| Monday, October 10, 2022 |
| Tim Tebow challenges MSU students to find their calling | |
 | Former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Tim Tebow spoke to Mississippi State University (MSU) students about finding their calling during a stop at Lee Hall's Historic Bettersworth Auditorium on Friday, October 7. Tebow was in Starkville as part of his co-hosting duties for the SEC Network's "SEC Nation," which will air live from The Junction Saturday before MSU's game against the University of Arkansas. The event, "More Cowbell, More Purpose: A Conversation with Tim Tebow," was hosted by the MSU Student Association. Tebow and MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen, who moderated the conversation, touched on many subjects like finding confidence and self-worth, avoiding the pitfalls of social media and making a difference in others' lives. "Every single one of us has a platform. Be successful, but be significant," Tebow said. |
| Tebow challenges MSU students to find their calling, help others | |
 | Tim Tebow, one of the most highly decorated Southeastern Conference quarterbacks of the modern era and a two-time Bowl Championship Series national champion with the University of Florida, wants to be remembered for helping others, not for his accolades. "If I'm known as 'Heisman Trophy-winner Tim Tebow,' then I've missed my mark," he said. Tebow challenged Mississippi State students to stay true to themselves, find their calling and make a positive impact on others Friday [Oct. 7] at Lee Hall's historic Bettersworth Auditorium. The former National Football League quarterback and professional baseball player was in Starkville as part of his co-hosting duties for the SEC Network's "SEC Nation," which will air live from The Junction today before MSU's game against the University of Arkansas. Friday's event, "More Cowbell, More Purpose: A Conversation with Tim Tebow," was hosted by the MSU Student Association. Tebow and MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen, who moderated the conversation, touched on many subjects important to students -- from finding confidence and self-worth to avoiding the pitfalls of social media -- while encouraging them to make a difference in others' lives. |
| Mississippi peanut crop harvest begins, looks good | |
 | Mississippi peanut producers should see an average year in terms of crop quality and yield. "We'll have a good year, an average year, for peanuts," said Brendan Zurweller, peanut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. "I don't think we'll be able to classify it as excellent because of some of the weather conditions we had during important development times for the crop." High temperatures and lack of rainfall in late June and July kept the fields dry and slowed plant growth. In late August and early September, some areas in central Mississippi received heavy rainfall. "The southern half of the state got a lot more rain than we did in the northern half," said Zurweller, who is also an assistant professor in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. "How the crop was affected depends on where you are and how well drained the soil is. Even if growers got a lot of rain, it didn't really hurt yield, but it could have slowed down maturity in some areas, especially if the soil was waterlogged." Zurweller said some producers began digging a little earlier than usual because they were able to get the crop planted early this year. "The crop is about 30% harvested at this point," Zurweller said. "We don't have them all dug yet, but we're in good shape." |
| Soy-Biobased BioStripe Makes a Big Impact for Small Town Center | |
| Mississippi State University's (MSU) Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center focuses on providing meaningful solutions to Mississippi's small towns. It prides itself on forming partnerships that engage communities and leave a sustainable positive impact. So, when the Center began a beautification and design project in its homebase of Starkville, it was glad to find the perfect partner in Ohio-based company Aexcel. The Center chose Aexcel's soy-biobased BioStripe® that qualifies for certification under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred Program for their project funded with a grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Asphalt Art Initiative. They created street art connecting downtown Starkville with the MSU campus. The effort began as a community and economic impact project that turned into so much more. "This project turned out even better than we thought," says the Center's Director Leah Kemp. "We approached beautifying University Drive from an economic and safety perspective. But we quickly found out that BioStripe offered a lot more benefits than that." Kemp and her team wanted to raise awareness for passengers who take University Drive on their commutes while also raising the profile of nearby businesses. To increase visibility of the space and strengthen the identity of the community, the Center chose BioStripe to beautify the stretch of road with a series of murals, bringing together the campus and community. |
| How election officials can help voters register and vote successfully | |
 | Mississippi State University's Thessalia Merivaki and a colleague write in The Washington Post: It's National Voter Education Week, and election officials across the United States are working to get people registered to vote by the deadlines for the November midterm elections. Those deadlines vary by state, ranging from this week to Election Day itself. This year the effort is especially challenging, given new election laws and an epidemic of voter misinformation. Our research looked into how local election officials can most effectively inform and encourage prospective voters, help voters to cast valid ballots, and maybe even give Americans more confidence that their ballots will be counted accurately. Most local election officials enjoy educating voters and see voter education as a key part of their responsibilities, according to survey research. We wanted to understand whether those efforts to educate voters actually have an effect, resulting in more registered voters and more ballots successfully cast. To conduct our research, we collected data on local election officials' online and offline voter education efforts and then measured the results. ... Our research suggests that when election officials educate voters they help lower the "cost" of voting itself. Political scientists consider voting "costly" because of the multiple steps and pieces of information voters need to successfully register and cast a ballot that will count. By offering clear answers to the question "What do I need to do to vote?" election officials can make voting easier and ultimately improve voters' success. |
| Enslaved family records brought to public light by Mississippi project | |
 | For many Americans, finding a family's history is a relatively straightforward process. Multiple research options allow people to find their people from the moment they stepped onto the shores of this country and even before. The problem with genealogical research for many African Americans is that before 1870, there were very few records because they were not documented as human beings but as property. However, an ongoing multi-state project enlisting help from three universities and libraries hopes to build a bridge for African American families wanting to trace their roots. The Lantern Project is an effort to scan and make available to the public legal records documenting enslaved persons. Probate records and various other legal records from the early 1800s have been or are being scanned and will be available to people doing family history research or anyone interested. Six institutions are participating in the project: Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, Delta State, Historic Natchez Foundation, Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, and Montgomery County (Alabama) Archives. Mississippi State University Library's Coordinator of Manuscripts, Jennifer McGillan, is spearheading the project and has recently been traveling the state to give presentations on the efforts. She will be giving a presentation at 7 p.m. Monday at Jackson State as a part of that process. Thousands of documents have now been digitized, and McGillan and her partners are in the process of getting those "transcribed and described" and uploaded into the MSU digital collections. |
| Biography of the Carters considers Rosalynn's influence | |
| In 2002, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter flew to Oslo City Hall so he could accept the Nobel Peace Prize. After he was handed the gold medal and certificate on stage, he handed both to Rosalynn, who was at his side. The simplest gestures can contain so much. "You can't really understand Jimmy Carter unless you know Rosalynn," E. Stanly Godbold Jr. quotes a friend of theirs in his introduction to 2010′s "Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: The Georgia Years, 1924-1974," the first volume in his comprehensive two-part biography of the couple. Their partnership is so profound through 76 years of marriage that telling both of their stories is the only way to understand the story and psyche of either. In "Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: Power and Human Rights, 1975-2020," Godbold, professor emeritus of history at Mississippi State University, offers an exhaustively researched account of the Carters from the 1976 presidential campaign, when he seemingly came from nowhere to win the White House, through his tumultuous, drama-packed single term and defeat by Ronald Reagan, and on to their acclaimed post-Washington lives: building homes with Habitat for Humanity International, fighting disease and advocating for human rights through the Carter Center, and of course, that Nobel Peace Prize. Godbold is clear-eyed and objective but basically sympathetic to the couple. His historic account is another important entry in a growing canon of scholarly contributions to the understanding and appreciation of the Carter Administration in a more nuanced context than the media offered at the time, or that some detractors still maintain. |
| Starkville/MSU Symphony hosting 'Jazz at the Plaza' | |
 | Jazz enthusiasts in the Golden Triangle area will once again enjoy their favorite music when the Symphony Jazz Combo of the Starkville/MSU Symphony Association performs Oct. 18 at the Renasant Plaza. The combo will play a variety of jazz favorites including Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and Cannonball Adderley. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Renasant Plaza on East Lampkin Street in Starkville, and will be conducted by Dr. Cliff Taylor, associate director of bands in the Music Department at Mississippi State University. Jazz at the Plaza is once again sponsored by Renasant Bank. The Jazz Combo, including Dr. Taylor, is comprised of many musicians in the Golden Triangle area. Throughout the more than 15 years of its existence, other musicians have joined or replaced those who left. Nonetheless, the group has continued to enjoy playing music they all love and entertaining audiences in the process. Jazz at the Renasant Plaza is free and open to the public. |
| Starkville tailgates the town during homecoming weekend | |
 | Paige Watson is glad to see downtown filled with maroon and white. It's a homecoming. And the Starkville Main Street Director says it's time to show some love to the community. "Tailgate the town is about community spirit and engagement and it really boosts the morale of the town and it gets all of our visitors here and engaged and welcomed for homecoming weekend for Mississippi State," said Watson. City Workers, local retailers, and restaurant workers set tents out and provided food for everyone who is in town for homecoming. Watson says events like this also help stores bring in more customers during homecoming weekend. "This event is such a good one and a fun one to get everybody involved and it's great. There's so much foot traffic in town today so this is the perfect weather perfect atmosphere and the perfect time to do it for homecoming," said Watson. And store employees see a big difference at the cash register. Tabitha Stewart director of retail operations at Mississippi Eyewear in Starkville says this tailgate is one way to bond with Bulldog fans. "It gives us a chance to engage with the public more people come out during days like this when it's as beautiful as it is and we just get to see more people and get to hang out with them downtown," said Stewart. |
| French ambassador and entourage spend busy day in Natchez | |
 | The Ambassador of France to the United States, Philippe Etienne, had a full day visiting Natchez Saturday. Etienne and Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson met about a month ago when both attended the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative Conference in St. Louis. Gibson invited Etienne to visit Natchez, founded by the French in 1716. Etienne arrived in Natchez on Saturday morning, along with his wife, Patricia, Anne-Laure Desjonqueres, French Consul General, and Keltoum Rowland, an honorary French Consul General. Etienne toured the city, including the Fort Rosalie site, and had lunch at Rosalie. Later in the afternoon, Gibson, Etienne, and his group met with several Natchezians at Conde Contemporary for an arts and cultural heritage discussion. At Stanton Hall, the Pilgrimage Garden Club hosted the entourage for dinner. Gibson presented Etienne with a key to the city. "It is so beautiful. It was a marvelous day, thanks to your hospitality," Etienne said. "We have made many memories. The day was also important to me as ambassador." Gibson said he is grateful for the rekindled relationship "between Natchez, the jewel of Mississippi, and France, the jewel of Europe." |
| Former Gov. Phil Bryant subpoenaed again, this time for texts related to Brett Favre's pharma project | |
| While former Gov. Phil Bryant fights a subpoena within Mississippi's civil suit over welfare misspending, another defense attorney is now requesting he turn over even more records related to NFL hall of famer Brett Favre's concussion drug company and other welfare projects. The new subpoena, filed Friday, seeks communication between Bryant and Favre related to the pharmaceutical startup companies Prevacus and PreSolMD -- including correspondence Mississippi Today first uncovered and published in its investigative series "The Backchannel" in April. The texts showed that just before they began receiving welfare money from defendant Nancy New's nonprofit, Favre and Prevacus founder Jake Vanlandingham offered Bryant stock in the company. "It's 3rd and long and we need you to make it happen!!" Favre wrote to the governor in late December 2018. "I will open a hole," Bryant responded, piggybacking on the football metaphor. The texts showed Favre also briefed Bryant when the company began receiving funding from the state and that Bryant agreed to accept the stock after he left office -- until State Auditor Shad White's early 2020 arrests derailed the arrangement. Bryant explained to Mississippi Today that he didn't read his texts carefully enough to appreciate what the men were saying or asking of him. |
| White House turns to TikTok stars to take Biden's message to a younger audience | |
 | When President Biden hosted a celebration with lawmakers on the South Lawn last month to mark the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats' signature spending package, there was an unique group of guests joining them. More than 20 influencers -- content creators with devoted followers on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube -- received special invitations. It's part of a White House strategy to reach younger people where they are -- which often is scrolling on a device. "I got a magical email from the digital communications team at the White House saying they were going to be doing essentially a creator briefing for the Inflation Reduction Act," said V Spehar, who hosts "Under The Desk News," which provides daily news wraps in about a minute to their 2.7 million TikTok followers. "I thought perhaps it was going to be similar to what we see from legacy media groups who get a press briefing from the press secretary," Spehar said. "This was a little bit more intimate than that." Spehar and the other influencers gathered in the Roosevelt Room ahead of the ceremony and were briefed on the legislation by members of the National Economic Council, the climate policy office and Biden and Vice President Harris themselves. "Honestly, I don't care what side of the aisle you're on, when the president and the vice president walk in the room, it's a cool moment," Spehar said. This isn't the first time the White House has worked with influencers. Spehar was part of a virtual briefing earlier this year on the war in Ukraine -- a briefing that Saturday Night Live was quick to parody. |
| Tommy Tuberville calls Democrats 'pro crime' at Trump rally | |
 | Sen. Tommy Tuberville said at a Republican campaign rally Saturday that Democrats are "pro crime." "They are not soft on crime. They're pro-crime. They want crime. They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have. They want reparations because they think the people that do the crime are owed that," Tuberville, R-Ala., said. Tuberville was speaking at a rally in Nevada, where he joined former President Donald Trump in campaigning for U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt and gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo, as well as other Republican candidates ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections. The GOP has been pushing crime as an election issue. A call for reparations for African American descendants of slaves has been around for decades and has grown in recent years. Reparations could involve an apology for slavery, payments, land grants and more. Before he was elected to in Congress in 2020, Tuberville coached football for over a decade at Auburn University, among other colleges. GOP Rep. Don Bacon, said on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday that he did not find the comments racist but said Tuberville needs to be "more polite." "I'm not going to say he's being racist," Bacon said. "But I wouldn't use that language, be more polite." Former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers called out Tuberville for his comments. "Tommy Tuberville can go to hell," Sellers said on CNN on Sunday. |
| Philanthropist leaves legacy of statewide impact in death | |
| Mention the name Bob Gilbert in Columbus and most thoughts turn to the much-beloved Mississippi University for Women professor and department head of 40 years, who passed away in 2017 at age 102. His son, Bob Jr., lived in Columbus for only eight years, moving with parents to Columbus at age 10 as his dad began his teaching career and leaving to continue his own education, first at Vanderbilt, then at Alabama (master's degree) and the University of Massachusetts (Ph.D). Robert I. Gilbert Jr., 78, passed away Sept. 29 at his home in Memphis, where he spent most of his adult life building a successful career in real estate. His time in Columbus may have been brief, but his contributions to the people of Columbus and Mississippi will continue far into the future. Known for his grace and generosity in life, his philanthropy is magnified in his passing. A lifelong bachelor with no heirs, Gilbert spent his final years preparing his will to benefit the causes and interests he supported in life -- education, the arts and other causes both in his adopted hometown of Memphis and his childhood home of Columbus. About a month before passing, Gilbert helped launch a chair in neurology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, with the Gilbert-Wilis Chair in Neurology to be fully endowed by his estate after his passing. In his obituary published in The Dispatch, Gilbert requested memorial contributions be made to Columbus Lowndes Humane Society, the Gilbert-Bryan Fund of the MSMS Foundation, the UMMC Gilbert-Willis Chair of Neurology or the Starkville Symphony. |
| 'The Art of Duo Pianism' recital spotlights W faculty | |
| Mississippi University for Women Department of Music presents a duo piano recital, "The Art of Duo Pianism," with faculty Julia Mortyakova and Valentin M. Bogdan. The concert will take place Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., in Poindexter Hall, Kossen Auditorium. "We hope that both The W and the Columbus community will join us on Monday evening," said Bogdan, professor of music. "This is a really interesting program -- challenging to perform, but extremely satisfying for an audience to listen to. We titled it 'Journey for Two' because it literally takes the public on a voyage throughout multiple musical eras and countries, from the US across Europe." The program will consist of an eclectic mix of works written for the two piano medium, including the refreshing compositions "Le Matin and Le Soir" by the French composer Cécile Chaminade, the "Concerto for Two Pianos" by Francis Poulenc featuring a blend of charming melodies and musical humor, and the hidden gem "Variations on Balkan Themes" by American composer Amy Beach, a piece that communicates a powerful, moving message. Other compositions on the program will feature contemporary composers Olga Harris and Bogdan. Bogdan added, "There is no doubt that our audiences will be able to relate to these works, that this music will speak to them. Whether it is a work they might have heard in the past, or some new music they might have not yet found, they will discover something to love." The concert is free and open to the public. A livestream will be available at www.muw.edu/music. |
| USM cancels classes for Oct. 27 football game | |
| Some professors expressed frustration after the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) announced that classes will be canceled and offices will be closed for an October 27 game against the University of Louisiana. The Hattiesburg American reported the school announced the schedule change in an email. It said normal class schedules and operations wouldn't be possible with increased visitors and parking demands. However, some professors want to know why the decision wasn't made sooner since the date of the game has been publicly set since March 1. Jeremy Scott, president of the USM chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said exams and speakers who are paid by grants were already scheduled, labs will have to be canceled for the week and more. In response, the Office of the Provost announced that it would assist professors and faculty who will be affected by the change. |
| USM hosts first Powwow in nearly a decade | |
 | An event celebrating traditional Native-American culture returned to the USM campus Saturday The Southern Miss Powwow was held at Spirit Park Saturday. It was the first time in nearly 10 years that the university had hosted the event. For several years, it took place at Hinton Park in Petal and was canceled each of the last two years because of the pandemic. "We're very pleased and honored that the college let us come back here, and it's a great feeling to come back here, it really is," said Vance Beaver, Powwow master of ceremonies. "It's nice to have an event like this especially on a college campus," said Mystri Jodie, a group leader with the Boys & Girls Club of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. "It gives a lot of people who've never been to powwows or around Native Americans an insight into different cultures, different tribes." The event also raises funds for the Golden Eagle Intertribal Society, an organization that supports Native-American students at Southern Miss. |
| U. of Alabama to waive student application fees for one week | |
 | Students who apply to attend the University of Alabama during a one-week period this month will receive a financial break. UA will waive application fees from Oct. 17-21 for domestic and international undergraduate, graduate and online prospective students as part of the institution's Free App Week. The university will waive application fees from Oct. 17-21 for domestic and international undergraduate, graduate and online prospective students as part of the institution's Free App Week. In a news release, UA said that waiving the fees will empower prospective students by removing a financial barrier that could keep them from applying for admission. "Over the last two years, UA welcomed a record number of students to our first-year class, achieved gains in diverse student representation, and increased the number of National Merit Scholars," said Matt McLendon, associate vice president and executive director for enrollment management. "Free App Week provides students with increased accessibility and an excellent opportunity to discover a university that provides both solid academic engagement and a vibrant campus culture," McLendon said. Last month, UA announced its largest-ever enrollment with 38,645 students enrolled for fall 2022. The record enrollment was enhanced by UA's largest freshman class of 8,037 students, which includes 322 National Merit Scholars. |
| 'It Could Have Been Worse': Higher Ed Reacts to Ben Sasse at U. of Florida | |
 | The University of Florida's announcement of Sen. Benjamin E. Sasse as the sole finalist for its presidency elicited reactions that spanned from sunny faculty quotes in a news release to downright alarm about the direction of an embattled university. Sasse, a second-term Nebraska Republican, would take the job at a crucial moment for the state flagship, which has in recent months been plagued by academic-freedom concerns. Amanda J. Phalin, chair of the university's Faculty Senate, praised Sasse's selection on Twitter, writing: "This is a historic moment that calls for a unique, transformational leader, & that is who I think our search committee has found." (Phalin declined further comment in an email to The Chronicle but added that she'll deliver remarks at a Faculty Senate meeting on Monday afternoon where Sasse will also take questions.) Also singing Sasse's praises were several faculty members who served on the presidential search committee, quotes from whom were included in the university's Thursday statement. UF's Board of Trustees will vote on the committee's recommendation of Sasse at a meeting scheduled for November 1. Others have been less enthusiastic about Sasse, citing his opposition to gay marriage and abortion. Even a member of Sasse's doctoral dissertation committee at Yale University chimed in. The Bulwark, a center-right conservative news site, described Sasse as having "a keen sense of history and constitutional principles." Glenda Gilmore, a professor emeritus of history at Yale, tweeted: "As a member of his dissertation committee, 'keen' is not the word that comes to mind." |
| Gainesville community reacts to Ben Sasse being secretly tapped to be UF's next president | |
 | The University of Florida's surprising announcement of a single finalist for UF president has drawn criticism from some faculty and students, due to secrecy in the process and the selection of a conservative politician. But participants in the search defend the process, lauding U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., as a "transformational leader" for UF. UF kept candidates for its presidency secret from the public under new state law, before announcing Thursday that a search committee had named Sasse as the only finalist for the job. Sasse, 50, is in his second term in the Senate and, if approved by UF's board of trustees, would become the 13th president in the university's history. UF history professor Paul Ortiz said the optics of Sasse's selection are going to complicate his presidency because he is going to be seen as a "quasi-political" choice. "If they had said, 'Hey we have three finalists, Ben Sasse is one of them' and he won that competition, we'd be having a different conversation right now," Ortiz said. "But because of the fact that they essentially say they reached out to about 700 people and come back with one person ... it creates a perception of unfairness and that's what Sen. Sasse is going to have to address." Sasse also faces skepticism from the other side of the political aisle, due to his criticism of former president Donald Trump. Sasse was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial. Trump posted Thursday on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Sasse's expected resignation from the Senate was "great news" but that the "University of Florida will soon regret their decision to hire him as their President." |
| Increased federal aid application rate signals SC college enrollment may be on the rise | |
 | The number of South Carolina high school students completing federal financial aid forms increased slightly this year, indicating college enrollment may be rising after years of decline. The completion rate rose by 4.6 percent for the 2022-23 school year from the previous year, according to the National College Attainment Network, which tracks the completion rates using data from the Office of Federal Student Aid. Even though the rate increase is minor, more students filling out applications could suggest a shift in trends after years of declining enrollment fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. FAFSA completion rates are a good indicator that more students might be headed to college since a completed application can make higher education more accessible for many students, said MorraLee Keller, senior director of strategic programming for National College Attainment Network. "That document is really the gatekeeper document to federal, state and institutional money to help you pay for college," Keller said, "So it is just a key fundamental step if you are in the position of needing some financial resources to help pay for college." Overall, nearly 63 percent of the class of 2022 in South Carolina has completed the aid application for the 2022-23 academic year as of Sep. 23, according to the network. South Carolina ranks 13th in the country for the number of seniors completing the application this year. Louisiana topped the list with the highest percentage of seniors -- nearly 71 percent -- applying for aid. Tennessee followed closely with about 70 percent. |
| U. of South Carolina Black faculty group concerned about diversity of instructors, administrators on campus | |
 | The University of South Carolina's Black Faculty Caucus is worried about a "mass exodus" of Black faculty and administrators and is calling on USC to prioritize recruiting and retaining diverse hires. "We are concerned that the university's commitment to Black faculty and administration is rhetorical and not supported with action," the caucus said in a letter obtained by The State. In the Aug. 30 letter addressed to USC President Michael Amiridis and Provost Donna Arnett, the caucus pointed out a pattern of Black faculty leaving the university and candidates of color being passed up for leadership positions. "We stress there is a need for the successful recruitment and advancement of African Americans to serve in leadership posts relevant to the core academic and research missions of the university," the letter read. Of the university's 54 leadership positions, there are no Black women and only five Black men, according to the letter. USC has no Black deans, the letter observed. According to the letter, no African American has ever served a full term as academic dean of a school or college. About 11% of all university faculty are "underrepresented minorities," according to the USC Office for Institutional Research, Assessment and Analytics. The letter also shared that a disproportionate amount of Black faculty are leaving USC. Of the 12 faculty members that left the College of Arts and Sciences following the 2021-2022 academic year, eight were Black, according to the caucus' letter. USC has active searches for the deans of the Darla Moore School of Business, the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sports Management and the Graduate School. There will be an upcoming search for the dean of the College of Social Work. |
| Vanderbilt to review gender-affirming surgeries for minors | |
 | Officials at Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced Friday that they are pausing gender-affirming surgeries for minors in order to review their practices. The news, delivered in a letter sent to a lawmaker who has demanded an end to the surgeries, was publicly released Friday afternoon. It comes amid mounting political pressure from Tennessee's Republican leaders -- many of whom are running for reelection -- who called for an investigation into the private nonprofit hospital after videos surfaced on social media last month of a doctor touting that gender-affirming procedures are "huge money makers." Another video showed a staffer saying anyone with a religious objection should quit. None of the politicians could point to a specific law that the hospital had violated, and no agency to date has committed to an investigation. Republican Gov. Bill Lee's office said they had passed their concerns to the Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, but his office has not commented on whether he is looking into the Nashville-based hospital. On average, VUMC has provided five gender affirming surgeries to minors every year since its transgender clinic opened in 2018. All were over the age of 16 and had parental consent, and none received genital procedures. "The revenues from this limited number of surgeries represent an immaterial percentage of VUMC's net operating revenue," C. Wright Pinson, VUMC's deputy CEO and chief health system officer wrote. |
| Walk to End Alzheimer's is meaningful for U. of Missouri's Marshall Stewart | |
 | Marshall Stewart's mom, Annie Stewart, got her degree at 50 and began a career as a secretary at East Carolina University. Until then, she had been a stay-at-home mom, caring for him and his brother, Chris Stewart, Stewart said. "She decided she wanted a career,' said Stewart, vice chancellor of extension and engagement for the University of Missouri. "I was grateful. She was a wonderful lady and a very caring mother." She will be on Stewart's mind at Saturday's Walk to End Alzheimer's, the Alzheimer's Association's fundraiser and awareness-raiser. With registration at 10 a.m., the opening ceremony is 11 a.m., followed by the walk, all at Memorial Stadium and Faurot Field. More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, a leading cause of death. In Missouri, there are120,000 people with the diagnosis and 194,000 caregivers. The statistics are from the Alzheimer's Association. Stewart's mom died in 2020 at age 88, declining slowly over about 15 years. "She had a terrific life," Stewart said. "She had a lot of Southern charm. As she got deeper and deeper into Alzheimer's, she still had Southern charm." His father, who died in 1999, told Stewart and his brother that something was amiss with their mom. "He said she was beginning to forget things," Stewart said. "She was as detailed as all-get-out, but he would see her miss some detail. She was repeating things. I was really glad he tipped me off." |
| UNC once barred Black students. Now it's fighting for affirmative action | |
| Founded to educate the enslaving elite of this Southern state, allied for generations with the cause of white supremacy, roiled by racial tensions in recent years over the fate of a Confederate monument and treatment of Black faculty, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been thrust into an unlikely role in a legal clash that has reached the Supreme Court. It is making what could be the last stand for affirmative action in public university admissions. The gatekeepers of UNC-Chapel Hill consider race and ethnicity, among many factors, when they sift tens of thousands of applications a year to decide who will get in. Now a plaintiff is urging the high court to declare the race-conscious method unconstitutional. Analysts believe the conservative majority of justices will be sympathetic to the critique during oral arguments later this month. UNC-Chapel Hill, represented by the state attorney general, is urging the court to uphold decades of precedent that allow the limited use of race to promote campus diversity. "We are standing behind our holistic admissions process," Kevin M. Guskiewicz, the university's chancellor, said in a recent interview. "This case is really about us defending the values of this institution and that of hundreds of other universities across the country." Harvard University, the defendant in a companion case that has overshadowed the suit against UNC-Chapel Hill, is pressing the same argument to the high court on behalf of private colleges and universities. The newest Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, who until recently served on a Harvard governing board, will recuse herself from that appeal but participate in the one involving UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| New Catholic medical school planned | |
 | Officials at Benedictine College, a private Catholic institution in Atchison, Kan., recently announced plans to house a new, independent Catholic medical school on its campus. Part of the goal of the institution is to train physicians in an environment steeped in Catholic values related to contraception, abortion and end-of-life issues. The initiative, which is expected to cost $120 million, is a partnership with Catholic Healthcare International, an organization that aims "to be a model of Christian healthcare delivery" based on the work of Padre Pio, a Catholic priest and saint who opened a historic hospital in Italy. Catholic Healthcare International signed a collaboration agreement with Benedictine in early September to start planning the proposed medical school, dubbed the St. Padre Pio Institute for the Relief of Suffering, School of Osteopathic Medicine. It will be independently run and financed. The hope is for the medical school to gain accreditation and open its doors by 2026; it hopes to eventually enroll about 180 students annually who will earn a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree and take coursework in and potentially earn master's degrees in Catholic bioethics. The St. Padre Pio Institute will be the first medical school in the country to adhere to "Ex corde Ecclesiae," an ordinance issued by the late pope Saint John Paul II that governs what's expected of Catholic colleges and universities. As a result, the medical school will have a majority Catholic faculty, Catholic lay leaders and a Catholic Board of Directors. |
| Pay Raises, Massages, and Free Food: Can Colleges Lift Employees' Morale? | |
| Before the pandemic, a faculty member or college administrator might describe a college campus as an idyllic place to work, one where the positive mission and youthful energy of students compensates for low pay and a demanding job. Then the pandemic hit. After March 2020, many who work at colleges describe the same levels of burnout and dissatisfaction as any other industry. The economic fallout from Covid-19 initially led to more than 400,000 job losses in higher education, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While nearly all of those jobs have been recovered, many campuses are still challenged to find and retain enough employees. A recent survey of college leaders for The Chronicle found that two-thirds of respondents said the difficulties in hiring new employees had increased over the course of 2022, especially for jobs in information technology, dining services, building services, financial operations, and human resources. College administrators have been trying to improve morale on campus by increasing pay, making work schedules more flexible and offering perks to reduce stress on the job. At the same time, the increased costs of that effort can put stress on other parts of the institution's budget. Many university employees stay because they believe in the mission of higher education, said Margaret W. Sallee, an associate professor of higher education at the University at Buffalo. "But at some point," she said, "the mission is not enough." |
| Six years ago began the saga leading to stinging education loss for state's leaders | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Six years ago this week, House Speaker Philip Gunn and then-Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves held a surprise news conference to announce their intention to scrap the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula that determines the amount of state funds each local school district should receive. Then-Gov. Phil Bryant quickly jumped on board. Seldom, if ever, has an initiative supported so publicly by what was then the three most powerful people in state government failed so spectacularly. The legislative leadership quickly contracted with New Jersey-based EdBuild to develop a new funding formula with hopes of enacting it as soon as the 2017 legislative session. Despite the support of the political triumvirate, the plan stalled during the 2017 session. Not to be deterred, the leadership came back in the 2018 session with a renewed commitment to replace the MAEP. The plan did pass the House but was defeated in the Senate by a combination of all the Democrats, allied with a group of Republicans, much to the chagrin of Reeves, then the presiding officer of the upper chair. After that stunning defeat, little was heard about the rewrite. During the 2019 state elections, Reeves, who ran and won the office of governor, seldom talked about the need to scrap the MAEP. Gunn and other legislative incumbents running for re-election also were mum for the most part about the need to replace the funding formula. Crickets all around. |
SPORTS
| Rogers sets SEC passing record, No. 23 MSU beats Arkansas | |
| Two seasons ago Arkansas came up with a blueprint to defend Mike Leach's Air Raid offense. A three-man front with eight players dropping in coverage made for a rough night for the Mississippi State offense. That game plan did not work on Saturday. Will Rogers threw for three touchdowns and broke the Southeastern Conference mark for career completions, and the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs ran for their most yards with Leach in charge in a 40-17 win over the Razorbacks. "The more that we can run the ball and get extra guys in the box, the more it's going to open up a passing lane," Rogers said. "I think that helps us be on pace." Rogers was 31-of-48 passing for 395 yards and broke the SEC mark in he first quarter with the 922nd completion of his career, eclipsing the mark set by Georgia's Aaron Murray in 52 games, Rogers has played in 28 games. The Bulldogs (5-1, 2-1 SEC) rushed for over 100 yards for the second straight week for the first time with Leach as coach. Dillon Johnson gained 100 yards rushing, the first to do that in Leach's three seasons, and scored twice. "I think we have three really good running backs and you want them to touch the ball. You had Dillon on the ground and Woody through the air," Leach said. "Those guys are the warriors back there and you want them to have the ball, and for good measure you're going to ask them to block. I thought they had a good game." |
| It's OK to say it: Mississippi State football's Will Rogers is a Heisman contender | |
| Will Rogers stood outside the north end zone of Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday. On his feet were a pair of dirt-rubbed boots while he sported a camouflage T-shirt reading "Dawgs Win Again." Fresh off a 40-17 win against No. 25 Arkansas, Rogers exited the stadium to a gathering of Mississippi State football fans awaiting him. A young girl hoping to get a white cowbell autographed was among the first he greeted. Fittingly, she was sporting a maroon Dak Prescott jersey. If Heisman Trophy contender is her requirement for a purchase, good news: Mississippi State is finally selling jerseys of current players. Her Rogers jersey should be in the mail, because MSU coach Mike Leach thinks his quarterback could be headed to New York in December. "I don't think there's any question whatsoever," Leach said. "I'm extremely curious who somebody thinks is ahead of him." At SEC Media Days in July, Leach said Rogers had the potential to be in the conversation. The junior quarterback has responded by completing 71.6% of passes for 2,110 yards and an FBS-best 22 touchdowns. There was some concern in July that Rogers' absence from Media Days would leave him hidden to a sea of reporters with Heisman votes. But with SEC Nation in Starkville for the matchup against the Razorbacks, Rogers shined. The pregame festivities featured the likes of Jordan Rodgers and former Heisman winner Tim Tebow. In-game, he broke the SEC's all-time completions record. "For it to happen at home was pretty cool," Rogers said. "It would've been cool to happen on the road, but for it to happen at home in Davis Wade, where I've been watching games since I was in second grade, is pretty cool." |
| Will Rogers sets SEC career completion record in No. 23 Mississippi State's win over Arkansas | |
| Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers entered Saturday's game against Arkansas six completions short of the career Southeastern Conference record of 921. The junior wasn't thinking about it until his picture popped up on the Davis Wade Stadium JumboTron. Rogers completed 31 passes Saturday against Arkansas, and his seventh -- a shovel pass for a 38-yard gain to Dillon Johnson -- set the new SEC mark. Rogers said his father Wyatt tipped him off about the record after last week's win over Texas A&M. After that, in the middle of an eventual 40-17 win for Mississippi State, it was forgotten. "I really wasn't thinking about it, and in the game I wasn't thinking about it at all until it came up on the big screen," he said. Rogers is in the midst of a record-setting junior season for the Bulldogs. His three touchdown passes Saturday put him one shy of Dak Prescott's program-record 70 career touchdowns. The Bulldogs quarterback said he was glad to set the completions mark in front of a home crowd of 57,849. Rogers is now up to 22 touchdown passes against just three interceptions this season. He's thrown for 2,110 yards. |
| Stark difference: Hogs can't catch Bulldogs on the road | |
| The University of Arkansas' depleted defense played the nail to Mississippi State's hammer on Saturday. The No. 23 Bulldogs used a hard-nosed running game to complement quarterback Will Rogers' 395 passing yards and three touchdowns to subdue the Razorbacks 40-17 on Saturday before a bell-ringing crowd of 57,849 at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State (5-1, 2-1 SEC) rushed for 173 yards, a program-high during the Coach Mike Leach era, and racked up 568 total yards to break a two-game losing streak against Arkansas. The loss was the third in a row for the Razorbacks who were defeated by Texas A&M and Alabama in the previous two weeks. The Razorbacks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) played without starting quarterback KJ Jefferson and nickel back Myles Slusher, then lost defensive backs Jayden Johnson and Khari Johnson to injury during the game, testing their third-team depth. "We thought we had a good game plan going in and really we couldn't stop the run," Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said. "They ran it basically when they wanted to. ... We took a slow drumming is what ended up happening." "They came out running the ball right away and just kind of felt we were on our heels from the jump," said Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool, who had 14 tackles to reach 409 for his career and overtake Tony Bua for the school record. "Credit them, they had some hard running backs, and their O-Line played well." |
| Bulldogs' offense makes Razorbacks QB a non-issue | |
 | The Daily Journal's Parrish Alford writes: A week of drama and coachspeak surrounding the status of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson finally cleared up Saturday when Jefferson remained on the sideline for the Razorbacks' first offensive series. Jefferson, a native of Sardis, was playing at a high level this season, and when you subtract a QB1 -- anybody's QB1 -- you change the game dramatically. But Jefferson's absence is not why No. 23 Mississippi State pounded a team 40-17 that was ranked No. 10 just three weeks ago. It was the third-straight loss for the Razorbacks, but one of those was against Alabama, which happens to a lot of folks. It was in that game in Fayetteville that Jefferson was hit in the head and sent into concussion protocol. Razorback backups Cade Fortin, the passer, and Malik Hornsby, were clear underdogs against the aggressive defense they faced at Davis Wade Stadium. Eventually Pittman settled on Hornsby, who hit some big plays and kept things from getting out of hand earlier. In a game that had a blowout feel already, Hornsby kept the Hogs in the fight. They were just 10 points back after he threw a 54-yard touchdown pass in the final minutes of the third quarter. The Arkansas defense, though, did little to help their quarterbacks. For stretches of play, MSU was in complete control – running, passing and scoring points. |
| Volleyball Defeats Texas A&M In A Four-Set Battle | |
| The Mississippi State volleyball team earned a 3-1 victory over Texas A&M inside the Reed Arena Saturday night, marking their sixth consecutive win over The Aggies. The Aggies took the first set 29-27 before State (11-5, 4-2 SEC) stormed back to take the next three sets [30-28, 25-18, 25-23]. "The SEC is the toughest conference in the country for a reason and playing on the road is even tougher," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "I'm really proud of the gutsy win from the Dawgs. That first set went to extra points just like last night. It felt a little deja-vu-like. I was proud of how we responded in set two, again pushing to extra points. They were just tough and resilient. It was a total team effort. We played through a lot of adversity, and there was a lot of tough moments. The girls played together and played for one another. There's a lot of people with double-digit kills. Overall, just so proud to come home 2-0. Hail State!" Mississippi State heads home to take on No. 15 Florida for a pair of matches on Friday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network and Saturday Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. |
| USM classes canceled due to a Thursday football game. Why some professors express dismay | |
 | A mid-semester decision to cancel classes one day later this month at the University of Southern Mississippi has some professors asking why the decision wasn't made earlier. According to an email sent to faculty, staff and students the university has decided to close offices and cancel classes on Thursday, Oct. 27 due to an evening football game. The date of the contest has been publicly known since March 1. The home game is scheduled between the Golden Eagles and the Ragin' Cajuns from the University of Louisiana. Kickoff time is 6:30 p.m. at M.M. Roberts Stadium. "With increased visitors, media and parking demands throughout the day, maintaining normal class schedules and operations is not possible," the e-mail stated in part. Jeremy Scott, who teaches in the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and serves as president of the USM chapter of the American Association of University Professors, says the cancellation affects classroom instruction in many different ways. "I had already scheduled an exam for that day, and I wouldn't want students to miss an exam for football," he said. Other faculty members and classes will be more adversely affected, he said. "For example, in chemistry and physics when you have scheduled lab work you often can't just shut down a lab for a day. It shuts down the lab for a whole week," Scott said. And in other cases, he said professors had already arranged for special speakers and guests to appear before their classes that day -- some of whom were being paid through grants. "I think the overall opinion among faculty is that once the university has made an academic calendar they should stick to it," Scott said. The all-day closure will also affect USM's Gulf Coast campus. |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey says no SEC schedule format yet, but plans may come soon | |
 | A timeline on when the Southeastern Conference may decide on a new football scheduling format when Texas and Oklahoma join the league remains elusive, though it potentially may be coming into focus in the next couple of months, commissioner Greg Sankey said Saturday. "When we first announced expansion, I asked our athletic directors when a vote could take place," Sankey said at Tiger Stadium before kickoff of the LSU-Tennessee game. "They said, 'Destin in 2022.' That's come and gone. So we're not going to put out timelines per se. "But I would expect us to make a decision in an efficient timeframe. We're not going to go for years. We're going to take this year and figure out what the atmosphere looks like." Sankey said when the SEC left the spring meeting in Destin, Florida, in June without having reached a consensus on a scheduling format, the conference basically paused its plans until a decision was reached about expanding the College Football Playoff. That decision came in early September, when conference leaders voted to expand the CFP from four to 12 teams no later than 2026, possibly sooner. It's expected that the expanded CFP will lead the SEC to adopt a nine-game schedule, but it's still not known when Texas and Oklahoma will be able to exit the Big 12 and join their new league. "I think within the next 60 days we'll have an idea about early expansion," Sankey said. "We're still focused on 2025 entry with Texas and Oklahoma. We have to just be nimble." Sankey expressed a surprising amount of aggravation with CBS, which came under criticism for picking Auburn-Georgia and Texas A&M-Alabama over the LSU-Tennessee game for Saturday's day-night doubleheader. "I didn't expect it, either," Sankey said of the CBS decision to pass on LSU-Tennessee. "You have to ask CBS about their decision-making, because it puzzles me from time to time. In big ways and on a weekly basis." |
| Mark Stoops raised Kentucky football's standard. The Wildcats are falling short right now | |
| You can watch the video -- Shane Beamer celebrating with his South Carolina football team after a win at No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday -- and see what the moment meant to the Gamecocks coach. In part, the 24-14 win at Kroger Field was personal. In a video shared on South Carolina football's Twitter account afterward, Beamer puts on a pair of sunglasses, turns his hat backwards and dances with his team to Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On." It's a clear clap back at Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, who in an SEC Media Days appearance on the "Marty & McGee" show compared changing the climate of a program and the culture. The climate part is easy, Stoops said then. You just "change a uniform, talk a little game, dance around, put on some stupid sunglasses." Stoops would later say he didn't mean it as a dig at Beamer, who'd done the sunglasses-and-dancing bit in another video released just before SEC Media Days. It was apparent Saturday night Beamer hadn't believed him. But Stoops said in August he'd been talking about himself as a younger coach, about the way he'd worn "a blue-collar shirt" in meetings or donned a hardhat in his early days at Kentucky. At the time, he was trying anything he could to reinvent a program that hadn't known consistent winning. That was a long time ago. Back then, Stoops scarcely could say his team had failed to meet a standard. There wasn't yet one to meet. He's changed that. But the thing about raising the bar is that you have to keep clearing it. After two straight losses, Kentucky (4-2, 1-2 SEC) is falling short. |
| How far did Kentucky fall in college football rankings after loss to South Carolina? | |
 | Associated Press Top 25 voters gave Kentucky football something of a reprieve after a loss to unranked South Carolina without star quarterback Will Levis. The Wildcats remained in the top 25 despite the 24-14 loss, falling from No. 13 to a tie for No. 22 with Texas. Kentucky also fell from No. 13 to No. 22 in the USA Today coaches poll. Kentucky has dropped back-to back-games by a combined 13 points after a 4-0 start to the 2022 season. The losses to Ole Miss and South Carolina were both characterized by self-inflicted mistakes by the Cats. Kentucky has now been ranked for 10 consecutive weeks, dating back to Nov. 28, 2021. Kentucky was ranked seventh just two weeks ago, marking the program's best ranking since the final poll of the 1977 season. Kentucky will host No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday. After an off week, it will travel to No. 6 Tennessee on Oct. 29. The Wildcats host No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 19. Of course, if Kentucky does not fix the offensive issues that were on display even before a foot injury forced Levis to miss the game against South Carolina, the difficulty of the upcoming schedule means Kentucky could face an uphill climb even to reach bowl eligibility. The Wildcats are now sixth in the SEC pecking order according to AP voters, behind No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 16 Mississippi State. |
| Florida football: GatorMade program aims to prepare players for life beyond the gridiron | |
| Florida football players wore a new logo on their helmets on Saturday during the Missouri game with the words "GatorMade." It's not just a slogan, but rather an initiative launched by first-year coach Billy Napier and his staff to help prepare players for life after football. Through a variety of programs, UF's student athletes will be empowered with opportunities to learn, serve, and lead. It received a notable gift this week from former UF football player Mike Ricketts, a successful business owner whose company specializes in marketing, packaging and supply chain management. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to really position the players for success independent of football," Napier said. The program, under the direction of Florida senior director of player relations Savannah Bailey, already is off to a strong start. Bailey sent a group of 16 student-athletes, including 10 football players, to a service trip abroad to Greece to aid Ukranian refugees of Greek ethnicity who fled to Greece to escape the war-torn country. Bailey was hired by Napier from Clemson, where she ran a similar life skills program for the Clemson football program under Dabo Swinney from 2017-21 Her background included a bachelor's degree from Tennessee in microbiology and a masters from Clemson in student affairs. The goal of the program, Bailey said, is to develop football as a tool for life. "It is not something that you rely your whole life on," Bailey said. "But you can use it to power yourself to go through many, many doors. That can always be a lead for you." |
| More College Athletes Are Trekking to Ironman | |
 | Evan Roshak had just settled into his writing class at Portland State University when he noticed a classmate wearing shorts on a frigid winter day and sporting a distinctive red tattoo on his right ankle. "Are you an Ironman?" Roshak asked his classmate Will Watson. Yes. In fact, Watson had gotten the tattoo after qualifying for this year's Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. And since Roshak had Ironman aspirations, too, he began to train with Watson, and ultimately qualified this summer. The two Oregon students are part of an atypically large contingent of undergraduate students who are here for triathlon's pinnacle race. From Clemson to Dartmouth, and Loyola Chicago to the University of Utah, at least a dozen men and women from N.C.A.A. schools are taking up to a week off from classes, and juggling midterm exams and papers, to compete in what triathletes simply call Kona. The surge can be explained, in part, by the coronavirus pandemic, as these athletes, hypercompetitive by nature, embraced long runs, indoor and outdoor bike rides, and endless pool laps to ward off isolation and set new goals. But more broadly, triathlon is having a moment among young athletes. More than 40 N.C.A.A. schools now offer women's triathlon as a varsity sport. "There is some magic here," said Sarah Sawaya, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Mississippi, who was the youngest American participant. "I am so glad I got to experience it." |
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