| Thursday, July 6, 2023 |
| Kiswahili: how a standard version of the east African language was formed -- and spread across the world | |
 | Mississippi State University's Morgan J. Robinson talks with The Conversation: Kiswahili originated in east Africa, spreading around the continent and the globe. It's been adopted as a working language at the African Union and there's a push for it to become Africa's lingua franca or common language. Morgan J. Robinson is a historian of east Africa with a research focus on language who has published a book on Kiswahili called A Language for the World. We asked her how today's accepted standard version of Kiswahili came into being. |
| Goings on with Grant: Big Bad Breakfast coming to Starkville | |
 | Watch out, Starkville, it's about to get tastier. Big Bad Breakfast, a chain of breakfast cafes, is making its move on a new location, according to a post by Realtor Colin Krieger featuring BBB t-shirts celebrating the business' 15th anniversary. Co-owner for the new location, Cameron Parker, could not speak to the details of where it will be or when it will open, but he said an official announcement is forthcoming. I know I'll be keeping an eye for it. BBB was founded by owner John Currence at its Oxford location in 2008. Since then, the chain grew to 16 locations throughout the United States. After receiving multiple nominations for a James Beard award, Currence won for Best Chef South. (James Beard awards are the Oscars for food.) He is also responsible for Oxford restaurants Snackbar, Bourè and City Grocery. Popular menu items include the huevos rancheros, the big crumble and the Redneck Benny -- essentially eggs Benedict on the country side of things. Plus, who doesn't love their homemade biscuits? I used to take one home with me every time I ate there in Oxford. |
| MedStat begins contract with OCH Regional Medical Center | |
 | It's been a month since the CEO and administrator for OCH Regional Medical Center went to the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors to inform them of their decision to contract with Global Medical Response to provide Emergency Medical Services. As of last Friday, you may have noticed a change to the ambulances in Oktibbeha County. MedStat officially started its contract with OCH Regional Medical Center. In spite of the transition, 13 veteran OCH employees continue to serve with the MedStat team. Senior Operator Eric Sprayberry said the transition has been going smoothly, and the situation has completely changed since that first board meeting. "It's a complete 180-degree change. Everyone is working hard and making sure that everything is going well, and that's on the county side of the hospital as well as us," said Sprayberry. Last Thursday, the hospital's Board of Trustees met with county supervisors to discuss some important numbers. Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer said the hospital is looking to communicate the right way and have the community understand that the trustees are trying to make the best decision for the overall organization. "What OCH is trying to do is have us understand what they are dealing with and do what they can internally and be able to continue to provide the quality of care people expect for them to provide," said Trainer. |
| County Fire Services to call UMMC if personnel need extra medical help on-scene | |
| A recent switch to OCH Regional Medical Center's ambulance services from in-house service to a third-party ambulance provider is now rippling out to other departments in the county. On Wednesday morning, the board of supervisors approved making the University of Mississippi Medical Center the medical controller for Oktibbeha County Fire Department. Fire Services Coordinator Patrick Warner requested the change from MedStat -- the new third-party ambulance service for OCH -- to simplify communication for volunteer firefighters who are on the scene of a medical emergency. "The first responders in the county have to have some kind of medical control," Warner said. "Temporarily, we are signed up under MedStat." Medical control is the oversight of an Emergency Medical System by a qualified physician. Warner told the board this allows first responders, like EMTs and paramedics, to call an emergency room doctor to receive instructions on patient care when a situation falls outside of their scope of practice. Dave Eldridge, director of operations for MedStat, said the ambulance service currently gets its medical control service from UMMC across the eight counties it serves. This allows MedStat responders to call the same medical provider for instructions even if they cross county lines. |
| Perkins gets street, day named in his honor | |
| When former Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas thinks of Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins, he thinks of alcohol sales. "We were changing the alcohol sales ordinance, and we were looking at Sunday alcohol sales and a lot of different things," said Dumas, who served from 2005 to 2013. "... Vice Mayor Perkins was clearly on the opposite side of the spectrum that I was in terms of that process. But I remember about five minutes into that conversation ... he stood up at his seat and started preaching from the table. ... As strong as I supported (alcohol sales), I was almost moved to having other thoughts." Dumas' story was one of many told on Wednesday night, as the mayor, current and former aldermen, and others acknowledged Perkins's 30-year-anniversary of service to the city. Perkins was initially sworn in as Ward 6 alderman on July 6, 1993, and is serving his eighth consecutive term. To acknowledge his years of service, Mayor Lynn Spruill read a resolution renaming a portion of Hiwassee Drive, between Hospital Road and Carver Drive, as "Roy A.' Perkins Way." She also read a proclamation naming July 6 "Vice Mayor Roy A.' Perkins Day" for the city. |
| Cornhole coming to Neshoba County Fair | |
| The Neshoba County Fair is less than three weeks away. The Fair opens Friday, July 21, and will run through July 28 and a new addition this year is a cornhole tournament. Heavy rains in late June have kept the Fairgrounds management team busy as they strive to have everything ready for Mississippi's Giant House Party. "We have everything back in order from the two floods we had," said Kevin Cheatham, Fair manager. "We had two flash floods, one June 15 when we got eight inches of rain. Then a few days later, we got another six inches. We had water 25 to 30 cabins that got some water in them." Rain washed away part of the horse racing track, which could have affected on of the top favorite events during Fair week. But Cheatham said the track is ready to go. "We had to haul 30 to 40 loads of dirt," Cheatham said. "We finished last Tuesday. We were able to let some of the horses get back on it." Cheatham said Fairgoers should be pleased with the Grandstand entertainment this year. "We have some really good talent this year," Cheatham said. "I've listened to the sound track of the ones that will be on the Grandstands stage. They all have some pretty good songs out on the radio." |
| Massive I-10 road project paves the way for Mississippi's first Buc-ee's | |
 | The first steps of a massive 18-month project to overhaul the I-10 interchange at Menge Avenue, and eventually construct the first Buc-ee's in Mississippi, began Wednesday. Within the first hours of lane closure, interstate traffic was backed up for hours. "Since probably 8am this morning it has been a constant flow of traffic back and forth. It hasn't let up," said Shari Matchell, owner of Nuclear Fireworks. The seasonal business is located just south of the I-10 eastbound entrance ramp. As the cars backed up, she had a front seat view of the congestion. It's the first preview of what drivers will face over the next year and a half as Mississippi Department of Transportation crews work to widen I-10, Menge Avenue, and Firetower Road. The overpass will also need to be completely rebuilt. That phase of the project will cut off traffic on Menge Avenue and will take 13 months to complete, according to MDOT. "We're staying positive that our customers know us, they know how to get to us, but we are concerned -- is it gonna be a hassle for people? And if it is is a hassle, it seems like it'll be a lengthy one," Matchell said. Harrison County leaders know the trouble that this roadwork will cause, but they are hopeful that the final product will outweigh the headaches introduced. "It is progress, but it is a little inconvenient," said Harrison County Supervisor Marlin Ladner. |
| Mississippi counties voice frustrations, concerns over constant outages | |
| Residents in Benton and Marshall counties in Mississippi voiced their concern about what they call constant power outages in their counties. "What they need to do is be humble, they need to effectively communicate, they need to ask for help, and they need to be proactive which they are none of that," said Jim Smith, Marshall County resident. Residents are asking for the person running the Holly Springs Utility Department, which in this case is Holly Springs mayor Sharon Gipson, to communicate what's going on. Customers of the Holly Springs Utility Department say the power issue is a crisis. Gipson said that weather is the cause of many of the outages in the coverage area. People that live in Benton and Marshall counties tell us this is much bigger than the weather. They say it's an aging power grid issue. Mayor Gipson acknowledged there has been neglect for years, but she says historic storms have played a factor in getting things fixed. Gipson said one of the solutions is hiring a qualified general manager to run the utility department. |
| Americans Have Quit Quitting Their Jobs | |
 | The surge in Americans quitting their jobs has abated since peaking during the pandemic, another sign that the labor market is cooling from ultrahot levels as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates. Americans voluntarily left 3.8 million jobs in April. That marked a drop of 700,000 from 4.5 million in November 2021, the highest level on Labor Department records back to 2000. May quits data will be released at 10 a.m. ET Thursday. The so-called quits rate -- the number of resignations as a share of total employment -- fell this spring to 2.4%, nearly matching the prepandemic reading and down from 3% as recently as April 2022. Quitting rose as the economy recovered from deep job losses early in the pandemic. Many industries struggled with labor shortages as millions of people exited the labor market. Some workers re-evaluated their lives and the kinds of jobs they wanted, others jumped ship for more money, and others switched into fully-remote roles. Those trends have since eased. Although hiring remains strong, the decline in quits adds to other signs of labor market cooling. Fewer companies are struggling to find workers. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal estimate that employers added 240,000 jobs in June. That would be the smallest gain since March. The Labor Department will release its June employment report on Friday. |
| Attorney General's Office now sole agency overseeing telemarketing laws, No Call Program | |
| The Mississippi Legislature transferred the responsibility for overseeing the state's telemarketing laws through the Mississippi No Call Program and the No-Call list, database or registry from the Public Service Commission to the Attorney General's Office during the 2023 session. That law -- HB 1225 -- as signed by Governor Tate Reeves went into effect July 1st. The law also gave the Attorney General's Office authority to file suit against violators in Chancery Court. On Wednesday, just four days after the new law took effect, Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced that her office had filed lawsuits against two companies, The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation and NaturaLawn of America, for violating the Mississippi Telephone Solicitation Act. Fitch's office says that together, the two companies made nearly 1,000 unauthorized calls to Mississippians on the Do Not Call Registry. "Telemarketing calls are more than an inconvenience, they are often the gateway to scams," said Attorney General Fitch in a statement announcing the action. "Protecting Mississippians from robocalls has long been a priority of my office, and I appreciate the Legislature giving us these new tools to investigate and prosecute those who willfully ignore and violate our telemarketing laws." |
| Mississippi high court will hear case about appointing judges in majority-Black capital city | |
 | The Mississippi Supreme Court will hear an appeal Thursday as some Jackson residents try to revive one of the lawsuits challenging the appointment, rather than the election, of some judges in the capital city -- and the top justice will not take part in the hearing. Chief Justice Mike Randolph has recused himself from considering the appeal because he said he does not want to prolong the case. The Jackson residents originally named Randolph as a defendant in the lawsuit because the chief justice is required to appoint five judges, under the law that the suit is trying to block. Randolph objected to being sued, and a chancery court judge removed him as a defendant. In Randolph's recusal order on the appeal, he wrote Monday that he is neutral about the constitutionality of the law, which is the central issue in the lawsuit. "But absent recusal, the Chief Justice's participation risks prolonging the 'circus' and allowing a sideshow to overshadow the center-ring attraction," Randolph wrote. He wrote that his decision to step aside on this appeal should not encourage lawyers to sue judges. "Just suing a judge does not mandate his recusal," Randolph wrote. |
| Thousands of Mississippians can't vote because of felony convictions. Many top candidates want to keep it that way. | |
| Candidates for the state's highest offices were stumping under the historic Jacinto courthouse at the community's annual Independence Day festival, but certain people in the area won't have a say this year in which of those candidates represent them. Mississippi is one of fewer than 10 states that places a lifetime voting ban on people convicted of certain felonies, resulting in more than 10% of the state's voting-age population being barred from the ballot box, according to one study. Numerous people from nearby communities in northeast Mississippi have petitioned state politicians in recent years to return their voting rights. But because of the state's convoluted system for getting those rights restored, their efforts have been unsuccessful. The U.S. Supreme Court last week declined to hear a case challenging Mississippi's process for stripping voting rights from people with certain felony convictions, leaving the future of this system in the hands of state officials. "I'm open to doing something," Republican Rep. Nick Bain of Corinth told Mississippi Today. "But we frankly can't do anything until we get the governor on board," Bain said. |
| State Rep. Eubanks to challenge Wicker for U.S. Senate seat | |
| A new candidate has been introduced to the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Mississippi. State Representative Dan Eubanks, R-Walls, took to social media on Independence Day to announce that he will be challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Roger Wicker in the 2024 primary elections. "I still believe in this great republic. I'm still proud to identify as a patriot, and I'm still willing to fight and die for the freedoms and liberties that you and I enjoy and hold so dear," Eubanks stated. "This upcoming presidential and congressional election will be one of the most important you and I participate in. It is our future and freedoms that are at stake. I need you. You need me, and our country needs us both." Eubanks, who faces no opposition for his current seat in the 2023 elections, is running on the platform of cutting taxes, championing pro-life causes, protecting religious liberties, and securing the southern border. "I know it's a David versus Goliath scenario, but I also know ultimately who controls the outcome and delivers the battle," Eubanks added. "I'm not owned by special interests. I can't raise millions of dollars at the drop of a hat like my opponent, but what I can do is fight and fight for you." |
| The new power couple taking on Wall Street: J.D. Vance and Elizabeth Warren | |
 | Sen. J.D. Vance -- the Trump-backing former venture capitalist -- is trying to lead Republicans in a new cause: cracking down on big banks. Following a Senate campaign in which he pledged to prioritize rural America over titans of industry, the Ohio lawmaker is using a seat on the Banking Committee to flex his populist bona fides, teaming up with Democrats including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Dick Durbin of Illinois on bills that the industry's biggest players despise -- while championing legislation that protects smaller banks. He's taking a lead role in advancing bipartisan proposals that would penalize bank executives when their companies fail, make it harder for giant lenders to get bigger by acquiring other banks and rein in credit card fees. Along the way, he's had some success in recruiting fellow Republicans to the cause --- creating fresh headaches for big bank lobbyists, who are gearing up to fight the Vance-backed policies. Warren, who enlisted Vance to build GOP support for a bill to claw back compensation from executives of failed banks, said he's been "terrific to work with." "We have to figure out what is the actual policy of our government, and how do we need to change it to fit with a healthy small and medium regional bank ecosystem," Vance said in an interview. "I don't think that's true right now." |
| Biden has turned his age into a punchline. But are voters laughing? | |
 | How old is Joe Biden? "I'm 198 years old," the nation's oldest president joked to a crowd of reproductive rights activists at an event in late June. At a campaign reception in California a few days earlier, Biden took a self-deprecating swipe at his advanced years while boasting about his foreign policy credentials. "That's what I've done my whole life -- for the last 270 years," he said. Bada-bing! This is how Biden is confronting the age issue as he asks voters to give him another four years in office: By embracing it with humor. Polls suggest that Biden's age – for the record, he's 80 – is one of his biggest liabilities heading into next year's election. Thirty-seven percent of Democratic and Independent voters in a USA TODAY poll released in June said Biden's age makes them less likely to vote for him. Just 3% said it makes them more likely. A 56% majority said it doesn't make a difference. Biden is smart to address the age issue head on -- and to do it with humor, said Jennifer Mercieca, an expert on political rhetoric. "Humor might be the best strategy for Biden to use," said Mercieca, an associate professor at Texas A&M. "Humor suits him, and it suits the situation. Using humor allows him to acknowledge the issue of his age, which is an important issue for many Americans, while at the same time minimizing it. After all, his age is his age -- he can't change how old he is, but he can show that he's still quick-witted (and witty) by making jokes." |
| Election rulings temper Supreme Court's conservative streak | |
 | The Supreme Court shrugged off partisan criticism this term and again delivered conservative decisions in major cases about race and religious rights, but the justices declined a chance to do the same in some key election cases that could end up benefiting Democrats. The conservative majority, over sharp criticism from the court's liberal justices, upended decades of precedent to restrict how colleges can use race in admissions decisions and sided with the owner of a company who refused to build websites for same-sex weddings because of her religious beliefs. The decisions drew praise from Republicans for backing individual constitutional rights and limited government and condemnations from President Joe Biden and Democrats over concerns that the rulings could harm minority educational opportunities and weaken anti-discrimination laws nationwide. But the Supreme Court also turned aside a legal theory backed by Republican lawmakers in North Carolina that could have given state legislatures more sway over congressional districts and federal elections and paved the way for additional Black opportunity congressional districts in Alabama and Louisiana that could mean additional seats held by Democrats. |
| 9th Circuit conservatives blast homelessness ruling, say issue is 'paralyzing' U.S. West | |
 | Some of the most powerful conservative judges in the United States took collective aim Wednesday at the idea that homeless people with nowhere else to go have a right to sleep in public, excoriating their liberal colleagues for ruling as much. Their scathing comments came in a set of responses to a decision Wednesday by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals not to rehear a case in which a smaller three-judge panel affirmed such rights in September. In their responses, the court's conservative wing painted a dystopian portrait of an American West deprived of its public spaces and under siege by an overwhelming epidemic of homelessness. The debate provided one of the clearest windows into the new political divide on the 9th Circuit since President Trump appointed 10 judges to the traditionally liberal court and President Biden appointed seven. Judge Milan Smith Jr., one of the court's older conservative judges who was appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote in one dissent that homelessness is "presently the defining public health and safety crisis in the western United States." He then zoomed in on California and Los Angeles in particular -- where recent estimates have put the homeless population of L.A. County about 70,000. |
| Civil War-Era Abraham Lincoln Letter Sells for $85,000 | |
| A previously unpublished letter by Abraham Lincoln that offers insight on his management of the Civil War sold Wednesday for $85,000. The letter, dated Aug. 19, 1861 -- during the first year of the Civil War and Lincoln's presidency -- is addressed to Charles Ellet Jr., a civil engineer famous for building suspension bridges. In the letter, Lincoln asked Ellet to talk to three of his generals about Ellet's proposal for a civil engineer corps. "You're looking at Lincoln managing the war at a really high level," said Nathan Raab, president of the Raab Collection, which sold the letter. "He's receiving a proposal to map out the roads and railroads infrastructure of the South," he said. "He's making a connection with his top generals. This is Lincoln as a wartime president." It's rare to come across a letter that hasn't been published with Lincoln's collections of papers, Raab said. The Raab Collection, which buys and sells historical documents, sells several Lincoln letters a year. The seller, who Raab said wishes to remain anonymous, approached the Raab Collection about the letter earlier this year. It was inherited from a parent, Raab said. The company said the letter has likely been in a private collection for at least a century. The buyer is a private collector from the Southeast who also wants to remain anonymous, Raab said. |
| Ole Miss Center for Population Studies awarded $350K for internet access study | |
| The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has awarded the University of Mississippi's Center for Population Studies $350,000 through the new Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program. The center -- which the FCC has recognized as a "trusted messenger" -- will use the money to identify Mississippians who do not have access to broadband internet and offer help to qualified households who elect to secure discounted internet services and to receive an electronic device. "We were one of five entities selected (in Mississippi), including the state's broadband office," Anne Cafer, the center's director, said. "This is part of an ongoing initiative by CPS to work with communities on issues around broadband. Our Delta legal fellow, Jillian Morrison is leading the charge." Eligible Mississippians for this outreach include low-income households, aging populations, individuals with disabilities, individuals with a language barrier, racial and ethnic minorities, and rural inhabitants. |
| Are Florida laws chasing university faculty away? Some see a 'brain drain.' | |
| In the months before the Florida Board of Governors met in late March, more than 1,000 people wrote in, mostly to complain. Now, a dozen speakers lined up to be heard in person. They had come to weigh in on a proposed state rule that would make it harder for university faculty to keep tenure. The board, which oversees the state's 12 public universities, was nearing a decision. But many in the audience had other concerns. Gov. Ron DeSantis had been talking since January about his plans to rid higher education of "woke" influences. He spoke of weeding out liberal professors, killing diversity programs and restricting course content. He railed against "zombie studies," the college majors he saw as frivolous. The speakers warned of damaging effects. Some faculty, they said, already had taken lower-paying jobs in other states, with more sure to follow. Top professors from elsewhere were staying away. The quality of a college education in Florida would quickly decline, they predicted. "If you pass this regulation, Florida's university system will go from the most competitive in the country to the least -- and it will happen overnight," said Andrew Gothard, head of the state's faculty union. It wasn't true, said university system chancellor Ray Rodrigues, pushing back against the notion of a Florida brain drain. In the past when confronted with similar changes, he argued, people made "dire predictions" that hadn't happened. Which view is closer to accurate? Three months later, the answer remains elusive. But some signs of an exodus are apparent. |
| Though growing in popularity, are prebiotic sodas safe? UGA scientists weigh in | |
 | For those who are bubbles obsessed and can't get enough of sparkling beverages, prebiotic sodas have become the newest craze. Prebiotic soda brands like Olipop and Poppi claim to have the flavor of traditional sodas without the high sugar content as well as more health benefits than sparkling waters. With their hashtags gaining more than100 million views on TikTok each, Olipop and Poppi have grown tremendously over the past two years due to their social media marketing blitz. Now, Olipop is set to sell over $200 million in product this year, and Poppi has raised over $52 million in three funding rounds, according to media reports and market analytics. Both brands have now hit the shelves in Georgia and can be found at such big-box stores as Target and Walmart. However, bubbles with automatic benefits sound a little too good to be true. This begs the question: Are prebiotic sodas actually healthy or are they just a jumble of marketing based on loose scientific evidence? Two registered dieticians, Tracey Brigman, clinical associate professor and director of the University of Georgia FACS education program, and Emma Laing, PhD, RDN, who is the director of dietetics at the University of Georgia and a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, help to shed some light. |
| U. of South Carolina foundation pays for professor accused of sexual harassment to get retirement benefits | |
 | The University of South Carolina's Educational Foundation agreed to pay an undisclosed amount so that David Voros, a former professor accused of sexual harassment in three lawsuits, can receive full state retirement benefits, according to a resignation agreement. Voros resigned earlier this year. Voros, who had been a tenured painting professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, was accused of sexual harassment in three separate lawsuits filed by a former student and two coworkers. One lawsuit, which was filed in 2018 by former student Allison Duvanant, was settled for $75,000. In the suit, Duvanant accused Voros of making sexual advances towards her during a study abroad trip to Italy. The other two lawsuits, which also allege unwanted sexual advances, are pending. As part of the resignation agreement, the foundation agreed to a payment to the state retirement system in order to qualify Voros as a 28-year employee, according to documents obtained by The State through a public records request. State employees whose employment began before 2012 must be 65 years old or have 28 years of service to receive unreduced monthly retirement benefits, according to the South Carolina Retirement System's website. According to documents, the USC Educational Foundation, on Voros' behalf, had to purchase three years, five months and 16 days of service credit from the state so he would receive these benefits. |
| Academics take flight from Twitter as restrictions, alternatives grow | |
 | In the wake of new restrictions on how many tweets users can see daily, more academics are pulling back from Twitter and considering alternatives, such as Meta's new competitor Threads, which launched Wednesday. The new limit, imposed last weekend by Twitter owner Elon Musk, was the latest change in the turbulent period since he bought the social media network last year for $44 billion. Musk's changes, including firing huge numbers of employees and reinstating previously banned accounts, set off a gradual diaspora amid academic Twitter. For some who tried to hold on, the new restrictions that lock Twitter for the day after a user scrolls through a certain number of tweets went too far. Kelchen announced his departure from Twitter on Wednesday by tweet and on his blog, where he said it was time for him to "step away from Twitter for at least a while. The platform is becoming more unstable, with more frequent outages, more spam and trolls, and people I deeply respect leaving Twitter." To see the shift in academics' usage of Twitter, people should look at the activity around the recent Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and student loans, Kelchen said in an interview. "Academic Twitter is alive but not well," he said. "It's the straw that broke the camel's back," said Robert Kelchen, head of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee. |
| Affirmative Action Battle Moves to Race-Based College Scholarships | |
| Universities in at least two states say they will no longer take race into account in awarding scholarships in the wake of the Supreme Court's landmark finding on affirmative action. Though the decision finding race-based admissions policies unconstitutional last week didn't address scholarships, the University of Kentucky and the University of Missouri System have already said they would remove race as a criteria in scholarship programs. Other colleges are expected to follow suit, as many face political pressure to make changes following the court's ruling. "We are still reviewing the details of the ruling, but, based on our initial understanding, it appears that the court has restricted the consideration of race with respect to admissions and scholarships," University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said the day the ruling was released. The moves to drop race-based scholarships highlight the rising uncertainty over how colleges and universities will navigate categories such as race, gender and class following the court's ruling. Paulette Granberry Russell, president and chief executive of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, said the Supreme Court opinion only addressed the use of race in admissions and it was premature to extend its reach to scholarships. "We have been concerned about the chilling effect that the decision might have on efforts to diversify campuses, as well as to cultivate inclusive environments, and we now see how this is already playing out," she said. |
| Student debt: White House faces backlash for restarting interest on loans | |
 | The White House is facing backlash about its decision to reactivate interest for student loans as part of its "on-ramp" repayment program, which progressives and advocates argue isn't enough to help struggling borrowers. The program aims to help those who can't repay their loans when payments resume this fall by removing the threat of default or harm to credit ratings for 12 months if bills aren't paid. It's one of the only routes the Biden administration argues it could have taken since ending the payment pause that ultimately became part of the debt limit deal President Biden struck with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The so-called "Plan B" for providing student loan relief was laid out late last week hours after the Supreme Court struck down a program the White House attempted to implement that would have forgiven up to $20,000 in student loans dependent upon earnings. The alternative route aims to help borrowers make their journey to repayments easier. But the president's plan has failed to satisfy stakeholders and some Democratic lawmakers who are panning a plan that would turn interest on for certain student loans for the first time since March 2020. "There is already so much confusion," Natalia Abrams at Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC) said. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Football Summer Series: Previewing Arizona | |
| The Mississippi State football summer series rolls on, previewing the Bulldogs' Week 2 game against Arizona. This game will complete a home-and-home series with the Wildcats, after MSU made the trip to the desert last year. MSU will not be paying the Wildcats to make the trip to Starkville, according to public records obtained by The Dispatch. MSU's Week 2 game against Arizona will also serve as first-year head coach Zach Arnett's first regular season game against a Power Five opponent. Last season's game in Tucson was the first-ever meeting between MSU and Arizona, with the Bulldogs winning, 39-17. MSU quarterback Will Rogers threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns in the game, two of which went to Caleb Ducking and two to Austin Williams. Jo'quavious Marks also rushed for 55 yards and a score. |
| How a longstanding relationship reunited Tony Dukes with Sam Purcell and Mississippi State women's basketball | |
| During their time at University of Louisville, Tony Dukes and Sam Purcell developed a pre-game tradition. Purcell, then an assistant coach for the school's women's basketball team, would throw alley-oop attempts to Dukes, then a graduate assistant, before games. Eight years later, the duo have reunited at Mississippi State with Dukes, hired this offseason as an assistant coach and senior director of scouting and analytics, joining Purcell, the second-year head coach for MSU's women's basketball, in Starkville. Dukes is one of Purcell's two offseason hires, joining new assistant athletic director for women's basketball Michelle Clark-Heard . Will the pre-game ritual be returning at Humphrey Coliseum, too? "I said I am going to have to make sure I warm up before this time," Dukes said in a recent interview with The Dispatch at a Hail State Happy Hours event at Starkville's Georgia Blue restaurant. "That was seven years ago." |
| MUW Athletics makes personnel moves | |
| Fresh off its promotion to NCAA Division III status, Mississippi University for Women announced two personnel changes designed to aid in the transition. Former softball head coach Buddy Foster has been elevated to a full-time assistant athletics director position, relinquishing his head coaching duties for softball after doing both jobs, concurrently, in 2022-23. In a related move, Owls' softball assistant coach, Rebecca Oldham, has been promoted to interim head coach to replace Foster. "I am thankful to the University for this new and exciting opportunity to serve our athletics program," Foster said in a press release. "I have enjoyed my many years as a softball coach. However, with the many exciting things happening for The W Athletics, this seemed like the most logical time to begin a new chapter in my professional life. |
| USM gets new football field for 2023 season | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) will be home to a new football field and goalposts for the upcoming football season. What is now known as Carlisle-Faulkner Field in M.M. Roberts Stadium opened in 1932. The new football field has something the original field did not: a CoolPlay playing surface from FieldTurf. USM's baseball field and marching band practice field have artificial turf fields from the same company. The CoolPlay system consists of a three-layer infill system of silica sand, cryogenic (SBR) rubber and a blend of the two laid down into a 2.5-inch tall ClassicHD artificial surface. With 9.2 pounds of infill per square foot, USM athletics stated the new field has the lowest injury rate in the turf field industry, along with a 40 percent increase in drainage. USM athletics also said the field is 35 degrees cooler than other traditional sand and rubber systems. The original field was built in 1932 by a team of unemployed men assembled by Louis Edward "L.E." Faulkner. The local businessman also provided the materials and equipment need to build the original field. Southern Miss alum Gene Carlisle donated funds to build USM's first turf field in 2004. |
| Paul Finebaum says ESPN layoffs 'worst day' of tenure, business can be 'cruel' | |
 | Paul Finebaum reflected Wednesday on the ESPN layoffs, calling it the "worst day" of his tenure at the company. The analyst remains a huge part of ESPN's college football coverage, which includes the SEC Network. Some of his colleagues, on the other hand, aren't so fortunate. Roughly 20 on-air personalities were let go last week as the network continues rounds of cost cuts. "College GameDay" contributors David Pollack and Gene Wojciechowski were among the casualties, as was NFL draft expert Todd McShay. Finebaum, who appeared on The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, said the business aspect "can be cruel" at times. "It's pretty tough, and I say that loving my job and loving the company," Finebaum said. "But it was the worst day in my 10 years at ESPN. I can't explain Bob (Iger's) thinking. I think you have to trust his track record, but it doesn't really excuse the state of mind that a lot of us, if not all of us, were in. And I say as an employee nobody knew Friday. Especially those of us who were on the air whether we would be around at the end of the day. I'll spare you a lot of the things that have been said on Twitter and on social media because (ESPN) is a special place to work. But it can be cruel, and I think because most of the names were very well-known -- far better than mine -- there's a chirping out there, there's a lot of schadenfreude from, 'Hey, look what happened to him or to her,' but it still hurts." |
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