| Thursday, June 6, 2024 |
| College View closure begins June 6 for Bost Drive extension project | |
 | Beginning Thursday [June 6], a section of College View Drive -- from Bailey Howell Drive to Giles Hall -- will permanently close to complete construction of the Bost Drive extension project. During construction, a traffic detour route will run through the Memorial Hall parking lot, from Bailey Howell Drive and Barr Avenue. When completed, Bost Drive Extension will connect to College View Drive at the intersection of Bailey Howell Drive. The new road is expected to open to traffic in August. Drivers and pedestrians are advised to use caution while traveling through the area. Please contact the Facilities Management Service Desk at 662-325-2005 with questions. |
| Nelson, Bassett named Miss Mississippi preliminary winners for night 1 of competition | |
 | The first round of the Miss Mississippi Competition preliminaries got underway Wednesday night at the Vicksburg Convention Center, with Miss Mississippi State University Morgan Nelson winning in the evening gown phase and Miss Madison County Gracie Bassett taking top honors in talent. Nelson, who is a Vicksburg resident, said she was excited when she heard her name called. "I was just so elated," she said. "I was just so excited. In choosing her gown for the competition, Nelson said she wore a mermaid-style dress she found after a lot of searching. "I looked at a multitude of dresses and this one kind of stood out to me. Once I stepped into it, I knew this was the one," she said. "I felt the most confident, and I felt the most pretty in it. So, I decided that I wanted to take it onto the stage, and I'm so excited that I did." As the winner of the evening gown phase of the competition, Nelson is the recipient of a $400 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation. The Miss Mississippi Competition preliminaries will continue at 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday at the Vicksburg Convention Center, 1600 Dr. Briggs Hopson Blvd. The final round of competition and crowning will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday. The final round of competition will also air on WLBT-Jackson, WLOX-Biloxi, WMC Bounce - Memphis, WTVA-Tupelo, WTOK- Meridian and WDAM-Hattiesburg. |
| Magicians, musicians, petting zoo come to libraries this summer | |
 | Libraries across the Golden Triangle are kicking off their busiest time of the year, bringing programming to kids, teens and adults that is fun, free and educational. Both Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System and Starkville-Oktibbeha Public Library System will offer summer learning programs that encourage participants to keep reading throughout June and July. SOCPLS Director Phillip Carter said last year SOCPLS had 181 summer programs with more than 5,300 participants. The majority of those were children's programs that brought nearly 4,500 kids to libraries alone. "Our children's events are always popular --- from the Tickled Pink Petting Zoo on June 7, to the magicians, musicians and storytellers that all come with their own unique programs that motivate kids to be constantly curious and encourage lifelong learning," Carter said. SPL Children's Librarian Loraine Walker said there are several daily programs to choose from, including STEM programs for kids at 10 a.m. every Monday. "We partner with different Mississippi State (University) departments, and professors and students come in," Walker said. On Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Mississippi State student athletes will visit SPL to read books to kids and sign autographs. |
| MSU football players join Starkville library for summer reading | |
 | Some Mississippi State football players are inspiring a new generation of readers. The players are joining the Starkville Public Library's Summer Reading Program. Each week a different group of players will read, sign autographs, and visit with kids. This is part of an ongoing effort by the library to increase literacy and a love of reading in the community. The players will be at the library every Wednesday during the months of June and July beginning at 2 p.m. |
| Starkville ensures residents have clean water for long time | |
| According to WorldBank.org, 74% of people on the planet do not have access to clean water. In the United States, that number is much lower. However, according to the U.S. government, more than 2 million Americans lack access to clean drinking water at home. In the city of Starkville, they are working to make sure clean water is always available for its citizens. "We really wanted to take a deep dive into three major parts of our water system. We wanted to understand our existing capacity, we wanted to understand and look at all of our existing facilities, and we wanted to look at our treatment processes to make sure we were doing it the most efficient, and the most effective way," said Starkville Utilities General Manager Edward Kemp. "Things age out, and things reach their useful life. If you are not continually investing in your system, then you will get behind. That is our approach, and I am very thankful for our mayor and the board and their support of that. We are just trying to take a proactive approach to meet the needs of our customers." |
| Amazon ready to break ground at Ridgeland sites | |
| Dirt work is starting on at least four data centers in Madison County, part of Amazon's $10 billion investment. Public Works Director Alan Hart said Amazon is prepared to "move a whole bunch of dirt" after aldermen unanimously approved a site plan review on Tuesday. The Amazon Web Services data centers in Ridgeland will be built off the Highland Colony Parkway at County Line Road across from the new Clark Beverage facility. Hart said this phase of the project represents four proposed data centers. Developers have already begun clearing trees on the site. Hart said the project is in the early phases of dirt work and that could continue through the summer. Hopefully, Hart said, Amazon would bring elevation plans for the project before the alderman this summer and follow that up with actual plans for Architectural Review to consider. Mayor Gene F. McGee is excited to see the center move forward and noted its "unbelievable quality." He hopes to see construction begin next year. "Once they get moving, they move in a hurry," McGee said. The construction is part of a $10 billion investment Amazon announced in January to build AWS centers in Madison County, bringing about 1,000 jobs. The other data centers will be at the Madison County MegaSite. Local and state dignitaries attended a ground-breaking ceremony for that project on May 20. |
| Elon Musk, xAI and a big supercomputer in Memphis: A look at plans for the massive project | |
| Elon Musk is heading to Memphis -- at least one of his companies plans to. On Wednesday, the Greater Memphis Chamber announced Musk's xAI has selected Memphis for its "Gigafactory of Compute" site, which will play host city to the "world's largest supercomputer." Musk was not on hand for the announcement. During Wednesday's news conference, Memphis Chamber President and CEO Ted Townsend did not disclose the site's location, citing "global security concerns." However, the former Electrolux facility at 3231 Paul Lowry Road is the presumed location for xAI. Milwaukee-based real estate company Phoenix Investors was among the entities thanked during the announcement. The number of jobs and the total capital investment xAI's supercomputer will bring are still to be determined. However, Townsend said the development is a multibillion dollar investment. During Wednesday's news conference no additional information was provided regarding ancillary impact either. It is presumed the xAI project will be seen as an economic development catalyst on par with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and FedEx for the city and region. On Wednesday, Townsend said the project is expected to open later this year. The caveat is this project still requires the approval of the EDGE board, TVA and other governing authorities. |
| The Aging U.S. Power Grid Is About to Get a Jolt | |
 | The country's aging power grid, built over the past 100 years, is about to leap into the 21st century as the Biden administration scrambles to meet a coming burst of new power demand. To boost the grid's capacity, the administration is pushing to step up efficiency of existing power lines with new technologies. The upgrades are far cheaper and faster than big transmission projects, which are often plagued by red tape and can take years to build. In New York, Algonquin Power won a $42.9 million grant to install devices that automatically redeploy power when lines are overloaded. Virginia's Dominion Energy won $33.7 million for a project that includes devices that will let it adjust power distribution in response to changing conditions on the grid. The funds are part of a $3.5 billion program for grid-boosting projects the Energy Department rolled out in October. The plans come ahead of an expected surge in electricity demand, driven by a wave of power-hungry electric vehicles and new data centers for artificial-intelligence technology. That is a departure from the past two decades, when stagnant demand gave power companies little incentive to modernize their systems. Now utilities are scrambling for relatively fast ways to boost capacity. |
| 'We can't get anything done': Mississippi farmers battling yet another climate crisis | |
| Another wave of weather has Mississippi farmers once again battling to keep their crops alive. Last year, farmers were hit hard by a severe drought, which 3 On Your Side reported multiple times. This year, the problem is too much rain, which is oversaturating farmland and killing crops before they can even grow. "Nobody can string the stretch of weather together to get something done," said Scott Canada, a farmer in Edwards. Canada says his rain gauge has collected over 32 inches of rainfall since the month of March, and that the yearly average for his farm is 57 inches. He's now struggling with the issues of flooded crops, overgrown weeds, and not being able to get out in the field to spray fertilizer. "We can't just get in the field to get anything done," he said. Until the rain moves out for a decent period of time, Canada believes he won't be able to get much accomplished ahead of the summer months. "When you do get something done, you get a big three-inch rain two days later," he said. "And you get to go back and do it again." Another issue that's in the hands of Mother Nature is whether farmers will have enough time for their hay to dry out after it is cut. If you recall from last year's drought, farmers had to begin feeding cattle hay as soon as September due to the brutal heat leading to a quick shortage. |
| Hyde-Smith, Panel Stress Need for New Farm Bill to Support Young Farmers, Ranchers | |
| U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) Wednesday stressed the need for Congress to use a new Farm Bill to modernize the farm safety net in order to better support and attract more young Americans to become farmers and ranchers. Hyde-Smith is ranking member of the Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade Subcommittee that conducted a hearing Tuesday afternoon titled, Pathways to Farming: Helping the Next Generation of Farmers. Christian Good, owner/operator of Christian Good Farms in Macon, Miss., was among the witnesses providing testimony at the hearing. "It is especially important for us to consider the insight of producers and lenders as we continue to work on a new Farm Bill. Let's not forget that we have an incredible opportunity right in front of us to support young and beginning farmers by passing a strong Farm Bill," Hyde-Smith said. Good detailed how operating under the old provisions enacted in the 2018 Farm Bill, which Congress extended to September 30, poses risks for producers. He said young farmers are stressed by high input costs, commodity price downturns, high interest rates, and an outdated farm safety net. "As we kick off the 2024 crop season, the lack of a meaningful safety net that our current farm bill provides is a real concern for farmers in my community," Good said. "The farm generally participates in the Price Loss Coverage, PLC, program provided by the USDA Farm Service Agency, designed to provide a price floor that we receive. The statutory reference prices in the 2018 Farm Bill are so outdated that I can confidently say that if we were to receive those prices for corn and for soybeans, my farm and my family's farm would be out of business." |
| She's the world's most expensive cow, and part of Brazil's plan to put beef on everyone's plate | |
 | Brazil has hundreds of millions of cows, but one in particular is extraordinary. Her massive, snow-white body is watched over by security cameras, a veterinarian and an armed guard. Worth $4 million, Viatina-19 FIV Mara Movéis is the most expensive cow ever sold at auction, according to Guinness World Records. That's three times more than the last recordholder's price. And -- at 1,100 kilograms (more than 2,400 pounds) -- she's twice as heavy as an average adult of her breed. Along a highway through Brazil's heartland, Viatina-19's owners have put up two billboards praising her grandeur and beckoning ranchers, curious locals and busloads of veterinary students to make pilgrimages to see the supercow. Climate scientists agree that people need to consume less beef, the largest agricultural source of greenhouse gasses and a driver of Amazon deforestation. But the cattle industry is a major source of Brazilian economic development and the government is striving to conquer new export markets. The world's top beef exporter wants everyone, everywhere to eat its beef. The embodiment of Brazil's cattle ambitions is Viatina-19, the product of years of efforts to raise meatier cows. The country's prizewinners are sold at high-stakes auctions -- so high that wealthy ranchers share ownership. They extract the eggs and semen from champion animals, create embryos and implant them in surrogate cows that they hope will produce the next magnificent specimens. |
| Imported seafood is killing a Coast industry. Could truth in restaurant menus help? | |
 | The last of the fishermen whose boats once dotted the Mississippi Coast's warm waters are worried. Their customers are leaving. Their sales are down. And soon, the sons and daughters of the old seafood families say, the only way of life they have ever known will disappear. "I don't see a future," said Bethany Fayard, a fourth generation processor and distributor who is fighting to withstand the pressure and sell to customers, same as always. "The industry is on life support." The problem, fishermen and processors say, is this: foreign imports have won. Outrage burst from docks and harbors last week with word that the famed Biloxi restaurant Mary Mahoney's pleaded guilty to passing off frozen, foreign fish as fresh Gulf catch. Mahoney's -- which some righteously defended and others said irreparably broke their trust -- held a cracked mirror up to a place that has long prided itself on local seafood. "People do not even have a clue what they're eating," said David Gautier, who has spent all his life in the seafood business and owns a dock in the Pass Christian Harbor. "They think it's right out of the Gulf." That belief fractured last week, and over and over again, the people who once made good money from the water said the same thing: the Mississippi Coast's demand for seafood is greater than the Gulf provides. And so it needs imports. There is one thing, fishermen say, that might help them hold their own in the David and Goliath battle against importing giants like India and Indonesia: Mississippi's government could force restaurants to tell customers the truth. |
| Biden's team takes from Reagan's playbook as he heads to Normandy | |
 | Democratic presidents aren't prone to adopt Ronald Reagan as a template. But in advance of his trip to Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, President Joe Biden and his team are looking closely at how the conservative icon used a similar pilgrimage forty years ago, according to three people familiar with the president's plans, eager to follow him both oratorically and politically. In June of 1984, Reagan traveled to France's northern coast to deliver two speeches memorializing the heroic sacrifices of thousands of American soldiers during World War II. One of them, authored by Peggy Noonan and still remembered for immortalizing "the boys of Pointe du Hoc," captured the nation's attention, lifted support for Reagan's approach to foreign policy and featured heavily in the video introducing him at the GOP convention. Ultimately, it helped carry him to a second term. Biden aides are open about their desire for a rerun and inviting comparisons to "The Gipper," with aides conceding that they have studied the Reagan trip closely and are looking to similarly capture the attention of a distracted, disillusioned public and remind them of how much is still at stake. Not only is Biden expected to echo Reagan in paying homage to these climactic battles for freedom and democracy, he will deliver his remarks from where Reagan stood, on those iconic cliffs where the war turned. |
| Biden, world leaders and veterans mark D-Day's 80th anniversary in France | |
 | President Biden joined world leaders in Normandy on Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a somber setting where he drew a link between the historic fight to defeat the Nazis and the modern-day battles against authoritarianism and isolationism. "In their generation, in their hour of trial, the Allied forces of D-Day did their duty," Biden said, standing before dozens of World War II veterans at the Normandy American Cemetery. "Now the question for us is, in our hour of trial, will we do ours?" While Biden's speech Thursday was directed at a global audience -- including the more than two dozen heads of state and government who were in attendance -- it comes against the backdrop of a fierce domestic political battle between the president and his predecessor, Donald Trump, who addressed the same event five years ago. During his speech on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Trump hailed the veterans who stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944 but did not offer similar praise for the global alliances that emerged out of World War II. Biden did not name Trump during his remarks, but he offered an unequivocal endorsement of the global order that the Republican front-runner has trashed, asserting that NATO and other alliances "make us strong." "Isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago, and it's not the answer today," he said to applause, adding that "the struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending." |
| Tim Scott, a potential Trump VP pick, launches a $14 million outreach effort to minority voters | |
| A top ally and potential running mate of former President Donald Trump is launching a new effort to win over Black and other nonwhite working class voters he argues could be the deciding factor in November's elections. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, will lead a $14 million campaign targeting minority voters in seven key swing states. Scott's push comes as Trump's campaign is ramping up its own outreach efforts to Hispanic and Black voters, especially Black men, in his expected rematch against President Joe Biden. And it gives Scott, one of several Republicans being vetted for vice president, another platform to demonstrate his loyalty -- and utility -- to the presumptive GOP nominee. Scott says that, with Trump atop the ticket, he believes Republicans have a unique opportunity to chip into Democrats' historic dominance with minority voters. Polls show many Black and other nonwhite adults are dissatisfied with Biden's performance, though Trump could have an uphill battle winning them over given his own unpopularity with those groups. "Much to the chagrin of many folks, there's no doubt that African American men are wide open for a political shift of partisanship," Scott said as he briefed reporters on the effort in Washington this week. |
| Americans approve of LGBTQ+ people living as they wish, but their support drops for trans people, poll shows | |
 | Americans broadly support LGBTQ+ people living as they wish, with large majorities backing same-sex marriage, same-sex couples raising children and laws to protect queer people from job discrimination, according to a new nationwide poll for the Los Angeles Times. The public offers less support for transgender and nonbinary people. And support for all LGBTQ+ groups drops among Republicans, people who identify as Protestant and those who don't personally know anyone queer, the poll found. The survey also found deep divisions on questions related to queer youth, such as whether children should have access to gender-affirming medical care. The poll, done for The Times by NORC at the University of Chicago and paid for by the California Endowment, was designed in part to re-ask questions from a groundbreaking survey on American perceptions of gay and lesbian people that The Times conducted in 1985. The results document a huge shift in American opinion over a nearly 40-year period. The new L.A. Times/NORC survey also included questions about transgender and nonbinary people, as well as questions around current hot-button topics such as queer youth, education and medical care. Those questions showed that "some of the levels of acceptance just aren't as high for trans and nonbinary people" as they are for gay men and lesbians, said Dan Malato, NORC's senior research director. The poll also found many Americans are weary of LGBTQ+ issues in politics. |
| UM grad student lands Netflix deal with collection of humorous essays | |
 | Via Bleidner kept detailed journals after transferring from a Catholic school to a Los Angeles County high school full of wealthy, fame-seeking teenagers. Her coming-of-age accounts shared in "If You Lived Here You'd Be Famous By Now" (Macmillan, 2021) have scored a Netflix series deal. Bleidner, a student in the master's program in creative writing at the University of Mississippi, shares her journey navigating the drama and culture shock of Calabasas, a California city known for its rich families, including the Kardashians. "I knew lots of people whose goal when they grew up was to be famous," Bleidner said. "It wasn't like, 'Oh, I want to be a famous painter or a famous chemist'; it was, 'Oh, I just want to be famous.' "That's the end goal, which I think is really different and unique to that area." Kim Kardashian and Emma Roberts are part of the team producing "Calabasas," a scripted Netflix series based on her book. Nearly 2,000 miles from Calabasas, Bleidner is working on a collection of short fiction stories for her thesis at Ole Miss. |
| Southern Miss partners with U.S. Navy to develop AI solutions for undersea operations | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi has partnered with a military branch to help advance undersea operations through the use of artificial intelligence and propel the U.S. ahead of global competition. Through a cooperative research and development agreement, Southern Miss and the Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command are joining forces to advance capabilities in seabed warfare, uncrewed systems autonomy, and ocean data science. Strides in progress will include leveraging cutting-edge uncrewed systems platforms, sensors, and recent advances in generative AI to address challenges in naval meteorology and oceanography. The collaboration will produce a series of demonstrations aimed at enhancing the Department of Defense's operational efficiency and technological capabilities in not only congested coastal areas, but also at depths near the seabed. "Our combined efforts will not only push the boundaries of naval technology but also provide invaluable training opportunities for DoD personnel, ensuring our armed forces remain at the forefront of innovation," USM Vice President of Research Dr. Kelly Lucas said. |
| Nissan donates $250K to Mississippi HBCUs for STEM programs | |
| Continuing its longtime support of historically Black colleges and universities, Nissan is donating $250,000 to Mississippi's seven HBCUs to further science, technology, engineering and math education. Since launching the Mississippi HBCU STEM Initiative in 2014, Nissan has invested a total of $2.5 million to support and encourage innovative program development that serves Mississippi HBCU students, helping to build the tech workforce of the future. "It's our privilege to support Mississippi's HBCUs as they prepare a new generation to take on the STEM challenges and opportunities of tomorrow," said Chandra Vasser, vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Nissan Americas, and an HBCU alumnus. "Many of Nissan's Canton employees are graduates of a Mississippi HBCU and are helping to shape the future of our business. We're proud to support the schools that have prepared them to make a positive impact not only within our company but within the communities we serve." The seven HBCUs include Alcorn State University, Coahoma Community College, the Hinds Community College Utica campus, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Rust College and Tougaloo College. |
| Push for defibrillators in schools becomes personal | |
 | Matthew Mangine and Rep. Andy Barr are tied together by unimaginable loss and one singular, horrible date: June 16, 2020. That's the day Mangine, a dad from northern Kentucky, lost his 16-year-old son, who collapsed at a soccer practice and later died from a cardiac event. It's also the day Barr's wife, Carol, collapsed on a Zoom call and later died, also from a cardiac event. She was 39. Last month, Mangine went to Barr's Washington, D.C., office and asked him to back legislation that would increase access to automated external defibrillators in schools. He argued a defibrillator could have saved his boy's life. When he mentioned the day of his son's death, Barr looked stunned. "That's the exact day we lost Carol," the Kentucky Republican said. This is the third Congress in a row that lawmakers have introduced legislation to promote access to emergency defibrillators in schools across the nation through grant programs. But this year, lawmakers like Barr, who have seen their lives upended because of sudden cardiac arrests, may make the difference in that bill's success. The bicameral, bipartisan bill would create a federal standard for cardiac arrest response in schools by increasing student access to AEDs and developing emergency response plans. AEDs are generally a popular bipartisan issue, but state legislation to expand their scope has faced pushback from those who worry that placing the devices in schools is too expensive or creates too much legal liability. There's also concern that bystanders are afraid to use the devices. |
| Louisiana Governor Gains More Control Over College Boards | |
 | Louisiana governor Jeff Landry signed a bill into law Wednesday that grants him new powers to directly appoint board chairs at the state's public colleges and universities. Landry, a Republican, then immediately ousted University of Louisiana System board chair Jimmy Clarke and re-appointed Mark Romero, who held the role under previous governor John Bel Edwards in 2019. The bill landed on Landry's desk on May 31 after flying through the state legislature with strong Republican support. Sponsored by Republican senator Valarie Hodges, the controversial bill reflects a growing push from conservative lawmakers to exercise greater influence in higher education governance. Critics, however, have raised concerns that the legislation could be an overstep that threatens public institutions' accreditation status and with it, their ability to receive crucial federal funding. The bill first passed the Senate with an initial vote of 28 to 10 on May 7 before easily getting through the House on May 28, receiving amendments that only further reinforced gubernatorial power. Mary Papazian, executive vice president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), was disappointed to see such strong political support for the bill, noting that it removes the ability for the board to choose its own chair. Papazian also expressed concern that the bill could threaten institutional autonomy. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the accrediting body for Louisiana's public universities, requires that governing boards for its accredited institutions remain free from undue external influence. |
| Marisa Chrysochoou to be U. of Missouri's College of Engineering dean | |
 | Marisa Chrysochoou said her work in environmental engineering will inform her new position as Dean of the University of Missouri's College of Engineering. "When we talk about the environment, there is a much broader umbrella where I think there is opportunity for us to foster cross-collaborative research among different colleges," Chrysochoou said. "I would really like the fundamental research to be coupled with community work and wider dissemination." Her appointment was announced Wednesday by Matthew Martens, the provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. Chrysochoou is the head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut until Aug. 1, when she will start at MU. MU has shown a commitment to increasing research opportunities through initiatives like MizzouForward and NextGen. Chrysochoou spoke to the importance of maintaining a balance between research and education in the College of Engineering. "I think that we see a lot of the time that undergraduate students feel a tension between research and education," she said. Chrysochoou said her priority is to create "a culture where these are our two legs, research and education, and you need both legs to be able to be strong." |
| Yet Again, the Number of College Dropouts Stays Persistently High | |
 | While undergraduate enrollment is inching toward pre-pandemic levels, colleges are still struggling to re-engage the millions of Americans who dropped out of college without finishing their degrees. The number of working-age adults with some college experience but no credential -- students who have stopped out, as they're known -- increased 2.9 percent from July 2021 to July 2022, reaching a total of 36.8 million, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That represents roughly one in five Americans who held at least a high-school diploma, a representative of the center said. In a bright spot for higher ed, though, more former students returned to college during that time span. The number of students who re-enrolled from 2022 to 2023 rose by 78,300. In last year's report, that figure fell by 80,000. According to the new data, 934,000 students who previously dropped out are now back in college. During the same period, about 2.3 million students stopped pursuing their degrees -- a grim number, but slightly fewer than the center reported last year. Doug Shapiro, executive director of the research center, said during a call with reporters that colleges must begin looking beyond their former students to identify candidates for re-enrollment. |
| Stanford says arrested protesters caused 'extensive damage' while occupying president's office | |
| Stanford University police arrested 13 pro-Palestinian protesters Wednesday who entered the president's office early in the morning and, the university said, caused extensive damage in the building and injured one of the officers trying to clear the building. Outside, the stone walls were painted in dozens of places with swear words and death threats against police, America and Israel, though a group claiming to be behind the occupation disavowed responsibility for the graffiti. On the last day of spring instruction at Stanford, university officials then wasted no time in dismantling a pro-Palestinian encampment on nearby White Plaza, removing tents that had been up since April. They also removed an adjacent pro-Israel display featuring chairs with the names of the hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7, invasion that triggered Israel's war on Gaza. "We are appalled and deeply saddened by the actions that occurred on our campus earlier today," President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez wrote in an open letter to the campus. Students who were arrested will be suspended from school, and those who are seniors won't be allowed to graduate, the administrators said. Throughout the morning, after the occupiers were removed, students, parents of prospective students and employees gaped at the shocking statements splayed across the historic structure. In red or black paint, the graffiti praised "the martyrs," threatened death in reference to "pigs" and police and accused Stanford of complicity in Israel's war in Gaza. |
| Is This the End for Mandatory D.E.I. Statements? | |
 | For years, conservatives condemned the use of diversity statements by universities, which ask job applicants to detail their commitment to improving opportunities for marginalized and underrepresented groups. Critics called such statements dogmatic, coercive and, in one lawsuit seeking to end the practice in California, "a modern day loyalty oath" that recalled when professors were required to denounce the Communist Party. But the use of diversity statements continued to grow, and eventually became a requisite when applying for a teaching job at many of the country's most selective universities. That seems to be changing. Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have each recently announced that they will no longer require diversity statements as a part of their hiring process for faculty posts. The decisions by two of the nation's leading institutions of higher learning could influence others to follow suit. "The switch has flipped as of now," said Jeffrey S. Flier, the former dean of Harvard Medical School. Many professors on hiring committees, he said, may have been reluctant to voice their concerns about mandatory diversity statements before now. "But I think the large, silent majority of faculty who question the implementation of these programs and, in particular, these diversity statements -- these people are being heard." |
| Civil rights complaints are plaguing schools at record rates. Is the solution in Congress? | |
 | Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last fall, two of the country's leading civil rights groups have disagreed on a lot. The Anti-Defamation League, which is dedicated to fighting antisemitism, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy organization, cast the plight of Jewish and Palestinian students in vastly different lights when antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents spiked on college campuses. But they have seen eye-to-eye on one thing: both groups agree the federal office that investigates discrimination complaints from schools lacks the resources to address the mounting pile of reported incidents. The Office for Civil Rights, an arm of the Education Department, saw complaints rise to the highest level ever last year, according to its recently-released annual report. In fiscal year 2023, the office received 19,201 complaints, a 2% increase from the previous year's record high of 18,804. The office, which Congress flat-funded in fiscal year 2024, has hemorrhaged staff for years and hiring hasn't kept up. Since 2009, the number of complaints the office received annually has tripled, the agency says. During that span, the average number of full-time staffers dropped by about 70. "The office was decimated," said Miguel Cardona, the education secretary, during a convention for education reporters last week. Some outsiders worry the fallout on campuses in response to the Middle East conflict has stressed the office to a breaking point. |
SPORTS
| Notebook: Chris Jans talks transfer additions, contract extension | |
| In the current age of college sports, when the transfer portal has helped year-to-year roster turnover reach an all-time high and athletes can earn money through name, image and likeness collectives, coaches are increasingly focusing on building a team for each season rather than attracting "program players." Few coaches understand that dynamic better than Mississippi State's Chris Jans, but Jans now has the job security to think about the long term if he wants to. He signed a four-year contract extension on May 20 that will keep him in Starkville through the 2027-28 season after leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two years on the job. Tuesday was the Bulldogs' first full-squad practice with the newcomers, who will be joined by a trio of incoming freshman -- combo guard Dellquan Warren, center Chol Machot and power forward Eric Paymon. "It's exhilarating to get out there and see how they move in person, to watch them go through the drills we're teaching them," Jans said. "The year before, we had more main guys. We have plenty of guys returning this year, but not as many starters or full rotation guys as we did a year ago, so we have more new players who are going to be vying for those roles. It's exciting to unwrap the gifts and see what they're all about." |
| Mississippi State basketball's Chris Jans responds to Arkansas report | |
| In early April, a report surfaced from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette linking Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans to the vacancy at Arkansas. On Wednesday, for the first time since it was reported he was interviewing for the opening, Jans responded. "I think all of us know at this point in our lives that we shouldn't believe everything that we read on social media," Jans said. "Regardless of the question, that would be my first comment about that. That's all I'm going to say." The Razorbacks were in the midst of replacing Eric Musselman when Jans was linked to the job. However, shortly after the report came out, Arkansas began finalizing a deal to hire former Kentucky coach John Calipari. Jans is entering his third season at Mississippi State after leading the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. He reaffirmed his commitment to MSU on May 20 when he agreed to a contract extension. "It feels great to have the support from (MSU president Mark) Keenum and powers to be," Jans said. "Certainly, athletics director Zac Selmon had a lot to do with it. We're very, very appreciative of it and excited to be here, to continue to build upon what we've started. You harken back to when we got here, that's what we said we were going to do. We were going to make the NCAA tournament and we were going to build teams each and every year with the goal of being a perennial NCAA tournament at-large program. Fortunately, we've been able to do that." |
| Mississippi State's Brylie St. Clair, Madisyn Kennedy to play professional softball | |
| Mississippi State outfielder Brylie St. Clair, who concluded her Bulldogs career this spring, has signed a contract to play professional softball with the Texas Monarchs, a new team in the Women's Pro Fastpitch league. Infielder Madisyn Kennedy, an NFCA Second Team All-American this year, has signed to play with the Florida Vibe, an independent professional team. St. Clair was MSU's starting center fielder in 2022 and 2023 but moved over to left field in her final season to accommodate Sierra Sacco, who transferred in from Louisiana Tech. She batted .249 over her five years as a Bulldog with 24 career stolen bases. "We are extremely proud of Brylie continuing the tradition of Bulldog greats playing professionally," MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release. "She will be remembered for giving so much to this program and helping to build for the future. I am excited that she now gets the chance to do the same for our game and help build the sport of softball on the professional stage." St. Clair joins former teammates Fa Leilua and Chloe Malau'ulu in the WPF. Leilua and Malau'ulu play for the Oklahoma City Spark. Mia Davidson-Smith, the Southeastern Conference's all-time home run leader, plays in the Athletes Unlimited league and in Japan as well as with the United States national team. |
| Expanded College Football Playoff will begin with 1st-round game on Dec. 20 in prime time | |
| The first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff will kick off with a first-round game on Dec. 20 and conclude with the title game one month later in Atlanta. The CFP announced its entire schedule on Wednesday. The four first-round games will be on Dec. 20 and 21. ABC and ESPN will televise games on Friday and Saturday night with an 8 p.m. EST kickoff, while TNT will have the Dec. 21 afternoon games at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. The afternoon games will go up against a pair of NFL games with Houston-Kansas City at 1 p.m. and Baltimore-Pittsburgh at 4:30 p.m. Mike Mulvihill, Fox president for insights and analytics, thinks there will be room to accommodate both audiences. Fox has the Ravens-Steelers game as it goes up against a CFP late afternoon matchups. "I think it will be fine for the NFL and college football to coexist on that date. I think both events will rate just fine," he said. The four first-round games, which will be played on college campuses, will be announced on Dec. 8. TNT has a pair of games through a sublicense with ESPN. The quarterfinals, semifinals and championship will air on ESPN. |
| Southern Miss football's APR was second worst in 2022-23, but improving under Will Hall | |
 | Southern Miss football had the second worst academic progress rate among FBS teams. However, according to the NCAA 2024 APR report published this week, Southern Miss improved its single-year score for the 2022-23 academic year for the second year in a row. Southern Miss' single-year APR came in at 957, increasing from 945 in 2021-22 and 899 in 2020-21. The multi-year APR score of 932 though is in the 1-10th percentile among all Division I athletics and Division I football. Akron at 925 is the only FBS team with a lower multi-year grade. Southern Miss' multi-year APR was 933 last year, the fifth lowest in FBS. The NCAA used to levy postseason bans for programs with a muti-year rate below 930. It stopped enforcing it during the COVID-19 pandemic, but just reinstated the requirement this year. Eight teams, all FCS except for Akron, were handed practice reductions by the NCAA. Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain declined comment when contacted by the Hattiesburg American. Men's basketball took the biggest APR dip by 71 points, followed by women's basketball dropping by 44, beach volleyball by 36, women's soccer by 32, track by six and volleyball by three. |
| Where does LSU want its new, $400M arena? Emails reveal potential location and developers | |
 | For months, LSU officials have said it would be premature to discuss a location for a $400 million arena they want to build on campus. But their emails show one site appears to be the clear favorite. Consultants, attorneys and LSU officials have focused on the site of the LSU Golf Course at Nicholson Drive and Gourrier Avenue as the potential home for the new arena. They've gone as far as running studies on how putting the arena there would affect traffic patterns, according to renderings and emails obtained by The Advocate | The Times-Picayune through a public-records request. The emails also show that the two developers in the running to design and build the arena are the Oak View Group and ASM Global. LSU officials have refused to identify the two developers, but the records make clear who they are. Consultants' renderings also contemplate the impact on traffic and surrounding areas if the arena were to become part of a broader LSU entertainment district, a university research district or a combination of the two. Under those scenarios, the arena could have its own hotel and be surrounded by retail, research and office spaces. Charles Landry, the attorney working with the Tiger Athletic Foundation on the project, emphasized in an interview that none of the renderings or designs are close to a final product. He said they were part of traffic studies for due diligence on whether the golf course site could work. The developers have not yet submitted their proposals to TAF, and LSU has not drawn up a master plan yet for its preferred site. |
| WCWS 2024: Texas, Oklahoma and the future of softball | |
| In 1982, Dot Richardson powered UCLA to college softball's first national championship. Those Bruins launched the Pac-10's domination of the sport. UCLA or Arizona won every national title from 1988 to 1997 until another West Coast power, Fresno State, finally snapped the streak. Cal, Arizona State and Washington later added national championships to the Pac-10's trophy case. "There was a dominance in the Pac-10 that ignited the growth of softball," Richardson, a shortstop for the Bruins named NCAA Player of the Decade for the 1980s, said. "It was the example for other conferences to compete against." This Women's College World Series officially ended that era and ushered in another -- the arrival of the SEC Death Star, primed to lord over softball and the WCWS for years to come. Next season, Oklahoma and Texas will play in the SEC, which, for the fourth time since 2017, had all 13 programs that compete in softball qualify for the NCAA postseason. SEC programs also had eight of the top 16 seeds, not including the Sooners and Longhorns. The latest round of conference realignment destroyed the Pac-12 and positioned the SEC to reign supreme over softball, potentially unlike any conference over a single sport. Florida coach Tim Walton, whose Gators won back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014 and came an inning away from upsetting Oklahoma and playing for another title this week, noted that the SEC was already the top RPI (rating percentage index) conference without the Sooners and Longhorns. "The SEC is different. ... The travel, the fans, the passion, the number of fans. It's just different," Walton said. |
| Chris Del Conte: 'We've lost our voice of what college athletics is about' | |
| On May 23, the NCAA and its Power Five conferences voted to accept the settlement of three antitrust cases in the House vs. NCAA case. The decision effectively ended the concept of amateurism at the collegiate level. The NCAA will now shift toward a revenue-sharing model, which will allow schools to directly pay athletes. Specifically, schools are expected to have a $20 million budget annually, with the freedom to disperse the money among its athletes. Of course, athletes can also still receive money from NIL opportunities and collectives. Nonetheless, athletes can soon expect a baseline wage for their efforts. University of Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte recently weighed in on the monumental change. "We've lost our voice of what college athletics is about," Del Conte said. "No one wants to hear that but only 2% of our student-athletes are going to go pro. The rest of them are going to be doctors, lawyers and great productive citizens." Del Conte has been the athletic director at Texas since 2017. During his time with the university, he has witnessed massive change, including the introduction of NIL, the transfer portal and the COVID year. However, Del Conte has not forgotten what college athletics used to be. Not long ago, there was no money involved for athletes. Their payment was their education, along with housing and food on campus. Most of them had no hopes of playing their respective sports professionally. |
| How will NIL collectives be impacted by House v. NCAA? | |
| There are more potential ramifications to the House v. NCAA settlement than initially meet the eye. And, at this point, it seems like there are just as many questions -- if not more -- as there are answers. A framework to a deal has been agreed to in the House v. NCAA antitrust case. The settlement would not only pay out damages to student-athletes who believe they should have been compensated for the billions of dollars the NCAA and Power 5 conferences generate annually, but it will also allow schools to directly pay players for their name, image and likeness (NIL). Power 5 schools will be able to allocate up to $20 million toward their own NIL efforts in revenue sharing. The agreed-to deal is creating a fundraising conundrum for schools, who would have to cut costs around their athletic departments and come up with additional money. It has also raised questions as to the future of collectives in the college sports landscape, which have been a major part of team-building since NIL legislation was introduced in 2021. Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter told the Daily Journal last week he believes collectives will still have a place in the college sports world, though it might look different. Walker Jones, the executive director of Ole Miss' Grove Collective, admits he isn't sure exactly what collectives will look like going forward when -- and if, he notes -- the agreed upon settlement is set in motion by a judge. The changes also might not happen all at once. But Jones knows that, whatever happens, communication between schools and collectives will be as important as ever. Whether or not collectives become part of the athletic department itself or remain external entities remains up in the air, Jones said. He personally believes schools should be able to choose whether or not collectives get absorbed into their respective athletic departments. |
| NCAA's Billion Dollar Settlement Faces Google Book Deal Hurdles | |
| The future of college sports hinges on whether a 74-year-old judge approves or rejects a multibillion-dollar settlement to transform college sports into a pro sports model, with students paid to play, along with salary caps and other features that would fade whatever line still exists between college and the pros. Don't expect U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken to instantly grant approval. In fact, there's a real chance she could reject the deal. Wilken likely won't review the NCAA's settlement of the House, Carter and Hubbard litigations for months, as there is no agreement yet to review. Attorneys for the NCAA, power conferences and players have negotiated a term sheet -- a compact on big picture items -- but still need to sort out details and communicate them to member schools and thousands of former and current DI athletes. The details matter, too. Whether the new model could unwittingly spawn new legal problems under Title IX, immigration, employment and other laws implicated by colleges paying athletes has sparked confusion and uncertainty. Schools are wondering how much money they would lose because of revenue withheld to compensate college athletes for earnings they could have made had NCAA rules allowed for NIL, video game and telecast compensation. There is also a similar case in Colorado, Fontenot v. NCAA, that is not (yet) part of the settlement. And even if the settlement is approved, it would not foreclose athletes who are outside the class from filing their own antitrust lawsuits. But when there is a final proposed agreement, perhaps by this fall or early 2025, Wilken will have the obligation under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e)(2) to determine if the agreement is "fair, reasonable and adequate." |
| Meet Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who has the NCAA on the ropes after latest win vs. powerful sports leagues | |
| Now would be a good time for Jeffrey Kessler to call it quits. The 69-year-old father of two and grandfather of four has hit the ultimate legal walk-off. By force of his will, experience and smarts he has taken down an entire industry -- college sports. Or at least reshaped it. Through his efforts, the NCAA lies in shambles after last week's announcement of a settlement in House v. NCAA (bundled with other cases). College athletes are about to receive a windfall the size of Nicaragua. All because Jeffrey Kessler is one big pain in the butt. Don't worry, the nation's most influential sports lawyer has heard the term before. "As long as my clients don't think I'm a pain in the butt -- I feel that's my audience," Kessler told CBS Sports. "Frankly, if all the adversaries thought I was wonderful I was probably not doing my job." We know this because as lead attorney in the House case, Kessler won the big one. The NCAA and FBS conferences are on the hook for $2.8 billion in damages. Going forward, the power conference schools may end up paying $30 million per year for the next 10 years in revenue sharing and to fully fund scholarships. Athletes past and present will get paid. We just don't know how much. Like a Hitchcock thriller, the suspense is killing us. It has already laid low the NCAA. The effort took decades, thousands of billable hours and resulted in a nice nine-figure fee for Kessler and his partner in House, Steve Berman. Kessler brushes off his individual impact in representing scores of athletes but the lingering perception is he won the big one -- because he usually doesn't lose. Underpinning Kessler's college quest is the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. |
| Black Student-Athlete Summit stresses need for financial literacy | |
| One day after the NCAA and power conferences approved settlement terms in the landmark House case, more than 1,500 student-athletes, university professionals and industry leaders gathered on USC's campus for the Black Student-Athlete Summit. The four-day event provided the first large-scale snapshot of what a large sampling of individuals view as the most consequential top-of-mind issues as the industry hurdles toward a historic revenue-sharing model. Among the most critical issues discussed? The need to improve financial literacy among athletes. At a time when NIL is approaching its third birthday and schools as soon as 15 months can begin sharing $22 million annually with athletes, financial literacy is no longer optional. "Let me say this, the schools can offer a whole bunch of stuff, but if the kids don't take advantage of it, there's nothing we can do," said Dr. Leonard Moore, the BSAS founder and a longtime University of Texas professor. "I have ADs tell me, 'Leonard, you say they want this, this and this. We offer it; they don't show up.' And so, then the question is -- whose responsibility is that?" Other summit topics included conference realignment, mental health among Black student-athletes and how best to navigate the ever-evolving NIL space. |
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