| Tuesday, October 24, 2023 |
| MSU joins National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's Gulf Scholars Program | |
 | Mississippi State University has been selected to join the latest cohort of the Gulf Scholars Program, an initiative led by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. As a member of the third Gulf Scholars Program cohort, MSU will receive funding to provide scholarship support to approximately 50 students over the course of five years, along with additional support for involvement with high-impact projects along the Gulf Coast. The initiative, led through NASEM's Gulf Research Program, aims to prepare undergraduate students to address pressing environmental, health, energy and infrastructure challenges in the Gulf of Mexico region. "We are delighted to welcome Mississippi State University as a member of the Gulf Scholars Program," said Karena Mothershed, senior program manager of the Gulf Research Program's Board on Gulf Education and Engagement. "As a first-rate educational institution with deep connections to Gulf communities, we believe it is an excellent partner for our efforts to support and inspire talented undergraduates in the region." Jamie Dyer, interim dean for interdisciplinary studies at MSU and principal investigator for the grant, said the Gulf Scholars Program at the university will revolve around a new minor in Gulf Coast studies, which will be developed through collaboration among faculty across campus. The university also will support student involvement in outreach projects, internships and other opportunities to engage with communities along the Gulf Coast. |
| Education: MSU's Tindoll named 2023 Co-op Student of the Year | |
 | David Tindoll, a senior chemical engineering major from Saltillo, is this year's recipient of the Epting/Mathews Co-op Student of the Year Award at Mississippi State. The award is presented by the MSU Career Center's Cooperative Education Program each October and recognizes one outstanding co-op student for academic excellence, exhibited professionalism in the workplace and leadership. The recipient receives a scholarship provided by program sponsors. Tindoll recently completed a three-term co-op at Aberdeen's Westlake Corporation -- a global product manufacturer and supplier -- where he worked on trend analyses to improve overall plant and worker safety. Additionally, he was involved in the installation of continuous pH meters in the plant's wastewater treatment area to help track trends during cold weather. The Epting/Mathews Co-op Student of the Year Award is named in honor of former Career Center Director Luther Epting and former co-op program Associate Director Mike Mathews, who served MSU for a combined 71 years. |
| New strand-board lumber plant to begin construction in 2024 | |
| Construction for a new $418 million strand board lumber plant in Noxubee County is slated to begin in early 2024. During a groundbreaking ceremony held Monday at the new site just North of Shuqualak, Huber Engineered Woods CEO Brian Carlson said the North Carolina-based company began dirt work and clearing on the 551-acre property in September. Huber is now awaiting approval for its air emissions permit from the Environmental Protection Agency before putting in the foundation. "We're hoping to have that by January," Carlson said. "We feel really good about the timing of the project. Once that permit is in hand, we'll be able to really start going after the foundation work and the concrete work. So we are on time." Once that is done, the plant will be built and completed by late 2025. It is expected to open in 2026, employing 158 people with an average annual salary of $80,000. Huber Engineered Woods is a subsidiary company of J.M. Huber Corporation, which was founded in 1883. Huber has built five other strand board mills in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Maine, Georgia and Virginia. Carlson said this was the company's largest mill so far. Once operational, the plant will manufacture OSB wood panels, which are similar to particle board and are typically used for subfloors in residential and commercial construction. Gov. Tate Reeves, who spoke at the event, spoke highly of the deal and said it represented the latest in a long line of private companies investing in Mississippi. |
| Statewide candidates to take the stage at Mississippi Economic Council's annual Hobnob | |
 | The Mississippi Economic Council's annual Hobnob will be returning to the capital city this Thursday. Registration for the political networking event will get underway at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson at 8:30 a.m. with speeches beginning at 9:30 a.m. Highlighting this year's Hobnob will be all statewide candidates plus a celebration of the upcoming 75th anniversary of the MEC. "Hobnob is always a fun, interactive event as business leaders and political leaders from across the state gather for a fun morning of stump speeches and great food," MEC president and CEO Scott Waller said. "There are two things that make this year very special. Hobnob is taking place just prior to the statewide general election, and it is also kicking off a very special year at MEC as we celebrate 75 years of advocating for Mississippi's businesses." Every candidate seeking office on Nov. 7 will have 10 minutes to further convince attendees why they deserve their vote. While the top of the ticket will be hitting the debate stage on Nov. 1 when Gov. Tate Reeves and Democratic nominee Brandon Presley square off, Hobnob will be one of the last chances for Mississippians to see most competing candidates side by side. |
| Presley focuses on Black turnout as governor's race enters final weeks | |
| Brandon Presley launched volunteer get-out-the-vote events in north Mississippi and campaigned in the Delta over the weekend as his Democratic gubernatorial campaign pivoted to turnout, focusing specially on Black voters, in the final two weeks to the Nov. 7 election. Presley told the Daily Journal his campaign has spent $2.5 million on Black voter turnout and engagement, which a spokesperson said includes targeted research, relational organizing, door-knocking, direct mail, and digital and radio advertising. "That is going to result in the largest Black turnout in the state's history," Presley said. The Mississippi Democratic Party is relatively weak compared to the Republicans, who will also benefit from assistance by strong state party organizations in nearby states. The Democratic Governors Association, which has given $3.7 million to Presley's campaign, released internal polling Monday claiming the Nettleton native is just one point behind Reeves, 45% to 46%, in a poll conducted Oct. 19-20. "It's going to come down to turnout," Presley told volunteers at a Sunday canvass kickoff event in Starkville. "This is going to be, I promise, a very close election." Saturday afternoon, Presley campaigned at a historically Black university football game for the third week in a row. At Mississippi Valley State University, like at Jackson State's homecoming game a week prior and Alcorn State the week before that, Presley said he was working to earn the support of Black voters and not take them for granted. |
| Task force looking into state employee insurance costs | |
| If you're a state employee, you may have experienced sticker shock when you saw insurance premium costs for you and your family. A legislative task force is looking at whether there's any way to cut down on that and let you keep more take-home pay. "My husband is an elementary principal," explained Erica Jones. "So, when we start to look at getting insurance for our own two children, the rates are ridiculous. It's often hard for us to even bear how much they cost for our family to be covered with those insurance rates." While Erica Jones has that personal experience, she's also President of the Mississippi Association of Educators. She is hearing stories about not just the salary but better insurance costs being a factor in some teachers crossing state lines. "Just last week, I had an educator to share with me that if they moved over to Alabama, they wouldn't see these high insurance premiums," added Jones. But that applies to more than just teachers. "We're talking about over 30,000 teachers across the state 10s of 1000s of more state employees who aren't teachers," said Ballard. "So, this has a really big impact at the end of the day." A task force is gathering information and trying to determine if there are ways to change some of these costs. "The state plan is self-insured," said Sen. Walter Michel. "We're our own insurance company, basically. And we're comparing our deductibles. We're comparing how we treat dependents of employees. We're looking at our drug costs." |
| Delayed homicide autopsies pile up in Mississippi despite tough-on-crime-talk | |
 | Incomplete homicide autopsy reports have continued to pile up in Mississippi -- despite tough-on-crime talk by state leaders ahead of the Nov. 7 general election. Police officers and prosecutors rely on medical examiners' autopsy reports to investigate violent crimes and hold perpetrators accountable. Families look to the reports to make sense of a loved one's death. Without death certificates, families often have to wait to collect insurance and settle the deceased's affairs. Delays in completing autopsies of the dead remain an ongoing problem. The National Association of Medical Examiners, the office that accredits U.S. death investigations offices, dictates that 90% of autopsy reports should be returned within 60 to 90 days. Homicide autopsies in Mississippi continue to lag behind national standards as crime has remained a flashpoint in the state legislature and campaign trail. In 2022, an AP analysis based on state data and documents found that Mississippi's system has long violated national standards for death investigations, accruing a severe backlog of autopsies and reports. Moreover, Mississippi has the highest homicide mortality rate in the country, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell has called the backlog "unacceptable" and said he'd instituted a policy requiring all autopsy reports to be completed within 90 days. But records obtained by The Associated Press show that as of Oct. 1 of this year, Mississippi had 51 homicide autopsy reports that were incomplete for longer than 60 days; and 45 autopsies pending after more than 90 days. Three other autopsy reports for 2023 took over 90 days to complete. |
| Capitol Police investigate gunfire near Mississippi home of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith | |
 | Capitol Police and Mississippi law enforcement agencies are investigating a shooting Sunday near the Mississippi home of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. A person was firing rounds from the road in the direction of the house, Hyde-Smith spokesperson Chris Gallegos told CQ Roll Call. The Mississippi Republican and her family, who were home at the time, were unharmed, according to her office. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said the shooting happened around 12:30 p.m. local time but provided few other details in a statement Monday. The Capitol Police said it is working with the MBI and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office to "figure out exactly what happened, while we coordinate with the Senator's Office to ensure her safety." A statement from Hyde-Smith's office said that the senator "is grateful for the concern [shown] by many and the good work of federal, state, and local law enforcement." Hyde-Smith was appointed to the Senate in 2018 by then-Gov. Phil Bryant to replace Thad Cochran. Before coming to Washington, Hyde-Smith was Mississippi's commissioner of agriculture and commerce. She holds seats on the Appropriations Committee and the Agriculture Committee, among others. |
| House Republicans to Pick New Speaker Nominee After Weeks of False Starts | |
 | Republicans sought to end a three-week-old political crisis by picking a House speaker nominee who could finally garner a majority of the chamber, with plans to hold a party vote Tuesday morning and hopes to move to the floor as soon as later in the day. Weary from weeks of fighting and embarrassing setbacks, House Republicans met behind closed doors to hear nominating speeches and choose from among more than a half dozen Republicans currently running to serve as House speaker, a process that was expected to take hours. Lawmakers are eager to get back to work, with many wanting to pass aid to Israel and address a looming government funding deadline, neither of which can be done until a new leader is approved by the full chamber. Four candidates had emerged as likely top contenders: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R., Minn.); Rep. Kevin Hern (R., Okla.), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee; Rep. Mike Johnson (R., La.), the vice chairman of the House Republican conference; and Rep. Byron Donalds (R., Fla.), an ally of former President Donald Trump. "Everybody's ready to end this and come to a consensus candidate," said Rep. Jake Ellzey (R., Texas). Last week he voted against the prior speaker designate, Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), whose campaign had burned bridges in part through the hardball tactics employed by his supporters. Under conference rules, House Republicans will decide their nominee by secret ballot. If no one receives a majority of votes on the first ballot, the candidate with the fewest votes on that and each succeeding ballot is out of the running. Voting continues until a single candidate receives a majority of the votes. |
| 'Netanyahu Got All the Warnings,' Says Former Israeli Military Intelligence Chief | |
 | Hamas' massacre of more than 1,400 Israelis and kidnapping of over 200 others on Oct. 7 was more than a national tragedy for Israel -- it was also a massive intelligence failure. Now, as Israel goes to war against Hamas, vital questions abound: Why didn't Israeli leadership see this coming? If Israel defeats Hamas, what will take its place? And what are the odds that Israel's greatest ally, the United States, could get pulled into a direct role in the conflict? Amos Yadlin has unique insights into all these questions. The 71-year-old former Israeli intelligence chief, who oversaw the destruction of Syria's nascent nuclear program and the serial sabotage of Iran's, has emerged as a key voice on the crisis, briefing members of Israel's war cabinet. For the last 12 years, he's served as the head of Israel's highly influential Institute for National Security Studies, and he remains a security eminence grise. In a new interview with POLITICO Magazine conducted via Zoom over two days last week, Yadlin offered a useful window into official Israeli thinking on the escalating war -- from solutions to the ongoing hostage crisis to the challenge of avoiding Palestinian civilian casualties. Yadlin made clear that Israel's policy in this war was not simply to retaliate for the massacre or weaken Hamas, but to definitively end the jihadist group's 16-year rule in Gaza. "We are going to destroy Hamas, as Nazi Germany was destroyed," he said, adding that Israel would mount a global assassination campaign against Hamas leaders akin to the one it launched following the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. |
| The yield on a 10-year Treasury reached 5% for the 1st time since 2007. Here's why that matters | |
| The yield on the 10-year Treasury has reached 5% for the first time since 2007. That matters for everyone, not just Wall Street. Treasury yields have been climbing rapidly, with the 10-year yield rallying from less than 3.50% during the spring and from just 0.50% early in the pandemic. Monday morning, the yield on the 10-year Treasury was at 4.96% after hitting 5.02% earlier. The jump means the U.S. government must pay more to borrow money from investors to cover its spending. It also directly affects people around the world, because the 10-year Treasury yield is the centerpiece of the global financial system and helps set prices for all kinds of other loans and investments. Besides making it more expensive for U.S. homebuyers to buy a house with a mortgage, higher yields also put downward pressure on prices for everything from stocks to cryptocurrencies. Eventually, they could help cause companies to lay off more workers. Higher yields mark a sharp turnaround for a generation of consumers and investors who have known pretty much just low yields, as central banks kept benchmark interest rates pinned at nearly zero. Such low rates let people borrow money more easily, which helped economies to strengthen following the 2008 financial crisis, the European debt crisis and other maladies including, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| National book tour brings author Margaret Renkl to Columbus | |
| Margaret Renkl's writing encourages readers to behold the beauty of the natural world. It's no wonder, then, that her new essay collection "The Comfort of Crows" is a stunning work of art in itself. Renkl will discuss her new book at Mississippi University for Women on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Nissan Auditorium as part of the Honors Forum lecture series presented by the Ina E. Gordy Honors College. The event will be moderated by Randi Robison, Natural Resource Program Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Nashville-based writer has developed a national reputation as a voice of the South with the popular column she writes each Monday for the New York Times. "The Comfort of Crows," which comes out this week, is Renkl's third book. In "The Comfort of Crows," Renkl assembles a year's worth of reflections, one for each week organized by the four seasons. Each essay is framed by a full-color illustration created by her brother Billy Renkl, an accomplished artist. Peppered throughout the collection are additional short prose poems meditating on ephemeral subjects which she calls praise songs. It also includes quotations from some of her own favorite books and writers including nods to Mississippi writers Eudora Welty and Aimee Nezhukumatathil. |
| Jewish students at Ole Miss support Israel, while being worried about safety | |
| The war in Israel is being felt on college campuses across the country, including the University of Mississippi. A small, but united Jewish student body of Ole Miss is supporting the country of Israel. A candlelight vigil hosted by the local Hillel chapter is just one of several demonstrations since the deadly war sent shockwaves around the world. "Being Jewish, we know at least one person in Israel. We know at least one person that knows someone that has been killed," said Isabella Gadberry, the president of Ole Miss Hillel. Gadberry said the war isn't just impacting the Middle East. She and many of her peers are feeling a growing sense of fear. "Honestly, I am very worried," Gadberry said. "I was worried to do this interview today because of all the antisemitic stuff going on." Since the initial Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7 and the following air strikes on Gaza by Israeli defense forces, thousands of lives have been lost on both sides as the war is only expected to escalate. "Hillel is a national organization," Gadberry said. "They have Hillel all over college campuses everywhere. A lot of them have gotten threats. A lot of them have gotten bomb threats." Which is why Gadberry has been in contact with law enforcement and campus leadership to talk about security as they continue to hold demonstrations on campus -- to show support for their friends and family in Israel. |
| UM-led consortium receives grant to support biotechnology innovation | |
| The University of Mississippi has launched the Southeast Biotech Collaborative, or SEBC, a consortium of more than 30 public and private organizations across the Southeast that are leading an effort to develop a regional strategy for the advancement of biomanufacturing capabilities. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration announced Oct. 23 that it has awarded a Phase 1 Strategy Development Grant to the SEBC to achieve this goal. The consortium was selected for the funding from a competitive pool of 181 applications. This federal investment will support strategy development to grow the region's biomanufacturing capabilities over the next 5-10 years. The Tech Hubs Program, created under the CHIPS and Science Act, awarded the grant. By investing in U.S. regions, the program aims to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers. "The Southeast Biotech Collaborative is on the path to transforming research and development in our region," said U.S. Sen. Roger F. Wicker of Mississippi. "This planning grant is a positive step that will help this Mississippi-led coalition compete on a global scale." Members of the SEBC include private sector companies, state governments, trade associations, institutes of higher education, investment firms, historically Black colleges and universities, tribal governments, economic development organizations and workforce groups. |
| Ole Miss, MSU compete in Egg Bowl glass recycling drive | |
| Members of the University of Mississippi community will soon be able to compete in a different kind of Egg Bowl: a glass recycling contest. Conducted by the Office of Sustainability in partnership with Door 2 Door Recycling, the Egg Bowl Glass Recycling Drive will run 2-6 p.m. on Nov. 9 in the parking lot at the Jackson Avenue Center. Ole Miss will compete with Mississippi State University to see which campus collects the most glass. "Because we aren't able to offer glass recycling through normal recycling collection on campus, we get a lot of questions about glass," said Kendall McDonald, associate director of the UM sustainability office. "Glass is tricky to recycle because of its weight, which increases the cost and emissions generated through transportation. Door 2 Door provides a unique solution, as they process glass waste differently by milling it down to be used in other applications, diverting it from landfills and generating new materials in the process." Glass recycling is an important service because it does not break down in landfills, said Faith Young, owner of Door 2 Door. "We have enjoyed working with Mississippi educational institutions to encourage recycling," Young said. "We're trying to make glass recycling more readily available to citizens of our state." |
| Mississippi Board of Education hears results of teacher retention survey, concerns over ACT prep | |
| During last week's monthly meeting, members of the Mississippi State Board of Education reviewed the results of a teacher retention survey and third grade literacy assessments. The Board also heard concerns that high school students are not prepared for the ACT. High School Senior Student Representative Charlie Frugé said he's been tutoring fellow Oxford High School students since he was a freshman. Over those four years he's noticed an ongoing trend of students who are unprepared for the test, especially the English portion. "Last month I tutored a dear friend; he's a senior at Oxford High School. He's an average student, he makes As and Bs," Frugé said. "He had no clue what a subject and object was. He didn't know what a noun was, or a verb." He added that this was not the first time. "Dozens of my peers don't know when to use a semicolon or a comma. They don't even know what an em dash is. But that's not their fault. After four years of the same conversation, in which I explain the basic properties of nouns and verbs to 18-year-olds, I find myself with one question. 'How did this happen?' They've been through 12 grades, they've had 12 English teachers. They've had 12 opportunities to learn basic grammar," Frugé said. "But here we are and somehow it's the job of a ninth-grade student at Oxford to explain to 18-year-olds what a noun was." While his prime example dealt with a student's grasp of English, Frugé said there are gaps of knowledge in science, such as not knowing what an X axis and Y axis are. The Board also discussed the results of a recent teacher retention survey completed by educators in the state. The report found that teachers are more likely to continue teaching if they have access to strong mentorship, are provided with objective performance assessments, and can meet their economic needs. |
| Chatbots might disrupt math and computer science classes. Some teachers see upsides | |
| Artificial intelligence can serve as a tutor, giving a student who is struggling with a problem immediate feedback. It can help a teacher plan math lessons, or write math problems geared toward different levels of instruction. It can show new computer programmers sample code, allowing them to skip over the chore of learning to write basic code. As schools across the country debate banning AI chatbots, some math and computer science teachers are embracing them as just another tool. Min Sun, a University of Washington education professor, thinks students should use chatbots like personal tutors. If students don't understand a mathematical operation, they can ask ChatGPT to explain it and give examples. She wants teachers to use ChatGPT as their own assistant: to plan math lessons, give students feedback and communicate with parents. Teachers can also ask ChatGPT to recommend different levels of math problems for students with different mastery of the concept, she said. This is particularly helpful for teachers who are new to the profession or have students with diverse needs, Sun said. "It gives you some initial ideas and possible problem areas for students so I can get myself more prepared before walking into the classroom," Sun said. Magdalena Balazinska, director of the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, embraces the progress artificial intelligence has made. "With the support of AI, human software engineers get to focus on the most interesting part of computer science: answering big software design questions," Balazinska said. "AI allows humans to focus on the creative work." |
| U. of Alabama moves forward with $50 million performing arts center | |
 | The University of Alabama is one step closer to developing its new performing arts academic center. UA faculty, students and alumni gathered Friday to celebrate the development of the Smith Family Center for Performing Arts. The Smith Family Center for Performing Arts is named after UA graduate Clay Smith, his wife, Cameron, and mother Linda Smith in recognition of their support for the building. The $50 million state-of-the-art performing arts facility, which is under construction on the historic Bryce Hospital campus, will connect to UA's new welcome center. UA President Stuart Bell said the performing arts center will be a "gathering place" and leave a lasting impact on both UA students and the community. "The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is going to illuminate our mission here at the University of Alabama. It will offer our students incredible opportunities," Bell said. The development of the performing arts center was boosted by a historic $20 million donation made by the Smith family, which marked the largest charitable gift for an academic facility in UA history. The performing arts center will also house UA's Department of Theatre and Dance and include four performance theaters: a black box theater, a 350-seat proscenium-style theater, a 450-seat venue specifically designed for dance and a dance studio theater. |
| Professors, students ask judge to temporarily block DeSantis' DEI funding ban | |
 | On one side of U.S. District Judge Mark Walker's bowtie sat five attorneys. They, and a few others behind them in Tallahassee's federal court on Monday, were the legal force defending Florida and its funding ban on state college and university diversity, equity and inclusion programs. On the other side sat Gary Edinger. He's a First Amendment lawyer from Gainesville, and his clients want to block key provisions of Gov. Ron DeSantis-supported Senate Bill 266, which went into effect in July. Edinger argued the court should ban key portions of the law until the case is resolved. Those portions are the funding prohibition and a provision restricting what's taught in "general education core courses" in Florida. He's representing a group of New College of Florida professors, students and a group pushing back against DeSantis' conservative takeover of the institution. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights are being violated in a variety of ways. They accuse the law of being vague and overbroad. They say it's "content based and viewpoint based censorship of speech in violation of the First Amendment." The law "directly infringes upon their academic freedom as well as their right to freely engage in free speech and debate on all topics of interest and concern," the lawsuit states. Lawyers for the state, though, argued on Monday that the defendants didn't even have standing to sue in the case. They said the whole matter was premature, as the Board of Governors hasn't created any regulations yet for the law. |
| U. of Florida professors to debate foreign policy, international topics | |
| Two professors at the University of Florida will debate about heated topics surrounding foreign policy Tuesday afternoon at the Reitz Union. The debate, titled "U.S. Foreign Policy Today: Challenges and Opportunities," will bring up multiple topics related to the United States' current foreign policy challenges. Topics of discussion could include the country's relationship to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as well as Israel and Hamas, effectively competing with China and the revival of Russia as global powers and combating terrorism as well as addressing ideological roots of extremism. UF called the debate "a timely discussion as the United States navigates its security, prosperity, and influence in an increasingly complex international landscape." The two debating will be Matt Jacobs, director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, and William Inboden, director of the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education. A third-year political science student, Lucca Carlson, will moderate the discussion. Jacobs is an associate professor of U.S. and international history at UF and teaches international politics and history courses. Inboden is a professor of history at UF with experience in governmental positions. His research focuses on topics such as American foreign policy, the presidency and American history. Additionally -- and arguably most notably -- he is a life-long friend of UF President Ben Sasse and was recently announced director for the Hamilton Center by Sasse in June. |
| Why One College President Is Denouncing a Conservative Campus Group | |
 | David Boyles was standing alone outside an Arizona State University building this month when someone from Turning Point USA approached, trailed by another person with a camera. "When did you decide to get obsessed with sex education?" the man from Turning Point asked, according to a video that the group later posted on social media. Boyles started walking away and did not stop as the questions grew more hostile and the camera kept rolling. On surveillance video released by the university, Boyles, an English instructor, can be seen making a grab for the camera. The Turning Point man then pushes Boyles to the ground from behind. A photo posted later shows bruises and dried blood on Boyles's face. The incident was not the first time that Turning Point, a right-wing group that advocates a Trump-brand of conservatism on college campuses through local chapters, has made headlines at Arizona State. But it has provoked an uncommonly biting response from the university's longtime president, Michael Crow. "It is astounding to me that individuals from Turning Point USA would wait for an ASU instructor to come out of his class to follow him, harass him and ultimately shove him to the ground, bloodying his face," Crow wrote in a letter to the campus after the incident. "Cowards that they are and so confident in the legality and appropriateness of their actions, the Turning Point USA 'reporter' and 'cameraman' then ran away from the scene before police arrived. This is the kind of outrageous conduct that you would expect to see from bullies in a high school cafeteria." In an interview with The Chronicle, Crow went even further, suggesting that the two men from Turning Point USA should be prosecuted for hate crimes. ASU's police department is investigating but had yet to release a report as of Monday. |
| Even With Tenure, Women Are More Likely to Leave Higher Ed | |
| Across academe, women are more likely to leave their faculty positions than men, and attrition is highest for women who have tenure or work in fields outside of science, technology, engineering, and math, according to a new study. And even when men and women leave at the same rate, their reasons for doing so are gendered: Early-career women are more likely to leave due to issues with work-life balance, while women later in their careers are more likely to leave because of a hostile work environment. Men tend to cite professional reasons, such as a lack of resources or support. Many institutions have poured extensive time and resources into recruiting a more diverse faculty, but recruitment is only part of the equation. When groups leave the field at different rates, academe becomes a "leaky pipeline," the study said. "It's one thing to bring people in -- and sometimes it's very difficult to bring in certain groups. It's another thing to keep them," said Anita Raj, a professor of public health at Tulane University and executive director of the Newcomb Institute, which conducts gender-equity research. Raj was not involved in the study. Prior research on gender disparities in higher-ed attrition has focused on particular slices of academe: all of the professors at a single institution, or all of the assistant professors at a handful of elite institutions, for example. Therefore it's been difficult to form broad conclusions or compare studies, researchers said. |
| These College Dropouts Want to Automate Your Job Away With AI | |
| Govind Gnanakumar was in diapers when Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard. Like the Meta founder, he won't wait for a university diploma to start his business. The 19-year-old dropped out of the Georgia Institute of Technology in May to focus full time on his artificial-intelligence startup, Automorphic. He is among a swarm of teenagers and 20-somethings leaving college behind to capitalize on a gold rush in AI. The debut of ChatGPT and Bard brought the faraway promises of conversational, helpful AI closer to reality, setting off a rush of investment and new companies that automate tasks and transform work. More than 25% of American startup investments have gone to AI companies so far this year, according to Crunchbase, an industry tracker. The size of the market for generative-AI applications -- $43 billion for enterprise-technology AI alone this year, according to PitchBook -- and the rapid pace of development have young founders ditching class and jumping in. Numbers of dropouts-turned-founders aren't tracked, but several founders accepted to this summer's cohort by Y Combinator, a prominent startup accelerator program, left campus for their companies. Investors generally praise dropouts' hustle but note that a great many of the ventures will fizzle out. Venture capitalists say that dropouts' desire to seize this moment in tech has parallels with prior tech booms, when universities like Stanford told students to curb their ambition and focus on earning a degree rather than investments from Sand Hill Road. |
| Companies offering parents a new benefit: college admissions counseling | |
 | In a suburban office park outside Boston, Shannon Vasconcelos logs on to a laptop computer and connects with families across the U.S. to help them get their children into college. How can my daughter get into the Ivy League? How will we pay for all this? What points should my son emphasize in his essay? What scholarships are available? Vasconcelos walks them through these and many more questions. It's advice that Vasconcelos is well equipped to give, as a former assistant director of financial aid at Tufts University. She's now senior director for college finance at College Coach, a division of the child care operator Bright Horizons, which provides private counseling for college admissions. And her services are free to families that receive it as a job perk offered by their employers. A growing number of companies are providing access to admissions counselors such as Vasconcelos as a benefit to their employees. These include JPMorgan Chase, American Express, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, EY, Paramount Pictures, Mastercard, Goodwin, Johnson & Johnson, VMware and some venture capital and private equity firms. "It's definitely a benefit to just save people time and stress," said Laura Lemmons, managing director for benefits at Goodwin, a global legal firm. "We're trying to put resources in place to support parents throughout their whole journey of parenthood, and this is just one of these important pieces." But critics contend it's another advantage for wealthier parents over lower-income ones. |
| Free speech on college campuses: Is it time for a reset? | |
 | Emmanuel Ching felt a bit uneasy last week after he and other student leaders tried to hash out a statement about the Hamas assault on Israel on Oct. 7 and its massacre of nearly 1,400 Israeli civilians. Student groups across the country continue to spark widespread outrage after expressing support, and even celebration, of the Hamas attacks. But Mr. Ching, a member of the executive board of GWDems at the George Washington University -- the largest chapter of College Democrats in the country, with over 1,000 members -- hoped his group would condemn the deliberate slaughter of civilians and kidnapping of nearly 200 others, among them children and the elderly, who were taken into Gaza as hostages. As he texted with others in the board's group chat, it soon became clear the student leaders could not reach a consensus. Some saw the words "unequivocally condemn" in the first draft as problematic. Others felt they weren't qualified to speak out on the issue, while some worried that condemning Hamas would carry over to the larger cause of the Palestinian people. "Any organization that claims to support peace, that claims to pursue justice -- especially an organization affiliated with the Democratic Party -- should want to unequivocally condemn terrorism by a terrorist organization, and the fact that that had to be clarified was a little concerning," Mr. Ching says. But there's a "broader trend" on college campuses, he says, that has made students trying to sort through and understand the longstanding conflict between Palestinians and Israelis more and more difficult. Today, the college experience can seem like it has simply become an endless competition of moral opprobrium. |
| Elite Universities Face Donor Revolt Over Mideast Conflict | |
| David Magerman was in Israel celebrating a holiday by dancing with a Torah in synagogue when Hamas attacked the country earlier this month. When his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, put out a statement a few days later that called the assault "horrific" but didn't explicitly condemn Hamas, he was incensed. Magerman, a hedge-fund veteran turned venture capitalist who has donated millions to the school, has since cut his ties with Penn. "I was just pushed over the edge by the equivocation of the response," he said. Top universities such as Harvard and Penn are facing backlash from alumni angry about the schools' reactions to the attacks and their aftermath. The alumni say their schools didn't move quickly and forcefully enough to condemn Hamas and denounce antisemitism after the Oct. 7 attacks, and that they have done a poor job since then protecting Jewish students as on-campus tensions rise. Some say it was the final straw after years of growing disenchantment with the schools over what they see as a leftward political shift. Many big donors have announced plans to stop giving or said they are reconsidering future gifts. In the past few years, dissident alumni groups have started cropping up for people who believe progressive groupthink has taken over college campuses. Several significant donors said they don't want to force their worldviews on anyone, but that they do want college students to be exposed to a diversity of views and be able to engage in robust dialogue. |
| Colleges Confounded by Flood of Borrower-Defense Claims | |
 | Colleges and universities beyond the for-profit sector are seeing a rise in the number of borrowers alleging that they were misled or defrauded by their institution, as the Education Department works to clear a backlog in claims. Under federal borrower defense to repayment rules, those who believe they were defrauded or misled by a college can file a claim seeking relief and potentially have their loans discharged. The department doesn't publicly release information about the claims -- and colleges aren't eager to talk about them, either. The program was rarely used until 2015 and has mostly discharged the loans of students who attended for-profit colleges. Now, community colleges, public research universities, religious colleges and other types of institutions are hearing from the Education Department that their students have filed borrower-defense applications. A lot of them, in some cases. According to higher education groups that are hearing from colleges about the claims, one flagship public university received 80 such notices in a day. "Most of the schools we're talking about now have never seen a borrower-defense claim before," said Jon Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations and national engagement at the American Council on Education. "It's not like they get them once every few months, and now there's a lot of them. Schools that have never gotten them before are now getting double-, sometimes triple-digit [numbers of] borrower-defense claims." As part of a class action settlement finalized last year, the department is under a court order to process applications for relief filed before Nov. 15, 2022, and faces a series of rolling deadlines by which it must make decisions regarding the claims. All the pending claims covered by the settlement must be resolved by July 2025. |
| College hazing under scrutiny in new bipartisan legislation | |
 | For eight years, Julie and Gary DeVercelly Sr. have been urging Congress to pass legislation to curb hazing on college campuses. And for eight years, they've been disappointed. Their son died of acute alcohol poisoning because of a fraternity hazing ritual at Rider College in New Jersey in 2007. Years later, once the "fog" of the loss started to lift -- a fog, Gary Sr. said, that only people who've lost a child can recognize -- they set out to make sure what happened to their son never happened again. They have a new reason to be hopeful. A bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate late last month and formally announced by lawmakers Tuesday would force colleges and universities to disclose exactly how many hazing incidents happen on their campuses each year. The Senate's version of the Stop Hazing Act -- sponsored by Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota -- would broaden the definition of hazing and require hazing incidents to be specifically included in colleges' annual crime reports. "Parents and students have a right to see how much of this is going on at colleges," Klobuchar said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY in her first public comments on the new bill. Despite congressional dysfunction and years of calls for practical changes, the legislation seems to be the most likely iteration of anti-hazing legislation in recent years to succeed. It has drawn bipartisan support, and perhaps most importantly, the backing of influential Greek life groups. Though the hazing debate has raged for years, it was renewed this summer after Northwestern University's campus was rocked by a scandal involving allegations of sexual abuse and racial discrimination. |
SPORTS
| Zach Arnett addresses concerns of possible sign-stealing | |
| Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Zach Arnett opened up about the concerns that he has with the possibility that teams would be stealing signs from them. This comes amid a sign-stealing investigation at Michigan, which has seen the NCAA looking into the program for potentially stealing signs in person and recording the sidelines of future opponents. Even though the Bulldogs and Wolverines don't play, the impact of that investigation is still being felt around the country. "Sign-stealing is not illegal, right?" Arnett said. "Obviously, there's people on the opposing sidelines or up in the box always looking at whoever your signaller is. When I called defense -- I think it's the same now -- we just have one primary signal caller giving it." Arnett added that his staff isn't overly worried about sign stealing because most of the time there actually isn't enough time between plays to steal the sign, understand what it means, and counter it before the ball gets snapped. "So, it's not something we spent a whole lot of time concerning ourselves with. All of that has to do with depending on how the opponent does tempo too or how long you hold your call, how realistic is it to even think that you can get all that information processed," Arnett said. |
| Will Rogers' status still uncertain as Mississippi State prepares for Auburn | |
| Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers' status remains in flux heading into the Bulldogs' game at Auburn on Saturday, head coach Zach Arnett said Monday at his weekly press conference. Rogers had started 38 consecutive games for MSU (4-3, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) prior to last Saturday's 7-3 win at Arkansas, which he missed due to a left shoulder injury sustained in the fourth quarter against Western Michigan on Oct. 7. Mike Wright, a senior transfer from Vanderbilt, made his first start as a Bulldog, completing eight of 12 passes for 85 yards with a touchdown and an interception to go along with 60 rushing yards on 11 carries. "Every guy on our roster is a little banged up," Arnett said. "Will is progressing just like we expect. If he's able to go, he's going to go; if he's not, he's not. That goes for any other guy on our team. We've got several days here to continue to evaluate and see his progress in practice, and then we'll make a determination." That statement presumably also applies to running back Jo'Quavious "Woody" Marks, who has been dealing with injuries dating back to the South Carolina game on Sept. 23. Marks looked good in the first half against the Razorbacks with a pair of key runs for first downs and a touchdown reception, but had his entire lower left leg wrapped up at halftime. He returned for the second half but was much less effective, with nine carries for just 13 yards. |
| Auburn likely turning to true freshman Connor Lew at center against Mississippi State | |
 | Auburn took a big hit in its loss to Ole Miss over the weekend, as starting center Avery Jones suffered an injury in the first quarter that sidelined him for the remainder of the contest. The East Carolina transfer, at the starting point of Auburn's offense, is one of the Tigers' most-tenured offensive linemen. In his place, Auburn called on true freshman Connor Lew, who ended the game as Auburn's highest-graded blocker on the offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus. "Connor played really well, and Connor's going to be one heck of a football player, but they were changing in and out of a lot of fronts based on our personnel," Hugh Freeze said Monday. "Some of those 5-man boxes on some of those third-and-5s and 6s could have been really good runs, and we weren't on the same page. And Avery was more accustomed to that so we missed him in the second half, for sure." Playing a season-high 47 snaps, Lew allowed just one pressure in 24 opportunities, according to PFF. Prior to Saturday, he'd played in just three games and logged just 43 snaps. Freeze added Monday that Jones is doubtful to return for Auburn's game against Mississippi State this weekend, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium. That means Lew is set for what should be his first career start against the Bulldogs. |
| Janthamunee, Bulldogs Excel on Day One of The Ally | |
| Fueled by a strong showing on the back nine, the Mississippi State Bulldogs finished the first round of The Ally in second place. Surapa Janthamunee was a huge part of the success for the Bulldogs. The sophomore from Thailand carded a single bogey through the opening round. With three birdies on the front nine and three on the back, SJ was able to set a new career low 18. She finished with a 67 on her day, beating her personal record set on October 29, 2022, which was a 68. Janthamunee sits in a tie for first place. After starting in the number one spot for the first time in her collegiate career, Avery Weed finished the opening round in a tie for sixth place. The freshman shot four birdies in the final nine holes to conclude her day two-under par. Samantha Whateley was solid for the Dawgs as well. The freshman negated her two bogeys on the front nine with two birdies on the back. Whateley's par finish on day one was her best round in her collegiate career and put her in a tie for 13th. As a team, the Bulldogs were able to make their birdies count. They shot par on 60 total holes, the most of any team in the field on day one. State also shot the best of any team on par 4s, averaging a score of 4.10 on those holes. Round two of The Ally will begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday at Old Waverly Golf Club. |
| Southern Miss says billboards in South Alabama ripped by Kane Wommack were removed in July | |
 | Southern Miss said billboards placed in Mobile, Alabama, and ridiculed by South Alabama football coach Kane Wommack were removed in July. In a statement received by The Hattiesburg American, the USM Office of University Communications said the billboards referenced by Wommack were "dated boards and are not part of any current marketing campaign of the University. The Office of University Communications has received confirmation those boards were removed in July." The first billboard read, "Welcome to Port City," but with "Port" crossed out and replaced with "Hub" as a reference to Hattiesburg. The second billboard read, "A major university experience at a cost comparable to your local university" and contained a link to the USM admissions page at the bottom. Wommack ripped Southern Miss, his alma mater, after last Tuesday's 55-3 win saying he was disrespected that there were Southern Miss billboards placed near the South Alabama campus. AL.com reported the South Alabama coaching staff posted images of the billboards throughout the football building for motivation leading up to the game. Two pictures of different billboards -- both with the Southern Miss logo -- were posted by the South Alabama X page, formerly known as Twitter, after the game with the caption: "You come at #OurCity, you best not MISS." |
| What college football coaches are saying about sign stealing | |
| Before Jamie Grant entered the Florida House of Representatives, he was a former high school football player working on the equipment staff for the Auburn football team in the early 2000s. But his responsibilities extended beyond loading and unloading the bus. He also assisted the coaches, helping run drills in practice. Somewhere along the way, a member of the staff approached him with an opportunity to be the third ball boy on the visiting side of the field during games. Never mind that Grant didn't know a single thing about the job. The staff was more interested in his knowledge of the game as a former player. The other two ball boys would handle the grunt work. He just needed to act the part, steer clear of the referees and keep his eyes and ears open. "I was going to hold two footballs and my only job was to try and pick up intel," he said. When it comes to sign stealing in college football, a consensus among coaches about what is unequivocally wrong is hard to find. Grant said Auburn only tried to decipher signs in real time. Because of that he never felt like they were crossing the line. But talk to enough coaches and you'll find shades of gray when they search for a competitive advantage. Paranoia is rampant, rationalizing the kind of behavior American Football Coaches Association executive director Todd Berry said is, at the very least, unethical. Ethics in college football. Imagine that. "There's honor amongst thieves," a former SEC coach said. "Want to turn someone in? Fine. But you better make sure no one in your building is doing anything remotely resembling cheating." |
| How a new 'alliance' proposal involving Washington State, Oregon State could impact College Football Playoff | |
| On Oct. 14, inside of Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, the Oregon State Beavers exacted a dose of salty revenge. They bludgeoned the UCLA Bruins, at one point leading by nearly 20 points, before eventually cruising to a 36-24 victory over coach Chip Kelly and his Big Ten-bound program. Many believe that the Bruins' decision in 2022 to leave the league, along with L.A. partner USC, served as the ultimate trigger that toppled the Pac-12 and left abandoned the remote Pacific Northwest school, as well as its neighbor Washington State. In a situation dripping with irony, the Beavers moved to 6-1 with the win -- their only loss, fittingly, against the fellow Pac-12 straggler -- and they are on the cusp of being ranked in the top 10 and should be favored in their next three games, starting this weekend at Arizona. But while their teams march forward on the field, Oregon State and Washington State officials continue to explore their future off it. Some of those plans remain murky, but the fog of uncertainty is beginning to clear. Barring something unforeseen, the two schools are expected to operate as a two-member conference at least for next year and have been in deep discussions with Mountain West officials over a one- or two-year scheduling alliance -- a move that could eventually serve as a first step in a long-term partnership or even a merger with the league. The scheduling proposals are being socialized among Mountain West administrators, and feedback is expected soon from the conference's presidents. Multiple officials who have reviewed the scheduling proposals spoke to Yahoo Sports. |
| Sens. Blumenthal, Ricketts introduce NIL bill for international athletes | |
| On the same day Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on NIL and college sports, he introduced a bill that could reshape name, image and likeness space for international athletes. Working with Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), the two filed the bipartisan "Name, Image, and Likeness for International Collegiate Athletes Act" last Tuesday. A short, three-page bill, if enacted would allow international athletes to access NIL opportunities at the college level. One of the narrowest NIL bills filed to date, it has the best chance of moving forward compared to the expansive drafts introduced this summer. Near the closing of Tuesday's legislative hearing, Blumenthal asked each witness if they would support a bill addressing international athletes' publicity rights. All answered yes. Blumenthal and Ricketts have moved forward with the legislation. Under the current structure, F-1 visas used by most international students have restrictions on employment which do not accommodate NIL deals. Current student visas explicitly bar athletes from working while studying and playing in the U.S. There are around 20,000 international athletes at high schools and colleges across the nation who are in the same bind. Most U.S. visa regulations have not been updated since 1986, a few of them since 1996. The list of international athletes who have had their NIL marketability altered because of the current visa restrictions is lengthy. |
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