| Wednesday, April 19, 2023 |
| MSU, EnChroma partnership launches initiative to help color blind students | |
 | Mississippi State is partnering with a company to make the world a little brighter for some students. MSU has partnered with EnChroma to launch a new initiative to support their color-blind students through the EnChroma Color Accessibility Program. The company provides glasses that are engineered with special optical filters that help the color blind see an expanded range of colors more vibrantly and clearly. Geosciences professor, Amy Hoffman, said her geology students rely on color for daily assignments "For the last 15 years, this has been something I've noticed but I haven't really found something that was really helpful for everybody. I could do accommodations to the best of my ability, but these Enchroma glasses are the thing I think is really gonna help my students who are struggling with colorblindness in the classroom." |
| Stronger school-community connections theme of State of the Region on May 3 | |
 | The CREATE Foundation's annual State of the Region has a different look this year. Instead of the usual pair of keynote speakers addressing the event, attendees will get to hear from two panel discussions. "The theme of the State of the Region is strengthening the school and community connections, highlighting the good work that is happening throughout the region," said GT McCullough, CREATE's director of regional impact. The panel discussions are intended to give members of the audience some tangible ideas to take back to their communities. First on the agenda is a girls leadership panel, which includes women who built leadership groups that meet within the schools. While each has a different approach, their goal is the same, McCullough said. The second discussion is called "The Starkville Oktibbeha Story," detailing the changes the school district has experienced in recent years. "Their story is incredible, from implementing a Partnership School after consolidation, to going to a modified calendar and how the community, university and businesses play a major piece in all of it," McCullough said. On this discussion panel are Mike Tagert, president CEO of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership; Tony McGee, superintendent of the Starkville Oktibbeha School District; Christy Maulding, deputy superintendent and director of curriculum and instruction of the Starkville Oktibbeha School District; and Darein Spann, principal of Starkville High School. |
| 'Case-by-case' tax abatements available for developers | |
 | Aldermen on Tuesday adopted a tax abatement ordinance that gives the board power to determine what businesses receive them "on a case-by-case basis" without a clear policy on how those abatements will be granted. The ordinance requires a business to invest a minimum of 50 percent of its current appraised value or $500,000, whichever is greater, for developing or redeveloping a structure to be considered for a tax abatement. The building must be located in the "central business district" or "historic preservation district," which are both defined by city code. Approved projects, once the ordinance takes hold May 18, will see a reduction in the property owner's ad valorem tax bill. As the ordinance is written, aldermen will determine the granting, time period and percentage of the abatement case-by-case, using their best judgment on whether a project warrants a tax abatement. The measure passed 6-1 with Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty opposed. He cited the lack of policies governing the decision-making for the abatements as concerning. "Wouldn't we need to standardize this?" Beatty asked. "... Right now, we don't have a policy. We don't know how to do this." |
| Insurance losses from Mississippi tornado nearing $100M | |
 | Insurance losses from the March tornado that carved a path of destruction through parts of Mississippi are approaching $100 million, and uninsured losses will likely exceed that number, the state insurance department announced Tuesday. The damage is particularly severe in the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest regions in the country. The March 24 tornado lashed the Delta with 200 mph (320 kph) winds, devastating the rural communities of Silver City and Rolling Fork. About 300 homes and businesses in Rolling Fork were destroyed, and 13 people were killed. Large stretches of Amory, a north Mississippi town, were also damaged. Nearly 380,000 cubic yards of debris have been cleared since the storm, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says data is still being collected, but the trajectory toward over $100 million in both insured and uninsured losses underscores the daunting rebuilding process awaiting hard-hit areas. "We just hope and pray we can get everything solved for these people," Chaney told The Associated Press. "We've got some long lead times, and what bothers us is we've got about 3,000 claims that are still open." |
| Judge: Mississippi must give religious exemption on vaccines | |
| Mississippi must join most other states in allowing religious exemptions from vaccinations that children are required to receive so they can attend school, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden handed down the decision Monday in a lawsuit filed last year by several parents who say their religious beliefs have led them to keep their children unvaccinated and out of Mississippi schools. According to the lawsuit, some of the plaintiffs are homeschooling their children, while others have family or work connections in Mississippi but live in other states that allow religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations. Ozerden set a July 15 deadline for the Mississippi State Department of Health to allow religious exemptions. The state already allows people to apply for medical exemptions for a series of five vaccinations that are required for children to enroll in public or private school. The immunizations are against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; polio; hepatitis; measles, mumps and rubella; and chickenpox. Mississippi once had a religious exemption for childhood vaccinations, but it was overturned in 1979 by a state court judge who ruled that vaccinated children have a constitutional right to be free from associating with their unvaccinated peers, the lawsuit said. |
| Delbert Hosemann and Chris McDaniel each courting Trump's support | |
 | There is a battle going on within the Republican primary for Mississippi's lieutenant governor. As the two candidates, incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and longtime state Sen. Chris McDaniel, trade accusations that the other is not a true conservative, each seems to be courting former President Donald Trump, or at least building the appearance of his support through proximity to him. Earlier this month, Hosemann held a fundraiser at the former president's Florida residence and private club, Mar-a-Lago. In a statement, Casey Phillips, a Hosemann campaign senior advisor, said Hosemann was invited to host an event at Mar-a-Lago in December. Trump was not in attendance, and neither were the members of the Mississippi Republican Congressional delegation, each of whom were officially on the event's host committee, according to an invitation obtained by the Clarion Ledger. Still, an event at the former president's home brought out some of Trump's most ardent supporters. Spokespeople for the Hosemann campaign did not directly respond to questions about when their candidate had last spoken to Trump and if he is outright seeking an endorsement. Spokespeople for McDaniel did not respond to requests for comment either, including similar questions. That said, the firebrand state senator has made no secret that he is seeking an endorsement from Trump. |
| Chris McDaniel returns questionable campaign donations, shuts down PAC. Hosemann complaint with AG pending | |
 | Lieutenant governor candidate Chris McDaniel has reported returning legally questionable large donations from a Virginia dark-money nonprofit, and shutting down his PAC through which the donations flowed to his campaign. McDaniel's Hold the Line PAC has reported it returned $460,000 to the American Exceptionalism Institute nonprofit corporation and closed out the PAC. This came days after McDaniel's campaign account returned $465,000 to Hold the Line. McDaniel's Hold the Line PAC campaign finance public filings and subsequent explanations and amended reports have been confounding. Hold the Line initially failed to list the source of hundreds of thousands of dollars and its reports have had amounts and dates that don't add up. For instance, Hold the Line reported having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars the year before McDaniel legally registered it with the secretary of state's office, and failed to list the source of that money as required by law. McDaniel's PAC was the largest contributor to his lieutenant governor campaign, donating $465,000 of the $710,000 his campaign reported raising last year. Oddly, in some of its latest filings, Hold the Line reported it returned $460,000 to American Exceptionalism Institute on the same day it received the second of two donations of $237,500 from AEI, in February. But McDaniel's campaign had reported it received a total of $465,000 from Hold the Line in January, before the PAC would have had that much money -- primarily coming from AEI -- per its own reports. When questioned about this, McDaniel's camp declined comment, but filed an amended report changing the date of the second donation to mid-January. Even with multiple amended reports, it appears McDaniel's PAC received $475,000 from AEI but returned only $460,000 to the nonprofit corporation. |
| Lt. gov candidate forum: Education. Infrastructure. Fighting against 'woke' | |
| The four Republican candidates for lieutenant governor spoke to a packed house at a forum at the Ritz Theater in West Point Monday night. Conversation ranged from teacher pay raises to redistricting to combating the forces of "global Marxism" infiltrating the state. The candidate forum was put on by the Mississippi State University College Republicans, Oktibbeha-Clay County Republican Women and the Oktibbeha County Republican Party. Democratic candidate D. Ryan Grover did not participate. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Tiffany Longino, District 42 state Sen. Chris McDaniel and Shane Quick were each given 10 minutes to introduce themselves and lay out their platform. Hosemann, who led off the night, previously served as secretary of state, and is completing his first term as lieutenant governor. He noted a laundry list of the accomplishments of the last legislative session, including passing an equal pay amendment and a ban on gender-affirming care for children. He said the state passed legislation to make adoption easier, including standing up a task force on foster care and adoption. |
| Several bills could reshape Mississippi's adoption and foster care system | |
 | Lawmakers and elected officials in Mississippi made it a priority this year to pass legislation that could reform the state's adoption and foster care system. This movement came as a reaction to the Supreme Court's decision on Dobbs, which triggered Mississippi's 2007 abortion ban. Andrea Sanders, Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services, says not all of those additional births will lead to placement in state custody. But she says there will be some vulnerable families in need of assistance. "Our goal is to make sure that children don't stay in custody longer than they need to," says Sanders. "It's better for children, better for families, and it also is one way of ensuring that we are able to use the resources that we have to make sure that we meet all of the needs." Around eight major bills were passed in the legislature that directly affect the childcare system. One of them, House Bill 1149, combines three initiatives into one piece of legislation. Sanders says if the bill is signed by the governor, it will make CPS an independent state agency, streamline adoptions, and clear a pathway for guardianship in the court system. She says the legal roadblocks children face while in state custody can keep them in child-care limbo for years. Sanders says "We want them in custody when it's necessary for their safety, and not a day longer. The state is always going to be a poor substitute for a family. Children don't need to come in and just live in foster care or in custody. They either need to go back to their biological family if that can be done so safely, or they need to move with some efficiency to a more permanent setting." |
| 2 Mississippi laws aim to limit kids' access to online porn | |
| Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday he has signed two bills that are intended to limit children's access to sexually explicit material online. House Bill 1315 will require technology vendors for K-12 schools to block access to online resources or databases with child pornography or child sexual exploitation. Senate Bill 2346 will require companies that publish online pornography to have systems to verify that users are at least 18 years old. This was based on a similar law in Louisiana. "With the rise of technology and social media, it has never been easier for children to access pornographic materials," Republican Reeves said in a statement. "That can have really disastrous effects on children's long-term mental health and development." Both bills will become law July 1. |
| Health Department increases medical marijuana staffing as law change calls for quicker patient application turnaround | |
| A change to the Medical Cannabis law that requires patient applications for medical marijuana cards be processed more quickly is likely to be a challenge for state employees – at least for now. After months of dealing with an onslaught of patient and business applications that resulted in long wait times and confusion among licensees, the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program is beefing up its staffing. And it will need to if it plans to be in compliance with changes to the law that now require it to process applications in 10 days as opposed to 30. Gov. Tate Reeves recently signed updates to the Medical Cannabis Act into law, including the mandate that processing times for patient medical cards be more than cut in half. The law change is a big deal to patients, said chair of the new medical marijuana advisory committee Jeff Webb. "It just shortens the entire process," Webb said of the law change. "Sometimes in the past, it's taken up to 60 days. Now that product is available, patients are eager and may want to be weaning themselves off of other medications." But some of those new hires recently began training, meaning the 10-day turnaround is still out of reach. "I will go ahead and tell everybody we're out of compliance on the 30 to 10 and will be for a while," State Health Office Dr. Edney said during a recent cannabis advisory committee meeting. |
| His top-rated plan to revive a historic Coast building failed to get BP money again. Why? | |
 | Ronnie Matthew Harris was crushed when the state Legislature for the second year in a row rejected funding for his project to restore a building that once bridged two historically segregated neighborhoods in Gulfport, Black Soria City and white Broadmoor. He sought $898,241 from the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund, which the Legislature created in 2018 for economic development projects in South Mississippi. Harris followed a public application process outlined in state law that includes scoring and vetting of the projects. His project, the Gulfport Gaslight District, scored in the top five of 83 applications submitted through a public website. So, Harris thought 2023 would be the year he received funding. Instead, he again got nothing from state lawmakers. "My sneaking suspicion is that it just comes down to who you know, period." Harris said. "And who knows you, I should add." State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III of Gulfport said he supports the Gaslight District project. But as he pointed out, Hulum is a Democrat serving his first term in a legislature with a Republican super majority. The state representative in whose district the project is located, Republican Richard Bennett of Long Beach, is a member of the appropriations conference committee that ultimately produces the final project list that legislators vote to approve. Bennett did not return phone calls from Harris or other project supporters before this year's list was finalized and has not responded to the Sun Herald's requests to comment. |
| Sheriff: Arrest warrant moot for kidnapping of Emmett Till | |
| A Mississippi sheriff says in a new court filing that there's no point in serving an arrest warrant on a white woman in the 1955 kidnapping that led to the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till because last year a grand jury decided not to indict the woman. Till's kidnapping and killing became a catalyst for the civil rights movement when his mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago after his brutalized body was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos. The Mississippi arrest warrant for "Mrs. Roy Bryant" was issued shortly after Till's death but was never served on the white woman who has since remarried and is now known as Carolyn Bryant Donham. Last June, a team doing research at the courthouse in Leflore County, Mississippi, found the unserved warrant. In July, the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said there was no new evidence to pursue a criminal case against Donham. In August, a district attorney said a Leflore County grand jury declined to indict Donham. "Since the Grand Jury found no probable cause to indict Donham on the charges of kidnapping and manslaughter, there is no probable cause to support the 1955 Arrest Warrant," Charles J. Swayze III, an attorney for Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks, wrote in court papers filed Thursday. Till's cousin Priscilla Sterling filed a federal lawsuit against Banks on Feb. 7, seeking to compel him to serve the 1955 warrant on Donham. In the response Thursday, Swayze asked a judge to dismiss the suit. |
| Fox to Pay $787.5 Million to Settle Dominion's Defamation Lawsuit | |
 | Fox News parent Fox Corp. agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle its legal battle with Dominion Voting Systems just before the start of a trial on the voting-machine company's allegations that it was defamed by network broadcasts after the 2020 presidential election. Dominion alleged that Fox hosts and guests amplified false claims that its voting technology helped rig the election for Joe Biden. The company sought $1.6 billion in damages. Fox argued that it was covering newsworthy claims by associates of then-President Donald Trump and that its broadcasts should be protected by the First Amendment. Legal observers said the agreement was the largest known media defamation settlement ever in the U.S. It ends a two-year legal battle that has threatened Fox News and cast an unflattering spotlight on its inner workings, especially during the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. If it had gone to trial, the case was set to test the contours of modern media law. Superior Court Judge Eric Davis had already concluded that Fox News and Fox Business did in fact broadcast false claims about Dominion, voiced by both network hosts and Trump associates. Fox in a statement acknowledged the judge's findings. Dominion's chief executive, John Poulos, said in a statement, "Throughout this process, we have sought accountability and believe the evidence brought to light through this case underscores the consequences of spreading and endorsing lies." "This is a shocking number given the size of Dominion," Mr. Arthur said. Though Fox has the cash on hand to pay it, "nobody can make light of an $800 million payout," he said. |
| Inside McCarthy's controversial plan to shrink food aid | |
 | House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's debt limit plans include a politically explosive proposal to raise the age limit for adults who must be working in order to receive federal food aid. The controversial plans -- which go beyond simply restoring previous work requirements, as McCarthy pitched to voters in a speech on Monday -- are still being finalized. It's part of a broader effort by Republicans to rein in spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, that expanded significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it could result in millions of low-income adults losing their food assistance. Democrats are vehemently opposed to such measures, setting up a fraught negotiation with the Biden White House as fears over a possible U.S. default on its debt continue to rise. Specifically, McCarthy is looking at raising the age limit for work requirements for so-called "able-bodied adults without dependents" who receive SNAP benefits -- from 49 to 55 years old -- according to the two House Republican lawmakers and two GOP aides, who were granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations. The move is a significant step beyond the "Clinton-era" work requirements House Republicans say they're pushing to restore, and will trigger even wider backlash from Democrats. |
| Biden pans McCarthy's debt plan as 'huge cuts' to Americans | |
| House Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked furiously Tuesday to build support for a Republican plan that would demand strict limits to federal spending in return for agreeing to raise the nation's debt limit and stave off an unprecedented U.S. default. But President Joe Biden swiftly swatted down the plan, which would cap much federal spending at increases of 1% a year, as requiring "huge cuts" to programs helping millions of Americans. It was just the latest in what is expected to be a protracted debate over how, when and even whether to raise the nation's debt limit, now at $31 trillion, with default and a potentially devastating blow to the economy possible if Congress fails to act. McCarthy is finding unusual support for his plan from his typically fractured House Republican majority, who view the proposal as a calling card to push Biden into negotiations. The White House has so far refused to engage in debt ceiling talks, doubtful McCarthy can unify Republicans and steer any proposal to passage. Biden, in his first public remarks on the proposal, said at the White House that McCarthy had effectively proposed "huge cuts to important programs" that millions of U.S. households depend on. |
| Chris Christie, Eyeing '24 Run, Takes Shots at DeSantis | |
 | Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, slammed Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as a fake conservative during an event in Washington on Tuesday, one of a string of meetings and stops as he considers a second Republican presidential campaign. The comments, made at an event hosted by the media outlet Semafor, were among a wide range of topics that Mr. Christie touched on, including abortion rights and his feelings about former President Donald J. Trump's lies about the 2020 election. Mr. Christie took a shot at Mr. DeSantis over his efforts to target Disney, a top business in Florida, over a fight that began when Mr. DeSantis signed legislation that banned classroom teaching and discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation in certain grade schools. Mr. Christie suggested that Mr. DeSantis's efforts to restrict Disney were against traditional conservative principles about small government. "I don't think Ron DeSantis is conservative, based on actions towards Disney," he said. "Where are we headed here now that, if you express disagreement in this country, the government is now going to punish you? To me, that's what I always thought liberals did, and now all of a sudden here we are participating in this with a Republican governor." Mr. Christie has been meeting with his staff and some donors and soliciting input from people, as he aims to decide in the coming weeks whether to run for president. |
| 'So unnecessary': Republicans pile on DeSantis over Disney | |
| Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and other potential GOP presidential hopefuls slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' handling of his ongoing feud with Disney this week. "That's not the guy I want sitting across from President Xi [Jinping] ... or sitting across from [President Vladimir] Putin and trying to resolve what's happening in Ukraine, if you can't see around a corner [Disney CEO] Bob Iger created for you," Christie said Tuesday during a livestreamed interview with Semafor, adding: "I don't think Ron DeSantis is a conservative, based on his actions towards Disney." DeSantis has been in a back-and-forth with Disney over the control over the thousands of acres that's home to the Magic Kingdom and other theme parks. In February, Disney quietly, through a bureaucratic vote, gained back control of the Orlando-area park --- though state officials didn't learn of it until March. Disney's move left DeSantis administration officials scrambling to respond, and the governor ordered an investigation into the California-based corporation. DeSantis is widely expected to run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, but has not yet announced his bid. Former President Donald Trump also criticized DeSantis' feud with Disney on Tuesday, writing in a Truth Social post that DeSantis is being "absolutely destroyed by Disney." New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who has strongly hinted at a 2024 bid, said DeSantis' feud with Disney is becoming a tit-for-tat because it's not going as he had planned. |
| Supreme Court conservatives seem divided in major religion case | |
 | The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case testing how far employers must go to accommodate the religious views of their employees. Federal civil rights law requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious beliefs of workers as long as that accommodation does not impose an "undue hardship" on the employer's business. Nearly a half-century ago, the Supreme Court defined an undue hardship as a substantial additional cost, but it also said that the cost need not be more than a de minimis amount, defined in the dictionary as a trifling amount. That language has long angered religious groups of all kinds. And now they are pressing the conservative Supreme Court supermajority to overrule or modify its prior ruling. Former postal worker Gerald Groff, an Evangelical Christian, brought the case after the postal service signed a contract with Amazon to deliver packages all seven days of the week. Groff was a carrier associate in rural Pennsylvania assigned to fill in delivery gaps when more senior carriers were absent, and the new contract meant he could no longer take off every Sunday. He eventually quit his job and sued the postal service for violating his religious rights. At the end of the day, it was unclear whether a majority of the court was more worried about imposing a burden on businesses and other employees or whether the court's conservatives would once again come down on the side of religious interests. |
| China readies supersonic spy drone unit, leaked document says | |
 | The Chinese military could soon deploy a high-altitude spy drone that travels at least three times the speed of sound, according to a leaked U.S. military assessment, a development that would dramatically strengthen China's ability to conduct surveillance operations. A secret document from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which has not previously been reported, shows the Chinese military is making technological advances that could help it target American warships around Taiwan and military bases in the region. The document features satellite imagery dated Aug. 9 that shows two WZ-8 rocket-propelled reconnaissance drones at an air base in eastern China, about 350 miles inland from Shanghai. The drones are a cutting-edge surveillance system that could help China gather real-time mapping data to inform strategy or carry out missile strikes in a future conflict. The assessment says the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had "almost certainly" established its first unmanned aerial vehicle unit at the base, which falls under the Eastern Theater Command, the branch of the Chinese military responsible for enforcing Beijing's sovereignty claims over Taiwan. Other documents in the trove detail a number of disclosures about Chinese spying and military modernization, including intelligence that revealed the existence of additional Chinese spy balloons and an assessment that Taiwan is ill-prepared to prevent early Chinese air superiority during an invasion. |
| Board of Trustees to Meet this Week | |
| The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, April 20, 2023, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Members of the Board may participate in the meeting via teleconference or an online meeting platform. The meeting will be webcast on www.mississippi.edu. Members of the public and media may attend the meeting in the IHL Board Room, located in the Universities Center, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211. An Executive Session may be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. The Health Affairs Committee, a standing committee of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning chaired by Trustee Dr. Walt Starr, will meet on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. to discuss various health affairs topics and initiatives. Members of the Board may participate in the meeting via teleconference or an online meeting platform. Members of the public and media may attend the meeting in the IHL Board Room, located in the Universities Center, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211. An Executive Session may be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning governs the public universities in Mississippi. |
| Chemistry professor named Ole Miss Teacher of Year | |
| Jason Ritchie has received many awards and honors in his 23 years of teaching at the University of Mississippi. But the 2023 recipient of the Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award says the latest ranks as his most rewarding. The associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry was presented the coveted accolade by Chancellor Glenn Boyce on Thursday evening (April 13) during the 80th annual Honors Day Convocation. Ritchie said he was overjoyed and humbled by the recognition. "I'm extremely grateful that my students and colleagues have taken the time to nominate and recommend me for this award," Ritchie said. "I try very hard to be the most effective classroom teacher I can be, and I'm glad that my students recognize that." One student described Ritchie as "an absolutely amazing professor." Another said that he "creates a welcoming environment ... making himself readily available for questions and exploring the real-world applications of chemistry. His enthusiasm for his subject infiltrates students' attitudes." |
| UMMC to host conference targeting critical care health professionals | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center is hosting a conference on April 21-22 targeting critical care professionals. Physicians, pharmacists, advanced practice providers, respiratory therapists, registered nurses, and students interested in critical care are invited to the Strength Through Collaboration conference. Dr. Thomas Dobbs, dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at UMMC and a physician in the Medical Center's Division of Infectious Diseases, will open the conference with a discussion on "Critical Care: An Exhaustible Public Health Resource." Eighteen sessions will include panelists and speakers who are physicians, education leaders, and healthcare experts from across the magnolia state. The hope is for health professionals to exchange ideas on how to improve care for patients. It's organized by Mississippi Critical Care Organization, also known as MiCCO, which is an effort to enhance critical care services at UMMC. |
| A USM student spoke out about a candidate for provost. Then they got an email from one of the school's biggest donors. | |
| The unsolicited email arrived in Emily Goldsmith's inbox shortly before 6 p.m. on April 12 with a subject line that was short and to-the-point: "provost protest." Goldsmith, a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi, had recently been critical in the student newspaper about a growing controversy on campus: One of the finalists for provost -- an administrator and finance professor named Lance Nail -- had a checkered past at a former employer, Texas Tech University. A Title IX investigation found Nail reportedly mishandled a report of sexual misconduct and "failed in his responsibility as the Dean of the College." The news touched a nerve on campus where students had called on the university to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual assault a year and a half ago. More than 750 students, faculty and alumni signed a petition protesting Nail's possible hiring. Goldsmith, whose pronouns are they/them, just so happened to be the only student quoted in the student newspaper. Still, they knew they were speaking for many when they said that hiring Nail "would communicate that all the university's claims about diversity, inclusion, and equity were meaningless platitudes." And, they began helping to plan a protest. Days later, the email came through. "You do not know me but my name is Chuck Scianna and I am the guy that Scianna Hall is named after," it began. |
| USM senior graphic design show set for April 20 | |
 | Artwork by seniors in the Graphic Design program, housed in the School of Performing and Visual Arts at The University of Southern Mississippi, will be on exhibit for its annual senior show starting Thursday. The show will last from April 20 through April 27 with an opening reception on April 20 at 6 p.m. It will be held in the Gallery of Art and Design located inside the George Hurst Building on the Hattiesburg Campus. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The show features the final capstone projects of seniors studying graphic design. "We have some of the best design students in the country and this exhibition is a shining example of the skills and knowledge they have gained while matriculating through our program," said Jacob Cotton, associate professor in the Art and Design program. "I cannot help but be immensely proud of their efforts on these projects and the final results on display in this show." |
| Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann to keynote Jones College 2023 Commencement Ceremony | |
| Nearly 650 of the more than 700 students eligible to graduate are participating in the 95th annual Commencement Ceremony at Jones College. This year, graduates and guests will hear from Miss. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann as the keynote speaker. The graduation ceremony will be held on Friday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m., on the North Lawn of Jones Hall with plans to move the event to the A.B. Howard/Bobcat Gymnasium if there is inclement weather. This ceremony will also mark the first class of the new Middle College Program at Laurel High School with Laurel High School students earning both their high school diploma and an associate degree from Jones College. These students finished their high school requirements simultaneously while attending college courses to complete a two-year degree. Seating will be first come first serve with a large crowd expected to support graduates participating in the ceremony. Graduates will receive either an associate in arts degree, an associate in applied science degree, a technical certificate or a career certificate. |
| Biloxi leaders, residents tackle issue of Spring Break safety during council meeting | |
 | A Spring Break weekend ending in violence. Now, questions are being raised as to what can be done to help keep residents and visitors safe during big events on the Coast. Biloxi leaders and worried residents came to Tuesday's city council meeting looking for answers and pushing for change. Mayor FoFo Gilich started Tuesday's council meeting with a promise: "Let me assure everyone -- the City will do everything in its power to prevent the problems we just experienced from reoccurring. This won't happen again." Mayor Gilich says the city is looking at every option, including new ordinances that would crack down on curfew, permit zones and traffic. Blame is also being placed on some of the spring break promoters who did not include city leaders or law enforcement in the events planned. Black Beach Weekend organizer Maurice Bryant agrees with that. "I don't like being grouped with promoters who are not organized. If they're not responsible, find a way -- I'll help -- let's move them out the way," Bryant said at the city council meeting. Also speaking out at Monday's meeting- concerned homeowners who say they don't ever want to experience another Spring Break like this one. "I moved from Atlanta to get closer to family here. I bought a significant investment in a new home out on the beach. I also bought a one-acre beachfront property I planned to build my dream home on," one resident said. "Now I'm having second thoughts after what I experienced this weekend. Absolute atrocity. People stopping on my property and urinating all over it and then laughing at us as we were on our deck at 9:30 at night. I felt threatened in my own home. Unbelievable." |
| U. of Alabama's Crimson White names first Black female editor in chief, Ashlee Woods | |
 | Ashlee Woods, a junior majoring in news media at the University of Alabama, will captain The Crimson White student newspaper beginning in May. She is third Black student and the first Black woman to hold the role in the paper's 129-year history, according to the newspaper's archives. She currently is editor in chief of the Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine, which highlights Black culture and excellence at the university. "I wanted to create a path for future Black women to take on this role," she said of her decision to apply for The Crimson White role. "If someone has to be first, it's going to be me. That's what I have to do. That's what needs to be done. Representation matters. Woods is passionate about sports journalism, wants to help student journalists do more features and video journalism and plans to continue the paper's diversity and inclusion efforts. "I bring a lot of different perspectives to the table, not just my race and gender," she said. In recent years, the newspaper has focused on recruiting more students of color, covering a broader range of stories, interviewing diverse sources and adding a DEI role to the editorial staff. |
| Will a state loan keep Birmingham-Southern open? | |
 | For months Birmingham-Southern College officials have warned of almost certain closure if the college does not receive a financial lifeline from Alabama lawmakers. But despite those warnings, the college's Board of Trustees voted unanimously on April 5 to keep the private institution open, signaling either an act of faith or confidence in public officials. Birmingham-Southern College has asked state and local officials for $37.5 million to remain open. Specifically, the college has requested $30 million from the state, $5 million from the city of Birmingham and another $2.5 million from Jefferson County, where BSC is located. But as a spokesperson for Alabama governor Kay Ivey declared last month, "The state has no plans to use the taxpayers' public funds to bail out a private college." As of publication, no bills have been filed in the Alabama Legislature to provide funding to keep the college afloat. However, there seems to be growing momentum for the possibility of a loan from the state. Earlier this month, after voting to keep the institution open, the board hinted vaguely at ongoing efforts to acquire financial support for the college; board chair Reverend Keith D. Thompson noted that leadership has "been working closely with our allies in state and local government to secure bridge funding." Thompson added that the board would continue to work with legislators "to ensure all are aware of the significant direct economic impact BSC provides each and every year, as well as the immense contributions made by our alumni to the civic, business, and political leadership of our state." |
| He marched in Tiger Band years ago. Now he'll lead LSU's school of music and drama. | |
 | More than 25 years after graduating from LSU, musician Eric Lau is headed back to Baton Rouge to serve as dean of the College of Music & Dramatic Arts, the university announced Tuesday. "We are excited to welcome Eric Lau to LSU, where his experience will help us elevate our already exemplary College of Music & Dramatic Arts," LSU President William Tate IV said in a university statement. "It's a special thing to welcome an LSU alumnus back home and into a position of such esteem. We can't wait to see what Dr. Lau and our talented faculty and staff in CMDA will do together in the very near future." Lau will take over as dean on July 1, pending approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors. Graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in music from LSU in 1997, Lau was a member of The Golden Band from Tigerland. Originally from Gainesville, Florida, Lau was recruited to LSU by longtime former director of bands Frank Wickes. Lau's high school band directors -- both students of Wickes' -- also encouraged him to attend LSU. |
| University System of Georgia may increase tuition after state budget cut | |
| University System of Georgia officials said Tuesday they're considering several options, including a tuition hike, to help fill a budget hole after state lawmakers unexpectedly cut its funding for the next fiscal year. The Georgia Board of Regents typically makes tuition decisions at its April meeting but plans to wait until May to consider potential tuition and fee increases for the state's 26 public colleges. Officials said that will give them several more weeks to review revenue options, which also could include strategically allocating state funds to schools most in need and dipping into a portion of "carry forward" funds left over in college budgets. The delay comes after lawmakers, on the final day of the legislative session last month, trimmed $66 million from the University System for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The state budget now awaits Gov. Brian Kemp's signature. "It was an unexpected cut," the system's chief fiscal officer, Tracey Cook, told the board during a meeting in Dahlonega at the University of North Georgia. "And so this is why we are recommending that we pause and bring those recommendations to you in the month of May." Chancellor Sonny Perdue pushed back at legislators who have said the cut can be absorbed by dipping into roughly $504 million in "carry forward" funds that have accumulated over the years at colleges. "Unfortunately in the Legislature this year, there was a good bit of misinformation, whether it was intentional or unintentional, regarding carry-forward funding," Perdue said. |
| Chinese students stripped of communications by state law claim lack of university support | |
| Without warning last Friday morning, hundreds of Chinese and Chinese American students were cut off from their primary means of communication with friends and family: Chinese social media apps supported by a campus Wi-Fi connection. The day before, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the latest in a string of bills from the Tennessee state legislature aimed at limiting expression and access for a minority group. The law, which has been called a "TikTok ban," prohibits the use of any social media app based in China on the internet networks of public colleges and universities. State and federal officials, including President Biden, have expressed concern about the use of data collected by TikTok, the video sharing platform owned by the private Chinese company ByteDance, which has thousands of employees in the U.S. and has denied any connection to or control by the Chinese government. But while measures against TikTok in other states and universities, including a total ban on the app in the state of Montana, have taken aim at TikTok alone, the Tennessee General Assembly and Gov. Lee went further in singling out China and its people. The scale of the action against Chinese apps would be roughly equivalent to the state legislature prohibiting the use of GroupMe, Slack, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch and Snapchat on campus internet in one swoop. For Chinese students, the greatest loss was not TikTok, but WeChat, an app whose reach in China and among Chinese people across the world is difficult for non-Chinese people to fully understand. |
| U. of Florida defends decision to remove years of campus crime data online | |
 | The University of Florida removed nearly eight years' worth of crime data online without public notification, leaving only limited details about crimes that occurred on or near campus during the past 60 days. UF reported its highest number of rapes and sexual battery cases last year. There was no evidence that UF removed its historical crime figures because of that, just that it happened around the same time. There were also increases reported to the university last year in burglaries, dating violence, domestic violence, grand theft, harassing communications, stalking and trespass. Removing the crime data makes it harder for students, parents, faculty, alumni and prospective students and their families to learn important details about their overall safety and risks from serious, violent crimes they may face at specific locations on the campus of Florida's flagship university, including dorms, classroom buildings or fraternity houses. In a statement, the university said the changes were made "to ensure the information displayed is accurate and current." That explanation emphasizes that, under federal law, universities are required to keep details updated for crimes for up to 60 days, such as whether police arrested a suspect or detectives gave up on an investigation. UF's historical crime listings dating back to 2016 once made UF among the most transparent among all colleges or universities across Florida about the safety of its students. Details in the crime listings often include the address on campus where each crime occurred, when it happened, when it was reported and more. |
| U. of Missouri students seek AI solutions to social issues with hackathon | |
 | Eight teams of University of Missouri students began Monday and have until Thursday to find solutions using artificial intelligence to solve social issues. The hackathon, produced by the MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics Graduate Student Organization, is part of Show Me Research Week on campus. The hackathon kicked off Monday in Mumford Hall as students pitched their ideas to judges. The ideas ranged from using real-time data to address pressing public health issues, to producing information quickly about federal disability law to using data from Tiger Pantry to better serve student users. Judges were from IBM and MU professors. Tiger Pantry has demographics data of student customers, said Yves De Jesus, MU graduate student from Chicago. Using AI, the pantry can assign particular shopping days based on poverty level of students, or assign specific days for international students to shop. |
| Protest erupts at Pitt over transgender rights during controversial debate | |
| Protests over two conservative speakers at the University of Pittsburgh on Tuesday night prompted the university to issue a public safety emergency as crowds blocked off the area around the O'Hara Student Center and jammed surrounding roadways, spurring a large law enforcement response. The university issued its public safety alert just after 7:30 p.m. as the debate -- "Should transgenderism be regulated by law?" -- between Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles and libertarian journalist Brad Polumbo was ongoing. Numerous campus buildings, including residence halls, were closed throughout much of the evening. Shortly after 10 p.m., buildings began reopening and the campus returned to normal operations. After the debate ended about 9 p.m., attendees waited 30 minutes to safely exit the building as protests continued. Officers formed two lines barricading the building as attendees were escorted out a back door. About a half hour later, the protesters had dispersed after law enforcement officials told them they would face arrest if they continued to block the street. Leah Libresco Sargeant, the chief of staff for debates and public discourse at nonprofit Braver Angels, moderated the debate. It was sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and hosted by Pitt College Republicans. More than 11,000 students signed a petition before the debate demanding Pitt cancel it. In response, Pitt stressed its commitment to the First Amendment. |
| Turnover Is Bad Across Higher Ed. It's Even Worse in Admissions. | |
 | Higher education's perennial problem with turnover has been well-documented. But it's even more acute -- and comes with higher stakes -- in one department in particular, according to data released this week by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, or CUPA-HR. That area? Admissions, where 71 percent of coordinators and counselors have been in their jobs for just three years or less. (Only 53 percent of professionals across higher ed have been in their roles for the same duration, according to CUPA-HR.) Not only is turnover worse in admissions than in other parts of higher ed, but the hiring woes that are plaguing all of academe also lend a heightened urgency to the issue. Colleges' financial futures, after all, depend on admissions officers, many of whom are early-career professionals who are working lots and being paid little. The new CUPA-HR data offer a compelling case that the status quo can't continue, and illustrate recent Chronicle reporting that called admissions "a maxed-out profession on the edge of a crisis." The pressures are many --- students' increasing financial needs and colleges' tightening wallets, loss of public trust in higher ed, escalating expectations from presidents and boards to bring in ever-larger freshman classes, and even judicial and legislative actions that threaten to upend inclusive policies that many admissions staff members are accustomed and often committed to. And then there's the looming enrollment cliff, said Melissa Fuesting, author of the CUPA-HR research brief. |
| 'Swatting' calls reporting fake threats terrorize colleges | |
| There were a few red flags in the 911 call that alerted Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., of a supposed active shooter on the Catholic University of America's campus. Rather than report a specific location, the caller vaguely mentioned a "computer lab." And no other calls came in reporting the alleged attack. The situation ended up being nothing more than an incident of "swatting," shorthand for falsely reporting an act of violence in the hopes of getting a SWAT team to intervene. But despite the early warning signs that the call might be a hoax or a prank, it is far too risky for an institution to approach such episodes as anything other than a legitimate threat, Kirk McLean, Catholic's associate vice president for public safety and emergency management, told Inside Higher Ed. Similar alarm bells went off at Boston University when a caller reporting a campus shooting incorrectly identified the location as "the University of Boston." But, as at Catholic, responders knew they couldn't take a chance and proceeded as if the threat was real -- though they eventually discovered it wasn't. Swatting attacks at Catholic and Boston University were among at least 22 that have occurred at colleges and universities across the United States over the past several weeks, including two threats at Catholic universities in D.C. and eight at colleges in Texas. K-12 schools have also been the targets of a recent wave of swatting calls. |
| At Gathering of DEI Officers, Fear, Anger, Joy, and Solidarity | |
| Shortly after 6 p.m. last Thursday, applause and a few yelps slipped past the closed doors of the Harborside Ballroom on the third floor of the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. Inside, several hundred diversity, equity, and inclusion officers from colleges across America were caught in the crosscurrents of fear, anger, joy, and solidarity. It was the second day of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education conference, and DEI officers were listening to their colleagues from Florida and Texas offer firsthand accounts of those states' legislative attempts to ban DEI work on college campuses. The session was entitled, "The Narrative Has Been Hijacked, Now What?" As hotel staff prepared charcuterie and chilled drinks for an end-of-the-day reception, DEI officers convened in the special session, which was closed to the media. We wanted to give our members a chance to speak freely without fear of repercussions," said Paulette Granberry Russell, the president and co-founder of Nadohe. The applause that spilled out into the lobby came halfway through the evening sessions, breaking out, according to several Nadohe members in attendance, when it was suggested the group take a more aggressive stance in fighting the bills in 19 states that, if passed, would eliminate or severely hobble diversity, equity, and inclusion work on college campuses. In that brief moment, the DEI officers gathered in Baltimore felt powerful. |
| Court asked to reexamine whether employees have the right not to work on the Sabbath | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Bottom line, can your employer compel you to work on the Sabbath if you have religious beliefs which you believe require you to be in church and rest on Sundays? And if you have a co-worker whose religious beliefs make him or her unavailable to work on Sundays, does your increased Sunday workload impact your common employer's right to deny that religious accommodation under a 1977 federal court ruling on Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Code? A former Pennsylvania postal worker is testing that question before the highest court in the land this week as the Supreme Court hears arguments in the case Groff v. DeJoy. ... Groff is a former Mennonite missionary who was a USPS letter carrier in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for seven years before the USPS – which does not deliver mail on Sundays -- entered into an agreement with giant online retailer Amazon. Groff told ABC: "They (USPS) began to ask people in my position to deliver on Sundays or holidays, and I told them, 'I'm not going to be able to work on the Lord's Day at all,'" Groff said. "The Bible says that we're supposed to keep the Lord's Day as unique and holy, a day that's set apart to worship and honor God." Appellate court documents cited in the Groff case reflect what the Postal Service believed that Groff's refusal to work on Sundays caused a tense work environment, and resentment of USPS management and created a fiscal cost on operations. |
SPORTS
| Softball Hosts Memphis For Final Midweek Contest | |
| Mississippi State softball will host Memphis in its final midweek and non-conference contest at Nusz Park on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT. MSU (23-19, 3-11 SEC) brings in a 12-game winning streak against the Tigers (8-34, 2-10 AAC). Last year, the teams met in Memphis, where the Bulldogs broke the school record with six home runs in a five-inning contest. State's former volunteer assistant coach, DJ Sanders, who worked with the hitters in that game, is now an assistant coach with the Tigers on first-year head coach Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro's staff. The Bulldogs are 20-8 in non-conference games this year, and they have already seen their fans produce two top-15 crowds in program history, most recently in Saturday's game with Alabama. State is averaging 501 fans at its home contests, which would surpass last year for fifth in school history. Wednesday is Christmas in Nusz Park with scenes from fans' favorite holiday movies and Christmas music played throughout the ballpark. The first 100 fans in attendance will receive a Nusz Park Christmas ornament and their will be pregame photo opportunities with Santa. |
| Lemonis notes freshman Mershon as unsung hero of Ole Miss series win | |
| After the smoke cleared from Mississippi State baseball's Super Bulldog Weekend series win over Ole Miss, it was a pair of freshmen, Dakota Jordan and Jurrangelo Cjintje, that dominated the headlines. Jordan's two-RBI, walk-off single helped the Bulldogs to an 8-7 Saturday win, and also earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Cjintje pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run baseball, while striking out seven in Sunday's 5-3 series-clinching win. But MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said a third freshman, David Mershon, played a huge role, too. Mershon, an infielder from Taylors, South Carolina, only played in Saturday's and Sunday's games, but made the most of his opportunities in the field and at the plate, recording two hits and turning two crucial double plays, one in each game. "He showed this weekend how special of a player he is," Lemonis said on his weekly "Dawg Talk" radio show ahead of this weekend's pivotal conference series at Auburn. Mershon, who hadn't started a game since March 24 against Vanderbilt, was a late addition to Saturday's lineup, according to Lemonis, after usual second base starter Amani Larry had a migraine. |
| How Zach Arnett balances doing things his own way and honoring Mike Leach at Mississippi State | |
| The advice Mike Leach shared with Zach Arnett during quiet moments and late-night phone calls was invaluable. Granted, Arnett couldn't always tell where a conversation with his boss was heading -- his degree in history and minor in political science came in handy sometimes -- but there was often a nugget of wisdom to be found in there somewhere if he stuck with Leach long enough. Which got Arnett thinking one afternoon last month. The Mississippi State head coach popped up from a seat in his office and walked over to his desk. He pulled open the top right drawer, clutched a handout Leach gave the staff and waved it around. Once or twice a year, he said, they'd read through Leach's curated thoughts on coaching. There's a bit about coaches failing players rather than players failing coaches. "What I really like about them," Arnett said, "is they force you as a coach to flip the mirror onto yourself." When he first read the handout, shortly after being hired as Leach's defensive coordinator in 2020, it was as if he'd been struck by lightning. Coaches are notorious for buying up volumes of books on leadership, Arnett said, and Leach found a way to boil it down to four pages of bullet points. Arnett turned it over in his hands and smiled knowingly. He didn't want to give away specific quotations; he thinks the insights inside are so valuable. "It's a lifetime of common sense wisdom," he said. |
| Why Tennessee football will fight failure to monitor violation in NCAA hearing | |
 | The NCAA alleges that all but one of the 18 highest-level violations in Tennessee football's NCAA case were committed by former coach Jeremy Pruitt and his wife, staff members and a booster. But the one exception is important. The university faces an allegation of failure to monitor the football program in an NCAA hearing, which begins Wednesday in Cincinnati. It's the 18th Level 1 violation listed by the NCAA, while the other 17 are levied against individuals. Failure to monitor is often confused with lack of institutional control, which is a more severe violation. A university is guilty of lack of institutional control when it fails to display adequate compliance measures, appropriate education on NCAA rules, sufficient monitoring and swift action when violations are discovered. Failure to monitor is considered less severe. Violations resulting from a failure to monitor are usually limited in scope and do not involve the widespread issues found in cases that allege a lack of institutional control. The good news for UT is that it avoided an allegation of lack of institutional control. That's always a Level 1 violation, the most serious in the NCAA's three-tier system. Cooperating fully and dedicating immense resources to aid the NCAA investigation likely helped UT's position, and that matters. |
| Texas bill could provide schools protection from NIL violations | |
| In early April, the Oklahoma House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 840 by a vote of 84-5. The bill drew national attention because it included a section that appeared to provide cover for Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and other state schools from being punished by the NCAA for any NIL-related violations, including any committed by collectives that have been set up to support student-athletes through deal facilitation. Fast forward a few weeks and now a similar bill -- House Bill 2804 -- is making its way through the Texas House of Representatives. The NIL-focused legislation is similar to Texas Senate Bill 1784. But NIL legal observers noticed a subtle, yet, significant change that was added last week after HB 2804 moved through the Texas House Committee on Higher Education, which is chaired by bill sponsor Rep. John Kuempel. According to the revised bill: "An athletic association, an athletic conference, or any other group or organization with authority over an intercollegiate athletic program at an institution to which this section applies may not enforce a contract term, a rule, a regulation, a standard, or any other requirement that prohibits the institution from participating in intercollegiate athletics or otherwise penalizes the institution or the institution 's intercollegiate athletic program for performing, participating in, or allowing an activity required or authorized by this section." |
| Alabama House OKs ban on trans athletes at a college level | |
| Transgender women in Alabama would be prohibited from joining female sports teams in college under legislation advanced Tuesday by the Alabama House of Representatives -- a part of a wave of restrictions on transgender people being pushed in conservative states. The House voted 83-5 in favor of the legislation that would extend a 2021 ban on transgender athletes in K-12 sports teams to include college teams. The bill states that sports teams "designated for females, women, or girls shall not be open to a biological male." Similarly, a "biological female" would also not be allowed to participate on teams for boys and men. The legislation now moves to the Alabama Senate. "Forcing women to compete against biological men would reverse decades of progress women have made for equal opportunity in athletics," Republican Rep. Susan DuBose, the bill's sponsor, told lawmakers. DuBose said that "no amount of hormone therapy can undo" physical advantages. Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa who voted against the bill, said Republicans are acting like the issue is an "epidemic" problem when they can't name examples of it happening in the state. "This is just an opportunity for people to create an issue or a solution that is looking for a problem," England said. |
| ASUN and WAC partner to form new FCS conference | |
| The ASUN Conference and the Western Athletic Conference announced Monday their football partnership is now a new league known as the United Athletic Conference. The nine schools in the two conferences have teamed up for football-only competition the last two seasons. The ASUN and WAC sponsor other sports but did not have enough schools competing in football to sponsor it on their own. Starting in 2023, the UAC will have a recognized champion and automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Championship Subdivision playoffs. FCS is the second-tier of Division I below the Bowl Subdivision. United Athletic Conference members span from Alabama to Utah. Current members include Abilene Christian University, Austin Peay State University, University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, University of North Alabama, Southern Utah University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Tarleton State University and Utah Tech University. |
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