| Tuesday, April 30, 2024 |
| MSU researcher develops new, affordable detection and monitoring methods for cardiovascular disease | |
 | A Mississippi State University researcher is developing new, more affordable methods for early detection and monitoring of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. Amirtahà Taebi, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is using the human body's vibrations to develop non-invasive diagnosis methods for cardiovascular disease using smartphones and low-cost sensors with a focus on health equity in the Taebi Lab at MSU. Work in the lab is directed toward low-income populations and underrepresented minorities, those usually more affected. "One American dies from a cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds," Taebi said. "If you place your hand on your chest, you will feel vibrations as a result of your heart pumping blood to different organs in your body. We can measure those vibrations using sensors." The lab is studying these cardiovascular-induced vibrations to see what cardiovascular events are represented by each vibration waveform. The ultimate goal of Taebi and his team is to reduce mortality rates, optimize medical therapy, reduce hospital stays and improve the lives of patients. |
| MSU Physician Assistant students present research | |
 | Photo: Jordan Black, a MSU-Meridian Master of Physician Assistant Studies student from Wisconsin, presents his research on ADHD medication and cardiovascular risk in pediatric patients during the second annual research poster symposium at the college's Riley campus downtown last Friday. |
| MSU Physician Assistant students present research | |
| Photo: MSU-Meridian Master of Physician Assistant Studies student Hailey Detillier presents her research on aerobic exercise and adolescents with depression during the second annual research poster symposium at the college's Riley campus last Friday. |
| Renowned horticulturist, conservationist to speak on native plants | |
 | Author Doug Tallamy is bringing his message for a "Homegrown National Park" to Mississippi this week. Tallamy is headlining the Mississippi Master Gardener's State Conference May 1-3 at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. He will also speak in Hattiesburg at the University of Southern Mississippi Friday night. Other speakers at the master gardener's event on the coast include: Felder Rushing, the Gestalt Gardener; Martha Whitney-Butler, The French Potager; James M. DelPrince, a horticulturalist with Mississippi State University; Gary Bachman. host and executive producer of Southern Gardening and many more. Both events are open to the public. Digging It on The Coast in Biloxi is ticketed while the event in Hattiesburg, which is sponsored by the Mississippi Native Plant Society, is free. Tallamy is not new to Mississippi. The ecologist has attended the annual hummingbird festival in Holly Springs on several occasions and has spoken at Mississippi State in the past. He has been spreading the word about the benefits of native plants to gardeners and nature enthusiasts for more than 30 years. Tallamy is author of four books, including "Bringing Nature Home" and has initiated his "Homegrown National Park" project to encourage homeowners to plant native species for pollinators and other wildlife. His message is small changes to our backyard landscapes, like planting more oak trees, make a big impact on habitat for native wildlife. |
| 49 bags of litter collected by garden club, student volunteers for Earth Day | |
 | Starkville Town and Country Garden Club members worked with student and staff volunteers from Starkville Academy from 9 to 11 a.m. April 19 to pick up 49 bags of trash along six roadways in and around Starkville for Earth Day. "This was Starkville Academy's fourth annual volunteer week for ninth-12th-grade students, and Starkville Town and Country Garden Club has collaborated several years with Starkville Academy to jointly pick up litter during volunteer week," said Lynne Strickland, vice-president of Starkville Town and Country Garden Club. "Cathy Kemp, one of our garden club members, started the collaboration with Starkville Academy, and our partnerships have grown to also include the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Department, the City of Starkville Police Department, the City of Starkville Environmental and Sanitation Department and the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) District One Coordinator for Litter Prevention and Beautification Program, Leslie Pearman." Six teams of student volunteers and six staff from Starkville Academy were paired with 10 members of the Starkville Town and Country Garden Club to pick up trash in six locations, including Louisville Street North, Louisville Street South, Highway 389, Highway 12 West, Reed Road and Industrial Park Road. |
| Education: Milons to take on principal role at The Learning Center | |
| "It's hard to describe, but you feel it when you enter the building," says veteran Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District educator and administrator Cynthia Milons as she talks about The Learning Center, the district's alternative school. "I've had the opportunity to see first-hand the importance TLC plays in our district and our community. Dr. Harris and the teachers and staff have cultivated a true family atmosphere." This idea of family will be the keyword as Milons takes on a new role serving as principal at The Learning Center (TLC), beginning in July. The move comes as current TLC principal, Watress Harris, transitions to become principal at Starkville High School. "Ms. Milons has a heart for helping at-risk students find a positive pathway to graduation," said SOCSD Superintendent Tony McGee. "I am confident her experience in the district will be invaluable as she leads The Learning Center with the same commitment to restoration and student success that has already been established at TLC." Milons currently serves as a Graduation & Transition Coach for the district, serving students at Partnership Middle School, Armstrong Junior High School and Starkville High School. In this role, she already works one day a week with the team at The Learning Center helping students make a successful transition back to their home schools after their time at TLC. |
| One killed in early Tuesday morning wreck in Starkville | |
| A single-car wreck in Starkville during the early morning hours Tuesday claimed the life of one man and sent another to the hospital. Starkville police responded to the intersection of highways 25 and 82 just before 3 a.m. on April 30. Police spokesman Sgt. Brandon Lovelady said the preliminary investigation showed a sedan occupied by two males left the roadway. An 81-year-old occupant was declared dead at the scene, and a second occupant was transported to the hospital for further treatment. The names of the victims have not been released and the crash remains under investigation. If you have any information, please contact SPD at 662-323-4131 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151. |
| Legislators extend 2024 session after missing budget deadline | |
 | Legislative leaders are optimistic that they will be able to start passing bills to fund the $7-billion budget to fund state services on Tuesday. "We will be rolling Tuesday and the day after I suppose," said Senate Appropriations Chair Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg. Late Monday the House and Senate agreed on a resolution to extend the session. Appropriations and revenue (taxes and borrowing) bills died Saturday night when House and Senate leaders could not reach agreement on a key deadline. The resolution approved Monday was needed to revive the bills. The final day of the session was scheduled for Sunday, May 5. Now it is scheduled for May 14, but House Speaker Jason White, R-West, predicted Monday that the Legislature will finish its work this week, though leaders did concede there were still some "minor" disagreements between the House and Senate. Under the resolution, the legislators -- even though their work would be completed this week -- will return on May 14 unless White and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann agree not to return. Returning on May 14 would give the Legislature the opportunity address any possible vetoes by Gov. Tate Reeves. Lawmakers can override gubernatorial vetoes with a two-thirds vote of each chamber. Asked Monday if an agreement had been reached on the revenue bills, Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, R-Brandon, who handles those proposals, said, "Gosh, I hope so. If not I am going holler a Jerry Clower for them to shoot up amongst us," Harkins said referencing a skit by the Mississippi comic. |
| Mississippi lawmakers expected to vote on Medicaid expansion plan with work requirement | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a proposal that would expand Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands more people, but it includes a work requirement that might not win federal approval. The state House and Senate passed separate expansion plans earlier this year. With the four-month legislative session pushing into its final days, negotiators from the two chambers submitted a compromise moments before a Monday night deadline. They declined to answer questions after emerging from a closed-door meeting, but the proposal was filed in legislative clerks' offices. The plan would require the new Medicaid recipients to be employed at least 100 hours a month in a job that does not provide private health insurance. Or, they could fit into other categories, such as being a fulltime student or the parent of a child younger than 6. If the federal government rejects Mississippi's work requirement, the state Division of Medicaid would be required to continue seeking approval each year -- an acknowledgement that a different federal administration might provide a different decision. |
| Senate, House conferees sign off on Medicaid expansion proposal | |
| Minutes before the 8 p.m. deadline on Monday, Medicaid expansion conferees for the Mississippi House and Senate signed off on a conference report for HB 1725, keeping the issue alive and setting up another round of voting that could come as early as Tuesday. General bill conference reports were subject to a Monday night deadline. According to State Senator Kevin Blackwell (R), chairman of the Senate Medicaid Committee, the latest proposal adopted in conference largely reflects the Senate's original Medicaid expansion legislation, mandating that a work requirement be approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) before the services were expanded. However, the Senate's original plan only expanded up to 99 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and left people earning between 100-138 percent of FPL on federally-subsidized private health insurance plans through the ACA exchange. The compromise commits to full Medicaid expansion up to 138 percent, a position aligned with the Mississippi House's original proposal. Individuals on or eligible for ACA exchange plans would remain on those plans, but they would be rolled under the division of Medicaid. The state would become responsible for bearing 10 percent of the cost of those plans. |
| House agrees to work requirement, Senate concedes covering more people in Medicaid expansion deal | |
| With minutes to spare before a Monday-night deadline, House negotiators conceded a Senate demand that Medicaid expansion would include a strict work requirement for those covered -- a requirement not likely to be approved by the federal government. The Senate had already backed off its initial proposal that would only cover the poorest of the poor, would still leave tens of thousands of poor working Mississippians uninsured and would have turned down billions in federal money to cover the costs. House and Senate negotiators agreed to a deal that would expand Medicaid to about 200,000 people who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level, roughly $20,000 for an individual. It would require recipients to prove they work for at least 25 hours a week. The plan will be a "hybrid," as first proposed by the House. People up to 99% of the federal poverty level would be covered by traditional Medicaid. Those making 100% to 138% of FPL would be covered with subsidized private insurance plans from the federal exchange. Neither House Medicaid Chair Missy McGee, a Republican from Hattiesburg, nor Senate Medicaid Chair Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from Southaven, answered questions from reporters at the Capitol about the agreement on Monday night. |
| Legislature sends bills aimed at changing education funding and PERS to Governor's desk | |
| Lawmakers are in the final days of this year's legislative session. Some of the hot-button issues are getting closer to a resolution. Education funding and changes to the retirement system are among the items the legislature put a bow on over the weekend. The formula lawmakers have only funded twice since it was created in 1997 is on its way out. Lawmakers want to replace it with the "Mississippi Student Funding Formula." "100% think it's a better formula," said House Education chairman Rep. Rob Roberson. It includes weights based on student needs. That means districts would be given extra money for students like those living in poverty, with special needs or learning English as a second language. The House Education chairman says it's designed to benefit the districts that are most in need. "I can tell you point blank that the way we're doing this now should absolutely give most of our districts more money, especially the districts that have a smaller tax base," noted Roberson. ... If the governor signs off, there will be changes to the Public Employees' Retirement System known as PERS. However, not to the level first proposed that sparked controversy earlier in the session. Here's what will change. The legislation will stop the planned 2% employer contribution increase. It will replace it with a 0.5%increase each year through 2028. "That will infuse some more cash into the system," explained bill author Sen. David Parker. "Let me be clear on one thing, the PERS board is not changing," noted Parker. "And more importantly, everybody prior to participating in the system right now is not going to have a change to their benefits, a change to any promise that was made to them." |
| Law enforcement officers' oversight bill heads to governor's desk | |
| The Mississippi Senate passed legislation Monday to give the state's officer certification board the power to investigate law enforcement misconduct. House Bill 691, the revised version of which passed the House Saturday, is now headed to the desk of Gov. Tate Reeves. The bill comes in the wake of an investigation by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today and The New York Times into sheriffs and deputies across the state over allegations of sexual abuse, torture and corruption. The reporting also revealed how a "Goon Squad" of officers operated for two decades in Rankin County. Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said if the governor signs the bill, he anticipates the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training would hire a few investigators to investigate matters and make recommendations. The bill would enable the board to establish a hearing panel on any law enforcement officer "for whom the board believes there is a basis for reprimand, suspension, cancellation of, or recalling the certification of a law enforcement officer. The hearing panel shall provide its written findings and recommendations to the board." In addition, deputies, sheriffs and state law enforcement would join police officers in the requirement to have 20 hours of training each year. Those who fail to get such training could lose their certifications. |
| Mississippi legislature passes more digital-friendly method of issuing search warrants | |
| Mississippi is likely to be adopting a more digital-friendly method of issuing and receiving search warrants. Both the House of Representatives and Senate passed conference reports approving legislation that would authorize electronic signatures to be utilized for search warrants. House Bill 295 now heads to Governor Tate Reeves to become law. If the legislation is enacted, an officer would be able to use an electronic platform to request a search warrant. A judge would then be given the legal ability to use a digital format to mark his or her name on a document permitting law enforcement to search for a certain person, a specified place, or an automobile for criminal evidence. If a warrant is executed on a suspected criminal, the individual would have the chance to submit a digital version of an affidavit to a judge. However, the bill states that the affiant must be under oath, understanding that the signature is made under penalty of perjury and in compliance with state law. According to the bill, there would be no legal grounds to deny electronically requested warrants and signatures used throughout the process, meaning digital signatures would have full legal standing just as written ones currently do. |
| New director tabbed to oversee operations at Stennis Space Center | |
| A new leader has been selected to oversee operations at NASA's Stennis Space Center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. On Monday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson named John Bailey as the director of the rocket testing facility near Bay St. Louis effective immediately. Bailey had been serving as acting director since January. Bailey has more than three decades of federal service with the U.S. Air Force and NASA. Bailey was tapped in 2015 to lead the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate, managing rocket propulsion test assets exceeding $2 billion in value and projects more than $221 million. He was named NASA Stennis associate director in 2018 and selected as the center's deputy director in 2021. An Alabama native, Bailey holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of South Alabama. |
| McConnell's exit isn't going to be a quiet one | |
 | Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is on the way out. But he's not going quietly. A GOP free agent of sorts, McConnell helped convince Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to back aid to Ukraine despite opposition from House Republicans. The effort led to another win in a long list of big legislative victories for the Kentuckian. McConnell, who is nearing the end of his days as the Senate Republican leader, is speaking more freely, too. He sharply criticized conservative pundit Tucker Carlson this month, saying he'd found a home in interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin. He's also gone after Republicans opposed to aiding Ukraine, accusing them of being on the wrong side of history. There's no doubt that McConnell has lost a lot of influence in the GOP to former President Trump, who is poised for a return to the White House if he can defeat President Biden in November. Even in McConnell's own Senate GOP caucus, the Trump forces are growing. If Republicans win back the Senate in the fall, the number of Republicans aligned with Trump -- and those who may oppose McConnell's brand of foreign policy -- seems likely to grow. But that is tomorrow, not today. For now, McConnell, whose favorite sayings include a version of "winners make policy, losers go home," wants to preserve as much influence as he can. |
| Judge in hush money trial threatens Trump with jail after holding him in contempt for violating gag order | |
 | The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money case on Tuesday held the former president in criminal contempt over a series of posts on Truth Social that he said violated a gag order barring any attacks on jurors and witnesses and warned Trump he could be jailed for further violations. Judge Juan Merchan ruled Trump in contempt for nine violations of his gag order, with a fine of $1,000 for each instance. He warned in the decision that he would not tolerate further violations of the order and said "if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances," he would impose "an incarceratory punishment" on the former president. The judge explained that because the fines, which are limited by state law, were relatively little in comparison to Trump's wealth, they might be unlikely to deter him from abiding by the court's order. While Merchan said he would prefer to impose commensurately larger fines, he instead had to consider "whether in some instances, jail may be a necessary punishment." The possibility of Trump's imprisonment is likely to be seized upon by the former president's campaign and supporters -- particularly as a fundraising tool. Already, Trump has sent a number of fundraising appeals connected to the trial and the consequences he may face. |
| The White House Has a New Master Plan to Stop Worst-Case Scenarios | |
 | The Biden administration is updating the US government's blueprint for protecting the country's most important infrastructure from hackers, terrorists, and natural disasters. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed a national security memorandum overhauling a 2013 directive that lays out how agencies work together, with private companies, and with state and local governments to improve the security of hospitals, power plants, water facilities, schools, and other critical infrastructure. Biden's memo, which is full of updates to the Obama-era directive and new assignments for federal agencies, arrives as the US confronts an array of serious threats to the computer systems and industrial equipment undergirding daily life. In addition to foreign government hackers and cyber criminals seeking to destabilize American society by crippling vital infrastructure, extremist groups and lone actors have plotted to sabotage these systems, and climate change is fueling natural disasters that regularly overwhelm basic services. But foreign cyber threats loom largest as a danger in the near future. |
| State Senate confirms newest members on IHL Board of Trustees | |
 | The four newest members of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning were confirmed by the Mississippi Senate. And one of those new members is from West Point. Charles Stephenson will be one of the representatives from the Third Supreme Court District. Stephenson is the CEO of Heartland Natural Resources LLC and the manager of the Stephenson Family Foundation. He will replace Dr. Walt Starr of Columbus, whose nine-year term ends May 7. The IHL Board oversees the operations of Mississippi's eight public universities. |
| Edible plant trail at The W has berries, nuts and ... weeds? | |
| A quick Google search for smilax, or greenbriar, pulls up a host of articles on how to control, kill or get rid of the "troublesome weed." Michael Dodson, a biology instructor at Mississippi University for Women, brought some to campus Friday afternoon in a food container, hoping to share a bite with those courageous enough to try it. The tips are edible greens, Dodson noted. The roots can be dried and ground up for flour, something Native Americans did centuries ago. "This is the bane of so many people's existence, but it's actually one of my favorite things here," Dodson told a crowd of about 30 who came to view The W's new edible plant trail. Stretching from in front of Shattuck Hall around Poindexter Hall, the trail has some common items most folks know are edible -- blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, muscadine vines, pecan, fig, pear and persimmon trees. Using a Provost Fellowship from The W, Dodson and an interdisciplinary team of five students -- with majors of biology, history, political science, culinary arts and graphic design, respectively -- began research in January for what could be included in the trail. |
| Bird e-bikes appear on UM's campus | |
 | The University of Mississippi's Department of Parking & Transportation soft launched the Bird E-bike Share Program on Tuesday, April 23, offering a new transportation option for students, faculty, staff and campus visitors. The university partnered with Bird Global, Inc., a Miami-based micro mobility company, to bring the bikes to campus. This week's soft launch of 20-25 bikes precedes a rollout of the full fleet at the start of the 2024 fall semester. Director of UM Department of Parking & Transportation Samuel Patterson said the university is conducting the soft launch to test, refine and familiarize the campus community with the e-bikes before a full rollout. "Shared e-bike options are common at many universities and municipalities, and we are providing an easy option for the campus community," Patterson said. "The pedal assist on these e-bikes makes this stress-free and fun." Assistant Director of UM Parking and Transportation Services Matt Davis said a team of university community members selected Bird to fulfill the project. Davis said the university pays an annual subsidy to fund the e-bike share program, and that Bird receives all proceeds collected from users. |
| Aimee Nezhukumatathil set to release new book of food essays | |
| Aimee Nezhukumatathil has combined the flavors of food and memories into a delightful book of food essays, "Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees," releasing April 30. The New York Times bestselling author and professor at the University of Mississippi has written about food in her poetry for decades but found major success with a 2020 book of nature essays titled "World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments." The pandemic and subsequent years have been tough for everyone, Nezhukumatathil said, leading her to ponder what calls to people and makes them feel connected beyond the outdoors. What she mourned most during that time was gathering with loved ones and the sociability of bringing people together to share a meal. The launch event for "Bite by Bite" will be hosted at Off Square Books in Oxford at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, featuring Nezhukumatathil in conversation with Afton Thomas, the UM Center for the Study of Southern Culture's associate director of programs. |
| USM earns federal grant to develop cyber warfare curricula for soldiers, citizens | |
| o fortify its commitment as a leader in cybersecurity education and training, the University of Southern Mississippi will use a $1.5 million Department of Labor grant to develop new cyber warfare curricula for students, faculty and U.S. Army National Guard soldiers. Dr. Henry Jones, director of research development and scientific entrepreneurship at USM, will serve as principal investigator for the grant. He emphasizes that cybersecurity today is best addressed by an understanding that the only constant in this highly consequential field is rapid change. "We sought this grant because, through our long-term relationship with the National Guard and Camp Shelby, we saw how difficult it can be to keep soldiers up to date with the rapid changes in cybersecurity issues, how important it is for their personal and operational security to be educated, and that USM has cybersecurity experts nearby who have the knowledge that would make a difference," said Jones. "The Mississippi National Guard is very excited to partner with the University of Southern Mississippi to further advance cybersecurity education within our ranks," said Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles, adjutant general of Mississippi. |
| Belhaven University joins AWS Academy to equip students with in-demand cloud computing skills | |
| Belhaven University recently announced its participation in AWS Academy, a program built by experts at Amazon Web Services that will provide the university with a cloud-computing curriculum. This move comes at an opportune time, with AWS initiating a $10 billion project in central Mississippi, which is anticipated to generate numerous data science-related job opportunities in the area. Belhaven University aims to equip its students with the necessary skills to fill these roles. Beginning in fall 2024, students at Belhaven University can enroll in courses focused on cloud computing. These courses are tailored to teach the skills demanded by the industry, enabling students to tackle real-world business challenges and prepare them for AWS Certification exams. "AWS Academy invests in higher education to bolster the worldwide talent supply chain, building a bridge between industry and academia," said Jess Gilmore, Global Program Lead, AWS Academy. "We're proud to support Belhaven University as it cultivates graduates with the real-world, in-demand skills to pursue cloud careers." |
| Alabama A&M wants to buy Birmingham-Southern College for new HBCU campus | |
 | Alabama A&M University is planning to extend an offer to purchase the campus of Birmingham-Southern College and operate it as the Birmingham branch of the university, which is based in Huntsville. Shannon Reaves, vice president of governmental affairs and external relations at Alabama A&M, said the university is conducting due diligence to prepare to extend an offer. BSC, a private, liberal arts college with roots reaching back 168 years, announced in March that it would close May 31 after efforts to obtain a loan from the state Legislature failed. BSC issued a brief statement Monday in response to a request for comment about Alabama A&M's plans. "Birmingham-Southern College is having conversations with several interested parties about the sale of the campus," said Virginia Loftin, BSC vice president for advancement and communications. Reaves said Alabama A&M began conversations with BSC President Daniel Coleman immediately after BSC announced it was closing. Reaves said that if things fall into place and an offer is accepted by the BSC Board of Trustees and approved by the A&M Board, the campus would become Alabama A&M University at Birmingham. |
| Protest at UGA against Israel ends with arrests of dozen people | |
 | A protest on the University of Georgia campus early Monday in support of Palestinians in the latest war between Israel and Hamas ended with the arrests of at least 15 people. The arrests were made after the participants refused to relocate their activities to designated areas on campus and were told the tents and barricades they erected had to be removed, according to a statement from UGA. A large number of Athens-Clarke police were also on site assisting by providing transport to the jail. Those arrested were booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing and remaining on property after a notice was given to move. Bond was set at $20 each. However, a 20-year-old Macon man remained in jail with bond set at $1,500. Some of those arrested had Athens addresses, but the others were from out of town ranging from Duluth, Decatur, Marietta and Kennesaw. The UGA demonstration group, called "Students for Justice of Palestine," began erecting tents and barricades around 7 a.m. that university officials said blocked the sidewalk. The group set up near the Administration Building, which houses the President's Office and is near downtown Athens. "This morning's encampment on the North Campus Quad crossed a line and violated our policies," UGA spokesman Greg Trevor said in a release he sent to recipients across campus. |
| Nine protesters arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstration on U. of Florida campus | |
 | Nine protesters were arrested by law enforcement Monday evening as a pro-Palestinian demonstration continued on the Plaza of the Americas at the University of Florida. The detained protesters were walked over to nearby Peabody Hall. As of 9 p.m., access to that building was blocked off by police. At least 20 officers were in that area. The officers were from the Gainesville Police Department, the University of Florida Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol. Protesters were yelling at police during the detainment process. Monday night, UF spokesman Steve Orlando issued another statement: "This is not complicated," Orlando said. "The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children -- they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they'll face the consequences. "For many days, we have patiently told protesters -- many of whom are outside agitators -- that they were able to exercise their right to free speech and free assembly," he continued. "And we also told them that clearly prohibited activities would result in a trespassing order from UPD (barring them from all university properties for three years) and an interim suspension from the university. "For days UPD patiently and consistently reiterated the rules. Today, individuals who refused to comply were arrested after UPD gave multiple warnings and multiple opportunities to comply." |
| Chinese professors warn of 'culture of fear' in Florida after DeSantis' hiring restrictions | |
 | After losing his top pick for a postdoctoral assistant to another college, University of Florida professor Zhengfei Guan knew who was to blame: Gov. Ron DeSantis. Guan, a Chinese national with lawful permanent residence in Florida, and two Chinese Florida International University students filed a lawsuit last month looking to block a law that bans state universities from "agreements" with people from a "country of concern," including China, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Russia, North Korea and Cuba. In practice, this has caused public universities to avoid hiring students from those countries for assistantships, the lawsuit alleges. The law will have far-reaching effects on Florida's higher education system, Guan and other critics warn, weakening the quality of research the university can produce and -- in the words of another UF faculty member -- creating a "culture of fear" among students and researchers who are from the targeted countries. The policy is one plank of Gov. Ron DeSantis' extensive campaign to limit China's sway and investments in the state, with the governor often citing national security concerns surrounding the country's influence in Florida business and politics. |
| Texas A&M students hold second pro-Palestinian protest | |
 | Less than a week after some 50 students held a pro-Palestinian protest on Texas A&M University's campus, nearly 200 students returned Monday to rally against the United States' continued support of Israel and against Gov. Greg Abbott's recent response to similar protests at the University of Texas at Austin. The protest in Academic Plaza was organized by Aggie Against Apartheid, a self-described coalition of Texas A&M students focused on protecting free speech on campus. Organizers and protesters declined to speak with media outlets and instead handed out pamphlets listing their demands. Organizers declined to comment on whether or not the protest would involve a possible sit-in inside a university building. According to the pamphlet, the protesters are demanding that Texas A&M divest any and all involvement with Israel; condemn the police response to similar pro-Palestinian protests on Texas University campuses; and denounce Israel's invasion of Gaza. Before the protest, Joe E. Ramirez, Texas A&M Vice President of Student Affairs, sent an email to the student body asking them to remain respectful. After speaking with protesters, Ramirez told The Eagle that he hopes A&M students would continue to be an example of how to peacefully assemble. "I think the biggest thing on this one is that our students are showing that they can express themselves openly and freely and do it in a peaceful manner," he said. |
| More than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters march on U. of Missouri campus | |
 | A protest of the Israel-Hamas war Monday on the University of Missouri campus drew hundreds of people to the cause that is roiling campuses nationwide.The MU protest went ahead without incident. Organized by a coalition of student and community groups, between 300 and 500 students and community members marched on campus, chanting as they went. The groups included Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine, Missourians for Justice in Palestine, the Mizzou Muslim Student Organization, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks and Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation. Organizers said they have been demonstrating every Saturday on campus since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Ilay Kielmanowicz was one of four Jewish students conducting counter-protests as the other protest marched by. There were no encounters with each other. "I'm absolutely disgusted," Kielmanowicz said of the pro-Palestinian protest. The protesters don't care about the people Hamas has as hostages, he said. "Long-term peace has to come with Hamas completely dismantled," he said. The university is proud to have an environment where different viewpoints can be debated, MU spokesman Christian Basi wrote in an email. |
| First of four finalists for provost position visits U. of Missouri | |
 | The first of four finalists for the position of MU provost visited campus Monday for interviews and a presentation. Mark E. Button, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, visited campus to meet with leaders and the campus community. Button is a political science professor who has served in a variety of faculty and administrative roles at Nebraska and the University of Utah. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon and a doctorate from Rutgers. He is one of four finalists under consideration to replace Latha Ramchand, who announced in December that she was leaving to become chancellor at IUPUI, or Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis, which will become Indiana University-Indianapolis later this year. Two more candidates will make campus visits next week on May 6 and May 8; the final candidate will visit on May 15. The identities of the finalists will be made public shortly before their visits. |
| Students Needing Career Advice Turn to Faculty | |
 | Faculty members serve as a critical resource for students charting their career paths, according to a new survey from the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE), with support from the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the National Society of Experiential Education. The study -- which included full professors on down to adjunct-level instructors -- found 92 percent of faculty have been asked for career advice from a student in their disciplinary area within the past year, and three in five faculty have been solicited by alumni from their institution for career help. The findings point to the role faculty members play in fulfilling student success goals as students launch into their lives after graduation, particularly because not every student engages with their career center. A fall 2023 Student Voice survey from Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse found one-third of all students had never interacted with their career center, a stat that remains similar (28 percent) among graduating seniors. "Faculty are key stakeholders in the career journey," said Shawn VanDerziel, chief executive officer of NACE. "The integration of what's happening in a career center and their expertise is so important to translate to those faculty members as they are guiding students in their journey." |
| Private regional colleges will face stiff competition from public institutions, Moody's predicts | |
| Private regional colleges with small student bodies and high acceptance rates will face increasingly stiff competition from public institutions as higher education braces for widespread demographic challenges, according to a new analysis from Moody's Ratings. These issues will be particularly pronounced in the Midwest and Northeast, where the fight for a shrinking pool of students is expected to heat up. Moody's analysts predicted higher education enrollment would plummet in these two regions in the coming years, citing a 2020 report from the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education. Driving up costs, small private colleges have increased spending on employee salaries and student wellness services since the start of the pandemic, Moody's said. Analysts also noted that "maintaining small class sizes has become more expensive." |
| Conservative states challenge federal rule on treatment of transgender students | |
| Several Republican state attorneys general are challenging a federal regulation that seeks to protect the rights of transgender students in the nation's schools by banning blanket policies that bar transgender students from school bathrooms aligning with their gender, among other provisions. The officials argue the new policies would hurt women and girls, trample free speech rights and create burdens for the states, which are among those with laws adopted in recent years that conflict with the new regulations. "This is federal government overreach, but it's of a degree and dimension like no other," Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a news conference Monday. One lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Monroe, Louisiana on Monday, the same day the Education Department regulations on how to enforce Title IX were officially finalized. The top state government lawyers for Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana want the court to delay the date they take effect, which is scheduled for Aug. 1. The states say the rule prohibits single-sex bathrooms and locker rooms, "compels school officials both to use pronouns associated with a student's claimed 'gender identity' and to force students to do so as well," and that it "cannot help but sound the death knell for female sports." Even without the regulation, whether transgender girls can be kept out of girls sports is an unsettled legal question. |
| Mississippi among states challenging Biden Administration's broadened Title IX rule | |
| Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) has joined the attorneys general from Louisiana, Montana, and Idaho in challenging the Biden Administration's new Title IX final rule that broadens the federal law to prohibit discrimination based on "sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics." "Title IX has been a game-changer for generations of women," said Attorney General Fitch. "For more than fifty years, it has given girls an opportunity to compete on a level playing field and offered them a fair chance to excel. The Biden Administration's pursuit of an extremist political agenda here will destroy these important gains." Fitch says under this new rule, "safe and private spaces for women to engage in healing, fellowship, and support will be torn away" from girls and women. She said the Biden Administration's legal theories "are novel, at best, and they cut legal corners to push them through, and we intend to defeat this rule in the courts." |
| Columbia Student Protesters Take Over Campus Building | |
 | Student protesters at Columbia University took over and barricaded themselves inside an academic building on campus overnight, raising the stakes in their standoff with the school over a pro-Palestinian encampment. "An autonomous group of students has taken matters into their own hands. They will remain in Hamilton [Hall] until the University divests from death," a student group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in an Instagram post. That video and others taken by students on the scene showed protesters hauling items including metal tables to barricade the door of Hamilton Hall, where the dean of Columbia College has an office. One video showed crowds chanting, "The people united will never be defeated." Protesters earlier said that unless Columbia met their demands, including for the university to divest from companies doing business with Israel, they had no intention of disbanding. The escalation came several hours after Columbia University began suspending students who stayed in the pro-Palestinian encampment past a 2 p.m. Monday deadline school officials had set for them to disperse voluntarily. Video footage showed protesters, many wearing keffiyehs -- Arabic headdresses associated with the pro-Palestinian cause -- carrying tables to barricade the hall's entrance and linking arms to block a doorway. Some of the glass panes of the door were smashed or broken. |
| College Democrats of America Back Protests and Criticize Biden's Israel Policy | |
 | College Democrats of America, the student organization of the Democratic Party, endorsed pro-Palestinian campus protests on Tuesday and called on President Biden to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. In a statement approved by the organization's executive board by a vote of 8 to 2, the College Democrats praised student protesters for having "the moral clarity to see this war for what it is: destructive, genocidal and unjust," and condemned college administrators for suspending and calling in the police to arrest them. And it criticized Mr. Biden and many other elected Democrats for not uniting behind calls for an immediate, permanent cease-fire -- accompanied by the release of all hostages taken by Hamas -- and for a rapid push to reach a two-state solution that recognizes an independent Palestinian state. It was a striking rebuke from an organization that has historically worked in tandem with the Democratic Party and whoever leads it. The statement was written largely by the organization's Muslim Caucus. The caucus's chairman, Hasan Pyarali, a senior at Wake Forest University, said that the dissatisfaction with Mr. Biden's Israel policy had been simmering for some time, but that the immediate impetus for making a public statement had been Columbia administrators' decision to call the police to break up the campus protest and arrest participants. |
| Caved | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: When Senate Medicaid Chairman Kevin Blackwell stood before his chamber earlier this session, he pitched the Senate's Medicaid expansion plan as a conservative alternative. Blackwell told his colleagues he was opposed to full Medicaid expansion under Obamacare and would not support it. The Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, allowed states to expand Medicaid in two ways. First, it took a program designed for children, pregnant moms, the disabled and the elderly poor, and created a new class of eligible beneficiaries -- able-bodied adults without dependents. Second, it increased the income threshold for all able-bodied adults to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The Senate's original proposal created eligibility for able-bodied adults, like Obamacare, but only up to 99 percent of FPL. Blackwell voiced opposition to going up to 138 percent and voiced support for a strong work requirement. After an agreement was reached late Monday between House and Senate Medicaid expansion conferees, he now has the task of standing before senators and explaining why they are being asked to vote on a much more expensive full Medicaid expansion plan with a weakened work requirement. The margins are thin, both for passage and for sustaining a veto proof majority. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State baseball back in the Top 25 after series win over Vanderbilt | |
| After falling out of the rankings earlier this month, the Mississippi State baseball team has jumped back into the Top 25 with an undefeated week on the diamond. The latest rankings from Baseball America have the Bulldogs (29-15, 12-9 SEC) at No. 23 while D1Baseball moved Chris Lemonis' squad all the way up to No. 16. Mississippi State took two of three from the Commodores with a Sunday go-ahead to cap off a week that also included a midweek win over Memphis. "Mississippi State picked up a series win at Vanderbilt in dramatic fashion and returned to the Top 25 for the first time in three weeks, having won seven of its last eight games," Teddy Cahill and Peter Flaherty of Baseball America wrote. "The Bulldogs were trailing, 7-6, with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday when Hunter Hines connected for a two-run, go-ahead home run, lifting them to their first road series win of the year." Chris Lemonis' squad will now head into a big week that includes the Governor's Cup against Ole Miss on Wednesday. |
| Bulldogs Battle Back For Monday Night Victory | |
| Down to its final out, No. 18/18 Mississippi State rallied to score three runs for a 3-2 victory at No. 14/14 Missouri on Monday night. It was the Bulldogs' 10th comeback victory of the year and their fifth time taking the lead in their final at-bat. Kylee Edwards had a key double to start the rally and scored on Matalasi Faapito's two-out RBI single. Sierra Sacco then walked, and Nadia Barbary doubled two runs home to give State its final lead. "It felt good to break through, and you could just feel the tension kind of release," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think they did a great job of really staying together through the struggles of the last couple of weeks. I thought the pitchers were great all weekend at having our backs, and it was nice to be able to mount that comeback for them. It really was a team effort. Kylee sparking it. Mata with a big hit off the bench with two strikes. Sierra's walk to keep us going, and then Nadia coming up clutch. I'm just really proud of the fight, the grit and the willingness to stay positive and stay together through the ups and the downs." The Bulldogs return home for the final weekend of the regular season. State hosts No. 11/9 Georgia on May 3-5 with the season finale airing on SEC Network at 11 a.m. CT. |
| Three Mississippi State defensive players selected in 2024 NFL Draft | |
| Three Mississippi State players -- one from each level of the defense -- were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, making it 15 consecutive years that the Bulldogs have had at least one draftee. Cornerback Decamerion Richardson was first off the board, going to the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round (112th overall). Richardson is 6-foot-2, on the taller side for a cornerback, and led all Southeastern Conference defensive backs in tackles in 2023. He became a starter as a junior in 2022 and led MSU with seven pass breakups in his senior season. Defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy went to the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round (200th overall) following a six-year collegiate career in Starkville. A starter in 2020 and 2021, Crumedy battled injuries in 2022 and came back to start every game this past fall, setting career highs with 2.5 sacks and 35 tackles. Six picks later, the Cleveland Browns took linebacker Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson, coming off a season in which he led the SEC in both tackles and sacks and racked up a long list of accolades, including AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Like Crumedy, Watson also spent six years in the maroon and white, becoming a starter in 2021. |
| No. 16 State Set To Host Starkville Regional | |
| For the sixth time in program history, the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships will run through Starkville. No. 16 Mississippi State will be top seed in the Starkville Regional and takes on fourth-seeded Alabama State on Friday at 1 p.m. It marks the second-straight year that the Bulldogs have hosted the opening rounds of the NCAA Championships. "It's always good to play in front of our home crowd and we don't have to move," said senior Nemanja Malesevic. "It's going to be a good crowd. I remember from last year that it was some of the best crowds that we've had in my four years here. I'm looking forward to big crowds and invite everyone in Starkville to stop by on Friday and Saturday and support us." No. 2 seed Georgia Tech opens the Starkville Regional against third-seeded Middle Tennessee on Friday at 10 a.m. The winners of Friday's matches will square off on Saturday at 1 p.m. for a shot to advance onward to the Sweet 16. "Reaching that goal of hosting the first two rounds of NCAAs is pretty nice," said senior Carles Hernandez. "Of course, we're not satisfied but it feels pretty good to get these first two rounds here in Starkville." |
| Which SEC football programs are most reliant on donations? | |
| SEC athletics programs brought in $782 million of contributions in Fiscal Year 2023. The desire to see favorite teams win games has long inspired massive generosity, and for the fiscal year, which ran from July 1 of 2022 through June 30 of 2023, the donations made up 27.5% of the $2.8 billion the 15 current and future public SEC schools made in revenue, according to NCAA revenues and expenses reports obtained by AL.com. As a private school, Vanderbilt's financial numbers were not available to the public. Even so, the numbers are eye-popping. The Aggies reported $115.4 million in athletics contributions for FY 2023. It's not surprising, as wealth is part of the TAMU mythos, but the school was the only SEC program to report in the triple-digits. Given its huge number, it's no surprise that Texas A&M also has the highest reliance on donor funds. The contributions made up 41.3% of the Aggies' total revenue. |
| The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff is here -- and it already has problems | |
| Inside the College Football Playoff meeting room, at a resort hotel in the posh community of Las Colinas, the industry's most powerful leaders played a game: a bracket game. Gathered around a table, the FBS commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director projected a 12-team playoff bracket by applying the 2022 rankings. Eight months away from a historic 2024 CFP selection day -- the inaugural expanded playoff -- the bracketing exercise commenced as a way to show executives the matchups, trends and perhaps even issues (we'll get to that later) produced with a new format. First-round matchups -- at on-campus sites of the better seed -- included No. 8 seed Tennessee hosting No. 9 Kansas State, No. 12 seed Tulane at No. 5 TCU, No. 10 Southern Cal at No. 7 Alabama and ... No. 11 Penn State at No. 6 Ohio State. The latter is a rematch. That's Problem No. 1: As it stands now, there is no CFP protocol on avoiding first-round rematches. |
| College sports leaders in deep talks to settle NIL antitrust case vs. NCAA | |
| The leaders of college sports are involved in "deep discussions" to reach a legal settlement that would likely lay out the framework for sharing revenue with athletes in a future NCAA business model, sources told ESPN. The NCAA and its power conferences are defendants in an antitrust class action lawsuit, House v. NCAA, which argues that the association is breaking federal law by placing any restrictions on how athletes make money from selling the rights to their name, image or likeness. The case is scheduled to go to court in January 2025. If the plaintiffs win at trial, the NCAA and its schools could be liable to pay more than $4 billion in damages, which has motivated many leaders across the industry to seek a settlement. Sources indicated that a turning point in the discussions, which have been ongoing, came last week in the Dallas area, where the power conference commissioners, their general counsels, NCAA president Charlie Baker, NCAA lawyers and the plaintiffs' attorneys met. (They chose the Dallas area because they were already there for the College Football Playoff meetings, which were held in that area last week.) While sources stressed that no deal is imminent, details about what a multibillion-dollar settlement could look like are expected to be shared with campuses in the near future. There are myriad variables to get to the finish line and still some obstacles and objections at the campus level, but sources indicate that progress has ramped up in recent weeks. |
| What would House v. NCAA settlement mean? A revenue-sharing model to end college amateurism | |
| The next evolution of college athlete compensation is on the horizon. College leaders and plaintiff lawyers, in negotiations now for months, are inching closer to arriving at an agreement to settle the House antitrust lawsuit and usher into the sport a new model that features sharing revenue with athletes. But it's not here just yet, and plenty of hurdles lie ahead. The negotiations have been no real secret within the college sports industry. In fact, discussions have grown serious enough that a potential revenue-sharing model has been socialized with administrators -- something Yahoo Sports reported earlier this month. On Monday, reporting from ESPN shined more of a light on the negotiations: They are heating up. But what does a settlement of the House v. NCAA case entail exactly? What does it mean for your school? How does it impact the future of college sports? And are all of the school presidents on board? We'll try to explain what is a very complicated -- and fluid -- situation. Any settlement of the case comes in two parts: (1) compensation owed to college athletes for universities using their name, image and likeness in broadcasts; and (2) a future compensation model featuring revenue sharing with athletes. |
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