| Monday, February 26, 2024 |
| Hernando native Hutchins among Truman Scholar finalists | |
 | Two Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College students are Mississippi State's most recent national finalists for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Devin Hutchins, a philosophy and economics double major from Hernando, and Joshua Phillips, a political science and economics double major from Birmingham, Alabama, are among the prestigious finalists from across the U.S. for the premier graduate fellowship for those pursuing careers in public service. Hutchins, a 2023 participant in the Delta Scholars Summer Institute and a highly decorated International Public Debate Association debater both in individual and team competitions on the state and national stage, said he chose his majors as a foundation for law school in the future and hopes to serve Magnolia State residents as a civil rights attorney and as an elected official. Phillips, a G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Presidential Endowed Scholar who grew up in Australia, said he developed a deep interest in international relations and global development -- specifically in the Middle East and North Africa -- after moving to the U.S. Through the Shackouls Honors College and the MSU Office of Study Abroad, Phillips has spent time advancing his education at the University of Oxford in England and the International University of Rabat in Morocco. David Hoffman, MSU Office of Prestigious External Scholarships director, said both Hutchins and Phillips are "are deeply committed to tackling their respective concerns about the world via careers in public service, which is the hallmark of a Truman Scholar." |
| Classical, hip-hop ballet group and TV stars coming to MSU | |
 | Mississippi State's 76th season of the Lyceum Series continues with a performance from the Hiplet Ballerinas, a 2021 "America's Got Talent" contestant fusing classical ballet pointe technique with various dance styles like hip-hop. Created by Homer Hans Bryant to make ballet accessible to all, the group performs these dance styles to music genres such as African, Latin, hip-hop and urban. The professional ballet company performs at 7 p.m. Feb. 29 in Lee Hall's historic Bettersworth Auditorium. The show is free for MSU students, and the general public can purchase tickets at www.union.msstate.edu/student-activities/lyceum/tickets. Individual tickets are $30 per person and $25 for MSU employees and senior citizens. The Hiplet Ballerinas evolved from "The Rap Ballet," developed by Bryant in the '90s, and now tours worldwide as the professional company of the Chicago Multicultural Dance School in Chicago, Illinois. The Lyceum Series is MSU's longest running performance arts series and a key part of the university's continued commitment to the arts. |
| Theatre MSU continues 60th season with dramatic comedy 'The Wolves' | |
| Mississippi State's Theatre MSU continues its 60th season this month with a theatrical production highlighting the chaos and confusion of teenage life. Sarah DeLappe's award-winning "The Wolves" -- a Pulitzer Prize finalist script depicting young women of a high school soccer team as they gather weekly for practice -- is presented on the McComas Hall main stage Feb. 28-March 2. Tickets for the public show are available for $10 at events.msstate.edu. "'The Wolves' is a timely play about a girls' high school soccer team. It explores the formation of young women when faced with challenges while working within the framework of a team. This production will be produced in our intimate black box style theater which engages audiences in the play on a new level," said Tonya S. Hays, an MSU assistant professor of theater performance. Kala Morris, student director for the production and a graduate student in MSU's Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, said "This play showcases the indominable human spirit of resilience in the face of adversity, and I want the audience to leave with a sense of togetherness and connection fostered through a shared experience. Although we may differ, I want people to realize through this show that at our core, we are all similar and crave the same things. Inside, we are all 'The Wolves.'" |
| Majority of supes open to exploring OCH sale or lease | |
| With two new members in place on the county board of supervisors, the appetite to again explore privatizing OCH Regional Medical Center is growing. Toward the end of Tuesday's supervisors meeting, the board discussed ways it could fund an ever-growing list of projects and requests, such as new equipment for the road department. District 1 Supervisor Ben Carver pitched a hypothetical -- selling OCH. "It's budgetary in nature, in the fact that if you were to have a hospital sale and you were to add money into coffers, the things you could do with that -- from fixing the county lake to roads," he said. "I don't know what all you could do with that money. Sooner rather than later, I want to have some serious hospital discussions." Two supervisors -- District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer and District 4 Supervisor Pattie Little -- told The Dispatch this week they would be willing to explore a lease or sale of the hospital. Carver did not explicitly endorse the idea when contacted Friday, but he said he'd be willing to entertain it if it provides long-term stability for the hospital. District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard said he was "completely neutral" on the issue. District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams did not return calls requesting comment by press time. Supervisors are carving out time to meet with OCH CEO Jim Jackson to discuss the hospital's latest financial audit. Jackson told The Dispatch Friday he will provide the draft's findings to supervisors before presenting them to the hospital's board of trustees at its March 26 meeting. |
| Education groups urge lawmakers to keep objective formula in place for school funding | |
| Several high-powered Mississippi public education groups sent a joint letter to lawmakers this week stressing that any rewrite of the formula providing state funds to local schools should be based on objective criteria. The House leadership has proposed a completely new funding structure that would leave it to legislators to annually determine the base student cost. Under the current funding formula called the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which the Senate is working to tweak but preserve, the base student cost is determined by an objective formula -- not by politicians. The base student cost multiplied by enrollment equals the amount of money that school districts are supposed to receive, though more affluent districts receive less funding than do poorer districts. "We believe that a guiding principle in the development of such (school funding formula) should be an understanding that the purpose ... is to reflect the true cost of educating Mississippi children to a proficient level in core academic subjects and otherwise preparing them for success in college and career," the letter reads. The Senate Education Committee has passed legislation to make some changes to MAEP, but the Senate bill maintains the objective funding formula and preserves a growth factor, though at a level lower than the current level. Whether a compromise between the two chambers on the funding formula can be achieved could be one of the most contentious issues of the 2024 session. |
| After controversial approval, Mississippi Senate looks to crack down on new Coast casino sites | |
 | Apparently the Secretary of State isn't the only one concerned with the way a casino was given site approval on the beach in Biloxi. Senate Bill 2780 -- introduced before Monday's legislative deadline -- seeks to change the state constitution. It would require any company wanting to use Public Trust Tidelands as part of a casino project to obtain a tidelands lease from the Secretary of State and not through any city, county or other municipality. The bill comes after the Mississippi Gaming Commission in December gave site approval to RW Development to build a casino on U.S. 90 and Veterans Avenue in Biloxi. Site approval was denied by three previous Gaming Commissions that said RW Development owner Ray Wooldridge didn't have control of the property all the way to the water's edge, as required. Wooldridge went back a fourth time with a lease from Biloxi and the blessing of Harrison County to build a pier that would give him a slim connection to the waterfront. This came after the Supreme Court upheld a local court ruling that a state Tidelands lease isn't required from the state to build the pier. SB 2780 attempts to set out the exact requirements for the Gaming Commission to follow should other casino operators seek to follow a similar route to site approval. The bill is sponsored by Sen. David Blount, chairman of the Senate Gaming Committee, and several Coast senators: Mike Thompson and Philman Ladner, and members of the Gaming Committee, Bryce Wiggins and Jeremy England. "I am working with the Secretary of State's office and every Coast casino operator on the bill," Blount said. |
| Henifin in favor of Jackson water takeover bill, calling it 'a great foundation' | |
| Jackson's interim third-party water manager, Ted Henifin, announced Friday that he is supporting a bill to establish future governance for the capital city's water system once he's finished with his work. Senate Bill 2628, or The Mississippi Capitol Region Utility Act, would create an authority with nine members to oversee Jackson's water and wastewater services. The members, who would have to meet specific requirements to be considered, would be appointed by the governor (5) and the lieutenant governor (4). While Henifin said there are still some amendments to be made, he believes this year's bill would be a good foundation for a water system that has struggled for decades but has seen improvement under his tenure. "After reviewing SB 2628, I believe this is a great foundation. It appears that many of the comments I provided during the last session regarding the bill introduced in 2023 were taken to heart and this bill now includes many of the suggestions I made at the time," Henifin said, per the release from JXN Water. "The bill identifies a need for appropriations, but I recommend defining a specific dollar figure to fund start-up costs for the authority to be included in the FY 2025 state budget." Last week, SB 2628 passed out of committee and awaits to be taken up on the Senate floor. Henifin and lawmakers are expected to meet this week to discuss specific startup costs and other changes he thinks might need to be made. |
| Legal expert questions claims from Attorney General Lynn Fitch and her suit against state auditor | |
| Two Republican statewide officials will soon face off in court after Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed suit Thursday against State Auditor Shad White, but one legal expert said her filings and public statements may not line up with Mississippi statute or established case law. Fitch wants to block the state auditor from recovering misspent welfare dollars that went to retired NFL star Brett Favre. She argues that Shad White cannot prosecute suits, only initiate them when he refers cases to her office for prosecution. Fitch's filing also alleges that she can decide whether or not to prosecute cases brought before her by the auditor. "This office has an independent legal and ethical duty to review the investigatory files transmitted by the Auditor to substantiate the legal basis for filing a civil suit in a court of law," Fitch wrote in a statement issued shortly after the court filing. Christopher Green, who serves as a professor of law and Jamie L. Whitten Chair in Law and Government at Ole Miss, took issue with her interpretation. "I'm not sure that's right. That's one of the key claims, because I mean, just the statute says [Auditor White has] the power to initiate the suit. And just the just the discretionary power, just not to initiate it at all, it's hard to see how you get that in 7-7-211(g)," Green said. That portion of state law he's referring to says in part "the State Auditor shall have the authority and it shall be his duty to institute suit, and the Attorney General shall prosecute the same in any court of the state to the end that there shall be recovered the total of such amounts from the person or persons." |
| Senators prep for Mayorkas impeachment as government funding deadline looms | |
 | Senators are set to deal with the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in swift fashion this week as they look ahead to a pair of government funding deadlines. The Senate returns to Washington on Monday from a two-week recess staring down a number of priorities, including averting a partial government shutdown. But first, they must deal with a pair of articles of impeachment against Mayorkas the House approved earlier this month. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said the articles would be transmitted upon the Senate's return, with senators set to be sworn in as jurors shortly after. It's unclear how Schumer will try to dispense with the articles. He could try to dismiss them, or he could refer them to a special committee, both of which would require a simple majority vote. No matter which he chooses, members on both sides of the aisle widely expect the chamber to spend the minimal amount of time possible on the topic, especially with government funding on the front burner. |
| Biden, 'Big Four' to meet as spending talks sputter | |
 | President Joe Biden plans to meet with the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday after weekend negotiations on the first batch of spending bills due Friday to avert a partial government shutdown appeared to stall out. Each side blamed the other Sunday night for the lack of progress on the four appropriations bills that have a March 1 deadline -- Agriculture, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-HUD. Those bills represent around 20 percent of federal agencies' fiscal 2024 discretionary funds, and while a short shutdown wouldn't be debilitating, some key activities would cease, like loans to farmers and hiring and training new air traffic controllers. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote to colleagues that he had hoped to announce a deal on Sunday night, but that Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans have been unwilling to compromise. "[I]t is clear now that House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out," Schumer wrote. "It is my sincere hope that in the face of a disruptive shutdown that would hurt our economy and make American families less safe, Speaker Johnson will step up to once again buck the extremists in his caucus and do the right thing." For his part, Johnson, R-La., called Schumer's missive "counterproductive" and said it fails to acknowledge "good faith" attempts to reach an agreement. He blamed the current impasse on late-stage Democratic demands in the talks "that were not previously included in the Senate bills," including new spending "priorities that are farther left than what their chamber agreed upon." It wasn't immediately clear what last-minute issues Democrats have raised. One issue that Democrats have been pushing for months is extra funding for USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children. |
| An RNC member is trying to stop the party from paying Donald Trump's legal bills | |
 | At least one member of the Republican National Committee is working to slow Donald Trump's attempted takeover of the organization by pushing to keep the committee neutral until Trump is officially the presidential nominee and avoid picking up his legal bills. Two draft resolutions are being circulated by Henry Barbour, a national committeeman from Mississippi, for consideration at the RNC's upcoming March meeting in Houston. Barbour said support for the resolutions among RNC members is growing but he does not yet have the needed cosponsors, and any resolutions would ultimately be nonbinding. The effort comes after Trump last week publicly called to replace the RNC's current leaders and install one of his senior campaign advisors and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in top roles. Lara Trump suggested earlier in the week that GOP voters would support the committee paying her father-in-law's legal bills as he faces a raft of criminal and civil indictments. One of Barbour's proposed resolutions says that the RNC and its leadership will stay neutral throughout the presidential primary and not take on additional staff from any of the active campaigns until a candidate has the needed delegates to be the nominee. The second resolution says the organization will not pay the legal bills of any candidate for federal or state office but will instead focus its spending on efforts directly related to the 2024 election. |
| Prominent Republican Seeks to Shield the Party From Paying Trump's Legal Bills | |
 | A veteran Republican National Committee member has initiated a long-shot effort to prevent Donald J. Trump from taking over the party committee before he has enough delegates to become the presumptive presidential nominee in an effort to prevent the R.N.C. from paying his legal bills. Henry Barbour, a committee member from Mississippi, has sponsored two resolutions, one that would require the committee to remain neutral in the primary and another that would assure it does not spend committee funds to assist Mr. Trump in his legal battles. The proposals, which would not be binding even if passed, come as Mr. Trump seeks to install new leadership in the organization, including Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, who has said she would be open to the committee paying his legal bills. The resolutions, which were first reported by The Dispatch, have come under fire from the Trump campaign. "The primary is over, and it is the RNC's sole responsibility to defeat Joe Biden and win back the White House," said Chris LaCivita, a top Trump adviser who is expected to move into a top role at the R.N.C. "Efforts to delay that assist Joe Biden in the destruction of our nation. Republicans cannot stand on the sidelines and allow this to happen." Mr. Barbour, in an interview, conceded that neither resolution was likely to pass, given Mr. Trump's strength in the party, but he said that sending a message was important. "Just wait till you have the delegates," he said of Mr. Trump's effort to take over the party before the primary has concluded. "This is not going to pass, I understand that," he said. "It's about making a point." |
| President Biden to visit southern border on the same day as Donald Trump | |
 | President Joe Biden plans to make a rare visit to the southern border Thursday, the same day former President Donald Trump is planning his own border stop. Biden will visit Brownsville, Texas, a White House official said, to meet with border patrol agents, law enforcement officials and local leaders. Trump, the frontrunner to win the Republican nomination, is planning to visit Eagle Pass, Texas on Thursday. Biden's trip -- the second to the border of his presidency -- comes as record migration at the U.S.-Mexico border remains one his biggest election liabilities. But looking to flip the script ahead of the 2024 election, Biden has embraced tougher rhetoric on the border and blamed congressional Republicans for inaction after they killed legislation this month that would have created some of the most aggressive border restrictions in years. Biden is now considering executive action on the border under federal immigration powers once used by Trump, risking a backlash from progressives and immigration advocates. During his visit, Biden will discuss "the urgent need" to pass the border security legislation, the White House official said. |
| Hidden in Trump's big South Carolina win: A not-so-small problem for him in November | |
 | Donald Trump's trouncing of Nikki Haley on her home turf Saturday put on full display his dominance across the demographic spectrum of the GOP. It also put to rest whatever lingering beliefs there were that this primary may still have some drama left in it. Here was Haley, the first candidate to get Trump in a head-to-head matchup, and she could not deliver, neither in moderate New Hampshire nor her home state. But Trump's effortless win in the Palmetto State -- he visited just three times in recent weeks, four if you count a fundraiser -- was as much of a demonstration of his total control of the party as it was South Carolinians' repudiation of Haley. If you really need more evidence of Trump's dominance over the Republican Party -- well, South Carolina had it in spades. A majority of every age demographic picked Trump over Haley. Men and women both backed Trump. Voters across all income ranges backed him, and he only narrowly lost college graduates while dominating among those without a college degree. Trump has a weak spot. It's GOP primary voters who believe President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election -- which he did -- or who think Trump would not be fit for the presidency if convicted of a crime. A large majority of those voters were with Haley. Her problem is that they were just over a third of the overall electorate in both questions. But that's not where the bulk of the GOP is today. From top to bottom, the Republican Party is Trump's party. There are no reliable pockets of dissent. |
| To Understand Trump's Staying Power With the White Working Class, Look at Michigan | |
 | At its peak, more than 100,000 people streamed in and out of the massive Ford Motor factory in Dearborn, Michigan, along the Rouge River. In addition to cars and trucks, the behemoth plant helped mint the American middle class. The thousands of people who still work here and at other factories across Michigan and other Midwest states helped forge those states' politics. These blue-collar voters were for many years reliable Democrats, but in 2016 a big group of them, mostly white, helped Donald Trump capture the presidency -- including an unexpected win in Michigan. His supporters said they remain loyal to him thanks to a mix of economic policy proposals and a unique personality that they haven't seen from many other Republicans, according to recent interviews conducted by The Wall Street Journal for its "Chasing the Base" podcast series. The United Auto Workers endorsed President Biden in January, but union officials acknowledge that a sizable portion of their members back Trump. More than 100,000 people in the Detroit metro area work in auto manufacturing alone. It is still home to the headquarters of marquee American auto brands such as Ford, Chrysler and General Motors. Trump lost Michigan to Biden in 2020. Democrats made up the difference in white-collar suburbs, including Oakland County northwest of Detroit. They made some inroads in blue-collar areas like Macomb County, northeast of Detroit, but Trump still carried the day. |
| Hungary approves Sweden's NATO bid, unblocking historic expansion | |
 | Hungary's parliament on Monday voted in favor of Sweden's long-delayed bid to join NATO, clearing the final obstacle to a historic expansion of the military alliance and putting an end to an uncomfortable standoff between its members. With Budapest at last on board, Sweden is set to become NATO's 32nd member, possibly within the week, completing a process that began with Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and saw Finland join last year. The addition of the two Nordic countries will bolster the alliance's capabilities, strengthening its position in the high north and the Black Sea -- all while sending an important message to Moscow. "Today is a historic day," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "The parliaments of all NATO member states have now voted in favour of Swedish accession to NATO. Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security." While the alliance is indeed bigger than ever and stronger than it's been in years, many months of obstruction from Turkey, followed by continued delays by Hungary, spotlighted the challenge of keeping allies together, even in the face of an aggressive, revanchist Russia. The ratification in Budapest comes at a moment when NATO allies are struggling to stay united on aid for Ukraine and the alliance is trying to project confidence despite concern about remarks from the former -- and potential future -- president Donald Trump. So, when allies finally gather at NATO headquarters in Brussels to raise the Swedish flag, there will be celebration, certainly, but also exhausted sighs of relief. |
| Nvidia Hardware Is Eating the World: CEO Jensen Huang Is Powering the AI Revolution | |
 | Talking to Jensen Huang should come with a warning label. The Nvidia CEO is so invested in where AI is headed that, after nearly 90 minutes of spirited conversation, I came away convinced the future will be a neural net nirvana. I could see it all: a robot renaissance, medical godsends, self-driving cars, chatbots that remember. The buildings on the company's Santa Clara campus weren't helping. Wherever my eyes landed I saw triangles within triangles, the shape that helped make Nvidia its first fortunes. No wonder I got sucked into a fractal vortex. I had been Jensen-pilled. Huang is the man of the hour. The year. Maybe even the decade. Tech companies literally can't get enough of Nvidia's supercomputing GPUs. This is not the Nvidia of old, the supplier of Gen X video game graphics cards that made images come to life by efficiently rendering zillions of triangles. This is the Nvidia whose hardware has ushered in a world where we talk to computers, they talk back to us, and eventually, depending on which technologist you talk to, they overtake us. Nvidia now accounts for more than 70 percent of sales in the AI chip market and is approaching a $2 trillion valuation. Its revenue for the last quarter of 2023 was $22 billion -- up 265 percent from the year prior. And its stock price has risen 231 percent in the last year. Huang is either uncannily good at what he does or ridiculously lucky -- or both! -- and everyone wants to know how he does it. But no one reigns forever. He's now in the crosshairs of the US-China tech war and at the mercy of regulators. |
| Mississippi spends less on college grant aid than nearly every Southern state | |
| Mississippi spends less money on college financial aid programs than almost every state in the Southern region. This holds true for both total dollars spent in Mississippi -- about $45 million -- and the average amount of grant money each college student receives. Other states, including deep-red neighbors Arkansas and Louisiana, dole out more money for college on a per-student basis while charging roughly the same or less for tuition. Even West Virginia, with close to half of the population, spends double Mississippi. Not many lawmakers today know why this is, but several factors may be the cause: Financial aid policy is complex, and the Legislature tries to keep tuition low through funding the colleges and universities. Plus college financial aid is not a core function of government, many lawmakers say, such as roads and bridges or paying teachers. But a change may be underway this legislative session. Amid increased interest in workforce development -- not to mention Mississippi's $700 million surplus -- lawmakers are no longer asking the state's financial aid office to make its programs less expensive. Instead, they want to know: If Mississippi spends more, what will we get for it? |
| Research hub coming to Jackson | |
 | A Mississippi community college and four universities have a new role designed to establish a research hub in the capital city. Hinds Community College, Jackson State University, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University (MSU) and The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) have solidified a partnership with Great City Foundation and RAND to do just that. The foundation is a collection of local business and community leaders who want to see Jackson thrive. RAND is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer, more secure, healthier and financially prosperous. According to the Great City Foundation, this lab will focus on computational science, including applied research supporting the development of artificial intelligence and other forms of computer-aided automation. It will also serve as a hub for technology transfer and civilian and government employee workforce training. Multiple players in this partnership, like Taylor Nicholas, Executive Director of the Great City Foundation, are excited about what's to come. "By collaborating with RAND, we are confident that we can create a research lab that will not only drive scientific discovery but also serve as a catalyst for economic growth and development in our region," Nicholas said in a press release. |
| $7.1 million renovation planned for historic MUW dorm | |
| A $7.1 million renovation of Jones Hall on the Mississippi University for Women campus will begin in May upon approval from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. The renovation is expected to finish in time for students to move in for the spring 2026 term, Chief Financial Officer and Interim Vice President for Operations Carla Lowrey told The Dispatch. Lowrey said the renovation is on the agenda for the IHL to consider in March. "We don't anticipate to physically start the renovation until after the spring semester is over and all of the students move out of the dorm," she said. "Likely it will take through the fall of 2025 for that project to be finished just because of the turnaround time on materials." The renovation will be the first major update of Jones Hall, which houses more than 200 students, since it was built in 1964. The bulk of the work will include mechanical, electrical, plumbing and demolition that will bring the building up to current code. There will also be new flooring and paint added to the building interior, and all of the building's bathrooms will be reconfigured. Also in March, the W will request the IHL approve a chiller plant renovation on the south side of the campus that will support the Jones and Kincannon residence halls, as well as the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science residence halls, Goen and Frazer, which are housed at The W. Other updates underway on campus include a stormwater retention center and sewer upgrades to prevent flooding, the Orr Chapel front porch, roofing repairs at eight campus buildings, and exterior renovations to doors and windows at four other buildings. |
| MUW's Music by Women Festival set for March 7-9 | |
| Mississippi University for Women will host the eighth annual Music by Women Festival March 7-9. Housed in The W's historic Poindexter Hall, the festival will feature 15 concerts featuring music, both new and historic, written by female composers. Concerts will begin at 10 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. all three days. In addition to the concerts, there will be academic presentations including lecture-recitals, papers and demonstrations from a variety of presenters including faculty from the top research institutions and conservatories and members of prestigious orchestra and opera companies. "We are looking forward to the 2024 festival. The event was founded at The W due to the university's history as the first state supported institution providing higher education for women in the U.S. The festival is a celebration designed to inspire and serve as a catalyst for future study and performance of this important body of work. "As a professor, I also hope that the festival provides examples of role models for younger women musicians. This year promises to be our largest event yet. We have participants traveling from as far away as Australia and Poland," said Julia Mortyakova, The W's department of music chair and the founder and artistic director for the Music by Women Festival. |
| Summit gathers leaders in business, politics, military to talk about online narratives | |
 | Narratives shape perspectives of the world, from posts on social media to television, blogs and digital signage. To harness and understand those narratives, the next generation of the workforce must understand narrative intelligence. That's the message national leaders in politics, business and the military shared Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the inaugural National Security Summit hosted by the National Center for Narrative Intelligence at the University of Mississippi. "We want to be the champions of (narrative intelligence), and we think this could be something our state is very proud of," Chancellor Glenn Boyce said. "We intend to be at the forefront of it here in Oxford by serving as the home for this vital initiative." Narrative intelligence is an artificial intelligence- and human-driven process that gathers and analyzes enormous amounts of data from across the internet to detect trends. It is particularly useful in identifying misinformation and disinformation, making it an asset for national security, as well as business. "We are entering a phase in our history in which the amount of info is not only growing, but the amount of information that is not real is growing by leaps and bounds," said William Crowell, former deputy director of the National Security Agency. "In light of this growth, the big demand that we will have in the future is for the tools to not only cope with the amount of information, but the kind of information we have. We need tools to examine narratives to find out where they come from, what their purpose is and whether they are based on real facts or if they've been made up. That's what this summit is all about." |
| Take it on or give it up: Oxford observes Lent | |
 | For many, Wednesday, Feb. 14 was all about hearts, flowers and the color pink. For others, the day had an additional meaning: People across the world bore dark, smudged crosses on their foreheads in observance of Ash Wednesday, a Christian holy day marking the beginning of Lent. Students turned out in droves to receive their ashes, a symbol of repentance and devotion to God. "We have an explosion of people that come to Ash Wednesday services," Father Mark Shoffner of UM's Catholic Campus Ministry said. "Probably 800 more people than we'd normally get on a Sunday." With this influx of students entering St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Oxford comes an increase in church involvement, at least in the beginning. A penitent observance of the Christian faith, Lent commemorates the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert. For the next 40 days, those who celebrate Lent will reflect on the life of Jesus and ways they can grow in their faith, all in preparation for Easter Sunday on March 31. Although people often think of Lent as a time of sacrifice, others observe it by taking on a new discipline that adds meaning to their life. The observance is both communal and a time for growth, according to the Episcopal Church at Ole Miss faculty adviser Kristen Walker. "Lent is a great opportunity to do something you have wanted to do that may take you a little outside of your comfort zone but that you know would be a great way for you to grow," Walker said. |
| USM distinguished professor to issue poetry during Black History Month | |
 | Dr. Philip Kolin, University of Southern Mississippi distinguished professor of English emeritus, has commemorated Black History Month 2024 in new poetry. The collection, White Terror, Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History, has been published by Third World Press, the oldest independent publisher in the United States of Black thought and literature. The 61 poems in Kolin's new book concentrate on some of the most harrowing events in Black history in America, while also focusing on such well-known historical figures as Dred Scott, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Medgar Evers, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Some poems are written in the third person, others in the first person recounting the speaker's recollection of a specific historical event," Kolin said. "Individually, the poems are eulogies, jeremiads, dramatic monologues and rituals. Collectively, they are accounts of activists fighting against segregation, voter suppression and Jim Crow injustice." Dr. Haki Madhubuti, a founder of the Black Arts Movement, noted in his introduction that Kolin's collection is "an important and critically necessary book for our times" and honored him as "an excellent researcher of African American history and culture, and a superior poet." |
| Congressman Bennie Thompson wants improved voter participation among college students | |
 | Mississippi Second District Congressman Bennie Thompson is traveling the state speaking with college students about the importance of civic engagement. He says voting is especially important in the nation's current political climate. n a ballroom at Jackson State University, Thompson and a few dozen students gather their chairs in a circle for an open discussion on the importance of voting. The Hinds County native has met with college students across the state this week to encourage them to vote -- but also how to best organize on campus to increase voter registration in the run up to the 2024 Presidential Election and beyond. Thompson says that especially in this election, increased participation is crucial. "I'm glad that our students are interested in what's going on in the country. The largest voting precinct in Hinds County is on this campus, so it's an opportunity for student voices to be heard by voting," he told MPB News. "It's an opportunity also for them to talk to me about what's going on with them, in Washington and in the world.' Students from both of Thompson's alma maters -- JSU and Tougaloo College -- attended the event, and asked the congressman for feedback on specific plans they have for driving electoral engagement among their peers. |
| Aubie the Tiger statue unveiled outside student center | |
| On the morning of Saturday, Feb. 24, Auburn University unveiled its new Aubie the Tiger statue, positioned outside of the Harold D. Melton Student Center. The bronze figure stands tall, modeled with an Auburn jersey and flag in hand. The unveiling ceremony was hosted by Student Affairs and Dr. Bobby Woodard, senior vice president for student affairs. As the gathering grew in anticipation for the unveiling, esteemed speakers took to the podium to honor this iconic symbol of Auburn's spirit. President Christopher B. Roberts, Margaret Arnold, associate vice president for philanthropy, Jake Haston, the 2022-23 SGA president and Logan McKenna from the Aubie Program each shared their reflections on Aubie's significance and the journey leading to the creation of the statue. The presence of Auburn students, alumni, faculty and friends of Aubie underscored the collective anticipation surrounding the unveiling. For many, Aubie is more than just a mascot; he is a cherished symbol of unity and tradition. The university has been working on this project since Aubie clinched his 10th UCA Mascot National Championship in 2021. Jake Haston, during his tenure as SGA president, recognized Aubie's profound impact on student life and proposed the project to Roberts, Woodard, and the Board of Trustees. The project received approval in April 2023. |
| Alabama Republican urges fertility clinics to reopen; UAB says it's not so simple | |
 | Alabama's Republican lawmakers are considering legislation to protect in vitro fertilization and their vision of the right to life following the Alabama Supreme Court's recent ruling that frozen embryos are people. While legislation proceeds, some conservatives said over the weekend, Alabama fertility clinics that shut down last week should reopen. "These clinics should start providing these services again. It is not fair to patients to have their embryos held hostage and procedures cancelled," Rep. Susan DuBose, (R-Hoover), told AL.com Sunday. "My heart goes out to the families caught in IVF process." She pointed to Attorney General Steve Marshall's statement on Friday that his office had "no intention" of prosecuting IVF clinics or families who use the procedure. The Alabama Supreme Court ruling held that frozen embryos had the same status as children in wrongful death lawsuits. But one major health organization said Sunday that reopening isn't so simple. "We very much appreciate Attorney General Steve Marshall's support of IVF. Because attorney general opinions are not binding on Alabama courts, we are required to follow the Alabama Supreme Court's decision unless and until it reconsiders its opinion, or the Alabama Legislature addresses it through legislation," a spokesperson for UAB said in an email. |
| UGA campus death: Gov. Kemp wants answers about murder suspect's immigration status | |
| Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is demanding answers from the White House following the tragic killing of a 22-year-old nursing student, Laken Hope Riley, on Thursday at the University of Georgia in Athens. The alleged perpetrator, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra from Venezuela, was arrested for her murder near Lake Herrick on UGA's campus during a morning run. During a press conference on Friday night, UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark disclosed that Ibarra is not a U.S. citizen. Furthermore, Ibarra's older brother, Diego Ibarra, aged 29, was arrested for possessing a fraudulent U.S. permanent resident card, commonly known as a green card. Despite this information, the United States Attorney's Office, Middle District of Georgia, stated on Saturday morning that they lack details about Jose Ibarra's immigration status. Media reports, including from FOX News, claim Jose Ibarra illegally crossed into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, although ICE has reportedly not officially commented on the matter. Expressing concern, Gov. Kemp addressed a letter to the President on Saturday morning, seeking clarification. Gov. Kemp emphasized the reliance on unofficial sources and leaks to media outlets for information about Jose Ibarra. He asserted that answers to these fundamental questions must be provided publicly as soon as possible to ensure that state and local officials have the necessary information to safeguard communities. |
| A&M, USGS experts explain reasoning behind recent South Texas earthquakes | |
 | A series of recent earthquakes near the South Texas town of Falls City can likely be attributed to the region's petroleum production and wastewater disposal well injections, according to professors in Texas A&M's Department of Geology and Geophysics. "Industry activities can sometimes cause earthquakes and this is definitely related to the local geology information and also related to the stress caused by the industrial activity," said Xiaowei Chen, an A&M professor who studies earthquakes. Since Feb. 8, 12 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher have occurred within a 10-mile area near Falls City, according to Justin Rubinstein, a research geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey. This sequence of seismic activity was highlighted by a magnitude 4.7 earthquake on Feb. 16. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake occurred near the 4.7 quake just 12 minutes prior. Rubinstein did say it's too early to know the exact cause of these earthquakes, but noted others in the area have been induced by petroleum production. There are several fault zones, including the Balcones and Luling, that stretch through South Texas. Falls City is also in the middle of the Eagle Ford Shale, which is an active region for oil and gas production. What's happening in Falls City is likely the reactivation of an existing fault, according to Nicholas Perez, an associate professor in A&M's Department of Geology & Geophysics whose research focuses on tectonics and mountain building. |
| Bill would let more Missouri universities offer research, doctoral degrees | |
 | As it currently stands, the University of Missouri is the only public university able to offer research doctorates and certain professional degrees. State Sen. Lincoln Hough wants to change that. His legislation would open up new opportunities for other universities, including Missouri State University, to confer degrees previously restricted to the state's flagship university. Under current law, the campuses under the umbrella of the University of Missouri System are designated as the "state's only public research university and the exclusive grantor of research doctorates." This means that it has the exclusive authority to offer doctoral degrees, as well as first-professional degrees like law, medicine, pharmacy, optometry, dentistry or veterinary medicine. The UM System partners with other universities to offer some programs, but the degree itself is still conferred by the University of Missouri. That is the result of a 2018 state statute that gave the University of Missouri system what Hough would call "veto authority" over these degrees being offered at other universities. "All it seeks to do is put that back in the hands of the coordinating board for higher education," Hough said. "Those are volunteer members that are appointed by the governor to help manage all of the institutions around the state." |
| 'The College Tour' on Prime Video to showcase U. of Memphis | |
| If you're considering attending the University of Memphis, then keep your eyes on the show "The College Tour" -- because it's slated to give an inside look at the school in 2024. U of M is poised to appear on the streamed series, which showcases college life at universities across the globe. Hosted by Alex Boylan, who won the CBS show "The Amazing Race" in 2002, "The College Tour" started in 2020, and is now putting together its 12th season. It can be found on Amazon Prime Video and The College Tour website, and the U of M episode is set to be released this fall. Filming at U of M began this week, and the 30-minute episode about the university is expected to explain what life is like for its students, highlighting everything from academics to internships to study abroad opportunities. "While the 'The College Tour' highlights the many incredible features of the U of M and its campus, our students stand out as the true VIPs of this series," said President Bill Hardgrave in a press release. "We are no strangers to their passion, determination and enthusiasm, so we are absolutely thrilled the world gets to be introduced to them now as well." The episode is set to start with student Christina McKnight, who attends the U of M Lambuth campus in Jackson, and discusses becoming a resident advisor. It will also feature nine other students. |
| Academic Freedom Battles Roil Indiana University | |
 | Nearly six months after the Israel-Hamas war unleashed a steady tide of student-led protests on college campuses across the United States, Indiana's public flagship university is emerging as a free speech battleground. The latest dispute is over the abrupt cancellation of a long-planned art exhibition at Indiana University at Bloomington's Eskenazi Museum of Art, Samia Halaby: Centers of Energy. Halaby is an internationally recognized Palestinian American abstract artist. The exhibition was set to open earlier this month -- IU had already printed promotional materials for it -- but university leaders cited vague security concerns when they canceled it in December. Critics of the decision think there's more to the story. And while they don't know the specific factors driving the decision, they can't ignore the pressure IU administrators have been under since Indiana congressman Jim Banks threatened to withhold federal funding from the university if they don't adequately address perceived antisemitism on campus. In the wake of Banks's demands, IU barred a tenured professor from teaching until next fall after he improperly booked an event space on behalf of the student-led Palestine Solidarity Committee. The student group needed the room to host Miko Peled, an Israeli American activist and author who has advocated for the creation of one democratic state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians. Students, faculty and free speech advocates have spoken out against those incidents. But their attention of late has turned to protesting the cancelled exhibit. |
| UVa announces new Northern Virginia campus | |
| The University of Virginia is digging its roots deeper into the Washington suburbs. A new Fairfax County campus announced earlier this month is expected to expand and consolidate the school's programming in Northern Virginia, home to the largest concentration of UVa alumni and prospective undergraduates. UVa has leased the second and third floors, about 55,000 square feet, of a building in the Inova Center for Personalized Health complex in Falls Church, where it has an existing collaboration with Inova Fairfax Hospital, which serves as a teaching hospital for UVa medical students. Work is under way on the campus at 8095 Innovation Park Drive, where the university says it will offer classrooms and collaborative work spaces that will host full-time UVa students and serve as a hub for working professionals taking online courses, high schoolers in summer programs and businesses that offer workforce training through the school. "We see working professionals as the bulk of our Northern Virginia audience," spokeswoman Leanna Yevak told The Daily Progress. "Our programs are all created for individual learners to access; they are not school specific." UVa previously shared real estate with Virginia Tech at the Northern Virginia center in Idylwood. It exited that property in 2020 after it refused to share the costs of a major overhaul of the facility that will see it transformed into a mixed-use research-housing-office center. That overhaul is currently underway, and Tech remains a major stakeholder in the project. |
| Some employers are wary of Gen Z workers. What can colleges do? | |
| Call them power skills, durable skills or 21st century skills, but career development experts say it's time to acknowledge that proficiency in empathy, critical thinking and collaboration are required to be successful in most jobs. And some younger employees aren't cutting it. They say a less-than-perfect storm of events has left Gen Z, generally considered young adults born after 1997, lacking in competencies that, in some cases, have been expected of workers but not explicitly named. Competencies like using a more formal way of talking or writing an email, dressing appropriately for the office and showing up for work on time are in short supply among some young employees, the career experts contend. "There's a lot of concern these days about student readiness for the workplace," said Diane Gayeski, a professor of strategic communication at Ithaca College, in New York, who advised on the employer survey. "That's nothing new. Older generations are always worried about the younger generation. But clearly the pandemic did have a significant impact on students who graduated from college in the last couple of years." Experts are concerned that social media and COVID-19 shutdowns have harmed career skill development among Gen Z workers. Their first job might be on Zoom, for example. When will a young person learn how to maintain eye contact while making a presentation if they never set foot into an office? Others in higher ed say the best way to equip students with interpersonal and professional skills is to offer meaningful work and learning experiences. Colleges and universities are too focused on teaching STEM-based skills and not focused enough on fostering robust debate about critical issues, said Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities. |
| Hoosier warning: Billion dollar hole in Indiana's Medicaid program | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: A few weeks ago, Division of Medicaid Executive Director Drew Snyder testified in the Legislature that state funding for Medicaid would need to increase by over $500 million in the next two years to keep pace with the cost of the existing program -- before expansion. Over the weekend, Jonathan Bechtle wrote in The Wall Street Journal about Indiana's own Medicaid cost overruns as the state begins slashing benefits to make up for a billion dollar budget shortfall: "The bill for ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion is coming due. Nine years after Indiana became one of the first Republican-led states to sign up, the fiscal pain has become too much to bear. Yet in the rush to save taxpayers, Indiana is moving to cut funding for Medicaid's neediest beneficiaries rather than the able-bodied adults covered by expansion. Late last year, Indiana announced that its Medicaid program faced a roughly $1 billion shortfall or, as officials called it, a "forecasting error." While the state is blaming cost overruns on traditional Medicaid, the 2015 expansion by then-Gov. Mike Pence is wildly over budget, too. It cost taxpayers nearly $5.4 billion in 2023 alone, with roughly $540 million paid for by Hoosiers. This is the inevitable result of Medicaid expansion, which has enrolled far more people than advocates predicted. |
| Imagine public school underfunding with no objective formula | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Despite an objective school funding formula that state law says shall be fully funded, public schools were underfunded a cumulative total of a little more than $1 billion from 2012-2016 during the first term for Phil Bryant as governor and Tate Reeves as lieutenant governor. At the time, state leaders said -- as they often say -- that they did not have the revenue to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. But during that same time period, as many state budgets were being cut and education underfunded, the Legislature, led in large part by Reeves and Bryant, passed about 50 tax cuts, mostly for businesses, at a cost of about $700 million. Imagine what would have happened if there was not an objective formula to determine the amount of money needed to adequately educate a child. Imagine if during that time period the Legislature, without an objective formula, determined full funding. It is at least reasonable to assume that without that objective formula, legislators would have provided even less money to education in an effort to cut taxes and to avoid budget cuts to other agencies and to pet projects. |
SPORTS
| Men's Basketball: Hubbard explodes for 32, Bulldogs throttle LSU for key road win | |
| Josh Hubbard cannot be contained for long. Three nights after Mississippi State's star freshman guard was held to five points while his teammates picked up the slack in a win over Ole Miss, Hubbard put the Bulldogs on his back and set a career high with 32 points to lead MSU to its fifth consecutive victory, an 87-67 romp against LSU in Baton Rouge. "Our expectations were way higher than the way we started SEC play," Hubbard said on SEC Network after the game. "We had to get a road win, we had to show the whole world that we can win on the road, and that's what we did tonight." Hubbard finished 6-for-12 from 3-point range, and his teammates weren't slouches from behind the arc either -- the Bulldogs (19-8, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) were 10-for-21 from deep as a team, their best hit rate of the season and a far cry from last year's group that finished dead last in the entire country in 3-point percentage. The lead changed hands seven times in the first half, but a 9-0 MSU run in less than two minutes late in the half gave the visitors the lead for good. Hubbard did most of his damage in the second half, draining five of his 3-pointers as the Bulldogs' lead ballooned to as many as 27 points. "(My teammates) build my confidence every day in practice," Hubbard said. "We push each other, we play hard. They've instilled that in me from the start and I instill that in them." |
| Mississippi State bolsters NCAA Tournament resume with 20-point win at LSU | |
| The Mississippi State men's basketball team continues to improve its NCAA Tournament resume with the latest boost coming from an 87-67 win at LSU on Saturday. A career-high scoring performance from freshman sensation Josh Hubbard carried the Bulldogs (19-8, 8-6 SEC) to the dominant victory over the Tigers (14-13, 6-8 SEC), extending MSU's winning streak to a conference-best at five. The game started off as a slugfest between two teams known for their physicality. LSU jumped out to a 13-8 lead with momentum, but Mississippi State quickly closed the gap and knotted things up at 20-20 with 10 minutes left in the half. Chris Jans' group started to smell blood in the water and began to build a viable lead ahead of the intermission. Kickstarted by a strong showing by KeShawn Murphy and Hubbard, the Bulldogs closed out the half on a 13-4 run to post a 40-33 lead. The last 20 minutes belonged solely to Mississippi State. A trio of layups by senior big man Tolu Smith helped catapult the Bulldogs to a double-digit lead in the first three minutes after the break. Though LSU cut into the deficit a couple of times to try to get back in the game, the Tigers' efforts proved futile. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Mississippi State sitting comfortably as a No. 9 seed in his latest NCAA Tournament bracket, but Saturday's dominant win will certainly give Jans' squad more positive buzz from bracketologists. The Bulldogs will return to Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. tipoff against No. 17 Kentucky. |
| Unpacking Mississippi State baseball's series win against Georgia Southern | |
| When Mississippi State baseball's Jurrangelo Cijntje walked to the dugout after pitching a scoreless fifth inning against Georgia Southern on Sunday, it was unclear if his effort would be enough for a win. Despite allowing just one run in five innings, Cijntje came off the mound with his team trailing and the offense struggling. The Bulldogs' bats finally came to life, though, to ensure the sophomore picked up a win. Behind a 10-2 victory, they secured the series win. MSU (4-4) won the opener on Friday with a final score of 5-1 before getting steamrolled 11-4 on Saturday. Coach Chris Lemonis' squad has taken two of three in both weekend series this season, which started last week against Air Force. However, MSU lost two midweek games against Austin Peay before taking down Georgia Southern (2-5). Here's what we learned about the Bulldogs against the Eagles. |
| Sam Purcell wants to change Mississippi State basketball's fortunes. Does he have time? | |
| At some point, things need to change. For Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell, that point is now, with the Bulldogs having lost four straight games, capped by Sunday's 87-75 defeat at Alabama. "We've done everything at this point," Purcell said postgame. "We've walked backwards. We've walked to the left. I've changed my eating patterns. I took my daughter to lunch today. I've washed my undergarments. I know that's too much information, but we're doing everything." The Bulldogs (20-9, 7-7 SEC) are playing far from their best basketball as Purcell's favorite month -- the one where college basketball reigns supreme -- approaches. He can point to a variety of issues, ranging from turnovers to players dealing with illness, but he believes there's an aspect of misfortune playing into the Bulldogs' woes. "Sometimes in sports, you need a little momentum," Purcell said. "You need some things to break your way. Next thing you know, it's like our men's team. Like we talk about them, what a winning streak they're on. There's a juice that's undeniable." The men's team won its fifth straight game with Saturday's victory at LSU, and it's something Purcell can point to because it's a spot his team was in earlier this month. Rather than talk about a four-game skid, he prefers to say the Bulldogs have won five of nine -- a reminder of the five-game winning streak his team had, which included an upset of LSU. |
| Future of College Athletics to be Discussed at Ole Miss Sports Law Symposium | |
| Since the acceptance and implementation of NIL, allowing for student-athletes to be compensated for use of their Name, Image, and Likeness, and the expanded use of the transfer portal, college athletics has significantly changed. Now, a recent ruling from the National Labor Relations Board has essentially deemed Dartmouth College student-athletes as employees of the university, giving them right to unionize. A number of lawsuits are also pending in various courts across the country seeking to determine whether student-athletes are employees and whether the NCAA amateurism rules violate antitrust law. These factors combined has raised the tenor in college athletics to a point where schools, their donors and their fanbases are left wondering what is next. A discussion into this ongoing national conversation is coming to Ole Miss. Three sports law experts -- David A. Grenardo (professor of law at the University of St. Thomas), Paul H. Haagen (professor of law at Duke University) and John T. Wolohan (professor in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University) -- will discuss emerging issues in sports law, particularly those surrounding student-athletes. The event is scheduled for March 1 in Weems Auditorium at the University of Mississippi School of Law's 14th annual Mississippi Sports Law Review Symposium. It is free and open to the public. |
| SEC commish Sankey talks issues facing college football during U. of South Carolina meeting | |
 | The most powerful man in college athletics ran 3.5 miles in the rain on Friday morning, then threw on a fraternity outfit of blue blazer, gray slacks and a tie to address South Carolina's Board of Trustees. The most important message he brought: Yes, college athletics is changing, and rapidly. But for the most important participants in it -- the student-athletes -- the changes are extremely beneficial even when they're confusing. "There's no better time to be a student-athlete than right now," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "At a time like this, when everything's comfortable and steady, or even a time of uncertainty, there is no better place to be in intercollegiate athletics than the Southeastern Conference." Sankey was at USC for a basic state of the union address about the SEC and its place in the world, one that's constantly shifting as terms like NIL, expansion and transfers are debated. He didn't publicly say anything about any changes to expect -- he did meet in executive session with the BOT for around 45 minutes, with no media allowed -- but did talk about some of the hot-button issues. |
| Why This College Is Offering Scholarships in Cornhole | |
 | It was a lighthearted story that seemed as consequential as a lawn game. Last week Winthrop University announced that it was giving two high-school seniors what are probably the first athletic scholarships to play cornhole in college. The novel news made headlines at NPR, The Washington Post, and CBS News. The students, whose scholarships will reportedly cover about half their tuition, will be enrolling at Winthrop at a time when cornhole, a game that involves tossing bean bags into a hole, often at bars or summer parties, is becoming more high-profile and competitive. Big tournaments are aired on ESPN. Winthrop's foray into cornhole is part of colleges' efforts to get creative about how to raise enrollment. Some see unconventional but popular sports as a way to get publicity and offer students something they might not be able to get anywhere else. Winthrop is not just trying that enrollment tactic with cornhole. It also has a disc-golf team and was relatively early to esports. The public university also hopes to start a drone-racing team this year and, eventually, a BMX team. "This is part of a larger strategy around enrollment management that a lot of institutions are trying to grapple with," said Joseph Miller, the university's vice president for enrollment management and marketing. "How do we emerge from some of the enrollment losses we experienced during the Covid years?" Winthrop is in Rock Hill, S.C., a suburb of Charlotte, N.C. -- not a region expected to see the sharp drops in high-school-age students that other areas are already experiencing. But Miller said that does not mean the college can sit back. |
| How U. of South Carolina and Columbia landed a Manchester United vs. Liverpool friendly soccer match | |
 | It just feels out of place. Los Angeles. Philadelphia. And Columbia, South Carolina. Those are the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 76 television markets in the U.S.. Spot the one that isn't like the others. Come late summer, some of the biggest soccer clubs in the world are journeying to America for a handful of preseason exhibitions. It's like the NBA holding preseason games in Japan -- it's a nice way to grow the game and build a global fan base. So Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal -- along with some other English Premier League squads -- will play a few friendlies in the United States. Part of that includes the Rivals in Red Tour, which consists of three games. To cap off the tour, Manchester United and Liverpool -- the two most-successful teams in Premier League history -- will square off in Columbia at Williams-Brice Stadium on Aug. 3. Two of the questions that arose from this announcement. Why? How? "Where's a place where we can capture hearts and minds and it can live up to the hype of what this rivalry delivers?" said Matt Kontos, the managing director of TEG Sport North America. TEG Sport is a global live events company tasked as the promoters and producers of the Rivals in Red Tour. It was in charge of selecting the venues and the route the tour would take across America. Of course, the usual cities came up, the ones with billion-dollar stadiums and millions of folks within an hour drive. "But, personally, thinking outside of the box, the power of what the SEC brings," said Hugh Nicholson, a senior vice president of venues and commercial at TEG Sports. "The rabid fan base. The loyal alumni groups. And finding a place like Willy-B, which, the atmosphere speaks for itself. "Internally, we decided it was something we really wanted to pursue," he said. |
| After Wake Forest incident, should court-storming be banned? 'It's a tough challenge' | |
| The floodgates burst before the final buzzer sounded. Although, given the record crowd inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, maybe that shouldn't have been a surprise. Nearly 15,000 Wake Forest fans had crammed into the building to watch their team take on No. 8 Duke -- and, hopefully, to bear witness to a resume-affirming win, one that would solidify the Demon Deacons as an NCAA Tournament team. Imagine their excitement then, during the game's final timeout with 1.8 seconds left, when they were on the precipice of an 83-79 home win. That ... and one cathartic, chaotic celebration. When Duke's subsequent inbounds pass was intercepted, it was all the signal students needed. Wake Forest fans immediately flooded the floor, sprinting to join the mosh pit forming at midcourt. One issue, though: Duke star Kyle Filipowski hadn't gotten off the court before the celebration broke out -- and multiple fans made contact with him while running at full speed. Filipowski appeared to get turned around, then injured, before a Duke manager reached him in the frenzy, forming a human barrier against the raging court storm. Soon other Duke staffers and players joined in, all protecting Filipowski as he limped off the floor. By the time Duke coach Jon Scheyer made it to his postgame press conference, he was fuming. "When are we going to ban court-storming?" Scheyer asked. "Like, how many times does a player have to get into something, where they get punched or they get pushed or they get taunted right in their face? It's a dangerous thing." Can a time-honored tradition be preserved with tweaks ... or is it time to ban court storms once and for all? "There's a difference between trying to stop court-storming and trying to prevent injury," Butler athletic director Barry Collier said. "I'd prefer we chase the latter of those two, and then I think we'd be in a better place." |
| Filipowski Court-Storming Injury Could Have Legal Ramifications | |
| Only a month after Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark collided with a woman who rushed the court following the Hawkeyes upset loss to Ohio State at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, court storming made negative headlines again on Saturday. Duke center Kyle Filipowski sustained a knee injury when fans stormed Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum's court in Winston-Salem, N.C., during the waning seconds of Wake Forest's 83-79 victory over the Blue Devils. Filipowski limped off the court with the assistance of teammates. Afterwards, he told the media there are videos of him being punched in the back and that he believes the attack as "personal" and "intentional." Duke head coach Jon Scheyer blasted court storming as a "dangerous thing" and asked for the practice to be banned. Conferences vary in how they deter court storming and whether they punish schools for failing to take sufficiently preventive measures. The Big 12's penalty scheme includes fines and potential forfeiture of future home games. The Southeastern Conference has elevated its fines, with a third time offender now subject to a $500,000 penalty. The ACC, of which Duke and Wake Forest are members, does not automatically fine teams for court storming and has no known formal policy regarding the issue. There are potential legal ramifications for court storming. |
| Judge temporarily blocks NCAA from enforcing NIL rules | |
| A federal judge has temporarily blocked the NCAA from enforcing name, image and likeness (NIL) rules for recruits after Tennessee and Virginia demanded a preliminary injunction. The decision, handed down Friday by U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker in the Knoxville division of the Eastern District of Tennessee, said the NCAA cannot enforce its NIL rules -- which ban student athletes from negotiating compensation with outside funders. The association has argued that third parties cannot pay recruits to attend a particular school, but the judge wrote that it likely violates Congress's antitrust law. "Since its inception, the NCAA, the governing body of intercollegiate athletics, has limited compensation of student-athletes in an attempt to maintain amateurism across college sports," Corker wrote in the order, adding that the organization has prohibited students from receiving pay for their athletic abilities. His explained that without "the give and take of a free market," students have no way of knowing their true NIL value. The decision marks another loss for the NCAA. Gave Feldman, a sports law professor at Tulane, told The Associated Press that while the NCAA is expected to appeal Corker's decision, an act from Congress might save the organization too. "There's no question the NCAA has never faced more attacks from different areas at one time," Feldman told the AP. "And things are snowballing. And I think that's why where are so many serious discussions about how college sports needs to change and what those changes will look like." |
| 'The NCAA is no more:' Tennessee's preliminary injunction win ripples across college sports | |
| As of Friday afternoon, the NCAA has no jurisdiction over the transfer portal or NIL. With Judge Clifton L. Corker granting the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia their preliminary injunction against the governing body's NIL rules prohibiting negotiations for high school recruits and transfer portal athletes, the NCAA is close to powerless. It's not a devastating blow, as some have jumped to conclusions. But NCAA President Charlie Baker is unquestionably in uncharted territory. The blunt reality is the lawsuits have continued to stack up. Arguably the largest one -- House vs. NCAA -- hasn't even played out yet. "The NCAA is no more," a Power 4 head football coach told On3 over the weekend. "There are no rules. My buddies say I am coaching pro sports and I always say, 'No, pro sports has rules and contracts. We have nothing guiding us.'" In the meantime, institutions and their donor-driven collectives are primed to capitalize. Inducements and pay-for-play have existed since the NCAA was first formed. But since the summer of 2021, when athletes first began to profit off their NIL, everything shifted. The dollars in the space have continued to climb. The top collectives operating on $10 to $15 million payrolls just for football. There are also questions surrounding the injunction. |
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