| Wednesday, October 16, 2019 |
| A Win-Win: New Report for USAID Finds Agricultural Investments in Developing Countries Yield Significant Economic Benefits at Home As Well | |
 | The U.S. receives broad-based economic, national security, and diplomatic benefits from its agricultural assistance investments in the developing world, according to a new report commissioned by the Board for International Food and Agriculture Development (BIFAD). The report was unveiled Tuesday at the World Food Prize, now underway in Des Moines. "As an agricultural economist, I have long recognized the threat facing our planet with both a growing population and serious challenges to future food supplies," said Mark E. Keenum, President of Mississippi State University and Chair of BIFAD. "Finding ways to enhance food security is literally a matter of life and death. It is important to preventing conflict among nations and is in our own national security interests. It is also simply the right thing to do." The study also outlines a host of foreign assistance-spurred innovations that also benefit U.S. producers. An important part of USAID's agricultural foreign assistance supports university-based research into improved crop varieties that boost productivity -- both at home and abroad. |
| WeRateDogs creator to visit Mississippi State University | |
 | A college student who was majoring in golf management decided to create a Twitter account about dogs. It seemed like a normal idea but Matt Nelson's vision for this Twitter account went viral before he knew it. In 2015, Nelson created WeRateDogs, a Twitter account where people send in photos of their dogs. His personal followers on Twitter gave him the extra push to create the account. He set up a Twitter poll asking followers if he should create a dog rating account and the page grew from there. The pups are rated on a scale of one to ten and sometimes the ratings go to crazy numbers such as "14/10." Nelson will share his WeRateDogs journey with students at Mississippi State University on Wednesday at 6 p.m. |
| First MSU Head Start center opens in Biloxi | |
 | Tuesday was the first day of school for more than 50 three to five-year-olds at Gorenflo Elementary. That location is the first of five Head Start programs which Mississippi State University took over in Harrison County. "It's been a lot of hard work, and it's been some long hours. But it's definitely been worth it," said Becky McKeehan, East Biloxi Head Start center director. "It's great to see our friends happy and working, and there's a good little hum in all the classrooms." Down the road, Head Start hopes to sweep into even more program locations, which are vital for some kids needing a smooth transition into the classroom environment. "Early experiences are critical for child development and life development. These are foundational skills," McKeehan added. "This is how people form their lives and make sure children have access to quality early learning environments that are warm, responsive and welcoming." |
| New Venezuelan restaurant brings variety to downtown Starkville | |
 | When Tiffany Wilson ate at Arapas Coffee and Bar, Starkville's newest downtown restaurant, with friends on Friday, she had no familiarity with Venezuelan cuisine. That was the case for plenty of Arapas' customers the first week it opened, and many of them said they were happy the restaurant was helping bring variety to downtown -- especially since "we don't need another Mexican place," Wilson said. Venezuela native Jose Elarba said one reason he and his wife, Astrid Gonzalez, opened the restaurant on Oct. 5 was to introduce people to something new. He goes from table to table telling customers about the restaurant's namesake food, arepas, a form of cornbread eaten daily in Venezuela and often used to make sandwiches. "If I didn't think (people could learn from this), I wouldn't open the business," Elarba said. "That's the idea, to show people our culture and what we offer. If you go to Venezuela, you know what to ask for." |
| Lincoln County specialty tea farm finds niche for their product worldwide | |
| Like any other real success, the Great Mississippi Tea Company has a great story. "We went on eBay and bought three plants and said, 'If one is alive at the end of summer, we'll kind of look at this,'" said owner and founder Jason McDonald. The Great Mississippi Tea Company was created after McDonald's timber crop was wiped out during Hurricane Katrina. It took him a few years to figure out what to do next, but he knew he wanted a crop he could raise that was sustainable. It wasn't quite that simple, but when he tried some tea grown in Charleston, South Carolina, McDonald did some research and he and his partner, Timothy Gipson found that tea was the perfect crop for the southwest Mississippi climate and as they've raised the crop, they've seen a definite niche for their product. And after all, given some of the options, tea was the best idea. "We didn't want to be cattle farmers because cows get out at 4 o'clock in the morning when it's 20 degrees," McDonald said with a laugh. |
| Scratch-off lottery tickets go on sale in Mississippi next month | |
| Scratch-off lottery tickets go on sale in late November, the Mississippi Lottery Corporation announced Tuesday. The lottery has received applications to sell tickets at more than 1,000 retailers around the state ahead of its Nov. 25 launch date, and has so far approved roughly 500 locations, lottery spokeswoman Meg Annison said. It continues to seek new retailers, which must submit an application and pass background, financial and other checks with the state. Lottery President Tom Shaheen said an earlier-than-expected ticket sales start date "reflects our rapid progress." The lottery initially said sales would begin in December. "The pillar of the lottery is having successful retailers," Shaheen said in a statement. "We are working with retailers to ensure they are well-prepared for launch." Lottery officials previously said they plan to launch sales of jackpot-style games Powerball and Mega Millions in early 2020. |
| Delbert Hosemann campaigns on infrastructure solutions, budget reforms | |
 | With the state's general election less than three weeks away, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is campaigning to be the next lieutenant governor by advocating for the need to revamp the structure of state agencies and repair the state's deteriorating infrastructure. Hosemann, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, met with the Daily Journal's editorial board on Monday, where he said he wants to lead reforms to the way the state government treats its gasoline tax by handing a local gasoline tax option over to county government. In Monday's interview, Hosemann said he is still developing some of the details of the plan, but said if a local board of supervisors wanted to enact the local gasoline tax within their county, it could vote to put the tax on a ballot initiative for the county residents to vote on. If the voters approve the initiative, the county could receive 100% of those taxes. Hosemann is running against state Rep. Jay Hughes, a Democrat from Oxford, who has run a campaign centered on education policy and working class economic interests. |
| President Trump endorses Republican candidates ahead of gubernatorial elections | |
 | President Trump on Tuesday endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidates ahead of upcoming elections this November. The president tweeted his support for Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) and Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) ahead of their states' elections on Nov. 5. He similarly touted both candidates' stances on immigration, gun rights and the military. "Mississippi, there is a VERY important election for Governor on November 5th. I need you to Get Out and Vote for our Great Republican nominee, @TateReeves," he wrote about the Mississippi lieutenant governor. "Tate is strong on Crime, tough on Illegal Immigration, and will protect your Second Amendment...He loves our Military and supports our Vets! Get out and Vote for Tate Reeves on November 5th. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump added. Three red states -- Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana -- all have upcoming gubernatorial elections. |
| Jim Hood: Tate Reeves commercial filmed at private school is 'phony' | |
 | The Democratic nominee for Mississippi governor said Tuesday that his Republican opponent should stop running a "phony" campaign commercial about supporting public education. Attorney General Jim Hood criticized Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves for filming part of the commercial at the private New Summit School in Jackson. The ad that started airing Friday promotes Reeves' proposal to increase public school teachers' pay by about $4,000 to reach a Southern average. "It makes my blood boil," Hood said of the Reeves ad. "You know, for somebody who hasn't done anything for public education for the past eight years to go to a private school talking about public education and teacher pay -- he's not funded public education or given teachers raises." Records show both Reeves and Hood have received campaign donations from top people at New Summit School. |
| Mississippi Sound Coalition set to protect South Mississippi | |
| The Bonnet Carre Spillway has been closed for months, but its effects are still being felt across South Mississippi. With that in mind, local governments are taking steps to ensure South Mississippi's voice is heard in future spillway conversations. Several city councils had resolutions on the agenda Tuesday to enter a memorandum of understanding with other local governments. This coalition's goal is to restore the economy to pre-spillway levels and work to prevent future damage to the Coast from the waters of the Mississippi. The spillway caused an ecological disaster. Tanked tourism numbers and overall just hurt the perception of the Coast. What frustrates many in South Mississippi is that they felt like the fate of the Coast wasn't considered when the Bonnet Carre was opened. Both Biloxi and Ocean Springs approved the resolution. D'Iberville and Pascagoula also talked about the possibility of the coalition on Tuesday. |
| Elizabeth Warren's charmed campaign just entered a brutal new phase | |
 | Elizabeth Warren has enjoyed many of the trappings of a front-runner: the polling lead in Iowa and New Hampshire, a near-tie with Joe Biden nationally, explosive fundraising, big crowds. The only thing missing was the scrutiny and sniping from competitors that normally accompanies the rise of a new primary leader. That changed on Tuesday night at Otterbein University, a small college outside Columbus, Ohio. Otterbein was named after the founder of the United Brethren in Christ, but the mood was anything but brotherly as Warren faced a barrage of criticisms from most of the other 11 Democrats on stage. The candidate who brags about having a plan for everything was pilloried for not detailing how she would pay for her most expensive proposal. She was accused -- sometimes subtly, sometimes explicitly -- of being naive, dishonest, not adequately respecting her colleagues' ideas, tearing people down, and failing to enact major legislation. |
| CNN slammed for asking about Ellen, but not climate change, at Democratic debate | |
 | With the United States heading into one of the most important and divisive elections in its history, as the nation wrestles with challenges like climate change, health care costs and immigration, the final question at Tuesday's Democratic primary debate centered on comedian-turned-talk-show-host Ellen DeGeneres. Though Americans generally find DeGeneres' goofy dancing and good-natured pranks adorable, many social media commentators -- and at least one presidential candidate -- were not amused that CNN's moderators chose to ask about a celebrity rather than the more weighty issues facing the country. DeGeneres was brought up at the political debate because she was recently spotted enjoying a Dallas Cowboys game while seated beside former President George W. Bush. The images of DeGeneres, who is a lesbian, yukking it up with Bush outraged some LGBTQ-rights activists who remembered his opposition to gay marriage. Others criticized DeGeneres for playing nice with a man they consider a war criminal for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. DeGeneres addressed the controversy on her show, calling for more civility and explaining that she is "friends with a lot of people who don't share the same beliefs that I have." |
| As The Climate Warms, Companies Are Scrambling To Calculate The Risk To Their Profits | |
 | Every year, the company Ingredion buys millions of tons of corn and cassava from farmers and turns them into starches and sugars that go into foods like soft drinks, yogurt and frozen meals. Lots of things can go wrong along the way. Weather can destroy crops. Machinery can break. Lately, though, Ingredion's top executives have been worried about a new kind of risk: what might happen in a hotter planet. "That could be anything, [from] where climate change is impacting the crops we purchase, to water availability driven by climate change," says Brian Nash, Ingredion's head of sustainability. Ingredion isn't alone. "Any publicly traded company, I think, is under increasing pressure from the investment community to articulate what we see as our upcoming climate risk," Nash says. That's partly because of prodding from an international organization called the Financial Stability Board, which set up a task force chaired by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to help companies voluntary disclose such risks. |
| Mississippi college students see steadily higher prices for meal plans | |
 | At $2,000 a semester for a meal plan, Mississippi State University students pay twice what they did about a decade ago for food. Ole Miss dining prices have similarly skyrocketed, up $500 in five years. Narika Glasper, a recent Ole Miss graduate, recalled the sticker shock. Her scholarships covered housing and tuition, but not food. The price of an "unlimited" meal plan was out of the question, so she settled for a cheaper one that covered 50 meals a semester. Then she learned her unused meal "swipes" didn't roll over. "I was mad because that's money that was wasted," said Glasper, 22. "I had to pay upfront for that and I didn't use it, so that's money that just went to (Ole Miss food contractor, Aramark)." Glasper isn't alone in her frustration. Rising meal plan prices at Ole Miss and Mississippi State mirror hikes at colleges around the country, and contribute to the increasing cost of a college education. A big reason for the higher costs? Students are paying for more than just food. |
| Confederate monument decision slated for December | |
 | Provost Noel Wilkin said the Mississippi Department of Archives and History has put the movement of the Confederate monument on their December meeting agenda. Wilkin committed to transparency regarding the movement of the monument at the Provost forum in September. He discussed several things during the forum, including diversity training for Greek students and further explanation of the UM Creed. The university's Facilities Planning Department contacted Wilkin around a week ago and informed him that the MDAH would add their review of the university's plans to their December agenda. The university sent plans to relocate its Confederate monument from the middle of the Circle in the center of campus to the Confederate cemetery on campus in late August. Wilkin said that the MDAH originally planned to put the relocation on its October agenda, but due to the complexity of the move, its review has taken longer than expected. |
| Mississippi Department of Archives and History to discuss UM statue relocation in December | |
| The next step in the relocation of the Confederate statue on the University of Mississippi's campus will take place before the end of the year. In a letter sent to the university community on Tuesday, Provost Noel Wilkin provided an update on where the process stands. Wilkin stated University officials received confirmation from their Facilities Planning Department that the Mississippi Department of Archives and History has the monument item scheduled for their Dec. 6 quarterly meeting agenda. On Aug. 28, the University announced their relocation plan for the statue. The monument currently resides on the Lyceum Circle but, if approved, will be moved behind C.M. 'Tad' Smith Coliseum and in front of the confederate cemetery. If the MDAH approves the plan, they will then submit it for the Institutions of Higher Learning's approve. The item will be added to a future IHL Board of Trustees meeting agenda. |
| Next governor will appoint at least four IHL trustees. Where do candidates Reeves and Hood stand? | |
| The state's next governor, whether [Republican Tate] Reeves or Democratic nominee Jim Hood, will appoint four new IHL board members in 2021. And as controversy builds regarding the IHL board's selection process of the University of Mississippi chancellor hire, many affiliated with the university are zoning in on the governor's election. The University of Mississippi chancellor controversy came up during the first gubernatorial debate on Thursday night in Hattiesburg, further underscoring the moment. As university stakeholders debate the merits of Reeves and Hood in this regard, Mississippi Today asked the candidates earlier this week to weigh in on the matter and discuss how they would select new IHL board members. Both candidates were asked the question: If elected, how would you decide who to appoint to the IHL board, and what are your general impressions of the magnitude of those appointments given the recent controversy at the University of Mississippi? |
| ASB Senate votes to condemn IHL process | |
| The Associated Student Body Senate voted 35-8 on Tuesday evening to approve a resolution condemning the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees' chancellor search process. Authors of the resolution emphasized that the statement was only meant to condemn the IHL and its search process, not Boyce himself. They also read statements from the National and College Panhellenic Councils and the Residential Housing Association condemning the IHL for lack of transparency. "This is by no means a mark against Dr. Boyce, but the way he was selected," the RHA statement read. "The lack of transparency by the IHL is disheartening." Anna Hall, ASB Senate president pro-tempore and one of the authors of the resolution, also said that the resolution was not a no-confidence vote in the IHL or Boyce. |
| Are remodeled apartments near Southern Miss too pricey for students? | |
| Two companies are putting in luxury renovations at a block of apartments next to Pete Taylor Park -- a perfect location for University of Southern Mississippi students. But will the students be able to afford them? Kleban Properties of Fairfield, Connecticut and Delaney Property Group of Mobile, Alabama have bought Lexington Apartments at 3225 West Fourth Street. They will be renovating the five building property and renaming it "Benessere" -- meaning "living well." "We're hoping for young families and students (to rent here)," said Bailey Kleban, manager with Kleban Properties. "We're trying to create an experience unlike any other in Hattiesburg." Rents at Benessere will start at $500-$600 dollars, but eventually rise to $750-$800, Kleban said. "We do think that is affordable for students," she said. Senior Corey Carter said $985 for a three-bedroom townhouse was more in his range. |
| Alcorn State hosts breast cancer awareness walk, health screening | |
| The Alcorn State University Extension Program, in observance of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, recently partnered with the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation to sponsor a breast cancer awareness health fair and walk at Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex on the Lorman campus. The event took place Tuesday, Oct. 8. Students, faculty, staff and members of the local community participated in free health screenings for blood pressure and dental care, as well as information on various illnesses, medications and health procedures. Each participant was asked to place a pink rose petal on the "Tree of Life," a poster that will be on display throughout the month in remembrance and support of those who battle the disease. "I would like to thank everyone who supported and helped to put this event together," Jacqueline Ford, program field coordinator, Alcorn State University Extension Program, said. "We pray that even more individuals will join us next year in order to keep hope, faith and love alive in the fight against breast cancer." |
| Governor Bryant to receive Order of the Golden Arrow Award from Mississippi College | |
| Governor Phil Bryant earned kudos for his faithful leadership to spark economic development and enhance education during two terms as the state's chief executive. Known for strong integrity and commitment to government accountability, Bryant continues to attract major honors for hard work during his stellar political career. Mississippi College officials will present the MC graduate with the Christian university's Order of the Golden Arrow Award. Bryant will receive his latest honor during the National Alumni Association's awards dinner in Anderson Hall on October 25. Beginning at 6:15 p.m. that Friday, the program in Anderson Hall is one of the major events of MC's 2019 Homecoming. Bryant was first elected as Mississippi's 64th governor in November 2011 with 62 percent of the vote. The Moorhead native also enjoys solid support at his alma mater, where he taught political science classes as lieutenant governor. He received his master's degree in political science at MC in 1988. |
| William Carey University making progress on new, three-story student center | |
 | Work is progressing on a new, three-story student center at William Carey University. It's 33,000 square feet and it will have a conference center, study halls, a grill and offices. It's located on the site of the former Tatum Hall, which was destroyed in the January 2017 tornado. The new Tatum Hall stands to the west of the student center. "I've heard anywhere from 80% of academic learning is learned outside the classroom, so this is a really good structure to help us attain that," said Tim Glaze, director of the Baptist Student Union and an assistant professor of religion at WCU. "So, it's a good deal for a us, a win for everybody." WCU administrators hope the new center will be completed sometime in the fall of 2020. |
| When food service means food stamps: the overlooked workers of Bama Dining | |
 | Tacarra Davis spent six years behind the serving lines of the University of Alabama's largest dining halls. "I pretty much did everything," Davis said. "Training, prepping, cooking, serving." Davis started part-time in 2013 at Bama Dining, chopping and cooking, dishing and serving students and staff at Alabama's largest university. She never ran late, rarely missed shifts and generally made herself a fixture, even as the rest of the staff turned over as regularly as a chicken on a spit. After four years, she went full-time -- with a catch. Her employment ended every summer, when she subsisted on food stamps, unemployment and borrowed money. Vacation for students meant desperation for Davis, an employee on campus who worked not for the school but for the food service contractor Aramark. It wasn't until she arrived at orientation that she learned Aramark would be her employer. That set Davis apart from other university employees who tended the grounds, cleaned the floors and protected the buildings. |
| Auburn University, unlike peers, requires local source on dining food | |
| On an average day, the Nile tilapia travels less than five miles from its watery home to an Auburn University dining tray. It's the circle of life at Auburn's E.W. Shell Fisheries Center, where researchers are pioneering modern aquaculture and agriculture: fertilizing vegetable crops with the specially-harvested waste of commercial-grade fish, healthy and safe for everyday consumers. "These are very healthy fish," School of Fisheries manager Mollie Smith said inside an aquaponics greenhouse on a steaming September Wednesday, as she sprinkled feed along the water's surface, attracting a thrashing, splashing hoard to its surface. "We know everything that has gone into their ecosystem." As higher education funding plummeted and university finances ballooned in recent years, colleges have looked to contract services to help their bottom lines, consolidating and shifting management of departments such as grounds or custodial work, even classroom instructors, to contractors, often rendering workers ineligible for the university benefits of years' past. Dining and food services at Alabama universities is one such department, with both schools in recent years signing contracts with Aramark. |
| Demonstrators demand Georgia Regents remove special fees on students | |
| Several dozen people protested outside a Georgia Board of Regents meeting on Tuesday to demand it end an annual fee imposed on students created a decade ago. The "special institution fee" ranges from $200 to $300 at most of the 26 schools in the University System of Georgia schools, but it is $450 at the University of Georgia, where the demonstration was held. Most of the protesters were University of Georgia graduate students who teach on campus and say the fee is a burden. "It causes a lot of hardship for me and my fellow grad students," said Valerie McLaurin, 32, a first-year UGA doctoral student who works as a teaching assistant in the history department. The fee was created in 2009 as an emergency measure to help the University System manage its way through a reduction in state funds during the Great Recession. The University System, with board approval, has continued the fee. |
| Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar talks cybersecurity at Texas A&M | |
 | Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar stressed the importance of cybersecurity and key points from his office's latest study during a stop at Texas A&M University on Tuesday. The visit was part of Hegar's Good for Texas Tour: Cybersecurity Edition, designed to share updates on the industry at Texas universities designated as a Center for Academic Excellence by the National Security Agency. The new study outlines the threat of cybercrimes from personal to national levels and how institutions of higher education are able to help by training the next generation of cybersecurity experts. Hegar said he was particularly interested in sharing information about cybersecurity since two-thirds of the more than 2 billion people online across the world have had their information compromised in some way. He said 99% of cyberattacks are made through emails, making virtually everyone susceptible to threats. A&M has three cybersecurity education and research organizations and is designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in the National Security Agency's three focus areas: cyber operations, cyber defense and research. |
| Report: More than a quarter of undergrad women at U. of Missouri experience sexual assault | |
 | More than a quarter of undergraduate women at the University of Missouri say they have experienced sexual contact without their consent, according to a new Association of American Universities survey. The information is included in "The 2019 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct." A previous survey was released in 2015. An even higher percentage of transgender and non-binary students in the survey -- 29.4 percent -- reported being victims of sexual assault. Undergraduate men reported one of the lowest rates of unwanted sexual contact on campus, 7.5 percent. Even one sexual assault is too many, said Andy Hayes, assistant vice chancellor for Civil Rights and Title IX, in a news conference last week to talk about the results. "There is still lots of room for improvement," Hayes said. The 26.6 percent rate of sexual assault for undergraduate women in the survey is down slightly from 27.2 percent in the 2015 survey, which the survey called not statistically significant. MU spokesman Christian Basi said the student response rate was higher for the new survey and the university's enrollment is lower than in 2015. |
| Public science for private interests: How U. of Missouri ag research cultivates profits for industry | |
 | In 2006, Zhanyuan Zhang, a University of Missouri professor of plant sciences, was approached by Dow AgroSciences. The industry giant came bearing pieces of DNA and a problem for Zhang to solve. Industrial agriculture faced a new wave of herbicide-resistant weeds in fields worldwide, which threatened to make Roundup -- the most popular weedkiller among farmers -- useless. Dow wanted to create a new strain of soybeans that could tolerate a different herbicide. Because Zhang is an expert in transforming plant genetics, the company tapped him to help. "They want to hit the market as quickly as possible," Zhang said. "And they found my lab as a collaborator." The public-private collaboration was a success on both sides. Dow patented the results of the research and used them to develop a slew of new weed-control products, valued at over $1 billion. Meanwhile, Zhang got a multimillion dollar grant, a co-published paper in a prestigious journal and further contracts with Dow. The partnership is emblematic of the broader system of industry-sponsored research that takes place in MU's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and especially in the Division of Plant Sciences. Corporate money goes to MU professors on both ends of the research spectrum, from basic science to product testing. |
| House Democrats' latest higher ed plan pushes free college, more generous loan repayment | |
 | House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a new bill to overhaul the Higher Education Act, which doubles down on key provisions of a 2018 proposal to update the landmark law. The plan, dubbed the College Affordability Act, would boost the size of the Pell Grant, enact a federal-state partnership to make community colleges free, streamline student loan repayment and codify Obama-era college accountability rules. The bill would restore the gainful-employment rule, repealed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, which was designed to weed out programs that produce graduates who are overburdened with debt. And it would restore borrower-defense regulations her department overhauled this year. It also would close the so-called 90-10 loophole -- a priority for several veterans' groups. While the Democrats' proposal last year largely was a messaging bill dropped ahead of the midterm elections, this time they hold the majority and have a chance to pass the legislation out of the chamber, providing a test case for the approach of Representative Bobby Scott, the Virginia Democrat who is chairman of the House education committee. |
| House Democrats Have a Plan for Higher Ed. Here's What's in It. | |
 | The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives announced a plan on Tuesday touted as a "comprehensive overhaul" of America's higher-education system, a decade after the last reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The bill, dubbed the College Affordability Act, focuses on lowering the price of college but is markedly more moderate than the higher-education proposals that have animated supporters of progressive 2020 presidential contenders like Sen. Elizabeth A. Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders. The bill is unlikely to gain any traction in the Republican-controlled Senate or from the Trump administration, which released its own proposal to reauthorize the Higher Education Act in March. The bill would also crack down on colleges and universities that produce poor outcomes, particularly for-profit colleges that the committee says "defraud" students, veterans, and taxpayers. |
| Education Dept. Blocked CFPB From Helping Fix Student Loan Forgiveness Program | |
| Starting early last year, the nation's most powerful consumer protection agency sent examiners into companies that run student loan call centers to try to fix a troubled loan forgiveness program. But the Department of Education blocked the bureau from getting the information it needed, NPR has learned. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is designed to help firefighters, military service members, nonprofit workers and others. But thousands of people say they were treated unfairly and rejected. Now NPR has learned that the nation's most powerful consumer watchdog, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, launched an effort to fix problems but the Trump administration blocked it from trying to help. "That's terrible," says Christopher Peterson, a former top CFPB attorney. "There are hundreds of thousands of people who are counting on the government to get this right for their livelihood and their well-being for their families." |
| Universities identify campus-specific sexual assault issues | |
| All but one of the 33 leading research universities that participated in a major survey of campus sexual assault and misconduct on Tuesday published their individual results, which show a range of outcomes, including improved student awareness about how to report sexual assault but low rates of reporting and outreach to university-sponsored programs. The elite institutions made their full reports on the 2019 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct available at the same time the aggregate data was released by the Association of American Universities. The University of Florida will wait until early next week to release data, in order to analyze the survey's results beforehand, said Steve Orlando, assistant vice president for communications. Texas A&M University had not posted survey results as of late Tuesday. This was the second time the survey was conducted; the first one was done in 2015. Nearly 182,000 undergraduate and graduate students took part in the more recent survey. |
| How U.S. foreign aid boosts the economy back home | |
| Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and former administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, writes: Ask many Americans what we get in return for our foreign aid investment and they'll likely point to outcomes like increased social and economic development in low-income countries. These results have been well-demonstrated. But the impact of foreign aid reverberates far beyond the developing world. The big impact this support has right here at home is too often overlooked. Consider the case of agriculture aid. When the United States invests in building agriculture production capacity abroad, the impact is seen through healthier, more productive, and more stable societies. But a recent report commissioned by the presidentially appointed Board for International Food and Agricultural Development and conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute shows these results capture just part of the impact. Such foreign aid also sows the seeds of innovation, job creation, and economic growth in the United States. |
| Neglect of mentally ill not an election topic | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: The 2019 Mississippi general election is less than three weeks away and politicians are talking about a plethora of issues, but there are no serious discussions of one of the state's entrenched and shameful realities -- the banishment of far too many of the state's mentally ill to jail cells. A 2017 Treatment Advocacy Center report revealed: "In 2016, nearly 400,000 inmates in U.S. jails and prisons were estimated to have a mental health condition. Of those inmates, an estimated 90,000 were defendants who had been arrested and jailed but had not come to trial because they were too disordered to understand the charges on which they were detained." Over the course of 2016 and 2017, Mississippi lawmakers cut a total of $18.3 million from the State Department of Mental Health. But the problem is more pronounced than that in Mississippi. Over the four decades I've covered news in the state, Mississippi jails mental patients in many cases for little more than getting off their meds or simply for the "crime" of being mentally ill. The state's history in terms of providing treatment beds for the mentally ill to assist them in avoiding the dangerous and inhumane practice of jailing them has been checkered at best. |
SPORTS
| 'Like a pro': What Mississippi State players said about starting QB Garrett Shrader | |
| Garrett Shrader doesn't flinch. Not even in a good way. Mississippi State's true freshman quarterback was presented with positive personal news Sunday afternoon. His coaching staff told him he'd be the team's starting quarterback against No. 3 LSU on Saturday. Shrader viewed it as a life-changing moment that will alter the course of his career. OK, not quite. Not to say that isn't what it will be. It could very well mark the beginning of a long, prosperous campaign as MSU's QB No. 1. Shrader just isn't into cliche comments or making anything larger than it should be. Sunday was simply another day in the course of his freshman season, one that has been a roller coaster ride already. "It doesn't change anything for me," Shrader said. And on that note, that thing about not flinching? Senior center Darryl Williams said it. Williams also said Shrader handles himself "like a pro" in the huddle despite being younger than the 10 guys surrounding him. |
| 'A lot to talk about': 3 questions Mississippi State must answer against LSU | |
| Well. At least one question has already been answered. Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead named true freshman Garrett Shrader the team's starting quarterback Monday. He'll get the second start of his young career against No. 3 LSU (6-0, 2-0 SEC) this week. As is normally the case with an under-performing team, many questions remain beyond who's taking snaps. These are the questions Mississippi State (3-3, 1-2 SEC) must answer when it returns to Davis Wade Stadium for the first time in four weeks: Are the Bulldogs still fully engaged? What will Saturday's attendance be? How does MSU respond to Shrader? |
| Perturbed by middling start, Joe Moorhead shows his true self in address to Mississippi State fanbase | |
| As Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead exited the field at Neyland Stadium Saturday, he shared a quick embrace with his daughter, Kyra. Jeers and taunts from orange and white-clad Tennessee sympathizers rained down on the pair as the two headed for the tunnel. Kyra, a first-year student at MSU, had been brought to tears after the Bulldogs fell to the Volunteers in a game oddsmakers predicted her father's squad to win by a touchdown. "You hear a few fans as she's walking out of the stadium telling her that her dad sucks," Moorhead said. "And you know, they were right. On this day, I did suck. But that's part of it." The anecdote, which Moorhead recounted Monday, capped off an impassioned and emotional plea by the second-year head coach to the MSU fanbase, asking it to stick with him and his program through a middling start. "Nothing means more to me than to bring a consistently successful, championship-level program to Mississippi State," Moorhead said, choking up with each word. "Every waking moment not spent with my family is utilized in an effort to make it happen, and that's what makes losing games so difficult." |
| Is Mississippi State creeping towards Croom-era bad? | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: Not long after Mississippi State's most recent loss to Tennessee, I had a question posed to me that caught me off guard: "Is this the worst MSU's football program has been since the Croom years?" As one of only a handful of MSU media members still around from Sylvester Croom's tenure as head coach, I took a moment to ponder what was being asked before replying: "I think it might be." I thought about that question more as I made the drive back home Saturday night and decided to do a little research to see if there were worse stretches that I was forgetting about. ... The Tennessee loss last weekend was really, really bad, but I don't think it's quite on the level as South Alabama to open the 2016 season. |
| Who knew? LSU quarterback sensation Joe Burrow has strong Mississippi ties | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Long, long before Heisman Trophy candidate Joe Burrow famously transferred from Ohio State to LSU, his father, Jimmy Burrow, not so famously twice transferred among colleges himself. Jimmy's transfers all those years ago didn't cause much of a stir nationally, but hometown fans in Amory, Mississippi, were shocked. That's because Jimmy first transferred from nearby Mississippi State, where his daddy, James, played basketball, to Ole Miss to play football and baseball. "I grew up a huge Mississippi State fan, hated Ole Miss," Jimmy Burrow said. "Nobody could believe I was going to Ole Miss." He didn't stay there long. Jimmy Burrow then transferred from Ole Miss to Nebraska, where he would become a standout defensive back for Tom Osborne's Cornhuskers. That was before a playing career in the NFL and the Canadian Football League and then a 37-year college coaching career that ended last spring. |
| Maroon Madness set for Friday | |
 | Mississippi State men's and women's basketball will hold its annual Maroon Madness event presented by Coca-Cola on Friday at Humphrey Coliseum. Admission is free with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. CT, and the first 1,000 fans will receive a complimentary Maroon Madness T-shirt. Maroon Madness is slated to begin at 8 p.m. CT. Free pizza will be served on the concourse next to Portal E while supplies last. The first 2,500 fans also will be provided with special Glow LED Foam Tubes whereas the first 5,000 fans can pick up a commemorative Maroon Madness poster spotlighting both programs upon arrival. In addition to the above giveaways, fans also will have the opportunity to win $10,000, a car and free tuition for a semester. The clear bag policy and walk-through metal detector screening process will be in place. Prior to the start of Maroon Madness, The Vista will sponsor a 3-on-3 Greek basketball tournament. |
| Reggie Perry named to preseason All-SEC first team, Bulldogs picked to finish seventh in SEC | |
| Mississippi State sophomore forward Reggie Perry has been selected to the Southeastern Conference's preseason All-SEC first team, the league announced Tuesday. He becomes the 10th player in program history to receive preseason first team honors and the first MSU player since the 2011-12 season (Dee Boost). In his freshman season, Perry picked up All-SEC freshman team honors after averaging 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Florida's Kerry Blackshear was tabbed the league's preseason Player of the Year. As a team, Mississippi State was picked to finish seventh in the league in a preseason poll voted on by members of the media. Kentucky was picked to win the league, followed by Florida, Louisiana State and 2019 Final Four participant Auburn. Mississippi State opens the season Nov. 5 against Florida International in Starkville. |
| Mississippi State's Reggie Perry garners All-SEC Preseason First Team | |
| Reggie Perry collected another preseason accolade as he secured All-SEC First-Team honors announced Tuesday by the conference office. Perry is the 10th player in program history and first since 2011-12 to notch an All-SEC Preseason First-Team pick. The SEC began to designate first and second preseason teams in 2000-01. He also received votes for the SEC's Preseason Player of the Year Award. Mississippi State has had a player come away with votes for the award in each of the last three seasons. The first opportunity to watch the 2019-20 Bulldogs inside Humphrey Coliseum will be Sunday, October 27 when Mississippi State plays host to South Alabama in a charity exhibition game to benefit the United Way of West Central Mississippi and those affected by the flood waters in the South Delta. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. CT with free admission. Doors to Humphrey Coliseum will open at 2 p.m. CT with standard gameday security procedures in-place which include walk-through metal detectors and the clear bag policy. |
| Reggie Perry, Breein Tyree named to All-SEC first team | |
| Mississippi State and Ole Miss were predicted to finish seventh and eighth in the Southeastern Conference in men's basketball by the media and each had a player picked to the All-SEC first team. Sophomore forward Reggie Perry represented the Bulldogs on the first team while senior guard Breein Tyree was selected for the Rebels. Perry posted 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season and Tyree is the league's leading returning scorer averaging 17.9 points in 2018-19. Kentucky is the preseason favorite to win the conference for the ninth consecutive season and Florida's Kerry Blackshear was selected as the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball picked third in SEC | |
| Basketball season is upon us -- almost. Tuesday, the Mississippi State women's basketball team was selected to finish third in the Southeastern Conference by members of the media behind South Carolina and Texas A&M per a news release. Coming off an Elite Eight appearance last season, MSU returns just one starter from in senior guard Jordan Danberry, though it does welcome the nation's No. 6 recruiting class -- headlined by McDonald's All-American Rickea Jackson. Jackson, the No. 5 overall recruit in the ESPN HoopGurlz class of 2019 rankings, was a two-time Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and averaged 22.2 points per game during this past summer's World University Games. The Bulldogs come into this season seeking their third-straight outright SEC title. |
| Bulldogs picked third, Rebels 13th in SEC women's hoops | |
| The media projects Mississippi State's two-year run as Southeastern Conference regular season champions in women's basketball to end this season. South Carolina was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the SEC championship ahead of Texas A&M this year with MSU sitting third. Ole Miss was predicted to finish 13th in the conference. Neither the Bulldogs or Rebels had a player chosen to the All-SEC first or second team. Texas A&M's Chennedy Carter received 14 out of a possible 17 votes to be the SEC Player of the Year. Kentucky's Rhyne Howard garnered two votes and Chelsea Dungee of Arkansas had the other. |
| Grenada gov't praises Anderson Peters' historic gold | |
| The Grenada government has praised the achievement of Anderson Peters following his historic capture of gold in the men's javelin at the recent World Championships in Qatar. The gold medal was the first for Grenada's in the field event at a World Championship and only the second gold overall, following on from Kirani James' success in Daegu in 2011. In a statement the Ministry of Youth Development, Sports, Culture, and the Arts said Anderson historic win has made him the first Grenadian to win a World Championship medal in the field events. He is also the second athlete in Grenada history to become a World Champion, with Kirani James being the first. Peters, a 21-year-old student at Mississippi State University in the United States, said he hoped his success served as an inspiration for the tiny Caribbean island. |
| Meridian Community College's student athletes get a place to call their own | |
 | Since arriving on campus last fall, Meridian Community College baseball player Austin Huggins has dreamed of a space to exercise and work out. Now, instead of sharing the school's gym with other students and the community, Huggins and his fellow student athletes have a place to call their own. "It's somewhere we can go so we can be the best on the field without worrying about other people being there," Huggins said of the school's new athletic performance facility, located between Thornton Hall and College Crossing Apartments. The 4,200 square feet center, designed specifically for student athletes, cost about $1.2 million, with funding coming from school money and donations. "It's a great example of pulling together a lot of resources to create something that will serve the needs of the students while serving the needs of the college," said Thomas Huebner, president of the college. Huebner hopes the new facility will not only help student athletes prepare for the next step in their careers, but also attract potential students to MCC. |
| JSU making changes to Walter Payton Center: Brother Eddie Payton calls it 'disrespectful' | |
| As the 20th anniversary of the death of legendary NFL player Walter Payton approaches, the recreation and wellness center on the campus of Jackson State University, built by the school and named in his honor, is undergoing a massive reconfiguration. But Eddie Payton, Walter Payton's brother, and other Payton family members are none too happy about it. Payton, who said he only learned of the changes after construction began Oct. 1, believes the project is ultimately designed to cater to the football program, with offices for coaches and a lounge for recruits, among other things. The university said the move is designed to make better use of an area it calls "underutilized" in the nearly 100,000-square-foot center. The $1.49 million project, scheduled to be completed in August, is being handled by Conerly Construction Inc. and paid for with federal Title III money, the university said. |
| Ole Miss Athletics Announces Staff Promotions | |
| Ole Miss has announced several recent staff promotions throughout the athletics department, including four senior-level advancements. In the football recruiting office, Tyler Siskey has been promoted to Associate Athletics Director for Player Personnel, while in the student-athlete development staff, Jennifer Saxon, EdD has been elevated to Associate A.D. for Student-Athlete Enhancement. Saxon is in her fifth year at Ole Miss and oversees career development, community engagement, diversity & inclusion and personal advancement for Rebel student-athletes. In addition, Tiffany Edwards, PhD has been promoted to Assistant A.D. for Administration, and Charlie Ball Burrell has advanced to Assistant A.D. for Academic Enrichment. Among other notable titles changes within the department, Katie Wisdom has been named Director of Ticket Operations. Kristen Arquilla has been promoted to Associate Director for Compliance. |
| At LSU, Football and Politics Converge in a Way That's Uniquely Louisiana | |
| John Bel Edwards does not claim to be a prognosticator of every college football game, just those involving his favorite team. When it comes to LSU, the Louisiana governor has impeccable knowledge because he's got an inside source, a man who knows more about the Fightin' Tigers than anyone else, a close confidant he communicates with on a weekly basis: the head football coach. If you don't believe him, because after all he is a politician, Edwards will show you proof. He will reach into the pocket of his jeans, remove his iPhone and find the latest text message sent to him by Ed Orgeron -- like the one he received Thursday morning, two days before LSU's top-10 clash at Tiger Stadium against the Florida Gators. For outsiders, this seems bizarre -- the coach of the state's flagship football program texting with the state's governor. For those here in Louisiana, this is normal, the latest example of a near century-old relationship between LSU football and Louisiana politics. This bond is steeped in history, rooted in passion and adorned with truly unbelievable tales. |
| 'Buc-ee's Stadium at Kyle Field?' No way, says Aggies' AD | |
| Ross Bjork chuckled at the suggested name high in the sky in maroon lights, spawned from a reporter's question more loaded than a gussied-up gas station burrito: "Buc-ee's Stadium at Kyle Field." "There are some things I learned quickly that are sacred," said Bjork, four months on the job as Texas A&M's athletic director. "Kyle Field is one of them." In other words that are music to many Aggies' ears in a world of credit union and dot.com monikers adorning otherwise old-school stadiums, Kyle Field will stay "Kyle Field." The Aggies are, however, doing their best to keep up with the Joneses (and tides of crimson and others) in the cutthroat world of college athletics finances, prompting Bjork to remind fans they must keep propelling forward. "I do think that there are some sponsor-activation things that you could do that are tasteful while still protecting the tradition," he said Tuesday. "The key is 'tradition with innovation.' How do you blend those two?" |
| Missouri football in limbo as program waits for NCAA to rule on its bowl ban appeal | |
| Halfway through a resurgent season in which Missouri is suddenly a factor in the SEC East and perhaps beyond, school officials still aren't sure whether their Tigers will be allowed to play in a bowl game. Those officials continue to wait anxiously for the response of their appeal of a postseason bowl ban resulting from admitted academic fraud perpetrated by what the school suggests was a rogue part-time tutor. On Jan. 31, Missouri was handed a postseason ban and a series of recruiting restrictions. The school immediately appealed, saying the NCAA Infractions Committee had "abused its discretion." Seven-and-a-half months later, the case remains open -- as far as the program is concerned. Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk was told two weeks ago by an NCAA official that a decision would be coming "soon." The school is still waiting. |
| Vanderbilt football: Malcolm Turner noncommittal on Derek Mason status | |
 | The question, as posed on air Tuesday afternoon by radio host George Plaster to Vanderbilt athletic director Malcolm Turner, was straightforward. Does Turner intend for Derek Mason to return next season as the Commodores' football coach? Turner's answer, give or take a contraction or two, came in at about 194 words. None of them was "Yes." This has been quite a first year on the job for Turner, hasn't it? He has had a baseball national title sandwiched by difficult coaching decisions in Vanderbilt's two other major sports, none of which would have reasonably been anticipated when the season began. As tough a call as firing men's basketball coach Bryce Drew might have been, though, that task would have nothing on how arduous it would be to have to fire Mason, he of the three-game win streak over Tennessee and bowl trips in two of three seasons prior to this one. |
| Bryant-Denny after dark: LED lights will debut in Tennessee game | |
 | Alabama's long-awaited night game is here this weekend, with an 8 p.m. kickoff against Tennessee. It will be the true debut of the LED lighting system UA installed this year, one that has the ability to strobe and change colors. UA released a video of the lights shining red in the preseason, which Xavier McKinney saw on Instagram. The lights also turned blue in honor of Dornell Cousette, the Tuscaloosa police officer killed in the line of duty in September. "I think it'll be great for the fans to have that type of lighting going around in the stadium. I think it will create energy," McKinney said. McKinney has other reasons to look forward to a night game. "I like night games because we get to watch movies the day before," McKinney said. "It's a chill little moment." |
| Meet the squirrel who went to a game at Neyland Stadium -- in a Vols uniform | |
 | As fans of the human variety crowded into Neyland Stadium to watch the University of Tennessee play Georgia, one special critter got a front row seat. Sinan the squirrel sat back in his own squirrel-sized chair to catch all the action. We have a lot of questions, but none of them matter. It's a squirrel in a UT football helmet, and we're all for it. Sinan is the team's biggest (and smallest) fan. His love for the Vols all started when his owner and rescuer, Saed Awad, took him fishing at a marina in Oak Ridge. Sinan was only a few months old when Awad, who lives in Oak Ridge, saw UT rowers practicing in the water. Since rowers scared away the fish, Sinan just sat on Awad's shoulder to watch. It didn't take long for the rowers to notice. Soon, Awad was getting messages from the rowers, asking him to bring Sinan to their events. At the next race, Awad showed up with Sinan in hand. This time, Sinan was sporting a tiny UT hat that Awad had found for him. "Everyone went crazy," Awad said. "That's when it became a UT thing." |
| LeBron James comments intensify debate over freedom, trade | |
 | Basketball megastar LeBron James has finally leaped into the NBA's ongoing controversy over Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey's tweet in support of Chinese protesters. Some critics, including Sen. Josh Hawley, find James's stance sorely lacking. And the full House is also on record, passing a trio of bills Tuesday aimed at helping Hong Kong democracy activists in their fight to preserve political freedoms from encroachment by mainland China. Hawley has been a longtime critic of China and its trade practices and has been all over the NBA for its capitulation to the Chinese government. "Doing business in China is one thing, but for the NBA to kowtow to the demands of one of the world's most brutal regimes in the pursuit of profit is, frankly, revolting," he wrote in a letter to Commissioner Adam Silver calling on the NBA to cancel its remaining preseason games in China. "You know better." But he isn't the only lawmaker on the NBA's case. A bipartisan coalition including Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, sent a letter to Silver criticizing the league. |
| Bringing esports on campus | |
| Facilities for competitive online gaming are fast becoming a must-have on campus, attendees at the 2019 Educause conference learned yesterday. In a session on the rise of esports in higher education, dozens of campus IT leaders indicated they are thinking about how to introduce esports at their institutions. "This is not just about gaming," said Jeanne Weber, senior higher education strategist at Dell Technologies. Engaging students in esports can help them build critical thinking skills, encourage teamwork and innovation, and promote self-directed learning, she said. But there is another important reason college administrators are thinking about esports: student recruitment. "There's going to be a lot more kids looking at esports as an important criterion for college," said Todd Harris, president of esports production company Skillshot Media. There are already 15 states that recognize esports as a high school varsity sport, and that number will grow, he said. |
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