to report it to law enforcement immediately." Tuesday's incidents are the latest surge in a barrage of threats that has been going on for weeks. |
| What role should college rankings play in choosing a school? | |
| Prospective college students -- like most other humans -- are drawn to names they know. "The college universe is kind of shaped by name brands," said Jennifer Jessie, a college consultant in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. "That starts really early. So if you watch any TV show, any movie in the Marvel Universe, you'll see MIT and Caltech being featured." Jessie said that more than Marvel movies, the rankings created by U.S. News & World Report magazine define the biggest college brands. "You'll see the rankings influence what name brands matter," she said. "In a lot of students' minds, especially if you're a first-generation student or you're a student that has been historically excluded, you want to try to play it safe. And so a name brand sometimes feels safer, even if that's going to result in more debt." The lists have been in the spotlight recently. Last week, U.S. News announced it was unranking Columbia University -- formerly tied for the No. 2 spot -- saying it had been unable to verify certain data the school had submitted. That was after Columbia said it was reviewing its data and wouldn't participate in the rankings this coming year. Other schools have misreported data, including graduate schools at Temple and the University of Southern California. So, given all this, what role should rankings play as students make one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives? |
| Better Classroom Experiences, Better Grades | |
| A new report found that faculty members can improve students' experiences in the classroom by adopting practices that make students feel a sense of safety and belonging, which can in turn affect their academic outcomes. The report was released Wednesday by the Student Experience Project, a collaboration of campus leaders, faculty members, researchers and national education organizations to promote practices that enhance students' college experiences and create more equitable learning environments. As a part of the project, 295 faculty members at six universities learned new classroom practices focused on fostering students' growth mind-set and sense of belonging and safety, among other goals. Faculty members participated in professional development workshops, revised their syllabi to include more motivating and inclusive language, and made changes to their courses, such as including more diverse scholars in course materials. Then the Student Experience Project solicited feedback from 10,000 students each semester during the 2020–21 academic year. The report found that the percentage of students reporting an overall positive experience increased by about 10.5 percent in fall 2020 and spring 2021. Classroom experiences significantly improved among Black, Latina and Native American women experiencing financial stress, according to the report. The percentage of these women who reported an overall positive experience increased by about 25 percent in fall 2020 and spring 2021. As students felt more positively about their learning environments, they were more likely to get better grades, the report found. |
| New Study Directly Connects Student Belonging with Academic Wellness | |
| When faculty are empowered with equity-based resources and when student voices and experiences are centered, students and faculty experience a greater sense of belonging at their institution and academic outcomes are improved. These are the findings in Increasing Equity in Student Experience: Findings from a National Collaborative, the most recent report from the Student Experience Project (SEP), a coalition of universities, leadership, faculty, researchers, and national organizations who are committed to equitizing and improving higher education, including the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities. Over the 2020-21 academic year, SEP engaged with six partner universities, nine peer-learning network universities, 295 faculty, and roughly 10,000 students to develop and share practical, equitable approaches to classroom instruction and broader institutional practices to build a student-centered learning environment. The initial focus of this study was science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses, and fields underrepresented by minoritized students. "Partnering with faculty within institutions of higher education is a powerful tool for creating equitable and inclusive learning environments," said Dr. Mary C. Murphy, a Herman B. Wells endowed professor at Indiana University, Bloomington and a principal SEP investigator. "[The faculty] are the culture creators of their classroom. Treat them as such and give them tools." |
| Gen Z students want better mental health care access on campus | |
 | When Meera Varma was in high school, she felt like a black cloud followed her everywhere she went. Her struggles with mental health were difficult to explain to family members in their mother tongue, Hindi. Although they were supportive, she needed professional help. She found it in her school counselors, whom she saw almost daily as a senior. After suffering frequent panic attacks in class, she started advocating at school district meetings for mental health services to be made a priority. "I felt really isolated, and I didn't want anyone to ever feel like I did," Varma, 21, said. Varma continued that activism after enrolling at UCLA, where she joined Active Minds, an organization whose mission is to change the conversation on mental health among college students. In recent years, that conversation has grown louder. The two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have touched nearly everyone's lives in some way, but members of Gen Z have been hit particularly hard. Loss of normalcy and routine during a time of immense development has contributed to increasing rates of mental illness in adolescents, said psychologist Tamika Damond, who runs a private practice, Believe Psychology Group. Gen Zers have been more open about their struggles than members of older generations, a pattern that has meant rates of mental illness appear higher among young people. Members of Gen Z and millennials are also more likely to seek out mental health support than older generations, according to a recent survey by the American Psychological Assn. |
| Campus mental health bills passed in House | |
| The demand for mental health services by college students and faculty members has increased immensely since the start of the pandemic. Two bipartisan bills recently passed in the House of Representatives seek to address this growing crisis by helping colleges create evidence-based policies and procedures to address mental health and addiction on campuses. Both bills were passed in the House with bipartisan support and have been introduced in the Senate, where similar support is expected. Mental health research shows that since 2013 there has been a 135 percent increase in depression and a 110 percent increase in anxiety among college students. Additionally, a Harris poll of 1,000 college students showed that students are 12 percentage points more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than the typical U.S. adult. Campus leaders are concerned as well. A 2020 survey indicated that 70 percent of college presidents said mental health was their top concern, and 66 percent of college presidents noted an increase in use of mental health services on campus. Additionally, in April a group of nearly 100 organizations representing higher education sent a letter to Congress demanding investments in mental health on college campuses. |
| Colleges Serving Low-Income Students, HBCUs Get $198 Million in Covid-Relief Funds | |
| The Education Department on Wednesday awarded nearly $198 million in Covid-19 relief funds to 244 colleges and universities serving large numbers of students who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Almost 90 percent of the money will go toward historically Black colleges and universities, universities with high rates of minority enrollment and institutions serving large populations of low-income students, including community colleges. The grants were given to public and private nonprofit colleges and universities, including those in rural areas, and schools that have experienced enrollment declines since the start of the pandemic. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said the effects of the pandemic haven't been felt equally across institutions of higher education. The majority of institutions are required to distribute roughly half of the funds directly to students, to provide additional support for housing, tuition and food. The grants are part of President Biden's American Rescue Plan, which has thus far provided almost $40 billion to colleges and universities. Coahoma Community College, a historically Black institution based in Clarksdale, Miss., has in the past two years used $6 million in Covid rescue funds to help 4,500 students enrolled there by clearing their debts to the school and waiving enrollment fees, said college president Valmadge Towner. Without the funding, Dr. Towner said, "We're certain that many of our talented students and faculty would have been negatively impacted by the pandemic." Dr. Towner said a portion of the funds used at his school have also gone to pay for expanded tutoring, mental health supports and extended learning hours. The money also has paid to retrofit buildings to provide adequate space for social distancing, he said. |
SPORTS
| Exclusive: Mississippi State AD John Cohen explains Mike Leach contract extension, Egg Bowl expectations | |
| John Cohen was in the locker room two years ago when 43 scholarship players prepared to take the field for Mississippi State football against Georgia. The Mississippi State athletic director knew his team was shorthanded against one of the nation's elite programs. But after watching MSU battle in a 31-24 loss, and seeing freshman quarterback Will Rogers grow up in live action and noticing a slim roster refusing to be out-coached, that became a moment Cohen can't shake. "You started to see these glimpses of what this can look like," Cohen said in a recent interview with the Clarion Ledger. "Then you look at Mike Leach's history and say, 'Oh, well this has happened everywhere he's ever been.' That to me is what makes him the right man for this job." Cohen has a knack for remembering precise moments when discussing what something means on a macro level. For him, that loss at Georgia is among the first he thinks of when justifying Leach's recent two-year contract extension. Leach is two games under .500 at Mississippi State and has lost the Egg Bowl in both attempts. But Cohen feels he sees the progress expected when hiring Leach from Washington State two years ago. The Cougars went 12-25 in Leach's first three seasons before winning 43 games the following five. Prior to his stint in the Pullman, Leach won seven games in each of his first two seasons with Texas Tech before winning at least eight in his final eight. Cohen believes the jump from four wins in 2020 to seven last season projects a similar trajectory for Leach in Starkville. He now has through at least 2025 to prove it, which would put Leach in a four-way tie for fifth-longest tenured coach in program history. |
| All-Sport Pass available for Mississippi State students | |
 | The Mississippi State University (MSU) Bulldog Athletics has partnered with the Student Association to provided MSU students the option to purchase an All-Sport Pass beginning Monday, August 15. The All-Sport Pass will allow students admission to all ticketed home regular season MSU games across all sports at a discounted rate of just $150. In previous years, students were required to purchase tickets individually by sport. The All-Sport Pass allows students admission to all MSU home events including: Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball and Baseball. Any students who are officially enrolled in class at Mississippi State by Thursday, August 11 may log in to their student Dog Tag account at HailState.com/studenttickets to purchase the All-Sport Pass beginning Monday, August 15 at 8:30 a.m. |
| Deion Sanders and Nick Saban team up for new Aflac commercial after NIL accusations | |
 | Football coaches Deion Sanders and Nick Saban will have another Aflac commercial together, according to a video posted on Sanders' Instagram page. The Jackson State coach and Alabama football coach were shown dressed in blue blazers on a filming set. The reunion comes two months after Saban accused Sanders of paying a Jackson State player $1 million to attend JSU. Sanders called Saban's comments a lie, and said that they "stung" him. But, Sanders still refers to Saban as one of the greatest coaches in college football history. He called Saban "The Goat" in the video. Sanders, who is arguably the greatest NFL cornerback of all-time, is also sometimes called "The Goat." The 13-second clip ended with a text overlay saying: "2 goats, 1 duck, no beef," referencing Aflac's duck mascot and suggesting that there are no ill feelings between the two. |
| Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy asks why Texas, Oklahoma allowed in Big 12 business meetings | |
| Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy offered advice -- "jokingly," he said -- to new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark on Wednesday: Don't let the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners continue to participate in the league's business meetings. Gundy, who has been Oklahoma State coach since 2005, said he's surprised that the Longhorns and Sooners -- who will join the SEC on July 1, 2025, if not earlier -- were still involved in Big 12 meetings. "It's interesting," Gundy told reporters shortly after his remarks onstage at Big 12 media days. "We go to conference meetings, and OU and Texas are in there. They're still in the conference. But I'm guessing when they leave, they're scratching down things that can help them when they're in the SEC. So it is an unusual situation. I think there's a business side of it that nowadays people say, 'It is what it is.' Which 10 years ago, they might not even let them in meetings. The new commissioner, I mean, honestly, if I was him, I wouldn't let OU and Texas in any meetings." Gundy said in his opening remarks that there doesn't seem to be a scenario where Oklahoma State and Oklahoma would continue their Bedlam rivalry series in football after the Sooners' departure from the conference. "The future of Bedlam is there's a year or two left," Gundy said. "I mean, that's the future of Bedlam, based on somebody else's decision." |
| Big 12′s Brett Yormark on releasing Texas, Oklahoma to SEC early: 'I'm not against' negotiations | |
| New Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark declared his conference "open for business" when discussing conference re-alignement with reporters Wednesday. "We are exploring all options, and we are open for business," Yormark told reporters Wednesday. "It's fair to say I've received a lot of phone calls, a lot of interest. People understand the direction of the Big 12, and we're exploring those levels of interest. Nothing is imminent, but we're working hard to make sure that we position the Big 12 in the best possible way on a go-forward basis." He said he is "bullish on the conference." Texas and Oklahoma are departing for the SEC. It was announced in 2021 that BYU, Cincinnati, Central Florida and Houston would join the Big 12. There are reports the conference has expressed interest in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, while others have suggested Oregon and Washington. Still, there is no timetable. What is clear is that Oklahoma and Texas won't be a part of that future. There is a target date of July 1, 2025, for the programs to join the SEC, but there has been speculation that they could join earlier. Yormark said he is looking for a "win-win scenario" for everyone involved. |
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