| Wednesday, May 22, 2024 |
| MSU-Meridian adds two new healthcare schools downtown | |
 | The Meridian campus of Mississippi State University continues to grow its footprint in healthcare education with the state college board approving MSU's proposal to establish two new schools in Meridian. During a meeting last week, the Board of Trustees of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning approved plans for a School of Health Professions and a School of Nursing on MSU-Meridian's Riley Campus, located on Fifth Street in downtown. MSU officials acknowledged the approval as a bold move in addressing the state's critical personnel shortages in the healthcare sector. "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 healthcare opportunities and the quality of life throughout our state," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said in a university news release. "This is the realization of a vision for this community that will endure and grow." MSU-Meridian has worked to transform itself into a regional leader in health care education following the establishment a few years ago of the Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree program at the Riley Campus. Since then, the college board has granted approval for the state's first accelerated master's graduate entry nursing program to be located on the campus, which will admit its first students this August. In addition to these two programs are MSU-Meridian's new doctoral degree in psychology -- its first doctoral program -- and a new bachelor's degree in health care administration. |
| MSU Extension offers kids culinary camp in June | |
 | Young people can learn about local foods, kitchen basics and easy recipes at an upcoming Mississippi State University camp. The Culinary Arts Kids Camp is a hands-on, weeklong day camp hosted by the MSU Extension Service and the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion. "Our focus is to introduce kids to new and exciting experiences with foods," said Courtney Crist, a camp instructor and associate Extension professor in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion. "Research has shown the importance of hands-on experiences in getting children to try foods, especially fruits and vegetables." The camp is open to rising 4th-6th graders June 17-21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Rising 7th-12th graders can participate June 24-28 from 9a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Camp participants will experience new foods and flavors, gain culinary skills and techniques, use reading and math skills for recipes, acquire new skills to make food products and understand the importance of food safety. |
| Starkville voted 'best small Southern town' on USA Today's list | |
 | Hold up your cowbells and let them ring out. Starkville has been named "best small town in the South," according to a recent USA Today rankings list. USA Today's 2024 "10 best small towns in the South" list includes a ranking of towns that boast, according to the list, "relaxing getaways, cultural immersion, outdoor adventures and culinary delights," -- and all that with a population of less than 25,000. With a population of just over 24,000, Starkville managed to make the cut and beat out every other small town in the South. USA Today readers and an expert panel voted on the ten winners. Starkville, like most college towns in the South, is famous for its SEC football scene. Rich in sports culture due to the Mississippi State University football team represented by the beloved bulldog mascot, the town truly comes alive during the fall football season. However, Starkville's southern charm beyond tailgates and cowbells is what secured the town its win. "Home to Mississippi State University, Starkville is much more than just a college town," the list says. "You'll find a thriving arts scene, multiple historic districts, many opportunities for bird-watching and plenty of great food." The list goes on to emphasize Starkville's historical significance, encouraging readers to visit the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, an establishment it describes as a "treasure trove of artifacts and correspondence." |
| Farmers Markets Add Benefits to Community | |
 | One of summertime's treats in the South is the prevalence of farmers markets, community social events that allow shoppers to leave with a variety of fresh, local fruits, vegetables and other goods. Farmers markets have increased in popularity in recent years, with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce indicating there are 62 farmers markets in the state. These events provide tangible benefits, including bringing communities together, offering fresh food and generating income to those who supply it. Rachael Carter, community planning specialist in the Mississippi State University Extension Service Center for Government and Community Development, said social media has been a part of making community farmers markets vibrant. "Farmers markets can support small businesses, agriculture, healthy food choices and lifestyles all at once," Carter said. "They can create a sense of community and be recreational activities." Carter said market managers have commented that they truly need more young farmers at their local markets, and they have seen some youth be very successful with selling at farmers markets. |
| Tight beef cattle supplies push prices to 10-year high | |
| Beef cattle prices are the best they have been in nearly a decade for Mississippi's producers, but they face some tough management challenges to ensure their operations are profitable. "Producers are encouraged by high cattle prices and seem optimistic going into 2024," said Brandi Karisch, beef cattle specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. "However, these high prices may be offset by inflation, the high cost of inputs and costs associated with drought recovery." A tight supply is pushing prices up for calves, cows and replacement heifers. Calves in Mississippi are selling for nearly $3 per pound depending on weight. Cow and replacement heifer prices are also very strong, said MSU Extension agricultural economist Josh Maples. The tight supply in 2024 is partly a result of producers reducing their herds as drought conditions worsened throughout 2023. "Many producers are recovering from the severe drought that hit the state last year, decimating pastures and ponds used as water sources," said Karisch, who is also a research professor in the MSU Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. "The extremely dry conditions caused a decline in cattle numbers that we see reflected in the early January 2024 inventory numbers." |
| Jason Keith named senior vice president and provost | |
| Iowa State University has named Jason Keith as the next senior vice president and provost, pending approval by the Board of Regents, according to a university press release. Keith succeeds Jonathan Wickert, who served as provost for 12 years and will remain with the university as a professor of mechanical engineering. The new provost previously served as the dean of the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University for the past 10 years. Prior to that, he served as the director of Mississippi State's Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering. "President Wintersteen's vision for Iowa State University resonates perfectly with my belief in what a public land-grant university should be all about," Keith stated in the release. The selection process included a nationwide search led by an 18-member search committee. David Spalding, vice president for economic development and industry relations and the dean of the Ivy College of Business, chaired the committee. Keith will begin his term on Aug. 1 as a member of Wintersteen's senior leadership team and cabinet. |
| Campground owner offers ways to have fun while staying safe | |
 | Luke White is the owner of Lake Tiak-O'Khata in Winston County. He said Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be near perfect for a family getaway. "With the great weather that we are going to have this weekend, it is not as hot as it can be yet, so people can look forward to a great time in a safe environment," said White. The nice weather will give campers, like Ronnie Eubanks, a chance to make the most of the great outdoors. He said coming to Lake Tiak-O'Khata is a family tradition. "I plan on coming out here Thursday and staying all weekend, and just having a great time. This is a beautiful lake and it is a great atmosphere with great food, and I have been coming here for a long time, for over 50 years," said Eubanks. "I love getting out in the campfires and doing some fishing. Family is the main thing, I like getting with family and having a good time." White knows there will be a huge crowd this weekend because of the holidays, which is why he said safety is a big priority. "If you look around our property, there is yellow everywhere. We are making sure we have a safe environment, and we have security here 24/7, especially for a holiday weekend," said White. White said he expects more than 1,200 people to camp at Lake Tiak-O'khata this weekend. |
| Blue Delta Jeans investing $1.5M to purchase Shannon plant, build for future | |
| One million jeans in 10 years. It is a goal that Josh West and Nick Weaver, founders of bespoke jean designer Blue Delta Jeans, hope to hit. They believe they'll do it, too. "I think we can achieve that," said West, the company's CEO. "We're making around 150-200 jeans a day, and we've been doing that for several years. Around Christmas time, we try to do more than 200 ... so it's certainly possible." To reach that 1 million benchmark, Blue Delta needs a facility large enough to scale up production and take on the extra capacity. The company took a major step in doing so on Tuesday. West announced Blue Delta was purchasing the building it currently leases in Shannon inside the Tupelo Lee Industrial Park South. The $1.5 million investment, made possible by a low-interest loan by the Mississippi Development Authority, will mean the company can nearly double its usable space from 15,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet. It also plans to improve the infrastructure in and around the plant and also build a showroom. The investment also means Blue Delta will retain the nearly 60 workers it currently employs, most of whom are seamsters, seamstresses and tailors who make the jeans popular with professional athletes, artists, celebrities and everyday folks looking for a custom jean made just for them. Bill Cork, the executive director of MDA, owns four pairs of Blue Delta Jeans, and he heaped praise upon the company. |
| Speaker White eyes major cuts to Mississippi grocery, income taxes for 2025 session | |
| Major changes to the state tax code, including reducing the grocery tax and eliminating the personal income tax over time, will be considered during the 2025 legislative session, House Speaker Jason White said Monday. White, R-West, who recently completed his first session as House speaker, met with media late Monday afternoon to answer questions about the recently completed 2024 session and to discuss his agenda for the 2025 session. White said he will form a select committee to study the state's tax laws and to make recommendations before the 2025 session. But it was obvious that he already has an idea of what he believes should be considered. "It would be a net (tax) reduction," White said, but he added if both the grocery tax and the income tax were cut that taxes would have to be increased in other areas to ensure enough revenue to provide state services. White said he would like to see the state's 7% grocery tax, the highest statewide tax of its kind in the nation, be cut at least in half as soon as possible. He also said his goal would be to completely eliminate the personal income tax, which provides just under one-third of the state general fund revenue. But he said that would be done over time. "We have to be smart how we do it," White said. |
| New Mississippi Main Street Executive Director eyes expansion into more communities | |
| Jim Miller took the helm of the Mississippi Main Street Association earlier this year as its new Executive Director. Miller brings with him experience in the insurance industry, higher education, and a background of working with federal grants, a skill he foresees will be invaluable in his new role. Prior to joining the Mississippi Main Street Association in March, Miller worked with the Mississippi Community College Board as an alignment specialist and assistant director of resource development. He holds a bachelor's in political science from the University of Mississippi and a master's degree in higher education from Mississippi College. He will obtain his doctoral degree this summer from the University of Southern Mississippi in higher education administration. Miller is looking to increase the number of Main Street communities across the state through engagement. He told Magnolia Tribune that he has seen firsthand the impact of the work conducted by Main Street organizations, not just in Mississippi, but across the nation. "It's a very powerful model that absolutely works," Miller said. The Main Street Approach is a model that focuses on four points: organization, promotion, design and economic vitality. |
| The National Folk Festival is coming to Jackson for the first time in history | |
| For the first time ever, you'll be able to see the National Folk Festival in Jackson, but also for the first time in the state of Mississippi. Out of 42 cities across the country, Jackson was chosen by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) to host the festival for the next three years. The event will last for three days each of the three years it will be hosted, and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says it's expected to bring tens of thousands of people to the capital city. The mayor's wife, Ebony Lumumba, serves as a co-chair on the city's festival committee, alongside the First Lady of Mississippi, Elee Reeves, who serves as the second co-chair. While many at Tuesday's press conference were excited about the event itself, Ebony Lumumba reinforced how much of an economic impact the festival will have for Jackson. "This is a little bit of what Jackson can expect over our three-year residency... over 330,000 visitors to the downtown area during our three years... over $60 million in long-term economic impact," she said. The National Folk Festival is scheduled to begin in November 2025. |
| A big survey asked Americans about their finances. Here are some trouble spots | |
 | Americans overwhelmingly say they're "doing at least OK financially," but most remain worried about rising prices, and 1 in 6 says they have bills they can't pay, according to a report released Tuesday by the Federal Reserve. Each year the Fed surveys thousands of people about their household finances, including income, savings and expenses. This year's snapshot shows family budgets generally held steady over the last year, but they're not as solid as they were two years ago, when pandemic relief payments helped pad people's bank accounts and inflation was just beginning to take hold. The survey, conducted last fall, found that 72% of adults are living comfortably financially or at least doing OK. That's down from 73% in 2022 and 78% in 2021. One group that saw a bigger drop in well-being was parents. Just 64% of those with children under 18 said they were doing at least OK -- down from 75% in 2021. Child care is a significant expense for many families, often costing at least half as much as their housing. The median monthly cost for child care was $800, or $1,100 for those using more than 20 hours a week. About a third of those surveyed said their monthly income had increased during the year, while a slightly higher percentage -- 38% -- said their monthly expenses had grown. This year's report included a new question about home insurance, which has seen double-digit price increases in the last year. While the vast majority of homeowners have insurance, some of the most vulnerable people do not, including more than 20% of low-income families in the South. |
| Left and right unite in panning House Republicans' farm bill proposal | |
 | House Republicans' new farm bill proposal is drawing opposition from a coalition of left- and right-wing groups that agree on little else. The proposed version of the $1.5 trillion omnibus unveiled last week by House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) includes several priorities of big agribusiness -- proposals that frustrated both right-aligned groups such as the Heritage Foundation and left-leaning ones including the Environmental Working Group amid progressives' and populists' broader dislike of what they see as crony capitalism at the U.S. farmstand. The bill faces a tough road in the House, where Republicans hold only a narrow majority and both Democrats and some GOP lawmakers have pushed back against provisions included in the proposal. As it goes to markup this week, several key areas of shared left-right opposition will be front and center. The principal bone of contention is that Thompson's proposed legislation contains tens of billions of dollars in subsidies that would overwhelmingly go to a few thousand of America's wealthiest cotton, rice and peanut farmers -- money that would likely come from either climate funding or food aid. Of particular concern to both left- and right-wing opponents of the bill is the increase to what are called "reference prices," a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that pays farmers when commodity prices drop below a certain level. |
| Hemp and marijuana go to war: The farm bill has pitted the allies against each other over how to handle intoxicating products | |
 | A farm bill battle is pitting hemp against its closest cousin: marijuana. The fight centers on intoxicating hemp products, which have developed into a multi-billion-dollar industry subject to few rules and regulations. Some marijuana companies and trade groups are pushing Congress to close a loophole that allows the production and sale of intoxicating substances derived from legal hemp. The hemp industry has a very different ask for lawmakers: leave the federal definition of hemp unchanged. "This will probably be one of the more interesting debates and discussions in the farm bill," House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Penn.) told POLITICO earlier this month. It's the culmination of similar fights happening in state houses around the country, as the nation tries to navigate a completely new industry rife with legal complexities created by distinctly different federal laws for marijuana and hemp. The loophole originated in 2018 when the last farm bill legalized hemp -- or cannabis with less than 0.3 percent THC, the principal psychoactive component of the plant. Cannabis with more than 0.3 percent THC, meanwhile, is considered marijuana and remains federally illegal. Many lawmakers who backed hemp legalization six years ago did not realize they were approving an intoxicating substance. On Capitol Hill, the main question -- with a House markup of the farm bill looming on Thursday -- is whether House Agriculture Committee Republicans have enough support in their own caucus to bring an amendment that would either put more guardrails around hemp products or prohibit them from having any amount of THC. |
| Lara Trump is taking the reins, and reshaping the RNC in Donald Trump's image | |
 | The direction of the Republican National Committee is clear from the last name of its new second-in-command: Trump. "My No. 1 goal is making sure that Donald Trump is the 47th president," said RNC co-chair Lara Trump in an interview with The Associated Press. It's one more step in solidifying Trump's hold over the Republican Party. The daughter-in-law of the former president has wasted no time in rebranding the typically staid committee in Trump's image, embracing her own version of his pugilistic politics and brash management style in ways that affirm his sway over the Republican establishment. The RNC has fired dozens of longtime staffers and sought alliances with election deniers, conspiracy theorists and alt-right advocates the party had previously kept at arm's length. Lara Trump, who is married to Trump's third child, Eric, has been an outspoken defender of the former president and has not hesitated to blast his foes, promising four years of "scorched earth" political retribution if he wins the election. But her installation has raised concerns among some Republicans who say the RNC is being run in ways that could harm its mandate to help all its candidates up and down the ballot. By prioritizing the presidential campaign, they said, the RNC might not be able to dedicate the necessary resources to assist other office seekers. "It kind of suggests an expectation of complete, unabashed and, perhaps, a blind loyalty to the candidate," said Marc Racicot, a former RNC chair who served as Montana's governor for eight years. |
| US says cyberattacks against water supplies are rising, and utilities need to do more to stop them | |
| Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation's drinking water. About 70% of utilities inspected by federal officials over the last year violated standards meant to prevent breaches or other intrusions, the agency said. Officials urged even small water systems to improve protections against hacks. Recent cyberattacks by groups affiliated with Russia and Iran have targeted smaller communities. Some water systems are falling short in basic ways, the alert said, including failure to change default passwords or cut off system access to former employees. Because water utilities often rely on computer software to operate treatment plants and distribution systems, protecting information technology and process controls is crucial, the EPA said. Possible impacts of cyberattacks include interruptions to water treatment and storage; damage to pumps and valves; and alteration of chemical levels to hazardous amounts, the agency said. "In many cases, systems are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is to have completed a risk assessment of their vulnerabilities that includes cybersecurity and to make sure that plan is available and informing the way they do business," said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. |
| Education professor, program director honored for student support | |
| Two University of Mississippi employees are being honored for caring service to students that goes well beyond their campus responsibilities. Qiang "Andy" Cheng, associate professor of elementary education, and Tracy Case Koslowski, associate director of the Intensive English Program, are the 2023 Frist Student Service Award honorees. A committee appointed by the chancellor reviewed dozens of nominations submitted by students, faculty and staff. Both Cheng and Koslowski received glowing reviews from students, parents and their peers that stood out among this year's award nominations. "Dr. Cheng and Ms. Koslowski have gone above and beyond in their support of our students, responding to their unique needs and ensuring they have every opportunity to flourish," Chancellor Glenn Boyce said. "I'm deeply grateful for their outstanding commitment to our community. Their efforts make a tangible difference in students' lives, and I'm so glad to see them honored with the Frist Award." The Frist Student Service Awards were established with a $50,000 gift from the late Dr. Thomas F. Frist, of Nashville, a 1930 Ole Miss graduate. |
| Delta State University Budget Cuts Could Leave Some Employees Looking for Jobs | |
| Several Delta State University faculty and staff may lose jobs after University president Dan Ennis announced $3 million in budget cuts for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year. Since last year, the president has argued for the need to reduce DSU's spending. "For too long, Delta State's enrollment has declined while the university's expenditures have increased," Ennis said in a message on the university's website last September. "As a consequence, the institution has operated under a budget deficit, and that deficit has consumed our financial reserves." In a letter to the university on May 13 , Ennis outlined a "restructured budget" that included recommendations from the university's Ad Hoc Committee on Budget Sustainability to reduce "$250,000 from Executive, Administrative, and Managerial salaries or Professional Non-Faculty salaries along with corresponding fringe benefits from the adjusted FY24 budget" and "$500,000 from Executive, Administrative, and Managerial salaries and Professional Non-Faculty salaries each, along with corresponding fringe benefits from the FY25 budget." Delta State will also eliminate its vice president for executive affairs and chief of staff positions by not filling vacancies prior occupants left behind. The university will also cut its dean positions for Graduate Studies, Library Services and the College of Arts and Sciences. Ennis plans to reduce department and division chairs, administrative support staff, the career services office, the housing and residence life office, and the student life office. |
| How many students are retained by the 'third-grade gate'? No one knows | |
| Mississippi has seen significant improvement in its reading scores over the last decade, bringing much national attention and leading other states to attempt to replicate the success. Mississippi's success, first drawing national eyes in 2019, is usually attributed to a state law from earlier in the decade that reformed reading instruction and testing, piquing the interest of other states. As reading reforms have become particularly popular, 38 states have added to or updated their laws in the last five years according to data collected by ExcelinEd. These policies are not uniform across the country, however, and much of the debate around implementing them has focused on whether third-graders who fail a benchmark assessment should be held back. It is a key component of Mississippi's law, the so-called "third-grade gate." Sixteen other states have a similar requirement, but at least two states have also recently repealed it. How many students actually get retained under Mississippi's policy? It's harder to know than you might expect. |
| U. of Missouri Children's Hospital and Birthing Center welcomes young patients | |
 | The first young patients moved in April 9, but the new University of Missouri Children's Hospital and Birthing Center is in the spotlight this week with media tours, ribbon cuttings and community and employee open houses. On Tuesday, the media and hospital employees were allowed in. The seven-story hospital covers 323,000 square feet and 146 beds. Construction came in on budget at $232 million during a time of increasing construction costs, said Keri Simon, interim chief operating officer of MU Health Care. The very first patients got a special honor, said Laura Hesemann, chair of pediatrics and chief medical officer. There's an outdoor playground and several indoor play areas. Some floors, like pediatrics, have colorful murals on the hallway walls showing Missouri wildlife and plants. Every floor connects to MU Hospital. Large windows allow in natural light. LED lighting in the building can be adjusted for day or night operations. All the rooms are private rooms, Simon said. |
| Undergraduate Enrollment Picks Up Steam | |
 | Undergraduate enrollment increased by 2.5 percent this spring, according to a report out today from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. It's the second spring in a row that enrollments have increased and it builds on last fall's 1.2 percent bump, continuing a slow but steady path to recovery from a devastating nosedive during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, spring enrollment in bachelor's programs is up for the first time in four years at both public and private nonprofit institutions -- and the 2.3 percent average growth rate is higher than the fall's, a rarity. First-year enrollment is up by 3.9 percent overall, though it fell by 1.5 percent at private nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduate enrollment was up by 3 percent this spring, reversing last year's losses. Community colleges led the way, as they did in the fall. Despite accounting for only a quarter of all postsecondary enrollment, they were responsible for nearly half of the growth, with a 4.7 percent increase over last spring. For the second year in a row, undergraduate enrollment rose at historically Black colleges and universities as well, and at an even higher rate: 4 percent, compared to 3.2 percent in 2023. "It's very encouraging that the trend started in the fall is continuing or even accelerating in the spring," said National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) research director Doug Shapiro. |
| Companies Want Fewer Grad Hires This Year | |
 | The Class of 2024 is about to join a job market nearly as turbulent as their college years. Employers plan to hire 5.8% fewer new graduates than they did last year, according to a spring survey of 226 employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. And what those bosses want from entry-level workers is changing, students and recruiters say, from years of experience to sophisticated artificial-intelligence skills. Some companies say AI is taking over part of the work fresh graduates used to do. It's just the latest challenge for the graduating seniors who began their studies with Covid-19 lockdowns and Zoom classes and finished them amid protests that disrupted campus life nationwide. "I didn't think it would be so hard to even get a screening interview," said Daniel Cooper, a computer-engineering major who graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology this month. The 22-year-old accepted a software-engineering job earlier this spring, but the offer was rescinded after the company announced layoffs. Overall, the job market remains strong, and recruiting executives say new graduate-hires benefit from steady wage growth over the past few years. But it's taking graduating seniors longer to find white-collar roles. By April 2023, more than a third had accepted a full-time job and stopped looking further, according to research and analytics firm Veris Insights. This year, just under a quarter had. |
| Anyone Want to Be a College President? There Are (Many) Openings | |
 | To glimpse the tumultuous transitions in American college leadership these days, look no further than the witnesses set to testify at a congressional hearing on Thursday, the fourth in a fiery series on campus antisemitism that has helped topple two university presidents. Jonathan Holloway, the Rutgers University president and possible contender to succeed the Yale leader who is stepping down next month, will speak. So will Chancellor Gene D. Block of the University of California, Los Angeles, who will leave his post in July and hand off his job of 17 years to someone so far unnamed. In most any other era, the next leaders of U.C.L.A. and Yale would have already been announced. But the uncertainties from California to Connecticut show just how complex top campus jobs have become in an environment that has grown increasingly polarized. "There's always something going down in higher ed, and these are hard jobs on a good day," said Margaret Spellings, a former president of the University of North Carolina System who noted that especially now, the nation's campuses were "the front lines of the American public square." Presidential posts have always been challenging. The jobs can require the aplomb of a diplomat and sterling scholarship, as well as the talents to raise money from demanding alumni, manage exacting faculty members and connect with maturing students -- all while conjuring a spirited enthusiasm for football. But today, even top-tier presidencies -- buffeted by protests and politicians, personal attacks and endless scrutiny -- do not always appeal as they once did. |
| Amid campus protests, organizers with past ties to Hamas support also emerge | |
 | On Day 7 of the pro-Palestinian protests on the Columbia University campus, Osama Abuirshaid stopped by the student encampment. The executive director of American Muslims for Palestine walked through the tent city, then made a fiery speech to the gathered crowd. "This is not only a genocide that is being committed in Gaza," Abuirshaid said. "This is also a war on us here in America." Forty-eight hours later, Abuirshaid appeared at another campus -- George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he delivered another speech. Campus protests, which swept the country this spring, emerged as an outcry over the civilian death toll of the military campaign Israel launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Most student protesters have sought to distance themselves from Hamas, which the United States designated as a terrorist entity in 1997. But top members of Abuirshaid's organization have complex connections to the campus protest movement. And Abuirshaid and others from American Muslims for Palestine were once employees or officials at another group tied to direct financial support for Hamas, USA TODAY found. From 2002 to 2004, Abuirshaid ran the internal newspaper for a pro-Palestinian media organization called Islamic Association for Palestine. The group's sister fundraising organization, the Holy Land Foundation was designated a terror group in 2001, investigated by the FBI and indicted by the Department of Justice. Ultimately, the foundation's leaders went to prison for supporting terrorists, and a federal judge later found both groups responsible for funding Hamas. |
| Third Antisemitism Hearing Could Further Disrupt Higher Ed | |
| For the third time since December, leaders of prominent universities are set to testify before a House committee about their responses to antisemitic incidents and protests critical of Israel's war in Gaza. The first two hearings led to serious, disruptive consequences for the presidents, their campuses and higher education writ large---and this one could bring more of the same. Thursday's hearing, titled "Calling for Accountability: Stopping Antisemitic College Chaos," comes on the heels of a tumultuous month in higher education. In the 36 days since the last hearing on campus antisemitism focused on Columbia University, colleges and universities have grappled with a wave of protests and campus unrest. Scenes of students camping on university lawns and clashing with police have spurred a wave of criticism about the state of higher education in America, with conservatives saying the protests show the liberal bias on campuses and questioning whether tax dollars should fund elite institutions. This hearing will feature the leaders of Northwestern University, Rutgers University and the University of California, Los Angeles. Originally, the presidents of Yale University and the University of Michigan were slated to testify as well. But the committee added Northwestern and Rutgers to the docket instead after the universities reached agreements with student protesters, prompting the ire of lawmakers. "These presidents who are giving into these threats by these college students are spineless," Representative Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the committee, told Fox News on Tuesday. "They should not be doing this ... Our universities have lost their way." |
| Biden administration canceling student loans for another 160,000 borrowers | |
| The Biden administration is canceling student loans for another 160,000 borrowers through a combination of existing programs. The Education Department announced the latest round of cancellation on Wednesday, saying it will erase $7.7 billion in federal student loans. With the latest action, the administration said it has canceled $167 billion in student debt for nearly 5 million Americans through several programs. "From day one of my administration, I promised to fight to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "I will never stop working to cancel student debt -- no matter how many times Republican-elected officials try to stop us." The latest relief will go to borrowers in three categories who hit certain milestones that make them eligible for cancellation. It will go to 54,000 borrowers who are enrolled in Biden's new income-driven repayment plan, along with 39,000 enrolled in earlier income-driven plans, and about 67,000 who are eligible through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The cancellation is moving forward even as Biden's SAVE Plan faces legal challenges from Republican-led states. The proposal is going through a lengthy rulemaking process, but the administration said it will accelerate certain provisions, with plans to start waiving unpaid interest for millions of borrowers starting this fall. Conservative opponents have threatened to challenge that plan too, calling it an unfair bonus for wealthy college graduates at the expense of taxpayers who didn't attend college or already repaid their loans. |
| Law Invests In Mississippi's Air Travel Experience, Workforce, And Research | |
| U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., writes: Air travel is getting an upgrade in Mississippi. This month, Congress passed an aviation bill that I helped negotiate. The legislation has now been signed into law, and it will benefit passengers across the nation -- including in Mississippi. Through this bill, Congress has helped support our urban and rural airports, develop our aviation workforce, and strengthen our leadership in cutting-edge flight technology. Commercial airports all over, from Tupelo to Gulfport and Columbus to Greenville, will receive funding for improvement projects. Airport investment creates a cycle of growth and develops economies statewide. These upgrades make it easier for tourists, business people, and loved ones to spend time -- and money -- in Mississippi. ... Constant innovation has always been the theme of human flight. Congress' action recognizes the many ways Mississippi is contributing to the next phase of aviation technology. Mississippi State University is a national leader in the development of unmanned flight machinery, and the university chairs the FAA's Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research. It was a no-brainer for Congress to continue supporting this work, and I am glad that this law does so. Lawmakers even established a new program at the center, which will train first responders to use these systems to reach people in distress. |
| Does Supreme Court case in Louisiana signal changes in Southern state delegations? | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: In a Louisiana congressional redistricting case, the Supreme Court decided last week to allow the state to use congressional maps that created a second Black majority district among the state's six total districts. The high court case was brought when white voters objected to the new district based on what they called "a brutal racial gerrymander" that ignored basic principles of congressional district mapmaking like compactness, communities of interest and oddly shaped districts. NAACP officials and other proponents of the map the Supreme Court approved for Louisiana, with a Black population percentage (33.13%) that mirrors Mississippi's (33.03%), argued that two-of-six U.S. House districts with Black majorities would make for more equitable congressional elections in the state. Louisiana Democrats like the chances of the new district impacting partisan control of the U.S. House in their favor while Republicans were left with the knowledge that the new map was drawn, in part, to protect the Louisiana U.S. House districts represented by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, GOP House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and other current GOP congresspersons. The Louisiana court decision begs the question of whether states with similar demographics and both similar historical under-representation of minorities and similar partisan majorities may see increasing efforts to increase minority districts in states trending toward minority-majority populations. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Tops Ole Miss in Hoover | |
| Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs were down 1-0. With David Mershon sitting at third base, Connor Hujsak played hero and hit a two-run home run to left field to walk off the game. MSU defeated Ole Miss, 2-1. Mississippi State and Ole Miss were locked in a pitcher's duel heading into the fifth inning, but Ole Miss's solo home run broke the no-hitter. The Bulldog offense struggled through the game to get hot, but Hujsak knocked out a two-run homer to top the Rebels and grab the win. Hujsak saw the plate four times on the night and batted out a two-run home run. Amani Larry picked up the only other extra-base hit in the game with a double. Larry ended the game 1-for-3. Brooks Auger picked up the start on the mound and had a career performance. He struck out 13 Rebels, a career-high, in his eight innings of work. Tyson Hardin and Tyler Davis grabbed a combined inning of relief work. Davis faced a single batter and grabbed the punchout on the way to his fifth win this season. The Diamond Dawgs are back in action for round two of the SEC Tournament to face off against No. 4 seed Texas A&M. First pitch is slated for approximately 8 p.m. CT and will be aired on SEC Network. |
| Baseball: Hujsak's walk-off bomb sends Bulldogs past Ole Miss at SEC Tournament | |
 | There's no place like the postseason to make up for lost time. Connor Hujsak had missed Mississippi State's last seven games with a back injury. As a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth, he played in an NCAA regional at Dudy Noble Field. Like many of the Bulldogs, he waited a long time to play in a postseason game in the maroon and white, and he was hitless in three at-bats Tuesday night when he stepped to the plate with two outs and a runner at third in the bottom of the ninth inning with MSU trailing by a run. Ole Miss left-hander Liam Doyle served up a fastball over the heart of the plate on the first pitch, and Hujsak did not miss it. He launched a fly ball to deep left field that landed in the Rebels' bullpen beyond the fence, and the No. 5 seed Bulldogs, on the brink of being sent home from Hoover Metropolitan Stadium without scoring a run, defeated their biggest rivals 2-1 to end Ole Miss' season and preserve their chances to host a regional. "Baseball is a game of ups and downs," Hujsak said. "When you get a game-changing swing like that, it boosts everything. It boosts confidence, it boosts morale in the dugout when you can capitalize like that, get momentum like that. We'll see what happens now." Not wanting to give the ball to Khal Stephen or Jurrangelo Cijntje on short rest, head coach Chris Lemonis gave the starting nod to senior Brooks Auger, one of MSU's top relievers for most of the year who made three starts in Southeastern Conference play. Auger had set career highs in innings pitched (five) and strikeouts (six) at Vanderbilt on April 27, but on this night he blew both of those marks to smithereens. |
| Connor Hujsak's walkoff home run lifts Mississippi State over Mississippi at SEC Tournament | |
| Connor Hujsak belted a two-run home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting Mississippi State to a dramatic 2-1 victory over rival Mississippi on Tuesday night in the SEC Tournament. David Mershon drew a walk to leadoff walk and reached third base with two outs, Hujsak then drove the first pitch of his at-bat deep to left field for the win. The game's only other run came on a solo home run by Mississippi's Will Furniss in the fifth inning. Fifth-seeded Mississippi State (38-19) advances to the double-elimination portion of the tournament and will play No. 4 Texas A&M on Wednesday. Mississippi (27-30) is eliminated. Brooks Auger pitched eight innings for the Bulldogs, allowing three hits with 13 strikeouts and no walks. Tyson Hardin recorded two outs in the ninth. Tyler Davis (5-0) got the third out and was credited with the victory. The Rebels' Riley Maddox pitched seven innings, allowing three hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Liam Doyle (3-4) finished and took the loss. |
| Anatomy of a walk-off: Inside a memorable night for Mississippi State baseball vs Ole Miss | |
| A former junior college pitcher needed to provide the best start of his career before Connor Hujsak could turn on a pitch he'll never forget. A left-handed pitcher who struggled against SEC competition needed to paint the corner on a full-count pitch before the Mississippi State dugout at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium could clear out to meet Hujsak at home. A scrappy middle infielder had to battle to get on base before a Gatorade cooler could be dumped atop Hujsak's head. For Mississippi State baseball, Tuesday at the SEC tournament will be an evening not soon forgotten. The walk-off, two-run home run to left field from Hujsak to flip a one-run deficit with two outs in the ninth to a 2-1 victory against rival and No. 12 seed Ole Miss (27-29) will be celebrated for years to come. "That's No. 1 for me," MSU coach Chris Lemonis said when asked to rank his favorite moments in the rivalry. But to get to that moment -- for No. 5 seed MSU (37-19) to advance to Wednesday (8 p.m., SEC Network) where a meeting with No. 4 seed Texas A&M (44-11) awaits -- the Bulldogs needed a series of perfectly aligned moments. |
| Mississippi State walks off Ole Miss 2-1 to advance in SEC Tournament | |
| A low-scoring affair ended in the most dramatic fashion Tuesday night with No. 15 Mississippi State walking off bitter foe Ole Miss to mount a 2-1 win in round one of the SEC Tournament. Dueling pitchers Riley Maddox and Brooks Auger stole the show for the majority of the game. Maddox, a right-handed junior, was phenomenal on the mound for the 12th-seeded Rebels as he struck out seven batters and did not allow any runs in seven innings pitched. Likewise, Auger was spectacular on the bump. Outside of a Will Furniss home run ball that bounced out of Connor Hujsak's glove, the right-handed senior had a dominant showing in front of a Bulldog-heavy crowd in Hoover, Ala. Auger ended his night with 13 strikeouts -- one away from doubling his collegiate career-high -- and just the one run allowed in eight innings pitched to keep fifth-seeded Mississippi State alive while the bats struggled. With no shot at landing in a regional, Ole Miss (27-29, 11-19 SEC) caps one of the worst seasons of the Mike Bianco era by losing its final six games. Following the Rebels' 2022 College World Series run that resulted in a national championship, Ole Miss has gone 17-43 against conference opponents. Mississippi State (37-19, 17-13 SEC), on the other hand, has bounced back after missing the postseason twice since the team's 2021 national championship. A win versus fourth-seeded Texas A&M on Wednesday would certainly boost Mississippi State's RPI and make Dudy Noble Field a more viable spot for postseason baseball to be played. |
| Dual-sport athlete Pulliam getting comfortable in starting role for Mississippi State | |
| Before the end of his freshman year at Starkville High School, Ethan Pulliam was merely a two-sport standout for the Yellow Jackets, starring in baseball and soccer. But at a field day event where the four class years competed against one another in various athletic endeavors, Pulliam punted a football for the first time -- and discovered a talent he never knew he had. "Ethan, who had never really kicked a football before in his life, he punts," said Luke Adkins, Starkville's baseball coach at the time. "He's a left-footed kicker even though he's right-handed in everything else. He punts the football, and it's like a 60-yard punt that turns over halfway as it goes in the air." Adkins immediately reached out to Yellow Jackets football coach Chris Jones, and just like that, Starkville had its new starting punter. By his senior year, Pulliam was a top-10 ranked punter in the country and helped the Yellow Jackets win the 2022 MHSAA Class 6A state championship. But he never gave up on baseball either, batting .466 as a senior. His hometown Southeastern Conference school gave him the opportunity to continue playing both sports, and so Pulliam spent much of the spring balancing football practice at Mississippi State with a busy baseball season. "It was supportive throughout his recruiting process," said Chris Pulliam, Ethan's father and MSU's associate director of construction administration. "No one ever had any concerns (that) he can't do it or any other concerns as far as time management and all that." |
| Texas A&M baseball hopes to be competitive in SEC Tournament, without risking health | |
 | With a top 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament all but wrapped up for the Texas A&M baseball team, common thought would say that the Aggies have little to play for in this week's SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle pushed back on that notion. In his nearly three full seasons in Aggieland, his A&M squad has never brought real hardware back to Blue Bell Park. "I reminded them this morning, we've had a great season. We haven't won one championship, unless you want to count the games [at the Globe Life Field Series] in Arlington, where they gave us a trophy." As the Aggies (44-11, 19-11) look to their tournament opener at approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday, they have sights on taking the SEC Tournament crown. However, not at a price. With a real opportunity at making a deep run at the College World Series ahead, Schlossnagle won't jeopardize the ultimate prize for the one at hand. "There's a championship next week," he said. "We'd love to win it, at the right pace." The most pressing factor in that equation is managing the Aggie pitching staff. Off the bat, the Aggies will work outside their normal rotation to give their starters a chance to get full rest, Schlossnagle said. On offense, all eyes are on outfielder Braden Montgomery, who slumped through the last month of regular season play, but showed signs of his old self through the last two games of the season. Against Arkansas, Montgomery blasted two home runs and drove in 3 RBIs, as the future first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft rediscovered himself. |
| What Mike Bianco said of his Ole Miss future after Mississippi State loss at SEC Tournament | |
 | Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco said Tuesday that he expects to be back for a 25th season coaching the Rebels. "You'll have to ask my boss," Bianco said. "But I expect to be back." Bianco's comments came after Connor Hujsak's two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning turned a one-run Ole Miss lead into a 2-1 Mississippi State victory in the opening round of the SEC Tournament, ending the 12th-seeded Rebels' season. It will be the second consecutive year without an NCAA Tournament bid for Bianco on the back of the 2022 national championship. Before this stretch, Ole Miss had missed the postseason just three times in Bianco's tenure. The Rebels (27-29) finished with just 11 SEC victories in 2024. No program in the conference has had fewer league wins over the last two seasons. Bianco has a contract that runs through June 2026 and entitles him to $1.625 million annually in base salary. His buyout terms are unclear because of the way Ole Miss structures its coaching contracts. His state contract is publicly available, but he also has a contract with the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation that is not accessible to the public. |
| No. 11 Jovanovic, Sanchez Martinez Secure Second Round At NCAAs | |
| Mississippi State's 11th-ranked doubles duo of Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez are moving on to the second round of the NCAA Individual Championships. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez downed Harvard's 19th-ranked tandem of Daniel Milavsky and Cooper Williams in a pair of tiebreakers 7-6(2), 7-6(4) on Tuesday to advance to the next round at the Greenwood Tennis Center on the campus of Oklahoma State. The sophomore Bulldog pairing will take the court against TCU's ninth-ranked duo of Sebastian Gorzny and Pedro Vives on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez improved to 23-10 together on the year, which ties Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic's mark in 2019 for the seventh-most wins by a doubles tandem in a single season at MSU. One more victory would match Kristian Broems and Per Nilsson (1994) and Matthieu Ballay and Mattias Karlsson (1996) for the sixth-most doubles wins in school history. Tuesday's win over Milavsky and Williams marked the 11th win over a ranked opponent this year for Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez and their fifth over a top 20 foe. |
| Bulldogs Set to Compete at NCAA East First Rounds | |
| The Mississippi State Track and Field team's 30 qualifiers are set to compete at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships East First Round hosted by the University of Kentucky, May 22-25. The Bulldog's are represented by 13 women and 16 men with multiple competitors in two or more events in addition to three relays. The men will compete on Wednesday and Friday while the women will compete on Thursday and Saturday. The East First Rounds will feature the top 48 student athletes from the east region in each event. The top 12 in each event will move on to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The top 16 nationally in decathlon and heptathlon are qualified for Eugene. State begins Wednesday's competition with the Javelin at 11 a.m. CT featuring seniors Remi Rougetet and Franck Di Sanza. Starting at 5 p.m. CT Sophomore Peyton Bair will kick off running events with the 110 Hurdles. Bair has already punched a ticket to Eugene in the men's decathlon with 7730 pts earned at the Bryan Clay Invitational that ranks third in the East region and 10th nationally. |
| Jimmy Yu promoted to assistant athletic director for women's basketball | |
| Mississippi State and head coach Sam Purcell have promoted Jimmy Yu, previously the Bulldogs' director of women's basketball operations, to assistant athletic director for women's basketball, the program announced Monday. Yu was previously on the support staff at Virginia, and before that was a video coordinator and assistant director of operations at Wake Forest. As a student at the University of Louisville, he was the head student manager for the women's basketball program, where he first crossed paths with Purcell. When Purcell was named MSU's head coach in 2022 following nine years on the staff at Louisville, he quickly added Yu to his staff. "Jimmy Yu has not only positively impacted our program, but this university and community from the moment he arrived in Starkville," Purcell said in a news release. "He's an invaluable part of our program and undoubtedly deserves this promotion. He's a tireless worker behind the scenes who strives to elevate all facets of our program. He puts others first and and possesses a love for working with our student-athletes and this community." |
| Sources: ACC joins Big 12, votes to settle House v. NCAA case | |
| The ACC has joined the Big 12 conference as the second named party in House v. NCAA to vote to settle that case and related antitrust cases, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. With those votes formalized, a path is underway to forge a new era in college sports. There will be four more votes this week -- three more from the Power 5 leagues and one from the NCAA board of governors. The ACC presidents voted in person in Charlotte at their meetings Tuesday evening. Big 12 presidents and chancellors voted virtually Tuesday afternoon to unanimously approve, with departing members Texas and Oklahoma abstaining. The 12 continuing members from this year's conference all voted to pass. The settlement is widely expected to pass, which will chart a new course for college sports in establishing a framework for schools to share millions of dollars with their athletes in the future and create a fund of more than $2.7 billion to pay former athletes who were not allowed to sign name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. On campuses, school officials are meeting and scrambling to figure out how to adjust to the new paradigms. There's no clarity on Title IX's role in revenue sharing, how roster caps will work and what enforcement of NIL will look like. (NIL is expected to continue to exist in addition to the revenue sharing.) Sources have indicated it will be at least six months until these details are worked out, likely longer. There also are expected to be several other steps before Senior District Judge Claudia Wilken can approve the settlement. All Division I athletes have the opportunity to object to the terms or opt out of the class. |
| RedBird, FSU Trustee Launch College Sports Investment Fund | |
| RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital are launching a college sports-specific investment fund, one that could lend as much as $2 billion to athletic departments across the country. Led by RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale, Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS) is hoping to cash in on a college sports industry in upheaval, with athletes on the verge of more robust compensation and schools seeking new funding sources to stay competitive. The structure of CAS, according to multiple people familiar with its plan, is to lend upfront money and operational expertise to athletic departments in exchange for a share of additional revenue generated under their partnership. CAS is one of a number of institutional funds looking to finance and profit off the increased commercialization of college sports. Legal, financial and legislative upheaval has combined to create "one of the most potentially transformative opportunities I've witnessed in my 30-year career in sports," Cardinale wrote in an introductory email to Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt late last year. RedBird's sports portfolio includes Italian soccer team AC Milan, Fenway Sports Group, YES Network, the Alpine F1 Team and the UFL. The firm has $10 billion under management, and recently closed its fourth fund with more than $3.28 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. |
| With college sports at critical juncture, private equity groups pushing for their piece | |
| For a year now, Drew Weatherford has worked in the shadows across college athletics. He's held clandestine meetings with representatives from upwards of 50 Football Bowl Subdivision programs -- dozens of athletic directors, a few university presidents, even some school board members and chief financial officers. There were phone calls from his office, Zoom chats in hotel lobbies and in-person gatherings at coffee shops. Most of them unfold in similar fashion. Gregarious and charming with a sweeping white smile, Weatherford, the former FSU quarterback-turned-private capital investor, presents a slide deck detailing a project that he and co-partner Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital Partners launched last year. Their goal is quite simple: Infuse instant cash into major college athletic departments. "No school has said, 'No, that is not something we would consider,'" Weatherford said. In one of the most consequential weeks in college athletics history, with leaders on the brink of approving a landmark antitrust case settlement and adopting a new revenue-sharing model with athletes, Weatherford is speaking publicly about his exploits for the first time. In two separate meetings with Yahoo Sports, he revealed and then explained the presentation that he showed administrators and university personnel over the last 10-12 months. |
| College Sports Is About to Turn Pro. Private Equity Wants In. | |
| College sports is on the precipice of a total about-face of its business model, with the NCAA poised to agree this week on a legal settlement that could soon see schools paying tens of millions to players every year. The deal wouldn't just signal an end to amateurism, though -- it also stands to upend the economics of an entire industry that had long insisted revenue sharing would make it financially impossible to operate many programs. Enter private equity. A new business called Collegiate Athletic Solutions, led by RedBird Capital founder Gerry Cardinale, plans to invest $50 million to $200 million apiece in a select group of universities, Cardinale said. CAS is a partnership between RedBird and Weatherford Capital, founded by former Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford, who is also a member of the school's board of trustees. They say they will invest in five to 10 schools to start and are in talks with dozens more, including members of every power conference. This isn't a case of private investors looking to buy equity in an athletic department -- a 10% stake in the Georgia Bulldogs isn't for sale. It isn't a debt instrument, either. Instead, Cardinale says, the idea is to build businesses that help monetize a school's intellectual property and provide them with the advice and capital to do that at a time when the stakes have never been higher. "Capitalism is finding everybody," Cardinale says. "This is about partnering with universities and athletic departments and helping them grow their sports business." The idea is that with Cardinale and Weatherford's capital and expertise, they can help grow the bottom line for athletic departments. Then, when they do that, CAS gets compensated by helping generate those additional future dollars -- almost like a royalty, Weatherford says. |
| Proposed NCAA settlement allowing revenue sharing with athletes faces possible legal hurdle | |
| As the NCAA, major college athletic conferences and plaintiffs in three antitrust lawsuits in federal courts in California close in on a comprehensive settlement proposal that would pay current and former college athletes billions of dollars in damages and dramatically alter how current and future athletes are compensated, lawyers for the plaintiffs in a fourth case signaled on Tuesday evening that they are seeking to keep the association and the conferences embroiled in a similar litigation. That fourth case is set for a hearing Thursday before U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Colorado who is considering the association's and conferences' request to have the matter transferred to California, where it likely would be folded into the cases moving toward settlement. Pending remaining approvals -- including approvals from the courts -- such a consolidation would smooth the NCAA's path to finally resolving a set of cases that began in June 2020, but are rooted in litigation that has had the NCAA on edge for 15 years due to the continuing efforts of plaintiffs' lawyers Steve Berman, and, more recently, Jeffrey Kessler. Earlier Tuesday, lawyers on both sides of the three cases seemingly headed toward settlement expressed confidence to USA TODAY Sports that they will prevail on having the fourth case moved to California. If the bid to move the fourth case to California is rejected, it could continue in Colorado. If that happens, the NCAA, the conferences and the plaintiffs' attorneys in the cases seemingly headed toward settlement may have to deal with lawyers who wrote in a filing Tuesday evening that "it seems likely" that one of their plaintiffs "will opt out of any such settlement to continue to litigate their claims in this case ... plaintiffs expect that many other athletes will opt out as well and could seek to join this case to seek better and fairer terms for athletes." |
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