| Friday, September 13, 2019 |
| Fourth NSPARC Data Summit brings nearly 300 to Starkville | |
 | Academics, government workers, businessmen and others interested in the future of data are gathered in Starkville this week for a summit at The Mill. For the fourth year the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center is hosting its annual Data Summit. This year the summit is focusing on data's uses in workforce development and in the cybernetic cities of the future. Keynote speakers include Republican Rep. Michael Guest and a group of cybersecurity experts. MSU President Mark Keenum will also be on hand. NSPARC Communications Manager Laura McPhail said this year's attendance was the highest in the summit's history, with close to 300 people expected. "Our economy is going in this direction where data is the new currency, and we need to know how to adapt," McPhail said. "We're doing a big emphasis on workforce development this year and how we prepare for jobs that don't even exist yet. Our imaginations haven't even gone there with what there might be." |
| In memoriam: Bill Stacy, former MSU football star, Starkville mayor, 'stood for all the right things' | |
 | This spring, Mississippi State baseball player Jake Mangum was dubbed "the mayor of Starkville" as a sign of affection by Bulldog fans. But 30 years ago, it was another Bulldog star who held that title, literally. Billy Stacy, a football All-American at MSU in the late 1950s and mayor of Starkville from 1985-89, died Tuesday at age 83 after an extended illness. "Billy was one of the most talented athletes to ever come through here," said Charlie Weatherly, a teammate of Stacy's from 1955-58. "He was an outstanding football player, one of the best defensive backs we ever had and maybe the best passer to ever come here, too. He was a great track athlete, too. But more than all of that, he was a great guy. He stood for all the right things. I don't think I've ever had a better friend." Born in Drew and raised in Winona, Stacy returned to Starkville after retiring from the NFL. |
| Mississippi State Receives $27.9 Million GEAR UP Grant | |
 | The U.S. Department of Education's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, grant program recently gave Mississippi State University a seven-year, $27.9-million grant to assist low-income students with entering postsecondary education. The grant will support students in the Greenville, McComb and Meridian public school districts. Mississippi U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker supported MSU's grant application, a release from the university says. MSU's Research and Curriculum Unit will oversee the implementation and staffing for all professional learning services through the grant. Partners for the GEAR UP Mississippi program include the Mississippi Department of Education, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, the Woodward Hines Education Foundation and ACT, Inc. |
| FDA Wants to Ban Flavored E-Cigs: What to Know | |
| Federal officials said on Wednesday that they plan on banning all nontobacco flavors of e-cigarettes, including mint and menthol, from the market. This comes amid an outbreak of a vaping-related illness that has sickened over 450 and killed at least six people. Officials are still investigating what may have caused this illness and whether it was from e-cigarette cartridges that contain THC or nicotine. "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," Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters. Robert McMillen, PhD, a professor of psychology and associate director of the Tobacco Control Unit at Mississippi State University, welcomed the FDA's announcement. McMillen said banning flavored e-cigarettes at the national level is a "great start," but other steps are needed to reverse the rise in teen vaping. This includes regulating e-cigarette advertising aimed at young people, along with the use of social media influencers. |
| After nearly three years in legal limbo, North Star Industrial Park can move forward | |
| The Mississippi Supreme Court put the final nail in the coffin last week on a civil lawsuit that lasted two years, eight months and challenged the rezoning of the North Star Industrial Park property in north Starkville. The Starkville Board of Aldermen voted 6-1 in January 2017 to rezone about 360 acres of land near the intersection of Highways 389 and 82 from commercial to manufacturing. Days later, the owners of the neighboring land sued, claiming a lack of evidence of a need to rezone. Bettye Bell, Mary S. Bell, Margaret Copeland, Laura B. White and LMK LLC filed and appealed their case multiple times until their petition for a writ of certiorari in the Mississippi Supreme Court was denied Sept. 6, a decision which was filed Thursday. LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins called the court's decision "fantastic news" for the city and county in a statement emailed to The Dispatch on Thursday. "We are very pleased, although not surprised, by the Mississippi Supreme Court's decision today," Higgins said. |
| ERDC to host inaugural Innovation Summit | |
| The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center will play host next week to the first U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Innovation Summit. Facilitated by ERDCWERX, the summit will be held Sept. 17-18, and is expected to attract more than 400 people from across the country. In a release from EDRC, the summit is an effort for the Department of Defense "to maintain a competitive edge" with "state-of-the-art technology for both military and civilian missions." Those attending, the release states, "will have a chance to collaborate on that technology." Leaders from the Corps, along with government, industrial and academic partners are expected to attend "with a goal of working together to solve the nation's toughest problems in military programs, civil works, geospatial support, contingency operations, research and development and interagency and international services." |
| Models showing more of a consensus with disturbance staying out of Gulf of Mexico | |
 | Tropical disturbance located near the Bahamas, known as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, is looking more organized on satellite on Friday morning. And the Hurricane Hunters are flying into it. This disturbance is forecast to become a tropical storm, possibly taking the name Humberto, by Saturday. But, new models are trending eastward, keeping it out of the Gulf. "It is a known fact in tropical forecasting that computer models perform poorly when creating forecasts for poorly organized disturbances. It's because the models have trouble finding a center to initialize the disturbance on. So, they start with bad data," said WLOX Meteorologist Wesley Williams on Friday. "And then they take that bad data and make a forecast with it, which just leads to each model showing wildly different solutions and also leads to the same models jumping back and forth on their own solutions with each run," Williams said. "As this disturbance becomes better organized today, models should have less trouble finding its center. Plus, we'll even have help from the Hurricane Hunters who will be bravely flying into the storm to get that center fix. Then, that data will be fed into the models, eventually leading to more accurate forecasts." |
| Savings from solar power chicken houses 'like giving the farmer a raise' | |
 | Even small poultry farms with only four chicken houses can have power bills ranging from $20,000 to $25,000 per year. A game changer that can help chicken growers greatly reduce that annual electricity bill is solar panels that can cut those bills by $7,000 to $8,000 per year, said Ryan Ladner, president of Solar South LLC in Hattiesburg. "USDA has a grant that covers 25 percent of the cost," Ladner said. "Then there is a 30 percent federal tax credit. So, you will get 55 percent of your costs back in the first year." Ag applications in Mississippi have primarily been on chicken farms. Ladner said it is a great fit because most chicken farms use 60 to 70 percent of electricity in the day while the sun is shining to produce electricity from solar panels that is used to run fans to keep the chickens cool. Jimmy Parkman, who has a poultry farm in Raleigh in central Mississippi, said solar has been a perfect fit for him. More than two years after installation, the solar system has done everything Solar South promised. "I love the solar panels," Parkman said. |
| Lieutenant governor candidates offer different views on infrastructure, health insurance in debate | |
 | Jay Hughes and Delbert Hosemann, the two candidates for Mississippi lieutenant governor, expressed differing ideas on how to fix the state's crumbling infrastructure, make sure more citizens receive health insurance and improve public education during a televised debate Thursday night. Hosemann, current secretary of state, is the Republican nominee for the office and touted his experience delivering items he promised he would do while he was secretary of state. Hughes, a state representative from Oxford, is the Democratic nominee for the position and focused his message on saying he had introduced legislation already on most of the things Hosemann was suggesting. On infrastructure, the two candidates agreed that more tax dollars should go back to the counties in order to fix infrastructure problems, but differed on the implementation of that idea. |
| Jay Hughes, Delbert Hosemann find similarities at lieutenant governor debate | |
 | Lieutenant governor candidates Jay Hughes and Delbert Hosemann belong to opposing political parties, but in a Thursday debate they found agreement on several issues, from raising the gas tax -- with some difference on methods -- to pushing for an equal pay law and injecting more transparency into state government. It was the first debate of the race. Hosemann, the Republican secretary of state, and Hughes, a Democratic state representative, sailed through their primaries. Hughes was uncontested while Hosemann handily beat Republican challenger Shane Quick. Hughes, 56, said Thursday his candidacy was about "life experiences," repeating a popular campaign tagline that he was born with a "plastic spoon" in his mouth and Hosemann a silver one. His history working his way up from jobs such as truck driver and oyster shucker prepared him well, he said. As lieutenant governor, he pledged improving Mississippi's education system would be his central focus. "I'm transparent, I'm real, I'm authentic," Hughes said. Hosemann, 72, highlighted his history as secretary of state, touting accomplishments such as modernizing the agency and pushing through a voter ID law. He wants the lieutenant governor position because it's an ideal role to "set the tone" for the state budget, and determine where Mississippi is headed. |
| Audit: Mississippi Blues Commission failed to document spending | |
| A report from the state auditor's office says the Mississippi Blues Commission has failed to document millions of dollars in spending since its creation by the Legislature in 2006. The findings released Thursday by Auditor Shad White include a series of major accounting issues and raise questions about the future of the 18-member commission, which has erected about 200 Blues Trail markers around the state over the years. The 14-page report recommends an "overhaul" of the commission, adding the Legislature should consider dissolving it and assigning its duties to a nonprofit such as the Mississippi Blues Foundation. "I want to be clear that we saw no evidence of embezzlement, fraud, or any other criminal violations when we performed this study," White said in a statement. "It's also clear the Blues Commission has done the work that the Legislature asked it to do, which is putting up markers to promote the blues around Mississippi." "But it should also be clear that there are significant documentation issues that exist at the Commission," he added. |
| Delbert Hosemann, Jay Hughes agree a lot during debate; neither will work to legislatively change flag | |
| Both candidates for lieutenant governor -- Democrat Jay Hughes and Republican Delbert Hosemann -- said, if elected, they would not make it a priority to push through the Legislature a bill to change the state flag. Both said the flag, which includes the controversial confederate battle emblem as part of its design, should be changed by a vote of the people, not by the Legislature. By the same token at Thursday's debate sponsored by WJTV in Jackson and carried live statewide, Hughes said the flag is a hindrance to economic development. Hosemann said he does not hear many concerns about the flag when talking to economic developers. Hughes said the flag is like having "a tattoo on your neck," something economic developers have to explain when trying to recruit industry to the state. There was probably more areas where the candidates agreed on issues than where they disagreed. Both stressed the importance of pay raises for teachers. |
| Tate Reeves camp says Jim Hood report on road project is 'deceptive' | |
 | Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' campaign said Thursday that an investigative report about him that was published by his rival in the Mississippi governor's race, Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood, is "deceptive." Reeves campaign spokesman Parker Briden issued a statement saying that Hood failed to interview key people about a road expansion project, including a state senator and a mayor. Hood's office published a 43-page report Wednesday that said Reeves pushed the Mississippi Department of Transportation to build a frontage road near Reeves' gated subdivision in Flowood. Hood's report includes email messages exchanged between members of the lieutenant governor's staff and Michael Arnemann, who was legislative liaison for the Mississippi Department of Transportation. One message from a Reeves staffer said "the LTG" had questions about "Phase 1" and "Phase 2" of the Lakeland project. The Reeves campaign said Thursday that Hood "deliberately" misused the phrase "Phase 2" to refer to the proposed frontage road, when the Department of Transportation meant that "Phase 2" referred to part of the Lakeland Drive expansion. Reeves also released a campaign video Thursday that included Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads saying city officials wanted a frontage road because people leaving two subdivisions were getting "T-boned" on Lakeland Drive. |
| Tate Reeves: Jim Hood 'abused office' investigating frontage road to his neighborhood | |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on Thursday responded to a report by his political rival, Jim Hood, claiming the attorney general "abused his office" when he released findings of an investigation into whether Reeves influenced plans for a frontage road to his gated Flowood neighborhood. "Just six weeks before voting begins, Hood released a factually inaccurate and deceptive report smearing Tate Reeves -- a trick so dirty that it would make James Comey and Hillary Clinton proud," the Reeves campaign wrote Thursday. The release was accompanied by a nearly 3-minute video refuting the findings of Hood's report. Reeves, a Republican, faces off against Hood, a Democrat, in the November gubernatorial election. On Thursday, the Reeves campaign released a series of points about the report it says Hood "must address." It claims Hood ignored key players in the investigation because he "was not interested in the truth." It also says Hood's personal involvement in the report -- he has acknowledged writing it himself -- "raise serious ethical concerns" about the attorney general. |
| After past attempts by lawmakers have fallen short, Jim Hood looks to take tuition-free community college statewide | |
| For years, community colleges in Mississippi have been working with local governments and nonprofit partners to provide free tuition for students. Jim Hood wants to take this model statewide. In an interview with Mississippi Today, the Democratic nominee for governor outlined his workforce training initiatives intended to make Mississippi more competitive. Hood also unveiled his plans at a news conference at Itawamba Community College on Thursday. He faces Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves in the November general election. Reeves unveiled his workforce training plan earlier this summer. Hood, currently attorney general, wants to launch a state-funded program that would provide tuition-free community college to Mississippi's high school graduates. The program would operate as a "last dollar scholarship," meaning it only covers what's left of tuition after a student receives scholarships and financial aid. Eligible students would need to maintain a 2.5 GPA in four consecutive 15-hour semesters. He estimates the program would cost between $6 million and $8 million, paid for from the state's general fund. |
| Dem seeks cash for 2020 challenge of Mississippi GOP senator | |
| A Democrat who tried to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi last year is seeking money to challenge her again in 2020. Mike Espy said in a fundraising appeal Thursday that he can "work with others across party lines and labels." Espy served in the U.S. House before then-President Bill Clinton named him agriculture secretary in the mid-1990s. Republican Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Hyde-Smith to the Senate in early 2018 when longtime Republican Thad Cochran retired. In the November special election to fill the final two years of the six-year term, Hyde-Smith won 54% to Espy's 46%. She ran as an ally of President Donald Trump, and he traveled to Mississippi to campaign for her. Days after the election, Espy created a committee to run in 2020. Hyde-Smith campaign spokesman, Justin Brassell, said Thursday that the senator welcomes "competition of ideas" from Espy. |
| State ag officials call for more climate resilience | |
 | The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture adopted new policies on climate resiliency at the group's annual meeting in New Mexico, citing the need to safeguard the food and ag supply chain. The policy framework calls for more climate research and incentive programs that help the industry adapt to increasingly severe weather. "We must accelerate our work on supporting environmental stewardship within the agricultural and food industry," said Barb Glenn, the group's CEO, in a statement. The announcement comes days after the Agriculture Department rolled out more than $3 billion in aid for farmers affected by wildfires, hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters since 2018. As the price tag of such aid keeps rising, lawmakers are also looking to boost mandatory funding for ag research programs that could help brace farmers and ranchers for future disasters. The Economic Research Service compared agricultural output between 2000 to 2010 with potential farm productivity in 2030 to 2040 if temperatures rise 3.6 degrees and annual precipitation drops 1 inch on average. Under that scenario, Louisiana could see the biggest potential drop, with other Mississippi Delta states also seeing a significant impact. |
| China to lift punitive tariffs on U.S. soybeans, pork | |
| China will lift punitive tariffs imposed on U.S. soybeans and pork in a trade war with Washington, a state news agency said Friday, adding to conciliatory gestures by the two sides ahead of negotiations. China will suspend tariff hikes on soybeans, pork and some other farm goods, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Cabinet planning agency and the Commerce Ministry. It said Beijing "supports domestic companies in purchasing a certain amount of U.S. farm produce," but gave no details. Beijing's decision to restore access to low-cost U.S. soybeans also would help Chinese pig farmers who use soy as animal feed. They are reeling from an epidemic of African swine fever that has caused pork prices to soar. Beijing imposed 25% tariffs on American farm goods last year in response to Trump's tariff hikes on Chinese goods. Importers were ordered to stop buying soybeans, the biggest U.S. export to China. China targeted farm goods, hurting rural areas that supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election. |
| Ted Cruz will oppose Trump's judicial nominee Sul Ozerden | |
| Sen. Ted Cruz will oppose President Donald Trump's nominee for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, Halil Suleyman "Sul" Ozerden, a major setback for the embattled nomination. Cruz (R-Texas) has informed the White House and colleagues this week that he will oppose Ozerden, according to three people familiar with the Judiciary Committee's internal dynamics. The Senate Judiciary Committee has held a hearing for Ozerden but has not yet held a committee vote. Other undecided senators are digging into the nomination. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) met with Ozerden on Thursday morning and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said he was undecided on the nomination. But the Mississippi judge got a boost Thursday from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) who decided to vote for his nomination after meeting with Ozerden, according to Lee's spokesperson. As a district judge, Ozerden approved the Obama administration's dismissal of a challenge to the Affordable Care Act's contraception coverage mandate, deeming the challenge premature. Senate Republicans have expressed concern about Ozerden's decision in 2012. |
| Joe Biden receives 2020 endorsement from eight African American Mississippi lawmakers | |
| Eight members of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday, about six months before the state's 2020 presidential primary. The eight Mississippi lawmakers are included in a group of 59 African American legislators from across the country who endorsed Biden on Thursday, according to a Biden campaign press release. The eight endorsements from Mississippi are the most of any state. "I can't think of a reason not to support him," said Sen. Angela Turner-Ford, D-West Point, and chairwoman of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus. "During his years as vice president, I thought he assisted President Obama in a way I could be proud of. I'd like to see that leadership continue." Joining Turner-Ford in endorsing Biden on Thursday were Sens. Derrick Simmons, Barbara Blackmon, John Horhn and Sollie Norwood, as well as Reps. Chris Bell, Edward Blackmon, Cedric Burnett, Carl Mickens and Kenneth Walker. |
| Provost hosts forum, talks bias, diversity training for Greek students at UM | |
 | Diversity training for all Greek students, transparency about efforts to relocate the Confederate statue and bringing in speakers to talk about the University of Mississippi Creed were some of the many commitments that Provost Noel Wilkin made to faculty and students Thursday afternoon at the Provost Forum on recommendations made in response to bias incidents on campus. Wilkin held the Provost Forum in response to calls to action from the UM community after a photo of university students in front of a bullet-riddled Emmett Till memorial surfaced and UM student Ally Kostial was murdered. Members of the campus community made over 40 recommendations for policy changes and strategies. Katrina Caldwell, the vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement, gave a presentation explaining the Bias Incident Response Team's (BIRT) process for reviewing incidents and recommendations and changes that are being made. |
| U. of Alabama students call for more openness following dean of students resignation controversy | |
 | A University of Alabama student group is calling on the school's administration to be more transparent in the wake of the dean of students' sudden resignation last week. A group calling itself The Concerned Students of the University of Alabama presented a letter to the school's administration with 533 signatures from students representing a "wide range of political, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds," according to Jack Kappelman, a political science student. The student letter blasts the school's leadership for being "deafeningly silent" on the resignation of Jamie Riley, the former dean of students, whose departure was announced a day after a story on Breitbart News dealing with Riley's social media activity. The story called attention to three tweets authored by Riley before he was hired at UA this February. The tweets associated the American flag and police with racism and stated that white people cannot experience racism, among other opinions. Riley's Twitter account has since been deactivated. |
| U. of Alabama students frustrated with administration | |
 | University of Alabama students on Thursday expressed frustration with a lack of answers from campus leaders after the departure of its black dean of students last week. "I am disappointed and irritated by the whole situation. I feel like we have been left in the dark," student William Royal said during a forum organized by the UA Black Faculty and Staff Association. The meeting, which was attended by about 200, was one of two campus forums Thursday night, a week after the resignation of Jamie R. Riley as dean of students and assistant vice president of student life. News of Riley's resignation came shortly after a post on Breitbart News about tweets from Riley's personal Twitter account in 2016 and 2017. In the absence of an official account from the administration, students and faculty have raised concerns about the appearance that his departure was linked to the post on the conservative media site that focused on tweets that predated his employment at the university. Freshman Kelvon Malik didn't get a chance to meet Riley while he was dean. Malik described experiencing racially tinged incidents in his few weeks on campus. Malik expressed regret at the lost opportunity to discuss his experience with an administrator with whom he could identify. Malik argued the situation would be different if Riley was not black. "If it was a white man, it would be totally different," Malik said. |
| Man who drank beer in U. of Alabama classroom apologizes to suspended teacher | |
| A man who opened a beer and drank it during a class at the University of Alabama has apologized after a teacher was suspended following the incident. Alabama officials said Thursday they had received an email from Trevor Nappier taking blame for what happened and asking the school to reconsider its suspension of marketing instructor Joel Strayer. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the message. The university suspended Strayer after video of the incident, which occurred earlier this month, was shared on social media. Nappier's message said the stunt was an attempt to boost a career producing viral videos. A university spokesman, Chris Bryant, did not respond to questions about how a non-student was able to enter a classroom, but academic halls generally have limited security. |
| LSU president: Alleged racial slur at LSU football game is 'outrageous, unacceptable' | |
 | LSU is taking "very seriously" an accusation that a student insulted other students of Asian heritage with a racial slur at an Aug. 31 football game against Georgia Southern, but student privacy laws prevent him from saying more publicly, said President F. King Alexander in his first public statement about the controversy. "I understand that many have been frustrated by the lack of information about actions undertaken to address the individual(s) behavior," Alexander wrote in a piece published by The Reveille, LSU's student newspaper. Despite the official silence, Alexander insisted that, if true, the alleged behavior is "unacceptable" and no student "should ever be made to feel unwelcome and targeted." While he supports the "passionate response" to the allegation from students, faculty, staff and alumni, Alexander noted that "remarks attributed to one individual do not speak for the collective feelings of our campus." |
| LSU board holds 'evaluation' of university president F. King Alexander | |
| The Board of Supervisors of LSU evaluated University President F. King Alexander Thursday but made no immediate decision concerning his future at the school. The Board of Supervisors, the governing agency of the university system led by its flagship LSU campus in Baton Rouge, scheduled an "evaluation meeting" Thursday followed by a full Board of Supervisors meeting Friday. An agenda for Friday's meeting wasn't immediately available and likely wouldn't be until later Thursday. The Board of Supervisors are the top bosses of Louisiana's most well-known higher education system. The agenda only listed an evaluation of "the President" and other personnel," though it did not name those people, along with a "self-evaluation" of the board. |
| 'It's flourishing.' How U. of Kentucky, local restaurants found right ingredients for dining halls | |
 | You walk into a food court and your choices include Athenian Grill, Bourbon 'n' Toulouse, Atomic Ramen, Taste of India, and Smashing Tomato pizza. Are you in a trendy food court? Nope, it's the University of Kentucky's dining hall. And most days of the week, it is packed with students and faculty who are lining up for gyros with Greek fries and tzatziki sauce, dumplings and kimchi, or chicken etouffee. The pilot program that began last year has expanded this year to include more local restaurants and is spreading to other colleges. "It's flourishing, everybody's happy, everybody's making money and the feedback from students is phenomenal," said Pulkit Vigg, of Aramark, which has the contract to provide all food services to the campus. In the first year the restaurants accounted for 65 percent of the $1.1 million in Kentucky business impact purchases for the year, according to UK. Altogether last year UK Dining purchased more than $2.6 million in locally produced or processed food, a 5 percent increase over the year before and 146 percent more than the Aramark contract with UK required. |
| Anti-Semitic, 9/11 message painted on The Rock at UT-Knoxville | |
 | The Rock at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville was defaced with an anti-Semitic message on Wednesday night. The Rock previously had been painted with the viral T-shirt design done by a young fan from Florida, who was bullied after wearing a homemade Vols T-shirt to school. That painting was covered with an anti-Semitic message. Chancellor Donde Plowman issued a statement on Thursday, condemning the anti-Semitic message. "Last night, someone covered that message of love with an anti-Semitic hate message," Plowman said in a statement. "We condemn that hate aimed toward members of our Jewish community, and we understand that words are not enough." The message has since been painted over. This is at least the third time in the last year the Rock has been painted with anti-Semitic messages or symbols. The first occurred last November, when a vigil was held at the Rock after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed and seven were injured. |
| Texas A&M researchers quietly bred sick dogs in hopes of finding human muscular dystrophy cure | |
 | A colony of golden retrievers and Labrador mixes lives in an unmarked building at Texas A&M. Few Aggies will ever see them, and many of the dogs will never know another home. Their location is a secret. University officials say the strict confidentiality shields the dogs and their caretakers from overzealous activists. The dogs live on campus because researchers at Texas A&M use them to study Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The laboratory attracts a steady stream of protests, harassment and the occasional death threat from activists. "What this is is a philosophical divide among those who do not believe in any animal research and those of us who devote our lives to animals, and realize that at this point animal research is still necessary," said Dr. Eleanor Green, dean of the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. "One day, maybe we won't need it. And it's becoming less and less, but until that day comes, we believe it's necessary." |
| Officials, students optimistic despite U. of Missouri's drop in national rankings | |
 | Once again, the University of Missouri's ranking has dropped in the U.S. News & World Report list of best national universities. But a university spokesperson said recent improvements have yet to make their full impact on the rankings, and current students seemed unconcerned by the shift. MU is tied for 139th place with seven other universities on the list, which was released Monday. According to previous Missourian reporting, MU ranked 129th in the list released in 2018, continuing a fall from 120th and 111th the previous two years. MU ranked 85th in 2008. MU spokesperson Christian Basi emphasized MU's improvements in retention rate and student debt. Because the rankings are calculated using averages over the past two to six years, improvements over the past year might not translate to a dramatic jump right away, Basi said. If improvements continue, as Basi expects them to, it could affect MU's rank more in the future. |
| Majority of voters support free college, eliminating student debt | |
 | A majority of voters said they support the idea of free state college and canceling student debt, according to a Hill-HarrisX poll released on Thursday. The survey found that 58 percent of registered voters said they would support a proposal that would make public colleges, universities and trade schools tuition-free. The same group also said they would back a plan eliminating all existing student debt. Forty-two percent of respondents said they would oppose such a proposal. Democrats were more likely to support the idea of free state college and forgiving student debt. Seventy-two percent of Democratic voters said they are in favor of making higher education tuition-free and eliminating student debt, compared to 40 percent of Republicans. Fifty-eight percent of independents, meanwhile, said the same. When broken down by income, 67 percent of respondents who make less than $75,000 a year support such a proposal, compared to 51 percent who made $75,000 or more on an annual basis. |
| Deadline nears for Congress to extend funding for HBCUs | |
 | Historically black colleges are putting on a full-court press to have Congress extend more than $250 million in mandatory funding for minority-serving institutions that is set to expire at the end of the month. The funding includes roughly $85 million for HBCUs to support education programs in science, technology, math or engineering. The rest goes to tribal colleges and Hispanic-serving institutions. Although they make up just 3 percent of nonprofit or public higher ed institutions, historically black colleges produce more than a quarter of all black STEM graduates. The mandatory federal funds "allow us to punch above our weight," said Lodriguez Murray, vice president for public policy and government affairs at the United Negro College Fund. The money at stake is a subset of Title III funds, which are supposed to level the playing field for institutions that serve large percentages of low-income and minority students. |
| To Retain College Students, Look to Academic Support and Campus Activities, New Report Finds | |
| What keeps college students coming back for more? A new report on the effects college programs have on student retention attempts to answer that question. Academic advising meetings, Greek life, supplemental instruction, scholarships and tutoring are the programs that correlate most with improved student retention rates, according to a study of nearly 1,000 initiatives at more than 55 colleges and universities conducted by Civitas Learning, which sells software that uses predictive modeling to help colleges to track and support student success. "In the first few years, non-academic supports tend to be really important and have more impact. After the fourth or fifth term, academic supports tend to kick in," says Mark Milliron, chief learning officer and co-founder of Civitas Learning. For its new report, Civitas dug into the data it helps colleges collect on students' daily activities to figure out which programs most correlate with better retention from year to year. |
| U. of Pittsburgh tells student groups not to use Pitt in their names | |
| Student clubs at the University of Pittsburgh may have to go through rebranding changes to remove "Pitt" or "Panther" from their names, which could get costly. Already there is a Change.org petition circulating opposing the proposed changes that has garnered over 760 signatures in a week. According to the student who created the petition, the new guidelines would come into effect in fall 2020, and they would prevent students from using the term "Pitt" or the mascot "Panther" in their club titles. An emailed statement from communications manager Kevin Zwick read, "Many student organizations already comply with the 10-year-old guidelines, which allow the use of the Pitt and Panther names in ways that don't imply that the organizations are official university entities. Pitt's Office of Student Life and the Student Organization Resource Center continue to discuss concerns with our Student Government Board leadership to work toward a potential resolution." Pitt is not out of the norm with this move -- universities like Yale University and the University of Washington have strict guidelines when it comes to using their names in club branding. |
| Low U.S. marriage rates linked to lack of 'economically attractive' men, study says | |
| A new study by Cornell University cites a shortage of "economically attractive" men as one of the reasons behind the national decline in marriage. The study refers to "mismatches in the marriage market" that could potentially lead to unmarried men remaining unmarried. With U.S. marriage rates at a 150-year low, researchers compared the incomes of unmarried men with married men of a similar demographic. The study, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, found the group of unmarried men earned less than 58% of their married counterparts. The study defines economically attractive as someone with a bachelor's degree or someone who earns at least $40,000 annually. |
| Exclusive: Jerry Falwell Jr blasted Liberty student as 'retarded,' police chief as 'half-wit' in emails | |
| In emails to his colleagues over the years, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr has denigrated students and staff at the Christian university he runs, referring to one student as "emotionally imbalanced and physically retarded" and calling the school's police chief a "half-wit." The barbed comments, contained in email exchanges reviewed by Reuters, emerge as the evangelical political leader is seeking to stem a rash of news reports about his stewardship of the Virginia-based university. Falwell said this week he has asked U.S. federal authorities to investigate whether former board members and employees at the nonprofit university may have broken the law and divulged internal school documents to journalists. The request came after recent reports by Reuters and Politico describing how Falwell has managed Liberty. As he complains of being targeted by critics, Reuters has found that Falwell himself was disparaging Liberty students, staff and parents for years in emails to Liberty administrators. |
SPORTS
| 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. |
| Class is in session: How Chris Marve went from middle school math teacher to Mississippi State linebacker coach | |
| Chris Marve pulled a pen from behind his right ear. Walking through the glass door to the media room at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, the pen continued to dance around Marve's fingertips, sputtering and eventually falling to the floor. "Oops," he said, leaning down to scoop it from the carpet. Donning a blue and white hatched quarter-zip that was partially masked by a black vest zipped nearly to his chin and a pair of black and gold horn rimmed glasses, Marve took his spot behind the podium. Class was in session. Just a few months into his first year as the linebackers coach at Mississippi State, Marve bears plenty of monikers. But whether it be coach, mentor, or motivator, one title holds more personal pride than all others -- teacher. "When you're a teacher it always seems like you're on," Shannon Fransen, Marve's former co-worker at LEAD Academy in Nashville told The Dispatch. "There's always these little eyes that are watching you move and I think the very best teachers never really ever leave that role of constant improvement and encouragement and kind of being an overall role model and I think Chris really embodies that." |
| Mississippi State vs. Kansas State: Wildcats bring balanced rushing attack, consistent defense to Starkville | |
| The last time Kansas State played a game at Davis Wade Stadium? -- 1974. Eight presidents, 18 Olympic Games and roughly 35 years since that contest, the Wildcats (2-0) make a return trip to Starkville Saturday. With new head coach Chris Klieman, it's a similar personnel group that Mississippi State defeated 31-10 last season in Manhattan, but in a vastly different offense. Klieman, who hasn't lost a game since Nov. 14, 2017, already replaced one legend in former North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl. Four FCS national championships with the Bison later, he's now tasked with replacing legendary Kansas State coach Bill Snyder in Manhattan. In two games at the helm, Klieman's run-heavy offense has produced 101 points and more than 1,000 yards of offense. Albeit, those games were against FCS Nicholls State and a Bowling Green team that finished 3-9 last season. Nonetheless, Klieman has clearly found an offensive identity. |
| How Mississippi State WR Isaiah Zuber, Kansas State CBs coach Van Malone switched sidelines | |
| Van Malone woke up on Sept. 7, 2018 and picked out a dress shirt to go along with his suit. Malone has been coaching football at the high school and college levels for two decades. Like most coaches, he owns plenty of formal attire in various colors. On this day, he pulled a purple shirt and tie to go along with his jacket and pants. Malone, a defensive quality control coach at Mississippi State at the time, headed to the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex on MSU's campus to meet with other coaches before boarding a plane bound for Manhattan, Kansas. The Bulldogs had their first road game of the season against the Kansas State Wildcats the next day. When they arrived at the team hotel, some Mississippi State fans clad in maroon and white were already there. One of them approached Malone. "Man, you know you're wearing Kansas State colors," he said. Malone glanced at his wardrobe and couldn't come up with a response. "No, this is really purple," the fan went on. "Where's your maroon?" One year later, Malone has to dress in a suit and tie and hop on a plane again. He'll purposely wear purple this time. Malone returns to Starkville as Kansas State's cornerbacks coach. |
| Cowbells 'annoying after a while:' What Kansas State said about Mississippi State | |
| James Gilbert is a fresh face for Kansas State. Gilbert, the Wildcats' starting running back, isn't a fresh face in college football. He's run for more than 3,000 yards in his college career, most of which came during his four-year stay at Ball State. Gilbert has 218 yards this season at 8.4 yards per carry. He wasn't at Kansas State last year when Mississippi State rolled through the Little Apple and rolled all over the Cats on their home turf in a 31-10 drubbing. "I don't know what happened last year," Gilbert told The Wichita Eagle. "We don't talk about what happened last year." Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman was not in Manhattan in 2018, either. He was leading the North Dakota State Bison in his fifth year as head coach and eighth overall year with the program. Klieman isn't putting much stock in last year's result between the Cats and Dogs. "It's a game that we're watching, but systematically some things have changed," Klieman said in a press conference this week. |
| Chris Klieman off to a successful start at K-State | |
| Chris Klieman is accustomed to an enormous amount of success having won four national championships during his five seasons as the head coach at North Dakota State. Klieman has continued his winning ways since being hired away by Kansas State. The Wildcats are off to a 2-0 start with blowout victories against Nicholls and Bowling Green to run his string of consecutive wins as a head coach to 23. This week, however, Klieman and K-State will face their toughest task to date as they travel to Mississippi State on Saturday, a team that defeated the Wildcats 31-10 last year in Manhattan in Bill Snyder's final season. "Our players are excited about the opportunity to go down there," Klieman said. "They know as well as I do that this is not a win-at-all-costs game. We need to play our best football to have a chance to be successful, but we're going to go in there with the hope and the thought that if we play our best, we have an opportunity to be successful. That's all I'm hoping for, that we play our best football on Saturday and see where we're at." |
| How K-State football is mentally preparing for first road test under Chris Klieman | |
| Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman summed up the Wildcats' first two effortless victories of the season better than any statistic or highlight video possibly could. "Wouldn't it be fun if we didn't face any adversity the whole year?" Klieman said at his news conference earlier this week. "Yeah, that would be great." There's not much hyperbole in that statement. K-State has steam rolled the competition on its way to a 2-0 start. It began the year with a 49-14 victory over Nicholls and then followed that up with a 52-0 thrashing of Bowling Green. Nearly everything about K-State's first two games felt impressive, but it's hard to tell what that means because the competition was completely outmatched. College football statistician Jeff Sagarin ranks the Wildcats' schedule No. 177 out of all 256 FBS and FCS teams thus far. There's some concern the first two games were too easy. What happens when Klieman and K-State play a team that can challenge them? Are they ready to respond to adversity? What if they fall behind? We're about to find. The competition will ramp up considerably when K-State takes on Mississippi State on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium. |
| Bulldogs begin fall baseball on Friday | |
| Mississippi State will begin fall baseball practice on Friday and hold its first intrasquad scrimmage at 8:30 p.m. Chris Lemonis' club will play against itself a total of 12 times between Sept. 13 and Oct. 20, including a three-game Fall World Series scheduled for Oct. 10-12. The Diamond Dogs will also take on two exhibition opponents this fall. Louisiana will visit Dudy Noble Field on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. and MSU will travel to UAB on Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. to close out the fall slate. All of the Bulldogs' scrimmages are free and open to the public. |
| Mississippi State women's hoops to play in Canadian tourney | |
| Mississippi State put the final touches on its women's basketball schedule by announcing it will be traveling north of the border this season. The Bulldogs will participate in the Greater Victoria Invitational on the University of Victoria campus in British Columbia. Vic Schaefer's squad begins the tournament against San Francisco on Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m. and will play either Green Bay or Bowling Green the following day. The final day of the tournament -- including the championship game -- will be held on Nov. 30. Stanford, Syracuse, Houston and Cal Baptist are the other teams that comprise the field. |
| Two South Carolina lawmakers will file proposal to pay college athletes, following California's lead | |
 | This week, California's state legislature became the first one in the United States to pass a controversial proposal allowing college athletes to profit from their fame by earning endorsement money. Two S.C. Democrats want South Carolina's Legislature to become the second. S.C. Sen. Marlon Kimpson, D-Charleston, and Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, told The State Thursday they plan to file a bill similar to California's SB 206 proposal when the General Assembly reconvenes in January. The idea faces stiff opposition from the NCAA and many coaches and college administrators, even as the NCAA announced in May it has formed a working group to study it. University of South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner said in June the idea seems like "pay for play" and "gives me angst." Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey agreed. Tanner wondered how locker rooms would be affected when star players benefit from endorsement deals and their teammates are left out. |
| Countable on One Hand: The Women Leading Power Five Athletic Departments | |
 | The first three games of Pittsburgh's football season wouldn't seem like an exhibit of social change: a conference game against Virginia, a home matchup with Ohio and the 100th round of a rivalry with Penn State. But when Heather Lyke, Pitt's athletic director, scrutinized the schedule, she noticed something beyond big matchups: The Panthers' first three opponents were Division I universities where women were in charge of sports. "That will probably never happen again in my career," Lyke said in her office last month, her tone at once elated and a little longing. The coincidental scheduling streak is a sign of the begrudging progress made in elevating women into the executive suites of American sports. Its rarity is also a reminder of a sustained disparity: Of the 65 colleges in the nation's five wealthiest and most powerful sports conferences, only four have women leading the athletic department. "If you're going to have that mentality of 'I can only hire an A.D. who comes from the Power Five,' you're going to have the never-ending cycle of not adding diversity to the mix," said Daniel Parker, vice president and managing director at Parker Executive Search, an Atlanta firm that has worked with university athletic programs to recruit top leaders. |
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