| Tuesday, May 7, 2024 |
| Potts named MSU vice president for finance and administration | |
 | Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum recently announced Les Potts as the university's vice president for finance and administration. Potts has served as interim vice president since July 1, 2023. "While serving as interim vice president for the past 10 months, Les has provided the university with the critical continuity of operations and stability necessary during a transition," said Keenum. "Les has my complete confidence and has a strong and effective working relationship with the entire university community," said Keenum. "I am pleased with Les's leadership skills and ability to respond to our fiscal operations needs in an effective manner while being a good steward of the resources the people of Mississippi have invested in our university." For the past 15 years, Potts has worked in MSU's Division of Finance and Administration on appropriations and budgets, contracts, efficiencies, and multiple special projects, many of which involved campus operations and infrastructure. |
| Homeschooled kids face unique college challenges -- here are 3 ways they can be overcome | |
 | Mississippi State University's Kenneth V. Anthony and Mark E. Wildmon write for The Conversation: Homeschooling is the fastest-growing education setting in the United States. More than 3 million students were educated at home in the 2021-22 school year, up from 2.5 million in the spring of 2019. Current estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that there are 3.62 million students homeschooled in the United States. That's a meteoric increase from about 1 million in 1997. Some experts, including Harvard law professor Elizabeth Bartholet, find the increase a cause to call for greater regulation. University of Washington education policy professor David Knight agrees, citing a lack of accountability and measures of student progress. Knight also worries about an absence of certain disciplines such as social studies that public schools are required to teach. For those of us who have researched the homeschool movement and studied its past, these are not new concerns. So what do we know about homeschooling and preparedness for college? |
| Community Profile: SHS choir director focuses on paying mentorship forward | |
 | Music has always been a driving force in Jennifer Davis' life. Growing up in a musical family, she fell in love with the art in her parents' church, where they participated in music ministry. At 6 years old, she started piano lessons. Later, she discovered her passion for choral music specifically. "There's a skill to making music individually, and I think that's important," Davis said. "But making music cooperatively like in a group setting ... is an element of music I really, really love. It's one thing for me to sit and play the piano just for my pleasure. But to make music with a group of people is something I really encourage." Davis built her a career of more than 26 years on that passion. As the director of choral activities at Starkville High School since 2018, she fosters the same love of music in her students. Davis said her high school band director suggested she pursue choral direction. "She was the one who sparked that thought in me," Davis said. "I think I always knew I liked teaching and liked music, but the idea of being a choir director was something -- honestly in my smaller school -- I didn't realize that was an option." |
| Why did turkey hunting stamp bill die in the Mississippi Legislature? 'It's embarrassing' | |
 | A bill that could have generated millions of dollars annually for turkey conservation in Mississippi and supported by hunters died just before it crossed the Legislative finish line. "It's embarrassing," said Rep. Bill Kinkade, R-Byhalia, chairman of the the House Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee and author of the bill. "It really is. It's absolutely embarrassing." House Bill 1298 called for the creation of a turkey stamp, similar to the state and federal waterfowl stamps, that would have come at a cost of $10 for resident turkey hunters and $100 for non-residents. Had it passed, it would have been required to hunt turkeys in addition to a hunting license and the money would have been earmarked for turkey population enhancement. It could have also brought in millions of dollars to the state. If used for qualifying projects, the revenue generated would be eligible for a three-to-one match from the federal government. For instance, if sales generated $500,000, that would turn into $2 million. However, it died as the session was winding down. It's something that has support among Mississippi turkey hunters. "I did a survey with the (wildlife) commission and 70% of the people were in support of a turkey stamp," Kinkade said. "I was overwhelmed by the turkey hunters of this state." Why did the bill die? In the simplest of terms, politics. |
| Bill increasing tax credits for private schools defeated at end of session | |
| Legislation that would have increased the proceeds from state tax credits available to private schools died a quiet death late in the just-completed 2024 session. The proposal to increase the tax credits available through the Children's Promise Act was defeated in the 52-member Senate with 21 yes votes and 16 no votes. Since the proposal dealt with taxation, it needed a three-fifths majority to pass. Since 2020, private schools have been receiving money through the tax credits with limited state scrutiny or accountability, according to the Department of Revenue, which certifies schools that can participate in the program. In response to written requests from legislators, the Department of Revenue recently reported, "DOR does not know how the funds were used." When asked the number of children served through the Children's Promise Act, DOR said, "This information may be provided with the original application but is not updated annually or maintained by DOR." Currently under the law a total of $9 million a year in tax credit money can be doled out to private schools. Original legislation filed during the 2024 session by House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, would have significantly increased the amount of the tax credit money the private schools could have received. |
| Legislation outlawing 'squatted' vehicles in Mississippi signed into law | |
| High riders in Mississippi will soon have to abide by a new set of regulations. In late April, Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 349 to ban "squatted vehicles," or those whose front bumpers are raised four or more inches above the height of the rear fender. The alteration essentially positions the front headlights of a vehicle to face toward the sky while the back lights stare at the ground. The bill's author, Republican Rep. Fred Shanks, was moved to bring forth the legislation to outlaw the modified vehicles after he test-drove a "squatted" truck to validate his concerns about the threat they pose to public safety. "It changes up the breaking and suspension ... A lot of people are also concerned about the lights," Shanks said on MidDays with Gerard Gibert. "They all have the LED lights on the front, so as you have oncoming traffic, you're blinding people coming up." Shanks also said the vehicles' positioning makes it virtually impossible for drivers to see their total surroundings. In early January, a six-year-old girl was struck and killed by a squatted truck in the driveway of her Smith County home. Shanks cited the incident as evidence of the danger these types of vehicles present. With the governor's signature inked on the legislation, the law will go into effect beginning July 1. |
| Parole eligibility law extended another three years | |
| Mississippi's parole eligibility law was extended for another three years during the 2024 legislative session. State Senator Juan Barnett (D), author of SB 2448, said the legislation continues to allow those convicted of non-violent or lesser crimes to be eligible for parole until 2027. "It does not guarantee them parole but gives them the opportunity that they did not have previously," Senator Barnett said. Prior to the parole law, Barnett said inmates would have to serve their sentences day for day, forcing the state to cover the cost to house those persons for the entirety of their sentence. At $30,000 per year per inmate, he said it's beneficial to allow those who are eligible for parole to be released. Senator Barnett said parole is an effective method to reduce the prison population in Mississippi and save the state money. Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed the bill into law on April 30 of this year. Scott Peyton, Mississippi Director of Right On Crime, said Governor Reeves and Mississippi's elected leaders supporting the policies of SB 2448 understand that a successful criminal justice system is designed to not only punish, but also provide a chance for rehabilitation and redemption. |
| 'They need to back off': Farm states push back on Biden's bird flu response | |
 | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is at odds with state officials and the dairy industry over its on-the-ground response to the avian flu outbreak spreading among dairy cows, complicating President Joe Biden's efforts to track and contain a virus that has the potential to sicken millions of people. Many farmers don't want federal health officials on their property. State agriculture officials worry the federal response is sidelining animal health experts at the Agriculture Department, and also that some potential federal interventions threaten to hinder state and local health officials rushing to respond to the outbreaks. "The risk here of something going from one or two sporadic [human] cases to becoming something of international concern, it's not insignificant," CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah said at a recent Council on Foreign Relations event. On recent conference calls with all 50 state agriculture chiefs and veterinarians, Shah and other senior CDC officials have raised the prospect of sending federal teams to farms to monitor the health of farmworkers and collect other data, including with a survey, according to three state agriculture officials and two other people familiar with the conversation who were granted anonymity to discuss the private calls. State agriculture officials quickly voiced opposition, citing concerns about biosecurity on farms and reluctance among farmers to allow federal officials onto their property. |
| For farmers, watching and waiting is a spring planting ritual. Climate change is adding to anxiety | |
 | It was just after dark as Ross Woodruff hopped into a truck to haul soybean seeds out to his brother, Mark, whose planter had run out. It was the first day they could plant after heavy rains two weeks earlier left much of their 9,000 acres too muddy to get equipment into the fields. With drier conditions, Mark had been going hard since mid-afternoon, finishing the beans in one 60-acre field before moving to another. "This year, with the way the weather's been, it's slowed progress," Ross Woodruff said. "I wouldn't say we're behind but a few more rains and we're going to be." Waiting on the weather is an old story in agriculture, but as climate change drives an increase in spring rains across the Midwest, the usual anxiety around the ritual of spring planting is expected to rise along with it. In Ohio, for example, farmers have lost about five days of field work in the month of April since 1995, according to Aaron Wilson, the state's climatologist. When farmers have to wait for fields to dry out, already long planting days can become endurance tests that stretch into the night. Delays in planting can affect yield if they are significant enough, and the quality of crops planted in wet springs may suffer at harvest, too. "The expectation going ahead is that this will continue to be a worsening issue," said Dennis Todey, director of the Department of Agriculture's Midwest Climate Hub. "We need to help agriculture understand that and develop new management mechanisms to deal with that by changing how we plant, changing when we plant, changing what we plant." |
| Biden to condemn current antisemitism in Holocaust remembrance amid college protests and Gaza war | |
| President Joe Biden is set to issue a forceful condemnation of antisemitism during a Tuesday ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust at a time when the Hamas attack on Israel and controversy over the war in Gaza have sparked new waves of violence and hateful rhetoric toward Jews. Biden's remarks at the Capitol will play out as pro-Palestinian protests -- some of which have involved antisemitic chants and threats toward Jewish students and supporters of Israel -- rock college campuses across the country. Biden has struggled to balance his support for Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack -- the deadliest day for Jews worldwide since the Holocaust -- with his efforts to constrain its war on the militant group in Gaza. "You can expect the president to make clear that during these sacred days of remembrance, we honor the memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday. "And we recommit to heeding the lessons of this dark chapter. Never again." Biden was expected to steer clear of the upcoming presidential election in his speech. But his address comes as former President Donald Trump has criticized the incumbent for not doing more to combat antisemitism -- while ignoring his own long history of rhetoric that invokes the language of Nazi Germany and plays on stereotypes of Jews in politics. |
| Symposium aims to build Mississippi's future in aerospace, defense | |
| A thriving commercial industry is the key to space exploration and expanding the nation's defense capabilities, but the United States -- and Mississippi -- must continue to invest in the infrastructure, policy and research to help that industry grow. That was the message from industry experts last week at the second annual Aerospace and Defense Alliance of Mississippi Symposium. During the two-day conference, representatives of more than 100 businesses and 15 states gathered at the University of Mississippi to talk about the future of space and defense in the Magnolia State. "It's an exciting day to be in Mississippi, not only to kick off this conference but to continue to kick off an economic rebirth of the state of Mississippi -- a rebirth that, I must tell you, the aerospace and defense industry is going to play a key role in going forth," Gov. Tate Reeves said. The symposium, co-hosted by Mississippi Enterprise for Technology and the Aerospace and Defense Alliance of Mississippi, was designed to bring together industry leaders, policymakers and experts to collaborate on building the state's aerospace and defense industry. That includes everything from military-grade weapons to hardware for moon landings, and every satellite in between. |
| NAACP leaders at Ole Miss call for expulsion of 3 counter protestors after racist taunts | |
| The NAACP chapter at the University of Mississippi called for the expulsion of three students who were among the many counter protestors at a Thursday rally protesting Israel's war in Gaza. More than 150 attendees listened at a packed and emotional town hall Monday night as campus NAACP leadership spoke out against racist actions from some counter protestors during last week's pro-Palestine protest. Ole Miss leaders have called some of the counter protest actions "hurtful" and "offensive" and have announced an investigation into the incident, where items and threats were also hurled at some of the protestors. One counter protestor has drawn national notoriety for appearing to mimic a monkey when countering a Black Mississippi student. That counter protester was removed from his fraternity on Friday. "For the events last week to become national news is very disheartening," UM NAACP Vice President Justice Rose said of the behavior seen by counter protesters last week. "It's unfortunate, because those ideals really do live here in campus. People want to attribute this to mob mentality, but a lot of students found solidarity in hate." UM NAACP President Meghan Curry said the organization is also looking into other counter protestors who are students at Ole Miss, but she declined to disclose specific information relating to those students. |
| U. of Mississippi Medical Center to improve water supply | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center took a first step toward the construction of a water distribution line across the city's right-of-way in North State Street. The medical center asked for a memorandum of understanding to allow for the construction of the distribution line across the city's right-of-way in North State Street, and the Jackson City Council authorized during its April 23 meeting for the mayor to execute one. Brian Reddoch, director of construction at UMMC, told the council he did not yet have a timeline for the project that includes adding a new water well, but the memorandum of understanding is a start. The medical center needs additional water supply as a result of recent additions to facilities on the grounds of the main campus, according to city information. The medical center does not have sufficient space on the property on its main campus to construct a new well and plans to construct the well on the west side of North State Street across from the main campus. Several council members raised concerns about the project causing problems during football season for Jackson State University, which plays at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Reddoch said the contractor for the project will have to shut work down on Thursday afternoon and make sure everything is safe should work fall during football season. |
| Golson appointed vice president of strategic operations at William Carey | |
| William Carey University recently announced the promotion of Dr. Brett Golson to vice president of strategic operations. In his new role, Golson will provide leadership for a number of WCU departments, including Admissions, Recruiting, International Student Affairs, Media Relations and Marketing, Alumni Engagement, Veteran and Military Affairs, and Church Relations. WCU President Dr. Ben Burnett said Golson has a heart for Carey. "Dr. Golson is a Carey graduate -- most of his family are Carey grads. He has done a tremendous job for more than a decade. His passion has resulted in broad knowledge and skill in marketing the university. In this new position, he will be an advocate for all of our fantastic employees who promote WCU and attract new students," Burnett said. Golson previously served as vice president for Spiritual Development and Church Relations and dean of the Cooper School of Missions and Ministry Studies. Golson holds bachelor's degrees from William Carey University and the University of Southern Mississippi. He earned master's degrees in divinity and theology, and a doctorate in expository preaching, from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Before joining WCU in 2012, Golson was a full-time pastor and adjunct professor at Mississippi State University. |
| The people behind post-win clean-up at Toomer's Corner: 'part of the tradition' | |
| It is a tradition at Auburn University to roll the Toomer's Corner oak trees after an Auburn athletics win. However, not many people think about the cleanup and the hard work that takes place afterward done by facilities management. Alexander Hedgepath, an arborist at Auburn University, has been helping with the Toomer's clean-up since 2015. "We use low-pressure water from the ground or from a lift and cover the ground with tarps to collect wet paper after it has fallen if we're using water," Hedgepath said. "Harvesting is also done by hand into trash bags, or Rubbermaid cans, which are hauled off-site." These clean-up efforts are often lengthy and take multiple cleaning crews. "It depends on the severity of the rolling but [it can require] anywhere from two to 10 people and one hour to 10 hours for 90% of the rollings," Hedgepath said. "[For] big football wins like Alabama or University of Georgia, it can take a few days." Although Toomers is rolled often, some of the most historic rolling moments happened after the 2010 national championship, the 2013 Iron Bowl, the 2013 Georgia game and recently, the retirement of Nick Saban. Going to Toomer's Corner has been an Auburn tradition for well over 100 years, but the rolling of the trees started in 1972 after a historic Iron Bowl where Auburn beat Alabama 17-16, also known as the "Punt, Bama, Punt" game. |
| Don't give in to 'the smallest, angriest group,' university president says | |
| University of Florida President Ben Sasse said Sunday that he won't copy other university leaders in prioritizing the opinions of the noisiest elements on their campuses. Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Sasse told host Jake Tapper: "We just don't negotiate with people who scream the loudest. That just doesn't make any sense to me." Sasse, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, added: "What you see happening on so many campuses across the country is, instead of drawing the line at speech and action, a lot of universities bizarrely give the most attention and most voice to the smallest, angriest group. And it's just not what we're going to do here." Sasse specified that he was an absolutist on free speech -- one of what he called the "five glorious freedoms in the First Amendment" -- but that much of what is being seen on various campuses is not speech, and, therefore, can be curtailed. "There are two things we're going to affirm over and over again," Sasse said. "We will always defend your right to free speech and free assembly, and, also, we have time, place, and manner restrictions, and you don't get to take over the whole university. People don't get to spit at cops. You don't get to barricade yourselves in buildings. You don't get to disrupt somebody else's commencement. We don't allow protests inside." |
| Petition from UGA faculty asks university to lift suspensions of protesting students | |
 | A petition signed by 183 faculty members was delivered by e-mail Friday afternoon to the office of University of Georgia President Jere Morehead and other top administrators asking them to dismiss the immediate suspension of students who were arrested in Monday's protest on campus. The students were among 16 protesters detained on misdemeanor charges after police arrested them outside the president's office on North Campus after they refused to relocate their activities to designated protest areas on campus. The students, an exact number was not available, were banned from being on campus by UGA officials. The protesters were supporting Palestinians in the latest war between Israel and the Hamas militants. Janet Frick, an associate professor, said the petition seeking the lifting of the immediate suspensions was signed by 183 members of the faculty in colleges and schools across the broad spectrum of UGA. She noted some were Jewish and others conservatives. "We may not agree on other aspects (of the protest), but on this we agree," she said. "It was important for us to get a statement out very quickly." There are different perspectives about the tactics and content of the protest on Monday, but the faculty was concerned about the punitive nature of suspending the students, according to Frick. |
| Studying or camping? Pro-Palestine demonstrators at First Amendment crossroads with U. of Tennessee | |
 | The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and pro-Palestine demonstrators are at a First Amendment crossroads that have both sides navigating the ins-and-outs of state laws and university policies. UT administrators have reiterated to demonstrators the Tennessee law against late-night camping on state property, a measure enacted by the legislature in the wake of the George Floyd protests to limit the scope of long-term demonstrations. Students and community members on campus, meanwhile, have called their gatherings "spontaneous study sessions," in part a strategy to overcome restrictions on their free speech activities. Is it a workaround? The sessions have been informative and have focused on raising awareness about the Israel-Hamas war. Regardless, Palestinian student demonstrator Hasan Atatrah firmly believes "we have a right to free assembly." "We believe we have the right to free speech, the right to address grievances peacefully," Atatrah recently said, laying out a description of fundamental rights detailed in the First Amendment.. "And we believe that right exists even at nighttime." If it weren't for the occasional chants and Palestinian flags, the average person walking by might not think twice about the group. But the "study session" approach could be a slippery slope after dark. |
| Pro-Palestine protest at Clemson on pause after university agrees to hear demands | |
 | Pro-Palestine students and activists paused their protest on Clemson University's campus after officials agreed to hear their demands, a rest in a demonstration muted from the start as others roil campuses nationwide. A group of about 45 people assembled in front of Sikes Hall on the morning of May 4 calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war and a free Palestine. The activists were met by a small group of counterprotesters across the street, waving flags of the United States and Israel. In videos shared on social media, university police approached the pro-Israel protesters shortly after they arrived and told them they would be arrested for trespassing if they did not put their flags away and move further across the street from the pro-Palestine protesters. "Right now, you're impeding a walkway," an officer said to one of the protesters standing on the sidewalk, who then stepped onto Bowman Field. A university spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. No arrests were made during the demonstrations, Clemson City Police Capt. Matt Culbreath said. The pro-Palestine protest had originally organized as a sit-in starting May 1 -- halfway through final exam week. Abigail Friedman, the Clemson student leading the pro-Palestine protest, told The Post and Courier that university administrators warned her she would be suspended if the group organized during the week and if they brought tents, flagpoles or supplies for an overnight sit-in. |
| Protests Come for Prospective Students | |
 | Ethan had been looking forward to Columbia University's "Days on Campus" event for admitted students ever since he was accepted early-decision in the fall. But the day before he came up from Baltimore for the visit last month, Ethan, whose last name is withheld for privacy reasons, received an email from the admissions office that the itinerary would be limited this year. A student activities fair was canceled along with several guided tours of campus, which was aflame with the encampment protests that had become the center of national media attention after the April 18 NYPD sweep ordered by university president Minouche Shafik. "Everything outside of one specific hall was canceled, including a lot of what I was looking forward to, like the activities fair, so that was disappointing," he said. "I think the concern was protesters might disrupt some of the events, though none of that ended up happening. They maybe also wanted to limit us from interfacing with the protesters too much." The protesters, meanwhile, saw a new captive audience in the admitted students cohort. They hung signs exhorting them to "enroll in revolution" on the barricades erected around their encampment. The wave of student demonstrations has coincided with a busy season for colleges looking to sell their campuses to accepted students shopping around their options. The protests have disrupted admitted students events and regularly scheduled campus tours, and prompted admissions offices to rethink their normally uncomplicated pitches. |
| University endowments show few signs of direct Israel, defense holdings | |
 | As some universities strike deals with pro-Palestinian student groups to discuss calls for school endowments to stop investing in Israel and defense stocks, an examination of available public documents by The Washington Post finds few direct holdings in either by the largest public school endowments, underscoring the difficulty in any potential attempt to ultimately satisfy protesters' divestment demands. The simple slogans of protest are running headlong into the intricacies of modern finance. At the University of California at Los Angeles, the recent pro-Palestinian protests have echoed with a rallying cry heard at campus protests nationwide in the wake of the Israel-Gaza war: They want the university to cut financial ties with Israel. "Divest NOW" was how one sign near the protesters' encampment this week put it. Those demands came despite the students having little information about where U.S. college endowments actually put their money. The schools -- which sit on holdings worth a staggering $850 billion combined -- must disclose some of their largest public stakes in annual regulatory filings but are not required to fully disclose their holdings. They generally refuse to divulge precise details behind their investments. Even public universities' annual reports and regulatory filings are light on specifics. Endowment managers don't like these pressure campaigns because the funds have a narrow mandate: Make money, experts say. |
| Universities Consider Divestment Demands | |
| As pro-Palestinian protests have spread across college campuses nationwide two key demands have emerged: that colleges disclose how endowment funds are invested, and that they divest from weapons manufacturers and other businesses profiting off of the war in Gaza. Student stipulations vary by campus, often going beyond disclosure and divestment, but those two themes are universal. And while national news coverage focuses on the use of force to clear encampments, violent clashes with police and protester arrests, it belies the fact that some colleges are making negotiations on these demands. The concessions, so far, are limited. Administrators have promised little, if anything at all. But engaging with student protesters has offered leadership a salve to campus chaos through agreements with demonstrators to remove encampments in exchange for action. In some cases, a mere promise to consider protesters' concerns has been enough to unwind the camps. The decision to consider protesters' demands provoked quick reprimand from Congressional Republicans. On Monday, Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, announced that the presidents of Northwestern and Rutgers University (which also agreed to listen to protesters' demands) will now be part of a hearing on campus antisemitism alongside University of California, Los Angeles Chancellor Gene Block. Originally, the presidents of the University of Michigan and Yale University had been on the hook. |
| If the divestment movement succeeds, will it have an economic impact? | |
| At many institutions of higher education across the country, student protesters are calling for their schools to divest their endowments from companies that do business with Israel. This isn't the first divestment movement on college campuses we've seen. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a student movement to divest from South Africa as a protest of apartheid, that nation's oppressive system of racial separation. In the 2010s through today, students have called on their colleges to divest from fossil fuel companies. But how effective have these movements been? "Over the short term, there is not a lot of evidence, for example, that divestment campaigns hit stock prices," said Alison Taylor, clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. "But the evidence that divestment does work is more about shifting hearts and minds." |
| How Republicans have latched onto the college protests to upend 2024 | |
 | Pro-Gaza tent encampments on college lawns. Student-led protests in solidarity with Palestinians. Clashes with college administrators and police. In the eyes of Republicans, the pro-Palestinian protests that have spread across the nation's college campuses are a dangerous display of disorder and antisemitism -- and a political weapon to be used against President Joe Biden. The college protests have opened a new line of attack for Republicans against Biden and other Democrats heading into this fall's elections. Republicans are looking to exploit the schism that has developed within the Democratic Party over the war in Gaza by pinning the campus unrest on Biden and the progressive left. Biden is ineffective and incapable of stopping the country from dissolving into chaos, they argue, while the party's far-left flank is pushing lawlessness and anarchy. even months after the opening of the war, a flicker of hope arrived Monday when the Palestinian militant group Hamas said it has accepted a cease-fire and hostage-release proposal. Israel remained skeptical, however, and said it is reviewing the terms of the deal. Here's a closer look at how the college protests unfolded and how Republicans are latching onto the political opportunity they represent in the razor-tight race for the White House. |
| Exclusive poll: Most college students shrug at nationwide protests | |
| College protests against Israel's war in Gaza are dominating headlines. But only a sliver of students are participating or view it as a top issue, according to a new Generation Lab survey shared exclusively with Axios. The poll hints that the war -- and the accompanying protests -- might not hurt President Biden's election prospects among young voters as much as previously thought. Only a small minority (8%) of college students have participated in either side of the protests, the survey of 1,250 college students found. Students ranked the conflict in the Middle East as the least important issue facing them out of nine options. It landed behind health care reform, racial justice and civil rights, economic fairness and opportunity, education funding and access, and climate change. The survey found that three times as many college students blame Hamas for the current situation in Gaza than they do President Biden. Some 34% blame Hamas, while 19% blame Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 12% blame the Israeli people and 12% blame Biden. A large majority (81%) of students support holding protesters accountable, agreeing with the notion that those who destroyed property or vandalized or illegally occupied buildings should be held responsible by their university, per the survey. A majority also said they oppose the protest tactics: 67% say occupying campus buildings is unacceptable and 58% say it's not acceptable to refuse a university's order to disperse. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State baseball climbs rankings after series win over Alabama | |
| The Mississippi State baseball team is climbing the rankings after a near-perfect week that included a midweek win over Ole Miss and taking two of three from Alabama. The latest rankings from D1Baseball have the Bulldogs (32-16, 14-10 SEC) at No. 14 while Baseball America moved Chris Lemonis' squad up 11 spots from No. 23 to No. 12 with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season. "Fresh off a thrilling series win at Vanderbilt last weekend, Mississippi State this week kept its momentum rolling," Baseball America's Teddy Cahill and Peter Flaherty wrote. "Mississippi State has won 10 of its last 12 games but now faces its biggest test since March: a series against Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium." That's true -- Mississippi State will be going to Fayetteville this weekend with a tall task ahead. But the good news is that Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball believes if the Bulldogs can take just one game from the No. 3/5 Razorbacks and then win at least two against Missouri next weekend, they're in a prime spot to host a regional. "I think they'll win two out of three against Missouri," Rogers said during a recent appearance on SportsTalk Mississippi. "I tell you what. If they can win one at Arkansas and play decent in Hoover, again I think this team is hosting if they do that." |
| College baseball top 25 rankings, plus players to watch | |
| There's a new No. 1 in town. With the college baseball season winding down -- just two more weeks of regular-season play before conference tournaments begin -- Tennessee has claimed the top spot for the first time this season. The Vols beat Florida twice in Gainesville this past weekend, and elsewhere former No. 1 Texas A&M dropped a road series to LSU and fell to No. 3 in the first rankings of May. Clemson has risen to the No. 2 ranking and the the rest of the top five includes two more SEC schools with Kentucky at No. 4 and Arkansas at No. 5. With teams making their final push to qualify for the NCAA Division I baseball tournament, these next couple of weeks will surely be entertaining from the top to bottom. Here are the players we're watching in May, plus the current top 25, including: 14. Mississippi State - Record: 32-16. Next two games: at Arkansas, Friday at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network+, at Arkansas, Saturday at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+. |
| NCAA Tournament Hosting Picture: One new host emerges as race tightens up | |
| This past weekend was full of upsets across college baseball, leading to changes in the postseason picture. On Monday, we released our updated Field of 64 projections with a couple of changes in how we project the 16 NCAA Tournament hosts. In last week's projections, we had South Carolina hosting. This week, they fell out in favor of Mississippi State. That's the only change in terms of the 16 hosts, though the order looks different this time around. Both Texas A&M and Arkansas lost series this past weekend, though the Aggies stayed in our top overall seed. The Razorbacks fell from No. 2 to No. 4. The most notable change in order, though, was Georgia rising into the top eight. The Bulldogs entered the hosting race for us last week as the No. 15 overall seed. This week, they are all the way up to No. 8 and would host a potential super regional after sweeping Vanderbilt. As the regular season's end nears, the race to host in the NCAA Tournament is far from over. The list of contenders has shortened, though, while there are still plenty of teams vying for the coveted top 16 seed. |
| Van Horn not pleased in spite of 40 wins | |
| Dave Van Horn keeps it real with the best of them. The 22nd-year University of Arkansas baseball coach knew the tenor and pulse of the crowd at the final Swatter's Club meeting of the season Monday at Mermaid's Restaurant. And he got to the heart of the matter for fans of the Razorbacks, who dropped a spot to No. 3 in the USA Today coaches poll after losing their second series of the year at Kentucky, which jumped up three spots to No. 5. Arkansas (40-9, 17-7 SEC) is ahead of last year's overall pace, when the Hogs were 37-12 through 49 games, and have the same 17-7 SEC record with two weekends remaining in the regular season. Yet the team's hitting -- particularly its clutch hitting -- and the recent performances of some of the pitching staff's most veteran arms are cause for growing concern as the Razorbacks try to defend their shared overall SEC championship. Arkansas will enter the final six games with a one-game lead over Texas A&M in the SEC West while trailing Kentucky by one game in the overall standings. Sophomore right-hander Gage Wood pitched well enough on Saturday to challenge for a starting pitching role, or as Van Horn put it that night "to take someone's job," but he said that decision hasn't been made yet with a home series against hot Mississippi State looming this weekend. |
| 'The second year it's about elevating the standard': Zac Selmon interview Part I | |
| One may say he's been too busy this first year-plus on the job. Zac Selmon has another word for not slowing down since arriving at Mississippi State. "We've having too much fun." That is one way to say it. Observers of these fifteen months would say fast, even furious and at times frenzied. That would seem natural for the first entirely-new-to-MSU athletic director in four decades. Bulldog athletics and for that matter life in the Southeastern Conference present a learning curve which looks darned near vertical at times. Selmon hasn't had an easy introduction either. Besides finishing up inherited projects while studying and starting new ones, figuring out Mississippi State's most promising NIL path, adjusting much of the Department staffing, and oh by the way changing football coaches? Fast and furious indeed. Yet it is what Selmon signed on for. So long as he finds the job positive and productive, hopefully Mississippi State can find out what too much fun really means. The full Q&A session follows. |
| Former Alabama athletics director, football star Cecil 'Hootie' Ingram dies at 90 | |
 | Cecil "Hootie" Ingram, the former Alabama football star who later became athletics director, has died. He was 90. Ingram's death was confirmed to AL.com by Tommy Ford, a longtime Alabama athletics department staffer and close friend of the Ingram family. "We will miss Hootie dearly," Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said via a post on Twitter/X. "He was such a wonderful man and always greeted you with a big smile. Hootie left a lasting impact on The University of Alabama as both a student-athlete and administrator. Our condolences go out to his family and friends." Born Sept. 2, 1933, in Tuscaloosa, Ingram signed with Alabama in 1951 after a multi-sport career at Tuscaloosa High School. He was an All-SEC defensive back as a sophomore in 1952, when he set a conference record with 10 interceptions. During his AD tenure at Alabama, Ingram was most famous for hiring Gene Stallings as head football coach prior to the 1990 season. An unpopular hire at the time due to Stallings' poor record at Texas A&M and with the NFL's Phoenix Cardinals, the former Alabama assistant under Paul "Bear" Bryant and Dallas Cowboys assistant under Tom Landry went on to win 70 games in seven seasons, including the 1992 national championship. |
| Paying college athletes appears closer than ever. How could it work and what stands in the way? | |
| A settlement being discussed in an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and major college conferences could cost billions and pave the way for a compensation model for college athletes. An agreement has not been finalized and many questions remain unanswered. It is also unclear if new rules could withstand further legal scrutiny, but it appears college sports is heading down a revolutionary path with at least some schools directly paying athletes to participate. House vs. NCAA is a class-action federal lawsuit seeking damages for athletes who were denied the opportunity, going back to 2016, to earn money from use of their name, image or likeness -- often referred to by the acronym NIL. The settlement being discussed could have the NCAA paying nearly $3 billion in damages over 10 years, with help from insurance and withholding of distributions that would have gone to the four big conferences. The potential settlement also calls for a $300 million commitment from each school in those four conferences over 10 years, including about $20 million per year directed toward paying athletes. Administrators have warned that could lead to program cuts for the so-called non-revenue sports familiar to fans who watch the Olympics. "It's the Olympic sports that would be in jeopardy," Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said during a March panel in Washington led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). "That's men and women. If you look at the numbers for us at the University of Alabama, with our 19 sports outside of football and men's basketball, we lost collectively almost $40 million." |
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