| Friday, May 10, 2024 |
| COLLEGE GRADUATION: MSU-Meridian students got their diplomas at the Riley Center | |
 | The Riley Center was full of cap and gowns during the Mississippi State University Graduation Ceremony. These newly graduated bulldogs all attended the MSU campus right here in Meridian. Twin States News asked a local, Angela Turner, what she plans to do with her Masters in Workforce Education Leadership. "You know, I'm the culinary director of the Lauderdale County Youth Justice Center, so I plan on using my degree in that area, as well as possibly reaching out to our community and helping others receive their education for Leadership in the workforce." Mrs. Turner's daughter, Erica Steele, expresses how proud she is of her mother. "I am so proud of my mom, she is 63, she has mastered it, she has always been there for everybody else. We are so excited about this journey for her." |
| GALLERY: MSU-Meridian spring 2024 graduation | |
 | Photographs: Mississippi State University-Meridian awarded degrees to 200 undergraduate and graduate students during Thursday's spring commencement ceremony, the largest group of graduates in the college's history. The ceremony, held at the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian, also saw MSU President Mark E. Keenum bestow MSU-Meridian's first ever honorary Doctor of Public Service degree to Meridian business Martin "Marty" Davidson, chairman of Southern Pipe & Supply Company and president of The Riley Foundation. |
| Designers decorate over-the-top graduation cap topers | |
 | Talk about standing out in a crowd. At every graduation, at least the collegiate ones, you'll see graduates who decided that wearing a plain cap with their gown just wasn't going to suffice. They've taken their headpieces to another level, adding flowers, quotations, their doggie's photo, you name it. The tradition has been around for decades. While most grads still opt to do their own cap designs, others now hire out the projects to craftier hands. Enter Louisiana at-home artists Victoria Burke Reed and Airen Cooper. Reed, 28 and recently married, commenced her crafting business in college, seeing it as an easy way to make money. "It has kind of like grown from there," she said. Reed has around 15 standard designs tucked away in that creative brain, but also takes custom orders for whatever the client has in mind. Memorable jobs include someone who wanted to wear their dog's face on their head, surrounded by small paw prints. Then there was the mom getting her master's degree whose children wrote little notes congratulating her. Reed copied their text and put it on their mother's hat. After obtaining her bachelor's degree in animal science from Mississippi State University, Reed now does marketing for a boutique full-time. "And then I do have a website and an Etsy shop. But I kind of just do this on the side. It's more of just like a fun stress reliever. Kind of a hobby, I would say." |
| College Aid Decisions Delayed Over FAFSA Errors | |
| As graduation looms, many high school seniors are still waiting for vital financial-aid information that could affect whether they are able to go to college this upcoming fall. "Normally we would have aid packages out in December," Mississippi State University Executive Director of Financial Aid Lori Ball told the Mississippi Free Press on April 22. "This is the middle of April, and we still have not awarded our financial aid for the upcoming year. And we have to roll it out very soon." On March 22, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it had discovered an error in calculating the Free Application for Federal Student Aid formula. The miscalculation caused colleges and universities to receive incorrect information for applicants who completed their application before March 21. Those applications had to be reprocessed, causing delays in notifying students about the amount of aid they were eligible to receive. "What they told us was that we have affected files in unaffected files," Ball said. "I believe (the date) was March 21. There were a lot of applications that were sent out prior to that where federal tax information was being reported incorrectly. So what we have termed is those files were affected. For those that are unaffected, we were able to move forward with those applications. Those that are affected are being reprocessed by the Department of Education." The announcement of another setback frustrated financial aid officials nationwide who had already been dealing with delays. Ball said that Mississippi State has worked to communicate with students through the delays and provide the information that they do have available. |
| FAFSA failures complicate Mississippi students efforts to attend college | |
 | The botched rollout of a new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA, has made the financial aid process for many new and returning college students more stressful this year. One of the Mississippi students affected is Yesenia Gonzalez, an upcoming junior at Mississippi State University. Technical glitches in the new FAFSA almost prevented her from getting the financial assistance she needed to do a study abroad program required for her major. "My mom was always online looking for news or information on it," Gonzalez said. "It took about three months for it to be worked through and there was a lot of stress and worry about what was gonna happen next." Millions of students around the country rely on FAFSA for tuition aid. The multitude of problems with the new application have left many students unable to commit to schools, or led them to make those commitments without a full picture of how much they'll be paying. This aid is particularly important in states like Mississippi, where many live below the federal poverty level and the size of a financial aid package often determines whether or not one can afford to go to college. According to National College Attainment Network data, Mississippi has seen a nearly 32% decrease in FAFSA completions this year, the second sharpest decline among all states. |
| Severe thunderstorm knocks down trees, power lines in Columbus | |
 | A severe thunderstorm swept through Columbus Thursday evening, causing damage to homes and power lines. Lowndes County Emergency Management Director Cindy Lawrence said the storm knocked down several trees and power poles downtown, including on College Street and Ninth Street. "We've got a couple of house fires, and we've got some flooding," she told The Dispatch. "That's kind of what we're dealing with right now." Columbus Light and Water reported in a Facebook post that phone lines were down and there were power outages across the city Columbus Fire and Rescue Chief Duane Hughes told The Dispatch that no injuries had been reported as of 7:30 p.m. The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Jackson issued a severe weather threat throughout the evening and into the night bringing damaging winds, hail and possible tornadoes with the greatest risk in areas south of the Highway 82 corridor. |
| Billboard is up for new Buc-ee's in South Mississippi, but opening day's delayed | |
 | A new billboard along I-10 alerts travelers that Mississippi's first Buc-ee's travel center is under construction at Exit 24. More signs of progress are evident at the site, north of the interstate. Pipes are sticking out of the ground for a huge amount of restroom plumbing. Curbs are formed and crews have poured the road at the Menge Avenue entrance to the sprawling gas station and mega-sized convenience store. But it takes a long time to build a $50 million, 74,000 square foot Buc-ee's -- even longer than originally projected. Buce-ee's founder Beaver Aplin said at the September 2023 groundbreaking South Mississippi's store will be substantially bigger than many of their 50 other locations. He said the Coast Buc-ee's was expected to open in Spring 2025. Earlier this year there was speculation the building might be complete and open late this year, in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel and shopping. The new opening date's been pushed farther into 2025. "Buc-ee's does not comment on their ongoing construction projects," said a Buc-ee's spokesperson when asked about the progress, "but I can confirm that the opening is currently slated for summer of 2025." The $15 million improvements to the intersection near Buc-ee's will be complete well before the travel center opens. The overpass of I-10 within the Mississippi Department right of way should be complete by November, said Anna Ehrgott, public information officer for MDOT, but the bridge will be opened before that. |
| Mississippi governor signs law to set a new funding formula for public schools | |
 | Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed legislation that will change the way the state pays for public schools, ditching a formula that brought political pressure on lawmakers because they usually budgeted less money than required. Republican Reeves signed the new plan, called the Mississippi Student Funding Formula, on Wednesday. When it becomes law on July 1, it will replace the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which was fully funded only two years since it was enacted in 1997. The new formula is designed to give districts a boost in funding for students who can be more expensive to educate. For example, extra money would be calculated for students who live in poverty, those with special needs, those in gifted programs, those with dyslexia or those who are learning English as a second language. The Mississippi Student Funding Formula would help poorer districts with weak local tax bases, said House Education Committee Chairman Rob Roberson, a Republican from Starkville. |
| State auditor reflects on his work and his future | |
 | State Auditor Shad White has made a name for himself with his office's investigation into misspent welfare money. The office is still in a legal battle with Brett Favre seeking nearly $730,000 in interest on the money the former quarterback received and returned for speaking engagements. A judge must also decide whether White or Attorney General Lynn Fitch has the authority to sue for that cash. He anticipates decisions on both cases sometime this year. And there's also White's book about the welfare investigation coming out in August. Still, there's more going on besides the welfare case. Three years from now, however, White must make a decision about his political future. The race for the state's top elected job will be wide open in 2027 with Governor Tate Reeves finishing his second term. White acknowledges while he loves his job examining how taxpayer money is wasted, it can be frustrating not being able to fix that. "There will come a day when I'd love to use everything that I learned to make sure we're spending money better for the taxpayers," added White. "When that day will be, I don't know and what that job will look like, I don't know. But I pray about it daily and I trust that God will show me what the right path is." |
| Beyond Medicaid: Healthcare reforms weighed in Mississippi during the 2024 session | |
| While talks of Medicaid expansion took much of the air out of the state Capitol over the last four months, other reforms were proposed to aid in the delivery of healthcare to Mississippians. House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar (R) authored HB 1647 which creates a state-based exchange, or marketplace, for health insurance. The legislation was sent to conference and agreed to with only 12 dissenting votes between the House and Senate. If signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves (R), Mississippi would move away from the federal exchange established through the Affordable Care Act and create a state exchange. Mississippi became one of seven states to pass legislation that exempts non-profit agricultural membership organizations from regulation as insurance. The measure received unanimous approval in both chambers. The bill, authored by State Senator Walter Michel (R), allows such organizations to provide healthcare benefits or services under a self-funded arrangement administered by an entity that holds a certificate of authority as a third-party administrator in the state. Governor Reeves signed the bill into law on April 17. It is set to go into effect as of July 1. SB 2125, signed into law by Governor Reeves on April 19, requires the State and School Employees Health Insurance Management Board offer all state employees access to health savings account (HSA). Reforms to certificate of Need (CON) laws have been a hot topic among think tanks and other groups outside of the healthcare bubble, with the focus being to find less restrictive, more competitive ways to elevate and expand healthcare access in Mississippi. |
| Racial bias did not shape Mississippi's water funding decisions for capital city, EPA says | |
| The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it found "insufficient evidence" that racial discrimination shaped decisions made by two Mississippi agencies about water system funding for the state's majority-Black capital city of Jackson. The EPA's Office of External Civil Rights Compliance issued its findings this week about the investigation it started in October 2022 into the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the Mississippi State Department of Health. The EPA announced its probe weeks after the national and state branches of the NAACP and nine Jackson residents filed a complaint alleging the state had a "practice of systematically depriving Jackson the funds that it needs to operate and maintain its water facilities in a safe and reliable manner." Jackson's water system nearly collapsed in late August 2022 after heavy rainfall and flooding exacerbated longstanding problems. Many people in the city of 150,000 lacked water for drinking, flushing or bathing for several weeks. A federally appointed administrator has been in charge of Jackson water since late 2022 and the federal government has approved $600 million for improvements to the city system. Derrick Johnson, national president of the NAACP, lives in Jackson. "The NAACP is outraged at the inadequate findings presented by the EPA this week," Johnson said in a statement Thursday. |
| Jackson residents asked to conserve water as storms knock out power at treatment plant | |
| Residents of Mississippi's capital city are being asked to conserve water after power went out at one of the main water treatment plants. JXN Water issued a release early Friday morning, informing customers that Thursday night's severe weather knocked out power at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant in Ridgeland. By 7 a.m., power had been restored at O.B. Curtis, but operations had not yet returned to normal. "It will take many hours for the system to recover, and some places may take longer," JXN Water interim third-party manager Ted Henifin said. In response to the outage, Henifin has issued a systemwide boil water advisory that will be in effect for the surface water system until lifted. Customers who are supplied from the well system -- about 6,000 connections -- are not affected. Low water pressure can be expected in the meantime. |
| Senate passes FAA reauthorization after DCA slots fight | |
 | The Senate on Thursday wrapped up one of its final legislative priorities for the foreseeable future as it passed a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), clearing it before Friday's deadline to potentially avoid a lapse of the program. Lawmakers voted 88 to 4 on the measure, which extends the FAA's authority for five years after leadership and negotiators were able to sidestep a number of landmines to secure final passage. Sixty votes were needed to pass the measure. Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin (Md.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Mark Warner (Va.) were the only no votes. "After months of painstaking work, the FAA reauthorization is passing the Senate today," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor ahead of the vote. "Aviation safety has been front of mind for millions of Americans recently, and this FAA bill is the best thing Congress can do to give Americans the peace of mind they deserve." Final passage came after a bit of a roller coaster, which included multiple stopgap extensions and battles that culminated Thursday night after Washington, D.C., area members struck a deal with leadership over a slots dispute at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The bill was also under scrutiny in the final days as lawmakers viewed it as the last chance to move their pet priorities that were unrelated to aviation or travel. The FAA package is the last must-pass legislative item on the calendar until the fall. |
| Biden signs Blackburn's bipartisan bill modernizing reporting of cyber crimes against children | |
| President Joe Biden this week signed into law a bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn modernizing and streamlining how websites and social media companies report sexual exploitation of children online -- and heightening penalties for tech companies that fail to report cyber crimes against children. Biden on Tuesday signed into law the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology Act -- or the REPORT Act -- a rare bipartisan bill sponsored by Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia. "Children are increasingly looking at screens, and the reality is that the internet and social media leaves more innocent kids at risk of online exploitation," Blackburn said in a statement. "Under this new law, big tech companies will now be required to report when children are being trafficked, groomed or enticed by predators." The law creates new reporting requirements for big tech companies, including Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, for crimes against children. Tech companies will be required to report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline, the centralized reporting system for child exploitation online. Victims and their parents may also report abuse directly to the center. NCMEC shares reports filed with relevant law enforcement agencies. |
| Trump pressed oil executives to give $1 billion for his campaign, people in industry say | |
 | Former President Donald Trump asked oil industry executives last month to donate $1 billion to aid his campaign to retake the White House, three people familiar with the conversation told POLITICO -- a request that campaign finance experts said appeared troubling but is probably legal. The request, first reported Thursday by The Washington Post, occurred during a meeting of industry executives at the former president's home in Palm Beach, Florida. The oil industry has a long list of policy actions it would want Trump to take, including dismantling parts of President Joe Biden's green agenda and rolling back pollution regulations that threaten to crimp their profits. As POLITICO reported Wednesday, oil executives are also preparing some highly specific requests for Trump, including executive orders they hope he would sign if reelected. At the very least, the $1 billion ask points to problems with laws governing money in politics, said Erin Chlopak, senior campaign finance director at the watchdog group Campaign Legal Center. "At a high level, it perfectly captures so much of what's wrong with our big money campaign finance system," said Chlopak, who was a senior lawyer at the Federal Elections Commission, which monitors campaign contributions and spending. Trump, who is occupying most of his days in a Manhattan courtroom fighting allegations of falsifying business records, has lagged Biden in fundraising. |
| Corporate America Is Sitting Out the Trump-Biden Rematch | |
 | What election? In the midst of what many expect to be the most toxic presidential campaign in modern history, American businesses are going to extraordinary lengths to stay off the political radar. Some CEOs are privately drawing up plans to tell employees not to expect comments on political matters in all-hands sessions. Others are reconsidering common election initiatives, such as get-out-the-vote drives, fearing those could be viewed in the current moment as partisan. A number of companies are also taking a harder line on workplace activism after long tolerating dissent. In a recent memo following protests by employees over the war in Gaza, Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said he didn't want the company to "fight over disruptive issues or debate politics," noting that, ultimately, "we are a workplace." The company fired dozens of employees for disruptive activity in its offices as they protested Google's contracts with Israel. Executives are coaching managers to lower the temperature. At Cisco Systems, the company's top human-resources executive, Francine Katsoudas, plans to advise managers in the months ahead to be aware that employees will be experiencing a swirl of feelings tied to the election. "We've seen how emotional politics leading up to an election can be," she said. What "I would say to a leader is, 'Be there to support your people.' I don't think it's wise for us to encourage some of the debate because it is just so personal." |
| TVA board, led by Biden picks, asserts power to overhaul CEO's record-high salary | |
 | The Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors asserted its power to reduce compensation levels for CEO Jeff Lyash, lowering incentive and severance payouts as executive salaries at the nation's largest public power provider face more internal scrutiny. At its quarterly meeting on May 10 in Nashville, the board unanimously approved changes to its compensation plan aimed at increasing its oversight and bringing CEO payouts in line with other TVA executives. Board members also ensured the CEO would not make changes that affect his own compensation. Lyash's total income, which reached $10.5 million in 2023, makes him the highest-paid federal employee. TVA is owned by the federal government, but does not receive taxpayer dollars and functions largely like a private corporation, with over $12 billion in annual revenue from electricity sales. His compensation has raised eyebrows, including from former president Donald Trump, who removed two TVA board members and called for Lyash to be replaced and the CEO pay reduced in the final year of his presidency. Though salaries at TVA have been the object of legislation and scrutiny for years, the board began responding with action last year. The board denied Lyash a raise and docked executive payouts in November in response to TVA's first rolling blackouts during a December 2022 storm. The push from inside the board has come from labor-friendly members nominated by President Joe Biden. Board members Wade White, Bill Renick and Bobby Klein opposed giving any end-of-year payouts to executives in 2023, as well as maintaining Lyash's salary. |
| Scholarships available for Mississippi students pursuing career in automotive industry | |
| A round of scholarships is being offered for higher education students in Mississippi interested in pursuing a career in the automotive industry. The Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association is welcoming pupils to hop on board to help grow the workforce of those operating on vehicles statewide. Applicants to the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association must: Be currently enrolled full-time at an accredited two or four-year college or university or vocational-technical school in the state of Mississippi with plans to enroll full-time for the entire 2024-2025 academic year. If attending a two-year college, be a sophomore during the year in which you would be receiving this scholarship. If attending a four-year college, be a junior or senior during the year in which you would be receiving this scholarship. Hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or greater (on a 4.0 scale). Be interested in pursuing a career in automotive and must never have received this scholarship before. Since 2006, the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association has awarded more than $400,000 in scholarships to students studying automotive-related fields at Mississippi's community colleges and universities. |
| Ole Miss commencement ceremonies this weekend | |
| More than 5,000 prospective graduates will celebrate with their friends and family at the University of Mississippi's 171st Commencement ceremonies this weekend. Morning Convocation will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday in the Grove. The program is a campus-wide celebration of graduation that includes university awards and the main Commencement speaker. Students and faculty, dressed in academic regalia, sit in the Grove with the banners of the university's schools and colleges. Wright Thompson, an author and ESPN writer, will give the Commencement address on the Grove stage. Thompson is an award-winning writer and longtime Ole Miss sports fan. More than 3,400 May graduates, 671 December 2023 graduates and more than 920 August 2024 graduates will be among those participating in ceremonies throughout the week. To avoid blocking the line of sight for others, hand-held signs are not permitted in any Commencement ceremonies. |
| Ole Miss professor hopeful more pharmacies can begin 3D printing medicine | |
| Tired of taking multiple pills a day? An innovation across the healthcare world looks to use 3D printing to make an all-in-one pill for those who have more than one prescription. Dr. Michael Repka, director of the Pii Center for Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Mississippi, explained during a recent appearance on MidDays with Gerard Gibert that the new method could be a game-changer for people who rely on a pillbox. "The ink used is actually filaments that may have two, three, or four different medications which can then be made into individualized tablets or capsules," Repka said. According to Repka, the goal is to minimize the number of pills a patient has to take on a daily basis. Studies show that a majority of elderly people receiving special care admitted to skipping rounds of medication because their tablets were too difficult to swallow. Using 3D printing, not only can medications be put into one pill, but size, shape, and dosage can all be customized to the patient's preference. "You'll have a licensed pharmacist that's able to dispense these types of medications and make them on site," Repka said. "You customize medications for a particular patient, putting maybe three different medications into one tablet. That makes it to where they don't have to take three tablets or more at a time." |
| City of Oxford ends predatory vehicle towing | |
| The city of Oxford is putting a stop to predatory vehicle towing practices in Oxford with the passage of a new ordinance. During a public hearing in April, several people spoke out against and in favor of the then-proposed ordinance. On Tuesday, the Board voted unanimously to put the ordinance into law, which will go into effect in 30 days. The ordinance was developed after the mayor and aldermen received many complaints from parents of the University of Mississippi students, visitors to Oxford and local residents about the predatory practices of some local towing companies; unknown and changing fees; no signs at apartment complexes explaining rules; and other complaints. Before a vehicle could be towed from private property, the ordinance requires the towing company to obtain a request from the property owner or an authorized employee. In addition to the tow company maintaining a record of who authorized each tow, the property owner must maintain records of every vehicle towed from their property. The tow service's records and the property owner's records must be made available for inspection by the Oxford Police Department upon request. The ordinance also makes it illegal for a towing company to pay a property owner in return for permission to tow a vehicle. |
| U. of Alabama's Community Engagement Tour makes a stop in York | |
 | One university spent some time in Sumter County in an effort to make connections to improve rural cities and towns in the Black Belt region of Alabama. Several divisions from the University of Alabama made a stop in York as a part of its Community Engagement Tour on Thursday. The three-day tour is an opportunity for facility and graduate students to talk about creating partnerships between the city and the university. The tour included a panel discussion featuring a local entrepreneur, an administrator from Hill Hospital of Sumter County, the executive director of the Coleman Center for the Arts, and the Mayor of York discussing the needs of the community. "The core mission of the University of Alabama is to work to improve the quality of life for folks in the state and beyond, and we can't do that alone. And so, the opportunity to get out in various communities, particularly rural communities, and meet people. It's all about relationships, understanding some of the things they're doing well some of the challenges, and giving our students and our faculty and staff an opportunity to hear those things and possibly if the communities are willing, allow them to get involved," said Samory Pruitt, the VP for Community Affairs at UA. |
| Alabama A&M University makes $52 million offer to buy Birmingham-Southern College | |
 | Alabama A&M University made a $52 million offer on Thursday to purchase Birmingham-Southern College with the intention to retain the school's credentialed faculty and staff. Under the offer, the university would operate the BSC property as a standalone campus under AAMU's umbrella. "If the purchase agreement is accepted by BSC, AAMU makes a commitment that the campus would not be subdivided for private industries or any other for-profit use. AAMU is committed to using the entire campus to provide a quality higher education experience for each and every student," Shannon Reeves, AAMU's vice president of government relations and external affairs, said in a statement. Reeves did not elaborate on the HBCU's offer to buy BSC. Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, who represents the area where BSC is situated and championed the university's failed effort to secure a state loan to stave off closure, confirmed AAMU President Dr. Daniel K. Wims submitted the $52 million offer. "If they should get it, this would be a historic moment, not only for the state of Alabama but for the country," Givan said of AAMU's offer. "We want someone to bring in life and vitality," to the 192-acre BSC campus and the surrounding communities she said. "Well, Alabama A&M is one of the strongest HBCUs in the country." |
| For Columbia and a Powerful Donor, Months of Talks and Millions at Risk | |
 | On Jan. 19, Angelica Berrie sent an email to Nemat Shafik, the president of Columbia University. Ms. Berrie reported that the Russell Berrie Foundation, named for her late husband, had scheduled three grant payments to Columbia. But after months of campus protests around the Israel-Hamas war, Ms. Berrie also delivered a warning. As the foundation prepared to transfer almost $613,000, Ms. Berrie told Dr. Shafik that future giving would partly hinge on "evidence that you and leaders across the university are taking appropriate steps to create a tolerant and secure environment for Jewish members of the Columbia community." Months passed, and the foundation, which has donated about $86 million to Columbia over the years, did not like what it saw. Frustrated and flummoxed by the sustained tumult at Columbia, the foundation suspended its giving to the university late last month. The Berrie Foundation's pause threatens to cost Columbia tens of millions of dollars over the coming years. And it represents a sobering turnabout for a foundation so prolific at Columbia. As protests have raged on campuses across the country, other leading donors have warned universities that future gifts are at risk. Daniel W. Jones, a former chancellor of the University of Mississippi who previously served as the dean of the medical school there, said it was "uncommon" for a donor to cut off support tied to medical research and care. Such causes, he said, are often seen as sacrosanct and insulated from the day-to-day turmoil of a major university. "Rarely did I have someone who was interested in supporting research tie it to anything other than the research agenda," Dr. Jones said. |
| Students confront UVa President Jim Ryan, demand answers after police crackdown on protesters | |
| The meeting did not go as planned. When University of Virginia President Jim Ryan walked down the Lawn Thursday afternoon, he was expecting to sit down in Pavilion VI with a handful of students who want the school to sever financial ties with weapons manufacturers and other companies "complicit in Israeli human rights violations." His appointment with UVa Apartheid Divest, a coalition consisting of 43 student organizations, had been on Ryan's schedule for a month and had only come after the group's repeated, and occasionally denied, requests for a meeting with the president. Through conversations with other university administrators, students felt their university had a pattern: some willingness to engage in conversation, but no willingness to translate conversation into meaningful change. Still, they wanted a chance to meet with Ryan, make their case and continue to pressure the university. That is until Saturday, when Ryan and his team called in Virginia State Police to break up a small encampment of anti-war protesters, a controversial show of force that resulted in several students, faculty and members of the public being pepper-sprayed by police and forced off of Grounds. When Ryan entered Pavilion VI, accompanied by Chief Student Affairs Officer Kenyon Bonner and Dean of Students Cedric Rucker, he expected the meeting he and UVa Apartheid Divest had agreed to on April 11. What he encountered was five students who had but nine words for him. "President Ryan, your students are waiting for you outside," they said, before exiting the room and walking onto the Lawn, where 30 of their classmates had gathered. |
| Dueling Narratives Emerge After Arrests at UVA | |
 | Questions are swirling in the wake of a police crackdown on a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Virginia on Saturday that ended with officers deploying pepper spray and arresting 27 protesters. In the aftermath, competing versions of events have emerged. They stem from one central question: Why did UVA officials call state police to clear a small group of protesters at a demonstration that many described as peaceful? Administrators sought to explain their rationale in a virtual Town Hall on Monday, arguing that the protesters' chants and provocative language -- as well as the alleged presence of potentially dangerous individuals unaffiliated with the university -- all factored into their decision to call in the Virginia State Police, which responded in riot gear and forcefully cleared the encampment. But video and eyewitness testimony has since cast doubt on the university's official explanation. Now, with the community still reeling, faculty are demanding answers. And local media in Charlottesville, where UVA is the largest employer, have challenged the administration's account and raised questions about the role of President Jim Ryan. In the aftermath of the UVA protest, many faculty and students have made clear that they've lost faith in the administration. |
| In a Surprise, Cornell's President Resigns | |
| Martha E. Pollack, Cornell University's president for the past seven years, announced in a surprise email on Thursday afternoon that she is resigning. "I understand that there will be lots of speculation about my decision, so let me be as clear as I can: This decision is mine and mine alone," she wrote in her email, addressed to "Cornellians." "After seven fruitful and gratifying years as Cornell's president -- and after a career in research and academia spanning five decades -- I'm ready for a new chapter in my life." Dr. Pollack, a computer scientist, said she would remain in office until July 1. In a separate announcement, Kraig H. Kayser, the chairman of Cornell's board of trustees, said the board had asked the university provost, Michael I. Kotlikoff, to serve as interim president for two years. Dr. Kotlikoff was previously dean of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, among other posts. Dr. Pollack's resignation means that four of the eight Ivy League universities -- Harvard, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell -- will now be in various stages of leadership transition, three of them with interim presidents already in charge or presidential searches underway. Dr. Pollack, 65, leaves at a time of controversy over disciplinary action Cornell has taken against pro-Palestinian student protesters. |
| Pro-Palestinian protesters demand endowment transparency. But it's proving not to be simple | |
| On college campuses across the country, a rallying cry of pro-Palestinian protesters has been " Disclose, divest! We will not stop, we will not rest." Now some are winning the first of those two demands: Promises to provide information about how much university endowment money is invested in companies profiting from the Israel-Hamas war. As part of that effort, the University of Minnesota, for one, disclosed this week that about $5 million of its $2.27 billion endowment investments -- or less than a quarter of 1% -- are tied to Israeli companies or U.S. defense contractors. To Ali Abu, a 19-year-old University of Minnesota student and member of Students for Justice in Palestine, the disclosure is a first step in what he described as "just the beginning of our fight." The ultimate goal, he said, remains divestment. A meeting with the university's Board of Regents is scheduled for Friday. But Jewish leaders have raised concerns, and endowment experts say the potential fallout from disclosure is hard to predict. Transparency, they say, has pros and cons. "I think the broader trend towards transparency is probably healthy. In response to a very charged situation, I think people get nervous about it. Once the information is there, what's done with that information?" said Kevin Maloney, a former investment manager who is now chair of the finance department at Bryant University in Rhode Island. |
| Protests Magnify Concerns About Student Mental Health | |
| Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of college students across the country, campuses have faced an epidemic of mental health challenges, including loneliness, anxiety and depression. Now, recent data from online counseling platforms show the mental toll has only increased as students try to make sense of the complex conflict in Gaza and the ensuing protests that have divided college campuses. Officials from BetterMynd, a 2017 startup that provides supplemental, online mental health services to over 100 colleges, noted in a statement "a clear higher need for support" since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 -- and especially in recent weeks. Typically, the request for services begins to drop off in April, as students prepare for finals and pack up to head home for the summer, BetterMynd's founder and CEO Cody Semrau said. But that wasn't the case this year. In April 2022, for instance, the company and its 400 licensed providers received about 20 percent fewer counseling requests than in March of that year, company data show. But between March and April of this year, requests only dropped by 4 percent. "We have definitely seen an uptick this year in demand from students across the board," Semaru said. "And we think a lot of that is due to the tensions on campus and the protests that students are experiencing." |
| Harris congratulates HBCU graduates in video message for graduation season | |
| Graduating students at historically Black colleges and universities across the country are receiving well wishes via a video greeting from a prominent fellow alumna: Vice President Kamala Harris. "As a proud HBCU graduate, I know firsthand the value of attending an institution like yours," the vice president says in a congratulatory video that has already been met with shock and applause during graduation ceremonies. The surprise video, which has debuted at a handful of HBCU commencement ceremonies in the past week, will appear at around half of all HBCUs in the country, according to the White House. "You leave here having been taught that you can do and be anything. And that you have a duty be excellent. To work to uplift the condition of all people. And to fight to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms," Harris says in the pre-recorded message. Harris is the first HBCU graduate elected to the vice presidency and has been embraced by the tight-knit communities that surround many of those historic schools since her time in national politics. Last year, she included HBCUs in a nationwide tour to rally young voters to "fight for fundamental freedoms and rights." |
| How long does it take for a college degree to pay off? For many, it's 5 years or less. | |
 | One of the major questions facing families today is whether a college degree is worth the expense, given rising tuition and fees that can saddle graduates with tens of thousands in student loan debt. Today, a majority of Americans don't think the cost can be justified. But a new analysis finds that most post-secondary degrees provide a payoff within less than five years after graduation for low- and moderate-income students, although that time frame can largely depend on the type of school and program that a student chooses. The analysis, from the HEA Group and the educational nonprofit College Futures Foundation, focuses on graduates in California, the state with the largest number of enrolled college students. "The No. 1 deterrent for a student not to pursue a college degree is affordability -- they simply think they can't afford the cost of a higher education," HEA Group founder Michael Itzkowitz told CBS MoneyWatch. But the study found that many low- and middle-income students are getting "an affordable education that allows for enough of an earnings premium that they can pay down their college education very quickly," he added. Even though many students incur debt when pursuing a college degree, graduates are typically rewarded in the workplace with higher earnings, a benefit that accrues across their career. Over a lifetime, that college wage premium can translate into a huge financial advantage. |
| Is This the End of Reading? Students are coming to college less able and less willing to read | |
 | Theresa MacPhail is a pragmatist. In her 15 years of teaching, as the number of students who complete their reading assignments has steadily declined, she has adapted. She began assigning fewer readings, then fewer still. Less is more, she reasoned. She would focus on the readings that mattered most and were interesting to them. For a while, that seemed to work. But then things started to take a turn for the worse. Most students still weren't doing the reading. And when they were, more and more struggled to understand it. Some simply gave up. Their distraction levels went "through the roof," MacPhail said. They had trouble following her instructions. And sometimes, students said her expectations -- such as writing a final research paper with at least 25 sources -- were unreasonable. MacPhail, an associate professor in the program of science and technology studies at Stevens Institute of Technology, teaches courses on topics such as global health, medical humanities, and anthropology. She discusses this problem regularly with her colleagues. If you design a class based on the assumption that students will do the readings, you'll get nowhere. If you make it easier, and go over what they should have read in class, students will participate. But then what are you doing, other than entertaining? She has long followed the mantra "meet your students where they are." But she says if she meets them any further down, she'll feel like a cruise director organizing games of shuffleboard. |
SPORTS
| Diamond Dawgs Set For Top 15 Showdown at Arkansas | |
| The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs hit the road for their last SEC road trip of the 2024 season as they head to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Sunday's game will be aired on SEC Network with Friday and Saturday's games broadcasted on SECN+. The series will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand. Arkansas heads into the weekend with a 40-9 overall record. The Razorbacks are first in the SEC West with their 17-7 conference record. The Razorbacks are on a two-game losing streak after dropping two games to No. 8 ranked Kentucky this past weekend. Peyton Stovall leads Arkansas' offense with a .362 batting average. Stovall has come to the plate 152 times and collected 35 RBIs, 55 hits, 10 doubles and eight home runs. Leading the Razorbacks' pitching staff is Hagen Smith. Smith has made 12 starts and has a 9-0 record on the season. Smith has punched out 125 and walked 25 through 66 innings pitched to earn a 1.36 ERA. Mississippi State and Arkansas' all-time series record is tied 57-57. |
| What to watch, keys to victory for Mississippi State baseball at Arkansas | |
| Coming off its third straight Southeastern Conference series win, No. 14 Mississippi State hits the road one final time in the regular season to battle No. 5 Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium, which rivals Dudy Noble Field as one of college baseball's best atmospheres. The Razorbacks (40-9, 17-7 SEC) lead the West division and have turned their home field into a fortress this year, with a 30-2 record in Fayetteville. Arkansas has been somewhat up and down lately, dropping two out of three on the road last weekend against a very good Kentucky team, but the Razorbacks' pitching keeps them in just about every game. Led by ace left-hander Hagen Smith, Arkansas is first in the SEC and second nationally with a 3.36 team ERA. Smith has dominated nearly every time he takes the ball, with a 9-0 record, a nation-leading 1.36 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched. Brady Tygart (4-2, 3.34 ERA, 56 ⅔ IP) and Mason Molina (3-2, 3.81 ERA, 49 ⅔ IP) complete the conference's best rotation. The bullpen is strong as well, headlined by workhorse reliever Will McEntire, who has appeared in 23 games with 46 ⅔ innings of work and a 3.86 ERA. Gabe Gaeckle, Gage Wood, Stone Hewlett and Christian Foutch have all turned in excellent work in relief as well. The Razorbacks lead the SEC in opponents' batting average (.207) and strikeouts (580) and have allowed just 35 home runs, the fewest in the conference. "They can really pitch," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. "They arguably have the best pitcher in the country with Hagen Smith. All three of their starters are really good, and they pitch well at the back end. I'm sure they're very comfortable pitching at home." |
| Tough closing stretch: Razorbacks finish out with Bulldogs, Aggies | |
| University of Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn gave rare insight into his No. 3 Razorbacks' big weekend baseball series against No. 15 Mississippi State during a lengthy video conference Thursday. Van Horn first announced the SEC-West leading Razorbacks (40-9, 17-7 SEC) would stick with the same pitching rotation of Hagen Smith (9-0, 1.36 ERA), followed by Brady Tygart (4-2, 3.34) and Mason Molina (3-2, 3.81) after giving consideration to inserting sophomore Gage Wood (3-1, 2.81) into the mix. The Bulldogs (32-16, 14-10) will counter with right-handers Khal Stephen (7-3, 2.96) and Jurrangelo Cijntje (7-1, 3.53) with Sunday's starter to be announced later. Then while discussing how Mississippi State has bounced back from consecutive 9-21 SEC seasons to contend for an NCAA regional host role, Van Horn veered off into an analysis of the Razorbacks, who have gone 5-4 in their past nine SEC games while the Bulldogs are 7-2. "If I looked at all the teams in the SEC right now, I think all the coaches would say the two teams you don't want to play are Mississippi State and Texas A&M," Van Horn said. "Those would be in the top three or four, and we play both of them. That's just the way it is." Indeed, the Razorbacks have a tough finishing run with a regular-season ending set against the Aggies at College Station, Texas, starting next Thursday. |
| Bulldogs Complete Opening Day Of SEC Outdoor Championships | |
| The Mississippi State track and field program closed out the first day of competition at the 2024 SEC Outdoor Championships on Thursday in Gainesville with 10 personal records, three all-time top five performances and three trips to the finals. Jordan Ware, Tyrese Reid and Mallory Streetman earned spots in their final events that are slated for Saturday. Ware earned an automatic trip to the 200m finals after placing first in his heat with a time of 20.62. Ware placed sixth overall and is one of only two freshmen to qualify for the final event. He currently ranks third in the nation with a time of 20.18w and ranks 18th in the nation in the 100m. He will compete in the 100m Friday for a chance to earn an appearance in that event's finals Saturday. Reid placed second in his heat and sixth overall in the 800m with a time of 1:48.07, earning him a trip to the finals for the first time his postseason career. Reid earned All-SEC Second Team honors during the 2024 indoor season after placing second overall in the 800m at the SEC Indoor Championships. He currently ranks third nationally in the event with a personal-record time of 1:45.76. Streetman will make her first trip to the SEC Championship finals in the 800m after placing ninth overall Thursday with a time of 2:07.00. Streetman improved 10 spots from her previous finish at the 2023 SEC Outdoor Championships. Events will continue at 9 a.m. CT Friday. |
| NAIA baseball, softball regional tournaments at William Carey | |
 | For the first time since 2018, playoff baseball and softball will be played at William Carey. William Carey's baseball and softball teams were granted regional hosts for the NAIA Tournament, which begins next week. That means seven teams will be staying in Hattiesburg and simultaneous games being played at the baseball and softball stadiums that are steps away from each other at the Kennedy Sports Complex. Hattiesburg mayor Toby Barker said Thursday that the city expects to bring in $2.9 million by hosting the tournaments, adding to what will already be a busy week in Hattiesburg with Southern Miss baseball hosting Ole Miss on Tuesday and a weekend home series, plus the high school state softball tournament being played at Southern Miss' Softball Complex. "Our city bodes access to college baseball and college softball played at a really high level of excellence," Barker said, "And let's not take that access for granted. So come out this week, watch a game and bring the kids." Both of the William Carey baseball and softball teams won their Southern States Athletic Conference Tournaments last week. |
| Georgia's Charlie Condon sets NCAA mark with 34th home run | |
| Georgia's Charlie Condon hit his 34th home run Thursday night against South Carolina to set the NCAA record for most home runs in a season in the BBCOR era. Condon launched a solo shot in the second inning to break a tie with Florida's Jac Caglianone, who had 33 home runs last season. BBCOR (bat-ball coefficient restitution) took effect for the 2011 season, when college baseball switched to composite bats. Oklahoma State's Pete Incaviglia holds the all-time record with 48 home runs in 1985. Condon, a redshirt sophomore third baseman/outfielder, is ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel's No. 1 draft prospect and projected as the No. 2 overall pick in this year's MLB draft. Thursday marked his eighth straight game with a home run, one game shy of matching the NCAA record. The Bulldogs won 14-10. |
| College football might allow unlimited coaches soon. What would it mean? | |
| In the deregulation era of college sports, players are getting paid. They have unlimited transfer opportunities. Schools can facilitate their name, image and likeness deals. Any team that wants to use technology such as helmet communication and sideline tablets can use it. Up next might be the arrival of unlimited coaches. The Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee put forth a proposal this spring to remove the cap on how many of a program's staffers can do on-field football coaching, while still limiting off-campus recruiting activities to 10 assistants (or 12 in the FCS) plus the head coach. This would mean hundreds of analysts and quality control coaches around the country could finally coach in practice, bringing a monumental change to the profession. "The landscape has changed in college football," said former Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl, who is now executive director of the American Football Coaches Association and sits on the oversight committee. "The competitive equity has changed." A similar proposal was quietly put forth more than a year ago after it was discussed by the NCAA transformation committee, and many head coaches expected it to pass, even hiring assistant position coaches in December 2022 with the expectation they'd be on the field. The Division I Council surprisingly rejected it. Now it's back, and Bohl and the AFCA are pushing for it hard. It will be voted on by the oversight committee on May 16. If it passes, it will go to the D-I Council again at the end of June. |
| GAO: Gender Gap Persists in College Athletic Participation | |
| Participation rates for women in college athletics continue to lag behind those of their male peers despite the fact that more women enroll in higher education, a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found. In the 2021–22 academic year, women made up 56 percent of the undergraduate population but only 42 percent of the student athletes. Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, colleges that receive federal funding are required to offer athletic participation opportunities for men and women that are proportionate to their enrollment numbers. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights enforces Title IX, but the GAO review found that oversight is lacking and recommended several steps for the agency to improve its enforcement efforts. Among other findings, GAO found that OCR doesn't systemically use institutions' publicly reported athletic participation rates to inform its oversight. And the agency rarely opens investigations into colleges' compliance with the Title IX athletics provisions, relying on complaints to identify potential issues. Additionally, the review cited long delays in OCR's communications with colleges that are under monitoring following the resolution of investigations. One college had to wait almost seven years to hear back from OCR about its proposed methodology to assess whether it was complying with Title IX. |
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