| Wednesday, June 5, 2024 |
| Mississippi State partners with Ingalls Shipbuilding to create heat safety device | |
 | Mississippi State University and Ingalls Shipbuilding are partnering to develop a technological advancement that will help shipbuilders avoid heat-related injuries. The college's athlete engineering institute is collaborating with Mississippi's largest manufacturing employer and supplier of U.S. Navy surface combatants, to build wearable CoolMitt devices, which cool individuals by circulating water at the ideal temperature in a specialized glove that, when worn, can pull heat from the body and rapidly cool the body's core. "Shipbuilding has a lot of unique challenges, whether those are high temperatures, changing conditions throughout the production timeline, or managing personal protective equipment," Reuben Burch, MSU associate vice president for research, said. "Ingalls has been a great partner in this effort as we look to maximize both the performance and safety of the industrial athletes that are carrying out critical work on behalf of our country." With temperatures often reaching above 100 degrees during summer months in South Mississippi, where the Pascagoula shipbuilding center resides, experts say it is critical for shipbuilders to stay cool and hydrated. In addition to the athlete engineering institute's full-time staff, Mississippi State student researchers are gaining experience developing solutions for real-world problems outside the shipbuilding industry. |
| Miss Mississippi delegates prepare for first night of preliminary competition | |
| The Miss Mississippi delegates have been in Vicksburg since Sunday. Monday night, all 39 rolled through downtown Vicksburg along with Miss Mississippi Vivian O'Neal for the annual parade. Beginning Wednesday night they will take the stage for the first night of preliminary competition. We talked with three more delegates about Service Initiatives and why they participate in Miss Mississippi. This is the sixth year Miss Hattiesburg, Katelyn Perry, will compete at Miss Mississippi. Perry says she has grown personally, and each year, she comes back to give it another try. "I have a very successful 501c3 that I wouldn't have started if it wasn't for the confidence that I gained through this organization," Perry said. "I am getting a Master's Degree right now, completely debt-free. I started accumulating scholarship dollars when I was just 12 years old because of this organization." Miss Mississippi State University Morgan Nelson is back for a second time. She was also a semi-finalist in 2023. Nelson said, "It's truly an opportunity that I want to promote to all girls, young women who look like me and who don't look like me to be a representative of the state." Miss MSU says she wants to help eliminate health disparities and chronic conditions through her Service Initiative. "Don't Sugarcoat It encourages Mississippians to just try to eat healthy just for a day," Nelson said. |
| SHS seniors receive scholarships from community theater | |
 | Dasha Hollingshed and Albany Mercer each earned the 2024-2025 Robert and Mary Eleanor Anderson Scholarship for $2,000 from Starkville Community Theatre on the basis of theatrical achievement. Both Starkville High School graduating seniors have a long history of theatrical experience and accomplishment. Hollingshed was involved in numerous theater productions throughout high school, and she is a member of both the choral program and the International Thespian Society at SHS. She also participated in the Mississippi State University Summer Scholars "On Stage" camp, and she was a part of the most recent SHS theater production "All Shook Up." She plans to pursue an education at the University of Mississippi after graduation to earn degrees in theater and music. Mercer has been a part of the MSU Summer Scholars "On Stage" camp for three years, and she was both an actor and a playwright for SCT's Project P.L.A.Y., summer program. She plans to pursue a degree in communication with an emphasis in theater at MSU after graduation. The Anderson scholarship is given in memory of two founders of Starkville Community Theatre. In order to receive the scholarship, students must be admitted into a college with the plan of obtaining a degree in an area of theater, SCT Scholarship Committee Chair Paula Mabry said in the release. |
| Starkville airport hangar would be hub of air-based medical service | |
| Aldermen hope to bring new health care resources to the region with a new $1.5 million hangar at the George M. Bryan Airport, though they'll have to get the funding for it first. During Tuesday's board meeting, aldermen approved requests to apply for grants that would bring the hangar into fruition. University of Mississippi Medical Center would use the hangar as a base for an air ambulance covering northeast Mississippi and other health care teams. "(UMMC) wanted to bring their air ambulance over to Starkville," said Mayor Lynn Spruill. "It's obviously going to enhance medical service for us, and if you're here, then you're going to be a lot quicker in regards to getting people where they need to go." The potential grants include an Appalachian Regional Commission grant for more than $800,000 and a Mississippi Department of Transportation Grant for more than $490,000. The city, county and Mississippi State University also plan to match the grants for a total of about $150,000. Spruill pointed out that although air ambulances are often used in times of tragedy, there are other benefits to having the system in place locally. "Sadly, people have to use air ambulances, but it also adds activity to the area, which is important," said Spruill. "This is a great airport, and it gives (UMMC) an opportunity to operate out of a functional airport that's not quite as commercially busy as (Golden Triangle Regional) and has better amenities, I would say, than the Columbus airport." |
| Supervisors look at alternative options for wastewater expansion | |
| While the expansion of East Oktibbeha Wastewater District is on hold, other sewer updates are still on the table in the county. Dwight Prisock, manager for the wastewater district, approached the board of supervisors during its Monday meeting to discuss proceeding with a smaller portion of the planned $7 million project. "There's a set of plans at (the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality) for their approval, but ... there's currently no money to fund the project," Prisock said. "Once they sign off on it, that's just a matter of bidding it once we get the money." The board first committed $7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds plus a state match to expand sewer infrastructure along Highway 182 and in rural areas south of Starkville in 2022. The expansion, had it come to fruition, would have added at least 200 households to the county's wastewater service, Prisock said. But in April, the board withdrew and reallocated those funds. "Those funds were reallocated to several different projects," Board President Marvell Howard told The Dispatch Tuesday. "We bought some road equipment with some funds. We built some ... equipment protection sheds with some funds ... and some other things." Board Attorney Rob Roberson said the change of plans was rooted in uncertainty about whether the project's timeline would meet deadlines tied to ARPA funding. |
| Proximity to SDI keeps business smooth for Mississippi Steel Processing | |
 | Economic developers like landing large manufacturers, but when industries that can use what that manufacturer produces move in, that's even better. Those complementary industries provide a ready market for the product, or in the case of Mississippi Steel Processing, get it ready for the end user. The Lowndes County company takes rolled steel produced by nearby Steel Dynamics and cuts it down to the specifications needed by its customers who then turn it into finished products. Being located so close to SDI cuts down on transportation and production costs for both Mississippi Steel Processing and its customers, and it cuts down the time needed to get from roll to the finished product which is used in a variety of ways. "If you're going to the shopping center, and you look at the shelves; that's a steel shelf. And, at one time that was a master coil. It has to be slit and then processed and then punched out so that it can be a shelf. So, literally, it is everywhere," said Mark Reynolds, GM/VP of operations at Mississippi Steel Processing. Economic developers are banking that Aluminum Dynamics will draw similar complementary businesses when it is up and running. |
| Leader at Ford's BlueOval City departs for job at electric vehicle plant in Mississippi | |
 | One of the main leadership cogs behind Ford's BlueOval City in West Tennessee is leaving for a rival auto manufacturer. On Wednesday, Amplify Cell Technologies announced Kel Kearns as its new chief executive officer. The appointment comes after the company has completed its joint venture between Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Trucks & Buses US Holding LLC and PACCAR, according to a news release. "Amplify Cell Technologies will enable Accelera by Cummins and our partners to deliver solutions that best serve our customers and the planet. This is a significant step forward as we lead our industry into the next era of smarter, cleaner power," Cummins CEO Jennifer Rumsey said in a statement. The joint venture, Amplify Cell Technologies is planning to begin construction on a new $1.9 billion electric vehicle plant in Marshall County, Mississippi. The factory is expected to add 2,000 manufacturing jobs and begin operations in 2027. In January, Mississippi legislators passed a $482 million incentive package to help fund the new electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plant. |
| What are chances a hurricane will hit the Coast? Experts offer predictions | |
 | Mississippi and its coastal counties have far higher than average chances of seeing hurricane damage this season, researchers say. The three coast counties have at least a 48% chance of damage from a named storm, with a 23% or higher chance of a hurricane, according to research scientists with Tropical Weather & Climate Research at Colorado State University. Chances this season of a major hurricane -- Category 3 or higher -- this season on the Mississippi Coast are less than 10%, the researchers found. The same team each year forecasts the number of hurricanes expected in the Atlantic basin. The higher probability of hurricane impacts dovetail with the "well above average" hurricane season CSU researchers are forecasting. The CSU forecast, released in April, will be updated June 11, July 9 and Aug. 6. NOAA's National Weather Service also is forecasting an above-average season. "Our goal is to help people be prepared," CSU research scientist Levi Silvers told the Sun Herald. "The hope is that by helping people be ready and be prepared, there's less stress involved." CSU's landfall probability forecast is another indicator that Gulf Coast residents need to prepare for hurricanes. Hurricane season started June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, with the most activity between mid-August and mid-October, according to NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Because of record-breaking North Atlantic Ocean temperatures, La Nina conditions that will reduce wind shear and other factors, the probability of hurricane damage is higher for most areas, including the Mississippi Coast. |
| Biden's legacy was born with D-Day. 80 years later, new challenges emerge on all fronts | |
 | The war that engulfed Europe had already been raging for three years when Joe Biden was born on Nov. 20, 1942. The kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania, was just a baby when Allied forces descended upon France by air, land and sea in an extraordinary demonstration of military might. Before it was over, the United States would send more than 16 million of its men -- roughly a third of those eligible for combat -- to fight the Nazis, build the world's top arms supply and liberate concentration camps where millions of Jews were facing utter extermination. Biden and other people of his generation would grow up hearing stories of the brave men who had fought and faced death on the other side of the Atlantic. People like his uncle Ambrose J. Finnegan, who disappeared somewhere off the north coast of New Guinea. All in the name of freedom. For the rest of his life, Biden's view of the world and the United States would be shaped by the events of World War II and by the heroism of the men and women who were part of what is now known as "the Greatest Generation." For him and other Americans of a certain age, World War II served as a collective moral compass and defined what the nation could – and should – be. America's role in the war is so deeply ingrained in the public psyche that it is still celebrated in books, on film and at events like this week's ceremonies in France marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. "We're all products of our environment, we're products of how we were raised," said former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who served alongside Biden in the Senate. "President Biden is no different from the rest of us. His perceptions of the world and in particular foreign affairs -- government and the responsibilities of leadership -- were very much honed by a post-World War II Europe." But nearly eight decades after the war ended, those beliefs are again under attack by forces abroad and at home. |
| Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping | |
 | When President Biden met with congressional leaders in the West Wing in January to negotiate a Ukraine funding deal, he spoke so softly at times that some participants struggled to hear him, according to five people familiar with the meeting. He read from notes to make obvious points, paused for extended periods and sometimes closed his eyes for so long that some in the room wondered whether he had tuned out. The 81-year-old Biden is the oldest person to hold the presidency. His age and cognitive fitness have become major issues in his campaign for a second term, both in the minds of voters and in attacks on him by Republicans. The White House and top aides said he remains a sharp and vigorous leader. Some who have worked with him, however, including Democrats and some who have known him back to his time as vice president, described a president who appears slower now, someone who has both good moments and bad ones. White House officials dismissed many of the accounts from those who have met with the president or been briefed on those meetings as motivated by partisan politics. This article is based on interviews with more than 45 people over several months. The interviews were with Republicans and Democrats who either participated in meetings with Biden or were briefed on them contemporaneously, including administration officials and other Democrats who found no fault in the president's handling of the meetings. Most of those who said Biden performed poorly were Republicans, but some Democrats said that he showed his age in several of the exchanges. Former President Donald Trump, who at 77 is 3½ years younger than Biden, also has faced questions about his mental acuity. Indeed, both candidates have been captured repeatedly on camera slipping up on facts or otherwise botching their public remarks. |
| Biden border crackdown could snip economy | |
 | President Joe Biden's latest attempt to address one of his biggest political liabilities -- immigration -- could fuel another of his weak spots among voters by sapping strength from the U.S. economy. The country's post-Covid-19 rebound stands out from those of other countries, a phenomenon economists say is partly due to immigration, both through legal and unauthorized channels. But the executive action Biden issued Tuesday could stem the number of asylum seekers and other migrants who make their way into the U.S. and provide a vital, often cheap, labor source for employers. "If the executive order is successful in greatly reducing border crossings, then it would have a meaningful impact on the economy," said Chloe East, a University of Colorado Denver economist who studies immigration -- though she added that what former President Donald Trump has in mind for immigration would carry far bigger implications. Nationwide, nearly half of the job growth outside of the farming sector since October can be attributed to various immigrant groups, according to a recent analysis by the financial firm Standard Chartered. Potential economic undertows from Biden's immigration move will likely be spread unevenly and concentrated in industries like restaurants, construction and the service sector that historically have relied on the work of immigrants, East said. Meanwhile, undocumented immigrants have become a smaller proportion of the agriculture workforce as employers have increasingly turned to the H-2A temporary visa program, which unlike some other types of visas does not feature annual caps. "Most of the new farmworkers who are coming in are coming through the H-2A visa program," Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research at Economic Policy Institute said in an email. |
| Impeachment talk doesn't stop both parties from attending Biden picnic | |
 | More talk of impeachment on Capitol Hill didn't keep President Joe Biden from welcoming Republicans to the congressional picnic Tuesday evening. There was no shortage of members from both sides of the aisle making the trip down Pennsylvania Avenue to the South Lawn of the White House, from Republican Reps. Aaron Bean of Florida, Bill Huizenga of Michigan and Don Bacon of Nebraska to more Democrats than one might be able to count. The Senate had robust bipartisan representation as well, from as far to the left as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to Republicans Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky. When Biden in brief remarks shouted out to former House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., Hoyer was off to the side of the tables covered with blue and white checkered tablecloths. He was near one of the stations serving beverages, which First Lady Jill Biden said was "the beer." Attendees at the traditionally bipartisan event dined on chicken salad sandwiches, assorted salads and pulled pork sandwiches (with a vinegar-based slaw). And, as anyone who has seen Biden out on the campaign trail might suspect: ice cream, abundant ice cream. "I think that events like this are an exciting opportunity to come together as members of Congress, not as Democrats or Republicans, but just as House and Senate colleagues with our families to have a nice time together," Rep Lauren Underwood, D-Ill. said, comparing the picnic to the "neighborhood block parties" common in her home district in Illinois. |
| GOP plans aggressive 'weaponization' investigations in wake of Trump conviction | |
 | Congressional Republicans returned to Washington this week doubling down on their defense of former president Donald Trump after his conviction on 34 counts related to falsifying business records. Releasing a flurry of initial reactions in the hours after a New York jury deemed Trump a felon last week, his staunchest supporters are focusing on what they allege is a weaponized justice system by ramping up House investigations and stalling regular business in the Democratic-led Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) broadly outlined a "three-pronged approach" Tuesday during a weekly conference meeting on how the Republican majority can target the Justice Department, New York and other jurisdictions for investigating Trump -- vowing to use House oversight powers while cutting funds in the government appropriations process and taking other unspecified legislative measures. One of Trump's staunchest allies is readying a more aggressive approach. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has threatened to file a resolution before the week's end to impeach President Biden. Greene left a Tuesday meeting with Johnson demanding "in the loudest most possible way" that he allow the House a vote on removing Biden or she will force such a vote. Across the Capitol, a faction of 11 conservative senators led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) pledged to slow down Senate business by voting against all of Biden's judicial and political nominees and refusing to speed up consideration of any "Democrat legislation." |
| Suspect asks for venue change in missing Ole Miss student murder trial | |
 | The capital murder trial for the alleged death of an Ole Miss student missing since July 2022 might be moved outside of Northeast Mississippi altogether. Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., 23, of Grenada, is charged with capital murder in connection with the alleged death of Jimmy "Jay" Lee, 20, who has been missing since July 2022. Herrington was indicted in March 2023 and has been free on a $250,000 bond since December 2022. According to the 134-page change-of-venue motion filed late Monday by defense attorney Kevin Horan, the pretrial publicity throughout the region will make it impossible for Herrington to get a fair trial in Lafayette County. The defense points to television and newspaper coverage of the case and several social media sites with posts that contain "negative and false information about Herrington, and positive information and support of 'Jay' Lee." Horan said the Lafayette County Circuit Clerk's office has received numerous letters supporting Lee to coincide with the social media posts. He argued that the social media supporters have already reached their conclusions "that 'justice' must be served, and that people assume Herrington is guilty. The defense attorney added that because of the pretrial publicity and local knowledge of the events and the people involved, his client cannot receive a fair trial in Lafayette County. |
| JSU awarded $1M to create scholarship for financially needy students pursuing STEM degrees | |
| Jackson State University has been selected as the recipient of $1 million from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to create a scholarship for high-achieving students who have financial needs. The university will also be tasked with creating an endowment fund to ensure that the scholarship remains intact indefinitely. Students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields will be given priority in the scholarship awarding process. "This transformative gift is not just a financial contribution; it is an investment in the future leaders of our world, individuals who will undoubtedly shape the landscape of progress and discovery," Jackson State President Marcus L. Thompson said. "By providing crucial financial support to talented students, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is empowering them to pursue their academic aspirations and unlock their fullest potential. This fund will also help them navigate economic barriers on their path to success." Jacqueline Jackson, Ph.D., who serves as the interim department chair in JSU's Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science, shared that the funds will be used to establish the Jack Cooke Kent CSET Scholars Program. The program will provide selected STEM students with financial and professional support. |
| Record-breaking mural will soon be on WCU's Hattiesburg campus | |
 | As the Hub City is on its way to being "The City of 100 Murals," soon another one will be added to the Hattiesburg Public Art Trail. Entitled "The Vision of William Carey," the mural will walk people through the life of the school's namesake, William Carey, departments at the university and history of the school. This was all designed by WCU student and Ellisville native, Sumer West. "Sumer is a great example of a William Carey student," says University President Dr. Ben Burnett. "Having served her country in the military, she's a parent... that's exactly what we want to see in a William Carey student, somebody who is out serving in a multitude of ways, but then furthering their education. And in this way, using her talents to benefit the city of Hattiesburg." However, this won't be like any other mural in the Hub City. Tuesday morning, dozens of people from across the campus painted a section of the wall, making this the most hands to work on a single mural in Hattiesburg. "We are here to teach the academic process to strengthen our students, to give them the ability to learn things and go out into the world and be great citizens," says WCU Art Department's Jeff Revette. "But sometimes through that academic process, we lose that sense of wonder, we lose that sense of creativity. Then this process here, it's a great reminder that the creative process is in us all. |
| Forbes ranks Belhaven's online MBA program among best in US | |
 | Forbes recently recognized a local university's online MBA program as one of the best in the country. Forbes named Belhaven University's online MBA in Entrepreneurship as one of the 10 best programs in the United States. The recognition highlights a school's commitment to providing high-quality, accessible education to aspiring entrepreneurs. Roger Parrott, Belhaven University's President, expressed pride in the significant achievement. "At Belhaven, we strive to empower future business leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a dynamic entrepreneurial landscape," Parrot said. The Belhaven program, which can be completed in 18 months, costs $24,500 or $817 per credit hour. The program application is $25 and the 30-hour program has a 45% graduation rate. Belhaven's notable partnership with Global Silicon Valley (GSV), a leader in the digital learning and innovation sector, enhances Belhaven's entrepreneurial offerings. For Michael Moe, GSV Chief Executive Officer, the unique arrangement enriches the program and entrepreneurial industry. |
| Life as a teen without social media isn't easy. These families are navigating adolescence offline | |
 | Kate Bulkeley's pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots of books. The family had lively conversations around the dinner table and gathered for movie nights on weekends. Then, as sophomore year got underway, the unexpected problems surfaced. She missed a student government meeting arranged on Snapchat. Her Model U.N. team communicates on social media, too, causing her scheduling problems. Even the Bible Study club at her Connecticut high school uses Instagram to communicate with members. Gabriela Durham, a high school senior in Brooklyn, says navigating high school without social media has made her who she is today. She is a focused, organized, straight-A student with a string of college acceptances -- and an accomplished dancer who recently made her Broadway debut. Not having social media has made her an "outsider," in some ways. That used to hurt; now, she says, it feels like a badge of honor. With the damaging consequences of social media increasingly well documented, some parents are trying to raise their children with restrictions or blanket bans. Teenagers themselves are aware that too much social media is bad for them, and some are initiating social media "cleanses" because of the toll it takes on mental health and grades. But it is hard to be a teenager today without social media. For those trying to stay off social platforms while most of their peers are immersed, the path can be challenging, isolating and at times liberating. It can also be life-changing. |
| Faculty Power on the Line in Kentucky | |
 | The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees is set to vote next week on a controversial proposal, backed by the UK president, to dissolve its University Senate, which is more than 100 years old. That imperiled body is composed chiefly of faculty members and has the substantial power to, among other things, approve or reject new academic programs and courses. The board is proposing to have a faculty senate instead -- one that couldn't shoot down courses and programs and would instead be advisory. While university leaders have said the move is partly about increasing the role of students and staff, the board is at the same time assuming ultimate power over educational policy. University president Eli Capilouto has stressed the importance of making curricular decisions at the college and academic unit level. Those lower-level decisions currently go to the University Senate for its consent or refusal, but the new paradigm wouldn't get rid of a middle level completely. Instead of the University Senate, the provost would rule. But with approval of such a significant change apparently imminent, with only one "no" vote cast in a preliminary greenlighting by the board in April, faculty members who support the University Senate are still asking a basic question: Why are university leaders pushing this change? Capilouto was traveling Tuesday and couldn’t provide an interview, university spokesman Jay Blanton said. Pressed on what the university is trying to accomplish and how the currently constituted University Senate stands in the way of those goals, Blanton didn't provide specifics. |
| Two research universities forge a unique $11.5-million online-ed collaboration | |
 | When the University of Tennessee at Knoxville began getting serious a few years ago about building out its online-education offerings, officials there first took a hard look around at several models they might follow to jump-start their efforts. To be sure, there's no shortage of those. In just the past five years we've seen private institutions like Simmons University betting big with online-program-management companies, public universities like the University of Arizona buying for-profit universities with big online footprints, a public university (the University of Massachusetts) acquiring a mostly-online nonprofit institution, and even a public system (the University of North Carolina) creating its own OPM. But smashing successes, most of those have not been. In fact, some have become rather problematic and frustrating. It didn't take the Tennessee folks very long to determine they'd be better off with a new approach. "There were enough cautionary tales out there," John Zomchick, the provost, told me. So instead of buying an existing online-ed venture whose culture and values would be out of sync with the university's, or agreeing to give away a big share of tuition revenue to an OPM, the Knoxville campus decided to create a partnership with another public research institution -- one that already has a major presence in the online-ed world: Arizona State University. |
| Prestigious honors and posthumous words set new path for U. of Tennessee students | |
 | Three months after Dr. Bob Booker died at the age of 88, students graduating from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville received a special posthumous message from the Knoxville Civil Rights icon. The recorded speech, which implored students to use their education to "help guide your community," was shared with College of Arts and Science graduates who were among more than 5,300 degree recipients in May. Booker, who also was an African American historian, received his own honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree from UT on Feb. 10, just 12 days before his death. The video message to UT students was recorded at his home while he was presented with the honorary degree by Chancellor Donde Plowman. "You who are about to graduate today have had some of the greatest experiences of your lives, and professors steeped in their particular fields have given their best thinking," Booker said in his video message. "But it is my fervent prayer that you will leave this place and work hard at your chosen profession, and also that you will use your experience and education to help guide your community. Our world is still too full of hate, violence, intolerance, and injustice. Only an enlightened public can change that." |
| Texas A&M President: Bonfire won't return to campus | |
 | Texas A&M University won't bring Bonfire back to campus as a way to commemorate the return of the A&M-Texas football rivalry this fall, A&M President Mark A. Welsh III announced Tuesday in a message to the A&M campus community. A special committee, formed last fall to commemorate the return of the rivalry, recommended A&M reinstitute the annual Bonfire tradition with an engineer-designed, contractor-built bonfire on A&M's West Campus. Welsh said he decided it was not in A&M's best interest to bring Bonfire back to campus. "After careful consideration, I decided that Bonfire, both a wonderful and tragic part of Aggie history, should remain in our treasured past," Welsh said. In January, a source told The Eagle that A&M Regent John Bellinger, who co-chaired the special committee, had penned letters to families who lost a child in the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse about the possibility of bringing the former longstanding tradition back to A&M's campus. A letter obtained by The Eagle showed Bellinger asked one of the victim's families if they would be willing to meet with him and possibly other members of the special committee. Bonfire began in 1909 and eventually grew into one of the largest A&M traditions to commemorate the Aggies' "burning desire" to beat rival Texas in football. At 2:42 a.m. on Nov. 18, 1999, the annual Bonfire collapsed and killed 12 people, including 11 current students, and injured another 27. |
| Matthew Martens named U. of Missouri provost, vice chancellor | |
 | The University of Missouri has a new provost and vice chancellor. Matthew Martens, who has served as an interim provost since February, was recently appointed to the full leadership role by MU President Mun Choi. Martens has worked for eight years in the Office of the Provost and during that tenure "the six-year graduation rate increased from 68% to 76%, Mizzou faculty have received a total of 140 prestigious and highly prestigious awards, and annual research expenditures increased from $280 million to $462 million," the university noted in a news release. Martens continues in his role with the MizzouForward Initiative of hiring new faculty and staff, retaining current faculty and staff and investments in faculty and student success programs. He currently is preparing for MU's next comprehensive accreditation evaluation in 2025. Martens has a bachelor's degree from Boston College, a master's degree from the University of North Carolina and a doctorate in educational and counseling psychology from the University of Missouri. Martens is a nationally recognized scholar in the field of health psychology of adults and adolescents, and cited in more than 125 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. His research was funded from a variety of agencies including the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Education, the university noted. |
| U. of Missouri files petition to remove racial criteria from scholarship donations | |
 | The University of Missouri Curators filed a petition last week to change the use of donations from their original purpose of providing financial opportunities to students from specific racial and ethnic backgrounds. According to the filing, the change would impact a minimum of 53 funds across UM's four campuses by removing any "racial criteria" and leaving all other wording intact. A review of some of the funds shows they can range from several thousand dollars to more than $100,000 each. "The courts have authority to modify these gift instruments that private people and corporations have created to set up trusts, gifts, etc. with nonprofit institutions," said Steven Hoffmann, a licensed attorney in St. Louis. A university spokesperson said no one could comment about the filing Monday. Affected gifts would include dozens of scholarship funds. According to the petition, the terms of the gifts cannot be lawfully applied after the U.S. Supreme Court decision last June, in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. SCOTUS decided in the case that race cannot be used as a factor in the admissions process of universities receiving federal assistance. On the day of the ruling, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey warned in a letter that the decision further applies to other aspects of education, like scholarships. |
| Program Innovations: Promoting Success in Student Research | |
| Undergraduate research opportunities are one way to provide experiential learning in many disciplines, introducing learners to research methods under the supervision of a faculty member and providing experience for a résumé. A 2021 study from the University of Central Florida found student researchers are more likely to have higher grade point averages and graduation rates, and higher matriculation into graduate school, as well as life skills such as analyzing literature critically, observing and collecting data and communication. However, not every student has equal access to undergraduate research opportunities. The study found non-STEM students, transfer students and part-time students are less likely to participate in research compared to their peers. Career exposure in the first year can help students feel confident about their paths throughout college and provide a head start in building their résumés. The University of Missouri is known for its Interdisciplinary Plant Group that hosts research scholars exploring innovations in plant biology and a first-year program that provides young researchers a leg up in their work, giving them research time with more experienced researchers and mentorship. FRIPS, short for Freshman Research in Plants, supports 10 to 15 students annually, who work alongside a faculty member and their research group on plant biology. Students also meet regularly with their FRIPS scholars cohort and gain professional development training. Graduates of FRIPS often go on to become Goldwater Scholars and NSF graduate research fellows. The program also creates a place of belonging and community for new students to the university. |
| Pro-Palestinian protesters barricade themselves inside Stanford University president's office | |
 | A group of students and alumni barricaded themselves inside the office of Stanford University's president early Wednesday morning to protest the institute's response to pro-Palestinian protesters' demands over the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas. According to the group Stanford for Palestine, the students and alumni locked themselves inside Stanford President Richard Saller's office around 5:30 a.m. The protesters said they refuse to leave Saller's office until the Stanford administration and the Stanford Board of Trustees take action to address "their role in enabling and profiting from the ongoing genocide in Gaza." Stanford for Palestine said the university has refused to negotiate with the pro-Palestine advocates over Gaza concerns. The protesters have accused Stanford University of "holding multi-million dollar investments in corporations that provide material and logistical support to Israel's current military" in the Gaza armed conflict. Officials at Stanford were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday's action. |
| Students Want Charges Dropped. What Is the Right Price for Protests? | |
 | Youssef Hasweh expected to receive his diploma from the University of Chicago on Saturday. What he got instead was an email from the associate dean of students informing him that, because he was under investigation for his participation in a protest encampment on the campus quad, "your degree will not be conferred until the resolution of this matter." Like scores of other student demonstrators across the country, Mr. Hasweh has been swept up into a kind of disciplinary limbo. Although he was allowed to participate in graduation, his university is withholding his degree until it determines whether and how to punish him for breaking its code of conduct for refusing to vacate an encampment, which the police cleared on May 7. He has already been formally reprimanded by the university for being part of a group that occupied an administration building last year in a protest over the Israel-Hamas war. The question of how harshly to discipline these students cuts deep in academia, where many universities take pride in their history of student activism, on issues such as civil rights, the Vietnam War, South African apartheid and income inequality. Some faculty members themselves celebrate such activism and encourage students to become politically involved -- and have also faced arrest and discipline for doing so. But today, some students have made a demand of their colleges that is vexing administrators and veterans of past social movements: They want all charges against them, both academic and legal, dropped. |
| National Science Foundation Expands Mentoring Requirements to Bolster STEM Pipeline | |
| The National Science Foundation (NSF), which is the third-largest federal research funding stream for universities, is now requiring all grant applicants to submit a mentoring plan for graduate students. The expanded mentoring requirement went into effect late last month. It's part of the federal government's wider push to increase support for scientific research and maintain the United States' competitive edge as a global leader in technological innovation, as outlined in the landmark CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Realizing the goals laid out by the CHIPS and Science Act, which authorized $200 billion in spending on scientific research, development and commercialization over the next decade, will require expanding the pipeline from graduate education to the workforce. Mentoring will be a component of that effort because it can help students see themselves as scientists. And developing that scientific identity improves academic performance, retention and persistence in STEM, and increases STEM degree completion, according to a 2020 paper published in the International Journal of STEM Education. "Whether a person is a graduate student or a postdoctoral scholar, they are early-career professionals in STEM," said Jackie Huntoon, director of the NSF's division of graduate education. "It's really the duty of the current professionals -- those people who are already in positions of authority in the field -- to make sure these new people coming along have the best support possible so they can succeed." |
| Cardona Calls for FSA Changes, But Experts Say the Damage is Done | |
| It's been a year of missteps, miscalculations, confusion, delays, glitches, and frustration after the botched launch of the simplified FAFSA, which has prevented financial aid packages from being awarded to students with ample time to make plans for their future. Last week, Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel A. Cardona released a letter to Federal Student Aid (FSA) staff which acknowledged the errors made and a need for departmental modernization, which he outlined in an eight-point plan. While experts are overall pleased to hear that Cardona is making an effort to adjust the direction of the FSA, they add that it is too late for these changes to make an impact on students currently struggling to complete the FAFSA, many of whom are from mixed-immigration backgrounds, where social security requirements stalled their progress. "Filing is down across the country," said Dr. Katharine Meyer, a fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brown Center on Education Policy at the nonprofit Brookings Institution. "While nationally, FAFSA completions are down about 14% from last year, completions are down 16.5% for schools with a higher share of minoritized students. We can expect that to translate into fewer students enrolling in college this fall." Trust needs to be rebuilt between the FSA, institutions, families and students they serve, said Jill Desjean, director of policy analysis at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). "Much of the chaos with this year's FAFSA rollout could have been minimized – although not entirely avoided -- if there had been more open communication from the ED to the financial aid community," said Desjean. |
| Cardona denies Title IX athletics rule delays are due to election year | |
| U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona denied claims on Thursday that the long-awaited Title IX athletics final rule is being delayed because of the presidential election. Rather, he said, it's because the department wanted to release the broader Title IX rule as soon as possible for schools that were awaiting its release, and to protect victims of sexual violence, while officials worked their way through comments on the proposed athletics rule. "The Title IX [athletics] proposal was submitted nine months later. It would have been great to put them together. But the reality is we would have had to delay the other one to get through this one," he said during the Education Writers Association's National Seminar in Las Vegas last week. "It's not because of the election." The department has been silent on the final rule's release date after delaying its release multiple times in the past year. However, it has repeatedly said the athletics rule's delay is due to the high volume of feedback received during the public comment period. The agency has yet to send the rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review. That step, required by federal regulatory procedure,can take up to 120 days before regulations are published in the Federal Register. Cardona's comments contradict a report in The Washington Post last March that putting off the athletics rule was a political strategy. The proposed athletics rule and the administration's overall approach toward transgender student inclusion has already received strong pushback from the GOP. Republican leaders and policymakers claim the proposed athletics rule violates women's rights and directly contradicts Title IX sex discrimination protections. |
| Does Mississippi have any campaign finance rules? Legislative inaction, AG's statements leave doubt | |
| Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender writes: An attempt to reform Mississippi's lax, antiquated and jacked-up campaign finance laws went over like a lead balloon with lawmakers in this year's legislative session, with Republicans and Democrats alike gutting and deriding the reform bill before killing it. So, that leaves the Magnolia State where it was, right? Weak laws. Little transparency for voters or enforcement for wrongdoers. Our government susceptible to the corrosive influence of secretive big-money special interests. No. It's worse. In her eleventh-hour hop onto the reform bandwagon, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, the state's top law officer, publicly opined, in writing, that she can't legally enforce the laws we do have. Oh, and that a $1,000 a year limit on out-of-state corporate donations to our politicians that everyone believed was law for at least the last 30 years is null and void under her new interpretation. She put that part of her press release in italics, for emphasis. Fitch's last-minute joinder of calling for reform was seen as deflection of the flak she was receiving for not enforcing what many, including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, believed were flagrant violations of laws already on the books during last year's statewide elections. Millions of dollars in dark money poured into Mississippi campaigns and some candidates appeared to thumb their noses at what rules we do have. Many chalked up Fitch's inaction on the complaints to not wanting to ruffle political feathers or sour relationships with potential donors for her own future political ambitions. |
| War at hand; Wicker sounds alarm | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: War is at hand, preferably cold but potentially hot. The guardrails for peace established after WWII and the Cold War have deteriorated. The incidents of real and potential conflict have burgeoned -- Russia's aggression in Ukraine and its growing war economy, China's preparations to invade Taiwan and its surging military capacity, the never-ending conflagrations in the Middle East, the state-backed hacks of U.S. military (and civilian) infrastructure, and so on. Our major enemies see us as weakened. And our commitments have over-extended our capacity. Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the lead Republican on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, has sounded the alarm. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Wicker told the Associated Press, "nobody took a chance against the United States because we were powerful enough to keep the peace. We are simply not anywhere near that right now." Wicker last week called for an extra $55 billion in military spending (on top of the $844 billion currently programmed) to begin a multi-year expansion of U.S. might, a "generational investment" he described it. He said such a long-term and robust increase is essential to deter growing threats from Russia, Iran, and China. ... "I think that the fact that we're in a new Cold War is self-evident," Wicker said, calling this "the most dangerous threat environment since World War II." An Axios.com analysis feared this "tinderbox moment" may "turn hot." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Shines In Latest Academic Progress Rate Data | |
| Following an incredible14th consecutive semester with a 3.0 or higher departmental GPA, Mississippi State continued to elevate its high academic standard by earning a 990.6 Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the NCAA's latest report released Tuesday. State's score of 990.6 ranks third in the SEC and exceeds the national four-year rate of 984. Last year, MSU recorded a 989.4. MSU exceeded the benchmark APR multi-year rate of 930 in all its intercollegiate sport programs. All programs surpassed the benchmark by at least 42 points. "The latest Academic Progress Rate report is another example of Mississippi State's dedication to academic excellence," Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "Our student-athletes continue to elevate the standard on the path to graduation, and I couldn't be prouder of their achievements." The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success by tracking eligibility and progress toward graduation of each student-athlete on scholarship. The current report contains multi-year rates based on the four years from the 2019-20 academic year through the 2022-23 academic year. Men's golf, men's track, women's soccer, women's tennis and volleyball earned multi-year rates in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport nationally. Football registered a multi-year rate of 984, which tied for fifth among SEC football programs and bettered the sport's national average by 22 points. It was the program's second-best score on record and marked the 10th straight year that the program recorded a 970 or better. |
| Inside three big decisions that made Mississippi State baseball an NCAA tournament team again | |
| Holding a clipboard flooded with notes from an upsetting season finale, Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis walked into the Bulldogs' team room on May 20, 2023. As he sat to field questions from reporters following a season-ending loss against Texas A&M, Lemonis was quickly reminded of his team's failure to meet expectations. Illuminated in the back of the room was a sign reading, "OMAHA." Sitting 805 miles away from the home of the College World Series in Nebraska, and even further if quality of play was the measurement, Lemonis didn't hold back on criticizing himself after back-to-back seasons of failing to reach the postseason. Recruit better. Coach better. Pitch better. Defend better. Be tougher. If the trajectory of the program was going to return toward its national title level in 2021, Lemonis would have to lead an impressive rebuild in his sixth season at the helm. In 2024, Mississippi State (40-23) took a step in the right direction. The Bulldogs returned to the NCAA Tournament -- losing in the Charlottesville Regional as one of the higher-ranked No. 2 seeds in the field of 64. In returning to the postseason, Lemonis showed the blueprint for rebuilding a storied program. |
| After resurgent season, what are Mississippi State baseball's biggest needs? | |
| There's no denying that Mississippi State made significant progress this spring, rebounding from two seasons without postseason play to return to the NCAA Tournament and finish fifth in a deep Southeastern Conference. But in today's college baseball landscape, top teams must deal with a perpetual state of roster churn as players choose to enter the transfer portal or leave to begin playing professionally. And the Bulldogs' roster will almost certainly look very different in 2025 as they look to make it back to the Men's College World Series for the first time since winning the 2021 national title. MSU's weekend rotation at the beginning of the season, consisting of Nate Dohm, Khal Stephen and Jurrangelo Cijntje, are all likely to be selected in the top 200 picks of next month's MLB Draft, with Cijntje a potential first-rounder. The same goes for sluggers Dakota Jordan and Hunter Hines, who combined for nearly half of the Bulldogs' home runs this season. "We need more depth offensively," head coach Chris Lemonis said after MSU's season-ending defeat against Virginia on Sunday night. "That was one of the big areas. You need frontline pitching. We had that this year. But you have to go back out and find more every year." "We have a good high school group that will be going into the draft, and some of these guys in our clubhouse going into the draft," Lemonis said. "Right now every team in the country feels like their team is so liquid with where we are with the NCAA. There's a big month ahead of us." |
| We are watching college baseball change -- and not for the better | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Few observers, if any, would argue that of all the so-called major college sports, baseball has remained the least affected by money and greed. It has remained closest to the college ideal, meaning the least professional in nature. College baseball has had the most level playing field. Baseball is the one sport in which small market teams such as Mississippi State and Ole Miss could win back-to-back national championships. It is the one sport in which a so-called mid-major school like Coastal Carolina could recruit and develop a team that could win a national championship as it did in 2016 -- or in which another Sun Belt team, Southern Miss, could host back-to-back NCAA Super Regionals as it did in 2022-23. But we are watching the nature of college baseball change before our eyes. This is not a good thing. You don't have to take it from me. Gary Gilmore, the retiring coach who led Coastal Carolina to that national championship, sounded an alarm over the weekend after his team lost to Clemson in the finals of an NCAA Regional. Gilmore should be considered an expert on the matter. He coached his teams to 1,369 victories, which computes to an average of more than 40 wins a season for 34 seasons. ... "I'll use this analogy, and this is what's wrong," Gilmore said. "If Major League Baseball, the NBA, and the NFL had a system where everyone was a free agent every year, do you realize what chaos there would be? It would go away. You wouldn't have those three sports." |
| Ole Miss baseball to pause Swayze Field facilities project with revenue sharing looming | |
| Ole Miss baseball is pausing its planned upgrades to Swayze Field, athletic director Keith Carter said at an alumni event Tuesday night. "We have great facilities right now," Carter said. "We're going to continue to maintain and renovate and do those types of things, but probably for the next couple of years, you won't see anything major." Carter cited the likely implementation of revenue sharing in college athletics and the uncertainty it has caused as one of the driving factors behind that decision. Should an agreed court settlement receive approval from a judge, Power Five institutions will be collectively on the hook for 24% of $2.8 billion worth of damages owed to past and present college athletes. Those funds will reportedly come out of the NCAA's distributions to schools. The revenue sharing itself -- with a proposed initial cap of roughly $20 million annually -- adds to the impending financial squeeze. Fall of 2025 is the reported target period for schools to begin sharing their revenue with their athletes, ending the longstanding era of amateurism in college athletics. "We're going to continue to invest in everything, but right now with NIL and (revenue) sharing, we're just going to kind of focus on that," Carter said. The Ole Miss athletic department reported a loss of over $8 million in the most recent fiscal year. Carter told The Clarion Ledger at the time of that report's publication in January that the administration had a plan to grow revenues and slow expenses. |
| Florida becomes latest state to allow NIL for high school athletes | |
 | Florida officially has joined the growing list of states now allowing access for high school athletes to profit on their name, image and likeness. The Florida High School Athletic Association voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a policy allowing high school athletes to profit from NIL in certain circumstances. It's the 36th state to allow NIL in high school athletics in some form or fashion. Alabama is among the major states that has not voted to allow it yet. Texas and Mississippi also have not allowed NIL to this point. Florida joins Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and North Carolina among Southern states in voting to allow NIL on the high school level. Florida's new bylaw states that athletes and their parents must conduct NIL discussions separate from the school and the FHSAA, and they cannot use school logos or other products in public. There are a couple of major NIL exceptions to the new Florida bylaws, according to On3. First, a student who transfers in season will not be allowed to secure an NIL deal for that season unless granted a special exemption. Second, boosters or high schools can't offer deals to try to recruit athletes away from other schools. |
| NIL collective leaders headed back to Capitol Hill for meetings with Sens. Booker, Cruz | |
| Leaders of NIL collectives will return to the halls of Congress this week, the first time since the NCAA and power conferences agreed to terms on a settlement in the House v. NCAA lawsuit. The full terms of the settlement agreement are still being worked out. Judge Claudia Wilken in California Northern District Court still needs to ratify the settlement and will have the option to deny the agreement. The multibillion-dollar settlement calls for the NCAA to pay more than $2.7 billion in damages over 10 years to former and current athletes. Schools will have the opportunity to opt-in to a revenue-sharing agreement, with the option to share roughly $20 million per year with players. The NCAA is still expected to lobby for legislation that will codify the House v. NCAA settlement, specifically limited antitrust protection and classifying athletes are not employees. NCAA President Charlie Baker previously called the settlement "a road map for college sports leaders and Congress." Of the more than a dozen bills proposed focused on college sports in the last three years, none have even made it to the floor of Congress. The Collective Association (TCA), a trade association that represents 40 NIL entities, has a slew of meetings scheduled for Wednesday on Capitol Hill. TCA leaders are slated to meet with Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Russell Fry, sources tell On3. Meetings are also scheduled with staff representing the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. "They're not giving us the time because just the overall arrogance of the NCAA is they can do whatever they want, and nobody else really matters," TCA executive director Russell White told On3. |
| New Orleans plans to spiff up as host of next year's Super Bowl | |
| New Orleans hosts its 11th Super Bowl next year and the preparations involve showcasing the city's heralded architecture, music, food and celebratory culture while addressing its myriad challenges, including crime, pockets of homelessness and an antiquated drainage system. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry joined Mayor LaToya Cantrell and a host of other city and state officials on Tuesday at a downtown theater for a news conference to discuss the process, kicking off what the Democratic mayor declared "the Summer of Super Bowl." Landry, a Republican elected last year with a strong anti-crime message, vowed that the city will be one of the nation's safest by game day. Road and drainage improvements and the use of state police to help the New Orleans Police Department combat crime are among the efforts. Michael Hecht, the president of a local economic development nonprofit who was recently tapped to coordinate local Super Bowl preparations, listed scores of infrastructure projects planned or under way. They include street and sidewalk repairs, lighting improvements and repairs to the aging system of stormwater street drains and pumps that are under constant strain to prevent flash floods. He also noted efforts by the city and local advocates to close down and clean up homeless encampments and provide safter housing for those in need. |
| The $21 Billion Lawsuit That Could Break the NFL | |
| The case that could prove to be one of the most explosive lawsuits in the history of American sports didn't start out looking like a blockbuster. Back in 2015, when a San Francisco pub called the Mucky Duck filed a complaint about how the National Football League handles its out-of-market broadcasts, it was viewed as little more than a nuisance. Over the next nine years, the case snaked its way through the courts, producing endless filings, repeated false starts and even a dismissal that was eventually overturned. No one is dismissing it as a mere nuisance anymore. This week, inside a Los Angeles courtroom, the case against the NFL is finally headed to trial, putting billions of dollars on the line and the business model that underpins America's richest sports league at stake. The class-action suit, which alleges that the NFL violated antitrust law and harmed consumers through the sale of its exclusive "Sunday Ticket" telecast package of games, is a direct challenge to the league's lucrative media rights deals. Those who could be summoned to testify include commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, while documents shown during the trial could provide a rare glimpse into how the NFL conducts its business behind closed doors. The case essentially pits the league against a class composed of millions of its own fans who shelled out big bucks for a premium product. |
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