| Wednesday, November 29, 2023 |
| $9M in renovations to Courtyard, Hampton hotels begin next week | |
 | Two hotels west of the Mississippi State University campus will receive renovations costing more than $9 million starting next week. The renovations of the Courtyard Marriott and the Hampton Inn Starkville are part of the Mississippi State University Foundation's plans to revitalize the west side of campus as well as the purchase of a third hotel, the Comfort Suites. President and CEO John Rush said the MSU Foundation hopes the investment will make Starkville more of a destination for alumni to visit campus outside of sporting events and commencement. "The mayor and team have done a phenomenal job with Downtown, Midtown, the Cotton District and bringing life towards campus," Rush said Monday at a Starkville Rotary Club meeting. "We felt like we needed to do our part to bring campus toward town and make that connectivity really, really strong." The two hotels will be renovated entirely with the goal of creating spaces that better complement the university and Starkville look. Renovations are planned to be finished by next August before the next football season. "This is a significant renovation," Rush said. "We wanted to make it look more like you're at Starkville and Mississippi State University when you walk into The Courtyard and The Hampton." Though providing an annual return is important, Rush said operations at the hotels will also focus on customer service and a quality experience. |
| Milking a legacy: Mississippi State University graduate finds her life calling in revitalizing a legacy dairy in Alabama by adding a farm-to-table focus. | |
 | The dairy at Junkins Farm in the Zion Community near Gordo, Ala., closed in 1995. Milk prices were low. Feed prices were high. And the local buyer stopped sending trucks out to pick up milk. But this isn't another story about the little dairy that couldn't. This is a story about the life of a farm, Circle J Dairy, and the baby girl who was born a year or so after the dairy closed. "We didn't think there would ever be dairy cows on this hill ever again," Robin Junkin said, recalling when her father-in-law sold the dairy. "We didn't know 27 years ago that the next farmer would be a daughter." The daughter of Robin and Ralph Junkin, Jr., the child who grew up adoring her papa, picking out where on the farm she'd build a house, and debating where she would take her degree from Mississippi State University. Ralph Junkin, Sr., didn't live to see the day his granddaughter restored his dairy legacy. But his wife, Judy, revels in it. As does Ralph Jr. "It's been great since we started back," Ralph Jr. said. "You just never know what's going to happen. I wouldn't have had it any other way. To get to work with your daughter every day, that's special." Jessical Vails, that daughter, that granddaughter, today's farm woman, put her dad on notice to be ready to dairy after she graduated from MSU. Between dairies, the Junkins raised commercial beef and chickens. "She told him he needed to get his knees done because she needed him to do this," Robin recalled. "He listened to her." |
| Amazon 'last mile' facility coming to NorthStar | |
| Amazon confirmed Tuesday it will build a "last mile" facility at the NorthStar Industrial Park, according to a Golden Triangle Development LINK press release. The facility will serve as the last stopping point for packages before drivers deliver them to customers' doorsteps. LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told The Dispatch the facility's service area "will be the Golden Triangle and not much bigger." When finished, it will be the third last mile Amazon facility in the state, joining others in Hattiesburg and the Jackson metro. A 50,000 square-foot speculative building will house the facility, which Higgins said should be operational at some point next year. Construction work to finish the facility should begin in the coming weeks. The project will create 90 to 120 jobs, Higgins said, including a handful of full-time supervisory positions but mostly part-time drivers. Amazon pays any employee at least $15 per hour, and Higgins said gig work at the last mile facility could be a great fit for college students or anyone trying to make extra money on the side. "You've got some freedom," he said. "You can put in your ear pods, turn on your Nine Inch Nails and go deliver packages. ... I think a lot of those part time guys are going to work quite a few hours." |
| Residential burglary in Starkville leads to four arrests | |
 | Three men and a juvenile have been arrested in connection with the burglary of a residence in northeast Starkville. Starkville police were called to a Stowed Road home Friday, Nov. 24 in connection ion with a residential burglary. Tyler Oden, 21, and Je'Quira Wesley, 19, both of Starkville, and a male juvenile were all charged with burglary of a dwelling. Jahreal Isaac, 21, of Starkville, was charged with receiving stolen property and giving false information. Officials say there was a prior relationship between the arrestees and the victim. The incident remains under investigation and more arrests are expected. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151. |
| The Benefit of Doing Business with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians: Incentives and a skilled workforce invite opportunities for corporate expansion on Native lands. | |
| With no property taxes or zoning, as well as various incentives from the federal government that support economic development in Native communities, companies can reap a plethora of benefits when doing business with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI), the only tribal community in the state of Mississippi. "I've heard people say that they can do something with us in 30 days that would take them two or three months in their home communities," says John Hendrix, the MBCI's director of economic development. "Tribes offer a unique set of advantages, so if you think about it from the state's perspective, it just gives them another tool in the tool belt." Currently, there are 11,000 MBCI members, with 4,500 participating in the workforce as well as 60,000 workers available in the regions near Choctaw land, which encompasses more than 35,000 acres across 10 counties in east-central Mississippi. For those interested in obtaining a college education, the MBCI offers the Tribal Scholarship Program, giving members access to pre-college counseling, guidance with admissions, housing and financial aid applications as well as financial assistance with tuition. The tribe has also partnered with Mississippi College, located in Clinton, to create a tuition assistance program for Choctaw students. The MBCI has previously collaborated with a handful of local universities and community colleges on educational programs for its members, including East Central Community College, the University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi. "We're investing around $4.5 million a year in scholarships for tribal members," explains Hendrix. |
| US gas prices have fallen or remained steady for 10 weeks straight. Here's why | |
 | It's not just you. Across the U.S., prices at the pump have felt milder in recent months. Gas prices have fallen or remained steady since Sep. 19 -- marking about a 70-day trajectory of decline, Andrew Gross, spokesperson for motor club AAA, said Tuesday. As of Tuesday, the national average for gas prices stood just below $3.25, according to AAA. That's down 25 cents from a month ago and 30 cents less than this time last year. Experts point to a recent decline in oil prices and a seasonal dip in demand, as well as easing inflation. Each penny decline in the national average saves motorists close to $3.8 million, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "If you amplify that times 30 cents, we're talking about Americans that are spending hundreds of millions less on gasoline today than they were a year ago." Despite the drop, the global energy market can be volatile and lower gas prices down the road aren't promised. While the downward trend in gas prices is expected to continue at least into the New Year, anything's possible. Some experts point to the potential of more cuts from major producing OPEC+ countries -- which boosted energy prices in the past. While gas prices nationwide are collectively falling, some states, of course, always have cheaper averages than others -- due to factors ranging from nearby refinery supply to local fuel requirements. As of Tuesday, according to AAA, 15 states in the U.S. had gas prices below $3 -- with Texas ($2.71), Mississippi ($2.76) and Georgia ($2.79) at the lowest. |
| Mississippi study committee on foreign farmland ownership releases final report | |
| On Tuesday, the Study Committee on Foreign Farmland Purchase in Mississippi released its final report based on the findings of their work. The committee was formed in accordance with House Bill 280 to take a closer look at what foreign entities own land, primarily agricultural holdings, in the state of Mississippi. The report provided by the committee includes U.S. Department of Agriculture foreign ownership land data, public commentary, and testimony given to the committee during their meeting period. It highlighted several key pieces of information found by the committee. Ultimately, the committee recommended that the Legislature act to address specific concerns outlined in the final report. "At a bare minimum, the Legislature should pass an enforcement mechanism with any appropriate reporting requirements and legal enforcement procedures, along with any exemptions as may be necessary or appropriate tailored to Mississippi needs and based on the experiences of other States," stated the final report. The committee also highly recommended the Legislature review and seek guidance from legal experts within the National Agricultural Law Center. Concerns surround a "workable enforcement mechanism" for the state's law currently on the books -- Mississippi Code 89-1-23. The committee did find that state law already restricts foreign land ownership by "nonresident aliens" with exceptions for the purpose of industrial development. However, unrestricted foreign ownership of the state's agricultural land and water rights, particularly by foreign adversaries that are defined in 15 CFR 7.4, raises concerns regarding national security and food security. |
| Federal government investigating multiple hacks of US water utilities | |
 | The federal government is investigating multiple hacks suspected to have been launched by an Iranian government-linked cyber group against U.S. water facilities that were using Israeli-made technology, according to two individuals familiar with the probes. One of the breaches made headlines Saturday after the Tehran-linked Cyber Av3ngers group claimed responsibility for hitting a water authority in Pennsylvania. In total, the government is aware of and examining a "single digit" number of facilities that have been affected across the country, according to the two people who were granted anonymity to discuss details that had not yet been made public. None of the hacks caused significant disruption, according to the individuals, while cyber experts familiar with the Pennsylvania incident say the activity appears designed to stoke fears about using Israeli devices. Washington has been bracing for increased cyber breaches from Iran since the latest conflict broke out between Israel and the militant group Hamas, which Tehran has long supported. It also comes amid a spate of recent drone and rocket attacks on American troops in the Middle East, conducted by Iranian proxy groups. Water facilities in general are a particularly vulnerable part of U.S. infrastructure, often due to a lack of funding and personnel for the issue at smaller utilities. |
| 'Leave the halls of Congress': House to vote on expelling George Santos as outrage grows | |
 | Momentum is surging among House lawmakers to expel indicted Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., with the lower chamber voting on whether to boot him as early as Wednesday afternoon -- a rare sight in Congress. Santos all but accepted his fate this week as support quickly builds for his expulsion among members on both sides of the aisle. The Long Island Republican has said he will take his expulsion in stride and "wear it like a badge of honor." Two House Democrats, Robert Garcia of California and Dan Goldman of New York, filed a privileged resolution on Tuesday afternoon to force a vote on the House floor, essentially guaranteeing lawmakers will have to decide Santos' fate this week. A privileged resolution is a procedural move to force the House to take up a measure within two legislative days. House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., had already filed an expulsion resolution against Santos following the report's release. But the resolution was not noticed as privileged until Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, R-N.Y., on Tuesday evening also forced the House to eventually take up the effort within two legislative days. Guest's resolution, which is led by Santos' GOP opponents, is expected to be the bill taken up on the House floor to remove Santos. There is largely bipartisan support to expel Santos, which, unlike most other votes, requires a two-thirds vote to pass. |
| GOP senators feel ambushed by Trump's policy promises | |
 | Former President Trump is creating new political headaches for Republicans locked in a highly competitive battle to win back the Senate majority by making extreme statements on health care, immigration and other issues unlikely to play well with swing voters in key states. Trump shook up Republicans on Capitol Hill over the weekend by declaring that if elected president he would make another run at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. The comments posted on Trump's media platform, Truth Social, caught GOP lawmakers off guard because they haven't had any serious policy discussions recently about getting rid of the landmark health care law, and there's no consensus within their party on how to replace it. Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) admitted he doesn't know what Trump is talking about. "I'm for lowering costs and making our health care system more efficient, but I'm not sure -- I'd want to know what the proposal is," he said of Trump's comments. Sen. Bill Cassidy (La.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Health Committee, was similarly in the dark. "It's a narrowly divided Congress, it's unlikely to happen," he said, dismissing the prospect of a push to repeal the Affordable Care Act. |
| A conservative attack on government regulation reaches the Supreme Court | |
| The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a challenge to the Securities and Exchange Commission's ability to fight fraud, part of a broad attack on regulatory agencies led by conservative and business interests. The case before the justices Wednesday involves the Biden administration's appeal of a lower-court ruling that threw out stiff financial penalties imposed on hedge fund manager George R. Jarkesy by the SEC. The high court's decision could have far-reaching effects on the SEC and other regulatory agencies, and it's just one of several cases this term that could constrict federal regulators. The court's conservative majority has already reined them in, including in last May's decision sharply limiting their ability to police water pollution in wetlands. Last year, a divided panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Jarkesy and his Patriot28 investment adviser group on three separate issues. It found that the SEC's case against him, resulting in a $300,000 civil fine and the repayment of $680,000 in allegedly ill-gotten gains, should have been heard in a federal court instead of before one of the SEC's administrative law judges. The panel also said Congress unconstitutionally granted the SEC "unfettered authority" to decide whether the case should be tried in a court of law or handled within the executive branch agency. And it said laws shielding the commission's administrative law judges from being fired by the president are unconstitutional. A decision upholding the 5th Circuit's ruling could sweep far more broadly, calling into question the authority of administrative law judges at numerous federal agencies, the Justice Department said. |
| U.S. Suicides Reached a Record High Last Year | |
 | America's mental-health crisis drove suicides to a record-high number last year. Nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. lost their lives to suicide in 2022, according to a provisional tally from the National Center for Health Statistics. The agency said the final count would likely be higher. The suicide rate of 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people reached its highest level since 1941. The record reflects broad struggles to help people in mental distress following a pandemic that killed more than one million in the U.S., upended the economy and left many isolated and afraid. A shortage of healthcare workers, an increasingly toxic illicit drug supply and the ubiquity of firearms have facilitated the rise in suicides, mental-health experts said. Men 75 and older had the highest suicide rate last year at nearly 44 per 100,000 people, double that for people 15-24. Firearm-related suicides become more common with age as people experience declining health, the loss of loved ones and social isolation. While women have consistently been found to have suicidal thoughts more commonly, men are four times as likely die by suicide. But there is some evidence that efforts to reach people in crisis are helping. Suicide rates for children 10-14 and people 15-24 declined by 18% and 9%, respectively, last year from 2021, bringing suicide rates in those groups back to prepandemic levels. Adults are learning how to talk to children about suicide, said Dr. Katie Hurley, senior clinical adviser at the Jed Foundation, a suicide-prevention group. More work is necessary to reach women 25-34, she said. They were the only group of women for which suicide rates increased significantly in 2022. |
| One year later, how has ChatGPT changed the way we work? | |
| It'll be one year this week since ChatGPT was released to the public, wowing the world with its wordsmithing abilities and instilling a sense of dread in many workers that it's only a matter of time until we're all replaced by the bots. While that hasn't quite happened, ChatGPT has changed the world of work in the past year -- for some. Alessandro Perilli, CEO of an R&D company focused on AI, has been tracking all the companies that have publicly acknowledged using generative artificial intelligence in operations. Perilli's list is now 120 long and includes financial institutions like JPMorgan, which uses AI to analyze statements by the Federal Reserve, and education companies like the Kahn Academy, which is using AI-generated lesson plans. And it turns out, in some cases, humans and AI work well together. "This is a real game changer," said Erik Brynjolfsson, director of Stanford's Digital Economy Lab and is a co-author of a working paper that looks at how human customer service agents used chatbot suggestions to make them better at their jobs. "There was a higher customer satisfaction," he said. "The agents working with it were less likely to quit." It will take time for businesses to deploy the technology at a wide scale, according to Anton Korinek, an economics professor at the University of Virginia. "There is a really big implementation gap between how many things generative AI can already do productively and how few things it's actually used for," he said. |
| UM professor: Rural areas provide opportunity for Mississippi homebuyers | |
| Rising interest rates and home prices, supply chain issues, and limited inventory have combined to form a perfect storm of challenges for the nation's housing market. In many sought-after Mississippi cities such as Oxford, Hernando, Madison and Gulfport, these trends are consistent. In certain areas of the state, however, opportunities exist for those seeking affordable homes, said Charles Hilterbrand, instructional assistant professor of finance at the University of Mississippi and a real estate attorney. "Mississippi is a low-cost state, compared to many others," Hilterbrand said. "And our state offers many rural areas and smaller communities that have more opportunity for affordable housing." Nationally, the median home purchase price is $412,000, whereas Mississippi's median price is $258,000 as of September -- a 37% difference. Homes in smaller towns in the state, such as Water Valley, Grenada and Laurel, are appreciating slower due to less demand. Remote and hybrid work options could give flexibility to Mississippians who are priced out of university towns, Memphis metro areas and coastal cities, Hilterbrand said. Companies nationwide are more open to remote work than ever before. A May 2023 report by Littler Mendelson P.C. stated that more than 70% of employers have workforces operating on a hybrid work schedule. |
| USM hosts holiday makers' market | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi's makers' market brought out several businesses, showing off their products on Tuesday. The market featured everything from art to hand-made jewelry and apparel. Business owners say they enjoy networking and sharing their work with others just in time for the holiday season. "I just want to share my art with people," said Renika Hampton, of Shedor Art. "I want them to feel seen through my art, and I also want them to feel seen through my art to let them know that I see you and I appreciate you. So, here's my way of letting you know that I see you." "We hand out business cards left and right, and I have people that contact me on Instagram or Facebook like, 'Hey, I saw your stuff at this event, and I'm interested in a custom order. Can you make this?,'" said Caitlin Sumrall, of Willa Rose Designs. "It depends on what it is, but a lot of times, we can work something out." This is the university's second year hosting the event. |
| Tuscaloosa GOP debate site has musical legacy on U. of Alabama campus | |
 | Last time a major GOP campaign event happened in Tuscaloosa, almost four decades ago, the Frank N. Moody Music Building was still years from opening. When then-President Ronald Reagan was running for re-election, his swing of Southern stops included Tuscaloosa on Oct. 15, 1984. He spoke at Memorial Coliseum (later re-named Coleman Coliseum). Even should previous debate no-show Donald Trump make it, no standing presidents will appear in Tuscaloosa on Dec. 6 for the 7-9 p.m. GOP debate in the University of Alabama's music building, roughly across Paul W. Bryant Drive from the coliseum. Details including ticketing are still being hammered out, but given the building's respective configurations, the in-house debate audience won't reach Reagan's numbers. The coliseum, which holds about 15,000, was packed with supporters. Even should the GOP utilize the concert hall, as expected, seating there tops out about 1,000. Roger Morgan Studio (now Sachs Morgan Studio) of New York City consulted to build the Moody Concert Hall in proportions matching the great hall of Vienna's Musikverein, considered one of the world's finest. Some of that ease and functionality may be virtually invisible to viewers tuning in to the debate, which will be broadcast live in Eastern and Central time zones on broadcast network The CW, and on NewsNation's cable presence; live-streamed on www.NewsNationnow.com and Rumble. Audio can be heard on SiriusXM Triumph channel 111. |
| Birmingham loans BSC $5 million to stay open | |
 | The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved $5 million in city loans for Birmingham-Southern College to stay open. "It's an important step in the right direction," BSC President Daniel Coleman said after the council meeting. "We've been working on this closely with the councilors and the mayor's office for some time." With the city's funding, the private liberal arts college should be able to open in fall of 2024, he said. He said he'll next approach the Jefferson County Commission looking for a similar package of support. "Next, I think we need to engage with the county commission to see if they have the appetite to help us," he said. "I hope they do." Coleman appeared before a committee of the Birmingham City Council on Nov. 21, where Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin presented the plan for two $2.5 million loans from the city to the college from the city's $289 million general reserve fund. The first loan would be forgiven if Birmingham-Southern College reopens with classes in the fall. The second loan would be repayable over 20 years, secured by the campus property, which would make the city a lienholder on a second mortgage if the college closes. BSC's private fundraising drive has raised $45 million in pledges to help rebuild the endowment, Coleman said. |
| Florida university leaders bash plan to downgrade sociology | |
| Department leaders at 10 of Florida's public universities say they "strongly object" to a plan that would remove sociology as an option for courses students must take as part of their college studies. The plan was proposed Nov. 9 by state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and advanced by the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida's university system. It will take a final vote in January. Introductory sociology courses have been "an integral part of higher education for nearly two centuries," and thousands of Florida students take them each year, the department heads wrote in a follow-up letter to the Board of Governors. The subject "is a field of science that seeks to understand the social causes and consequences of human behavior," they wrote. "It seeks to identify patterns of organization and change in social life." The letter was signed by sociology department heads from the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida, the University of North Florida, the University of West Florida, Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University and Florida Gulf Coast University. All students entering the state's colleges and universities are required to take core courses in each of five subject areas: communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. These are known as "general education" courses, which provide a foundation for further studies. Diaz proposed striking out "Principles of Sociology" as a social science option with little explanation. |
| Campus clothing swap offers students affordable way to stay sustainable | |
| On Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, the Center for Student Engagement's Campus Events Board hosted a clothing swap for University of Tennessee students. The event encouraged participants to bring clothes that they no longer wore and trade them with other students. The Office of Sustainability's Free Store also participated in the event and had a booth set up for students to take clothes from. CEB also gave out vouchers to participants, allowing them to get free food and a free drink from a food and coffee truck. Sara Garrot, a freshman education major, was one of the many students who attended the clothing swap. "What else do I have to do on this beautiful day?" Garrot said. "I come out here and it's, like, bustling. It's beautiful." Garrot said that she previously attended a pop-up thrift store on Pedestrian Walkway and enjoyed it, so when she heard about the clothing swap, she made plans to stop by. Not only did the swap engage students in campus events but it also provided an opportunity for students to learn about and practice sustainability. Through the clothing swap, CEB gave students an affordable way to stay sustainable on campus. Students were able to do their part to keep the UT campus green by giving old clothes a new life. |
| As a Chancellor Placed One Foot Out the Door, Pleas Filled His Inbox | |
 | Michigan's winters are a lot colder than North Carolina's, a couple of influential Tar Heels reminded Kevin M. Guskiewicz hours after news broke that he might leave his job as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the Michigan State University presidency. On the evening of November 15, Michigan State's student newspaper first reported that Guskiewicz was the sole finalist for the presidency. Emails obtained by The Chronicle through an open-records request show that Guskiewicz's inbox quickly became the site of an intense lobbying effort. Current and former trustees, faculty members, a donor, a state politician, and a New York Times opinion writer all weighed in on the chancellor's next move. Most of the emails sent to Guskiewicz in the wake of the news expressed hope that he would turn down Michigan State and remain in North Carolina, even while several referenced ongoing leadership strife at UNC as reasons why they would understand if he left. Two weeks later, Guskiewicz still has not announced a decision. A Michigan State spokesman told The Chronicle there was no update on the university's presidential search. The board had previously said it planned to announce a new president by Thanksgiving. |
| U.Va. Futures Initiative tackles questions of generative A.I., the future of higher education | |
| The U.Va. Futures Initiative, a program that will analyze emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence that could alter the field of higher education in the coming years, is gearing up for a number of projects that are meant to advise University of Virginia policy. Led by administrators from across the University's different schools, the group will work over the next year to compile a list of recommendations to help the University prepare for changes in academia over the next 10 years. The initiative was announced at Datapalooza 2023, an annual data science research conference hosted by the University's School of Data Science. Philip Bourne, Futures Initiative co-founder and dean of the School of Data Science, and Ian Baucom, executive vice president and provost at the University, announced the initiative during a panel. In an interview with The Cavalier Daily, Bourne said the accelerating rate of technological developments within higher education, as shown by the increase of A.I. popularity over the past year, was a primary reason for the creation of the initiative. "[The Initiative's goal is] to be actionary rather than reactionary," Bourne said. "It's already taken on a much broader set of people across Grounds and beyond to have a conversation about how higher ed will likely change, and how we should respond to it now rather than after these changes in technology." One way the University has attempted to address the technological advance of A.I is with a Generative A.I. Task Force, which has hosted a series of town halls to collect input on the topic from the University community. As of now, the administration has not announced any University-wide policies concerning generative A.I., leaving its use in the classroom up to the discretion of professors. |
| Can This University Make Scooters Safer? | |
| A month after Virginia Tech's freshman orientation in the fall of 2019, Livingstone Bond found a Spin scooter outside a freshman dorm still running on another person's account. For the next couple hours, he practiced all kinds of daring tricks -- multiple people on board, riding with no hands, and seated on the moving scooter's deck like a motorcycle. Then he found an empty ramp outside a dining hall and had an idea. If he and a friend started from opposite ends of the ramp and raced at each other -- Bond from the bottom on the scooter and his friend from the top on foot -- they should have enough momentum that his friend could jump over him and the 40-inch-tall scooter. Bond sat upright with his knees to his chest on the tangerine-colored electric scooter, twisted the throttle of the 31-pound vehicle to its maximum speed of 12 miles per hour, and climbed the ramp. But when his friend jumped, he slammed into the handlebars, which whipped into Bond's upper lip. Bond tasted blood. "I licked my lip and then realized that there was a section just missing. It was just through the lip to the teeth," Bond said. "I definitely needed stitches." Stories like Bond's have made e-scooters a major concern on college campuses since they were first introduced five years ago. Between accidents and complaints, Spin and other scooter companies faced a growing lack of trust and several "uphill battles" during their first few years of operation, said John Lankford, senior director of partnerships, policy, and communications at Spin. With the scooter client base beginning to crumble, Spin, a major player in the college market, turned to Virginia Tech in an attempt to clear its name. |
| Taylor Swift Classes Added at Harvard & U. of Florida for 2024 | |
| More college courses dedicated to Taylor Swift have been added to the academic canon for 2024, including a class at one of the most famous universities in the world: Harvard. Starting in the spring, both Harvard University and the University of Florida will offer studies on the 33-year-old pop star: "Taylor Swift and Her World" and "Musical Storytelling With Taylor Swift and other Iconic Female Artists," respectively. Summaries of the courses are already available online. At Harvard, English department instructor Stephanie Burt will guide students through examinations of fan culture, celebrity culture, adolescence, adulthood and appropriation, as well as approaches to white texts, Southern texts, transatlantic texts and queer subtexts. "We will learn how to think about illicit affairs and hoaxes, champagne problems and incomplete closure," adds the course description on Harvard's website, referencing track titles on Swift's Folklore and Evermore albums. Meanwhile, UF's Melina Jimenez will oversee "13 gorgeous weeks of discussing Taylor Swift's discography, with a focus on her evergreen songwriting," according to the institution's similarly song reference-filled course description. Students will also "draw parallels between Swift's enchanting lyrics and works by other famous female masterminds" while dissecting themes such as "old flames, infidelity, aging and double standards." Harvard and University of Florida are just two of the latest schools to offer Swiftian studies, following in the footsteps of institutions such as University of Texas, Arizona State University, Stanford University and UC Berkeley. |
| Employers willing to pay 'premium' for AI-skilled workers, survey finds | |
| The Wall Street Journal reported in August that U.S. companies are in the midst of an "AI recruiting frenzy," with some willing to pay salaries approaching seven figures to attract top talent. The article cited several examples of high-paying AI jobs, including an opening for a "senior manager of applied science and generative AI" at Amazon, with a potential salary of $340,300. The Amazon Web Services survey found that 42% of employers are actively looking for people with AI development qualifications. Nearly three out of four (75%) of employers who consider hiring talent with AI skills to be a priority reported having difficulty finding qualified candidates. Access Partnership, a technology-focused public policy consultant, conducted the study on behalf of AWS, polling 3,297 employees and 1,340 organizations across industries in the U.S. Generative AI could enable automation of up to 70% of business activities across almost all occupations between now and 2030, adding trillions of dollars in value to the global economy, according to McKinsey. For every $1 companies invest in AI, they are realizing an average of $3.50 in return, according to a recent study conducted by research firm IDC and sponsored by Microsoft, as previously reported by CFO Dive. Strategies that companies are using to address the AI talent crisis include partnering with educational institutions and leveraging on-demand and gig workers, according to Betsy Summers, a principal analyst on the Future of Work team at market research firm Forrester. |
| Biden Administration to Take Another Swing at Accreditation Rules | |
 | The Biden administration is moving forward on its ambitious plans to update the regulations governing accreditation and the definition of distance education, among other topics, the U.S. Education Department announced Tuesday. The planned negotiations could be the Biden administration's last chance to leave its mark on federal higher education policy before the 2024 presidential election. Any regulatory updates likely wouldn't take effect until 2025, but experts and advocates see an opportunity to make the higher education system work better for students and to build in more consumer protections. "The department is committed to expanding access to opportunity through quality higher education and supporting students to achieve their college dreams," U.S. secretary of education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. "Our regulatory efforts reflect our laser focus on ensuring that students are well served by the higher education institutions they attend and that our federal student aid programs are helping them to attain postsecondary success." The department said the final list of issues subject to negotiation will address some of the "nuts and bolts" of Title IV program integrity and institutional quality under the Higher Education Act. (Title IV is part of the HEA, which authorizes federal financial aid programs.) Tuesday's announcement didn't say what specific changes the department is considering, but advocates, experts and analysts have said the department could move to standardize the definition of distance education, tighten the rules for accrediting agencies or require colleges to follow state consumer protection laws even if they are part of a multistate reciprocity agreement. |
| 73% of Jewish college students have experienced or seen antisemitism since start of school year, new survey finds | |
 | Nearly three-quarters of Jewish college students in the U.S. experienced or witnessed antisemitism on their campus since the start of the academic year, according to a new survey released by the Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy group that has been tracking anti-Jewish incidents amid the Israel-Hamas war. The new poll, released jointly by the ADL and the Jewish outreach organization Hillel International, found that 73% of Jewish college students and 44% of non-Jewish students experienced or saw antisemitic incidents since the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, ranging from antisemitic vandalism to threats of physical violence. The war between Israel and Hamas militants has stoked tensions on campuses nationwide, with Jewish and Muslim students describing concerns about hate speech, harassment and threats. The ADL and a leading Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, both reported a rise in bias incidents after the war broke out. In recent weeks, campuses have confronted the specter of violence against Jewish students. "No student should feel threatened or intimidated on campus. No student should feel the need to hide their religious or cultural identities. No parent should ever have to wonder whether it's safe to send their kids to certain schools --- but that's the sad reality for American Jews today," Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, said in a statement accompanying the study. |
| GOP-led committee to ask 3 college presidents what they're doing about antisemitism | |
| Republican lawmakers asked three college presidents to testify at a congressional hearing next week about how they've handled a rise in antisemitic incidents on their campuses since the Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7. The presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology agreed to testify on Tuesday before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the committee said. The universities have faced public backlash, student demonstrations and alumni revolts since the war began. The college presidents' testimony in Washington, D.C., could lead to blowback on their campuses, because the stated focus of the hearing does not include a discussion of the Islamophobia that is also roiling colleges. Faculty and administrators have expressed a broad spectrum of opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at these high-profile campuses, and students and alumni have challenged the administrators' response to protests and their approaches to student safety. Nick Barley, spokesperson for the House committee, said the presidents were invited, not subpoenaed. Their willingness to face tough questions from the GOP-led committee, whose conservative members tend to be critical of institutions of higher education, comes amid pressure on college leaders to address an escalating climate of discrimination on campuses, particularly at urban and more selective schools where protests and hate crimes have been more pervasive, according to active Education Department investigations. |
| Partisan struggle for U.S. Senate control in 2024 could significantly benefit Mississippi | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Headed into the 2024 election cycle, 48 Democrats and three independent U.S. senators who caucus with them give the Democratic Party a narrow 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate over the 49 Republicans. Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is also present and can cast her vote in case of a tie. With the recent announcement by veteran Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin that he won't seek re-election from his conservative state, Republicans feel emboldened that they will pick up Manchin's seat. From there, the political math gets increasingly favorable for the GOP in that the Dems will be defending 23 of the total 34 Senate seats contested on the 2024 ballot. Moreover, three of those Democratic Senate seats are in states carried by Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024. Four more of those seats are in swing states won narrowly by Joe Biden in 2020. Those developments create a hotly contested battle for control of the U.S. Senate against the backdrop of a presidential campaign that could feature a 2020 election rematch between incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden, 81, against Trump, 77. The presidential race means the 2024 U.S. Senate races will intensify in presidential battleground states like Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. With Manchin's retirement, Democrats are already looking to target Republicans in states like Texas and Florida, where incumbents like U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Rick Scott are perceived to be vulnerable. So how does the partisan struggle for U.S. Senate control impact Mississippi? Why does it matter? |
SPORTS
| Jeff Lebby explains decision to leave Oklahoma, become a first-time HC at Miss State | |
| Mississippi State made Jeff Lebby an offer he couldn't refuse. During an appearance on "The Paul Finebaum Show," the Bulldogs' new head coach pulled back the curtain on his decision to vacate his position as Oklahoma offensive coordinator and head to Starkville. "When you look at Mississippi State right now, there's just incredible leadership from [MSU president] Dr. Keenum to, obviously, our new AD Zac Selmon," Lebby said. "That, for me, was just was incredibly important as you step into this role for the first time in my career, knowing that there's going to be great trust. There's going to be great alignment with the people that you're working with and for every single day. "Then, you just have great peace about being able to go get it done the way we need to get it done. So incredibly thankful for all of my stops. Again, so many people helped me get to the point that that I'm in today. I'm looking forward to working together here at State with our great leadership, our fan base and our locker room to get this thing where we need to get it." Lebby will replace first-year head coach Zach Arnett, who the school fired on Nov. 13. The head coaching job will serve as the first of Lebby's coaching career. He previously served as an offensive coordinator at programs such as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and UCF. |
| Breaking down Jeff Lebby's new contract as Mississippi State head coach | |
| Jeff Lebby's annual salary of $4.51 million would rank 13th in the Southeastern Conference this year, ahead of only Vanderbilt's Clark Lea. But Mississippi State is paying its new head coach significantly more than the $3 million Zach Arnett made before he was fired on Nov. 13. As Oklahoma's offensive coordinator, Lebby was paid $1.9 million for the 2023 season, making him the fifth-highest paid assistant coach in all of college football. His salary at MSU comes with numerous performance-based incentives for both personal accolades and team success. Athletic director Zac Selmon said at Lebby's introductory press conference Monday night that he had identified Lebby as his ideal candidate by Saturday. The two previously worked together at Oklahoma from December 2021, when Lebby was named offensive coordinator for the Sooners, until January 2023, when Selmon left his post as Oklahoma's deputy AD for external engagement and advancement to take the top administrative job at MSU. "Anybody in this business knows and sees the type of person he is, the style of play he has, and his ability to attract great people," Selmon said. "When you have that kind of gravity around you, people take notice. We visited with a handful of candidates and met with some great coaches, but throughout our process, it came back to Coach Lebby as the right person to lead our program at this time." |
| Chad Bumphis, David Turner remain on board Mississippi State coaching staff | |
| One of Mississippi State's most decorated wide receivers is staying on the coaching staff, as Chad Bumphis will return for his second season as the Bulldogs' receivers coach. He is the first holdover to remain on the staff under new head coach Jeff Lebby. The Tupelo High product caught 159 passes for 2,270 yards and 24 touchdowns at MSU from 2009 to 2012, capped by a senior season in which he finished with 58 receptions, 922 receiving yards and 12 scores. He still holds the program record for receiving touchdowns and is second in catches and receiving yards. Bumphis signed contracts with the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars but never played in an NFL game. After spending two seasons coaching receivers at Austin Peay, he became the wide receivers coach at Utah, where he had previously spent a year as a graduate assistant, in 2021. Defensive line coach David Turner is also sticking around, according to a report Wednesday morning from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. Turner was hired last year by Zach Arnett for his third stint on the Bulldogs' staff, having previously coached the defensive linemen from 2007-09 and 2013-15. He has been all over the Southeastern Conference, with experience at Florida, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Alabama and Vanderbilt. |
| Paul Finebaum: Jeff Lebby is a 'fantastic' hire for Mississippi State | |
| Consider SEC Network's Paul Finebaum a fan of Jeff Lebby taking his talents from Oklahoma to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. After spending the last two seasons with the Sooners as their offensive coordinator, Lebby was hired by Mississippi State to take over their football program. Speaking on the hire, Finebaum couldn't heap enough praise on the decision-makers in Starkville. "I like him very much," Finebaum stated, via McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. "I think it's a fantastic hire. I think State really got the man they wanted. I don't know whether A&M can say that. I haven't, I don't -- I haven't seen the autopsy on the entire coaching search yet. But I have a sense of it. It seems like Jeff Lebby was always in the mix. He's been in the mix for a couple of days. I've heard Greg talk about him countless times, in terms of how he feels about him offensively. "I think State is in considerably better shape than they were three or four weeks ago, when there was uncertainty about Zach Arnett's future." |
| No. 21/21 Mississippi State Hosts RV/RV Miami (Fla.) For ACC/SEC Challenge | |
| No. 21/21 Mississippi State women's basketball hosts its inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge game when the Bulldogs welcome RV/RV Miami to Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Fans not in attendance can follow action with talent Tamika Catchings and Roy Philpott on SEC Network or through their affiliate radio station with play-by-play Jason Crowder. Live statistics throughout the contest will be available at statbroadcast.com. Wednesday marks the second-ever series matchup between Mississippi State and Miami (Fla.) and the first since 1987. Mississippi State leads the series 1-0 after it won a 81-67 neutral-site contest almost four decades prior. It will also be the second ACC opponent that Mississippi State has faced over the last three games after defeating Clemson 81-78 in game one of the 2023 Van Chancellor Classic last Friday. Miami (Fla.) enters Wednesday 5-0 on the season and receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top-25 polls. It will be the first road game of the early schedule for the Hurricanes, who opened the season with five quick wins by an average margin of +22.6. Mississippi State returns to Humphrey Coliseum after a four-game stretch in which it left unscaved after a tightly contested battle on the road at Belmont three-day round-robin tournament at the 2023 Van Chancellor Classic over Thanksgiving break. |
| Men's Basketball: Georgia Tech hands Mississippi State first loss of season | |
| Mississippi State's shooting woes resurfaced Tuesday night, as the No. 21 Bulldogs shot just 30.8 percent from the floor in a 67-59 upset loss to Georgia Tech in their first true road game of the season. MSU (6-1) never led in the game and was outscored by 13 points over the final 11 minutes of the first half. The Yellow Jackets (3-2) came in having made just 23 percent of their 3-point attempts over their last three games, but made six of 15 in that first half against the Bulldogs. Miles Kelly finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, knocking down four 3-pointers and going 8-for-10 from the free throw line. The most devastating stretch for MSU came at the very end of the first half, after a jumper by freshman Josh Hubbard trimmed the Bulldogs' deficit to six. On the visitors' next trip down the floor, Shakeel Moore was blocked on a drive to the basket, leading to a layup on the other end by Kowacie Reeves. Kelly's third 3-pointer pushed the Georgia Tech lead to double digits, and Kyle Sturdivant then stole Moore's pass and scored just in front of the buzzer. The Bulldogs return to Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday at 3 p.m. for a game against Southern. |
| Tolu Smith's absence felt in Mississippi State basketball's first loss at Georgia Tech | |
 | Mississippi State basketball won six straight games to open the season, including three against Power Five foes, to make the absence of All-SEC forward Tolu Smith look manageable until his expected return in conference play. But for the first time this year, with MSU losing 67-59 at Georgia Tech (3-2) on Tuesday in the ACC/SEC Challenge, Mississippi State (6-1) clearly missed its best player. The Bulldogs had their worst shooting night of the season (31%), much of which was due to a lack of presence in the post. West Virginia transfer Jimmy Bell Jr., who was expected to be Smith's backup but stepped into a bigger role following the offseason injury, has been a trustworthy option for MSU to open the season. But Bell's line of six points on 2-4 shooting summed up the Bulldogs' woes. MSU couldn't get the inside game going with players settling for shots outside the paint. To open the second half, MSU had a stretch of nine consecutive 3-point attempts. Mississippi State returns to Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday (3 p.m., SEC Network) for a matchup with Southern. MSU then gets a week off for final exams before returning to Atlanta for a Holiday Hoopsgiving game against Tulane at State Farm Arena. |
| Delta State quarterback Patrick Shegog wins 2023 Conerly Trophy | |
| For the first time in over two decades, a Division II player has been chosen as the top college football player in Mississippi. Delta State quarterback Patrick Shegog was named the recipient of the 2023 C Spire Conerly Trophy on Tuesday night. Shegog, in his fifth year in Cleveland, finished the regular season with a program-record 44 total touchdowns. In 12 games, he accounted for 2,618 passing yards and 690 rushing yards while turning the ball over just twice. "Wow. Y'all bear with me. My heart's about to beat out of my chest," Shegog said after accepting the award. "I must say it means the world to me and I appreciate y'all so much. Being a kid from Batesville, Mississippi and to win this award, it's just crazy." Shegog, who led Delta State to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023, was selected as the winner over nine other nominees by a panel of statewide sports media representatives. Shegog is the first Delta State player to win the Conerly Trophy since quarterback Josh Bright did it in 2000 amid the program's lone national championship run. The only other Statesman to bring home the award was running back Tregnel Thomas in 1996. |
| Arkansas Edge: NIL boost sought with new initiative | |
| Those broad hints University of Arkansas football Coach Sam Pittman has been dropping the past few weeks about expanded Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for the Razorbacks has come into clearer focus. UA officials unveiled Tuesday their new NIL initiative called Arkansas Edge, which will be used to support all 465 student-athletes through a partnership with Blueprint Sports. One of the industry leaders in the new NIL industry, Blueprint Sports, founded in 2020, has paired with 20-plus schools, including Tennessee, Penn State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Arizona to facilitate NIL collectives, according to its website. The campaign will gets its official "launch" at the Razorbacks' men's basketball game against No. 7 Duke tonight at Walton Arena. The UA announced it has already received a $1 million gift that will match the first $1 million raised. Tuesday's release was accompanied by a video of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek touting the new campaign. "As we continue to strategically position our programs to compete and win championships within the SEC and nationally, Arkansas Edge is the optimum way for Razorback fans to support our student-athletes through NIL," Yurachek said in the release. As Arkansas struggled through a 4-8 football season, Pittman said the Razorbacks needed to up their NIL game based on what he was hearing in the industry. |
| Sports Illustrated is latest media company damaged by AI experiment | |
| Computer-generated writers ... writing computer-generated stories? Sports Illustrated is the latest media company to see its reputation damaged by being less than forthcoming -- if not outright dishonest -- about who or what is writing its stories at the dawn of the artificial intelligence age. The once-powerful publication said it was firing a company that produced articles for its website written under the byline of authors who apparently don't exist. But it denied a published report that stories themselves were written by an artificial intelligence tool. Earlier this year, experiments with AI went awry at both the Gannett newspaper chain and the CNET technology website. Many companies are testing the new technology at a time when human workers fear it could cost jobs. But the process is fraught in journalism, which builds and markets its values-based products around the notions of truth and transparency. While there's nothing wrong in media companies experimenting with artificial intelligence, "the mistake is in trying to hide it, and in doing it poorly," said Tom Rosenstiel, a University of Maryland professor who teaches journalism ethics. "If you want to be in the truth-telling business, which journalists claim they do, you shouldn't tell lies," Rosenstiel said. "A secret is a form of lying." The Associated Press has been using technology to assist in articles about financial earnings reports since 2014, and more recently in some sports stories. At the end of each such story is a note that explains technology's role in its production, a spokeswoman said. |
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