| Thursday, September 12, 2019 |
| Extreme Heat Advisory Initiatives In Place For MSU-Kansas State | |
 | With temperatures expected in the 90s again Saturday, Mississippi State Athletics has a number of measures in place to help ensure the safety and well-being of fans attending the MSU-Kansas State football game in Davis Wade Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. To avoid delays with security screening prior to entering the stadium, fans are strongly encouraged to arrive at gates in advance of 45 minutes prior to kickoff. Fans are encouraged to follow these safety measures before arriving at the stadium: Hydrate early, before and during the game to avoid heat exhaustion. Apply sunscreen of at least 30 SPF (recommended) and repeat the application periodically. Avoid excess caffeine and alcohol, which could result in dehydration. For more information, visit HailState.com/gameday. |
| Applications sought for teaching excellence awards | |
 | Mississippi State University faculty who are interested in submitting applications for the 2020 Grisham Master Teacher Award, the Alumni Association Early Career Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award or the Alumni Association Graduate and/or Professional Teaching Excellence Award have until Oct. 15 to do so. After careful review, the University Instructional Improvement Committee will select and announce the winners before the end of the spring 2020 semester. All current full-time faculty members at MSU with the required years of service, regardless of rank, are eligible to apply for these awards. |
| Two more charged, accused of instigating Cotton District brawl | |
 | Two more arrests have been made following a weekend brawl in Starkville's Cotton District, which brings the total number of people charged to four. The Starkville Police Department said on Wednesday that misdemeanor simple assault warrants were served on 22-year-old Harrison Porter, of Ridgeland, and 22-year-old Stephen Jernigan, II, of Lake Village, Arkansas. These arrests are the latest stemming from a fight captured on video early Sunday morning, Sept. 8, on University Drive. In the video, which has since been viewed by thousands, the fight can be seen taking place on the lawn of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Investigators believe Porter and Jernigan instigated the fight by verbally assaulting an intoxicated woman. |
| Storm system on track to Gulf Coast is up to 80% chance of development, NHC says | |
 | A potentially tropical system now has a 80% chance of developing over the next five days, and its track is aimed at the northern Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center advised Thursday morning. The widespread area of low pressure and rain showers called Invest 95 is still very unorganized, which makes it harder for forecasting models to predict. The tracks so far range from the Texas coast to the Florida panhandle. The storm system spread for a few hundred miles from the southeastern Bahamas out over the Atlantic Ocean, and it is expected to bring heavy rains and gusty winds to Florida over the weekend. An aircraft from the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, is scheduled to fly out to investigate Thursday afternoon if necessary. |
| General Atomics to build components for next-generation US Navy sub | |
 | Defense contractor General Atomics, which has a sprawling facility in the Tupelo Lee Industrial Park South, will build two large Bearing Support Structures for the U.S. Navy's new multi-billion-dollar Columbia Class submarines. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) was awarded the contract from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD) for an undisclosed amount. The BSS structures will be built in Tupelo. The Navy intends to build 12 Columbia Class submarines over the next 20 years. General Atomics opened its Lee County facility in 2005, and has built and tested components for the Electromagnetic Launch System, or EMALS, that will be used by the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. GA has built and tested components for EMALS at its facility there, where earlier this year it announced for the 11th time since opening in 2005 -- and the fourth time since 2013 -- that it is expanding: a $20 million investment that added 48 jobs, as well as a 128,000-square-foot addition. |
| MEC President and CEO Scott Waller joins Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100 | |
| Scott Waller, IOM, President and CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC), has been selected to serve on the Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100 (CCC100) by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is among 12 chamber executives from across the country to be added to the CCC100, which focuses on leadership, policy, and best practices by identifying emerging issues that impact chambers and their members. The committee is a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation representing the interest of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions. At MEC, Waller is instrumental in developing meaningful public policy initiatives for improving workforce development, education, economic development, transportation, and tax policy. A graduate of Mississippi State University, Waller serves on the State Workforce Investment Board and the executive board of the Andrew Jackson Council Boy Scouts of America. |
| Mississippi lawmakers starting to examine budget requests | |
| Mississippi legislative leaders are holding a single day of hearings to start considering state agencies' spending requests for the 2021 budget year, which begins July 1. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee meets Friday at the Woolfolk state office building, near the Capitol. The 14 members are scheduled to hear from education officials and leaders of the Division of Medicaid, the state Supreme Court and the departments of public safety and wildlife, fisheries and parks. Committee members are not scheduled to hear from the Department of Corrections, where leaders have said for years that they need more money to increase the pay for prison guards. They also are not hearing from the Department of Mental Health. A federal judge said Sept. 3 that he would appoint an expert to oversee Mississippi's mental health system because the state is doing too little to serve people outside the confinement of mental hospitals. |
| Jay Hughes, Delbert Hosemann face off in first lieutenant governor debate | |
 | A tight gubernatorial primary race captured Mississippi's attention in recent months. But a competitive contest for the state's second-in-command also is taking shape. After sailing past primaries, Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and Democratic state Rep. Jay Hughes face off Thursday evening in the season's first lieutenant governor debate on WJTV-TV. Hughes was uncontested in last month's primary, while Hosemann won 86 percent of the vote against little-known Republican challenger Shane Quick. Mississippi's lieutenant governor oversees the state Senate and generally holds significant sway over legislation moving through the Capitol. Current Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is running for governor. A Democrat hasn't held the position since the early 2000s. Expect education to be a central topic at Thursday's debate. Both frequently discuss it on the campaign trail. At the Neshoba County Fair last month, both pledged to improve the state's education system, including raising teacher pay. |
| Lieutenant governor candidates to debate | |
| Candidates for the office of lieutenant governor will meet for a televised debate today beginning at 6:30 p.m. Republican Delbert Hosemann and Democrat Jay Hughes are the candidates in contention. The Thursday night debate will air on the Jackson-area station WJTV and will also stream online. The debate will last 30 minutes. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is term limited in his current post and is now seeking the office of governor. Hosemann is currently secretary of state. Hughes is a state representative from the Oxford area. This debate comes as campaign season in Mississippi shifts toward the November general election and away from the primary battles that concluded in August. However, the general election pairing between Hosemann and Hughes has been anticipated for much of the year. Hughes had no Democratic primary opponent, and Hosemann had only nominal opposition for the GOP nomination. |
| AG Jim Hood releases investigation report on frontage road to Tate Reeves' neighborhood | |
| Attorney General Jim Hood on Wednesday released an investigative report about his opponent for governor -- Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves -- and whether Reeves influenced plans for a now-scuttled state road from his gated neighborhood in Flowood to a nearby shopping area. The 43-page report said investigators found a possible violation of a section of the Mississippi Constitution intended to prevent corruption and abuse of office. It also states the AG's efforts to obtain documents and other information during the investigation was thwarted by Reeves and the state Senate, as well as by the Legislature's exemption of itself from open records laws. Still, Hood said he will not take any further action beyond releasing the report, which he said "speaks for itself." The state's next attorney general who will be elected in November could choose to continue to pursue the investigation, he said. In a statement, Reeves campaign spokesman Parker Briden said the report shows "after a year of big talk, Jim Hood admits he proved no wrongdoing and can take no action." He added it was "a 43-page political dirty trick." |
| Jim Hood's investigation into his election opponent Tate Reeves is dropped | |
 | Democrat Attorney General Jim Hood has dropped an investigation into Republican Lt. Governor Tate Reeves for lack of any legal remedies for which criminal or civil violations could reasonably be pursued. Hood is now the general election opponent of Reeves in the November gubernatorial election. The investigation came from speculation that Republican Lt. Governor Reeves directly or indirectly, through the effort of his staff or others, was involved in or unduly influenced an attempt to build a $2 million frontage road in Flowood, which would have connected Reeves' subdivision to a nearby shopping center. On Wednesday, the AG's office uploaded a 43-page investigative report on the matter. They also procured a nine-page observatory opinion written by former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice David Chandler and also solicited comments from former Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Edwin Lloyd Pittman, who also served as attorney general. For his part, Reeves has been resolute since the inception of the dust up last July that there were no violations, criminal or civil, of any sort. |
| Tate Reeves Says Jim Hood's Mental Health Focus Distracts from Issues | |
| Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is pushing back against accusations that his leadership helped set the conditions for Mississippi's mental-health crisis. After a federal judge ruled last week that the State is violating the civil rights of people with mental illnesses, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood produced letters dating back to 2013 in which he warned members of the Legislature, including Reeves, that a lawsuit was likely unless they did more to shore up its mental-health system. On Monday, though, Reeves suggested that the fallout over the mental-health trial is not a real issue and that Hood is making things up. At his post-ruling press conference last week, Hood pointed out that he had asked Reeves to use some of the more than $267 million that his office had won in settlements to better fund the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, but that the Legislature, where Reeves serves as president of the Senate, ignored his advice. |
| Joey Songy starts new consulting firm after years with Gov. Phil Bryant | |
 | After seven years with Gov. Phil Bryant -- the last three-and-a-half as his chief of staff -- Joey Songy has begun a strategy and business development firm -- Songy LLC. His insight of years of working with people through government, Songy says outside of politics, partisonship and party, business and government tend to relate to each other in much the same way everywhere and that transparency is the key to it being effective. "What I will be providing to a relatively small group of companies is strategic advice and business development services," said Songy, who last day with Bryant office was August 31. "I will be doing a lot of what I have been doing on the inside for so many years -- economic development." |
| Supreme Court says Trump administration can begin denying asylum to migrants while legal fight continues | |
 | The Trump administration can begin denying asylum requests from migrants at the southern border who have traveled through Mexico or another country without seeking protection there, after the Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted a lower court's block on the new restriction. The justices put on hold an injunction from lower courts in California that halted the new rule pending additional legal action; there, a district judge had said it probably ran afoul of a federal statute and administrative law requirements. President Trump's policy is a dramatic change in the way the federal government treats those seeking safe haven in the United States , and is one of the administration's most significant efforts to deter migrants at the southern border. It is one of multiple tools immigration officials have deployed to prevent entry by families and others fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. |
| To Combat Youth Vaping, Trump Administration Plans To Banish Flavored Vapes | |
 | President Trump announced Wednesday that the administration will move to force e-cigarette companies to take flavored vaping products off the market, as young people's use of them continues to rise and reports emerge of deaths and illnesses tied to vaping. "Vaping has become a very big business, as I understand it, but we can't allow people to get sick and allow our youth to be so affected," Trump said. The Food and Drug Administration announced plans to finalize a policy in the coming weeks that will enable it to remove many nontobacco flavored e-cigarettes from the market. "We intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. "We will not stand idly by as these products become an on-ramp to combustible cigarettes or nicotine addiction for a generation of youth." |
| UM ASB unanimously votes to put student activities fee increase on ballot | |
 | The Associated Student Body Senate unanimously voted to put a student activities fee increase on the ballot so ASB can take the bill to the Institutions of Higher Learning, raising the fee from the original $5 per semester to $10. ASB President Barron Mayfield, treasurer Gianna Schuetz, Sen. Morgan Atkins, Sen. Michael Messina and Sen. Jack Furla co-wrote the resolution. Mayfield said that if ASB voted to put the activity fee increase on the ballot, students would get to speak out about it next Tuesday, then ASB would take it to IHL. "Unfortunately, IHL gets the final say, so this would be us taking this to them and requesting them to raise the student activities fee," Mayfield said. Schuetz said that when she served as ASB treasurer last year, she brought up the idea of raising the student activities fee. She also said that this was something that would immensely help student organizations. |
| Ole Miss students gaining momentum through Come Roll With Me program | |
| Growing up in a home with a parent who was a physical therapist, Reid Fracchia felt he knew -- and had seen -- everything when it came to patients undergoing neurological rehabilitation. However, he quickly learned he did not, and is now making it his mission to help educate others. The Ole Miss senior started the Come Roll With Me-Mississippi program, which is designed show young adults first-hand how individuals with physical disabilities go about their daily routines in a wheelchair. The program, originally titled "Come Roll With Me," was created by Kathy Carver, who is a physical therapist in Alabama. Carver initially started the program to educate and introduce children who are homeschooled to the world of life in a wheelchair. Carver's goal was to bridge the gap between the able-bodied community and the disabled community in terms of communication, respect and appreciation. Fracchia had the same mission in mind, but wanted to mold the program toward individuals with whom he could relate. So, he contacted Carver and asked if he could start a program of his own in Mississippi. Carver gave her blessing. |
| USM students reflect on 9/11 terrorist attacks | |
 | University of Southern Mississippi students are remembering those who died and those who saved others on the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although all of the students we spoke with Wednesday were just small children when those attacks happened in 2001, they say the events of that day still have had an impact on their lives and they say America should remember those who were killed. "I think it's an important part of history as an American, to remember those that have fallen and died for us," said Sabrina Darby, a senior who was three years old on 9/11. Some students we spoke with said their high schools often hosted 9/11 services. |
| Federal research ship to begin studies in the Gulf in 2023 | |
| A federal research vessel operated by universities in Louisiana and Mississippi is expected to begin studies in the Gulf of Mexico in 2023. The Louisiana Universities Marine Research Consortium and the University of Southern Mississippi are leading a consortium created for the 199-foot (60-meter) ship. Universities in every Gulf state, as well as Georgia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Mexico also are part of the group. It will be the third of three research ships being built for the National Science Foundation to add state-of-the-art vessels to the shrinking research fleets in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Gulf. The agency created by Congress said last year that its oversight body authorized up to $365 million for the project. Scientist Leila Hamdan at Southern Mississippi said the group will decide research and equipment priorities, and federal scientists also will have use of the vessel. |
| Jackson State students from the Caribbean step up to collect aid for the Bahamas | |
 | It's a long road to recovery in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian and students at Jackson State are doing their part. International students from the Caribbean are gathering food and resources to send. Once paradise, islands now sit in ruins following a deadly hurricane, hitting close to home for JSU students. "We did have students from the Bahamas come into our office and one young lady she was very distraught," International Studies Coordinator Shameka Reed said. "A lot of them just want to hurry up and get some source of water to help their family and friends as soon as possible," student Naysa Lynch of the Virgin Islands told 12 News. "So immediately a few students reached out to me asking how I could help them help their families." Almost instantly, boxes of food and water came pouring in from people inside and outside the Jackson State campus. |
| Tylertown students walk out of classes protesting end of religious based program | |
| No classes Wednesday for some Walthall County students as they sent a message to school district leaders. Tylertown students are protesting the end of a program they say allows them to worship together. But according to district officials, the program is not being targeted. Students have the support of parents and volunteers who brought them sandwiches and water during the protest. They chanted while refusing to go to classes on the Tylertown campuses after finding out that the Priority One program was ending. Priority One is a student led organization that meets monthly during school hours and includes prayer, speakers, singing and other faith based activities. Walthall County Schools superintendent Wade Carney said district policy states student led organizations can not meet during instruction time. They can continue to meet before or after school. He said this policy applies to all student organizations not just First Priority. |
| U. of Alabama enrollment dips slightly | |
 | The fall enrollment for the University of Alabama is 38,103 students, a slight decrease from 2018 though the campus did see gains in its freshman class. The first-time undergraduate student enrollment increased from 6,663 students in 2018 to 6,764 this fall, according to preliminary enrollment information released by UA on Thursday. Overall, enrollment decreased by 289 students compared to last year. The overall enrollment for fall 2018 was 38,392. Graduate and professional student enrollment saw minor changes. Graduate students decreased from 4,916 to 4,868, and professional students including law and medicine decreased from 446 to 437. It is the second year enrollment numbers have slipped slightly. In 2018, the university saw the end of a 16-year streak of continuous growth that peaked in 2017 with a historic high of 38,563. UA President Stuart Bell indicated in his 2016 strategic plan that he envisioned more measured growth -- including recruiting more graduate students as the university focused on enhancing its research profile -- following the period of expansion that saw the student body nearly double. |
| U. of Alabama teacher suspended after video shows student drinking | |
| A University of Alabama teacher is off the job after video surfaced of a student drinking a beer in class. School spokesman Chris Bryant said Wednesday marketing instructor Joel Strayer has been placed on administrative leave while "several concerns" are investigated. A video posted to a social media site a week ago shows a young man punching a hole in the side of a beer can and drinking it while others in the classroom watch and clap. Someone is heard saying: "I am impressed." The student newspaper at Alabama, The Crimson White, reports the incident occurred in Strayer's classroom earlier this month, and that the person shown in the video is actually enrolled at Illinois State University. Strayer didn't reply Wednesday to an email seeking comment, and Bryant declined further comment. |
| LSU probes complaint about slur at football game, without acknowledging it happened | |
 | LSU is investigating a complaint that a fraternity member shouted racial slurs against three people of Asian heritage during a football game last month, though Tuesday the school backed off its earlier suggestions that something indeed happened in the student section as the Tigers played Georgia Southern. Emails obtained by The Advocate on Monday, pursuant to a public records request, show that LSU administrators scheduled a visit with leaders of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity last week after exchanging emails labeled "Meeting regarding Saturday's incident." In a statement to The Reveille, the campus newspaper, LSU said Friday "the language and words used in this incident do not reflect who we are as a university ..." But Tuesday, LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard said the school is not acknowledging that any incident happened at all. He said the statement to The Reveille, and a followup statement to NBC News on Monday, was intended only to express the university's criticism of what was alleged to have occurred. |
| LSU names new senior VP of strategic communications | |
| LSU has named a new vice-president of strategic communications, a position that reports directly to university president F. King Alexander and oversees all communications for LSU, both internal and external. The new head of communications, Jim Sabourin, was formerly senior vice-president and chief communications officer for Chattanooga-based Unum Group, a Fortune 500 insurance company. LSU's announcement Wednesday says Sabourin's appointment had been made pending approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors, which will be meeting Friday. Two interim vice-presidents of strategic communications, Kristine Sanders and Jason Droddy, had served in the role since the departure of Linda Bonnin, who left in 2015 for another position. |
| Student count at U. of Arkansas declines a bit to 27,559 | |
| A decrease of less than 1% in total enrollment at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville -- the first dip since the 1990s for a school once among the fastest-growing nationally -- can be explained by a decline in the size of the freshman class and improved four-year graduation rates, the university's top admissions official said. UA's fall enrollment of 27,559 is down from 27,778 students a year earlier, as of the 11th class day. The change comes in part because of an approximately 8% decline in the incoming freshman class, said Suzanne McCray, UA's vice provost for enrollment management and dean of admissions. "We've prepared for it and planned for it from a budget point of view," McCray said. Preliminary total enrollment also dipped for some of the state's other large universities, including Arkansas State University and the University of Central Arkansas. For UA, several reasons contributed to the incoming freshman class shrinking to 4,601 compared with 5,005 a year ago, McCray said. |
| Millions for UGA construction proposed, but budget cuts loom | |
 | The University of Georgia would get about $60.5 million for construction and construction-related projects under a proposed 2020-21 budget for the University System of Georgia. But UGA will also have to shave millions of dollars from its operating budget under Gov. Brian Kemp's reduction orders. Kemp ordered state agencies to reduce their fiscal year 2020 spending budgets -- the fiscal year that began this July 1 -- by 4 percent, then submit proposed 2020-21 budgets shaving expenditures by 6 percent over this year's budget. University System of Georgia officials showed a proposed budget for next year to members of the state Board of Regents' monthly meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday, including a capital spending request of $255 million for new buildings, renovations and the like across the University System of Georgia. The University of Georgia would get at least a fourth of that amount. UGA also stands to get a large share of the university system's $70 million proposed spending on major repair and rehabilitation. |
| Former dorm resident assistant charged in battery at U. of Florida | |
 | A 21-year-old University of Florida student has been released from jail after being booked on charges of battery and false imprisonment in a Weaver Hall dorm. Ian Milaski was arrested Aug. 28 and taken to the Alachua County Jail, where he was released on his own recognizance Sept. 6. A female student told police Milaski had tried to sexually batter her at about 2 a.m. on Aug. 25 while he was intoxicated, according to a UF police arrest report. Milaski was employed as a dorm resident assistant at UF, the report said. In a prepared statement from UF regarding the situation involving Milaski, the university said it places the highest priority on the safety of its students and campus security. Milaski is no longer a resident assistant, the statement said, and he is no longer allowed on campus. |
| Turkey vulture blamed for power outage on U. of Missouri campus | |
 | Parts of the University of Missouri campus lost power for nearly an hour this morning after a turkey vulture's wing hit the connector that links MU to the city power grid. The vulture died in the incident. MU spokesperson Liz McCune said 27 buildings and four parking structures were affected by the outage. She said Jesse Hall, Ellis Library and the Student Center were among the buildings affected. Five dorms also lost power. McCune said the outage began at 6:37 a.m. and that all buildings had power restored by 7:45 a.m. Until the connector is fixed, which should happen by the end of the week, campus will draw all of its electricity from the MU Power Plant. |
| U.S. Border Agents Are Seeking Social-Media Data on International Students | |
 | The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to collect social-media handles of travelers, including students, to the United States. In a notice of a proposed rule published in the Federal Register, the department says such information is needed to validate applicants' identity and to determine whether they pose a law-enforcement or national-security risk. While this is the first official announcement of a change in policy, in practice, international students returning to American campuses in recent weeks have reported that border officers have searched their phones, computers, and other electronic devices, and appear to have scrutinized their communications and social-media profiles. The public has until November 4 to comment on the proposed change. |
| Most public flagship universities are unaffordable for low-income students, report finds | |
 | Only the relatively wealthiest students can afford to attend most public flagship institutions, according to a new report released last week by the Institute for Higher Education Policy. The report found that only six of 50 state flagships meet an affordability benchmark for low-income students. Mamie Voight, vice president of policy research at IHEP and a co-author of the report, said public institutions funded by taxpayers should better serve low-income students, a demographic that's growing in overall college enrollments. The University of Alabama is a prime example of poor prioritization, according to the report. In the analysis, the low-income student has an annual unmet need of $20,000 to cover costs, while the need of the high-income student is exceeded by nearly $16,000. "We are like many other institutions that are trying to find that right balance," said Kevin Whitaker, provost for academic affairs at the University of Alabama. "We are trying to provide scholarship programs for students, and I think we have a very robust scholarship program that benefits a lot of students." |
| Colleges Could Do More To Help Student Parents Pay For Child Care, Watchdog Says | |
| When Lesley Del Rio goes to the library to do her college math homework, she often has a study buddy: her precocious 8-year-old son, Leo. Del Rio is working on her associate degree; Leo is working on third grade. And Del Rio is not alone: More than 1 in 5 college students in the U.S. are raising kids. That's more than 4 million undergraduates, and they are disproportionately women and people of color. Of those students, more than half will leave school without getting a degree. That's all according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog. The report, first obtained by NPR, found that schools often aren't giving student parents information that could help them access untapped federal money to pay for child care. Access to child care is one of the biggest barriers student parents face. |
| Experts say new methods needed to combat the Red Zone on campuses | |
| Jess Davidson remembers when the young woman leading her first-year college orientation in 2012 slipped her a sticky note. On it was a list of fraternities she instructed Davidson, who is now executive director of End Rape on Campus, a national survivor advocacy organization, to avoid. The fraternity chapters on this list were the most likely to throw parties on campus, particularly in the first few weeks of the academic year when women are most at risk for sexual assault. In hushed tones, the orientation leader told Davidson to pass on the note to other female students. This clandestine warning was likely not the best method for teaching young women about the phenomenon on college campuses known nationally as "the Red Zone," the first six to eight weeks of the semester when more sexual assaults take place than at any other time in the year. First-year female students who are often still in their late teens and have not yet developed a social network on campus are most likely to be victimized during this time. |
| Maker Education refocuses lens on children | |
| Angela Farmer, an assistant clinical professor in Mississippi State University's Shackouls Honors College, writes: Students learn in a variety of manners and follow a number of different approaches. The very best way to learn a select topic or set of skills varies, depending on the student involved. Keeping focused on learning outcomes, that is ensuring that the students learn and retain the material covered in a way that it can be recalled and even applied in future scenarios, is the true aim of any learning protocol. One of the more recent initiatives, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation to researchers at Rutgers University, is Maker Learning or Maker Education. The Maker movement is based on the idea that students will learn more when their interests are stimulated. Therefore, the approach incorporates a number of activities whereby the students learn by doing, establishing a collaborative learning environment that allows for the incorporation of a number of concepts across the curriculum. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State offense shows improvement under Joe Moorhead | |
| Mississippi State's offense appears more comfortable in the Bulldogs' second season under coach Joe Moorhead. After ranking 10th in the Southeastern Conference in points per game (28.5) and yards per game (397.4) during the former Penn State offensive coordinator's debut year in Starkville, the Bulldogs have scored 38 points in each of their first two games this year and feature one of the nation's top rushers in Kylin Hill. That offense faces its first real test of the year Saturday when Mississippi State (2-0) hosts Kansas State (2-0). "I'd just say we've improved in the areas we needed to improve the most," Moorhead said. "I don't think we're rushing the ball any differently. But all the things I talked about in the offseason and leading up to the first game about if we pass the ball better, it will help both phases. The better we pass the ball, the more carries we can give to the running back and more explosive we can be in the pass game and spread the ball around." |
| Injuries force SEC teams to alter quarterback plans | |
| This was supposed to be the year that the Southeastern Conference showcased its wealth of experienced quarterbacks up and down the league. Plans have changed for a number of schools. Injuries have wreaked havoc around the conference, forcing coaches to rely on newcomers. South Carolina lost senior starter Jake Bentley to a foot injury during the opening week of the season. Kentucky's Terry Wilson and Mississippi State's Tommy Stevens were knocked out of games last week. Their replacements included two true freshmen and a transfer. Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead said Stevens' status for the Bulldogs' game Saturday with Kansas State is uncertain due to an upper-body injury. Freshman Garrett Shrader stepped in for Stevens last week in a 38-15 victory over Southern Mississippi. Those injuries have skewed the narrative in what was billed as the year of the experienced quarterback in the SEC. Eight of the SEC's 14 teams were returning their starting quarterbacks from last season. |
| Isaiah Zuber preparing to play against former team | |
| Isaiah Zuber has had this weekend's game marked on his calendar for months. Like many of his current teammates, Zuber played in the Mississippi State-Kansas State matchup last season in Manhattan. But the speedy wide receiver wasn't wearing maroon and white. Zuber was a member of the Wildcats and led the team in receiving before deciding to transfer to MSU for his final year. "This game was always circled because I went there and everything," Zuber said. "It's going to be fun seeing my guys that I played with and it's going to be competitive. I know they're going to be talking some smack, so I'm probably going to talk some smack back but it's going to be a good game." Zuber is among the top receivers statistically in Kansas State history. He ranks in the school's top 10 list with 127 catches and 11 touchdown receptions during his three seasons there. |
| 'Thing One' and 'Thing Two': How Martin Emerson and Jarrian Jones have added energy to the Mississippi State defensive backfield | |
 | As freshman defensive back Jarrian Jones took the podium Wednesday night, fellow freshman and running mate Martin Emerson Jr. looked on from the side. Hunched up against the windowed wall of the media room at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, Emerson whipped out his iPhone and began recording. As Jones answered questions ranging from his knowledge of Dr. Seuss' "Cat in the Hat" to what kind of challenges Kansas State presents this weekend, Emerson snickered at his roommate while pounding away on his virtual keyboard. "We're just like this every day," Jones said peering toward his running mate out of the corner of his eye. "There's a time to be serious and there's a time to play but most of the time we're playing." Dubbed "Thing One" and "Thing Two" by senior nickel back Brian Cole, among others, due to their respective jersey numbers -- No. 1 and No. 2 -- Emerson and Jones have brought a youthful exuberance to a Mississippi State defensive backs room that is far from lacking in characters. |
| Thing 1 and Thing 2: These 2 Mississippi State freshmen are future 'superstars' | |
 | Martin Emerson Jr. and Jarrian Jones walked into their first class at Mississippi State this past summer with the same sort of swagger they carry onto the football field. Confidence. Cockiness. Both of the freshmen cornerbacks exude a mixture of the two. Jones spotted three freshmen basketball players -- Devin Butts, Elias King and Iverson Molinar -- in the classroom. All three players stand at 6-foot-3 or taller. Emerson and Jones are 6-2 and 6-foot, respectively. King, at 6-7, was the highest-rated recruit of the basketball trio. He arrives in Starkville as a four-star small forward with potential to play for MSU head coach Ben Howland right away. Emerson and Jones have already displayed their first-year talent on the football field. Each player has had made an impact in both of Mississippi State's two games to start the season. |
| Joe Moorhead talks Wildcats | |
| Mississippi State's Joe Moorhead joined the rest of the league's head coaches on the SEC Teleconference on Wednesday to discuss the Bulldogs' upcoming game against Kansas State. Here is a transcript of Moorhead's time on the call. |
| Getting to know the Kansas State Wildcats | |
| Ryan Black has covered Kansas State athletics for the Manhattan Mercury for nearly two years. Ahead of the Mississippi State football team's 11 a.m. home contest with Kansas on Saturday, Black spoke with The Dispatch to discuss new Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman, the Wildcats' early dominance and more. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. |
| Mississippi State Q and A: Kansas State expert answers questions, makes prediction | |
| Embarrassing. Pitiful. Those are the words former Kansas State running back Alex Barnes used to describe the Wildcats' 31-10 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs a year ago. Barnes has moved on from the program, and so has longtime head coach Bill Snyder. Former North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman has replaced Snyder, and a slew of talented backs have replaced Barnes. All that said, how much different will this Saturday's game between the Bulldogs and Wildcats be at Davis Wade Stadium? The Clarion Ledger asked Ryan Black, who is the Manhattan Mercury sports editor and K-State beat writer, some questions to find out. Here's a full transcript of the Q and A. |
| Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis to speak at Starkville Quarterback Club | |
| Mississippi State head baseball coach Chris Lemonis will be the speaker when the Starkville Quarterback Club holds its third meeting of the year this evening at the Starkville Country Club. Lemonis will speak at 7 p.m., and MSU defensive coordinator Bob Shoop will be presenting the Scouting Report. A dinner of catfish, turnip greens, black-eyed peas, coleslaw and cornbread will be served along with a salad bar and dessert at 6:30 p.m. |
| Mississippi State Hall of Famer, All-American Billy Stacy passes away | |
 | Mississippi State Sports Hall of Famer and 1957 Bulldog football All-American Billy Stacy passed away on Tuesday in Starkville at the age of 83. Stacy, a native of Drew, was a two-sport standout from 1956-59, earning three letters in football and two letters in track. A two-time, first-team All-Southeastern Conference quarterback from 1956-57, he became only the second Bulldog to eclipse over 1,000 yards of total offense in a season at the time when he accumulated 1,077 yards and nine touchdowns in 1956. That mark ranked eighth nationally. He also led the nation in punt returns with 24 attempts for 190 yards (12.1 average) and one touchdown that same fall. Stacy's brilliant 1957 season earned him second-team All-America honors as he guided State to a 6-2-1 record and a No. 14 Associated Press final ranking. He finished that year with seven touchdowns. Stacy capped his career with 2,332 yards of total offense and 19 touchdowns. |
| NCAA Lobbies California Governor Gavin Newsom to Reject Athlete Pay Bill | |
| The National Collegiate Athletic Association's top governing board is urging California Governor Gavin Newsom to reject a bill that would allow athletes in the state to be compensated for their name, image and likeness. The Board of Governors wrote to Newsom on Wednesday, saying that the legislation would erase the distinction between college and professional athletes. The NCAA has long maintained paying athletes would undermine the concept that collegiate sports is at the amateur level. "Right now, nearly half a million student-athletes in all 50 states compete under the same rules," the board wrote in the letter to Newsom. "This bill would remove that essential element of fairness and equal treatment that forms the bedrock of college sports. The NCAA continues to focus on the best interests of all student-athletes nationwide. NCAA member schools already are working on changing rules for all student-athletes to appropriately use their name, image and likeness in accordance with our values -- but not pay them to play. The NCAA has consistently stood by its belief that student-athletes are students first, and they should not be employees of the university." |
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