| Wednesday, July 27, 2022 |
| MSU's director of flight research says the university is an academic leader | |
 | Mississippi State University researchers are helping government and private industries take flight. Director of the university's Raspet Flight Research Lab Thomas Brooks spoke at the Rotary Club Tuesday. He says the research lab's focus relates to the FAA's interest in improving drone technology that can assist with package deliveries, agricultural businesses, medicine, and law enforcement working on investigations. "UAS (unmanned aerial vehicle) is changing aviation at a rate that we've never seen in my experience. UAS is an exciting area of aviation and it's exciting because it just proliferates and potentially improves everything that we do in the aviation community." Brooks says MSU leads the nation with the largest UAS or unmanned aerial vehicles being flown in academia. |
| USPOULTRY's Women's Leadership Conference is Aug. 18-19 | |
 | USPOULTRY's 2022 Women's Leadership Conference, developed by a team of professional women in various levels of management with diverse responsibilities, will address the leadership, management and communication skills necessary for professional growth, and provide encouragement for women in all career stages to reach their full potential. Attendees can anticipate a range of valuable programming uniquely suited to the leadership development needs of women in the poultry and egg industry, including investing in professional growth, setting boundaries and more. This year's conference will be held Aug. 18-19 at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Fla. Session topics include Profiles of Women Leaders: a Seasoned Professional's Perspective and a Young Professional's Perspective; Stress Management / Setting Boundaries...Knowing When to Say No; Successful Team Building / Mentorship; Setting the Tone as a Leader...Fix Your Face; Situational Leadership...Leading with Empathy; and Leadership: An Action, A Verb, A Choice. The 2022 Women's Leadership Conference planning committee includes Lisa Noffsinger, Mississippi State University. |
| Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District starts new school year on modified calendar | |
 | Students in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District returned to class on Tuesday -- 10 days earlier than they did last year. And their academic year won't end until June 1, 2023. The district began operating on a modified calendar, often referred to as a "year-round" calendar, for the 2022-23 school year. They are only the second Northeast Mississippi school to adopt the modified calendar; Corinth School District, the first district in the state to change its calendar model, is entering its seventh year on a modified calendar. The SOCSD Board of Trustees approved the switch to a modified calendar in Nov. 2021. There are 180 days of instruction for students and 187 days for teachers, which is the same as a traditional school year. The calendar includes all traditional holidays, as well as spring break, along with extended breaks in the fall and spring and a six-to-seven week summer break. Starting and ending dates for the academic year are adjusted to begin approximately a week earlier and end approximately a week later than a traditional calendar, according to the district. Superintendent Tony McGee expects the change to curb learning loss, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, not only by lessening the amount of time students are out of school for summer break but by offering remediation opportunities during intersessions. There will be minor issues to work through this school year, McGee said, but he expects the modified calendar to prove successful for the district. |
| Cadence posts Q2 earnings of $127M | |
| Cadence Bank (CADE) on Monday reported second-quarter net income of $127 million. The Tupelo-based bank said it had earnings of 68 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 73 cents per share. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 66 cents per share. The bank posted revenue of $474.8 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $450 million, also surpassing Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $440.1 million. Cadence shares have decreased 18% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Monday, shares hit $24.57, a decline of slightly more than 3% in the last 12 months. |
| Northeast Mississippi unemployment at 3.7% in June | |
| The unemployment rate in Northeast Mississippi increased for the second consecutive month, but the jobless rate still is near historic lows. June's jobless rate for the 16-county region was 3.7%, up from 0.5 percentage points from May. In April, the region's unemployment rate was at its lowest for the year at 2.9%. That's just two-tenth's lower than the record-low rates posted in November and December of last year. Despite the rise, Northeast Mississippi is averaging a 3.4% unemployment rate for the year. And in June of last year, the jobless rate was 6.1. Seven of the region's counties were among the top 10-lowest statewide this June. Union County was tied with Rankin County with the lowest overall at 3.2%. Pontotoc and Prentiss were tied for fourth-lowest at 3.5%, followed by Lee at 3.6% and Itawamba, Lafayette and Tippah at 3.7. The jobless rate is likely to rise in the coming months however, as least two major employers recently announced significant layoffs. |
| Neshoba County Fair holds special ceremony for veterans and those lost in war | |
 | The Neshoba County Fair is known for food, fun, and family, but today, July 26, the fair wanted to bring attention to some special people. Hundreds of people gathered earlier Tuesday afternoon to take some time to recognize the veterans in attendance and to honor those who were lost in war. Many service members came to speak and to show the appreciation they had for those who sacrificed their lives for their freedom. The 21-gun salute, national anthem, and taps were all a part of the day's ceremony. "It's very special to me not only for their sacrifice for the sacrifices of their families and have laid such a great sacrifice on the altar of freedom so and to all of our veterans that have served before," said U.S. Army Staff Sargent Lance Duncan. |
| Commissioner Maxwell, Secretary Watson express concerns with PSC updated net metering rules | |
 | Earlier this month, the Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) approved amendments to the former Net Metering and Interconnection Rules by a vote of 2-1. The newly adopted rules include policies to increase solar adoption across the board, enhance grid reliability, and encourage economic development, in addition to improving rooftop solar access for low-income households. Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley (D) and Central District Commissioner Brent Bailey (R) voted in favor of the amendments, referred to as the "Net Renewable Generation Rules." PSC Chairman and Southern District Commissioner Dane Maxwell (R) voted against the new rules. Commissioner Presley said that this well-balanced rule will allow for real opportunities for the creation of good paying blue collar jobs in the solar industry. "Mississippians grow their own food and fix their own vehicles and deserve to have the chance to generate their own electricity and save themselves money," Commissioner Presley said. Commissioner Maxwell said while he supports the right of Mississippians to self-supply their own electricity, his main concern is the "masses paying extra for the benefit of a few." "I cannot support a policy that forces Entergy or Mississippi Power Company customers who either choose not to, or cannot afford to, put solar panels on the roofs of their homes to pay more on their electric bills to finance their neighbor's investment," Commissioner Maxwell said. |
| AG Lynn Fitch sues Biden administration for 'threatening to withhold nutrition assistance for schools' | |
| Attorney General Lynn Fitch, along with 21 other Attorneys General, filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration on Tuesday. According to a press release, the lawsuit is challenging the Administration's new guidance on sex discrimination for schools and programs that receive federal nutrition assistance. "Children and families in need rely on these programs for sustenance," Attorney General Fitch said. "This is not the place or time for President Biden to be playing politics and pushing an agenda far out-of-step with the American people." On May 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Services issued guidance to Mississippi and other states applying the Administration's novel reading of discrimination on the basis of sex discrimination into the Food and Nutrition Act. "The Administration has sought to apply the Supreme Court's holding in Bostock v. Clayton County very expansively to include discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity to a wide variety of government programs," the press release said. According to AG Fitch, the USDA guidance at issue in the case puts Mississippi's Title IX and SNAP school lunch funding at risk. In the lawsuit, the Attorneys General argue the USDA's Guidance is unlawful. The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee. |
| 'Hopefully, we've learned something from COVID': Monkeypox reaches Mississippi | |
| Now that the first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Mississippi, one local physician is urging residents to utilize the COVID-19 pandemic as a tool when protecting themselves from infection. Longtime Vicksburg family practitioner Dr. Randy Easterling explained on Tuesday's episode of MidDays with Gerard Gibert that even though the two viruses are vastly different, the practices generated by COVID-19 -- wearing masks, social distancing, physical distancing, etc. -- are the best ways to prevent the spread of monkeypox. "[Monkeypox] is something we have to be mindful of. It's something we have to keep our guard up with -- just like we have with COVID," Easterling said. "That's the key to managing any public health crisis. People need to act responsibly. And I just hope to God that we've learned something over the last two years." While monkeypox does not seem to spread easily without close contact, transmission can occur with close skin-to-skin contact with an infected person; by touching clothing or linens, bedding, or towels of an infected person; or by inhaling respiratory droplets during prolonged close contact with an infected person. Monkeypox symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, and muscle aches, followed by a rash that starts out as flat before advancing to pimples, or blisters and ulcers on the face, body, and sexual organs. |
| Senate Bill to Boost Chip Production, Advanced Technology Set to Move Ahead | |
 | After weeks of uncertainty, the Senate is set to vote this week to advance a far-reaching $280 billion package of subsidies and research funding to shore up U.S. competitiveness in advanced technology. The bill had all but collapsed earlier this month amid partisan bickering, then came together in a matter of days. It had been expected to move ahead in the Senate in a procedural vote Monday, setting up a final vote in that chamber later in the week. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) delayed the vote until Tuesday, citing East Coast storms that disrupted senators' travel plans. He said he hoped to finish work on the bill soon. The bill restores many but not all the main provisions of competitiveness legislation passed over the past year by the Senate and House. The bill "creates a comprehensive response to China's growing technology dominance, which poses a massive threat to our national security," said Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.), one of the main GOP backers. The bill combines about $52 billion in subsidy funding to boost semiconductor production in the U.S., along with about $24 billion in advanced manufacturing tax credits that would also support the industry. The package also would authorize about $200 billion in spending, mainly for federally backed scientific research over the next decade. It would fund about $1.5 billion for next-generation wireless research and establish new long-term policies for the nation's space program. |
| Fed to unveil another large rate hike as signs of economic slowdown grow | |
| With the Federal Reserve expected to hike its key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Wednesday to battle high inflation, focus will shift to how deeply signs of a possible economic slowdown have registered with its policymakers. The incoming news, however, isn't all bad. The Commerce Department on Wednesday reported an unexpected jump in durable goods orders in June, a sign of continued business investment, and its estimates for retail inventories and exports last month were solid as well. Still, the likely increase in the target federal funds rate, the Fed's key tool in trying to lower inflation from a four-decade high, will bring the U.S. central bank to a mile marker of sorts as it reaches a level of around 2.4% that is estimated to no longer encourage economic activity. That will represent one of the fastest-ever gear changes in U.S. monetary policy: Just over four months ago the policy rate was near zero and the Fed was buying billions of dollars of bonds each month to help the economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been little progress registered yet in the inflation fight, signs of economic stress are accumulating - and raising the stakes for Fed officials as they weigh just how much tighter monetary policy needs to be to slow price increases against the risk that going too far could trigger a recession. |
| Climate protesters will risk arrest at Congressional Baseball Game | |
 | As lawmakers squeeze in their last practices before Thursday night's Congressional Baseball Game, climate protesters are finalizing their own plans. "We refuse to watch politicians literally play games while the world burns," said Vincent Vertuccio, a student at George Washington University. Vertuccio helped form a new coalition this summer to push for federal climate legislation. Angered by a lack of action in Congress, the group -- called Now or Never -- is targeting the annual baseball game, which pits lawmakers against each other in a friendly competition for charity. While the organizers have posted signs around Washington vowing to "shut down" the game at Nationals Park, Vertuccio stressed they are "entirely nonviolent" and aim to "be disruptive in a peaceful way." He expects 50 to 300 people to join the protest, with some entering the stadium. "A lot of them are planning on risking arrest," he said. The baseball tradition stretches back to 1909, and this is not the first time it has fallen during a tense legislative period. Last year, it came as an infrastructure deal and a larger social policy package hung in the balance. Speaker Nancy Pelosi could be seen on the sidelines, vigorously working the phones even as she watched her colleagues step up to the plate. |
| US military making plans in case Pelosi travels to Taiwan | |
 | U.S. officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies to Taiwan. But the U.S. House speaker would be entering one of the world's hottest spots, where a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So the Pentagon is developing plans for any contingency. Officials told The Associated Press that if Pelosi goes to Taiwan -- still an uncertainty -- the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region. They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there. Any foreign travel by a senior U.S. leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi -- she would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997 -- would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations. The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims. The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon. |
| House Dems berate campaign arm over 'very dangerous' GOP primary scheme | |
 | A growing number of House Democrats are seething at their own campaign arm for meddling in a GOP primary to promote a pro-Trump election conspiracy theorist -- after months of warning that such candidates were a threat to democracy. In public statements, private chats and complaints taken directly to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic members are aghast that the committee is spending nearly half a million dollars to air ads boosting Donald Trump-endorsed John Gibbs over Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), who voted to impeach Trump last year. While Meijer is one of the few GOP lawmakers who voted to hold Trump accountable for his own false claims about the 2020 race, his blue-leaning seat is also a top Democratic target district this fall -- and Gibbs is seen as an easier opponent to beat in November. The primary next Tuesday will kick off a three-month sprint to the general election. "No race is worth compromising your values in that way," said Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), who sits on the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and Trump's election-subverting schemes that preceded it. Democrats, like Murphy, fear the strategy could easily backfire, if a candidate like Gibbs were to win the general election amid a GOP wave -- and the party also risks undercutting its own core message about the dangers of MAGA Republicans taking power. It could be harder for Democrats to claim that certain GOP candidates are an existential threat to the country if they are also using party money to push them closer to winning office. |
| Pence Calls Jan. 6 'Tragic Day,' While Trump Claims He's Been Persecuted Over Riot | |
| Mike Pence and Donald Trump returned to Washington to deliver competing speeches, with the former vice president briefly mentioning the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and saying it was time to look ahead and the former president attacking the congressional committee that has portrayed him as the mob's ringleader. The appearances Tuesday previewed a potential 2024 battle between the former running mates -- their bond broken over Mr. Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results -- and displayed their widely different styles. "I don't know that the president and I differ on issues, but we may differ on focus," Mr. Pence said Tuesday morning to the Young America's Foundation. "I truly do believe that elections are about the future." Americans, he said earlier, have been through a lot in recent years, including a "divisive election" and a "tragic day in our nation's capital." Mr. Trump also repeated his false claim of winning the 2020 election. "We may just have to do it again," he said to applause. "We have to straighten out our country." His speech focused heavily on crime and he called for more police on the streets and programs to gut gangs and rid streets of drugs, saying traffickers should receive the death penalty. He also called for new presidential powers to fire civil servants, part of his plan to fight what he calls the deep state of government. The biggest applause, however, came when he said transgender women should be barred from competing in the women's sports. He mimicked a biological man easily lifting weights, drawing laughter. "It's so disrespectful to women," he said. |
| Trump back in Washington, repeating election lies | |
| Former President Donald Trump returned to Washington for the first time since leaving office Tuesday, vigorously repeating his false election claims that sparked the Jan. 6 insurrection at the nearby Capitol. "It was a catastrophe that election. A disgrace to our country," he said, insisting despite all evidence that he had won in 2020. "We may just have to do it again," he said, repeating as he does in all recent appearances the ever-clearer hints that he will run again in 2024. He recent frequent applause and cheers from his audience, a meeting organized by a group of former White House officials and Cabinet members who have been crafting an agenda for a possible second Trump term. Trump's appearance in the nation's capital -- his first trip back since Jan. 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden was sworn into office despite Trump's frantic efforts to remain in power -- comes as allies have urged him to spend more time talking about his vision for the future and less relitigating the 2020 election as he prepares to announce an expected 2024 White House campaign. Trump spoke hours after former Vice President Mike Pence, a potential 2024 rival, outlined his own "Freedom Agenda " in a speech nearby. While the former president remains consumed by the election he falsely claims was stolen from him a year and a half ago, Pence again implored conservatives to stop looking backward and focus on the future as he mulls his own. |
| Justice Dept. investigating Trump's actions in Jan. 6 criminal probe | |
 | The Justice Department is investigating President Donald Trump's actions as part of its criminal probe of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to four people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors who are questioning witnesses before a grand jury -- including two top aides to Vice President Mike Pence -- have asked in recent days about conversations with Trump, his lawyers, and others in his inner circle who sought to substitute Trump allies for certified electors from some states Joe Biden won, according to two people familiar with the matter. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The prosecutors have asked hours of detailed questions about meetings Trump led in December 2020 and January 2021; his pressure campaign on Pence to overturn the election; and what instructions Trump gave his lawyers and advisers about fake electors and sending electors back to the states, the people said. Some of the questions focused directly on the extent of Trump's involvement in the fake-elector effort led by his outside lawyers, including John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, these people said. The revelations raise the stakes of an already politically fraught probe involving a former president, still central to his party's fortunes, who has survived previous investigations and two impeachments. Long before the Jan. 6 investigation, Trump spent years railing against the Justice Department and the FBI; the investigation moving closer to him will probably intensify that antagonism. |
| Cheney rebukes Cotton for Jan. 6 hearings criticism | |
| U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton drew a rebuke from U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney on Monday after the Arkansas Republican criticized the Jan. 6 hearings that he acknowledged he had not watched. Cotton of Little Rock, who said he had seen the proceedings through clips on the news, knocked the committee on "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on Monday, arguing the two Republican committee members agree with the Democrats and the committee has no adversarial process for other viewpoints. "What you've seen over the last few weeks is why Anglo-American jurisprudence, going back centuries, has found that adversarial inquiry, cross-examination is the best way to get at the truth," Cotton said. Cheney, the committee's vice chairwoman, tagged Cotton in a tweet and said she heard his comments. "Then you said the strangest thing; you admitted you hadn't watched any of them," Cheney of Wyoming wrote. "Here's a tip: actually watching them before rendering judgment is more consistent with 'Anglo-American jurisprudence.'" In Washington on Tuesday, Cotton declined to comment to the Democrat-Gazette when asked about Cheney's tweet. On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump supporters delayed congressional efforts to tally the electoral votes by fighting law enforcement and violently breaching the U.S. Capitol building. Once order had been restored, lawmakers eventually completed the tallying task. |
| Where's the money coming from at UMMC to fund PR offensive against Blue Cross? | |
| According to an article stemming from a public records request by Jackson Jambalaya, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) spent $278,796 on ads attacking Blue Cross/BlueShield in commercials, digital media, and on billboards after the hospital and insurer could not come to terms in April 2022. At the center of the dispute, as described by Jackson Jambalaya, was that UMMC wanted a higher reimbursement closer to what it claimed are the rates for teaching hospitals in other states. Blue Cross maintained that it would not pay UMMC more than it paid other hospitals in Mississippi, whose reimbursements are also tied to patient outcomes. As a result, UMMC coordinated a massive advertising and public relations offensive against Blue Cross, contracting with Revive Marketing in Nashville, Tennessee for commercials and digital ads and other non-itemized expenditures to the tune of $242,282. Y'all Politics contacted UMMC on Tuesday, asking about the source of these funds, whether they are from their state appropriations, i.e. tax dollars, their foundation's philanthropic endeavors or patient operations. Marc Rolph, UMMC's Executive Director over Communications and Marketing, said the funds for these marketing activities are being paid through "health system revenue accounts," or essentially patient operations. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says that spending dollars in this way when the funds could be used to treat patients is concerning to him. Chaney said part of his speech at the Neshoba County Fair this week will focus on this ongoing dispute. |
| Trailblazing attorney, judge Constance Slaughter-Harvey named UM Law alumnus of the year | |
| University of Mississippi alumna Constance Slaughter-Harvey has been named the School of Law's Alumna of the Year, becoming the first African American female to receive the award. She accepted the award July 15 at the Ole Miss Alumni Association luncheon during the Mississippi Bar's annual meeting in Sandestin, Florida. The award has been presented annually by the Alumni Association's Law Alumni Chapter since 1974. Bestowed upon an alumnus who has encouraged excellence in legal education and has actively participated in the betterment of the school, the award is one of the top honors given by the law school and Alumni Association. "When I say I was honored, that's an understatement," Slaughter-Harvey said. "On four occasions, the law school has recognized me and each time, I feel the sacrifices made by my parents, their prayers and the support I was given. When I get an honor by the university, I don't think about me -- I'm just a vessel. I don't accept it for me, but for my parents, my family, my law school roommate and those who supported me." Slaughter-Harvey has spent her life as a trailblazer. Originally from Forest, she completed her undergraduate degree at Tougaloo College, where she was elected the first female student body president. In 1970, she became the first African American female graduate of the UM School of Law. |
| Southern Miss to provide lunches for Hattiesburg homeless community | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement (IME) leaders announced a special Homecoming Day of Service project. The event, titled #HashtagLunchbag, is set for October 13, from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the IME multipurpose space in the University's Hub building. Organizers said bag lunches will be made by students, faculty and staff. Those lunches will be provided to community partners who serve the homeless population in the Hattiesburg area. Materials for each lunch will be provided by donations from campus and community partners, including Aramark, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and Winn-Dixie. The items will include a fully dressed sandwich, a bag of chips, a piece of fruit, cookies and a water bottle. "It is important because it gives USM students, faculty and staff a chance to serve the community their institution is surrounded by," Christina Bracey, IME Events and Volunteerism Coordinator said. "It teaches an individual about the importance of how one small act can have a big impact on the lives of people around you. It brings people together and creates a sense of pride for service among people who may be different but are working toward the same goal. There is instant gratification when anyone participates in this type of service event." |
| Longtime William Carey President Tommy King retires after 51 years | |
 | William Carey University has been "home" to Tommy King for more than 50 years -- beginning when he was a student there. King announced in June that he is retiring as the university's president, leaving a legacy of service that anyone would be proud of. But King says credit for the work doesn't belong to him alone. "No one person accomplishes much by himself," King said. "That's true for me. I've had a great team and they have all worked very hard. Any recognition or praise for what's been accomplished goes to the whole team." King was named president of the university in 2007, not long after Hurricane Katrina caused more than $28 million in damage to Carey's Gulfport campus in 2005. Then-executive vice president King saw the damage to the Coast campus' 16 buildings that had just been renovated and asked, "How will we recover?" But the university not only recovered, it flourished in the days and years since King became president. The number of students at William Carey University has more than doubled during King's tenure, from around 2,500 students in 2007 to more than 5,300 in 2022. Six additional dormitories were added to accommodate a quadruple increase in students living on campus. One of the things King is most proud of is the number of students attending chapel every week. "When I became president, there were about 150 students that actually attended chapel," he said. "Then we started emphasizing attendance and before COVID we were having around 800. This fall we expect to start back (with in-person chapel)." |
| More Mississippi school districts are adopting modified calendars | |
| Schools around the state are shaking things up. Many are returning to the classroom in July instead of what was once always an early August back-to-school date. "We found that we really need to refer to it as a modified calendar rather than year-round school," said Corinth School District Superintendent Dr. Lee Childress in 2020. Kids still have 180 days total but spread throughout the year under a modified calendar. "We still have a summer. It just shortens that a little bit," noted Dr. Deirdre Randall, Simpson County School District Assistant Superintendent. Since Corinth's superintendent testified at a Senate education hearing two years ago, more districts have decided it was the right fit, including Simpson County, which took baby steps into modifying the calendar in 2021 and is expanding the length of intercessions this school year. "A lot of schools were looking at it prior to COVID," said Dr. Randall. "But then, with the learning loss that we experienced after COVID, we were all trying to find ways to get in those remediation times." The modified calendar is something Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann is sharing his support for on social media and in speeches this summer. |
| U. of Alabama scholarship program for law enforcement families to launch in 2023 | |
 | A new scholarship program that begins in the fall of 2023 at the University of Alabama will benefit Tuscaloosa area police officers, firefighters and their children. UA said in a news release that the Sworn Officer Scholarship Program is an effort to recognize the efforts of those who keep the campus and surrounding areas safe for faculty, staff, students and visitors. "An investment in public safety is an investment in our entire community," University of Alabama President Stuart Bell said. "This scholarship program acknowledges the impact sworn officers have and shows our great appreciation for their dedication." The program will offer scholarships with a value of up to $2,500 each academic year to selected students. For students enrolled full time, the scholarship's value can be up to $10,000 over four years. Sworn officers with the Tuscaloosa Police Department, Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue, Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office, Northport Police Department and Northport Fire Rescue and their children will be eligible for the scholarship program. UA said that the scholarship program grew from the collaborative efforts of the university and the city of Tuscaloosa to support and honor sworn officers. |
| 'Just a friendly competition': Auburn University grads among youngest licensed architects in U.S. | |
 | What started as a competition between two friends led them to become two of the youngest licensed architects in the U.S. Tate Lauderdale and Hunter Swatek graduated from Auburn University's School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture in 2021. The National Council of Architecture Registration Boards estimates that it takes the average architect more than seven years to complete the licensure process. Lauderdale and Swatek completed the process within 10 months of graduating. The average age of individuals beginning the exams is 29, and Lauderdale and Swatek were both 23 years old. "It was just this really friendly competition," Swatek said in a release from Auburn University. "It came down to the fact that we held each other accountable." They had to complete the Architect Experience Program (AXP) and each log 3,740 hours of professional work under the supervision of licensed professionals. The release said this process takes the average candidate four and a half years to complete. One of the ways Lauderdale and Swatek were able to complete the process as quickly as they did was by starting the AXP program and logging in hours early in their college career. |
| Education Department's Office for Civil Rights launches Title VI investigation into USC | |
 | The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has launched an investigation into alleged Title VI violations by the University of Southern California. The investigation comes two years after a complaint was filed on behalf of a student government leader who resigned following a campaign by USC students to impeach her over her support of Israel. The investigation could shed light on a heated debate over the relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, and its results could have wide-ranging implications for antidiscrimination practices and freedom of speech on college campuses. In the summer of 2020, USC students launched a campaign to impeach the president and vice president of the university student government (USG), whom they accused of racism. The president, Truman Fritz, resigned on the day of his impeachment hearing. Vice president Rose Ritch, who is Jewish, was next in line for the top position -- but she quickly faced calls for her own impeachment from students who claimed her support of Israel was racist and disqualified her from representing the student body. In November 2020, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a Title VI complaint on Ritch's behalf, which eventually prompted this week's OCR investigation. In its complaint, the Brandeis Center described the campaign to impeach Ritch as "persistent, severe, and ongoing anti-Semitic harassment" that targeted Ritch "on the basis of her Jewish identity." The center also alleged that USC "allowed a hostile environment of anti-Semitism to proliferate on its campus" and ignored discrimination by declining to intervene on Ritch's behalf and publicly condemn those who sought her impeachment. |
| How Colleges Can Prepare For -- and Prevent -- Monkeypox Outbreaks | |
 | Even with many campuses emptied out for the summer, colleges are seeing their first cases of the latest disease sweeping across the world: monkeypox. Georgetown University, the University of Texas at Austin, and West Chester University are among the campuses urging their communities not to panic. "This infectious disease is not like COVID-19 or the flu, meaning it does not spread as quickly," read West Chester University's statement to the community. "The risk to the greater campus community remains low," said a spokesperson at the University of Texas. And Georgetown reminded its community that monkeypox is a "rare disease." But monkeypox is becoming decidedly less rare. As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 3,500 people in the United States have tested positive for monkeypox, just two months after the first case was confirmed. Now colleges must contemplate the potential for outbreaks on campus when students return in the fall. The tight-knit social and sexual networks on college campuses could exacerbate the virus, experts told The Chronicle, and the best way to prevent outbreaks is through direct and frequent communication and speaking to the most vulnerable communities where they are. The vast majority of confirmed cases in the U.S., according to the CDC, are among gay and bisexual men and transgender women. That reality has created challenges for public-health departments and universities as they toe the line between directing resources to the most vulnerable populations and stigmatizing them as “disease carriers.” |
| A growing number of Americans are questioning the value of going to college | |
 | The share of Americans who believe colleges and universities have a positive impact on the country has dropped by 14 percentage points since 2020. That's according to the latest results of an annual survey conducted by New America, a nonpartisan think tank. Since 2017, the organization has been collecting data on Americans' attitudes about the value of education after high school and how that education should be funded. Many of the report's findings have remained stable over time -- for example, the general consensus that post-secondary education offers a good return on investment for students remains. But there's been a steep decline in the overall perception of higher education's impact on the country. That decline is driven by economic challenges, according to Sophie Nguyen, who co-authored the report. The nationally representative survey included about 1,500 adults and was conducted in the spring of 2022, "when people started to feel the effects of gas price increases," Nguyen says. "People started to feel that an economic recession is actually coming." A new question on this year's survey asked respondents about the minimum level of education they believe their immediate or close family members should receive in order to be financially secure. While nearly three-quarters of respondents agree some sort of postsecondary education is required for their child or close family member to achieve financial security, there are partisan divides. Only a quarter of Democrats say that a high school diploma or GED is sufficient to achieve economic security, compared to 39% of Republicans who say so. |
| Parents push back on American colleges promoting DEI initiatives: 'DEI is dangerous' | |
 | Some universities across America are requiring compliance from faculty in the form of signed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) statements, as conditions for tenure or promotion -- arguing that DEI across college campuses is a top priority. However, there may be growing pushback in some areas from faculty as well as from parents -- who claim that the DEI agenda actually challenges the diversity of viewpoints and opinions of students within the college environment. Some say it also promotes a culture of fear and intimidation. In the city of Seattle, for example, roughly 40 percent of the University of Washington's faculty recently rejected -- or abstained from voting on -- a measure that would have required faculty members seeking advancement to provide a statement demonstrating their support of DEI. "The fact that [the vote] was stopped is unprecedented," Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the university and an advocate for viewpoint diversity, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. To him, he added, "diversity statements" appear very much like "the anti-communist loyalty oaths of the late 1940s and early 1050s." Students who hold even moderate viewpoints are often afraid to express themselves, he said. |
| Why College Presidents Don't Speak Their Minds | |
| In January 2017, just days after the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump, the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Ark., announced a new social-media campaign "to celebrate its legacy of being a university that embraces inclusion, equality and justice." Richard L. Dunsworth, the president at the university, promoted the hashtag #AllAreWelcomeHere on social media and encouraged staff to do the same. The message was not unusual for the private university, which has a long history of encouraging diversity. It was the first college in Arkansas to admit women, in 1875. Nearly half of current students are from low-income families, and around 30 percent are international. But within 24 hours, Dunsworth said, he received about two dozen angry emails from across the state telling him he shouldn't be running a college, "split fairly evenly between people known to me and people who didn't know me or the University well enough to understand any context," he said in an email. "Our efforts to support and reassure our students from diverse backgrounds" was perceived as "political, even anti-American," he told The Chronicle. Dunsworth is one of more than 150 college presidents who responded to a Chronicle survey on whether campus leaders censor themselves from speaking out on issues that might cause controversy. Respondents were also allowed to comment confidentially; nearly 20 of them, including Dunsworth, also agreed to talk with a reporter. Now, the president of Ozarks said he is reluctant to post on social media. In conversation, he filters his reactions to things that may lead to disagreements. Instead of taking public stands on important issues, Dunsworth and others say they primarily focus on internal initiatives that reflect their values. |
| White House says Biden will make decision on student loans | |
 | The White House said on Tuesday that President Biden is mulling whether to extend the pause on federal student loan payments and whether to forgive student loans on a broader scale ahead of a pandemic-related moratorium on payments that are set to resume on Aug. 31. "He'll make a decision," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "I'll let him speak." She noted that Biden told reporters last week that "the end of August" is his timeline for making a decision. Biden in April extended the pandemic moratorium on federal student loan payments and interest accrual through August. "The president understands firsthand how burdensome this can be for many Americans ... across the country," Jean-Pierre said. "That's why he took the action that he did when it came to pausing repayment." She said she didn't have anything more to share on loan cancellation. Other White House officials have been mum when asked for updates on whether Biden will forgive any amount of student loans by executive action. A Department of Education spokesperson told The Hill on Tuesday that the administration is still assessing whether to extend the payment pause but that borrowers will be communicated with "directly" about the end of the freeze. |
| Biden Considers New Pause on Paying Back Student Loans, $10,000 Relief | |
| President Joe Biden is considering extending a pause on student loan repayments for several more months, as well as forgiving $10,000 in student loan debt per borrower, according to people familiar with the matter, as he seeks to appeal to young voters ahead of the November midterms. The current moratorium on student loan payments expires Aug. 31, and a fresh pause could extend either through the end of 2022 or until next summer, the people said. Biden told reporters last week that he hoped to decide on an extension by the end of August. It's unclear if the approach will appease civil rights organizations like the NAACP, progressive Democratic lawmakers and a swathe of powerful labor unions that have pressed Biden to forgive $50,000 per borrower. The plan is intended to appeal to voters under age 30, whose enthusiasm -- or lack thereof -- in November could be key to determining whether Democrats retain control of the House and Senate. The president is intent on ensuring any student loan forgiveness doesn't benefit high-income people, so the administration is likely to cap eligibility somewhere between $125,000 and $150,000 in annual income, one of the people said. Although Biden's top economic aides have argued student loan forgiveness will not fuel inflation, White House officials have been reluctant to hand Republicans any additional talking points. |
| Abortion ruling prompts legal questions, risks for colleges | |
| The U.S. Supreme Court ended federally protected abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade with its 6-to-3 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization last month. But for colleges, the end of such rights marked the beginning of an era of legal uncertainty. A patchwork of state laws means that every college must navigate the new post-Roe reality differently. For colleges in states where abortion is banned, the ruling creates numerous legal questions and dramatic scenarios that could see them prosecuted for running afoul of the law. At last week's National Association of College and University Business Officers conference outside Denver, a panel of lawyers illuminated some of those questions. Chief among them: Will colleges use funds to transport students to other states for abortions? What happens if a college faces a conflict between state law and accreditation standards? Will institutions face legal liability for aiding and abetting abortion access? How will law enforcement look upon providing advice or transportation for terminating a pregnancy? Will colleges provide legal counsel for students or faculty helping provide abortion access? Can colleges assist employees who want to travel from a prohibition state to another state for an abortion? While the questions were plentiful, the answers were unclear. "It's going to be a bumpy ride before it's all resolved from a legal perspective," said Ona Alston Dosunmu, president and CEO of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, who moderated the panel at NACUBO, which also examined a broad range of other legal issues. |
| The Proposed Title IX Change That Worries Some Experts | |
| In its proposed rules for enforcing Title IX, issued last month, the U.S. Department of Education promised that it would "restore crucial protections for students" that were eliminated or weakened by the Trump administration. The 700-page document addresses broad philosophical issues, like the definition of sexual harassment, along with a host of nitty-gritty procedural matters, like whether complaints require signatures. Among the slated changes in the rules is a return to what's known as the "single investigator" method of conducting inquiries, in which, as the name suggests, a complaint is often handled by one administrator. In 2020, Betsy DeVos, then secretary of education, put an end to that approach, announcing that those accused of wrongdoing must be allowed to challenge the evidence at a live hearing, a move DeVos deemed necessary in order to "ensure a fair and transparent process." Removing the requirement for a hearing might be the most significant of the Biden administration's proposed reforms of how the federal gender-equity law is enforced, and the one with the greatest potential to alter how colleges carry out Title IX investigations. It's also troubling to some Title IX experts. S. Daniel Carter, a longtime victims'-rights advocate who helped develop the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, is among those who think the single-investigator model is misguided. "It's really the single-adjudicator model," he says. "What you're doing is allowing a single person to be in charge of everything, with no oversight until you get to the appeal. I think that's crazy." |
SPORTS
| Women's Basketball Will Spend Thanksgiving In Puerto Rico | |
| The Mississippi State women's basketball team will spend its Thanksgiving holiday in the Caribbean, competing in the Puerto Rico Clasico tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nov. 25-26. The Bulldogs will play two games at the Puerto Rico Clasico tournament. State will tip things off against Georgetown on Nov. 25 before closing out the event against Nebraska on Nov. 26. Game times for the event will be made available at a later date. When the programs meet in Puerto Rico, it will be the first time that Mississippi State has matched up against either Georgetown or Nebraska. Mississippi State will make its second all-time trip to Puerto Rico for a holiday tournament. The Bulldogs last played on the Caribbean Island back in 2015 when the Bulldogs competed in the Puerto Rico Classic. In the classic, MSU went 3-0 with wins over Florida Gulf Coast, Western Michigan and SMU. Nebraska, coached by Amy Williams, is coming off an impressive 24-9 campaign and an NCAA Tournament berth. The Hoyas, coached by James Howard in his sixth season at the helm, are coming off a 10-19 season. |
| Scouting the schedule, Game 6: Mississippi State welcomes in an Arkansas team on the rise | |
 | Mississippi State was approximately one kicker -- or maybe two -- away from taking down Arkansas last season in Fayetteville. The Bulldogs believe they've found a suitable replacement. But will it be enough this time? MSU will have to test its offseason improvements against an Arkansas team clearly on the upswing. Just two years removed from a 2-10 campaign, the Razorbacks won nine games in their second season under Sam Pittman. But the two teams seemed evenly matched last November, and this time, home-field advantage belongs to the Bulldogs. That could be enough to swing things. A reliable kicker could help, too. Mississippi State hosts Arkansas on Oct. 8 at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State has won seven of its past 10 games against Arkansas, posting win streaks of three and four games against the Razorbacks dating back to 2012. Of course, the Hogs have won two straight in the series, extending their lead to five games. The two schools have played every year since 1992 after Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference the prior year. In 1993, they even tied, 13-13, in Little Rock. |
| Women's Golf Announces 2022 Fall Schedule | |
| Head coach Charlie Ewing and the Mississippi State women's golf program announced the Bulldogs' schedule for the fall portion of its season on Tuesday. State will compete in five events across four states and two countries highlighted by their lone home event in October. "This is as excited as I have ever been for a golf schedule in my coaching career," head coach Charlie Ewing said. "We are so fortunate to be able to start off with the best tournament in college golf at the Carmel Cup. The rest of the Fall schedule is extremely exciting as we get to see so many great teams at the Mason Rudolph [Championship] on a golf course that we love, play in televised events on the Golf Channel, host an event at our home course with The Ally and cap off the semester with a trip down south to the beaches of Mexico in Los Cabos." "While everything about the schedule will be fun and eventful, we have to bring our best every week because we will be seeing the best teams in all of college golf on a weekly basis," Ewing continued. "We have to remember that we have a job to do but what a treat it will be to have the opportunity to compete on such unique and amazing stages." Mississippi State will tee things off at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif. Sept. 2-4 when the Dawgs open their 2022-23 campaign at the Carmel Cup. |
| Clegg Makes Three Bulldogs U.S. Amateur Bound | |
| At least three Mississippi State men's golfers will play at the 122nd U.S. Amateur after Ford Clegg finished second at the Seminole Legacy Qualifier on Tuesday. Clegg will join Harrison Davis and Hunter Logan at the prestigious tournament on August 15-21 in Paramus, New Jersey. The Mountain Brook, Alabama, native shot 70 on Monday and 71 on Tuesday to finish 3-under through 36 holes. He fired 10 birdies over the course of the qualifier. On Monday, he made the turn sitting even for the day, but immediately went two over with back-to-back bogeys to open the back nine. Clegg simply responded with four consecutive birdies on Tees 13-16 to finish 2-under. It was the front nine where he picked up his strokes on Tuesday, collecting four birdies before the turn on his way to a 1-under round. Clegg is a two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is the only men's golfer in the nation to earn First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. He was also the only men's golfer to receive the national honor last year. His 72.22 stroke average was second only to Logan for the Bulldogs in 2021-22. |
| Key takeaways from Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill's state of the conference address | |
| There was no shortage of topics that Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill addressed on Day 1 of the conference's football media day. Many pertained to some of the biggest discussions in college sports, such as NIL, conference expansion, and news for the conference itself. It was announced during Gill's opening statement that ESPN and the Sun Belt had agreed to expand its media rights deals with ESPN. A press release later revealed some of the details that explained the new agreement, which still runs through the 2030-31 academic year and will result in more than 6,000 additional live events available on ESPN+ including men's soccer, women's soccer, women's volleyball, baseball and softball. In Gill's opening statement, he expressed favor for expanding the college football playoffs to 12 teams, including the six highest ranked conference champions and the six highest ranked at-large teams. "We continue to talk and have some other upcoming meetings. I'm really optimistic that we will find enough common ground to expand the College Football Playoff. I really think there will be a spot for the Sun Belt." One of the hottest discussions in college sports has been conference realignment, with it being kick-started last summer with Oklahoma and Texas' announcements to join the SEC. This, of course, eventually sparked Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss and James Madison to join the Sun Belt. |
| How Wyatt Davis has helped build a platform for Mississippi's high school quarterbacks | |
| Even before his high school graduation from Pearl River Central in 2017, Wyatt Davis was working with quarterbacks. What began as a way to give back to his community has evolved into a profession. Last Saturday, Davis made his biggest move yet, arranging a camp for the best Mississippi quarterback talent at Southern Miss' M.M. Roberts Stadium. Dubbed the "601 Elite Quarterback Big 40," the event's roster featured 53 quarterbacks in total and 43 from the state of Mississippi, ranging from junior college players all the way down to the Class of 2028. "When I was coming through the ranks, we never had something like this," Davis said. "... It's huge for them. It's a blessing." In his role as a private quarterback coach, Davis has taken it upon himself to promote the talent in the Magnolia State. Saturday's camp took place during a recruiting dead period mandated by the NCAA, which meant college coaches weren't permitted to attend. But it gave the quarterbacks who participated an opportunity to compete in front of staffers for recruiting services like Rivals and 247Sports, exposure that could prove vital in the recruiting process. These opportunities are plentiful for quarterbacks in other parts of the country. Davis viewed Saturday's camp as an opportunity to provide a similar platform for Mississippi's talent. "He really thinks that quarterbacks in Mississippi and talent overall in Mississippi are really overlooked," said Madison-Ridgeland Academy's John White, a Southern Miss commit. "He's doing his best to put us on the map." |
| Matt Corral Shares Regrets About Choosing to Play at Ole Miss | |
| Panthers quarterback Matt Corral has been somewhat of an afterthought ever since the team traded for Baker Mayfield. Despite the team trading up to select him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, his name hasn't been included in the quarterback competition as much as Mayfield and Sam Darnold. When discussing competing for the staring spot, Corral decided to look back at his days in Ole Miss and expressed regret over why he played there. "I took the easy way out because I felt I could play right away," Corral said about his decision to play for the Rebels, per The Charlotte Observer. "Knowing what I know now and trusting my instincts and trusting my work ethic, I would have went to a place that would have made me compete." Corral played in just three games his freshman year before he redshirted. During his junior year this past season, he threw for 3,349 yards, rushed for 614 yards and scored 31 total touchdowns. |
| Is college football headed in the wrong direction? SEC coaches answer | |
 | The SEC's annual media days event typically previews the upcoming season with a dash of humor, a few viral moments and the occasional filibuster. Last week, some heavier topics filled the air of the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. From conference realignment that has featured some of the game's titans, the evolving impact of NIL on recruiting and how the College Football Playoff will be rearranged, the future of college football was on the minds of some of the league's 14 coaches in attendance. "We're probably in the biggest transition period that we've been in since I've been coaching," Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said. "Shoot, they're changing everything. We got realignment going on. We got playoff talk going on. We got unmitigated free agency and bidding wars. Something will change. I don't know what it will be." Momentum that was built in 2021 with the NCAA's transfer rule policy loosening, NIL laws taking effect and the sudden move of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC has continued into 2022. USC and UCLA's move to the Big Ten further disrupted the status quo, and an equilibrium point where college football's structure aligns with the reality of its circumstances still seems years away. "Right now what we have is unsustainable," Leach said, echoing what other SEC coaches have stressed this offseason. "We coach athletes that have more privileges than any other professional sport probably in the history of the world. ... Being a professional is not all privilege and no responsibility." |
| Auburn approves upgrades to Plainsman Park | |
| The Auburn University Board of Trustees approved on Tuesday the initiation of upgrades to be made to Plainsman Park. Tuesday's approval authorizes the University to begin the increased scope of the project, which will include three main components: 1) First Base Club -- The expansion of first base stands, premium seating, club space, concessions, and improvements to the south entrance to Plainsman Park and the future Player Performance Terrace. 2) Right Field Terrace -- The expansion of first base stands over the Josh Donaldson Hitting Lab to include premium seating and an enhanced concession experience. 3) Green Monster Terrace -- The addition of a unique viewing area over the Green Monster, including improved concessions and restrooms to support patrons in left field. "Enthusiasm for Auburn baseball has never been higher. Coach Butch Thompson, his staff and student-athletes have achieved remarkable, sustained success, including two trips to Omaha in the past three postseasons," Director of Athletics Allen Greene said. "These improvements will help Auburn baseball continue its trajectory toward a national championship while elevating the fan experience at Plainsman Park. We appreciate the Auburn University Board of Trustees for the vision, leadership and commitment to help the baseball program reach and remain at the top." |
| Big Ten's Kevin Warren: More expansion may be coming, TV deal close | |
 | Between name, image and likeness, potential College Football Playoff expansion and conference realignment, change is not just coming to college football, it's here. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren took the podium at Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday to kick off Big Ten media days and didn't hide his, or the conference's, intentions moving forward. "The Big Ten conference was born out of a desire to be bold," Warren said, referencing the day in 1895 when seven college presidents met at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago to discuss the formation of the league. "There are two types of people in the world, they look at change as a problem or see it as an opportunity. "I'm embracing change, I'm going to be very aggressive, I've been that way my entire career and I just want to make sure we build an environment because our student athletes, fans and universities deserve that." The most notable of those changes, the addition of Southern California and UCLA, who will join the conference in 2024. While Warren said he understands the optics appear as if the Big Ten is going away from its roots, when he's evaluating decisions he asks himself two questions: why and why not. One reason for "why," Warren pointed out, was that outside of the Midwest, the largest Big Ten alumni base exists in southern California. |
| Big Ten's expansion further damages Rose Bowl's status | |
| Playing in the Rose Bowl was the pinnacle of a college football career for those who coached and played in the Big Ten for decades. The Rose Bowl's importance has been waning for years as college football's postseason evolved. The latest expansion by the Big Ten puts the future of the Pac-12, the conference's longtime Rose Bowl partner, in doubt and was another damaging blow to the Granddaddy of all the bowls. "You have to adapt," former Wisconsin coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez said Tuesday at Big Ten media days in Lucas Oil Stadium. "When I got into the league, every kid that played in this league, your vision was play the Rose Bowl and win the Rose Bowl. "It's not the same now. It's the CFP. It's get into the playoffs." The future of the Rose Bowl as a showcase game, mostly featuring teams from Big Ten and Pac-12 on New Year's Day, was already murky as the College Football Playoff creeps toward what seems like an inevitable expansion from the current four-team format. Warren said playoff talks with the other FBS commissioners will pick up again in September. Warren maintains he is a staunch advocate of expansion, but he was among a group of newer commissioners who stood in the way of early implementation of a 12-team format. |
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