| Monday, August 1, 2022 |
| Identifying red flags, inclusion both key to curbing threats | |
 | With the reality that a school shooting could happen anywhere in the United States or anytime, there is also the reality many forget: The shooter could be anyone. Spotting the warning signs and being proactive in stopping potential violence is crucial. Mississippi State University Associate Professor and Director of the Clinical Ph.D. Program Michael Nadorff said there are many pieces to the puzzle of why someone would want to shoot up a school. Nadorff's primary research is in suicide, and he has done research on murder-suicides, which ends up happening to many school shooters. Nadorff said oftentimes people are looking for notoriety or they don't have a friend group in person, so they take to online platforms that spread hateful ideology. "Social media has blessings and curses," Nadorff said. "After an incident, they can be helpful ways for people to grieve and share information and memories, but you also have to moderate those because they can go bad places very quickly. Social media and online forums can be there to build extremism, and often that's going to be from individuals who aren't connected in their communities, who aren't connected in their schools. They find an online community that they latch onto because we all have a need for connectedness." Someone who is withdrawn and has begun to show signs of being more drawn to weapons or extremism should raise immediate red flags. |
| Expert: Realistic active shooter training has mixed results | |
| In a drill that shocked employees across schools in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District in 2019, school officers fired blanks in the hallways while teachers were told to practice safety protocols in their classrooms. Though teachers were given a heads up about the drill and that blanks would be fired, for some it was a jarring experience to have the sound of gunshots ring throughout their place of work. Since then, the district has not had a drill of that sort, but it is not completely off the table to have another in the future, the SOCSD Public Information Officer Nicole Thomas said. So far there is no definitive answer on whether there is a benefit or not for teachers of having this type of training, associate professor and director of the clinical Ph.D. program of the Mississippi State University Department of Psychology Michael Nadorff told The Dispatch. There is research being done on the effects drills have on students and school employees, but it is still in the early stages. Early research shows that active shooter drills can negatively impact stress, anxiety and depression symptoms in students. "You're going to have a certain proportion of your population that's going to potentially relive a traumatic event. We know there are some costs. The question is the benefit, and certainly there are some benefits, but I don't think we fully know the magnitude of each," Nadorff said |
| Digital money apps offer convenience, require care | |
 | Using digital resources to buy products from individuals can be as easy as making online purchases from major sellers if consumers take steps to ensure financial security. Mark Kilpatrick recently offered a desk for sale in Starkville, Mississippi, and was targeted for a questionable transaction. The name of the financial app was deleted from the following conversation. "So, do you have [app] so I can make the payment now because my wife doesn't have a bank for me to make payment," the online buyer messaged. When Kilpatrick repeated this was a cash-only transaction, the potential scammer tried again. "I only have [app] for the payment because it is linked to my bank. Kindly sign up for [app] now or if you don't mind checking if you bank account will accept [app] as well," the buyer replied. Kilpatrick declined the sale. He did not share his bank information with the potential buyer, nor did he sign up for a financial app he was not familiar with. Financial experts say both were the right steps to take when confronted with a questionable situation. Becky Smith, director of the Mississippi State University Extension Service Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy, said that in 2021, more than four out of five U.S. consumers used some form of digital payment rather than cash or checks. "Peer-to-peer apps like Venmo, Cash App and Zelle are meant to transfer money between people who trust each other," Smith said. "They are not means to buy or sell goods and services from strangers. Once the payment is made, the money is gone." |
| The Power Of Partnering With University Extension | |
 | To say that Cotton Incorporated's Agricultural and Environmental Research Department (AERD) staff have a lot going on may be the understatement of the year. Each of the scientists on the AERD team serves as a project manager for a specific research area, including agronomy, physiology, breeding, genetics, engineering, cottonseed research, weed management, pathology and entomology. It is their role to set the specific priorities for the research area, ensure the priorities are in alignment with Cotton Incorporated's corporate mission of enhancing cotton production and profitability and to ensure individual projects are meeting their objectives. That may sound like a potentially overwhelming workload for each staff member, but Dr. Ryan Kurtz, AERD Senior Director at Cotton Incorporated, said the staffs' partnerships with university Extension personnel make it all possible. "In many ways, we operate similarly to general managers in sports by managing the budget and putting together perfect teams of scientists to address current production needs," Kurtz said. For example, Mississippi State University Extension recently published a document on tarnished plant bug management in the Mid-South. The research project was funded by Cotton Incorporated and included input from an Extension working group consisting of Extension scientists from the University of Arkansas, Louisiana State University, Texas A&M University and the University of Tennessee. Beyond their help to the Cotton Incorporated AERD team, Kurtz urges growers to utilize their Extension personnel whenever they need unbiased resources and information. |
| Monday Profile: Second-year teacher brings his own style to class | |
| Since his childhood, there have been no shortage of people telling Owen Brown to "dress for the job you want." Brown wants to one day be a school district superintendent, and his daily dapper -- a suit and tie or, at minimum, a blazer with a dress shirt and pants -- send this message loud and clear to his students and colleagues at Starkville High School. But the second-year teacher's appearance goes beyond proclaiming his own aspirations. It's also one of the many ways he tries to resonate with his students each day. "A classroom should be a show of your personality," Brown said. "I want my students to remember me as someone who was always dressed nice, always had a haircut and was always funny. I also want them to feel like my class is a happy, safe space for them where they are always cared for." Brown joined the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District in 2021, bringing his "edgy," "entertaining" and admittedly sometimes "sarcastic" delivery to the College and Career Readiness curriculum. His efforts and their results were duly noted, as the district honored him as its New Teacher of the Year. This year, Brown is teaching U.S. History, a subject that lends plenty of material to reaching his students where they are. A Jackson native, Brown cultivated his interest in teaching by watching his grandmother, who taught 30 years in Rankin County. After graduating from Jim Hill High School, he went to Mississippi State, where his mother had earned a degree in mechanical engineering. |
| 30 years after launch of 'Mississippi Miracle' the Coast eyes a 'lucky 13' casino | |
 | What a journey it's been since the first casino in Biloxi debuted 30 years ago on a riverboat to now the prospect of cashless casinos and virtual reality becoming part of the experience when a "lucky 13" Coast casino joins the market. Nobody knew what to expect as people stood in long lines for hours in 90 degree heat to be among the first aboard the Isle of Capri riverboats in East Biloxi, the first casino in the South. "Aug. 1, 1992, was marked with great fanfare," the Sun Herald reported on the 10th anniversary in 2002. Pete Halat, Biloxi's mayor at the time, snipped the ribbon and declared, "Laissez Les Bon Temp Rouler!" "And the good times did, indeed, begin to roll," the report said. Those first five months, from August through December 1992, Mississippi casinos combined for $122 million in gross gaming revenue before taxes, payroll and other expenses. "And we thought that was huge," said Larry Gregory, executive director of Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association. One by one more casinos opened, bringing thousands more jobs, new restaurants, headline entertainment, golf courses and spas to South Mississippi. "Back then nobody mentioned the 'Mississippi Miracle,' but that was what it was," Gregory said. The Coast hit a record $1.6 billion in casino revenue in 2021, said Jay McDaniel, executive director of Mississippi Gaming Association. Even with no COVID checks arriving in the mail and with gas prices soaring, Coast casino revenue is ahead of its record pace for 2022. |
| 3 face charges after cyber crime operation in Mississippi | |
 | Three people face charges related to the sexual exploitation of children following a week-long cyber crime operation in North Mississippi, state officials said. The joint effort, known as Operation Catfish, involved finding people online who were trying to lure children to meet for sex or ask them to produce child pornography, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a news release Friday. "Predators use the anonymity of the Internet to use and abuse children," Fitch said. "My Cyber Crime Division and our law enforcement affiliates in the Mississippi Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force have the training, resources, and commitment to find them before they prey on our children. Each one of these operations helps to make the Internet a safer place for all of us." More arrests are possible, Fitch said. Nine search warrants were served in support of the operation, which involved sheriff's offices in Monroe, Montgomery and Webster counties, police departments in Starkville, Columbus, Tupelo and Mississippi State University, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, authorities said. |
| Internal documents reveal months of concerns at embattled state Veterans Affairs board | |
 | Months before Stacey Pickering resigned as director of the state Veterans Affairs Board, internal agency documents show at least two department executives had raised a litany of concerns about how the organization was operating and if it was complying with state law. The Daily Journal obtained dozens of pages of internal memos that a high-ranking employee filed away for nearly a year, sounding the alarm about the department's leases, contracts and romantic relationships between a leader and a subordinate. The concerns about the agency, which manages four veterans homes throughout the state, grew so acute at one point that its chief financial officer refused to sign off on routine forms. Joseph Hemleben, the former deputy director at the agency, filed around a dozen memos outlining various problems he had with the organization between February 2020 and December 2021. The concerns Hemleben, an attorney, voiced ranged from small issues such as uncollected payments from tenants to extreme allegations that Pickering was skirting around the department's own employee handbook by having an inappropriate personal relationship with a subordinate. After Hemleben raised repeated concerns to the director of the agency, Pickering gave him a written reprimand, claiming that multiple employees complained that Hemleben fostered a hostile work environment. Hemleben wasn't the only high-ranking official to sound alarm bells |
| Mike Chaney calls for UMMC, Blue Cross & Blue Shield to 'immediately settle dispute' | |
| Mississippi Insurance Commissioner and Vicksburg resident Mike Chaney returned to the Neshoba County Fair Wednesday to address fairgoers as part of the day's political speeches. Chaney began his speech with a bid for re-election. "To be clear, I am running and seeking reelection for your insurance commissioner and I am asking for your continued support and vote," Chaney said. Chaney has served four, four-year terms as the state insurance commissioner. Chaney devoted much of his 10-minute speech to the ongoing dispute between the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. The dispute has left many Mississippi residents, some of whom are in need of critical care like organ transplants, uninsured and without access to local healthcare. "I do not regulate large group health insurance rates and I have no authority to regulate medical healthcare costs or drug costs except for balanced billing issues," he said. "The federal government has refused to control drug costs and has done very little to reign in healthcare costs, and this is basically the root of the problem between the UMMC and Blue Cross & Blue Shield (of Mississippi)." Chaney said he was not happy with either party's effort to resolve the dispute. Outside of health insurance and hurricanes, Chaney said the big issue during the next session will be pet insurance. "Don't laugh -- it is really serious," he said. "People love their pets, sometimes they love their pets more than they do people." |
| State Senators Boyd, Turner-Ford appointed to NCSL's Early Childhood Fellows Program | |
 | Last week, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) announced the 10th class of its Early Childhood Fellows Program for state legislators and legislative staff. Mississippi State Senators Nicole Boyd (R) and Angela Turner-Ford (D) were among legislators and staff from a variety of states that were named as fellows in this year's program. State Senator Boyd said that she is honored to be part of this class and looks forward to working with them as they look at the problems and opportunities with early childhood education in the nation. The program has been about educating and supporting legislators and staff with an interest in early care and education since 2011. Last week, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann announced the creation of a bipartisan, nine-member Senate Study Group on Women, Children and Families that will be held at the Capitol on September 27 and 28 as well as October 25 and 26. Lt. Governor Hosemann told Y'all Politics on Friday that Boyd and Turner-Ford's appointments to the NCSL Early Childhood Fellows Program came at the perfect time, as Senator Boyd is leading that Senate Study Group and Senator Turner-Ford is a member of the group. "A child's brain is our greatest asset, which is why childhood learning and development is of critical importance to the Mississippi Senate," Lt. Governor Hosemann said. |
| Nancy Pelosi to Visit Taiwan Despite Warnings from China | |
 | House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning to visit Taiwan, with meetings scheduled with government officials on the self-ruled island that China claims as its own, according to a person familiar with the matter, raising the prospect of increased tensions between the U.S. and China. People whom Mrs. Pelosi is planning to meet with in Taiwan have been informed of her imminent arrival, this person said, though some details remain in flux. Some of Mrs. Pelosi's meetings have been scheduled for Tuesday evening, but most are set for Wednesday, the person said, adding that they include, but aren't limited to, Taiwanese government officials. "She's definitely coming," the person said. "The only variable is whether she spends the night in Taipei." The trip is almost certain to anger Beijing, which has warned against a Taiwan visit by Mrs. Pelosi and threatened unspecified countermeasures should the visit take place, while the White House has urged calm. The delegation's trip includes high-level meetings in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, according to a statement issued by Mrs. Pelosi's office on Sunday. The announcement didn't mention Taiwan. Even so, China's Foreign Ministry on Monday repeated earlier threats warning Mrs. Pelosi against stopping over in Taiwan. A potential stop in Taiwan by Mrs. Pelosi's delegation has discomfited the Biden administration. Should Mrs. Pelosi's delegation forgo a stop there, Republican lawmakers are poised to criticize the Democrats for backing down, but if she does go ahead with the visit, the already sharp tensions between China and the U.S. are expected to escalate further. |
| Did Biden Just Boost U.S. Tech -- or Fund a Bunch of Solyndras? | |
 | The White House and influential lawmakers in both parties are celebrating a big win on tiny chips. New legislation passed by Congress will give about $52 billion in grants to some of the world's largest and richest computer chip makers to build or expand their factories in the U.S., plus another $24 billion or so in manufacturing tax credits. Usually, largesse of this scale would be bitterly attacked by conservative Republicans as corporate welfare. But this time, the spending has some surprising GOP allies, including Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. "What we are doing is industrial policy unlike people of my free-market background have done before," he says, with no hesitation of using the I word in an interview before the bill more recently became a political football. "It's not that we are trying to become partners with companies. That would be the deathknell of innovation. But they need some help." It's the return of industrial policy -- the strategy of using government funds and regulation to reshape America's industrial landscape. Industrial policy has a storied lineage in the United States, but it had largely fallen out of favor in recent decades, especially after attacks during the Reagan administration. To conservative hardliners, it had the whiff of Soviet economics; many more opponents dismissed it as the government picking winners and losers. But the political environment has shifted lately. Today, 21st century industrial policy is powered by a variety of global fears -- fear that China is outpacing the U.S.; fear that a pandemic or war will cut off supplies from abroad; and fear that America has been played for a sucker by foreign countries. |
| Three Republicans who backed impeachment face the voters | |
 | Tuesday's primaries mark the biggest one-day electoral test so far for the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump. Three of them are on the ballot Tuesday: Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse of Washington state and Peter Meijer of Michigan. They will find out whether they will survive primary challenges from Trump-backed opponents, as outside groups have rushed millions to their races. Freshman Meijer faces the most peril. Not only does the grocery chain scion have a difficult primary against John Gibbs, a former Housing and Urban Development official under the Trump administration, but his district also became more Democratic-leaning during redistricting, making him vulnerable all around. Herrera Beutler and Newhouse also face stiff competition in their primaries Tuesday, but their state's nominating system takes the top two finishers from an all-party contest, offering them some advantage to getting on the November ballots. If they survive their primaries, both should have a smooth reelection in the fall in their solid GOP seats. Offering a sense of the electoral hazards for Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, four of the 10 opted not to run for reelection. One, so far, Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina, has lost a primary. One has survived an all-party primary: California Rep. David Valadao. And Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney will face voters Aug. 16 in a race where she has become the underdog to a Trump-backed challenger. |
| America's allies are watching the Jan. 6 hearings. They are worried about U.S. democracy | |
 | Three European diplomats opened the door to the ambassador's residence and offered up a Cognac and a request for anonymity. Years ago, they might have been happy to talk openly about American democracy, the core of the superpower's "branding" on the global stage, as one of them put it. Now, it's a subject of uncertainty and controversy. The brand is tarnished as former President Trump, who tried to overturn the 2020 election, teases a political comeback and President Biden, the man who replaced him, struggles politically. "It's not about Trump," one of them said. "It's much deeper than that. And that's much more worrying." Many of the televisions in Washington's embassies have been tuned to the Jan. 6 committee hearings and the barrage of testimony detailing Trump's plot to subvert the will of the electorate with help from an angry mob of his supporters. But concern that America was adrift began increasing before the hearings, as Western allies saw the rise of nationalism and isolationism, and a sense of disenfranchisement among voters that was spreading to their own countries, according to interviews with American foreign policy veterans and diplomats, many of whom requested anonymity to speak candidly about an ally's problems. Although the diplomats disagree over the severity and scope of America's problems, most are concerned that the country's deepening polarization is undercutting its standing and reliability. They cite several contributing structural problems, such as paralysis in Congress, partisanship on the Supreme Court, restrictive voting laws at the state level and a fractured news media. Some also accuse Democrats of playing power politics and, over the longer term, abandoning low-income white voters, leaving many disillusioned with the political system and vulnerable to Trump's breed of populism. |
| Major legal fights loom over abortion pills, travel out of state | |
 | The Supreme Court's three liberal justices, in denouncing their colleagues' decision to eliminate the nationwide right to abortion, warned last month that returning this polarizing issue to the states would give rise to greater controversy in the months and years to come. Among the looming disputes, they noted: Can states ban mail-order medication used to terminate pregnancies or bar their residents from traveling elsewhere to do so? "Far from removing the court from the abortion issue," Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan wrote in dissent, "the majority puts the court at the center of the coming 'interjurisdictional abortion wars.' "The overturning of Roe v. Wade after nearly 50 years is expected to trigger a new set of legal challenges for which there is little precedent, observers say, further roiling the nation's bitter political landscape and compounding chaos as Republican-led states move quickly to curtail access to reproductive care. It is possible, if not probable, that one or both of these questions will eventually work its way back to the high court. The federal case in Mississippi, filed before the Supreme Court's June ruling in Dobbs, offers a window into the coming legal disputes over abortion pill access. GenBioPro, which sells mifepristone, initially sued Mississippi in 2020 over additional requirements the state imposed, including a waiting period and counseling. The office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) said in recent court filings that the Supreme Court's decision allowing states to ban abortion strengthens the state's position. The case is not about the drug's safety but the state's authority over abortion "regardless of the means by which the abortion is induced," Fitch's office wrote. |
| USDA getting tougher on salmonella in chicken products | |
| The federal government on Monday announced proposed new regulations that would force food processors to reduce the amount of salmonella bacteria found in some raw chicken products or risk being shut down. The proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture rules would declare salmonella an adulterant -- a contaminant that can cause food-borne illness -- in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products. That includes many frozen foods found in grocery stores, including chicken cordon bleu and chicken Kyiv products that appear to be cooked through but are only heat-treated to set the batter or breading. The agency notified producers of the proposed changes on Friday. USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin said it marks the beginning of a broader agency effort to curtail illnesses caused by the salmonella bacteria, which sickens 1.3 million Americans each year. It sends more than 26,000 of them to hospitals and causes 420 deaths, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Food is the source for most of those illnesses. The CDC says approximately one in every 25 packages of chicken sold at grocery stores contains salmonella bacteria. |
| Falling Food Prices Ease Upward Pressure on Global Inflation | |
| Falling prices for commodities such as wheat or corn are set to slow consumer food price increases, easing pressure on a major driver of global inflation. But economists warn it is too soon to declare victory. Agricultural markets remain volatile and the continuing war in Ukraine, combined with unusually hot and dry weather in Europe and parts of the U.S., could bring new disruptions to food supplies. "We'll see certainly in the short run adjustments in prices," said Rob Vos, an economist at the International Food Policy Research Institute. "I would be very cautious in making big projections that things are stabilizing and getting better because we still are in a pretty difficult and tight situation." Supply problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic sent the price of food soaring last year. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February of this year added additional pressure. The two countries combined accounted for 28% of global wheat exports last year and 15% of corn exports. Russia is also a major exporter of agricultural fertilizer, and Ukraine leads the world in sunflower oil exports. The U.S. could also see food prices moderate. Agricultural economists, though, say the effect at U.S. grocery stores could be muted. Commodities contribute only about 15% of retail food costs, with labor, shipping, packaging, advertising and profit margins contributing the rest, said Jayson Lusk, an agricultural economist at Purdue University. U.S. consumer food prices, both at grocery stores and restaurants, were up 10.4% in June from the previous year, the highest in more than four decades, according to the Labor Department. |
| USM's Children's Center's advisory board now under new leadership | |
| Over the nearly 50 years that has passed since The Children's Center's inception in 1974, it has seen remarkable change and growth, and been through hills and valleys along its path, as any evolving organization might expect. But for the past 16 years, one thing has remained constant -- the unwavering support, counsel, and leadership provided by The Children's Center's Advisory Board Co-Chairs, Jennifer Ingram Johnson and Terri Daniels. The Children's Center for Communication and Development is a non-profit with locations on The University of Southern Mississippi's Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses. The Center provides early intervention therapies for children ages 0-5 with complex disabilities at no cost to their families. This year marks a change in the Center's board leadership as Johnson and Daniels step down from their roles and excitedly pass the torch to devoted friends of The Children's Center and current board members, Mike Dixon and Amanda McLeod. Dixon currently acts as Executive Director of Greater Pinebelt Community Foundation and is Vocational Minister at Ekklesia Hattiesburg while McLeod is Vice President of Enrollment Management at Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi. Both have a passion for helping others and a profound belief in the work of The Children's Center and its impact on South Mississippi. |
| Waffle House smothers latest attempt to bring restaurant to Aggieland | |
 | Bryan-College Station residents have been pleading and campaigning for almost a decade for Waffle House to bring a location to Aggieland, but Waffle House officials have smothered the latest movement to bring the southern staple restaurant chain to town, for now at least. The latest push to bring a Waffle House to Aggieland was inspired by an Instagram post from Barstool Texas A&M. The A&M-related, Barstool-affiliated page posted a screenshot on July 19 of a direct message to the official Waffle House account asking "any chance y'all could have a location in College Station." Waffle House's official page commented on the post and said if it got to 250,000 likes, the company would mention the post to its real estate and construction team. It took five days for the post to surpass 250,000 likes. However, the social media push did not lead to Waffle House announcing a restaurant would be coming soon to Aggieland. "Please know that your and the College Station community's desire to have a Waffle House close by has been heard. You are not being ignored," Njeri Boss, Waffle House's vice president of public relations, said in a statement. "It's not that we don't want to be there, but instead that there are multiple, complicated and logistical barriers that first must be overcome before we can move from the consideration phase to any planning phase. However, we will continue to monitor the situation with the hope that one day, sooner rather than later, we might be able to make it happen." |
| Arizona Global buys Zovio, its online management contractor | |
 | The University of Arizona's 2020 purchase of the formerly for-profit Ashford University stoked controversy for many reasons, including faculty fears that buying a former for-profit college with a checkered past would damage the university's reputation. Perhaps no reason was greater than the fact that the arrangement would continue to deeply involve Ashford's former parent company, Zovio, in running the newly formed University of Arizona Global Campus. Under the deal, Zovio, which had come under scrutiny from accreditors, federal officials and California's attorney general for an allegedly checkered history of enrollment and financial practices, continued to provide enrollment, marketing and student services to Arizona Global in exchange for a 19.5 percent cut of tuition revenue for the first 15 years of the deal. The model, similar to the arrangement Purdue University struck with Kaplan when it transformed Kaplan University into Purdue University Global in 2017, raised the hackles of consumer advocates who asserted that Arizona Global was compromising itself and its students by outsourcing much of the online program's operations to the publicly traded Zovio. Today, Arizona Global took what it hopes is a major step toward re-establishing control over its new online arm and easing that one major objection to its partnership by announcing that it was buying Zovio, shutting down the online program management company and incorporating some of its employees into the university. |
| High School Summer STEM Programs Strengthen College Success | |
| A recently released study titled, "STEM Summer Programs for Underrepresented Youth Increase STEM Degrees," notes that Black and Latinx students who participated in a rigorous STEM summer program prior to their senior year of high school were more likely to enroll at top-ranked colleges and universities, persist and graduate within four years with a STEM degree. Released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the study indicates that the STEM pipeline is better strengthened by the earlier intervention rather than the conventional practice of providing supports to students already enrolled in colleges or universities. Dr. Sarah Cohodes, an associate professor of economics and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, said she and her co-authors wanted to take this exploration from anecdotal evidence -- individuals saying such programs made a difference in their lives -- to something formal to support the idea. The objective is to show the programming made an impact rather than the assumption that these were highly motivated students who would have succeeded regardless. "Information like this is what helps make policy decisions about what kind of programs to invest in and where it is important to support different initiatives," said Cohodes. |
| Colleges get creative to solve housing insecurity among students | |
| More than 40% of the students on this country's college and university campuses report that they've experienced housing insecurity, according to annual surveys by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University. That's been true both before and during the pandemic. One of the contributing factors is that there just isn't enough student housing. And this year, the problem could be even worse than usual, thanks to pent-up demand to live on campus and rising rents off campus. So schools are getting creative to plug the gap. At one point, the housing waitlist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City had over 3,000 names. So, the school leased a building from another college, converted an on-campus hotel to student housing and asked alumni in the area whether they'd be interested in renting to current students. Bethany Hardwig is leading that program. "The student and the host can fill out a profile form that has kind of been compared to an online dating form -- 'This is who I am, this is what I do. This is what field I work in,'" Hardwig explained. A lack of affordable housing can be a barrier to even attending college. "We run the risk of calcifying class inequality in higher education if there are some places that have figured it out and others don't," said Mark Huelsman of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. |
| Biden's student loan plans draw praise, criticism | |
| As the prospect of President Joe Biden canceling student debt continues to dominate public discourse, new proposals are bringing into focus the administration's broader plans for overhauling a federal lending system that is widely considered broken. But higher education experts and lawmakers are torn on whether the changes will deliver meaningful reforms for borrowers. "The Biden administration has made tremendous progress," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. "The Department of Education was not on the side of working families and struggling borrowers, and that has changed." Warren, other congressional Democrats and liberal advocates say Biden is making great strides in cleaning up programs, like Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Borrower Defense to Repayment, that have unfairly left too many borrowers stuck in repayment. They are calling on the Education Department to use its authority to make additional bold changes. Conservatives, meanwhile, are critical of what they say is a power grab by the administration. "This isn't about fixing the loan program, this is an attempt to carry out mass loan forgiveness and keeping taxpayers in the dark about it," said Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the top Republican on the House Education Committee. A new Government Accountability Office report, requested by Foxx, shows that the federal government is on track to lose $197 billion in revenue from the lending program, and that's before accounting for Biden's proposed changes. |
| What a big new U.S. law that reshapes science agencies could mean for researchers | |
| More than 2 years in the making, a massive bill that Congress completed this week aims high: It envisions a 5-year, $280 billion investment to keep the United States ahead of China in a global competition for technological preeminence. The CHIPS and Science Act, passed yesterday by the House of Representatives and on Wednesday by the Senate, will result in some of the biggest changes in U.S. innovation policy in more than a decade. But researchers should not expect a surge of new funding anytime soon. The legislation calls for more than doubling the budget of the National Science Foundation (NSF) -- now $8.8 billion -- over 5 years. It would also grow the $7.5 billion Office of Science at the Department of Energy (DOE) by 45% and boost the $850-million-a-year research account at the National Institute of Standards and Technology by 50%. But that money is "authorized," not committed. That leaves it to congressional spending panels to decide each year whether to appropriate the additional dollars. The only concrete boost in spending is $52 billion over 5 years for the semiconductor industry, along with $24 billion in tax credits for high-tech manufacturers. At the same time, the bill makes significant changes in how those agencies operate through directives that don't require money -- and that go into effect as soon as President Joe Biden signs the measure. For example, it gives NSF the legislative authority to create a technology directorate that would nurture innovations with commercial potential and social impact, adding to the agency's traditional mission of supporting basic research. The new directorate will focus on both emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum information science, and societal challenges such as combating climate change and training a tech-savvy workforce. Poorer, more rural states will benefit from a new requirement that both NSF and DOE increase the share of research spending going to institutions there to 20%. |
| In Mississippi, Christian forgiveness does not equate to felony voting reforms | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: As Haley Barbour faced an onslaught of criticism for pardoning dozens of people convicted of felonies as his tenure as governor ended in 2012, he cited his Christian beliefs for his actions. "Christianity teaches us forgiveness and second chances. I believe in second chances, and I try hard to be forgiving," the former governor said soon after leaving office of the more than 200 acts of clemency he granted. During his eight years as governor, Barbour, like most other Mississippi politicians, did nothing to make that forgiveness more inclusive by creating a system that would make it easier for the literally tens of thousands of people convicted of felonies to have their voting rights restored. Most Mississippi politicians wear their Christianity on their sleeve. The primary tenet of the Christian faith is forgiveness and redemption. Yet, they do not see as part of that forgiveness and redemption the restoration of voting rights for people convicted of felonies. Multiple studies have made the argument that restoring voting rights increases the odds that people who have been convicted of felonies will become productive members of society. ... The old adage that the judicial system moves slowly has never been truer than when it comes to Mississippi's one-in-the-nation system of preventing people convicted of certain felonies from regaining their voting rights. |
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| What will John Cohen's legacy be? The Mississippi State AD will find out soon | |
| Chris Jans is his hire. Sam Purcell is his hire. Chris Lemonis is his hire. Mike Leach, who was recently extended, is his hire. Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen has brought in a core of new coaches to his biggest programs, along with a series of renovations, from a revamped Humphrey Coliseum to The Balconies at Davis Wade Stadium. It's as exciting of a time for Mississippi State athletics as ever, and the 55-year-old baseball player and coach-turned-athletic director said he's happy in his position. How Bulldog fans remember him will be determined in the immediate future. "I don't view this as a legacy opportunity," Cohen told the Clarion Ledger in a July 12 interview. "I view it as an opportunity for Mississippi State. I think we have the best people for our situation for what we're trying to get accomplished." Along with the hires, Cohen is dealing with a changing college sports landscape. He navigated Mississippi State through COVID-19 and, with the help of the SEC, Mississippi State was able to profit in the 2020-21 fiscal year. He's learning to encourage fans to donate to NIL collectives while still asking those same fans to give to the university. He's learning to hire coaches such as Jans, who are prepared for constant utilization of the transfer portal. He's learning to welcome new schools to the SEC. Cohen is at helm in a time unlike any other in college athletics, but a message from his dad remains in his head throughout it. "Be very careful when you're using the word problem," he'd say. "Use another word. Use challenge, use obstacle, but don't use problem because problems should be reserved for people who are fighting for their life." |
| Scouting the schedule, Game 9: Auburn visits Mississippi State with memories of 2021 comeback on the mind | |
| A 28-3 score doesn't mean a football game is over. Just ask the Atlanta Falcons. Or check in with Auburn, who blew that exact same lead last November at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mississippi State erased the 25-point deficit and didn't stop there, scoring 40 unanswered points en route to a 43-34 win that booked the Bulldogs a bowl berth. It's hard to imagine Auburn coming to Starkville in 2022 without that game on its mind. The Tigers fell off in their first season under Bryan Harsin, and there nearly wasn't a second, but Auburn always has enough talent to get by. Of course, a Bulldogs team fresh off a much-needed bye week after a trip to Tuscaloosa could handle the Tigers -- no comeback required. Mississippi State will take on Auburn on Nov. 5 in Starkville. Auburn tanked down the stretch in 2021, dropping its final five games to finish 6-7 and 3-5 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers were 6-3 and ranked in the top 25 when they held a 25-point lead against MSU but couldn't hold it. Auburn lost to South Carolina, nearly beat Alabama in overtime and fell to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl. Harsin's team posted wins over LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss in SEC play. |
| Scouting the schedule, Game 10: Mississippi State welcomes defending champion Georgia to town | |
| It was always going to happen, but 2022 has turned out to be the season where the Southeastern Conference's rotating schedule dealt Mississippi State a poor hand. MSU traded in SEC East doormat Vanderbilt and got back Georgia, the cream of the crop in the division -- and, in 2021, all of college football. The lopsided exchange has made MSU's schedule one of the toughest in the country, and the fact that Mike Leach's team will be hosting the defending national champions rather than visiting them is little consolation. What could help MSU sleep easier at night, though, is the fact that five Georgia defenders were selected in the first round of April's NFL draft. But with quarterback Stetson Bennett, tight end Brock Bowers and others returning, UGA could have enough to keep MSU in check. Mississippi State will welcome Georgia to Davis Wade Stadium on Nov. 12. Only a loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game separated Georgia from a perfect season. Georgia knocked off Clemson, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and everyone else it faced in a 12-0 regular season with an 8-0 SEC record. |
| Habitat management could help in the hunt for velvet bucks | |
 | Permits for Mississippi's Velvet season open for sale on Monday and there are a few things hunters and landowners can manage leading up to the season. Steve Demarais, an MSU professor in Wildlife Management and Co-Director of the MSU Deer Lab, said this time of year is critical in a buck's development. Bucks in velvet need minerals and nutrients as they grow their antlers. Velvet describes the shiny hair-like texture growing antlers have. Underneath this velvet is a layer called perichondrium that is strong and bonelike. The growth rate of antlers slows dramatically during late summer. Autumn equinox correlates with the antler solidification and velvet drying out. Right now, most of the antler is finished growing, and by August 15 all growth has stopped and the antler starts to harden. "From that point forward it is about adding more minerals to the structure. If you look at the antler content at this point it is about 50 percent protein," Demarais said. "That time of year is one of the more challenging times for deer. There is a mismatch in qualities of food and what they need. The forage available is low quality but there is a high demand for nutrients." Bucks go into velvet during the spring and summer. According to the Mississippi State University Deer Lab, Antlers will grow as fast as three-quarters of an inch a week for yearlings and 1.5 inches per week for adults during peak growth periods. One of the ways you can help deer on your property this time of year is through a process called mineral stumps. |
| Emotional Will Clark has No. 22 retired by SF Giants: 'This is my Hall of Fame' | |
| Will Clark seemingly always saved his best for when the lights were brightest. On Saturday at Oracle Park, a fitting 22 years since he hung 'em up and nearly three decades since his last game in orange and black, an emotional Clark was, once again, ready for the moment. Fifty minutes into a pregame ceremony Saturday, the southern kid turned Bay Area icon punctuated his speech by punching the air with his left fist and declaring, "I am Will 'The Thrill' Clark. I am a part of San Francisco. And I am forever a Giant." Moments earlier, a black cloth draped over his number in left field dropped to reveal Clark's No. 22 hanging between Monte Irvin's No. 20 and Willie Mays' No. 24, making his the 13th number retired by the franchise -- more than any club but the Yankees -- and a long time coming. Clark, who became the face of a generation of Giants baseball in the late '80s, said he had written the speech within a day or two after receiving the news that his number would one day go up in the rafters (or, more accurately, hanging from the third terrace in left-field foul territory). But he was forced to wait once the ceremony, originally scheduled for 2020, was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I had two years to practice it," Clark laughed afterward, adding his most emotional moment came while addressing Mike Krukow, his former teammate and the current Giants broadcaster, whom he called his "best friend and mentor." |
| Eagle Esports introduces new program coordinator | |
 | Coming off a national championship, The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Eagle Esports program is preparing for fall tryouts. The new Eagle Esports Coordinator, David Dickert, is looking forward to guiding it toward another successful year. Dickert came to USM this year from Stephen F. Austin University (SFA), where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and is currently completing a master's thesis in history. "At USM Esports, we strive to build an inclusive, diverse, friendly, and competitive environment for students. I plan to build an esports empire here and maintain our status as one of the premier esports institutions in the country," explained Dickert,. Dickert is also on the Competition Council for the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), where he helps shape the future of collegiate esports. Tryouts for Eagle Esports' eight teams are set for August 22 through 25. |
| Why James Meredith told Deion Sanders his decision to coach Jackson State football was important | |
 | In less than three years, coach Deion Sanders has had an impact on the Jackson State football program that makes it feel like he's been there much longer. His accomplishments at JSU have been bigger than just football. He's thrust the school that produced Walter Payton, Lem Barney, Robert Brazile, and Jackie Slater back into the national spotlight. And he's transformed the conversation around HBCU athletics in short order. Jackson State had a stretch from 2014 until Sanders' arrival in 2020 when it didn't have any winning seasons. Now, following a program-record 11-win season and a string of other accomplishments that led to Sanders being named FCS coach of the Year, the prospect of Jackson State becoming the first HBCU to play at the FBS level doesn't seem so far-fetched. None of this surprises James Meredith, the civil rights icon who integrated Ole Miss after beginning his college career at Jackson State. He visited with Sanders shortly after his arrival in Jackson, and told the Pro Football Hall of Fame member just how impactful he could be. "I told him it was the most important thing since James Meredith went from Jackson State to Ole Miss," said Meredith. History has shown that college football, at times, can play an important role in the struggle for larger societal change. A pivotal event that illustrates that point, Meredith said, came in 1970 when Southern Cal became the first integrated college football team to play in Alabama. The implications of Southern Cal's victory over all-white Alabama rippled through the entire SEC and beyond. Meredith believes Sanders can have a similar impact at JSU. He hopes that the success Jackson State's football program is having will translate into better financial opportunities for the school and HBCUs in general. |
| Ole Miss AD Keith Carter offers thoughts on conference realignment in college athletics | |
| As if the environment in college athletics wasn't crazy enough with NIL coming more and more into focus, USC and UCLA shocked the world in late June. On June 30, it was announced that both programs were moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, a monumental move that may just be the beginning of more things to come. The topic of realignment was prevalent at SEC Media Days in July, especially given the conference will be adding Texas an Oklahoma in the coming years. That move came last summer and has generally been seen as a precursor to the USC/UCLA moves. Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter offered his thoughts on conference realignment. Carter said the SEC "has positioned itself so well" as things in college athletics continue to change. "I don't think we're finished (with realignment moves), obviously," Carter said. "I think what happened with the SEC and Oklahoma and Texas, it obviously got everybody stirred up and talking what next moves could be, and I think it has made for some really interesting moves." Carter noted that, while there are obvious positives to conferences that span from coast-to-coast, there are some things to be thought about -- travel for midweek basketball games for matchups between USC and Rutgers, for instance, could prove detrimental to student-athletes. The same can be said of Olympic sports. "I think when it's all said and done, college athletics is still going to be a great thing. People love it, people want to want to follow, they want to support, we're still going to give student-athletes a great opportunity to do what they want to do and compete at the highest level and get a great degree and all those things. But it's going to look a lot different. |
| What is the future of college football? Over 200 coaches, players and administrators respond | |
| The college football world has endured a wave of change in the past two years, but this could be just the beginning, according to an ESPN survey of more than 200 coaches, players and administrators. Answering a wide-ranging questionnaire distributed this offseason, respondents told ESPN that big issues such as realignment, name, image and likeness and the transfer portal are likely just precursors to more seismic shifts in the sport's landscape. Among the significant changes expected in the coming years are a diminished role for the NCAA, an expansion of the College Football Playoff, continued realignment and, ultimately, a pay-for-play model that would treat players as employees. Nearly 80% of respondents believe schools will pay athletes directly within the next decade. Nearly 75% think the sport will eventually follow some sort of professional model, perhaps with schools forming conferences based on their willingness to pay players. And virtually everyone (98%) thinks more realignment is in store -- sooner than later. But for all the massive shifts in the sport's landscape, nearly 60% of respondents said they believe college football is as good or better than it was a decade ago. Among the major topics were the NCAA and governance, NIL, the transfer portal, recruiting, the College Football Playoff, athlete empowerment and compensation, and realignment. While few questions yielded a unanimous opinion, the results show a clear belief that the sport is heading toward a more professional, more autonomous future. |
| Kentucky men's basketball team to hold open practice, telethon for flood victim relief | |
| Before the Kentucky men's basketball team heads for the Bahamas, it'll look to lend a hand closer to home. The Wildcats will hold an open practice at Rupp Arena on Tuesday, the program announced via Twitter on Sunday, part of a fundraising effort to assist victims of heavy flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Rupp Arena, according to a news release from WLEX-TV in Lexington. Parking in the High Street lot across from Rupp will be free, and donations will be taken at entry gates. UK also will co-host a telethon from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday in conjunction with the station. More details are expected to be released Monday. Both events will benefit the American Red Cross. In a tweet Sunday, Kentucky coach John Calipari said his team came to him after the flooding in Eastern Kentucky and "had an idea to help," calling this week's fundraisers "a player-driven initiative." "We recognize that our state is hurting and our team wanted to do anything we could to do to step up and help," freshman guard Cason Wallace said in a video announcing the fundraisers. Last December, a UK basketball telethon helped raise more than $3 million for victims of deadly tornadoes in Western Kentucky. Calipari's program has previously hosted telethons for earthquake victims in Haiti and victims of a hurricane and subsequent flooding in Houston. |
| Inside the plans LSU and Brian Kelly created to help players earn money off their names | |
 | Within a week of becoming LSU's new football coach late last year, Brian Kelly met with representatives from Altius Sports Partners. The company, which advises 28 major collegiate athletic departments, provides guidance on name, image and likeness. LSU had used the firm as an education consultant for months. "He knew it was a priority," said Celine Mangan, who oversees LSU's account for Altius, "and he wanted to set up a call." Kelly understood NIL's role in a new era of college sports. The ability for athletes to profit under NCAA rules had reshaped the entire enterprise and influenced recruiting, thrusting the game into chaos. He wanted to chart a clear path forward. Ever since, Kelly has talked regularly with the head of LSU's new NIL department, Taylor Jacobs, and other athletic officials. He has a specific philosophy for how to use NIL within the football program, one that subtly differs from other coaches. "Look, there's a lot of sports involved here," Kelly told The Advocate. "Everybody has an interest in this. But some of the interests are a little bit different. We've been meeting weekly to make sure we're all on the same page." The conversations helped determine the next phase of LSU's NIL strategy, which launched last week. Cleared by Louisiana's amended state law to facilitate deals for the first time, LSU was one of six schools to join Altius' new general manager program. The initiative places Altius staff members on campus to connect athletes and potential business partners. |
| Big 12′s new boss Yormark learning NCAA issues in real time | |
| New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is learning the NCAA's issues in real time and during a period of sweeping change and uncertainty. While Monday is Yormark's first day working full-time out of the Big 12 office, leaving behind Jay-Z's Roc Nation, the ex-CEO of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets has been steadily involved in conference matters since landing his first job in college athletics. He was named the Big 12′s new leader on June 29. A day later, conference realignment became a pressing issue again when Southern California and UCLA said they would be leaving the Pac-12 in 2024 to join the Big Ten. Beyond that, Yormark has to get familiar with name, image and likeness compensation for athletes, the transfer portal, FBS conferences potentially splitting from the NCAA with their own governance structure for football, and the future of the College Football Playoff. "One of his best qualities is he doesn't pretend to know what he doesn't know ... He asks a lot of questions, and listens," Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades said of Yormark. "He hasn't been in the industry, so he's got to absorb all of that, which is, just under normal circumstances, difficult. But then throw on top of that conference realignment part two." Yormark brings an outside perspective to what has been a resilient conference, as well as a background in building brands. |
| Pac-12 Commissioner Keeps It Professional, but Pointed, After Defections | |
 | When the Pac-12 Conference's schools congregated Friday at a downtown theater for the summer ritual of football media day -- and yes, all the coaches were invited -- it carried the air of an awkward family reunion. Imagine Southern California and U.C.L.A., the West Coast athletic cornerstones that announced a month ago that they would be bolting for the Big Ten, as the ones stepping gingerly through the front door, not sure if they were going to be shunned, given a side eye or offered a limp handshake. "It feels strangely familiar," said Lincoln Riley, the new U.S.C. coach, who went through a similarly sticky exercise last summer at Oklahoma, which along with Texas announced it would be jumping to the Southeastern Conference from the Big 12. "There's been some hard feelings, but everyone has kept it professional." Professional, perhaps, but still pointed. Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff, speaking publicly for the first time since the Los Angeles schools announced their departure on June 30, called their move a money grab --- it could add $50 to $70 million annually in television revenue --- that sells out athletes, who will have to travel repeatedly to the East Coast for conference games. He singled out U.C.L.A., which he said had received withering criticism from athletes, parents, faculty and politicians, including Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, who last week directed the University of California to issue a report next month on the impact of the move on athletes and on U.C. Berkeley, the Northern California sister school of U.C.L.A. "We think there's immediate regret among almost every constituent in those communities, and we think those regrets are going to grow over time," Kliavkoff said in an interview. "Those are bad decisions; those are financial decisions at the expense of student athletes." |
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