| Wednesday, November 30, 2022 |
| Registration for 2022 Staff Development Conference closes Thursday | |
 | Registration for the 2022 Mississippi State University Staff Development Conference is open until Thursday [Dec. 1]. Visit https://webapps.its.msstate.edu/staffcouncil/conference to register and view details about the conference. You will receive a confirmation email after you register, and you may change your conference schedule until the deadline. Advance registration for the conference and concurrent sessions is required of all attendees. The conference is a one-day event designed to encourage and support the holistic development and well-being of all MSU staff. It is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Old Main Academic Center. Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m. It is free and open to all professional (executive and managerial) and support staff. Have questions? Email staffcouncil@msstate.edu for assistance. |
| Easterling, Turner claim victory in runoff elections | |
 | Despite the storms that threatened and pounded the area Tuesday, voters still came out to the polls to cast their ballots in the runoff elections. Michelle Easterling and Trina Davidson Brooks faced each other in the runoff in the Place 3 circuit judge race. Easterling, the Clay County prosecutor, claimed victory over Brooks, an assistant district attorney. Easterling received 8,239 votes (53.57 percent), and Brooks received 7,140 votes (46.43 percent). Easterling extended her thanks to those who came out to vote and those who supported her along the way. Easterling also commended Brooks for her work during the race, including the three weeks leading up to runoffs. "We've known each other now for seven or eight years, and I just think she ran a very good race," Easterling said. "It was pleasant and professional. We all worked really hard in getting people out to vote -- especially with the weather. " With 2,900 votes (65.73 percent), Lee Ann Self Turner was voted the first Oktibbeha County Court Judge. She beat Charles Bruce Brown, who received 1,496 votes (33.91 percent). The county court, which will hear all youth cases and operate as an intermediate court between municipal/justice and circuit courts, was established based on Oktibbeha County's population reaching 50,000 in the 2020 census. "To me this means the opportunity to get the court established in a way that we can really help our families and our children that are in the youth court system," Turner said. "We're going to figure out a way that we can relieve the pressure and burdens on the courts above us and below us in a way that helps the system work the way it's supposed to." Brown extended his congratulations to Turner and thanks to his supporters in a text message to The Dispatch. |
| Storms cause major tornadoes, flooding around the South | |
 | Residents in several towns across Louisiana and Mississippi took cover as tornado sirens blared late Tuesday, and forecasters warned of the threat of strong twisters capable of tracking long distances on the ground as a severe weather outbreak erupted in the Deep South. There were no immediate reports of severe damage or injuries as multiple tornado warnings were issued starting Tuesday afternoon and continuing into the nighttime hours as heavy thunderstorms rolled from eastern Texas to Georgia and as far north as Indiana. The National Weather Service confirmed that tornados hit the ground in Mississippi on Tuesday evening and Alabama was in the forecast path of the storms during the overnight hours. More than 25 million people were at risk as the vast storm system. The national Storm Prediction Center said in its storm outlook that affected cities could include New Orleans; Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama. The NWS received reports of people trapped at a grocery store in Caledonia, Mississippi, just after 6 p.m. Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency Director Cindy Lawrence told WTVA-TV the people inside the grocery store made it out safely. Lawrence also said a family trapped in a house about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the store escaped. Additional reports of property damage near Columbus were received by the NWS, according to Lance Perrilloux, a forecaster with the agency. Heavy rain and hail as big as tennis balls were also possible as forecasters said the weather outbreak was expected to continue into Wednesday. |
| Mississippi Parole Board grants less parole because of increased inmate scrutiny | |
 | Under questioning from lawmakers on Tuesday, the head of the state parole board said greater scrutiny of inmates' prison records has led to a decline in the parole rate. Lawmakers convened Tuesday's hearing amid ongoing efforts to reduce the state's prison population. A sweeping reform bill enacted in 2021 expanded parole eligibility, but the parole board is letting fewer people out of prisons than it did before the reforms were enacted. Parole Board Chairman Jeffrey Belk told members of a legislative committee that the parole isn't seeking to parole a particular percentage of applicants. "We do pay attention to the numbers, and they're important," Belk told the Daily Journal. "But we don't let that drive our decisions." Senate Corrections Vice Chairman Daniel Sparks told Belk he was concerned about less prisoners getting paroled because that meant the prison population would increase over time. "The rise in the number (of inmates) is a concern because of a shortage corrections officers," Sparks, R-Belmont, said. Mississippi has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, and the Department of Justice has described state-run prison conditions as unsafe because of low staffing levels. Criminal justice advocates have criticized the new parole board for the decreasing parole rate. Belk, who became the new chairman in January, said on Tuesday that members of the previous parole board were not reviewing cases thoroughly, which is why the parole grant rate was previously higher. |
| Governor Reeves: It is excellent news Jackson Mayor won't be overseeing water system | |
 | On Tuesday, the United States Department of Justice filed a proposal in federal court that upon approval would appoint an Interim Third Party Manager to stabilize the city of Jackson, Mississippi's public drinking water system, saying it would build confidence in the system's ability to supply safe drinking water to the system's customers. "The city and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) have signed this order and agreed to its terms," the Department of Justice said. "At the same time, the Justice Department, on behalf of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), filed a complaint against the city alleging that the city has failed to provide drinking water that is reliably compliant with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to the system's customers." The proposal seeks the court's appointment of an Interim Third Party Manager that would have the authority to, among other things, operate and maintain the city's public drinking water system in compliance with SDWA, the Mississippi Safe Drinking Water Act, and related regulations. Tuesday afternoon, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves released a statement regarding the Department of Justice's announcement. The Governor said it is "excellent news" for anyone who cares about the people of Jackson that Mayor Chokwe Lumumba will no longer be overseeing the city's water system. "It is now out of the city's control, and will be overseen by a federal court," Reeves said. Reeves said their order was filed and made public today and the system should be out of "city politician hands very soon." |
| 'A complete about face:' Some Republicans change tune on Obamacare's Medicaid expansion | |
 | Democratic governors in North Carolina and Kansas are set to take another run at expanding Medicaid next year -- believing that arguments in favor of the Obama-era health insurance program are wearing down once-steadfast Republican opposition. Neither governor will have an easy time: North Carolina lawmakers have come around to Medicaid expansion but can't agree on a deal to enact it, while the GOP-led Kansas legislature remains skeptical. Proponents, however, believe a growing body of data on the program's success in other red states has persuaded an increasing number of holdouts -- and that the additional federal money that comes with expansion could tip the scales with lawmakers staring down a possible recession. "All these years, we've been expanding our coalition of people who have begun to realize that this is an absolute necessity and that North Carolina is being foolish and deadly in refusing to expand Medicaid," Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in an interview. "This Republican legislature has fought Medicaid expansion every step of the way ... They've done a complete about face over the last few months. They know it's the right thing to do." The latest round of Medicaid expansion negotiations comes as states prepare for the eventual end of the Covid-19 public health emergency, which helped millions of people stay on Medicaid during the pandemic, and as nearly a third of rural hospitals are at risk of closure, two factors Medicaid experts believe could persuade conservative lawmakers. In Wyoming, for example, some Republicans, worried about the state's changing economy and hospital closures, are attempting to pass expansion legislation, which died last year after advancing in the state House but not the Senate. |
| Senate passes protections for same-sex marriages | |
 | The Senate passed a bill Tuesday to codify federal recognition of same-sex marriage that got bipartisan support because of added measures on religious liberty protections. The 61-36 vote sends the bill to the House, where Democratic leaders have said they intend to hold a vote on the measure during the lame-duck session. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters Tuesday the chamber could take up the legislation as early as next week. The bill would repeal the 1996 law known as the Defense of Marriage Act that the Supreme Court found to be largely unconstitutional in a 2013 decision. It would also codify federal recognition of same-sex marriages that are legal in the state where the marriage was performed. One of the lead negotiators on the bill, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., told reporters Tuesday that it would ease concerns that the Supreme Court could revisit precedents that protected same-sex and interracial marriages as constitutional rights. "We have the opportunity to ease these anxieties and fears and give millions of same-sex and interracial couples need, that their marriages are, and will continue to be, valid," Baldwin said. A congressional push to pass a bill to legalize same-sex marriage followed a Supreme Court decision earlier this year that wiped out a constitutional right to an abortion. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the decisions undergirding same-sex marriage, same-sex relationships and access to contraception should be revisited. |
| 'He's not stepping up': Union workers feel let down by 'pro-union' Joe Biden amid rail dispute | |
 | President Joe Biden hails unions at almost every turn, often declaring "unions built the middle class" and that his goal is to be "the most pro-union president" in U.S. history. But as he urges Congress to intervene in a labor dispute to avert a freight rail strike before the holidays, the president is facing a backlash from labor allies. Union workers hoped to secure paid sick leave in a final contract, among other assurances, but congressional action pushed by Biden would force some terms they oppose. "The actions speak for themselves. Don't tell me what you are. Show me what you are," said Ross Grooters, a railroad engineer from Des Moines, Iowa and co-chair of the advocacy group Railroad Workers United. "He's not stepping up for workers in the way that he should be." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will take up legislation Wednesday morning that would set a new contract to avoid a strike. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell agree the issue must be taken up "ASAP." Biden called for the legislation to reflect the contract that union leaders tentatively agreed on. It includes a 24% pay increase over five years, $5,000 bonuses, voluntary assigned days off, but only one paid day off. Currently, rail workers don't get any paid days off. The legislation is likely to have some opposition, setting up a potentially dicey situation in the 50-50 split Senate for passage. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., signaled he would vote against the legislation Tuesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has previously slammed the deal for lacking sick leave. And some progressive House Democrats have raised concerns as well |
| Without naming Trump, McConnell repudiates dinner with white supremacist | |
 | Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that any person associating with people espousing anti-Semitic views is unlikely to be elected president. The Senate Republican leader never mentioned former President Donald Trump in his 38-word statement to reporters, but he didn't have to. McConnell didn't even need to be prodded with a question he knew was coming at his weekly stakeout in the Capitol rotunda. "There is no room in the Republican Party for anti-Semitism or white supremacy," McConnell said as he stepped up the microphone. "And anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view, in my judgment, are highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States." Last week at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump dined with Nick Fuentes, who the Justice Department has deemed a white supremacist, along with the rapper, Ye, who has seen his business empire dissolve in the wake of his own repeated anti-Semitic tirades. The 24-year-old Fuentes holds an annual gathering of white supremacists called the America First Political Action Conference and has claimed the Republican Party is "run by Jews, atheists and homosexuals." He reportedly advised Trump that he was a better candidate when he spoke off the cuff. McConnell, when pressed at Tuesday's press conference on whether he'd support Trump as the 2024 Republican nominee, repeated himself while carefully avoiding specifically naming the former president. "There is simply no room in the Republican Party for anti-Semitism or white supremacy. That would apply to all of the leaders in the party who will be seeking offices," McConnell replied. |
| Cheney, Thompson applaud Oath Keepers verdicts: 'A victory for the rule of law' | |
 | Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) applauded the convictions of several members of the far-right Oath Keepers group on Tuesday for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. "Today's convictions are a victory for the rule of law and reinforce the fact that the violence of January 6th included a deliberate attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election and block the transfer of presidential power," the chairman and vice chairwoman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot said in a statement. Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, and Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs were both found guilty of seditious conspiracy, an infrequently used charge that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The other three members of the far-right group on trial were found not guilty of seditious conspiracy but were convicted on other charges. All five Oath Keepers were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and four were found guilty of tampering with evidence. Thompson and Cheney lauded their committee's role in demonstrating that the Oath Keepers and other extremists group began to plan and coordinate in response to former President Trump's call to assemble on Jan. 6, 2021. The Jan. 6 committee, which is set to sunset at the beginning of the next Congress, is expected to release its final report next month. |
| AG Fitch joins in on student debt relief fight | |
 | Attorney General Lynn Fitch has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to deny the Biden Administration's bid to reinstate its student debt relief plan. Earlier this month, the Biden Administration petitioned the Supreme Court to lift an injunction imposed by a lower court and allow the plan to go forward. The administration cited the impact that legal limbo would have on "millions of economically vulnerable borrowers," including many of the nearly 439,000 Mississippians with student debt. Justice Amy Coney Barrett had already twice declined to review the program, but this time, the court asked the Republican attorneys general challenging the plan to respond to Biden's request to lift the injunction. The amicus brief that Fitch signed onto, along with attorneys general from 16 other states, calls the plan "illegal, and blatantly so" as well as "among the most egregious examples of unauthorized executive action in American History" due in part to its impact on the federal deficit. "As the Attorneys General note in their briefs, Congress has repeatedly considered student loan forgiveness and failed to pass it, and President Biden's actions here are merely an attempt to bypass the Constitutional checks and balances meant to protect the people from administrative overreach," Michelle Williams, Fitch's chief of staff, told Mississippi Today in a statement. |
| Ole Miss releases 2022 keepsake ornament | |
| The University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses has unveiled its 23rd annual holiday keepsake, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the university's integration. Each year, the design alternates between subjects in the museum's permanent collection, at the university and around Oxford. This year's keepsake was chosen to honor the enrollment of James Meredith on Oct. 1, 1962. "Through his bravery and perseverance, Meredith became an inspirational leader of the American civil rights movement," said Andrea Drummond, the museum's membership, events and communications coordinator. "Sales of the annual ornament provide much-needed support for the collection and programming we offer throughout the year," Drummond said. Collectible ornaments from previous years that remain available include the Old Skipwith House, Ole Miss Women's Basketball Jersey, Theora Hamblett House, Oxford's Double Decker Bus, Herakles Neck Amphora and Barlow's Planetarium. Previous years' ornaments are $10-$20 each. The UM Museum is at the corner of University Avenue and Fifth Street. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. |
| USM alumnus to receive Lifetime Achievement at 2023 Governor's Arts Awards | |
 | The Mississippi Arts Commission partners with the Office of the Governor each year to honor individuals and organizations for their work in the artistic disciplines, arts-based community development and/or arts patronage in Mississippi through the Governor's Arts Awards. During the 35th edition of the awards, painter and sculptor and a University of Southern Mississippi Art and Design Alumnus, Ed McGowin, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. A native of Hattiesburg, McGowin received his Bachelor of Arts degree at USM in 1961 before pursuing a Master of Arts degree at the University of Alabama in 1964. McGowin studied, what was called, a degree in commercial art during his time at Southern Miss. He notes that he is grateful for having found an environment that allowed him to develop his talent. "I am very grateful to USM to have had a place to grow and experiment until I found something I could do well," said McGowin. "The technical facility required for producing competent work gave me a good background for what I wanted to do later as an artist." McGowin recalls being able to take advantage of the opportunities created by a professor who was instrumental in his development. "Professor Vernon Merrifield was an exceptional teacher who was a very encouraging and helpful mentor. I was one of many students he created opportunities for which served as a stepping stone in finding our way," McGowin said. |
| U.of South Carolina might be getting a new dorm, USC foundation says | |
 | The University of South Carolina foundation is planning a new student housing complex near downtown Columbia. The dormitory, set for 737 Gadsden St., will have 938 beds and retail space, said foundation CEO and president Jason Caskey. The foundation has owned the 3.75-acre property for 20 years and leased it to USC for a parking lot and an intramural sports field. But Caskey said that several consulting firms confirmed that building a dorm would be the best use of the land with the highest value. With the growth of USC's student body and its proximity to the rest of campus, it felt like natural fit. "We believe having students close to campus is vital to their success," Caskey said. USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said the university has seen a growing demand for living on campus. This development would help meet those demands. The property is next to Colonial Life Arena, home to USC basketball and a venue for popular concerts and events. It's also a stone's throw away from the Darla Moore School of Business, the Arnold School of Public Health, the School of Music and Greek Village. Caskey said the dorm is projected to open in August 2025. |
| Bush Library director retiring from career in archives | |
 | Warren Finch is embarking on his final days as director of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum before he retires on Saturday. Following more than 30 years of service to the National Archives and Records Administration, a retirement reception was held in Finch's honor at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center on Tuesday night. "We've done a lot, and I'm very proud of what we've done here, but, also I'm pretty happy with my decision to retire," Finch said prior to Tuesday's ceremony. "The library's been here for 25 years this past November, and that was kind of one of the things I was aiming for." Finch said he owes his career in archives to his wife, Mary, who recommended him for a job at the National Archives in Washington D.C. He worked in the Office of Presidential Libraries in D.C. and the Ronald Reagan Library in California before moving to College Station. Finch received his master's degree in history from Auburn University and bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama. As a member of the National Archives team, Finch was detailed to the Bush White House in 1992 to assist the movement of presidential materials to Texas and has remained in College Station since, a press release from the Bush Library said. Finch also was part of the Bush Presidential Materials Project staff that was responsible for transporting the materials to the newly opened library and museum in 1997. Partaking in the opening of Bush Library remains one of Finch's greatest accomplishments, he said. Once the library opened, he worked as an archivist and transitioned to supervisory archivist and deputy director before being named director. |
| Stephen F. Austin State U. moves to join the U. of Texas System | |
| The Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents voted Tuesday to join the University of Texas System, selecting the Austin-based system from four across the state that had extended invitations to join their ranks this year. Board members said all four systems -- the Texas A&M University System, the Texas State University System, the Texas Tech University System and the University of Texas System -- assured them that the East Texas university would be able to keep its autonomy, as well as its name, mascot and school colors. And a financial analysis showed the university would benefit financially in some form from joining any of the systems. But regents said joining the UT System was the most attractive option because of the access to funding from the Permanent University Fund, which consists of assets created by oil and gas revenue from 2.1 million acres of land in West Texas that rake in billions of dollars annually. "Any other regional comprehensive university in the state would give its proverbial right arm to be in the position we're in today," said regent David Alders, who said the board has discussed over the years how nice it would be to "secure a piece of a [Permanent University Fund] pie." "Here, this slice of that pie is being presented to us on a silver platter. I believe it would represent a dramatic dereliction of our duty to not accept this invitation," he said. In a statement, UT System Chair Kevin Eltife said the regents and system leadership admired SFA's "rich tradition and successful history." |
| U. of Missouri, other area colleges have varying gun policies on campus | |
 | Incidents of mass violence on college campuses like the shooting at University of Virginia have sparked an increased level of concern about gun laws and other campus safety issues in Columbia and on college campuses. At the University of Missouri, carrying concealed or open firearms is against campus policy, but firearms can legally be stored in vehicles. The UM System Board of Curators in December voted to allow gun storage in vehicles to bring the system's policy in line with state law. Those in violation of the policy would be asked to store the weapon in their vehicle, store the weapon in the MU Police Department's storage locker or leave campus. "If we are aware of someone who has a firearm in their possession, they would be approached by an MU police officer who would educate them about the policy and provide them with their options," Christian Basi, a spokesperson for MU, said. "As this is a university policy, no one would be cited for a criminal violation." MU's firearms policy could be considered stricter than that of other public universities. For example, at Missouri State University, employees can apply for concealed carry on campus. Other universities in Columbia also have stricter firearm policies. |
| Ohio State President Leaves Big Plans Unfinished as She Steps Down | |
 | In November 2021, President Kristina M. Johnson of Ohio State University announced a groundbreaking plan to help all undergraduates complete a degree at the university without taking out any student loans. On Monday evening, Johnson, who has been president since July 2020, made another big announcement, confirming news accounts that she would be leaving her post just a year after her official investiture. "I have made the difficult decision to step down as president following commencement at the end of the academic year," Johnson said in a news release. In her announcement, Johnson offered no reason for stepping down less than three years into her five-year contract. In an interview on Tuesday with The Chronicle, she reiterated that it was "a difficult decision" and she remains committed to her plans and the university through the end of the academic year. "I can't stress enough how proud I am of faculty, students and all of Buckeye Nation," Johnson said. Johnson is the just the latest of several high-profile presidents to step down from leadership at major research universities over the past two years, as the pandemic and increased financial and political pressures took their toll on institutions. But her resignation is notable because of the extremely short tenure and because of the scope and number of initiatives that will remain in their infancy when she leaves. |
| Ohio State president stays quiet on resignation | |
 | Another Big Ten president is on the way out. Ohio State University president Kristina Johnson announced Monday that she is resigning at the end of the academic year. The news broke Monday night with initial reports that Johnson, who has been at Ohio State for a little over two years, was stepping down in the aftermath of an investigation into concerns raised by her staff. Johnson has since pushed back on those claims. In a brief interview with Inside Higher Ed, Johnson offered no insights into the reason for her sudden resignation and denied that she was ever the subject of any inquiry at Ohio State. Speaking anonymously, an Ohio State trustee said Johnson herself made the decision to leave. Asked if any type of investigation had been opened regarding the president, he said, "Absolutely not." Johnson's departure marks the seventh exit this year among the leaders of the 14 universities that comprise the Big Ten conference, though the circumstances in each case differ dramatically. The University of Michigan Board of Trustees fired its president, Dr. Mark Schlissel, in January after learning he had an affair with a subordinate. Michigan State University president Dr. Samuel Stanley Jr. was pushed out by the Board of Trustees last month, resigning over allegations that he mishandled Title IX issues, which he has denied. Longtime Purdue University president Mitch Daniels announced his retirement earlier this year, as did Eric Barron at Pennsylvania State University, who officially vacated the position this spring. Additionally, Rebecca Blank stepped down from the top executive post at the University of Wisconsin at Madison to replace the outgoing Morton Schapiro at Northwestern University -- only to back out of the position after she was diagnosed with cancer shortly before she was due to start. |
| UC postdoctoral scholars and researchers reach tentative deal but strike continues | |
 | The University of California and its postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers reached a tentative agreement Tuesday that would elevate their pay to among the highest in the nation -- but they won't return to campus yet in solidarity with some 36,000 graduate student employees who remain on strike. "We are proud to have reached agreements that address the soaring cost of living, and reflect the value of our contributions at UC," Neal Sweeney, president of United Auto Workers 5810, said in a statement. "These agreements represent a new, best-in-class model that will improve quality of life -- and the quality of research -- for scientists across the U.S." The tentative deal involves two smaller bargaining units and does not settle the uncertainty roiling campuses systemwide over how to handle grading and final exams as fall terms draw to a close. That's because the workers who do such hands-on work with students make up the vast majority of strikers -- graduate student teaching assistants and researchers in two large units, UAW 2865 and SRU-UAW. They remain far apart on wage proposals. At a news conference Tuesday, Sweeney said the tentative deal would put UC postdoctoral scholars at higher median pay levels than even pace-setting Stanford. Union members still need to ratify the agreement but once that happens, they will be contractually obligated to return to work -- even if others are still on strike. |
| Stanford Is Investigating Its Own President Over Research-Misconduct Allegations | |
| Stanford University's Board of Trustees is overseeing an investigation into the university's president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, over allegations that neurobiology papers that he co-authored contain multiple manipulated images, a university spokeswoman told The Chronicle on Tuesday night. The announcement of the inquiry followed a report earlier Tuesday in The Stanford Daily about concerns relating to images in at least four papers of Tessier-Lavigne's -- two of which listed him as senior author --- that date back to at least 2001. Concerns about these papers, along with others, have been publicly raised for years by Elisabeth Bik, an independent scientific-misconduct investigator, on PubPeer, a website where people point out anomalies about research, and the Daily reported that it had corroborated her suspicions with two other misconduct experts. The Daily confirmed that at least one journal, The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Journal, was reviewing a 2008 study that lists Tessier-Lavigne, a decorated neuroscientist, as one of its 11 authors. Three other papers of his that contain "serious problems," Bik told the student newspaper, were published in Science and Nature. A Stanford spokeswoman, Dee Mostofi, acknowledged to the Daily that there were "issues" in the papers, but said that Tessier-Lavigne "was not involved in any way in the generation or presentation of the panels that have been queried" in two of the papers, including the one being reviewed by EMBO. The issues in the other two "do not affect the data, results, or interpretation of the papers," Mostofi told the Daily. But on Tuesday night, the university said it would undertake its own inquiry. |
| Campus protests in China fray relations with U.S. | |
| China's strict zero-COVID policy, still in effect nearly three years into the pandemic, has become a lightning rod for criticism of the government. University campuses have been at the vanguard of these public displays of dissent, which gained momentum after an apartment fire Thursday in the northwestern city of Urumqi killed 10 people who many say could have been saved if not for strict lockdown measures. On Saturday, in the face of fierce local protests in Urumqi, the Chinese government announced that it would ease restrictions there. But the fuse was already lit for an explosive weekend of protests across the country, especially on campuses. By Sunday evening, students at nearly 80 campuses across China were demonstrating against the lockdown measures, according to University World News; by Monday the movement had gone global, with Chinese international students on dozens of campuses organizing similar gatherings. "On campuses in China, the COVID discontent has morphed into concerns about academic freedom and access to information," said Philip Altbach, founding director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. "I'm sure that's what the Chinese authorities are really worried about at the moment." Even as protests in China appear to be dying down, students around the world -- many of them Chinese nationals -- are protesting in solidarity with their peers on the mainland, flooding campuses with symbolic blank pieces of white paper and hosting candlelight vigils on frigid quads. |
| Jailing mental patients is an old problem that remains 'unacceptable' in Mississippi | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Mississippi remains the focus of a 2016 U.S. Justice Department lawsuit which alleges, among other things, that the state "violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) by failing to provide adults with mental illness with necessary integrated, community-based mental health services." The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to rule on aspects of the case within months. The federal complaint alleged "that gaps and weaknesses in the state's mental health system too often subject adults with mental illness to needless trauma, especially during a crisis. According to the complaint, adults with mental illness who experience a crisis in Mississippi often spend days in local emergency rooms and jail holding facilities that are ill-equipped to address their needs, before ultimately being transported to the state's psychiatric hospitals." A recent Mississippi House committee heard testimony regarding the current state of the state's mental health system, including a report from a federal court-appointed monitor that on average in this state, 25 mental patients are housed in jails awaiting mental health hospital treatment. Calhoun County Sheriff Greg Pollan testified that the mental health system "is broken" and that jails are not equipped to take care of the mentally ill. This isn't a new problem. I remember over 30 years ago visiting the Scott County Jail to observe mentally ill individuals housed in the jail by court order whose only crime was being mentally ill. One muscular young man sat on a bare metal bunk, biting on a clenched dirty towel as tears rolled down his cheeks -- hopeless, frightened and bereft. The reason? No treatment beds in the state mental hospitals were available. It's not as if the taxpayers of Mississippi lack compassion for the issue. Mississippi taxpayers have already paid to construct seven crisis mental health centers to help alleviate this problem. |
SPORTS
| Behind closed doors, Mississippi State women's basketball comfortably dispatches Louisiana-Monroe | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball put up its second-highest point total of the season on a stormy Tuesday night in Starkville, stormy enough to close the door to fans for the first time since COVID-19 measures were in place. Severe thunderstorms and a tornado watch led to the decision to keep fans at home, as well as moving tipoff up to 5 p.m. from 7 p.m. Even without support to cheer them on, the Bulldogs (6-2) created their own energy as they trounced visiting Louisiana–Monroe 94-39. "It definitely was a big adjustment because we have a lot of fans and they bring a lot of energy," Florida State transfer Kourtney Weber said of playing in front of an empty Hump, "but every day in practice they hold us accountable to bring the energy so it comes to us pretty easily." Mississippi State got contributions from up and down the roster in the win over the Warhawks. Rotation was important on short rest, and getting 45 of its points off of the bench demonstrated MSU's depth and the effectiveness of the fresh legs. With so many players getting in on the action, the bench made sure they did their best to give their teammates the environment worthy of their efforts. Purcell was quick to praise that energy and togetherness after the game when discussing the contributions of his rotation players. "The greatest joy I had was, it wasn't about us as a coaching staff, it was about them," Purcell said. "The standing up, going crazy for each other even though there was nobody here. That's the culture I want and most importantly the teammates I want." |
| Basketball 'Dawg Talk' Schedule Announced | |
| Mississippi State basketball's radio show, "Dawg Talk" presented by C Spire and Learfield, returns live and in-person for the 2022-23 season with head coaches Chris Jans and Sam Purcell beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 30 from 7-8 p.m. at Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux. The 60-minute program will air on the affiliates of the MSU Sports Radio Network. Neil Price, "The Voice of the Bulldogs", will serve as the show host for the men with Jason Crowder acting as host on the women's side. "Dawg Talk" can be watched online at www.Facebook.com/HailState and will be streamed courtesy of Hail State On-Demand at www.HailState.com/watch and The Varsity Network App. The Nov. 30 opening episode of "Dawg Talk" will feature Coach Jans and Coach Purcell for 30 minutes apiece with Price. Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is located at 996 MS HWY 12 E in Starkville. Coach Jans is scheduled to make five additional appearances on Monday's Dec. 5, Jan. 9, Jan. 23, Feb. 13 and Feb. 27 whereas Coach Purcell is slated to appear four times on Monday's Dec. 12, Jan. 16, Jan. 30 and Feb. 20. |
| Jans, Bulldogs making waves while trying to find their way | |
| The Daily Journal's Parrish Alford writes: Chris Jans knows his way to the NCAA Tournament. His first Mississippi State team is showing early promise, but Jans isn't ready for comparisons to his New Mexico State teams that found the way three times in four seasons. The outlier for the Aggies was 2021, COVID hoops, when they played just 20 games and finished 12-8. At 25-6, 16-0 in the WAC, they would have been a 2020 participant had there been a tournament. The Bulldogs are 7-0 after pulling away from Omaha for a 74-54 win Monday night. That comes after neutral site wins against Marquette and Utah. The full value of those wins will be determined by what Marquette and Utah become, but neutral site games can be the catalyst for a climb in the NCAA's Net Rankings. Jans doesn't think much about the NCAA Tournament in November, but his fans do when they take a seat inside under-renovation Humphrey Coliseum. They can look courtside and see former coach Richard Williams providing analysis on the radio or look up and see the banner from his 1996 Final Four team. ... So as Jans' first team this month ranks in the national top five in points per game allowed, it's also not hard to think about March in November. "That's not a question that I expected to answer today. It's not something I think about all the time," he said Monday night. |
| Deion Sanders talks Colorado offer, Jackson State in SWAC title game | |
| The last time Jackson State football and coach Deion Sanders faced Southern, Jackson was the center of college football. ESPN's "College GameDay" made its first trip to JSU, and the Tigers responded with a 35-0 victory over the Jaguars. Southern returns to Jackson State on Saturday for another momentous occasion in the Sanders era with the Tigers. JSU (11-0, 8-0 SWAC) looks to win consecutive conference titles with a victory over the Jaguars (7-4, 5-3 ) in the SWAC Championship game at 3 p.m. Sanders doesn't want his team to forget the first matchup. "We don't want them to forget everything," Sanders said. "That's a lie. We want them to remember that whooping. We want them to remember how they performed. We want them to remember that but we also want them to perfect what we did last time." Jackson State had 12 players selected to All-SWAC teams, including offensive player of the year Shedeur Sanders and defensive player of the year Aubrey Miller Jr. Deion Sanders was selected as the conference coach of the year amid speculation of leaving for another program. He confirmed Monday that Colorado had offered him its head coaching position. But he doesn't believe that's been distraction ahead of the SWAC championship. "My team cares about what we tell them and how we work," Deion Sanders said. "Y'all act like these kids are crazy. You know darn well when you win this kind of stuff happens, everyone wants a piece of you. Everyone's calling you this and calling you that. That's part of life." |
| Lane Kiffin signs new contract with Mississippi | |
| Lane Kiffin has signed a new contract to remain at Mississippi, the school announced Tuesday. Details of the deal were not released. The 47-year-old Kiffin has gone 23-12 in three seasons with the Rebels, who lost four of their last five games to finish the regular season at 8-4. Ole Miss had its first 10-win regular season in 2021 and is headed to a bowl game for the third straight year. "Coach Kiffin is establishing a program that can sustain success and contend for championships," said Keith Carter, the school's vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics. "We are investing in our football program like never before." Carter cited a "greatly increased salary pool for assistant coaches and support staff," a $45 million renovation of the Manning center and "tremendous momentum in NIL." "We will continue to equip Coach Kiffin with these and the other resources necessary to compete and win at the highest level and build on the accomplishments of the last three seasons," he said. Kiffin was regarded as a top candidate for the job at Auburn, which hired Hugh Freeze from Liberty on Monday. |
| Ousted Five Years Ago at Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze Is Back in the SEC at Auburn | |
 | Five years after his ignominious ouster from Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze is once again a head coach in the Southeastern Conference. This time, it's at Auburn. Auburn on Monday evening announced Freeze as its next football coach, marking a remarkable return to the top echelon of college football for a man who resigned from Mississippi in 2017 due to a "pattern of personal misconduct" that involved calls to escort services. Freeze, who has been the head coach at Liberty since December 2018, succeeds interim coach Cadillac Williams to become the third head permanent head coach, and fifth altogether, to lead the Tigers since 2020. "After a thoughtful, thorough, and well-vetted search, we ended where we started, with Hugh Freeze," said Auburn athletic director John Cohen in a statement. The move brings a coach with a history of scandal into a program often dogged by tumult and a perpetually dissatisfied fan base. Freeze arrives at Auburn with just one losing record in 10 seasons as a head coach. Most importantly for the Auburn faithful, at Ole Miss he twice knocked off Nick Saban-led Alabama teams. Freeze's downfall came after his predecessor, Houston Nutt, alleged in a lawsuit that Ole Miss wrongly blamed him for the alleged NCAA violations. As part of that suit, Nutt's attorney, Thomas Mars, alerted the university to a call placed from Freeze's phone to a female escort service in Jan. 2016. The university then discovered a "concerning pattern" of behavior that violated the "moral turpitude" clause in his contract. Freeze resigned in July 2017 after admitting to misconduct. Separately, the NCAA later found that Ole Miss had committed 15 Level I violations dating back to 2010 and "fostered an unconstrained culture of booster involvement in football recruiting." |
| UF athletes, athletic leaders speak on reproductive health in sports | |
| In one UF athlete's mind, reproductive health isn't talked about enough in sports. And, at least in her experience, not at all in college basketball. Gators junior forward Jordyn Merritt knows how to dribble a basketball up the court, hit a wide open three-point shot and defend both the paint and the perimeter with an intensity only a dedicated athlete who knows their body's strengths and weaknesses can manage. However, off the court Merritt said she also knows her body's rights. And she isn't happy. "Being an athlete, if you happen to get pregnant, that could honestly jeopardize your career," she said. "Not a lot of people are in the financial spaces or even mentally, physically able to take care of a child. And that could really throw your life off course." Merritt is just one athlete who understands the ramifications of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 court ruling that guaranteed nationwide abortion access, being overturned. She hasn't seen anyone in the athletics department actively reach out to teach athletes about reproductive health in sports, Merritt said. UF's 2021-2022 student athlete handbook has 10 pages dedicated to student athlete's health. There's no mention of reproductive health. However, Jocelyn Gravlee, UF associate professor and interim director in student health care, said student athletes receive their care through UF's Student Health Care Center and the women's clinic. "We discuss reproductive health with student athletes in the same way we discuss it with students," she said. As an advocate for women's health, Merritt believes everyone -- including athletes -- should have a general knowledge on reproductive health, especially with the changing political and social climate. |
| Changes let high school athletes bank big endorsement bucks | |
| Jada Williams was a social media star and a talented point guard when she moved with her mother from a Kansas City suburb to San Diego, looking to play basketball for a high school powerhouse and parlay her online prowess into endorsement deals. She found it all in California, which has become the trendsetter among the 19 states that allow high school athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness without affecting their eligibility to play in college. The 17-year-old Williams is now pulling in six figures a year from six major endorsement deals. The senior at La Jolla Country Day School has signed to play at the University of Arizona. "It's definitely a big change for me, but it was good in every single direction," Williams said during a break from her exhaustive practice routine, which she often documents with videos and photos posted online. It was the right decision for school and basketball, "and on top of that I was able to start capitalizing off NIL," shorthand for name, image and likeness. The effort that began when former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon took on the college sports establishment over NIL rules is quickly reshaping high school sports. Elite prep athletes are banking six and even seven figures before heading to college. The buzz extends to social media, where the top stars have millions of followers on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, which in turn helps boost their NIL valuation. "It's getting bigger by the day," said Michael Caspino, a Newport Beach attorney who became NIL savvy while reviewing deals for his son's high school friends and pushing back against the ones that tried to take advantage of the athletes. |
| U.S. Wins Politically Charged Match With Iran to Advance in World Cup | |
 | The job for the United States men's soccer team was simple, really: Win. The stakes and the stage and the politics all piled on the intrigue going into the game against Iran on Tuesday night at the World Cup: a clash between sides whose governments have long been at odds, an Iranian team scrutinized for any hint of allegiances in the antigovernment protests rocking their nation, and a perceived insult by the U.S. Soccer Federation days before the game. But the task, at its heart, left no room for nuance at all: If the United States wanted to keep playing in the tournament in Qatar, it had to beat Iran. And so it did. Though the American star Christian Pulisic was forced from the game at halftime with an injury sustained as he scored the game's only goal, the 1-0 victory was a moment of redemption for a U.S. team that has been rebuilt since a stunning failure to qualify for the last World Cup in 2018. Though a new generation of talents has been unearthed and developed, many thought the Americans' moment was still four years away, when they would be just a little older, a little more experienced, and playing on home soil in North America. The players showed otherwise, fending off the attacking Iranian team and advancing to the round of 16. President Biden, who had just wrapped up an unrelated event in Michigan when the game ended, returned to the lectern to tell the audience, with a wide grin, of the American victory. "They did it, God love 'em," he said. In sports bars and living rooms, politics added spice to the reactions for many fans. For the Iranian team, the tournament in Qatar has been a crucible. As protests and crackdowns have roiled their nation for months, its soccer players have found themselves trying to navigate an excruciating and shrinking middle ground. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
