| Friday, March 3, 2023 |
| LINK looks for new megasite options | |
 | The Golden Triangle Development LINK is working with Lowndes County leaders to develop a fifth megasite in the region, LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins said Thursday. Speaking to Columbus Exchange Club at Lion Hills Center, Higgins told those in attendance the new megasite "Cinco" will take years to plan and execute. A megasite is a large swath of land, usually more than 1,000 acres, dedicated to industrial developments for several companies to build and operate on. The megasite program is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, other megasites in the Golden Triangle are home to Yokohama, Paccar, Airbus and Steel Dynamics. Higgins explained that early site selection is critical to garner major industry players like Aluminum Dynamics, which chose to locate an aluminum flat-roll mill at its last available site on 2,200 acres in west Lowndes County adjacent to Golden Triangle Regional Airport. While presenting, Higgins did not hide his critiques of the East Mississippi Community College Communiversity's ability to attract students. The campus opened in 2019 to serve as a secondary job training school for area industries. Though he said the campus is doing better than in the past and will "naturally improve" as more jobs are needed. "We were talking with them some months back and they said they had 11 days in a month that no students were in there other than staff," he said. However, EMCC is now partnering with Mississippi State University on several grant projects to put more students in its classrooms. |
| Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart | |
 | Back in 2012, Michael Skvarla was running to a Walmart in Arkansas for milk when he spotted a huge insect on the side of the building. Its wingspan was nearly two inches across. Mr Skvarla studies insects, so he took it home -- and forgot about it. But in 2020, he showed it to his students in class. They realised it was something far more rare than expected: A giant lacewing. He'd found a bug that hasn't been seen in eastern North America for 50 years. Mr Skvarla, now director of Penn State University's Insect Identification Lab, recently co-authored a paper about the discovery, made when he showed the bug to students in an online class. That wide wingspan was the clue that led Mr Skvarla and his students to spot, mid-lecture, what they'd found. Mr Skvarla's giant lacewing marks the first time the species has ever been discovered in Arkansas. It "suggests there may be relic populations of this large, Jurassic-Era insect yet to be discovered," he says. That Arkansas Walmart is located in the Ozark Mountains. The area is under-studied but could be a biodiversity hotspot, say Mr Skvarla and his co-author J. Ray Fisher of Mississippi State University. |
| Big bug on Fayetteville Walmart may be relic or hitchhiker | |
| A large, winged insect was plucked from the facade of a Walmart Neighborhood Market in east Fayetteville in 2012. Michael Skvarla, a graduate student in entomology at the University of Arkansas, said he didn't know what he had at the time. He went about his shopping with the bug between his fingers. He took it home, mounted it and forgot about it for almost a decade. In 2020, while teaching a class via Zoom, Skvarla realized the insect from his private collection that the class was studying was a Polystoechotes punctata, also known as a giant lacewing. It was the first giant lacewing recorded in eastern North America in over 50 years -- and the first record of the species ever in Arkansas, Skvarla and J. Ray Fisher wrote in a recent paper for the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Fisher lives in Rogers and also got his Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He's a research entomologist for Mississippi State University who works remotely from the UA campus in Fayetteville. Fisher said the reference in the news release to the giant lacewing as a "Jurassic-era insect" is a bit of a stretch. He said it's one of about 60 species with an evolutionary lineage that can be traced back to a common ancestor that originated in the Jurassic. Ashley Dowling, a UA professor who served as Skvarla's major adviser, said some media outlets had blown things out of proportion by going with "Jurassic insect" headlines. |
| 'What Is This Thing?': How a Jurassic-Era Insect Was Rediscovered in a Walmart | |
 | It took the Covid-19 pandemic and a class held on Zoom for the entomologist to give a long-forgotten insect specimen another look. With the world in lockdown in the fall of 2020, Michael Skvarla, an assistant research professor at Penn State University, turned to his private collection, the two cabinets full of insects he kept at home, to show students how to compare insect characteristics. He unearthed for the camera-connected microscope a specimen he had found back in 2012 clinging to the outside wall of a Walmart in Fayetteville, Ark., and asked students to examine the characteristics of the antlion, a dragonfly-like predator. Except that this bug, with its nearly two-inch wingspan, was way too big to be an antlion. Dr. Skvarla and his students compared features, quickly concluding, live on Zoom, that it was another species that was thought extinct in eastern North America. The giant lacewing, or Polystoechotes punctata, is a large insect from the Jurassic Era. It was once widespread, but mysteriously disappeared from eastern North America sometime in the 1950s. The specimen found at the Walmart represents the first recorded in eastern North America in more than half a century, and the first ever recorded in Arkansas. In a peer-reviewed study published late last year by the Entomological Society of Washington that has only recently been publicized, Dr. Skvarla and a co-author, J. Ray Fisher of Mississippi State University, speculated that the insect could have disappeared with growing light pollution, too little fire smoke (which historical records suggest they like) and the introduction of non-native predators to the region. |
| Buyer backs out at old CURiO complex | |
| A 62,000 square-foot industrial facility on Lynn Lane is back on the market. Castle Properties, owned by Mark Castleberry, backed out of a deal to purchase the building from Starkville Community Church late last month. The shuttered church is now looking to the Golden Triangle Development LINK to help market the property. SCC has owned the property for nearly 20 years and leased a portion of it to candle manufacturer CURiO. The church began negotiations in July 2022 to sell the property to Castleberry, who in turn was given the right to negotiate a new lease with CURiO. The church closed in November to merge with Calvary Baptist to form Bridgeway Church on North Jackson Street. On Feb. 15, CURiO announced it could not come to terms with Castleberry and would cease operations at the Lynn Lane facility by the end of the month and lay off at least 27 employees. Castleberry said the CURiO issue was among the reasons he opted to pull out of the property purchase. "It was a factor, but it was also not the only factor," Castleberry said. "I'll just stop it at that. I can't buy everything. And we are looking at several other things." Church officials have been reaching out to The LINK for help, and while LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told The Dispatch he is still playing "phone tag" with former pastor Joseph Horan -- who is now co-pastor at Bridgeway -- he sees some promise in the site. |
| Huntington Ingalls, Ocean Aero announce partnership to advance unmanned maritime platforms | |
| On Thursday, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Ocean Aero announced a strategic agreement to advance the combined capabilities of their respective unmanned maritime platforms and autonomy software solutions. While HII is headquartered in Virginia, one of their primary shipyards is located in Pascagoula, Mississippi. It is the nation's largest military shipbuilder with nearly 43,000 total workers and boasts a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security. HII is also the preeminent unmanned underwater vehicle manufacturer and a pioneer in the UUV industry, continuously producing REMUS vehicles since the early 2000s. Ocean Aero is headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi. The company notes that is proudly 100% made in the U.S.A. and has solely American investors. It features a team of nearly one hundred people. Both companies are unmanned solution providers. The two recently commenced multiple, simultaneous efforts to enhance the operational reach and duration of the platforms, collaborative autonomy behaviors, shared sensor fusion and perception capabilities, and accelerated seabed-to-shore data transmission methods. |
| Mississippi legislators pass bill decriminalizing the use of fentanyl test strips | |
| A bill that would remove fentanyl test strips from being considered paraphernalia has passed in both chambers of the Mississippi legislature. House Bill 722, which was authored by Representative Christopher Bell, states that "'paraphernalia' does not include any materials used or intended for use in testing for the presence of fentanyl or a fentanyl analog in a substance." Lawmakers in the House approved the bill with a 117-0 vote in late January, with the Senate passing HB 722 on Thursday with a vote of 51-0. Dr. Katherine Pannel, who serves as medical director at Right Track Medical Group, explained that the passing of the bill will help Mississippians get easier access to the test strips. "You can continue to get them on Amazon or other places, but what this does now is allow Mississippi to get federal funding for these test strips so they'll be free to the public," Pannel said. "They'll be found in community-based health centers like health departments and other health systems. People can actually go and access them, learn how to use them properly, and while they're there, get other resources for substance abuse treatment." The legislation comes as cases of fentanyl overdoses become a rising epidemic not only in the state but across the nation. |
| Mississippi passes bill restricting electric car dealerships | |
 | The Mississippi Senate gave final approval Thursday to a bill to restrict electric car manufacturers from opening new brick-and-mortar dealerships in the state unless they comply with the same laws traditional carmakers follow. The legislation, introduced in the House by Republican Rep. Trey Lamar of Senatobia, now heads to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who has not indicated whether he will sign it. On the Senate floor Thursday, the bill sparked an intraparty debate among GOP lawmakers. Opponents said it would betray conservative principles by setting a government policy that interferes with the automobile market and would stop electric carmakers from bringing new technology and jobs to the state. Proponents said the law would ensure all car manufacturers, regardless of their business model, play by the same rules. Tesla sells vehicles in person at one facility in Mississippi that is classified as a store, not a dealership. The distinction allows the company to operate outside state laws governing franchise businesses. This exception, and the prospect of other electric companies taking advantage of it, gives these manufacturers special privileges that traditional automakers don't enjoy, according to Republican Sen. Daniel Sparks of Belmont. |
| Bill that could prevent electric car companies from setting up shop in Mississippi passes Senate | |
 | A bill that could keep the electric car industry from expanding its footprint in the state of Mississippi is now one step away from becoming law, after passing the Mississippi Senate on Thursday. House Bill 401, which had both bipartisan support and opposition, would clarify the state's franchise laws to say that car companies cannot operate their own dealerships and must instead work with franchisees. That would directly conflict with the business model used by electric car companies like Tesla and Rivian. Tesla's existing location in Brandon is grandfathered in and could continue to operate, but the company could not expand its footprint. Electric car companies could open dealerships in Mississippi if they were willing to change their business models. That said, in a January interview, Rivian's Senior Policy Advisor Beau Whiteman said the company is not going to switch to a franchise model, meaning if Gov. Tate Reeves signs the bill into law, Rivian will effectively be barred from opening a dealership in Mississippi. "Customers in Mississippi will just have to go without a physical presence, and it's to their own detriment," Whiteman said. Sen. Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, indicated that he has had conversations with Tesla officials about potentially opening a second brick-and-mortar location on the Gulf Coast, but that this bill becoming law would stop them from doing so. |
| Mississippians look back fondly on Jimmy Carter's life, relationships, faith | |
 | It was one of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's most enduring victories, and a Mississippian had a hand. Former Mississippi Rep. David Bowen helped complete the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1978 that gave the nation of Panama eventual control of the Panama Canal. Many Mississippians intersected with Carter and are now remembering President Carter since it was announced on Feb. 21 that he had entered hospice care at age 98. Bowen, who is now 90 and lives in Jackson, remembers the Panama Canal victory well. "It was a huge victory," said Bowen who grew up in Cleveland and then went on to Harvard before coming back to Mississippi and becoming a congressman from 1973-1983. "I really worked very closely with President Carter during that time. And now the Panama Canal is still a thriving place. History looks back positively on that achievement." He remembers last seeing Carter at a book signing at Lemuria Books a few years ago and Carter instantly remembering him and letting everyone know his involvement in the Panama Canal treaty. Bowen is also honest in his opinion of some of the perceived failings of the Carter presidency, including an economy that had high inflation as well as the Iran Hostage Crisis. "Not all of that is in the president's control, but when you are president, it comes with the territory," Bowen said. |
| Ex-wrestler pleads guilty again in Mississippi welfare fraud | |
| A former pro wrestler pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge related to misspending of welfare money that was supposed to help needy families in Mississippi, one of the poorest states in the U.S. Brett DiBiase faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for his plea to conspiracy to defraud the federal government. He pleaded guilty in December 2020 to a state charge of making false representations to defraud the government. State sentencing was delayed, and DiBiase has been cooperating with state and federal investigators looking at others in the case, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens said. Owens and Mississippi Auditor Shad White announced DiBiase's federal guilty plea. "I applaud our federal partners for continuing to pursue federal charges for each and every individual responsible for stealing from Mississippi's most needy and vulnerable citizens," Owens said Thursday. "This case is far from over and both the state of Mississippi and the U.S. government will continue to pursue all those involved in this fraud, regardless of their position or standing." |
| Local newspaper owner claims Clarksdale mayor offered him $30K to fire publisher | |
| A local newspaper owner is accusing Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy of bribing him $30,000 to fire an employee at the Clarksdale Press Register. Wyatt Emmerich of Emmerich Newspapers revealed on an episode of The Gallo Show earlier this week that Espy offered him the bribe after Press Register publisher Floyd Ingram wrote a story on Clarksdale city officials giving themselves raises just days after being reelected. "Now, he's on a jihad to get rid of a very competent publisher in Clarksdale and even personally offered to pay me $30,000 if I would fire him," Emmerich said. "I don't think that's ever happened to me in my 35 years as president of Emmerich Newspapers." According to Ingram's article, Espy and other city officials held a secret executive session in July 2021, voting to raise their salaries by around 40 percent. The meeting resulted in the mayor's salary being upped to $122,421 while city commissioners were given pay increases of $20,000. In total, the raises cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars. Now, several years later, Espy has started publicly boycotting the newspaper, calling Ingram "evil, wicked, and racist" over social media. "What he's mad about is he can't run Clarksdale like his own personal fiefdom, so he's trying to use race and label our paper as racist in order to basically trick the people," Emmerich continued. "This is the guy who's called a boycott against our paper, because we report when someone gets murdered in Clarksdale. It's absurd." |
| Lawmakers offer contrasting views on how to compete with China in science | |
| Is investing in research the best way for the United States to compete with China, or would imposing additional sanctions to prevent the rival superpower from stealing U.S. technology be a better strategy? This week, two committees of the U.S. House of Representatives debated those two approaches to dealing with the increasingly tense U.S.-Chinese relationship. Speaking hours apart during hearings on 28 February, Representative Frank Lucas (R–OK), the new chair of the House science committee, and Representative Mike Gallagher (R–WI), who leads the new House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), agreed that the United States can't afford to lose the technology race with its chief economic and military rival. But Lucas and most Democrats on both panels think the best way for the United States to prevail is to run faster, by providing more funding for research and for training the skilled workforce needed to turn that research into new technologies. In contrast, Gallagher and his Republican colleagues on both panels generally oppose investing more in research and favor hobbling China through trade and other sanctions designed to hinder its access to U.S.-made technology. Lucas said the science committee chose China as the topic of its first hearing since Republicans regained control of the House because of the threat its investments in technology pose to the nation. |
| How Biden leaves wiggle room to opt against reelection bid | |
| President Joe Biden exudes confidence as the next race for the White House approaches. During last month's State of the Union address, he lured unruly Republicans into agreeing with him that federal entitlements should be protected. He's intensified travel outside Washington, trumpeting job-creation in Wisconsin and steep federal health care spending to Florida seniors while touting a trillion-dollar public works package that he says can do everything from revitalize Baltimore's port to easing train tunnel congestion under the Hudson River. And he used spy-thriller tactics to sweep into war-scarred Ukraine. For most presidents, these are powerful elements to include as the centerpiece of a reelection campaign -- pledging to protect people and the economy at home and democracy in the heart of Europe. But with the famously fickle 80-year-old Biden stopping short of officially declaring his 2024 candidacy, he's leaving just enough room to back out of a race and focus instead on using such moves to cement his legacy. "I look at Biden from the outside, as a historian, and say, 'Boy, if he stepped away now, his place in history is secure and extraordinarily positive,'" said Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "That's how a normal person thinks about these things. That's not how a president thinks about these things." Those close to Biden insist he's not legacy shopping and that he will announce a campaign, likely after the first quarter campaign fundraising period ends this month. |
| DOJ rejects Trump claim of 'categorical' immunity from Jan. 6 lawsuits | |
 | The Justice Department urged a federal appeals court Thursday to reject former President Donald Trump's sweeping claim of immunity from a slew of civil suits stemming from his actions and statements on Jan. 6, 2021. "The United States respectfully submits that the Court should reject that categorical argument," DOJ lawyers wrote in a 32-page brief submitted by acting Civil Division chief Brian Boynton. It was a rare nod by the department to the limits of presidential immunity from lawsuits. Longstanding court precedents protect presidents from civil litigation related to actions they take in their "official" capacity. But determining when presidents toggle between their official duties and their political ones -- which are often blended and unclear -- is complicated, and courts have typically avoided drawing bright lines. DOJ on Thursday similarly urged a three-judge appeals court panel to avoid drawing such distinctions, even as it asked the court to dismiss Trump's sweeping interpretation of his own immunity. "Those are sensitive questions of fundamental importance to the Executive Branch, and this unusual case would be a poor vehicle for resolving them," Justice Department attorney Sean R. Janda wrote. Notably, in a footnote, the department seemed to allude to an ongoing criminal special counsel investigation of Trump, emphasizing that the agency's opinion about Trump's potential civil liability had no bearing on pending criminal matters related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. |
| Nursing prospects get hands on insight at MUW | |
 | Mississippi University for Women is well known for its nursing program. Some high school students were able to get a closer look as the staff hosted its annual navigating to nursing program on Thursday. Nearly 200 juniors and seniors from 19 different high schools made their way to the MUW campus. Nursing school faculty say they've held this program for years and it's helped get the attention of prospective nursing students. Brantley Carter is now a student at the W studying nursing, but just three years ago she was one of the high school students walking those halls. "I do tell all of the students when they come through, yes I came here when I was in high school, you'll do this, I love doing this, or I learned this. The facility is very nice, the skills are nice, and the teachers are always there to help even if I wasn't a student here yet the mother-baby unit was honestly my favorite seeing a baby being born and hearing all the details is great," said junior nursing student Brantley Carter. Students spent about 15 minutes in different parts of the nursing building doing hands-on activities that the nursing staff feels will pique their interest even more. "These opportunities include anything ranging from simulation to other interactive activities such as administering medications and exploring other interactive activities for speech and language pathology, and health and kinesiology," said professor of nursing Dr. Mary Helen Ruffin. |
| MUW hoping to attract next generation of nurses | |
 | Mississippi University for Women (MUW) is hoping to attract the next generation of nurses. A special event on Thursday gave hundreds of local high school students a look at the various fields within the medical profession. It was sponsored by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. More than 150 students from local high schools participated in interactive stations to get a feeling of being a nurse. Students rotated stations throughout the afternoon, including CPR, giving them a full feel of different medical professions. "This allows those students to engage in healthcare activities and provide that hands-on activity," Professor Mary Hellen Ruffin said. "This helps to solidify their idea of which nursing profession and which healthcare profession they would like to choose to enroll in." |
| Spellers arriving today for Saturday's state bee | |
| The state's best spellers from second to eighth grade are making their way to the Friendly City tonight for some friendly competition Saturday morning. For the second year in a row, Columbus is hosting the Mississippi State Spelling Bee, and 40 spellers from all across the state will compete beginning at 10 a.m. in the Nissan Auditorium at the Mississippi University for Women. The state champion and runner-up will both qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., because of money raised by the community. "Our community has really done a wonderful job becoming part of the bee and supporting it," said Lois Kappler, state bee coordinator. "We're approximately at $20,000 that has been fundraised, and that will cover the expenses of getting the spellers to Washington, D.C. Also it costs us about $10,000 to put the bee together because $6,500 of that is the filming expense to broadcast it across the state in April." Spellers arrive in town tonight and will hear from last year's state winner, Jessica Widodo from Starkville, about her experience at the national bee and how she prepared. On the morning of the bee, spellers will rotate stations to prepare for their time on stage. Stations will vary from learning from Miss Mississippi Emmie Perkins about stage presence and handling nerves to talking about rules and practicing their first introductions with counselors. |
| Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab launches new mental health podcast | |
 | The Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab released the first episode of "The Mayo Podcast" on Tuesday, Feb. 28 as part of its initiatives to provide mental health and substance abuse resources on campus. The initiatives use methods such as contemporary media, compelling storytelling and peer-to-peer discussions to increase education. The podcast can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The foundation's namesake is Thomas Mayo, an Oxford native and University of Mississippi student who died on April 14, 2022, from fentanyl poisoning. The Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab, an addition to the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing at UM, was created to honor the late 21-year-old's life and assist those struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. David Magee, author of "Dear William," and his wife, Kent Magee, founded the Magee Center in memory of their son, William, a standout student-athlete at the University who died of an accidental drug overdose following his graduation in 2012. While the Magee Center has served students since 2019, the Mayo Lab and its use of contemporary media will attempt to reach those in the campus community that might be reluctant to walk through the physical office doors but are much more inclined to press play on a podcast. |
| Ole Miss benefit for Children's Miracle Network raises $211K | |
 | After a decade of raising money to support Children's of Mississippi, RebelTHON 2023 continued its string of successes by raising more than $200,000 over its 12-hour run Feb. 25. The University of Mississippi's 11th annual student-driven dance marathon raised $211,530 for the Children's Miracle Network hospital at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Some 1,130 students registered for the event, which took place from noon to midnight in the Ole Miss Student Union. "For the first time, every participant made a financial contribution," said Kylie Scott, a senior secondary education and public policy leadership major from Bowling Green, Kentucky, and RebelTHON president. "With this donation, RebelTHON will have contributed over $1.4 million to Children's of Mississippi." Scott said the record in donations was especially rewarding considering there was no set fundraising goal for this year. "Each year, our hope is just that we will be able to make a positive impact on the children's hospital through our fundraising efforts," she said. |
| USM's Nutrition and Dietetic programs receive accreditation renewal | |
 | March is known as National Nutrition month and the University of Southern Mississippi is continuing to educate its students on the importance of it. The Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics granted full accreditation to the university's Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and graduate Dietetic Internship through June 30, 2030, which is the maximum period allowed. However, USM associate professor Holly Huye says without this accreditation, a student cannot apply for a Dietetic internship. "We teach many different aspects of nutrition with the main three are going to be clinical nutrition, so medical nutrition, community nutrition and food service management," said Huye. Students also have to know the nutrition care process which is needed to assess patients, their disease status, their weight and food intake. "We have an active, interactive curriculum," Huye said. "Most of our classes have an associated lab with them. For example, in our food service management courses, we have an introduction to basic food prep principles and so that is done in our magnificent lab here." Currently, 53 students are enrolled in the bachelor's degree nutrition and dietetics program, while another 20 students are enrolled in the DI program. |
| Jackson State University President placed on leave | |
| The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has placed Thomas Hudson, President of Jackson State University, on administrative leave with pay, effective immediately, and named Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony as temporary acting president of JSU at its meeting held today in Jackson, effective immediately. Dr. Hayes-Anthony currently serves as Chair and Professor, Department of Journalism and Media Studies, at Jackson State University. "We are grateful that Dr. Hayes-Anthony has agreed to serve as Acting President," said Tom Duff, President of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. "As alumnus and long-time administrator and faculty member at the university, she understands the campus, its students, its challenges and opportunities." Dr. Hayes-Anthony has served as chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Jackson State University since 2015. The Board of Trustees will discuss the future leadership of Jackson State at its regular Board meeting later this month. |
| Belhaven University Announces New School of Nursing Dean | |
| Dr. Johnnie Susan Wijewardane has been named the new dean of Belhaven University's School of Nursing, following the retirement of Dean Dr. Amy Rex Smith. Wijewardane, Ph.D., Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Family Nurse Practitioner Board Certified (FNP-BC), and Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), brings 18 years of experience in nursing education at all levels, including associate, baccalaureate, and graduate education. Her most recent academic appointment was serving as inaugural dean of the Radford University School of Nursing. While there, she led a merger process of a public and private nursing school involving 755 students, 60 full-time faculty, and 50 part-time faculty. Wijewardane received her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in nursing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). She is the patient quality and safety manager for Children's of Mississippi. She previously served as professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the UMMC School of Nursing. She also held leadership positions at Mississippi University for Women (MUW) and developed their Doctor of Nursing Practice program while serving as MUW's Chair of the Graduate Nursing Department. She assumes her duties on May 1. |
| These billboards want you to know how to get abortion pills -- even if your state banned abortions | |
 | As Women's History Month gets underway, mobile billboards are visiting college campuses in 14 states with abortion bans carrying a reminder that abortion pills are still accessible all across the country. Mayday.Health, a nonprofit launched last year after legal abortions were heavily restricted or banned in 26 states, was created to provide information on where and how to safely order abortion pills. The traveling billboards are fitted with QR codes that direct people to resources specific to the state where they are hoping to have pills delivered. The process can be cumbersome to navigate -- involving forwarding mail between states, depending on abortion laws, or waiting weeks for an international prescription. "We do not pretend that they are perfect," said Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, executive director and president of Mayday. "We wish that everybody could just get these medications as easily as you can get Tylenol or Viagra in this country. Where there's a will, there's a way." Abortions have been banned in the Gulf States since last June, but access was already heavily restricted and inequities in reproductive health care overall run deep. Rural counties suffer from minimal access to health care, and maternal and infant mortality rates continue to be some of the highest in the country. "In Mississippi and Louisiana, in Alabama, in these Gulf states, we know that in these areas we're already struggling with access to care, with maternity care deserts -- that people are already struggling to get the health care they need," Lincoln said. While abortion pills remain illegal to prescribe in places with abortion bans, the Department of Justice maintains that it is legal to mail pills across state lines. |
| Audits of Covid-19 Aid for Schools Find Millions of Dollars Misspent | |
 | Millions of dollars in Covid-relief funds sent to school districts, colleges and state governments for education have been spent on questionable or potentially fraudulent expenses since 2020, federal and state auditors have found. The U.S. Education Department's Office of Inspector General examined a sampling of the spending attached to more than $280 billion in federal pandemic funds, and identified faulty awards, double payments and improper contracts, according to reports recently released by the office. The audits showed, for example, that state governments in Oklahoma and Michigan together paid out more than $36 million to schools and programs in ways that were found to be questionable. The office of the inspector general found that the federal government gave at least $1.2 million to colleges and universities that were closed, and identified duplicate grants totaling about $73 million that were awarded to colleges and universities nationwide. All of those funds have since been recovered, according to the Education Department. Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, said the findings were concerning. "If we don't make sure that that money lives up to its promise, we're shortchanging this generation," said Dr. Roza. An Education Department spokeswoman said the oversight of the funds was a work in progress. "We have worked to continuously improve the administration of the programs to meet urgent needs with appropriate accountability," she said. |
| Olivia Dunne promoted an AI tool to help with classwork. Is that tool OK under LSU's rules? | |
 | A sponsored TikTok video posted by star LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne plays into an international debate over how and when students should be able to use artificial intelligence in classwork. Dunne, who has 7.2 million followers on TikTok, posted a video on Sunday afternoon as part of a paid partnership with Caktus AI, an artificial intelligence service designed to help students automate their classwork. In the video, Dunne shows herself typing in the phrase "gymnastics is the hardest sport" and the AI tool writes out sentences based on the prompt. According to the website, Caktus AI bills itself as "the first ever educational artificial intelligence tool." Requests for comment to Caktus AI were not returned Wednesday. In a statement, LSU did not specifically address Caktus AI, but warned students to be careful with how they use artificial intelligence tools generally. "At LSU, our professors and students are empowered to use technology for learning and pursuing the highest standards of academic integrity," the statement said. "However, using AI to produce work that a student then represents as one's own could result in a charge of academic misconduct, as outlined in the Code of Student Conduct." LSU's Code of Student Conduct does not specifically address artificial intelligence, but it does prohibit plagiarism, which it defines as the "lack of appropriate citation, or the unacknowledged inclusion of someone else's words, structure, ideas, or data; failure to identify a source, or the submission of essentially the same work for two assignments without permission of the instructor." It is unclear how much Dunne made from her TikTok post about Caktus AI, but the junior gymnast from Hillsdale, New Jersey has captured college athletics' new world of name, image and likeness (NIL) profits unlike any other. |
| Gov. Sanders names Kevin Crass to U. of Arkansas board of trustees | |
| Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Thursday that she will appoint Kevin Crass to the board of trustees of the University of Arkansas. Crass will replace Charles Gibson and his term will expire on March 1, 2033. Crass was executive director of Sanders' transition team. "He helped lay the foundation for my administration to hit the ground running on day one with bold, conservative reforms that empower all Arkansans," Sanders said in a news release. "I am confident that his strong leadership, character, and experience will make him an invaluable member of the Board of Trustees." When asked why he wanted to be on the UA board of trustees, Crass responded in an email, "I have served on War Memorial Stadium Commission, UALR Board of Visitors and UAMS Foundation Fund Board. In those roles, I interacted with UA officials and Board. I also serve on Ouachita Baptist University President's Advisory Council." "I have developed an interest in supporting higher education in our state," he continued. According to the 2018 article in the Democrat-Gazette, Crass served as a personal attorney for former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is Sanders' father. Mike Huckabee and Crass became friends, hunting together and spending time with their families, according to the article. "I think the world of Gov. Huckabee," Crass said in 2018 of Mike Huckabee. "I watched his children grow up and helped them some along the way when they had issues -- nothing serious." He noted the role of Huckabee's daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was then White House press secretary for President Donald Trump. "It's tough to watch her take the criticism that she's taking," Crass said in 2018. "I just think the world of Sarah -- I watched her grow up and I know her husband and they're just good folks. They're just in a high profile position with a very difficult president." |
| Lawmakers try again to cut down the size of U. of South Carolina's board | |
 | After years of talk, the number of members on University of South Carolina's board could shrink under new state law. Bills sponsored by S.C. Sens. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, and Greg Hembree, R-Horry, shaves the 20-member board by nearly half. Both proposal hope to avoid more board controversy in recent USC's presidential searches and the resignation of a president. "It might not be this year, and it might not be next year, but there's gonna be a dumpster fire of some sort," Hembree said. The bills were discussed at a Senate subcommittee meeting March 2, three weeks after the General Assembly re-elected five embattled incumbents to the board for the state's largest college. During last year's re-election cycle, former USC board chair Dorn Smith, current board chair Thad Westbrook, Charles Williams, John von Lehe and Eddie Floyd were grilled by the Legislature for their handling of the presidential search and resignation of President Bob Caslen amid a plagiarism scandal and the $16 million buyouts to fire two head coaches. Smith came under fire from a trustee screening panel during last year's re-election after tax and voter records placed his address outside of the judicial district he represents. He also was accused of alienating two top university donors, Darla Moore and Lou Kennedy, who combined contributed over $100 million to their alma mater. The five incumbents were re-elected by the Legislature on Feb. 8 with no debate. They ran unopposed. Malloy said he thinks the re-election was not a priority for the new batch of legislators, but he has continued to hear support in the General Assembly for a changed board. |
| Texas A&M researchers provide data context after Ohio train derailment | |
 | Three Texas A&M University students spent three days last month collecting air samples after a freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, caused toxic pollutants to be released. Since then, members of A&M's Superfund Research Center and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh have worked together to analyze data from the Environmental Protection Agency and put those figures into context for public consumption. In a series of tweets posted Feb. 24, officials from the A&M Superfund Research Center said concentrations in East Palestine for nine out of around 50 chemicals the EPA reported are "higher than normal." A&M Superfund Research Center officials noted if these levels continue, especially for acrolein, they may be of health concern. "The tweets you have seen have been to put context onto the numbers the EPA has been releasing and try to provide a better explanation of where hazards may or may not be present," Ivan Rusyn, professor and director of the toxicology training program at A&M's Superfund Research Center, said Thursday. Since East Palestine is on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, Rusyn said the Superfund Research Center's partnership with Carnegie Mellon and its proximity to the incident provided an opportunity to send its mobile sampling unit to do granular-type and both spatial and temporal data collection. This led the three A&M students in the toxicology program in the school of public health -- graduate students Mariana Saitas and Ruby Hernandez and senior Lyssa Lossa -- to travel to the East Palestine area from Feb. 19-21. |
| Texas A&M University System bans diversity statements from job applications | |
| Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp has directed leaders of its 11 universities and eight agencies to stop asking job candidates for statements about their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in their applications. Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott's office sent a letter to public universities and state agencies saying that DEI hiring practices violated federal and state employment laws and barring them from hiring on factors "other than merit." Legal experts have said the governor's office mischaracterized the legal practices employers use when considering diversity in their hiring. Sharp said Thursday he directed all A&M system universities and agencies to review their employment and admissions practices. He said he is standardizing hiring practices systemwide by limiting faculty and staff applications to a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statements on research or teaching philosophies and professional references. "No university or agency in the A&M System will admit any student, nor hire any employee based on any factor other than merit," Sharp said in a directive sent to university leaders Thursday. Universities and system agencies were also directed to make sure websites and printed materials related to employment and admissions practices reflect these changes. Texas A&M University has not considered race in student admissions since 2003. Last week, the University of Texas System announced a pause on future DEI initiatives and called for all universities in the system to review their DEI policies. |
| Doctors' organization protests at U. of Missouri over using animals for emergency medical training | |
 | Using pigs to train emergency medical residents at the University of Missouri, then killing them, is a practice that is cruel and no longer makes sense, said Kerry Foley, a retired emergency medical doctor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The organization staged a protest Thursday in front of Memorial Union, holding signs reading "MU Stop Killing Animals" and "Modernize Medical Training." A large banner read: "President Choi: Spare animals, improve medical training." Human simulators work better for training than pigs and pigs are good for only one use, Foley said. "We feel that this is unnecessary and cruel and also, in my opinion, sub-par training," said Foley, who practiced in the Washington, D.C. area, including at Georgetown University Hospital. MU is one of only eight of the 277 emergency medical residency programs in the country that continues to use live animals for training, she said. MU rarely uses pigs to train emergency medical residents, said MU spokesman Christian Basi. "We have a world-class training center that is used for a large part of our emergency medical training," Basi said. There are rare instances when the simulation isn't sufficient and around six pigs each year are used for the training. Handling live tissue provides a better training experience, Basi said. |
| 'Hard to do': Flowers removed after Michigan State shooting | |
| Students and staff on Thursday removed countless flowers that have been placed at key campus sites in honor of three students killed at Michigan State University. The flowers will be turned into mulch for the eventual planting of a memorial tree, the university said. Flowers and signs have been left at Berkey Hall, where two students were killed on Feb. 13, and at the MSU Union, where one student died, as well as at the campus Rock and the Spartan Statue. "Other items will be preserved by MSU Archives and the MSU Museum," the university said. Five students also were wounded during the mass shooting. "It's hard to do this," said Chris Hewitt, operations coordinator at the MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center. "You read a lot about shootings on campus, but you don't think about the whole having-to-clean-up process," Hewitt told The Detroit News. "It's literally our job to clean up campus, and this is something that was going to happen." A senior, Emma Holfer, cried near the statue as she explained why she volunteered. "I thought it would just be a good thing to do in remembrance of everyone," she said. |
| Bill banning diversity, equity offices in Utah higher education is converted into study | |
| A bill that would have banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices and officers in Utah higher education has been converted to a study instead. Lawmakers voted Monday to send the issue to the interim Education Committee for further study. The vote came after discussion that the bill would be unnecessary, although SB283 sponsor Sen. John Johnson, R-North Ogden, filed a new version of the bill to make it a topic of study. Johnson said the original bill's wording was "quite a bit strong" and that it is "way too harsh" to just cut off diversity, equity and inclusion offices. "What really brought this on with me is we're spending over $11 million a year on these programs across the state," Johnson said. "The real question is where are the benefits? And we have to have a robust discussion about the cost of this versus the benefit." Utah System of Higher Education spokeswoman Trisha Dugovic said the office couldn't confirm the $11 million figure since it does not track spending on diversity, equity and inclusion. "Though the board is focused on DEI within its strategic plan and works with institutions to advance those efforts, each institution is independently responsible for their DEI budgets," Dugovic said over email. Public commenters stressed that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts do benefit students. University of Utah President Taylor Randall pointed to racial and socioeconomic disparities whose impact ranges from health and housing to graduation rates and education access as something the study will help shed more light on. |
| As Colleges Focus on Quality in Online Learning, Advocates Ask: What About In-Person Courses? | |
 | As colleges' online catalogs grow, so too has the push to develop standards of quality for those courses. But are in-person classes getting the same attention? If you ask many online-education advocates, the answer is "no." And the solution, many say, is for colleges to adopt standards and policies that set consistent expectations for quality across all courses, whether they're remote or in a classroom. While decades of research and the pandemic-spurred expansion of online learning have helped demystify it, and build confidence in its efficacy, these advocates say the misconception lingers that remote education is inherently lower in quality than instruction in the classroom. And that stigma, they say, puts a magnifying glass to online ed, while largely leaving in-person classes to business as usual. "To think through all of our college experiences, we have all been in large lecture classes" with minimal to no contact with a professor, said Julie Uranis, senior vice president for online and strategic initiatives at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. In other words, an in-person class doesn't necessarily guarantee more student engagement and instructor support. "But for some reason, that bar is higher for online." Some college administrators can attest to this. When accreditors ask institutions to prove that all of their courses are equally rigorous, colleges' interpretation of that instruction has often been to "show that online courses are up to the standard of" in-person courses, "not the other way around," wrote Beth Ingram, executive vice president and provost of Northern Illinois University, in an email. |
| K-12 enrollment lagged projections by 2% in 2021, revealing college pipeline cracks | |
| The number of students in public K-12 schools in fall 2021 fell 2% below projected levels, meaning about 833,000 fewer seats were filled and a higher education sector already bracing for an enrollment cliff now faces heightened risks. Reports of students struggling in class amid the COVID-19 pandemic could also foreshadow the number of high school graduates falling more sharply after 2025 than was previously expected, according to a new report from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Enrollment changes reflect some students shifting to homeschooling or private schools. But they also show particularly deep pandemic effects for several traditionally underserved racial and ethnic groups. The K-12 pipeline's health has been a top concern for colleges since the pandemic started disrupting education in 2020. Struggling students today can mean lower high school graduation rates in the future --- and most colleges overwhelmingly depend on high school graduates to build each fall's incoming class. WICHE has become a go-to source of K-12 enrollment data and projections for college leaders who want to understand what future years are likely to bring. Its previous projections showed high school graduates peaking in 2025 and becoming much more diverse. That prompted institutions to brace for what's sometimes called the enrollment cliff or demographic cliff. Some admissions officers and equity advocates reject those terms, arguing colleges should be able to overcome topline declines in the number of high school graduates by reaching students they have not traditionally enrolled in large numbers, such as low-income and non-White students. |
| Microcredentials confuse employers, colleges and learners | |
 | Reskilling. Upskilling. Certificates. Certifications. Badges. Licenses. Microcredentials. Alternative credentials. Digital credentials. So many terms. So little agreement on what they mean, least of all in higher ed. "Employers say, 'It's great that this individual has these skills, but we'll ask our own questions to verify the learner's knowledge,'" Kyle Albert, assistant research professor at the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy, said. "It's a trust-but-verify situation." Nonetheless, demand in the large, growing microcredential market is strong, but learners also struggle to make sense of offerings. By one count, the United States is home to more than one million unique educational credentials, which represents a more than threefold increase since 2018. (Some are offered by nonacademic providers.) "Digital credential options are fairly easy to find on the internet where websites describe the curriculum," Albert said. "But some [learners] say that they click on the first few that come up ... and they rely on anecdotal reviews on Reddit, Yelp or Indeed.com," given the largely absent data and analysis on program quality. And colleges struggle to deliver what employers want. Three studies on alternative credentials were published recently, and all point to employers', colleges' and students' confusion about microcredentials. But there is good news, too. Abundant nomenclature aside, all parties appear eager to work together to deliver or pursue quality, verifiable, bite-size, low-priced, nondegree online offerings targeted to specific industries. |
| College is still worth it, research finds -- although students are growing skeptical | |
| Ben Kirkhoff, a high school senior at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota, knows that a four-year college degree isn't for him. Even though his parents have a college savings account for him, he said money is still a factor. "I don't want to put myself and my family in a lot of debt." Instead, Kirkhoff, who is 17, will attend Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minnesota, next fall to become an electrician. The two-year program feeds into an apprenticeship and then a full-time position. "I'll have a job right out of college and I know I'll have a lot of job opportunities moving forward," he said. His parents support his decision to pursue a certification in a skilled trade rather than get a bachelor's degree, he said. Although Kirkhoff is the only one of his friends who decided against a four-year school next year, more high school students nationwide are questioning the value of college. For decades, research showed that earning a degree is almost always worthwhile. Bachelor's degree holders generally earn 75% more than those with just a high school diploma, according to "The College Payoff," a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce -- and the higher the level of educational attainment, the larger the payoff. However, some experts say the value of a bachelor's degree is now fading as college costs remain high and a shortage of workers increases opportunities in the labor force -- with or without a diploma. |
| SAT, ACT testing requirements paused during pandemic are now permanently optional at some colleges | |
 | Some of the oldest universities in the nation are axing SAT and ACT testing admissions requirements for incoming undergraduate students -- permanently. Columbia University will be the first in the Ivy League college to go test optional indefinitely, it announced this week, making permanent a change ushered in during COVID. The College of William & Mary made a similar announcement, emphasizing that students can still submit test scores if they want to, but they will no longer be required. Columbia said the university has "designed our application to afford the greatest possible opportunity and flexibility for students to represent themselves fully and showcase their academic talents, interests and goals." In a similar vein, the College of William & Mary said they made the decision after three-year pilot program they called "highly effective." They came to the decision after a "review of data, consideration of evolving trends in college admission and consultation with a faculty advisory committee." The move comes after a slew of colleges went test-optional, allowing students to skip submitting SAT or ACT scores during the pandemic. Some universities had begun to dial back on those policies, while the announcements from Columbia and William & Mary take the opposite approach. The announcements coincide with increased scrutiny of the College Board. |
| Legal fight over student debt a prelude to political battle | |
| Facing the possibility that the Supreme Court will reject President Joe Biden's plan for student loan forgiveness, the White House is aiming to turn the political heat toward Republicans while deflecting criticism from disappointed borrowers. At stake is the loyalty of young, college-educated voters who are a critical part of the Democratic coalition that Biden is counting on to return him to the White House for a second term. And plenty of people are making sure he doesn't forget. "The president still has the responsibility to ensure that we see this become a reality," said Wisdom Cole, national director of the NAACP Youth and College Division. "There are folks that are still suffering, and we want to ensure that they have the opportunity to see relief." White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday the president would make it clear to borrowers that "we have your back," but it's far from clear that the administration has a backup idea to cancel debt. "We do not have another plan," she told reporters. "This is our plan. This is it." In arguments this week, the court's conservative majority appeared deeply skeptical of Biden's plan, which would slash federal student loan debt burdens through an executive order he signed last year. Survey data suggest a college degree is increasingly tied to identification with the Democratic Party. Forty-one percent of Democratic voters in 2019 had at least a college degree, up from just 22% in 1996, Pew Research Center surveys show. By comparison, 30% of GOP voters in 2019 had a degree, up slightly from 27% in 1996. Biden won support from a majority of college-educated voters in the 2020 presidential election, according to AP VoteCast data. |
SPORTS
| With winning streak in hand, Mississippi State gears up for Frisco College Baseball Classic | |
| This weekend, the Mississippi State baseball team will face Oklahoma, the 2022 Men's College World Series runner-up. But the Sooners might not even be the best squad the Bulldogs will face. A hot-starting California team and an Ohio State roster featuring an ace will also stand in MSU's way at the Frisco College Baseball Classic, which will be played from Friday to Sunday at Riders Field in Frisco, Texas. Winners of three straight, the Bulldogs (6-3) will meet Ohio State (3-5) at 6 p.m. Friday. Mississippi State and Oklahoma (4-4) square off at 1 p.m. Saturday, and MSU closes the event against Cal (6-1) at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Bulldogs will hope to build on their three-game hot stretch, which began with a series win over Arizona State at Dudy Noble Field last weekend. On Tuesday, Mississippi State orchestrated a late-game comeback to beat No. 25 Southern Miss, 10-9 in what coach Chris Lemonis said afterward was decidedly a rivalry game. "Some people say it's not a rivalry. In baseball, it is," Lemonis said. "We've got some great baseball teams in our state. That's a really well-coached team." Now, MSU leaves the Magnolia State for the first time, heading eight hours west to play in Frisco, a city north of Dallas. |
| Mississippi State baseball switch pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje gets Friday night start | |
| Mississippi State baseball will move one of the sport's most interesting players into its Friday night pitching slot when it travels to Texas this weekend for the Frisco College Baseball Classic. Ambidextrous freshman Jurrangelo Cijntje will start against Ohio State, having impressed in midweek action against Louisiana-Monroe last Wednesday. First pitch is 6 p.m. and it will be streamed on D1baseball.com. Cijntje, who can switch between his right and left arm depending on who's in the batter's box, tossed four shutout innings against the Warhawks in a Bulldogs win, striking out seven and allowing three baserunners. He also contributed a scoreless relief outing against VMI on Feb. 19. Graham Yntema will retain his spot as the Saturday starter against Oklahoma after coming into the rotation last week, while Landon Gartman will remain the Bulldogs' Sunday starter against California to close out the weekend. |
| The Snowman Returns To Starkville | |
| Mississippi State will once again host The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial tournament on March 3-5. This year's field features Dartmouth, Abilene Christian and Murray State. The Bulldogs (12-4) have never played Dartmouth or ACU, and the last time they met the Racers, Wilcox was a member of the team. While she did not play against Murray State in 2018, the Racers were in Starkville for the previously-named February Freezer tournament that now bears her name. Wilcox did play in two games in that event. Dartmouth will be just the second Ivy League team that MSU has ever played. The Bulldogs defeated Columbia, 12-4, in 2012. Mississippi State is the winner of six straight and eight of its last 10 heading into the tournament. The Bulldogs are among the top 30 teams nationally in on-base percentage, scoring, walks, triples per game and strikeout-to-walk ratio. All MSU games will be streamed on SEC Network+. Admission to all games at Nusz Park is free. Fans in attendance on Friday will receive teal Strike Out Cancer t-shirts. Wilcox passed away from her battle with ovarian cancer in the summer of 2018. Her courageous fight inspired the softball community nationwide, and she was the first female student-athlete in MSU history to have her jersey retired. |
| No. 13 seed Texas A&M upsets No. 5 seed Mississippi State at SEC Tournament | |
| First-year Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell still firmly believes his team is NCAA Tournament worthy. But that doesn't make Thursday feel any better. No. 5 seed Mississippi State made just one field goal in the second quarter Thursday afternoon against 13th-seeded Texas A&M, flipping what was a six-point Bulldogs lead into a seven-point halftime deficit. After scoring 10 points in the first quarter alone, senior forward Jessika Carter found herself in foul trouble and played a combined five minutes in the second and third quarters. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter but cut the deficit to three on a layup from guard Debreasha Powe. But, as was the case all afternoon, the Aggies responded with a dagger, this one a 3-pointer from McKinzie Green, as Texas A&M upset Mississippi State 79-72 in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. "Ultimately at the end there, we fought like no other, but it just wasn't enough," Purcell said. "We will take this. I still believe we are an NCAA tournament team." The Bulldogs now await their postseason fate, though Purcell and his players seem confident they'll be on the right of things when the brackets are released on March 12. |
| Why Sam Purcell believes Mississippi State women's basketball belongs in March Madness | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell has a taste for Whitney Houston this time of year. He dreams of her hit "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" playing as balloons fall from the rafters and confetti shoots onto the court to celebrate success in March. Those sights and sounds will be reserved for a conference foe in this year's SEC Tournament after Mississippi State was one-and-done following Thursday's 79-72 loss to No. 13 seed Texas A&M. However, Purcell doesn't think his team's season is over yet. Despite the Quadrant 3 loss in Greenville, South Carolina, Purcell expects the Bulldogs to be called on Selection Sunday. "I still think we're an NCAA Tournament team," Purcell told reporters postgame. According to ESPN's projection from Tuesday, he's right. Mississippi State was off the bubble as a No. 9 seed. Purcell's confidence in the Bulldogs making March Madness for the first time since 2019 stems from his trust in the committee to look at the season's entire body of work. Mississippi State has Quadrant 1 wins against Tennessee and Alabama along with four Quadrant 2 victories. The loss to A&M comes with a pair of regular-season wins against the Aggies. It's the lone non-Quadrant 1 loss for Mississippi State. |
| SEC the 'Best conference in the country'? Sam Purcell confident after first season in league | |
| Sam Purcell was confident in his judgment of the competition in the SEC after his first season as coach of Mississippi State women's basketball. "This is the best conference in the country," Purcell said after the Bulldogs were upset Thursday by No. 13 seed Texas A&M in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Mississippi State (20-9) tied for fifth in the regular season in Purcell's first year. He came to Starkville after nine seasons as an assistant coach for Louisville. But the Bulldogs fell 79-72 to Texas A&M at Bon Secours Wellness Arena after the Aggies (9-19) erased an early deficit and became the lowest seed to win a second-round game in the SEC Tournament. The Aggies are much better than their record suggests. Freshman star Janiah Barker missed 10 games due to injury and, since her return, Texas A&M has been a much more competitive team. Purcell called her the difference-maker Thursday, despite only scoring seven points. "That stretch when they were losing games early, they didn't have her," Purcell said. "A lot of credit to them for not quitting, getting better as the year went on, and now you're seeing a team that is getting hot at the right time of the year. Unfortunately we had to face them tonight." The upset was an example of the depth of the SEC and how competitive every game is. |
| No. 18 MSU Opens SEC Slate With Win Over No. 19 Florida | |
| No. 18 Mississippi State started off Southeastern Conference with a bang on Thursday, taking down 19th-ranked Florida 5-2 inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion. The win bolstered the Bulldogs' record to 12-1 on the year and marked their second victory over a top 20 opponent this spring. It also gave MSU its first win over the Gators since the semifinals of the 2018 SEC Championships. "Today was a little bit of the fruit of us practicing and believing in ourselves and pushing each other," said head coach Matt Roberts. "We say 'sharp teeth' because of our grittiness and determination. That's just where we're at right now. It's been a lot of fun. The culture of this team right now is the best vibe we've had since the Nuno Borges teams when we won the SEC Tournaments." State's first win of the match was even more historic. Petar Jovanovic and Gregor Ramskogler defeated Nate Bonetto and Tanapatt Nirundorn 7-5 to push Ramskogler into the top spot in the Bulldog annals with his 61st career dual match doubles victory. Ramskogler, a graduate from Austria, has teamed with 11 different doubles partners during his record-setting career. "It obviously feels really, really great," Ramskogler said. "I've had a few partners along the way that were definitely part of the journey. You don't win doubles alone so shout out to all of my partners." The Bulldogs will now try to extend their seven-match winning streak as they travel to their 59th-ranked instate rival Ole Miss on Saturday at 1 p.m. |
| Bulldogs Host Kentucky To Open Up SEC Play | |
| Mississippi State women's tennis host Kentucky to start off Southeastern Conference play at 4 p.m. on Friday. The match will mark the 46th contest between the two teams. The Bulldogs won the last meeting in the series with a 4-1 victory over the Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky on April 17, 2022. No. 69 Bulldogs currently hold a 10-1 overall record after beating Belmont and Alabama A&M on Feb. 10. The next three matches were set to take place in California but were cancelled due to inclement weather. Maria Rizzolo, ranked 69th nationally, enters the match on Friday with a 5-2 record. The sophomore downed Alabama A&M's Camila Ruiz Diaz 6-1, 6-0 during her last outing. Emmanouela Antonaki has amassed a 9-1 record so far during dual match play this season at the No. 1 singles position. Antonaki sits atop of the MSU record for career singles wins with 93. Kentucky, ranked 58th nationally, is currently 5-3 overall having downed Purdue 4-3 on Feb. 17. |
| U.S. Women's Swimming champion advocates for Women's Rights Bill | |
| An NCAA swimmer, who competed against a transgender woman, is on a crusade for each state to adopt a Women's Bill of Rights. If you have young daughters participating in sports, Riley Gaines wants them only competing against other girls born female. The twelve-time NCAA All American swimmer was in the capital city to advocate for a Women's Right's Bill. Thursday, the 22-year-old spoke to at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy luncheon promoting the bill that would define what a woman is. Nearly a year ago, she lost the NCAA Division 1 swimming championship to transgender athlete Lia Thomas. "When I finally got there we were competing against a male who was 6′4″, still fully intact with male genitalia which we had to share a changing space," said Gaines. "And this was a swimmer when swimming three years on the men's side at U Penn was ranking 462 at best." Thomas' win was criticized by some competitors. In response, Thomas said, "Trans women are a very small minority of all athletes. Trans women competing in women's sports does not threaten women's sports as a whole." The University of Pennsylvania swimmer's participation in the sport prompted legislation across the country to prohibit transgender people from competing in women's athletics. Governor Tate Reeves just signed House Bill 1125 into law, banning gender affirming care for transgender young people. "I don't want to erase women as a category, which seems to be a trend for today," added Gaines. |
| L.S.U. Buoyed by Trash-Talking, Shot-Swishing Angel Reese | |
| The crowds of fans waiting for autographs and selfies after Louisiana State women's basketball games have gotten so large that the team has been traveling with a police officer. On a squad full of personalities, the main attraction is Angel Reese, who is known around Baton Rouge as the Bayou Barbie. A 6-foot-3 forward from Baltimore, she is writing her name in L.S.U.'s record books and is among the leading candidates for national player of the year. In the team's regular-season finale, the largest home crowd of them all, 15,271 fans -- a record for either men's or women's basketball at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center -- saw Reese notch her 27th double-double of the season. She did it by the second quarter. After the Tigers closed out their victory over Mississippi State, Shaquille O'Neal, one of the most recognizable former L.S.U. players, met her on the court. It was just the latest banner moment in a season full of them for Reese, who transferred from Maryland before the season and has become the leading player for one of Division I's top teams. As she is swatting shots, snatching rebounds and craftily banking in scoop layups, she is playing the Baltimore way. "I feel like that's what separates me from a lot of players, that I have that dog mentality and I always want to go out there and win and I'm very passionate about that," Reese said in a phone interview last week. "So whoever's in front of me, I'm going to go get it, and I'm going to talk trash to you the whole entire game, and that's that." The only team to hold Reese below a double-double, and the only team to beat L.S.U. so far this season, was No. 1 South Carolina, the reigning national champion. The teams can meet again on Sunday, in the SEC title game, if they both win their first two tournament games. |
| UGA closes Stegeman Coliseum indefinitely after ceiling piece fell | |
 | The University of Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum is closed until further notice after a small piece of the ceiling fell on Wednesday, the school said late Thursday. Nobody was hurt, but Friday night's gymnastics meet against Arkansas was moved to Gas South Arena in Duluth at 2 p.m. Sunday. The repairs required "immediate attention," the school said. "Safety is the University's top priority, and the building will remain closed until the necessary repairs have been completed," UGA said in a statement. "We do not know how long that will take at this time. The university has begun notifying groups that have reserved the coliseum and has advised them to find alternate locations." UGA's Terry College graduate and undergraduate convocations are May 11-12 there, according to the UGA online events calendar. UGA's Graduate Commencement is also May 11 in Stegeman. Stegeman Coliseum opened in 1964 with two separate structures -- a roof and building beneath it connected by aluminum bellows. The venue seats 10,523 and by 2017 it had undergone more than $20 million in renovations over previous years. |
| ACC's Jim Phillips: FBS commissioners support rule changes to shorten games | |
| All 10 FBS commissioners are unanimous in their support for three proposed rules changes that are being discussed this week and aim to shorten the length of college football games, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told ESPN on Wednesday. College football leaders are meeting this week in Indianapolis where they are considering changes that include running the clock after a first down is awarded, except in the last two minutes of either half; eliminating the option for teams to call consecutive team timeouts; and carrying over any fouls to the next quarter instead of finishing with an untimed down. "Even if it's at a minimal amount, it's going to reduce the number of impact plays," said Phillips, who is the chair of the NCAA's "Game Length" subgroup. "It should help with the length of the game. I think these are noncontroversial, I really do, and I hope we'll be able to move them through and they should be a part of the '23 season." Steve Shaw, NCAA football secretary rules-editor and officials coordinator, told ESPN on Tuesday that the combined changes are estimated to shorten the average length of games by seven to eight minutes and eight plays. Phillips said there has been a focus over the past several months on identifying the best ways to reduce impact plays as college football prepares for a 12-team playoff beginning in 2024. |
| Former Auburn kicker weighs in on NCAA's proposed change to 'icing' rule | |
 | Anders Carlson made his share of big kicks during his five-year run as Auburn's starting kicker, but the second-leading scorer in program history couldn't recall ever getting iced by an opposing team. The only time Carlson attempted a game-winning kick was in 2020 against Arkansas, when his go-ahead 39-yard field goal with 7 seconds left lifted Auburn to a 30-28 win -- one that was mired in some controversy after Bo Nix's attempted spike that was ruled intentional grounding but could have also been a fumble. Even on that attempt, the Razorbacks didn't call a timeout before Carlson lined up for the kick. "I think it's a pretty cool part of the game," Carlson said Thursday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Carlson reiterated that he couldn't recall a team ever trying that during his kicking career, but he vividly remembers Auburn executing the consecutive-timeout strategy last fall against Mississippi State. After the Tigers erased a 21-point first-half deficit and staked a 33-30 lead late in the fourth quarter in Starkville, Miss., the Bulldogs quickly got down the field and within range to attempt a game-tying field goal in the final seconds. Mississippi State kicker Massimo Biscardi lined up for a 44-yarder with 29 seconds left when Auburn called a timeout. Biscardi drilled the first attempt, which didn't count. He lined it up again, and Auburn again burned a timeout, hoping to ice him as his second try sailed through the uprights. On the third attempt, with Auburn out of timeouts, Biscardi tied the game at 33-33. The game wound up going to overtime, with Mississippi State holding on for a 39-33 win. |
| Nick Saban Not a Fan of Three Schools the SEC Might Make Alabama Play Under New Format | |
| Nick Saban has never been accused of backing down from a challenge. For years, the Alabama coach has argued the SEC should play more conference games. He has agreed to beef up the Crimson Tide's nonconference schedule -- starting in 2025, the program will have two Power 5 non-SEC opponents on the schedule each season for a decade. He has been the loudest champion of playing more high-profile matchups more often. That, Saban says, isn't changing. However, amid the SEC's internal debate over a future scheduling format, Saban wants more balance and equity than what has been proposed by league administrators in a nine-game model. "I've always been an advocate for playing more [conference] games," Saban says. "But if you play more games, I think you have to get the three fixed [opponents] right. They're giving us Tennessee, Auburn and LSU. I don't know how they come to that [decision]." For a year now, SEC officials have been discussing a divisionless eight- or nine-game conference scheduling format with Texas and Oklahoma moving to the SEC from the Big 12 in 2024. In the eight-game format, teams will play one permanent opponent and seven rotating teams. In the nine-game format, teams will play three permanent opponents and six rotating. SEC athletic directors and presidents are expected to explore the issue more this month and make a decision in the coming weeks. While the league seemed split on the issue last year, many officials are moving more in the direction of a nine-game format. |
| Aflac launches new campaign with Mike Krzyzewski, Dawn Staley | |
| Mike Krzyzewski and Dawn Staley will be the headliners in the newest Aflac "GOATS" advertising campaign, which will build off of the initial success generated by Colorado football coach Deion Sanders and Alabama football coach Nick Saban. The latest spots anchored by the retired Duke men's basketball coach and Staley, the championship-winning women's basketball coach at South Carolina, will run throughout March Madness. Aflac is in its third year as an NCAA partner and official supplemental insurance company. The Columbus, Ga.-based business plans to activate on the ground in Dallas, site of the NCAA women's basketball Final Four. Aflac CMO Garth Knutson, in an interview with SBJ, addressed the move of its activation dollars from the Men's Final Four to the Women's Final Four this season in Dallas: "Like a lot of sponsors who over-activate at the Men's Final Four or they spend all of their activation at the Men's Final Four, we're part of that group. But there has been a lot of attention placed on the disparity between the men's and women's Final Four. In our first two years, we didn't do anything about it. We activated on the ground at the men's event, like most sponsors did. So, we decided that we were going to do everything we could do to change that. We struck a long-term deal with Coach Staley and we'll continue to look for opportunities like that." |
| At New Mexico St, a meltdown that runs beyond basketball | |
| Of all the troubling video made public over a year of crisis at New Mexico State – from the brawl involving basketball players to the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old, allegedly by one of those players, to the police interviews with the coach afterward – one 42-minute log of footage might best explain how the school is in the mess it is today. In that video, captured on police body cam, an officer is interviewing the university's $500,000-a-year chancellor, Dan Arvizu, and his wife, Sheryl Arvizu. The officer had been called to the couple's house to resolve a dispute that came out of Sheryl's suspicion her husband was having an affair with a staff member at New Mexico State. Dan Arvizu denied the affair. Sheryl Arvizu ended up being booked into jail on a battery charge that was later dismissed. Officials at the school's Office of Institutional Equity looked into the allegations for possible conflict-of-interest issues, though there was no report filed. During these fraught days at New Mexico State, where the once-treasured men's basketball program has been shelved for the season after that fatal shooting and a gruesome allegation of locker-room hazing, the Arvizu police video is a reminder of who is ultimately responsible at a university that has, in many eyes, become unhinged in areas well beyond basketball. The Associated Press spoke to more than a dozen people affiliated with the university, many of whom expressed deep concerns with leadership at the school. Some said they did not want their names used because they feared retribution. |
| Alabama president remains conspicuously silent in wake of Brandon Miller gun revelation | |
| Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel writes: The University of Alabama has stated that it was a "group decision" to allow Brandon Miller to continue playing for the Crimson Tide basketball team in the wake of the revelation that Miller transported a teammate's gun to a shootout in a crowded student bar district that left a young mother dead. In truth, it was a single person's decision, or should have been: university president Stuart Bell. Bell is the one in charge. Bell, not a basketball coach or an athletic administrator, is the one who is entrusted with the stewardship of the entire university, not merely getting the Crimson Tide to its first-ever Final Four. Yet we haven't heard a word from Bell about the Miller decision or any other aspect of the basketball team's role in the Jan. 15 shooting on a Tuscaloosa street corner, just steps from campus. Jamea Harris, 23, was killed that night. It's sheer luck that the tragedy didn't extend to other victims, notably innocent Alabama students who could have been caught up as at least 11 bullets were fired. Instead, the school appears more than content in repeatedly sending basketball coach Nate Oats to talk, even though he's proven ineffective, if not incapable, of handling such a serious issue. Bell has been nowhere to be found. ... The decision to carry on without pause or consequence has stunned college athletics, enraged Harris' family and no doubt caused concern among at least some Alabama students and parents who may not share the program's win-at-all-costs, reputation-be-damned ethos. |
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.
