| Monday, July 17, 2023 |
| MSET kicks off aerospace and defense cluster with symposium at MSU | |
 | Aerospace and defense industry leaders and experts explored opportunities and challenges facing the sector in Mississippi during a productive two days of discussions and networking. Hosted by Mississippi Enterprise for Technology and Mississippi State University, the Mississippi Aerospace and Defense Symposium, held June 27-29, brought together leaders in industry, academia and the public sector to discuss Mississippi's growing aerospace and defense industries. It kicked off the MSET-led effort to formally establish a statewide aerospace and defense cluster intended to support industry-wide needs, promote economic development, and foster information sharing and strategies for growth among industry partners. MSET President and CEO Davis Pace stressed the importance of the aerospace and defense sector in the state. "Through nurturing talent, promoting research and development, and embracing emerging technologies, Mississippi will continue to make significant contributions, paving the way for a brighter and more secure future," Pace said. Symposium participants toured MSU's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, High Performance Computing Collaboratory, Raspet Flight Research Laboratory and Advanced Composites Institute. Those facilities and other MSU research efforts support public and private partners in the state's defense and aerospace industries. "Our researchers are working every day to deliver solutions and help meet the needs of our partners," said MSU Associate Vice President for Corporate Engagement and Economic Development Jim Martin. |
| Choctaw tribal members hope to inspire next generation | |
 | Two outstanding graduates at Mississippi State University hope their stories of perseverance and resilience inspire others who live on the eight reservations of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Jade Willis of Bogue Chitto and Edward Routh of Choctaw recently were honored as the spring semester's outstanding undergraduate student and outstanding graduate student, respectively, for MSU-Meridian's Division of Education. Despite losing several family members over the past few years, Willis has been determined to rise above her circumstances and complete her elementary education degree. She becomes one of a handful of Native American educators on the Bogue Chitto reservation. For the past two decades, Routh has used his influence as assistant football coach at Choctaw Central High School to encourage players to go to college and better themselves. |
| MSU-Meridian's Astro Camp takes students to space | |
| From discovering how things grow in space to understanding how crystals form to building a hydraulic arm, students attending NASA Astro Camp this week at the Mississippi State University-Meridian Campus are getting a closer look at science. Astro Camp is sponsored by MSU-Meridian's Division of Education and is open to area youngsters in third through eighth grades. This is just the second year for the university's Meridian campus to offer a summer camp for area students. "We want the kids hooked on science and technology and engineering and math," said Dr. Rosalind Operton, assistant clinical professor in MSU-Meridian's Division of Education, "so it has been a wonderful experience to see our kids excited about learning." The five-day camp, which lasted about four and a half hours each day, began on Monday and concluded on Friday. "We have teachers from the county schools and from Meridian Public Schools who are working here at the camp," said Lamareshia Johnson, a MSU-Meridian instructor who is a co-director of the camp. |
| NE senior takes part in MSU summer program | |
| Jasmine Moore, a senior at Northeast Lauderdale High School, recently participated in this year's Rural Medical and Science Scholars Program at Mississippi State University. The two-week program gives high school juniors a jump-start on college and the opportunity to explore a career in health or science. Participants take one college-level, pre-health course during the program and participate in practical learning activities in health and STEM-related disciplines. For the first time since 2019, students were given the opportunity to shadow various healthcare providers in Starkville and Tupelo and on campus at the Longest Student Health Center. They visited UMMC School of Medicine, the physician assistant program at MSU-Meridian and State Crime Lab for hands-on learning. The program was held on MSU's Starkville campus from June 10 through June 29. |
| Mullen promoted to new assistant vice president role at MSU | |
| Jackie Mullen, Mississippi State assistant dean of students, this month is beginning a new role in the university's Division of Student Affairs where she has been employed since first joining MSU 15 years ago. Mullen is the new assistant vice president for Student Affairs, Student Experience, a role established to increase and align initiatives to enhance MSU students' sense of belonging and strengthen campus connections. The AVP position reports to Vice President of Student Affairs Regina Hyatt, who said of Mullen's appointment, "Dr. Mullen understands the important role belonging and engagement play in student success. Her position and duties are part of a division-wide reorganization to ensure all students achieve their academic and personal goals, with additional emphasis on student engagement through programs and services, student organizations and student life." Strategic leadership and cross-campus collaborations are among the goals outlined for the position, which are in line with the university's Transforming MSU strategic plan and Bulldog Experience Quality Enhancement Plan. Mullen's oversight of several campus departments includes Colvard Student Union and Event Services, the Center for Student Activities, Student Leadership and Community Engagement, and Fraternity and Sorority Life. |
| College students nationwide support a mission to preserve the historic Brush Arbor Cemetery in Starkville | |
 | College students from around the country are supporting a mission to preserve the historic Brush Arbor Cemetery in Starkville. Nestled between Commodore Bob's and Scooters Records on University Drive in Starkville is an often overlooked nationally registered historic site. Brush Arbor is an African American cemetery with tombstones that range from 1882 to 1920. Over the next three years, students from universities from across the country will be striving to preserve this historic site. "We believe that that cemetery is a critical part of Starkville's history," said Dr. Jordan Lynton Cox. "It is a critical part of understanding, not only the African-American community in Starkville but also the growth of Starkville. It cuts across some really important periods in the development of Starkville and so we think it is really important to preserve this space." The group plans to create a digital archive of records about the cemetery and the people buried there to make it more accessible to the public. The next step is to begin discussing how best to preserve the site. They plan to have the community involved throughout the whole process. The students hail from schools in Minnesota and Florida among others, with one student coming from Mississippi State. |
| Starkville Community Theater begins renovations to update the theater for patrons and performers | |
| The stage at the Starkville Community Theater has been the setting for hundreds of performances for decades. Locals thespians have participated in a variety of plays, musicals, and one-man shows throughout their seasons. SCT was recently awarded an operating grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission. The financial boost will allow the theater to bring some updates to make it more comfortable for performers and theater-goers. "The building is from 1894 and we have had it since '96; so it takes some TLC to make sure we are at our best and that is where the funding comes in." Gabe Smith is the executive director. He says crews have already completed one round of renovations, mainly taking place on the upper reaches of the theater. Workers repaired plaster on the walls, finishing it off with a fresh coat of paint. The next planned phase is already in the works with hopes to update the electrical and lighting. "We are very lucky we are working with Starkville Utilities and TVA right now. They have come in and for free are giving us an assessment of what our current usage is like and what we might be able to do." Also in the plans -- an upgrade to the utilities in the theater to create a more inviting environment for the performers and audience members. |
| Medical marijuana and guns: 'I've got medical weed and guns. Is that illegal?' It depends. | |
 | A man is pulled over for a traffic stop in the Golden Triangle. After the officer approaches the vehicle, it's discovered the driver has marijuana in his pocket and a firearm in his glove box. Both were purchased legally, as the driver is not a convicted felon and has a state-issued medical marijuana card. What happens next? Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, along with leaders of several area law enforcement agencies told The Dispatch it depends. "I can't tell you what each individual law enforcement agency across the state is going to do ... because there's going to be discretion in each area as to how that's handled," Tindell said Tuesday. Tindell said this variation may come from the newness of the laws on medical cannabis possession, but confusion also arises from differences between federal and state law. In a vehicle, possessing medical cannabis and a firearm together legally would require the cannabis to be stored in the trunk in a sealed container, said Lt. Tyler Davis, over narcotics and investigations at the Starkville Police Department. Otherwise, you run the risk of a DUI charge. For area sheriff's offices, the intersection between medical marijuana and firearms is currently being interpreted differently. "My gut feeling... as long as you're within the scope of your medical marijuana card, I would say both of them would be legal," Oktibbeha County Sheriff Steve Gladney said. "The only time I can see that it wouldn't be legal is if you're outside of the scope of your medical marijuana prescription. It would enhance the charge. But as long as you're legal with the medical marijuana card, you'd be legal to possess a firearm." |
| More than 100,000 hotel jobs are open nationwide | |
| Angela Copeland cheerfully greets guests coming and going from the front desk of Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Tupelo. But it's far from the only job the multi-tasking general manager has at the bustling hotel. "On a given day, I can do maintenance, laundry, front desk housekeeping ... yesterday, I was in scrubs," she said. "I think before I went on vacation, every day for 12 days I wore scrubs because it's easier to clean rooms because you have all these pockets you can use." Hotel managers generally oversee the entire operations of a hotel, including staffing, guest relations, implementation of company policies and procedures, paying invoices and meeting sales and profit goals, among other responsibilities. GMs rely on the various departments to get everything done. But like her counterparts across the country, Copeland has to fill in when necessary because she doesn't have enough workers to do everything required. Worker shortages are a problem in hotels nationwide. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, 82% of hoteliers in a recent survey said they were experiencing a staffing shortage. Some 26% said their staffing shortage was severe, which is affecting the hotel's ability to operate. The industry currently has more than 100,000 open jobs amid a busy summer travel season. "That's definitely something we see," said Lindsey Hines, director of sales for the Tupelo and Fulton Holiday Inn Express hotels. Hines and Copeland work for Wealth Hospitality, which has about 70 hotels in several states. Most are in Mississippi, including seven in Tupelo alone. The AHLA survey revealed the most critical staffing need is housekeeping, with 40% of hotels ranking it as their top hiring need |
| Pay Raises Are Finally Beating Inflation After Two Years of Falling Behind | |
 | Americans' growing paychecks surpassed inflation for the first time in two years, providing some financial relief to workers, while complicating the Federal Reserve's efforts to tame price increases. Inflation-adjusted average hourly wages rose 1.2% in June from a year earlier, according to the Labor Department. That marked the second straight month of seasonally adjusted gains after two years when workers' historically elevated raises were erased by price increases. If the trend persists, it gives Americans leeway to propel the economy through increased spending, which could help the U.S. skirt a recession. Since estimates earlier this year, economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal have lowered the probability a recession will start in the next 12 months. Not adjusting for inflation, private-sector workers' hourly wages were up more than 4% in June from a year earlier. Those gains have eased over the past year, but remain enough to outpace inflation this summer. Overall consumer prices in June rose 3% from a year earlier, down sharply from a four-decade high a year prior. In addition to enjoying solid wage growth, Americans are taking comfort in slower price increases for everyday items -- such as gasoline and groceries -- that have the biggest influence on their perception of inflation. Consumer confidence in June reached its highest level since January 2022, the Conference Board said. Americans are nonetheless anticipating a recession within the next year, the survey found. That is likely because they are aware of the Fed's ongoing effort to fight inflation and how that might trigger a broad economic slowdown, said Conference Board Chief Economist Dana Peterson. |
| Political speeches to turn up the heat at the 2023 Neshoba County Fair | |
 | Founders Square at the Neshoba County Fair will once again be the center of Mississippi's political world next week as three days of political speaking is set under the pavilion. This year's 134th edition of the Neshoba County Fair, the oldest campground fair in the nation, officially opens Friday, July 21st and runs through July 28th. It is a statewide and legislative election year, which means candidates will be on the stump turning up the already sweltering Mississippi heat even more while slinging a little of that well-known red dirt. The most watched speeches this year will be the Lt. Governor candidates on Wednesday and the gubernatorial candidates on Thursday. State Senator Chris McDaniel will take the stage at 10:20am on Wednesday just ahead of incumbent Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann at 10:30am in what is sure to provide more than a few mid-morning fireworks. The two Republicans have been trading jabs for months and don't look to let up with the primary just weeks away. Then, on Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley will make his way to Founders Square at 10:20am with incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves to follow at 10:30am. Outgoing Speaker Philip Gunn is also making his last appearance at the fair's pavilion as the leader of the Mississippi House on Thursday, just ahead of Presley. Gunn chose not to seek re-election this cycle after serving for three terms as the state's first Republican Speaker of the House since Reconstruction. |
| Mississippi's statewide candidates raise nearly $10 million in six months, records show | |
| Mississippi's 26 statewide candidates have raised nearly ten million dollars already this year as the state's primary election looms, according to campaign finance documents compiled by 3 On Your Side. Records show Republican Gov. Tate Reeves raised more than any other candidate over the first six months of 2023, raking in $3.4 million. His challenger, Democratic candidate Brandon Presley, trails Reeves by more than $1.1 million. Presley's latest campaign finance report, filed earlier this week, shows $2.27 million raised thus far this year. In the race for lieutenant governor, incumbent Delbert Hosemann has raised nearly twice what opponent Chris McDaniel has brought in, according to campaign finance reports provided by the respective campaigns. Hosemann's contributions total more than $1.7 million, while McDaniel supporters have contributed $882,645, according to documents McDaniel's campaign filed. Both men are Republican candidates and will face off in next month's primary. Our analysis shows Hosemann has spent more than anybody else running for statewide office thus far this year: $1.8 million, but still has a sizable war chest from previous campaigns. Hosemann's currently outspending McDaniel three to one. Reeves dished out more than $1.6 million in disbursements since January, while his opponent Presley paid more than $1.1 million in campaign expenses. |
| Mississippi, under judge's order, starts allowing religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations | |
 | Mississippi is starting the court-ordered process of letting people cite religious beliefs to seek exemptions from state-mandated vaccinations that children must receive before attending day care or school. Mississippi is one of the poorest states and has high rates of health problems such as obesity and heart disease. But it has received praise from public health officials for years because it has some of the highest rates of childhood vaccination against diseases such as polio, measles and mumps. In April, U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden ordered Mississippi to join most other states in allowing religious exemptions from childhood vaccinations. His ruling came in a lawsuit filed last year by several parents who said their religious beliefs have led them to keep their children unvaccinated and out of Mississippi schools. The lawsuit, funded by the Texas-based Informed Consent Action Network, argued that Mississippi's lack of a religious exemption for childhood vaccinations violates the U.S. Constitution. Ozerden set a deadline of this Saturday for the state to comply with his order. The Mississippi State Department of Health website will publish information on that day about how people can seek the religious exemptions, according to court papers filed on behalf of Dr. Daniel Edney, the state health officer. "To be clear, Dr. Edney does not endorse Plaintiffs' views on vaccination or their arguments that the School Vaccination Law is unconstitutional," wrote Michael J. Bentley, an attorney representing the health officer. Under Mississippi's new religious exemption process, state health officials cannot question the sincerity of a person's religious beliefs. The exemption must be granted if forms are properly filled out, Bentley wrote. |
| Senator Roger Wicker is a new recipient for a 2023 Leadership award | |
| There is a new recipient for the 2023 Golden Triangle Regional Airport and the U.S. Contract Tower Association Leadership award. Senator Roger Wicker was presented the award in appreciation and recognition of his distinguished service and leadership and for being a strong advocate for airports in Mississippi and around the country. USCTA'S Executive Director Brad Van Dam says Wicker has worked to enhance safety at small airports in Mississippi and around the country. Golden Triangle Regional Airport Executive Director Matt Dowell says his leadership has helped improve aviation safety and airport development in Mississippi. |
| Ezell among 70 Republicans who voted to cut off security assistance to Ukraine | |
| On Thursday, Mississippi's 4th District Congressman Mike Ezell was among 70 Republicans who voted for an amendment before the U.S. House of Representatives that would have cut off all U.S. military security assistance to Ukraine. The other three Mississippi Congressmen -- Trent Kelly (R-MS 1), Bennie Thompson (D-MS 2) and Michael Guest (R-MS 3) -- opposed the amendment. The amendment was one of many offered during the House debate on H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024. Offered by Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, the one-line amendment stated, "Notwithstanding any provision of this or any other Act, no federal funds may be made available to provide security assistance to Ukraine." The amendment failed by a vote of 358-70, as all Democrats and the vast majority of Republicans opposed it. Congressman Ezell told Magnolia Tribune on Friday that the U.S. cannot continue to write blank checks to other countries. "The U.S. has already sent more than $75 billion to Ukraine since this invasion began," Ezell said. "We're facing major crises at home, including a weakened economy, rising crime, and a wide-open Southern border. We can't afford to continue writing blank checks to other countries." |
| GOP senators rattled by radical conservative populism | |
 | Republican senators say they're worried that conservative populism, though always a part of the GOP, is beginning to take over the party, becoming more radical and threatening to cause them significant political problems heading into the 2024 election. GOP senators are saying they're being increasingly confronted by constituents who buy into discredited conspiracy theories such as the claim that Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election or that federal agents incited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Growing distrust with government institutions, from the FBI, CIA and Department of Justice to the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health, make it more difficult for Republican lawmakers to govern. Republican senators believe their party has a good chance to take back control of the White House and Senate, given President Biden's low approval ratings and the favorable map of Senate seats up for reelection, but they regularly face political headaches caused by populist members of their party who say the rest of the GOP is out of step with mainstream America. "We should be concerned about this as Republicans. I'm having more 'rational Republicans' coming up to me and saying, 'I just don't know how long I can stay in this party,'" said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). "Now our party is becoming known as a group of kind of extremist, populist over-the-top [people] where no one is taking us seriously anymore." |
| Can Threads replace Twitter as Washington's political watercooler? | |
 | A week after Meta launched Threads, a Twitter doppelgänger disguised as Instagram-but-for-text, Washington's professional posters are watching it closely, curious to see whether it will knit together a viable online community or soon unravel like so many other hopes to replace the original microblogging platform. This isn't the first time Capitol Hill's extremely online set wondered whether a new app might usurp Twitter as their time suck of choice. In the wake of Elon Musk buying Twitter and promptly firing the majority of its workforce last year, Washington looked at alternatives like Mastodon and Post. But even as Twitter slowly burns -- the platform has been riddled with bugs, bots and Bitcoin bros since Musk took over -- those apps have been flashes in the pan, with numbers of users fizzling out after a burst of growth. When CQ Roll Call asked communications and digital staffers back in December if they thought Twitter might be dethroned as Washington's digital watercooler of choice, they were rightly skeptical. "Twitter isn't going anywhere," said one aide. But that was before the world's largest social media company entered the picture. As Twitter toyed around with limiting the number of tweets users could view, Threads reported more than 100 million sign-ups in its first week, including some of the biggest names in politics and journalism. So is Washington finally ready to leave its abusive, addiction-enabling relationship with Twitter and cozy up with Threads instead? Not quite. |
| Fox News debuts revamped prime-time lineup this week | |
| A new era in Fox News prime time debuts Monday as the network rolls out a revamped weeknight lineup of pundits ahead of the coming 2024 GOP primary and presidential elections. The network announced earlier this month that starting this week, hosts Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld would occupy new time slots, while longtime conservative commentator Sean Hannity would remain at his 9 p.m. post. Ingraham, who previously hosted a 10 p.m. commentary show, will now air a new version of her show at 7 p.m., while Watters will move from his 7 p.m. solo hosting gig to 8 p.m., taking over for former host Tucker Carlson, who left the network in April. Taking over for Ingraham at 10 p.m. will be Gutfeld, a comedian and satirist who has risen through the network's ranks in recent years and has more recently earned ratings success for Fox on daytime table talk program "The Five" and his night late-night-style show. The shake-up in prime time comes just months after Fox agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787 million to settle blockbuster claims of defamation the company brought against the network in a lawsuit over its coverage of the 2020 presidential election. |
| DeSantis presidential campaign is cutting staff as new financial pressure emerges | |
| Republican presidential contender Ron DeSantis is cutting campaign staff as he struggles to catch former President Donald Trump in the GOP's crowded primary contest while facing unexpected financial pressure. DeSantis, the Florida governor, let go fewer than 10 paid staffers late last week to help reduce operating expenses, according to a DeSantis aide granted anonymity to discuss internal campaign strategy. The staffers were involved in event planning and may soon join a pro-DeSantis super PAC. The moves, first reported by Politico, come as DeSantis struggles to meet expectations that he represents the Republican Party's strongest alternative to Trump. The Florida governor's political organization has raised more money than the other Republicans seeking the 2024 nomination, but he has shown little movement in the polls amid fierce opposition from Trump and persistent questions about his far-right policies, his political skills and his readiness for the national stage. The staffing and strategy shakeup comes less than two months after DeSantis launched his presidential campaign. "He's going down," Trump said of DeSantis during a Sunday interview on Fox News Channel. The former president also suggested he may not participate in next month's debate given his lead over DeSantis and the other Republicans running against him. |
| Joe Biden is redefining presidential campaign frugality | |
 | President Joe Biden's advisers have insisted they're running a purposefully lean reelection campaign as their GOP opponents bleed cash. They weren't kidding. Biden's campaign spent a total of $1.1 million in the second quarter of this year, a remarkably small amount that would put him behind several Democratic Senate candidates in terms of expenditures. Biden had four people on his payroll during that time: Campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez, principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks, spokesperson Kevin Munoz, and general counsel Maury Riggan. His campaign spent less than $1,500 on travel, accommodations and airfare. On rent, he spent nothing. He has not opened a campaign headquarters yet and much of his staff has been working out of the Democratic National Committee's building. It's a vastly different approach than his old boss, former President Barack Obama, took in 2011 when he was running for reelection and spent more than $11 million in the second quarter of that year. And it has sparked concern among Democrats over what they see as the slow pace of the campaign. In particular, some Democrats expressed anxiety about what they viewed as Biden's mediocre small-dollar donor operation -- a sign, they argued, that there is a lack of excitement for the president. |
| Moscow says Black Sea grain deal is dead | |
| The Kremlin said on Monday that a U.N.-brokered deal to allow the safe passage of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea is terminated, claiming that Russia's conditions had not been met. "The Black Sea agreements ceased to be valid today," Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, was quoted by state news agency TASS as saying. Russia notified the other parties of its withdrawal from the initiative in a letter sent to the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center, set up to monitor the deal's implementation, a U.N. official confirmed to POLITICO. The Black Sea grain initiative, which was first brokered by the United Nations and Turkey a year ago in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was last renewed on May 17 for two months. Some 33 million metric tons of grain and oilseeds have so far been exported under the deal, which has been extended three times, offering a lifeline to Ukraine's farmers and to food-insecure countries in the Global South. Moscow has repeatedly said it would not agree to a further extension, claiming that it is not seeing the benefit of the pact. "Hidden" Western sanctions, the Kremlin says, are hindering Russia's own food and fertilizer exports and thus contravening a second deal agreed last July under which the U.N. committed to facilitate these exports for a three-year period. Kyiv, which accuses Moscow of sabotaging the deal, is readying alternative routes to export its grain and oilseed crops. Aid agencies, meanwhile, are bracing for the impact of the deal's end on global food prices, which they say will hit the world's most vulnerable in food-insecure countries the hardest. |
| The W creates a campus and community band | |
| Mississippi University for Women is searching for talented musicians in the Golden Triangle. Open to all high school, college and adult band musicians, the Wind Ensemble (also known as the concert band) will meet in Shattuck Hall on The W's campus on Mondays from 6– 8:30 p.m. in the fall, beginning Aug. 14. "The Golden Triangle area has so many talented musicians that are looking for places to share their gifts," said Director of Bands Ginger Zingara. "Having an ensemble where college, high school and community members come together results in the students seeing that making music is a lifelong activity, with high school students earning collegiate credit through dual enrollment and community members connecting with fellow musicians and taking time to do something fun to relax." President Nora Miller said, "This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent of our students and community members. I look forward to enjoying the band's performances." |
| America's premier vocal group to perform at The W | |
| The Leslie Farrell Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series proudly presents an unforgettable evening of vocal performances with the Modern Gentlemen, America's premier vocal group. The concert will take place July 25 at 7 p.m. at the Kossen Auditorium, located in Poindexter Hall on the campus of Mississippi University for Women. "We appreciate the generosity of the Threadgill family for honoring Leslie Threadgill with this endowment supporting arts and educational opportunities for the local community on our campus," said Andrea Stevens, executive director of development and alumni at The W. Known for their extraordinary harmonies and captivating stage presence, the Modern Gentlemen have garnered international acclaim for their exceptional vocal talents. Tickets are limited and free of charge. To secure your seat, tickets must be reserved in advance. They can be picked up at the Office of Development and Alumni, Welty Hall Suite 200, or held at will call in the lobby of Poindexter Hall before the concert. |
| Ole Miss launching unique creative writing program | |
| For almost 20 years, the University of Mississippi has had one of the nation's premier MFA programs in creative writing. This fall, the university is launching a companion bachelor's degree program -- the first of its kind in the SEC. This new program will complement the College of Liberal Arts' creative and fine arts programs in theater, film, art and music. Students will learn to write in multiple genres: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting and more. Dustin Parsons, senior lecturer in the Department of English, has been named the first director of the program. He will be joined by new faculty members Sheila Sundar and Michael X. Wang, as well as Jake Skeets, a Diné (Navajo) poet who will be the visiting Grisham Writer-in-Residence for the year. "We have many students who are eager to learn about the craft and profession of creative writing," said Caroline Wigginton, chair and professor of English. "These students in the program intend to become professional authors -- such as novelists and poets -- or to work in the editing and publishing industry. In addition to these more traditional writing professions, our students will be well-prepared for other careers in the creative fields, including video game design, film and television development, marketing, long-form journalism, web content creation, and travel, food, and nature writing, to name just a few fields." |
| USM brings bachelor's degree in accounting to online students beginning fall 2023 | |
| To assist in meeting market demand for accountants, the University of Southern Mississippi's School of Accountancy will begin offering its undergraduate degree in accounting fully online beginning August 2023. The program is designed to empower students to earn their degree while working full time. The initiative provides an opportunity for students with prior college credit or a degree in another field to earn their accounting degree in as little as two years. The same faculty who teach the on-campus courses at USM's Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses will be teaching in the fully online program. The USM School of Accountancy is one of only 194 accounting programs in the world that has been separately accredited by the Association of Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Only 1% of schools worldwide offering a degree in business hold separate AACSB accounting accreditation. Dr. Blaise M. Sonner, director of the School of Accountancy, states that "as a taxpayer-supported university, USM's call is to provide educational opportunities that enable individuals to achieve a better life for themselves and their family. The faculty of the School of Accountancy at Southern Miss is providing the opportunity for students to earn a bachelor's degree in the exciting field of accounting in a fully online format to assist in fulfilling that mission." |
| USM shark expert explains shark sightings along coast | |
 | Many Mississippians will be flocking to the Gulf Coast this summer. But along with the great seafood and beaches, there also comes the chance of shark sightings. Jill Hendon, director of the Center for Fisheries Research and Development (CFRD) at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), said sharks play an important role in our ecosystem, but there are ways we can minimize encounters. "Remember when we enter the water, we are visiting the shark's home," said Hendon. "Just being aware will serve you and your family well. Don't fish with bait in your pockets, don't swim next to people who are wade fishing or pier fishing, and don't throw your food scraps in the water." In Mississippi, there have only been three recorded unprovoked shark bite encounters according to the Shark Attack Data. This is the lowest of all the Gulf of Mexico states. Interactions between a shark and a human involves a mouthing event, but the shark's sharp teeth leave a nasty mark. Sharks do not typically take a full bite or come back for a second interaction. "They realize that what they have encountered is not something that they are interested in," said Hendon. |
| They're (almost) back: What to know as U. of Alabama students return to Tuscaloosa | |
 | Get ready Tuscaloosa, the city's population will expand by about 38,000 as University of Alabama students begin fall classes in August. Students will move in during two waves: Early move-in will begin Aug. 9 and regular move-in will begin the weekend of Aug. 18. The early move-in period, Aug. 9-13, is for students who are participating in sorority and fraternity recruitment activities, members of the Million Dollar Band, Honors College freshmen and students participating in other special programs. Those other special programs include biology boot camp, forensics and Camp 1831, a three-day session to acquaint new students with the UA campus. The rest of the students will move in over a series of days, from Aug. 18-22. Activities for sorority recruitment week begin on Aug. 12 with a convocation and open house and culminate Aug. 20 with Bid Day. Classes begin Aug. 23, a Wednesday at UA. Tuscaloosa residents will want to mark that date: Leave a little early for work, especially if your morning commute takes you in or around the UA campus. The last day of classes for the fall semester is Dec. 8 and finals will be held Dec. 11-16. |
| Role revision: LSU announces several personnel changes within key university departments | |
 | From enrollment to innovation, several LSU departments will have new leadership in place as the university nears its fall semester next month. Last week, LSU announced two new directors in leadership positions along with one interim director who will take over following the departure of a longtime department head. Danny Barrow, interim vice president of enrollment management & student success at LSU since March, will now take over the position in a permanent role. "Danny's leadership is the perfect fit for our university's never-ending pursuit of academic excellence," LSU president William F. Tate said in a university statement. "Over the last six years, his ability to strategically elevate the academic composition of our incoming class while ensuring existing students maintain their progress toward graduation has produced undeniable results, and we look forward to seeing the impact his work has on future cohorts." A new face will head Innovation and Technology Commercialization at LSU after the university chose former Brigham Young University technology licensing veteran Spencer Rogers to lead the department. Rogers was previously associate director of technology transfer at BYU, where he negotiated over 100 license agreements representing hundreds of inventions and patent portfolios. Alex Garn has been named interim director of the LSU School of Kinesiology following the departure of longtime department head Melinda Solmon. |
| U. of Arkansas, Fayetteville adds Bentonville location for Startup Village | |
| The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's Startup Village in Fayetteville has been so successful it's spawned a sequel. Startup Village North will be in The Collaborative, the university's education and research space adjacent to the Razorback Greenway at 700 SE Fifth St. in Bentonville, according to Brandon Howard, communications and social media specialist in UA's Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Startup Village North offers two dozen hot desk workstations, six high-top seats, and two conference rooms that seat up to four guests, with membership including access to The Collaborative's free parking, Wi-Fi and a self-service kitchenette. "Opening a second location was motivated by our team's desire to make free workspace more accessible to entrepreneurs from across our region and introduce them to the resources available at The Collaborative," said Zoe Buonaiuto, associate director of entrepreneurship initiatives in the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. "We've received several applications since" announcing Startup Village North at the end of June and "are currently onboarding teams in the space." As is the case with Startup Village South, the Bentonville iteration will share space with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, giving founders proximity and access to business counsel and other services. |
| Clemson is the latest college to block TikTok on its campus. What about USC? | |
 | Clemson University students will no longer be able to access TikTok from the school's campus Wi-Fi networks. The university is part of a growing number of institutions that have decided to ban the popular social media app in hopes of protecting "the integrity of information and resources connected to the Clemson network." While the app is no longer available using Clemson's provided internet, faculty, staff, students and visitors can still access TikTok via their personal devices on private data networks. Clemson says it is continuing to monitor TikTok-related updates. The fate of Clemson's official TikTok account, which has accrued nearly 120,000 followers and more than 2.1 million likes, remains unclear. Clemson spokesman Joe Galbraith did not comment on whether it would remain active. The University of South Carolina has not made any changes regarding the app, which can still be accessed on the university's network, spokesman Jeff Stensland said Monday. "We don't utilize any state devices to manage the university's TikTok account," Stensland told The State in December. Staff members use personal devices to maintain it. |
| College students struggling with hunger face potential loss of food stamp benefits | |
| Raised on welfare by his grandmother, Joseph Sais relied so much on food stamps as a college student that he thought about quitting school when his eligibility was revoked. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sais said, he missed an "important letter" and temporarily lost his eligibility in SNAP, the foundational anti-poverty program commonly known as food stamps. "There were times when I was taking a test and instead of focusing on the test, I'm focused on what I'm going to be able to eat tonight," said Sais, who graduated from Sacramento State University with a degree in political science and journalism and is now a first-year graduate student at the same school. Sais, whose eligibility was restored earlier this year, is part of a largely hidden group that researchers and policymakers are still trying to address: full-time college students struggling with serious food insecurity. Radha Muthiah, president of the Capital Area Food Bank, calls it a hidden crisis, "one of those issues that came out of the shadows during the pandemic." She estimates at least 30% of college students are food insecure. The U.S. Department of Agriculture relaxed eligibility SNAP requirements for college students during the pandemic, allowing in those on financial aid with no expected family support and anyone who qualified for work-study programs, regardless of hours worked. Researchers estimate as many as 3 million college students were added to the program as a result. But with the public health emergency over, students already receiving SNAP benefits had until June 30 to recertify and stay in the program under the pandemic-era rules. |
| House Committee Targets U.C. Berkeley Program for China Ties | |
 | A congressional committee focused on national security threats from China said it had "grave concerns" about a research partnership between the University of California, Berkeley, and several Chinese entities, claiming that the collaboration's advanced research could help the Chinese government gain an economic, technological or military advantage. In a letter sent last week to Berkeley's president and chancellor, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party requested extensive information about the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, a collaboration set up in 2014 with China's prestigious Tsinghua University and the Chinese city of Shenzhen. The letter pointed to the institute's research into certain "dual-use technologies" that are employed by both civilian and military institutions, like advanced semiconductors and imaging technology used for mapping terrain or driving autonomous cars. The committee also questioned whether Berkeley had properly disclosed Chinese funding for the institute, and cited its collaborations with Chinese universities and companies that have been the subjects of sanctions by the United States in recent years, like the National University of Defense Technology, the telecom firm Huawei and the Chinese drone maker DJI. Tensions between the United States and China are high, and some lawmakers have called for decoupling the two economies. But severing academic ties is a tricky prospect. American universities are geared toward open and collaborative research and count many Chinese scholars among their work force. |
| Higher ed groups 'appalled' at Republicans' planned budget cuts | |
 | The latest budget proposal from House Republicans would eliminate funding for 60 programs including Federal Work-Study -- cuts that have left higher education groups concerned. "We are very concerned and we are appalled by the elimination of programs that we've seen," said Emmanual Guillory, senior director of government relations at the American Council on Education. "Cutting funding for programs that impact students is not something that we take lightly and is not something that we support, especially when there is no remedy to make up for that loss of funding elsewhere to benefit those students." Guillory and other representatives from other higher education groups say they understand the fiscal constraints facing Congress and the deals made that affect the budget but that they were surprised by the extent of the cuts, particularly the cuts to programs that Republicans have previously supported. Craig Lindwarm, vice president of governmental affairs at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, said eliminating Federal Work-Study and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants is self-defeating in terms of growing a competitive workforce. "We see the results of not providing adequate dollars to invest in the programs that support economic growth and individual mobility," he said. "We're very concerned by some of the appropriations numbers that are coming out of a markup." |
| Obama takes to TikTok to support libraries' fight against book bans | |
 | Staff at the Kankakee Public Library, which serves a community of about 24,000 in Illinois, had worked to grow its TikTok account into a local phenomenon, posting book recommendations, revealing a new mural and producing an occasional viral hit -- such as a Wes Anderson spoof. Their latest video, posted Monday, features an unexpected guest star: former president Barack Obama, who is shown drinking out of a library-branded mug and leafing through a paperback. It's the first in a series of TikToks that Obama has filmed with libraries across the country, boosting campaigns to increase awareness of library services and promote access to books. The initiative comes amid a surge in efforts to ban books. More than 2,500 titles were challenged in 2022, a record high, according to data collected by the American Library Association (ALA), which also recorded that the number of book challenges nearly doubled over the previous year. In a letter sent Monday to ALA members, Obama thanked librarians for their work "on the front lines" defending freedom of expression. The impulse to silence other perspectives, the former president wrote, is "profoundly misguided, and contrary to what has made this country great." |
| U.S. Supreme Court ends efforts to right wrongs of the 1890 Mississippi Constitution | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: For decades, starting primarily in the 1950s, the federal courts have stepped in to right the wrongs of Mississippi's racist 1890 Constitution. Let it be known that on June 30, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court said in its view the wrongs had already been corrected. The nation's highest court announced its refusal on that day to hear a case challenging the centuries-old Mississippi Constitution provision that imposes a lifetime ban on voting for people convicted of certain felonies. The provision, it was clear at the time -- even boasted by the framers of that 1890 constitution -- was enacted as one of the many tools to keep Black Mississippians from voting. There was a racist belief then that African Americans were more prone to commit certain crimes, so they imposed the lifetime felony voting ban. At the time, the provision imposed a lifetime voting ban on a person convicted of bigamy or perjury, for instance, but not for someone who committed murder or rape. The Mississippi Center for Justice and other groups that filed the lawsuit in 2017 on behalf of people who have lost their right to vote argued before the federal court that because of the racist origin of the provision, it should be struck down. The federal courts in landmark cases have struck down other Mississippi constitutional provisions designed to keep African Americans from voting, such as the poll tax and so-called literacy tests. And, of course, other provisions of the state's 1890 Constitution not related to voting, such as the absurdly labeled separate-but-equal schools, have been famously invalidated by the federal court. |
SPORTS
| SEC media days head to Nashville | |
| SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey will speak at a first-time venue for SEC football media days this morning, heralding a new era for the powerhouse league and symbolizing rapid change is still afoot in college athletics. Sankey, who signed a contract extension last week that will take his leadership of the conference through 2028, will present his annual state of the SEC talk today at 11:30 a.m. Central to more than 1,000 credentialed media at the Nashville Grand Hyatt, signaling college football is just around the corner. Under Sankey's leadership, the league has taken media days, one of its signature events, on the road and away from SEC headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., for the third time in the last five meetings. Sankey will surely address the ever-changing hot potato of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), the playoff system, expansion and the format for SEC scheduling after the one-year stop-gap resolution for an eight-game league season in 2024. Only one SEC coach will be making his media days debut: Mississippi State's Zach Arnett. He is replacing Mike Leach, who passed away last December and who will also likely be honored at the event. |
| 'God bless the South': Inside Zach Arnett's vision for Mississippi State post Mike Leach | |
 | Columnist Blake Toppmeyer writes: Zach Arnett and Zac Selmon joined the hundreds of attendees at Dak Prescott's charity gala in May in Dallas. Representing for Prescott is part of the job for Mississippi State's football coach and its athletic director. Several Sports Illustrated magazine covers featuring Prescott decorate MSU's football facility, and Arnett touts the now NFL quarterback's achievements as proof of what's possible for State athletes. But, truth be told, galas in metropolitans aren't really Arnett's thing. "I could tell Zach was out of place," Selmon recalled earlier this summer. "He's like, 'I would have rather been in the Delta.' " There's no telling how Arnett, 36, will fare as a rookie coach taking on one of the SEC's most challenging jobs. But, there's no debating he's tailored for MSU's brand. "He believes in having a gritty football team that's going to scratch and claw and fight," said Matt Brock, whom Arnett promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator, "and that, I think, marries up pretty well with Mississippi State." |
| 9 burning questions with Mississippi State's Zach Arnett: From bourbon choice to Mike Leach advice | |
| When I tried to delve into what motivates Zach Arnett, Mississippi State's first-year coach answered succinctly and literally. "Winning," he said. Fair enough. Now, let's discuss other topics. Arnett sat down with me in June for an hourlong interview in which he laid out his vision for Mississippi State football, and he explained why he believes Mississippi State can be a College Football Playoff contender once the playoff expands to 12 teams. We also strayed from football to discuss Arnett's bourbon preferences and Mike Leach's best advice. Here's a portion of the interview that called for quick-hit question-and-answer. |
| Mississippi St. QB Will Rogers Adjusts To Life Without Mike Leach, Not To Mention Snaps From Under Center | |
| The Southeastern Conference Media Days that open Monday in Nashville will have a major void this week. Mississippi State coach Mike Leach and his pirate techniques of football and life will be missed. Leach, one of the most colorful and interesting coaches in SEC history and a passing game savant, passed away last Dec. 12 after complications from a heart condition. He was 61. "I still hear him," Mississippi State senior quarterback Will Rogers said last month at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana. "There are definitely some things that he told me I still hear in my head." Rogers will be interviewed on Tuesday at the SEC Media Days along with Leach's replacement -- former defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. Running back Jo'quavious Marks and defensive tackle Jaden Drumedy will also be at podiums. "Some sayings he had still pop up," Rogers said. "He used to say, 'If you're not loaded down with reasons why something won't work, the reasons it will work will be much clearer.' That's a good one." Another one Rogers still hears in his head is about confidence -- something Rogers is not lacking as the SEC's all-time leader in career completions with 1,159, "He'd say a lot of people think they're confident, but they're really not. You really don't know until you're in an adverse situation." |
| The Elephant Not in the Room | |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey strode to the stage and began what would be one of 14 introductions given on behalf of league coaches before their annual televised question and answer sessions with the media to kick off the 2022 football season. "He instructed me that the line that says he walks on water is now incorrect," Sankey said of the upcoming coach. "He now jogs on water." Sankey explained, unknowingly for the last time ever, that the coach in question once led a team in Finland, is known for his excellent Netflix recommendations and is the go-to source for the best barbecue in town. Of course anyone who has followed the SEC over the past few years knows Sankey was introducing The Pirate himself, Mike Leach. Those who guessed correctly also know that he tragically passed away last December, leaving a gaping hole when it comes to entertainment value and colorful aura to what can be a rather dull annual exercise each summer. It's hard to imagine Kentucky's Mark Stoops rolling to the podium to expound upon a quality watch involving guys trying to buy a submarine from Pablo Escobar, nor flipping the question on the media to pick up a few Netflix ideas himself. Alabama's Nick Saban is good for a solid quote or two as he grows more into his "Get off my lawn!" persona while drifting further into that age of life where the filter falls away and what is going through the brain falls out of the mouth, but it's just not the same. "So, opening statements, well, I hate opening statements," Leach said in his signature gravelly voice in 2022. "I don't really see the point of it. So, as opposed to me sitting there and thinking of some flowery opening statement, which I have done before, and then at the end of the opening statement a number of people ask questions that have already been addressed in my opening statement, I just decided we just sorta cut out the middle man, then you can go ahead and ask the questions and I will go ahead and answer them." |
| Egg Bowl rivals looking to keep up in facilities arms race | |
| In a conference where everything 'just means more,' having the best of something means even more. The best recruits, the best stadiums, the best practice facilities, the best coaches, the best support staffs and so on. It's something the SEC specializes in. The conference is known for its sprawling stadiums, raucous crowds, and fierce home-field advantages. Some hundreds of thousands of college football fans descend upon their beloved college towns across the South during Saturdays in the fall, helping to create a behemoth of a conference, even outside of football. But being a member of the SEC now also 'just means more.' Being a part of the SEC means bringing in more money, but trying to stay at the top also means more work, more upkeep and more investment to keep everything state-of-the-art. The arms race in college athletics is as fierce as it ever has been, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Whether it's an SEC titan or any other Power Five blue blood, some program, somewhere is set to unveil the latest state-of-the-art facility. "Other than Name, Image and Likeness, that's where the real growth is besides coaching salaries," said Karen Weaver, graduate faculty and academic director at the University of Pennsylvania and expert on the intersection of college sports and administration. "...Every kid wants to train in the nicest, best facility. They want to have access to the best rehab and the best strength training and all that kind of thing, so coaches know that's how they're being judged." |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey takes shot at Big 12 over possibly trying more Friday football | |
| SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was succinct in saying that conferences have a responsibility to understand that their decisions can have an effect on the levels below them in sports. Sunday afternoon speaking to a group of athletics directors, administrators and coaches at the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention and Coaching School, Sankey took a little bit of a dig at Big 12 conference commissioner Brett Yormark for considering playing games on Friday. Yormark made the comments at last week's Big 12 media days as the conference works to rebrand as Texas and Oklahoma make their way to the SEC in 2024. Sankey, meanwhile, reaffirmed his conference's commitment to play on Saturdays. He said when Florida and Florida State played on "Black Friday," they worked with the state's high school athletic association to make sure it would work. "I was interested last week to watch my Big 12 colleague remark about playing football games on Friday night," Sankey said. "I've been very clear in conversations with our state high school athletic associations that I think we still have a responsibility to you in the high school role that shouldn't just be overrun because we need to access the television window." |
| 'It's a cut throat business': Billy Napier, other SEC coaches weigh in on transfer tampering | |
 | Free agency is alive and well in college football. Or at least, in a different form. More than 3,000 FBS players (3,284) entered the transfer portal from August of 2022 through May of 2023, a six percent increase from last offseason, according to ESPN.com figures. The continued flood of players entering the portal has raised questions about how certain player movement is taking place, and whether tampering was involved before transfer portal windows opened. It's against NCAA rules. But like any regulation in a competitive industry, some are willing to test the margins. "This is a cut-throat business," Florida football coach Billy Napier said. "It's the most competitive, one of the most competitive dynamics that exists. There's no doubt tampering's real." Florida lost 26 players to the transfer portal during the offseason while gaining 13. The most significant losses for UF were two starters on the offensive line, Michael Tarquin and Ethan White, who ended up signing with USC last December. White, though, won't play for the Trojans this year due to a career threatening injury. "It puts an importance on the culture within your building, the experience that your player has," Napier said. "All facets of the player experience are important. I think in the evaluation process, it becomes even more important. The kid – who is his circle of influence? What's the family dynamic? There's an evaluation in the initial part of the recruitment that becomes even more important." |
| How Tennessee football eluded bowl ban in Jeremy Pruitt NCAA case | |
 | The University of Tennessee staunchly defended its innocent football players and pulled off a savvy strategy to avoid a postseason ban in the Jeremy Pruitt recruiting scandal, newly released documents show. The details have emerged from that behind-the-scenes effort, which included every resource at UT's disposal and even a boost from the Tennessee attorney general. Knox News obtained internal emails, investigative reports and selective transcripts of closed hearings through open records requests. They disclose eye-opening details about the NCAA infractions case that finally concluded Friday after almost three years. The documents reveal how UT played ball with the NCAA and won. Pruitt, the former UT football coach, received a six-year show-cause penalty for his part in scandal, which included 18 highest-level violations and 200 individual infractions. Seven assistant coaches and staff members also received multiyear show-cause penalties. Meanwhile, the football program was put probation for five years. The penalty of 28 scholarship cuts, recruiting restrictions, vacated games and a hefty fine, including $8 million, 50% of gross revenue paid to SEC for UT's participation in the 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl under Pruitt, $5,000 plus 3% of football budget. The university had already self-imposed and absorbed a portion of the sanctions over the past two years, so the impact should be manageable. But the university avoided the stiffest penalty of a postseason ban. And there's quite a story behind that victory. |
| Legal headaches could just be starting at Northwestern, WVU with Fitzgerald, Huggins, experts say | |
| The legal headaches could only be starting for Pat Fitzgerald and Bob Huggins -- and their schools. Fitzgerald was fired this week as Northwestern's football coach following hazing allegations -- but after the school had first announced a two-week suspension. West Virginia said Huggins had resigned after the Hall of Fame basketball coach's arrest last month on a drunken-driving charge -- but he now says he made no such decision. Attorneys are looking to sort it all out, a process that requires a precise review of their contracts, but industry observers are stunned by the awkward-at-best handling of two high-profile contracts worth millions of dollars. If the cases wind up in court, it would be in everyone's best interest to seek a quick resolution, said Marty Greenberg, a Milwaukee attorney specializing in coaches' contracts and terminations. "A lot of these things end up settled because no one wants to hang their dirty laundry out," Greenberg said. "Without a doubt the Northwestern one is most puzzling for the fact that the university told him he was getting a two-week suspension," said Andrew Rhoden, a Dallas lawyer who has represented college coaches. "For them to reverse the decision is actually the most puzzling thing I've heard of." University presidents and governing boards have the last say in contract decisions that could get dragged into an ugly legal battle. That's why they typically turn to their attorneys for guidance. But general counsels often have other daily duties, too. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
