| Monday, March 4, 2024 |
| MSU redesignated as National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations by NSA | |
 | Mississippi State University has achieved another significant milestone in cybersecurity with its renewed designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations by the National Security Agency. MSU President Mark E. Keenum expressed pride in the achievement and said this designation further signifies the university's commitment to excellence in cybersecurity education and research. "I am extremely proud to see our cyber programs once again affirmed as a National Center of Academic Excellence by the National Security Agency," Keenum said. "Cybersecurity is a critical component of our country's national security, and our outstanding academic and research programs are developing the workforce that will continue to grow U.S. capabilities in the cyber domain." MSU has been continuously credentialed as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity by the National Security Agency since 2001 and is one of only a few universities to hold all three NSA cyber designations -- Cyber Defense, Cyber Research and Cyber Operations. Additionally, MSU's National Science Foundation CyberCorps program is among the oldest in the nation, graduating more than 140 cyber professionals into the federal workforce. Jason Keith, dean of MSU's Bagley College of Engineering, said MSU's cybersecurity programs are preparing students for the critical challenges that graduates will address as operations in all sectors become increasingly reliant on digital systems. |
| Sportscaster Erin Andrews to speak at MSU for Women's History Month | |
| Mississippi State University welcomes Emmy-nominated FOX Sports broadcaster Erin Andrews for the university's Global Lecture Series on March 4 during Women's History Month. In a question-and-answer discussion, Andrews will talk about the impact of college on her life, her experiences while working in the sports and entertainment industry, and overcoming obstacles along the way. Set for 6:30 p.m. in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium, doors open for the free event at 6 p.m. for students, employees and the public. It is hosted by the MSU Student Association. Andrews is best known by TV viewers for her feature and sideline reporting on the "FOX NFL Sunday" show, which captures an impressive 56.4 million unique viewers weekly. A recipient of the 2022 Pat Summerall Award recognizing her career and community impact, Andrews has received a Vince Lombardi Award of Excellence and a national Gracie Award for individual achievement and programming by, for and about women. She holds a bachelor's degree in telecommunication from the University of Florida. |
| Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach at Mississippi State Helping Turn Ideas into Global Companies | |
 | Business columnist Phil Hardwick takes a look at the entrepreneurship and economic development programs at Mississippi's three major universities, starting with Mississippi State.This week, Jeffrey Rupp, Director of Outreach at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, discusses Mississippi State's program. |
| Hundreds battle for highest step count in six-week challenge | |
 | Walkers in the city are once again on the move, battling it out for the highest step count. The Greater Starkville Development Partnership's annual six-week step competition, Starkville Stride, just kicked off on March 1. Director of Membership Development Hunter Harrington, who originally helped to create the challenge during the pandemic, said Starkville Stride was designed to help facilitate community bonding and wellness, though it is fun to watch the competition get lively. "People get really competitive," Harrington said. "It's really fun to see their banter back and forth. I just think that that helps encourage more activity." Over the next six weeks, registered walkers will use the MoveSpring app to sign up with a team. These teams are divided into small, medium and large divisions. Each division will compete for a trophy at the end of the competition, while individuals in different step categories will be "in the running" in drawings for door prizes from local businesses each week, Harrington said. On Wednesday afternoon, Harrington told The Dispatch the challenge had more than 570 participants, though registration was still open and numbers were rising every few minutes. At the time, there were 63 teams registered. Harrington said Starkville Stride's program partners for the year include OCH Regional Medical Center, Mississippi State University and the City of Starkville Parks and Recreation Department. |
| Revamped camera ordinance would affect 50 businesses | |
| Starkville's proposed camera ordinance will meet its fate Tuesday. Aldermen set a vote on the measure at its work session Friday. The vote will follow a third public hearing on the ordinance. The final proposal has been tweaked from when it was first offered two months ago and includes changes based on public feedback. Business and retail centers that are 10,000 square feet or larger and have 50 or more parking spaces would be required to install cameras in entrances, exits and parking lots. That is a change from the first version of the ordinance that set the threshold at 5,000 square feet or 25 or more parking spaces. Businesses that sell liquor or hemp also fall under the ordinance regardless of size or parking spaces. Mayor Lynn Spruill also said if a business already has some sort of interior camera system in place, it would not be required to install more cameras at entrances. As written, the final version of the ordinance would apply to 50 locations in Starkville. In a presentation to the board, Police Chief Mark Ballard said 44 of locations have some sort of camera system already. He said it is unknown if the remaining six locations have camera systems at all. |
| Starkville high schooler Jennifer Jeffries earns golden ticket on 'American Idol' | |
| A Starkville high school senior took the American Idol stage by storm on Sunday night with judges calling her voice one of the most unique they've ever heard. Jennifer Jeffries, 17, is the youngest of nine children. The aspiring singer-songwriter decided to play one of her originals in front of Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, and she did not disappoint. With a soft, gritty voice that's reminiscent of Jade Castrinos and exactly what Indie rockers are looking for, Jeffries performed "Change My Ways." As soon as the first note came out, Bryan was smiling while Perry and Richie joined in being taken back by Jeffries' voice. "I was not expecting that voice," Bryan said after, calling it an "amazingly unique voice that I don't think we've ever had." "There's this unique grit. Oh god, it's so Mississippi," Perry added as Bryan quipped, "Like a little Indie film soundtrack voice." It didn't take long for the three judges to agree that Jeffries deserved a spot in the next round, gladly handing over a golden ticket to the Starkville native. |
| Digital Innovation: Electric cooperatives' fiber expansion growing daily | |
| A little more than five years ago, the Mississippi Legislature passed the Broadband Enabling Act to help close the large digital divide in the rural areas of the state. The legislation allowed electric cooperatives to lay fiber for the first time, paving the way for high-speed internet service. Since then 17 electric co-ops, including Tombigbee Electric, formed subsidiaries to offer the services. But it was not an inexpensive decision for the co-ops to make, and they looked for a little help to jumpstart their efforts. In 2020, The Mississippi Legislature awarded the co-ops with grants provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) for the purpose of pilot projects in their service areas. Of that investment, $160.1 million benefitted extremely rural areas and was funded as a match through the CARES Act -- $73.2 million in CARES Act money from the state and $86.9 million matched by the cooperative subsidiaries. These grants allowed the co-ops to test the viability of offering high-speed internet in some of the most rural areas of the state. To date, the 17 co-ops have built or are building more than 36,000 miles of fiber. Tombigbee Fiber alone has been responsible for about 10% of the statewide total. "We've built 3,600 miles, enough to go from Tupelo to Hawaii -- Elvis would be proud," said Scott Hendrix, the CEO of Tombigbee Electric Power Association. |
| Mississippi House passes bill to allow liquor stores to open on Sundays | |
| Have you ever been in the mood for something a little stronger than beer before all of the sudden remembering it's Sunday and liquor stores are closed? Well, if that's the case, you might be in luck. The Mississippi House of Representatives recently passed a bill 66-30 to allow liquor stores to be open on Sundays. House Bill 329, authored by Republican Rep. Brent Powell of Brandon, would give individual retailers in wet counties the choice to be open between the hours of 1 and 6 p.m. on Sundays. The bill would allow local leaders a chance to conduct a referendum to put a lock back on liquor stores, needing 1,500 signatures or 20 percent of citizens to trigger an election on the matter. 60 percent of voters would then have to vote against liquor stores being open on Sunday to go back to the current six-day-a-week model. The bill will need approval from the Senate, where a similar one died last year before reaching the full floor for a vote. |
| See how one bill could bring more Costcos, Trader Joe's to state | |
| A bill aimed at helping bring more Costco and Trader Joe's locations to the state of Mississippi has cleared the House of Representatives. On Friday, the House voted 65-21 to approve H.B. 328, which would allow business owners to hold up to three liquor store permits, as long as the liquor stores are located 100 miles apart. Currently, state statute only allows for a person or entity to own or have a controlling stake in one permit, according to the Mississippi Secretary of State's website. Rep. Henry Zuber III, chair of the House State Affairs Committee, said the bill is needed to bring more big box retailers to the state, saying Mississippi will likely never get a second Costco or Trader Joe's under current state statute. "Trader Joe's, Costco, Fresh Market... their business model depends on the sale of alcohol. They can only have one permit to sell alcohol, so where does Costco locate? Jackson, which is great; we're happy for Jackson... Trader Joe's Madison, [which is] great for Madison," he said. "Once we pass this bill, I assure you, we will have other locations." Mississippi's only Costco is located in Ridgeland on Highland Colony Parkway. The state does not have a Trader Joe's, according to the retailer's website. However, it has been rumored that one would be coming to Prado Vista, a development featuring Top Golf under construction in Ridgeland. Gabriel Prado, CEO and president of PraCon, the developer of Prado Vista, said he couldn't comment on a grocery tenant for the project, but said he was in full support of the bill. |
| Mississippi considers paying residents to strengthen homes against storms for lower insurance rates | |
 | Mississippi homeowners could see some relief from high insurance rates under a bill the state Legislature is considering, but the payoff won't come without work. Fortifying homes against wind damage is one of the only ways to bring down rates as climate change increases the intensity of hurricanes, inflation drives up construction costs, and insurers pay more for reinsurance that covers their losses. A bill pending in the state House would create a trust fund that would provide grants to homeowners for fortifying their homes against severe weather or building safe rooms for tornadoes. The hope is that the program will bring down insurance rates for those homeowners and encourage more insurers to write policies along the coastline, where some companies have ceased business. "Consumers are calling us and they're looking for solutions to their rising rates," said Andy Case, director of consumer services for the Mississippi Insurance Department. "They want a way to counter that, to get their rates back down or get them stabilized. The elements of this bill have proven effective in other states." The mitigation program would be funded with a one-time contribution of $5 million from the Mississippi Surplus Lines Association of insurance companies that do business in Mississippi but are not regulated by the state. Admitted insurance carriers, those that are-state-regulated, would contribute a total of $1.5 million annually to the fund. |
| State Senate bill aims to mandate driver's education in public schools | |
 | State lawmakers are looking into a new bill that would bring mandatory driver's education courses to public high schools. Senate Bill 2695 aims to provide more opportunities to teach proper and safe driving to new drivers. "So many fatalities happen," explains Cecilia Zahedi, a counselor at Gulfport High School. "We see it on the news all the time. So, giving students opportunities to learn the real rules of the road, how to be safe." Gulfport High currently offers driver's education for students, but Zahedi says the new bill will allow for even more opportunity. "The new bill also states that 14-year-olds without a permit can take driver's ed," she explains. "Which is huge, because I have 17-year-olds at my school that still don't have a permit because going to get a permit requires a parent to take off of work." Although the proposed bill might lift a burden on guardians with tight schedules, could it create a financial burden for smaller, more rural school districts? "We're working with the Mississippi Department of Education to try to address that," says Sean Tindell, Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner. "We're normally number one or two in the nation in teenage fatalities, and while there are some financial costs to it, the reality is if we can save lives, I think it's well worth it." |
| Trump endorses incumbent Republican Congressmen ahead of March 12th Primary | |
| Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Mississippi's three Republican Congressmen -- Trent Kelly (MS 1), Michael Guest (MS 3) and Mike Ezell (MS 4) -- for re-election ahead of the March 12th Primary. Trump made the endorsements back-to-back-to-back on his social media platform Truth Social over the weekend. All three Congressmen had previously endorsed Trump's third run for the White House back in December 2023. The former President will also be on the ballot in Mississippi on March 12th. Both Congressman Kelly and Congressman Guest are unopposed in the March 12th Primary. Congressman Ezell, however, has two opponents in the GOP Primary – Carl Boyanton and Michael McGill. Kelly and Ezell, assuming the freshman from South Mississippi prevails, will also face Democratic challengers in the November General Election. Guest is also unopposed in the General Election. On Thursday, Trump endorsed Mississippi's senior U.S. Senator Roger Wicker in his re-election bid as well, saying Wicker is "a Champion of Conservative Values, who fights to Uphold the Constitution, and Protect our Second Amendment." Wicker is facing two opponents in the Republican Primary on March 12th -- State Rep. Dan Eubanks and newcomer Ghannon Burton. |
| Trump endorses Roger Wicker for Senate reelection | |
| Former Republican President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker's bid for reelection on Thursday, likely giving the incumbent senator a major boost weeks before Mississippi's party primaries. "Senator Roger Wicker is a fantastic Senator for the Great State of Mississippi," Trump wrote on social media. "As the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger is working hard to Strengthen our Military, Defend our Country, and Support our Veterans." Wicker, a 72-year-old Tupelo resident, has represented the Magnolia State in the U.S. Senate since 2007. Before the Senate, he served several terms in the U.S. House and in the Mississippi Legislature. He is currently the top Republican serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over matters involving the U.S. military. If the GOP gains a majority in the Senate this year, Wicker could be the first Mississippian to lead that committee since former U.S. Sen. John Stennis. "We are proud to have President Trump's support for our campaign and re-election efforts," Wicker campaign manager Jake Monssen said in a statement. "Republicans across Mississippi are excited to take back the Senate and the White House in 2024 and put an end to the radical Biden-Harris agenda." |
| Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker addresses U.S. border issue | |
 | Border security remains a pressing issue as Democratic and Republican congressional leaders continue to debate a solution for the ongoing crisis. During visits to the Texas-Mexico border Thursday, President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump discussed the issue. Biden criticized Trump and other Republican leaders for their opposition to a bipartisan bill that would have allowed for tougher border regulations. In response, Trump called out what he said was a "mishandling" of immigration policies on behalf of the Biden administration. Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, now backed by Trump for re-election, said he stands by Trump's thoughts on immigration and putting a halt on asylum-seeking in the United States. "The president needs to just let us enforce the law as it is," said Wicker. "The law as it is is to take their names down and turn them around and send them back to where they came from to wait for a hearing. "Of course, many of them applying for asylum are not eligible." Immigration is expected to be one of many highly-discussed topics as we move further into the 2024 election cycle, with Biden and Trump currently in the lead for the Democratic and Republican nominations, respectfully. |
| Fiscal 2024 spending finale starts to take shape | |
 | House and Senate leaders rolled out a $467.5 billion, six-bill appropriations package Sunday afternoon, revealing where negotiators landed on a bevy of hot-button issues in final fiscal 2024 spending talks. The package includes the Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy-Water, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-HUD measures. Lawmakers will try to pass the 1,050-page combo measure before the Friday at midnight deadline for four of the six bills under the most recent stopgap spending law. The Sunday afternoon release sets up a House vote as early as Wednesday afternoon under that chamber's 72-hour rule, to give members a chance to review the legislation. The measure is being considered as an amendment to the initial House-passed Military Construction-VA bill, which the Senate passed later with amendments and sent back to the House. Overall, programs funded by the six bills would see a $1.5 billion increase over fiscal 2023, or 0.3 percent. The Energy-Water and Transportation-HUD measures would get small increases, while the Agriculture bill is flat and the other three bills would see slight reductions. Democrats heralded the $7 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, in the Agriculture bill as a major win in the negotiations. Democrats also successfully kept out of the legislation a pilot program that House Agriculture Appropriations Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., was pushing that would have restricted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients from purchasing unhealthy food. |
| As Biden prepares to address the nation, more than 6 in 10 US adults doubt his mental capability | |
 | A poll finds that a growing share of U.S. adults doubt that 81-year-old President Joe Biden has the memory and acuity for the job, turning his coming State of the Union address into something of a real-time audition for a second term. Roughly 6 in 10 say they're not very or not at all confident in Biden's mental capability to serve effectively as president, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That's a slight increase from January 2022, when about half of those polled expressed similar concerns. By the same token, nearly 6 in 10 also say they lack confidence in the mental capability of former President Donald Trump, the 77-year-old Republican front-runner. For many voters, this year's election looks like a showdown for the world's toughest job between two men who are well beyond the standard retirement age. The next president will probably need to steer through global conflicts, fix domestic emergencies and work with a dysfunctional Congress. Biden is likely to address those challenges and more in his State of the Union address on Thursday as he tries to convince Americans that he deserves another term. Going into the big event, just 38% of U.S. adults approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, while 61% disapprove. Democrats (74%) are much likelier than independents (20%) and Republicans (6%) to favor his performance. But there's broad discontent on the way Biden is handling a variety of issues, including the economy, immigration and foreign policy. |
| Biden's plan to increase educator pay could mean fewer kids in class | |
 | The Biden administration is lining up a big pay bump for early childhood educators, with one major asterisk: it risks forcing deep cuts to available classroom spots for high-need kids. The Department of Health and Human Services is advancing plans to increase the annual salaries of some educators working for Head Start -- the popular, free early learning and health program serving children from low-income families -- by more than $10,000 on average. It would also require minimum pay for other Head Start staff, such as janitors and classroom aides, and add benefits like mental health support. The proposed increases are meant to bring Head Start pay more in line with public elementary school teachers and reduce staff turnover, which spiked amid the Covid-19 pandemic. But the boon for workers will mean steadily cutting more than 110,000 slots for students over the next seven years unless Congress OKs additional funds -- a difficult gambit for some Democratic lawmakers. The wage requirements alone would cost Congress $875 million in new annual dollars and $2.4 billion to implement the full proposal in 2030. HHS' plans come as other child care and early learning programs struggle with staff shortages and low pay after $24 billion in child care stabilization money in federal pandemic relief aid sunset last year. And the Biden administration and Congress are facing added pressure to shore up the sector's workforce and access to affordable child care as another $15 billion in child care dollars expires this September. |
| Unanimous Supreme Court restores Trump to Colorado ballot | |
 | The U.S. Supreme Court restored Republican front-runner Donald Trump on the Colorado primary ballot, ruling the state lacked authority to disqualify him after his actions three years ago during the siege on the U.S. Capitol. The unanimous decision came only weeks after the justices heard oral arguments in the politically sensitive case that put the high court in the middle of the 2024 presidential election. And it comes a week after the court said it would hear arguments next month in a case that seeks to answer whether Trump enjoys broad immunity for his actions on Jan. 6. In a post on Truth, his social media platform, Trump called the opinion a "BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!" Six Colorado voters argued that Trump had run afoul of a post-Civil War law that bars people who took an oath to support the Constitution from engaging in an insurrection or rebellion. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has never been used against a presidential candidate, and it's only been deployed eight times since the 1860s. That sparse record contributed to the high court's decision Monday. "Because the Constitution makes Congress, rather than the States, responsible for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates, we reverse," the court decision concluded. |
| Haley wins her first primary of 2024. Is DC victory enough before Super Tuesday? | |
 | Nikki Haley has won the Republican primary in the District of Columbia, notching her first victory of the 2024 campaign. Her victory Sunday at least temporarily halts Donald Trump's sweep of the GOP voting contests, although the former president is likely to pick up several hundred more delegates in this week's Super Tuesday races. Despite her early losses, Haley has said she would remain in the race at least through those contests, although she has declined to name any primary she felt confident she would win. Following her loss in her home state of South Carolina, Haley remained adamant that voters in the places that followed deserved an alternative to Trump despite his dominance thus far in the campaign. The Associated Press declared Haley the winner Sunday night after D.C. Republican Party officials released the results. She won all 19 delegates at stake. "It's not surprising that Republicans closest to Washington dysfunction are rejecting Donald Trump and all his chaos," Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement, noting that Haley became the first woman to win a Republican primary in history. Haley held a rally in the nation's capital on Friday before heading back to North Carolina and a series of states holding Super Tuesday primaries. She joked with more than 100 supporters inside a hotel ballroom, "Who says there's no Republicans in D.C., come on." |
| Biden opens doors to government jobs for military spouses | |
| Congress has managed to kick the threat of a government shutdown down the road with a new short-term spending package. That's good news for people who work for the nation's largest employer: the federal government. While Congress was working on that deal this week, the Joe Biden administration released new guidelines on hiring federal workers, with the goal of improving prospects for one chronically unemployed and underemployed group: military spouses. It's no secret that military families move around a lot, like the family of Rosella Cappella Zielinski, who teaches political science at Boston University. "As a military spouse married 10 years, we moved six," she said. All that relocating makes it hard for military spouses to hold down jobs, said Besa Pinchotti, CEO of the National Military Family Association. And the effects of that add up over time, said Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, who directs Purdue University's Military Family Research Institute. "The earnings of military spouses are as much as 20% below those of their civilian counterparts, and that, of course, is a challenge for families," she said. So the administration is telling federal agencies to focus more on giving military spouses federal jobs, especially those that offer telework or other flexible arrangements. |
| 3 Public Universities Would Close Under a Mississippi Bill. The Idea Touched a Nerve. | |
 | A Mississippi bill that would force three of the state's public colleges to close their doors sparked a furious backlash this week -- and prompted speculation that historically Black institutions were the target. Senate Bill 2726, authored by Sen. John Polk, a Republican, would require the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, which oversees the state's eight public universities, to decide which three should be shuttered by June 2028. The bill did not specify any colleges as potential targets for closure. A state lawmaker told The Chronicle that the bill isn't going anywhere. Polk told Mississippi Today this week that he knew the proposal was "pretty out there" and said he intended primarily to start a conversation. till, at a time of contraction in higher education that's prompting some states to merge or shutter campuses, the Mississippi proposal touched a nerve. Deciding which colleges to close would be based on enrollment, degrees offered, and local economic impact, the legislation states. Other factors, such as whether the university offered medical services and conducted agricultural or engineering research, would also be considered. Before the Institutions of Higher Learning decided to shut down a university, a hearing would be held on each campus. State Sen. Hillman Frazier, a Democrat and member of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee, said he and other lawmakers have received many calls from people concerned that the state's three public HBCUs would be affected. |
| Gov. Reeves calls for 11 more magnet schools to be created; House speaker agrees | |
| During his State of the State address earlier this week, Gov. Tate Reeves called for the expansion of an education model he believes would greatly benefit both students and the future of Mississippi's workforce. Citing success of the Mississippi School for Math and Science located on the campus of the Mississippi University for Women, the Republican governor proposed for 11 additional math and engineering magnet schools to be implemented across the state. He added that eight of the schools could exist to educate kindergarten through eighth grade students. The other three could be for high schoolers. The idea, which comes as lawmakers debate how to properly fund K-12 public schools, is to not only have students ready to compete in the labor field upon graduation but also to provide an avenue for pupils in failing school districts to have opportunities elsewhere. Following the State of the State, House Speaker Jason White said the proposal from Reeves coincides with legislation introduced by Rep. Rob Roberson, chair of the education committee. The first-year speaker vouches that adding magnet schools to existing college campuses could be beneficial to both parties amid a fear of future enrollment drops on the postsecondary level. "[Reeves] talked about creating some magnet schools, which dovetails very well with our chairman of education's bill wanting to create one at Delta State University on the campus to give folks a chance, in failing school districts, to just go to that campus instead," White said. "We can do that just as the governor wants to do it. We're excited to get with his people and figure out exactly what they envision." |
| MUW boasts its campus police is finally at full force | |
 | Mississippi University for Women's police department is at full force for the first time in years. Four full-time officers and a dispatcher recently joined the department, according to the university. This brings the police department's staff to eight full-time officers, four full-time dispatchers, six part-time officers and an office manager. "Our department provides services 24/7," Police Chief Randy Vibrock said. "Having a fully staffed department allows us to do our jobs more effectively and efficiently. Patrol officers are the core of campus safety; more officers patrolling gives us greater visibility. Sometimes an officer's presence and being seen is all that is needed to deter criminal activity." |
| Leaders talk online narratives, national security at inaugural summit | |
| 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. 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. The timing of the center and the summit could not be better, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker said. As America contends with rising tensions with Russia, China and others, global threats -- including disinformation -- grow exponentially by the day, he said. "Why am I so glad we're doing this? Because we're not where we need to be," Wicker said. "It's a dangerous time, but don't take my word for it. Admirals and generals and secretaries past and present have come to see me as the ranking member of the (Senate Armed Services) committee and say this is the most dangerous situation we've had since World War II." |
| USM set to host annual science competition | |
 | Middle and high school students from across the state will soon put their creative skills on display at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM). More than 300 students, teachers and parents will be in the Hub City for the annual Mississippi Science Olympiad (MSO). This year marks the 18th year that USM has hosted the statewide competition set for March 22. Teams will present demonstrations on a variety of topics. Allison Downing, assistant teaching professor in USM's Center for STEM Education, admires how MSO brings in students from all over the state with varying interests. "This isn't a competition for 'the smart kids' or 'the science nerds.' We have students competing who are also involved in various athletics, band, community service groups and more," Downing said in a USM press release. Hundreds are expected to attend the event held in various locations throughout USM's Hattiesburg campus. First-place middle and high school teams receive an invitation to the National Science Olympiad in May at Michigan State University. This is the 40th anniversary season of the National Science Olympiad. But no matter the result, Downing notes the benefits students receive just by being with other students. |
| Why Teachers Are Still Leaving the Profession | |
 | Betsy Sumner always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She came from a family of educators and took a class in high school for aspiring teachers. She began teaching straight out of college in 2009 and loved it. But last summer she left her job teaching family and consumer sciences, the subject previously known as home economics, at a high school in northern Virginia. With four children of her own, juggling the demanding workload was no longer worth it for the pay. "It's almost like preparing for a circus or a theater performance -- every day you have to show up and do a show," she said of preparing for class each day. "It's just not really sustainable." Public-school teachers like Sumner are still leaving the profession in higher numbers than before the pandemic, a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from 10 states show, though departures have fallen since their peak in 2022. The elevated rate is likely due to a combination of factors and adds one more challenge to schools battling learning loss and frequent student absences. "This is still a discouraging story," said Katharine Strunk, dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. "I don't think this level of consistent attrition is sustainable for the school system." National teacher exit data is released only sporadically, and many states don't produce timely figures. But the Journal obtained information from 10 states, the most comprehensive recent compilation, that shows turnover typically followed a postpandemic pattern: a drop in the summer of 2020, followed by a spike in 2022. Experts and educators say teachers are continuing to leave for a variety of reasons. |
| In wake of killing, Latino students at UGA call out racism and xenophobia | |
| Over the last week, a searing tragedy on the campus of the University of Georgia gripped the nation, as news spread of the violent killing of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student. According to Hispanic students at UGA, the devastating loss of life has led to another tragedy: a feeling of unease, uncertainty, and even fear for members of the Latino community on campus. The man charged by authorities with Riley's killing is Jose Antonio Ibarra, who had unlawfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022. He is part of an influx of Venezuelan nationals who have sought to resettle in the U.S. in recent years. His identity as an immigrant has turned the UGA death into a salient flashpoint in the nation's immigration debate, with border policy looming as a critical campaign issue in the lead-up to this year's presidential election. Former President Donald Trump labeled Ibarra a "monster" and blamed the current administration for an "invasion" that is "killing our citizens." Others have echoed that sentiment, including here in Georgia. Students say they've already felt the impact of that rhetoric. While students and those who work with immigrant groups in Athens were reluctant to speak to reporters this week, they made their views clear on social media and in public statements. Roughly 7% of UGA's student body identifies as Hispanic, according to enrollment data. |
| U. of Florida eliminates all diversity, equity and inclusion positions due to new state rule | |
 | The University of Florida has eliminated all diversity, equity and inclusion positions due to a new state rule that prohibits the addition of such programs, according to an administrative memo from the university. In addition to slashing all DEI positions, UF has also closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer and stopped DEI-focused contracts with external vendors, per the memo, in accordance with Florida Board of Governors regulation 9.016. The regulation defines DEI as "any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification." The $5 million in funds previously allocated for UF's DEI initiatives, including salaries and expenditures, will now be placed into a retirement fund for the school's faculty, according to the memo. "The University of Florida is -- and will always be -- unwavering in our commitment to universal human dignity," the memo said, which was signed by J. Scott Angle, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Amy Meyers Hass, vice president and general counsel; and Melissa Curry, vice president for human resources. "As we educate students by thoughtfully engaging a wide range of ideas and views, we will continue to foster a community of trust and respect for every member of the Gator Nation," the memo said. "The University of Florida is an elite institution because of our incredible faculty who are committed to teaching, discovering, and serving." |
| U. of Tennessee board hustles to secure future with Randy Boyd | |
 | After Randy Boyd expressed his desire to serve another five-year term as president of the University of Tennessee System, the UT Board hustled -- well, as fast as a board can hustle -- to lock in plans. Under Boyd's leadership, system enrollment is at an all-time high, student retention and graduation rates are up, the universities have raised record funds, the system added a new campus, and research dollars are skyrocketing. The board, in an unplanned vote at the March 1 meeting, unanimously agreed to "explore and formalize extending the president's term through June 2030" after Boyd's overture. Boyd famously speaks about making the 2020s the "greatest decade in UT history," and board members were keen to point that out that his current term concludes June 2025. "I certainly want to encourage you to think about what the future may hold -- a decade is 10 years, we're at five years," board member Lang Wiseman told Boyd. "We're on the right track, and we need to think about how to continue that train down the track," Wiseman continued. UT Board Chair John Compton said "exploration" of a new agreement would include ongoing conversations with Boyd and "stakeholders." |
| In Texas' Largest Fire, a Race to Save Animals Big and Small | |
 | Horses with singed tails and bellies licked by flames. Cows whose hides are spotted with burns. A baby goat, just two weeks old, orphaned by the blaze. These are the scenes that emergency veterinarians and volunteers are finding as they traverse the wide-open fields of the Texas Panhandle, trying to save what animals they can and ease the suffering of many others. Their cases in recent days show the devastating effects that the state's largest-ever fire -- still burning -- has wrought on a region where a person's wealth can often be measured in herd size and acreage. "Lots of burns," said Dr. Laurie Shelton, a veterinarian who is part of Texas A&M's Veterinary Emergency Team and among those who sprang into action after the Smokehouse Creek fire ignited last week. "It's just tough. It's a rough deal." The Smokehouse Creek blaze is one of several major wildfires burning across the Texas Panhandle that were still difficult to contain over the weekend as dry, windy weather led to warnings of increased fire risk across the region. The Texas A&M team first arrived last week with a narrow mission of aiding the search dogs that were sent with the university-sponsored search and rescue team to look for people injured or stranded by the fires. They bandaged the dogs' feet with special wraps that kept them from getting burned but would still allow them to feel the ground for balance. But the next day, state officials called and asked for any veterinarians still available to help treat the large numbers of struggling livestock across the region. |
| Greek Life Is Suspended at U. of Virginia Amid Another Nationwide Wave of Hazing Allegations | |
| All social and recruitment activities in the University of Virginia's Greek-life system have been suspended for three weeks after a student was seriously injured and subsequently hospitalized in an alleged hazing incident late last month, according to an email the university's vice president sent Thursday to the student body. The university suspended its Fraternal Organization Agreement with Kappa Sigma while it investigates the incident, in which a student allegedly fell backward down a flight of stairs in the fraternity's house on February 21 and lost consciousness, The Washington Post reported. The incident is the latest in a spate of hazing allegations and fraternity suspensions in just the first two months of 2024. The uptick in hazing activity aligns with universities' spring Panhellenic recruitment cycles, which begin at many colleges in mid-January. Since the beginning of the calendar year, fraternities at Cornell University, West Virginia University, Shippensburg University, and Davidson College have been issued suspensions for allegations of hazing. On Friday, officials at the University of Maryland at College Park placed a cease and desist order on all social fraternities and sororities and halted their activities over concerns about "safety and well-being." At UVA, where 30 percent of students are part of a fraternity or sorority, Greek life is a central pillar of the social scene. But, along with students on athletic teams, members of Greek-letter organizations report hazing more commonly than any other type of student group, said Elizabeth Allan, a principal at Stop Hazing and professor of higher education at the University of Maine who has spent decades researching hazing. |
| Supreme Court declines to weigh 'bias-response team' at Virginia Tech | |
 | The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal challenging a so-called "bias-response team" at Virginia Tech, avoiding a roiling debate over campus speech that has pit First Amendment claims against efforts to foster inclusivity at American colleges. The court sent the case back to the lower courts to dismiss as moot because Virginia Tech disbanded the team and said it would not reinstitute the policy. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they would have taken the case to address "a high-stakes issue for our nation's system of higher education." "Until we resolve it, there will be a patchwork of First Amendment rights on college campuses," they wrote. "Students in part of the country may pursue challenges to their universities' policies, while students in other parts have no recourse and are potentially pressured to avoid controversial speech to escape their universities' scrutiny and condemnation." Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she would have outright denied the challenger's appeal. Virginia Tech created its bias-response team in 2018 to review and confront bias on campus -- sexist jokes, say, or racist name-calling. Similar efforts have proliferated at universities across the nation as schools wrestle with a series of high-profile hate incidents. The bias-response team at Virginia Tech, which one administrator described as "air traffic control" for bias-related claims, met weekly to consider complaints, which were submitted through online forms. But a series of lawsuits in recent years have challenged the efforts on First Amendment grounds. Conservatives say the policies intimidate students from speaking their mind. |
| Gordon Gee's Last Stand | |
| E. Gordon Gee likes to tell a joke that goes like this: When he first became a university president, in 1981, at age 37, he was doing a bad job. One day a couple of older professors told him as much. His problem, they informed the young president, was that he did not look or act the part. Gee thought they had a point, so he ditched his bow tie, argyle socks, and khakis for a suit and an air of authority. But it made no difference. In Gee's telling, he was still failing. Worse, his new costume made him miserable. Eventually he reverted to wearing what he liked and being who he was. Over the years that Gee has told this story, the details vary but the punchline stays the same. Despite his poor start, Gee, now 80, is still a university president. As for the professors who insisted he change? "Those guys are dead." The anecdote is classic Gee --- funny, fabulistic, and oft repeated. Now in his second stint leading West Virginia University, his seventh and (almost definitely) final presidency, Gee's made a career of telling and selling the story of himself in tandem with whatever institution he's at the helm of. Over the past 42 years, he's used his sense of humor to endear people to his vision and to defuse the discontent provoked by his big swings. Sometimes it works. Lately, it hasn't. |
| Untangling the Bungled FAFSA Launch | |
 | When the Department of Education first delayed the launch of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid last March, officials projected calm and confidence. The department assured students and institutions that the new form would make applying for aid easier, and the new formulas they were implementing would mean more federal money for low-income families. The "Better FAFSA," as they took to calling it, would be worth the wait and ready when it launched. Nearly a year later, the application is finally available to most students after a soft launch in late December that was riddled with technical issues, many of which remain unresolved. The department has yet to begin processing completed applications, preventing colleges and universities from sending aid packages to students. Lawmakers have called for hearings on the bungled process, and two investigations are underway. Institutions are doing all they can while they wait, gearing up to process applications and get aid letters to students as quickly as possible. The stakes are high: without those letters, families are in the dark about their options to pay for college, and college-access advocates worry the challenges will discourage low-income and first-generation students from pursuing higher education entirely. So how did a bipartisan effort to overhaul an outdated federal aid system become a political and logistical fiasco for the already-embattled Education Department? |
| U.S. Wants to Let States Enforce Their Own Regulations for Online Education | |
| A proposal from the Biden administration could reshape how states oversee online education. Supporters say it'll provide much-needed consumer protections, while colleges and universities worry that it could limit access to online classes for students who need them the most. The administration wants to allow states to enforce all their applicable laws and regulations on online colleges, regardless of whether the institution is part of a state authorization reciprocity agreement to provide distance education. Currently, reciprocity agreements allow colleges to enroll out-of-state students online while bypassing some laws in the states where the students are located. For example, an institution headquartered in Colorado has to adhere to Colorado laws -- but it can enroll students in New York without having to get that state's permission or follow most of its regulations. Online educators say the current reciprocity agreements, which cover more than 2,200 institutions and more than 1.5 million students, would become unworkable if the administration's proposals become policy. They say smaller institutions -- as opposed to mega-institutions like Southern New Hampshire University, with its nearly 149,000 online out-of-state students -- would be hurt the most if reciprocity was upended, as they lack the resources to go state by state to seek authorization and comply with the different sets of laws. That, they say, would mean less access to online programs for students. |
| Closings not gonna happen | |
| The Greenwood Commonwealth's Tim Kalich writes: In what has been an already busy session of the Mississippi Legislature, lawmakers have caused the biggest stir not by wanting to expand Medicaid (and possibly running over Gov. Tate Reeves in the process) but by considering the closure or scaling down of four major institutions. Neither idea -- shuttering most of the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman or closing three state universities -- is going anywhere this year, and maybe nowhere for a long time. Both ideas, though, are worth discussing. ... As for higher education, Sen. John Polk, a Hattiesburg Republican, knew he was stirring a hornet's nest when he introduced legislation that would require the College Board to shutter three of the state's eight universities by 2028. Although Polk didn't specify which three, it's a pretty good guess who would be on the list -- Mississippi Valley State, Delta State and Mississippi University for Women, the state's three smallest universities. ... Emotions aside, all three of these schools are facing an unpleasant fact. If their enrollments get much smaller, one or more of them will eventually close or merge because they won't have enough tuition dollars to stay in business. It will be market forces, not the Legislature, shutting them down. |
| Maybe health care policy just isn't Gov. Tate Reeves' thing | |
| Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender writes: With his fellow Republican leaders set against him and pushing Medicaid expansion through the Legislature, Gov. Tate Reeves had a statewide platform last week with his State of the State address to warn Mississippians of the perils of this policy. But he said nothing. Zilch. He didn't even mention the state's dire, long-running health care problems that rival third-world areas. Instead, he's tweeted about it. Actually, he mainly just retweeted Donald Trump's erudite, well-thought argument against Medicaid expansion: "Obamacare Sucks!!!" But later last week, as GOP-led expansion legislation continued moving through the Legislature, Reeves elaborated on his well-reasoned, detailed argument against the policy: "Count me amongst those 'extreme MAGA Republicans' who think Government should not run health care," Reeves tweeted. So, for the one issue before Reeves that is, literally, life-or-death for many of his fellow Mississippians, he offers no policy. Only politics. Obamacare sucks. ... If you're the governor of a state, and your state has the highest mortality rates, the lowest life expectancy -- again, third-world health statistics -- well, it's probably time to start engaging with your fellow state leaders on solutions, start talking with the citizenry about it. It's probably time to propose some policies, especially if you don't like the ones they're coming up with. |
| Some state politicians may be moving beyond name-calling in health care | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Riding around curvy roads in northeast Mississippi campaigning for reelection in 2007, Republican Gov. Haley Barbour unveiled to a reporter his plan to create a state exchange where individuals and businesses could shop for health insurance at a lower rate. The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 had a feature strikingly similar to what Barbour proposed, which coincidentally already was being used in Massachusetts. The ACA gave states the option to piggyback off the federal exchange to create their own exchange. The federal subsidies offered through the ACA would be available to individuals purchasing insurance off the federal or a state exchange. Barbour wanted to create a state exchange that would include features from the proposal he offered during his 2007 reelection campaign. State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney also strongly supported a state exchange, saying his office would have more authority to shape a state exchange to fit the needs of Mississippians. But the ACA had by then morphed into "Obamacare," which was meant to be a derisive term, and many Mississippi legislators, and then-Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, were opposed to being associated with any part of the landmark national health care law touted and proposed by then-President Barack Obama. In the end, there was no state exchange set up in Mississippi, though it could be argued that the national exchange has been a success in the state. About 270,000 Mississippians currently have insurance policies purchased off the national exchange. Yet for 13 years now, most Mississippi politicians have continually demonized "Obamacare" and anything associated with the national law. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State women's basketball beats Missouri, closes season on NCAA Tournament bubble | |
| Riding a five-game losing streak, Mississippi State women's basketball entered Sunday as one of the last four teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN. Facing Missouri, the last-place team in the SEC, at Humphrey Coliseum there was little MSU could do to strengthen its résumé. However, a loss could have deflated the Bulldogs' chances. Coach Sam Purcell won't have to worry about that scenario, as Mississippi State rode a big second half to a 90-75 victory against the Tigers. Jerkaila Jordan, who was honored pregame as part of the senior day festivities, was a big reason why. After battling foul trouble in the first half, Jordan scored all 22 of her points in the second half. It was her best offensive performamce since she scored 24 points in a Jan. 29 upset of LSU. Regardless of the result, Mississippi State (21-10, 8-8 SEC) was locked into the No. 8-seed for the SEC Tournament because of Auburn's win on Sunday. While its defense struggled, Mississippi State's offense kept pace with Mizzou's. The Bulldogs shot 43.8% from the field in the first half and never trailed by more than five in the game. Mississippi State will play No. 9 seed Texas A&M (18-11, 6-10) on Thursday (11 a.m., SEC Network) in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. If MSU wins, it will advance to face No. 1 South Carolina. |
| Mississippi State basketball has reached an expected point. Can Bulldogs make March Madness? | |
| One can nitpick how Mississippi State basketball got to this point. Tolu Smith shouldn't have missed a majority of the nonconference slate. MSU shouldn't have lost to Southern. On the flipside, Mississippi State beat a pair of top-10 NET teams many wouldn't have picked it to. Regardless of how it's shaped, Mississippi State is where many expected it to be. The Bulldogs lost 78-63 at Neville Arena on Saturday against Auburn. With the exception of Kentucky, teams that have come to the Plains have walked out with double-digit losses. Missing 12 straight shots in the first half likely wasn't on anyone's bingo card, but the final result was. The defeat puts Mississippi State (19-10, 8-8 SEC) in a spot that isn't surprising. The Bulldogs are .500 in SEC play. They're a top-30 team, according to KenPom, after opening the season at No. 31. They're a team hovering around the same ranking in the NET. Injuries and upsets have changed the path, but what's true now was evident from the start. The final two regular season games will define whether Mississippi State is a bubble team or a lock for the NCAA Tournament. "We'll find out shortly," MSU coach Chris Jans said. "It doesn't matter what I think will happen. We've got two more games before we head to (the SEC Tournament). " |
| Baseball: Bulldogs secure sweep of Mount St. Mary's with first shutout win since 2021 | |
| It's been a long time since Mississippi State baseball has shut out an opponent. In fact, the last time the Bulldogs did, they hoisted the first national championship in school history after defeating Vanderbilt, 9-0, in the College World Series finals. Saturday evening provided much lower stakes, but an equally dominant performance for MSU, holding Mount St. Mary's to just four hits as starting pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje shined, striking out 10 over 6.2 innings of work, both career-highs for him. Once again, the offense came up when the Bulldogs needed it most, culminating in a 6-0 win and a series sweep of the Mountaineers at Dudy Noble Field. "We feel like we've had a hiccup here and there," head coach Chris Lemonis said. "You're trying to play consistent baseball, bring a consistent product. Putting a consistent product out there is the key." Consistent baseball is what Mississippi State (8-4) has been looking for and consistent baseball is what the Bulldogs produced this weekend, and it started with the weekend rotation. The trio of Nate Dohm, Khal Stephen and Cijntje were trotted out for the third-straight weekend, and for the first time, all three put together quality starts, limiting the Mountaineers to one run over 19.2 combined innings of work. |
| MSU Earns Ranked Win To Open SEC Play | |
| No. 26 Mississippi State started Southeastern Conference play strong on Sunday with a 4-3 victory over 43rd-ranked Georgia at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The homestanding Bulldogs won the early doubles point and also three of the first five singles matches to clinch their first league triumph of the year. "The biggest takeaway we can build from was how well we played in doubles," said head coach Matt Roberts. "We served and returned really well. We've been working a lot on our serve/return percentage in practice. I thought all three courts competed really well in doubles and gave us a chance on all three courts to win." MSU was dominant early, claiming two decisive doubles wins and held the lead at match point on Court 3 when the point was clinched. Carles Hernandez and Dusan Milanovic started the day by upsetting the nation's No. 37 team of Ryan Colby and Niels Ratiu 6-2. It then became a race of which court would finish first to give Mississippi State the doubles point. The 42nd-ranked tandem of Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez finished just ahead of teammates Nemanja Malesevic and Michal Novansky to secure the point and give State some early momentum. MSU heads to No. 12 Texas A&M on Friday at 6 p.m. before battling 25th-ranked LSU in Baton Rouge at noon on Sunday. |
| Mississippi deer hunting: Bill in Legislature calls for adding a month to season | |
 | Mississippi's deer season, including archery, primitive weapon and gun seasons, spans four months, but a state Legislator in the House of Representatives would like to tack on an extra month. House Bill 1555 was authored by Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, and it calls for extending deer season through Feb. 28. Although Hood did not respond to emails or phone calls to explain the possible change, it's an idea that is meeting mixed reactions among hunters. "Oh, my goodness," said Dana Sanders of Gautier. "I can't believe that. "So, we're going to shoot our deer from Oct. 1 to the end of February? To me, I don't think that's biologically cool." In Southeast Mississippi where Sanders lives, he thinks the idea isn't totally bad. Breeding occurs later there than other parts of the state and the season opens and closes two weeks later than other zones to accommodate that. However, Sanders hunts in Claiborne County and for that area, he said extending the season into February is not a good structure. He said some bucks are already losing antlers by the end of January. Scott Cannada of Hinds County said he has been closely watching and managing deer for about 30 years and disagrees with the bill as well. "I think it's dumb for about two-thirds of the state," Cannada said. "We, a lot of times, start seeing a few shed bucks in January." |
| Takeaways from Southern Miss baseball's series win vs. Indiana State | |
 | Southern Miss baseball faced one of its toughest opponents so far this season in Indiana State and took the weekend series 2-1. The Golden Eagles (8-4) had a chance for their first sweep after winning Friday's game 5-1 and Saturday's game 6-2, but fell Sunday afternoon 12-5. They will play Mississippi State (8-4) in Pearl at 6 p.m. Tuesday before going on their first weekend road series of the season against undefeated Louisiana Tech (10-0). dense patch of fog rolled into Hattiesburg on Friday night. It turned out to be a friend, not a foe. Slade Wilks knocked a deep fly ball and Indiana State right fielder Parker Stinson lost it in the fog. The ball landed well behind him, and Wilks turned on the jets for Southern Miss' first inside-the-park home run in 14 years. "I was rounding second and I saw (Travis) Creel waving me and I said, 'Here we go,' " Wilks said. "I'm still trying to find my breath." It was an encouraging moment for Wilks, who struggled to a .091 batting average through the first two weeks of the season. He got the day off Feb. 25 against Missouri State but has been on a heater since returning to the lineup. Dalton McIntyre, like Wilks, has struggled at the plate, but he found his stride this week. The outfielder from Meridian Community College had just two hits in the Golden Eagles' first eight games, but now has a four-game hitting streak. And better yet, he has two hits in each of the past three games. |
| The HBCU Legacy Bowl is more than a game. It also prepares students for life after sports | |
 | Jaren Wilson's day had already been jam-packed by the time he arrived at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on a Thursday afternoon in late February. The senior defensive end out of Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida, was in town for a full week leading up to the HBCU Legacy Bowl -- a postseason all-star game that showcases the best NFL draft-eligible athletes from historically black colleges and universities -- that Saturday at Tulane University's Yulman Stadium. Each day, Wilson had been running the gauntlet, bouncing around from team meetings, practices, a draft combine, visits with scouts from all 32 NFL teams and a few community engagement events that allow the players to have fun while also giving back to the host city. But the week is about a lot more than football, and it's the event at the convention center -- a career fair -- that had Wilson the most excited. The fair, touted as the largest for HBCU students in the nation, hosted more than 90 businesses over two days, including sports teams, retail giants, investment banks and the U.S. Secret Service. Students can connect with businesses and future colleagues, find potential mentors and even get a job interview on the spot. There are also panels covering various topics, like financial literacy. Wilson graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Edward Waters and is pursuing a master's in business administration there. He said he is actively looking for a job outside of football and has never attended a career fair of this magnitude. "I hope to get a job or career opportunity, because I'm here for the all-star game, [but] I know football doesn't last for long," Wilson said. |
| Florida Victorious alters its strategy to compete in the NIL arms race | |
 | Millions of drivers in Florida's biggest cities have seen new messages on billboards the past couple of weeks. C'MON GATORS GIVE UP & GIVE! LET'S WIN. JOIN THE TEAM HELP MAKE FLORIDA VICTORIOUS That last one is a play on words. Florida Victorious is UF's NIL collective. The name pretty much sums up the mission, and the new reality of college sports. If you want to be victorious, you need NIL money. As such, Florida needs your money. This isn't a fundraising plea for UF. You could substitute "FSU" or "Oklahoma State" or even "George Washington" for "Florida" and the story would be the same. Every school has been swept up in a pay-for-play arms race. Two years into the NIL revolution, Florida Victorious has concluded it needs to rework its strategy. Its war chest is somewhere in the top 10 of big-time schools, Florida Victorious CEO Nate Barbera said. That won't win this war. "Top 10 in NIL isn't good enough, just like anything less than a national championship in football is unacceptable," Barbera said. "We should be No. 1 in NIL." Florida Victorious has about 3,000 members who pay $15 to $250 a month. That's about half the subscriber base of Ole Miss, which is considered an industry leader. As for top-10 funding, Barbera wouldn't put a dollar figure on that. But big-school NILs supposedly have $15 million to $20 million war chests. |
| College athletes are getting closer to becoming employees. What would happen next? | |
| The NCAA inches closer every day to a tipping point of dramatic overhaul. Years of tectonic shifts around college sports could soon usher in an era its leaders and administrators have long tried to avoid: the treatment of college athletes as employees. The next milestone could come Tuesday, when the Dartmouth men's basketball team will vote on whether to form a union. The university is countering by fighting a National Labor Relations Board regional director's finding that the basketball players are employees and entitled to union representation, but the effort is just one of several concurrent legal battles challenging the bedrock principle of amateurism that the NCAA has long prided itself on maintaining. Meanwhile, in the past three months federal judges have blocked the NCAA from enforcing rules barring the use of NIL deals in recruiting and rules that require a multiple-time transfer to sit out for a year before competing. Other ongoing lawsuits take aim at the organization and schools themselves for violating federal antitrust law by restricting athlete compensation. An unfavorable ruling in any one of multiple courtrooms across the country could send the NCAA careening into its uncharted new world. To understand how the many separate cases intersect, The Athletic spoke to nearly a dozen sports law experts over the past month. Every single one considers it an inevitability that college athletes will eventually be considered employees. The specific employment model for that will come down to several factors, but these experts believe it's time to discuss the likely repercussions of that sea change. It's now a matter of when, not if. |
| Want to avoid an employee model? Relinquish control | |
| Dartmouth's men's basketball players vote Tuesday on whether Service Employees International Union Local 560 will represent them as a union. It's the next consequential step toward ushering in an employee model for a subset of athletes. The union election, coming one month after a National Labor Relations Board regional director concluded the athletes are employees of their college, will be followed with great interest throughout the industry -- particularly at the FCS and Division I-AAA levels. Widespread anxiety exists within those Division I tiers about an employee model taking hold, which many stakeholders believe would force financially strapped athletic departments to cut programs, reduce them to the club level, or move to a lower division. "There's no revenue to share, my friend," Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Ryan Ivey, co-chair of the FCS/D-IAAA working group assembled to create a sustainable path forward, told On3. "When I'm sharing nothing, it's still nothing. And at the end of the year, do I get to send everyone a bill for the debt we have?" One way schools can diminish the likelihood that their athletes will also be classified as school employees: Relinquish the amount of control schools exercise over athletes. "That is the path forward for a lot of these schools that don't have the ability to compensate athletes and pay athletes wages -- they have to find a way to avoid the employment classification," Boise State sports law professor Sam Ehrlich told On3. "I don't think that's impossible at all. Control is always going to be the biggest factor." |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
