| Wednesday, April 12, 2023 |
| Robots take over plaza at Mississippi State University | |
 | Tuesday morning, three robots took over the plaza in front of Mississippi State University's Colvard Student Union. These robots, piloted by faculty and students, were part of MSU's kickoff event for Research Week, a week filled with demonstrations to highlight "research that matters" to the public and to undergraduate students thinking about pursuing research opportunities in the future. "We're trying to expose them to the opportunities," said James Carskadon, research editor for the MSU Office of Public Affairs. "... Everything that we are doing is geared towards how we can make the world a better place, at the local level, state level, national level, and international level. There's about $300 million in research activity every year at MSU." Md Mehedi Farhad, a PhD student working with MSU's Information Processing and Sensing Lab, demonstrated the IMPRESS Bully robot to passing students. This robot, with a Boston Dynamics base that moves like a dog, tended to draw the most eyes. Farhad showed how he could make it walk, dance and bow to the crowd. But even more impressive than the robot's movements was its purpose. Farhad said IMPRESS Bully is designed to work alongside a NASA project to map soil moisture using satellite photos around the world."From the satellite, they map the moisture content of the soil around the world," Farhad said. "But in a vegetation area, like a forest, they have some difficulties measuring the soil moisture because the signal is coming from the soil and the vegetation. ... So we need to know the effect of the vegetation on the signal." |
| Camp helps disabled swimmers overcome their fears | |
| Makyah steps foot in the deep end of the swimming pool for the first time. The cool water surrounds him and he is more than a little nervous. The Ohio native, a 25-year-old high-functioning person with Down syndrome, has feared the water all his life. He is overcoming that fear with the help of iCan Shine, a nonprofit that hosts recreational skills camps for people with disabilities. With pool noodles under his arms, Makyah wades further into the water. Soon he is floating on his own. The witnesses are touched and inspired by the display of courage before them, but perhaps none more so than Makyah's instructor, Georgia Starr -- a Columbus native and Mississippi State University student who works for the nonprofit. "He was very nervous and he was not happy," Starr told Rotary Club of Columbus members Tuesday at Lion Hills Center. "By the end of the week and after lots of encouragement, and lots of courage by Makyah himself, we got him in the deep end floating on noodles by himself." iCan Shine offers three skills camps -- biking, swimming and dancing -- for people with disabilities. Starr on Tuesday was promoting the upcoming swim camp at MSU, the first to be held there. She got the idea for the camp after she started working for the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit last summer. |
| Rising Mississippi River may threaten local economies, agriculture | |
 | After months of low water levels, the Mississippi River now has the potential of having too much water, complicating the transportation of grain, soybeans and other crops on the river. The Mississippi River is an important avenue for delivering agricultural products from farms in the central U.S. to ports around the country and world. For example, the river carried 93% of the cereal grain between Illinois and Louisiana, compared to 6% by rail, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Water levels along the Mississippi were low in the fall and prevented many barges from easily transporting goods down the river. Levels are rising now but to a point where it may introduce other complicating factors. Water levels along the Mississippi River near Memphis are more than 21 feet, which is nearly a foot higher than where they were in April 2023, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Higher water levels lead to a faster and more dramatic river current, according to Mike Steenhoeck of the Soy Transportation Commission. "When you're talking about 15 barges all latched together, and you're pushing it from behind, that becomes a very tricky endeavor when you've got really high degrees of current," Steenhoeck told FOX Weather correspondent Nicole Valdes. "That can be quite, quite dangerous." |
| Inflation eased in March but prices are still climbing too fast to get comfortable | |
 | Inflation cooled last month, thanks in part to falling gasoline prices, but the rising cost of services such as travel and restaurant meals continues to stretch people's pocketbooks. The consumer price index for March was 5% higher than a year ago, according to a report Wednesday from the Labor Department. That's the smallest annual increase since May 2021. Price hikes have continued to ease since hitting a four-decade high last summer, but inflation is still running more than two-and-a-half times the Federal Reserve's target of 2%. "Inflation remains too high, although we've seen welcome signs over the past half year that inflation has moderated," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this week. "Commodity prices have eased. Supply-chain snarls are being resolved. The global financial system has generally proven quite resilient." The latest inflation reading comes three weeks before the Fed's next policy meeting, where officials are widely expected to raise interest rates by another quarter percentage point. The Fed's effort to curb inflation has been complicated by turmoil in the banking industry, following the collapse of two big regional banks last month. Since the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, other lenders have grown more cautious about extending loans. That acts like an additional brake on the economy, amplifying the Fed's own rate hikes. Fed policymakers will have to weigh the uncertain effects of those tighter credit conditions in deciding how much higher interest rates need to go. |
| Mississippi state revenue collections continue to climb | |
| Total state revenue collections in Mississippi continue to outpace legislative sine die estimates. With three months still remaining in the current fiscal year, the state has brought in over $600 million in additional revenue than was projected by lawmakers. According to the March 2023 state revenue report, total collections for the month were $77,234,695, or 16.84% over the sine die revenue estimate for the fiscal year. Total year-to-date collections came in at $601,866,349, or 12.86% over estimates. While March general fund collections were $26,942,203 or 4.79% below the FY 2022 actual collections, fiscal year-to-date total revenue collections through March 2023 were $368,868,439, or 7.51% above the previous fiscal year. The final FY 2023 sine die revenue estimate was set at just under $7 billion. So far this fiscal year, Sales, Individual, Corporate, and Gaming taxes are currently above last year's revenue totals. However, Individual income tax for the month was down by $28.7 million and Corporate taxes were down by $9.1 million. In the final days of the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers set the FY 2024 state budget at nearly $7.6 billion representing the largest state supported funding in Mississippi's history. The current FY 2023 ends on June 30 and FY 2024 begins July 1, 2023. |
| Gov. Reeves approves bills aimed at strengthening Mississippi's cybersecurity | |
| Governor Tate Reeves has signed two bills aimed at strengthening Mississippi's cybersecurity efforts and countering Chinese technological threats. Reeves approved Senate Bill 2853 on Tuesday, which prohibits state agencies from purchasing small, unarmed aircraft systems or drones manufactured by foreign entities, including China. He also signed SB 2140, or the National Security on State Devices and Networks Act, which restricts the download, access, or use of prohibited technologies on state-operated networks. Reeves attributed his decision to the rising concerns about how Chinese-owned drone companies have potentially stored and transferred data that could be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party and other foreign government entities. The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services will be responsible for establishing the restrictions and will maintain an updated and publicly available list of the prohibited technologies on its website. |
| Mississippi trying to bring archaic rape, sexual assault kit laws 'into this century' | |
 | The Legislature recently sent two bills to Gov. Tate Reeves' desk that are aimed to help sexual assault victims achieve justice and modernize the state's criminal definition of rape. House Bill 485, authored by House Judiciary A Chair Angela Cockerham, I-Magnolia, creates a timeline for how medical groups and law enforcement agencies are required to process sexual assault kits. "I'm very happy with how the bill turned out," Cockerham said. "It will help a lot of sexual assault victims and help prosecute more people." The legislation states if a medical employee uses a kit to collect evidence from a sexual assault victim, they are required to contact law enforcement within four hours of gathering the evidence. The police are then required to collect the kit within 24 hours of a medical employee contacting them. Police must either store the kit in a refrigerated space within two hours of receiving it or transport it directly to the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory, commonly called the state crime lab, for processing. Law enforcement groups must deliver all kits to the state crime lab, which is under the purview of the Department of Public Safety, within seven days after receiving it. Forensic workers at the crime lab must process the kit within 60 days of receiving it from the police. The new process, which will go into effect Dec. 1 if the governor signs the legislation into law, marks a notable shift in how state and local agencies will handle sexual assault kits and interact with sexual assault victims. |
| Blue slip process Sen. Hyde-Smith used to block federal judge began as an effort to preserve Jim Crow | |
| The "blue slip" process Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is using to block the nomination of Scott Colom of Columbus to the federal judiciary began under a previous Mississippi senator who used the process to discriminate against Black Americans. Starting in the 1950s, U.S. Sen. James Eastland of Mississippi was the first Senate Judiciary Committee chair to use the process to allow a single home-state senator to block a presidential nominee to the federal bench. Eastland used the process to block federal judges from being appointed in Southern states sympathetic to school desegregation, according to multiple accounts detailed in news stories and scholarly research articles. A broad range of groups agree on Eastland's role in the blue slip process. In 2017, during his time as Senate Judiciary chair, conservative Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, wrote, "For the vast majority of the blue slip's history, a negative or unreturned blue slip did not stop the Senate Judiciary Committee from holding a hearing and vote on a nominee. In fact, of my 18 predecessors as chairman of the committee, only two allowed home-state senators unilateral veto power through the blue slip. The first to do so, Sen. James Eastland (D-Miss.), reportedly adopted this policy to thwart school integration after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education." Various progressive groups are calling for current Judiciary chair, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, to stop allowing the blue slip process to be used to block judicial nominees. |
| New Pressure to End Old Senate Practice After Mississippi Judicial Pick Is Blocked | |
 | Democrats hoped they were on the verge of a judicial breakthrough last month when President Biden nominated a Baton Rouge lawyer for a U.S. District Court vacancy and the two Republican senators from Louisiana offered no objections. Getting Republican senators to sign off on Biden nominees in their home states has been a struggle, slowing the Democratic drive to fill as many judicial slots as possible. Democrats saw negotiations that led to the selection of the nominee from Baton Rouge, Darrel Papillion, as a sign that they could fill seats in red states without changing longstanding rules and prompting a potential procedural war. Then last week, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Republican of Mississippi, served notice to the Judiciary Committee that she would not allow the nomination of Scott Colom, a candidate for a court vacancy in the state, to move forward, citing his past political support from the left, among other reasons. Her stance endangered the confirmation of Mr. Colom, a popular Black Democratic state prosecutor who had the backing of Roger Wicker, the other Republican senator from the state, as well as leading Mississippi Republicans including two former governors, Haley Barbour and Phil Bryant. Her objections surprised and frustrated Democrats who said she had not raised them before despite her knowledge about a nomination initially made last October. The Republican senator's position served as the last straw for liberal judicial advocacy groups that have been clamoring for Senate Democrats to quit honoring the more than century-old "blue slip" process for district court vacancies. |
| Republicans facing a reckoning later this week | |
 | Republicans are openly distressed about the prospect of losing younger voters over their stances on abortion, firearms and democracy. By week's end, their challenges on those three fronts could grow worse. Days after a mass shooting in Louisville, Ky., many declared and undeclared 2024 candidates will be brandishing their Second Amendment bona fides at the National Rifle Association's annual leadership forum in Indianapolis. From there, a number of the candidates will travel south on I-65, where they will make their cases to Republican National Committee grandees for a gathering in Nashville -- the site not only of another mass shooting, but also the state GOP-led ejection of two Black Democratic lawmakers last week. The cattle calls in Indiana and Tennessee, on the books for months and aimed at reaffirming core principles for the party, come at a moment when there are growing questions from within about its direction. Inside the party's headquarters, there has been recognition that Republicans need to change their message on abortion with pollsters arguing for a more moderate tack. And among some committee members, there is a belief that the GOP's image could be bolstered if it lessened its strident opposition to gun safety measures, especially among a group of voters who are just engaging in national politics. |
| White House says veterinary drug, fentanyl mixture an 'emerging threat' in US | |
 | The U.S. has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an "emerging threat" when it's mixed with the powerful opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine. The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation Wednesday, the first time the office has used it since the category for fast-growing drug dangers was created in 2019. Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the drug policy office, said xylazine (pronounced ZAI'-luh-zeen) has become increasingly common in all regions of the country. It was detected in about 800 drug deaths in the U.S. in 2020 -- most of them in the Northeast. By 2021, it was present in more than 3,000 fatalities -- with the most in the South -- according to a report last year from the Drug Enforcement Administration. "We cannot ignore what we're seeing," Gupta said. "We must act and act now." Xylazine was approved for veterinary use in 1971. Sometimes known as "tranq," it's been showing up in supplies of illicit drugs used by humans in major quantities in only the last several years. The drug causes breathing and heart rates to slow down, sometimes to deadly levels, and causes skin abscesses and ulcers that can require amputation. Withdrawal is also painful. |
| Biden to remake U.S. auto industry with toughest emissions limits ever | |
 | As part of his fight against climate change, President Biden is attempting to transform the U.S. auto industry from Washington -- first with carrots, now with sticks. On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed two sets of new rules limiting emissions for all vehicles, ranging from passenger cars to tractor-trailers. The most aggressive of several options the EPA will consider could lead to 67 percent of all new passenger car and light-duty truck sales being electric by 2032, the agency said. Such rules would be the most aggressive emissions restrictions on the auto industry in U.S. history, aimed at helping Biden meet his climate commitments. The EPA estimates the proposals are large enough to avert the equivalent of two full years of nationwide carbon-dioxide emissions. Under the most aggressive proposal, automakers would have to cut emissions for the passenger cars and pickups they sell in model year 2032 by more than half from 2026, the last model year governed under current rules. But there are questions about whether Biden's plans are too ambitious and could conflict with a quick and affordable transition to EV purchases. The cost of rare minerals needed for EV batteries is one factor. The availability of charging stations and affordable car models are others. Over many administrations, the federal government has intervened to prop up the U.S. auto industry or bend it to the priorities of the day. But analysts and lobbyists say this level of intervention from Washington goes beyond what has come before, could anger industry partners and possibly backfire. |
| Biden administration grappling with extent, motivation of intelligence leak | |
 | The details of the latest massive intelligence leak -- printed papers, crude photographs and an online forum for gamers -- is leaving the U.S. scrambling to sort out the source and motive behind the disclosure. Department of Defense and Justice investigators face a complex saga to reverse engineer how at least 100 sensitive documents appear to have been printed, walked out of government facilities and then scattered across the internet. "Where exactly and who had access at that point, we don't know, we simply don't know at this point," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Tuesday. "I will tell you that we take this very seriously. And we will continue to investigate and turn over every rock until we find the source of this and the extent of it." The emerging facts around this intelligence crisis are important markers of how this leak compares to, and is different from other, watershed intelligence breaches. "They are now conducting audits to see who printed out all those 100 documents," Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior director of the White House Situation Room and chief of staff at the CIA, told The Hill. "I'm hopeful that universe of people is going to be a manageable number. And then once they've got that manageable number, they can then begin to interview them....It does sound like a daunting task." Narrowing down the list of potential suspects will help investigators figure out the scope of the leak and the motivation to distribute the documents and put them on the Internet. |
| Biden Marks Anniversary of Good Friday Agreement in U.K. After Push to Preserve It | |
 | President Biden offered optimism for Northern Ireland in comments marking 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement ended decades of civil conflict in the fractious British province, declaring that "peace and economic opportunity go together." Mr. Biden spoke at Ulster University on Wednesday at the start of a four-day tour that will also include stops in Ireland. He emphasized the importance of the so-called Windsor Framework recently negotiated by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The pact is seen on both sides of the Atlantic as a crucial step forward in addressing political tensions in Northern Ireland sparked by Britain's departure from the European Union. "It's up to us to keep this going, keep building on the work that has been done every day for the last 25 years," said Mr. Biden. "To sustain the peace, unleash this incredible economic opportunity, which is just beginning." Mr. Biden was joined by Joseph Kennedy III, the U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, who he said would lead a trade delegation of American companies to Northern Ireland later this year. Political tensions in the region persist. Pro-U.K. unionist politicians in Northern Ireland are refusing to re-enter a power-sharing assembly in the province that was a pillar of the peace deal. Mr. Biden said Northern Ireland's leaders must determine their future, but argued: "An effective devolved government that reflects the people of Northern Ireland and is accountable to them...is going to draw even greater opportunity in this region." |
| South Carolina's Sen. Tim Scott takes another White House step: Launching 2024 exploratory committee | |
 | Tim Scott, the South Carolina senator who has built a national profile pushing a message of hope and unity in a divisive Republican Party, is taking his biggest step so far toward running for president in 2024, The Post and Courier has learned. According to two sources with knowledge of his plans, Scott plans to launch a presidential exploratory committee on April 12 -- the same day he plans to be in Iowa, the leadoff state in the presidential nominating process. He will travel to New Hampshire the very next day before returning to South Carolina on April 14 to meet with voters in Goose Creek ahead of his Faith in America Summit in Charleston that night and the next day. Scott, 57, is the first could-be 2024 Republican candidate to create a formal committee devoted to raising money to explore a presidential bid even as other GOP contenders have filed into the race. The move acts as something of a soft launch for an all-but-certain Scott presidential campaign. In a potential 2024 contest, Scott's first -- and perhaps greatest -- challenge will be testing if Republican primary voters want the optimistic vision Scott is selling over the us-versus-them rhetoric coming from repeat favorite Donald Trump. |
| New York prosecutor sues to stop House subpoenas on Trump case | |
 | Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg asked a federal judge Tuesday to block a House Judiciary Committee subpoena that seeks information on his office's investigation into former President Donald Trump. A lawsuit filed in New York federal court seeks to block a congressional subpoena for testimony from Mark Pomerantz, a former special assistant district attorney who participated in the office's investigation of Trump and his businesses. Bragg also asks the judge to preemptively block any further subpoenas for him or his employees from the committee helmed by Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, in what the filing calls an "unprecedently brazen and unconstitutional attack" on the state investigation. The civil case is the latest escalation in the political battle around the 34-count felony indictment Bragg entered against Trump last week in New York state court. "Members of Congress are not free to invade New York's sovereign authority for their or Mr. Trump's political aims," the lawsuit states. "Congress has no authority to 'conduct oversight' into District Attorney Bragg's exercise of his duties under New York law in a single case involving a single defendant." Jordan criticized the suit on Twitter soon after it was filed. "First, they indict a president for no crime. Then, they sue to block congressional oversight when we ask questions about the federal funds they say they used to do it," Jordan said. |
| How the Jackson garbage standoff impacts local environment | |
| Accumulating household waste continues to sit unbothered across the state's largest city as local officials repeatedly fail to choose a garbage collector. The city's emergency contract with Richard's Disposal, the company who the mayor and a minority of the city council are endorsing for a long-term contract, ended on April 1. Six days later, the state environmental department issued Jackson an official notice that the city was in violation of Mississippi pollution law. The notice says that by not collecting garbage, "the City has caused wastes to be placed in locations where they are likely to cause pollution of the air and waters of the state," violating state law, and opening Jackson up to $25,000 in fines for each day it doesn't collect trash. Jackson spokesperson Melissa Faith Payne said on Monday that, as far as she was aware, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality hasn't yet levied any fines against the city. MDEQ spokesperson Jan Schaefer declined to comment on the agency's enforcement. While it's unclear what punishments Jackson will face from MDEQ, the idle piles of garbage threaten local habitats as well as the creeks that flow through the city's residential neighborhoods, a local conservation expert explained. |
| How much are Mississippi universities spending on DEI initiatives? State auditor wants to know | |
| The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor has asked public universities in the state to detail spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the latest attempt by officials to mimic Republican efforts across the country that take aim at "woke" policies. The request, obtained by Mississippi Today, was sent via email last week to public universities by Laura Gray, an employee in the office's Government Accountability Division. Gray wrote that White's office "is conducting a performance review of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs/ activities administered by Mississippi's public universities." In higher education, the phrase "diversity, equity and inclusion" refers to a range of policies and programs that foster enrollment and retention of historically marginalized groups. Gray's email instructed universities to fill out an attached spreadsheet, send it back to her and copy Casey Prestwood, an associate commissioner at the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), by April 20. Fletcher Freeman, a spokesperson for the auditor's office, told Mississippi Today that the request was inspired by Gov. Ron DeSantis's review of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities in Florida earlier this year. It's not evident from the request how White's office plans to use this information, but the auditor, who is facing reelection this year, has become known for reports on topics like out-of-classroom spending or the economic impact of "fatherlessness." White has denied these reports are politically motivated, though his office's findings are often accompanied by conservative policy solutions, such as JROTC programs to combat "the dissolution of families." |
| New survey seeks input on potential MSMS move | |
| Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science leadership is looking for more feedback on whether to relocate the residential high school that has been on the Mississippi University for Women campus since 1988. Executive Director Donnie Cook shared a survey on Tuesday with alumni, current employees, students and parents regarding their vision for "MSMS 2.0." He also posted a link to the survey on the MSMS Alumni Facebook group page. In just the first day, Cook said, the survey garnered nearly 100 responses. The goal is 500, but he said that may increase due to the high response rate so far. "I have not set a closing date for the survey as I was waiting to see how the responses come in. I'll likely ask our foundation to send the link via email to alumni," Cook wrote in an email to The Dispatch. "I don't expect it to be open more than a few weeks." Cook previously told The Dispatch he is looking at options for a re-envisioned school, which he has dubbed "MSMS 2.0." Those options include potentially relocating the school near Mississippi State University in Starkville -- a move that would require legislative approval. The latest survey is a way to involve more stakeholders in an exploratory process he said would take at least a year. |
| Officials: Mississippi getting designated burn center again | |
| After the October closure of Mississippi's only accredited burn center threatened to upend access to care, the state's next designated burn center will be housed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, the state Department of Health announced Tuesday. State officials approved the hospital's application months after the facility rolled out its new burn unit in January. The unit was established in response to the closure of the burn center at Merit Health Central, which had Mississippi's only accredited burn center. Some burn patients were initially redirected to hospitals in other states. "We are pleased that the University of Mississippi Medical Center has been deemed qualified to provide the level of multidisciplinary care required for burn treatment," Dr. Peter Arnold, chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, said in a news release. "The depth of medical skills and resources of an academic medical center make UMMC uniquely qualified and an ideal location for burn treatment in the state." Merit Health Central, a South Jackson hospital, said the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing challenges made operating their burn unit too difficult. Ahead of the closure, UMMC said it would help fill the void. |
| UMMC new center to study how to prevent and treat genetic diseases | |
 | A new research center being established at the University of Mississippi Medical Center will help researchers study health and diseases where they start -- at the molecular level -- with the goal of developing new treatments, UMMC recently announced. "The Molecular Center of Health and Disease, funded by an $11.5 million Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant, will help scientists better understand genetic susceptibility and factors that cause disease, enabling them to create earlier interventions and cures," a UMMC press release states. "The key to much of the innovation is in studying the genome, the set of DNA instructions in a cell that contains the information we need to develop and function, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute." Director of the center and Professor of Pharmacology at UMMC, Dr. Michael Garrett, said understanding the genome provides essential information that can lead to quicker and better diagnosis of diseases and more tailored treatments for when people become sick. "The center itself as a whole is in the process of being established," Garrett said. "The funding that we got from the National Institute of Health provides a formalized structure for the center. By applying innovative molecular technology and computational biology to enhance research in understanding the health-disease continuum, the center will be able to help Mississippians lead healthier lives." |
| USM hosting first in-person children's book fest since 2019 | |
 | More than 400 people are gathering in Hattiesburg for the University of Southern Mississippi's 55th annual Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival. Authors, Illustrators and others associated with the children's book industry are attending the event, which takes place Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Many breakout sessions on various topics will be held and several national awards will be presented. Because of the pandemic, the event has been held virtually the last three years. It was last held in person in 2019. "I think we are all going to remember what to do, seeing each other face-to-face," said Karen Rowell, festival coordinator. "It's been awhile. but, we have a very close-knit Kaigler community, so i think it will be like a reunion." "Having it virtual connected a lot of people, but you can't replace getting a book signed, speaking to the author," Rowell added. "They connect with their community here. it's just a completely different experience." USM is home to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, which includes more than 200,000 books. |
| Young Mississippians are making their voices heard on their desire for stricter gun laws. | |
 | A recent tragedy in Nashville inspired the student body at Warren Central High School to organize a "sit-in" protest, where students chose a time to leave their classrooms and sit in the hallway. The interruption of learning was meant to start conversations about gun legislation. Paul Winfield is a junior at Warren Central and is a member of the Students Demand Action advocacy group. He says they are asking for "common sense" gun laws, and Mississippi's Governor has the power to get that legislation started. "I would ask him to make background checks universally mandatory," he said. "I would ask that we have red flag laws so that people with known mental illness and known instability don't have access to guns that could kill dozens of people in a matter of minutes." Mississippi has one of the highest gun death rates in the nation, and six people were recently killed in a mass shooting in Tate County. Winfield says by not taking action, lawmakers are choosing for students to learn and live unsafely. "We live in a gun culture and there's nothing wrong with that... everybody has guns, it's for protection." he said. "But to say that someone can buy a gun without any regulation? To say they don't even have to register? ...I just think those things are common sense. There are things that our state legislature, our governor and our national leaders can do, but they're choosing not to do it." |
| Mike Pence calls Trump indictment 'a disgrace' during U. of Alabama visit | |
 | Mike Pence, the former U.S. vice president and potential 2024 presidential candidate, spoke Tuesday at the University of Alabama, touching on a variety of topical issues, including the indictment of former president Donald Trump. Pence said that he and Trump had a close relationship and he believes that Trump's indictment is a "disgrace." "The very idea that you would indict the former president of the United States of America on a seven-year-old campaign finance issue is an outrage," Pence said. "And I believe it sends a terrible message not only across this country but across the wider world." Hundreds of students, faculty, staff and community members filled the ballroom of the UA Student Center, where Pence led a discussion that was followed by a short question-and-answer session. The free event, presented by the Young Americans for Freedom was open to the public and was promoted with a slogan, "Saving America from the Woke Left." During the event, Pence spoke about some of the challenges facing the country including inflation, mass shootings, issues concerning the United States border and more. Pence said he believes the younger generation will make a difference in the country. "I believe we just need to produce a new generation of leadership that will speak our truths to the American people," Pence said. |
| Auburn's Engineers Without Borders chapter hosts cycling fundraiser for water-deprived communities | |
 | The Auburn University chapter of Engineers Without Borders is hosting a cycling event on April 22 to support irrigation projects in Guatemala and Bolivia. Titled Water Cycle, this charity bike ride and race will be held at Martin Dam on Lake Martin. The first race kicks off at 8 a.m. "Alabama Power has been gracious enough to host us right there on the edge of the Lake Martin, which is a really, really fantastic location," said Christian Brodbeck, the director of Engineering Research Operations at Auburn College of Engineering. "It's also quite fitting for an EWB chapter that works a lot with water. I don't think we could ask for a better location." This marks the second year EWB's Auburn chapter has held this Water Cycle event. It will feature a 15-mile ride, a 30-mile ride and a 60-mile ride. The 60-mile ride also features a race option with prizes for those who would like to compete. The routes begin and end at Martin Dam. Brodbeck, who is a cycling enthusiast, started this initiative last year alongside the student chapter of EWB. The Auburn chapter focuses on aiding international development through engineering solutions, specifically for communities in the developing world that face water insecurity. "It is a fully supported bike ride/race," Brodbeck, 43, said. "It is definitely a beautiful course. It is rolling hills. We've selected some of the quietest roads we can find." Funds raised by the Water Cycle go directly to help with EWB's student-led water engineering projects in Guatemala and Bolivia. |
| Social work student walkout at UGA sparks payment debate | |
 | Elise Colquitt, a social work student in her second year at the University of Georgia, told the Athens Banner-Herald that the practice of social work is founded in the principles of social justice. "We have a code of ethics that we have to abide by," she said. "Whenever we're working with clients, we abide by these values. We highlight the dignity and worth of a person." But on Monday, Colquitt said her colleagues wanted to highlight their own dignity and worth. That afternoon, about three dozen social work students walked out of the UGA School for Social Work in support of Payment 4 Placements. P4P is a national organization seeking to raise awareness of the unpaid labor many social work students perform. "This model of unpaid field work goes against the very kind of ethics that we are taught to practice," said Colquitt. The Council on Social Work Education, which sets the standard for social work higher education, requires 400 hours of field work for a bachelor's degree in social work and 900 hours for a master's degree. In practice, that work can take up 16 to 24 hours a week. And though some students are able to find paid field work, often placements are unpaid. |
| Bill banning higher ed dealings with 'countries of concern' clears final Senate committee | |
| Legislation prohibiting relationships between Florida's higher education institutions and seven "foreign countries of concern" is now headed to the Senate floor. The Senate Rules Committee voted unanimously for SB 846, which aims to block the governments of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela from influencing state colleges, universities, their students and staff. The bill, a priority measure for its sponsor, Miami Springs Republican Sen. Bryan Áivla, would ban state schools, their employees and representatives from soliciting or accepting gifts from those countries. It would also bar them from participating in any agreement or partnership with a school or entity based in or controlled by one of those nations. Ávila amended his bill to match language in its House companion (HB 679), which cleared its final committee stop last week, and pushed back its effective date to Dec. 1 to "give the college and universities more time" to adjust. Asked by Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones whether state colleges and universities could use "creative rulemaking" for research students and Ph.D. candidates whose studies might involve one of the troublesome countries, Ávila said yes. "If a student is in a program in any of these foreign countries of concern ... the (Board of Governors) or the State Board of Education, (through) rulemaking, would provide those alternatives on how to proceed so that students won't be delayed," he said. |
| Texas Senate approves bill barring college professors from 'compelling' students to adopt certain political beliefs | |
 | The Texas Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill that would prohibit a college or university professor from "compelling" a student to adopt certain political beliefs, a proposal belonging to a slew of legislation introduced this session that university leaders and faculty worry will restrict academic freedom in the classroom. Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, told lawmakers on the Senate floor Tuesday he believed that universities are places where students are exposed to different ideas to develop their own critical thinking skills and that his bill would not censor the discussion of any topics in the college classroom. "What we are not for is when professors attempt to compel a student to adopt a certain belief, require adherence to a professor's viewpoint, to a certain viewpoint. That's another matter entirely. That's what this bill is about," Hughes said. Senate Bill 16 would bar university professors from compelling students "to adopt a belief that any race, sex, or ethnicity or social, political, or religious belief is inherently superior to any other race, sex, ethnicity, or belief." Critics have argued the legislation is too vague and will create a chilling effect that will curtail difficult conversations about race and gender in the classroom, rather than supporting free inquiry of ideas. Faculty who testified against the bill said they encourage critical thinking skills and denied that they force students to adopt any beliefs. "My worry here is that SB 16 is a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist," said Karma Chávez, a University of Texas at Austin professor who testified on behalf of herself before the Senate subcommittee on higher education last month. |
| Mizzou workshop tackles future of AI and higher education | |
 | Amid ongoing debate over how to integrate artificial intelligence into higher education, University of Missouri leaders gathered Friday for a workshop and discussion of best practices for the emerging technology. Attendees split into breakout groups to discuss topics ranging from education and research opportunities to legal and ethical implications. One theme that emerged from Friday's talks was a desire to incorporate student perspectives in the integration of AI tools. In favor of seeking young voices on the matter was Xinhao Xu, an assistant professor in the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies who helped lead an educational opportunities discussion at the workshop. "We think that we should extend this and we should bring more people, more mindsets," Xu said. "For our next generation, for the people who grew up with digital technologies, we cannot design education opportunities (or) education materials for them without their involvement." To solicit a range of opinions on AI, university leaders may look to survey MU's faculty for the experiences they've already had with the tools. Victoria Mondelli, the founding director of MU's Teaching for Learning Center, created a professional development series for the university alongside Amy Lannin, the director of the Campus Writing Program, centered around the incorporation of AI. Their conversations with deans, faculty and other stakeholders identified several core ideas. |
| Professors are using ChatGPT detector tools to accuse students of cheating. But what if the software is wrong? | |
 | When William Quarterman logged into his student web portal to check the results of his history exam, he was shocked to see a cheating accusation from his professor attached to it. His professor had used artificial intelligence detection software including one called GPTZero after noticing that his exam answers "(bore) little resemblance to the questions" to detect whether the college senior had tapped artificial intelligence to give his take-home midterm exam a boost, according to school records provided to USA TODAY by Quarterman. The professor was right, according to the software. She issued him a failing grade and a referral to the University of California, Davis' Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs for academic dishonesty in response. Quarterman denied he had any help from AI, but was asked to speak with the university's honor court in an experience he said caused him to have "full-blown panic attacks." He was eventually cleared of the accusation. Many companies developing plagiarism detection software claim they can detect when students use AI to complete coursework while also conceding that they are sometimes incorrect. Education technology experts said educators should be cautious of the quickly evolving nature of cheating detection software. It would be wise for universities to steer clear of rising these cases to disciplinary action right now, said Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education. Instead, educators can ask a student to show their work before accusing someone of using AI for an assignment. |
| Should College Come With Trigger Warnings? At Cornell, It's a 'Hard No.' | |
| Last month, a Cornell University sophomore, Claire Ting, was studying with friends when one of them became visibly upset and was unable to continue her work. For a Korean American literature class, the woman was reading "The Surrendered," a novel by Chang-rae Lee about a Korean girl orphaned by the Korean War that includes a graphic rape scene. Ms. Ting's friend had recently testified at a campus hearing against a student who she said sexually assaulted her, the woman said in an interview. Reading the passage so soon afterward left her feeling unmoored. Ms. Ting, a member of Cornell's undergraduate student assembly, believed her friend deserved a heads-up about the upsetting material. That day, she drafted a resolution urging instructors to provide warnings on the syllabus about "traumatic content" that might be discussed in class, including sexual assault, self-harm and transphobic violence. The resolution was unanimously approved by the assembly late last month. Less than a week after it was submitted to the administration for approval, Martha E. Pollack, the university president, vetoed it. "We cannot accept this resolution as the actions it recommends would infringe on our core commitment to academic freedom and freedom of inquiry, and are at odds with the goals of a Cornell education," Ms. Pollack wrote in a letter with the university provost, Michael I. Kotlikoff. To some, the conflict illustrates a stark divide in how different generations define free speech and how much value they place on its absolute protection, especially at a time of increased sensitivity toward mental health concerns. |
| More College Students Are Choosing to Stop Drinking. Their Campuses Are Still Catching Up. | |
 | It was almost midnight on St. Patrick's Day at the University of Michigan, and the party was in full swing. Inside, college students were stumbling and falling to the ground as the Killers' "Mr. Brightside" pulsated through the room. A line ran out the door, filled with eager faces looking for a good time. No, this wasn't a fraternity mixer. This was Sober Skate. And people weren't falling onto a sticky wood floor, but a skating rink at the Yost Ice Arena. The event was so popular that within the first 30 minutes, the rental desk had already leased 300 of its 350 pairs of skates. The 45 large pizzas that organizers ordered were gone in an hour, as were the cases of Faygo and Diet Coke. Each year around St. Patrick's Day, Sober Skate -- co-hosted by Michigan's Collegiate Recovery Program and the Washtenaw Recovery Advocacy Project -- offers local college students and community members a dry alternative to the holiday's liquor-soaked festivities. Not all attendees identify as sober, but they've all chosen to abstain from alcohol on one of the highest-risk drinking nights of the year. This year's Sober Skate was the most popular yet. For as long as the modern campus has existed -- as long as films like Animal House and She's the Man have primed expectations for campus life -- administrators have tried to curb dangerous drinking. While students' participation in drinking has fallen in the past 40 years, high-risk binge drinking has remained a stubborn problem. Yet recently, there's been a shift in many students' attitudes toward drinking. Instead of seeing alcohol as a fact of college life, more students are questioning its presence in their lives. Many are deciding they don't want it to be in their lives -- or at least not as much. |
| Another small college closes as declining enrollment and a hot job market bite | |
| Cardinal Stritch University in suburban Milwaukee will close next month after more than 85 years. It's one of at least half a dozen private non-profit colleges that have announced plans to close over the past year or so. Among the factors to blame is an overall decline in college enrollment nationwide -- there are more than a million fewer undergraduates now than there were in fall 2019. "People who otherwise would go to college are choosing the world of work," said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen College Excellence Program. He pointed out that rising wages mean "the opportunity cost associated with going to college is greater than it used to be." Small private colleges have been feeling that, and the students who are enrolling often can't afford to pay full tuition, according to Catharine Hill with the education nonprofit Ithaka S&R. "So you kind of have this mismatch between the cost of these schools and the incomes of the families that are trying to send their kids on to college," Hill said. The problem is going to get worse because there is going to be fewer kids, full stop. "By 2025, the 18-year-olds, who we know exist, right, because they've been born, are going to drop off," Hill said. |
| Education Department narrows outsourcing guidance | |
 | The Education Department says its controversial guidance on outsourcing isn't as expansive as critics have alleged. Study abroad programs, recruitment of international students, partnerships with external medical facilities and course-sharing agreements, among others, would not be subject to third-party servicer requirements. A number of higher education associations and organizations involved with study abroad and international education have voiced concern in recent weeks about how the proposed guidance could affect their programs, prompting the Under Secretary James Kvaal to issue a clarification Tuesday. "The department has already benefited from listening to the feedback from stakeholders. We will continue to review the helpful suggestions we have received and continue to engage with the community as allowable and appropriate," Kvaal wrote. The department also is planning to delay the guidance as it reviews the more than 1,000 comments it received on the letter. Instead of taking effect Sept. 1 as planned, the guidance will apply six months after the final letter is issued. The department's guidance is part of a multipronged effort to gather more information about online program managers' contracts with colleges and universities and to increase oversight of the companies. |
| US Education Secretary Cardona: focus on banning assault weapons, not books | |
| U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said people seeking to remove books about race and diversity from schools should concentrate on banning assault weapons instead, during an interview with Reuters this week about challenges facing the U.S. education system. Cardona said he was witnessing an unprecedented attack on public education, including specific curricula, in an effort to bolster private schooling. "Black curriculum. Books that promote the beauty of diversity and how this country was founded. Attacks on accurate facts of history. I've never seen that. To me, that's an attempt to create division in education so that you can try to sell a 'better' option," said Cardona who has spent more than two decades working in education. "Instead of focusing on banning books, they should start thinking about banning assault weapons," he said. He did not specify who was aiming to ban certain school books, but Republican officials have been at the forefront of a series of disputes over teaching sexuality, gender identity and race in U.S. schools. Three children and three adults were killed in a school shooting at a Christian day school in Tennessee last month, part of a long trend of U.S. school shootings. |
| Expulsion of 'Tennessee Three' lawmakers is another step away from civil democracy | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: The expulsion of the "Tennessee Three" -- actually two of the three -- elected state representatives in the Tennessee House of Representatives over their vocal interruptions of the proceedings of that chamber in protesting a recent Nashville mass shooting raises fundamental questions. Like the Mississippi Legislature, the Tennessee House has a Republican supermajority which affords them immense authority over legislative matters and the daily operations of the House. Like most of the rest of the nation's state legislatures and in the U.S. Congress, the legislative chambers are essentially the judge of the conduct of its members. Under those laws, legislators can be expelled or otherwise punished for a wide range of conduct, but over history that action has been taken only rarely. The expulsion is apparently allowed by Tennessee state law, but it remains for judicial review to determine the constitutionality of the action. ... The expelled Tennessee representatives can stand for re-election and both are said to be favored to do so in their districts. But that's not really the point. Regardless of the party in control or whether it is at the federal or state level, legislative majorities and particularly supermajorities must work hard to protect and foster the rights of dissent and protest from those in the minority. Otherwise, our system of government devolves. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State baseball notches midweek win at UAB | |
| No time is a better time for run-scoring than the first inning, and Mississippi State baseball took that to heart against UAB on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs brought a large contingency of fans with them to Birmingham, and they were not disappointed in a 7-3 win. Mississippi State saw its first two hitters of the game reach, leading up to freshman Dakota Jordan, one of the best power threats for the Bulldogs this season. That power was on full display as he hit one off the center field batter's eye, a three-run homer to open up the scoring. Luke Hancock followed, hitting back-to-back homers with Jordan, and that four-spot in the first set the tone that MSU's pitching backed up. Despite early struggles from Tuesday starter Parker Stinnett and Evan Siary, they limited the damage to three runs as Mississippi State (20-14) supplied insurance runs later on. UAB (10-22) was held in check by the Bulldog bullpen. Tuesday's bullpen day for the Bulldogs was executed well, something of note with a big series against Ole Miss coming into Starkville to headline this weekend's Super Bulldog Weekend events. The Bulldogs and Rebels begin a highly-anticipated three-game set at 6 p.m. Friday. |
| In a changing world, Mississippi State baseball's Ron Polk remains a statue-worthy legend | |
| It was a typical late night for Ron Polk as he drove to his office in Starkville. These drives into the early morning after speaking engagements or recruiting trips were common for the legendary Mississippi State baseball coach, but fatigue eventually started to catch up to his grind. He often rolled down his windows to keep himself awake. He'd blare music. If that didn't work, he'd make his own entertainment. 1,000 bottles of beer on the wall. 1,000 bottles of beer. Take one down. Pass it around. 999 bottles of beer on the wall. ... Those tactics were only so effective, however. Eventually, with no guardrails down Natchez Trace, Polk nearly found himself colliding with a large tree on separate occasions. He decided it was time to heed some advice. Polk stopped at a grocery store to buy a cup of coffee, and as he approached the register, he noticed cigars behind the counter. "I didn't even have matches. I didn't have a lighter," Polk said. "So, I bought some matches. I smoked a cigar and stayed awake all the way home." Polk now smokes six or seven cigars a day, and he's not interested in what a scan may show of his lungs. If it kept him awake and kept his work ethic unmatched relative to his colleagues and counterparts, Polk wouldn't regret it. It's part of what has made Polk the godfather of SEC baseball -- or the great godfather in his words. He's unapologetically himself, and it's how he became a figure worthy of a statue unveiling at 3 p.m. Friday before Mississippi State's series against Ole Miss at Dudy Noble Field. |
| No. 5 Bulldogs Set to Tee Off at the SEC Championship | |
| The 5th-ranked Mississippi State women's golf squad is set to return to the course for the first event of the postseason on Wednesday where they will tee off from the SEC Championship. The five-day event will begin Wednesday, April 12th, and run through Sunday, April 16th. The Greystone Golf and Country Club will set the stage for the event. The 2023 edition marks the 10th year for the Southeastern Conference Championship to be contested in the Birmingham metro area. The SEC has conducted its annual championship from the greens at Greystone since 2013. The 2023 event will also mark the fifth time in which the championship will feature both stroke and match play, with match play on Saturday, April 15th and Sunday, April 16th. Three rounds of stroke play will begin the SEC Championship with the final round culminating the event and the crowning of a new Southeastern Conference champion. The final round on Sunday will be televised via the SEC Network. Senior Abbey Daniel will take the number one spot in her 32nd career appearance. Daniel has appeared in every event for the Bulldogs this season and currently has a 73.1 scoring average. The Bulldogs will see tee times for all three days of stroke play in the tournament. The tee time for round one is 8:00 AM CT. State will be paired with No. 3 LSU and No. 4 South Carolina to open up play. |
| Gators launch 'Florida Victorious' to revamp, streamline NIL | |
| Three months after losing blue-chip quarterback Jaden Rashada over a failed name, image and likeness deal worth nearly $14 million, the University of Florida is taking advantage of a new state law that allows colleges and coaches to facilitate NIL opportunities. A fundraising collective launched Tuesday, called Florida Victorious, will be able to work with the university to raise money and fund NIL deals for student-athletes. The state law passed in February gives Florida colleges a step up on some of the competition around the country, allowing universities to work directly with booster-run and financed collectives that have mostly been operating as third parties. That was the case for the Gator Collective, the third-party NIL group that had been working with Rashada on his now-failed deal. The Gator Collective was consolidated into Florida Victorious, along with the more exclusive Gator Guard, which had required a $1 million contribution annually. The university hopes the new NIL collective will bring the Gators back to their winning ways. Florida was one of six Power Five programs (along with Boston College, Cal, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma and Stanford) to finish below .500 in both revenue-generating sports, football and men's basketball. The nonprofit organization will work closely with the school's University Athletic Association to raise money that should assist all 19 sports, but most notably football. |
| Tennessee reaches football season ticket goal three years early | |
 | Tennessee football season ticket sales have soared for the 2023 season, increasing almost 9,000 over last year's total. UT has sold 70,255 season tickets to Neyland Stadium, including a 96% renewal rate, according to a university news release. Last season, 61,490 were sold for what turned into the Vols' best season in about 20 years. In coach Josh Heupel's second season, UT posted an 11-2 record for its most wins since 2001. It beat rivals Florida and Alabama, climbed to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings and defeated Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Fans responded in overwhelming fashion and put the program ahead of schedule. UT's strategic plan set a goal of 70,000 season tickets sold in the 2026 season. It had only hoped to reach 61,000 by the 2023 season. This marks the most season tickets sold since 2016, the height of Butch Jones' coaching tenure. He posted a 9-4 record in 2015 and 2016. |
| Coach Deion Sanders gets 'SCCCCCCARED' meeting Colorado Buffaloes mascot Ralphie | |
| Deion Sanders has given off a fearless demeanor throughout his Hall of Fame NFL career and as a trail blazing coach at Jackson State University. But his new team, the Colorado Buffaloes, found something that had Coach Prime shook: the team's mascot, Ralphie. The football team posted a video on Instagram Tuesday of Sanders meeting Ralphie for the first time. The head coach was greeted by one of the bison's handlers, who explains how she's going to go into the trailer with Ralphie. As he stepped into the trailer, Sanders stuck close to the wall as he takes in the scene of the 1,200-pound animal. The handlers then take Ralphie out for a lap around the field, one of the special traditions at Folsom Field that has established itself in college football lore. It takes four or five handlers to guide her at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. As they make their way around the field, Ralphie makes her way back to the trailer. "Oh no, I'm not staying in here while this thing is coming in here at me full speed," he said as she ran back his direction. Sanders survived as Ralphie gets settled back into her trailer with a gate safely between her and the new head coach. "That was intimidating," Sanders said, nodding his head as he exited the trailer. |
| AP source: Big Ten taps ex-MLB exec Petitti as commissioner | |
| The Big Ten is hiring former Major League Baseball executive Tony Petitti to be its next commissioner, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a deal was still being finalized. An announcement is expected from the conference by the end of the week. Petitti replaces Kevin Warren, who is leaving to become president of the Chicago Bears. Warren's last day on the job was scheduled to be April 17. Petitti continues a trend of recent hires to lead the top conferences coming from outside college sports -- like Warren, who worked for the Minnesota Vikings before taking over for Jim Delany and becoming the Big Ten's first Black commissioner in 2019. The Pac-12 subsequently hired George Kliavkoff, who was an executive for MGM Resorts International. Last year, the Big 12 hired Brett Yormark as commissioner after he had previously run Barclays Center in New York and worked for the Roc Nation talent agency. |
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