| Thursday, January 4, 2024 |
| Running on refuse: NIFA grant to fund MSU study of biomass-derived transportation fuel | |
 | The future of fuel is practical, sustainable and green, and Mississippi State University's Department of Sustainable Bioproducts is committed to discovering solutions that will power tomorrow's fuels. El Barbary Hassan, department professor and scientist in the university's Forest and Wildlife Research Center, has received a National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant totaling over $610,000 to take foundational steps toward producing viable fuels from agricultural waste. Today, over 90% of the energy consumed worldwide comes from fossil fuels -- a finite resource with often volatile prices. With the added concerns about the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels, scientists are looking to a myriad of viable renewable energy sources. Hassan and his team of experts, including postdoctoral researcher Islam Elsayed, aim to convert leftover biomass from agricultural production -- refuse or waste that would otherwise be discarded -- into useful chemical substances, building blocks for fuels and other chemicals that would typically come from petroleum-based sources. Over the three-year grant period, the scientists will work on creating and refining these chemicals derived from sugars present in the biomass. Rubin Shmulsky, professor and sustainable bioproducts department head, said, "Dr. Hassan's project exemplifies the groundbreaking work our faculty do to solve real-world problems, helping people and the environment today and setting the groundwork for the renewable energy technology of tomorrow." Largely agricultural states, including Mississippi, have much to gain from these efforts over the next few decades. |
| Fighting Farm Stress: Mental health education can reduce the risk of opioid addiction among farmers and ranchers | |
 | Why are farmers disproportionately at risk for poor mental health, opioid addiction, and even suicide? That's a question David Buys, Mississippi State University associate professor and Mississippi's state health specialist, seeks to answer through an initiative he's leading. By digging deep to find the root cause, Buys believes steps can be taken to manage the mental health risks farmers face. Buys began examining addiction and mental health in farmers and ranchers in 2017 through grants provided by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. After a report from the American Farm Bureau Federation the same year revealed three out of four farmers and farm workers in the United States say they have been impacted by opioid addiction., Buys and his team focused on that issue. From this focus-shift, the Preventing Opioid Misuse in the Southeast (PROMISE) Initiative was born. "We started trying to understand what the drivers of opioid addiction in Mississippi are," Buys said. "Farmers do not wake up one day and decide to take unhealthy amounts of opioids. Something drives farmers to this point; we have been working on our understanding the why and trying to help move the needle." Through the PROMISE Initiative, Buys and his team implemented programs to increase awareness for farm stress and addiction. They created and delivered training programs for Extension agents, launched social marketing campaigns, and produced an EMMY award winning film, "On the Farm." |
| Oktibbeha lobbyists urge county to pursue multiple projects | |
 | Representatives from Oktibbeha County's lobbying firm recommend strategy and a quick pace in selecting what county projects should be prioritized during this year's legislative session. Austin Barbour and Rance Bilbo, both of the Clearwater Group, addressed the board at its regular meeting Tuesday. On the same day, in Jackson, the state legislature convened for its 2024 session. Barbour suggested the supervisors come together and select a narrow list of projects for his group to lobby for. "I think what we should do is we should try to be strategic," he said. "We should have a couple of projects that we go and fight for. Just in case one is not viewed as popular as we would like, we have another one we can fall back on. Maybe we get a bit of good luck and we get money for both projects." The new legislative session comes with a new speaker of the House as state Rep. Jason White replaces the retiring Philip Gunn. Despite the change in leadership, Barbour said he expects White to be "very supportive of Oktibbeha County and what your priorities are." Instead, one factor Barbour said may play a role is a tightening of the legislature's willingness to spend money. The general fund, he said, "is not in as good a situation financially as (it has) been the last couple of years with so much federal dollars coming in." The board welcomed two new faces to its ranks Tuesday. District 1 Supervisor Ben Carver and District 4 Supervisor Pattie Little attended their first meeting as supervisors. Also welcomed by the board was new Oktibbeha County Sheriff Shank Phelps. |
| Special election for alderman seat set for Feb. 13 | |
| Due to a vacancy, the Starkville Board of Aldermen was short one member at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday evening. A special election has been scheduled for Feb. 13 to fill the board's ranks. Ben Carver, the former Ward 1 alderman, resigned his post to take a seat on the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors. Ward 2 Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk said those who are interested in replacing him should file with the city clerk's office. "It's a great opportunity to be of service to the community if you're interested," she said. She said candidates must be a resident of the ward for two years and have a petition with at least 50 signatures. The qualifying period begins Wednesday and will run through Jan. 22. |
| Church parking lot work halted by city | |
| Bridgeway Church will have to wait a bit before it can complete its parking lot expansion, which its leadership says is necessary to address huge growth in the church's attendance. That's because Starkville City Planning has levied a stop work order on the parking lot development. Unbeknownst to the church, the section of land the church owns and has used for additional parking for more than a year is zoned for residential usage. No parking is allowed on that land until Bridgeway submits the necessary paperwork to City Planning. Co-pastors Joe Horan and Grant Arinder were unsuccessful at Tuesday's Starkville Board of Aldermen meeting in convincing the board to lift the stop work order or grant a special exception on the spot. The decision is "a bump in the road," Horan told The Dispatch Wednesday, but it's not one that has left hard feelings. Volunteers began spreading limestone for the lot on Dec. 16, with work continuing through the next day. On the morning of Dec. 18, Starkville code enforcement officers arrived at the church and issued a stop work order. Assistant City Planner Lyle MeCaskey said Wednesday that the stop work order was issued because the city had no information on what the church was doing. "Until we receive some sort of plan or drawn document, we are kind of in the dark as to what exactly is happening," he said. He said the church's land is split in two parcels, both of which are zoned as SD2 (suburban detached-2), a lower- to mid-density residential classification. The church itself has a "place of worship" special exception, but the lot the church wanted to convert to a parking lot did not have that exception. |
| Old Meridian Police Department building in jeopardy of losing landmark status | |
 | The city of Meridian is full of historic buildings, and in recent months, one building has been under a microscope. In 1977, the Chris Risher Sr. designed Meridian Police Station was built and went into the history books as an award-winning landmark, but since 2013, the building has been left to die. In October 2023, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History released a statement saying the Mississippi landmark status could be revoked due to the poor shape of the building. This has sparked a growing amount of support saying the building should stay. "The key thing is that Meridian is this great repository of early modern buildings, and modern being the modern style of architecture in Mississippi, and that if we start, certainly Meridian starts destroying all of these buildings. It takes away a piece of a really important piece of the history of Mississippi, but also the history of Meridian," said Mississippi State University Architecture Professor John Poros. But after years of neglect, the city says the building has become a hazard. But John Poros says otherwise. In 2018, Poros took several architect students to the station and did a study on the building to see what it could be used for. "So we measured the entire building. We did an existing condition survey of the building, building construction science students did a cost estimate at that point to what would it take to bring the building back to what it was. And then also the Architecture and Building Construction Science students work together and proposed a number of new uses for the buildings," said Poros. |
| Mississippi farmers still dealing with drought conditions | |
 | According to the United States Drought Monitor, Mississippi is still under a severe drought. Central and North Mississippi are experiencing an exceptional drought. Due to the dry conditions, cattlemen across the state have entered winter with low hay stock. Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R-Miss.) said production has decreased by 10%. "We were about 10% lower than we were the prior year, so a lot of people expected it to be worse than that. We can be thankful it wasn't, but it did cause a reduction in production, which has unfortunately contributed to higher prices for a lot of products. And we need that winter rain to soften the ground, moisten the ground and get ready for planting season come March," Gipson stated. He encouraged farmers to take advantage of the USDA programs that are available through the Farm Service Agency. |
| Dixie National Livestock Show to kick off in Jackson beginning Friday | |
| Events setting up the Dixie National Rodeo will begin this weekend. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce reports that the 2024 Dixie National Livestock Show will take place starting Friday. Opening the show will be the first equine event, the Dixie National Horse Cutting Show, at 8:00 a.m. Friday, running through Sunday at the Kirk Fordice Equine Center located on the Mississippi Fairgrounds. The term "cutting" refers to the act of separating one cow from a herd of cattle using a horse with a rider. Once the cow is separated, riders are no longer allowed to use their reins and must rely on the horse's instincts to keep the cow apart from its herd. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson is inviting the public to attend the multiple livestock and equine shows scheduled to take place over the next month, many of which are free to attend. The upcoming 59th annual Dixie National Rodeo runs February 9-17 in the Mississippi Coliseum. The entertainment line-up includes Conner Smith, Colin Stough, Tracy Byrd, Chris Cagle, Megan Moroney, Sammy Kershaw, Corey Kent, and Parmalee. |
| Speaker Jason White says public school funding reform is on the table | |
| House Speaker Jason White, in his first public speech after being elected on Tuesday, proposed reforming Mississippi's public school funding formula -- the subject of years of debate at the Capitol and across the state. The funding formula used to allocate money to public schools, the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, was established by the Legislature in 1997 and has been consistently underfunded every year since 2008. MAEP funding provides the state's share of funding for the basic operations of local school districts, ranging from teacher salaries to textbooks to utilities. Allocations under the formula multiply attendance by the base student cost, a number calculated by the Mississippi Department of Education that reflects the amount necessary to "adequately" educate a student. Local school districts are required to pay a portion of their allocation based on property taxes, but state law guarantees that no district will pay more than 27%. This provision, known as "the 27% rule", primarily benefits wealthier districts since their property taxes generate more funds. In his speech, White did not advance specific policy proposals but identified the 27% rule as needing further scrutiny. "We are certainly spending plenty," he said. "Let's be sure we're spending wisely." White confirmed to reporters he is not looking to cut public education funding, but instead evaluate where it is spent. He continued by identifying underperforming school districts as a priority and said he would like to work with local superintendents to improve outcomes. |
| Secretary of State Michael Watson calls for campaign finance reform, less business regulation | |
| Secretary of State Michael Watson on Wednesday outlined his legislative agenda, continuing his call for campaign finance reform, voicing support for reinstated ballot initiative rights and vowing to be "a wrecking ball" for business regulations. Watson also confirmed that his office received the email bomb threat that closed the Capitol for a few hours Wednesday morning, although he deferred further questions to law enforcement. During last year's statewide elections, Watson's office flagged several potential campaign finance violations and fielded numerous complaints as millions of dollars of dark money flowed into Mississippi races amid what appeared to be flagrant disregard for the law. The election cycle showed again that Mississippi has weak campaign finance laws and nearly nonexistent enforcement. Watson said at the time his office has no enforcement authority over violations. "We sent 10, 11, 12 campaign issues, some of which we felt were fraud, to the attorney general's office, and we saw no enforcement of that," Watson said. Watson said he is pushing for his office to have authority to issue fines for campaign finance violations and a revamping of laws. He said he also is pushing lawmakers to approve -- and pay for -- a new campaign finance reporting system, so voters can easily view and search campaign donations to candidates as is the case in most other states. Watson has previously estimated such a digital system would cost $2 million to $3 million. |
| Simmons named chairman of Transportation Commission | |
 | At its first meeting of 2024, the Mississippi Transportation Commission named Commissioner Willie Simmons, who represents the Central Transportation District, as chairman. "It is such an honor to be elected chairman of the Mississippi Transportation Commission at this pivotal time in our state's transportation history," said Simmons. "I look forward to ensuring this commission continues to move our infrastructure system in the right direction while meeting the needs of public safety and fostering economic growth in all areas of our great state." Simmons is entering his second term as Central District Transportation Commissioner, which covers 22 counties and a population of approximately one million people. He is joined by Commissioner John Caldwell, Northern Transportation District, who also enters his second term, as well as first-time Commissioner Charles Busby, Southern Transportation District. MDOT Executive Director Brad White praised Simmons' selection, "Commissioner Willie Simmons was the right choice for Commission chairman by virtue of his proven track record of leadership along with his deep understanding of our state's transportation needs." |
| Government buildings cleared after multiple bomb threats force evacuations | |
| Multiple government buildings are back open Thursday after bomb threats forced evacuations at the Mississippi State Capitol, Supreme Court, and Hinds County Circuit Court to name a few. The news comes a day after the Mississippi State Capitol received a bomb threat. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety took precautionary measures to sweep each building so business could be resumed. No other details were released about the investigation. Other buildings that were evacuated as a precaution included the Hinds County Chancery Court, Hinds County Tax Accessor, and Tax Collector's Office. However, DPS posted a message online showing the threats weren't limited to Jackson. Multiple threats have been received across the state. Precautionary measures are being taken at all locations. Several bomb threats were also received at courthouses statewide as well as Capitol buildings across nine states on Wednesday. No evidence has suggested that any of the incidents are related. |
| Judge again rejects motion to block the creation of a state-run court in Jackson | |
 | A federal judge released an order Wednesday after determining his previous ruling stands to allow Mississippi officials to move forward with creating a state-run court in part of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson. The Capitol Complex Improvement District Court will have a judge appointed by the state supreme court chief justice and prosecutors appointed by the state attorney general. During a Wednesday status conference, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate and each party shared their views of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals directive for a "final appealable order." The deliberation was about the Fifth Court granting a temporary administrative stay Monday, halting Mississippi officials from creating the CCID Court until Friday, at the latest. The court and parties concluded that directive came before Wingate had the opportunity to file an order. The Wednesday order states that after conferring with each party, the court agreed that the court's Dec. 31 decision to dismiss the NACCP's requests to block the new court is a "final appealable order." "This court, hearing no new argument from the Plaintiffs, again denied the Plaintiffs' request for an injunction," the order reads. The court also addressed the plaintiffs' "renewed" motion for a preliminary injunction pending appeal, which asked the judge to issue an injunction to prevent Chief Justice Mike Randolph and Attorney General Lynn Fitch from making appointments to the court. Those requests were denied as well. |
| Johnson Calls Border 'Unmitigated Disaster' in Texas Trip | |
 | House Republicans traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to rail against what they said were failures of the Biden administration to stem record flows of migrants, as Senate negotiators met in Washington in a last-ditch effort to strike a bipartisan deal to revamp U.S. border policies. At a press conference Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) decried what he called an "unmitigated disaster" that has strained border agencies and communities across the country. He reiterated that any border deal must be based on H.R. 2, a bill passed by the Republican-controlled House that would revive policies from the Trump administration, including provisions that would continue wall construction and make it nearly impossible for most migrants to qualify for asylum. Democrats have rejected that approach. Johnson led a delegation of more than 60 House Republicans to Eagle Pass, Texas, where they toured a Border Patrol processing facility and spoke with local residents and sheriffs. "It's been an eye opener," Johnson said. The show of force from Republicans at the border underscores the difficult path ahead for any bipartisan agreement, which must pass both the Democratic-led Senate and the GOP-controlled House. The political stakes are high, with control of the House, Senate and presidency all up for grabs this fall. The White House has faced growing pressure as the number of border apprehensions has soared, with President Biden last week dispatching top officials to talks in Mexico City. |
| One attack, two interpretations: Biden and Trump both make the Jan. 6 riot a political rallying cry | |
 | Former President Donald Trump will spend Saturday's third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection on the campaign trail in Iowa, holding two rallies in his bid to win back the White House. That is set to come a day after President Joe Biden visits a site near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where George Washington and the struggling Continental Army endured a tough winter during the American Revolution. His advisers say the stop in a critical swing state will highlight Trump's role in the Capitol riot and be a chance for him to lay out the stakes of this year's election. With Biden and Trump now headed toward a potential 2020 rematch, both are talking about the same event in very different ways and offering framing they believe gives them an advantage. The dueling narratives reflect how an attack that disrupted the certification of the election is increasingly viewed differently along partisan lines -- and how Trump has bet that the riot won't hurt his candidacy. Rioters loyal to Trump stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Biden's victory, forcing lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence to flee for their lives. Many walked to the Capitol after a rally outside the White House in which Trump exhorted the crowd to "fight like hell" or "you're not going to have a country anymore." Republican strategist Alice Stewart said that "a lot of Republican voters don't love Jan. 6, but they're not obsessed about it either" and may support Trump because they oppose Biden's economic policies. "Republican voters can hold two consecutive thoughts and say, 'Jan. 6, that wasn't great, but that doesn't affect my bottom line,'" she said. |
| Trump asks Supreme Court to halt Colorado ballot ruling | |
 | Attorneys for Donald Trump on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to strike down a Colorado ruling that concluded he should be excluded from the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot under a section of the 14th Amendment. The former president's attorneys, in a petition with the high court, criticized last month's decision from the Colorado Supreme Court that found the Constitution's Insurrection Clause disqualifies Trump from holding the presidency. The clause aims to ban individuals who previously took an oath to support the Constitution from holding office if they have "engaged in insurrection." The Colorado majority opinion pointed to Trump's conduct in the lead up and during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol to conclude he had done so. Trump's name will appear on the Colorado ballot when certification takes place on Friday, unless the Supreme Court upholds the state court ruling or refuses to take up the appeal, according to the Colorado secretary of state's office. The justices have not yet announced whether they will consider the case, and if so, when they might issue a ruling. In the filing Wednesday, Trump attorneys said the Colorado ruling would "unconstitutionally disenfranchise millions of voters in Colorado" and "likely be used as a template to disenfranchise tens of millions of voters nationwide." Trump's attorneys took issue with the Colorado court's finding that Trump "engaged in insurrection," arguing Trump never told his supporters to go into the Capitol during his speech on the Ellipse. Trump attorneys also argued that Congress is the correct entity to deal with questions about the eligibility of a presidential candidate, in part because states could come up with different conclusions on Trump's eligibility to be on the ballot and the terms "engage" and "insurrection" are "unclear and subject to wildly varying standards." |
| UM support program helps underrepresented students thrive, aims to boost state's workforce | |
| The University of Mississippi Grove Scholars program -- which helps Mississippians from underrepresented groups earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or health care -- is growing as it enriches lives and makes the state's workforce more competitive. The program uses a cohort model, an incentive structure and a summer bridge program to help close the gap between access and equity for students before their freshman year and continuing through graduation. Grove Scholars qualify for the Ole Miss Opportunity scholarship, a program that guarantees financial aid for eligible Mississippi students if their family's annual income is $40,000 or below. "We really want to make sure that students in the Grove Scholars program aren't just getting a great degree but they're having a transformative educational experience that sets them on a trajectory as lifelong learners and as individuals with marketable skills who can contribute to Mississippi's economy and beyond," said Gray Flora IV, the program's director. Since 2016, 77% of all Grove Scholars have either completed their degrees or are still actively pursuing them. Of the graduates, 65% have completed or pursued a specialty program in a STEM or health-related field. Sixty-two students are enrolled in the program, with leadership hoping to increase that number to 100 by 2025. This year's freshman cohort is the largest to date, with 26 students. |
| 'I actually feel quite valued': Mentorship program works to retain new teachers | |
| Jack Fredericks is investing in new teachers because he wants to help them stay in the classroom for the long haul. He serves as the program coordinator for the new teacher mentorship program in the West Tallahatchie School District, something he worked with his superintendent to create after researching mentorship as a Teach Plus Mississippi policy fellow. "It's kind of a weird measurement to say, 'Well the program is successful because the teachers haven't quit,' but a lot of new teachers do quit in the middle of the year," he said. Schools across the country have struggled to keep teachers in recent years, something Mississippi is well acquainted with. For the 2022-23 school year, the Mississippi Department of Education reported 2,600 certified teacher vacancies across the state. Fredericks said their program relies heavily on the mentoring toolkit created by the education department, tweaking it only to limit extra paperwork for teachers. Courtney Van Cleve, MDE director of teacher acquisition and effectiveness, said that the toolkit was borne out of the Mississippi Teacher Residency, an alternate route teaching certification program. "We were creating a lot of these resources along the way... and thought that it would be a great opportunity to expand the reach of those resources," she said. |
| What's Next for Ed Tech in 2024? Coming soon: advances in VR and high-tech classrooms, plus even more AI | |
 | After a 2023 filled with "metaversities," robots rolling across campuses and artificial intelligence tools spurring both anxiety and excitement, what could this coming year have in store for higher ed technology? Inside Higher Ed spoke with experts who predicted what might be next for classrooms and institutions in the months ahead. The star of the show is, unsurprisingly, AI. "It's the way of the future, and it's almost like, 'Get out of the way or get run over,'" said Marco Johnson, president and CEO of Accreditation Advisors Group. "And if you're not jumping on the train, you better hop off, because you can't stop it." After going mainstream following the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November 2022, AI started appearing in many classrooms last spring. Adoption continued in last fall, with college students across the nation turning to AI tools. Meanwhile, institutions began using AI for enterprise functions, such as streamlining admissions and financial aid processes and creating courses on ChatGPT. Next up could be greater adoption of AI as a teaching tool. "AI has been heavy on operational efficiency," said Hernan Londono, chief technology and innovation strategist for education at Dell Technologies. He pointed to recruitment, admissions, retention and fundraising. "Everyone under the sun is using AI, but not for teaching, so that will start to come." |
| Bill would fund AI training through schools, nonprofits | |
| A bill introduced in Congress -- the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act -- aims to build AI skills and workforce preparedness as the emerging technology continues to change workplace dynamics. The legislation, introduced Dec. 15, 2023, has drawn bipartisan support and endorsements from major universities, education associations and workforce partners, including the Society for Human Resource Management. "At SHRM, we wholeheartedly applaud initiatives to increase AI literacy within the workforce. We firmly believe that combining human intelligence's unique strengths with artificial intelligence's power is the key to unlocking unparalleled returns on investment in today's dynamic business landscape," Emily Dickens, SHRM chief of staff and head of public affairs, said in a statement. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., introduced the bill. They noted that AI adoption has more than doubled since 2017, and the average number of AI capabilities that organizations use doubled between 2018 and 2022. The legislation would also highlight the importance of AI literacy for national competitiveness, workforce preparedness and the well-being and digital safety of Americans. In addition, it would open grant eligibility for K-12 schools, colleges, nonprofits and libraries to support AI literacy. |
| Harold Franklin became Auburn's first Black student on this day in 1964. Why couldn't he graduate? | |
 | Sixty years ago today, Harold Franklin became the first Black student to attend Auburn University -- though he would not receive his degree until decades later, in 2020. Isolated and under heavy guard, Franklin arrived on Auburn's campus on Jan. 4, 1964. Officials had previously rejected his application, but with the help of the NAACP, he successfully sued the college in 1963, making Auburn the third state college to desegregate. Franklin died in 2021 at the age of 88. "I won two cases against them," Franklin told AL.com in a 2019 interview. "I was a 31-year-old married agitator. George Wallace was governor. I don't have to tell you what he was like." Franklin, a Talladega native, had recently graduated from the historically Black Alabama State College and, inspired by the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, had dreams of attending law school one day. It was attorney Fred Gray who initially encouraged Franklin to work on a master's at Auburn -- but it would take some convincing. "I don't want to go to a cow college," Franklin's son, Harold Franklin Jr., recalled his father telling Gray at the time. But eventually Franklin agreed to join Gray's class-action suit, and after two years of court proceedings, he would become the first Black student to successfully register at the school. |
| Louisiana's state climatologist, a familiar weather expert, sidelined by LSU leaders | |
 | Louisiana State Climatologist Barry Keim, familiar statewide for his explanations of hurricanes, tornadoes and other weather events during his 19 years in the position, has been removed from the post by LSU officials, possibly due to a dispute over whether last summer's intense drought conditions were being accurately portrayed. The university refused to say why it was replacing Keim. But in a letter emailed to other members of the American Association of State Climatologists, Keim said it likely was the result of criticism by farming interests related to the classification of drought conditions in August. Keim and others say he was mistakenly criticized over the issue. In November, economists with the LSU AgCenter estimated 2023 agriculture and forestry losses resulting from drought conditions totaled $1.69 billion, and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Stark, has been peppering U.S. Department of Agriculture officials with demands to speed up emergency disaster payments to agricultural interests in the state. The university said in a statement released by Todd Woodward, vice president for marketing and communications, that it planned "to align the position of state climatologist more closely with the LSU AgCenter as a means of serving every parish in the state through research, extension, and outreach." The statement said Keim was "a valuable member of LSU's faculty and a leading researcher in his area." A tenured professor in the university's Department of Geography and Anthropology, Keim said Wednesday that he plans to continue to teach and conduct climate research. In his emailed letter, Keim said the decision "stems from a 'dust-up' in August 2023 when Louisiana went into a flash drought, and the U.S. Drought Monitor, according to some farmers and cattle ranchers, was not depicting the reality of drought on the ground." |
| U. of Florida awards $10.2M in funding for final round of strategic projects | |
 | The University of Florida has announced its final round of strategic funding awardees with four projects related to technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and university advancement. UF received $130 million in funding from the state legislature this year and chose to put most of it -- as established by President Ben Sasse -- toward strategic initiatives that aim to advance interdisciplinary scholarship and enhance the student experience. "The University of Florida is a world-changing institution. Our faculty do incredible work, and we are making some strategic bets on projects that can transform everything from space exploration and agriculture to construction and sports," said Sasse in a news release. "We want to elevate UF's reputation as a national research leader and innovator. We've been entrusted with resources from the state, and we're putting those resources to work. Gators are doing groundbreaking, interdisciplinary work here that will have a powerful impact on the industries of the future -- in Florida and beyond." Out of the more than 250 submissions UF received, 40 proposals were selected for funding. Distribution of funds began in October and winning proposals have been awarded money through four rounds of funding. The first round of strategic funding, released Oct. 3, awarded $13.4 million across 19 proposals. Originally, the first round was to receive $9.2 million in funding during the first year plus $4.4 million over additional years, but UF officials said the CFO's office decided to combine the total amount of the awards in year one. The second round, released Nov. 13, consisted of seven proposals that were awarded a total of $5.4 million, and the third round, released Dec. 4, consisted of 10 proposals that were awarded nearly $10.9 million. |
| Ban on college diversity initiatives among bills proposed on Kentucky legislature opening day | |
 | A bill prohibiting instruction in Kentucky's public colleges and universities that promotes such "divisive concepts" as "race or sex scapegoating," a belief that some individuals are "inherently privileged" and any teaching that suggests all "Americans are not created equal," was filed by a Republican lawmaker Tuesday, the first day of the legislative session. Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, filed Senate Bill 6, which seeks to limit diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, practices and initiatives at public colleges and universities by way of "non-credit classes, seminars, workshops, trainings and orientations." A handful of states with Republican majorities have passed DEI bills in recent years, perhaps most notably in Florida. Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor and presidential hopeful, signed into law a sweeping bill limiting DEI initiatives on college campuses earlier this year. At the time, DeSantis mockingly said DEI should stand for "discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination." Wilson's bill relies on nearly identical language from a similar bill passed by the Tennessee state legislature in 2022, including its definitions for "divisive concepts." That bill was signed into law by Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee after passage through the state's GOP-led legislature. Unlike the Tennessee bill, Wilson's bill states that a person can sue a higher education institution for damages, not to exceed $100,000, if they are aggrieved by that institution not following the bill. |
| How Major University Discriminated Against White And Asian Candidates | |
| The University of Washington has revealed that "an internal whistleblower" exposed discrimination against white and Asian job candidates in its psychology faculty. An internal report found that a third-placed job applicant, who was Black, was given a tenure-track assistant professor job last April, above white and Asian candidates who were ranked higher in the selection process. Other violations included excluding white staff from meetings with job candidates, deleting a passage from a hiring report to hide discrimination, and discussing ways to "think our way around" a Supreme Court ruling that barred affirmative action in colleges. A UW spokeswoman told Newsweek on Thursday that the case was exposed when "the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, responding to an internal whistleblower, requested an internal review of this process by what was then called UCIRO (University Complaints, Investigation and Resolution Office) and is now the Civil Rights Investigation Office." The psychology faculty has been barred from hiring tenured staff for two years as a result. The UW report found that when five finalists for a tenure-track assistant professor position were selected in January 2023, they were due to be interviewed by the Women Faculty and Faculty of Color groups. The report also said a member of the Faculty of Color did not want any white women at the meeting and complained that the interviews were "awkward" when there was a white candidate. The names of everyone involved are redacted from the UW report. "As a person who has been on both sides of the table for these meetings, I have really appreciated them," the person wrote in an email. "Buuut, when the candidate is White, it is just awkward. The last meeting was uncomfortable, and I would go as far as burdensome for me. Can we change the policy to not do these going forward with White faculty?" |
| How the Push for Diversity at Colleges and Companies Came Under Siege | |
| The management philosophy known as DEI, which had gathered momentum since 2020, has been under siege over the past year amid a collision of legal, economic and geopolitical forces. The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in colleges, removing the legal rationale buttressing many diversity programs. An expected slowdown in the economy prompted companies to cut jobs and financial support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. And the Israel-Hamas war and college presidents' responses to antisemitism on campus led some to question whether DEI programs and the values behind them extended to all students. This week brought the resignation of Harvard University President Claudine Gay, whose championing of diversity initiatives made her a target of conservative critics. Gay, Harvard's first Black female president, had come under additional fire in recent weeks for allegations of plagiarism and for congressional testimony in which she and other college presidents struggled in their responses to questions about antisemitism on campuses. Also this week, Texas became the second state, after Florida, to ban DEI initiatives at publicly funded colleges and universities. Texas A&M University had already announced in the fall that it closed its DEI office and reassigned the team's staff members. It isn't clear whether the upheaval of the past year will have a broad and lasting impact on how companies and colleges approach diversity. Some DEI consultants say the scrutiny surrounding such efforts in academia could have a chilling effect on corporate diversity initiatives, emboldening critics to take them on. Others maintain that DEI is resilient. "I do expect we'll see activists targeting companies and leaders who have been outspoken on the importance of diversity and inclusion," said Joelle Emerson, CEO of Paradigm, a provider of consulting services and analytic tools that has worked with organizations including American Express, Grubhub and the National Football League on their DEI efforts. |
| How a Conservative Activist's Crusade Led to Claudine Gay's Resignation | |
 | Christopher Rufo has done it again. On Tuesday, the conservative activist -- best known for launching the crusade against "critical race theory" -- was in a celebratory mood after Claudine Gay announced her resignation as president of Harvard University. In recent weeks, Rufo has been at the forefront of a sprawling campaign to force Gay to resign, which began after she delivered controversial testimony before Congress in early December about Harvard's handling of alleged instances of antisemitism stemming from the war in Gaza. On Dec. 10, Rufo and the conservative journalist Christopher Brunet publicized accusations that Gay -- the first Black woman to serve as Harvard's president and a political scientist held in high regard by her peers -- had plagiarized other scholars' work. Together with pressure from donors about Gay's response to the war in Gaza, those accusations ultimately led to Gay losing her job this week. None of that happened by accident. As Rufo acknowledged to me, Gay's resignation was the result of a coordinated and highly organized conservative campaign. "It shows a successful strategy for the political right," he told me. "How we have to work the media, how we have to exert pressure and how we have to sequence our campaigns in order to be successful." For an operative who works mostly behind the scenes of Republican politics, Rufo isn't shy about revealing the true motives behind his influence operations. |
| Can Colleges Protect Jewish Students? | |
 | A Jewish student's nose is broken in a melee sparked by attempts to burn an Israeli flag. Messages declaring "Glory to our Martyrs" and "Divestment From Zionist Genocide Now" are projected onto the façade of a campus building. Jewish students huddle inside a campus library while protesters shouting "Free Palestine" bang on the glass walls. With each new headline and video snippet that goes viral, the pressure on colleges to respond forcefully and quickly to incidents of antisemitism is building. So too is the pressure to resist calls from politicians, donors, and alumni to crack down on protesters in ways that stifle protected speech. College leaders, who've been lambasted over the past few months for failing to tackle antisemitism with the same ardor they've confronted other forms of prejudice and hate, are having to make quick judgment calls under the harsh glare of the national spotlight and the war between Israel and Hamas. The questions are complicated, and backlash is certain. What counts as antisemitism? How can campuses help Jewish students feel safe? And perhaps of greatest consequence for colleges, where is the line between protected speech and prohibited harassment, and how should students who cross it be disciplined? College leaders today "face tremendous pressures from competing groups of students, faculty, alumni, and administrators," said Ethan Katz, associate professor of history and Jewish studies at the University of California at Berkeley, one of several universities facing lawsuits over alleged antisemitism. "The number and intensity of those pressures is pretty widely underestimated by the public." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Hosts Vanderbilt In SEC Opener Thursday | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball opens its Southeastern Conference schedule when it hosts Vanderbilt inside Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT. Fans not in attendance can follow action on SEC Network+ with talent Bart Gregory and Charlie Winfield or through their affiliate radio station with play-by-play talent Jason Crowder. Mississippi State enters its conference schedule with a 13-2 overall record and a five-game winning streak. The Bulldogs are currently ranked 32 in the NET Rankings, while the Commodores check in at 58. Vanderbilt is 13-1 on the season in its third season under head coach Shea Ralph and has already surpassed its win total from last season. The start for the Commodores also ties the program's best start heading into SEC play. The Commodores are led by graduate student guard Jordyn Cambridge, who is currently averaging 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.6 steals per game. Her steals average leads the SEC and ranks second nationally. Mississippi State has won eight of its last 11 conference openers, including defeating Vanderbilt 72-44 on the road inside Memorial Gymnasium in Purcell's SEC debut on Dec. 29, 2022. It is the sixth time overall and the second straight season that Mississippi State has opened conference play with Vanderbilt. Mississippi State concluded its regular season conference slate 8-3 overall and 6-0 at home last season. |
| Transfer trio has Bulldogs eyeing the top of the SEC | |
| The first time Erynn Barnum received a direct message from Lauren Park-Lane, she thought the former Seton Hall point guard, who had just transferred to Mississippi State, was "a little weird." After playing for four years at Arkansas and being named to the all-Southeastern Conference second team last season, Barnum had entered the transfer portal herself for her final year of eligibility. Like the point guard she is, Park-Lane began trying to convince other players in the portal to join her in Starkville once she decided to make MSU her new home in late April. In the case of both Barnum and Darrione Rogers, Park-Lane's former Big East foe at DePaul, it worked. The trio gave the Bulldogs the No. 3 ranked transfer portal class in all of women's college basketball, according to 247Sports, with all three players among the nation's top 25 transfer additions. "I'm going through the process, and everybody's DMing me at this point," Barnum said. "I see (Park-Lane) in my DMs, and she's like, 'Hey, come to Hail State. We need you.' She kept DMing me and she threatened to block me. She said she would block me if I didn't reply. She would be a good recruiting coordinator." The Bulldogs open SEC play at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night against a much-improved Vanderbilt team, with a matchup at top-ranked South Carolina to follow on Sunday. The Gamecocks and LSU are the only teams from the SEC ranked in the AP Top 25, but the likes of Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss are sure to give MSU all it can handle. |
| Vanderbilt women's basketball off to blistering start. Will it continue in SEC play? | |
 | Vanderbilt women's basketball has been a positive surprise in its nonconference slate, riding a 13-1 record to receiving votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and the AP Poll. In Shea Ralph's third season, she's finally built a team that looks like it can compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Though the Commodores' only nonconference win over a power-conference team was against Iowa State, they stayed within single digits of a top-five NC State team. Next comes the gauntlet that is SEC play, beginning on Thursday at Mississippi State (6:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network+). In her first two seasons, Ralph has not won an SEC road game. That will need to change if Vanderbilt has any hopes of reaching March Madness. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme had the Commodores as a No. 11 seed and part of the "last four in" in his most recent update. Vanderbilt, which played a relatively light nonconference schedule, could raise its profile by winning games in SEC play. The Commodores are seventh in the NET among their conference-mates. Ten of Vanderbilt's 16 SEC games are against teams ranked lower in the NET as of Jan. 3. |
| Boy Scouts to honor UM coach Bianco, MSU coach Lemonis with Distinguished Citizen Award on Jan. 16 | |
| The Natchez Trace Council of the Boy Scouts of America will soon honor University of Mississippi Head Baseball Coach Mike Bianco and Mississippi State University Head Baseball Coach Chris Lemonis as winners of its Distinguished Citizen Award. A reception and dinner honoring the coaches will begin at 6 p.m. on Jan. 16 at the Cadence Bank Arena and Conference Center in Tupelo. "These outstanding coaches brought great honor to Mississippi and to the institutions they represent," said Natchez Trace Council President Sid Salter of Starkville. "Mike Bianco and Chris Lemonis are also extremely outstanding men and role models for youth that flourish in scouting. This is an opportunity to recognize these fine men and support scouting in our communities from the Tennessee line to the Golden Triangle." The Natchez Trace Council serves 22 northeast Mississippi counties, including the Ole Miss and MSU campuses. Former award winners include U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker; author and producer Sam Haskell; former BancorpSouth President Aubrey Patterson; acclaimed author John Grisham; MSU President Mark Keenum; Ole Miss football great Archie Manning; former governors William Winter and Haley Barbour; former U.S. senators Trent Lott and Thad Cochran; former council presidents Felix Black, Henry Brevard, Rob Leake, Bud McCarty, Jack Reed Sr. and J.C. Whitehead; and MSU broadcaster Jack Cristil. |
| Scouts to honor Bianco, Lemonis with Distinguished Citizen Award | |
| The Natchez Trace Council of the Boy Scouts of America have named University of Mississippi head baseball coach Mike Bianco and Mississippi State University head baseball coach Chris Lemonis as this year's recipients of their prestigious Distinguished Citizen Award. The council will honor the coaches at a reception and dinner at the Cadence Conference Center on Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. "These outstanding coaches brought great honor to Mississippi and to the institutions they represent," said National Trace Council President Sid Salter of Starkville. "Mike Bianco and Chris Lemonis are also extremely outstanding men and role models for youth that flourish in Scouting. This is an opportunity to recognize these fine men and support Scouting in our communities from the Tennessee line to the Golden Triangle." The veteran Southeastern Conference coaches led their respective teams to NCAA National Championships in baseball by winning the College World Series in 2021 (MSU) and 2022 (Ole Miss). Both are former National Coach of the Year winners. For tickets or information, contact Rick Wise at (662) 842-2871 or (662) 260-2565 or rick.wise@scouting.org or visit natcheztracecouncil.org. Individual tickets begin at $250 for two and there are table sponsorship opportunities available. |
| NCAA inks landmark media deal with ESPN for coverage of 40 championships domestically | |
| In a year that promises significant change in college sports, the NCAA is wasting no time revamping the brand as it has reached a milestone eight-year deal with ESPN that will cover 40 NCAA championships domestically -- 21 women's and 19 men's events (not including men's basketball) -- along with the international rights to the Division I men's basketball tournament, as well as those same NCAA championships. NCAA President Charlie Baker told SBJ the deal is worth an average of $115 million annually. An NCAA spokesperson also confirmed that production and marketing costs assumed by ESPN would be around 25% more on top of that annual value. The new deal runs through 2032 and is roughly three times the value of the current contract that expires in 2024 and paid around $40 million annually. Also of note, this NCAA agreement is set to conclude at the same time as the domestic rights for the NCAA men's basketball tournament presently owned by CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery, allowing the NCAA great flexibility in its next round of negotiations. Baker said the size of the deal is reflective of the value of college sports programming and the growth in viewership. "If you look at the numbers across most of these sports, they've all done far better over the past few years," Baker told SBJ. "And we fully expect the reason we got three-times [our previous deal] is because they're all going to do far better going forward." Speculation in recent months suggested the NCAA might look to break out pieces of the previous package owned by ESPN -- a discussion notably centered on the NCAA selling rights separately to the women's basketball tournament. |
| Women's Sports Drive Value of NCAA's New ESPN Deal | |
| In March 2021, after a viral video contrasted the tiny weight room for the NCAA women's basketball tournament with the vast spread for the men's tournament, college sports' governing body rushed to defend itself. The women's tournament, the NCAA said, was a money-loser. Now, after years of rising ratings, the NCAA used that tournament to drive the value of a new broadcast-right contract for multiple sports championships worth $115 million a year -- three times the package's previous value. The new eight-year deal between the NCAA and ESPN, announced Thursday, encompasses 40 sports championships and runs from September 2024 through midyear 2032. Women's basketball represents 57%, or $65 million, of the deal's annual value, the NCAA says -- about 10 times the sport's value in the expiring deal. More broadly, the increased popularity of women's sports has helped the NCAA do something that a scathing gender-equity review following the weight-room incident said it should do: Build value in sports beyond the lucrative men's basketball tournament. "If you look at softball or volleyball or women's gymnastics or the women's basketball tournament, they all blew away their historical performance numbers over the course of the past year," said Charlie Baker, who took over as NCAA president last March. "And they also blew away their attendance numbers. I see nothing but tremendous positive opportunity going forward and I'm going to do everything I can -- and I know everybody will -- to make sure that we deliver on the potential and the opportunity that's here." |
| Most US adults follow women's sports, study finds | |
| On Tuesday night, Iowa women's basketball phenom Caitlin Clark hit a shot at the buzzer to help her squad beat Michigan State in a nationally televised matchup before a sold-out crowd of nearly 15,000. It's the kind of scene that might have been unthinkable decades ago, but is becoming more common. New research shows that women's sports are becoming popular but still have a way to go to catch up to men's sports. Researchers from the Ohio State University and Mississippi State University published their findings in the Journal of Emerging Sports Studies. Their findings show that over half of U.S. adults spent some time "consuming female sports content." This could mean that someone attended or watched a women's sporting event or merely watched highlights of a game. The study found that U.S. adults spend an hour a week consuming female sports content, a figure higher than researchers expected. "It's not just people who are passionate and invested who consume girls' and women's sports," said Chris Knoester, co-author of the study. "Sometimes it's parents watching their daughters play soccer, or sports fans who are flipping through channels looking for something to watch, or a person who reads about female sports stars." The research, the authors said, could be helpful for those marketing women's sports to reach broader audiences. |
| With transfers and opt-outs abound in college football, is there a way to fix Bowl Season? | |
| Standing along the bustling sideline of the Sugar Bowl, Nick Carparelli, the executive director of Bowl Season, gazed toward the field as Texas and Washington players began to warm up for their College Football Playoff semifinal. They seemed to all be accounted for. There were no opt-outs in this bowl game. But that wasn't the case in so many others. Enough players decided against participating in their bowl games -- bound for either the NFL or the transfer portal -- that it sparked an outcry from stakeholders, including some high-profile coaches encouraging leaders to "fix" the problem. "People need to look at what happened tonight, and they need to fix this," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after his team's 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl -- a game in which the Seminoles were without more than a dozen starters. "There's still going to be bowl games outside of [the College Football Playoff]. People need to decide what they want and what they wanna get out of it. It's really unfortunate for those kids on that sideline that had to play in that game that didn't have their full arsenal. It affected the game, 100 percent." Well, as it turns out, Carparelli has some solutions -- three, in fact -- to both unclog a busy month of December and incentivize play in bowl games: eliminate early signing day, eliminate the fall transfer portal window and, most notably, allow bowls to compensate players for participation. "The problem is not bowl games or the bowl system," Carparelli said. "The problem is all the unregulated circumstances around it now, with transfer portal and NIL and early signing period all happening at the same time. That doesn't occur in any other sport. That's what has to be fixed." |
| Sugar Bowl CEO says this bowl season emphasizes importance of staying in CFP rotation | |
 | Jeff Hundley didn't get much of a chance to watch the other New Year's Six games over the past few days. But what he did see gave the Allstate Sugar Bowl chief executive officer an even deeper appreciation -- and sense of urgency -- about the importance of keeping the Sugar Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff in the future. Thousands of empty seats and teams decimated by opt outs and the transfer portal made for a rough go for the Cotton, Fiesta, Peach and particularly the Orange bowls -- all nonplayoff bowls this year. Meanwhile, the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl had full houses, tremendous games and thousands of happy visitors for the CFP semifinals. That was particularly so in New Orleans, where Texas and Washington fans enjoyed the ambiance of the city amid great weather. Even the New Year's Eve parade had its largest-ever turnout, and both schools had their own major fan events. "It was like we had a charmed week for game experience," Hundley said Tuesday, the day after Washington had upset Texas, 37-31, to punch its ticket to Monday's CFP championship game in Houston. "It was certainly one of the best games and best game weeks we've had in a long time. The drama of the game, the demand for tickets, hotels and restaurants had the entire city in a good mood and buzzing. It was a reminder of what a great major event city New Orleans is and hopefully a catalyst for the future." That future is at hand. |
| CFP Committee Got It Right. And: Fox Mounting Massive Rights Bid? | |
| Let's give it up for the College Football Playoff selection committee. Despite all the outrage from Florida State players, coaches, and fans, the reviled committee dialed up one of the best TV shows in years with Michigan's thrilling 27-20 overtime victory over Alabama on Monday. ESPN's telecast had it all. Two blue-chip college football programs, fighting until the last down. Two legendary coaches, Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban. An iconic setting at the Rose Bowl -- the "granddaddy of them all," in the words of the late Keith Jackson. How good was this for TV? Michigan-Alabama averaged 27.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen's fast nationals, peaking at 32.8 million. That made it one of the Top 10 most-watched cable TV telecasts of all time (but still behind the record 28.27 million viewers for Ohio State-Alabama in 2015, the most-watched college football semifinal in history). Meanwhile, Washington-Texas late on Monday night averaged 18.4 million viewers. All told, ESPN drew its most-watched CFP Semifinals in six years, with 22.6 million average viewers. Now, does anybody think the Seminoles, without star quarterback Jordan Travis, would have produced comparable drama against Harbaugh's loaded Wolverines? Even after their no-show performance at the Orange Bowl, where the undefeated ACC Champions were destroyed 63-3 by Georgia on Saturday? Yes, we can partly blame that beatdown on their heartbreak at being excluded from the CFP in favor of one-loss Alabama and Texas, and the subsequent exodus of opt-out players. But the reality is that FSU was always going to be missing its injured starting quarterback. Travis's backup (after Tate Rodemaker entered the transfer portal), Brock Glenn, threw for 139 yards with two interceptions. Meanwhile, the team that the CFP committee picked instead of FSU, Alabama, took No. 1 Michigan to overtime. And as Doug Gottlieb said on his Fox Sports radio show: "You can't get any closer than overtime." |
| Houston set to host its 1st CFP title game, could see it return after new contracts are signed | |
| As Houston prepares to host the College Football Playoff title game for the first time when No. 1 Michigan faces No. 2 Washington on Monday night, CFP executive director Bill Hancock believes the city will factor into future playoff games when the new contract is signed. Though the playoffs will expand from four teams to 12 next season, the next two seasons' sites already have been chosen under the previous contract. After that, other bowls could be chosen to host quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games, but Hancock said they haven't done much work on that yet. "We really haven't started talking very much about what's to come," Hancock told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "We go to Atlanta and then Miami after that, and after that we're not sure, but I would expect Houston to have a long-term presence with CFP because they have everything we need." This is the 10th year of the CFP and the title game has been played in a different stadium each year. Houston has been trying to get the game for years and organizers hope to host it again in the not-too-distant future. "We will definitely bid again," Houston Sports Authority CEO Janis Burke said. "We started in 2016 really talking to them and telling them about our intent of wanting to do the best championship game ever. Our organization built the stadiums, and then our job transferred into filling those stadiums with big mega events. And I'm really happy that we've been able to do that and really put Houston on the map as this great sports town that knows how to host these big mega events in a great way and really take it to a new level." |
| Why is the NCAA proposing a new subdivision? Explaining the related legal battles | |
| In early December, Ohio attorney general Dave Yost fired off a zinger in a press release: "The 'AA' in NCAA might as well stand for 'arbitrary and atrocious.'" The comment was directed at what the politician believed was an unlawful transfer rule by the NCAA, which requires non-graduate, multi-time transfer athletes to sit out a season of competition before being eligible to play for their new schools. Yost argued the rule violated antitrust law, which prohibits business practices that can stifle a competitive market and limit earning potential. But in a broader sense, the comment was indicative of what the NCAA has become, particularly in the legal realm: an easy mark. All it does is lose. The most notable example is the NCAA v. Alston case in 2021, in which a historically divided Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the NCAA, voting 9-0 to uphold a lower-level court decision stating the NCAA cannot limit education-related payments to student-athletes due to federal antitrust principles. This decision came in the wake of O'Bannon v. NCAA, which cleared a path for universities to provide "cost of attendance" stipends to student-athletes. Both cases sparked the NCAA to ultimately remove restrictions on college athletes collecting name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings in July 2021. The NCAA has long governed over -- and clung to -- an amateurism model of competition. But as college sports, football in particular, have grown wildly lucrative in terms of television dollars and other media rights, that model has been increasingly condemned. In the two years since Alston, a flurry of lawsuits and legal action have been mounted against the NCAA, serving as a backdrop to the memo NCAA president Charlie Baker released last month proposing the creation of a new subdivision within DI athletics that would allow the highest-resourced programs to directly compensate athletes through a trust fund and/or in-house NIL agreements. |
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