| Friday, April 19, 2024 |
| Mississippi State Unveils 38th Annual Super Bulldog Weekend Schedule | |
 | A loaded lineup of events and fan experiences are set to highlight an exciting weekend in the Best Small Town in the South. The 38th annual Super Bulldog weekend, a Mississippi State spring homecoming tradition, is set for April 19-21. Free parking for the Maroon and White Spring Football Game is available south of Davis Wade Stadium in the following lots: Dorman Hall, Fresh Food Company and Newell-Grissom. Barr Ave. will be closed Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for safe entry/exit at the north end of Davis Wade Stadium. Bulldog fans will get a first look at "SHOWTIME at STATE" under new head football coach Jeff Lebby on April 20 at Davis Wade Stadium. The annual Maroon and White Spring Football Game will kick off Saturday's festivities at 1 p.m. The nationally ranked Diamond Dawgs will host Auburn for a three-game SEC series at Dudy Noble Field, which owns 24 of the top 25 single-game on campus attendance records. Game times are slated for 6 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. All weekend long, fans can enjoy an extended right-field location that will open two hours prior to first pitch. Festivities will include live music, food trucks, State Style Store and a large video screen for viewing. Tickets to each game of the baseball series are available for purchase at HailState.com/Tickets. |
| IHL welcomes new president, retires four trustees | |
 | The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning welcomed a new president, Bruce Martin, during a regular board meeting Thursday morning. Martin, stepping up from vice president, has served as an IHL trustee since 2018, when former Gov. Phil Bryant appointed him. Martin is taking over for outgoing president, Alfred McNair, who will now retire from the board. McNair, during the final minutes of his last meeting as president, literally handed the gavel over to Martin. Per IHL bylaws, Martin will serve as president for one year. After accepting the gavel from McNair, Martin addressed the board and audience, which included the presidents for all major Mississippi state-funded universities, except Mississippi University for Women President Nora Miller, who had a scheduling conflict. After the meeting, Martin told the Clarion Ledger he is excited to continue the work already put in place by the board. "Of course, in life, there's always challenges everywhere," Martin said. "We have a great board. We have great institutions that we work with, and I'm so pleased with all the universities and how they work to help do the same thing, which is prepare the future of our state and our people." Martin has three children with his wife, Julie, all of whom graduated from Mississippi public universities; all three received undergraduate degrees from Mississippi State University and one also attended law school at the University of Mississippi. |
| No longer interim: Tedder to lead MSMS | |
 | It won't take much to prepare the office for the arrival of the new Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science executive director. Removing "interim" from her name plate will probably suffice. The State Board of Education on Thursday appointed Ginger Tedder as the school's next executive director. She has served as interim executive director since Donnie Cook was fired from the post in September 2023. Tedder joined the MSMS administration in February 2023 as associate executive director. "I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve as the Executive Director of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science," Tedder wrote in an email to The Dispatch. "As an alumna of the Class of 1992, MSMS holds a special place in my heart, and I am excited to collaborate with the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the Mississippi Department of Education to propel MSMS forward. Together, we will continue to cultivate an opportunity for excellence, ensuring that current and future scholars have access to innovative educational opportunities." Tedder received a bachelor's degree in secondary education and teaching from Mississippi State University ... Before coming back to MSMS, Tedder was a project manager for MSU's Technical Education Professional Learning and Innovative Programs at the Research and Curriculum Unit. |
| Threefoot Festival kicks off Friday night downtown | |
 | Despite a forecast for rain, the annual Threefoot Festival will kick off in downtown Meridian on Friday night with a one-mile race and a free music concert, then return Saturday morning for a full day of art, music and good food. Sponsored by the Meridian Council for the Arts, the Threefoot Festival will take place from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m until 5 p.m. on Saturday. Admission to the festival is free, and family friendly activities will take place on the city hall lawn along 23rd Avenue. The Threefoot Mile Race, an annual event, will kick off the weekend beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. The race will start at Baptist Anderson Hospital's North campus courtyard along 20th Avenue, in the location where the Anderson Cup Road Race traditionally begins. The race course will cover one mile, ending between Threefoot Brewing Co. and the city hall lawn. Anyone interested in participating in the Threefoot Mile can still sign up Friday at Baptist Healthplex-Anderson's front desk. The registration fee is $35, and awards will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on the city hall lawn Kicking off the festival's entertainment on Friday night, beginning at 5:30 p.m., will be Clarksdale blues keyboardist, singer and songwriter LaLa Craig, a regular artist at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club. |
| MEC celebrates successes at 50th annual celebration | |
 | "What the hell is going on in Mississippi?" That is what Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Bill Cork was asked over and over again at Site Selectors Guild conference in Nashville recently. In response to the business wins of the Magnolia State of the last couple years. In particular, developers are marveling at how Amazon Web Services made big news in January when it announced it will occupy two Madison County locations for the historic buildout for hyperscale development centers. Mississippi lawmakers completed a $259 million incentive package for the Amazon Web Services $10 billion project in Canton and Madison County. That came on the heels of the announcement of a joint venture among Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Trucks & Buses and PACCAR, choosing Marshall County for a $1.9 billion electric battery cell production plant, which will create around 2,000 jobs. The Mississippi Economic Council celebrated many of those wins Thursday as more than 400 business leaders from throughout Mississippi descended on downtown Jackson to celebrate the state's business climate at the 50th Mississippi Economic Council's Annual Meeting. It is also the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the MEC. Scott Waller, CEO of the MEC, highlighted a survey it sponsored in which 73% of Mississippians polled believe the state's economy is headed in the right direction. "When you think about it, that's a strong number," Waller said. "If two thirds of Mississippians feel that way, then you feel good about where you are." |
| Appeals Judge Jim Greenlee to retire. Reeves will appoint replacement until '26 | |
| Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Jim Greenlee will retire from the bench on June 30, leaving a vacancy on the state's 10-member appellate court. Greenlee, an Oxford resident, wrote a letter recently to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves informing him of his decision to retire from the state court and said it was a privilege to serve Mississippi citizens, the state and the justice system for over eight years. "It's been a great privilege and honor to be here and work on these cases," Greenlee said in a news release. "We are a court that has to give our attention and focus on (appeals of) what occurred in the trial courts and the state agency administrative appeals." Reeves will make an appointment to fill Greenlee's vacancy, and a special election is expected to be scheduled for November 2026, according to a news release from the Administrative Office of the Courts. Judges on the Court of Appeals are elected from five districts across the state. Greenlee's district is located in north Mississippi, so Reeves must appoint a replacement from that area. Greenlee's retirement announcement bookends a long tenure in public life. |
| Mike Johnson Opposed Ukraine Aid. Then He Risked His Job for It. | |
 | House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) finally made his big decision. For months, he had resisted putting a fresh round of funds for Ukraine on the House floor, saying that money for Kyiv depended on focusing on lethal aid and enacting policies to secure America's border. But this week, he announced plans to put about $60 billion for the war-ravaged country up for a vote despite fierce pushback from some Republicans, and on Wednesday decided to stick with it. "My philosophy is you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may," Johnson told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the perils to his political future. "History judges us for what we do. This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage." The Ukraine funding is part of a broader package including aid to Israel and Taiwan, as well as a TikTok crackdown, that is set to get a final vote in the House on Saturday. With his historically thin margin, now 218-213, Johnson will likely have to rely heavily on Democratic votes, both to get the measure through procedural hurdles and on final passage. If approved, it would then head to the Senate. In an initial step Thursday night that underscored Johnson's challenges, the House Rules Committee voted 9-3 on the rule for the legislation, relying on support from Democrats to overcome three Republican defections. |
| 'Percussion petting zoo,' logic games coming to The W this weekend | |
| This weekend, area families can access an array of resources dealing with education, health and career opportunities in one location. Mississippi Public Broadcasting -- in collaboration with the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Mississippi University for Women, Preservation Society of Columbus, Accelerate Mississippi and MUW-Excel by 5 -- will host the first regional MPB Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Pohl Gym on MUW's campus. Penny Mansell, director for MUW's Center for Education Support, said the event will bring several partners together to make sure local and regional resources are easily accessible to families who need them. "Our goal is to just make sure we get these resources in the hands ... of all the people that need them," she said. "We hear all the time from families that are not sure where to go and where to get resources, and Columbus and our region actually has a great deal available." Dawn Barham, who teaches performing arts at MSMS and is a member of MPB's Board of Directors, said the idea for a regional Family Fun Day was born from multiple organizations coming together to collaborate. "The most significant part of this event is the willingness and the eagerness of all of these (local and regional agencies) to come together to put an event of this magnitude out there that's offering free resources to parents, children and teachers too," she said. |
| Rebels anonymous: maintaining sobriety at the school that never loses a party | |
 | Good times in a college town like Oxford often include tailgating, listening to live music on the Square and social events around town and on campus. More often than not, alcohol is part of the equation. According to Visit Oxford Mississippi, there are 19 bars on the Square, inviting those who visit to relax and enjoy a drink. Numerous restaurants on the Square also serve alcoholic beverages. It can seem as though alcohol is around every corner in college. According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, "27.4% of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 reported binge drinking in the past month." Still, there are individuals in the University of Mississippi community who choose to remain sober. So, what does sobriety look like in a college town? For freshman Chinese and international studies double major Cali Orman, a support system is vital. "I maintain sobriety with people who respect my choice of remaining sober," Orman said. "A lot of times, I hear people say that they can't have fun unless they are drunk, and that is really sad because it's totally not true." |
| The show will go on: Morgan Wallen tabbed to take Oxford after controversial run | |
| Morgan Wallen is no stranger to controversy -- especially here in Mississippi -- but the country music star will look to shake any hard feelings this weekend when he returns to Oxford. About a year ago, nearly 60,000 fans filled Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to hear the "Last Night" singer for the second leg of a two-night stint on the campus of Ole Miss. Six minutes before showtime, an antagonizing message appeared on video boards around the venue: "Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately Morgan has lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight – therefore tonight's show has been cancelled. Please make your way safely to stadium exits. Refunds for tonight's event will be available at point of purchase." As excited fans quickly turned angry, Wallen became the subject of harsh criticism and even a handful of lawsuits as people from out of town wanted to be reimbursed for travel costs, merchandise purchases, and more. Wallen didn't do much to help his case as he waited two weeks to break his silence on the matter, finally apologizing and vowing to reschedule. The firestorm created by the cancellation also created a lot of theories as to why Wallen opted out of performing. The now 30-year-old claimed vocal issues from the get-go, however, a video surfaced on TikTok of a security officer telling concertgoers that the real reason Wallen couldn't perform was because he was "too drunk" and had to be escorted off the premises in an ambulance. While that was never confirmed by anyone from Wallen's team, it didn't help ease the mob of displeased fans. |
| 'It's been a phenomenal reception': Hayes Cooper Elementary School operating out of Delta State following explosion | |
| Faculty and staff at Hayes Cooper Elementary School in the Mississippi Delta were forced to relocate after an explosion that sent a pair of teachers to the hospital, prompting one of the state's universities to step in and offer immediate assistance. According to Cleveland School District Superintendent Dr. Lisa Bramuchi, the incident occurred last Thursday at 7:25 a.m. at the education center in Merigold. An emergency evacuation plan immediately ensued. Students in the facility were transported to the Merigold Community Storm Shelter while two buses that were en route to school were taken to the parking lot of a local crawfish restaurant to wait for their parents or guardians to pick up their pupils. The incident, which remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office, forced a drastic shift in operations for the school. Fortunately, Delta State University was prepared to step in and offer a facility for students to continue to receive in-person education. "Luckily, my team had some contact with the district and had some students there. A lot of our faculty and staff have students at that school. So I got the fill-in," Delta State president Dr. Dan Ennis said on Good Things with Rebecca Turner. "I was texting with my team and I just reached out to my good friend, the superintendent, and said, 'I know you're busy, but if we can help, just let us know.' I didn't want to be in the middle of their crisis, but I just wanted to let them know that we were there to be of assistance when we could be helpful." |
| Hinds Community College treatment of pregnant student violated Title IX, feds say | |
| Mississippi's largest community college violated Title IX when it failed to provide a pregnant student with proper accommodations and course adjustments, resulting in the student failing the semester, a federal civil rights agency said last week. The student had to pump milk in a bathroom stall because Hinds Community College did not give her a private space, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights found. An instructor even referred to this student's unborn child as a "parasite" that was "sucking out minerals" from her body. "Instead of assisting the Student with her pregnancy-related needs, these College administrators attempted to discourage the Student from trying to complete the Program due to her pregnancy, and even mocked and penalized her for requesting adjustments," states a letter the agency sent Hinds last week. Hinds did not respond to Mississippi Today's requests for comment. In a campus newsletter earlier this week, President Stephen Vacik noted that Hinds had agreed to a settlement with the federal agency, which included revising its policies pertaining to pregnant students and reimbursing the student for her final semester at Hinds. "The whole situation was regrettable, and shouldn't have happened, but we are committed to meeting the required activities set forth in the agreement with OCR," Vacik wrote. "Our goal is to be better prepared in the future to serve the needs of our students." |
| U. of Tennessee cinema studies introduces 'Gender/Media (Taylor's Version)' course next semester | |
| In the midst of the anticipation of Taylor Swift's new album, "The Tortured Poets Department," the University of Tennessee is offering a new class this fall that will study the social, economic and cultural impacts that Taylor Swift has had on the media and film industry. Darcey Morris, a cinema studies professor, is the architect of this class -- CNST 400 -- which will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:10-11:10 a.m. "We'll talk about Taylor Swift from every possible angle," Morris said. Over the last several years, Swift, at only 34 years old, has transformed from an American pop star to a world-famous icon. Her fanbase of "Swifties" is fiercely loyal and multigenerational -- something that has scarcely been seen from a musical star since Beatlemania of the '60s. The reason Swift has such a powerful influence is because she is a master at making her audience "feel things," according to Morris, a devoted Swiftie herself. "With her songs, she expresses so many uniquely feminine experiences," Morris said. "And also just complex human emotions, in ways that are powerful and really resonate with people." Historically, women in media have always been discounted, according to Morris, but because of Swift, women now have more opportunities to be taken seriously. While other affluent women have also used their platforms to bring about change, no one has quite played the game like Swift, and Morris argues that we could all benefit from analyzing this. |
| Vanderbilt courts billionaire Jeff Greene, others for West Palm Beach campus plan | |
| Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier was back in Palm Beach County last Friday, April 12 to meet with more county government officials and other area leaders about opening a West Palm Beach campus. Among the meetings was a private lunch with Palm Beach billionaire and real estate developer Jeff Greene, who had been involved in an unsuccessful effort to bring the University of Florida to downtown. Greene said he and Diermeier discussed the plan to build a Vanderbilt business school and a college for computer science and artificial intelligence in downtown West Palm Beach. In an exclusive interview with The Palm Beach Post in early April, Diermeier said a West Palm Beach campus of the Nashville private university would capitalize on Palm Beach County's growing reputation as Wall Street South and provide students jobs in finance companies. The campus would be built on seven acres of government-owned land formerly slated for the UF campus. It would not include five acres of adjacent land owned by Greene. Even though Vanderbilt has a $10 billion endowment, people familiar with the Vanderbilt campus plan say its backers want the city and county to donate the government land for free. In 2021, UF and local government officials announced plans for a UF campus in West Palm Beach that would offer business, finance and artificial intelligence programs. But the UF campus plan was iced last year following disagreements about the terms of Greene's land donation to the university, including a dispute about naming rights to the campus. |
| North Carolina university committee swiftly passes policy change that could cut diversity staff | |
 | The future of diversity, equity and inclusion staff jobs in North Carolina's public university system could be at stake after a five-person committee swiftly voted to repeal a key policy Wednesday. The Committee on University Governance, within the University of North Carolina Board of Governors that oversees 17 schools, voted in less than four minutes to reverse and replace a policy related to DEI. The full board of 24 members is to vote on the matter again next month, and if approved, the repeal would take effect immediately. If the policy is fully repealed, the UNC system could join other major universities in dismantling their diversity offices. Among the most notable, the University of Florida in Gainesville announced in a memo last month that it was scrapping its office and shifting its funding for faculty recruitment instead. The proposed policy change, first reported by The News & Observer of Raleigh, would impact a diversity, equity and inclusion regulation adopted in 2019. It defines the roles of various DEI positions -- such as a system office diversity and inclusion liaison and diversity officers across the university system -- and the establishment of a diversity and inclusion council made up of members representing each university, according to the policy. UNC-Chapel Hill -- the system's flagship campus and whose website says has an office for diversity and inclusion with a 12-person staff -- will review the policy change and work with the university system if implemented, spokesperson Kevin Best said in an emailed statement. |
| Columbia President Accused of Dishonest Testimony, Throwing Professors 'Under the Bus' | |
 | The Columbia University president's testimony during Wednesday's congressional hearing on antisemitism didn't immediately elicit the intense national criticism that other Ivy League presidents received after they spoke to the same U.S. House committee in December. But the day after the hearing, one of the committee members who questioned her told Inside Higher Ed that Minouche Shafik "lied" in her testimony about a Columbia professor. Meanwhile, advocates for academic freedom accused the president of throwing "faculty and academic freedom under the bus." Much of the controversy stems from Shafik's responses to questions from members of the Education and the Workforce Committee about individual faculty members who allegedly made antisemitic remarks. Asked about three professors and pressed on why they still work at Columbia, Shafik agreed with committee members that their speech crossed a line. She also said that some of them were being investigated, while another "will never teach at Columbia again." Afterward, some Columbia faculty members said the president had failed to defend academic freedom and higher education more broadly. Nor did Shafik completely mollify Republicans on the committee. Representative Tim Walberg of Michigan accused Shafik of "duplicity" in an interview Thursday with Inside Higher Ed. |
| Colleges Warn Student Demonstrators: Enough | |
 | The 100-year-old annual honors convocation at the University of Michigan is typically a decorous affair, with a pipe organ accompanying golf-clap applause. This year's event was anything but. Protesters rose from their seats, and unfurled banners with "Free Palestine" written in red paint. They shouted, "You are funding genocide!" Unable to continue with the ceremony, university officials cut it short, as hundreds of disappointed students and their parents stood up and walked out. Two days after the honors convocation, the university's president, Santa J. Ono, issued a stern rebuke: Enough. "Like many of you, I am proud of our university's history of protest," he said. "But none of us should be proud of what happened on Sunday." He announced that the school would draft a new policy to redefine what could be punished as disruptive behavior. The University of Michigan is not alone. After years of often loose enforcement of their own rules, some of the country's most high-profile academic institutions are getting bolder, suspending and in some cases expelling students. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University and Brown University have recently taken swift and decisive action against student protesters, including making arrests. And on Thursday, Columbia University hit its limit with student protesters who had set up dozens of tents on campus, sending in the New York Police Department to make arrests. The arrests followed congressional testimony on Wednesday, in which the president of Columbia, Nemat Shafik, said the school had delivered an unambiguous message to students that misconduct would not be tolerated. |
| FAFSA Reprocessing Could Take Weeks | |
| The Education Department has begun reprocessing some student aid forms affected by calculation errors, undersecretary of education James Kvall said in a press call Thursday. The department has also started sending corrected versions to colleges, but Kvall said others could take weeks longer to begin reprocessing. In the past few weeks, FAFSA processing has been beset by two major discoveries: student aid index calculation errors, which affected about 200,000 forms, and incorrect tax data provided by the IRS on about 330,000 forms. Combined, the errors meant nearly 20 percent of submitted FAFSAs would have to be reprocessed. The department will reprocess all the affected forms, and has made headway on the first batch. But reprocessing those affected by tax errors is more complicated, a spokesperson said, and requires technical alterations to their systems. It is "on track" to begin reprocessing those forms by May 1 -- many colleges' deposit deadlines for admitted students. In the meantime, the department is encouraging institutions to begin sending aid forms to students using the information they have -- including from incorrect forms that resulted in overestimations of student aid, about two-thirds of those affected by the tax errors. |
| Biden's new Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students, but transgender sports rule still on hold | |
| The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration. The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge by President Joe Biden. He had promised to dismantle rules created by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who added new protections for students accused of sexual misconduct. Notably absent from Biden's policy, however, is any mention of transgender athletes. The administration originally planned to include a new policy forbidding schools from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes, but that provision was put on hold. The delay is widely seen as a political maneuver during an election year in which Republicans have rallied around bans on transgender athletes in girls' sports. Instead, Biden is officially undoing sexual assault rules put in place by his predecessor and current election-year opponent, former President Donald Trump. The final policy drew praise from victims' advocates, while Republicans said it erodes the rights of accused students. The update is to take effect in August. |
| Colleges, the Title IX Changes Are Finally Here. What's in Them? | |
 | Almost two years and 240,000 comments later, the Biden administration has unveiled its final plan for overhauling the regulations that dictate how colleges respond to complaints of sexual harassment, sexual assault, LGBTQ discrimination, and other forms of mistreatment based on sex. With Friday's announcement, President Biden is trying to make his mark on the influential law. Colleges have until August 1 to bring their policies into compliance with the updated regulations, which will soon be published in the Federal Register. Title IX compliance is enforced by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, led by Assistant Secretary Catherine E. Lhamon. Biden's final rule gives colleges more flexibility to decide how they want to handle Title IX proceedings. Live hearings and cross-examination will still be allowed, but no longer mandatory. Such requirements will remain in place at some institutions because of court decisions. Kimberly Lau, a lawyer specializing in Title IX cases and an advocate of due process, said she expects some small colleges to do away with cross-examinations and live hearings. Losing those processes, she said, would disproportionately affect students and staff who face accusations. "If it comes down to dollars and resources and if you're a small school and you don't now need to do this anymore, you're not going to do it," she said. "Look at all the training they have to do. It's hours and hours." |
| New Title IX Rules Are Out. Here's What You Need to Know. | |
| After several delays, the Biden administration finally released its final rule overhauling Title IX this morning, kicking off what will likely be a frantic few months as colleges race to update their policies in time for the coming academic year. Colleges and universities have until Aug. 1 to comply. The final regulations will usher in a new era for Title IX, an area of civil rights law that has become politicized and the subject of significant changes that ebb and flow depending on which administration is in charge. Colleges and universities are hoping that this latest rule will put an end to the back and forth that's marked the last decade. "It's our fervent hope that this won't change again in four years," said S. Daniel Carter, the president of Safety Advisors for Educational (SAFE) Campuses who consults with universities on campus safety. Carter added that he asked the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, which wrote the new regulations, to "issue a rule that can stand the test of time." Whether that's the case with this new rule, he said, will depend on how it balances the interests of those who file Title IX complaints, the parties accused of misconduct, and the college and university administrators required to adjudicate the complaints. Colleges and universities have a little over three months to update their policies and processes and train staff on those new systems. The work will be similar to what happened in summer 2020, albeit without a pandemic looming over institutions. |
| Federal Workers Are Fleeing Washington. Can College Students Replace Them? | |
 | In 2018, Arizona State University opened its new $35 million Barrett & O'Connor Washington Center in a 32,000-square-foot former office building opposite the Farragut West Metro station, roughly four blocks from the White House. The center represented a major expansion of the university's small facility in the capital, and it's been a hit: Within a year, ASU had added nearly 10,000 more square feet of real estate in a nearby building. At least one institution may have watched ASU's D.C. expansion with some anxiety: the school's cross-state rival, the University of Arizona. Before long, the Tucson-based flagship school asked its Board of Regents to fund U of A's own Washington outpost, a somewhat smaller 14,000-square-foot affair only two blocks from the executive mansion. After a Covid-induced delay, the Washington, D.C. Center for Outreach & Collaboration staged a weeklong inaugural in 2021 with events for media, alums and Arizona-adjacent policymakers. The lesson for non-Arizonans: Apparently no one wants to be the last college on the block without a Washington campus. The past few years have seen a fraternity-style rush of American universities planting their flags or significantly boosting their landholdings in Washington, including five in 2023 alone: Texas A&M, the University of Southern California, Purdue, Princeton and Johns Hopkins, which spent $372 million to buy the majestic former Newseum building on Pennsylvania Avenue and turn it into its Bloomberg Center, "where Washington comes to think." |
SPORTS
| Diamond Dawgs Host Auburn For Super Bulldog Weekend | |
| The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs welcome Auburn to Dudy Noble Field for a three-game SEC Series starting Friday. The Dawgs and Tigers meet for the second time since 2022 on Super Bulldog Weekend. Friday and Sunday's games will be aired on SECN+ and Saturday's game will be on SECN. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The series will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand. A loaded lineup of events and fan experiences are set to highlight an exciting weekend in the Best Small Town in the South. The 38th annual Super Bulldog weekend, a Mississippi State spring homecoming tradition, is set for April 19-21. The Diamond Dawgs are set to host Auburn this weekend on the Diamond. Saturday's game will be televised on the SEC Network. Since the 2017 season, the Dawgs have won every Super Bulldog Weekend series. This will be the second time that Auburn and Mississippi State have met during Super Bulldog Weekend since 2017. The only other meeting came during the 2022 season, which the Dawgs won the series, 2-1. Auburn heads to Dudy Noble Field with a 19-17 record. The Tigers are last in the SEC West with a 2-13 record. Mississippi State leads the all-time series 116-96-1. |
| What to watch, keys to victory for Mississippi State baseball against Auburn | |
| A cursory glance at Auburn's record does not come close to telling the full story of the Tigers' season so far. Losers of eight out of its past nine Southeastern Conference games, Auburn (19-17, 2-13 SEC) is at the bottom of the standings and in danger of missing the conference tournament. But all five SEC opponents the Tigers have faced -- Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Kentucky -- were in the top 10 at the time Auburn played them. Not the case with Mississippi State (23-14, 7-8), which fell out of the D1Baseball Top 25 this week before hosting the Tigers at Dudy Noble field for a three-game series starting Friday evening. "I thought we had one of the hardest schedules in the first half? They actually have had the hardest schedule in the first half," Bulldogs head coach Chris Lemonis said after Tuesday's win over Alcorn State. "They've had to play on the road at some tough places, they've had to play the hot teams." The Tigers also challenged themselves in non-conference play against the likes of Iowa, Virginia and Connecticut, and are coming off a 12-8 midweek win over a solid Georgia Tech team. |
| Spring game is chance for Jeff Lebby to showcase 'Showtime' with Mississippi State football | |
| The hiring of Jeff Lebby was about more than a new coach for Mississippi State football. His arrival, complemented by his track record of explosive offensive play, provided an opportunity at revamping the perception surrounding the program. Blue-collared. Hard-nosed. Those expressions have surrounded MSU for years, extending into former coach Zach Arnett's failed one-year tenure. While those are worthwhile traits for a team to have, especially on defense, the hiring of Lebby offered a chance at something new. Showtime. Dime time. Swag is State. Those are the new phrases that have become marketing tools under the new regime in Starkville. The spring game on Saturday (1 p.m., SEC Network+) presents the first chance to show off what's being sold. There's importance to Lebby's first spring game that extends beyond football. "I want to show (fans) that we're going to play fast," Lebby said Thursday. "We're going to be fearless. We're going to be physical in everything that we do. I want to put a product on the field that, again, people are excited about." While the defense has earned praise from coaches and players throughout the spring, Lebby's tenure will be judged by what's done on offense. Nearly a decade has passed since Mississippi State had a top-five scoring offense in the SEC. |
| Mississippi State announces 2024 Road Dawg Tour dates | |
 | Mississippi State head football coach Jeff Lebby and special guests are headed to a city near you as part of the 2024 Road Dawgs Tour, presented by Coastal Mississippi. Coastal Mississippi is thrilled to once again sponsor the MSU Road Dawgs Tour to help connect Mississippi State's athletic department to local alumni on the six-city tour. Participants will have the exciting opportunity to win a lavish two-night escape at the renowned Gulf Hills Hotel + Resort in Ocean Springs, ensuring a memorable Coastal retreat filled with relaxation and adventure. The 2024 Road Dawgs Tour features six stops in May, kicking off on Tuesday, May 7 in Greenville, followed by stops in Birmingham, Olive Branch, Atlanta, Biloxi, and Houston. The tour is a collaboration between the department of athletics, the Bulldog Club, the Mississippi State Alumni Association and local alumni chapters. For more information on the 2024 Road Dawgs Tour, visit HailState.com/RoadDawgs2024. |
| No. 15 MSU Opens SEC Championships In Quarterfinals | |
| Following a third-place finish in the conference standings and receiving a double-bye in the SEC Championships, No. 15 Mississippi State opens its postseason in the quarterfinals against 24th-ranked South Carolina on Friday at 2 p.m. The 11th-seeded Gamecocks knocked off No. 6 seed Alabama 4-2 in the second round on Thursday afternoon. Matt Roberts and the Bulldogs got the better of South Carolina on the road earlier this season. MSU rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the then 16th-ranked Gamecocks 4-3 on March 22. Mississippi State enters the postseason with a 17-6 overall record and a 9-3 mark in league play. The Bulldogs posted a 7-2 record away from home and closed out the regular season by winning six of their last seven matches. They're coming off back-to-back 4-2 road victories at Alabama and Arkansas last weekend. South Carolina is 15-13 overall on the year and went 4-8 in SEC action during the regular season. The Gamecocks were 3-2 in neutral site matches this spring and posted a 7-6 mark in matches outside of Columbia. The Bulldogs are 25-12 overall against South Carolina all-time and have won 13 out of the last 15 meetings. State is 3-1 against the Gamecocks in the SEC Championships, last meeting in the semifinals of the 2019 which was a 4-2 victory by the Bulldogs en route to winning the tournament. Mississippi State is 34-31 all-time at the SEC Championships with three titles in 1996, 2018 and 2019 along with seven appearances in the finals. |
| Why Southern Miss baseball is wearing Camp Shelby jerseys against ULM | |
| Southern Miss baseball will be wearing a newly unveiled jersey on Sunday against ULM that pays tribute to Camp Shelby, a local military base in Hattiesburg. It's part of Southern Miss' military appreciation weekend. Active and retired military members can also redeem free tickets to the game on Sunday (1 p.m., ESPN+) at Pete Taylor Park and immediate family members can receive a discounted rate. The Golden Eagles revealed on social media the gray jerseys on Thursday with players Billy Oldham, Carson Paetow, Slade Wilks and Billy Butler wearing them in front of a tank. Camp Shelby opened in 1917 and is located 12 miles south of the Southern Miss campus. Eight former professional players -- George Archie, Zeke Bonura, Al Brazle, David "Boo" Ferriss, Al Flair, Ken Heintzelman, George Scharein and Harry Walker -- were at some point stationed at Camp Shelby, according to Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles (23-14, 9-6 Sun Belt Conference) open the three-game series against ULM (17-19, 5-10) on Friday. |
| Archie Cooley, the college football coach whose innovative offense launched Jerry Rice, has died | |
| Archie Cooley, the innovative Black college football coach whose offense helped Jerry Rice become a star at Mississippi Valley State, has died, his family announced through the school Thursday. He was 84. "The MVSU Family sends our condolences to the Cooley Family," the school said in a social media post, but did not share details about Cooley's death. Nicknamed "Gunslinger" for his passion for the passing game, Cooley spent 19 seasons as a head coach at four HBCUs and went 83-78-5. The Mississippi native played both ways at Jackson State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the early 1960s and started his coaching career as a defensive assistant. He became a head coach for the first time in the SWAC at Mississippi Valley State in 1980. Cooley's five-wide receiver, no-huddle offense helped revolutionize the passing game at a time when many top programs were still using run-heavy attacks. The Satellite Express offense, with Willie "Satellite" Totten at quarterback and Rice at receiver, set dozens of NCAA records. Mississippi Valley State made its only Division I-AA playoff appearance in 1984 with Rice setting records with 112 catches for 1,845 yards and 27 touchdowns in 11 games. Rice went on to become a first-round draft pick for the San Francisco 49ers, the NFL's most prolific wide receiver and a Hall of Famer. |
| Curators move forward on plan for $250 million in improvements to Mizzou's Memorial Stadium | |
 | Capitalizing on the momentum of the University of Missouri's Cotton Bowl victory, the University of Missouri System Board of Curators voted to move forward on $250 million improvement to Memorial Stadium. The board met at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. The project is expected to be complete for 2026 football season in time for 100th anniversary of the stadium in October 2026. The board in a resolution voted to engage DLR Group architects for a fee of $15.8 million and to solicit proposals for a construction manager at risk. "Now is the time to capitalize on the momentum," said board chairwoman Robin Wenneker in a news conference. There shouldn't be any disruptions during construction, said Nancy Girton, interim athletic director. "In the SEC, if you're standing still, you're falling behind," Girton said. The plans include up to 160,500 square feet of new construction, including 98,000 square feet that will be enclosed as part of new premium seating areas. The renovations could add up to 51 new suites total, including 28 cabanas featuring large social spaces in covered settings. New premium spaces will also include loge seating options and mezzanine club luxury outdoor seats. It's a historic day, said MU head football coach Eliah Drinkwitz. "It's a big dream and a bold investment and it's going to take every single one of us to deliver," Drinkwitz said. |
| FedEx announces landmark NIL commitment to Memphis athletics worth millions | |
| FedEx announced a major name, image and likeness (NIL) deal for University of Memphis athletes Friday morning that could significantly bolster the trajectory of the school's entire athletic department. The Memphis-based logistics giant is pledging $5 million a year for the next five years. The money has been earmarked specifically for the football, men's and women's basketball and other women's athletic programs. How the infusion of NIL funding is divvied up is unclear. "This is a massive example of what NIL was intended to be and can be, but it's done the right way with the right kind of infrastructure from a Fortune 50 (500) company to hometown student-athletes," Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch said in an interview with The Commercial Appeal. "Really, I don't think there's another deal that we're aware of that is this size or the scope across multiple programs and across multiple years." The agreement represents the first major NIL deal between a company of FedEx's size and the University of Memphis since the NIL market for college athletes was created in 2021. FedEx -- which was founded in Memphis and is the largest employer in the state -- is committing the money at a time when the athletic department already has significant momentum. Thanks in large part to a $50 million donation from FedEx founder Fred Smith and his family, the university is moving forward on a $220 million renovation of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, where the Tigers' football team plays its home games. |
| Notre Dame Targeted in New NLRB Complaint Over Athlete Employee Status | |
| The University of Notre Dame Thursday was charged with violating section 8 of the National Labor Relations Act by allegedly misclassifying its athletes as "student-athletes" when they are employees. With an eye towards the upcoming presidential election, the College Basketball Players Association (CBPA), an advocacy group led by Michael Hsu, filed the unfair labor practice (ULP) charge. The fact that an advocacy group and not Fighting Irish players filed the charge is not disqualifying, since there is no standing requirement to file an unfair labor practice charge. Federal law authorizes "any person" to file a charge if it alleges that "any person has engaged in or is engaging in any unfair labor practice affecting commerce." Notre Dame is the fifth school to face a ULP charge filed by Hsu, a former University of Minnesota regent. In the wake of National Labor Relations Board general council Jennifer Abruzzo's September 2021 memo on college athletes' employee status, Hsu filed the first ever unfair labor practice charge on behalf of college athletes, which targeted the NCAA. Abruzzo asserts that when the term "student-athlete," a hallmark of NCAA amateurism, is used to suppress employee rights, it is promoting illegal conduct. Hsu said he is concerned that the possible election of Donald Trump in November could lead to Abruzzo's firing early next year, so he wanted to get the ball rolling now in South Bend, Ind. "The clock is ticking because of the political calendar," Hsu told Sportico in a phone interview. |
| Proposal would assure schools that go all in to help NCAA investigations avoid postseason ban | |
| Schools facing NCAA infractions cases could ensure they avoid postseason bans if they show "exemplary cooperation" with investigators under a proposal before the NCAA Division I Council. The NCAA announced Thursday the proposal would define "exemplary cooperation" more clearly while establishing its impact on possible penalties. The NCAA said that impact would include removing a postseason ban from the table for the majority of schools. The policy would take effect Aug. 1 if the council approves it in June. "Full cooperation is already an expectation of all members of our association," said Geoffrey S. Mearns, the president of Ball State University and chair of the committee that introduced the proposal. "But by providing specific information about how an institution can demonstrate exemplary cooperation, and by providing clear incentives for that cooperation, we will expedite the fair resolution of infractions cases, which remains a priority for all Division I members." The NCAA infractions process has become particularly confrontational in recent years. Two years ago, after then-NCAA President Mark Emmert said investigations into several basketball programs were taking "way too long" under a protocol set up to handle complex cases through the Independent Accountability Review Panel, which has since been shelved. |
| Title IX: Athletes can play amid sexual misconduct inquiries | |
| New federal regulations released Friday will prevent colleges and coaches from suspending athletes accused of sexual misconduct while school officials investigate complaints against them. The due process provision is one of several outlined in the U.S. Department of Education's final version of regulations governing how K-12 schools, colleges and universities respond to complaints of sexual harassment and violence under Title IX. The regulations, a draft version of which the Biden administration proposed in June 2022, are scheduled to go into effect Aug. 1. When asked about the due process provision, the senior administration official said Thursday that to remove a student from an athletic team, or any activity, before a finding of responsibility is an unfair burden on that student. The provision has been an issue in several recent cases involving athletes. University of Illinois basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. sued the school in January stating that officials made a rushed and unfair decision to suspend him after his Dec. 28 arrest in Lawrence, Kansas, where he was charged with rape. The new Department of Education regulations also address what has been a conflict among Title IX administrators at many universities, especially for high-profile athlete cases: what to do when they are trying to investigate a complaint of sexual assault at the same time as law enforcement, especially when police or prosecutors ask them to hold off. |
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.
