| Tuesday, November 5, 2024 |
| Education: MSU launches cutting-edge 'Anatomage Tables' for 3D human anatomy exploration | |
 | Students seeking scientific medical knowledge at Mississippi State University now have a cutting-edge resource to help them dissect human anatomy with the most-advanced medical education system available -- state-of-the-art Anatomage Tables. Seven tables were revealed at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house Thursday in the Academic Computer Laboratory on Herbert Street. These revolutionary tools acquired by MSU's Department of Biological Sciences will transform the way students learn about human anatomy and physiology -- now available through a digital approach, providing students and faculty with highly accurate, human-based medical education without the need for traditional cadavers. Angus Dawe, head of the Department of Biological Sciences, said the tables, valued at $460,000, demonstrate the university's commitment to incorporating cutting-edge technology into its curricula. "We are thrilled to provide our students access to the Anatomage Table, one of the most innovative tools in medical education today," Dawe said. |
| Mississippi peanut harvest near close, acreage up | |
 | Mississippi's peanut producers are close to wrapping up harvest for 2024. "We are 90% to 95% done," Brendan Zurweller, peanut specialist with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, said on October 29. "Harvest progress has been a little ahead of schedule because of the dry weather." According to the October 27 Crop Progress and Condition report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, 91% of the crop has been dug and 76% has been harvested. Officials said yields are variable across the state depending on how much rain fields have gotten. While the northeast and southwest portions of the state have been dry, fields in the southeast had a good amount of precipitation. Many Delta fields are irrigated and have not been affected as much. Producers planted 25,500 acres of peanuts, a 30% increase from last year. This year, growers returned between 4,000 and 5,000 acres to peanut production. These acres had been used to grow other crops in the last four to five years. |
| Community Profile: 'Everybody's vote is in your hands' | |
| When Mary Dean Rose first started working polls in Oktibbeha County in the 1970s, elections looked different than they do today. "I was back in the day when they read out the ballot and you tallied (by hand)," Rose told The Dispatch Monday. "We go way back, in the '70s." Rose will manage the polls at the Oktibbeha County Circuit Court complex during Tuesday's election, as voters go to the polls to decide the country's next president, along with state and local races across the region. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The day will not just be long for poll workers, but also busy, Rose said. "I've got three that work with me that have worked with me for several years, and that's our main goal, to make sure that your vote counts," Rose said of her fellow poll workers. Rose started out as a poll worker while she was attending Mississippi State University. She was encouraged by her parents, who were also poll workers, to get involved as a way to support the civic process. After she graduated, she just didn't stop. |
| 6-acre solar farm to power 75% of Airbus' electrical needs | |
| The county board of supervisors unanimously agreed to grant Airbus Helicopters a 10-year ad valorem tax abatement for the company's $3.5 million expansion, which includes adding a 6-acre solar farm. During the board's Monday meeting, Airbus Vice President of Industry and Civil Programs Johannes Dienemann told supervisors the point of the two megawatt solar farm is to fulfill 75% of the facility's electrical needs. It will be located at the Airbus facility on Airport Road and is expected to go live in April 2025, he said. "We were one of the first companies in the Golden Triangle, thanks to (the Golden Triangle Redevelopment LINK's) help and thanks to (the board of supervisors) help," Dienemann told supervisors. "We want to be at the forefront of new developments and technological improvements, and environmental improvements mean a lot to us as well." Since opening next to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in 2003, the Columbus Airbus facility has become the second largest helicopter manufacturer in the country, Dienemann said. The facility has grown to more than 300 employees, 70 of which were hired over the last nine months, he said. The company provides helicopters to a range of customers, like the U.S. Army, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and hospitals. Airbus is a big partner when it comes to the development of the industrial park, Board President Trip Hairston said, making Monday's vote an easy one. |
| Lee County approves tax incentives for Tupelo Target | |
 | Following a well-attended public hearing, Lee County officials have given the final approval for an agreement between it, the city and the Target Corporation that will open the door for a large storefront in the city of Tupelo and a host of tax incentives for the retail giant. The Lee County Board of Supervisors unanimously to approve a regional economic development agreement and tax increment financial plan for "Project Target," which will see $2.5 million in tax incentives go to Target as well as 50% of county ad valorem taxes generated by the company over the length of the plan. "(The agreement) will go back to Target," County Administrator Ronnie Bell said. "As that project continues to move forward, at some point the REDA and the tif will become reality ... That is a long way down the road. They will have to make their investment." While still not listed on Target Corporation's website as an upcoming location, Target representatives have worked hand-in-hand behind the scenes to make the storefront a reality for the All-America City. According to site plans, the store will be a 148,721-square-foot location off of North Gloster Street, across from Commonwealth Boulevard and will boast 775 parking spaces with multiple out-parcel lots. |
| Retailers say supply chains are back to normal. That's good news for holiday shopping season. | |
 | On Thursday, we'll get a glimpse of how retailers have been preparing for the holiday season, when the Census Bureau reports how much inventory wholesalers built up in September. Tuesday morning, we learned that inventory levels rose in October, according to the Logistics Managers' Index. That's a sign that holiday shopping supply chains are working like they're supposed to. This is a busy time of year at Rothmans, a men's clothing store in New York. Co-owner Ken Giddon said customer demand this year has been especially strong. "Corporate events are back, Christmas parties are back, holiday parties are booming, and weddings are still booking up like crazy," he said. To prepare for the holiday season, Giddon said he started loading up on clothing inventory in September and October, which is about when he would usually stock up on inventory before the pandemic turned inventory management into a logistical nightmare. "I called one of my larger suppliers a few minutes ago, and he was saying everything is back to normal," said Giddon. "And I said, 'Well, why's it back to normal?' And he said, 'Because it's normal.'" In other words, supply chains are running more smoothly. Businesses don't have to stock up on holiday goods really early, and they don't have to worry about a potential recession. |
| U.S. Services Sector Accelerates on Employment Boost | |
 | U.S. services activity accelerated in October, with employment providing a boon to the sector, despite political uncertainties rising ahead of the presidential election, a survey of purchasing managers said Tuesday. The Institute for Supply Management's services-activity index edged up to 56.0 in October from 54.9 in September, beating expectations of 53.7 expected in a poll of economists compiled by The Wall Street Journal. That marked the fourth-straight month of expansion, registered when the gauge is above the 50 no-change mark. The survey showed services employment expanding last month, after it contracted in September, though demand -- as measured by new orders -- slowed, despite still being in exclusionary territory, ISM said. Meanwhile, 14 industries reported growth in October, up two from September. However, concerns over political uncertainty were again more prevalent than the previous month, said Steve Miller, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management Services Business Survey Committee. Impacts from hurricanes and ports labor turbulence were mentioned frequently, although several panelists mentioned that the longshoremen's strike had less of an impact than feared due to its short duration," he added. |
| Senate panel weighs how much -- or whether -- to cut state taxes | |
| A group of state senators on Monday grappled with how much to slash state taxes or if they should cut them at all, portending a major policy debate at the Capitol for next year's legislative session. The Senate Fiscal Policy Study Group solicited testimony from the state government's leading experts on budget, economic and tax policies to prepare for an almost certain intense debate in January over how much they should trim state taxes while balancing the need to fund government services. Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood whose committee has jurisdiction over tax policy, told Mississippi Today that he wanted senators to have basic facts in front of them before they help decide next year if Mississippi should cut taxes. "We're getting a tax cut the next two years whether we do anything or not," Harkins said. "I just want to make sure we have all the facts in front of people to understand we have a clear picture of how much revenue we're bringing in." Mississippi is already phasing in a major tax cut. After a raucous debate in 2022, lawmakers agreed to phase in an income tax cut. In two years it will leave Mississippi with a flat 4% tax on income over $10,000, one of the lowest rates in the nation. |
| What Mississippians should know before heading to the polls | |
| Voters across Mississippi will take to the ballot box on Tuesday, Nov. 5, to cast their votes for the White House, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House. To make the voting process as seamless as possible, we've put together this guide on what to know before heading to the polls. Polls across Mississippi will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Secretary of State Michael Watson, whose office manages elections, reminds eligible voters that anyone in line before 7 p.m. is legally entitled to cast a ballot. Polling locations can be verified here. Eligible voters should bring a photo ID to their polling location. Voters without an acceptable form of photo identification are entitled to cast an affidavit ballot. However, Secretary Watson urges people to be prepared to vote when they get to the polls, so they won't have to go through the affidavit process. While cell phones are allowed inside polling locations, it is not allowed in Mississippi to take a photo of any marked ballot. In the day and age of the fad called "ballot selfies," Watson reminds people that a social media post is not worth legal repercussions. The secretary of state also reminds people that campaigning within 150 feet of any entrance to a polling location, unless a private property, is unlawful. Thus, don't bring signs for your candidate of choice and set up outside the door. |
| Mississippi election: Who's on the ballot? | |
 | When it comes to issues that Mississippi voters are concerned about as they casting a ballot on Tuesday, items related to the economy, healthcare and border security top the list. Election experts have also said state voters are most concerned about are the average cost of living, job creation and other forms of economic development. "The biggest single issue tends to be economically based," Stennis Institute Executive Director Dallas Breen said earlier this year. "So that is inflation, cost of gas, cost of living. We have one of the lowest per capita incomes and household incomes rates in the nation. So, when, when it's more costly to live, it hits the average Mississippi and harder than in other states." Tangentially, Breen said issues on the national and state stage such as border security, health rights and Medicaid expansion are also on voters' minds as they choose who to vote for. |
| Kitchens v. Branning: Inside a political and expensive race for Mississippi Supreme Court | |
 | A massive framed poster of Mississippi blues legend Robert Johnson hangs on one wall of state Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchen's office. While honoring an artist he admires, it also serves as a reminder of a decade-long case he took to prove that a retired truck driver named Claud Johnson was Robert's son and only heir. "I argued the case before the Mississippi Supreme Court, never knowing I'd be serving here, but we won, and the Johnson family continues to reap the benefits of that work," Kitchens said. The Johnson case is just one of many Kitchens has argued over a legal career that spans more than four decades. That experience as a lawyer, district attorney and Mississippi Supreme Court Justice is the core of his pitch to voters as he seeks a third term. While judicial elections often fly under the radar, the Central District race for Mississippi Supreme Court stands out as Kitchens faces a well-funded challenge from Republican state senator Jenifer Branning. Throughout her campaign, Branning has differentiated herself from Kitchens, who's seen as one of the court's two centrist justices, by emphasizing her identity as a "constitutional conservative." Mississippians need and deserve a justice who will uphold the Constitution, not legislate from the bench," Branning said during an interview in her office at the state capital. Branning thinks her voting record during her eight years in the senate shows she shares Mississippian's conservative values, and that those values will prevent her from engaging in judicial overreach. Both Branning and Kitchens have raised and spent magnitudes more on their election bids than any other judicial candidates in the state. |
| America reaches Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris | |
| A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office. Polls opened across the nation Tuesday morning as voters faced a stark choice between two candidates who have offered drastically different temperaments and visions for the world's largest economy and dominant military power. Tens of millions of Americans had already cast their ballots, voting by mail and early in-person voting. Harris, the Democratic vice president, stands to be the first female president if elected. She has promised to work across the aisle to tackle economic worries and other issues without radically departing from the course set by President Joe Biden. Trump, the Republican former president, has vowed to replace thousands of federal workers with loyalists, impose sweeping tariffs on allies and foes alike, and stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. The two candidates spent the waning hours of the campaign overlapping in Pennsylvania, the biggest battleground state. They were trying to energize their bases as well as Americans still on the fence or debating whether to vote at all. The closeness of the race and the number of states in play raised the likelihood that once again a victor might not be known on election night. In the 2020 presidential race it took four days to declare a winner. |
| A torrent of Election Day disinformation is coming. Here's how to avoid falling for it. | |
 | Nothing is certain in life except death, taxes and -- this Election Day, at least -- the spread of mis- and disinformation. In recent weeks, U.S. voters have encountered a seemingly unending deluge of hoaxes, half-truths and out-and-out lies, many of them fabricated by U.S. adversaries and then amplified on engagement-hungry social media platforms such as X. If recent presidential contests offer any hint, the fire hose of falsehood is likely to intensify on and after Tuesday, as a razor-tight election provides fertile soil for often unfounded rumors to ricochet around the internet. And spies, hackers and influence peddlers linked to China, Iran and Russia could unleash a new wave of disinformation and manipulation tactics, seeing it as their last chance to sway the U.S. electorate to their preferred candidate --- or simply corrode Americans' faith in their democracy. Complicating it all, of course, is a worry far closer to home: that former President Donald Trump will follow the same playbook he used in 2020, declaring victory before the outcome is clear and discrediting the results if he loses. Unlike four years ago, he'll also have MAGA mega-donor Elon Musk to help amplify his claims to potentially hundreds of millions of voters on X. One key defense is to refer any pressing questions to your local officials. "The bottom line when it comes to mis- and disinformation is that voters need to go to the source, and the source is your local and your state election officials," said Marci Andino, the senior director of the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center. |
| When Will We Know the Presidential Election Results? | |
| Voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots -- but it may take days to know whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump has clinched the 2024 election. Several factors influence how long it could take to determine a winner. If the race is tight, it could take days for every ballot to be counted; last-minute legal challenges, mechanical failures and weather emergencies could prolong results further. The Harris campaign predicted Monday that Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan would deliver near-complete results on Tuesday night, with Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona reporting partial results. Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon told reporters the campaign expected additional results from Wisconsin and Pennsylvania early Wednesday, with Arizona and Nevada coming in the rest of the week. "We believe this race is going to be incredibly close, so we may not know the results of this election for several days," she said. The 2020 race wasn't called until the Saturday after Election Day. It took days to get the tallies from Pennsylvania, which gave Biden the Electoral College votes he needed to claim victory. Results came much quicker in the preceding two races. The 2016 election was called for Trump at 2:29 a.m. the morning after the election; former President Barack Obama's 2012 win was called at 11:38 p.m. on election night. |
| Trump's Big Immigration Raid Snared Them. They're Still in Mississippi. | |
 | Baldomero Orozco-Juarez was slicing chicken meat into tenders at a poultry processing plant in Carthage, Miss., when immigration agents stormed in with guns drawn. Some workers tried to flee. There was nowhere to run. Mr. Orozco-Juarez was arrested, along with dozens of other undocumented workers at the plant. He was held in federal detention for 10 months before being put on a plane to his native Guatemala. The raid was one of many carried out across Mississippi that day in August 2019, part of the largest workplace sweep in more than a decade and the biggest under President Donald J. Trump. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took 680 people into custody at poultry plants across central Mississippi. Now, in his bid to return to the White House, Mr. Trump has pledged to deport millions of people in what would be the largest such effort in U.S. history. Workplace raids similar to the 2019 sweep in Mississippi would be a key element in large-scale deportations, his advisers have said. But five years after the Mississippi raids, Mr. Orozco-Juarez, 40, is back in the United States, living in Carthage. Gone for 19 months, he said he was determined to find a way back to his family. Today, he works at a different chicken plant, paid $12.50 an hour to clean blood and meat scraps from the machinery used to debone carcasses. He now has a work permit, but he still faces the possibility of deportation, and he has been speaking out about the conditions many undocumented workers endure. |
| Bar association presidents warn lawyers against frivolous election lawsuits | |
 | The American Bar Association's past presidents published an open letter condemning election lawsuits brought forth in swing states across the country. "As past presidents of state, local and national bar associations, this flurry of litigation compels us to remind the profession and the public: The courtroom is not a theater for unsubstantiated claims," the group collectively wrote. "When lawyers file a lawsuit, we are duty-bound to ensure it is based on solid facts, backed by law and free from any intent to harass or waste the court's time," they stated. "A baseless lawsuit not only squanders judicial resources but also undermines the public's trust in our democracy and our profession." The letter cited reporting from Bloomberg, which highlighted a new election case per day filed in the month of October alone. Over 100 lawsuits have been filed in seven swing states according to NBC News. "Filing election-related lawsuits without a solid factual and legal foundation endangers the very institutions lawyers are oathbound to defend. In a functioning democracy, lawsuits are not weapons to spread distrust -- they are tools for justice," attorney's noted. |
| Enrollment increases at most Mississippi universities but 3 campuses see decreases | |
| Overall enrollment increased at Mississippi's public universities this fall semester compared to the same time last year, although three campuses saw a decrease. The state Institutions of Higher Learning on Monday released enrollment figures that were finalized last week. Total enrollment is 79,817 students, compared to 77,074 for the fall 2023 semester, an overall increase of nearly 3.6%. The University of Mississippi had the largest increase, at 11%. It went from 21,596 students to 23,981. Alcorn State University had a 3.5% increase, going from 2,894 students to 2,995. Mississippi State University had a 2.2% increase, going from 22,657 to 23,150. The University of Mississippi Medical Center had a 0.9% increase, going from 3,114 to 3,143. The University of Southern Mississippi had a 0.5% increase, going from 13,110 to 13,170. Mississippi Valley State University had a 0.4% increase, going from 2,196 to 2,205. Jackson State University had the largest decrease of 3.6%, going from 6,564 to 6,326. Delta State University had a 2.3% decrease, going from 2,716 to 2,654. Mississippi University for Women had a 1.5% decrease, going from 2,227 to 2,193. |
| Public university enrollment in Mississippi again reaches record high | |
| The Mississippi Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) issued its official enrollment report on Monday, with five public universities and the state's lone public academic hospital seeing a year-over-year increase to make for the most students ever enrolled at Mississippi schools. n total, Mississippi's eight public universities and one medical center combined for a 3.6 percent enrollment bump, or 2,743 additional students. The mark comes after the fall 2023 count broke the state's previous enrollment record. "A college degree is a critical component for so many professional fields, and students at Mississippi's universities understand the value it will hold for them as they graduate and enter the workforce, hopefully in Mississippi," IHL commissioner Al Rankins, Jr., said. "Our universities offer a strong foundation for students from across the state and beyond, and these numbers reinforce the confidence of students and parents alike in the quality education available throughout our system." |
| IHL reveals three universities fell, five grew enrollment for fall 2024 | |
| Out of Mississippi's eight public universities, three institutions saw a decrease in enrollment compared to last year's numbers, according to recently released data from the Mississippi Institute of Higher Learning. Overall, enrollment at all eight universities combined reached 79,817 students in fall 2024. This number is 3.6% increase from the 77,074 students enrolled in fall 2023. The overall increase in enrollment follows a pattern of growth seen in recent years. In fall 2022, the total number of students enrolled came to 75,739. The IHL data takes into account both on-campus and off-campus students for each university. |
| Most Mississippi universities see enrollment increase in Fall 2024 | |
| Officials with the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) said more students are enrolled at the state's eight public universities and the University of Mississippi Medical Center for the fall 2024 term. The enrollment figures were finalized on November 1, 2024. The total student enrollment stands at 79,817, compared to a total of 77,074 students for the fall 2023 term and 75,739 for the fall 2022 term. "A college degree is a critical component for so many professional fields, and students at Mississippi's universities understand the value it will hold for them as they graduate and enter the workforce, hopefully in Mississippi," said Dr. Al Rankins Jr., commissioner of higher education. |
| Education: ICC, The W sign MOU for bachelor's degree program in elementary, special education | |
| Itawamba Community College and Mississippi University for Women signed a memorandum of understanding Nov. 1 to offer an undergraduate program of study that will lead to a bachelor's degree in elementary education or special education from the School of Education at The W. "We are excited to announce this partnership with ICC that strengthens our commitment to providing access and new pathways for our students," said W President Nora Miller. "Together we are dedicated to fostering academic growth and preparing teachers for their classrooms." "This agreement will allow our students to now have an opportunity to transfer their credits and work toward a bachelor's degree at MUW in a discipline in which they are truly passionate," said ICC President Jay Allen. "This degree opportunity recognizes the value of both elementary and special education degrees offered at Mississippi's community colleges and the impact they are making not only on Mississippi's workforce but to provide an unparalleled foundation for our children in the state and beyond. This allows our previous, current and future elementary education or special education majors a natural progression for post-ICC educational endeavors while transferring academic credits." |
| Erin Brockovich to speak at Southern Miss | |
| Erin Brockovich, a renowned champion for environmental justice, will be the presenter for the concluding program of the fall 2024 University Forum schedule at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). University officials said Brockovich will discuss America's water crisis Tuesday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium on the Hattiesburg campus. Admission is free and the public is invited. Brockovich's work in Hinkley, California, led to one of the largest settlements for a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history. That effort was followed by her work as a consultant on other pollution litigation. She continues to advocate environmental justice, raising awareness about water safety and pollution issues across the country, making her a prominent figure in the fight against corporate environmental negligence. |
| Alcorn State reports second highest enrollment growth in Mississippi | |
 | Alcorn State University is among the Mississippi universities with increased enrollment this fall semester. The state Institutions of Higher Learning on Monday said overall enrollment at the state's public universities increased by 3.56% from Fall 2023 -- a total of 79,817 students this year compared to 77,.074 last year. Alcorn State University reported the state's second largest increase, going form 2,894 students in 2023 to 2,995 -- a growth of 3.5%. |
| Auburn political science professors provide insight on what matters going into Election Day | |
| Since 2000, Gallup has conducted a poll measuring voter enthusiasm going into presidential elections. This year, 54% of voters polled reported they were more enthusiastic about voting in this presidential election, while 41% were less enthusiastic. These numbers are on par with most presidential election cycles, with the lowest-recorded voter enthusiasm coming in at 37% for Gallup's poll in 2000 and the highest-recorded voter enthusiasm coming in at 62% in 2008. However, Gallup released the 2024 voter enthusiasm poll in April 2024 before Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race in President Joe Biden's stead, and several experts at Auburn University suggest voters may be much more enthusiastic now. "Over 8,000,000 Americans have already voted. [In] North Carolina, their early voting numbers are already exceeding what they were in 2020. Of course, 2020 was record-high turnout," said Spencer Goidel, assistant professor of political science at Auburn University. "I think people are very enthusiastic, mainly because of the candidate change. If Joe Biden were still a candidate, I don't think it would be that way." |
| Auburn University graduate becomes youngest female licensed architect in the nation | |
 | At 23 years old, 2023 Auburn University graduate Drew Haley Smith has become the youngest female licensed architect in the U.S. Smith completed the rigorous, six-part Architecture Registration Examination and Architectural Experience Program just one year after her graduation, over six years sooner than the average architect, according to a recent release from Seay Seay & Litchfield (SS&L) Architects. She currently works in the Auburn branch office of SS&L, where she has managed projects totaling upwards of $173 million. "Drew Haley Smith has made an excellent addition to our team in our firm," said Jimmy Seay, Jr., Founder & Senior Principal Architect at SS&L. "Her passion is evident in her designs and her work ethic is top tier. Our team is blessed to have her aboard." "Drew Haley's achievement is a testament not only to her own dedication but also to the supportive environment created in the CADC [College of Architecture, Design & Construction] Program at Auburn University. |
| Louisiana asks appeals court to keep Title IX rule protecting LGBTQ+ students on hold | |
 | Louisiana asked a federal appeals court Monday to keep in place an order blocking a new Biden administration rule meant to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination. In July, federal judges in Louisiana, Kentucky and Alabama put the rule on hold in 26 Republican-led states, including Louisiana, that had sued to stop the rule from taking effect. In August, a divided U.S. Supreme Court declined to overrule the lower courts, keeping the rule paused in those states while the legal challenges proceed. On Monday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard oral arguments in the case stemming from Louisiana's lawsuit. "Given the fact that the United States Supreme Court has already denied stays on these injunctions, I'm optimistic that this court will also uphold the injunction," Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told reporters after the Monday evening hearing. At issue is the new U.S. Department of Education rule that says discrimination against students based on sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited under Title IX, a 1972 federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in schools and colleges that receive federal funding. Other provisions of the rule add protections for pregnant students and expand the definition of sexual harassment at schools and colleges. |
| A GOP-Backed Center Stoked Faculty Paranoia at the U. of Florida. Then Ben Sasse Got Mad. | |
 | Ben Sasse was angry. It was the spring of 2024, and the University of Florida's new Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education was getting off the ground. Sasse, then the university's president, was a self-described "zealot" of the center, a Republican-backed venture to teach students about the Western canon and civil discourse. But the rollout was hitting roadblocks. Several graduate students had complained that liberal-arts faculty were targeting them for affiliating with the Hamilton Center. There were murmurs that humanities departments would block its curricular proposals. The center's director later described some professors' conduct as "abuses." So Sasse spoke to David Richardson, then dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. According to two academic leaders who received nearly identical accounts of the conversation, Sasse gave the dean an ultimatum: Deal with it, or he would absorb the liberal-arts college into the Hamilton Center. In one of those accounts, Sasse said Richardson's job was on the line. Sasse's ultimatum was at odds with the Hamilton Center's original pitch as an independent academic unit -- one that would collaborate with UF's liberal-arts college. The center would "build on existing strengths," its inaugural director said. But for most of the last academic year, the Hamilton Center was locked in a behind-the-scenes turf war with the college. |
| A Record-Setting Year for Tennessee Promise | |
 | The Tennessee Higher Education Commission announced Monday that the Tennessee Promise program saw a record number of applicants -- more than 67,000 -- from the Class of 2025. The program, launched in 2015, is a last-dollar free tuition scholarship for the state's community college students. When the Tennessee Promise application period closed Nov. 1, the program had received approximately 700 more applications than last year. "We are thrilled to see this level of interest and commitment from the Class of 2025," Steven Gentile, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, said in a press release. "The enthusiasm these students are showing for higher education reflects the success of Tennessee Promise and the growing momentum toward making postsecondary opportunities a reality for all Tennesseans." The commission also came out with its annual report on the program's student demographics and outcomes, which revealed other milestones. Notably, the 2022–23 cohort had the highest retention rate since the program began: 83.8 percent of students earned credentials or stayed enrolled from fall to spring, a 2.5-percentage-point increase over the previous cohort. The report also found that about 18 percent of Tennessee Promise students in the 2023–24 cohort first enrolled at technical colleges, or Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology, the largest share of any cohort. |
| 150 years after it was founded, U. of Missouri's important collection of insects has a story to tell us | |
 | About 80% of all animals on the planet are insects, and the Enns Entomology Museum at the University of Missouri has one of the most important collections in the world. The Enns museum in the Agriculture Building on campus is the largest university-owned collection of insects anywhere, with 7 million specimens accumulated over 150 years. The museum is especially known for its selection of aquatic insects from Ozark streams, as well as impressive numbers of butterflies and moths, beetles, wasps, bees, ants, mites and ticks. On Saturday, the museum was open to the public to commemorate its century-and-a-half of insect collection and research. The open house offered tours where visitors could see drawer after drawer displaying the millions of specimens collected since 1874. In addition to the tours, the museum set up insect crafts and live insect viewing opportunities with cockroaches, millipedes and tarantulas. |
| States are taking on fewer college costs. Who is picking up the bill? | |
| Students' share of higher education funding hit the lowest levels in more than a decade in 2022, amounting to 37.6% of the total, according to a recent study from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. That proportion, however, still remains higher than what students paid at the outset of the Great Recession. State funding's share has risen in recent years, reaching 39.6% in 2022. But that rate was still well below the 49.2% levels seen in 2008, the highest recorded in the study. Since then, the proportion of funding from grants -- which includes Pell Grants, as well as discounts and allowances toward tuition and fees -- has steadily ticked upward. By 2022, the number stood at 15.7%, compared to 9.4% in 2008. The share of state funding varies widely by location. In Alaska, for example, state funding accounted for 67% of the total in 2022. Other states -- including New York, North Carolina and Connecticut -- also contribute above 50%. But in states such as Indiana, Arizona, West Virginia and Vermont, the share was below one-third. |
| Scientists to pitch Washington on revitalizing sector | |
| A task force is launching to help the incoming government update the U.S. vision for science and tech. Concerns are mounting about the country's position as a scientific powerhouse, and an election year could provide a window of opportunity to inject new life into the sector. The group of scientists, CEOs, university presidents and former elected officials plans to circulate its draft Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST) to transition teams in the next administration and Congress before presenting a final report early in 2025. "We're really on the cusp of an incredible opportunity in the science and technology space," says Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and chair of the VAST task force. "We also are at this space where, by making mistakes because we don't understand what the ecosystem actually looks like, we can shoot ourselves in the foot." The task force is currently identifying areas where they will make recommendations. Another key question is to what extent the U.S. should prioritize certain areas of research. Maintaining an edge in science allows the U.S. to compete with China, grow the domestic economy and potentially help solve global problems, while fostering the good will that can come with scientific diplomacy. |
| The Stakes for Higher Ed on Election Night | |
| No matter which party wins the White House and control of Congress this week, colleges and universities are likely in store for more scrutiny and upheaval. As higher education finds itself in the political crosshairs and faces greater skepticism from lawmakers and the public, this election could reshape the landscape over the next four years and beyond. Will students taking out loans have to repay them completely? How will sexual assault cases be adjudicated? Will nonprofit colleges be investigated or accredited? That will become clear on Tuesday night---or sometime between now and Jan. 6. Neither political party is interested in a hands-off approach to higher education, and recent elections have meant the undoing or rewriting of significant federal regulations that dictate how colleges should be run, leading to regulatory whiplash. Unless Vice President Kamala Harris or former president Donald Trump has a united Congress with sizable majorities, which is unlikely, they'll have to make policy changes that aren't law and will be subject to reversal by their successor in four (or eight) years. And they'll likely be locked up in court on those policies after challenges from the other side, which is what happened (and is still happening) to President Biden's efforts to provide mass debt relief and expand Title IX protections to transgender students. |
| How Colleges Are Preparing for Election Day and Its Aftermath | |
| With the election drawing to a close on Tuesday, colleges are bracing for a post-election period that could be contentious regardless of whether former President Donald J. Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris wins the White House. Just months after a season of dramatic protests over the Israel-Hamas war thrust higher ed into the center of the national political debate and led many institutions across the country to change their free-expression policies, large numbers of students may once again be demonstrating, marching, and otherwise making their voices heard. As ever, colleges will have to balance the promotion of campus safety with the protection of free expression -- and support their students' emotional well-being while encouraging them to be tolerant of opposing views. Similar preparations were made for the presidential election in 2020, a year rife with protests stemming from nationwide outrage over racial injustice. But with many students at home due to the pandemic, campus unrest didn't materialize. Beyond working to ensure that their security teams are on alert -- and accounting for the possibility of violence, even if it may be unlikely -- there are a number of preparations that colleges have been making: communicating proactively about what forms of expression are allowed on and around campus, working to foster civil discourse across difference, and providing counseling and stress-reduction strategies. |
| Whatever happens today, your neighbor is still your neighbor | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: Tens of millions of Americans will head to the polls today. Tens of millions have already voted. At stake, the White House, Congress, and here in Mississippi, several key judiciary races. Cumulatively, billions of dollars have been raised and spent. The cycle has been marred by several extreme outlier events, including the post-primary replacement of Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee and multiple assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. But by and large, Americans and their short attention spans shrugged those things off quickly, eager for the next outrage or gaffe. As polls close across the land tonight, it will all be over but the crying...and the tabulating...and the lawsuits...and the protesting. Hopefully, there is no violence or mayhem. But whatever happens today, your neighbor is still your neighbor. Even if they voted for someone you would not have, your neighbor is not your enemy. |
SPORTS
| Top-Seeded Mississippi State Set For SEC Tournament Quarterfinal Battle With Tennessee | |
| As the top seed in the SEC Tournament, Mississippi State's historic 2024 season now advances to a new chapter as they prepare to face No. 9 seed Tennessee in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal round on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. CT. Ashton Brosnaham Park will set the stage under the Pensacola sky as State will aim to reach the SEC Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive season. Guided by sixth-year Head Coach James Armstrong, State (16-1-0, 10-0-0 SEC) has reached unprecedented heights, finishing the season ranked No. 2 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and claiming the conference title with a perfect 10-0 record. Armstrong, recently named SEC Coach of the Year, has orchestrated a transformation within the program since his arrival in 2019. Under his guidance, the Bulldogs not only captured their first regular-season SEC title but also became only the fourth team in SEC history to finish conference play with a flawless record. Armstrong's strategic vision has turned the Bulldogs into one of the nation's elite teams, allowing just two goals across ten SEC games -- a testament to his influence and the squad's discipline. A win against Tennessee would advance them to the semifinals. |
| MSU soccer completes impressive SEC awards haul | |
| Mississippi State soccer capped its best-ever regular season with an unprecedented haul of Southeastern Conference individual awards, including the coach, defender and midfielder of the year. Head coach James Armstrong was given the Coach of the Year award, his first since joining the Bulldogs six years ago. Armstrong's team had nine players taking home awards or All-Conference recognition. Goalkeeper of the Year went to Maddy Anderson, Defender of the Year to Rylie Combs and Midfielder of the Year to Macey Hodge. The three recipients joined Ally Perry on the All-SEC First Team while Zoe Main, Ilana Izquierdo and Alexis Gutierrez made the Second Team, Aitana Martinez-Montoya the Third Team and Kennedy Husbands the All-Freshman Team. The Bulldogs are 16-1, 10-0 in the SEC, and enter the SEC tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Bulldogs have hopes of doing the same in the NCAA tournament later this month, but first up is a date with No. 9 seed Tennessee in the quarter finals. |
| Men's Basketball: Hubbard, Harris lead Mississippi State past West Georgia in opener | |
| Having one volume scorer in the backcourt is nice, but Mississippi State's offense could be that much more complete with two. Josh Hubbard opened his sophomore season Monday night by knocking down six of his seven 3-point attempts, and unlike so much of last year, he had help. Boston College transfer Claudell Harris Jr. was 6-for-10 from deep as the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half to defeat West Georgia, 95-60. MSU's 14 made 3-pointers were a single-game high in two-plus seasons under head coach Chris Jans. "Claudell came off the bench and gave us a big spark," Jans said. "I love Claudell Harris. I love what he's about. He made a conscious effort this summer to buy in. ... I'm not saying we're going to make 14 threes every single night, but it's nice to know that recruiting paid off and we have more guys who are capable of turning the scoreboard and helping us offensively." Jans started with a small lineup featuring two sub-six-foot guards in Hubbard and Penn State transfer Kanye Clary, with Shawn Jones starting on the wing, Cameron Matthews at forward and KeShawn Murphy in the post. The Bulldogs (1-0) struggled on the boards early in the game, but after the Wolves (0-1) trimmed the MSU lead to three late in the first half, the hosts pushed the margin back out to double digits by halftime. |
| Josh Hubbard, Claudell Harris Jr. lead Mississippi State basketball's new-look offense | |
| Claudell Harris Jr. was two minutes into his first shift with Mississippi State basketball when he picked off a West Georgia skip pass. He tossed the ball up court to teammate Josh Hubbard, who elevated for a one-handed slam dunk over a trailing defender. It was one of the many highlights from Mississippi State's season-opening 95-60 win against West Georgia (0-1) on Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum. It also kickstarted what was one of MSU's best offensive performances in coach Chris Jans' third season. The Bulldogs (1-0) drained 14 3-pointers, their most in a game since 2018. The 95 total points were also the second-most in the Jans era. Harris and Hubbard combined for 46 points and 12 of the 14 made 3-pointers. It was exactly what Jans preached in the preseason, that this MSU team has more offensive charge than the previous two that each made the NCAA tournament. "I came here to learn how to be a winner, and I knew I could do that under Chris Jans," Harris, a Boston College transfer, said. "That's what's going on. Me and Josh, we have a great relationship on and off the court as y'all can see. We talk to each other throughout the whole game. Nights like this when he's hot and I'm hot, it's hard to stop." |
| Lebby to face former boss, 'great friend' Heupel in Knoxville | |
| Jeff Lebby has worked for three current Southeastern Conference head coaches, but his first stop as a Division I offensive coordinator came at Central Florida, where the Knights had just hired Josh Heupel to lead their program in December 2017. Mississippi State's first-year head coach had known Heupel for many years by then. Both attended Oklahoma, and they first connected in Norman in 2004 when Heupel was a graduate assistant at his alma mater and Lebby was a student assistant after an injury prematurely ended his playing career with the Sooners. "That's where it all started," Lebby said Monday. "(We were) grunting it up together in a tiny little office and spending a lot of hours together breaking down opponents and finding ways to create shortcuts for the staff. For me at a really young age, after he had such an unbelievable playing career, there was great growth. Being 19, 20 years old, being able to go at it every single day with him was great." Heupel returned to the Oklahoma coaching staff in 2006 and remained there through the 2014 season. Lebby joined the staff at Baylor in 2008, so the two faced each other annually as Big 12 opponents. After brief stints at Utah State and Missouri, Heupel became a head coach for the first time at UCF, and brought Lebby on board less than three weeks after being hired. |
| Longtime friends Jeff Lebby and Josh Heupel meet for first time as head coaches | |
| 20 years ago, Josh Heupel and Jeff Lebby might not have been able to predict where they would be in 2024. Lebby had aspirations of being a college football player at the University of Oklahoma before an injury ended his career and coaching was his next step. A young Lebby started out as a student assistant for the Sooners as he went through college in Norman and former Oklahoma QB and Sooner legend Josh Heupel joined the staff as a Graduate Assistant during Lebby's time. The two came up together in a small office inside the operations building working on a gameplan for head coach Bob Stoops. 20 years later, they're game planning to beat each other on Saturday as head coaches inside the SEC. "A guy that I have more respect for than maybe anybody in the profession. A great friend and somebody that has been a great mentor to me," Lebby said of Heupel. "I had the opportunity to work for him and it was an incredible experience. A guy that's incredibly consistent and you look at what he's done, the amount of success he's had, the culture he's created at an incredible place. A ton of respect for who he is as a person, as a father, as a husband and then obviously as a football coach, as well." |
| 1-on-1: Debreasha Powe, Bulldogs Preparing for Breakout Season | |
| When Debreasha Powe committed to Mississippi State out of Meridian High School, she knew she made the right choice. What she couldn't have known, though, was where that path would take her. After leading Meridian to a 6A state championship in 2022, Powe was a hot commodity in the recruiting world, especially in the Magnolia State. Standing at 6-foot-1 with a smooth jumper to match, Powe knew that wherever she committed, she could expect minutes, and minute's she's gotten. Those minutes proved to be valuable, but for Powe, the leadership role she's taken on within the building has propelled her to new heights, namely representing Mississippi State on the 2023-24 SEC Women's Basketball Leadership Council. "I feel like I've always been a leader, but I've really just stepped into [these new roles] and fully embraced it all," said Powe. "You know, if my teammates need anything, just making sure that I'm correcting them on the court, just leading by example, but also being willing to voice it, too, so that's been really amazing to just see myself come from my freshman year to now." The Mississippi State women's basketball season tips off against Memphis on November 7 at 6:30 p.m. from Humphrey Coliseum. |
| Mississippi State volleyball sweeps Texas A&M in College Station for third straight win | |
| Mississippi State's new one-setter rotation continues to be a smashing success. The Bulldogs grabbed their biggest victory of the season Sunday, defeating Texas A&M 25-21, 25-18, 25-18 at Reed Arena in College Station to extend their winning streak to three. With grad transfer Ceci Harness running the offense, MSU hit .361 for the match, its best hitting percentage in any match all year. "There is so much fight in this team," Bulldogs head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "We're becoming the aggressors and we're willing to go head-to-head with anyone, no matter who is on the other side of the net." MSU (10-8, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) trailed by four points at the first-set TV timeout but gradually reeled the Aggies (15-5, 6-4) back in. Freshman libero McKenna Yates set up Kailin Newsome for the set-tying kill, and Rebecca Walk gave the Bulldogs the lead on the next point. MSU closed it out with four straight points, clinching the set when Harness fed Newsome for a kill. The Bulldogs are back home Wednesday evening to battle two-time defending national champion and No. 9 Texas. |
| Dak Prescott injury update: Cowboys QB likely headed to IR, to miss at least four games | |
 | The Dallas Cowboys will apparently protect injured quarterback Dak Prescott, if largely from himself. During his weekly radio interview on 105.3 The FAN, team owner Jerry Jones said "It's likely we'll IR him," meaning Prescott would miss at least the next four games as he tries to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Falcons in Atlanta. Prescott said following the game that injury was "something he never felt before," and the pain on his face was obvious during his final throw of the afternoon. He said the medical staff opted to shut him down because he could no longer reasonably safeguard himself on the field. It's the latest blow to what was already a highly disappointing season for the reigning NFC East champions, who are now 3-5 and set to be without their most important player for the foreseeable future. Going on injured reserve will force the 2023 MVP runner-up, who signed a record extension (4 years, $240 million) before the regular-season opener, to the sideline at least until Dec. 9. And the upcoming stretch seems especially crucial since three of the Cowboys' four upcoming games are against division rivals: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Nov. 10), at Washington Commanders Nov. 24 and vs. New York Giants on Nov. 28, which is Dallas' annual Thanksgiving showcase. The other matchup is a Monday nighter at home against the Houston Texans on Nov. 18, surely one that carries a little extra weight with local NFL fans who want Lone Star State bragging rights. |
| Expected Hurricane Rafael: What's in store for Mississippi and Saturday's Ole Miss game vs. Georgia? | |
 | The last time Ole Miss football fans were worried about the potential for tropical weather impacting a football game, the results on the football field were not positive for the home team. That was the weekend Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm. That was also when the University of Kentucky shocked Ole Miss in Oxford, 20-17. On Monday, Tropical Storm Rafael formed in the Caribbean. This storm is predicted to intensify into a hurricane and threaten the U.S. Gulf Coast by this weekend, the National Hurricane Center said. On Saturday, No. 12 Ole Miss is hosting No. 2 Georgia that will make or break the rest of the Rebels season. More than 300,000 people are expected to pack into Oxford with SEC Nation hosting its pregame show from The Grove early Saturday. However, given significant uncertainties in the long-range forecast track and intensity, it is too soon to determine what, if any, impacts could occur in the U.S., the hurricane center told USA Today. "There has never been a tropical storm or hurricane landfall in Texas, Louisiana or Mississippi during November and December. So that would be quite a milestone, but this does not mean that people along the central and western Gulf Coast should let their guard down," AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva told USA Today. |
| Mike Gundy: Oklahoma State critics 'are the same ones that can't pay their own bills' | |
| Mike Gundy certainly knows how to deliver a rant. During his weekly availability session Monday, the longtime Oklahoma State coach took a hard left turn while discussing the trials of the Cowboys' disappointing 3-6 season so far. While diving into the reasons why Oklahoma State -- ranked 17th in the nation before the year began -- has struggled so mightily, Gundy went on an elongated rant that told angry fans and program critics to look in the mirror before pointing fingers. "Unfortunately in life, most people are weak, and as soon as things start to not go as good as what they thought, they fall apart and they panic," Gundy said. "And then they want to point the finger and blame other people. You see it in everyday life. People do it all the time. That's why I refuse to watch the TV and watch the news because I get tired of people complaining and b---ing about this and that versus just doing something about it and trying to figure out a way to make it better." "I think what's important for all the Oklahoma State fans to know is that we're very aware of what's going on, and at some point in life, we all have to put trust in somebody," Gundy said. "And I think they need to trust that we have a good plan for what's going on here in the big picture, and we have answers. Sometimes they're not short term. Sometimes they might be long term answers. |
| CFP Selection Committee's new chair: Why Michigan AD Warde Manuel is adding another headache to his plate | |
| The question at this point in College Football Playoff history begs to be asked: Just what the heck is Warde Manuel doing as the new chairman of the CFP Selection Committee? Not that Michigan's athletic director isn't qualified, it's just that the 56-year-old former defensive tackle under Bo Schembechler seems to have a few things on his plate. "NCAA issues," Manuel told CBS Sports, filling in the blanks on his own. "Firing a legend in Juwan [Howard]. There have been a lot of issues." Yes, and frankly, at this point in his career, Manuel doesn't need the aggravation. Over the past few years, if he wasn't crossing light sabers with Jim Harbaugh, he was dealing with Harbaugh's chatty lawyer, Tom Mars. Connor Stalions might as well have spray-painted graffiti over Michigan's pristine image in an ongoing NCAA case. Big Ten expansion has been a long process since the summer of 2022. Basketball coach/Fab Five legacy Juwan Howard was painfully fired last March. All the while, Manuel oversaw the school's first football national championship since 1997 and the transition from Harbaugh to Sherrone Moore. There's that, too. So, why add more helpings to that plate, Warde? "I wanted to do it because I wanted to help college football," Manuel told CBS Sports. "It was a way to give back to a game that I love and [that has] done a lot for me over my lifetime." |
| Will the first College Football Playoff rankings of 12-team era favor Big Ten, SEC? | |
| Tuesday night's College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings will surely be the most picked-apart first installment of a season since the CFP debuted in 2014. It's the committee's first time doing this with a real-life 12-team bracket in the offing. It's also the committee's first set of rankings in the new era of superconferences, where the SEC and Big Ten are trying to position themselves as superior to everyone else. How much will the logo patch on a jersey shape the committee's opinion of a team? "You can come from a conference that's got an awful lot of Top 25 teams, but not have played very many of them -- and vice versa," ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said. "The focus is on individual teams, not conferences, and your resume stands on its own." Behind the scenes, some administrators are concerned the Big Ten and SEC have raised pressure on the committee by suggesting their teams should be treated differently. Before finalizing the CFP's new six-year, $7.8 billion ESPN deal that begins in 2026, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti was already lobbying for a bigger field (14 or 16 teams) with three or more automatic berths for both his league and the SEC. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was miffed last December that the committee didn't include two SEC teams, Alabama and Georgia, in its four-team field. Sankey has not yet called for multiple automatic berths in a bigger field like Petitti but has indicated he'll watch the committee closely. "There's a weight on the committee that's new. I want to see how the committee processes that," he said during the SEC's spring meetings. "And my encouragement is that this, 'Well, we have an undefeated team so they're in' is not the standard. It never was the standard." |
| College athletes are getting paid and fans are starting to see a growing share of the bill | |
| At Tennessee, they are adding a 'talent fee' to the price of sports tickets. At Arkansas, they will charge 3% more at the concessions stands. At Michigan and Michigan State, athletic directors sent letters alerting boosters that winning is going to start costing more. And, in a first, Clemson is going to start adding an athletic surcharge to tuition bills. Winning at big-time college sports has never been free, but in a rapidly changing era in which players are allowed to earn money and be paid by their own schools, it has never been clearer that fans will be picking up a bigger part of the tab. "College athletics hasn't professionalized as much as I think it was capable of," said Nels Popp, a University of North Carolina sports-business professor who believes most schools still rely on fans' emotional, long-held school ties more than bottom-line marketing strategies. "And now, I think this is forcing them in that direction." One possibility for Michigan might be placing advertising inside of Michigan Stadium, a practice the Wolverines have steadfastly avoided over the decades. The school also sent out a recent survey asking, among other questions, if fans were willing to pay between $3,000 and $4,000 for a new tranche of chairback seats, which are rare outside of club sections at The Big House. "Absolutely not," said Ann Arbor resident Michael Ketslakh when asked if he would give more to support Michigan athletics. "I think it's excessive. It's bad for the sports." |
| Could taxpayer dollars be directed to NIL compensation at Florida colleges? | |
| Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) compensation has been the biggest story in college sports since the NCAA first allowed athletes to profit off of their success. But, as schools aggressively compete to recruit top players, the money on the table keeps growing. The pursuit of top college athletes was compared to an 'arms race' for talent, and the concern is - if other states start using tax dollars to lure difference-making players, Florida could be forced to do the same. "From a public policy standpoint, there's probably taxpayers out there that don't want state money going to athletes. But you can't deny the impact of athletes on our universities," Florida State University Trustee Peter Collins said Wednesday. The Board of Governors of Florida's state colleges and universities engaged in a monumental discussion Wednesday, about possibly adding tax dollars into the name, image and likeness equation, to help sign college athletes looking to maximize their profit off competitive skill. "I think this is the question of our time, and if we do not address it properly, there will be great inequity between the different universities," opined Jose Oliva, who sits on the Board of Governors. "There will be great inequity in whatever benefit those programs have brought the universities, and what opportunities they bring, but ultimately, it will land squarely on the taxpayer, because this is a public university system competing with private university systems in that realm." |
| Why this could be the most consequential election in college sports history | |
| In September of 2020, during a contentious presidential debate and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, college football found itself at the center of the political sphere. Then-President Donald Trump announced to millions watching on television that he "brought back" Big Ten football, claiming that he convinced league executives to play the sport after they initially wanted to delay the season to the spring. Big Ten university presidents and athletic directors soon afterward made clear that the conference decided to play fall football on medical advice and the increased availability of testing -- not political influences. No matter, the claims suddenly thrust the sport into a hotly contested presidential election. Four years later, another divisive election arrives. And while the act of playing football isn't in question, the act of paying football players is. Tuesday's elections -- congressional races as well as the White House -- loom as the most consequential in the history of college athletics, experts contend. The elections coincide, ironically enough, with the initial release of the College Football Playoff selection committee's rankings. While the top 25 has its own impacts, Tuesday's other polls will be much more lasting. |
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