Thursday, August 22, 2019   
 
Starkville placed under boil water notice, MSU unaffected
The entire city of Starkville has been placed under a boil water notice due to a major pipe repair on Locksley Way that began Wednesday when a contractor damaged the line. This advisory does not include the Mississippi State University campus. As repairs were expected to continue Thursday morning, Locksley Way, between Blackjack Road and South Montgomery Street, will be closed until further notice. While the main MSU campus was not impacted, the university said but some MSU facilities connected to Starkville Utilities are currently under the boil water notice, including Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, College View Student Housing Development, MSU Child Development and Family Studies Center, MSU Research and Curriculum Unit and Raspet Flight Research Laboratory.
 
Starkville under citywide boil water notice until Saturday
The entire city is under a boil water notice after a contractor for Atmos Energy Corporation split a 20-foot section of water pipe Wednesday evening on Locksley Way. Starkville Utilities Department temporarily cut off water for much of Starkville south of Highway 12 while the pipe repair was underway. It was originally estimated to take about an hour, but SUD employees "pulled an all-nighter" to complete it, Mayor Lynn Spruill tweeted this morning. Low water pressure quickly spread from south Starkville to the rest of the city as the repair took longer than expected, so the boil water notice had to extend to the entire city, Spruill told The Dispatch. The boil water notice does not apply to the Mississippi State University campus, according to the emergency information Twitter account MSU Maroon Alert. The boil water notice will run through at least Saturday, enough time for the city to test water samples, according to the City of Starkville Facebook page.
 
From Kindergarten to College: A Starkville Student's Journey
It's a long way from kindergarten to college. Back in 2002, our cameras followed five-year-old Daniel Ruff on his journey from his house to his first day of kindergarten at Sudduth Elementary School in Starkville. Seventeen years later, we catch up with Ruff who is now a senior architect student at Mississippi State University, preparing for a year-long co-op with an architecture firm in Texas. One of his professors, Alexis Gregory, said he has grown as a budding architect. "He has some very beautiful models -- conceptual models that he made last year in the studio that I taught him in, so he's definitely gotten really good at gluing over the years," said Gregory. Dr. Angi Bourgeois is the dean of MSU's College of Architecture, Art and Design. She said Daniel's growth and passion show in his work. "It's not just the aesthetics; it's not just the process of design, but it's the making a positive impact on people because our environments are very powerful ways to change the world," said Dr. Bourgeois.
 
Business brief: Terry Likes joins MSU's Department of Communication
Terrence D. "Terry" Likes, an award-winning educator and journalist, is the new head of Mississippi State's Department of Communication. He began his new role at MSU on Aug. 1. Likes joins the land-grant university after serving as department chair for eight years and tenured professor at Tennessee State University. Prior to TSU, Likes taught at Western Kentucky University from 1988-2008.
 
ASSURE Completes Extensive Air-to-Ground Drone Collision Study
The Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) research team has released the findings of its air-to-ground collision study of small unmanned aircraft systems, which ran for 18 months. The ASSURE team includes The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Mississippi State University, the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University and Ohio State University. "The research results give the FAA a better picture of potential injuries and their severity, based on established science," says Col (Ret.) Stephen P. Luxion, executive director of ASSURE.
 
Starkville aldermen OK retail center TIF to bring in ALDI, TJ Maxx
Starkville is one step closer to bringing in an ALDI grocery store and a TJ Maxx department store thanks to a tax-increment financing plan the Starkville Board of Aldermen approved Tuesday with a 5-2 vote. Castle Properties requested the TIF to develop a retail shopping center at the intersection of Highway 12 and Industrial Park Road, the current 10-acre site of the Garan Manufacturing plant. Garan is planning to relocate to the North Star Industrial Park at Highways 82 and 389. The industrial plant being the first North Star tenant and a new development replacing the old site is "kind of a two-fold win" for the city, Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver said. ALDI and TJ Maxx have wanted to come to Starkville for years but have not found the right site until now, said Chris Gouras, an urban planning consultant representing Castle Properties. They plan to occupy about half of the 90,000-square foot shopping center, he said.
 
Ag Commissioner testifies before the Mississippi River Commission
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson addressed the Mississippi River Commission Wednesday at a public hearing in Vicksburg. During his testimony, Gipson outlined the devastating impacts of the flooding along the Mississippi River and the South Delta's Yazoo Backwater Area. More than one million acres, including 518,000 acres of farmland, were flooded from January to August. Gipson discussed the impacts felt by the farmers, landowners and residents in the flooded areas. Noting that flooding along the Mississippi River is becoming an annual occurrence, Gipson stressed the need for cooperation among various stakeholders to develop solutions. Commissioner Gipson called for comprehensive measures to be taken to prevent this catastrophic event in the future, including the completion of the Yazoo Backwater Area pumps.
 
Mississippi River Commission urged to make backwater pumps 'top priority'
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to put all its efforts toward providing the necessary environmental information to get Environmental Protection Agency officials to reverse their veto of the Steele Bayou Control Structure, the Mississippi Levee Board's chief engineer said. The pumps "are our top priority issue and it's got to be completed in the next couple of months," Levee Board chief engineer Peter Nimrod told the members of the Mississippi River Commission. "We cannot wait around ... we've got to get these reports (on the pumps) out. We need everybody jumping in so the EPA will do the right thing and turn this veto around. "Push the right buttons, talk to the right people; let's get this project done." Nimrod's comments came during a public hearing held by the commission Wednesday in Vicksburg. The public hearing is part of the commission's annual low-water tour. Vicksburg was the third meeting on the tour to hear public concerns and questions.
 
The I-10 Rocket Region: To Stennis and beyond
An intriguing cluster is growing along the Interstate 10 corridor between Southeast Louisiana and South Mississippi. The Stennis-Michoud corridor in the near future will be where not one but two different launch vehicles will be built -- one a heavy-lift rocket for NASA, and the other a commercial light rocket. At the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in East New Orleans, Boeing is the prime contractor for the design, de- velopment, test and production of NASA's Space Launch System. Boeing workers have been building the 212-foot tall core stage in the cavernous MAF facility. When operational, the rocket will be used to launch into orbit space vehicles carrying people and cargo to the moon and Mars. Newcomer Relativity Space of Los Angeles, in an announcement June 11, said it will build its Terran 1 rockets at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, using its patented 3D printing technology. It will create 200 jobs and make an investment of $59 million.
 
Mississippi Republican governor candidates spar in debate
Two Republicans running for Mississippi governor were asked during a televised debate Wednesday night to name one disagreement they've had with current Republican Gov. Phil Bryant. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said he and Bryant have been in step up to 98% of the time on big issues, including restricting abortion. "We disagreed on a couple of budget items here and there," Reeves said. Retired Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. offered a longer list, saying lines at driver's license offices have been too long and the state crime lab has received too little money. They are competing in a runoff Tuesday, and the winner will advance to the Nov. 5 general election to face Democrat Jim Hood. In an interview hours before the Republican debate, Hood told The Associated Press that he wants to cut the state's 7% grocery tax, reducing it at least by half and possibly eliminating it altogether.
 
Reeves and Waller talk Medicaid, roads and conservatism in sleepy GOP runoff debate
After trading barbs on the campaign trail and in television ads in recent days, GOP gubernatorial runoff candidates Bill Waller Jr. and Tate Reeves took a more civil approach when they faced off in a Wednesday debate. The candidates were clear about their differences on Medicaid expansion, a gas tax, and where Mississippi's economy stands. But they largely refrained from attacking each other directly. And they agreed on the dire need for the state's next leader to solve the state's driver's license office woes, and to push for quickly raising teacher pay. In their closing arguments, both men pitched themselves as the purest Republican in the race. Reeves said he was the "real conservative," while Waller labeled himself the "best conservative." The candidates discussed several issues they have rarely touched on during this campaign. For example, both said they are open to the idea of toll roads in Mississippi to help fund infrastructure. And both underscored the need for improvements at the Mississippi offices that handle driver licenses.
 
Waller, Reeves disagree on healthcare, infrastructure funding in final debate
Tate Reeves and Bill Waller shared a debate stage Wednesday night and once again offered quite different ideas related to healthcare access and infrastructure funding with each seeking to claim the label of authentic conservatism. With less than a week to go until a primary runoff that will decide the Republican gubernatorial nomination, Reeves and Waller each stuck to the main themes of their campaigns. With some rural hospitals closing or facing poor financial outlooks, Waller, a former state Supreme Court justice, believes Mississippi must accept federal money available to expand Medicaid eligibility. Under Waller's plan, participant premiums and hospital contributions would provide the state of Mississippi's contributions to the expansion costs. Reeves, the second-term lieutenant governor, strongly opposes any expansion of Medicaid within the state. "I do not believe that putting 300,000 more Mississippians on government healthcare is a good solution," Reeves said. The healthcare issue offers the strongest point of disagreement between Reeves and Waller.
 
Waller, Reeves debate boils down biggest question facing GOP runoff voters: Who is the real conservative?
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and former state chief justice Bill Waller Jr. duked it out over who is the more conservative candidate on Wednesday night in a final televised debate ahead of the Republican primary runoff for governor. Reeves, the long-presumed GOP front-runner who has outraised Waller 10-to-1, questioned whether Waller and his policies on health care and infrastructure are conservative. "I don't believe you can be for Obamacare expansion and be a conservative. I don't believe you can be for raising taxes and be a conservative," Reeves told reporters after he left the televised stage. During the televised debate and in an interview with reporters afterward, Waller defended those proposals and his own brand of conservatism. State Rep. Robert Foster, who has since endorsed Waller, received 18 percent of the vote. Foster traveled with Waller on Wednesday and spoke with Mississippi Today on Waller's behalf after the debate ended.
 
How Mississippi, where chicken is a multi-billion dollar business, repeatedly balked at getting tougher on illegal immigration
The early August day when federal immigration agents raided seven chicken processing plants, detaining nearly 700 workers across central Mississippi, gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves praised agents for their work. Gov. Phil Bryant too praised the raids. Despite the enthusiasm Mississippi officials showed for the raids, Mississippi has seen a succession of failed legislative attempts to pass tougher state-level immigration laws in the past eight years. Several trade groups and organizations, including the Mississippi Economic Council, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, Mississippi Poultry Association, and several law enforcement agencies have vocally opposed anti-immigrant legislation. Chicken in big business in Mississippi, which produces roughly 750,000 broiler chickens each year, making it the nation's fifth largest chicken producing state. The state's poultry industry, employing 25,000 people and generating more than $18 billion in economic activity, according to a Mississippi State University publication.
 
U.S. Farmers, Lawmakers Dial Up Pressure on Trump Over Biofuel Policy
The agriculture and biofuel industries and their U.S. congressional allies ramped up pressure on the Trump administration on Wednesday over the relief he has given oil refiners from rules requiring use of biofuels. Long-suffering American farmers, a constituency President Donald Trump is counting on in his campaign for re-election in 2020, have seen prices for crops hit hard by his trade war with China. This month, farmers also complained that a government crop report did not reflect damage from historic flooding this spring. Farmers have been infuriated at the administration's decision to grant waivers exempting 31 oil refineries from rules requiring them to blend corn-based ethanol into gasoline. National and state trade groups along with their political allies delivered letters to the White House over the past 48 hours detailing the damage the waivers have caused the biofuel industry.
 
Attorneys ask for psych evaluation for Ole Miss murder suspect
Ole Miss student Brandon Theesfeld appeared in court Thursday for the murder of fellow student Ally Kostial. Kostial was found dead near Sardis Lake with multiple gunshot wounds last month. Theesfeld has been held in jail without bond since July. Theesfeld's defense team is made up on cousins Tony and Steve Farese as well as Oxford attorney Swayze Alford. They were expected to ask a Lafayette County judge to set a bond, but withdrew their request Thursday. Instead, the defense is asking for a psychological evaluation. Authorities have not detailed the relationship between Theesfeld and Kostial, but friends describe it as "complicated."
 
USM students participate in tradition of painting Eagle Walk
Hundreds of incoming University of Southern Mississippi students came out to M.M. Roberts Stadium Wednesday for the painting of the Eagle Walk. This has been a long tradition for the school. It started back in 1997 in hopes of creating new friendships and to become part of the Eagle family. Students say the really enjoyed being a part of this. "It feels great. It's like, you've seen it throughout the years," said freshman Jenna Pellegria. "People post about it and then you get to finally do it yourself and it's great. It just unites all of the freshmen and we get to hangout and meet new people." "It's just super fun being in the new environment with a bunch of people we just met," said freshman Hannah Horaist. "It was just fun doing something like this that's a tradition. It's different and new and it's brought a lot of us together." Classes start back next Wednesday.
 
Delta State president reflects on change
Delta State University President William N. LaForge discussed change during his state of the university address at DSU's convocation ceremony last week. Public education has faced numerous budget issues, and Delta State has seen the effects of declining state support over the last several years. LaForge said he has implored those seeking election this year to prioritize higher education. "But Delta State, along with our seven sister state universities, came up short again in state funding from our operating budgets that pay salaries and keep the lights on," LaForge said. "Once again, higher education, despite the good efforts of the state was not a high enough priority. As a matter of reference, we operate today with less state support than we had in 2016, and actually much less support than we had 10 years ago. So, in this election year, if we need a message to share with candidates who are running for public office at the state level, here it is: make higher education a top priority. We are part of public education in Mississippi and we should be equally partnered for funding."
 
Auburn University hosts cybersecurity officials; speaker sessions set for Thursday, Friday
Auburn University and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will host the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director and assistant director during a two-day event Thursday and Friday. CISA Director Christopher C. Krebs will deliver an address 10 a.m. Thursday in the Grand Hall of the newly constructed Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center, where he will outline the agency's strategic intent, long-term goals, priorities and pathways to success. Krebs is the first CISA director and was originally sworn in on June 15, 2018, as the under secretary for the predecessor of CISA, the National Protection and Programs Directorate. On Friday, CISA's Assistant Director for the Infrastructure Security Division, Brian Harrell, will deliver an address at 10 a.m. in the Grand Hall of the Brown-Kopel Center outlining the agency's plan for combatting insider threats, the convergence of cyber, infrastructure resilience, domestic terrorism and targeted violence, public-private partnerships and information sharing.
 
After 'false alarm' of gunman at LSU, president says it's important to 'err on the side of caution'
After part of LSU's campus was put on lockdown Tuesday because of a report of a man with a gun, LSU President F. King Alexander is impressing upon on the university community that it's better to "err on the side of caution" by reporting suspicious individuals. Someone saw an off-duty law enforcement officer enter Coates Hall with a gun and reported it. LSU police arrived on campus to investigate. "We are very fortunate that yesterday's situation was a false alarm," Alexander said in a statement. "All too often around the country and the world, such events have tragic endings. Unfortunately, an active shooter on campus is a situation that universities now must be prepared for at all times." Alexander said he is thankful for the person who made the initial report and encouraged people to report suspicious individuals in the future.
 
U. of Tennessee's student newspaper to focus on digital, cuts back print edition
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville's student-run newspaper, The Daily Beacon, is cutting back print production to once a week in an effort to focus more on its digital presence. The change was announced in a letter from the Beacon's current editor-in-chief, Kylie Hubbard. The paper will now publish weekly on Wednesdays. In addition, the student media group will now focus more on publishing on its website, video production and production of Honey Magazine. "Cutting back on print won't really change The Daily Beacon," Hubbard said. "I think it honestly propels us forward." The change comes two years after The Daily Beacon cut down from publishing a print paper daily to twice a week. Print advertising sales have declined in recent years and "people are looking to digital" to advertise, Hubbard said. The Beacon pays its staff with advertising revenue, and Hubbard said that will continue.
 
Georgia's Great Pollinator Count takes place Friday, Saturday
Children and adults alike will be out across the state with clipboards and sharp eyes Friday and Saturday, out where flowers are growing to spot and count certain kinds of insect. They'll be taking 15 minutes or so to be part of the first "Great Georgia Pollinator Census," launched by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension this year after a two-year pilot program. The census has three basic purposes, said census organizer Becky Griffin, community and school garden coordinator with the Extension's Center for Urban Agriculture. One goal is simply to get a statewide snapshot of the bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths and other insects that are crucial in plants' life cycles by spreading pollen. But Griffin also hopes to encourage the creation of sustainable habitats for pollinators and to increase public entomological literacy. Too many people see a wasp and just want to squash it, when in fact they are valuable allies, both as pollinators and predators of pest insects in gardens, she said.
 
Florida's public universities fill freshman classes with Florida high school grads
While many public universities across the nation are seeing their share of out-of-state students growing, that's not a noticeable trend in Florida. More than 240 public universities across the country admitted fewer in-state students in 2017 than they did just five years earlier, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. The data included public, four-year institutions offering baccalaureate degrees and above, not including military academies. By contrast, other institutions have maintained steady enrollment of in-state students. At 267 public universities, in-state enrollment dropped by less than 2% from 2012 to 2017. Steady in-state enrollment is often the result of state-mandated restrictions. In Florida, for example, out-of-state students cannot exceed 10% of enrollment at state institutions.
 
Increase in transfers propel U. of Missouri enrollment bump
The University of Missouri's first increase in first-day enrollment since 2015 was due in large part to an increasing number of transfer students, the university stated in a news release Wednesday. The university recorded a 16.25 percent increase in first-time freshmen and an overall enrollment of 29,677, up about 1 percent from fall 2018. One of the largest increases in transfers was in the Mizzou-MACC program, a joint venture of MU and Moberly Area Community College to enroll students in the community college for the first two years of their education before transferring to the university to complete their degree. There was also an increase of enrollment overall of students who were in community college for the 2018-19 school year, with 645 student transfers overall, a 24 percent increase. Chancellor Alexander Cartwright, who began his higher education attending a community college, has emphasized support for transfer students.
 
Students with some college and no credential still benefit in the labor market
Much of the attention around rising college costs and loan debt has focused on students who never earn a credential, with conventional wisdom holding that they wasted time and money in the process. But a new study found that attending college typically isn't a waste of time, even for students who fail to graduate. The research found "very substantial increases in employability and income" for this group of former students, who attended community college or a four-year institution, said Paul Attewell, a professor of sociology at the City University of New York's Graduate Center, who co-wrote the paper with Matt Giani, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin's Office of Strategy and Policy, and David Walling, a software developer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at UT. These benefits extend across various student groups. But the paper said low-income students, women and students of color generally experienced the biggest labor-market bump from college attendance.
 
Trump eases student loan forgiveness for disabled veterans
President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed the Education Department to more easily forgive the federal student loans owed by veterans with disabilities, making a move Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had resisted for months. Veterans and other student loan borrowers who are "totally and permanently" disabled are entitled under existing law to have their federal student loans canceled by the Education Department. But they previously had to fill out paperwork to have their loans discharged -- a bureaucratic obstacle that veterans' advocates slammed as too burdensome for many severely disabled veterans. Under the new "expedited" process announced by the Trump administration on Wednesday, the Education Department will automatically identify veterans eligible for loan forgiveness and give them the option to opt out for 60 days before moving ahead with canceling the debt.
 
Bringing Back Adult Students Takes More Than a Catchy Campaign
Educational attainment in Tennessee falls short of the national average, and well below the state's "Drive to 55" goal for at least 55 percent of the adult population to have a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2025. The current rate is about 41 percent. Without more adults in the mix -- about a quarter-million of them -- the state can't even come close. It has been pulling out all the stops to attract more adults: New programs offer free tuition at community and technical colleges, and a statewide campaign called Tennessee Reconnect encourages people with some college experience to re-enroll. At the University of Memphis, the third time was the charm. Spurred in part by a change in the state funding formula that rewards institutions with extra money for the adults (and low-income students) they enroll, the university began recruiting former students in 2011 with a campaign it called Back on Track. Even though it recruited students who were just 30 credits shy of a degree, it was mostly a bust. One big reason: The educational experience Memphis was offering wasn't different from the one the students had abandoned.
 
Georgia Tech professor pleads guilty to defrauding National Science Foundation
A former Georgia Tech professor has pleaded guilty to federal charges accusing him of defrauding the National Science Foundation out of nearly $40,000. Maysam Ghovanloo, 46, had been employed by Georgia Tech for 12 years, according to his profile on LinkedIn.com. In 2012, he founded Bionic Sciences, an organization that bills itself as a medical device developer and designer. The business was funded by a federal grant through a research program that the National Science Foundation sponsored, according to U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak. As part of his guilty plea, Ghavanloo paid $40,000 in restitution and was barred from doing business with the federal government for three years, Pak said. Also, he was forced to resign from his position at Georgia Tech on June 21.
 
Kansas University researcher charged with failing to disclose conflict of interest with Chinese university
A researcher at the University of Kansas was indicted Thursday on federal charges of hiding the fact he was working full-time for a Chinese university while doing research at KU funded by the U.S. government. Feng "Franklin" Tao, 47, of Lawrence, Kansas, is charged with one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud, according to Jim Cross, the public information officer for U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister in the District of Kansas. Tao is an associate professor at KU's Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis. He was employed since August 2014 by the CEBC, the mission of which is to conduct research on sustainable technology to conserve natural resources and energy. The indictment alleges that he fraudulently received more than $37,000 in salary paid for by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
 
Virginia Tech outpaces George Mason in plans for Amazon's HQ2
Virginia Tech and George Mason University both pledged to significantly expand their computer science programs following Amazon's announcement last year that it would build a second headquarters in Arlington, Va. The institutions planned not only to produce thousands more computer science graduates to fill Amazon's need for highly skilled employees, but also to build state-of-the-art facilities close to Amazon's chosen 105-acre site near Reagan National Airport. The plans hinged on hundreds of millions of dollars in investment from the state, philanthropic grants and industry partnerships. But the two universities do not appear to have made equal progress with their plans. While Virginia Tech has already secured a substantial amount of funding from the state, George Mason is still far from meeting its fundraising goals, making the institution's original five-year timeline seem increasingly infeasible.
 
How Medicine Became the Stealth Family-Friendly Profession
Medicine has become something of a stealth family-friendly profession, at a time when other professions are growing more greedy about employees' time. Jobs increasingly require long, inflexible hours, and pay disproportionately more to people who work them. But if one parent is on call at work, someone else has to be on call at home. For most couples, that's the woman -- which is why educated women are being pushed out of work or into lower-paying jobs. But medicine has changed in ways that offer doctors and other health care workers the option of more control over their hours, depending on the specialty and job they choose, while still practicing at the top of their training and being paid proportionately. Women are now half of medical students. In some specialties, like pediatrics, geriatrics and child psychiatry, they are the majority. Female doctors are likelier than women with law degrees, business degrees or doctorates to have children. They're also much less likely to stop working when they do.
 
Rural Western States Work Together to Tackle Physician Shortages
In Laramie, Wyoming, home to the University of Wyoming and 30,000 people, there is only one ear, nose and throat specialist: Dr. Paul Johnson. Johnson, a Wyoming native who works at Ivinson Memorial Hospital, sees about 20 patients a day who sometimes travel hundreds of miles to see him. As a rural state with a population of less than 600,000 people, Wyoming struggles to recruit physicians to its cities that desperately need more doctors. Wyoming isn't the only state in need of more medical care: The U.S. is expected to face a shortage of between 42,600 and 121,300 physicians by the end of the next decade, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Experts predict America's aging population will increase the demand for medical care, while the supply of physicians will drop, given that a third of doctors currently practicing will be older than 65 by 2030 and might decide to retire. But the physician shortage is most prominent in rural areas, which accounted for nearly 60% of the nation's more than 7,200 areas lacking adequate health care as of June 30.
 
Republicans Changed Their Mind About Higher Education Really Quickly
At the beginning of the 2010s, 58 percent of Republicans believed that colleges and universities had a positive impact on the course of the country, according to the Pew Research Center. As the decade nears its close, that number has fallen precipitously: It now sits at 33 percent, with the majority of the drop occurring from 2015 to 2017. According to Pew, there seems to be little disagreement between political parties on the notion that a diploma helps one succeed in the world or that the cost of attaining one is too high. The complaints particular to Republicans, though, are ideological in nature. Will Republicans regain faith in colleges? "I think it could easily reverse," says Steven Brint, a sociologist at UC Riverside and the author of Two Cheers for Higher Education. He notes that these trend lines are only a couple years old, and thinks that if enough influential people voice defenses of American institutions (including but not limited to universities), public opinion could shift again.


SPORTS
 
Bulldog running backs getting it done
Mississippi State running backs have been making their own comparisons during fall camp. Nick Gibson referred to himself and Kylin Hill as a tailback tandem like former USC greats Reggie Bush and LenDale White, while Hill called freshman Lee Witherspoon a young version of Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb. "It's okay to have expectations but if you're going to talk about it, you'd better be about it," said MSU running backs coach Terry Richardson. "You'd better live up to it. They can say what they want to say but I'm telling these guys that they've got 60 minutes during the game to get it done. You can be whoever you want to be -- it doesn't matter to me -- as long as we get the job done." Head coach Joe Moorhead intends to cut down on the number of carries his quarterbacks get this season and transfer those to his tailbacks. Nick Fitzgerald was the Bulldogs' leading rusher with 221 carries for 1,121 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2018, 104 more attempts than Hill or any other ball carrier had. "This is the SEC West and it's a physical game so obviously you need two or three guys to get it done," Richardson said. "There's no set plan but obviously (Hill) is the lead dog and he'll get the football."
 
After limited role, Mississippi State's Farrod Green ready to shine
Farrod Green basked in the glow of camera lights. Seated at a podium to the right of the main stage at SEC Media Days July 17 in Hoover, Alabama, the senior tight end fielded questions on the upcoming season, changes in his game and Mississippi State as a whole. Finally, Green was the center of attention. "I'm going to have a bigger role than I have in the past," he told The Dispatch. "And I'm ready to take it head on." Green has played a limited role in four years at MSU. Used heavily in blocking sets, he has appeared in 38 games in his career albeit with limited statistical impact. After redshirting his first season on campus, he's totaled just 31 receptions for 376 yards and one touchdown. Past numbers aside, coach Joe Moorhead's second season at the helm in Starkville offers optimism for an increased role for the tight ends. That coupled with the departure of incumbent starter Justin Johnson, Green personally envisions an increase in production as he slides into the No. 1 slot. "You'll see me all around the field this year," he said.
 
Reggie Bush? Nick Chubb? Mississippi State running backs make lofty comparisons
Mississippi State running backs coach Terry Richardson let out a long laugh at the end of his press conference Wednesday. Nobody told a joke. Nobody asked a silly question. The Clarion Ledger simply inquired about something one of his tailbacks said while standing at the same podium 24 hours prior. Let's take it back to Tuesday. "I think me and Kylin (Hill) together, it's going to be the best thing Mississippi State has ever seen as far as running backs," senior Nick Gibson said. "I kind of look at it like Reggie Bush and LenDale White." Fast forward to Wednesday, and cue Richardson's laughter along with a "slow your roll" response. "It's OK to have expectations, but if you're going to talk about it, you better be about it," Richardson said. "They can say what they want to say. The things I'm telling these guys is, 'Hey, once the game starts we have 60 minutes to get it done.' You can be whoever you want to be, it doesn't matter to me as long as we get the job done."
 
Mississippi State senior Chauncey Rivers on watch list for Hendricks Award
Mississippi State senior Chauncey Rivers was chosen to the preseason watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top defensive end. Rivers appeared in all 13 games for the Bulldogs last season after sitting out 2017 following his transfer from East Mississippi Community College. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound senior from Stone Mountain, Georgia made 24 tackles with seven stops for loss and 2.5 sacks. Rivers is also a Preseason All-SEC selection by both the media and the league's head coaches.
 
MSU football notebook: Offensive line rotations, running backs galore, linebackers remain the same
Offensive line coach Marcus Johnson is excited. Entering his second season at Mississippi State following six years on David Cutcliffe's staff at Duke, Johnson is tasked with developing an offensive line he expects could go as many as eight or nine players deep in its rotation. "It's a tough group," he said. "It's a physical group. They hold each other accountable." Speaking with the media Wednesday, Johnson said Tuesday's practice was among the best the offensive line has had this offseason after he got a chance to go back and watch the film. And while the practices have been promising, Johnson's task of sorting through an experienced, yet newly positioned group remains difficult. After a standout career at guard, senior Darryl Williams has moved even further inside to center. A team captain this year, Johnson said the vocal component of the position suits Williams.
 
How and why Southern Miss decided to offer beer sales at football games
The process of bringing beer sales to Southern Miss football games began about a month ago when USM athletic director Jeremy McClain and school officials first discussed the prospect of becoming the first state college to offer alcohol sales at a sporting event. "The initial conversation was, 'Are we allowed to do it? Can we do it within the guidelines of Mississippi law?,'" McClain said Wednesday during an interview with the Sun Herald. "Once the attorneys told us at the local level and at the state level that we could, we were good to go. Then, it became a process of, 'When are we going to do it?'" McClain, who was hired away from Troy in April, didn't care to waste time in implementing a new policy on alcohol sales at USM football games, pushing forward with plans to sell beer and light wine at games this season in Hattiesburg. There have been conflicting reports and opinions on the legality of alcohol sales on Mississippi campuses for years. "The law isn't very well written and it has several amendments to it," McClain said. "That's why it can be confusing."
 
Ashley Robinson, athletic director at Jackson State University
A year into his job as athletic director at Jackson State University, Ashley Robinson has been looking forward to implementing his plans to advance the athletics department. The former Murrah High School basketball star says that "the tradition, (the) 50,000 alumni, a lot of potential, four NFL Hall of Famers and growing up in Jackson" drew him to the position. "I always dreamed to be a part of JSU," he says. When he accepted the AD job, Robinson identified areas where the program could improve to reach a new level of success. "We needed to change the culture, fix the structure and organization, and bring a new energy to the program," he says. "And I believe we accomplished that in the first year." Since becoming athletic director, Robinson has partnered with Nike on a five-year apparel deal, updated the athletic website, added live-stream stats and has been working with the media to better market the program.
 
Andy Ogletree talks U.S. Amateur Championship, future majors
Matt Kuchar spoke with Andy Ogletree Tuesday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta about the first time he played in The Masters. "He told me he was so nervous he could barely get the ball to stay on the tee," Ogletree said. As the U.S. Amateur champion in 1997, Kuchar earned direct entry to Augusta the following year, and was paired with the defending champion -- a 22-year-old Tiger Woods, fresh off his first major victory. Ogletree is following a similar path. After capturing the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship Sunday in Pinehurst, N.C., the first as a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket since Kuchar 22 years ago, he is set to play in his first Masters tournament next April alongside Woods, who will be defending his 15th major, and first Masters since 2006. The Little Rock native and Union High School alumnus stayed focused and calm throughout the tournament and in the final against John Augenstein of Vanderbilt.
 
Alabama set to release ticket app to encourage commitment from student fans
The technological component of Alabama's effort to keep students in the stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium from the opening kickoff to the final whistle has been unveiled. The university, through an app designed by FanMaker that will be available to download Thursday, will use geo-fencing -- a location-based service that activates in a defined perimeter -- to monitor the whereabouts of those who participate in the Tide Loyalty Points program, which was an initiative unveiled this spring to encourage undergraduates and those seeking advanced degrees to stay for the duration of the Crimson Tide's home football games. The app, which is also called, "Tide Loyalty Points," was created by a company that, according to its website, has teamed up with six other Power Five schools, including USC, Clemson and Mississippi State.
 
Texas A&M: Traffic plans in place for Thursday night football opener
or the second consecutive year, Texas A&M's football team will kick off its season on a Thursday night -- and Texas A&M Transportation Institute officials said Wednesday they view Aug. 29's combination of a full A&M class day and a football game as "two days in one." Texas A&M football hosts Texas State at 7:30 p.m. one week from today. A&M and Texas State also played on a Thursday night in 2005, when the threat of Hurricane Rita's approach caused officials to move up the game by two days. A&M President Michael K. Young has approved the early release of all non-essential personnel at 1 p.m. Aug. 29; faculty and staff associated with classroom support are considered essential personnel. A university web page reads: "Professors are not being directed to cancel classes and buildings have been scheduled to remain open in support of the university's academic and research missions."
 
Former U. of New Mexico athletic director indicted in connection with elaborate golf trip
Former University of New Mexcico Athletic Director Paul Krebs has been indicted by a grand jury on seven counts in connection with his elaborate golf trip to Scotland in 2015. Attorney General Hector Balderas filed charges against Krebs earlier this year, saying that, in 2014, when Krebs was vice president of UNM athletics, he used his job title "to pursue his own private interest by planning and going on a Scotland golf trip." Documents say the trip cost the university about $64,000 of public money plus an additional $25,000 to pay some costs for three private donors to the school. Not only did Krebs violate university rules by signing off on the pricey trip, documents say he tried to cover up the trip in July 2017 by making an "anonymous" donation to the university of $25,000 of his own money. Balderas launched an investigation into the athletic director over a year ago amid concerns that department funds were being misspent.
 
New Cable Network for A.C.C. Heightens Arms Race in College Sports
After three years of planning, building and negotiating, ESPN was ready earlier this month to reveal the studio for its newest television channel, the ACC Network. A 30-minute teaser was produced, but when the scheduled time to stream it came and went, it became clear the hype-building exercise was a dud. "In true Live TV form, we're standing by with technical difficulties," an ESPN communications staffer wrote on Twitter. ESPN hopes the actual debut Thursday night goes more to plan. The channel will be both influential for college sports and anachronistic to many viewers. The Atlantic Coast Conference is the fourth Power Five league with its own dedicated television channel. The ACC Network won't radically transform the fortunes of either the conference or ESPN. But as major college sports nears the end of a decade of conference-switching and turbulence, and as ESPN is in the midst of a radical transformation in viewing habits and media distribution, both hope the ACC Network will offer them a boost.
 
ESPN set to launch ACC Network, search for new star
Booger McFarland was hosting his Tampa Bay-area daily sports radio show one afternoon in 2013, waiting for the next guest to call during a commercial break, when opportunity rang instead. It was the ESPN talent office, asking if he'd be interested in joining a not-yet-launched SEC Network. Okay, McFarland responded, but I've got like 90 seconds to talk. He reconnected with them after getting off air and flew to Bristol in January 2014 to audition, taping alongside Joe Tessitore. Another audition in Texas followed that March, before he was brought aboard in April. Soon enough, he was making appearances on Mike & Mike and SportsCenter. This year, he's the Monday Night Football analyst, one of the company's biggest gigs. "That group (executive vice president) Stephanie Druley hired---Maria, Laura, Marcus, myself, Greg (McElroy)---everybody has just shot up the ladder," McFarland says. "It's just a testament not only to Stephanie having an eye for talent, but also the opportunity we were given to take advantage of." Now a new generation gets that shot.



The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
Mississippi State University  •  Mississippi State, MS 39762  •  Main Telephone: (662) 325-2323  •   Contact: The Editor  |  The Webmaster  •   Updated: August 22, 2019Facebook Twitter