| Tuesday, August 20, 2024 |
| MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine in national spotlight with Inspiring Program in STEM award | |
 | Mississippi State's Vet Aspirations initiative in the College of Veterinary Medicine is celebrating national recognition as a 2024 Inspiring Program in STEM award winner. The honor from Insight Into Diversity Magazine spotlights university programs that encourage and assist students from all backgrounds to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. MSU's Vet Aspirations project will be featured in the September issue of the magazine, the nation's largest and oldest inclusion publication in higher education. Vet Aspirations includes four programs: Vet Camp, Vet Aspire, Vet Chat and VetaHumanz (formerly This Is How We Role). Vet Aspire provides a "day in the life" experience for 50-60 high school and college students yearly, many who would enter MSU as first-generation students, while Vet Chat allows CVM staff to interact with aspiring students and answer questions they may have about their specific professions. Brittany Moore-Henderson, CVM assistant dean of student success and inclusive excellence, said, "We are seeing just how impactful these outreach programs are to aspiring veterinary professionals. Since 2019, as many as 50 veterinary students entering our college have participated in one of them, and this number continues to grow with each class that enters our college. We're looking forward to continuing to expose students of all ages and backgrounds to veterinary medicine and other STEM-related fields." |
| Mississippi's rice crop poised for harvest of 156K acres | |
 | The growing season is wrapping up on Mississippi's 2024 rice crop, and experts anticipate a slightly higher yield but depressed prices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that rice harvest began the first week of August. As of August 11, the crop was rated 15% in excellent condition and 82% in either fair or good condition. This year, officials said Mississippi rice growers are expected to produce 31% more rice than last year. Rice acreage is expected to yield 7,500 pounds per acre, up 30 pounds per acre from what was harvested in 2023. Jason Bond, weed scientist with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, said the growing season was decently smooth for rice this year. "With harvest only just beginning, optimism is high," said Bond. "Weather has been agreeable throughout most of the year until the last few weeks of late July and early August with excessive heat. It remains to be seen how that will influence yield since harvest is only just beginning." Disease was not a major issue for rice this year. Tom Allen, Extension plant pathologist, said sheath blight is the crop's No. 1 disease management concern, but reports of its appearance have been normal. |
| Sharks are taking a bite out of anglers' catch in the Gulf of Mexico, but culling isn't likely to help | |
 | Mississippi State University's Marcus Drymon writes for The Conversation: Fishermen across the Gulf of Mexico are reporting that something is eating fish off their lines. What's to blame? Many recreational anglers point a finger at sharks. This conflict has caught politicians' attention. Congress has directed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which regulates fishing in U.S. waters, to review shark and dolphin interactions with fisheries, and the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the SHARKED Act, which would create a task force to address the problem. I've studied this conflict, which is formally called depredation, for the past decade. While some shark populations in the Gulf of Mexico, such as bull sharks, are increasing, my colleagues and I have found evidence that human perceptions are also an important factor. ... Shark predation on captured fish isn't new. In Ernest Hemingway's 1952 Pulitzer Prize-winning novella "The Old Man and the Sea," an aging Cuban fisherman struggles to catch a giant marlin, only to see it eaten by sharks on his voyage home. Hemingway himself contended with shark depredation as he attempted to land bluefin tuna in Bimini, the Bahamas. Kip Farrington, a longtime Field & Stream magazine editor and Hemingway confidante, noted that "none of these magnificent fish have ever been boated near Bimini unmarked by sharks." Today, anglers often refer to sharks as "the tax man." |
| MDWFP uses multiple methods to study state's black bears | |
| Officials said the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) Black Bear Program is leaning into multiple research methods to continue better understanding the state's black bear population. According to MDWFP officials, the most successful methods of studying black bears include trapping and collaring. The agency is partnering with Mississippi State University (MSU) and landowners across southeast and southwest Mississippi to trap and collar bears. Since May 2023, MDWFP has trapped 30 black bears across 12 counties. The trapped bears are sedated, sampled, measured, ear-tagged, and released at the trap site. Nineteen of the 30 bears were fitted with GPS collars to monitor home range and habitat patterns, and the collared females will help in monitoring reproductive success. As fall approaches in the state, MSU will continue gathering data in south Mississippi through hair snares. Hair snares are constructed to collect hair from bears they walk through the woods and brush against barbed wire. The hair is used for genetic analysis to identify individuals and establish population density estimates. |
| MSU's EcoCAR team visits MCC to recruit and show the future of fuel efficient vehicles | |
 | Mississippi State University's EcoCAR team is hitting the recruitment trail in hopes of recruiting some new members. Mississippi State is one of nearly a dozen teams in North America competing to create the most fuel-efficient car. This student-led team was at Meridian Community College Monday, speaking to students and trying to spark interest in joining. Along with the EcoCar team, the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association was there, highlighting the importance of growth in the automotive industry. "The Ecocar Challenge is a four-year challenge. We are an international competition with 13 different teams, some in the United States and then also some in Canada. We are all competing to take a 2023 stock Cadillac Lyriq and make it more energy-efficient and more autonomous. So that involves integrating new features as well as improving stock features that GM already has and then taking it to competition and testing it out at the end of every year," said MSU EcoCAR Project Manager Claire Meeks. |
| Oktibbeha County on the hunt for new administrator | |
| The board of supervisors is officially on the hunt for a new county administrator, with a plan in place to get the county through the interim. During the board's Monday meeting, the board voted unanimously to advertise for a new county administrator. Immediately after the vote, Board President and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard suggested agreeing to GTPDD's contract for temporary help with administrative duties as a way to get through the county's budget season. "I'm going to make a motion that we enter into a professional contract with the Golden Triangle Planning and Development for professional assistance at $80/hr to assist us until we can get a new administrator hired," Howard said. Services in the contract included assisting county officials with developing the budget for next year, along with other tax calculations and worksheets needed in that process. GTPDD would also be responsible for assisting with the annual budget hearing and other administrative duties. The contract outlined that the majority of the work should be completed by October. |
| $43M Aurora expansion to create 63 jobs | |
| The county board of supervisors unanimously agreed to a 10-year ad valorem tax exemption for Aurora Flight Sciences' planned $43 million expansion. During the board's Monday meeting, Golden Triangle Development LINK COO Meryl Fisackerly appeared before the board Monday on behalf of the company to request the exemption. "Today, we're here to ask for a tax abatement on their new investment," Fisakerly said. Fisakerly said the expansion will include rehabilitating a 40,000 square-foot building and adding a new 50,000 square-foot building. The company currently has about 117 employees, she said, but it plans to add 63 full-time jobs in the expansion. Headquartered in Virginia, Aurora Flight Sciences opened at the Lowndes County Industrial Park in 2005. The company specializes in the design, testing and production of unmanned aircraft systems and was acquired by Boeing in 2017. Board President and District 2 Supervisor Trip Hairston told The Dispatch after the meeting that the entire county benefits from the economic activity that comes with expanding businesses and new job offerings. He called it a quick and easy decision for the board. |
| Hattiesburg receives $1.5M grant from MDOT to build new taxiway at Bobby Chain Airport | |
 | Monday was a day to celebrate aviation in the Pine Belt with the announcement of a new taxiway to be built at the Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport, Mayor Toby Barker said. But Aug. 19 also was National Aviation Day, coinciding with American aviation pioneer Orville Wright's birthday, which was established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1939. The airport, located in Hattiesburg, is the "hub of private aviation here in south Mississippi and plays an important role in our economy," he said. The city received a $1,574,496 grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation's Strategic Multi-Modal Investments Fund to improve an existing taxiway and construct a new one at the airport. The city will provide matching funds of $334,989, bringing the total investment to $1,909,485. Barker made the announcement Monday during a news conference. The expansion will encourage business aircraft owners to locate in Hattiesburg and allow larger aircraft to be permanently based at the airport, Barker said. Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center also will benefit from improvements to the Bobby Chain Airport since it doesn't have a full airport on the military base. The airport currently supports ongoing training exercises for Camp Shelby. |
| Mississippi counties among first in the nation to use more 'transparent' voting machines, software | |
| Some Mississippi counties have opted to move away from traditional voting machines and voting software sold by large scale companies and, instead, transitioned to machines maintained by a nonprofit that focuses on making the mechanics of voting more transparent. VotingWorks, a nonprofit company founded in 2018, first unveiled some of its voting machines in five counties in the Magnolia State, making rural Mississippi areas some of the first in the nation to purchase these types of voting machines and use "open-source" software. Now, the organization partners with around 14 jurisdictions in Mississippi for elections-related business. Choctaw County was one of the handful of counties nationwide that first bought into the San Francisco-based nonprofit's message. The county's circuit clerk, Amy Burdine, told Mississippi Today that she and the Choctaw County's election commissioners recommended the county board of supervisors purchase equipment from VotingWorks because it was cost-effective, transparent and produced a paper ballot. Burdine and other county officials initially tested a few of the voting machines out at some of the county's precincts on a trial basis. After seeing the machines worked effectively, the county expanded and used the machines at all of its precincts. |
| Attorney general hosts inaugural Women's Summit in Oxford | |
 | Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch -- the first female AG in Mississippi's history -- hosted the inaugural Mississippi Women's Summit on Monday, Aug. 19, a day after the 104th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's ratification. "For one day in August, we are bringing together exciting speakers, interesting panels of women leaders, and a marketplace of women-owned businesses," Fitch wrote on the summit's website. "This free event is dedicated to inspiring and equipping women across our state to become their own trailblazers in an environment of learning, networking, and empowerment. We are going to celebrate the strength and potential of Mississippi women to lead confidently, break barriers, and drive positive change in their communities and across our great State." The event, hosted at the Oxford Conference Center, lasted from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and included meals, a vendor marketplace, panels, speakers, and even a raffle. One of the summit's featured speakers was Paula Scanlan, who participated via Zoom since her flight to Mississippi was canceled. Scanlan swam for the University of Pennsylvania from 2018 to 2022. Since graduating, Scanlan has spoken out about her experience being on the team with Lia Thomas, as well as how the school administration treated her and others for taking issue with Thomas' presence on the team. Scanlan shared how she'd dreamed of swimming at a Division 1 school since childhood, and how her experience swimming D1 became "a dream turned nightmare" when she was told a member of the men's team would be joining the women's, sharing a changing room and competitions with her. |
| Does Mississippi's new state law restrict citizens' right to protest? | |
| Whether Mississippi can limit impromptu citizen protests around state-owned buildings rests with a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging how a state-run police and court in Jackson operates. Senate Bill 2343, passed in the 2023 legislative session, became law in July. It calls for prior written approval for public demonstrations on a street or sidewalk at the Capitol or state-owned buildings or one where a state agency operates by the public safety commissioner or the chief of the Capitol Police, which falls under his agency. At an Aug. 8 meeting, Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said the agency is considering the First Amendment as it drafts regulations, and it wants to balance a right to speech with public safety. An agency spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Critics of SB 2343 say the law would limit the right to protest that is founded in the First Amendment, and it could have a chilling effect on speech because of potential consequences, such as arrest, conviction in the soon-to be operating Capitol Complex Improvement District court and possible time served for a misdemeanor at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility rather than a county jail. |
| Food Industry Pushes Back Against Kamala Harris's 'Price Gouging' Plan | |
 | The food industry is hitting back at claims it is ripping off U.S. consumers after Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris called for a federal ban on "price gouging." Harris, set to formally accept her party's nomination this week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, has blamed corporate greed for food-price inflation. Executives say costs ranging from labor to cocoa have surged in recent years and that profit margins must be maintained to fund the development of new products. "We understand why there is this sticker shock and why it's upsetting," said Andy Harig, a vice president at FMI, a trade group representing food retailers and suppliers. "But to automatically just say there's got to be something nefarious, I think to us that is oversimplified." Harris's support for some form of price controls on food is in part an attempt to blunt attacks from Republican nominee Donald Trump. Last week, the former president appeared in front of a table full of groceries such as Folgers coffee and Cheerios and blamed Harris for fueling inflation while serving in the Biden administration. Americans now spend more of their income on food than they have in decades. Many food companies have posted their biggest profits in years and fielded complaints from consumer advocates over rising prices. Some retailers are pushing to curb further increases, fearing consumer backlash. |
| Auditor's report: Illegal immigration costs Mississippi taxpayers $100 million annually | |
| Illegal immigration is placing a $100 million burden on Mississippi's taxpayers, a new report from State Auditor Shad White asserts. According to the Republican official's findings, roughly 22,000 undocumented individuals currently call the Magnolia State home. The state auditor's team used a formula centered on education, healthcare, and public safety costs to determine how much taxpayer money is spent on undocumented foreigners dwelling in Mississippi. Mississippi is reported to spend around $25 million to educate undocumented youth in K-12 schools each year. Information collected by the University of Mississippi's Population Studies Center project reveals that approximately 2,500 undocumented youth attend K-12 public schools in the state, although that figure could be higher or lower given the state's department of education does not collect citizenship information from students or their families. Additionally, the report finds that taxpayers spend north of $75 million for healthcare to be provided to undocumented individuals and their children. The report comes ahead of the November 5 election in which immigration has been a primary focus among some candidates, particularly former U.S. president and Republican nominee Donald Trump and Mississippi-based U.S. Senator Roger Wicker. |
| Mississippi's Freedom Trail Will Now Extend All the Way to New Jersey | |
 | Euvester Simpson was barely 18 in August 1964 when she boarded a bus in Mississippi bound for the Democratic National Convention in New Jersey. She was seated next to Fannie Lou Hamer, a 46-year-old sharecropper from Ruleville, Miss., who was about to change history. The two Black civil rights activists had shared a jail cell the year before, but as the bus hurtled north toward Atlantic City, 60 years ago this week, they sang. "'Walk with Me, Lord.' That was her favorite," Ms. Simpson, 78, recalled. On Tuesday, as Democrats meet in Chicago to rally around Kamala Harris for president, lawmakers and civil rights veterans will gather in Atlantic City to mark the 60th anniversary of a Democratic convention held at the height of Freedom Summer. At the commemoration, the convention hall in Atlantic City will be designated as the first out-of-state stop on the Mississippi Freedom Trail. Ms. Hamer's raw, plain-spoken testimony about the retaliation she had faced after registering to vote and a vicious jailhouse beating she endured while working to persuade others to do the same echoed far beyond the convention hall. "Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave?" Ms. Hamer asked in an address so spellbinding that President Lyndon B. Johnson tried to stifle it by calling a simultaneous news conference. After the convention, Ms. Hamer continued to tell her story to Northern audiences, including in Harlem, where she offered a now-famous remark: "I've been tired so long. Now I am sick and tired of being sick and tired." Stuart Rockoff, who leads the Mississippi Humanities Council and who joined with his New Jersey counterparts to install the out-of-state history marker, said he hoped the new stop on the trail would encourage tourists and residents to "learn a sometimes forgotten part of history." |
| Biden, in his last major speech before the election, makes a forceful case against Trump | |
 | President Joe Biden delivered a forceful and emotional speech to close out night one of the Democratic National Convention. Whatever anger he might have had toward fellow Democrats, he channeled all of it toward Donald Trump. He pointed to some of the darkest moments in Trump's presidency, back to seven years ago, when white supremacists rallied in Charlottesville. But it was Trump's response -- equivocating about white supremacists -- that seemed to roil Biden the most. Biden has recounted time and time again as the moment that moved him to run for the White House. The president said it was a "battle for the soul of the nation," and that the country must vote for Vice President Kamala Harris to preserve democracy. "I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered. And now democracy must be preserved," he said on Monday as the hour approached midnight. The night kicked off a convention much different than the one Biden envisioned just a month ago. Audience members were moved to tears as the president spoke, delivering a historical speech to mark the passing of the torch to his vice president. But Biden said he wasn't angry at those who pushed him to step aside. "I love the job, but I love my country more," Biden said. "All this talk about how I'm angry at all those people who said I should step down. That's not true." |
| UM closes diversity division; reorganizes to boost access, student success | |
| After a yearlong internal review, the University of Mississippi will create a Division of Access, Opportunity and Community Engagement and close its Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, pending approval by the state Institutions of Higher Learning board of trustees. The new proposed division will comprise three areas: Access & Community Engagement, Access and Opportunity and Access and Compliance. It will bring together several university offices and functions from other areas of campus including Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance, Student Disability Services and Digital Accessibility. Additionally, it will encompass many programs and initiatives including the Bonner Leaders Program, Ole Miss Opportunity, the MOST Conference, the Women's Leadership Retreat, MLK Day of Service, and the Community Engaged Leadership Minor, among others. One way in which the division will support students is through opportunities for low-income Mississippi families, such as Ole Miss Opportunity. Also known as OMO, the initiative is a guarantee that eligible lower-income Mississippi residents will receive financial aid to cover the cost of tuition, residence hall housing and an allowance for meals. The OMO guarantee fills any gap in funding after a student's federal, state, institutional and private scholarships and grants have been considered. |
| Ole Miss follows trend in shifting DEI approach as Republican official watches closely | |
| Amid calls from some Republicans for the state government to stop funding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at public institutions, some universities are taking their own steps to reframe such programs and related initiatives. The University of Mississippi, colloquially referred to as Ole Miss, revealed plans Friday to shutter its Division of Diversity and Community Engagement after what officials said was a yearlong, internal review. Instead, Ole Miss will propose a new division to the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Board of Trustees called the Division of Access, Opportunity, and Community Engagement. The new division will comprise three areas: Access & Community Engagement, Access & Opportunity, and Access & Compliance. The goal, per a campuswide email from Chancellor Glenn Boyce, is to bring in other university offices and functions to ensure both access and higher graduation rates. James Thomas, a tenured professor of sociology at Ole Miss who often spars with GOP officials on social media, called the university's announcement "cowardly" and asserted underserved populations will not benefit through the proposed Division of Access, Opportunity, and Community Engagement. "You can put as much lipstick on a pig as you want," Thomas posted Friday afternoon on X, tagging his employer. "It's still cowardly." |
| Delta State reorganization plans approved by IHL | |
| Requests by Delta State University to modify existing programs were approved by the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning last week. It is part of the university's effort to keep tuition rates level as declining enrollment has forced budget cuts. The requests focused on the reorganization of some programs while others were renamed or consolidated. The changes were presented to the Board by Dr. Casey Prestwood, Associate Commissioner of Academic and Student Affairs. Delta State also requested the creation of new academic units or programs. Under the College of Education, Arts and Humanities, DSU will now offer the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, which will house 21 faculty and 1 staff member. With the renaming of the Robert E. Smith School of Nursing to the College of Nursing, Health and Sciences, DSU will use the namesake on the newly created Robert E. Smith School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Under that new program, 21 faculty and one staff member will be housed. DSU also requested the creation of the Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, which combined five existing programs and creates a 120-hour degree path for those who wish to earn a degree to become licensed to teach secondary and K-12 students. All of those requests were approved by the IHL Board. |
| High schools, colleges adapt to ever-changing world of AI | |
 | In a world where artificial intelligence is constantly changing, they have to adapt to it at the high school and college levels. Caledonia High School Principal Gregory Elliott says that because AI and Chat GPT are so new, school leaders haven't established a policy. Still, they are training their teachers about how to handle it. And they are taking a proactive approach – AI is here to stay – so it needs to be used in the right way. Scott Tollison is the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at MUW. He says faculty generally make known their preferences on AI on their syllabus. "In some of our classes, you'll see that our faculty will disallow it altogether. In other classes, our students are allowed to use it on particular assignments, and in other classes, there is more free rain for students to use it how they see fit. I think in terms of positives, with AI, I think the ability to generate ideas and create initial outlines would definitely be beneficial," Tollison said. At the same time, both Elliott and Tollison agree that this tool can also be used for harm. "When we use our AI-based tools, we need to ask, 'How did it supplement our learning and not take the place of our learning?'" Tollison said. |
| Jessi Jobe named director of admissions operations | |
| Mississippi University for Women has announced Jessi Jobe as director of admissions operations. "Here at The W, we are always looking to expand and strengthen our admissions and recruiting practices," said David Brooking, executive director of Enrollment Management. "I'm very excited to have someone with Ms. Jobe's experience in international admissions join the university's enrollment management team." The newly created position will assist the executive director of Enrollment Management in long-range planning, personnel issues and overall budgetary matters for the Office of Admissions. Additionally, Jobe will be responsible for the university's prospective/admitted student database and evaluating undergraduate transcripts for admissions purposes. Before joining The W, Jobe served as the international student adviser at Mississippi State University, where she advised international students on admission policies and procedures while providing guidance and assistance for daily campus life. Before joining MSU, she served as international admissions specialist at Delta State University, where she specialized in graduate admissions for international students and coordinated partnerships with exchange programs. From 2020 to 2021, Jobe served as area coordinator for residence life at Mississippi College, where she oversaw 30 resident assistants and five residence halls. |
| Business is 'buzzing' as Jones College students return for new school year | |
 | Local business owners are excited to see the stream of students returning to Jones College as classes officially begin. More students in Jones County means more business for storefronts like Hildy Pearls Boutique and Hill Street Bakery. Connie Firman, the owner of Hill Street Bakery, said that her business does great when school is in session. "Well, the town is buzzing when Jones is in session," explained Firman. "When school starts, the regular schools like elementary and high school, it gets busier, but when Jones is back in session, it's hopping! And the students come here, and we love the students." Business is so good that Firman says it actually doubles. "Yeah, when school starts again, and Jones is back in session, it doubles," she said. "Because the summer is pretty slow, cause it's, you know, it's just really slow. But when they're back in session, it's hopping around here." Staff members Hannah Johnson and Lindsey Smith at Hildy Pearls Boutique said they also get a big sales boost when school is back in session due to back-to-school shopping. |
| Blow-Dry Bars and Crystal Chandeliers: Sorority Houses Are Getting Multimillion-Dollar Makeovers | |
| At the University of Alabama, members of the Delta Zeta sorority live in a $17 million, 40,000-square-foot home with a grand staircase, a crystal chandelier and a custom leaded-glass window displaying the group's logo. Delta Zeta isn't the only sorority to provide high-end accommodations for its members. Top-tier sorority houses, which are usually owned by Greek organizations and not by universities, are getting features such as blow-dry bars, gold-leaf molding and craft rooms for making banners and pompoms. An enrollment spike in the 2010s led to larger, better-equipped facilities, and Greek organizations across the country have been spending more to build houses with upgraded amenities. The University of Alabama, which extends loans to sororities for home construction, got its first $10 million sorority house in 2012-2013 school year, and by 2016, almost all the school's sororities had spent at least that much on their houses, according to university documents. In 2020, Kappa Delta at the University of Mississippi got a new $13.3 million house, and in 2022, the University of Oklahoma's Alpha Chi Omega built a house for $12.7 million. In part, these hefty budgets are due to rising construction costs across the country. Moreover, sorority houses -- large residences where members can live instead of bunking in university dormitories -- are usually required to be ADA-compliant and meet commercial-building standards, contributing heavily to the cost, said Charles Watson of the Mississippi-based architecture firm Pryor Morrow. |
| U. of Alabama program pushes professors to embrace AI | |
 | From conversing with Mayan people to creating a virtual travel guide to debating the effectiveness of capital punishment, educators are using artificial intelligence n numerous ways to spice up classroom activities and assignments. The University of Alabama is embracing the usage of AI in the classroom with the Artificial Intelligence Teaching Enhancement Initiative, which guides faculty on incorporating the technology in the classroom. Initially classes started out at around a dozen faculty members. Now interest has ramped up and classes max out at 20 faculty members, with many more showing interest, according to the campus. The program also partners with UA Teaching Academy to host workshops about how to create innovative assignments while maintaining academic integrity. University of Alabama associate professor of history Lawrence Cappello and assistant professor of anthropology Katherine Chiou founded the AI Teaching Enhancement Initiative in 2023. The two were intrigued as to how AI could be used to address student disengagement after the pandemic. "Naturally, we're instructors, first and foremost," Chiou said. "We come from different disciplines. We think that we're able to contribute by basically telling other faculty how we have found it useful and how we have decided to begin to incorporate things into our own classes." |
| U. of Arkansas expects record enrollment, plans to build dorms | |
| It is the first week of fall classes for the University of Arkansas, and the state's flagship school expects record enrollment, spokesperson John Thomas told Axios. The university saw an all-time high of 32,140 students in fall 2023, including undergraduate, graduate and law students. The numbers for this fall won't be available until the 11th day of classes, but officials expect even larger undergraduate and overall enrollment numbers, plus its second-largest freshman class. The largest freshman class was in 2022, with about 7,100 students. The 6,200 on-campus beds are not enough to house all students who want to live there, so the university has contracts with off-campus apartment complexes, Thomas said in an email. Freshmen are required to live on campus, with some exceptions -- like living nearby with parents. The U of A will spend the entire academic year designing two new dormitories to be constructed in the parking lot north of Hotz Hall and the open space south of the Maple Hill communities. The board of trustees in May approved the projects and expects one of the residence halls to cost $127 million to $135 million, and the other between $117 million and $129 million, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. |
| Why U. of Florida Professors Decry 'Chaotic' Post-Tenure Review That Failed Nearly a Fifth of Those Evaluated | |
 | The striking results from the first round of Florida's controversial state-mandated post-tenure reviews have confirmed the fears of many faculty advocates at its flagship campus, who criticized what they saw as a rushed and unfair process and top-down evaluation criteria. In interviews with The Chronicle, several scholars at peer institutions faulted the metrics as narrow and inflexible. At the University of Florida, more than a quarter of faculty members who were identified for review either didn't measure up, resigned, or retired. The process, which took place this spring, initially identified 262 tenured faculty members to undergo post-tenure review, though 226 were ultimately evaluated. Of those who were formally reviewed, 17 percent didn't pass muster: Five received the lowest possible ranking, "unsatisfactory," and were issued a "notice of termination," according to a July 1 memo obtained by The Chronicle through a public-records request. Thirty-four were classified as "does not meet expectations" and will be placed on a one-year performance-improvement plan. Ninety-eight were rated as "meets expectations" and 89 as "exceeds expectations." Another 31 professors weren't reviewed because they "either retired, entered retirement agreements, or resigned during the review period," while five faculty members will be reviewed later because of a concurrent performance review or medical issue. |
| Questions Linger After Sasse's Departure From U. of Florida | |
 | When Ben Sasse was named president of the University of Florida in late 2022, his hire prompted a mix of fanfare and protests. Less than two years later, his abrupt departure last month has raised a string of questions about his spending and the circumstances of his sudden exit. The former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska officially cited family health issues as the reason for his resignation, noting his wife's battle with epilepsy. But a pair of recent stories from The Independent Florida Alligator, UF's student newspaper, highlighted Sasse's multimillion-dollar spending spree and suggested that he did not step down voluntarily but was pushed out by the Board of Trustees, an allegation long-standing chair Mori Hosseini has denied. Now questions abound in the wake of what fellow Florida Republican Matt Gaetz called the "widening Ben Sasse scandal." State officials are calling for an investigation into his spending. And though he is no longer president, Sasse is in a position to earn millions if he sticks around UF in a tenured faculty role, according to an analysis of his contract. Donors have also expressed outrage about Sasse's fiscal profligacy. John Morgan, a Florida attorney and UF alumnus and donor, wrote on social media that he had recently donated $1 million to the university and planned a larger gift in the future. However, in the aftermath of the Alligator's report, Morgan wrote that he "won't give one penny more until an investigation is completed to tell us how this happened and most importantly ... is it criminal?" |
| U. of Missouri student group 'heartbroken' after it was told to rename its Welcome Black BBQ | |
 | A Black student group at a flagship Missouri university that was roiled by protests over race nearly a decade ago said it was forced to rename an upcoming barbecue the Welcome Black and Gold BBQ instead of the Welcome Black BBQ. The Legion of Black Collegians at the University of Missouri said in a post on Instagram that it spent months fighting the decision and was "heartbroken." But the university defended the change in a statement, saying the modification was made to reflect that the campus is "welcoming to all." "In striving for an inclusive university, we must not exclude (or give impressions that we are excluding) individuals with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives," university spokesperson Christopher Ave said in the statement. The group said in the Instagram post that the barbecue is a staple for incoming and returning Black students. At one point it considered canceling the event, but now is encouraging members to attend on Friday and resist "any further changes to our fundamental programming." The name-change dustup comes after massive protests erupted in 2015 on the Columbia campus over the administration's handling of racial slurs and other racist acts. More than 30 Black football team members said they wouldn't play until the university's president was removed and one student went on a hunger strike. |
| 2024-25 school year brings numerous changes to U. of Missouri's campus | |
 | Crowded streets, limited parking and M-I-Z chants heard across campus traditionally mark the beginning of a new school year at the University of Missouri. As classes begin, the campus community should be on the lookout for changes that may affect the way they navigate campus life. This school year, students, faculty and staff can expect to learn about an increase in tuition rates, the dissolution of MU's Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, new additions to the administration, a series of ongoing construction projects and changes to faculty parking. For Mizzou Tigers football fans, the fall semester brings four home football games in a row to kick off the football season. Tuition increased by 5% this fall for undergraduate students at all four of the University of Missouri System campuses. The University of Missouri saw an 16% increase in freshman enrollment, with 5,983 freshmen. The new semester will bring arround 31,000 students to MU's Columbia campus. Starting Jan. 2025, MU will use a demand-based parking model with tiered pricing for faculty and staff parking. This is a shift from the current salary-based parking model the university uses. With this new system, the most in-demand parking will be the most expensive and will be less expensive for lots further away from the center of campus. |
| Hotel suite or dorm room? Unpacking the college campus housing crunch | |
 | Two weeks ago, Anne Williams was angrily poring over an email from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette that said her son would have to spend his freshman year living at a hotel. Within days, she yanked him from the school and paid full tuition elsewhere. The university, in her view, had suddenly demanded "this big price difference with less than a week to pay for it," she said. "It just doesn't make sense." The school ultimately offered to cover the additional expense of living at the hotel, but by then Williams and her son were touring a new campus. Their situation is a striking example of the tough choices some families have been forced to make as students head back to college this fall. As a broader crisis of affordable housing in the U.S. persists, the number of young college-goers has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Many universities require first-year students to live on campus, and last spring, freshmen enrollment increased faster than overall undergraduate enrollment, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Some schools are tackling the campus housing crunch in unconventional ways. Louisiana State University offered incoming freshmen whose families live nearby a $3,000 incentive to commute from home rather than stay in the dorms, a university official told a local TV station in July. |
| A New Problem With Four-Year Degrees: The Surge in College Closures | |
| When colleges close, the fallout for students can be catastrophic. It's happening more often. Over 500 private, nonprofit four-year institutions have closed in the last 10 years, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. That is three times what it was in the decade prior. Rachel Burns, a senior policy analyst at SHEEO, estimates at least 1.25 million students were affected by these closures. (Many more for-profit institutions have closed in this period as well.) The reasons for a stark rise in closures are myriad, but the rising cost of higher education is playing a role. The number of college-bound students has declined since 2011 with colleges often buckling under the strain of tuition losses. The pace of closures is expected to continue as federal Covid-19 funding dries up and applications drop due to a reduced birthrate, according to analysts and educators. The rise in prices is also one reason many young Americans are re-evaluating the overall value of a four-year degree. Most at risk of closing are rural liberal arts schools with fewer than 1,000 students. Students are often drawn to their niche programs, tiny class sizes and defined sense of community. The uptick in college closures has brought on more skepticism about the cost and value of a four-year degree. "It reinforces the scrutiny around whether a higher-ed degree is worth it, whether schools know what they're doing, whether they're managing themselves and students' educations," said Emily Wadhwani, a senior director at Fitch Ratings, a credit-ratings firm. |
| Zero tolerance at UC campuses in new order banning encampments, masking, blocking paths | |
 | University of California President Michael V. Drake on Monday directed chancellors of all 10 campuses to strictly enforce rules against encampments, protests that block pathways and masking that shields identities amid sharp calls to stop policy violations during demonstrations such as those over the Israel-Hamas war that roiled universities in the spring. As students begin returning to school this week, Drake also sent a letter to the UC community affirming that the right to protest, exercise free speech and voice diverse viewpoints was fundamental to the mission of the university -- the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, he noted. He said the "vast majority" of campus protests are peaceful and nonviolent, but "some of the activities we saw over the past year were not" and needed to be addressed. "Clear communication and consistent application of policies and laws are key to achieving the delicate but essential balance between free speech rights and the need to protect the safety of our community and maintain critical University operations," he wrote. He told chancellors that rights to free speech and academic freedom must not "place community members in reasonable fear for their personal safety or infringe on their civil rights." |
| Colleges Face Growing Demands to Step Up Enforcement on Student Protesters Who Cross a Line | |
| Pressure is building on colleges to stand firm on punishing students who run afoul of conduct codes during protests against the Israel-Hamas war. Local prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against many of the protesters who were arrested last spring, but many students still face campus disciplinary proceedings. Some campuses will continue working through those hearings well into the fall, leaving students' status uncertain as the next academic year begins. On Monday, Rep. Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the U.S. House's Committee on Education and the Workforce, released a document that appears to show how Columbia officials disciplined protesters who occupied Hamilton Hall on April 30. Foxx said the records show that the university failed to follow through on a promise to expel the students involved. Police arrested more than 100 people after talks between demonstrators and Columbia leaders broke down and students stormed into the central academic building. "More than three months after the criminal takeover of Hamilton Hall, the vast majority of the student perpetrators remain in good standing," Foxx's statement reads. "By allowing its own disciplinary process to be thwarted by radical students and faculty, Columbia has waved the white flag in surrender while offering up a get-out-of-jail-free card to those who participated in these unlawful actions." |
SPORTS
| 'You always have something to learn': Shapen growing comfortable in MSU offense | |
| During his three years at Baylor, Blake Shapen was constantly moving back and forth between lining up under center and in the shotgun. Under offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, the Bears used what is known as the "multiple" offense, essentially shape-shifting among several formations. It's quite the contrast to Mississippi State's new offense under head coach Jeff Lebby, where the quarterback is nearly always in the shotgun and the goal is to spread the defense out and get the ball to dynamic playmakers in space. "It's completely different," Shapen said. "I was in a pro-style offense at Baylor, so this offense is way different. I was under center 50 percent of the time, and here it's mostly shotgun. I'm moving fast. I've never really done tempo, so this is my first time doing it." Shapen was the first transfer portal addition for Lebby and the Bulldogs over the winter, committing to MSU just four days after he entered the portal in December. He may not have the pedigree of some of the other signal-callers who switched teams this past offseason -- including Dillon Gabriel, whom Lebby coached the last two years at Oklahoma -- but Lebby's offense is well-suited to Shapen's game. The quarterback proved as much in April, when he put on a show against the Bulldogs' defense in the spring game. |
| Soccer Earns Highest Ranking in Program History at #11 in TopDrawerSoccer Poll | |
| Mississippi State soccer continues to reach unprecedented heights, earning the highest ranking in program history at No. 11 in the latest TopDrawerSoccer poll. The Bulldogs ascension in the rankings follows an impressive 2-0 start to the 2024 season, showcasing their potential to compete at the highest levels of collegiate soccer. The Bulldogs entered the season with high expectations, holding the program's highest-ever preseason ranking at No. 15 by TopDrawerSoccer and No. 18 by United Soccer Coaches. Under the leadership of head coach James Armstrong, now in his sixth season, State has delivered two shutout performances in their first two matches. In the season opener, the Bulldogs faced a strong Baylor side in Starkville, where Ilana Izquierdo secured a 1-0 victory for State with a goal just 2:28 into the match. The goal, set up by assists from Hannah Johnson and Ally Perry, demonstrated the Bulldogs ability to strike quickly and decisively. Defensively, the Dawgs held firm, with keeper Maddy Anderson recording yet another shutout to add to her already impressive career total. State carried their momentum into the second match against Northwestern State, where they delivered a dominant 4-0 performance. The scoring was distributed across the lineup, with goals from Alivia Buxton, Aitana Martinez-Montoya, Naila Schoefberger, and a team goal. The offensive explosion highlighted the depth of Armstrong's squad, while the defense, once again anchored by Anderson and a strong-willed back line, remained impenetrable. This week, the Bulldogs are set to hit the road for the first time in 2024, traveling to North Carolina for a pair of crucial matchups. On Thursday, August 22, State will face off against UNC Charlotte, with kickoff set for 6 PM CT. |
| Cross Country Schedule Set For Fall | |
| Mississippi State cross country is set for a four-meet regular season before the SEC Championship starts the postseason in November. For the season opener, the Bulldogs will travel two hours north to Memphis, Tennessee, on Aug. 31, for the City Auto Memphis Twilight Classic, hosted by Christian Brothers University. Two weeks later, State will travel to Huntsville, Alabama, for The Southern Showcase, where eight personal bests were set last season. The meet, hosted by Jacksonville State, is set for Sep.13. "I'm extremely excited about the upcoming season." head coach Chris Woods said. "We have most of our team returning from last year, as well as some freshmen that we are expecting to make an immediate impact. I was really excited with how we closed our season in 2023, improving upon our championship finishes from the season before. With that, I'm expecting an even better championship in 2024." In October, The Bulldogs will head up to South Bend, Indiana, for the Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational, hitting the course on Oct. 4. The final regular season meet will stay in conference, running at the Crimson Classic, hosted by Alabama, on Oct. 14. |
| The NFL Quarterback Market Has Gone Haywire -- and it's About to Get Even Crazier | |
| When Patrick Mahomes signed a new contract worth up to half a billion dollars in 2020, it blew every other deal across the National Football League clean out of the water. It was a mind-boggling agreement that also made perfect sense: the Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback had become the unquestioned superstar at the most important position in the sport. What's strange is that Mahomes's status remains unrivaled---he has won his second and third Super Bowls to prove it. But he's no longer the highest paid player. In fact, he's not especially close. That's because becoming the best-paid player in the NFL isn't simply about being the best player. It's about timing and leverage. It's those two factors that are driving the most inflationary quarterback market in recent history. And it's also why the quarterback who's positioned to shatter the market's ceiling is someone that casual football fans might not suspect. The passer who has played his way into the type of dream scenario that could soon make him the NFL's first $60 million a year player is none other than the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott. Unlike his peers who have set the bar at $55 million annually, Prescott is just a year away from free agency, which would allow him to realize his full value on the open market. And Dallas doesn't have the option of forcing him to stay on a one-year deal under the franchise tag, which teams use to prevent top players from leaving. That means the Cowboys and owner-general manager Jerry Jones have two options. They can pay Prescott an extraordinary sum of money. Or they can wait for another billionaire owner desperate to find a quarterback to do just that next offseason. |
| How Dallas Cowboy's Owner Jerry Jones Accidentally Bought Into An Alleged $100 Million Mississippi Cancer Cluster | |
| Back in 2010, Chief Executive Jay Allison of publicly traded Comstock Resources decided to sell a small oilfield in the town of Laurel, Mississippi. It was a modest operation, decades past its heyday, with just a few dozen wells pumping out a thousand or so barrels per day. Dallas-based Comstock was eager to jettison the field. A prospective buyer called Petro Harvester Oil & Gas, then a portfolio company of private equity giant TPG, commissioned a due diligence report on the assets. What consultants from Lafayette, La.-based Fenstermaker found was not pretty. "Housekeeping was poor at all the facilities within the Laurel field," they wrote. Across a dozen sites and 79 wells Fenstermaker found rusting and corroded equipment, leaking pipes, worn-down containment levees, and unlined pits for storing toxic wastewater. Fenstermaker stated its concern that whoever acquires the asset should dig a little deeper into the extent of environmental damage potentially caused by oilfield wastewater seeping into the earth. And yet none of these concerns proved to be a deal breaker; Petro Harvester acquired the assets for $75 million. Allison and his team at Comstock were understandably happy to wash their hands of the Laurel asset and move on. Comstock transformed itself over the next decade. In 2018 it traded $620 million worth of its stock to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for oilfields in North Dakota. Jones now owns 70% of the company. Jones now finds his Comstock investment exposed to the long tail of environmental liabilities still lingering in Laurel. This month, in Jones County Circuit Court in Laurel, a jury trial is set to begin, pitting Comstock against the family of Deidra and Marlan Baucum. |
| Looking back on Steve McNair's groundbreaking 1994 season at Alcorn State | |
| When Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair and his teammates would walk from their dorms to Jack Spinks Stadium for home games, they'd always hear students and fans tailgating. They'd smell barbecue. On that walk, fans would clamor to get close to their heroes in purple and gold. McNair and his teammates would take time to snap quick pictures or sign autographs for their supporters. But on Oct. 22, 1994, when the Braves were set to take on Southern, with McNair poised to break Ty Detmer's NCAA career total offense record, the walk out to the stadium was different. "No pictures. No barbecue. No nothing," said Donald Ray Ross, who played wide receiver at Alcorn with McNair. That week, fans started their tailgating on Thursday because everybody wanted to make sure they had a good seat inside the stadium to watch McNair make history. During McNair's senior season, he threw for 5,377 yards and 47 touchdowns and rushed for 904 yards and nine more scores. He became the first player from a historically Black college or university to land an invite to the Heisman Trophy ceremony (he finished third) and eventually became the highest drafted HBCU offensive player ever when he was taken with the third pick in the 1995 NFL draft. But McNair's magical season of 1994 went beyond the numbers and comeback victories. He made tiny Lorman, Mississippi, a destination for NFL scouts and national media. He played in front of beyond-capacity crowds and landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The hype was real, and it followed the team everywhere. |
| SEC's Sideline iPad Use Rules Come with Difference of Opinion | |
| Mississippi football coach Lane Kiffin was initially against it. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is looking forward to it. Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham thinks "it's like cheating." And Georgia quarterback Carson Beck? He would have liked to have had it last year. The NCAA, for the first time, is letting teams use digital tablets to replay in-game footage on the sidelines this season, and despite the differing opinions, there's a universal consensus: The new tech could have a real impact on Saturdays. Players and coaches alike agreed that their game plans will likely have to become more complicated---or risk being totally dissected. No more bringing the same couple blitzes on third down, for instance. Assistants, meanwhile, will have to figure out how best to utilize their new teaching tools. Quickly. In April, the NCAA approved new tech rules allowing for coach-to-player radio communications as well as up to 18 active tablets for use in the coaching booth, sideline and locker-room areas. Unlike the NFL, where only still images are accessible, college teams will be able to view video from sideline, end zone and broadcast camera feeds. However, they won't be able to view previous scouting data and player analytics. Some teams tested versions of the tech during bowl games last year, but most are going to still be figuring things out past this Saturday's season kickoff. |
| Georgia football has a new official capacity in Sanford Stadium | |
 | Way back in 2016, first-time head coach Kirby Smart inspired a fan base to make the Georgia football spring game 93K Day. Now every game day should hit that number in a stadium that has a school record sellout streak of 71 and counting. Sanford Stadium has a new official capacity: 93,033. The increase of 287, from 92,746, came after the second phase of a $68.5 million renovation to the 95-year-old stadium. The change came quietly, only a mention on page 125 of Georgia's 202-page media guide. Georgia added the high-end "1929 Club" in prime viewing spots where the longtime press box was located on the 200 level on the south side. A new multi-level press box will open in the southwest corner of the stadium with sight lines from what Georgia has said would be from the goal-line to the 5-yard line. Six new premium suites will be on the press box lower level. "This project helped us bring that number up above 93,000," athletic director Josh Brooks said. Even after this increase, Georgia went from the fifth-largest capacity among SEC schools to sixth behind new conference member Texas, which is listed as 100,119, according to UGA. Georgia still ranks as the ninth-largest on-campus stadium with Michigan Stadium No. 1 at 107,601 and Penn State's Beaver Stadium No. 2 at 106,572. |
| A&M announces new campout rules for ticket pull as students line up for Notre Dame | |
 | Texas A&M student Noah Franklin spent the first day of his senior year going back and forth from class to an inflatable couch beside his tent outside the Kyle Field ticket window. There's still a week before Franklin can pull tickets for the Aggie football team's season opener against Notre Dame on Aug. 31, but he was determined to get the best seats possible even if it meant camping out for nine days beginning on Saturday afternoon. Franklin isn't the only A&M student with those ambitions. As of Monday morning, there were already seven tents put together outside Kyle Field. Ticket pull begins with seniors and graduate students next Monday and works its way down by classification through Thursday. Any remaining tickets will be sold on Friday. In June, A&M officials announced over 37,000 sports passes had been purchased. The Notre Dame game might be the last A&M students have to spend a week sleeping on air mattresses inside tents outside Kyle Field, though. Officials from A&M's Division of Student Affairs announced Monday that beginning with the second home game against McNeese State, ticket pull lines may not form before 6 a.m. on the Sunday prior to the ticket pull for that week. A&M officials said the changes are to ensure students have a safe camp out for ticket pull. "We are excited that we are able to continue the tradition of ticket pull, while also ensuring the safety of our students," A&M Vice President of Student Affairs BG Joe Ramirez said. |
| Florida athletics hires Amy Hass as new Deputy AD/SWA | |
| Florida athletics has hired Amy Hass as its new Deputy Athletic Director/Senior Women's Administrator, Florida Gators athletics director Scott Stricklin announced Monday. Hass has served as Vice President and General Counsel for the UF since 2017 and has been a member of the General Counsel's office since 2006. She will oversee human resources, legal affairs, Title IX Compliance, student health, student academic services and the softball program. Haas replaces Lynda Tealer, who left in April to become the NCAA's senior vice president of championships. A former college soccer player at Furman, Haas earned her undergraduate degree from Furman before graduating with honors, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. In addition to the hiring of Hass, Stricklin has also announced that Deputy Athletic Director Chip Howard has been named Chief Operating Officer of the department. Howard, a 35 year-veteran of the UAA, will work closely with Stricklin with oversight of all internal units. Also, Florida promoted Lindsey Thomas and Dave Werner to senior associate athletic AD positions. |
| Tennessee orange vs. Texas burnt orange: A Pantone color expert weighs in on SEC debate | |
 | As the University of Texas exits the Big 12 and joins the SEC, it brings with it a debate that must be settled off the field this season: Which orange is better? On one side is Tennessee Orange, the in-your-face calling card of the Volunteers. On the other side is Texas' burnt orange, the mellower (duller?) hue of the Longhorns. Though Tennessee's foes like to hate on the Vols' brash color -- loud enough to match the volume of 101,915 screaming fans in Neyland Stadium -- there are advantages to monopolizing a controversial color. "A bold and unmistakable color gives you a distinct and easily recognizable identity that enables you to stand out," Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, told Knox News via email. "It also helps create a lasting impression and more easily build the association between the color and what it stands for." Thanks to Pantone, the company known for choosing an annual color of the year, Tennessee and Texas can standardize their colors as Pantone 151 and 159, respectively. But which is superior? In the field of color psychology, orange signifies both vibrancy and abrasiveness. As color psychologist Jill Morton writes in her blog Color Matters, a darker orange like terracotta "may be more appealing to those who find orange difficult." |
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