| Tuesday, August 13, 2024 |
| 91.1 The Junction: MSU radio boasts new name, sound and voice | |
 | Mississippi State's radio station is celebrating its 30th year in operation with a new name, new sound and new pulse for the Golden Triangle community. 91.1 The Junction, formerly known as World Class Radio, combines the diversity of MSU's campus with the liveliness of The Junction on game days. The new image and branding now represents the true nature of the station -- Adult Album Alternative format where the genres of alternative, blues, indie rock, pop and Americana converge. Neil Price, the station's general manager since October, has made great strides to improve the station's coverage, facilities, student engagement, experiential learning and branding. "It's a junction where different forms of music come together with local to international news," he said. "We aren't just music. We are a conduit for information for the community. We're here to support MSU and our community. It's more than just music, it's a public trust." The non-commercial station serves as a learning laboratory for students across nearly all colleges on campus, providing experiential, or hands-on learning opportunities. David Garraway, associate director of the Office of Public Affairs and University Television Center director, is enthusiastic about the station's progress and Price's continued efforts to improve its programming and help fulfill the university's motto -- learning, research, and service. |
| Education: New gateway to campus opens to traffic | |
| A new Mississippi State University gateway from College View Drive has been unveiled, transforming campus entry with the opening of a new street which enhances safety and connectivity. The street opened to traffic Aug. 9 with MSU's classic trolley taking a ceremonial first drive on the fresh pavement. The project realigns College View at the intersection of Bailey Howell Drive next to the MSU Soccer Field to connect to Barr Avenue at the intersection of Bost Drive. "Every entrance to campus is a front door to Mississippi State and the Bulldog experience," said Saunders Ramsey, executive director of Campus Services. "With this project, we have designed a street that is as beautiful as it is functional to introduce campus." New signage and defined landscaping enhance the aesthetic appeal of the area while orienting visitors and inviting exploration. The street realignment also is an integral component of increasing efficiency and safety on the west side of campus. "With extra parking, a new shuttle stop, protected bike lanes, raised pedestrian crossings and additional sidewalks, this project continues our effort of focusing on and improving all modes of transportation on our campus," said Jeremiah Dumas, MSU's executive director of transportation. |
| Community Profile: McAnally back home shaping fans' experience at Bulldogs games | |
| Spencer McAnally interned in athletic marketing throughout his four years as a Mississippi State undergraduate student, which meant he did not have to look far to get a feel for what fans wanted to experience at games. Sports like football, basketball and baseball are broadly popular with MSU students, but it can be a struggle to attract students to watch other Bulldog teams. So McAnally would seek input from friends about what they liked and didn't like about attending games and what it would take to get them out to some of the "non-revenue" sports. After receiving a bachelor's degree in marketing in 2014 and a master's in sport administration in 2016 from MSU, McAnally worked in athletic marketing at the University of Houston and Clemson University, then returned to his alma mater in 2022 as the Bulldogs' assistant athletic director for fan experience. "It's easy to come to a football game or even basketball, but what would get you to come to volleyball? What would get you to come to soccer? What would get you to come to softball?" McAnally said. "It's sort of the same as it is now. Kids just want to have fun. I learned that pretty early on." By the time he was a high school upperclassman, McAnally knew he wanted to work in sports, even though he did not quite know what that meant at the time. He caught on with fan experience as a college freshman, though, and never looked back. |
| Education: Inaugural accelerated master of nursing students at MSU-Meridian learn hands-on basic life support during orientation | |
| Students in Mississippi State University-Meridian's inaugural accelerated master of science in nursing cohort began their academic journey last week immediately learning to save lives. The basic life support course was part of a weeklong orientation that began Aug. 5, kicking off enrollment of 36 students in the rigorous school of nursing program that will prepare them for registered nurse licensure over an intensive 12 months. Students learned in-hospital and out-of-hospital CPR as both an individual rescue and as part of a multi-rescuer team. They also learned when and how to use an automated external defibrillator and how to perform rescue breathing. "I give them scenarios that have played out for me, and I teach them that in this event there will be an emotional aspect," said BLS Instructor Sandra Culpepper. Her instruction advised students to be physically prepared to provide basic life support for long periods of time and offered realistic situations in which they might be required to perform life-saving procedures. "The longest one I ever worked was for more than an hour," she told the students. "I'm not trying to scare you. I'm trying to prepare you." Kayla Carr, MSN program director, said BLS education is the most fundamental of nursing courses and the foundation from which all other nursing education grows. |
| Harper, Espy discuss 2024 presidential campaign | |
 | Mississippi's former Congressmen Gregg Harper and Mike Espy spoke in Jackson on Monday about the state of the 2024 presidential race and how they see things shaking out. Harper, a Republican who represented the Third District of Mississippi for a decade, believes former President Donald Trump will be reelected to the White House, if Trump can stay out of his own way. "I do believe at the end of the day, Trump will prevail. If, and it's a big if, if he can just act presidential for a couple of months. Don't be calling people names. Don't be having battles where you don't have to have battles," stated Harper. Espy, a former Democratic congressman and Secretary of Agriculture, is feeling the momentum from the Harris-Walz campaign. He's confident they'll be able to get their vision out with just 84 days until the election. "Harris inherited a formidable grassroots organization to knock on doors, to call. So, she's not hurting for money she's not hurting for volunteers," he said. Espy is no stranger to the challenges Democrats face in Mississippi. He's expecting a Trump victory in Mississippi, but he believes Harris will over-perform. "She's not going to win Mississippi, but she's going to do very, very, very well because her base is excited. Her base is excited," he said. |
| New education funding formula: Will it cost more than predicted? | |
 | The Mississippi Legislature appropriated an additional $240 million this year to fund changes made in the newly minted Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSSF). As the replacement for the long-suffering MAEP education funding formula takes effect, Senate and House Education Chairmen weighed in on the potential for abuse. The new formula creates a series of "weights" that increase the amount of funding available for low income, English language learners (ELL), special education, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) students, among other categories. The individual student weights, which did not exist under MAEP, could provide an incentive for districts to reclassify students and draw down more state funding. Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar (R) said there were some concerns in his chamber over the potential for abuse ahead of MSFF's passage. Debar said school districts will surely want to get as much money as possible. "As long as it's within the legal means, I don't have a problem with that, I guess," Senator DeBar told Magnolia Tribune. "The work you're going to put into those students will probably outweigh any money you would receive. Because once you identify them, they're there until they graduate." "But, yes, the Senate had a concern of [possible abuses] on their side, but school districts will just have to be honest and identify the students as they see fit," Senator DeBar said. House Education Chairman Rob Roberson (R) told Magnolia Tribune he fully expects districts to do what is right for the students. Roberson said if abuse becomes evident, the Legislature will fix it. |
| Mississippi Public Retirees Remain Worried Despite Assurances That Their '13th Check' Is Safe | |
| Some members of Mississippi's Public Employees Retirement System say that a recent legislative analysis has not allayed their fears over potential changes to the system's annual cost-of-living adjustment, also known as public retirees' "13th check." "I'm still worried about what could happen next year because they could change that," Mary Porter, a retired public school teacher who lives in Terry, Miss., told the Mississippi Free Press on July 23. "Don't you think? I mean the Legislature can come in and change the law." "If it's protected, though, how can they go in and change it?" her husband, Rick Porter, a retired baseball coach and media center director for Hinds Community College Utica Campus, asked. "If they can go in and change it, then it's not protected by law." "They can change the law," Mary countered. "That's what they do." The couple, who are both members of Mississippi's PERS system, argued the point over bacon and spinach omelets at Brent's Drugs that morning. Their concerns come on the heels of a legislative session that included efforts, some successful, to make significant changes to PERS. The Porters say they hope lawmakers truly understand the need to secure PERS funding for all current and future retirees. "We're lucky in the fact that we have investments to take up the slack, but there are a lot of people out there who are retired people who are living on fixed incomes that don't have that to fall back on," Rick Porter said. |
| How will developers find $170 million to fund local portion of One Lake Project? | |
 | With an estimated cost between $487 million and $655 million, the controversial One Lake Project development is hardly an easy feat to fund. While the majority of funding comes from federal funding, a critical 35% of project funding must come from local sources. For alternative D, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has labeled the National Economic Development Plan, or the plan with the most net economic benefit, that's between $140 and $178 million that has to come from the Jackson metro area. "We have concerns about where this money will come from," said Abby Braman, executive director of the nonprofit Pearl Riverkeeper, which opposes Alternative D. "The local cost share cannot be paid for with any federal funding, so it has to come from the taxpayers of Mississippi." Tom Shaw, project management chief for the Corps, said One Lake will be funded with 65% federal dollars and 35% local funding. The $221 million in funding obtained by Sen. Roger Wicker through the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act will be used in the federal share of One Lake. The Corps provided $700,000 to finalize a pending federal validation study for the project. The rest of the federal government's share for One Lake has not yet been obtained. Keith W. Turner, attorney for the local sponsor, the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District, said the local funding will come from bonds. New areas and properties that would benefit from One Lake would be assessed for money based on millage rate, he added, and that money from property taxes would go towards the 35% the Control District, also known as the Levee Board, has to raise. |
| New farm bill expected to be down to the wire | |
| The president of Missouri Farm Bureau says he's not losing optimism for a 2024 farm bill, but Garrett Hawkins says he's expecting a farm bill to be down to the wire again. "We know we need an updated farm bill, but it's a matter of when. Trying to fit it in amongst other competing priorities and a presidential election makes it very challenging to get that floor time." Last year, the House Ag Committee held a listening session for the farm bill on the Missouri State Fairgrounds. While the committee has passed a bipartisan bill since, the full House hasn't voted on it yet and there's been no action in the U.S. Senate. Hawkins says the lame duck session can be a productive time for lawmakers "with a big 'if' depending on how the elections go." Congress is in recess through the first week of September and when lawmakers return, they'll have three weeks before the end of the fiscal year and another break for the election cycle. |
| G.T. Thompson Talks Farm Bill, Gives View on Tim Walz | |
| Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., said he's working hard to get the Farm Bill done this year. "We're going to need every second to get to the final point with the Farm Bill," Thompson said after a town hall Monday at Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology. The Farm Bill passed the Agriculture Committee in May, and Thompson, the committee chairman, wants a House floor vote as soon as possible. Key provisions expire in September, and the 2018 Farm Bill has already been extended once. The Senate Agriculture Committee, controlled by Democrats, hasn't released a full Farm Bill draft of its own for use in negotiation. But Thompson said he can make the situation work. "If we can give them a great Farm Bill to look at, they can make their tweaks," he said. Thompson said recent natural disasters have underscored the importance of getting the Farm Bill done swiftly. In just the week before the meeting, he had visited flood damage in Westfield, Pennsylvania, and received reports of flooding in Georgia and wildfire smoke contaminating grapes in California. By next year, Thompson hopes to move on to other priorities, such as ag labor. |
| Biden announcing $150 million in research grants as part of his 'moonshot' push to fight cancer | |
 | President Joe Biden is zeroing in on the policy goals closest to his heart now that he's no longer seeking a second term and will visit New Orleans on Tuesday to promote his administration's "moonshot" initiative aiming at dramatically reducing cancer deaths. The president and first lady Jill Biden will tour medical facilities, then, at Tulane University, will help announce $150 million in awards from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. Those will support eight teams of researchers around the country working on ways to help surgeons more successfully remove tumors for people facing cancer. The teams receiving awards include ones from Tulane, Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Washington and Cision Vision in Mountain View, California. Before he leaves office in January, Biden hopes to move the U.S. closer to the goal he set in 2022 to cut U.S. cancer fatalities by 50% over the next 25 years, and to improve the lives of caregivers and those suffering from cancer. Experts say the objective is attainable -- with adequate investments. Scientists now understand that cancer is not a single disease, but hundreds of diseases that respond differently to different treatments. Some cancers have biomarkers that can be targeted by existing drugs that will slow a tumor's growth. Many more targets await discovery. |
| This oil tycoon brings in millions for Trump, and may set his agenda | |
 | After Donald Trump asked the oil industry to contribute $1 billion to his presidential campaign in April, oil baron Harold Hamm immediately started working the phones. Hamm, the billionaire founder of Continental Resources, called other oil executives and encouraged them to attend fundraisers and open their wallets, according to people with knowledge of the outreach, who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. "We've got to do this because it's the most important election in our lifetime," Hamm said as he made calls after the April dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club, where the former president made the audacious fundraising ask, according to an associate. Another person familiar with the matter said Hamm railed against President Joe Biden's energy policies and argued that even if donors didn't love Trump, it made sense to support the former president. In recent months, Hamm has also orchestrated some introductions between oil executives and Trump, and Trump has now "called almost everyone in the sector," said a person involved in the industry. Hamm, a sharecropper's son who rose to become one of the world's richest men, would seem to be an unlikely power broker. He doesn't travel with an entourage and doesn't keep a high profile. Yet he has emerged as a central figure in cajoling the oil industry to finance Trump's reelection bid, and in communicating to the ex-president what the oil industry wants to improve its fortunes in a second Trump term. |
| Tim Walz Isn't Very Rich. Americans Disagree on Whether That's a Good Thing. | |
 | People are judging Tim Walz on his net worth -- but they don't all come to the same conclusion. The governor of Minnesota and Kamala Harris's Democratic running mate doesn't report having any major investments aside from his pensions. He keeps his finances relatively simple compared with the varied holdings of multimillionaire opponent JD Vance, based on each candidate's disclosures to date. Some view Walz's more modest finances as an asset. Though he has more money than the typical American, they say he comes across on his balance sheets as someone you might split the bill for beers with. They also say he can better relate to their own personal financial situation when it comes to policy. Sara Burke, a 40-year-old business-loan underwriter in Salt Lake City, takes Walz's wealth as a sign that he doesn't use his office for his own gain, isn't swayed by outside influences and understands the needs of ordinary people. "Because he's just a regular person," said Burke, a Democrat who plans to vote for Harris. Others disagree with Burke and that thinking. They see Walz's lack of fortune and investment portfolio as a weakness for someone who needs to wrangle with chief executives and central bankers and help manage the broader economy. These opinions on Walz and Vance are often split along party lines, with voters working backward from their political preferences to arrive at a stance on candidates' finances. |
| F.B.I. Investigating Efforts to Infiltrate Presidential Campaigns, Possibly by Iran | |
 | The F.B.I. said on Monday that it was investigating the apparent hacking of the Trump campaign and what a senior law enforcement official also said was an effort to gain access to the accounts of top Democrats in a cyberattack possibly originating from Iran. In a brief statement, an F.B.I. spokeswoman confirmed that the bureau was investigating "a campaign cyberintrusion," days after former President Donald J. Trump said Iran had targeted his campaign. The bureau did not specifically name Iran or Mr. Trump. Nor did the bureau address the extent of the breach or the possibility that it encompassed other campaigns or political figures. But investigators are also looking into an attempt to infiltrate accounts associated with the Democrats' presidential campaign, according to the law enforcement official with knowledge of the situation. The timing of the attempt was unclear, though the official added that there was no indication that the effort had succeeded. Vice President Kamala Harris's team, which carefully monitors cyberthreats, is not aware of any breach to its systems, according to a campaign official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security arrangements. Iran's effort to infiltrate Mr. Trump's campaign comes after warnings that the country was plotting to kill the former president. In 2020, Mr. Trump authorized a drone strike in Iraq that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, a secretive wing of the Revolutionary Guards that is responsible for external operations. Last week, the Justice Department charged a Pakistani man with ties to Iran with trying to hire someone to kill political figures in the United States, including potential targets such as Mr. Trump. |
| Progressives face an existential threat from AIPAC. And there's nothing to stop it. | |
 | Progressive Democrats just watched pro-Israel super PACs spend jaw-dropping sums to wipe out two top liberals in Congress. And leaders fear they have no way to stop it from happening again in 2026. Those groups, chiefly the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's super PAC, spent a combined $25 million on ads to defeat Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) this summer in what became the two most expensive House primaries ever. As a result, two more mainstream Democrats, George Latimer in New York and Wesley Bell in Missouri, are advancing in safe blue districts rather than two stalwart progressive voices. After both Bowman and Bush crumbled under that avalanche of spending, prompted by their criticism of Israel in the country's war with Hamas, progressive Democrats have awoken to a bleak new reality that could haunt them for years to come: They have no organized way to counter that kind of money. And they fear AIPAC and allied groups will be more empowered to take on even bigger targets next cycle and beyond because they know their strategy works. No progressive expects they can compete with the flood of AIPAC cash dollar for dollar. Some are playing the long game -- angling for campaign finance reform and trying to label AIPAC as a vehicle for Republicans to meddle in Democratic primaries. |
| Gen Z women are increasingly leaving organized religion behind | |
 | As a Nicaraguan-born girl growing up in Miami, Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez remembers going to church five times a week. Her father was a pastor, and their fundamentalist evangelical faith taught that a woman's role was to serve her husband. At the same time, Mojica Rodríguez saw how essential women were in keeping the pews filled and the church running. Ultimately, dismayed by the subservient role of women and the church's harsh restrictions on girls, she would leave her faith -- and her husband -- in her late 20s. "Women are less inclined to be involved with churches that don't want us speaking up, that don't want us to be smart," said Mojica Rodríguez, who went on to earn a master's degree in divinity. "We're like the mules of the church -- that's what it feels like." Though the Nashville-based author and activist is now 39, her experience reflects a growing and, for churches, a potentially worrisome trend of young women eschewing religion. Their pace of departure has overtaken men, recent studies show, reversing patterns of previous generations. Americans have been disaffiliating from organized religion over the past few decades. About 63% of Americans are Christian, according to the Pew Research Center, down from 90% in the early 1990s. Meanwhile, the share of those who describe themselves as agnostic, atheist, or "nothing in particular" has risen to 28%. But it had been males, especially young men, leading these shifts -- until now. Should the trend continue, it could have major repercussions for faith communities: Women are often the backbone of their congregations, fueling volunteer efforts and instrumental in engaging their families in the faith. |
| UM's first woman student body president dies at 101 years old | |
| The first woman UM student body president, Maralyn Howell Bullion, died Friday at 101 years old. Her life in Oxford has deep roots, and like the huge old pecan tree in her yard, reached out in many directions to touch her beloved community in countless big and little ways. She attended University High School and then after graduation, she started at the University of Mississippi. While there, she joined Phi Mu where she made lifelong friends. She continued to build a deep involvement on campus, including writing for the school newspaper as well as working as a society editor at the Oxford Eagle, participating in archery, and serving as the Phi Mu president. She was elected the first woman student body president in 1943. She graduated from Ole Miss in 1944 with a degree in English and sociology. She moved to Memphis where she worked as a copywriter and proofreader for a pharmaceutical company. She also contributed her writing and editing skills to a hospital education office. That experience led to a writing position with the Red Cross in Atlanta. It was there that she met her future husband, Jim Bullion, who was on leave from the Army. The couple had six children and traveled all over Europe. Her husband, Jim, died in 1991 and Bullion moved back to Oxford in 1998. |
| USM's new dining plan causes some frustrations | |
 | Beginning this fall, some USM students may see an extra $300 charge on their account. This is a part of Southern Miss's new "Guaranteed Dining Dollars" program. Each semester, all full-time, in-person, undergrad students under the age of 25 will be charged that $300 fee directly to their accounts. "We heard from our students and our student leaders who were expressing their needs and their desires for additional dining options and better dining options," said Nicole Ruhnke, USM's Chief Communication Officer. Ruhnke says this is part of a larger vision to better the dining experience for students. "Dining dollars will allow for us to do that," said Ruhnke. "It will allow for us to bring new additional opportunities for them to utilize their dining dollars while they are enjoying campus." However, some students are not thrilled about the new program. "A lot of students just find it a little unfair for that to kind of just be pushed on us," said USM student Cam Hermann. Hermann is going into his senior year at Southern Miss, and he says many students, especially commuters, don't want to pay this fee. "They don't want to have to pay $300 when it's an option that you could just go in and buy it yourself," said Hermann. In fact, more than 1,000 people have signed the Change.org petition advocating for the $300 fee to be optional. |
| Meridian Community College hosts convocation | |
 | Meridian Community College held it's convocation at McCain Theater Monday. All faculty and staff attended the session, which was also part of professional development. Each teacher and administrator were there to review new and old rules, as well as prepare for the classes and students next week. "And so it's just good to see everybody. I mean, we have breakfast together. We've got a week packed full of everything from, you know, meetings to just chances for people to get together and interact and train and think about the importance of the work we do here at Meridian Community College," said MCC President Dr. Tom Huebner. The fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 19. |
| MGCCC Harrison County Campus $23 million STEM Building coming together | |
 | Construction on the $23 million dollar STEM building is coming together for MGCCC's Harrison County Campus. Campus Vice President Erin Riggins says this is not just an investment for the infrastructure of the campus but for the students as well. "These will be modernized labs. Some of our programs will be our IT technology programs. So those programs they do two years and then they work ready," Riggins said. "They'll have all the technology they need and the newest resources. And some of them will be our science programs. 70% of our population is still transfer populations and they're transferring into four-year institutions and many of them are in STEM." Riggins also says they have several scholarships available coming up in the fall. "Our IT programs are tuition-free and our Live Entertainment Technology is also tuition-free and that operates out of our IMPAC facility," she explained. "Many of our supply chain related program such as automotive CDL, Robotics, and Automation. Those will be no cost." As far as a completion timeline goes, they're hoping to be completed by summer or the beginning of fall 2025. |
| Ex-University of Kentucky student Sophia Rosing, who spouted racial slurs, pleads guilty | |
 | A former University of Kentucky student who was banned from campus for a racist attack on a Black student appeared in court Monday where she pleaded guilty to several charges, according to her attorney. Sophia Rosing, 23, physically assaulted and spouted racial slurs at a student desk clerk, Kylah Spring. Spring, who is Black, was working at the front desk of a residence hall at the time. Video of Rosing's November 2022 attack and arrest went viral, making headlines around the world and putting a spotlight on UK. Rosing pleaded guilty to four counts of fourth-degree assault, one count of disorderly conduct, and one count of public intoxication, according to her attorney, Fred Peters. She faces 12 months in jail, 100 hours of community service, and a $25 fine, Peters said. The guilty plea came immediately following a mediation, which took place Monday morning. Peters said at the mediation, "A lot of things got said, apologies were made and we worked it out." "Her life has been on hold for the past 18 to 20 months," Peters told the Herald-Leader. "She has had a lot of time to think about what she has done, and she wrote a nice letter of apology." |
| Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Commandant Michaelis moving into new role at university | |
 | Brig. Gen. Patrick Michaelis announced that Monday would be his last day as Commandant of Texas A&M's Corps of Cadets. He is transitioning into a new role as special assistant to A&M President Mark A. Welsh III. Michaelis, A&M Class of 1993, had served as commandant since October 2022. He assumed the role after he retired as commanding general of the U.S. Army Training Center at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Welsh has named retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Loyd S. "Chip" Utterback, A&M Class of 1975, as interim commandant. Welsh said a national search committee to find the Corps' next commandant will soon be formed. Utterback is a distinguished military graduate of A&M and a member of the Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor. He was a member of Squadron 2 and the Ross Volunteers. Michaelis said in a statement that it is time for new ideas and a new direction for the Corps. The Corps is currently in the midst of its "March to 3,000" initiative that was announced in April 2022 and has a goal of growing current Corps membership from around 2,100 students to over 3,000. Corps membership in fall 2023 was just over 2,300. |
| Students voice concerns as U. of Missouri grapples with growing student body | |
 | The surge in University of Missouri's incoming freshman class has stirred concerns among returning students regarding life on campus, potentially resulting in limited housing options and overcrowded dining halls, facilities and parking. This fall, MU plans to admit 6,243 freshmen for the 2024-2025 school year, marking an 18% increase in enrollment from 2023. Despite reassurance that there would be on-campus housing space available for returning students by university leadership, some students are concerned about the challenges they will face in navigating campus life this fall. Biomedical engineering student Olivia Heyne vocalized her complaints with the university's decision to enroll more and more students each year. "I don't understand why we keep enrolling so many people if we know we're not going to be able to house them comfortably," Heyne said. "I know some people who want to stay on campus as upperclassmen, but they're kind of being pushed out because of the bigger incoming freshman classes." "The whole parking situation has been bad, but it's gonna get worse if more people are bringing in their cars," Heyne said. "Plus, it's gonna be really hard to find a job if you want to work on campus. I know a lot of freshmen don't have cars." Holloman added that now there's an even greater potential for dining hall service to diminish. |
| President Biden will announce $23 million grant for Tulane cancer research in New Orleans | |
 | President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will arrive in New Orleans Tuesday to announce new funding for a cancer detection technology formulated by Tulane University researchers that could transform how surgeries are performed and reduce the likelihood of recurrence. The $23 million in funding for Tulane's project is part of the president's Cancer Moonshot program, an ambitious plan to reduce the number of cancer deaths by 4 million over the next two and a half decades. While there have been significant strides in cancer research since the moonshot initiative was first announced in 2016, The American Cancer Society estimated over 611,000 people will die of cancer in the U.S. this year, where it is the second-leading cause of death. The new technology, an imaging system known as MAGIC-SCAN, is a way to more precisely help doctors remove cancer, making sure there is none left behind that might require additional surgeries and treatments. When a patient has a tumor, the goal is to remove as much of it as possible without damaging the surrounding organs and tissue. The difference between removing all the cancer cells and leaving a few behind can be millimeters, said Dr. L. Spencer Krane, chief of urology at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. But doctors have to be careful to remove only that which is truly necessary. A tiny margin can determine whether a prostate cancer patient can keep urinary and erectile function, or whether a laryngeal cancer patient exits a surgery with the ability to speak intact "Ultimately, inside of your body, millimeters matter a great deal," said Krane, a researcher on the project. |
| How has college enrollment changed in the past decade? | |
| Rising college tuition costs, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a bungled FASFA rollout have impacted the financial circumstances of many prospective college students. After several years of declining enrollment, the numbers spiked up about 1.2% in the 2023-2024 academic year, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported. Enrollment numbers remained below pre-pandemic levels of 16 million. While it's too early to track the impact tuition costs will have on enrollment numbers for the upcoming semester, some students have already said they're opting out of college due to the financial aid fiasco. USA TODAY identified undergraduate enrollment trends from the past decade to see who is attending college, the most common fields of study and how the pandemic impacted enrollment. Undergraduate enrollment increased by about 176,000 students in fall 2023, according to a report published earlier this year by the National Student Clearinghouse. That's a spike of about 1.2% from the previous fall. About 15.2 million undergraduate students enrolled in college for the 2023-2024 academic year. The biggest growth came at community colleges, which gained 118,000 students this fall. Private, for-profit colleges also experienced an uptick in enrollments. Four-year universities and two-year colleges experienced dramatic declines in enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of 2020. Undergraduate numbers fell by 15% between 2010 and 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. |
| Demand for Online Courses Surges, Creating Cultural Tensions | |
 | Students are demanding more online courses than ever, a new survey of colleges' chief learning officer finds, but this is accompanied by tensions over faculty autonomy and budget challenges. According to the ninth annual "Changing Landscape of Online Education" (CHLOE) report, released today, roughly three-quarters of the chief learning officers polled reported an increasing demand for online options from campus-based students, with 60 percent noting that online sections typically fill first. Nearly half (46 percent) of the 324 online learning leaders surveyed added that online program enrollment is outpacing enrollment growth in on-campus programs at their institutions. The findings come alongside seven in 10 respondents stating they are actively negotiating or had previously resolved tensions between online initiatives and the institution's mission and culture. Roughly half of institutions say their institutions are currently addressing a lack of faculty or administrative buy-in to online initiatives, with another quarter adding they had similar problems that are now resolved. This is the first time the CHLOE report has asked respondents about cultural and attitudinal obstacles at their institutions. |
| Her son died of an overdose in his dorm room. Where was the Narcan? | |
 | In the summer of 2020, Monica Vera-Schubert talked to NPR about her long struggle to get insurance coverage for her son Bobby's addiction treatment. They'd recently prevailed, he was getting sober, and Vera-Schubert, a single mom, expressed immense gratitude. "My son is alive; I appreciate every moment I have with him," she said. In the years that followed, Bobby became a devoted student, got into his dream school of UCLA, and sometimes joined his pharmacist mom as an activist, giving talks and warning others of the dangers of prescription-drug abuse. "I always tell him, 'Bobby, I'm so proud of you,'" Vera-Schubert said at the time. Bobby would respond, "Mom, I'm so proud of you." That was four years ago. This spring, Vera-Schubert reached out again, saying Bobby had relapsed. On April 12, a roommate found him slumped over his desk in his dorm, apparently overdosed from fake Xanax pills laced with fentanyl. Bobby Schubert was 29. The Schuberts' tragedy speaks to the need for greater public health response to overdoses, including on college campuses. The overdose death rate among young adults ages 18 to 24 spiked 34% in just five years between 2018 and 2022, according to data provided to NPR from the CDC. The trend largely is driven by cheap and potent opioids like fentanyl infiltrating a variety of street drugs and fake pills resembling treatments for anxiety, or ADHD. |
| College Writing Centers Worry AI Could Replace Them | |
| Writing centers on college campuses have been around for more than 100 years, and they're both a resource for students doing assignments and a symbol of the importance in higher education of learning to express yourself in text. But as generative AI tools like ChatGPT sweep into mainstream business tools, promising to draft properly-formatted text from simple prompts and the click of a button, new questions are rising about what role writing centers should play -- or whether they will be needed in the future. Many writing centers are already jumping in to experiment with new AI tools, making the case both for the continued importance of writing instruction and for their place on campus as a hub for teaching AI literacy. "I see this as a real opportunity for writing centers to show leadership if they're given an opportunity," says Sherry Wynn Perdue, president of the International Writing Centers Association. "It's an important moment, and our role as leaders is to help provide resources for our colleagues so that we can be leaders in the conversation about generative AI." Some writing instructors worry, though, that the new tools may tempt colleges to rely too heavily on the technology or even eliminate writing centers entirely. |
| Chevron doctrine's death leads 5th Circuit to ask: Is DOL's salary test for overtime eligibility safe? | |
| Federal judges questioned Wednesday whether the U.S. Department of Labor's salary basis test for determining overtime pay eligibility under the Fair Labor Standards Act exceeds the statutory authority delegated to the agency by Congress. During oral arguments before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Mayfield v. U.S. Department of Labor, the three-judge panel repeatedly asked Courtney Dixon, counsel for the government, to identify where in the FLSA's provisions Congress explicitly allowed DOL to consider salary when classifying employees as exempt or nonexempt. "The text of the statute doesn't allude to or mention salary or compensation," said Judge Cory Wilson. Dixon said that because the FLSA's statute specifies that the law's exemption is "defined and delimited" by department regulations, DOL may incorporate a salary basis test as part of its inquiry. She said this stance was upheld in part by the 10th Circuit's 1944 decision in Walling v. Yeakley. "[Yeakley] looked exactly to these phrases, 'define' and 'delimit,' and it recognized not only does the Secretary have the authority to define these terms, but also [to] delimit -- to move from the general to the more specific, to draw lines in this area," Dixon said. "And Congress anticipated that." |
| Black Sororities and Fraternities Are Mobilizing Online and in Secret Chats for Voter Turnout | |
 | On the same day that former president Donald Trump said vice president Kamala Harris "happened to turn Black," Harris was at a Black sorority conference in Texas. "As a proud member of the Divine 9, when I look out at everyone here, I see family," said Harris, speaking on July 31 at Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority's 60th Biennial Boule in Houston, Texas. Sound bites from Harris' speech and high-pitched "EE-yips," the call associated with Sigma Gamma Rho, echoed through countless videos that circulated on Instagram. The Divine 9, or D9, refers to the nine historically African American sororities and fraternities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority -- the first African American sorority. Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded at Harris' alma mater, Howard University, in 1908. "Generation after generation, the members of this sorority have shown that greater service brings greater progress," Harris continued. "And in 2020, you continued your leadership when, during the height of a pandemic, you helped elect Joe Biden president of the United States and me as the first woman vice president of the United States." This appearance wasn't a coincidence. Across the United States, members of Divine 9 organizations are uniting around a singular mission: increasing voter turnout in the US election this year. Black Greek organizations are not only organizing online publicly but privately as well. WIRED confirmed that over 8,000 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha have created an unofficial secret GroupMe with the purpose of increasing voter turnout throughout their communities. The privacy of the group allows members to share information on key campaign platforms for both candidates, create strategic planning for voter registration in underserved communities, and share opinions on candidates without the pressure of maintaining official protocols. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's offensive line 'the group that's made the most improvement' | |
| More than 20 years after an injury cut short his playing career at Oklahoma, Jeff Lebby is still an offensive lineman at heart. So it should come as no surprise that Mississippi State's first-year head coach had as much success attracting offensive linemen in the transfer portal as he did at any other position. The Bulldogs are replacing all six offensive linemen who started a game in 2023, bringing in four transfers who have all played meaningful snaps at other schools. Along with several others who were reserves at MSU last year, Lebby said the offensive line has come a long way between spring practice and the first intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday. "The group has really taken great strides since we ended spring ball, maybe the group that's made the most improvement between the end of spring and fall camp and has continued to get better," Lebby said. "I appreciate their spirit, their work ethic, their toughness and their camaraderie. They're a tight group. For a bunch of guys who hadn't known each other for a long time, you'd never know it." Ethan Miner, the Bulldogs' presumptive starting center, and Makylan Pounders, who is likely to start at left tackle, have garnered the most attention. But nobody in the room has played more Southeastern Conference football than Marlon Martinez, who appeared in 45 games over the last four years at LSU. "I left on amicable terms," Martinez said. "But I decided it was time for some personal growth, and (MSU) was the place for me. Throughout my recruiting process, I was looking for a school where I knew exactly what the plan would be for me and a good relationship with the coaches." |
| SEC Network, ESPN release anthem for 2024 football season | |
| The 2024 college football season is just around the corner. The SEC Network has added to the excitement by releasing its football anthem for the upcoming season. This is a big year for the SEC with Texas and Oklahoma coming on board to join a conference that is already loaded. All 16 teams are featured in the SEC Network hype video, which has highlights accompanied by Luke Combs' cover of Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream." The 2024 college football season gets underway on Saturday, Aug. 24 with a handful of games, most notably ACC foes Florida State and Georgia Tech facing off in Ireland. The first games featuring SEC teams for the 2024 college football season will be played on Thursday, Aug. 29 when Missouri hosts Murray State and Arkansas hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Oklahoma will face Temple on Friday Aug. 30 as the Sooners play their first game as a member of the SEC. Several other teams in the league will get going on Saturday, Aug. 31. The biggest games involving SEC teams on opening weekend include Georgia and Clemson meeting in Atlanta, Florida hosting Miami, Texas A&M hosting Notre Dame and LSU and USC meeting in Las Vegas. The LSU vs. USC matchup will take place on Sunday, Sept. 1. |
| State Soccer Ranked 15th in TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Poll | |
| Mississippi State Soccer has made history, earning the 15th spot in the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Poll, the highest preseason ranking the program has ever achieved. This remarkable recognition sets the stage for what promises to be an exciting and competitive 2024 season. The Bulldogs' ascent to a top-15 ranking underscores the program's continued growth and success under the leadership of head coach James Armstrong and a testament to the staff he has built in Starkville as soccer continues to have new program "firsts". State's schedule is packed with thrilling matchups, including key SEC contests and challenging non-conference games. Fans can look forward to an electrifying season as the Dawgs aim to build on their success and climb even higher in the rankings. Mississippi State is one of five schools from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) featured in the preseason poll, highlighting the conference's competitive strength. The other ranked SEC teams include Texas (4), Georgia (11), Arkansas (17) and South Carolina (22). With a blend of experienced leaders and promising newcomers, the Bulldogs are excited to hit the pitch with a new depth and sense of camaraderie in 2024. The journey begins on Aug. 15, when the Bulldogs will take on Baylor in StarkVegas under the lights at 6:30 p.m. |
| NCAA's NIL deal database showcases earning power for women | |
| Even in its most basic form, the NCAA's NIL Assist data dashboard -- which was unveiled two weeks ago and includes aggregated NIL deal data -- offers a gold mine of interesting insights. That's especially true when it comes to women's sports. The public database -- which does not identify athletes by name and school -- injects some transparency into a three-year-old NIL space that has been defined by a lack of reliable transaction data. That transparency has been a priority for NCAA President Charlie Baker. The information displayed in the database as of Sunday includes data submitted by members who elected to share their data from the 2023-24 academic year. Beginning Aug. 1, it includes self-reported data from active Division I institutions and Division II and Division III schools that sponsor a Division I sport as required by NCAA bylaws. The real-time data dashboard will obviously change over time, as more information is disclosed. The aggregated data has identifying information removed but illuminates trends. It includes the valuable ability to sort by a multitude of filters, including subdivision, sport, player position and type of NIL deal. And even if it's still in its infant stage, some indicators about the health of the women's NIL market are revealed. The data reveals that 22.7% of reported NIL deals in Power Four women's sports come from basketball, followed by a reported 18.5% in softball. Volleyball comes in third with 15.2% of the reported deals, followed by soccer at 12.8%, lacrosse at 12.3% and gymnastics at 5%. |
| These Colleges Produced Individual Olympic Medalists. Is Yours on the List? | |
 | American colleges are a major training ground for Olympic talent. This year, about three out of every four athletes on the 592-member U.S. Olympic team played for an American college. Those athletes -- and many more from other countries -- enroll not just for the education but because American universities have built some of the best sports facilities in the world. They have hired the top coaches, trainers, and medical professionals. And they've cemented themselves as the places to go if you want to compete against the very best. That's been made possible by the immense profitability of college football. Billions of dollars in TV revenue have enabled the wealthiest conferences to build huge stadiums, pay eye-popping coaching salaries, and sponsor Olympic sports. Women's sports have benefited in particular because of Title IX, the law that spurred colleges to build out robust women's teams to balance football rosters that can exceed 100 players. But that's all about to change. Colleges in the most lucrative conferences will soon be sharing revenue directly with players, and all Division I institutions will have to contribute to a $2.75-billion settlement, if a judge approves its terms. That means there may be less money for Olympic sports, which do not typically generate revenue. And pending legal cases may further squeeze athletics departments. |
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