| Wednesday, January 31, 2024 |
| MSU Foundation announces 2024 officers, incoming board members | |
 | The Mississippi State University Foundation is announcing its 2024 leaders and incoming members for the board of directors, which guides the fundraising arm of the land-grant institution. Incoming officers with new one-year terms, which began this month, include three alumni: Anthony L. Wilson of Gulfport as chair; Rodger L. Johnson of Atlanta, Georgia, as vice chair; and Paul J. Karre of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, as treasurer. Wilson, who is entering his third term as board chair, previously served as vice chair for three terms. The D'Iberville native earned an electrical engineering degree from MSU in 1987, and also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. He currently serves as chairman, president and CEO of Mississippi Power Company. Prior to his current role, he served as executive vice president of customer service and operations for Georgia Power. Johnson is a 1971 civil engineering graduate of MSU. He also earned an MBA from Georgia State University in 1982. A native of Greenwood, he currently serves as president and CEO of JKC Holdings Inc. Karre is the retired senior vice president of human resources and communications at International Paper. He earned a bachelor's degree in management from MSU in 1974. The Natchez native is a current member and past president of the executive advisory board for the College of Business. |
| Great City Foundation and RAND Partner to Establish a Research Hub in Jackson | |
 | The Great City Foundation, comprised of local business and community leaders dedicated to seeing Jackson thrive, announces its partnership with RAND to develop a strategic roadmap to establish a research lab in Jackson. This lab will focus on computational science, including applied research supporting the development of Artificial Intelligence and other forms of computer aided automation. In addition, this state-of-the-art lab will serve as a hub for technology transfer as well as civilian and government employee workforce training. Mississippi's four research universities will be engaged in the planning process through the Mississippi Research Consortium, which consists of Jackson State University, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. This collaboration is timely, as it comes on the heels of Mississippi's recent announcement that Amazon Web Services would be building two hyper-scale data centers in the metro-Jackson area. Adding to rationale for this research center, Jackson sits at the intersection of major high capacity dark fiber networks and is home to one of the nation's leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a major academic research hospital, and other research capabilities. Dr. Julie Jordan, Vice President of Research at Mississippi State University said, "This lab has the potential to transform the landscape of scientific research and technology advancement within the state. By establishing this lab, we will firmly be seen as a hub for cutting-edge innovation and scientific discovery. The initiative underscores the commitment of Mississippi to foster progress and drive economic growth in the region and state." |
| MSU works to combat projected enrollment decline | |
| Mississippi State University is working to combat a predicted decline in enrollment through innovative recruitment initiatives across departments. The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources is one of many sources that predict a decline in public school enrollment, and consequently university and college enrollment, due to the low birthrates in the 2008 Great Recession. This decline in applicants poses a problem for MSU. John Dickerson, MSU associate vice president for enrollment, said the enrollment cliff is not set to affect MSU until around 2026, but that the university has been working hard the past three years to prepare. Dickerson said MSU focuses on all avenues of enrollment, such as high schoolers, community colleges, adult learners, international students and graduate students across the nation. By laying the foundation to recruit students outside of just high schools, MSU can build strong relationships with those who may not be traditionally targeted to attend. "We've added some additional staff on the recruitment side to help us address this. We have additional staff that are located outside of the state of Mississippi to try to help just make us more marketable to out-of-state students. Working with our high schools and working in our community colleges, we've put some emphasis on the undergrad side with international students. Lots being done on student success with advising First Year Experience classes for academic support so that the students who come have a better opportunity to be successful and stay," Dickerson said. |
| Crawfish crisis: Drought dries up crawfish farming, prices rise | |
 | Last Summer and Fall's drought is going to have an impact on this Spring's dining options, especially if your dinner plans include crawfish. It is a staple in the south, and for 42 years, it has been a tradition at Brewski's in Starkville. "Crawfish is a huge commodity for our business, we move a lot of crawfish here. We have been doing it for 42 years, so it is a necessity for us for sure," said Ashley Ray, the owner of Brewski's. Bart Wood, the general manager of The Little Dooey in Starkville, said he was also seeing inventory dry up. "A lot of farmers could not pump the water to flood the fields for the crawfish. The crawfish that should have been ready by Thanksgiving, and that should have started selling in January are nowhere to be found," said Wood. Both Ray and Wood are relying on Mother Nature to help restock the crawfish. "I am just praying that something happens with all this rain and get them out of the mud, and get them caught in the crawfish traps. That way we can move some products, because the more product that is available, the cheaper the price," said Ray. Wood said if they are able to get crawfish, be prepared for a hit to your wallet. The prices will more than likely triple from what they were last year. |
| Right to repair farm equipment? No law, apparently, is necessary | |
 | It turns out farmers may not need a law to repair their own equipment in Mississippi. Despite growing concerns over a farmer's right to perform repairs on tractors and other equipment without taking it to a service center, The American Farm Bureau Federation, an advocacy group for farmers and ranchers, has done the legwork in negotiating with several farm equipment manufacturers to establish right to repair guidelines in Mississippi and nationwide. As technology has become more advanced, customers have had to rely more on dealers to make repairs, while access to tools and repair technology remains in the dealers' hands. "When a piece of equipment breaks down, it causes major obstructions on the farm. So (you're) thinking time (and) money," Emily Buckman, director of government affairs for AFBF, told The Dispatch on Monday. "That's why it's so important to have access to the tools needed to fix the problem." State Sen. Chuck Younger, R-Lowndes County, introduced a right to repair bill for farm equipment on Jan. 15. If passed and signed into law, Mississippi would become the seventh state with some sort of right to repair legislation on its books. However, Younger told The Dispatch the bill isn't coming out of committee. He said he mistakenly grabbed the bill from a pile on his desk and never intended to file it. The efforts of AFBF have "fixed it," he said in a text Tuesday. |
| Mississippi lawmakers advance bill to legalize online sports betting | |
 | A bill advancing in Mississippi's Legislature would legalize online sports betting in the state, where analysts say consumer demand continues to fuel a thriving black market. A Mississippi House committee advanced the legislation Tuesday, calling it the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act. The bill would legalize mobile sports betting while requiring gambling companies to contract with brick-and-mortar gambling establishments. Sports wagering has been legal in the state for years, but online betting has remained illegal amid fears the move could harm the bottom line of the state's casinos. Estimates show Mississippi could bring in over $25 million a year in tax revenue, said Republican Rep. Casey Eure of Saucier, the bill's prime sponsor. Changing the law would also undercut the influence of illegal offshore sports betting platforms in Mississippi, which leads the nation in illegal online sports betting Google searches, according to data presented by lawmakers. "Once you legalize mobile sports betting, you do away with a lot of that illegal market," Eure said. If the Mississippi law passes, online gaming platforms would have to reach an agreement with licensed gambling establishments to establish an online sports betting presence in the state. But Democratic House Minority Leader Robert Johnson of Natchez, who voted against the bill, said that provision didn't guarantee smaller casinos in rural areas of the state would be protected. |
| Mobile sports betting bill moves to the Mississippi House floor | |
| Online sports betting may be legal outside the walls of a Mississippi casino if House Bill 774 gains traction in the Legislature. On Tuesday, the House Gaming Committee took up the bill in a hearing that saw it move to the next step. Currently, betting on an athletic event or online sports pool through a mobile platform while not standing in a casino is considered illegal. HB 774 aims to do is bring those illegal bets under the umbrella of existing casinos. If the bill becomes law, local governments will collect an additional 4 percent tax on winnings, while the state will collect 8 percent. Those figures are over and above existing gambling tax structures, said Gaming Committee Chair State Rep. Casey Eure (R). The aim of the bill is to protect the brick and motor casinos in the state, Eure stated. The top six cities in Mississippi with instances of illegal mobile sports betting are Columbus, Greenwood, Meridian, Hattiesburg, Biloxi and Jackson. By legalizing the option, Eure said those figures will decrease. States that have legalized mobile sports betting have less instances of people going to an illegal betting site. Geospatial checks over a year that recorded visits to illegal gaming sites by users within Mississippi reported 9.3 million checks, a large number when compared to the state of Texas, which had 5 million checks. "So as you can see, a lot of Mississippians are wanting to place mobile sports wagers," Eure added. |
| Mississippi's Legislative Black Caucus shares goals for 2024 session | |
| Last week, members of Mississippi's Legislative Black Caucus gathered in the Capitol rotunda to share their legislative goals for this session. The group's priorities include access to affordable healthcare, more education opportunities, criminal justice reform, and the passage of legislation to restore the ballot initiative, among other issues. State Senator Rod Hickman, a Democrat from Senate District 32, said the caucus is seeking solutions "in the simplest way possible." He said issues impacting their communities have been ignored and pushed aside for so long that they have become vast and pronounced. "It is our only option to present simple solutions," said Hickman at the press conference. During the press conference, Senator Hickman said new Speaker of the House Jason White (R) indicated to him that ballot initiative legislation would be introduced that week, which it was. However, the House bill included provisions that would restrict ballot initiatives on abortion and other types of legislation, a move Hickman and much of the black caucus oppose. "We applaud the urgency of this matter because we have delayed the inevitable for much too long. Mississippians deserve to be able to have direct say in our government's decisions," Hickman said. The Senator added that he would like to see a "clean bill" without limits on ballot measures while also including a reasonable signature threshold. |
| Commission recommends removing Carlos Moore from benches in Clarksdale and Grenada | |
| The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance on Tuesday recommended the removal of Grenada-based attorney Carlos Moore from two judgeships, along with a suspension and a fine. The Mississippi Supreme Court will now schedule a hearing to decide whether it will follow the recommendation and fine Moore $5,000, remove him from the municipal judge positions in both Clarksdale and Grenada, suspend him for 6 years, and publicly reprimand him. According the commission's findings authored by chairman Judge Ryan Bruhl, despite Moore only being on the bench a little more than 6 years, he has already amassed multiple violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct of Mississippi Judges. He noted that the lesser sanctions issued in the past have had no effect on Moore. "Nothing less than removal, suspension, public reprimand, and a fine will restore and maintain the dignity and honor of the judicial office to protect the public against future excesses," Bruhl wrote. According to the commission findings approved Jan. 24, Moore has amassed a laundry list of violations and reprimands. "(Moore) is nothing if not consistent in his predictability in his complete and utter disdain for any professional conduct rule or Canon of Judicial Conduct," Judge Bruhl wrote. "His patterns are clear and clearly indicate the likelihood that he will continue in his same fashion if not removed." |
| 'The politics have changed': South warms to expanded health benefits | |
 | Southern conservatives have for years privately flirted with extending public health benefits to more low-income people. Those talks are now moving out of the shadows. House speakers in three Republican-controlled states -- Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi -- have said in recent weeks that they need to consider covering more people through their state-run health insurance programs. Their comments represent a stark departure from more than a decade of lawmakers in conservative statehouses arguing vehemently against expanding Medicaid or similar benefits --- many of them because of a reflexive revulsion to Obamacare. The shift is partly a byproduct of a historic realignment that has seen more working-class voters gravitate to the GOP, largely driven by an affinity for the populist rhetoric of Donald Trump. The changing attitudes could reshape health care in the South by allowing nearly half a million uninsured people to obtain coverage, improving the finances of some of the nation's most beleaguered hospitals and helping communities with high rates of chronic disease, maternal mortality and avoidable deaths. "For the first time -- really over the last few months in Mississippi -- there is this conversation about, 'Hey, we need to look at these people who don't have any kind of coverage right now at all. We need to look at some type of an expansion program that fits for Mississippi,'" said Austin Barbour, a Republican strategist and nephew of former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. "Our legislators and other officials are looking for ways to improve our health care system in Mississippi." In Mississippi, new House Speaker Jason White said lawmakers have never "fully vetted and looked at the Medicaid expansion population." |
| Some Republican leaders are pushing back against the conservative Freedom Caucus in statehouses | AP News | |
| On the first day of Missouri's new legislative session, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden tried to cajole colleagues into congeniality with a rhetorical question: "Will we focus on principled progress or political pandemonium?" Progress was intended. But pandemonium ensued. Within days, a newly formed Freedom Caucus -- modeled after one in Washington, D.C. -- ground the chamber to a halt with demands that Republican leaders act faster on GOP priorities. Tempers flared. Insults flew. And Rowden penalized prominent Freedom Caucus members by stripping them of their committee chairmanships and prime Capitol parking spots. In state capitols around the country, Republican legislative leaders are pushing back against a growing network of conservative lawmakers attempting to pull the party further to the right with aggressive tactics aimed not at Democrats but at members of their own party. The infighting has put a spotlight on Republican fissures heading into the November elections, even as former President Donald Trump has been consolidating party support. The conservative Freedom Caucus gained attention in the fall -- when some of its members helped topple U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy -- but it's been active in the U.S. House since 2015. An outgrowth of the group, the State Freedom Caucus Network, launched in 2021 in Georgia. With the recent addition in Missouri, it now counts chapters in 11 states, with designs to keep expanding. Unlike the loose affiliations of like-minded lawmakers that exist in many states, new State Freedom Caucus chapters are founded only by invitation from the national group -- and come bankrolled with staff to help screen legislation, craft strategy and generate publicity. But it's their tactics, rather than their policies, that have ruffled GOP leaders. |
| RNC and Mississippi Republican Party file lawsuit to limit mail-in ballots for federal elections | |
| The Republican National Committee and Mississippi Republican Party sued state officials in federal court to prevent election workers from counting some mail-in absentee ballots during the state's upcoming presidential and congressional election. The national and state GOP plaintiffs argue that a 2020 state law allowing local election workers to count mail-in absentee ballots for up to five days after the election date violates federal law because only Congress sets the timeframe for when votes can be processed. The Mississippi law currently permits election workers to count mail-in votes if the ballots were postmarked by the election date. In 2020, the Republican supermajority state House passed the bill in question by a vote of 97-14, and the Republican supermajority Senate passed the bill by a vote of 31-14. It was then signed into law by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. The plaintiffs, represented by former state GOP director Spencer Ritchie, argue that the five-day window should be suspended for all federal elections and only count mail-in absentee votes that arrive by Election Day. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr., the federal judge presiding over the case, has not yet issued any order. |
| Minority Business Grants: A New Front in the Legal Battle Over Racial Preferences | |
 | From the day the Supreme Court outlawed racial preferences in college admissions last year, the business world has been sorting through what the decision might portend for programs that seek to boost opportunities for minorities. A case examining a venture-capital firm's grants to Black women entrepreneurs could begin to provide some answers. A federal appeals court on Wednesday will consider a challenge to a program run by the Fearless Fund, an Atlanta-based venture firm that awards grants, through its philanthropic arm, to Black women looking to grow their startups. The grants, funded through corporate donations, provide $20,000 as well as mentorship and training opportunities. The lawsuit, which alleges discrimination against potential non-Black applicants, is part of a broader campaign by affirmative-action opponent Edward Blum to challenge racial preferences in a variety of settings. One Blum-created nonprofit won the Supreme Court decision invalidating admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, on the grounds that they violated the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. Another of his groups, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, is the plaintiff in this case, saying it has unnamed members who would like to apply for the grants if the racial restrictions were lifted. "It's a really significant case, even though it's about a tiny organization giving grants to entrepreneurs," said Kenji Yoshino, law professor at New York University, who specializes in constitutional and antidiscrimination law. "What happens in this case does have effects for the Fortune 500 companies." |
| Biden's pivot: Why the president is moving to the right in 2024 on immigration | |
 | Two years into his presidency, Donald Trump warned that he would "close the southern border entirely" if Democrats kept blocking funding for his proposed border wall. It was the type of Trump rhetoric about the U.S.-Mexico border that Democrats regularly scorned as xenophobic. But now, President Joe Biden is using similar language -- seeking a border shutdown -- as he urges Congress to pass a bipartisan bill under negotiation by senators to address what Biden has started to call "the border crisis." Biden said the proposal would be the "toughest and fairest" set of border reforms in U.S. history and includes new presidential authority to "shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed." "If that bill were the law today, I'd shut down the border right now and fix it quickly, Biden said Saturday to Democrats in Columbia, South Carolina. Biden's push for a bipartisan border bill -- one that would also include funding for Ukraine and Israel -- marks a seismic shift to the right on border and immigration politics that has built over the past year. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Biden is trying to strip Republicans of one of their most effective wedge issues, setting up a potential case that House Republicans -- who have refused to back a bipartisan border bill -- stood in the way of long-discussed action on the border. Yet the discussions are a far cry from a comprehensive immigration bill Biden sent to Congress on his first day of office that sought to "restore humanity and American values to our immigration system" by offering pathways for citizenship to undocumented immigrants in the U.S. "The discourse has become which of the parties can be harsher on border enforcement," said Melissa Gilman, co-director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. |
| The arts span every facet of life -- the White House just hosted a summit about it | |
 | "Music," said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, "can, in a matter of seconds, make me feel better." He spoke from the Constitution Center in Washington, D.C., continuing, "I've prescribed a lot of medicines as a doctor over the years. There are few I've seen that have that kind of extraordinary, instantaneous effect." It was exactly the kind of message organizers of "Healing, Bridging, Thriving," wanted to convey. The summit was organized by the White House Domestic Policy Council and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Policy makers, arts and community leaders, funders and artists attended. Organizers believe this was a "first-of-its-kind convening" that explored how the arts can make people healthier, "invigorate physical spaces, fuel democracy, and foster equitable outcomes." In 2022, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order saying the arts are "essential to the well-being, health, vitality, and democracy of our Nation." His administration called it a "whole-of-government approach" that this gathering was meant to amplify. Just about all of the speakers and panelists at the summit were convinced that arts and culture should be integrated into all kinds of policy decisions, not just those that affect artists. Even with these new initiatives, funding for the arts remains tiny. In FY22, the NEA was .0029% of the federal budget. According to the NEA, that's an annual cost of about $0.54 to each American. |
| Nikki Haley Goes After Trump and Biden in 'Grumpy Old Men' Campaign | |
 | Two curmudgeonly old rivals, reclusive spendthrifts, are marching toward a showdown that a lot of people really wish wasn't happening. If that is the plot of a slapstick comedy, it's also the latest knock from Nikki Haley on former President Donald J. Trump and President Biden as she fights for oxygen ahead of the Republican primary in South Carolina on Feb. 24. In a new series titled "Grumpy Old Men," the Haley campaign on Wednesday plans to start unveiling online videos, digital ads and voter emails that will underscore the ways in which Ms. Haley has argued that the two party front-runners are alike. The episodes, with titles like "Stumbling Seniors," "Basement Buddies" and "Profligate Pols," take shots at, among other things, her rivals' signs of mental confusion, their light presence on the campaign trail and their economic policies leading to high inflation. The push is part of a shift in strategy that Ms. Haley began after the Iowa caucuses, casting Mr. Trump, 77, and Mr. Biden, 81, as belonging to the same bygone era of politician, one she says is deeply at odds with the country's needs. It also follows her more aggressive posturing toward Mr. Trump as the two head into a heated face-off in South Carolina, the state where she was born and raised, and which she led as governor. But the series, with its reference to a movie from 1993, could prove a risky bet as she looks to court a Republican base that is largely graying, white and Christian. Polls show her trailing the former president by double digits in her home state. Attacks on Mr. Biden's age did not play well during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. |
| Is Ron DeSantis running shadow campaign in case Donald Trump implodes? | |
 | Gov. Ron DeSantis is back in Florida after his failed presidential run, but his mind still seems to be on Washington D.C. Since dropping out of the race on Jan. 21, DeSantis put out a pair of videos on the border problem, posted on X that U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-MN, should be deported and held a press conference to formally push for a series of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including congressional term limits and requiring a balanced federal budget. DeSantis' recent focus on federal issues mirrors many of the talking points from his presidential campaign, which emphasized bolstering border security and reducing federal spending. Anyone who listened to DeSantis' latest comments and didn't know he had dropped out of the race might think he was still running for president --- and some analysts believe that may be precisely what he's doing in the broadest sense. There is still considerable uncertainty surrounding former President Donald Trump's candidacy. Trump faces 91 felony charges spread across four criminal cases. By continuing to insert himself into the conversation on hot-button federal debates, DeSantis could position himself to be in the mix if something happens to Trump's campaign, political observers say, or to run for president again in 2028 or pursue still other opportunities in national politics. "I would say he's waging a shadow campaign to preserve his eligibility for a presidential run," said Gregory Koger, a University of Miami political science professor. "I can't say whether his focus is on 2024 or 2028. Anyone can see Trump might be vulnerable and might not make it through the process, but that's just an outside chance." |
| Taylor Swift conspiracy theories engulf conservative social media | |
 | Conservative social media is engulfed with a Taylor Swift conspiracy theory centered on the idea that the NFL is rigging games to ensure the pop superstar and boyfriend's team both make and win the Super Bowl -- just in time to give a nod to President Biden in the presidential election. Swift, coming off a year in which her "The Eras Tour" broke records, her concert movie boosted the box office and her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce broke the internet, is perhaps at the peak of her popularity and fame. That's attracted attention from the political world, with the Biden campaign said to be interested in a "dream" endorsement from Swift, according to an article published Monday by The New York Times. Swift endorsed Biden in 2020 and has been somewhat active in politics, also endorsing Democrat Phil Bredesen against Republican Marsha Blackburn when the latter was first elected to the Senate in 2018. Swift's incredible popularity is also bringing to the forefront various ugly sides of 21st century American life, from explicit AI-generated deepfakes of the superstar that briefly closed down Taylor Swift searches this week on X to unfounded conspiracy theories. Perhaps the conspiracy theories in part reflect a certain fear about Swift's influence and power, which has certainly grown since the last presidential election. |
| Chinese hackers are determined to 'wreak havoc' on US critical infrastructure, FBI director warns | |
| Chinese government hackers are busily targeting water treatment plants, the electrical grid, transportation systems and other critical infrastructure inside the United States, FBI Director Chris Wray will tell House lawmakers on Wednesday in a fresh warning from Washington about Beijing's global ambitions. Wray will say that that there's been "far too little public focus" on a cyber threat that affects "every American," according to a copy of prepared remarks that he is to give before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. "China's hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike," Wray will say. The comments align with assessments from outside cybersecurity firms including Microsoft, which said in May that state-backed Chinese hackers have been targeting U.S. critical infrastructure and could be laying the technical groundwork for the potential disruption of critical communications between the U.S. and Asia during future crises. The following month, Mandiant said that suspected state-backed Chinese hackers had used a security hole in a popular email security appliance to break into the networks of hundreds of public and private sector organizations globally. Wray and other senior U.S. officials have for years been sounding the alarm not only about the Chinese government's hacking prowess but about Beijing's determination to steal scientific and industrial research from American businesses. |
| 'Brightwell' Out As Alumni Vet 3 New Names For 'The W' | |
| Brightwell University will not be the new name for Mississippi University for Women after an uproar from alumni of "The W" forced officials to back down on those plans. Now President Nora Miller said the university will retain its moniker as "The W" even as it searches for a new name. "I don't know if the W will be first," Miller told the Mississippi Free Press on Jan. 23. "We know we've got to have Mississippi and university in there. The other word is going to start with a W." Administrators were set to evaluate the results of a survey after alumni finished sending responses on Monday. That survey included three new proposed names: Wynbridge, Welbright and Wynbright. Alumni and others on social media railed against the "Brightwell" proposal after Miller announced it during the university's Spring Convocation on Jan. 8, with some questioning the process' transparency. Critics argued that the name, which a task force selected, had no ties to the university's history or beloved nickname. "We announced the name here on campus. There was a lot of excitement about it," Miller said. "But I quickly realized where I had made a critical error. The naming task force was treating this kind of like the advice you give an expectant parent, which is don't share the names until the baby's here because people just tell you what's wrong with it. So that's what we did but this baby belongs to more of us than the task force." |
| The W: A Mississippi University popular among alumni | |
| More than 5,000 surveys poured into the Mississippi University for Women between Saturday and Monday, all weighing in on the three latest options for a new university name: Wynbridge, Wynbright and Welbright. But an alumni-led effort has presented a fourth option not listed on the survey that may nonetheless be gaining the most traction. The W: A Mississippi University is making the rounds on social media, complete with a familiar blue-and-white logo bearing the proposed name. A group of 10 alumni -- whose graduating classes range from 1973 to 2008 -- fashioned the proposed name as an alternative they feel better reflected the university's history. Since its members posted the name, logo and its rationale to Facebook on Monday, the posts have garnered roughly 100 shares and more than 100 comments, most of them supportive. Many alumni and community members began donning the group's proposed logo as their profile image over the weekend. MUW President Nora Miller said the alumni's proposal was thoughtful and dedicated, but the task force and administration felt the name strayed too far from the typical nomenclature for a university. "We loved the presentation," Miller told The Dispatch. "They had some great ideas for marketing and for rolling that out. We just thought that we needed to be represented by more than an initial, and the Mississippi University was really more like a tagline and not a name." Miller said the university is looking for a more formal name that is better suited for a transcript or diploma. "The logo is ours, and we love that," she said. "We will continue to use the W as our brand, and I think they had some great ideas that sparked some thoughts for us on our marketing. But the name itself just didn't seem to work out." |
| Our View: The W name change isn't being rushed. It's been 42 years. | |
| The Dispatch editorializes: On Thursday, the task force assigned to come up with a new name for Mississippi University for Women will submit its choice to the president Nora Miller. A renaming bill is expected to be submitted to the legislature by mid-February. That's the conventional wisdom, at any rate. One thing that can be said about this year-and-a-half process is that no part of it has been easy. After the blowback from the proposed "Mississippi Brightwell University" caused the administration to abandon the name in early January, a new expedited process, which allowed community suggestions followed by a survey on the top three submitted names, was put in place. The three "finalist" names were selected from 237 suggestions from alumni, 61 suggestions from faculty and staff, 17 from students and 18 from the communications agency assisting with the process. The finalists are Wynbridge, Welbright and Wynbright. There are a couple of things to be noted about the three finalists. |
| New year, new UM website | |
 | The University of Mississippi is beginning the new year with improvements to the university website, intended to increase functionality for students, faculty and other website visitors. The new UM homepage, which launched Dec. 12 is the first phase in a series of updates slated to roll out over the next few months. Along with the homepage, subpages like the school bio page, admissions information panels and student life pages were among the 1,100 new pages that were updated, Jim Zook, chief marketing and communications officer, said. This is the first redesign of UM's homepage in over 13 years. Project leadership cited inconsistencies in web design as the primary reason for the update. "One of the keys to this -- and why it has taken a while -- is not trying to just put a new skin on the old website; we are building an entirely new site from the ground up," Zook said. "If you look at the old website, it did not have a lot of standardization or consistency from page to page. People found it frustrating when going from one page to another and the navigation changing for the user. We needed a common playbook across campus as to how we handled the website through web governance." At the onset of the project, Zook said that one purpose of the new website was to create a space "that tells the university's story, but also meet(s) needs like managing classes, studies and work." |
| State Librarian Stephen Parks sworn in for third term | |
| State Librarian Stephen Parks was elected to his third term earlier this month during a joint session of the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi Senate. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann administered the oath of office to Parks in the House Chambers at the Capitol. Parks, an attorney and educator, has served as state librarian since January 2016. He oversees the State Library, commonly known as the State Law Library, a specialized public library which provides legal research materials for the judiciary, state agencies, lawyers, students and the public. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the University of Southern Mississippi School of Library and Information Science, focusing on government resources and publications. Students in his course study and learn methods of locating and analyzing available government information. A native of La Grange, North Carolina, Parks earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from East Carolina University in 2006. He earned a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law in 2010 and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from USM in 2013. |
| He Taught AP History. Now He Targets Teachers for Being Too Woke. | |
| Four years ago, Ryan Walters was a popular Oklahoma high-school teacher known for engaging Advanced Placement history lessons. Now, he is arguably the most incendiary critic of public-school teachers in the country. Since taking office last year, Oklahoma's elected schools superintendent has labeled teachers unions as terrorist organizations and said that radical leftists have turned schools into an "Epstein island" of sexual predators, as he has waged a verbal war against what he sees as a dangerous "woke ideology" infecting public education. He has also taken the unusual step of criticizing individual teachers and school officials, often in harsh terms. Some of the educators he has targeted in television interviews and social-media posts have said they aren't indoctrinating students, and that being a target has meant facing online threats of violence. Walters, who is popular with conservative voters and officials, makes no apologies for his rhetoric, saying that he believes teachers are harming students and need to follow state law and keep political ideology out of the classroom. Walters's bully pulpit approach has shocked some of his former students, who recalled a strict but well-liked history teacher who assigned debates on topics such as abortion, the Trail of Tears and Hiroshima. Although he had cardboard cutouts of Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill in his classroom and a conservative presence on social media, he didn't discuss his views or try to impose them on his classes, the students said. "He was compassionate, reasonable, levelheaded," said Starla Edge, one of his former students. "The things he says now are just so backward from anything he ever said to us in class." |
| 30% of hiring managers say they steer clear of Gen Z | |
| When it comes to hiring, managers filling entry-level positions report some hesitation on the Generation Z front, according to a January survey by ResumeBuilder.com. Thirty-one percent of the 782 people surveyed said they avoid hiring Gen Z in favor of older workers, and 30% said they've had to fire a Gen Z worker within a month of their start date. Nearly all respondents (94%) reported a Gen Z candidate acting inappropriately during an interview. Gen Z applicants ask for too much money, don't have communication skills, don't seem engaged, dress inappropriately and fall short on eye contact, per the survey results, which were released Jan. 25. ResumeBuilder's Chief Career Advisor Stacie Haller said COVID-19 hindered the generation's ability to acquire foundational workplace skills. "Many Gen Zers spent their college years predominantly in remote or hybrid settings, and upon entering the workforce, they often started in remote roles," she said. "This departure from the traditional in-person learning environment impacted their ability to hone crucial skills, such as effective communication, handling constructive criticism and observing others to build their professional acumen." Gen Z will be hard to ignore as Glassdoor predicts Zoomers will overtake Baby Boomers in workforce numbers this year. |
| To help Louisiana's energy transition, LSU-led team gets grant that could be worth $160M | |
 | A sprawling coalition of Louisiana universities, government agencies and energy companies has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant that could eventually bring in $160 million to work on Louisiana's "energy transition and decarbonization." The Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) team is led by LSU, but features more than 50 partners, including industry titans like ExxonMobil, Shell and Dow, universities like Tulane, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, area community colleges, and multiple state agencies and nonprofits. Oil and gas and related industries have long been a primary driver of Louisiana's economy, but some energy companies are increasingly seeking alternatives as new technology develops and climate change concerns mount. Coalition leaders said Louisiana stands to be the "epicenter" of that transition. They noted that more than 250,000 people work in the energy, chemical and petrochemical industries, and the state has more than 50,000 miles of pipelines. UEL is one of 10 "Regional Innovation Engines" the National Science Foundation announced Monday as part of a $1.6 billion economic development push. The NSF considered more than 700 concepts for its investment before narrowing down the field down to 10. Andrew Maas, associate vice president for research in the LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development and leader of the FUEL team, said the early part of the process will involve working with other members of the coalition to figure out their needs and hiring a full-time leadership team. |
| U. of Missouri breaks freshman application record | |
 | The wind chill in Columbia hovered around 10 degrees below zero on Jan. 19, but that didn't stop 109 prospective students and their families from braving the bitter cold to tour the University of Missouri's campus. University officials aren't surprised that high school seniors are flocking to visit, no matter the weather. On Monday, MU broke its record for freshman undergraduate applications for the 2024-25 academic year, officials said. As of Jan. 29, 22,365 high school seniors have applied to MU. The previous all-time record of 22,220 applicants was set in the fall of 2015. "The class of 2024 that's graduating has received more communication and marketing from the University of Missouri than any other class prior," said Chuck May, MU's Executive Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions. "They just received so much marketing from us over the past four years, it's natural that the class would be applying at a stronger rate." May said the university expects to meet its goal of 5,500 enrolled first-time college students this fall. MU's freshman class has not topped 5,500 students since the fall of 2015. Enrollment of first-time college students dipped below 5,000 from 2016 to 2018 after campus protests led by the group Concerned Student 1950 over reported racism gained national attention and led to the resignation of MU President Tim Wolfe. During the pandemic, enrollment again dropped below 5,000 in 2021 and 2022. |
| Education experts say they're ready for AI this time | |
| AI is blazing a new trail this year in education as schools take concrete steps to incorporate the technology into their teaching, replacing the panic and confusion educators previously faced. Arizona State University (ASU) is leading the charge in higher education, announcing a partnership with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, on a "pilot" program to make AI a core part of professors' and students' lives. "Our goal in this really is to recognize that generative AI is a technology that has a role currently, but also will continue to be a part of the job prospects that our students have," said Kyle Bowen, deputy chief information officer for ASU Enterprise Technology. "It'll continue to change and and modify the environments that we work and learn in, and so it's critical for us to be kind of active participants to help define what the future of that technology looks like." Anne Jones, vice provost for undergraduate education at ASU, said now is the time for schools to find out where AI can help them, as well as where it isn't working. "I think you have to think of the next year as being a kind of a pilot phase or a preliminary phase of thinking about how to effectively use these technologies in the context of a public research intensive university," Jones said. |
| Kennedy tries to woo youth vote at 'roller coaster' UVa event | |
| The already-controversial Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not shy away from controversy during a Friday appearance at the University of Virginia School of Law, an appearance that UVa attempted to close to the press. The Daily Progress was able to gain access and witnessed a two-hour discussion that one law student described as a "roller coaster." While it was made clear the appearance on UVa Grounds was not a campaign event, it was an opportunity for the independent presidential candidate and UVa Law School alumnus to get in front of a demographic he believes can power him to victory in November. The son of late New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of late President John F. Kennedy covered a lot of ground during his whirlwind discussion with a student moderator Friday: deeply personal stories about his battles with addiction, his unequivocal support for Israel, his father's assassination, the COVID vaccine, accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of wiretapping and worse at the National Security Agency. "He really went full send," law student Justin Peterson told The Daily Progress. "It's interesting that even in person he's just going to talk about vaccine stuff or the NSA conspiracy theory. So you know what you're getting, which is something to be said at least." Kennedy appears to believe that if he is going to do the improbable, becoming the first independent candidate ever to win the U.S. presidency in the modern era, he will do so by winning over young people, like the UVa law students in the Caplin Auditorium last Friday. |
| China is protesting interrogations and deportations of its students at US border | |
| The Chinese government has protested to the United States over the treatment of Chinese arriving to study in America, saying some have been interrogated for hours, had their electronic devices checked and in some cases were forcibly deported from the country. Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador in Washington, said dozens of Chinese holding valid visas have been denied entry over the past few months when returning to school from overseas travel or visiting relatives in China, according to a post on the Chinese Embassy website. "When they landed at the airport, what awaited them was an eight-hour-long interrogation by officers who prohibited them from contacting their parents, made groundless accusations against them and even forcibly repatriated them and banned their entry," he said Sunday at an event at the embassy on student exchanges. "This is absolutely unacceptable." The protest comes as the U.S. and China try to boost student and other exchanges to shore up their relations, which have turned confrontational in recent years over trade, technology, human rights and, more fundamentally, the future direction of the world. Nearly 290,000 Chinese students are in the U.S., about one-third of the foreign students in the country, according to the embassy post. China has more than 1.3 million students studying abroad, more than any other country, it said. |
| Colleges Caught in President Biden's Campaign Against 'Junk Fees' | |
 | Banks won't be able to charge students who open a college-sponsored deposit account fees for insufficient funds under an updated regulatory proposal from the Biden administration. Colleges and universities can partner with banks to disburse financial aid to students in the form of prepaid credit cards or bank accounts. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has found over the years that college-sponsored financial products sometimes come with fees not found in other types of accounts. For example, some banks charge students so-called sunset fees when they graduate or leave an institution, which would be prohibited under the updated proposal. All told, in the 2021–22 award year, students with college-sponsored accounts paid about $15.7 million in fees, including penalties for not having sufficient funds. The CFPB also has found that some banks charge monthly service fees on accounts with less than $300 in qualifying deposits, but they don't count financial aid deposits. Under the administration's proposal, the institution managing the account won't be allowed to differentiate between federal financial aid and other funds when assessing fees. Colleges also would have to follow the CFPB's Safe Student Account model, which outlines the permissible fees for such accounts. |
| House Democrats Counter Republicans' Vision for Higher Ed Reform | |
| House Democrats want to make community college free, double the Pell Grant and fight food insecurity among postsecondary students, as outlined in their just-released vision for how to improve higher education. Ahead of a hearing Wednesday on the majority Republicans' plan to overhaul higher education, Democrats on the House Education and Workforce Committee today issued their own blueprint, the Roadmap to College Student Success, shared first with Inside Higher Ed. Initially a package of seven bills, the road map is aimed at making college more affordable, improving access to high-quality programs and supporting students once they are in school. "The reality is that -- despite the promise -- higher education remains out of reach for millions of Americans," said Virginia representative Bobby Scott, the top Democrat on the committee, in a video also released today. "We can and must do better for America's students." Scott and the Democrats say the Republicans' plan is focused more on saving taxpayer money than ensuring students have what they need to be successful. Their alternative road map builds on consumer protections put in place by the Biden administration, including a new rule that will hold career education programs accountable if they leave students with unaffordable debt or low earnings. Democrats also want to protect students' ability to choose the type of education they want, whether that's a liberal arts degree or a shorter-term workforce development program. |
| Education Dept. Won't Send Completed FAFSAs to Colleges Until 'First Half of March' | |
 | After many delays, there will be yet another delay. The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday announced that colleges would not receive the first batch of data from applicants' federal-aid applications until the "first half of March," six weeks later than expected. And with that, financial-aid directors, enrollment officials, college counselors, and students groaned in frustration. A financial-aid cycle like none before is about to become even more complicated. Many colleges will have to scramble to get aid offers out the door in time for applicants to weigh their options before the national May 1 deposit deadline, and experts say many institutions might end up extending that deadline out of necessity. "Today's news further compresses an already-strained time frame for students to receive aid offers and make decisions about their college-going," Kim Cook, chief executive of the National College Attainment Network, said in a written statement. "Students and counselors will need additional flexibility with the traditional May 1 commitment deadline so we stand a chance at continuing the postpandemic college-enrollment recovery under way for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds." The Education Department's announcement marked the latest in a series of delays that have defined the long-awaited rollout of the revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA. The application, which students use to apply for federal grants, loans, and work-study, usually becomes available on October 1. |
| Another 'Devastating' FAFSA Delay | |
| The Department of Education on Tuesday announced yet another delay in this year's much-criticized rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, indicating that colleges will not begin receiving applicants' federal aid information until March at the earliest. In a press conference Tuesday morning, education under secretary James Kvaal said the department plans to begin sending students' FAFSA information, contained in Institutional Student Information Records (ISIR), to colleges "in batches in the first half of March" -- nearly two months later than the late-January timeline the department indicated when the FAFSA soft launched at the end of 2023. Kvaal declined to specify an exact date or guarantee that colleges would receive the forms by March. That has many worried that, after months of mercurially shifting timelines, colleges may not receive students' records until closer to April or even May. Such a shift is certain to give applicants a much narrower window in which to weigh their college-going options. "I am stunned. Gobsmacked, really," said Angel Pérez, president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "This is devastating -- I'm not sure what other word to use -- for the students the FAFSA is supposed to help and for institutions that have been waiting for this information." Moving the ISIR submission date back is likely the most consequential and destructive of the setbacks, especially for low-income and first-generation applicants who depend on timely financial aid offers to make college decisions. |
| As usual, restoration of Mississippi ballot initiative rights will be a long, complex fight | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: Once again, the issue of whether Mississippi voters should have the very straightforward power to bypass the Mississippi Legislature and propose changes to state statutes or the state Constitution of 1890 is front and center. This is a fight for lawmaking power that has ebbed and flowed through the Legislature and the state courts for over a century. The Legislature adopted an earlier initiative process in 1914. The state Supreme Court upheld it in 1917 but reversed that ruling five years later in another case. The high court passed on a chance to undo that ruling in 1991. From 1993 through 2021, Mississippians had the option of taking the power away from the Legislature and changing the state constitution as they deemed appropriate when the Legislature refused to act. The process was called initiative and referendum, and it was neither easy nor often successful. The 1992 initiative process in Mississippi was designed by the Legislature to be difficult for those citizens who wished to circumvent their power. ... There is sincere renewed sentiment in the Legislature in both houses to restore ballot initiative rights to state voters. But exactly how those rights are restored -- or restricted -- is where the process can derail. |
SPORTS
| The Golden Egg returns to Starkville as Mississippi State wins Esports Egg Bowl | |
| The crowd at McComas Theater waited with bated breath as the second game of "Valorant" was underway between Mississippi State and Ole Miss Esports. In a race to 13 wins, MSU was just three away from securing a 2-0 sweep and the Golden Egg, but up 10-5, Ole Miss went on a run to make things more than interesting, cutting into the lead significantly. Despite the comeback, Mississippi State held strong, pulling out those necessary three victories to secure the Esports Egg Bowl for a fourth time and bring hardware back to Starkville, taking five of seven games overall. "It's the most incredible feeling," "Valorant" player and MSU Esports Vice President of External Affairs Will Bratton said. "... Being able to be up on that stage at home with the Golden Egg sitting on that center stage and knowing that if we win, it's ours and we're taking it back home, it was the most incredible feeling in the world." For the months of preparation put into this event, hundreds of hours spread out amongst members and others, the final product was better than imagined. The event's success was evident in the crowd of hundreds who showed up for what turned into a marathon day of gaming, culminating in a Mississippi State victory. |
| Louisiana product Jerkaila Jordan shines in Mississippi State's upset win over LSU | |
| As far as Sam Purcell is concerned, every month is Jerkaila Jordan's month. At the season's outset, Jordan was "Miss November," and she delivered with four games scoring 20 points or more. Purcell then anointed her "Miss December," and Jordan remained consistent, putting up at least 17 points in five of Mississippi State's six games that month. But as the new year dawned, Purcell had a new, month-specific nickname for her senior guard. "I got a new announcement for y'all. Are they ready for this? 'Headband Jerk January,'" Purcell told reporters on Jan. 2. "We're going up another level. We both decided on the way down, if the headband doesn't work, we'll throw it off during the game." As it turned out, the headband only lasted one game, not that Jordan played poorly in the Southeastern Conference opener against Vanderbilt. The New Orleans native led the Bulldogs with 21 points and added five assists, but finished just 1-for-7 from 3-point range as MSU lost by six. So three days later at No. 1 South Carolina, Jordan was back to playing headband-free, and she finished with a game-high 25 points as well as three steals. "It didn't last that long," Jordan said. "I think I'm better without it. I might just go as 'Jerk January.'" Whatever Purcell wants to call her, Jordan closed out January as the lead engineer behind the Bulldogs' biggest win of the year Monday night. Playing against her home state team, Jordan led all scorers with 24 points, finishing 9-for-17 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc as MSU took down defending national champion and No. 9 LSU, 77-73. |
| How Mississippi State, Ole Miss brought basketball fever back into heated rivalry | |
 | In a recent trip to an Oxford gas station, Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard heard someone shouting his way. His initial thought was one of concern, worried that he just cut off a driver or stole someone's pump. When he turned, neither of his concerns came to fruition. Instead, he found a Mississippi State fan giving him a hard time ahead of Tuesday's rivalry matchup at the SJB Pavilion. "He kind of winked at me at the end," Beard said after an 86-82 victory over the Bulldogs. "I've only been here a few months, but I'm starting to understand this deal. It's a great rivalry." The toxicity and pageantry of Mississippi State (14-7, 3-5 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (18-3, 5-3) has helped create one of the best rivalries in college athletics. From the late Mike Leach tugging at Lane Kiffin's mask to Greg Knox riding out on a four-wheeler at Davis Wade Stadium prior to the 2023 Egg Bowl, the Magnolia State has put itself at the center of what rivalries should look like. However, the hardwood has struggled to provide the same flare. This season has been building toward this moment -- one where the two programs could put basketball in Mississippi back in the spotlight. The teams have been building their statures, proving themselves as tough teams to beat as March approaches. Finally, they got to square off, and they delivered. "This is what rivalries feel like and sound like," Jans said. "Like I told the team, if you're not sky-high in anticipation of playing in a game like this, then you're probably in the wrong locker room." |
| Sources: Tennessee Under Potential NCAA Investigation for NIL Violations in Multiple Sports | |
| The University of Tennessee is immersed in another NCAA investigation of potential rules violations that is "major" in nature, sources tell Sports Illustrated. The case involves multiple sports and includes scrutiny of name, image and likeness (NIL) benefits for athletes. The Volunteers were penalized last summer for more than 200 rules infractions in the football program. The NCAA Committee on Infractions declared that the case was "one of the worst the COI has seen," with 18 Level I violations that included around $60,000 in impermissible inducements and benefits for recruits. Now the school is back in the NCAA's crosshairs, a recurrence that could have significant consequences. A source familiar with the inquiry tells SI that Tennessee does not believe it has committed any violations in the NIL realm. The source cited NCAA guidance in that evolving area as "vague and contradictory." Tennessee administrators met with NCAA Enforcement representatives Monday, according to a letter obtained by SI from UT chancellor Donde Plowman to NCAA president Charlie Baker. Plowman decried the actions of enforcement staff members, noting, "Regrettably, in this chaotic environment, the NCAA enforcement staff is trying to retroactively apply unclear guidance to punish and make an example of our institution and others ..." Plowman asserts the NCAA's procedure is flawed and that "some of the allegations are factually untrue." |
| Tennessee's Donde Plowman slams NCAA as 'morally wrong' over NIL investigation, email shows | |
 | University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman said the NCAA is "morally wrong" for alleging that UT broke rules involving name, image and likeness benefits for athletes, according to an email she sent to NCAA President Charlie Baker. Knox News obtained the email, which was sent Monday, through a public records request. In it, Plowman chides the NCAA's continually changing approach to NIL and its intent to enforce NIL rules retroactively. "The implications of the NCAA enforcement staff's approach to date goes beyond just our institution, but also could harm many more student-athletes who have done nothing wrong -- all based on the administrative disputes of adults," Plowman said in the email to Baker. "This is morally wrong and undermines the credibility of the NCAA's stated interest of acting in the best interest of student-athletes." UT could face multiple level 1 and level 2 violations, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told Knox News. Plowman also referenced the possibility that UT could face a charge of lack of institutional control, most serious charge against a university. UT staff met with members of the NCAA enforcement staff on Monday to discuss allegations the NCAA intends to bring against the university related to NIL. But Plowman denied that any violations occurred. "We appreciate your staff listening to our arguments and agreeing to evaluate them," Plowman said in the email. "The NCAA's allegations are factually untrue and procedurally flawed. Moreover, it is intellectually dishonest for the NCAA enforcement staff to pursue infractions cases as if student-athletes have no NIL rights." |
| NCAA stuck in quagmire of its own making with latest NIL mess | |
| It is a weird time in college athletics, perhaps the weirdest ever. Let's count the ways, shall we? In December, the NCAA president himself proposed a plan that, if adopted this summer, would permit schools to directly strike name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with athletes as well as pay them through a trust fund. Within the next 18-24 months, depending on whom you trust, schools will pay athletes salaries as their employees or share revenue with them as their partners in a billion-dollar industry. And yet, over the last three weeks, reports have emerged that the NCAA (1) is investigating Tennessee and Florida over violations related to NIL deals and (2) levied major sanctions on Florida State over violations related to NIL deals. Confused? You are not alone. Even those at the NCAA are aware of the confounding situation in which college sports reside (just look toward their own proposal opening the door for direct athlete pay). The NCAA's predicament: For more than two years, coaches and administrators have staunchly encouraged the NCAA to punish schools for NIL violations. And, yet, when those punishments are delivered, the targeted schools vehemently decry them unfair and often even file legal challenges. We could very well see legal action in the case of Tennessee, whose chancellor, Donde Plowman, used harsh language in email exchanges with NCAA officials recently. "Two and a half years of vague and contradictory NCAA memos, emails and 'guidance' about name, image and likeness (NIL) has created extraordinary chaos that student-athletes and institutions are struggling to navigate," she wrote to NCAA president Charlie Baker. "In short, the NCAA is failing." In reality, the system is failing. |
| Tennessee attorney general sues NCAA over 'NIL-recruiting ban' as UT fights back | |
 | Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed suit against the NCAA on Wednesday over its "NIL-recruiting ban," taking the same aggressive posture of the University of Tennessee as it confronts a new NCAA investigation into whether it violated athletics recruiting rules. The attorney general's lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee federal court. It mentions the UT investigation as an example of the "unlawful restriction" of the NCAA's NIL policy. Skrmetti told Knox News that "we sued to protect the rights of current and future Tennessee student-athletes from Memphis to Mountain City, from Union City to Unicoi County, from Covington to Cleveland, and everywhere in between." Skrmetti argues the NCAA violates federal antitrust laws by putting a "shifting and opaque series of rules and guidelines" around athletes' benefits for their name, image and likeness. It's similar to the language UT Chancellor Donde Plowman used in a scathing email to NCAA President Charlie Baker on Monday denying that UT broke NCAA rules involving NIL benefits for athletes. Tim Meads, the attorney general's press secretary, said in a written statement "this lawsuit is focused on upholding the law and protecting all student-athletes in Tennessee, not any given institution." |
| LSU athletics generated a profit, but operated at a deficit in 2022-23 | |
| LSU's athletic department operated at a deficit during the 2022-23 school year, but only after sending $5.24 million to the academic side of the university, an LSU spokesperson said Tuesday. LSU athletics, which earned a $1.37 million profit last school year based on operating expenses, sent money back to the university as a non-operating expense, resulting in the athletic department running a $3.87 million deficit during the 2022-23 school year, according to a Louisiana legislative audit. LSU athletics' policy for transferring funds back to the school includes charges on "administrative overhead costs," a nonresident exemption fee for student-athletes, a federal payroll excise tax and a distribution of funds for other academic related causes, according to documents obtained by The Advocate. LSU athletics' annual NCAA financial report, released earlier this month, includes the money the athletic department sent back to the university but the NCAA report does not count it toward LSU's deficit for the 2022-23 school year. Including the money the athletic department sent back to the school, LSU athletics spent $204.35 million during the 2022-23 school year. In turn, the athletic department made $200.48 million. |
| FSU's 'Project Osceola' Private Equity Push Began in 2022: Docs | |
| Florida State University administrators spent much of the first half of 2023 speaking with at least two private equity firms, Sixth Street and Arctos Partners, about the possibility of providing money to help fund the Seminoles athletic department, according to a series of emails released by the school on Tuesday. The communications, many of which are heavily redacted, were given to Sportico in response to a public-records request made back in August. The materials provide new insight into Florida State's work with JPMorgan Chase to explore institutional investment for its athletic department -- what would be a first for college athletics. FSU is hoping to maintain its position among the college sports elite, but recently said that staying in the Atlantic Coast Conference would produce a $30 million gap between its income and that of its peers in other leagues. Buying its way out of the ACC, the school says, would cost $572 million. The private equity talks were internally nicknamed "Project Osceola" -- after the famous Seminole leader and FSU mascot -- and they appear to center on the creation of a NewCo to house commercial rights from the school's athletic department. That entity could then take on outside capital. This structure has become common for PE investments in sports, including Silver Lake's backing of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team and CVC's financing of LaLiga, the top Spanish soccer league. |
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