| Tuesday, August 9, 2022 |
| With design approved, Main Street project awaits more funding | |
 | Alaina Prentice Phillips' business might not be on Main Street, but she wholeheartedly supports a planned Main Street redevelopment project. Phillips has owned Merle Norman on Russell Street -- near downtown -- for the last 10 years, and she said redevelopment efforts will be beneficial to businesses, though she does admit that there will be growing pains. "When it's done, it will be beautiful," Phillips said. "It will improve the walking paths for downtown, making it more accessible for customers to come into stores." Phillips sits on the Starkville Main Street Association board, which voted unanimously to support the redevelopment plan. The board of aldermen last week approved a design plan from the Kimley-Horn firm for the estimated $9.5 million project. The plan is broken down into three main areas: roadway, parking and pedestrian. There is an emphasis on "slowing down traffic," according to the design documents given to the board, and making the area more pedestrian friendly. Ward 3 Alderman Jeffrey Rupp voted to approve the plan, saying it would create a "sense of pedestrian space." Rupp is serving as the liaison between the city of Starkville and the Main Street Association. "It has been shown that when you have that place, it helps attract people to your downtown," Rupp said. "Starkville has to be very focused on keeping downtown viable." Rupp told The Dispatch the plan is an attempt to "model our downtown" after other successful southern towns. Rupp shared some concerns, mainly whether businesses could get enough customers to stay open during the construction. |
| Golden Triangle Theatre finds new home at old church | |
| The Golden Triangle Theatre has found a new home in a familiar place, the former First Baptist Church building on Seventh Street North in downtown Columbus. The massive structure, built in 1908, had been on the market since 2005 before Vince Rapisarda purchased it earlier this year. He was soon approached by the organization about potentially using part of the space. "(The Golden Triangle Theatre) approached me a while back about what they do and the fact that there is no theater in Columbus, and they knew I had the sanctuary as well as all kinds of office space and classroom space," Rapisarda said. "I was pretty excited when they first approached me." "The theatre is really completing its first year of existence, we formed back in June of last year, and we were working, primarily, in a few locations," said Garrett Torbert, executive and artistic director of the organization. "We started out at Annunciation Catholic Church, in their activity center, and then we ended up, this past spring, at the Columbus Arts Council, and we kind of created a little partnership with them." The theatre offers lots of programs for adults and kids in the community with the goal of promoting the arts and encouraging creativity, but the problems really came when it began to rapidly grow. The theatre plans to hit the ground running later this month, and the once empty corridors of the church will be filled with the sounds of children, and adults, discovering their passions. "We will start occupying the space this fall and we will use it for our weekly classes that we do, and then also, we are starting to offer more opportunities for instruction, such as music lessons," said Torbert. The theatre and Rapisarda share a common goal, making the building a central location for the arts in the area. |
| Mississippi Book Festival is back after being canceled last year | |
 | On Saturday, Aug. 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m The Mississippi Book Festival will return to Jackson in front of the Mississippi State Capitol building. Ellen Daniels, executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival said last year's festival was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak. "About 10 days from the festival last year, we had to cancel due to the rapid spread of the delta virus," Daniels said. "The decision was hard after the hard work we put into it, but the right decision was made. As a result, we moved the event to a virtual 48-panel discussion with the authors. "This year, we are excited about Alice Walker making an appearance at the book festival to read, answer questions and sign books," Daniels said. "Walker was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize (in literature) in 1982." This year's event is expected to be the biggest yet, organizers said. The festival will also bring fun literary games for children within a Kid's Corner, where children will have free access to focus on colorful books and interact with authors, organizers said. In Addition, other notable authors attending include former National Geographic Editor Candice Millard, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Jericho Brown and acclaimed novelist and journalist Jennifer Egan, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker, Harpers, McSweeney's and The New York Times Magazine. Jackson native Kiese Laymon, author of the essay collection, "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America." Beth Ann Fennelly, former poet laureate of Mississippi, who resides in Oxford, will also be in attendance. |
| Jason White seeking support to be Speaker as Philip Gunn stays quiet about future plans | |
 | Rep. Jason White, the second-in-command in the state House, is openly asking individual House members to support him "in a future run" to become speaker of the House, one of the most powerful positions in state government, according to several state lawmakers. White, currently the Speaker Pro Tempore of the 122-member House, appears to be laying the groundwork at a time when current House Speaker Philip Gunn is being quiet about his future plans. Rep. Fred Shanks, a supporter of White's, told the Daily Journal in an interview that White is shoring up support a future run, which could be as early the next four-year term that begins in 2024. "He has asked people for support in a future run," Shanks, a Republican from Brandon, said. "But I don't think Jason would run against Speaker Philip Gunn." Two other Republican lawmakers, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid publicly discussing internal GOP discussions, also confirmed that White is whipping votes for a future run as speaker. White, a Republican from West, did not respond to a request for comment. It's unclear if Gunn, a Republican from Clinton, will seek another four-year term as the leader of the House, but it's notable that White -- a year out from the 2023 Republican primary -- is openly courting GOP lawmakers to back him for a future run. |
| Gov. Reeves, officials cut ribbon in celebration of Highway 49 expansion | |
 | Officials gathered to cut the ribbon in Richland on Monday and celebrate the recently expanded U.S. Highway 49 in Rankin County. Central Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons was joined by Governor Tate Reeves to celebrate the completion of this massive 7.5-mile infrastructure improvement project that began in 2017. The project was set out for the widening of 7.5 miles of U.S. 49 from Florence to Richland, expanding the highway to three travel lanes and a shoulder in each direction. "We recognize that if we're going to see long-term economic growth and prosperity then we must invest in our infrastructure," said Reeves. "The partnership between the Mississippi Legislature over the last five years and the executive branch has led to significant capital investments in core infrastructure. Infrastructure is exactly what the government is supposed to do. It is a core function of government. It's going to make a difference long term and it's something I think we can all be proud of." The $253 million project was awarded to W.G. Yates and Son Construction Company. |
| Health officials identify sixth case of monkeypox in Mississippi | |
| The Mississippi State Department of Health has now identified six cases of monkeypox across the state. The monkeypox virus has spread to dozens of countries and infected thousands worldwide since the outbreak began in May. Since Mississippi reported its first case on July 25, the number of nationwide cases has more than doubled. As of Aug. 5, there were 7,510 monkeypox cases in the U.S., according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. The monkeypox virus, which is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox, has not caused any deaths but does produce painful symptoms. Nearly all infections outside Africa have occurred among men who have sex with men. "Regardless of your gender, regardless of your sexual orientation, anybody can get monkeypox," State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said. Mississippi's initial allotment of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine included enough doses to inoculate 300 people. Due to the limited supply, the vaccine is only available to direct contacts of infected people. Byers said that the department is looking at making vaccines available to people who have had multiple sexual partners. However, health department officials are unsure how many more doses the state will receive through the rest of 2022. "We have so few doses right now that it's very hard for us to expand our vaccination efforts beyond trying to make sure that we vaccinate those known contacts," Byers said. |
| Viral video of Mississippi arrest sparks investigation | |
 | An incident involving a white Mississippi Highway Patrol officer and three Black men is under investigation after a viral video showed the officer putting a handcuffed man into a chokehold and wrestling him into a ditch. The video, captured Friday in McComb by a man named Packer Lewis, sparked outrage over the officer's conduct. The video shows one of Lewis' brothers, Eugene Lewis, standing in the street in handcuffs as Packer Lewis and another brother, Darius Lewis, yell that they are recording the incident. Suddenly, the officer grabs Eugene Lewis by the neck and pulls him across the street, tackling him to the ground. At one point, the officer appears to use his knee to pin him down. "That's how George Floyd died," Packer Lewis yelled while recording a livestream on Facebook, referring to the 2020 murder of Floyd, a Black man who was pinned under a Minneapolis police officer's knee for more than nine minutes. Packer Lewis said the Mississippi officer became aggressive after he told the Lewis brothers to leave the scene. "The Mississippi Department of Public Safety was made aware of an incident involving a Mississippi Highway Patrolman conducting an arrest on a subject in McComb, MS," said Bailey Martin, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. "This incident is being reviewed internally by the Department of Public Safety. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is also conducting an inquiry." |
| Biden signs China competition bill to boost U.S. chipmakers | |
| President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a bipartisan bill that aims to strengthen U.S. competitiveness with China by investing billions of dollars in domestic semiconductor manufacturing and science research. "Today is a day for builders. Today America is delivering," Biden said at the signing ceremony outside the White House. He was joined by a crowd of hundreds, including tech executives, union presidents and political leaders from both parties. The bill, dubbed the Chips and Science Act, includes more than $52 billion for U.S. companies producing computer chips, as well as billions more in tax credits to encourage investment in semiconductor manufacturing. It also provides tens of billions of dollars to fund scientific research and development, and to spur the innovation and development of other U.S. tech. Advocates say the funding is needed to sharpen America's technological edge and reinvigorate its lagging chip industry. The U.S. produces only about 10% of the world's supply of semiconductors, whereas east Asia accounts for 75% of global production -- including most of the top-tier chips, according to the White House. The signing comes as Biden and congressional Democrats cap a flurry of activity before lawmakers leave Washington for the rest of the month and turn their attention to midterm election campaigns. |
| FBI Searches Trump's Florida Home Mar-a-Lago in Document Investigation | |
 | FBI agents searched former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday, which people familiar with the matter said was part of an investigation into Mr. Trump's handling of classified information. The search was made public in a statement released by Mr. Trump, in which he said FBI agents were at his home. Legal historians said they couldn't remember a case in recent history in which the FBI searched the home of a former president. The search marked an escalation of the Justice Department's investigation into aspects of Mr. Trump's final days in office and is expected to ripple through the run-up to November's midterm elections. To conduct such a search, the FBI would need to convince a judge that there was reason to believe there may be evidence of a crime to be found at that location. Such a move would also likely require signoff from the highest echelons of the Justice Department, though a spokeswoman wouldn't say what role Mr. Garland played. The search of Mr. Trump's home comes as support for the former president -- particularly for the idea of him running again in 2024 -- has been slipping among some in his own party. But the FBI's move quickly became a rallying cry for many Republicans Monday. |
| Trump world takes stock of which Republicans back him against the FBI | |
 | Donald Trump's team and allies are moving swiftly to draw political benefit from an unannounced search by FBI agents at the former president's Mar-a-Lago home on Monday. And they're keeping tabs of Republicans who aren't, in their view, sufficiently rushing to his defense. For hours, word of the search was kept to a close group of aides, lawyers, and Trump family members as it was taking place in real time. Then, Trump confirmed the news in a lengthy statement, only after it leaked out late in the afternoon that agents had left Mar-a-Lago. The bombshell set off frantic, hasty-arranged calls among Trump allies to discuss how to calibrate a response. And, soon enough, a clear narrative emerged from them: The search represented a deliberate political targeting, one that underscored the Democrat's perception of Trump as a political threat. Alongside the anger towards the FBI, the sense among Trump allies was that the search could be a potential political boon for the ex-president. Both the person close to Trump and another individual who is in touch with the former president speculated that he would now expedite his decision to announce a presidential bid. While Trump's team was bullish about the political benefits of being targeted by the FBI, the situation comes with clear and obvious downsides. Legal experts said that it would be highly unlikely that the agency would have taken such action without clear evidence of wrongdoing -- noting the rarity of a former president being targeted so aggressively. The search would require the signoff of a federal judge or magistrate, who would issue the warrant based upon evidence of a potential crime. |
| What's driving the massive, destructive rainfalls around the country | |
 | At one weather station in Fairbanks, Alaska, each hour of rainfall is about 50 percent more intense, on average, than it was a half-century ago. The Wichita area is experiencing rains about 40 percent more fierce these days. Huntington, W.Va., and Sioux City, Iowa, are seeing deluges roughly 30 percent more extreme than in 1970. Places around the nation are facing more frequent, more extreme precipitation over time -- a reality laid bare once again by the record-shattering rains and catastrophic flooding in eastern Kentucky and St. Louis last week. The warming atmosphere is supercharging any number of weather-related disasters -- wildfires, hurricanes, crippling heat waves. But as it also fuels once-unthinkable amounts of rain in single bursts, the problem of so much water arriving so quickly is posing serious challenges in a nation where the built environment is not only outdated but increasingly outmatched. "The infrastructure we have is really built for a climate we are not living in anymore," said Andreas Prein, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) who studies extreme precipitation. From populated cities to rural outposts, the United States has long struggled with antiquated sewage and wastewater networks, outdated bridges and crumbling roads and culverts. But as more water falls from the sky more quickly in many places, those challenges have become only more urgent. |
| After Ole Miss student's killing, many LGBTQ students no longer feel safe | |
| Lindsey Trinh wiped her tearful eyes with the collar of her navy blue Ole Miss T-shirt as she described the fear and anxiety she has experienced in the month since police announced a student had been charged with the murder of Jimmie "Jay" Lee. Trinh had only known Lee from class, but the 27-year-old journalism student, who is gay and Vietnamese, knew what it was like to live with an identity held by few others in Mississippi -- and to be recognizable for it. At home in Biloxi, she thought about going back to Oxford for her last semester. She had been looking forward to finally graduating; to dancing at Code Pink, a local drag show; and to walking around the Square holding her girlfriend's hand. Now she started to wonder, what would happen if she went missing? "Oxford felt like such a welcoming community, that when this happened, and this news came out, it felt like the whole world, the whole city, is against you now," Trinh said. The day after Sheldon Timothy Herrington's initial appearance, Trinh made a decision. She opened her laptop and started writing an email informing the university provost and her journalism school advisers that she wouldn't be returning to Oxford for the fall semester. Eleven LGBTQ students, faculty and alumni told Mississippi Today they now fear for the community's safety in Oxford, a town known for being more inclusive than most in Mississippi. Many also worry that Lee's killing will lead community members, seeking safety from violence and harassment, to conceal their sexuality or gender identity. |
| Ole Miss fundraising campaign secures $1.2B | |
| The largest fundraising campaign in the history of Mississippi universities, Now & Ever: The Campaign for Ole Miss, just secured $1.2 billion toward its $1.5 billion goal. Elevating the total is more than $150.6 million in gifts -- the second-highest fundraising year on record -- during the University of Mississippi's 2022 fiscal year that closed June 30. The campaign is helping the university strengthen its hyper-focus on students and is generating many more student scholarships, said Charlotte Parks, vice chancellor of development. "Students are the reason we exist, of course, but having this campaign enables us to concentrate on elevating student success, expanding preparation for successful careers and making it possible for more students to earn their degrees on time," she said. "We will extend our expertise in student retention, now above the national norm at 88.2% for freshmen to sophomores, to all years that students are here." |
| Southern Miss prepares for Roberts Hall demolition | |
 | An old student residence building on the University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg campus will soon be a pile of rubble and then hauled away. The university's physical plant will begin demolition on Roberts Residence Hall next week. The building is located behind M.M. Roberts Stadium. Director of the physical plant Neil Bohn said the area would be converted into parking spaces. "The space located where Roberts is will become green space and then later become parking for the new criminal justice building," said Bohn. The kinesiology building next to Roberts Hall will eventually become the new criminal justice building. According to Bohn, the dormitory hasn't been used for 12 years, and the physical plant is excited to renovate the area. "We are excited for the beautification of our campus," said Bohn. "We are constantly trying to beautify the footprints of our campus, and this is one step in the long line of many." The demolition process begins next week, and renovations and construction are expected to last up to 11 months. |
| Educators call for action to provide clean and reliable tap water in Jackson | |
 | Educators in Jackson are raising their concerns about the city's outdated water infrastructure and how it is affecting their classrooms. Survey results from a recent report by the Mississippi Association of Educators show that nearly all students in Jackson have been or are currently facing tap water issues. All Jackson Public Schools within the past two years have had to shut down due to water-related issues, and at least 11 schools have closed due to water issues recently. MAE Executive Director Antonio Castanon Luna says teachers, students and their families have accepted the unacceptable for too long. Luna says "We recommend that the mayor of the City of Jackson issue a proclamation declaring that fixing the ongoing water crisis and securing safe and reliable water access in Jackson will be made the first priority of the administration." MAE is also recommending state lawmakers assist in funding the capital city's water system citing the importance of having safe tap water in schools, homes and businesses. Erica Jones is a former educator and now serves as the MAE President. She says water issues in Jackson have been present for years, and it's not unique to the state's capital city. "We are hoping here at MAE that this could be a launching pad for issues that are current outside of Jackson. Yes, today we are focusing on the water situation in Jackson, and there are communities throughout Mississippi that may be facing this issue or a similar issue," says Jones. "It is our desire to advocate around the safety of whatever issues are facing our communities." |
| Teachers, restaurant owners both call on politicians to work together to fix Jackson water | |
| On the same day, in uncoordinated events, Jackson restaurateurs and public school teachers sent out the same message to local and state political leaders – fix the ongoing water issues in the state's capital city that have led to boil water notices. The Mississippi Association of Educators said the water crisis impacts the ability of students in the city of Jackson to learn. "When the water system fails, JPS schools are forced to transition to online learning, destabilizing students' learning environments and putting more economic strain on families who now must choose between taking off work or hiring childcare if that is an option," a MAE position paper released Monday said. "Moreover, with the unplanned transition to online learning, access to free and reduced breakfast and lunch becomes an additional challenge for students." Also on Monday, about 45 restaurant owners and managers sent a letter to Gov. Tate Reeves, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Speaker Philip Gunn, Lumumba, Jackson City Council members and members of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors saying the constant boil water notices and at times interruptions in water supply were unsustainable. They asked the political leaders to put aside any differences and work together. Thus far, state and local leaders have not been able reach an accord on the water woes of the state's largest and capital city. During a news conference at the Iron Horse Grill, a local restaurant, about 20 restaurateurs raised their hands when asked if they had been contacted about moving out of Jackson to the suburbs. |
| U. of Florida faculty union finds broad dissatisfaction | |
 | A recent survey of University of Florida faculty shows that concerns over academic freedom persist despite efforts by administrators to address issues raised over the past year and calm fears. The survey found that more than 83% of respondents strongly disagree with the statement that the UF Board of Trustees ensures the university is free from undue political influence. Only 6% agreed with that statement. The survey was conducted by the United Faculty of Florida, the union that represents about 2,000 professors on the Gainesville campus. It was conducted from March to April and received 623 responses -- or 31% of the UFF-UF membership. There are more than 5,700 faculty at UF. Faculty also said they would leave UF if they were offered a comparable job somewhere else, with 47% strongly agreeing and another 24% agreeing somewhat. That's not a new sentiment, however. In 2016 -- the last time the survey was conducted -- a similar percentage of the faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences said the same thing. While the survey shows a majority of faculty feel they are able to freely conduct research, 52% said they don't believe they can exercise academic freedom on and off campus or use their expertise for the public good. |
| Days after McMaster said U. of South Carolina won't lose Pritchards Island to UGA, the university had a plan | |
 | Less than two weeks after Gov. Henry McMaster vowed that a Beaufort County barrier island would stay in the University of South Carolina's hands after the school hadn't used it in over a decade, USC had a plan. A two-page draft document drawn up in July by the USC-Beaufort marine biology faculty and its natural sciences department chair boast research plans for Pritchards Island that range from establishing a summer undergraduate research program to monitoring and characterizing the rich ecology of the island. "We start with marine biology, but it doesn't have to end there," Anna Ponder, USCB Vice Chancellor for Advancement, said. "(Pritchards Island) is a rich environment of possibility for our students." Ponder, who physically produced the glossy document that was given to island donor Philip Rhodes' family during a July 19 dinner with USC and USCB leadership, said draft proposals like these are typical to hand out when meeting with vital stakeholders. The draft plans -- including long-term goals, current and immediate action, long-range research plans and collaborative projects -- are what Ponder called "Round One." And it's all in an effort to revive an island the school largely has not used since 2009, what they say was due to rapid erosion typical to a barrier island and lack of private, state and federal funding. |
| U. of Missouri Museum of Anthropology awarded $100,000 grant to identify Native American remains | |
 | University of Missouri researchers have been awarded a $100,000 grant to work with Missouri's Native American tribes to identify ancestral remains that belong to them. Candace Sall, director of MU's Museum of Anthropology, said the museum will be working with the Osage Nation and 12 other tribes that once lived on land in central Missouri. With the two-year grant from the National Park Service, the museum will work with tribes to document items that were removed from tribal lands so they can be returned to their proper descendants. Working with the tribes will also benefit the museum by partnering with Native Americans in the process. "Consultations with the tribes have improved our relationships, and we are able to have Native voices tell their stories in the museum," Sall said. The Museum of Anthropology closed in October after leaving Mizzou North. Currently, museum exhibits are being built at a new location on the lower level of Ellis Library and will reopen in a few months. Missouri State University was also awarded a grant of $69,000. The grants were announced by the National Park Service in a news release Monday as part of the Native American Graves and Protection Act. A total of $2.1 million in grants was awarded to nine Native American tribes and 20 museums across the country. |
| Purdue's tuition freeze at year 10: Most students graduate debt-free | |
 | President Joe Biden is expected to decide this month whether there will be mass student debt cancellation. And while Americans are at loggerheads over that, they are in almost full agreement about fixing the root cause: the high cost of a college education. Asked to choose between the government forgiving student debt or making college more affordable for current and future students, an astounding 82% of respondents in a recent NPR/Ipsos poll opt for the latter. Even among those with outstanding loans, long-term affordability wins out. Getting there is not easy. But at Purdue University, an ambitious price freeze with tuition at just under $10,000 a year has held for a decade, offering innovative -- if not always flawless or popular -- cost-cutting models for holding the line on student bills. Students taking a break in the cool, wood-paneled spaces of Purdue Memorial Union on a recent scorching summer day will pay no more than Boilermakers did 10 years ago -- and many will likely get their bachelor's debt-free, as some 60% did in May. "If an institution prioritizes affordability, you'd be surprised -- we've been surprised – by how much progress can be made," says Mitch Daniels, the former Indiana governor who announced the tuition freeze in the spring of 2013, just months after he became Purdue's president. |
| Colleges, universities across Illinois begin monkeypox prep with students set to return this month | |
| With students returning to campuses in just a couple of weeks, universities and colleges across the state are beginning to pull from COVID-19 response plans to prepare for the spreading monkeypox virus, which could pose a unique risk to students because they live in close quarters and often have heightened sexual contact, experts say. "We have to be concerned about monkeypox on college campuses," said Dr. Emily Landon, University of Chicago Medicine's executive director for infection prevention and control. "Monkeypox spreads through close, physical contact, and there's a lot of social and sexual networks in colleges." Monkeypox has spread aggressively among men who have sex with men in part because they are often connected to tight sexual networks, but there's no biological reason why gay and bisexual men have been hit hardest and nothing to stop the disease from spreading more aggressively within other populations, Landon said. Well-known bugs like meningitis and mononucleosis already spread on campuses through close contact. The monkeypox virus won't discriminate when students start touching. "Any close contact, skin-to-skin, prolonged contact, even things like making out with people can lead to monkeypox transmission," she said. The University of Illinois has been meeting weekly with local health authorities and providers to monitor the virus's spread throughout Champaign County, spokesperson Chantelle Thompson said. The state's flagship university is working with campus groups, local bars and fraternities to get monkeypox messaging out, she said. |
| Rising rents add to college students' scramble for affordable housing | |
| The end of summer is always stressful for Jordan Hubbard, as he tries to find a place to live for the upcoming semester. This year is even worse: Military benefits that helped him pay for tuition and housing at New York University ended this spring. He needs the money he's earning from two jobs this summer, as well as a stipend for his role in student government, to pay for classes. He knows some people whose parents can help them rent places in the neighborhoods near their NYU classes, but he knows many low-income students are crowding into apartments a long subway ride away from campus. "All I see on my Instagram feed is ... 'Who's subletting? Who's looking for roommates?'" he said. It's scary, Hubbard said, shortly before the start of his senior year. "I have no way to pay for any kind of housing." Surging rental costs and greater demand for traditional campus life after the disruptions of the pandemic have students at some universities scrambling to find housing. At schools struggling with long wait lists for university housing, efforts to accommodate students have led to some unusual solutions. Colleges' ability to draw students, and their surrounding markets, vary dramatically, and some schools are grappling with declining enrollment. But at some campuses and in some regions, housing issues are acute. In California, the state is pouring money into building new student housing at public universities, after shortages and legal battles escalated in some college towns. |
| Online learning leaders think fully in-person will be a rarity | |
 | Most people agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the trajectory of online learning. But by how much and in what ways are matters of debate. Chief online officers (COOs) anticipate that most undergraduate and graduate students' academic trajectories will feature prominent online components by 2025, according to the "Changing Landscape of Online Education 2022"(CHLOE, for short) survey released today. The survey, conducted by Quality Matters, a nonprofit group focused on ensuring quality online education, and Eduventures, a research and advisory group, defined chief online officers as the primary officials responsible for coordinating online learning at the college or university. These officials predict a much more central role for technology-enabled learning in the near term than did the college presidents responding to Inside Higher Ed's Survey of College and University Presidents last spring, many of whom envision a continuing rebound for in-person learning in the years ahead. It's not that chief online officers expect that fully online education will dominate; they see a blended future, in which both exclusively face-to-face and exclusively online students will be outliers by 2025. Instead, most students will take courses based in classrooms that have significant digital components, or classes delivered mostly online that have residential components. |
| 'I didn't really learn anything': COVID grads face college | |
| Angel Hope looked at the math test and felt lost. He had just graduated near the top of his high school class, winning scholarships from prestigious colleges. But on this test -- a University of Wisconsin exam that measures what new students learned in high school -- all he could do was guess. It was like the disruption of the pandemic was catching up to him all at once. Nearly a third of Hope's high school career was spent at home, in virtual classes that were hard to follow and easy to brush aside. Some days he skipped school to work extra hours at his job. Some days he played games with his brother and sister. Other days he just stayed in bed. Algebra got little of his attention, but his teachers kept giving him good grades amid a school-wide push for leniency. "It was like school was optional. It wasn't a mandatory thing," said Hope, 18, of Milwaukee. "I feel like I didn't really learn anything." Across the country, there are countless others like him. Hundreds of thousands of recent graduates are heading to college this fall after spending more than half their high school careers dealing with the upheaval of a pandemic. They endured a jarring transition to online learning, the strains from teacher shortages and profound disruptions to their home lives. And many are believed to be significantly behind academically. Colleges could see a surge in students unprepared for the demands of college-level work, education experts say. |
| Vice president meets with college presidents on abortion | |
| A group of eight college presidents met with Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday at the White House to discuss concerns and challenges facing colleges and their students after the Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. "These leaders are leading at an extraordinary time for many reasons," said Harris. "They are building the future of our nation to meet the challenges of the moment but we are also doing that in the context of a decision by the United States Supreme Court to take a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America." The presidents said that the Dobbs ruling has both short- and long-term consequences for higher education, including potential impacts to medical school programs, reproductive care available to students on campus, privacy laws, and student mental health. Women under the age of 24 are most likely to seek abortion care. This comprises 92 percent of women in college, who are also three times more likely to experience sexual assault than other women. "The biggest challenge that schools' faculty, staff, and students face today is the confusion and uncertainty around a 50-state patchwork quilt of varying laws and guidance that frankly has only become more complex and more chaotic with the Dobbs decision," said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, who was also present at the meeting. |
| Firefighter shortage highlights, again, need for rural plan | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Mississippi remains mostly rural. Rural areas continue to struggle. New issues continue to arise. Still the state appears to have no comprehensive plan to aid rural areas. You can add a growing shortage of volunteer firefighters to the known list of rural issues. Last week the Daily Journal documented problems facing Lee County. "There are several departments throughout the county that are just not getting the response because they don't have enough volunteers," District 1 Supervisor Phil Morgan told the Journal. "My concern is the fact that we're getting to the numbers where it's not safe anymore for the firefighters," Marc Flanagan, Lee County's fire coordinator, said. "If there's a chance of a rescue, someone has got to go in, and you can't make entry with two people on scene." Not long ago, WCBI in Columbus reported a major shortage of volunteer firefighters in rural Lowndes County. ... Remember the other items already on the list? Population changes. ... Brain drain. ... Nursing shortages. ... Teacher shortages. ... Rural infrastructure. ... Healthcare. ... Economic distress. |
SPORTS
| Jo'quavious Marks hopes depth helps Mississippi State mix in the run more often this season | |
| It takes a different mindset to play running back at Mississippi State, but it's a mindset embraced by Jo'quavious Marks. In the Air Raid offense of coach Mike Leach, Bulldogs backs know not to expect too many carries. The Bulldogs ran the ball just 270 times on 974 plays last year, or 27%. "It takes a special running back. Sometimes you've got to get in the trenches and block linebackers, might have to block a D end. Running back is hard anyway. You get hit and take a pounding on your body every play every game," Marks said. After running backs do the blocking and other dirty work the carries are like the cherry on top. Marks believes Leach will mix in the run more often this year because of the improvement of the offensive line. "They've upgraded their level of play tremendously," he said. The experience of his top-level guys plus depth at running back might tempt Leach to run more too. Depth showed up in a big way Monday when the Bulldogs worked out in shoulder pads and shorts. Marks is confident the running back room will be strength for the Bulldogs. "It's a stacked group. Anybody can go in and do their job," he said. "That's the big thing we've got in our room." |
| Big Ten on verge of $1 billion in TV deals that will exclude ESPN | |
| The Big Ten is on the cusp of television deals that are expected to pay it in excess of $1 billion and create a college football triple-header featuring Fox, CBS and NBC, The Post has confirmed. If the agreement goes through, ESPN will be out of the business of Big Ten football and basketball for the first time in 40 years. The deals with all three networks are not finalized. The Sports Business Journal media writer John Ourand, who is also a podcast host, first reported the news. The Saturday format would likely be Fox with the noon kickoff followed by CBS in the late afternoon and NBC in prime time. Sources told The Post that CBS is expected to pay in the neighborhood of $350 million per year for the 3:30 p.m. game. This will replace the SEC, which will be moving all its games to ABC/ESPN in a deal that pays the SEC around $300 million for its top football games beginning in 2024. ESPN and the SEC have a separate agreement that encompasses more football and other sports that brings the SEC number to around $700 million. If these deals go through, then next up will be the Pac-12, which ESPN likes because of its late night windows. The Big 12 is out there, as well, which could be a fight between ESPN and Fox. Amazon and Apple have shown interest in getting in the college football game, as well. |
| Why a Major League Pitching Coach Went Back to School | |
| The most surprising transaction of this Major League Baseball season, with apologies to Juan Soto and the Padres, may have come back in June, when news circulated on the Minnesota Twins' team plane that Wes Johnson, then the pitching coach for a first-place club, had abdicated his post. His reason? He had taken the same job a few levels down, past the minor leagues and back in the college ranks, at Louisiana State University. The move sent shock waves through the Minnesota roster, especially the pitchers who, in a bounce-back year after a last-place finish in 2021, had seen a full run drop off their cumulative earned-run average. But the news also shot through a sport with a firm sense of hierarchy that places amateur baseball and the minor leagues at one end and the glitz of a contending big-league club at the other. Yet LSU's eagerness to bring Johnson aboard -- and its willingness to pay him a big-league salary -- also reflects a reality about the development of pitchers in baseball today: a lot of the most important work is done at the college level, which has become the top pipeline for major league hurlers. Johnson had tutored future pros at Mississippi State and Arkansas -- where he had been a dropped pop-up away from winning the CWS in 2018 -- before joining the Twins, becoming the first pitching coach in history to jump from college to the majors without a minor-league pit stop. |
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