| Tuesday, May 14, 2024 |
| Education: MSU exchange program furthers autonomous agriculture research | |
 | In an early push for an exchange of ideas within autonomous agriculture, Mississippi State University's new Agricultural Autonomy Institute recently hosted a two-week international exchange with six students from the United Kingdom's Harper Adams University, and MSU students will return the visit this June. At their home university, the fifth-year HAU master's students are involved in various agricultural engineering projects within the university's engineering department, home to the Hands Free Hectare Project, focused on improving the viability of autonomous agriculture systems. In 2017, the project completed a crop harvest without any direct human intervention. Madison Dixon, associate director of MSU's Agricultural Autonomy Institute, said HAU students will be integrated into ongoing projects at AAI and will push research forward by providing their perspective from the Hands Free Hectare Project. "We want to emulate and hopefully improve and expand upon the Hands Free Hectare concept at Harper Adams University here at the MSU Agricultural Autonomy Institute on our own Autonomous Acres Proving Ground at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station's R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center," Dixon said. |
| Solar storm knocks out farmers' high-tech tractors -- an electrical engineer explains how a larger storm could take down the power grid and the internet | |
 | Mississippi State University's David Wallace writes for The Conversation: The geomagnetic storm that began on May 10, 2024, generated stunning aurora borealis, more commonly known as the northern lights, that could be seen as far south as Mexico. They also generated headaches for farmers whose GPS-guided tractors were idled in the middle of planting season. Geomagnetic storms occur when a large bubble of superheated gas called plasma is ejected from the surface of the Sun and hits the Earth. This bubble is known as a coronal mass ejection. The plasma of a coronal mass ejection consists of a cloud of protons and electrons, which are electrically charged particles. When these particles reach the Earth, they interact with the magnetic field that surrounds the planet. This interaction causes the magnetic field to distort and weaken, which in turn leads to the strange behavior of the aurora borealis and other natural phenomena. The May 2024 storm, rated G5 on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 1-to-5 Geomagnetic Storms scale, disrupted GPS communications enough to throw off tractor guidance, which requires centimeter-level precision. Stronger storms would have much more serious consequences. As an electrical engineer who specializes in the power grid, I study how geomagnetic storms also threaten to cause power and internet outages and how to protect against that. |
| Muscles in Knots? Here's How to Loosen Them Up. | |
 | If you've ever had a shoulder massage or used a foam roller, you have probably found a few small painful bumps deep in a muscle. Once you're aware of these bulges -- called myofascial trigger points, or muscle knots -- they can be tough to ignore. But what exactly are muscle knots, and how do they form? Can they cause any long-term issues? And what are the best ways to get rid of them? Muscle knots tend to form when a muscle is overloaded, either through exercise or poor posture. They are most commonly found in the neck, upper trapezius and upper shoulder muscles, as well as the mid-back, forearms and calves. Massage can help to relieve muscle knot pain, as well as temporarily relax the contractions that cause knots -- but usually only for a day or two. Researchers theorize this has to do with blood flow: When a therapist presses on the tissue around a knot, it restricts blood flow to the area, said Zachary Gillen, an assistant professor of exercise physiology at Mississippi State University. Then, when the pressure is lifted, blood rushes in, which helps the contraction to relax and brings nutrients to the area. Pushing yourself too hard at the gym can actually cause knots, Dr. Gillen said. To avoid this, be sure to stress your muscles progressively when strength training, and gradually ramp up aerobic exercise like running. |
| MSU-Meridian spring graduates receive degrees | |
 | Mississippi State University-Meridian campus held its spring commencement last Thursday with 200 undergraduate and graduate students receiving degrees, the largest class to graduate from the college. The ceremony was held at the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian with MSU President Mark E. Keenum providing the commencement address. Named as Riley Scholar graduates were Hannah B. Clark, Rhonda Creel, Macy B. Hale, Cheyenne H. Hedden, Kyle D. Ingram, Karlie B. Jackson, Harber A. Reese, Anna-Grace Tingle, Valli Kathleen Weems and Ginger Elizabeth Wimberly. Creel also received the Dennis J. Mitchell Undergraduate Excellence Award, and Ingram was named outstanding graduate in the business program. Jordan D. Black was named outstanding graduate in the Physician Assistant Studies program. Carol Porter and Olivia Beth Springfield were named outstanding graduates in the Education program's graduate and undergraduate programs, respectively. |
| Macon murder suspect arrested again in Starkville | |
 | A Macon man who was out on bond for a 2023 murder is facing new charges. The Starkville Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance on Sunday. It happened at the intersection of Louisville Street and Lynn Lane. Officers arrested Maxie Chandler and charged him with possession of a weapon by a felon, trafficking a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance. Chandler was out on bond for the Nov. 4, 2023 shooting of Michael Taylor in Macon. Officers took Chandler to the Oktibbeha County Jail. |
| Martin hired as Columbus-Lowndes Chamber director | |
| Carrie Martin will be the new Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce director, the Chamber announced Monday. Martin will begin the role in June, replacing former director Cathryn Borer who left the post in December 2023 to take a job at the Mississippi University for Women. "I am thrilled to lead this organization into a new era and collaborate with our members to achieve our goals," Martin said in a press release sent to The Dispatch. "It is an honor to have been chosen as director, and I am eager to serve and support our community." Martin, who is originally from Ocean Springs, moved to the Golden Triangle in 2012 and has filled various roles in the community since. She is a lifelong Junior Auxiliary member and served as the president of the JA of Columbus from 2020 to 2021. Martin has been a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador since 2022, working to promote awareness of Chamber services. She is also an active contributor to the Hitching Lot Farmers Market. The Chamber also announced it has completed its transition to operate independently from the Golden Triangle Development LINK. The Chamber has operated as a subsidiary of the LINK for more than a decade but recently filed for its own 501(c)6 nonprofit status and drafted new bylaws. |
| Reeves vetoes bills. Lawmakers won't return to challenge them | |
| Gov. Tate Reeves has vetoed several bills passed by the Legislature, but lawmakers will not reconvene Tuesday to attempt to override them. On Monday, the last day for him to address bills passed in the 2024 legislative session, the governor vetoed a bill transferring money between state agencies, and part of another similar transfer bill. He vetoed four bills restoring voting rights to people convicted of felonies. He let 16 such bills restoring voting rights pass. Before legislators adjourned earlier this month, they set aside one day – Tuesday --- to possibly return for the purpose of overriding gubernatorial vetoes. When legislators provided themselves the option to return on Tuesday, there was a belief they would need to do so to take up an expected veto by Reeves of a bill to expand Medicaid to provide health care for the working poor. But late in the session, legislators could not reach a compromise on efforts to expand Medicaid and the measure died. Reeves had also vetoed a bill late Friday. Reeves said he vetoed Senate Bill 2180 because it required the Capitol Police Force to enforce ordinances of the city of Jackson. The Capitol Police Force has jurisdiction in all of the city and primary jurisdiction in a portion of the city known as the Capitol Complex Improvement District. |
| New Mississippi laws raise the stakes on vehicle theft, participating in shoplifting | |
| Two bills have been signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves (R) that will lead to stiffer penalties for stealing a vehicle and those indirectly involved in shoplifting of $1,000 or more in merchandise. Senate Bill 2174, authored by State Senator Joey Fillingane (R), makes it a felony to steal another person's vehicle, or to steal vehicles from businesses where the sale, storage or rental of vehicles is part of their business model. Senator Fillingane said the bill addresses issues shared by Marty Milstead, President of the Mississippi Automobile Dealers Association. Milstead told the Senator that dealers in larger cities such as Jackson have been hit during off hours, where the thieves break into a business, take a number of key fobs, and hit the buttons until they find the associated car on the lot to steal. "It's essentially a retail smash and grab, but it's done instead with new vehicles," Fillingane described. Other property covered in the bill includes farm machinery, construction equipment, and all-terrain and off-road vehicles. Meanwhile, HB 438, authored by State Representative Gene Newman (R), creates penalties for those who are indirectly involved in the crime of shoplifting that involves $1,000 or more in value. Shoplifting items totaling that amount is currently a felony. Rep. Newman said the new law focuses on incidents where several people will enter a business and while a few distract the clerk, others actually take items without paying. "They may not have picked anything up, but they are participating with those who are stealing to distract the clerks," Newman explained. |
| Legislation signed into law defining sexes, protecting single-sex spaces for women | |
| Governor Tate Reeves (R) has signed the SAFER Act into law, providing protections for women in the most vulnerable of spaces while defining sex-based terms such as woman, female, man, and male using biological sex. "Today is a win for girls and women across our state, and I was proud to sign SB 2753 into law. You have my word that as long as I'm governor, our state will do everything in its power to keep Mississippi's daughters safe," Governor Reeves wrote on Facebook. "Thank you to all of the girls and women across our state who stood up and made your voices heard! We are grateful for your efforts and proud of you!" Authored by State Senator Josh Harkins (R), the SAFER Act was revived late in the 2024 session after it was allowed to die while in conference. Public outcry grew after reports stirred of the bill's demise, and both supermajority Republican-led chambers soon passed suspension resolutions to bring the bill back up for consideration. Ultimately, the conference report passed in the Senate by a vote of 33-8 and in the House by a vote of 85-29. The legislation builds on the Mississippi Fairness Act, passed into law in 2021 which was also signed by Governor Reeves. That law prevented males from competing in girls and women sports. However, language that would have protected single-sex spaces was not in the final version of that law, meaning for those seeking to protect single-sex spaces for women additional legislation was needed. Hence, the impetus to pass the SAFER Act. |
| Mississippi governor signs law restricting transgender people's use of bathrooms and locker rooms | |
 | Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that he has signed a new law regulating transgender people's use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, making Mississippi at least the 12th state to restrict transgender students from using facilities that align with their gender identity. Reeves criticized a federal regulation banning blanket policies that bar transgender students from school bathrooms aligning with their gender, among other provisions. Republican attorneys general from Mississippi and some other states are challenging the federal regulation. "It's mind blowing that this is what Joe Biden's America has come to," Reeves wrote on social media. "Having to pass common sense policies that protect women's spaces was unimaginable a few years ago. But here we are ... we have to pass a law to protect women in bathrooms, sororities, locker rooms, dressing rooms, shower rooms, and more." The law requires all public education institutions in the state to equip their buildings with single-sex bathrooms, changing areas and dormitories, as well as at least one gender-neutral bathroom and changing room. The new law, which took effect immediately, says people would only be allowed to enter spaces that correspond to their sex assigned at birth, regardless of their appearance or any procedures they've had to affirm their gender identity. Those who violate the policy could be sued, but schools, colleges and universities would be protected from liability. |
| Mississippi GOP selects former US Attorney to lead party | |
 | The Mississippi Republican Party has a new leader. Jackson-based attorney Mike Hurst was chosen to lead the state GOP by party members Saturday during the state organization's annual chairman's luncheon in Jackson. Days before the meeting, previous party chair Frank Bordeaux announced on Facebook that he was resigning. In his announcement, Bordeaux also endorsed Hurst as the logical successor to the chairmanship. "It's been a great run, but it's time for me to pass the torch," Bordeaux said. "I've decided not to seek re-election as Chairman of the MSGOP during this year's convention. I've given all I had, and it's time for a new leader with a fresh perspective. That leader is Mike Hurst. Mike is a great man, a strong conservative and has a proven track record of advocating for and defending conservative ideas." Hurst told the Clarion Ledger he was honored to have been endorsed by so many of the state party's leadership, and he believes that with the help of the party, he can move the state in a more conservative direction. "I am humbled and honored to have been elected to serve as chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, which has done so much to advocate and fight for the values and principles that we hold dear as Mississippians," Hurst said via text. |
| Former Gov. Phil Bryant, wife sue reporter for defamation, marriage issues stemming from welfare scandal | |
| Former Gov. Phil Bryant has filed a federal defamation lawsuit against a sports journalist and the parent company of Sports Illustrated for an article implicating Bryant as the ringleader in the largest public embezzlement scheme in Mississippi history. Moreover, former First Lady Deborah Bryant has joined the suit, alleging fallout from the scandal and her husband's alleged involvement has impacted their marriage enough to sue for damages. The suit, filed May 9 in federal court and first reported by Conduct Detrimental, focuses on a May 2023 article from Michael Rosenberg, which alleged a conspiracy involving Bryant, former Mississippi Department of Human Services Executive Director John Davis, former Mississippi Community Education Center Director Nancy New and former NFL great Brett Favre. Lawyers for Bryant argue in the complaint that the article reiterates alleged defamatory statements first published by Mississippi Today and the organization's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Anna Wolfe; namely, that Bryant allegedly orchestrated the scheme to defraud tens of millions in welfare dollars to construct a volleyball stadium on the Southern Miss campus and invest in a pharmaceutical company, both of which had ties to Favre. The suit against Rosenberg, however, represents the first time Bryant's wife Deborah has been named as a plaintiff. Lawyers claim the former first lady suffered a loss of consortium, which involves aspects of her marriage that she is no longer receiving from her husband. "She is entitled to society, companionship, love, affection, aid, services, support, sexual relations, and the comfort of her husband," attorney William M. Quin II writes in the complaint, though the complaint does not specify which of these "conjugal rights" are being withheld from her. |
| The nation's power grid is overwhelmed. New rules aim to boost construction. | |
 | Sweeping changes to the way long-distance power lines are planned and built were approved by federal regulators Monday, as they try to revitalize an overwhelmed electricity grid that is ill equipped to handle soaring demand. The reforms, approved 2-1 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with its lone Republican dissenting, come as fraying transmission infrastructure is undermining the economy in some regions and leaving large swaths of the country experiencing routine power shortages. Called the power grid, this network of wires and transfer stations also is not keeping pace with growth in solar and wind power, experts say. "Our grid is at a make-or-break moment," FERC Chair Willie Phillips said following the vote. "It is being tested in ways we have never seen before." Phillips said new demand for power from surging data center electricity use, the on-shoring of clean tech industrial manufacturing and the transition away from fossil fuels is pushing the country's electricity system to the brink. At the same time, Phillips said, the construction of badly needed new transmission infrastructure that would shore up the power grid has slowed to a crawl, setting the stage for more blackouts and economically damaging energy shortages across the nation. The goal of the federal rule changes approved Monday is to encourage construction of new high-voltage lines that enable developers to bring more energy online quickly, particularly clean energy. |
| Trump and Biden's appeal to Rust Belt turns on tariffs | |
 | Joe Biden and Donald Trump are trying to one-up each other on tariffs, aiming to prove to Midwestern voters that they have the best plan to protect U.S. auto workers from Chinese competition. But their approaches would have wildly different effects -- not just on domestic industry but also on the global economy. Biden on Tuesday will call for a quadrupling of tariffs on electric vehicles from China, along with higher duties on metals and other clean energy products --- expanding on tariffs first instituted by Trump in 2018. Trump now wants to go much further, laying plans for tariffs on electric vehicles coming from the U.S.'s largest trading partner -- Mexico -- which could be far more disruptive. Fearing a coming flood of cheap Chinese cars produced south of the border, the former president and his advisers are planning to impose steep auto tariffs on Mexico if it does not agree to halt the shipment of Chinese-made EVs into the U.S., according to federal lawmakers and three former Trump administration officials with knowledge of his plans. The diverging proposals underscore fundamental disagreements between the two men over how much to roil the global trading system, even as they both try to prioritize domestic workers and manufacturers. And they highlight an important fault line in what's emerging as a defining debate in the 2024 presidential contest. |
| Delta State University cutting jobs and programs to balance budget | |
 | Delta State University President Dan Ennis announced on Monday he is cutting $3 million from the school's budget to change what he calls "an institution struggling to operate under tight fiscal constraints." As revenues shrink due to decreasing enrollments, university officials drew on cash reserves until the point was reached where there was no capacity for anything beyond significant cuts. Delta State's enrollment has been in decline in recent years. It had a high-water mark of nearly 4,500 students in the mid 1980s. However, the Bolivar County school along U.S. 61 had an enrollment of just 2,700 for the 2023-24 school year. In the Fiscal Year 23 budget, which ends on June 30, 2024, Delta State spent more than $50 million. However, the Cleveland school brought in only $47 million in revenues, including tuition, fees, and state funds. Three million dollars had to be found to balance the budget. Those dollars were drawn from one-time funds that have now been expended and are no longer available for use. "This university cannot continue to try and be all things to all people," Ennis said. "This line of thinking has caused us to accept a level of lowered expectations and impoverishment inconsistent with the traditions of Delta State University. None of us want that, and our students expect and deserve better." |
| Delta State president proposes cutting budget along with multiple departments | |
| Delta State University President Dr. Dan Ennis has unveiled massive budget cuts along with the end of multiple departments to keep the Cleveland college afloat amid financial woes. In a memo penned for public consumption, the strategic changes that could be implemented include cutting more than $6.1 million from the FY25 budget, with an additional $1.5 million in savings to be realized by the end of FY27. "In order to fortify Delta State University as a stronger institution poised for future success, I have made the difficult decision to implement budget cuts, program reductions, and service changes aimed at addressing the university's challenges," Ennis said. "These measures are necessary for the greater good of DSU's sustainability and long-term viability." As part of this strategic initiative, the public university plans discontinue several programs that have consistently experienced low enrollment, with half enrolling fewer than 10 students. These changes will consolidate 21 majors with low enrollments into four new degree programs to better serve students, according to officials. The College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate and Honors Studies unit will be discontinued altogether, and the associated programs and services will be restructured into the remaining three colleges. |
| Education: MUW student's capstone project tackles African American education, a local school lost to time | |
| The fall of 2022 turned out to be an important one for Mississippi University for Women senior Frederica Hargrove. They just didn't know it at the time. "My introduction to public history instructor assigned me to discover a piece of local history that I believed deserved to be a historic landmark," Hargrove said. "At first, I thought the task somewhat impossible because everything noteworthy seemed to have already been ascribed to a historic landmark. I had nowhere to start, so I asked for my family and community members' opinions." It was in these talks with community members that a certain school, Concord, repeatedly came up. Concord School was an equalization school, an African American school during segregation, which was shut down in the 1969-1970 school year as it was transitioned into New Hope School. Hargrove knew they were on to something important, and thus was the birth of their capstone project. Hargrove's project is two-tiered. First, they review African American education from Reconstruction through the mandatory desegregation of the 1970s. The second part, which localizes it, examines the perspectives of three black students who attended Concord. |
| Hattiesburg's outdoor recreation will get a little greener with Gordon's Creek trails | |
| Hattiesburg has seen significant growth in recent years, and that includes the addition of recreational opportunities that add to the ambiance of living in the Hub City. During a news conference Monday, Mayor Toby Barker announced the city would be investing roughly $3 million in creating walking trails along Gordon's Creek. More than $2 million of the funds will come from a grant from the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, which "encourages investment in outdoor recreation and conservation projects," according to the state website. The remaining funds will come from the city's 1-cent sales tax on hotels and restaurants and any leftover money in the general fund. The $2.2 million grant was the largest awarded in the state this year by the Outdoor Stewardship Trust, Barker said. The downtown trail will connect Buschman Street to Chain Park and the Longleaf Trace. It will include an 8-foot, well-lit pathway, an outdoor classroom and an overlook across the Leaf River. Barker said the idea for the nature trail came from the late landscape architect Edward Blake, who envisioned making green spaces accessible for all to enjoy the natural surroundings that Hattiesburg offers. Blake, of Hattiesburg, died in 2010. He designed a number of venues for people to interact with nature, including Crosby Arboretum in Picayune and the Catfish Row Children's Art Park in Vicksburg. He also designed the marsh and trail area behind the Lake Terrace Convention Center. |
| With May 1 student deposits in, Belhaven eyes the fall. What will enrollment be? | |
| While many private liberal arts colleges throughout the nation are feeling the bite of decreasing enrollment, Belhaven University is expecting an uptick this fall. After the May 1 student deposit deadline, Belhaven has 290 deposits for traditional freshman students for the fall of 2024. That number is 43 students above its five-year average of 247 students. The school is also slightly ahead of its highest May deposit years of 289 and 285 respectively, according to Kevin Russell, Belhaven's vice president for university enrollment and marketing. "While, Belhaven encourages all traditional students to deposit by May 1, we continue to work with all of our prospective applicants up until school starts," Russell said. "Typically, we see another 90 to 120 or so additional students that will deposit before the Aug. 15 move-in date." This year Belhaven, located in midtown Jackson, is anticipating a traditional-student population of approximately 1,000 students. The total enrollment of Belhaven University was 4,400 students last fall with adult, graduate and online programs, making up the remaining enrollment. Most colleges throughout the nation and certain colleges in Mississippi as well are still dealing with stress from a form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which opens the door to government help with tuition. This year, glitches and holdups with the form kept many vulnerable people from getting across the finish line. |
| Drew Brees and NFL referee Sarah Thomas headline William Carey University's Scholarship Dinner | |
 | William Carey University's 2024 Scholarship Dinner focused on creating and building resources for students. Two special guest speakers hit the stage, and you may have seen them both during one of America's favorite sports. Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees and NFL referee Sarah Thomas shared a moment of encouragement during William Carey University's 2024 Scholarship Dinner. During his speech, Brees focused on his time with the New Orleans Saints and favorite moments of his 20-season run in the NFL. Sarah Thomas is the first woman to officiate a major college football game, the first to officiate a bowl game, and the first to officiate in a Big Ten stadium. She's also a Pascagoula native. "She's a Coast product and William Carey parent. Her son plays for us," William Carey University President Dr. Ben Burnett said. Dr. Burnett says the purpose of the banquet is to support funds for students. "Our mission is to keep college affordable. Our out-of-pocket cost is so much less than all the private schools and we're as affordable as the Mississippi public institutions," Burnett said. More than 90% of William Carey students receive financial aid. 100% of the proceeds from the dinner will fund scholarships. |
| ICC team, only one from Mississippi, to compete in final round of Community College Innovation Challenge | |
 | Itawamba Community College is among the 12 teams and the only one from Mississippi that will participate in the final round of the Community College Innovation Challenge set for June in Washington, D.C. Sponsors are the American Association of Community Colleges in partnership with the National Science Foundation. "ICC's project is ViruShield: Next-Generation Care for HIV Patients. ViruShield is a subcutaneous pump that tests for HIV viral loads and administers doses of medication to an HIV-positive patient to help with the prevention of AIDS and to increase treatment compliance within this minority community," said Heather McCormick of Fulton, ICC mathematics division chair and team mentor. "Normally, a multitude of drug combinations are used along with a treatment schedule of daily pills and then monthly injections to keep HIV at an undetectable level." The team includes Cortney McCord, Shaan Nagra, both of Saltillo; Jillian Babb and Matthew Butler of Tupelo. Now in its eighth year, the competition seeks to strengthen entrepreneurial thinking among community college students by challenging them to develop STEM-based solutions to real-world problems. |
| Tennessee student policies do not threaten free speech, First Amendment experts say | |
 | Pro-Palestine demonstrators have asserted Tennessee's anti-camping law and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville's parallel restrictions on when, where and how they can protest on campus infringe on their rights, but First Amendment experts say these limits almost always stand up in court. "Time, place and manner restrictions are always held up when they make sense and don't target any specific speech," said Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. When it comes to restricting free speech, making sense means providing ample opportunities for expression. The university reserved the Student Union lawn for the group that calls itself the People's School for Gaza from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. to align with the building's hours of operation during the regular school year, and kept those hours consistent after the facility switched May 15 to its summer hours of 7 a.m.-6 p.m. The hours set by the university align with those of Tennessee's ban on camping on state land, which legislators elevated to a felony following the protests that erupted nationwide after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in 2020. Though students and community members are not allowed to demonstrate on the lawn past 10 p.m. -- per the guidelines the university set in place May 7 -- they are welcome to move to the city-owned sidewalk, so long as they don't shout so loudly that students trying to study nearby cannot focus. That's another part of drafting reasonable free speech limits: Speech should not disrupt the normal functions of the university. |
| Judge to former U. of Missouri employee Brandon Guffey: 'I'm adjudicating you a thief' | |
 | A former financial officer in the University of Missouri College of Engineering on Monday pleaded guilty to several counts relating to theft from the university and fraudulent use of a university-issued credit card by himself. Under a plea agreement, Brandon Guffey pleaded guilty to two counts of felony stealing of MU property, appliances and electronic with a value of more than $25,000 for each count. He pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor counts of fraudulent use of a credit device, with one count related to his purchase of decking materials for himself. Guffey has paid restitution to the university and court totaling $75,000. Also part of his sentence is 200 hours of community service and five years of supervised probation. There's an underlying suspended prison or jail sentence on each count. "I'm adjudicating you a thief," Judge Hasbrouck Jacobs said in passing sentence. Jacobs said it's Guffey's first offense, but "an awful lot of money" in a scheme that "bleeds the taxpayers." The university fired Guffey in January 2022 and began an audit. If found that complaints by 18 staff members allowed the thefts to continue. he audit found direct evidence of theft of more than $30,700 from the university. Another $132,352 worth of items hadn't been recovered. |
| U. of North Carolina to dump 'divisive' DEI, spend funds on public safety | |
 | Amid campus protests nationwide and a push to revise diversity policies at state public universities, the Board of Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted Monday to redirect the $2.3 million that funded diversity, equity and inclusion programs toward public safety measures. The unanimous decision comes ahead of a vote next week by the UNC Board of Governors that's expected to limit DEI initiatives and may lead to personnel layoffs. The board's governance committee approved the change for all public colleges and universities in April, but the move requires a vote by the full board. Trustee Marty Kotis, vice-chair of the budget committee, said the funds are needed for campus policing and safety in light of the pro-Palestinian protests that swept through college campuses in late April and earlier this month. At UNC Chapel Hill, 36 demonstrators were detained -- six of them arrested -- and the U.S. flag was replaced by a Palestinian one during an April 30 protest. "It's important to consider the needs of all 30,000 students, not just the 100 or so that may want to disrupt the university's operations," he said. Kotis also called DEI policies, first implemented at North Carolina's flagship university in 2017, "discriminatory and divisive,'' according to Chapel Hill-based public radio station WUNC. "I think that DEI in a lot of people's minds is divisiveness, exclusion and indoctrination," Kotis said, according to WUNC. "We need more unity and togetherness, more dialogue, more diversity of thought." |
| Flood of Fake Science Forces Multiple Journal Closures | |
 | Fake studies have flooded the publishers of top scientific journals, leading to thousands of retractions and millions of dollars in lost revenue. The biggest hit has come to Wiley, a 217-year-old publisher based in Hoboken, N.J., which Tuesday will announce that it is closing 19 journals, some of which were infected by large-scale research fraud. In the past two years, Wiley has retracted more than 11,300 papers that appeared compromised, according to a spokesperson, and closed four journals. It isn't alone: At least two other publishers have retracted hundreds of suspect papers each. Several others have pulled smaller clusters of bad papers. Although this large-scale fraud represents a small percentage of submissions to journals, it threatens the legitimacy of the nearly $30 billion academic publishing industry and the credibility of science as a whole. The discovery of nearly 900 fraudulent papers in 2022 at IOP Publishing, a physical sciences publisher, was a turning point for the nonprofit. "That really crystallized for us, everybody internally, everybody involved with the business," said Kim Eggleton, head of peer review and research integrity at the publisher. "This is a real threat." World-over, scientists are under pressure to publish in peer-reviewed journals -- sometimes to win grants, other times as conditions for promotions. Researchers say this motivates people to cheat the system. Many journals charge a fee to authors to publish in them. |
| Democrats and Republicans Alike Still See Value in a Degree | |
 | Even as the public's loss of faith in higher education dominates headlines amid campus protests, the rising cost of attendance, growing anti-DEI sentiment and more, it seems that most Americans still see value in a college degree. According to a survey of 1,500 U.S. voters conducted by Global Strategy Group and GS Strategy Group for Third Way, 80 percent of respondents still believe higher education has value, including 88 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Republicans.The finding is a departure from recent reports about declining confidence in higher education, including a Gallup survey published in 2023 that showed that the percentage of Americans who felt highly confident in higher education had dipped significantly from previous years to a "historic low." It also sharply contrasts the public attitudes of many Republican politicians, who, in recent months, have antagonized higher education leaders in Congressional hearings and in the press. But Sophie Nguyen, a senior policy analyst at the left-leaning think tank New America, where she focuses on public opinion of higher education, noted that believing college degrees have value and having confidence in the institution of higher education are two separate -- if related -- ideas. In fact, Third Way's report shows only 56 percent of American voters have a favorable view of "the higher education system in the United States" as a whole; by comparison, 77 percent hold a favorable view of trade schools, 75 percent hold a favorable view of community colleges and 65 percent hold a favorable view of four-year institutions, while 37 percent hold a favorable view of for-profit colleges. |
| Political Standoff Over Title IX Puts Red State Colleges in No-Win Situation | |
| An increasing number of Republican-led states say they won't comply with the Biden administration's new Title IX rule, mainly arguing that its protections for transgender students conflict with their state laws. These defiant directives are putting public colleges in a serious dilemma as administrators weigh whether to risk their federal funding to appease state leaders---or follow federal regulations and potentially face the ire of state leaders. "They very much feel damned if they do and damned if they don't because they are now forced into a position where they must be noncompliant with either state or federal law," said Brett Sokolow, former executive director of the Association of Title IX Administrators and now chair of the organization's advisory board. So far, officials in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina -- most of them governors -- have said in letters, statements, press conferences or executive orders that their states will not follow the new Title IX regulations. The rule applies to every school at the K-12 and postsecondary level that receives federal money. So far, most state officials have either focused on K-12 schools or made general statements that their state will not comply, while others have specifically mentioned colleges. "There's an element of political theater that's working here, and there's an element of using this issue in a political moment to almost intentionally create stress, and that is unhelpful," says Peter McDonough, general counsel at the American Council on Education. |
| APLU Applauds House & Senate Inclusion of Mandatory Funding in Agricultural Research Facilities in Farm Bill Packages | |
| Association of Public and Land-grant Universities President Mark Becker today released the following statement on the inclusion of the Research Facilities Act and mandatory investments in public universities' research facilities in draft House and Senate Farm Bill packages. "The public and land-grant university community applauds the significant investments in both the House and Senate Farm Bill packages that will help address longstanding deferred maintenance of agricultural research facilities. We are particularly encouraged by the level of funding in the House measure and encourage policymakers to provide the maximum level of funding as the process moves forward. We thank House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow for their leadership in prioritizing investments in America's agricultural innovation. This investment will help address the significant national maintenance backlog that has strained cutting-edge agricultural research. It will help position our nation to continue to lead globally, feed our nation and the growing global population, and tackle agricultural-related climate, national security, and public health challenges. With more than $11.5 billion in deferred maintenance, our nation's agricultural researchers, Cooperative Extension specialists, and educators have dealt with deteriorating facilities while ensuring exceptional innovation, outreach, and education. Investment in our agricultural research facilities will ensure our nation can continue to take on the local, regional, national, and global challenges. The inclusion of the Research Facilities Act is a critical first step to ensuring the U.S. remains the world's most innovative, productive, and vibrant agricultural sector. As Congress moves the Farm Bill forward, we urge lawmakers to advance these critical investments." |
SPORTS
| Diamond Dawgs Welcome North Alabama to Starkville | |
| The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs open a four-game homestand on Tuesday night when they play their last midweek game of the season. The Diamond Dawgs host the University of North Alabama. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. Tuesday will be broadcasted on SECN+. The contest will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand. North Alabama holds a 17-32-1 record and 9-17-1 ASUN conference record. The Lions are 6-14 in away games this season. Gehrig Frei leads the Lions' offense with a .326 batting average. Frei has 63 hits, 48 RBIs, 15 home runs and 11 doubles in 193 plate appearances this year. Leading North Alabama's pitching staff is Brycen Parrish. Parrish has made 17 appearances on the year and picked up 55 punchouts and two saves to earn a 3.46 ERA. Mississippi State leads the all-time series 8-2. The last matchup was in 2022 where the Diamond Dawgs took home the win 14-4. These two teams were scheduled to meet last season in Starkville, but the game was canceled because of weather. MSU has won the last four games over the Lions. Over the winning steak, Mississippi State is averaging 10.25 runs per game and only allowing 2.75 runs per game. |
| Mississippi State baseball's Nate Dohm to start vs North Alabama in return from injury | |
| Mississippi State baseball will have pitcher Nate Dohm back on Tuesday (6 p.m., SEC Network+). He'll start for the Bulldogs in their midweek matchup against North Alabama at Dudy Noble Field. The appearance will mark his first return to action since an April 7 start against Georgia. That outing lasted only 12 pitches before he left the game due to discomfort. Prior to the start against Georgia, Dohm hadn't pitched since suffering an apparent arm injury in a March 8 game against Evansville. If Dohm returns to form, it could be a major addition for the Bulldogs (33-18, 15-12 SEC) as the postseason approaches. He has a 1.48 ERA and was Mississippi State's top starter before his injury. In his past three nonconference starts, he went at least six innings and never allowed more than two runs. Dohm is in his second season at MSU after transferring from Ball State. He pitched primarily out of the bullpen last year before moving into the starting rotation under first-year MSU pitching coach Justin Parker. The Bulldogs are coming off a weekend series at Arkansas in which they won one game. After facing North Alabama (17-32-1, 9-17-1 ASUN), they close their regular season with a three-game series at home against Missouri (22-30, 8-19 SEC) starting on Thursday. |
| Mississippi State returns to NCAA Tournament, heads to regional at Stanford | |
| The moment itself was rather anticlimactic, as selection shows frequently are, but Mississippi State's upperclassmen are savoring it nonetheless. A year after the Bulldogs were the only Southeastern Conference team left out of the NCAA Tournament field, MSU is back in the postseason and will head to Palo Alto, Calif., for regionals hosted by No. 8 seed Stanford, starting with a first-round game Friday against Cal State Fullerton. "It was definitely nice just to be confident going in, because we know all of our hard work has gotten us to this point," fifth-year senior outfielder Paige Cook said. "We're just ready for the chance to show it off." The Bulldogs (33-18) were picked to finish last in the SEC in the preseason coaches poll without a single player on the preseason all-conference team. They finished 12-12 in SEC play, their first time finishing .500 or better in the conference since 2007, and landed three players on either the all-SEC first team or second team. "We had our moments this season. We know where we can improve for next season," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I looked a lot to the Puerto Vallarta tournament in Mexico and beating some top-15 ranked teams early on, just helped solidify (that) we are good enough, we've worked hard, we're a solid team that can go and compete with anyone." |
| Mississippi State basketball's 2024-25 SEC opponents unveiled, including Oklahoma, Texas | |
| Mississippi State basketball's home and road opponents for the 2024-25 SEC slate were announced Monday. The Bulldogs will host Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M; they will travel to play Arkansas, Georgia, Auburn, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Tennessee. MSU will play home and away against Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina. Times and dates for the contests will be announced at a later time. The SEC is entering a new era with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference. Next season also will feature notable differences on the sidelines. Arkansas is entering its first season with former Kentucky coach John Calipari at the helm, while Mark Pope will be in his first year coaching UK. Mississippi State is 3-1 against Oklahoma. The programs last met in 2020 when OU picked up a 63-62 win in Oklahoma City. The Bulldogs last faced Texas in 2012. The Longhorns have won the last four meetings against MSU. Mississippi State is entering its third season under coach Chris Jans and has made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament. This year, it was eliminated by Michigan State in the first round. |
| Bulldogs Conclude Opening Round Of NCAA Regionals | |
| The No. 37 Mississippi State men's golf team finished the first day of the West Lafayette Regional on Monday in a tie for sixth place. The top five teams after three rounds will advance to the NCAA Championship. MSU is 9-over par as a team and seven strokes back from the qualifying cut line. State started the day strong, shooting 3-under as a team on the front nine and sitting in a tie for third at the turn. However, the Bulldogs shot a combined 12-over across the final nine holes. Individually, the Dawgs were led by Pedro Cruz Silva, who shot an even 72 in the opening round. He started strong, going 2-under through the first four holes. He would add another birdie on Hole 9 to finish the front nine at 1-under. A bogey on Hole 12 would bring him to even on the day before he shot par for the rest of the course. Cruz Silva stands in a tie for 17th place, and he is six strokes back of the individual leader. Monday's round tied his career-low round in postseason play. |
| Southern Miss AD Jeremy McClain appointed to Division I Baseball Committee | |
| Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain will soon play a vital role in which baseball teams are chosen for the NCAA Tournament. On Monday, McClain was announced as the newest member of the Division I Baseball Committee. The 10-person committee is tasked with selecting, seeding, and bracketing the 64-team tournament field each year. McClain will begin his four-year term on Sept. 1, 2024, and continue through Aug. 31, 2028. "I am honored to be selected to serve on the Division I Baseball Committee for the next four years," McClain said. "I look forward to working with the NCAA staff and a great group of committee members to serve our coaches and student-athletes and continue to help promote college baseball." On top of fielding the bracket, the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee has oversight on the operation of the Division I baseball championship in general. For example, the committee recently issued a memo to head coaches, warning them against the practice of canceling non-conference games to boost RPI. Additionally, the committee discusses and makes recommendations regarding legislation on sport-specific issues. |
| Why did Auburn AD John Cohen sign an extension: 'I don't want to live anywhere else.' | |
 | John Cohen will be staying in Auburn at least through 2029, according to a contract extension signed on May 2 and obtained by AL.com through a public records request. Cohen has full intentions of being at Auburn for the long term after leaving the athletic director position at Mississippi State, his alma mater, in late 2022. Cohen's wife Nelle previously said the two Tuscaloosa natives had talked about retiring in Auburn long before Cohen became the athletic director here. "When I turned 50 years old, Nelle and I are like, 'Okay, we're both from Tuscaloosa. When it's all said and done, and hopefully it's a long time from now, where would we retire,'" Cohen said in an interview with AL.com. "And I really thought about it, and I said, 'How about Auburn?' And she said, 'Why Auburn?' And I said, 'Well the Atlanta airport is right there. The Gulf of Mexico is three-and-a-half hours away. It's an easy drive. It's a great town. It's a great golfing community. They have a remarkable public school system, even when our kids are grown. It has always just stuck out to me as a wonderful place. We had talked about Auburn well before this opportunity to come available." Cohen added, "I don't want to live anywhere else." Retirement is far off in the future. Cohen is just 57 years old now. But it's a contract and commitment to Auburn after about 18 months in this job. |
| Here are details on Georgia athletics proposed fiscal year 2025 budget | |
 | The Georgia Athletic Association board of directors next week will be asked to approve a budget of more than $192 million, an increase of about 10 percent. That's what deputy athletic director for finance Stephanie Ransom told the finance committee which met by Zoom Monday morning and recommended the board approve the fiscal year 2025 budget. Georgia football season ticket revenue is projected to increase from season tickets and from new premium spaces in Sanford Stadium which relocated the press box, opening up prime seating. The football team also has a neutral site game in Atlanta against Clemson along with six home games and the annual game with Florida in Jacksonville. No specific figures were mentioned in the meeting but the SEC distribution also is projected to rise with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC and a new TV deal with ESPN/ABC. An average of about $51.3 million was distributed to SEC schools in fiscal year 2023, according to USA TODAY sports. Concessions revenue is also expected to grow as Sanford Stadium introduces alcohol sales to the general public. Plant operations and facility maintenance is seeing "significant cost increases," Ransom said, "with the main driver preventative maintenance at Sanford Stadum and infrastructure work on concessions in the venue." No specifics were offered on the expense side. |
| Does LSU football have enough NIL money? Here's a deep dive into its approach and funds. | |
 | Earlier this year, LSU football coach Brian Kelly spoke at an event organized by Bayou Traditions, the athletic department's official name, image and likeness collective. Kelly touched on the direction of the team and new staff hires, delivering what amount to a state of the program address for some of the school's biggest donors. During his speech, Kelly discussed his philosophy for how to build and maintain a roster in the NIL era. Kelly believes in recruiting high school prospects and retaining them, then adding transfers when necessary to fill holes. To emphasize his point, he referenced the New England Patriots. The Patriots ranked last in the NFL in cash spending over the past 10 years at $1.62 billion, according to ESPN's Roster Management System. They won three Super Bowls and played for another during that span, maintaining their dynasty until they missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons. Kelly used the franchise's approach to money as an example. "You don't have to spend the most to be the best," he said, according to multiple people in attendance. LSU football does spend, a necessity to remain competitive. Bayou Traditions budgeted $8 million for the roster this season, though it is not expected to reach that number, according to a source with knowledge of the collective who was granted anonymity in order to speak freely. Last year, the third-party group allocated around $4 million for the team. "We've got a number that we think that we are comfortable with," Kelly told The Advocate before spring practice. "Some others will be a little bit higher than we are, but they're operating in a different way." |
| UNC AD Bubba Cunningham says he's preparing to address trustees' financial concerns | |
| North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham on Monday mostly declined to comment about scathing complaints university trustees directed toward him and his department earlier in the day, amid a time of heightened economic anxiety throughout college athletics and the ACC. Cunningham, though, said he'd be prepared for a meeting with them later this week. During a special meeting of the UNC Board of Trustees on Monday the board approved an internal university audit of the UNC athletics department and criticized Cunningham for delays in providing financial information. One spoke of "significant frustration that we have not been able to get the information that we need from the athletics department." Another, Jennifer Halsey Evans, said the department faced a $17 million deficit in its current-year projections, and a cumulative deficit of $100 million in the coming years, "with no plan to address that, to mitigate that." "So I don't want anyone to think we're talking in code," she said. "There are real issues here, a real concern that one of our most valuable assets, and something that really generates revenue, is not being managed properly." Cunningham, who has been the UNC athletics director since 2011, was traveling to Florida for the ACC's annual spring meetings when the trustees met Monday morning. The purpose of the meeting was to work toward approving an overall university budget of approximately $4 billion. |
| 'How has court worked out for them?' With NCAA settlement talks heating up, college leaders brace for multibillion-dollar price tag | |
| In the fall, as college leaders were mired in negotiations to settle a handful of antitrust lawsuits, one of the attorneys across the table from them delivered a message: "I kept telling them that our price will go up if you keep letting us win in court," said Steve Berman, the managing partner at Hagens Berman law firm. Six months later, college administrators have grown "serious" about avoiding the courtroom, said attorney Jeffrey Kessler, of the firm Winston & Strawn. "We were always serious," he said. "The question was, when were they going to get serious?" As the NCAA and power conferences work to adopt a historic settlement agreement by the month's end -- a deadline placed upon them -- the two leading plaintiff attorneys spoke publicly two weeks after college executives began socializing to their stakeholders' potential settlement terms of the House, Hubbard and Carter cases. As previously reported, the groundbreaking proposed agreement is expected to feature nearly $2.9 billion in back damages for former players; a future revenue sharing model with athletes starting at as much as $22 million annually per school; and an overhaul of the NCAA scholarship and roster structure. While Berman and Kessler mostly declined to discuss specifics of a potential agreement, they detailed to Yahoo Sports the nature of discussions, a possible post-settlement timeline and hot-button topics such as a settlement's impact on future legal challenges, Title IX and booster-led collectives. At least one of them, Berman, also acknowledged that he worked against college executives in their years-long pursuit of gaining legal protection through congressional legislation. |
| What a possible multibillion-dollar NCAA antitrust settlement means for college sports | |
| The NCAA and its schools are considering a proposed solution to one of the largest looming obstacles remaining for a landmark settlement of the association's antitrust cases, which could shape the future of major collegiate sports in America. With the college sports industry aiming to avoid future antitrust lawsuits, the terms of a settlement would establish an annual process giving new players a chance to opt in or object to revenue-sharing terms currently being negotiated as part of the emerging framework for the future business model of the NCAA's top schools. The NCAA and its most powerful conferences are in the thick of working toward settling the House v. NCAA case this month, with sources saying leagues are planning to vote on a proposed deal by May 23. ESPN spoke to more than a dozen legal and industry experts in college sports this week to better understand the ongoing negotiations. The tentative terms of the settlement include the NCAA paying more than $2.7 billion in past damages as well as setting up a system for its most powerful conferences to share a portion of their revenue with athletes moving forward. One major obstacle to reaching a settlement has been finding a way for the NCAA and its schools to protect themselves from future lawsuits, including potential claims they would be colluding to cap player compensation without using a collective bargaining agreement. |
| Amid House settlement talks, NCAA's Charlie Baker seeks 'clarity' for future of college sports | |
| NCAA president Charlie Baker said Monday that he wouldn't put a hard deadline on the organization's decision to accept or reject a proposed settlement in House v. NCAA, a landmark lawsuit that is expected to fundamentally reshape the college sports business model. With the caveat that settlement talks continue and could evolve, it appears likely that an agreement would include roughly $3 billion (over 10 years) in back-pay damages from the NCAA to Division I athletes who were not allowed to monetize their names, images and likenesses (NIL) prior to July 2021, as well as a new revenue sharing model with power-conference athletes that would begin as early as 2025. The Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 are also named defendants in this lawsuit. As first reported by ESPN and confirmed by The Athletic, the amount of money to be shared with athletes annually by each school that chooses to opt into the revenue-sharing model is expected to be roughly $20 million. Lingering questions remain about compliance with Title IX and the ability to set up such a system without a collective bargaining agreement, but that is the general framework under which those on both sides of the lawsuit are working. "There are a lot of meetings going on," Baker said. "But my view on it is that the most important thing for us and for the folks in the (Power) 4 and (Power) 5 and the folks on the plaintiff side is to create clarity on what the terms are going to look like. That's been our focus. I'm not putting a deadline on it." |
| NCAA president: 'A lot of work to be done' on potential settlement of multibillion-dollar antitrust lawsuit | |
| NCAA president Charlie Baker said there was "still a lot of work to be done" on a potential multibillion-dollar settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that could have a major impact on the future of college athletics. Amid multiple reports Monday that the NCAA and Power Four conferences were working to settle the NCAA v. House lawsuit that could cost nearly $2.9 billion and would likely come with a revenue-share model, Baker addressed a collection of Atlantic Coast Conference coaches and administrators at the conference's annual spring meetings. Baker said afterward that settling the lawsuit could soothe a number of issues and allow for a different conversation on Capitol Hill as college administrators continue to seek an antitrust exemption. "The most important part about the settlement -- and let's face it there's still a lot of work to be done there -- the most important part about it is to create some clarity and some sort of visibility on a whole bunch of issues that have been roiling everybody for awhile," Baker said. "The other thing is it creates predictability and stability for schools. It also creates tremendous opportunities for student-athletes especially at the schools that are most heavily resourced. It creates a framework that makes it possible to have a different kind of conversation with Congress. In many ways, I'm hopeful." |
| Charlie Baker hopes NCAA settlement creates stability for schools | |
| NCAA president Charlie Baker met with coaches and athletic directors Monday at this year's ACC spring meetings, discussing -- among other things -- a potential settlement in the House vs. NCAA case that could reshape the future of college athletics. Baker said settlement talks -- and the revenue-sharing agreement that would accompany any settlement -- was "only a small part" of his presentation, and he reiterated that there are still a lot of moving pieces and no deadline to finalize a deal. But the framework currently being discussed could provide some needed clarity on how schools manage rosters and player acquisition. "I think everybody would like to have to be in a position where they feel like they could plan," Baker said, "and in the current world we live in, planning is very hard to do." Brought by Arizona State swimmer Grant House in 2020, the class-action case claims the NCAA violated antitrust laws by prohibiting athletes from profiting from their name, image and likeness prior to that year. The plaintiffs sought damages in the billions. The potential settlement would involve the NCAA paying more than $2.7 billion and agreeing to a new revenue-sharing model that could shift as much as $20 million annually to athletes. The costs associated with the settlement, along with the possibility of uncapping scholarships, could result in schools that max out those options seeing a budget hit of more than $35 million annually, according to multiple athletic directors who spoke to ESPN. Still, Baker said there was broad support for the move, which would provide some much-needed clarity and a framework for a sustainable business model for college sports. |
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