| Tuesday, November 7, 2023 |
| MSU takes time to recognize first-generation students | |
 | As the fall semester wraps up for college campuses, an organization at Mississippi State is showing support to first-generation students. TRIO is a support service that offers guidance for navigating higher education. The organization was on campus to show students that they are a home away from home. Being the first person to attend college out of your family can be tough. That's why programs like TRIO Student Support Services are so important. TRIO provides resources to help first-generation students navigate the university experience. TRIO Director Jalonda Thompson and Coordinator Dell Ivy said they want to make sure first-generation students do not feel alone. "Also one of the things that we want to make sure of is that students feel a sense of community here at State. That sense of community is even more important for our first-gen students as they are learning how to navigate campus," said Thompson. "So, this is one of our first-gen initiatives by having them celebrate this week. By also having them celebrate faculty and staff. Like she said before. And also a load of resources from the TRIO program. And we do one-on-one with the students to see how we can help and benefit them," said Ivy. Mississippi State will be recognizing first generation students with several activities scheduled for this week. |
| Education: New MSU music performance degree gives students competitive edge in music industry | |
 | A new music performance degree program builds upon Mississippi State University's long-standing tradition of providing students with a comprehensive education in the arts. Introduced this fall, MSU's Bachelor of Music in Performance degree prepares students for careers as professional musicians or music studio teachers, or for advanced graduate studies in music. As the demand for creative skills continues to increase in today's job market, this degree program equips students with the training to succeed in a competitive field while fostering creativity and artistic growth. Professor and Department of Music Head Daniel Stevens said, "We are excited to increase our impact on the music field with the development of this integral new Bachelor of Music in Performance degree which will improve student proficiency across the entire department and inspire department growth by recruiting a new type of student focused on professional performance. It will lead them toward higher education professions, teaching in conservatory applied studios or impacting music patrons worldwide on the concert stage. MSU is also proud to continue leading P-12 licensure for music through the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music Education degrees and provide complementary general music study through the Bachelor of Arts in Music degree." |
| MSU officially opens nation's first Agricultural Autonomy Institute | |
 | The farm of the future is being created at Mississippi State University. MSU officials officially opened the Agricultural Autonomy Institute, the nation's first and only interdisciplinary research center focused on autonomous technologies to enhance on-farm precision and efficiency. The Agricultural Autonomy Institute builds on and expands MSU's longstanding precision agriculture efforts and history of innovation in the field. The institute serves as a hub for researchers across campus interested in technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence and remote sensing that have potential to increase agricultural precision, production and profitability. The institute is jointly managed by the university's Office of Research and Economic Development and the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, with support from the Bagley College of Engineering, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and other MSU institutes, research centers and departments. Julie Jordan, MSU vice president for research and economic development, noted the collaborative and interdisciplinary culture of research at MSU, with existing research focus areas and faculty efforts that are poised to accelerate the new institute's impact. "Our centers and institutes are structured to bring people and disciplines together to solve problems," Jordan said. "That's where the magic is made and that's where we can really accelerate the work that's happening in the classrooms, in the laboratories and at the fundamental research level and get it out into the world to solve problems." |
| Weather Stacked Odds Against 2023 Mississippi Pecan Crop | |
| A late freeze, high summertime temperatures and a devastating drought mean a poor pecan crop for Mississippi in 2023. Eric Stafne, fruit and nut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said weather stacked the odds against a good crop this year. "Despite the late freeze, some trees still set a decent crop, but the heat and drought caused poor nut fill and dropped immature nuts during the summer," Stafne said. "The drought could have carryover effects into next year, too, by reducing development of fruiting buds." Max Draughn, president of the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association and owner of Bass Pecan Nursery and Pecan Hill Farms in Raymond, said the late freeze in March destroyed any blooms that were on the trees. "This affected the middle part of the state the most and resulted in a short crop for those areas," Draughn said. "Overall, the quantity of nuts is there but quality is lacking." Although rains were abundant early in the year, the drought from July on caused problems throughout the state. Art Sanders, owner of Lindy's Pecans in Clay County, said his 800 trees are struggling because of this year's environmental factors. "It looks like I will lose 60% of my little crop, and I know of one other grower who will not have any," Sanders said. |
| Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted of fraud following the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Here's what investors need to know | |
| In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency, vast sums of money can be made or lost in the blink of an eye. In early November 2022, the crypto exchange FTX was valued at more than US$30 billion. By the middle of that month, FTX was in bankruptcy proceedings. And less than a year later, on Nov. 3, 2023, its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was found guilty of seven counts of money laundering and fraud, following a trial that featured less than a month of testimony and only about four hours of jury deliberation. D. Brian Blank of Mississippi State University and Brandy Hadley of Appalachian State University are professors who study finance, executives, firm governance and fintech. They explain how and why this incredible collapse happened, what effect it might have on the traditional financial sector and whether you should care. |
| Mississippi elections 2023: What you need to know before heading to the polls | |
 | Tuesday is an election day in Mississippi, and voters will head to the polls in general election races for each of the statewide offices and seats in the Legislature, along with a number of local county races. Along with providing access to other information, registered voters can use the secretary of state's newly launched My Election Day tool to locate their polling place. My Election Day also provides voters with a sample ballot, a list of current office holders and contact information for local election officials. This year's elections include all of the state's statewide offices, each seat in the state House and Senate and county-level races like commissioners and sheriffs. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. can vote so long as they stay in line. Mississippi voters are required to provide photo identification when voting, commonly known as Voter ID. Voters who have difficulty or questions can contact the secretary of state's elections division at 1-800-829-6786. |
| How Sinema is moving to defuse Tuberville's military blockade | |
 | Kyrsten Sinema has frustrated progressives with her defense of the Senate filibuster, her close GOP relationships and her decision to leave the Democratic Party. The same qualities that aggravate her liberal critics, though, are positioning her to play the peacemaker this month in Washington's lengthy battle over blockaded Pentagon promotions. The Arizona independent is a leading player in the bipartisan effort to finally break the blanket Pentagon holds that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) imposed in protest against Biden administration abortion policy. She started back-channeling with Tuberville weeks ago, though he hasn't moved an inch. She's now helping both parties find an off-ramp from the gridlock -- even helping clear the floor last week for Republicans to vent for hours about their Alabama colleague. Sinema's focus on relationships with the GOP, as much as it confounds some Democrats who see her as an impediment to progressive priorities, will end up proving critical to corralling 60 votes for a break-glass emergency plan to unravel Tuberville's 300-plus holds on military promotions. She's quietly worked for four months on that plan, running it by leaders in both parties weeks ago, but she knows Republican senators aren't quite ready to shut down their conservative colleague. Which is why, when Sinema talks about her Senate resolution to end the Pentagon blockade, she sounds almost disinterested --- and friendly enough toward Tuberville to use the ex-college football honcho's preferred nickname: "I still hope not to have to use a resolution" to quash his protest, she told POLITICO in an interview. "The best way for this to be resolved is for Coach to choose a hostage that is appropriate." |
| Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders endorses Trump for president | |
| Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement Monday endorsing former president Donald Trump in his bid to retake the White House. The first-term Republican governor served as Trump's press secretary but had held off on endorsing her former boss until Monday evening. Sanders will speak at Trump event on Wednesday in Hialeah, Fla. The front-runner for the Republican nomination planned the event as a counter program to the Republican National Committee's sanctioned presidential debate, which is also scheduled for Wednesday night for which he declined to participate in. NBC News first reported Sanders' endorsement, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter. "It's not a question between right versus left anymore. It's normal versus crazy, and President Biden and the left are doubling down on crazy," Sanders said in a statement released Monday evening. "The time has come to return to the normal policies of the Trump era which created a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America, and that's why I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President." Elected in 2022 as Arkansas' first female governor, Sanders came to fame while serving as Trump's press secretary from 2017-2019 after she replaced Sean Spicer in that role. Sanders' is not the first person in her family to endorse Trump's 2024 White House bid. Her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, announced his support for the former Republican president in March. |
| The New Headache for Bosses: Employees Aren't Quitting | |
 | The white-collar labor market is softening to a point that companies are encountering an issue that would have been unthinkable in the era known as the Great Resignation. These days, too few people are voluntarily leaving their jobs. Turnover has declined so steeply at some large employers that companies now find themselves over budget on certain teams, requiring leaders to weigh whether to postpone projects or to cut additional staff as the end of year approaches. Other bosses worry about how to keep star employees engaged when there are far fewer vacant positions internally, making it harder to move people into new roles. Companies such as Bank of America and drugmaker Ferring Pharmaceuticals said they have seen fewer employees leave their jobs this year. In some cases, executives said, turnover is returning to prepandemic levels following years of upheaval in the labor market. The decline in quitting would seem a welcome development for bosses who spent years bemoaning high levels of job-hopping and rapidly rising salaries. But some executives said they have been caught by surprise at how quickly the labor-market dynamics flipped, posing new challenges. Hiring slowed sharply in October, with U.S. employers adding half as many jobs as they did in September, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate rose to 3.9% from 3.8%, but is still hovering near historic lows. Nationally, what is called the quits rate -- the number of resignations as a share of total employment -- remained at 2.3% in September for the third month in a row, down from a 3% peak in April 2022, the Labor Department said Wednesday. The level of quitting hit a record during the pandemic, as Covid-19 lockdowns eased and workers sought out better pay or working conditions, leading to a phenomenon that became widely known as the Great Resignation. |
| With pedestrian deaths at 40-year high, right-on-red under scrutiny | |
 | With pedestrian deaths reaching a 40-year high, cities throughout the U.S. have debated banning vehicles from turning right at red lights. Last year Washington, D.C. approved a right-on-red ban taking effect by 2025 and the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, banned right turns at 50 intersections in its downtown area. Cambridge, Massachusetts is another city that has right-on-red bans. Other cities including San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver and Seattle have considered similar policies to ban right-on-red turns as a way to address the growing number of pedestrian and biker deaths and safety issues. The U.S. is one of the few countries that allows for right turns at red lights. According to reporting from Stateline, states were mandated to allow turning-on-red as a part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. To receive federal highway funding, states could not ban turning at a red light. Although other policy measures aimed at conserving fuel at the time were disbanded, right-on-red continues to be the default of many cities. A report from the Governors Highway Safety Association found that more than 7,500 people walking were struck and killed by automobiles in 2022, reaching a 40-year high. The spike in deaths, which includes all accidents, can be attributed to an increase in larger vehicles such as SUVs and pickup trucks on the road. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the odds a pedestrian would be killed when struck by an automobile turning right were 89% higher when the vehicle was a pickup and 63% higher when it was an SUV. |
| Voter fatigue: When campaign marketing overstimulates voters | |
| "Exposure is the name of the game," said Dr. Brian Anderson, the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi University for Women. He specializes in political science. Anderson believes election exhaustion is formed when there's too much exposure through commercials, social media, and other means of getting a candidate's message across. "A voter who's been very attentive and happens to have the TV or the computer on quite a lot will possibly get this sense of dread. 'Oh, here's this face again. Here's this message again. I'm sick of this slogan.' And they might end up turning either against the candidate or the process just cause they're exhausted," said Anderson. The professor said a candidate's worst nightmare is knowing they didn't reach enough people. "No candidate wants to wake up the day after Election Day and realize that 'I just lost by the tiniest of margins and if I had reached one person if I'd just done more.' So, that's the motivation you're seeing here, 'just do as much as you can in the time we have,'" said Anderson. |
| The W is hosting a food pantry donation drive | |
 | The Mississippi University for women is asking for your help to support the owl food pantry donation drive. The donation drive for the Owl Food Pantry will be Thursday November 9th, 2023. The pantry, which is located in Cochran Hall, provides food and hygiene items to all 'W' students. Donations are being accepted at locations across the campus. Some of the items you can donate include cereal, water, canned items, peanut butter, and hygiene items. |
| Suspect accused of killing Ole Miss student to stand trial in October 2024 | |
| A trial date has been set for the suspect accused of killing Ole Miss student Jimmie "Jay" Lee. According to the Lafayette County District's Office, 22-year-old Timothy Herrington, Jr., will stand trial beginning October 14, 2024. Herrington was indicted by a grand jury on a capital murder charge in March. The 22-year-old was arrested on July 22, 2022, and was charged with first-degree murder in conjunction with the disappearance of Lee. Though bond was initially denied for Herrington, his legal team filed a lawsuit against the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, which ultimately led to the suspect being released on the condition that his legal team withdrew their litigation. Herrington was also required to wear an ankle monitor and surrender his passport. Investigators report that Herrington and Lee had been in an intimate relationship with each other prior to Lee's disappearance. It is believed that the two were in an argument as Lee was traveling to meet Herrington. Jay Lee has not been seen since July 8, 2022. Herrington's trial is expected to span over a two-week period. |
| UMMC earns its first 'B' in latest hospital safety ratings | |
| The nonprofit Leapfrog Group released its hospital safety grades for the fall of 2023, showing the state's largest public hospital joined nine others in scoring a "B," its highest score to date. Eight years after it received an "F" rating, the University of Mississippi Medical Center scored a "B," which hospital leaders say is the result of a targeted effort to improve safety measures. Eight Mississippi hospitals received an "A" safety score, a decrease from 11 in May. Leapfrog, which advocates for hospital transparency, assigns biannual grades to about 3,000 general acute-care hospitals across the nation based on how those institutions protect patients from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. UMMC is the state's only academic medical center and cares for the highest-risk patients in Mississippi. It is also home to the state's only organ and tissue transplant program, Level I trauma center, and a children's hospital with specialized pediatric programs. Its latest grade places it in the ranks with other academic medical centers such as Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, according to UMMC's press release. "We're a Level I trauma center, we're a tertiary care center, we're an academic medical center, and we're the only one of those in a state with the sickest patients in the nation," Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, said in the press release. |
| USM Institute for Disability Studies hosts Thanksgiving Takeaway event for the homeless | |
 | The USM Institute for Disability Studies partnered with several organizations across the Pine Belt Monday to make a difference in the lives of homeless people in Hattiesburg. Over the last eight years, the Institute hosted its Thanksgiving Takeaway celebration, which dedicates a full day of service to the homeless community. "November is nationally recognized as National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week," said Dr. Demetra Bates, organizer of the event. "I was tasked with one simple assignment eight years ago, I'm so extra and it just led to this, but I cannot do it without the help of staff as well as the community members." Several services were offered to those in attendance including free jackets, blankets, haircuts, governmental cell phones, health screenings, HIV and Aids testing and even a free meal. The guest speaker for the evening was Melanie Freeman, who has been in the organization's recovery program for the past year. She reflected on her journey when she was homeless. "Today, I just pray for each one of you, I know what it's like I know how painful it is," said Freeman. "We can put a name on it, we can throw money at (it), but the truth of the matter is that we're put on this earth to see one another through. We're not put on this earth to see through one another, and I think we make the mistake a lot of times doing that." Bates said that times like these make her appreciate what she has and that's why she loves helping others. |
| JSU Development Foundation under scrutiny for alleged 'unintended' use of restricted dollars as presidential selection looms | |
| Concerns about poor recordkeeping, inadequate accountability and the possible "unintended" use of restricted dollars led a member of the Jackson State University Development Foundation board to quietly resign earlier this year. In his June 23 resignation letter, Brian Johnson, a 2009 Jackson State graduate who had served on the board for six years, wrote that he was stepping down after the board failed to pass his motion for a forensic audit. Johnson was alarmed by internal presentations that he wrote showed the cash-strapped foundation using donor-restricted dollars to pay for its general obligations. But the foundation's recent annual audits, Johnson wrote, had no discussion of the potentially improper spending. "As a business professional in the financial services industry, I can't seem to comprehend how the JSUDF Board of Directors received two financial reports over the last two years from two different JSU Division of Institutional Advancement comptrollers indicating the unintended use of restricted/designated funds, but the Foundation's CPA audited financial statements have no note or mention of this information," he wrote. When contacted by Mississippi Today, Johnson would not comment for this story. Johnson's resignation letter is part of a cache of internal foundation documents that was obtained by Mississippi Today as Jackson State is poised to receive a new president. Last week, the Institutions of Higher Learning governing board for Mississippi's public universities held a special-called meeting to discuss the imminent hire for just 16 minutes. Taken together, the documents raise questions at the core of the foundation's fiscal health. |
| Capitol Police, MBI join investigation into JSU student's shooting death | |
| The Hinds County District Attorney's Office is now coordinating with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to support Jackson State campus police with the investigation into an on-campus shooting that killed a student. Jaylen Burns, 21, of Chicago, was shot to death on Oct. 15 at University Pointe Apartments. Joshua Brown, 19, is charged with murder and Jamison Kelly Jr., 21, is charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Both suspects are from Columbia. A spokesperson for Brown's family said Brown was in Hattiesburg at the time of the shooting, and he shared surveillance video that he said proves it. Burns' father said his son, who would have turned 22 this month and graduated in the spring, was killed while trying to break up a fight at the apartment complex. "(Monday) morning, I spoke to DPS Commissioner Sean Tindell about how best to bring state resources to the investigation to support Jackson State," Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens said in a statement. "In the coming days, we will be bringing more resources to the investigation to assist the Jackson State Police Department in bringing those responsible to justice." |
| Jackson State students grow uneasy with the lack of information regarding shooting investigation | |
| As the murder investigation of Jaylen Burns continues, and some details of who's responsible are still undetermined, students on campus say they feel uneasy with the lack of information being given out. Three weeks after Jaylen Burns was killed at the University Pointe Apartment Complex on Jackson State University's campus, students say campus feels different. "It makes me want to turn my head everywhere I go," JSU Senior Ethan Goode said. "The energy has been a lot different. It's kind of like the life and soul of Jackson State has pretty much been sucked out of it," JSU Junior Jayden Mack explained. Students say immediately after the shooting, JSU made pushes to protect students, like checking IDs, but the lack of information since is what's leaving many unsettled. "I mean, looking at those two guys who got arrested and they didn't do it, now it's looking like, you know, anybody could have done it at this point. And with people not having consistent stories, as well as people not wanting to speak up. It's it's very suspicious as to what really happened," Goode said. Monday, 3 On Your Side discovered a website where JSU police are supposed to update the public regarding incidents on campus. But as of Monday, that's not been touched since September 16 and doesn't include the October shooting. |
| UA celebrates 'topping out,' as extensive University Club renovations continue | |
 | Though five months' worth of work remains until completion, the University Club celebrated its ongoing $17,430,000 face-lift with a topping-out ceremony Friday, led by University of Alabama President Stuart R. Bell, greeting board of trustees members, Pinehurst neighbors and leaders from Invited, which will run the venue on its planned re-opening in May 2024. UA civil engineering student Samantha Lockett conducted walk-throughs of the site. With about six months of work undertaken, the University Club does have its topmost beams in place, and its shapes of expansion, especially for new elevators and bathrooms. In other spots, changes still have to be imagined. "The front upstairs balcony will be walkable, with a replica of the original wrought-iron railings," Lockett said, with currently only holes in columns showing where steel reinforcements will be run. In addition to needed repairs, and bringing architectural coherence over the nearly 200-year-old building and its numerous updates and adaptions, renovations will add about 3,000 gross square feet (GSF) to the previous 12,840 GSF. "It's not one of our biggest projects, but it's still a $17 million project," said Matt Fajack, UA vice president for finance and operations. "There's a lot of stuff that was falling apart on the inside. So (we needed) complete renovation of ceilings, walls, and windows. We have tried to keep as much of the old style, the original style, as possible, while also bringing it up to modern standards." The club was closed for years, beginning in March 2020, due to explosion of the COVID-19 pandemic. When UA began thinking about re-opening, they took in concerns that quality had diminished, that hours hadn't been sufficient. |
| The 'big dill' on campus: how pickleball has erupted across Auburn's student body | |
| During a time of pandemic isolation, Auburn introduced eight pickleball courts in 2020 to provide students with a chance to socialize. Three years since, pickleball has erupted across campus, creating communities that focus on uplifting their members on and off the court. Despite the vinegary title, pickleball doesn't involve pickles. Instead, the sport is a fusion of tennis, ping pong and badminton. Pickleball players play with paddles and a wiffleball where one to two players play on each side of a 34-inch net. Whichever side makes the other side lose the set gains a point. Pickleball can be played indoors or outdoors, but Auburn students mostly play outdoors. Pickleball isn't a relatively new sport. In the summer of 1965, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum created the sport in Washington. Before 2020, Americans regularly played pickleball. However, during the pandemic, Gen Z further popularized the pickleball craze, transforming it from a sport known mostly to be played by older generations to a collegiate sport. Outside of friend group chats, pickleball has become so popular with Auburn students that there is an official club for recreation and competitive play. President Reid Roberts, sophomore in software engineering, and co-founder Weston Reich, sophomore in aerospace engineering, created the Auburn Pickleball Club during their freshman year. A year later, the two noted the sport had gained heavy recognition this year, but the craze isn't new. According to the founders, when Auburn implemented eight new pickleball courts at RO parking three years ago, the sport blew up among students because it connected students at the beginning of the pandemic. |
| New U. of Florida building to act as hub for artificial intelligence, data science | |
 | A ribbon cutting ceremony held Friday marked the grand opening of a new data science and information technology building on the University of Florida campus across from the Reitz Union. The $150 million building, named the Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology, will serve as a space for medicine, pharmacy and engineering. Its seven stories will act as a hub for advancing computing, communication and cyber technologies to further support the integration of AI across UF's curriculum. The university said the 263,440-square-foot hall is designed to set the standard for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) buildings across national and international university campuses and aims to transform the artificial intelligence (AI) and data science workforce. "This building will not only advance the future of science, it is a symbol of what is possible when universities relentlessly focus on a future that is brighter," said UF Board of Trustees chair Mori Hosseini in a news release. "This building will propel AI education and research that will improve lives, bolster industry and create economic growth across the state and around the world." The building is named in honor of Chris Malachowsky, a UF alumnus and co-founder of NVIDIA, an AI and accelerated computing company based in Silicon Valley. He collaborated with architects to design the new hall's façade. |
| A&M System given award for national security leadership, counterintelligence | |
 | The Texas A&M University System was presented the Heisman Trophy of counterintelligence awards on Monday. Ret. Maj. Gen. Daniel Lecce, the U.S. Defense Department's acting director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, presented A&M Chancellor John Sharp the Jack Donnelly Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence during a ceremony at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. The Donnelly Award is given only to entities cleared by the federal government to deter, detect and disrupt the theft of classified information and is named after Jack Donnelly, who served as the Director of the Defense Investigative Service from 1988-96. This is the fourth time A&M has won the Donnelly Award. Earlier this year, A&M was also selected for the agency's Cogswell Award after being chosen from over 12,500 academic and corporate entities. "A&M inside of the national security space is actually pretty incredible," Lecce said. "They're very expansive from hypersonic to a lot of the UAV work, so what they do is very expansive compared to other research and even large industry, and also they partner with large industry. What they do to secure that research, we know there are many threats against that, is at a very, very high level. We compare those to other similarly situated institutions and industry and Texas A&M came out on top." If the Donnelly Award is the Heisman Trophy of counterintelligence awards, Sharp said Kevin Gamache is the head coach. Gamache is the A&M System's chief research security officer and leads the Research Security Office. Sharp said Gamache is the best hire the A&M System has ever made. |
| Grant funds U. of Missouri researcher's study of connections between insomnia, alcohol use disorder | |
 | A University of Missouri researcher is using a $2.2 million National Institutes of Health grant to examine connections between insomnia and alcohol use disorder. The research will look at how behavioral cognitive therapy works in people with both issues, said lead researcher Mary Beth Miller, MU associate professor of psychiatry. Cognitive behavioral therapy tries to explain to people how their behaviors occur and how they're affected by them, without using medication, Miller said. It's a common therapy, used to treat mental health disorders including depression and anxiety. It's commonly callled talk therapy. Around 10% to 15% of people suffer from occasional insomnia, but around 50% to 60% of people who drink heavily also have insomnia, she said. "There's a lot of overlap," Miller said. The research will help determine the connections and if they are related to emotion regulation, executive functioning, or some other explanation. "When you're sleep deprived, your cravings for alcohol increase," Miller said. The research will try to determine why that is. The research also will try to determine how women and men may respond differently to cognitive behavioral therapy, she said. |
| Campus labor activism spreads to undergrads | |
| Late in October, undergraduate student assistants at Harvard and the University of Oregon voted overwhelmingly to unionize. And soon, nearly 20,000 student assistants at the 23 campuses of the California State University system -- the largest in the country -- will also hold a union election. In recent years, there has been a wave of labor activism on college campuses, which is now trickling into the undergraduate ranks. Student workers in various jobs, from residence halls to campus radio stations, have unionized at more than a dozen schools in just the last year. That could have big implications for the workforce of the future. Colin Culver, a student organizer at San Diego State University, is a fourth-year political science major and resident assistant. He's not shy about approaching fellow students on the job. "Have I talked to you guys about the union effort that's been going on recently?" he asked help desk workers at the campus library. Culver and other organizers had been gathering signatures since the spring for an election that could take place early next year. Now, he's asking people what issues matter to them. Sick pay is one. Approval of unions has been trending up for decades among Americans, according to recent Gallup polls, hitting levels not seen since the 1960s. But Gen Z support is especially strong, said Toby Higbie, who's been a professor of history and labor studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, for the last 15 years. "When I first arrived, students were curious, but not really sure about it," he said. "Today, my labor history classes are packed. Every single one of our labor studies classes is oversubscribed." |
| Bias-Related Incidents Are Roiling Colleges. What Might the Response Look Like? | |
 | A series of alleged hate crimes over the past week has punctuated a month of heightened tensions on college campuses related to the Israel-Hamas war. Civil-rights groups have reported increases in antisemitic and Islamophobic activity on campuses and demanded that colleges do more to respond to rhetoric and threats targeting certain groups. The hate-crime reports reflect a broader trend on campuses of increased bias-related incidents -- a category incorporating a range of conduct that, intentionally or unintentionally, discriminates against people based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or other identities. Last week the Biden administration announced efforts to curb campus antisemitism, largely by focusing on responding to bias incidents before they escalate. Federal agencies are collaborating with campus law-enforcement officials to monitor hateful rhetoric online and encourage students to report potentially harmful behavior. Additionally, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights will clarify on its form for reporting complaints that Title VI, which bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, protects against some forms of antisemitism and Islamophobia. "Campuses are struggling to respond to incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia," said Kevin Kruger, president of Naspa: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. As bias incidents have increased "over the last six to 10 years," more colleges have hired staff tasked with managing that response, said Roger L. Worthington, a professor and the executive director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education, at the University of Maryland at College Park. That can look like a bias-response team, or a coordinator who works with different offices on campus, Worthington said. |
| Trump-era antisemitism policy expected to fuel flood of student lawsuits against universities | |
 | As campuses across the country continue to erupt in protests over the Israel-Hamas war, a little-known 2019 presidential executive order is expected to fuel a flood of student legal claims against universities. Attorneys -- from a mix of white-shoe corporate firms to Jewish advocacy groups -- are meeting with students who say their schools are failing to protect them from antisemitic or anti-Israel conduct. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump signed an order instructing federal officials to expand the interpretation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include "discrimination rooted in anti-Semitism" as a form of discrimination based on race, color and national origin -- prohibited behavior for programs that get federal funding. Trump signed the order amid a series of violent incidents against Jews, including the 2018 killing of 11 congregants in a Pittsburgh synagogue and a 2019 attack that killed three inside a Kosher supermarket in New Jersey. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not include the word "religion" as a subject of discrimination. Because the law does not list religious characteristics, legal experts say, federal officials have gradually expanded interpretations to include ethnoreligious groups. Trump told federal agencies "to consider" using the Sweden-based International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism, which includes "holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel" and "drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis." |
| Capitol Hill Targets Legacy Preferences for College Admissions | |
| Senators are taking fresh aim at legacy and donor preferences for admission to college, as advantages given to certain students and groups come under increasing scrutiny following a recent Supreme Court ruling striking down the use of race in college admissions. A bill introduced Tuesday by Sens. Todd Young (R., Ind.) and Tim Kaine (D., Va.) -- called the MERIT Act -- would try to end legacy admissions at colleges and universities. The bipartisan legislation would add a new standard for accreditation under the Higher Education Act that would prohibit institutions from giving preferential treatment during the admissions process based on an applicant's relationship to alumni or donors. The bill's prospects are uncertain, but it underscores the heightened interest on Capitol Hill in college admissions. The bill defines preferential treatment as "making an admissions decision or awarding tangible education benefits where an applicant's relationship with an alumni of, or donor to, the deciding institution serves as the determinative factor." Institutions can still consider applicants' "demonstrated interest" in an institution as a deciding factor in admissions, according to the legislative text. "America is a land of opportunity, not a land of aristocracy," Young said. "Legacy admissions restrict opportunities for many bright and talented young Americans and provide unmerited advantage to the most connected individuals in our society." |
| House Education Budget Cuts Federal Work-Study, Other Programs | |
 | House Republicans are planning to zero out the budgets for programs that support student parents who need childcare and that help improve the quality of prospective and new teachers, among other cuts. As the House gears up to consider the Labor–Health and Human Services spending bill, which also includes the Education Department's budget, lawmakers released more information about what exactly is in the legislation that controls nearly $200 billion in discretionary funding for all agencies -- including $67.5 billion for the Education Department. A vote on the bill hasn't been scheduled, but the deadline to submit amendments was Nov. 3. The legislation is one of 12 appropriations bills that make up the federal budget. Funding for the government runs out Nov. 17, under a short-term resolution passed at the end of September to avert a government shutdown. The House and Senate are sharply divided over how much to spend for the fiscal year and where to put that money -- making an agreement on the entire budget by next Friday unlikely. The budget report confirms that House Republicans are planning to eliminate funding for Federal Work-Study and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. Instead of those programs, which provide funding to about 2.36 million students, the Appropriations Committee recommended prioritizing funding for Pell Grants. The House budget does not increase the maximum award for the Pell Grant. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Earns 6th Seed in NCAA Tournament to Bring Postseason Soccer Back to Starkville | |
| Monday, November 6th was not just another Monday in the eyes of the collegiate soccer world. This day has been marked by coaches, student athletes and fans alike as the coveted "Selection Monday" where each team watches anxiously to see where their postseason road will begin. After achieving a 10-5-5 record, State earned the 6th seed in the NCAA Tournament and the opportunity to host the Providence Friars for a matchup in Starkville. The No. 18 Bulldogs (10-5-5, 5-3-2 SEC) will battle the Friars (10-4-5, 4-1-5 Big East) on Saturday, November 11th at the MSU Soccer Field with kickoff scheduled for 1 PM CT. This matchup marks the second consecutive season that postseason soccer has been played on MSU's home pitch. The Bulldogs and Friars will both be making their third overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament when they meet on Saturday. Under Head Coach James Armstrong, State has earned back-to-back 10+ win seasons for the first time in program history. State fans are encouraged to pack the pitch on Saturday at 1 PM as the Bulldogs begin their road to the College Cup. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ for those unable to attend. |
| Bulldogs earn No. 6 seed in NCAA tournament, set to host Providence | |
| Before the 2022 season, Mississippi State women's soccer had made the NCAA tournament once in program history, hosting Lipscomb in 2018. Two years later, the Bulldogs have clinched back-to-back berths to the Big Dance as on Monday afternoon, Mississippi State earned a No. 6 seed in the bottom right quadrant, set to host Providence this weekend. This season has been a record-breaking year for the Bulldogs, posting a 10-5-5 record so far. It's their second-straight 10-win season, best-ever Southeastern Conference performance. Mississippi State went 5-3-2 in SEC play, finishing as the No. 4 seed going into the SEC Tournament, where it reached the semifinals for the first time ever, defeating Alabama, 1-1 (2-0) in penalties in the quarterfinals. In the end, the NCAA tournament selection committee rewarded the Bulldogs with their highest tournament seed in program history. The time and date of MSU's first round matchup against the Friars has yet to be determined, though first round games will be taking place either this Friday, Saturday or Sunday. |
| Arnett hints at possible Will Rogers return as Mississippi State prepares for Texas A&M | |
| After missing Mississippi State's last three games with a left shoulder injury, starting quarterback Will Rogers may be close to returning, head coach Zach Arnett said at his weekly press conference Monday. "He's practicing, and he's able to do more and more and more," Arnett said. "If it's determined that he's able to go, he's our starting quarterback, no doubt about it. If he's unavailable to go, I have no doubt you'll see both (Mike Wright and Chris Parson) in the game. The reps will reflect that accordingly in practice all week." Rogers sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of the Bulldogs' win over Western Michigan on Oct. 7, and in three games started by Wright, a transfer from Vanderbilt, MSU (4-5, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) has scored a total of 23 points. The Bulldogs now rank last in the SEC in scoring offense and are ahead of only Arkansas and Vanderbilt in total offense. Parson, a true freshman whom Arnett said Saturday had been available for "emergency purposes" from the moment Rogers went down, saw his first collegiate action in the 24-3 loss to Kentucky, completing just six of 14 passes but displaying a nice touch at times. His 34-yard completion to Lideatrick "Tulu" Griffin covered more than twice as much yardage as any other play MSU's offense ran all night. "There are some real positives there that he can point to," Arnett said. "He got a lot of valuable experience, did some good things. Simply put, I just liked the confidence he plays with. Other people gravitate toward that; it gets other people going. He's plenty smart enough to know that there are a lot of things he has to do a lot better, too." |
| Mississippi State football: Zach Arnett provides Will Rogers, QB update | |
| Mississippi State football's trip to Texas A&M this week features a pair of teams with uncertainty regarding the starting quarterback due to injury. However, as coach Zach Arnett alluded to during his weekly press conference Monday, the Bulldogs could have senior quarterback Will Rogers back. "We'll see what Will's availability is this week," Arnett said. "He's practicing and he's able to do more and more and more. If it's determined that he's able to go, he's our starting quarterback no doubt about it. We obviously have a few days for that to get sorted out." Rogers hasn't played since he was injured in the fourth quarter of an Oct. 7 win against Western Michigan. The Bulldogs (4-5, 1-5 SEC) are 1-2 without him, with the latest loss coming last week against Kentucky. Former Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright started the three games. However, he was benched late in the third quarter against Kentucky in favor of freshman Chris Parson. Parson completed six of 14 passes for 67 yards. If Rogers is unable to go, Arnett said it's likely Parson and Wright will both play Saturday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network) against Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3) -- which isn't unusual. Wright has been used in special packages even when Rogers has played. "The reps will reflect that accordingly in practice all week," Arnett said. "Final game plan and situation obviously kind of determines who's in there on that particular play. I think it's too early to name your starter." |
| Three Double-Doubles Propel Mississippi State Over Alcorn State, 77-42 | |
| Three Bulldogs recorded double-doubles to propel Mississippi State women's basketball to a 77-42 win over Alcorn State on Monday night inside historic Humphrey Coliseum. "First and foremost a lot of thank you's to this university, our fans and our administration," head coach Sam Purcell said. "A shout out to my team for coming together and learning to play. I talked about it this week, I have got a lot of great individual talent, but I am trying to make a great team and I saw glimpses of that tonight. Film will be great for us this week so we can get in and make those teaching points that we said were going to happen and I expect my team to learn from it and grow for this upcoming week." With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 1-0 on the season and 15-2 at home under Purcell. "The fanbase, can I give a shout out to our fanbase? We opened it up tonight and we were close to 5,000," Purcell added. "This is why women's basketball at Mississippi State is special. I don't want a slow-paced game, I want the fans to know if you attend, we will put on a performance and play fast." Mississippi State continues their four-game homestand when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana at 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday. |
| Jordan rules in MSU season opener | |
| "Buckle your seatbelt, because this team has some oo-wee where we're capable of putting up big points quick." Year Two of Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell's tenure began as promised, with a flurry. The Bulldogs scored 26 points in the opening quarter of action on their way to a 77-42 win over Alcorn State on Monday night, led by a dominant 26-point performance from senior guard JerKaila Jordan. The scoring momentum came and went over the rest of the night as the team shook off some rust, but overall it was a promising performance from the No. 25 ranked team in the country. "Shoutout to my team for coming together and learning to play," Purcell said after the game. "I've got a lot of great individual talent, but I'm trying to make a great team. I saw glimpses of that, film will be great for us this week... and I expect my team to learn and grow this upcoming week, because boy do we have a big one coming up next." Jordan has been a big part of the MSU offense since arriving on campus two years ago, and began her senior season by equalling her career-high with a 26-point performance, paired with a new career-high 13 rebounds for an opening night double-double. "Our relationship is a lot better because I've had time with her, I've challenged her more and she came out the gate for 26," Purcell said of Jordan after the game. |
| What Mississippi State basketball gains from Barstool-sponsored opener | |
| Those who tuned into last season's Barstool Sports Invitational saw an unconventional presentation of a neutral court college basketball contest. Between an interview with a fan who dozed off in the stands during the first half and Dan "Big Cat" Katz and Dave Portnoy stressing about their over/under bet as Mississippi State's win against Akron was winding down in Philadelphia, the event provided a glimpse into new ways for programs to get exposure. "We felt we could do something kind of unique and interesting," Barstool's head of media and technology Peter Overmyer told the Clarion Ledger. Thanks to a connection to Barstool personality and Mississippi State fan Brandon Walker, the Bulldogs were part of the inaugural event. To open the 2023-2024 season, the Bulldogs will be part of field again Wednesday (8 p.m., Barstool.TV) against Arizona State as part of a doubleheader in Chicago featuring No. 9 FAU and Loyola Chicago at Wintrust Arena. While the contest will be streamed on Barstool.TV instead of a traditional platform such as CBS or ESPN, it's a chance for Mississippi State to grow its brand in front of a new audience. As branding and exposure has always been important for programs, a similar case can be made for athletes in the age of NIL. Athletes can now earn money through sponsorships, so building a following or becoming a household name can lead to monetary incentives. The Barstool Invitational could provide that for Mississippi State's players. "If they have a great performance, they're going to get a lot of publicity off of our social, our promotion, our highlights and things like that across the network," Overmyer said. |
| UM football fans take to The Grove in support of Governor Tate Reeves | |
 | The Democratic gubernatorial candidate won Lafayette County by six points in 2019, but you wouldn't have been able to tell on the campus of the University of Mississippi on Saturday. Prior to Ole Miss' victory against Texas A&M, The Grove was littered with "Rebels for Tate Reeves" signs and football fans wearing campaign buttons and stickers. Many Republican voters are buying into Reeves' "Mississippi Momentum" platform that touts gains made in education and economic development during his first term. Though Reeves drew criticism from far-right Republicans for the restrictions he did impose during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, his leadership during that period was a selling point for others. Geoffrey Yoste is a business development consultant for the National Guard. "He didn't just completely lock us down and that was a really important thing," says Yoste. "Not only for the school kids, but folks who were having to go to work every day." But even Reeves' supporters like Yoste admit that Reeves faces an unusually tough challenger in Democrat Brandon Presley. "Brandon is likable and he's a good guy," Yoste said. "It's gonna be a tough race for Tate... I think he'll win but nobody dislikes Brandon Presley." Visiting with supporters on the Grove before Saturday's game, Reeves called the election on Tuesday "gameday for conservatives." |
| Last game for 56-year old Georgia football press box | |
 | When the final words are written and the laptops are powered down after midnight Sunday following the Georgia football game against Ole Miss, the three rows of seats in a prime Sanford Stadium location will cease being a working press box. On Monday, Turner Construction is set to begin turning that prime location into revenue-generating club seats. The press box that was built in 1967 when the stadium was double decked and Uga II was prowling the sidelines is the vantage point where Larry Munson told fans to "Get the Picture. Where names like Furman Bisher, Billy Harper, Jesse Outlar and Tony Barnhart chronicled the Bulldogs. The open-air press box is closing with a doozy Saturday night with the CFP No. 2 Bulldogs vs. No. 10 Rebels -- just the second top 10 November game between the hedges since No. 3 Auburn turned back No. 4 Georgia 13-7 in 1983. The only other was Georgia-Tennessee a year ago. "We'll definitely be going out with a bang, that's for sure," said Claude Felton, Georgia's sports information director since 1979 who missed just one home game since then due to a niece's wedding. The current press box is where reporters covered Georgia's glory days in the 1980s under Vince Dooley and the latest glory days of the current back-to-back champion Bulldogs under Kirby Smart. "It's a little bit dated, but the view is fantastic," said ESPN reporter Mark Schlabach, who figures he's covered more than 100 Georgia home games starting in 1993 including as a writer for The Red & Black, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Washington Post. "I prefer open air press boxes so you can hear the crowd and feel the excitement." |
| Rhoback combines with Coach O for viral marketing campaign showcasing the coach's energy and personality | |
| Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron's voice boomed through the Charlottesville, Va., offices of activewear company Rhoback. The energy of Coach O, the 2019 national title winner, flashed as he high-fived his way through cubicles. He oozed excitement while powerfully plowing through a stack of boxes. His creative side, too, shone, pointing to a need for more "Tiger print" in Rhoback's product line. All in a day's work for the growing athleisure clothing company's interim CEO. "Best fit. Best feel. Go Rhoback!" Orgeron exclaimed in closing one of his most recent marketing videos. OK, Orgeron isn't technically Rhoback's interim CEO. But the lighthearted video produced by the brand's in-house content team -- part of an exclusive apparel sponsorship between Rhoback and Coach O that will run through 2023 and into 2024 -- created a stir among college football fans this fall. Posted on the company's X account on Sept. 17, it has since generated more than 2,800 likes and 1.5 million impressions as of last week. The Instagram version of the video also received just shy of 1.6 million plays. "He totally took it to the next level," said Rhoback brand manager Will Lawler. The genesis of the recent viral video and string of ads that feature Orgeron on Rhoback's social media date back a year. Kevin Hubbard, one of the company's three co-founders alongside Matt and Kristina Loftus, attended an agency event ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl. Making the trip to support his cousin, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard, he connected with Orgeron over Rhoback's purple and gold "Ray Baker" polo -- complete with silhouettes of the state of Louisiana. |
| Sources: NCAA revealed Michigan findings to Big Ten; conference mulling Jim Harbaugh suspension | |
| On Monday morning, the University of Michigan football program welcomed a visitor: former pro wrestler Ric Flair, an eccentric personality known for his colorful wardrobe and entertaining bouts in the ring. It's a fitting start to a week that could evolve, in both Ann Arbor and Chicago, into an unprecedented showdown between a school and its own conference. The NCAA has revealed its findings in the Michigan sign-stealing investigation to the Big Ten, and the conference continues to consider a multi-game suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh as the school gears up for legal action, sources tell Yahoo Sports. The NCAA's findings do not connect the in-person scouting and recording of opponents' sidelines to Harbaugh, sources say, an absence of evidence essential to a potential lawsuit from the school and coach against the league. Over the weekend, the school was given a period of several days in which to mount a response to the conference before penalties, if any, are levied, sources with knowledge of the discussions say. A resolution around the issue is expected by the end of this week and as soon as Wednesday. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti's pursuit of potential penalties against Harbaugh is the latest chapter in an ongoing saga that has gripped the college football world. Michigan, 9-0 and No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, travels to Penn State on Saturday for a top-10 meeting in what will be, by far, the Wolverines' toughest test of the year so far. |
| The future of college football's communication debate: Competing tech and a key trial run | |
| When news broke of an investigation into alleged sign-stealing and in-person scouting rule violations at Michigan, the initial reaction from many coaches was an obvious one: Why doesn't college football just use helmet communication like the NFL? "I think we would solve a lot of those problems if we would do the same thing in college football," Nick Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. "It needs to be done, especially in Power 5," said North Carolina head coach Mack Brown, who added that he's seen UNC's signs stolen before. "It's something that should be done and should be done as soon as possible." Now it's coming. At least temporarily. This December, teams will be allowed to use communication technology in non-College Football Playoff bowl games. They'll also be allowed to use in-game video technology like tablets on the sideline. The use of each will require agreement from both participating teams and their respective conference offices. The NCAA Football Rules Committee approved the communication technology experiment in the summer, after a request from the Big Ten to allow communication and sideline technology in games during the season. The use of video technology in bowls was just approved last week. "This has been a topic front and center of the rules committee for the last couple years," NCAA national coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said. "There's a lot of momentum to opening this up. We'd love to have some really good feedback from the postseason. The conversation highlighted just how far behind college football is when it comes to in-game technology. |
| US judge says NCAA athletes can pursue class actions seeking over $1.3 bln | |
| Lawsuits accusing the National Collegiate Athletic Association of depriving U.S. college athletes of billions of dollars in compensation for the commercial use of their "name, image and likeness" can move ahead as a class action, a California federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken on Friday certified three classes of current former student-athletes in the NCAA cases, including a monetary damages class exposing the governing body for U.S. collegiate sports to more than $1.3 billion in claims. The plaintiffs said the classes comprise more than 184,000 members who played men's football and basketball, women's basketball and other sports for schools in the NCAA's Division I, the top tier for U.S. college athletics. The students accuse the NCAA and its conferences of conspiring to restrict payments to athletes for television broadcasts, video games and other revenue sources. The NCAA had argued that there was no "legal or factual support" for granting the students class-action status. The NCAA's attorneys argued among other things that there was no market -- a necessary part of antitrust cases -- for students' "name, image and likeness" in television broadcasts. In a statement, the NCAA disagreed with the ruling and said name, image and likeness (NIL) is "highly specific" and not appropriate for class-action treatment. The NCAA said it "fully supports all student-athletes profiting from their NIL rights." |
| Are college athletes employees? USC case before National Labor Relations Board to decide | |
| Should college athletes be considered employees of the schools for which they play? That's the question at the center of a case involving athletes at the University of Southern California. A judge with the National Labor Relations Board begins hearings on Tuesday, and the case could pave the way for a major change in college athletics. Under federal law, someone is considered an employee, "if they are working under the control of an employer -- and usually that's for some kind of compensation," said Risa Lieberwitz, a professor of labor and employment law at Cornell. It's a broad definition, she said. And college athletes, who are often compensated through scholarships, seem to fit it, argues Ellen Zavian at George Washington University. "They're told when to get up, what to do during the day and when to perform," she said. But if student athletes succeed in being re-classified as employees, Zavian said that they could negotiate for a cut of the revenues that colleges, conferences and the NCAA now control. "A percentage of television, a percentage of merchandise, a percentage of all those revenue streams," she said. And if that happens, "it would fundamentally change the way in which this enterprise is organized," noted David Berri at Southern Utah University. |
| NCAA, Pac-12, USC set to begin trial today with NLRB over athletes' employment status | |
| An administrative law judge will begin proceedings Tuesday in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaint against the NCAA, the Pac-12 Conference and the University of Southern California that alleges they have unlawfully misclassified college athletes as "student-athletes" rather than employees. The case specifically revolves around athletes in football, men's basketball and women's basketball at USC. However, it carries the potential for much broader implications across college sports. And it is among the reasons that the NCAA and its member schools and conferences have been vigorously lobbying Congress for legislation that would include a provision preventing athletes from becoming school employees. In September 2021, the Biden Administration's appointee as NLRB general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, issued a memorandum saying that she views college athletes as employees of their schools under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). At the time, University of Illinois labor law professor Michael LeRoy told USA TODAY Sports that Abruzzo's memo amounted to her "inviting a petition from players to form a union at a private institution. She's put it out there. She's saying, 'Bring it.'" In February 2022, the National College Players Association, a group that advocates on behalf of college athletes, did just that. But there ended up being more. |
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