| Wednesday, February 15, 2023 |
| MSU's annual Science Night at the Museums returns with scientific education for all ages | |
 | Mississippi State's Museums and Galleries Committee is presenting its annual Science Night at the Museums on Saturday [Feb. 18]. The free, public event will take place from 4-7 p.m. in Hilbun Hall and the Cobb Institute of Archaeology. Visitors can view exhibits in the Dunn-Seiler Museum and Lois-Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology and participate in science activities and demonstrations throughout the evening. A food drive sponsored by a local Girl Scout Troop and the Starkville Strong Youth Coalition will collect non-perishable food items and toiletries to restock local food pantries. An after-event showing of the movie "Mothra" hosted by the Entomology Museum and Mississippi Bug Blues outreach program will begin at 7 p.m. in Harned Hall's first-floor auditorium, next door to Hilbun Hall. Activities and demonstrations held at the educational night will cover scientific fields such as geology, meteorology, robotics, physics, astronomy, biology, microbiology, chemistry, anthropology and archaeology. |
| Education: SHS Speech and Debate shows out in Cowbell Classic | |
 | The Starkville High School Speech and Debate Team earned a collection of honors at the Cowbell Classic Speech and Debate Tournament at Mississippi State University in January. The Yellow Jackets faced off with other high school teams across Mississippi and surrounding states in debate events such as extemporaneous speaking, public forum, impromptu speaking and Lincoln-Douglas debate. Senior Ben Harvey earned the overall tournament top performer as well as first place awards in extemporaneous speaking and Lincoln-Douglas. He also received second place in impromptu speaking. Freshman Addie Claire Stephens was a semifinalist in the Lincoln-Douglas debate. Olivia Harvey and Katie Chung, both eighth-graders, were quarterfinalists in the public forum event. The Yellow Jacket Speech and Debate Team has eighth- through 12th-grade students from Starkville High School and Armstrong Junior High School, and the head coach is Sonya Harvey. |
| Reeves: 'Biden Administration needs to finish the damn pumps -- period' | |
 | As he heads into his fourth year in Mississippi's top office, Gov. Tate Reeves said he wanted to make one thing clear: The Yazoo Backwater Pumps Project should be a top priority at the federal level. "I was elected in November of 2019, and one of the first meetings I had as the governor-elect was in Washington, D.C., with the Trump Administration and the head of the EPA," Reeves said when discussing his administration's involvement in the project. The meeting Reeves described, which also included Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, was one of the discussions that contributed to the approval of the Yazoo Backwater Pumps Project under the Trump Administration. However, in November 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded its approval of the project following a request for inquiry by District 2 Congressional Rep. Bennie Thompson, who represents the South Mississippi Delta. "It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever for them to have done that, and really they have to answer the question as to why they have done that," Reeves said. "It had been approved, it had gone through literally years and years and years of conversation of debate, of analysis. ... It was time for it to go forward and for whatever reason, when President Biden was elected, Congressman Thompson and the administration decided to change all of that," he added. The governor continued, saying he's attempted to advocate for the project at the federal level. He also said he finds the situation "frustrating," especially when the project was approved once before, and expressed solidarity with residents of the Yazoo Backwater area. |
| Mississippi Lottery makes January 2023 transfer to state | |
 | The Mississippi Lottery Corporation (MLC) completed its January 2023 transfer to the state for $13,262,513.53, bringing the Fiscal Year 2023 total transfer to approximately $74,483,048. In accordance with the Alyce G. Clarke Lottery Law, the first $80 million of net proceeds each fiscal year goes to Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) projects. Proceeds exceeding $80 million in a fiscal year are earmarked for the Education Enhancement Fund. "January was an exceptional month of sales for the Lottery," stated Mississippi Lottery President Jeff Hewitt. "Large jackpots for Mega Millions, Powerball and Mississippi Match 5 fueled sales during the month." |
| Legislation allowing off-duty officers to use uniform, firearm, and vehicle passes Mississippi Senate | |
| A bill that would allow law enforcement to use their official uniform, firearm, and vehicle while working for private security services in off-duty hours has passed in the Senate. According to Senate Bill 2239, officers across Mississippi may be able to use such items issued in their law enforcement division with approval from their superiors. Former Ridgeland Police Chief John Neal explained that it's common for law enforcement officers to hold a second job, even if they are working full time. "There were always those moonlighting jobs that you picked up because you could already make enough money to pay your bills, but there was always kid projects, there's a vacation, there's a daughter getting married, there's college expenses," Neal said. "Cops have always and will always be working side jobs." The bill states that chief executives will be in charge of granting permission to use the items to municipal law enforcement officers, while county sheriffs will sign off for deputy sheriffs. As for highway patrol officers, the director of any state law enforcement division will be required to approve before the possessions can be used after hours. Additional wording includes that each officer must notify their agency of the place of employment, the hours to be worked, and the type of employment. At this time, the bill has been received in the House of Representatives and waits for the approval of the House Judiciary B committee. |
| Watson completes 82-county tour on home turf | |
 | Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Pascagoula native, completed his two-year tour of all 82 counties in Mississippi with the final stop in Jackson County. Launched in 2020 after Watson took office, the tour was "designed to build strong relationships, discuss voting-related issues and brainstorm ideas to help strengthen the overall elections process with all circuit clerks and election commissioners in the state," according to Watson's office. The tour began Jan. 28, 2020 with a stop in Adams County, but was shortly thereafter put on hold with the arrival of COVID-19 in Mississippi. Watson's goal was to complete the tour prior to the end of his first term, so once it resumed he would at times visit as many as four counties in one day. Watson concluded the tour by meeting with Jackson County election officials inside the county courthouse in Pascagoula. Feedback from county election officials has already assisted Watson and his staff in framing proposed election legislation including Elections Support Fund (ESF) increases and post-election audits. Additionally, increased poll worker recruitment efforts have developed in response to reported county, state, and nationwide poll worker shortages. |
| Mississippi Officials Clash With Jackson's Leaders Over Crime, Water Supply | |
 | Mississippi leaders and officials from its capital of Jackson are locked in a political battle over proposed legislation that would give the state control of the city's troubled water supply and part of its criminal justice system. One bill, which passed the state Senate last week, would put the supply of water for Jackson's 150,000 residents under the control of a regional authority headed by a nine-member board. Five of those members would be picked by state officials. Another bill moving through the Republican-led legislature would give the state authority to set up its own court system within part of the city, which legislators called necessary to increase public safety. The bills mark a flashpoint in long-brewing tensions between the Republican-dominated, largely white state government and the Democratic, Black leaders of Mississippi's largest city. Jackson officials said race is playing a major role in tensions. State leaders have said the issues aren't about race, but about providing services and reducing crime in Mississippi's capital. Tensions between liberal, urban cores and their conservative, rural surroundings are brewing in other GOP-leaning states, too, such as Tennessee. |
| U.S. Attorney announces North Star II arrests in Jackson | |
 | A federal law enforcement operation conducted between Jan. 9 and Feb. 6 resulted in over 900 arrests nationwide including 84 in the Jackson area, officials announced Tuesday at the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse. Darren LaMarca, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, said the 30-day initiative called North Star II "focused on fugitives wanted for the most serious, violent and harmful offenses including homicide, forcible sexual assault, robber and aggravated assault." Broken down, LaMarca said locally there were six weapons arrests, 12 homicide arrests, 14 sexual offense arrests, 16 assault arrests and four robbery arrests. Other warrants targeted non-violent crimes including embezzlement, he said. The operation also resulted in the seizure of nine firearms, approximately 118 kg of illegal drugs and $96,000 in cash locally. Asked why Jackson was chosen, given that it is a smaller metropolitan area than most of the other cities targeted, LaMarca said Jackson has its "fair share" of violent crime per capita. "Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease," he said. By executing these warrants, LaMarca added, "We hope to build trust among the residents of Jackson -- trust in the efforts of law enforcement to protect them from further harm by these individuals; trust that your safety does matter; and trust in the motto 'crime doesn't pay.'" |
| Social media companies put profits over children, senators say | |
 | Senators sounded off against social media platforms and called for action during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, saying the companies lack accountability and are focused on profits at the expense of children. The hours-long hearing touched on an array of issues, including: the harms of cyberbullying, the scourge of child sexual abuse material on social media, and mental health issues among youth. It also underscored how there is bipartisan support for taking action on social media platforms -- even in a narrowly divided Congress. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, condemned big tech and said the companies are exacerbating a mental health crisis among young people, aggravating the issue with toxic content. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, said kids' data are being taken and monetized, adding: The companies should be required to make their platforms safer by default. "It is almost as if these social media platforms are operating in the days of the Wild West and anything goes," she said. Emma Lembke, a college sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, spoke at the hearing and recalled creating her first social media account on Instagram in the 6th grade. She said her physical and mental health suffered as her screen time increased. "The constant quantification of my worth through likes, comments and followers heightened my anxiety and deepened my depression," she said. "As a young woman, the constant exposure to unrealistic body standards and harmful recommended content led me towards disordered eating and severely damaged my sense of self." |
| When politicians have no shame, the old rules don't apply | |
 | There was a time when shame was a powerful force in American politics. That time is not now. Congressman George Santos is the embodiment of how times have changed. At the State of the Union address, the freshman Republican from New York famous for fabricating major elements of his life story made sure he had a coveted on-camera position near the center aisle. That's where he ran into Sen. Mitt Romney, a decidedly old-school Republican from Utah. Romney gave him an earful, and afterward told reporters "he shouldn't be there and if he had any shame at all, he wouldn't be there." Santos, who faces multiple investigations for his questionable ethics, was defiant. He has resisted calls to resign from local Republicans like New York state Sen. Jack Martins, who expressed frustration at a recent press conference. "It is probably impossible for us to get someone who has no shame to do what is right," Martins said. This is not the way things used to run, said Patrick Leahy, who recently retired after 48 years as a Democratic senator from Vermont. "The fact that he is still here is a product of this time," Leahy said. "When I came here, Republican or Democrat, his own party would tell him you have to go." It was conservative Republican senators who told impeached former President Richard Nixon that if he didn't resign, he would be removed by a Senate conviction, Leahy noted. But the United States is now in an era of post-shame politics. |
| Russian-linked malware was close to putting U.S. electric, gas facilities 'offline' last year | |
 | Hackers linked to Russia got very close to being able to take a dozen U.S. electric and gas facilities offline in the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, the head of a top cybersecurity company warned Tuesday. Robert M. Lee, the founder and CEO of Dragos, which helps companies respond to cyberattacks, said hackers with a group Dragos calls "Chernovite" were using a malicious software to try to take down "around a dozen" U.S. electric and liquid natural gas sites. "This is the closest we've ever been to having U.S. or European infrastructure, I'd say U.S. infrastructure, go offline," Lee told reporters in a briefing. "It wasn't employed on one of its targets, they weren't ready to pull the trigger, they were getting very close." Lee declined to offer details on what prevented the attack from succeeding, but said it was halted by a coalition of U.S. government and cyber industry groups. While the U.S. government disclosed last year that the new malware -- called PIPEDREAM -- was capable of infiltrating U.S. industrial control systems across multiple key sectors, Lee's comments suggest that the danger was more acute than officials had disclosed. And his disclosure offers a new picture of the U.S. energy supply's vulnerability to a crippling cyber assault -- a possibility that had drawn widespread concern during the run-up to Russian President Vladimir Putin's February 2022 invasion. Lee described the malware as a "state-level, wartime capability." He did not say if the malware had actually been installed in the targeted networks or if the hackers were just close to getting into the systems. |
| U.S. tracked China spy balloon from launch on Hainan island along unusual path | |
 | By the time a Chinese spy balloon crossed into American airspace late last month, U.S. military and intelligence agencies had been tracking it for nearly a week, watching as it lifted off from its home base on Hainan Island near China's south coast. U.S. monitors watched as the balloon settled into a flight path that would appear to have taken it over the U.S. territory of Guam. But somewhere along that easterly route, the craft took an unexpected northern turn, according to several U.S. officials, who said that analysts are now examining the possibility that China didn't intend to penetrate the American heartland with its airborne surveillance device. The balloon floated over Alaska's Aleutian Islands thousands of miles away from Guam, then drifted over Canada, where it encountered strong winds that appear to have pushed the balloon south into the continental United States, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive intelligence. A U.S. fighter jet shot the balloon down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, a week after it crossed over Alaska. This new account suggests that the ensuing international crisis that has ratcheted up tensions between Washington and Beijing may have been at least partly the result of a mistake. Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday said that three other objects shot down over North America in the last week may have posed no national security threat, striking perhaps the clearest distinction yet between those flying anomalies and the suspected spy balloon. John Kirby, the National Security Council's coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters that the U.S. intelligence community "will not dismiss as a possibility" that the three craft instead belonged to a commercial organization or research entity and were therefore "benign." |
| University of Northern Miss? The W reveals name-change survey results | |
| Of the alumni, students, faculty and staff, prospective students and community members polled in Mississippi University for Women's name-change survey, the five groups had one top three in common -- University of Northern Mississippi. After three and a half months, MUW released to the public the findings of its naming survey on Monday. In late September, the university announced it was putting together a task force to determine whether to change the name for the 175-year-old institution, and if so, what the new name will be. The survey listed eight names for participants to choose from -- three after historical figures and five based on location. The W has been known under the current moniker since 1974. Roughly every 35 to 55 years, the university has seen a name change. University president Nora Miller said after 48 years -- 40 of which the university has admitted men -- it is time to change to a more inclusive name. The MUW naming task force worked with Love Communications, a full-service marketing and communications agency out of Salt Lake City, Utah, to build the survey. Miller said more than 39,000 surveys were sent out, and there were roughly 4,300 responses. Those who took the survey could click multiple categories on how they identified, such as alumni who are also MUW employees, so the total number of responses is more than the total number of participants. Prospective students chose solely based on geography with their three top options as University of Northern Mississippi, University of Eastern Mississippi and University of Central Mississippi. |
| $4M gift to support construction of new Ole Miss alumni center | |
 | The University of Mississippi will construct a new alumni center on the footprint of the current one with the help of a recent $4 million gift from the Triplett Foundation. Named for the late Jackie and Faser Triplett, of Jackson, the Triplett Foundation is managed by their children: Chip Triplett, of Ridgeland; Diane Holloway, of Nashville, Tennessee; Suzy Fuller, of Greenwood, South Carolina; Liz Walker, of Jackson; and Lou Ann Woidtke, of Madison. Faser Triplett, a past president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, made a major gift to the university in 1993 in support of the Alumni House, and the building was renamed the Triplett Alumni Center in his family's honor. Now, the Triplett Foundation's $4 million donation will be the lead gift to support new construction for the $30 million project. "It is a continuation of my parents' legacy because they felt strongly about a place for the alumni to gather, and the alumni meant so much to my father, as he attended Ole Miss," said Chip Triplett, who attended Ole Miss for two years before finishing at Belhaven College. |
| Oxford development success has very little to do with Lane Kiffin | |
 | Economic development success in Oxford and Lafayette County has less to do with how many wins Lane Kiffin had in 2022 or Mike Bianco will have on the baseball field in 2023 than you might think. So says Jon Maynard, president and CEO for the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation. But make no mistake, Maynard, Kiffin and Bianco all have an approach for success that revolves around analytical, evidence-based and almost sabermetric approaches. Oxford and Lafayette County's economic development successes have been on the rise for more than two decades. While Madison County may tout a Nissan plant or a new Amazon facility or while the Golden Triangle touts a new steel plant that will break ground in the near future, Oxford's biggest employer is and will always be the University of Mississippi. And the sharp rise in enrollment over the past 20 years has spurred growth both residentially and from an economic development standpoint at stunning rates. "Things are going phenomenally here," Maynard said. "But they have been going that way for a long time." That success doesn't come from just industrial recruitment or industrial growth like most traditional economic development plans. "We are more about growing from the inside out," he said. "The economy here is very strong, and we have been on this course for about 30 years." When the organization was founded in the early 1990s, the EDF went after retirees. That was the beginning of what Maynard calls People Based Economic Development. |
| USM celebrates Frederick Douglass Day by transcribing papers of noted journalist | |
 | Students, faculty and staff at the University of Southern Mississippi celebrated the life of American abolitionist Frederick Douglass Tuesday by helping to transcribe the papers of a 19th-century journalist who was one of the first African American women to edit a newspaper. A Frederick Douglass Day event was held at the Cook Library from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. It involved the transcription of letters and other papers of Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893), a journalist who was also a civil war recruiter and was one of the first black women to attend law school. Those at the library joined other students from across the world who also assisted with the transcriptions. The event was hosted by the USM Honors College, the Center for Black Studies and several other organizations. |
| 'Victorian' school dress codes may be doomed | |
 | The school dress code, a prohibitive inventory of skirt lengths and neckline depths, is under attack from students, civil rights groups and government watchdogs, who view it as an artifact of a sexist past. Women's advocates say dress codes discriminate against girls -- especially girls who are Black and Hispanic -- with seemingly endless proscriptions against garments that might reveal a female student's shoulder, midriff or thigh. After years of rising concern, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) weighed in last fall with a report that found school dress codes inherently sexist, racially biased and demeaning. Three-fifths of dress codes call for measuring students' bodies and clothing, the GAO found, "which may involve adults touching students." School dress codes date to the era of corsets and shirtwaists. They arose, scholars say, from the notion that girls should hide their bodies from boys. The case for dress codes as a boon for student safety or learning is inconclusive, at best. Yet, more than 90 percent of school districts have written policies on dress. Educators argue that a campus without a dress code will descend into anarchy. In dozens of communities, students have risen up against dress codes that seemed to hold boys and girls to different standards. Federal investigators found examples of dress-code enforcement that suggested excessive punishment for comparatively minor infractions, and administrators exercising questionable judgment toward their adolescent charges. |
| Louisiana college enrollment projected to fall drastically beginning in 2025 | |
| Louisiana is heading toward a higher education enrollment cliff as experts predict a rapid drop in college-age individuals beginning in 2025, Public Affairs Research Council Of Louisiana writes in a new research snapshot published today. The cliff is a result of a decline in U.S. birthrates that started during the Great Recession and continued during the pandemic, which also deterred students from returning to college for the fall 2020 term. Southern Regional Education Board, or SREB. data shows total student enrollment is already decreasing nationwide and in 13 of the 16 SREB states. From fall 2014 to fall 2019, college enrollment dropped by more than 620,000 students nationwide. While the enrollment dropoff will impact the entire country, not every school will see a decline. Economists expect regional bachelor's institutions will be hit the hardest, whereas elite institutions may see enrollment increases. Since colleges are highly dependent on tuition for funding, this presents a fiscal crunch for higher education in Louisiana. According to a map created by Carleton College professor Nathan Grawe, Louisiana is projected to experience a 7.5% to 15% decline in college-going students by 2029. Regionally, the Northeast is expected to see the largest decline of more than 15%, while the West is predicted to increase in enrollment by an estimated 2.5% to 7.5%. |
| How much do South Carolina colleges spend on diversity, inclusion? Some legislators want to know | |
 | Public colleges and universities in South Carolina are being questioned by some legislators about the schools' spending on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, an issue being raised by conservatives in several states. Last week, the S.C. Commission on Higher Education received an email requesting the information from the state House of Representatives, CHE spokesman Mark Swart said, though it is unclear which members of the House. Lawmakers can routinely make requests of this kind through the director of research at the Clerk's Office, which is nonpartisan. The request, which was obtained by The State, asks schools to provide the total cost of salaries and operations associated with diversity, equity and inclusion. The inquiry says the request is being made "on behalf of certain members of the House," who are not identified, and specifically notes in the first paragraph that it is not being requested by the House Ways and Means Committee, the House's primary budget-writing and spending committee. The email asks for any policy, procedure, program, training or activity that references race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. It also includes efforts related to concepts like social justice, intersectionality and gender theory, among others, which the request called "widely contested." Jeff Stensland, a University of South Carolina spokesman, confirmed that the university received the request Feb. 8. He said the university is working on a response. Clemson University's spokesman could not be reached for comment. |
| U. of Kentucky Police: Campus all clear after reports of gunshots | |
| University of Kentucky police say campus is all clear after reports of gunshots on campus. The school's alert system issued the warning just before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The alert said shots were fired near Parking Structure 1 at University Drive and Cooper Drive. Campus police also posted on social media about the report, asking people to avoid the area. UK's campus alert system said the emergency situation was over around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday. A post on the school's official Twitter account confirmed the alert was not an active shooter situation. The post also confirms there are no reports of injuries. UK Police are still investigating what happened. |
| How campus nap maps help students succeed | |
 | At least half of college students aren't getting sufficient sleep, even though many students report that this impacts their academic performance -- in addition to their overall well-being. Seeking to help students supplement the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night, numerous institutions have developed what they are calling nap maps. Among them is the University of Texas at Austin, whose public-health-oriented Longhorn Wellness Center maintains the map. The premise: when students get tired between classes or activities but can't easily go home to rest, they should be able to take a quick nap somewhere on campus. College students, of course, have long catnapped in campus libraries and elsewhere, but nap maps are intended to legitimize the practice. The Longhorn Wellness Center---which also runs a Sleep Week awareness campaign each fall, and which offers students sleep kits throughout the year (think eye masks and earplugs) -- recommends that campus naps last between 20 and 30 minutes. Ideally, students nap between the hours of 1 and 4 p.m., so as not to disrupt sleep later on. Napping options are key, says Brittany O'Malley, assistant director for prevention at the Longhorn Wellness Center. "So many of our students have such different rhythms and routines, depending on their major, their school or the college they're in. So there are some students who would look at this list and say, 'I don't even know where that [location] is.' And then others would say, 'Yes, that's exactly true.' It's such a big campus that we're on that this map gives options for everyone." |
| Southern University at forefront of agricultural innovation, U.S. agriculture secretary says | |
 | Thanks to their participation in federal initiatives, Louisiana and Southern University are at the forefront of research and development programs that are pushing the U.S. agricultural economy forward, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday on Southern's campus. Vilsack was in town along with Isabella Casillas Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, to tout federal programs intended to boost economic equity in underserved areas. U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a Democrat whose winding district covers the university, and Southern President-Chancellor Dennis Shields helped arrange their trip. Vilsack and Guzman toured the campus and met with students, faculty and small business leaders to discuss their ideas and initiatives. Following their excursion, Vilsack, Guzman and Carter held a press conference with Gov. John Bel Edwards at Southern's Donald C. Wade House to discuss the federal programs. Standing by the Mississippi River bluff at the edge of Southern's campus, Vilsack said Louisiana "stepped up" to participate in the USDA's Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, which funds research and production initiatives that lower the nation's agricultural environmental footprint. |
| Slain students were 'incredibly loved,' 'tremendous' leaders | |
 | One student was a fraternity chapter president. Another was a science student with fond memories of her days as a high-school athlete -- and the third was a frequent volunteer who wanted to become a surgeon. Family and friends mourned the deaths of three Michigan State University students killed in a Monday night shooting that critically wounded five others. The 43-year-old gunman fatally shot himself hours later when police, alerted by a tipster who recognized the suspect in photos, confronted him about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away from the East Lansing campus. All three students who were killed came from the suburban Detroit area. The names of the five who were injured have not been released. Among those killed was Alexandria Verner, a junior from Clawson, whose LinkedIn profile said she was studying integrated biology and anthropology. A 2020 graduate of Clawson High School, Verner "was and is incredibly loved by everyone," district Superintendent Billy Shellenbarger said in a statement Tuesday. "She was a tremendous student, athlete, leader and exemplified kindness every day of her life." Also killed was Brian Fraser, a sophomore who attended Grosse Pointe South High School. Fraser was president of Michigan State's chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, which said in a statement Tuesday that its members were "heartbroken." University police identified the third victim as Arielle Anderson, a junior who graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School. "As much as we loved her, she loved us and others even more," her family said in a statement. |
| 'We Have a National Crisis': How Michigan State Responded to a Mass Shooting | |
 | Campus life ground to a halt at Michigan State University on Tuesday after a man shot and killed three students and injured five others before killing himself. In the hours after the shooting, which occurred on Monday around 8 p.m. local time, the university released a constant stream of information, offered support services, and canceled classes through Friday. As those on campus continue to process the aftermath of the mass shooting, some members of the campus community reflected on their role in a nation that has struggled with the realities of gun violence. The university identified Brian Fraser, a 19-year-old sophomore; Alexandria Verner, a 20-year-old junior; and Arielle Anderson, a 19-year-old junior, as the students killed on Monday. The five injured students were in critical condition on Tuesday, and four had required surgery, officials said. Their names have yet to be released. On social media, students have described the hours they spent in lockdown -- lights off, doors locked -- staring at their phones as they waiting for more updates from the university's police department. Along with a 48-hour hold on all campus activities and athletics, the university offered crisis counseling on Tuesday morning at a nearby community center for students, staff, faculty, and their families. As the day went on, three different counseling locations were also added on campus, said Dan Olsen, the university's deputy spokesperson. Dozens of community members with expertise in trauma, and Michigan State's own personnel, provided care. |
| Michigan State University Shooting Spotlights Campus Security Efforts | |
| Colleges nationwide are tapping increasingly high-tech tools to try to prevent or respond to violent attacks, but their open gates can complicate efforts to bolster campus security, school officials and safety experts said in the wake of Monday's fatal mass shooting at Michigan State University. On Monday night, police said, 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, of Lansing, Mich., fired shots in two Michigan State buildings, killing three students and injuring five more. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound a few hours later, after being confronted by police off campus. Mr. McRae had no known ties to the university, police said. Michigan State used surveillance footage to help track down the alleged shooter, and images that police shared publicly ultimately led to a tip about the suspect. University safety officials and police leaders say the multitude of surveillance and security initiatives do help, but there is a limit to how much they can control access to or within campuses. "We aren't going to erect fortresses around our campuses," said Kristen Roman, chief of police at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "It's about finding that balance, what tools do we see as necessary, what tools do we see as reasonable, and what are the resources that campuses have to procure those and implement them." Still, in the past six months, there have been fatal shootings at or near the campuses of schools including the University of Virginia, University of Southern California, University of Arizona and Morgan State University. |
| Donations to higher ed had biggest boost in 20 years | |
| Philanthropic giving to higher education increased by 12.5 percent last fiscal year to a total of $59.5 billion, the highest year-over-year increase since 2000, according to the latest Voluntary Support of Education survey from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. In fiscal 2021, giving rose 7 percent, and the previous year it declined slightly, by less than 1 percent. The contributions went mostly to restricted endowments, primarily to fund scholarships, and to "operations with restrictions on use" -- usually research projects. Together, those areas accounted for nearly 80 percent of total giving. Sixty-one percent of charitable donations to higher ed came from organizations, 22 percent came from alumni and 16 percent came from individuals who were not alumni. CASE president and CEO Sue Cunningham said the upward trend was a sign that commitment to higher education from alumni and philanthropists alike remains strong, even as institutions face an increasingly tough array of challenges -- from the looming demographic cliff and post-pandemic enrollment dips to growing skepticism about the value of higher ed and its increasingly fraught place in political discourse. "It's incredibly good news, the impact these philanthropic resources flowing into institutions will have at a time when other revenue streams are being squeezed more and more," she said. |
| National Academies release antiracism, DEI recommendations | |
| A new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report notes some improvement in minority representation in higher education related to science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM) -- but not enough to match those groups' share in the overall population. "Despite improvements, the collective attainment of S&E [science and engineering] degrees for Black, Indigenous and Latine Americans lags behind the U.S. population, and these racial/ethnic groups remain underrepresented throughout all sectors of the U.S. STEM enterprise," the report says. "When looking into discipline-specific data within STEM from NCSES [the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics], Black, Indigenous and Latine students are better represented in behavioral and social sciences than they are in engineering and natural sciences," the report says. (The report uses "Latine" instead of "Latino" or "Latinx," saying the word "Latine" is gender-neutral while also using a last letter shared with Spanish words such as estudiante.) "I think we were really clear that, yes, you have to have increased numbers, but that's not sufficient, and that you have to break down these barriers and get at the processes, the policies and really, actually just the culture of institutions to go beyond just the simple numbers," said M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University and a member of the committee that produced the report. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves slams respected former Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: "I'd bet I hadn't talked to this dude since well before he was fired by Ole Miss," tweeted Gov. Tate Reeves. "This dude!" Really? The "dude" referred to was Dr. Dan Jones, the highly respected and much beloved former chancellor of the University of Mississippi, the university's former distinguished vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of the medical school, the accomplished physician and former medical missionary to Korea, and the recently retired director of the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research. Also, Jones was never fired by Ole Miss. The IHL Board chose not to renew his contract as chancellor in 2015 when he unwaveringly stood behind his successors at the medical center in the face of strong board intrusion into its operations. The governor issued his caustic tweet after Jones revealed a conversation he had with Reeves during his time as chancellor. |
| Republicans again a lock to control Legislature after November election | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: For a brief period in Mississippi's political past, there was suspense going into the November statewide general elections about which party would control the Legislature. For much of the state's history, though, the minority party had no mathematical chance to capture the state Legislature in the general election. And that is certainly the case now. If all the candidates Democrats found to qualify to run for state House and Senate seats won their November general elections, the Republicans still will have sizable majorities when the 2024 session begins. Eleven Democrats qualified by the Feb. 1 deadline to run for House seats currently held by Republicans. But few expect all of the Democratic candidates to defeat the Republican incumbents. It would be more likely that all would lose. ... in the current political climate with the current legislative districts, the bottom line is that while there might be some individual races of interest on Nov. 7, there will be no questions that night about which party will control the Mississippi Legislature. For decades it was the Democrats. Now it is Republicans. In Mississippi, the more things change the more they stay the same. |
| Could ballot initiative efforts sway elections? | |
| Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender writes: In Mississippi legislative parlance, there are rare issues that can "take your picture off the wall" at the Capitol. This refers to issues about which voters care so deeply that if a lawmaker doesn't do right by them, they will oust him or her in the next election. Their photo will no longer be in the framed array of the current Legislature. Monkeying with state retirees' benefits, massive tax increases -- there are only a few singular issues considered to have such statewide, grassroots gravitas. And in general lawmakers either treat them like a third rail on a subway, or else snap-to when it comes to a vote. Is restoring voters' rights to ballot initiative -- the sidestepping the Legislature and putting an issue directly to a statewide vote -- one of those take-your-picture-down issues? Some elected leaders and candidates believe so. And some recent public polling and social media outcry would appear to back them up. Some citizens groups have tried to organize members to call and write lawmakers about it. Should the Legislature fail again to restore this right, it will likely be a campaign issue in many statewide and legislative races this year. |
| Study confirms more rough waters ahead for Mississippi fishing, shrimping and oystering | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Hurricanes have pounded the Mississippi Gulf Coast often over the last half-century and most Mississippians know that score by the shorthand of the names: Camille, Katrina, Elena, Georges, Ida, Rita and too many others to remember. Then there were the environmental disasters -- the BP Horizon Oil Spill, other pollution threats, the ongoing nightmare of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, and subsequent salinity concerns in the Mississippi Sound. Sprinkle in some difficult government regulations, the impacts of massive global competition and the aging and shrinking of the Mississippi fleet of fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen (and women in all those categories) and the fishing industry in Mississippi faces catastrophic threats. Now comes the sobering but expected results of a new study requested by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources from the University of Southern Mississippi School of Ocean Science and Engineering researchers working with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. Created in 1972, MASGC is one of 34 Sea Grant programs under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Consortium members include Auburn University, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USM, and University of South Alabama. The study found that a Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority plan to divert Mississippi River waters into the Breton Sound through the Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion would essentially obliterate oyster beds in the Mississippi Sound and in doing so impact the ecological benefits of how oysters help maintain and replenish the western and central Mississippi Sound's ecosystem. |
SPORTS
| Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-Kentucky | |
| Another pivotal February matchup awaits Mississippi State men's basketball as the Bulldogs square off with Kentucky in-front of another anticipated sellout crowd on Wednesday evening at Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs (17-8, 5-7 SEC) bring a five-game winning streak, while Kentucky (16-9, 7-5 SEC) has drop back-to-back decisions after ripping off a 6-1 mark from Jan. 14 to Feb. 4. One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. State is the nation's only program to rank inside the top 11 in scoring defense (58.7 – 2nd SEC • 5th nationally), opponent field goal percentage (38.8 – 3rd SEC • 7th nationally) and steals (9.46 – 2nd SEC • 11th nationally). Historically at State, the 58.7 points per game allowed is the program's second-lowest average through 25 games in the modern era since 1955-56, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs. This year's team is only behind the 1981-82 led by Bob Boyd at 58.3 points per contest. The Maroon and White has dialed up 234 steals on a 9.4 per game clip through 25 games. Both marks are third in program history only behind the 1991-92 squad coached by Richard Williams and the SEC championship 2003-04 team led by Rick Stansbury. |
| Chris Jans happy with Mississippi State's progress ahead of Kentucky clash at the Hump | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans admits it isn't the norm for him to lavish compliments on his players a few hours before a game. So when Jans told the Bulldogs before Saturday's game at Arkansas that he was happy with their progression and where they stood, he knew it meant a lot. "You could feel the energy in the room kind of uplift a little bit," Jans said. MSU went out not long after that and won at Bud Walton Arena, taking down the Razorbacks 70-64 for the Bulldogs' fifth straight victory. Now, with another big game on the horizon, Mississippi State is in even better position as it goes for consecutive win No. 6. And Jans isn't worried about emotions getting the best of the Bulldogs when MSU (17-8, 5-7 Southeastern Conference) welcomes Kentucky (16-9, 7-5 SEC) to Humphrey Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. "These kids have proven to me that they're working. They get it," Jans said. "They understand that that's going to be there Wednesday night, and we need to do what we need to do leading up to the game to make sure we're mentally and physically prepared." Mississippi State leapt up to the top of ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's "Last Four In" column Tuesday morning after not even cracking the "Next Four Out" category over the weekend. Kentucky is currently in the "First Four Out," but it doesn't mean Jans is about to take the Wildcats lightly despite their consecutive losses to Arkansas and Georgia. |
| Pace of play an emphasis for SEC baseball | |
| Dawdling pace of play and increased game times have faced college baseball authorities for many years. The SEC will be implementing a series of steps this year and conference officials hope will quicken the pace and shorten game times. Dave Van Horn, who is entering his 21st year as University of Arkansas head coach, discussed the 10-run rule after his appearance at the Swatter's Club last week. "We actually had a 10-run rule on getaway day if there's like an issue with travel," Van Horn said. "Now they've just put it in. "I guess the way I look at it is, if I'm up nine, I'm going to try to score, try to save some pitching. If I'm getting it handed to me, if you get beat by 10, let's get ready for tomorrow and not waste any pitching. And just give some youngster a shot to go pitch in a conference game, and let's get out of here and get ready for tomorrow." The mercy rule applies to SEC games, but games against non-conference opponents can also be played with that stipulation if the opposing team agrees. According to the new SEC directives, batters must be in the box and ready 20 seconds following the conclusion of the previous play. The pitcher then must begin his motion before the remainder of the 30-second timer expires. The new mound-visit timer will begin when a coach leaves the dugout or a defensive player leaves his position to walk to the mound. After the 30-second visit, the NCAA's 20-second pitch clock will start. Mound visits that include a doctor or trainer to evaluate a medical issue are not subject to the visit timer. The pitching-change clock will begin when a new pitcher either crosses the warning track or leaves the bullpen area, depending on the location of the bullpen. |
| Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin talks SEC's new run rule | |
 | Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin spoke about the SEC's new pace of play rules Tuesday. That includes the 10-run rule, which ends games if one team is ahead by 10 or more runs after seven innings, as well as a 30-second clock between batters, requiring the batter to be ready for the pitch within 20 seconds, and a 30-second limit on mound visits. "It doesn't matter what my thoughts are (on the run rule)," Corbin said. "So that's the way it is. Just got to make sure you're not losing by 10. ... I'm all for speeding the game up. But you know, there's been situations, too. In the past, we've been part of it. North Carolina State against Clemson (in 1995). We're down by 11, top of the ninth and rallied and came back and won with two outs. So, you know, nothing's ever over in baseball, but it is what it is." The NCAA also has a new rule this year that MLB's new larger bases could be used for games in MLB ballparks if regular-sized bases were not available. Corbin said he wasn't sure if the bigger bases would be used during the team's opening tournament at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, but that the team is prepared if they are. Overall, Corbin said the timer between at-bats would have less of an impact on pitchers than hitters due to the 20-second pitch clock that was instituted in 2020. |
| SEC's four baseball clocks are a noble effort to help improve pace of play | |
| The Daily Journal's Parrish Alford writes: I never take an assigned press seat without a book. It's a habit I picked up from the late Cecil Hurt, who covered Alabama for the Tuscaloosa News with great depth and razor sharp wit for many years. It's not that I fear boredom. The games grab your attention even when not played at the highest level. Some of the most exciting plays have a touch of goofiness to make them that way. How else do you get third-and-93 in a college football game? It's baseball, though, where the book is most necessary, where lightning strikes in a distant land -- but close enough to be detected by weather watchers -- can call things to a halt even if rain never comes. The keepers of the game can't do much about rain and lightning, but they can get hitters ready in the batter's box. So when college baseball starts Friday the SEC will unveil its efforts to move things along. ... I'm not sure how much time these new measures will save, but I salute the SEC for giving it the old college try. Speeding up the game in an effort to retain and grow fan interest is a noble objective. |
| New AD John Cohen is getting used to 'Auburn Being Auburn' in the best way | |
 | In the corridor leading to John Cohen's office inside Auburn's athletics complex, there's a wall of photos of some of the school's all-time greats. Two-time Olympic gold medal women's basketball player Ruthie Bolton is the first to greet you as you make your way toward Cohen's spacious office, which until recently was designated for Auburn's head football coach. Next to Bolton is four-time MLB All-Star and World Series champion Tim Hudson, followed by three-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Rowdy Gaines. Then there's the youngest of the group -- and the only current Auburn student-athlete featured in the space -- Suni Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around gold medal gymnast. Two of the program's biggest names round things out: Heisman winner Bo Jackson and basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. Above those portraits, in big, bold lettering is the familiar refrain that for so long has been used as a pejorative when it comes to Auburn athletics: Auburn Being Auburn. It's a phrase that Cohen has worked to flip on its head since he was named the Tigers' new athletics director on Oct. 31. In the three-plus months since taking over on the Plains, Cohen has been a busy man. He oversaw a football coaching search the first month on the job, ultimately landing on Hugh Freeze to lead the program into a new era, and just wrapped up a whirlwind weekend for the athletics department. The women's basketball team hosted top-ranked South Carolina on Thursday. The fifth-ranked gymnastics team set a season high in a top-10 win against LSU, anchored by another perfect-10 from Lee. The school welcomed ESPN's College GameDay to campus ahead of the men's basketball team's rivalry game against third-ranked Alabama, which saw another packed house and raucous environment at Neville Arena. "I feel very thankful to be a part of this," Cohen told AL.com. "Every day I learn something new about the great history of this place, but I also know I feel like we have more great times ahead." |
| What you need to know about the latest NCAA legal battle | |
| The NCAA returns to a federal courtroom Wednesday to continue its fight against one of the many current challenges to its amateurism-based business model. If this slow march toward something more akin to professional sports is starting to feel to you like the equivalent of an 18-play, 14-minute drive engineered by a triple-option offense, you're not alone. The legal battles that have occupied the past several college football offseasons are tedious, repetitive and filled with a head-spinning menu of overlapping threats. It's still unclear which threat among the current options has the best chance of breaking through, but the NCAA enters this offseason looking increasingly like a defense spread thin and on its heels, hoping for some unexpected help to get a stop. Wednesday's hearing in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia is the next step in the Johnson v. NCAA case, in which several former college athletes argue they should have been paid an hourly wage like other student workers on their campuses. The NCAA contends that its business is unique and that the normal rules that determine whether someone fits the definition of an employee don't make sense for college athletes. The appellate judges will eventually decide whether the standard tests for employee status should be applied to college athletes and their schools. |
| Incoming NCAA president Charlie Baker will not relocate to Indianapolis to work at headquarters | |
 | As former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker prepares to take over as NCAA president on March 1, he is already changing the paradigm of the job in one significant aspect: He will not relocate to Indianapolis to work out of the association's headquarters. The NCAA confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday that Baker plans to maintain his residence in Massachusetts while traveling around the country to "get out and work directly with the people who make the NCAA what it is -- first and foremost the student-athletes, and the athletics administrators, coaches and conference commissioners in addition to national office staff in Indianapolis," according to a spokesperson. While not a traditional arrangement, especially given how much equity the NCAA has built in Indianapolis, where its picturesque campus and Hall of Champions has anchored the west side of downtown since 1999, it reflects the reality of the job he was hired for in replacing Mark Emmett. With Congress yet to act on the NCAA's pleas for national legislation governing a host of issues including name, image and likeness, the presumption around the industry is that Baker will spend a significant portion of his time in front of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., which is viewed as far more important to the future of college sports than being a day-to-day presence in Indianapolis. |
| Fatal shooting leaves Michigan State athletics in 'fluid situation' | |
| Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller spent Tuesday focused on the mental health and well-being of Spartans athletes in the immediate aftermath of a Monday night on-campus shooting that killed three and injured five. But the school also is beginning the process of planning for its athletic teams to return to competition. The Spartans' men's basketball team had its scheduled Wednesday game against Minnesota postponed in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. No makeup date has been announced. As of Tuesday evening, the school had not postponed any scheduled events past Wednesday. That means the men's basketball team is currently slated to return to the floor Saturday against Michigan, although a school release cautioned that "this is a fluid situation and information is subject to change." Michigan State canceled all classes through the end of the week and the campus was closed on Tuesday. "We are all devastated following the tragic events of Monday night," Haller said in a statement. "First and foremost, our heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the students who were taken from us much too soon. And our prayers are with those still fighting for their lives in the hospital. The focus for the athletic department today has been the mental health and wellness of our student-athletes and staff. All across campus, different units are doing the same to make sure everyone is getting the resources they need." |
| New Mexico State fires men's basketball coach Greg Heiar | |
| New Mexico State fired first-year men's basketball coach Greg Heiar on Tuesday, days after the school canceled the remainder of the Aggies' season upon learning of hazing allegations involving players on the team. Dan Arvizu, the chancellor of the New Mexico State University system, made the announcement in a letter addressed to the school community. Arvizu said athletic director Mario Moccia informed Heiar of the decision Tuesday afternoon. "As I've stated previously, hazing has no place on our campus, and those found responsible will be held accountable for their actions," Arvizu wrote in the letter. "I am committed to the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community, as well as to the integrity of our university." Arvizu said the university "will work to ensure we fully understand what happened here" through an "expansive review and full investigation." Heiar, 47, and his coaching staff had been placed on paid administrative leave Friday, when the university first announced that the Aggies' game Saturday at Cal Baptist had been canceled and the season had been suspended. Heiar's firing comes three months after NMSU forward Mike Peake shot and killed a University of New Mexico student in what police called self-defense. Both the school and the Albuquerque district attorney have launched separate investigations after coaches and staffers were found to be in possession of multiple pieces of potential evidence in the shooting, including the gun, after the incident. |
| Fake pro, college sports memorabilia worth millions seized | |
| More than 600 fake championship rings for professional and collegiate sports were confiscated by law enforcement agents last week during a raid of a South Carolina memorabilia store, officials said. The haul seized from Kirk's Collectibles had an estimated retail value of about $15 million and included phony rings for the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, Stanley Cup and unnamed NCAA sports, according to Shannon Wiley, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Secretary of State. No arrests have been made in an investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and no information has been provided about possible suspects. "Whether it's a fan losing their hard-earned money on a fake item they were led to believe was authentic, or small businesses losing vital sales, intellectual property theft is a real crime with real victims and real financial impacts," said Ronnie Martinez, a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's investigative arm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Federal, state and local officials raided Kirk's Collectibles at an upstate mall on Feb. 8. The hoard includes 157 Super Bowl rings, 83 NBA Finals rings, 99 World Series rings, 29 Stanley Cup rings and 251 NCAA championship rings for unnamed sports, Wiley said. The shop also sells nonsports memorabilia, according to its website. |
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