| Friday, January 19, 2024 |
| SMART ridership continues to bounce back post-COVID | |
 | Starkville's transit system is bouncing back. "We're not back to where we were pre-COVID, but we're slowly getting there," Ronnie White, director of Mississippi State University Transportation, told the Starkville Board of Aldermen Wednesday. "Very slowly." The Starkville-MSU Rapid Area Transit (SMART) system had more than 470,000 riders in 2023, an increase of 22,000 from 2022. SMART is funded through a Federal Transportation Commission grant, along with contributions from Mississippi State University, the city of Starkville and various other contracts and advertising. White also said there has been a steady increase in paratransit riders, a transportation option for riders with disabilities or medical needs. There were more than 7,300 paratransit rides in 2023, an increase of around 1,200 rides from last year. He said SMART intends this year to finalize the development of its own purchasing contracts for buses. SMART is also close to formalizing its own internal driver training program to hire drivers and train them to earn a commercial driver's license. "I think it's a service that really benefits a lot of our community," said Ward 2 Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk. "Those of us who have access to other transportation don't always see that. But I do think it's a tremendous benefit to our community as a whole." |
| USDA changes zones for Mississippi plants | |
 | The U.S. Department of Agriculture released an updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map for Mississippi gardeners. Released in late 2023, the zone map features an updated chart that was previously drawn in 2012. Much of Mississippi is now in zone 8b, which has average low winter temperatures of 15–20 degrees. Eddie Smith, a horticulturalist with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service and host of Southern Gardening, said despite the adjustments made to the plant hardiness zones, most of the state will still be able to grow the same crops and plants. "Even with warmer temperatures shown to extend further north, the options for growing tropical plants will remain the same," Smith said. "Winter temperatures will be too low for tropical plants to survive outside without receiving some damage or being killed." USDA officials announced that the 2023 map is based on 30-year averages of the lowest annual winter temperatures measured at specific locations. Zones represent a 10-degree difference, and they are further divided into half zones based on 5-degree differences. |
| Lunch and Learn event coming to Warren County's Mississippi State Extension Office | |
 | Warren County's Mississippi State University Extension Office at 1100-C Grove St. will hold a series of Lunch and Learns from Jan. 23 through Jan. 25 at noon. On Tuesday, Jan. 23, our topic will be How to be a Project Lead, taught by Mr. Malcolm Goodman, Warren County Master Gardener. Malcolm will share his knowledge of being a leader and the characteristics that make leaders successful. This advice applies to all collaborative efforts among our citizens. At the Wednesday, Jan. 24, Lunch and Learn, Mississippi State Extension agricultural communications social media strategist Ellen Graves will address social media. She will advise what, when, and how to post creatively. And finally, on Thursday, Jan. 25, the Warren County MSU Extension Agent Sandy Havard will present Technology After You Pass. This program informs us what happens to our social media accounts after we pass. |
| Crawfish season 2024: Expect high prices, if you can find any at all | |
 | Crawfish season is here but, unfortunately, the crawfish aren't. A lack of rain in 2023 and high temperatures have left farmers short-handed of crawfish and driven prices sky-high. "There is none," said Kelly Ray, owner of T'Beaux's Crawfish and Catering in Clinton. "It's killed my business." At the heart of the problem is a lack of rain in 2023 and elevated temperatures. A November report from the Louisiana State University AgCenter showed temperatures significantly higher than normal from May through October and rainfall woefully lower for the same period in Louisiana. That made conditions unfavorable for crawfish production in Louisiana, which is by far the largest producer of crawfish in the U.S., according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. According to the LSU AgCenter report, an estimated 46,000 acres of crawfish were projected to fail with another 270,000 acres impacted. It's not all doom and gloom for crawfish lovers, though. Jason Roberts of Madison owns Mississippi Crawfish Company; a small crawfish farm in the Mississippi Delta. Small operations like his could provide some relief, even if it is in a small way. "I probably have 12 water-acres," Roberts said. "I flooded my ponds about a month before I would normally. It was a lot easier for me to keep those two ponds wet vs. hundreds of acres." |
| Mississippi legislators approve incentives for a factory that would make EV batteries | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers on Thursday were considering state incentives for a factory that will manufacture batteries for electric vehicles -- a project that promises 2,000 jobs with an average salary of about $66,000. Mississippi Development Authority director Bill Cork told lawmakers that four companies are involved in the project, including one from China. The companies intend to invest about $1.9 billion for the plant in Marshall County, near the Tennessee state line, and it would be the second-largest corporate investment in Mississippi history, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said. The U.S. Treasury Department must approve plans for the plant in Mississippi, said Republican Rep. Trey Lamar of Senatobia, chairman of the state House Ways and Means Committee. "We are living in a global economy," Lamar said during a special legislative session Thursday. "The fact that we have companies that may be coming from outside of the United States to invest and provide jobs to Americans is a good thing." The state incentive package amounts to about $365 million, which includes costs of site development at the Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park. The House rejected two proposals by Democratic Rep. Robert Johnson of Natchez -- one that would have required the plant to hire 70% of its employees from Mississippi and one that would have required the plant to invest in other projects to benefit Marshall County. |
| Lawmakers approve economic development project for North Mississippi | |
| The Mississippi House and Senate entered a special session simultaneously at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday to finalize details for an economic development project announced on Tuesday by Governor Tate Reeves. The nearly $2 billion project will be located in Marshall County and provide 2,000 jobs with an average salary of $66,000 in addition to an employee benefits package. The development will produce and transport electric batteries intended to power commercial vehicles. The House bill outlines the complete capital investment and job report for the project. Coined "Project Poppy," the proposed package does include grant funding from the state. Mississippi was one of 24 states that bid on the project. The Senate legislation – SB 2001 – established the "Project Poppy Fund" which is how the grant funding will be maintained for the economic development project. It will be housed within the Mississippi Development Authority. Both SB 2001 and SB 2002 passed nearly unanimously with Senators Angela Hill and Kathy Chism, both Republicans, voting no. The bills were immediately released to the House early Thursday morning. When asked why she voted against the bill, Hill said, "I try to make sure that I practice what I preach." During discussion of House Bill 1 on the House floor, State Representative Trey Lamar, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the project shows the state is working with major players in the automotive industry that will result in the largest investment by way of capital coming into the state, and the largest commitment of payroll by an employer in economic impact in the state's history. "It is a big deal, ladies and gentlemen. Not only that, it sends a message to the world that Mississippi is not just ready for business, that we are in business," Lamar stated. |
| Lawmakers pass $350 million deal to lure major green energy plant to north Mississippi | |
| The Legislature wasted little time Thursday appropriating at least $350 million to entice a partnership of automakers and technology companies to locate a $1.9 billion green energy plant in Marshall County in north Mississippi. The plant -- a joint venture of Paccar Inc., Cummins Truck Holdings, and Germany-based Daimler Truck Holdings, and China-based Eve Energy -- will build batteries to power electric commercial vehicles and possibly for industrial use. The names of the companies involved in the project were not unveiled until after the Legislature on Thursday passed the incentive deal. Gov. Tate Reeves said the plant, which will located at the Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park on a 500-acre site located near the Tennessee state line, would provide the largest payroll commitment ever offered for a new Mississippi project. The plant is slated to employ 2,000 people by 2031 with an average salary of $66,000, including supervisory level positions. "I can't imagine a better way to kick off the new year..." Reeves said. "This historic investment by these industry-leading companies will enshrine our state at the forefront of the automotive industry for years to come and create 2,000 good-paying jobs in the process. Today's announcement further demonstrates to the world that Mississippi is a top destination for business." Only two senators and one House member voted against the project. While Democrats had complaints about the project, they all voted for it. |
| Is a major economic development on tap for Madison County? | |
| Comments made Thursday afternoon at the Mississippi State Capitol could be signs a major economic development project is in the works for Madison County. On Thursday, Gov. Tate Reeves and the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus held dueling press conferences to discuss the approval of hundreds of millions in incentives for electric battery manufacturers coming to Marshall County. Members of the Black Caucus said they weren't opposed to economic development, but said they'd like to see more economic development for the areas they represent. "They'll probably be an economic development project for Madison County next week," said Rep. Robert Johnson, the House minority leader. "And they would tell Bryant Clark and Holmes County, 'Oh, that will help your area because you drive over to Madison County and take advantage of those jobs." Clark represents Attala, Holmes, and Yazoo Counties. He also is a member of the Black Caucus. "If they could drive over to Madison County, let them drive over to Holmes County," Johnson continued. "He has all the land, all the resources, all the workforce development training you need. Let somebody drive to our areas and take advantage." It's unclear what type of project Johnson was referring to. Joey Deason, executive director of the Madison County Economic Development Authority, would not comment. |
| Mississippi's Secretary of State talks election integrity | |
 | Secretary of State Michael Watson wants the public to know the work that goes into ensuring your right to vote. "It takes all of us working together to pull elections off in Mississippi," Watson said. By all, Watson said he means his office and the people carrying most of the heavy load to get the polls open. "Let's go visit our clerks and commissioners because they are the ones that do the hard work," Watson said. Watson said that teamwork starts by getting the right information out to voters. "You're going to be hearing things on Facebook, on Twitter, all over the place and sometimes that's not necessarily true," Watson said. "So, we tell our clerks, our commissioners, let's make sure that we are talking and having the same message to our voters." Watson said one way his office is getting trusted election information to voters this year is through social media. His office, as well as other secretaries of states, are pushing an "Election 101 Campaign," and part of the initiative is using the hashtag "Trusted Info 2024," which promotes election officials, their resources and the right information. "Here are the deadlines you need to be aware of, here is how you go register to vote, here is your clerk and the information for them," Watson said. "We did a new website, 'My Election Day.' You click on that link, you go to see who is my circuit clerk, who are my commissioners, how I can get in touch with them," Watson said. In last year's legislative session, Watson said he worked with legislators to pass an Election Integrity Package, ensuring that the vote you cast is the one that is counted. |
| Mississippi has the highest rate of preventable deaths in the US, health official says | |
| Mississippi has improved some of its poor health outcomes, but its people are more likely to die unnecessarily than residents of any other state, the state's top health official said Thursday. State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney urged legislators who just began this year's session to work with health officials to improve Mississippi's status as the nation's unhealthiest state, ranking at the bottom of virtually every health care indicator and at the top of every health disparity. "If we choose the right policies for our people, we will see us move off the radar of having the highest rate of preventable death," Edney said at a news conference inside the Mississippi Capitol. Mississippi ranks worst for infant mortality, with Black infants nearly twice as likely as whites to die over the past decade, according to a report unveiled Thursday by the Mississippi State Medical Association. While Mississippi managed to lower its opioid death rate by 10% in 2022, it still leads the nation in firearm deaths. And while the state's obesity and diabetes rates have declined recently, they remain among the nation's highest, with heart disease still the state's leading cause of death, the report says. Increasing access to health care coverage for working-class Mississippians is key to improving outcomes, Edney said. |
| Report highlights strengths, weaknesses of Mississippi's pandemic response | |
| The Mississippi State Health Department hired an outside contractor a little over a year ago to assess how well the state responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The answer, according to the report: pretty well. But this counters a previous report from a nonprofit that ranked Mississippi's response last in the nation. The new report highlights the state's strong suits -- use of data visualization, targeted vaccination clinics for underserved populations and consistently working and communicating with state and local agencies. It also lists areas for improvement, which include investing in its workforce, maintaining public information campaigns during long-term COVID-19 recovery and unifying its purchasing process. Mississippi's COVID-19 response, led by the state Health Department, was officially from March 2020, when the first cases of coronavirus were identified in Mississippi, until November 2021, when Gov. Tate Reeves' state of emergency declaration expired. And while the state-contracted report deemed Mississippi's response to COVID-19 widely "a success," another report by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund released in 2022 ranked Mississippi's pandemic response last in the country. The new 198-page report goes into great detail in every pandemic response category, offering both suggestions for improvement and highlighting the state's strengths in each area. |
| Herzog named MBI Director | |
| James "Jimmy" Herzog has been appointed as the Lieutenant Colonel and Director of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), per Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. Herzog has three decades of experience in law enforcement. Since July 2022, he has been serving as Chief of Security at the Mississippi Department of Agriculture. Before assuming this position, Herzog retired from MBI, where he held various roles over the years, including as the Captain overseeing the Special Operations and Major Crime Unit. DPS said Herzog played a pivotal role in the creation of the Endangered and Missing Child Alert System for the State of Mississippi. "I am delighted to welcome Director Herzog back to the Department of Public Safety team," said Commissioner Tindell. "I am confident that his tenure as Director at MBI will be marked by great achievements. His wealth of knowledge and experience will undoubtedly contribute to the agency's continued progress and growth." Governor Tate Reeves congratulated Herzog in a statement saying he has distinguished himself as a dedicated public servant who is committed to protecting and serving Mississippians. "MBI will be well-served under his leadership," Reeves said. Herzog will assume his new position on February 1st, 2024. |
| Trump, GOP lawmakers press ballot arguments at Supreme Court | |
 | Attorneys for Donald Trump on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to "put a swift and decisive end" to legal efforts that challenge his eligibility for the presidency, telling the justices that a Colorado court ruling to exclude the former president from the primary ballot could "unleash chaos and bedlam" if other states follow. Trump's legal team and others, including Republican lawmakers, got their chance ahead of Feb. 8 oral arguments to urge the justices to reverse a ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court, which concluded the Constitution's Insurrection Clause disqualifies Trump from holding the presidency. The state court ruling, which highlighted Trump's conduct in the lead-up to and during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, concluded that Trump "engaged in insurrection" and found he should be excluded from the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot under a section of the 14th Amendment. Trump's attorneys argued in Thursday's brief that kicking the former president off the ballot threatened to "disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans." And they criticized the Colorado ruling by saying the state court removed him from the ballot based on a "dubious interpretation" of the Insurrection Clause. Also on Thursday, 179 Republican members of Congress filed a brief pushing for a reversal of the Colorado ruling, arguing that it's Congress that must approve of "implementing legislation" to authorize the enforcement of the Insurrection Clause. |
| Congress Averts Government Shutdown as Conservatives Steam Over Border, Spending | |
 | Congress cleared legislation extending government funding into March, a step that ensures federal workers will remain on the job but does nothing to alleviate underlying political pressures stemming from high U.S. debt levels, record crossings at the southern border and an enduring war in Ukraine. The Senate passed the measure 77-18, followed by House approval, 314-108. The two votes send the measure to President Biden's desk with time to spare ahead of the weekend deadline. In a replay of recent votes that underscore the fragility of the GOP majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) relied heavily on Democrats to bring the continuing resolution across the finish line, with almost half of Republicans declining to back the measure. The day marked the latest turn in a long-running fight that has hobbled Congress and carved divisions through the Republican Party, with conservatives digging in on their demands for deep cuts as a condition for agreeing to back funding the government but being rebuffed by party leaders. Thursday's bill provides funding for the Transportation Department, the Energy Department, the Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration, and Veterans Affairs and military construction through March 1. The rest of the government would be funded through March 8. Under current law, funding was set to run out on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2, respectively. |
| Trump vs. Biden? No thanks. As 2024 election ramps up, many wish it were over | |
 | While politicians and some Iowans were braving subzero temperatures, software engineer Ralph Krausse, 53, was halfway across the country in his New Hampshire home happily watching Monday Night Football. Krausse, a Republican, plans to vote in next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, but like many Americans, he's already tired of this year's presidential campaign, which he expects will be a rematch between President Biden and former President Trump. "What happened is what I'd assumed so it didn't really occur to me to watch it," Krausse said of this week's Iowa Caucus. "And the football game was on." In frigid Chicago, Cheryl Wassenaar was also watching the game, purposely trying to avoid the Iowa Caucus. But the coverage was interrupted by breaking news that Trump won. "So much for that," said Wassenaar, 30, a Democrat. "I'm exhausted from the election narrative, and we've barely gotten past the caucuses, which have their own hullabaloo. And it's only January. We still have 10 months to go." Krausse and Wassenaar, like many others, found other things to do Monday, rather than pay close attention to the Iowa Caucuses. In addition to being up against Monday Night Football, the Emmys were also on TV at the same time. The viewership for the caucuses was lower than the 8.5 million who watched in 2020, according to an analysis by TheHill.com. Monday night's Eagles-Buccaneers game by contrast had nearly 29 million viewers nationwide. And like many other Americans, Krausse and Wassenaar have become disillusioned with both major parties and are dreading an apparent rematch this fall. "If Trump's the nominee, which he will be, and Biden's the nominee, which he will be, I most likely just won't even vote ... I don't even really care. I mean, it's going to happen, whatever is going to happen," Krausse said. |
| After Taiwan's election, its new envoy to the US offers assurances to Washington and Beijing | |
| Taiwan's top diplomat in Washington has a message for both the island's Chinese adversaries and its American friends: Don't worry that Taiwan's new president-elect will worsen relations with Beijing and possibly draw the U.S. into a conflict. President-elect Lai Ching-te plans to keep the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, Alexander Tah-Ray Yui told The Associated Press on Thursday in his first interview with an international news organization since he arrived in the U.S. in December. The Chinese government has called Lai a troublemaker who will push Taiwan toward independence. But Yui said Lai is willing to engage with Beijing, even as the island seeks to strengthen its unofficial ties with Washington for stability in the region. "We want the status quo. We want the way it is -- neither unification, neither independence. The way it is is the way we want to live right now," said Yui, Taiwan's de-facto ambassador to the U.S., noting the stance is largely supported at home and will guide the new administration. It remains unclear if Beijing will be willing to engage with Lai, who in the past described himself as a "pragmatic worker of Taiwan's independence." Yui, who was born to a diplomat’s family, attended high school in Panama and received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University. |
| Malls have rebounded thanks to an unlikely source: Gen Z | |
 | Gen Z hasn't crossed over into the metaverse just yet. Retail experts say these young shoppers have helped malls bounce back after the downturn brought on by the pandemic, in part because the digital space has turned Gen Z into a generation that expects instant gratification. The immediacy of touching, trying out and buying products may be the thing driving them to physical stores. "This digitally savvy generation is used to having things immediately that they can download, access, watch," said USC Marshall School of Business Assistant Professor Stephanie Tully. "And so from that perspective, the desire to get physical products immediately makes sense and would explain interest in brick-and-mortar." Gen Z -- people from the ages of 16 to 26 -- prefer in-person as much as online shopping, if not more, according to a 2023 report by the International Council of Shopping Centers. According to the trade group, about 97% of survey respondents said they shop at brick-and-mortar stores; 95% said they shop online for the convenience. "Gen Z shoppers are bringing back the mall shopping center experience," said Kristin Grove, senior vice president of national retail leasing at the global real estate firm JLL. "They want a sense of community. They want to bridge the gap between the social media that they're doing, and meet and shop in-person." "There's a lot of data showing that Gen Z is a particularly lonely generation and that it needs more social interactions," Tully said. "[Gen Z] would benefit probably more so than other generations from going out and having those experiences in-person." |
| Winter weather causes virtual start to college spring semester | |
| Due to icy roads and freezing temperatures, Mississippi universities across the state are moving classes online, with one school asking students to delay moving onto campus until the weather improves next week. As of Thursday, the state's only public universities that were open for regular business were Mississippi State University in Starkville and the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Delta State University and Mississippi Valley State University moved to virtual work and classes where possible, according to those universities. So did Jackson State University, which is also experiencing "water woes" due to boil-water notices and low water pressure primarily in west and south Jackson stemming from the winter weather. The University of Mississippi announced yesterday it was postponing the start of the spring semester to Jan. 25 and asking students not to return to Oxford, where the roads are impassable, until Jan. 23. Oxford is located in the northern part of the state that has been hit hardest by the winter storms. In a campuswide message, Chancellor Glenn Boyce wrote that the university's facilities crews need above-freezing temperatures in order to clear the slick ice covering the campus roads, parking lots and sidewalks. The mayor of Oxford, Robyn Tannehill, has asked residents to stay off the roads. |
| State IHL approves capital improvement projects for Ole Miss | |
| The University of Mississippi is expected to increase available student housing in Oxford by roughly 981 beds and see improved athletic and academic facilities over the next several years as part of a $245 million bond issue approved Thursday by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees. The bond issue is part of a combined $278 million capital improvements project at the campus that will also be funded through $5 million in private gifts, $10 million in currently appropriated state funding and $18 million in internal cash reserves. The $156 million housing project will provide residence facilities for up to 6,600 on-campus students with initial occupancy expected to be 6,200. "This will increase the debt to levels higher than we have seen in the last 10 years but the university has the room to absorb this," IHL Trustee Tom Duff said. The project will also provide for demolition of the existing Kincannon Hall. McCarty Architects has been selected as design professionals for the new building. IHL trustees, in a related development on Thursday, also approved the preliminary exterior design for a planned expansion at Oxford-University Baseball Stadium. The project will focus on upgrading patron amenities along the third base line, including a Hall of Fame Plaza and new entry gates at street level. Funding for that $30 million project will be provided by self-generated athletic revenues. |
| Flight attendant leaves $1.8M to Manning family health fund | |
| Brickell Williamson had an adventurous spirit that carried her all over the world during her years as a flight attendant – but family and friends already knew that, and they loved her for it. What they found after her death in November at 66 was a mindful spirit of generosity and a plan to help make lives better for others to live out their own bold ventures. Williamson, of Scottsdale, Ariz., and a Meridian native, left $1.8 million from her estate upon her death to the Manning Family Fund for a Healthier Mississippi. She began donating to the fund in 2013 after the death of her father, Lester F. Williamson Sr., a former district attorney and longtime judge in Meridian who also played football at Ole Miss in the early 1940s before serving in World War II. "When daddy died and gifted us money, she earmarked it for the Manning family," said Adele Graham, one of her four siblings. "I think she chose it because daddy idolized Archie Manning. Another reason was her love of medical research. She had donated to another charity for research out in Arizona." The donor-supported program is a partnership between the medical center and the Manning family. Funds support a wide variety of work to support UMMC's missions of education, research and health care. Melissa Robinson, director of principal gifts and strategic planning at UMMC, said Williamson remarked in 2022 on charitable giving for both medical research and continuing her family's support of the university, as part of Robinson's doctoral research project in the Doctor of Health Administration program, in the School of Health Related Professions. |
| U. of Alabama names new vice president for research and economic development | |
 | The University of Alabama has selected a new vice president for research and economic development. Bryan W. Boudouris will begin work on April 1 at the Tuscaloosa campus. He comes to UA from Purdue University, where he served as associate vice president for strategic interdisciplinary research with the Office of Research, while also serving as a chemical engineering professor. Boudouris will replace Allen Parrish, who has served as the interim vice president for research and economic development since May after the departure of Russ Mumper for a similar post at Indiana University. UA President Stuart R. Bell said he was pleased to welcome Boudouris to the Capstone. "His experience and depth of expertise aligns well with our strategic goals and will elevate UA's research enterprise to new levels of success," Bell said in a Jan. 12 news release. The UA Office for Research and Economic Development oversees a myriad of interdisciplinary units that collaborate with faculty, staff, students and partners outside UA to support research and scholarship activity. Boudouris earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota. Boudouris also serves as director of the Army-funded Energetic Materials Basic Research Center. As director of the $15 million project housed at Purdue, he guided the research, training and workforce development efforts within the center. |
| University announces Miller Hall temporary closure due to 'microbial growth' | |
| Following an investigation last week, Auburn University notified employees and students that Miller Hall would be temporarily closed after the offices of Risk Management and Safety and Facilities Management conducted a test of the building and found evidence of microbial growth in the basement of the building. An original complaint to the university sent on Oct. 12, 2023, was investigated by RMS but found no evidence of active growth at the time. However, following several large-scale rain events, RMS investigated the building again on Tuesday, Jan. 9, and found visual evidence of issues from moisture in the basement area. After conducting testing, RMS found microbial growth in the air on three levels: the basement, the first floor and the second floor. The building was summarily closed, and those affected were notified. All classes in the buildings are currently being held virtually, with the Registrar's Office working to locate alternate classrooms for professors who requested them. Due to the humid climate of the area, air quality has been a concern for other buildings recently including Cambridge Hall, an on-campus dorm which was closed in August 2023. A third-party vendor has been utilized to start the cleaning process of the building, and RMS will be releasing a report to further explain the external laboratory's findings. |
| DEI Spending Banned, Sociology Scrapped in Florida | |
 | On Monday, the Florida Department of Education honored civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. for his "dedication to service and equality." On Wednesday, Florida's State Board of Education voted to prohibit spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at 28 state colleges. The vote marks the latest strike against DEI programs in a state where such initiatives have come under fire from Republican governor -- and current GOP presidential candidate -- Ron DeSantis, who has called such programs both wasteful and "hostile to academic freedom." In the same meeting, the board also voted to replace a Principles of Sociology course with an American History course. The change, according to a department press release, aims "to provide students with an accurate and factual account of the nation's past, rather than exposing them to radical woke ideologies, which had become commonplace in the now replaced course." Now, sociology -- King's major at Morehouse College -- will no longer be a core course option at state colleges. The vote follows a similar move in November at the Florida State University System. The American Sociological Association initially raised concerns about cutting the Principles of Sociology from general education course options months ago in a public comment to the Florida Board of Governors in November. |
| 3 Ways That Anti-DEI Efforts Are Changing How Colleges Operate | |
 | Some public colleges are not only settling into a new semester; they're also settling into new names and protocols in response to restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Last year, Republican state lawmakers proposed dozens of bills taking aim at colleges' efforts to create more welcoming campuses, and they've already proposed more for 2024. As these critics see it, diversity-related offices, centers, and programs, often described as DEI, are ineffective and discriminatory. Colleges defend these initiatives as essential support systems for students from marginalized backgrounds. So far, restrictions on DEI efforts have taken effect in five states; several governors have also issued executive orders that direct colleges to review or reshape diversity efforts. Some institutions have acted without official state directives. This week highlighted one way that these changes are affecting how campuses operate: On Wednesday, Florida's Board of Education, which oversees the state's 28 two-year public colleges, voted to remove a sociology course from its slate of options for fulfilling general-education requirements. Some colleges have taken "diversity" out of the names of offices and job titles. The University of South Carolina changed its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to be the Division of Access, Civil Rights, and Community Engagement. In November, the University of Tennessee system's Division of Diversity and Engagement became the Division of Access and Engagement, according to The Daily Beacon, the student newspaper at Tennessee's Knoxville flagship. The newspaper reported that UT-Knoxville's diversity-related offices and committees would also adopt that shift. |
| Sen. Ted Cruz partners with A&M's Corps of Cadets to build admission path | |
 | Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is partnering with Texas A&M University's Corps of Cadets to give military service academy applicants an alternative path for admission into the Corps. Under the new partnership, those who apply for admission into a service academy through Cruz's office can now have his office share their information with Corps officials at A&M as an alternative way to pursue a military career. Cruz said Thursday his office receives hundreds of applications each year from Texas students who seek an appointment to attend one of the nation's military service academies, but nominations are not given to every eligible applicant. A&M has deep military roots as the largest of the six senior military colleges and the only one in Texas. Around 45% of Corps members commission into one of the service branches after graduation as the Corps consistently commissions more officers into the country's military than any other school in the country, except the five service academies. The Corps is currently in the midst of its March to 3,000 campaign with a goal of bolstering membership to 3,000 cadets by 2030. "We are committed to developing leaders of character and graduating great citizens," A&M President Mark Welsh said in a statement. "Through this new collaboration, Senator Cruz and Texas A&M are creating a new pathway for qualified students with a passion for public service to be part of an elite group of cadets and experience one of the nation's top institutions of higher education. Public service, and specifically military service, is not just a noble calling, it's a great privilege." |
| 'Sunken Treasure:' An exhibit of coral reefs, a pirate map and more not to be missed at UGA | |
 | James Porter stood next to a large display containing exotic butterflies collected in recent years in Costa Rica and as a comparison these insects are exhibited next to renderings of the same type butterflies painted in 1785. They're part of an exhibit called "Sunken Treasure: The Art and Science of Coral Reefs" at the University of Georgia. Porter and illustrator E.J. C. Esper, the 18th century scientist who carefully duplicated the colorful bodies of his subjects, have something in common despite their chasm in time. Both men started their careers working in entomology, specifically on butterflies. "My first paper was on butterflies and his first book was on butterflies – then he saw the light and became a coral reef biologist," said Porter, standing amid a unique scientific exhibition that opens this month in the Richard B. Russell Special Collections Building. An opening banquet on Jan. 27 is a fundraising event for the Georgia Museum of Natural History, which now owns Porter's vast collection of corals. An effort is underway to one day build a museum that will open UGA's vast store of collections for public viewing. The exhibit not only showcases collected corals, but one will view the books he has collected on the science of corals. Some date back to the 1500s. Over time, Porter has sought to amass every book ever published on corals. |
| Clemson installs 22 overdose prevention kits with Narcan on campus | |
 | A little over a year after she had her first conversation about potentially saving lives on campus, Clemson student senator Maya Khaskhely is seeing the fruits of her labor. As they returned to campus for the new year, students had access to free emergency overdose reversal kits -- including an instructional video, Narcan and fentanyl testing strips -- in 22 buildings, according to a university news release. When Charleston native Khaskhely first spoke with student health officials in November 2022, Narcan was available at a cost from the RedFern pharmacy on campus. "Even before I came to Clemson, I had heard of universities across the U.S. offering free Narcan to students," the sophomore said. "I was surprised to hear that Clemson didn't have such a program, and through my position in student government, I made it a mission of mine to see Clemson rise to the level of its peer institutions and offer free Narcan and Narcan training to students." The initial reaction was a bit pessimistic, but the idea gained traction after Gov. Henry McMaster and the S.C. Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services started a new opioid overdose prevention program that expanded Narcan access, she recalled. "The prevalence of fentanyl in counterfeit prescription drugs is a serious problem," Clemson University Police Chief Greg Mullen said. "While we've been fortunate to avoid any such incidents at Clemson, the impact of accidental poisonings and overdoses is happening on college campuses across the U.S., including the deaths of three college students from fentanyl poisoning in North Carolina in just the last two years." |
| Arizona State Joins ChatGPT in First Higher Ed Partnership | |
| Arizona State University is slated to become the first higher education institution to partner with the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, which will give ASU students and faculty access to its most advanced iteration of ChatGPT. OpenAI announced the partnership Thursday. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, aims to bolster research and coursework at ASU through the use of ChatGPT Enterprise, which focuses on larger entities instead of individual use. "ASU recognizes that augmented and artificial intelligence systems are here to stay, and we are optimistic about their ability to become incredible tools that help students to learn, learn more quickly and understand subjects more thoroughly," ASU president Michael Crow said in a statement. "Our collaboration with OpenAI reflects our philosophy and our commitment to participating directly [in] the responsible evolution of AI learning technologies." With the new access come lofty plans. Among other things, ASU wants to create AI avatars that can serve as study buddies for students. The university also plans to create a personalized AI tutor with a focus on STEM topics. In February, ASU will ask faculty to brainstorm potential uses of ChatGPT geared toward enhancing student success, advancing innovative research and streamlining organizational processes. ASU has long prized innovation. |
| Why Americans Have Lost Faith in the Value of College | |
| The Wall Street Journal's Douglas Belkin writes: The political turmoil that rocked universities over the past three months and sparked the resignations of two Ivy League presidents has landed like an unwelcome thud on institutions already struggling to maintain the trust of the American public. For three generations, the national aspiration to "college for all" shaped America's economy and culture, as most high-school graduates took it for granted that they would earn a degree. That consensus is now collapsing in the face of massive student debt, underemployed degree-holders and political intolerance on campus. In the past decade, the percentage of Americans who expressed a lot of confidence in higher education fell from 57% to 36%, according to Gallup. A decline in undergraduate enrollment since 2011 has translated into 3 million fewer students on campus. Nearly half of parents say they would prefer not to send their children to a four-year college after high school, even if there were no obstacles, financial or otherwise. Two-thirds of high-school students think they will be just fine without a college degree. The pandemic drove home a sobering realization for a lot of middle-class American families: "College for all" is broken for most. ... The digital revolution demanded a nimble realignment of the academy so that students could learn a quickly emerging set of skills to meet changing labor-market demands. Instead of adapting, campus interest groups protected their turf. Decisions reached by consensus usually meant the adoption of modest reforms that were the least objectionable to the greatest number of people, said Brian Rosenberg, former president of Macalester College and author of "'Whatever It Is, I'm Against It': Resistance to Change in Higher Education." |
SPORTS
| Baseball General Admission Season Tickets On Sale Now | |
| The 2024 Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs is right around the corner. The Maroon and White will appear inside The Dude 35 times this season. With the best fans in college baseball selling out the reserved seating areas of Dudy Noble Field, general admission season tickets are on sale now. General admission season tickets are currently on sale at $260 for the general public or $208 for Mississippi State University faculty and staff. MSU faculty and staff tickets must be done over the phone. Tickets can be purchased at HailState.com/tickets, in person at the MSU Athletics Ticket Office located in the Bryan Athletic Building, or via the phone at (662) 325-2600. The baseball flex plan will go on sale on January 29. Individual game general admission tickets will go on sale to the general public on February 1. For students who have not purchased an All-Sport Pass, baseball student season tickets will go on sale on January 24. All tickets can be purchased at HailState.com/tickets. The 2024 season gets underway on Feb. 16 when the Diamond Dawgs host Air Force in a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball squanders chance vs Tennessee | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball led for most of the opening 25 minutes of action against Tennessee on Thursday. However, it took just five minutes in the third quarter for the Lady Vols to take control of the game en route to a 75-64 win at Humphrey Coliseum. Tennessee (11-6, 4-1 SEC) flipped a deficit as large as 13 in the opening half into a 12-point lead one possession into the fourth quarter. Center Tamari Key was a big reason why. Despite averaging just 10.7 minutes per game off the bench, Key saw 29 minutes of action and was a game-best plus-14. She played 17 of the 20 second-half minutes, helping slow down a scorching-hot Jessika Carter. Key played the opening 13 minutes of the second half before finally taking a seat after Carter picked up her fourth foul. MSU's All-SEC forward scored 45 points across her previous two games and came out strong against UT with eight first-quarter points. But Carter scored just four points the rest of the way. "I thought she (Key) was huge," Purcell said postgame. Mississippi State (15-5, 2-3) has dropped three of its past four meetings against Tennessee. "Tough game," Purcell said. "Tale of two halves. First half we came out. Second half, starting with the third quarter, we just didn't. Simple as that." |
| Women's Basketball: Disastrous third quarter dooms Mississippi State in loss to Tennessee | |
| Sam Purcell has preached all season about the importance of not letting it affect Mississippi State's defense when the Bulldogs are not hitting shots. MSU entered halftime Thursday holding a seven-point lead over Tennessee, but when the Bulldogs' shots stopped falling in the third quarter, their defense lapsed as well. The Volunteers took full advantage, ending the period with 13 straight points and never looking back to send the hosts to a 75-64 defeat at Humphrey Coliseum. "They took us out of our sets, and then we missed layups (and) free throws," Purcell said. "Too many turnovers, sloppy play, and it's unacceptable. It's as simple as that. It's going to be a hard film session to watch. It was our game. We were trying everything. ... You have to be the tougher team, and unfortunately we weren't." MSU's head coach was certainly pleased with the way his team started the game, which was moved two hours earlier due to weather concerns. The Bulldogs (15-5, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) shot better than 50 percent in the first quarter while holding Tennessee (11-6, 4-1) to just 4-for-18 from the floor and 1-for-9 from 3-point range, taking a 25-12 lead on two Erynn Barnum free throws in the first minute of the second quarter. But the Volunteers became less reliant on outside shots and instead began forcing their way into the paint, while also stepping up their interior defense. MSU center Jessika Carter sat out for the last six and a half minutes of the first half after picking up her second foul, and Tennessee used her absence to close the gap. Former Bulldog Rickea Jackson led all scorers with 19 points. |
| Top 20 Matchup Part Of Tennis Twin Bill | |
| A top 20 matchup is on the docket as part of a men's tennis doubleheader inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Friday. No. 17 Mississippi State will meet 20th-ranked Florida State at 1 p.m. before the Bulldogs take on Tennessee State at 5 p.m. MSU is off to a 2-0 start to the season having shut out Northern Illinois and Chattanooga this past Sunday. The Bulldogs won the twin bill by a combined score of 14-0 and claimed 28 of the 29 completed sets. Mississippi State's singles lineup features 13th-ranked Petar Jovanovic whose .750 career winning percentage is tied for the fifth-best in school history. Jovanovic also makes up half of the No. 24 doubles duo in the country alongside fellow sophomore Benito Sanchez Martinez. Jovanovic is currently riding a five-match winning streak in singles play while senior Carles Hernandez has won six consecutive singles matches dating back to the spring. The tandem of Marshall Landry and Nemanja Malesevic have also won five straight and clinched both doubles points during Sunday's victories. The Seminoles are scheduled to return to Starkville next weekend as part of ITA Kickoff Weekend. VCU and Arizona State will also join Mississippi State and FSU on Jan. 27-28 inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion. |
| Margaret Dean named director of volleyball operations for Mississippi State | |
| Mississippi State volleyball has a familiar face returning to the program as former Bulldogs setter Margaret Dean was named director of volleyball operations on Thursday. "It is always so special when alumni want to come back and be part of the program they played in," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said in Thursday's press release. "I am so excited and thrilled to announce Margaret Dean as our director of volleyball operations. Dean was a key part of MSU's lone NCAA tournament appearance in program history in 2021, featuring as a setter during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. She recorded 1,015 assists and 385 digs across 51 matches for the Bulldogs after a successful three-year career at Stephen F. Austin. In the 2021 season alone, Dean finished with 683 assists and 236 digs, playing in all 31 matches for MSU. Her return to Starkville comes at an important time as Mississippi State has gone 28-28 over the past two seasons, missing out on the NCAA tournament twice as the Bulldogs have struggled to compete in a tough Southeastern Conference. |
| Financial findings: LSU football revenue hit $105.7 million during 2022 season | |
 | Once again, LSU football made a massive profit in 2022 that continued to support the rest of the teams on campus. The team generated $105.7 million in revenue, according to an annual NCAA financial report, which was $10 million more than the previous fiscal year and more than half of the athletic department's total revenue of $200.4 million. Available records date back to 2003, and this was the first time since then that the program eclipsed $100 million in revenue. It was also the first time LSU athletics pulled in more than $200 million, but the overall profit was limited by expenses. Most of football's revenue came from ticket sales ($40.7 million) for seven home games in Tiger Stadium during coach Brian Kelly's first season. The team also received $27.9 million in contributions, $15.1 million in media rights and $9.1 million in bowl revenue distributed by the Southeastern Conference. All of that helped football turn a $54 million profit during the 2022-23 academic year, an $18.36 million increase from the year before. Overall, LSU athletics produced a $1.37 million profit. Its most significant expenses were salaries for coaches ($38.8 million) and support staff and administration ($36 million). While still the primary expense for the department, coaching salaries decreased by $4.79 million from the previous fiscal year. |
| Florida Gators athletic director says he's not going anywhere | |
| Florida Gators athletics director Scott Stricklin was the subject of many rumors this week following the job opening at Texas A&M. Despite being connected to the vacancy, Stricklin confirmed with Gators Online that he's here for the long haul with the Gators. "The University of Florida is the best job in the country for college athletics," Stricklin said. "It's the best location. It's the best school. We've got an awesome fanbase. I love being a Gator and I have no interest in working somewhere else at this time." Stricklin's stint at Florida has certainly been a success, with 11 total national championships across seven different sports, including 37 SEC championships. The athletic director joined the University of Florida staff in 2016 after his six-year stint with Mississippi State. Throughout his eight years at UF, Stricklin has overseen many projects, hoping to improve the campus and athletics department one renovation at a time. His latest success was the new James W. Bill Heavener Football Training Center, which opened its doors in August 2022. Although most of the training center is utilized for football purposes, the rest of the building is accessible for all student-athletes at Florida. It was a project to help the recruiting process, something that Stricklin takes seriously. |
| DOJ joins suit targeting NCAA athlete transfer restrictions | |
 | President Joe Biden's administration signed onto a lawsuit challenging the NCAA's authority over college athletes on Thursday, a significant development that further clouds the athletic giant's prospects of scoring federal antitrust protection from Congress. The Justice Department joined a lawsuit originally filed in December by a bipartisan group of state attorneys general seeking to overturn the NCAA's eligibility restrictions on college athletes who transfer between schools. A federal judge in West Virginia has temporarily blocked the NCAA from enforcing the rule pending the outcome of the lawsuit. The DOJ and states frequently collaborate on antitrust lawsuits, but this is the first time the federal government has joined a state-led case. "College athletes should be able to freely choose the institutions that best meet their academic, personal and professional development needs without anticompetitive restrictions that limit their mobility by sacrificing a year of athletic competition," DOJ antitrust head Jonathan Kanter said in a statement. Federal antitrust prosecutors have long had the NCAA on their radar and have filed amicus briefs in private cases in support of college athletes, including a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that loosened restrictions on their compensation. The focus of the lawsuit DOJ joined Thursday is a rule delaying athletic eligibility for student athletes transferring schools a second time. Students are immediately eligible after one transfer but must sit out for a year the second time. |
| How much would it cost each school to enter proposed NCAA subdivision | |
 | It's out in the open now: The NCAA needs a reworked model for college sports and knows it. That's why, in early December, NCAA President Charlie Baker pitched a new subdivision for schools that spend the most money on their athletic programs. And at the NCAA convention in Phoenix last week, the Division I Council set out to provide recommendations on Baker's vision, nudging the ball forward a bit. The subdivision would be optional, as Baker proposed it, and require its member schools to pay at least half their eligible student-athletes a minimum of $30,000 annually through a trust fund. That money would be earmarked as "education-related," though the NCAA doesn't intend to dictate how the athletes actually spend it. Yes, this is still a proposal, a starting point for discussions that heated up at last week's convention. But if the NCAA aims to split the haves and have-nots with a financial barrier to entry, it's now possible to gauge what that decision might look like for a given school. To do that, The Washington Post counted the total number of athletes at each school that will play football in the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC next fall (plus Notre Dame, a football independent, and Oregon State and Washington State, who were recently abandoned by the rest of the Pac-12). From there, the formula for the baseline annual payment is pretty simple: total number of athletes divided by two, then multiplied by $30,000 to estimate the minimum each school would have to spend to join the subdivision as Baker proposed it. Athletic department sizes vary widely across the major conferences. Ohio State had 950 athletes, the most of all of the schools, while Mississippi State had the fewest at 363. That also means there's a sizable gap between the highest and lowest estimated costs of entry for the hypothetical subdivision. Here's the breakdown for each of the 70 schools. |
| Draft NIL Legislation Aims to 'Save College Sports as We Know It' | |
| A House subcommittee is moving forward on a bill that would create national rules of the road to rein in the growing name, image and likeness "Wild West" in college sports. The House Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee heard testimony and feedback on a draft version of the legislation Thursday. The hearing was the 11th Congress has held about the NIL rights of student athletes, but the first one focused on a specific piece of legislation -- showing some forward progress on an issue that's the top legislative priority for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. "This is the first hearing, at least in my view, that hasn't been kind of more broader platitudes," Sam Ehrlich, an assistant professor at Boise State University and an expert in sports law, said in an interview. "I think that's pretty noteworthy." Florida representative Gus Bilirakis, the Republican chairman of the House subcommittee, said at Thursday's hearing that while NIL is great for players, it has "enabled a Wild West environment where pay for play is rampant." Bilirakis argued that his national legislation would provide "common-sense rules of the road." He's released a discussion draft of a bill in the works for the last eight months that would codify students' NIL rights, ban boosters and other third parties from offering inducements to students to play for a particular university, and add disclosure requirements for NIL deals. It would also create a new independent nongovernmental organization led by 21 congressional appointees that would oversee the NIL process. In addition, the legislation would prevent institutions from entering into NIL deals directly with students. |
| Lawmakers take up NIL deals amid college sports 'wild west' | |
 | A House subcommittee hearing Thursday dived into how to approach the growing issue of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals for college athletes amid an uncertain future for the players. "I wanted to be clear today: NIL was great for players, and the change was long overdue. At the same time, the sudden transition to NIL has enabled a wild west environment where pay-for-play is rampant," said House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.). "We must promote safe guardrails and a level playing field," Bilirakis added. NCAA President Charlie Baker, a witness at the hearing, has been advocating for Congress to ensure college students won't be labeled as employees -- currently the subject of multiple court cases -- and to give his organization some antitrust protection. Lawmakers on Thursday raised concerns about how NIL deals were conducted as some student-athletes have dropped their scholarships and tried to transfer schools due to NIL potential, only to be left without a contract. "I believe in this conversation that we have to make the rights and privileges of and protection of student athletes to be No 1. And today, right now, the only way that college athletes can make any resources based on name, image and likeness is from third-party players," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). |
| Don't expect 11th NIL Congressional hearing to move needle on new college sports model | |
| The 11th NIL-related Congressional hearing offered a handful of notable moments Thursday but is unlikely to significantly move the needle as the college sports industry hurtles toward seismic change and a new financial model. Titled "NIL Playbook: Proposal to Protect Student Athletes' Dealmaking Rights," the hearing carried significance because witnesses included NCAA President Charlie Baker -- for the second consecutive hearing – as well as a first for these hearings: a current athlete in a revenue-driving sport in UCLA quarterback/NIL entrepreneur Chase Griffin. In both his testimony and written statement, Griffin -- whose presence as a current Power Five football player was refreshing -- delivered a withering critique of Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis' discussion legislation, which would deliver the NCAA antitrust protection, codify that athletes are not employees and prohibit schools from entering into NIL deals with athletes. Griffin said the bill includes more than 200 "negative references" to the NIL space with words such as regulate, prohibit, sanction, restrict and inducement. He notes that it is devoid of words such as freedom, growth, innovation, or Title IX. "This bill simply codifies an outdated NCAA business model that Supreme Court Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh wrote 'would be flatly illegal in almost any other industry in America,'" Griffin said. "If enacted, this bill would deprive another generation of college athletes of a proven and growing pathway to the American Dream." |
| U.S. House hearing on possible college sports bill provides few answers about path ahead | |
| A U.S. House subcommittee hearing aimed at refining the draft of a possible college-sports bill drew significant interest and participation from legislators on Thursday, but provided few clues about a path forward. Republicans and Democrats basically agreed that Congress needs to get involved in addressing the wide array of issues that have been raised by college athletes becoming able to make money from their name, image and likeness (NIL). However, significant differences remain about how to do that. Draft legislation is being offered by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., who chairs House Energy and Commerce Committee's innovation, data and commerce subcommittee -- the panel that met Thursday in what was billed as legislative hearing. That's a step up from an educational hearing, one of which the subcommittee held last March. But it's short of a mark-up. In his opening remarks Thursday, Bilirakis said he wants to file a bill "as soon as possible" because it's needed "to save college sports as we know it." And NCAA President Charlie Baker -- part of a witness panel that also included three college athletes -- continued to make the association's case for a federal law that would, among other goals, resolve a patchwork of state NIL laws, provide the NCAA with some legal protection from antitrust lawsuits and prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools based on their participation in sports. |
| UCLA QB Chase Griffin tells Congress it's missing the point about NIL | |
| Chase Griffin heard the question over and over Thursday: What policies should Congress consider to regulate college sports' name, image and likeness (NIL) market? And no matter where he was on Capitol Hill -- in a representative's office, in a hallway, in the middle of testifying in the 11th congressional hearing on NIL -- Griffin's answer didn't change. None. Griffin, a 23-year-old quarterback at UCLA, wasn't in Washington long. He landed around 2 a.m. Thursday, only eight hours before he walked into the Rayburn Building and strongly opposed an NIL reform bill introduced by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.). By early evening, Griffin was on a flight home. But in that time, he was an unwavering counterweight to those pushing for federal regulation of NIL, including NCAA President Charlie Baker, two other college athletes and many of the legislators who questioned him. Still, Baker, the politicians and Jeff Jackson, commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference, kept holding up Griffin as the gold standard of NIL, of what it should and could be with federal oversight. They praised him for landing more than 40 brand deals. They used him as an example of a "good actor" thriving despite the many "bad actors" in the shadows. This, though, is where Griffin felt they all missed the point. "I always appreciate people who recognize that I do work hard in the space," Griffin told The Washington Post after the hearing. "But at the same time, I hope that when they recognize me, they realize they are recognizing the majority of college athletes who are partaking in NIL right now. ... When you say that I'm the poster child of what college athletes should be doing, no, I'm just another example of what college athletes are already doing. And when you look at what I'm doing and say, 'This is what's right with NIL,' no, you're saying: 'NIL is what's right with NIL.'" |
| Ninth Circuit Denies NCAA Interlocutory Appeal in House v. NCAA | |
| The NCAA's longshot bid to convince the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to review In Re College Athlete NIL Litigation (a.k.a. House v. NCAA) before a trial came up short Thursday. The NCAA had ominously warned that "denial of this petition would be the death knell of the litigation." But that didn't persuade the Ninth Circuit. In a brief order authored by Judges Kim McLane Wardlaw and Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen, the Ninth Circuit denied the NCAA's permission to advance a permissive interlocutory appeal, which is an appeal before a final judgment in a case and one where the appellate court can decline. Such appeals are rarely granted. Appellate courts strongly prefer to review cases only after a final judgment on the merits, and this case is not scheduled for a jury trial until 2025. The basic logic: A final judgment offers a completed matter to review, while an interlocutory appeal concerns only a preliminary or incomplete matter. The NCAA's petition to the Ninth Circuit objected to the trial judge, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, certifying the case as a class action on behalf of more than 14,500 college athletes. The case is led by Arizona State swimmer Grant House, former Oregon and current TCU basketball player Sedona Prince, and former Illinois football player Tymir Oliver. If the NCAA loses In Re College Athlete NIL Litigation, it could be ordered to pay more than $4 billion in damages reflecting revenue the players contend they should have been paid to appear on televised broadcasts of games, lost opportunities to appear in video games, and forgone chances to earn NIL monies prior to the NCAA's adoption of an interim NIL policy in 2021. |
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