| Tuesday, May 21, 2024 |
| IHL board approves 2 new MSU-Meridian health care schools | |
 | In a bold move toward addressing Mississippi's critical health care personnel shortages by expanding health care education, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning on May 16 approved Mississippi State University's proposal to establish two new schools in downtown Meridian. Located on the MSU-Meridian Riley Campus where the Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree program is already housed, the college board approved the School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing. "I am grateful to the Board of Trustees for recognizing the vital partnership between MSU, the regional medical community, and the civic and governmental leadership in Meridian and Lauderdale County that will transform health care opportunities and the quality of life throughout our state," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. "This is the realization of a vision for this community that will endure and grow." MSU-Meridian Administrative Head of Campus Terry Dale Cruse said: "I'm deeply appreciative for the IHL Board's unwavering support and belief in the vital work our dedicated faculty and staff are undertaking to tackle health care disparities throughout the State of Mississippi. This comprehensive structure builds upon the groundwork we have begun, contributing to future expansion, and ensuring that our efforts will have a profound and lasting impact on our state's most vulnerable populations." |
| Education: Conifers in crisis: MSU scientist seeks solutions to widespread needle blight | |
 | Timber is a pillar of Mississippi's economy. The third largest commodity in the state, it supports more than 70,000 jobs and produces an economic impact of approximately $13 billion for Mississippi. Despite the strength of the state's trees and the industries resting on their sturdy limbs, a mysterious threat has taken root in pine stands across Mississippi, turning large swaths of pine forests brown. A Mississippi State scientist is on the scene, searching for answers. John Riggins, professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, works diligently to understand why pine needle blight -- a complex of several fungal species that kills pine needles, reducing tree health -- is raging like wildfire through loblolly pine stands across Mississippi, Alabama and other Southeastern states. The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station entomologist contributes to a multi-state partnership established by the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, or SRS, to address recent reports of needle diseases throughout the Southeast. "These pathogens are native but, historically, have not caused problems in stands of mature loblolly pine," Riggins said. "In the past, this was only a problem in young longleaf seedlings and in nursery settings." |
| Mississippi native fulfills childhood dreams as NASA engineer | |
| Work at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, takes one site engineer back to a childhood memory, where a dream of being a member of the NASA team began. Now, Briou Bourgeois is working to launch a career with even bigger aspirations. The Bay St. Louis native recalls childhood watching the Apollo 13 movie with his dad. He became fascinated with the story of how astronauts overcame challenges when NASA attempted the third lunar landing in 1970. Even as the lunar portion of the mission was aborted due to the rupture of a service module oxygen tank, Bourgeois was fascinated by how everybody on the ground at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston fought through challenges to come up with solutions. Bourgeois said he did not understand the gravity of the situation he was watching unfold, but he was not short of questions. He wanted to learn more. "That probably spurred me into wanting to become part of the NASA team but, even more so, to become an astronaut and be sort of the tip of the spear when it comes to space exploration and doing the hard things that allow humanity to further understand the universe and space in general," Bourgeois said. Now in his seventh year at NASA Stennis, the Mississippi State University graduate said the wide range of testing capabilities at the south Mississippi site, coupled with working alongside a variety of people "highly specialized in the aerospace operations realm," is what he enjoys most. |
| Community Profile: Like Laughlin's voice at the ballgame? Maybe you'll enjoy it from the pulpit. | |
| Most of the time, Dennis Laughlin can be found preaching from the pulpit as the senior pastor at Starkville Church of God. But occasionally, he sits behind the microphone from various athletic facilities at Mississippi State and throughout the Starkville community as a fill-in public address announcer. "When I started doing it at the middle school and high school (games), it was just an easy way to help out at the schools my kids were going to," Laughlin said. "When I saw the advertisement for (MSU), I was like, 'Well, I've done at middle school and high school levels, I'll give it a shot.' I'm close here and everything, and it's easy for me to fill in." Laughlin grew up in Houston, Mississippi, and although his parents were not very into sports, Laughlin became a Bulldogs fan from a young age thanks to his maternal grandfather. Houston High School also wears maroon and white and many of its graduates attend MSU, whether directly out of high school or by way of Itawamba Community College. Last summer, MSU put out an advertisement on Facebook looking for new PA announcers, and Laughlin, who had plenty of experience by that point, jumped at the chance, sending in a short video clip he'd recorded on his computer. He has since filled in as the voice of a number of athletic venues on campus. Laughlin started with a few volleyball games in the fall and has also announced softball, baseball and men's and women's tennis. |
| Remembering a legend: US Senator John C. Stennis | |
 | When he retired in 1989, John C. Stennis was the second-longest serving U.S. Senator and had never lost an election. Today, his former Press Secretary was recounting his days working alongside one of the lions of the Senate to business and community leaders in Starkville. Now retired, Rex Buffington also served as director at the Stennis Center, named for his former boss. In Stennis's 41 years in the Senate, he served as the Chairman of a number of powerful committees, including Armed Services and Appropriations, and for a time was the President Pro-Tem of the Senate. He was also instrumental in securing full funding to create the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Buffington said one of Stennis's strengths was a positive outlook. "He just had an incredibly powerful belief in the potential of people, and of our country, and he felt like that there was no problem that we had that could not be solved by working toward it, and there was nothing wrong with our country that couldn't be fixed by what was right with our country," said Buffington. |
| Leopold Conservation Award comes to Mississippi | |
 | An award that celebrates voluntary conservation efforts on farms, ranches, and forestland is coming to Mississippi. The Leopold Conservation Award honors farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who have gone above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitats growing land. The award, which is named after renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement. The honor is currently given out in 28 states with $10,000 going to each winner. Mississippi's version of the Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the support of Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, American Farmland Trust, Farm Families of Mississippi, Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts, Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Sand County Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy. "Mississippi farmers and ranchers have always been great stewards of this state's natural resources," Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick said. "This land and water are how our membership makes their living and provides the food, clothing, and shelter for Mississippi and beyond. We are proud to stand with these organizations to recognize farmers in our state who are going above and beyond to protect the resources for the next generation." |
| Thompson's animal welfare, whole milk priorities in farm bill | |
 | The House Agriculture Committee's draft farm bill released Friday includes two provisions Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson has long said were policy priorities: a California animal welfare rule and whole milk in school meals. Thompson, R-Pa., followed through on his promise to address the California rule known as Proposition 12, requiring breeding sows to have room to turn around in their enclosures. The law defines that space as at least 24 square feet and calls anything less "cruel." Retailers face a $1,000 fine or 180 days imprisonment per transaction if they sell pork products that don't meet the requirement. The state also requires veal calves to have at least 43 square feet of space and egg-laying hens to be cage-free. The law makes it illegal for a California business to knowingly sell eggs, uncooked pork or veal from improperly housed animals, potentially affecting interstate commerce given the size of the California market. The Supreme Court's decision in May 2023 to uphold the California law prompted Thompson to issue a statement that he was disappointed. "U.S. producers simply cannot operate in a system where one state can dictate production standards for the entire country," he said. The draft farm bill would give producers a federal right to raise and market livestock and prohibit states from directly or indirectly enforcing a production standard for livestock raised in a different state. California could enforce Proposition 12 for animals raised in the state only and other states couldn't impose similar rules. |
| Top U.S. drug agency a notable holdout in Biden's push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions | |
 | In an isolated part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters known as the 12th-floor "bubble," chief Anne Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for what she called the "Marijuana Meeting": Nobody could take notes. Over the next half hour, she broke the news that the Biden administration would soon be issuing a long-awaited order reclassifying pot as a less-dangerous drug, a major hurdle toward federal legalization that DEA has long resisted. And Milgram went on to reveal another twist, according to two people familiar with the private meeting who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, that the process normally steered by the DEA had been taken over by the U.S. Justice Department and the action would not be signed by her but by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Milgram didn't give aides a reason for the unprecedented omission and neither she nor the DEA has explained since. But it unfolded this past week exactly as laid out in that meeting two months ago. Several current and former DEA officials told the AP they believe politics may be at play, contending the Justice Department is moving forward with the marijuana reclassification because President Joe Biden wants to use the issue to woo voters in his re-election campaign and wasn't willing to give the DEA time for more studies that likely would have dragged beyond Election Day. "It's crystal clear to me that the Justice Department hijacked the rescheduling process, placing politics above public safety," said Derek Maltz, a retired agent who once headed the DEA's Special Operations Division. |
| Biden's legacy long game: Rain regulations -- now | |
 | The Biden administration is pumping out dozens of federal rules this spring in a mad dash to cement the president's legacy on everything from airfare refunds to beef labeling. President Joe Biden and his allies are already campaigning on these policies, working to bolster his support among constituencies including young people, labor unions, rural communities and climate-conscious voters. But beyond the campaign trail, the timing of this blitz is designed to ensure that Biden's policies have their best shot at surviving the deregulatory fervor of another potential Donald Trump White House and Republican-controlled Congress. Biden's agencies are trying to avoid making the same mistake as President Barack Obama, who left several key rules unfinished until late in the last year of his presidency. A law called the Congressional Review Act makes it easier for Congress to roll back federal rules within 60 legislative days after they are issued -- a power Trump and his GOP allies tapped more effectively than any of his predecessors to trash regulations on issues like gun safety and labor protections in 2017. With the number of days that Congress is in session rapidly dwindling, the Biden administration only has another week or so to wrap up regulations or risk leaving them within Trump's reach. The White House declined to comment but Trump is already planning to do whatever he can to undo Biden's actions. |
| Social Security chief Martin O'Malley races to rebuild troubled agency | |
 | Martin O'Malley, the former Baltimore mayor, two-term Maryland governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, is in his fifth month as Social Security Administration commissioner. He took the reins of an agency that had been without a Senate-confirmed leader since July 2021 -- and has struggled in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic to provide basic customer service as its workforce of 55,000 has shrunk to its lowest size in decades. The agency's disability system can take more than a year to determine eligibility for basic benefits. And employee morale is at a low ebb, with just 52 percent of the staff satisfied with their job in the most recent "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government" survey. O'Malley has made improving customer service his biggest priority. He doesn't have long: He is serving an abridged term that expires in January, filling the last year of Trump administration appointee Andrew Saul's term. O'Malley, a 61-year-old Baltimore resident, has made changes large and small designed to make agency operations more efficient and equitable after a static three years under acting leadership. |
| $110 million being sent to 7 universities, UMMC | |
 | Seven of the eight public universities in Mississippi, as well as the University of Mississippi Medical Center, are set to receive millions from the state to spend on capital improvement projects. Senate Bill 2468, which was signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves last week, is an annual appropriations bill. A part of the bill transfers money to the "2022 IHL Capital Improvements Fund." In total, the state is sending $110 million in funds to Mississippi's Institution of Higher Learning, which oversees each of the state's eight universities. The IHL is in-charge of distributing the funds. This year's funding to the IHL Capital Improvements Fund is about $90 million fewer than 2023, which saw Reeves sign off on just over $193 million. While seven universities are receiving funds from this year's bill, one has been completely omitted: the Mississippi University for Women. In last year's bill, the university received $9.3 million in state funds for capital improvements, with $8.7 million going to repair and upgrade campus facilities, $300,000 to repair and upgrade the Pohl Gymnasium and another $300,000 to improve the Hogarth Center, which is a dining hall. Nora Miller, the president of the Mississippi University for Women, told the Clarion Ledger in a statement the W is still receiving funds from the state legislature, including $3.16 million for capital needs, as well as $300,000 for the renovation of Painter Hall, from another appropriation bill to the IHL: Senate Bill 3006. |
| U. of Mississippi study reveals factors at play for officers accused of crimes | |
 | Research done in part by two from the University of Mississippi (UM) discovered common factors at play and present among police officers investigated for crimes. UM criminal justice associate professor Francis Boateng and graduate Alan Cuff, MA 2022 in criminal justice, were among five academics who published a joint article in the American Journal of Criminal Justice. Other contributors included Old Dominion University associate professor Daniel Pryce, Kent State University assistant professor Michael Dzordzormenyoh and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire associate professor Ming‑Li Hsieh. Boateng already knew that the police largely investigated themselves. The questions that became relevant to him were how effective self-policing was and what types of cops committed crimes. "In 72% of the cases where an officer was charged, that officer was convicted," Boateng said. "That is significant. That shows that the criminal justice system is responsive to these cases." The team studied 6,724 incidents from 2005-2011. About 95% of offending officers were men. The average age of the officer in question was about 37 years old; at the time of the complaint, they had been a police officer for about 10 years. The officer in question was likely off duty, as roughly 42% of officers committed any alleged infractions on the clock. |
| Jackson State University enrollment: See where the school stands heading into the fall | |
 | Officials at Jackson State University believe the school is on the rise despite two years of declining enrollment. After the May 1 student deposit deadline, Kylon Alford-Windfield, vice president of enrollment management at JSU, while not giving an exact number, said the admissions department is seeing an uptick in freshmen applications. "That indicates that our 2024 freshmen enrollment is on trend with our 2023 numbers, suggesting room for a slight increase," Alford-Winfield said. Jackson State had 895 freshmen for the 2023-2024 school year. But in the past two years, the university has seen a decline in enrollment -- 6,906 in fall 2022 and 6,564 in the fall 2023. To get enrollment numbers moving in an upward trajectory, new JSU President Marcus Thompson told the Clarion Ledger in January that he and JSU's director of facilities have already started the process of seeking funds from the legislature to renovate one of the women's residence halls, Whiteside McAllister. The female dormitory has been offline since 2021 due to maintenance failures and equipment that needs to be repaired. He said the roughly 600-bedspace dorm hall is anticipated to change into suite-style apartments, allowing for the accommodation of an additional 300 bed spaces. Thompson also said that JSU is asking for funds to build a new residence hall. In addition to those requests, he said the university is renovating a space called "One University Place," which is a mixed space that has retail on the first floor and residences upstairs. That will add another estimated beds. |
| Jackson State receives over $23 million in state funds for campus projects. What is on tap? | |
| Jackson State University is set to receive millions from the state after a bill was signed into law that dishes out funds to Mississippi's public universities for capital improvements. Senate Bill 2468 includes more than $820 million in state expenditures. That sum includes funds to cities such as Jackson, which received $9.4 million for various projects. A total of $110 million is headed to seven universities within Mississippi's Institutions of Higher Learning, as well as the University of Mississippi Medical Center after Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the appropriation bill on Monday. Jackson State University and Mississippi State University received a majority of the funds; both universities received just over $23 million. JSU received just over $8 million from the IHL in 2023 for construction and furnishing of a residence hall. The university didn't go into specifics about when the new residence hall will be built or what "alternative water resources" entail, but released a statement from Marcus Thompson, JSU's president. "We so greatly appreciate our appropriation and the invaluable support of Gov. Reeves, our legislators, policymakers, and stakeholders," Thompson said. "This infusion of resources will help enhance the educational experiences and quality of life for our present and prospective students. We look forward to ongoing collaboration and opportunities to amplify Jackson State's standing as a world-class institution." |
| For kidnapping and raping an LSU student at gunpoint, Baton Rouge judge gives man 30 years | |
 | A Baton Rouge man convicted of kidnapping a female student from LSU's sorority row, driving her off campus and raping her at gunpoint was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison. District Judge Tarvald Smith imposed the sentence on Frank Alvaro Herrera Jr., during a hearing inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse. Herrera, 28, pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and second-degree rape on May 6, court records show. He was originally indicted for first-degree rape and would've been given a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole if convicted of that charge. According to court records, the victim told police a gunman wearing a red bandana over his face grabbed her as she walked toward the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house on LSU's campus the night of March 15, 2017. He forced the student back into her car and held a gun to her leg as he drove to a park off the university's campus, where he sexually assaulted her at gunpoint, authorities said in an arrest warrant. Officers later found the victim's car abandoned near the sorority house where she was abducted. Police said an article of clothing found inside the vehicle had traces of Herrera's DNA. In a letter describing the emotional toll of the kidnapping and assault, the victim described herself as "an average, happy college student" prior to the attack she endured. But she said the ordeal chipped away at that happiness and her ability to trust in humanity. |
| Muslims say religious freedom violated by sheriff's office after U. of Tennessee arrest | |
 | When Layla Soliz was forced to remove her hijab by Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies when she was booked after being arrested with her husband and 10 other pro-Palestinian demonstrators the night of May 15, it marked a shocking interaction with the American justice system. It was her first time in handcuffs, her introduction to jail and the first time her religious rights were violated in a way that brings trauma to Islamic women. Jailers photographed her without her hijab, a Muslim head covering worn by women as part of their faith, and publicly posted the mug shot online, a violation of the agency's own policy. When she and others arrested on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus reached the Knox County Detention Facility late that night, following hours waiting in a dark van with their hands bound by zip ties, she had no inkling that sheriff's deputies would violate her constitutional religious rights. Several federal lawsuits have been filed after police departments forced the removal of religious headwear during custody, and the plaintiffs have secured substantial settlements in some cases. Soliz, a 2012 graduate of the University of Tennessee and a staff member at Tayseer Seminary, grew up in Knoxville and had been on campus for days prior to the arrest with other students and organizers. Hailing from a Palestinian family directly suffering from the strife in Gaza, she emphasized her right to be present on campus that day, standing not only as an alumna but also in solidarity with students and the broader Muslim community. |
| Police remove tent encampment at U. of Michigan protesting Israel | |
| Police removed today a tent encampment protesting Israel on campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, according to university President Santa Ono and protesters. In a statement, Ono said the university was forced to take action after the protesters refused to remove fire hazards discovered during an inspection last week by a fire marshal. "The protesters refused to comply with these requests," Ono said. "That forced the university to take action and this morning, we removed the encampment." Emails to university police, Michigan State Police, and a coalition of protesters were not immediately returned. Posts on X, formerly Twitter, by the TAHRIR Coalition, a group of student organizations who helped set up the encampment, show police on site at the Diag in the center of campus, claiming that pepper spray had been used at one point. The tent encampment was set up four weeks ago on April 22 calling upon the university to divest from Israel. It echoed a tent encampment at Columbia University in New York City. While police soon shut down the Columbia encampment and similar protest sites at other universities, police in Michigan initially took a hands-off approach to the encampment in Ann Arbor. But tensions started to escalate after some protesters recently demonstrated outside the homes of some regents, including their chair. Ono said they had no choice but to shut down the encampment. |
| Unpacking ASU's OpenAI Partnership | |
 | Arizona State University relationships with Silicon Valley giants date back to the early 2000s and work with Google. When the opportunity arose in January to partner with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, it felt like a natural fit, according to Lev Gonick, ASU's chief information officer. The university hit the ground running in a first-of-its-kind partnership with the artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer: Hundreds of project proposals poured in, with ideas ranging from tutoring bots to streamlining administrative tasks. Gonick said the university is just getting started. "I know I don't have another 20 years to go through the journey of [scaling] online to this moment; this has to happen in three or four years," he told Inside Higher Ed at the Digital Universities conference earlier this month. Long before the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the ASU-OpenAI relationship emerged from a "technical conversation" about what the company was seeing in the marketplace. Deeper talks on a partnership began in the summer of 2023, with the hope to kick things off at the start of the school year. "That turned out to be January," Gonick said. "And now we're off to the races." While activity from the partnership continues to grow, not everyone is happy about it. Some ASU faculty and students have voiced concerns about the seemingly all-in partnership with the tech behemoth. "The university has thrown all this at us and pushed," said Laurie Stoff, a professor at Arizona State University. She is a member of United Campus Workers of Arizona, which represents the state's three public universities. |
| What Entry-Level Jobs Really Look Like Today | |
 | Six-figure pay packages. The promise of a promotion within months. Thousands of dollars in student-loan reimbursements. Look at hundreds of entry-level job postings for college grads, and you'll find that companies are still in sales mode, despite employers' moderating demand for young professionals. Not long ago, new college graduates on the hunt for their first professional role could expect job ads to contain a litany of duties and responsibilities to the company. Postings today extol the opportunities that workers can expect from their employers, including commitments to flexible work styles and bosses' respect for work-life boundaries. The Wall Street Journal analyzed hundreds of entry-level job postings in a range of roles, sectors and locations, from Chicago to Dallas to San Jose, Calif. They reveal what entry-level work looks like -- a mix of in-office and remote work that puts new graduates on track for more responsibility -- and what companies think young workers want now. Entry-level jobs ads highlight the career paths and pay new grads can achieve after a few years. Young professionals care more about salary than paid-time off and remote work, according to a recent poll of about 2,000 college students on priorities in the job search by research and analytics firm Veris Insights. |
| For Some Frustrated Students, the FAFSA Is Still Broken | |
 | Luis Vergara felt a surge of hope when he saw the news. On April 30, the U.S. Department of Education announced changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that, the agency said, would enable students whose parents lack a Social Security number to complete the form. Vergara, a high-school senior in Houston, was born in the United States. So he's entitled to federal aid even though his mother, a Mexican immigrant, lacks U.S. citizenship. He had been attempting to finish the FAFSA since early February, but, like many students from mixed-status families, he kept encountering problems with the online application that prevented him from completing it. At first, the apparent fix seemed promising. James Kvaal, the under secretary of education, said during a press call on April 30 that the changes to the FAFSA system would "substantially streamline" the application process for mixed-status families; the department said in its announcement that it was committed to ensuring that students from all backgrounds "can equitably access the FAFSA." Later, people posted celebratory messages on X. News outlets reported that the form was finally "fixed" for mixed-status families stuck in FAFSA limbo through no fault of their own. But was it true? After reading the department's detailed announcement online, Vergara tried once again to invite his mother to contribute to the application. But once again a technical issue with the form kept him from doing so. Vergara tried repeatedly. His college adviser did her best to troubleshoot. Nevertheless, he remained stuck. |
| Top Education Officials Were Warned of FAFSA Overhaul Hurdles in 2020 | |
 | Long before the Education Department's overhaul of the federal student aid application fell apart this year, officials who now lead the department were warned of a complex and time-consuming effort and its potential pitfalls in 2020, according to internal emails and documents obtained by The New York Times. The documents anticipated a demanding timetable that would require the department to closely manage its priorities over several years to revamp the application form in time for students' fall 2022 applications. The documents were prepared by the department's staff and circulated among soon-to-be top officials after the 2020 election but before President Biden took office, including James Kvaal, the under secretary of education, and Benjamin Miller, a deputy under secretary. The revelation that the officials were advised to prepare for an arduous process yet still failed to deliver a working form three years later is likely to add to the intense scrutiny the department has faced over the handling of the project, which threw the college application season into chaos earlier this year. Current and former officials who worked on the FAFSA simplification once the scale of the problems became clear have said that the department's leaders often failed to check in on the project along the way, and were overly focused on other priorities such as the Biden administration's flagship student loan forgiveness plans. |
| How the Effort to Revamp Financial Aid Resulted in Chaos | |
| The Education Department was already more than a year behind schedule on rolling out the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Then, last October, staffers were alerted to a major oversight: The formula for determining aid didn't account for inflation. The system had to go live in December. But the inflation adjustment was mandated by law, and the Education Department was facing mounting criticism that students could lose out on crucial financial aid. By early December, the Education Department began planning to make the update, but work still didn't begin in earnest for a few more weeks. The delay, which hasn't been previously reported, exemplifies the troubled effort to overhaul the Fafsa, which serves as a gateway to billions of dollars in college scholarships, grants and loans. Chaos reigned in the months leading up to the launch, and the system was plagued with glitches and data errors once it went live. The impact has been devastating, delaying the timeline for students to commit to colleges and deterring some from applying for scholarships at all. The Education Department has received more than 9.7 million forms so far, down 13% from a year ago. The problems were plentiful, a Wall Street Journal investigation has found. Among the largest failings: The government opted against hiring an outside manager to coordinate the sprawling project, after underestimating how tough it would be to revamp the Fafsa system. More than a dozen times, the Education Department issued memos fixing its own prior instructions to contractors. |
SPORTS
| Diamond Dawgs Set for The SEC Tournament | |
| The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs are set to open the 2024 SEC Tournament on Tuesday night against rival Ole Miss. The game will start at approximately 8 p.m. from the Hoover Met. Tuesday's game will be aired on the SEC Network and will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand. Ole Miss ended the 2024 regular season with a 27-28 overall record and 11-19 SEC record. The Rebels rank sixth in the SEC with their 11-19 conference record this season. They enter the SEC Tournament as the 12th seed. Ole Miss is heading to Hoover on a five-game losing streak after getting swept by LSU this weekend in Baton Rouge, La. The Diamond Dawgs lead the all-time series 266-213-5 over Ole Miss. The Rebels and Bulldogs last faced off in the annual Governor's Cup in Pearl, Miss earlier this season on May 1st. Mississippi State took the 5-1 win over Ole Miss. This will be the fifth matchup between these two programs this season. |
| Dakota Jordan Wins The 2024 Ferriss Trophy | |
| For the first time since 2021, the Ferriss Trophy, presented by the Mississippi band of Choctaw Indians and Pearl River Resort, is returning to StarkVegas after Dakota Jordan won the award on Monday afternoon. Finalists and the ultimate winner of the award, which honors the top collegiate baseball student-athlete in Mississippi, are chosen by the state's college baseball coaches and a panel of Major League Baseball professional scouts, along with fan voting, which accounted for a weighted 10 percent of the award. With Jordan earning the 2024 award, the Dawgs have won the most Ferriss trophies since the award began in 2004. Jordan is the eighth Mississippi State player to earn the award and it's the ninth time a MSU player has won the honor. Thomas Berkery and Edward Easley went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007, Chris Stratton and Hunter Renfroe claimed the 2012 and 2013 awards and Jake Mangum and Brent Rooker won consecutive awards in 2016-17. Mangum and Tanner Allen went back-to-back in 2019 and 2021. Mangum is the only player to ever win the award twice. Over his sophomore season at MSU, Jordan has shined for the Diamond Dawgs led the team in home runs (17) and RBIs (61). Jordan has the seventh-best batting average in the SEC hitting .363. |
| Mississippi State baseball star outfielder Dakota Jordan wins 2024 Ferriss Trophy | |
| Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan was named the winner of the 2024 Ferriss Trophy which is awarded annually to the best collegiate baseball player in the state. He edged out a list of finalists that included Ole Miss' Ethan Lege, Southern Miss' Dalton McIntyre, Belhaven's Brett Sanchez and William Carey's RJ Stinson. "Being nominated for this award and just being here, it's a blessing," Jordan said Monday. Jordan is the first winner from Mississippi State since Tanner Allen in 2021 and the ninth member of the Bulldogs -- holding a lead in the state above Ole Miss' second-place total of six. Jordan is hitting .363 this season with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs. He has appeared and started in all 55 games for the Bulldogs, providing a stalwart in the third spot of coach Chris Lemonis' lineup. "He's our spark plug," Lemonis said. "When he plays well, we usually play really well. He just does so many things for you. He plays great defense, he flies, he's got power, he hits for average -- he's your true five-tool guy. He's brought that to the team all year long." Mississippi State has won three of the four primary awards handed out by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame this past academic calendar. Delta State quarterback Patrick Shegog won the Conerly Trophy as the state's top football player in 2023. However, MSU won both basketball awards with Josh Hubbard securing the Howell Trophy as the top men's player while Jessika Carter won the Gillom Trophy on the women's side. |
| Three Mississippi State baseball players named to all-conference teams | |
| Mississippi State sophomore outfielder Dakota Jordan won the Ferriss Trophy, presented annually to the best college baseball player in the state of Mississippi, on Monday, becoming the first Bulldog to win the award since 2021. Jordan was also named to the All-Southeastern Conference second team, with shortstop David Mershon and pitcher Khal Stephen earning spots on the first team. In addition, Jordan was announced as one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given each year to the top amateur baseball player in the country. Mershon played in 30 games last year as a freshman, starting 25, before transforming into a true five-tool player this spring. Entering the SEC Tournament, Mershon is batting .326 with a .430 on-base percentage and is 23-for-25 on stolen base attempts. He has also made just two errors while playing a premium defensive position. Stephen was Purdue's Friday night starter a year ago but was inconsistent, posting a 5.21 ERA after having been a reliever the year before. He transferred to MSU over the summer, and under the tutelage of new pitching coach Justin Parker, became the Bulldogs' ace and one of the SEC's top starting pitchers. |
| Jans, Mississippi State Commit To New Contract After Back-To-Back NCAA Tournament Appearances | |
| After leading the Mississippi State men's basketball program to consecutive NCAA Tournament trips, head coach Chris Jans has signed a contract extension through the 2027-28 season. "We are excited for the future of Mississippi State basketball under the leadership of Coach Jans," MSU Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "He and his staff have done a tremendous job since arriving in Starkville, and we know the best is yet to come. Fueled by seven sellouts, Bulldog fans made Humphrey Coliseum one of the most electric atmospheres in college basketball this past season, and we can't wait for what next year has in store. Pack The Hump!" "We are thankful to President Mark Keenum and Director of Athletics Zac Selmon for their trust and confidence in our staff's ability to lead our basketball program," Jans said. "Sheri and I love living in the Starkville community and are building long lasting relationships with Bulldogs everywhere. We want to continue to make our fan base proud of the Maroon and White. The renovated Humphrey Coliseum has already proven to be a great home court advantage because of our dedicated State students and passionate fans. We can't wait to get back inside The Hump in November." Over his first two seasons, Jans has guided the Bulldogs back to college basketball's biggest stage fueled by two NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of 21-win campaigns. The last time State collected consecutive NCAA Tournament trips was in 2007-08 and 2008-09. |
| Chris Jans inks four-year contract extension with Mississippi State men's basketball | |
| After leading Mississippi State to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons as head coach, Chris Jans has signed a four-year contract extension that will keep him in Starkville through 2027-28. "We are excited for the future of Mississippi State basketball under the leadership of coach Jans," athletic director Zac Selmon said in a news release. "He and his staff have done a tremendous job since arriving in Starkville, and we know the best is yet to come. Fueled by seven sellouts, Bulldog fans made Humphrey Coliseum one of the most electric atmospheres in college basketball this past season, and we can't wait to see what next year has in store." Jans, 55, rose up through the coaching ranks at the junior college level, spending a total of six seasons as the head coach at four different junior colleges in Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Florida, then spent three years as an assistant coach at Illinois State before joining the staff at Wichita State and helping the Shockers reach the Final Four in 2013. He was the head coach at Bowling Green for a year, then eventually landed at New Mexico State and won four conference championships in five years with the Aggies. Jans was hired by the Bulldogs in March 2022 and is 42-27 through two years at MSU with a 16-20 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Tolu Smith, D.J. Jeffries and Dashawn Davis, among others, have exhausted their eligibility, but with Josh Hubbard and Cameron Matthews back on board, MSU looks primed to continue its upward trajectory in 2024-25. |
| What Zac Selmon said about Chris Jans' extension, investment in Mississippi State basketball | |
| Mississippi State had been working on finalizing a contract extension for men's basketball coach Chris Jans right before the SEC tournament in March, according to athletics director Zac Selmon. While the deal -- which extends through the 2027-28 season and boosted Jans' salary from $3.2 million to $4.2 million -- wasn't announced until Monday, Selmon believes there's a strong commitment from the two parties. "We're so excited to get it done, knowing that both sides are excited," Selmon said. "Both sides know it's going to be a long-term partnership." Mississippi State is coming off its second NCAA Tournament appearance in as many seasons under Jans. The Bulldogs lost in the First Four last in 2023 before getting eliminated in the first round in 2024 as a No. 8 seed against No. 9 seed Michigan State. Jans is the first coach to lead MSU to back-to-back appearances in March Madness since Rick Stansbury did so in 2008 and 2009. Based on last season's salaries, the raise would put Jans in the top half of the highest-paid coaches in the SEC. "We want to be competitive in everything we do," Selmon said. "Part of that is seeing where the market is and knowing that coach Jans is that level of coach." |
| Lopez Ramirez Concludes NCAA Championship in Top 10; State finishes in Top 15 | |
| The Mississippi State women's golf team concluded its run at the 2024 NCAA Women's Golf Championship on Monday as the Bulldogs fell short of advancing to the match play portion of the tournament. State made history before teeing off at the tournament, as this year marked the third-consecutive season they have appeared at the NCAA Championship, the longest streak in program history. The Bulldogs made the cut to reach the fourth round for the second straight year and the second time in program history since a third-round cut was added when the format changed in 2015. Julia Lopez Ramirez led the Bulldogs in Carlsbad. She finished with a four-day total of 2-under par, her second-best score in three appearances at the NCAA Championship. Lopez Ramirez led the team with five birdies and jumped as high as second place in the final round. She finished in 8th, her 23rd career top-10 finish and best placement in her three appearances. Freshman Avery Weed tied her best round of the tournament on Monday as she finished the round 2-over. Weed picked up three birdies throughout the day to conclude her NCAA Championship debut. |
| What is a double first base? SEC Baseball Tournament to experiment with new rule in Hoover | |
| The SEC will experiment with a new rule for the league's postseason baseball tournament this week in Hoover, Alabama. Hoover Metropolitan Stadium will feature two bases at first base, with one in foul territory connected to the regular first base. The hope is that the new rule, which allows runners to step on the outside base when running to first base, will reduce collisions and, therefore, injuries. The double bases were not used in SEC conference play this season, but were used in numerous SEC non-conference games. The second bag that's in foul territory will be orange or green, according to the SEC, while the bag in fair territory is white. A batted ball hitting or bounding over the white portion of the bag is a fair ball. A batted ball hitting or bounding over the colored (orange or green) bag without first touching or bounding over the white section is foul. When an initial play is being made on the batter-runner at first base, the defense must use the white section of the double base and the batter-runner must use the colored base except in the case of a dropped third strike. After a dropped third strike, if the fielder is drawn to the side of the colored base, the runner would go the white base and the fielder to the colored base. On a dropped third strike, the fielder and batter-runner may touch either the white or colored base. If there is a play on the batter-runner and the batter-runner touches only the white portion of the double base and the defense appeals prior to the batter-runner returning to first base, it is treated the same as missing the base. Penalty: Batter-runner is out. |
| SEC paid out roughly $51 million to members during 2023 fiscal year: Tax filing | |
| The Southeastern Conference dispersed between $51 million and $51.8 million to each of its 14 members during the 2023 fiscal year, according to its tax return, which was released on Monday. The SEC paid out around $718 million to its members, up from $698.5 million in fiscal year 2022. That provided about a $1.8 million bump to each school's athletics department. The league generated nearly $852.6 million, with $544.4 million coming from its media rights deals, according to the tax return. The other sizable chunk of revenue came from postseason participation at $274 million. The 2023 fiscal year concluded on June 30, 2023. Overall, the SEC saw a $50.5 million jump in overall revenue to $852 million. After expenses, the league had a $29.43 million profit -- $9.5 million more than in fiscal 2022. It ended the fiscal year with more than $191.1 million in assets. Commissioner Greg Sankey was the SEC's highest paid official at $3.6 million in compensation. |
| Big Ten Reclaims Revenue Lead After Earning $880M in FY23 | |
| The Big Ten Conference took in $880 million in the fiscal year stretching from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023 -- the period that immediately preceded the league's rich new television deal -- according to tax returns obtained by Sportico. Nevertheless, that haul earned the Big Ten the top spot in college conference revenue, usurping the $853 million the Big Ten's fellow super league, the SEC, took in in FY23. Both conferences are threatening to leap the billion-dollar bar in the not-too-distant fiscal years. The Big Ten distributed around $60 million to each of its members -- with 2014 joiners Maryland and Rutgers earning slightly less than their cohorts. The conference also spent nearly $5 million on legal fees and $439,647 on lobbying activities to "discuss student-athlete initiatives with elected officials." As Sportico previously reported, the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 had been planning to release their tax filings together at the end of this week. However, the Big Ten agreed to release its Monday after Sportico showed up at the conference's Rosemont, Ill., headquarters to request the documents. In most circumstances, the IRS requires organizations that are registered as 501(c)(3) federal charities to immediately provide certain of its filings to the public upon an in-person request. The FY23 return encapsulates the final 12 months of the Big Ten's previous broadcast rights deal, before it signed a $7 billion, 7-year agreement with Fox, CBS and NBC that commenced on July 1, 2023. |
| Inside Auburn's move from Under Armour to Nike with AD John Cohen | |
 | When he arrived here just under a year before negotiations would begin, then-new Auburn Athletic Director John Cohen was acutely aware of the apparel contracts awaiting him after he got through his first major task of hiring a football coach. On Sept. 1, 2023, before Cohen wrapped a full year at Auburn, he had a fully open negotiating period with any possible apparel provider. Cohen, coming to Auburn from Mississippi State, already had a relationship with Adidas which serves as the apparel sponsor for the Bulldogs. Yet it was clear from Auburn fans online they wanted to move on from Under Armour which had been partnered with Auburn since 2006. They wanted a move to Nike. Ultimately, Auburn wound up picking Nike. But details of the deal are scarce --- and may remain so. Auburn will stay with Under Armour until the new contract begins in July 2025. "I think Nike has set a certain standard on the American collegiate scene that we wanted to be a part of," Cohen said. Cohen sat down with AL.com in mid-May to discuss what went into this process. |
| Inside the transformation of Kyle Field's playing surface from gridiron to soccer pitch | |
 | Though classes have ended, Texas A&M University's campus was bristling with activity over the weekend. The Aggie baseball team, and field crew, worked through inclement weather to keep a top-five Southeastern Conference series against Arkansas on schedule. They did that all while maintaining Davis Diamond for an NCAA tournament regional, which the Aggie softball team won. Meanwhile, the Troubadour Festival brought barbecue, live music and huge crowds to Aggie Park. Unbeknownst to most, Kyle Field was undergoing a massive renovation, transforming the playing surface from a football gridiron for the first time in its history. Over the last four days, approximately 16,000 square feet of additional playing surface was added to the football field to bring it up to code for the MEXTOUR soccer friendly between the Mexican national team and Brazil on June 8. "You can lay this stuff and really, technically, play on it that day if you need to," Nick McKenna, assistant athletic director for sports fields, said. "To alleviate some of the player perception -- just some the psychological aspect of it -- we're going to install it, obviously, about three weeks out so that will give those strips and rolls of grass time to kind of knit together where the seams will grow together where they won't be noticeable." Now, the challenge is keeping the turf in pristine conditions for the next three weeks as Texas summertime rolls into the Brazos Valley. |
| Jaden Rashada sues Billy Napier, Florida booster over NIL deal | |
| Former University of Florida football recruit Jaden Rashada is suing coach Billy Napier, along with a big-time Gator booster and others, claiming they defrauded him out of millions of dollars by backing out of a promised $13.85 million agreement after the quarterback had turned down offers tied to other programs. The lawsuit filed Tuesday includes an allegation that Rashada signed his National Letter of Intent to Florida on Dec. 21, 2022, less than an hour after Napier promised the player's father a $1 million "partial payment" that day upon signing. Rashada never received the $1 million, and the boosters never fulfilled the deal, the lawsuit states. Rashada is the first known college athlete to sue his coach or a booster due to a dispute of a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal. His case, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Florida, comes during a tumultuous time for the relatively new NIL market for college athletes. A mixture of state laws and evolving NCAA guidance dictates the roles that coaches, schools and donor groups known as collectives all play in facilitating the deals athletes can now strike to make money. By signing with Florida, Rashada turned away from a prior commitment to the University of Miami and a promise there of $9.5 million, the lawsuit states, which is a portion of the damages Rashada is claiming. It alleges several counts pertaining to fraud, negligence and interference with a business contract. |
| UGA Athletics provides update on $240 million in ongoing facility projects | |
| Sanford Stadium's south-side construction project is on budget and is expected to be completed on time before this fall, according to Georgia Athletic Director Josh Brooks. The athletic association's chief executive briefed the facilities and development committee Monday morning in advance of the end-of-year, full-board meeting later this week. "We're still looking good for everything being on time for the season," Brooks told the group. "The new press box and the new suites will be completed on the southwest corner and the old press box will be a new premium (donor) area." Brooks revealed that the new donor area, which is taking over over the club-level space previously occupied by the Dan Magill Press Box, will be called the "1929 Club" in recognition of the year the stadium was first opened. Interest from season-ticket holders to meet donations requirements to qualify for seating in the new space reportedly has resulted in increased revenue for the football program, according to a recent finance committee report. "Seat selection for that area went very well," Brooks said. "So we're really excited to open up what will be our best premium area in the stadium this year. ... That project is still underway but will be completed on time." Phase two of a $48 million expansion and renovation of Foley Field, UGA's baseball facility, will get underway as soon as the season ends. The Diamond Dogs have completed the regular season but hope to become a regional host and possibly a Top 8 seed for the NCAA Tournament, which begins at the end of the month |
| Emmitt Smith ripped Florida for eliminating all DEI roles. Here's why the NFL legend spoke out | |
 | Emmitt Smith probably wasn't the first NFL legend you expected to stick his neck out as such a powerful voice for DEI -- diversity, equity and inclusion -- as opposition intensifies on many fronts. Think again. During a wide-ranging interview with USA TODAY Sports, Smith, 55, passionately doubled down on the scathing statement he issued in March that denounced the elimination of DEI programs at his alma mater, the University of Florida. The school's action was prompted by a controversial state law passed in 2023 that bans Florida's public universities and colleges from any spending on DEI. Smith's position comes from the thinking that this huge issue is way bigger than himself. "When I see them destroying DEI for the sake of politics...it's not even common sense," Smith said. "This is just sheer out of spite and sheer power. At the end of the day, this country was built on people fighting for what is right for everybody, not just a select few. And with that fight, and with the University of Florida being as visible as it is, it irked me. To the fullest. Because I remember the time when our president at the university would stand up and say, 'Nah, we're the University of Florida. We're going to be here a lot longer than you, (Gov.) Ron DeSantis; a lot longer than you, Jeb Bush; we're going to be here a lot longer than any other governor that tries to push something of this magnitude down the throats of so many Americans and so many Florida citizens.' To me, that's a problem." |
| Power conferences, NCAA to vote on landmark $2.7 billion settlement as smaller leagues balk at terms | |
| University presidents around the country are scheduled to meet this week to vote on whether to accept a proposed settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that would cost the NCAA nearly $3 billion and create a landmark revenue-sharing system with college athletes. The terms of the agreement have met some pushback from Division I conferences that do not compete in major college football. Leaders of those leagues say they are being asked to bear an undue financial burden on the damages portion of the settlement. Attorneys for the defendants in House vs. NCAA gave college sports leaders until Thursday to agree to terms of a deal. The defendants are the NCAA and the Power Five conferences -- the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern. The presidential boards of the NCAA and the five conferences must individually vote to accept the settlement. That includes the full current Pac-12 membership before that league shrinks to two schools later this summer. The NCAA is expected to cover some $2.7 billion in damages over 10 years to current and former college athletes, dating to 2016, who were denied by NCAA rules the ability to earn money from sponsorship and endorsement deals. "Basketball-centric leagues are really getting hit," said an administrator from a conference that does not compete in the highest tier of Division I football, known as the Bowl Subdivision. |
| As 22 conferences balk at House case damages bill, extent of industry tumult revealed | |
| As Thursday's settlement deadline fast approaches in the landmark House v. NCAA case, non-Football Bowl Subdivision leagues are making an aggressive, 11th-hour attempt to shift more of the burden of the damages bill to power conferences. But at this late stage in settlement talks -- a variety of sources told On3 on Monday -- it is doubtful the non-FBS leagues wield enough leverage to alter the state of play in what is expected to be one of the most consequential weeks in the history of college sports. The public display of discontent from non-FBS corners illustrates the immense chasm between the power leagues and the non-FBS ranks. It underscores the extent of the fracture between two vastly disparate groups that inexplicably try to operate under the same proverbial Big Tent umbrella. There is no indication, at least at the moment, that stakeholders who wield the most leverage are willing to entertain reshaping the contours of the framework for the damages bill. And the clock is ticking. University leaders in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC conferences are voting on the settlement proposal in the coming days. The terms entail schools being able to pay athletes as much as $22 million annually in a revenue-sharing model that will radically reshape the enterprise. But opting into the revenue-sharing model is optional. What is not optional is the damages bill of some $2.77 billion expected to be shared by the NCAA and all 32 Division I conferences, including those outside the named defendants (the NCAA and five power leagues). All of the conferences learned earlier this month that they would be on the hook for the bill, sources said. |
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