Wednesday, March 17, 2021   
 
MSU moves Wednesday afternoon classes to remote instruction, cancels campus activities due to weather
Mississippi State University's Starkville and Meridian campuses will close today [March 17] at noon with all classes moving to a remote instruction format due to an abundance of caution over predicted severe weather. Other campus activities are canceled for the afternoon and evening at both the Starkville and Meridian campuses. The National Weather Service is predicting potentially dangerous weather which could produce extreme conditions such as tornadoes or hail in Central and North Mississippi. "Employees should go home, but all faculty should continue to teach their classes in a remote learning format," said Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw. Non-essential employees should not report to work. Faculty, staff and students are urged to use caution to ensure personal safety. Monitor the MSU and MSU-Meridian websites and social media for updates. Follow and closely monitor MSU Maroon Alert on social media. Monitor local news outlets for changing conditions and advisories. The university plans to resume normal operations on Thursday, March 18.
 
Mississippi Humanities Council recognizes three MSU faculty members
The Mississippi Humanities Council is recognizing three Mississippi State faculty members during an upcoming online program. Receiving honors are Toby G. Bates, associate professor of history at Mississippi State University-Meridian and the 2021 MHC Teacher of the Year for MSU; as well as honorees Mark Edward Clark, associate professor in MSU's Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, and the 2020 MHC Teacher of the Year for MSU. James C. "Jim" Giesen, associate professor in MSU's Department of History, is MHC's selection for the 2020 Humanities Scholar Award for his work as the official scholar for the Mississippi tour of the Smithsonian Institution exhibit "Waterways." The MHC awards recognize outstanding work by Mississippians in conveying insights of the humanities to public audiences. Originally scheduled for last March -- and then canceled at the onset of the pandemic -- the 2020 awards now will be combined with this year's virtual program. The event will stream on the MHC Facebook and YouTube channels on Friday, March 26, at 7 p.m.
 
Mississippi State offers free COVID vaccines to all employees
Mississippi State University is offering free coronavirus vaccinations on campus to all of its 6-thousand faculty and staff. Karah Lundy is a junior at MSU. She is considering getting the vaccine when it becomes available to her. "If I knew that getting the vaccine would be able to get my college experience back to more of a college experience, I would get it in a heartbeat," she explained. Although it isn't offered to students just yet, the university is providing drive through Pfizer vaccinations for all employees. Brent Crocker is the emergency manager at MSU. He said they currently have over 11-hundred vaccines available to administer to employees. "It helps us have a way to continue operations without having to shut things down or maybe make alternate plans," said Crocker.
 
Proposed city code amendment could affect downtown Starkville business
Discussion over amending the city's Unified Development Code and technical codes, including requirements for certain facilities to add features such as sprinkler systems and storm shelters, dominated Starkville's regular board of aldermen meeting Tuesday, the first of two public hearings on the topic. City officials presented a list of proposed amendments for the code, which included everything from updating development standards to fixing grammatical and numerical errors. However, it was one specific regulation in the proposed electrical codes that garnered discussion among aldermen. The regulation would require restaurants or bars where alcoholic beverages are consumed and that have an occupant load of 300 or more be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, a change that would affect only one business in the city, downtown bar Level III. Fire Marshall Mark McCurdy told the board he already reached out to Level III owner Andre Taylor about this regulation if it were to be adopted, and Taylor expressed concern about the financial hardship of having to install a sprinkler system. "If this were to be adopted, it would require that one business (Level III) to either sprinkle his building or go out of business basically," McCurdy said. Taylor did not respond to a message from The Dispatch by press time.
 
NWS provides latest update on severe weather threat
As the state prepares for the arrival of severe weather, the National Weather Service has provided an update on what Mississippians can expect and how to prepare. During a Facebook Live session, Logan Poole, a meteorologist with the NWS Jackson, explained that tornadoes are likely across several counties today. He went on to note that the forecast conditions could support EF-2, EF-3 or even stronger storms. Additionally, he warned of other "destructive threats" such as baseball-sized hail in some areas. Hail this size is large enough to break holes in the windows of your vehicle, your home and cause harm to you if you get struck by it. With strong winds, the risk of flying debris also exists. There is also a possibility of flash flooding due to brief heavy downpours. So, what do you need to do? Have a plan to get to the safest place in your home. Go to a safe room, basement, or storm cellar. Mobile homes are not safe during a tornado. If you are in a building with no basement, then get to a small interior room on the lowest level. Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls.
 
COVID vaccinations open up to all, people rush to book shots
Appointments to get the coronavirus vaccine in Mississippi opened up for everyone over the age of 16 on Tuesday, and thousands of residents rushed to book their shots. Robin McCall made appointments for her 17-year-old twin daughters. She has a 15-year-old son who has been treated for leukemia. "He has a compromised immune system so these vaccines for our family are very important for him," said McCall, who got vaccinated weeks ago because she has a heart condition that made her eligible. As of Tuesday, 592,500 people in Mississippi had received one dose of the vaccine, according to the state Department of Health. Almost 60% of all Mississippians 75 and over have received at least one dose. State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said he's pleased with the progress the state is making, but that "now is not the time to be complacent." "When you're in a public place, it's still a good idea to wear a mask," he said. "It's still a good idea to gather in smaller groups and remember now that it's even safer when folks are fully vaccinated."
 
Mississippi State Department of Health reports 352 new COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) on Wednesday reported 352 additional cases of COVID-19 and seven additional deaths. No counties in Northeast Mississippi reported new deaths. The statewide total number of cases since March 11, 2020 is now 301,602 with a death toll of 6,936. As of this week, around 287,341 people are presumed recovered from the virus. The seven-day moving average for new COVID-19 cases in Mississippi is 16 per 100,000 people, as of March 15. In Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, the seven-day moving average is 15 per 100,000 people. MSDH also reported 43 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Most counties in the Daily Journal's coverage area reported new cases: Alcorn (3), Benton (3), Calhoun (2), Chickasaw (1), Clay (1), Itawamba (2), Lafayette (16), Lee (7), Marshall (2), Oktibbeha (4), Pontotoc (2), Prentiss (1), Tishomingo (2) and Union (2).
 
MSDH vaccination sites closed on Wednesday, March 17
The Mississippi State Department of Health announced on its website that COVID-19 vaccination appointments for Wednesday, March 17, have been canceled due to the potential for severe weather. Affected vaccination drive-thru locations in Northeast Mississippi include Lafayette, Lee and Oktibbeha counties. Residents with appointments scheduled for Wednesday will receive an email, text message or phone call to notify them of their rescheduled appointment date. The temporary closure announcement comes one day after Gov. Tate Reeves announced that all Mississippians would be eligible to schedule appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Mississippi is only the second state in the U.S. to open vaccination eligibility to everyone ages 16 and up.
 
Mississippi tax cut plan: Alive, then dead, then alive again
A proposal to overhaul Mississippi's tax structure was killed in the Senate but then revived in the House on Tuesday -- a dispute that creates conflict as legislators enter the final weeks of their annual session. Tuesday was the deadline for the Senate to keep House Bill 1439 alive. The bill proposed phasing out Mississippi's income tax and cutting the 7% state grocery tax in half. It also proposed increasing the sales tax on most items from 7% to 9.5% and increasing taxes on other items, including tobacco, alcohol, farm implements and manufacturing equipment. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood, said he was letting the bill die without bringing it up for a vote. Harkins said legislators need more time to evaluate the potential impact of decreasing some tax rates and increasing others. He said the House and Senate could hold hearings this summer. Within hours, though, the House revived most of the tax plan by putting it into Senate Bill 2971 -- a bill originally written to authorize the state to borrow money for repair and renovation projects at universities.
 
Senate kills Mississippi income tax elimination. House tries to revive it
The Senate killed Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn's proposal to eliminate the state income tax and increase sales taxes without a vote on Tuesday, letting the measure die in committee under a deadline. House GOP leaders, angered by the Senate move, late Tuesday inserted the tax overhaul language as an amendment into a "bond bill" that would borrow money for projects statewide. "The Senate has punted the ball," House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, told House members on Tuesday. "... They killed this bill. What has the Senate done? They stayed up until 1 a.m. talking about marijuana. They've spent endless hours trying to eliminate business incentives that have worked for years." "It's time for bold action, time to continue to fight," Lamar, a co-author of the tax swap plan, said before the House voted 89-22 to revive the tax measure. But the tax plan's eventual passage remains very doubtful as the Mississippi legislative session enters what is scheduled to be its final weeks. The House's altering of the bond bill to include the tax overhaul could also make it subject to procedure and rules challenges in the Senate.
 
Bills to keep Medicaid alive dead for now in Legislature
No bill is currently alive in the Mississippi Legislature to continue the state's Division of Medicaid past June 30. The House and Senate have killed the other chamber's bill that would re-authorize the program and make various changes to the agency that provides health care for about 800,000 poor children, disabled people, poor pregnant women and the elderly. At this point, both chambers will have to by a two-thirds vote pass the same rules suspension resolution to revive a bill to re-authorize the Division of Medicaid and to make changes to the program. The process of passing that rules suspension resolution already has begun in both chambers. It is not unusual for Medicaid reauthorization bills to get caught up in conflict and have to be revived. In the past, issues that led to the impasse have included whether to impose additional taxes on hospitals to whether to expand Medicaid. While Democrats support expanding Medicaid, the issue does not appear to be among the reasons that the Republican leadership of both chambers killed the two Medicaid re-authorization bills this year. Thus far, Mississippi's Republican political leadership has opposed efforts to expand Medicaid.
 
What labor wins and losses in the South can tell us about the Amazon union vote
The vote on whether or not to unionize the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala. may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a big union win in the South. Yet union organizers had an almost identical opportunity just four years ago in Canton, Miss. Back then, Nissan assembly plant workers attracted global pro-labor support. But similar to Amazon, Nissan pushed back hard, determined to keep a union off its floor. What happened in Canton, in other southern union elections and in the four years since can give us clues about what to expect from the Amazon vote. Amazon's nearly 6,000 workers in Bessemer have until March 29th to mail in their vote on joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Amazon opened the new fulfillment center to employees exactly one year prior. If a majority of workers vote yes, this would be Amazon's first union in the United States. Advocates hope that will lead to more Amazon job sites unionizing. The company argues they already offer excellent health benefits and pay, which would just be cut into with union dues. The pay wasn't a major factor in either the Amazon or Nissan union campaigns. The Canton plant paid more than $26 an hour for some veteran workers. Amazon pays its Bessemer employees at least $15, almost double the minimum wage. Instead, both were motivated by working conditions. Pro-union Amazon workers complain about high packaging quotas and strict limits on breaks. Nissan workers said many jobs were unsafe, claiming hundreds of injuries occurred at the Nissan plant each year. The push in 2017 attracted national headlines, and visits from politicians and celebrities, like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and actor Danny Glover. Those same folks also visited Bessemer to rally support for the vote. But cheers for a union from the outside couldn't compete with anti-union messaging inside the plant.
 
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith proposes federal funding to address Jackson water crisis
In response to the ongoing water crisis in Jackson, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith introduced legislation Tuesday that would authorize federal funding for water infrastructure upgrades. The Emergency Water Infrastructure Improvements Act taps three federal agencies to provide the city with a combination of loans, loan forgiveness and grants for water infrastructure projects. This federal response comes as state lawmakers weigh their options for addressing the crisis in the final weeks of the 2021 legislative session. "Providing safe and reliable drinking water is a local responsibility, but there are federal programs and funds available that can be used to address these types of problems. I cannot sit back and watch Jackson schools, businesses and residents go without water," Hyde-Smith said in a press release announcing the bill. Under Hyde-Smith's bill, different levels and types of funding would come through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Other Mississippi lawmakers on Capitol Hill have yet to sign on to Hyde-Smith's proposal. In her announcement, Hyde-Smith emphasized a need for bipartisan support to get the legislation passed.
 
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith introduces bill that could bring millions in federal aid to Jackson
New legislation introduced in Congress Tuesday could bring millions of dollars to Jackson to help improve its troubled water system. The Emergency Water Infrastructure Act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, would provide the city with assistance through a combination of loans, loan forgiveness, and grants. Funding for the legislation would come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Economic Development Authority. "My legislation would provide federal assistance to get Jackson on the path to providing the basic services its citizens require and deserve," Hyde-Smith said in a statement. "It is a responsible and worthwhile plan that will require the support of the Democrats in Congress and the administration to get it done, and I look forward to their cooperation." A request for comment from Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba was not immediately returned. Hyde-Smith said providing safe drinking water and maintaining water systems is a local responsibility, but federal funding is available to help.
 
Long ignored, water systems are getting attention on Hill
For years, lawmakers bemoaned crumbling roads and bridges while wastewater and drinking water infrastructure crumbled largely outside the spotlight. Faced with outdated infrastructure and mounting federal requirements, water utilities struggled, often forced to pass the costs on to ratepayers ill-equipped to pay rapidly growing bills. And while the federal government offered aid to low-income Americans for heating assistance and food, there was no such federal aid for water bills, though utilities were reluctant to turn off the spigot. The federal message to those facing water shutoffs was loud and clear: You're on your own. But the 2016 water crisis in Flint, Mich., and the COVID-19 pandemic changed the equation. Now, water utilities are bullish after a series of legislative wins have helped them meet increasingly crucial needs. Congress in December included $638 million in assistance for low-income water customers and water and sewer investments in its end-of-year appropriations act, then approved another $500 million for that in its $1.9 trillion stimulus bill. "In just a few months it went from being this moon shot to $1.13 billion," said David Zielonka, a spokesman for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. Water utility operators say they hope to be included in an upcoming infrastructure package that is said to be next on the agenda for congressional Democrats and the Biden administration.
 
Republican attorneys general threaten key element of the $1.9 trillion stimulus
Twenty-one Republican state attorneys general on Tuesday threatened to take action against the Biden administration over its new $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus law, decrying it for imposing "unprecedented and unconstitutional" limits on their states' ability to lower taxes. The letter marks one of the first major political and legal salvos against the relief package since President Biden signed it last week -- evincing the sustained Republican opposition that the White House faces as it implements the signature element of the president's economic policy agenda. The attorneys general take issue with a $350 billion pot of money set aside under the stimulus, known as the American Rescue Plan, to help cash-strapped cities, counties and states pay for the costs of the pandemic. Congressional lawmakers opted to restrict states from tapping these federal dollars to finance local tax cuts. Lawmakers included the provision to ensure Washington isn't footing the bill on behalf of states that later take deliberate steps to reduce their revenue. But the guardrails frustrated many GOP leaders, who said in a letter to the Treasury Department that the law's vague wording threatens to interfere with states in good financial standing that sought to provide "such tax relief with or without the prospect of COVID-19 relief funds."
 
President Biden marks St. Patrick's Day, to praise Good Friday accord
President Joe Biden is marking St. Patrick's Day as he recommits the U.S. to the Good Friday Agreement, which has come under increasing stress following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. Biden, the latest president of Irish decent, is set for a virtual meeting Wednesday with Ireland's prime minister, Taoiseach Micheal Martin. The president attended a morning Mass at the aptly named St. Patrick's Church near his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, before returning to the White House to partake in St. Patrick's Day celebrations toned down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Signed in 1998, the Good Friday Agreement helped end sectarian violence that had raged for three decades over the issue of Northern Ireland unifying with Ireland or remaining part of the U.K. The White House stressed that the U.S. continues to support the Good Friday Agreement and its implementation. It called the agreement "the bedrock of peace, stability, and prosperity for all the people of Northern Ireland."
 
Trump Encourages His Supporters To Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Within Limits of 'Freedoms'
Former President Trump on Tuesday recommended that all eligible Americans get the coronavirus vaccine when their opportunity comes, though he added a caveat that he also respects people's decisions to not get one. Trump had faced growing calls to encourage his supporters -- especially Republican men who have voiced cynicism about the vaccine -- to get vaccinated. "I would recommend it, and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it. And a lot of those people voted for me, frankly. But, you know, again, we have our freedoms and we have to live by that, and I agree with that also," Trump said during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. "But it's a great vaccine, it's a safe vaccine, and it's something that works," Republicans and supporters of the former president are the least likely to seek a vaccine for the coronavirus, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey revealed last week. Almost half of Republican men, 47% of Trump supporters and 41% of Republicans overall said they would not get a vaccine if one is made available to them. Only 30% of adults overall say they would not get one. Trump's endorsement of the vaccine comes as many of his supporters have embraced baseless and dangerous conspiracies about the coronavirus, some of which the president encouraged.
 
White supremacist propaganda surged in 2020, report says
White supremacist propaganda reached alarming levels across the U.S. in 2020, according to a new report that the Anti-Defamation League provided to The Associated Press. There were 5,125 cases of racist, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ and other hateful messages spread through physical flyers, stickers, banners and posters, according to Wednesday's report. That's nearly double the 2,724 instances reported in 2019. Online propaganda is much harder to quantify, and it's likely those cases reached into the millions, the anti-hate organization said. The ADL, which was founded more than a century ago, said that last year marked the highest level of white supremacist propaganda seen in at least a decade. Its report comes as federal authorities investigate and prosecute those who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January, some of whom are accused of having ties to or expressing support for hate groups and antigovernment militias. Despite the overall increase, the ADL reported a steep decline in distribution of white supremacist propaganda at colleges and universities, due in large part to the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of students living and studying on campus. There were 303 reports of propaganda on college campuses in 2020, down from 630 in 2019.
 
Violent protests push tactical gear market to answer for extremists
Images of citizens dressed like soldiers -- wearing bulletproof vests, ballistic helmets and combat boots -- have been thrust into the spotlight following the U.S. Capitol riot Jan. 6 and civil unrest in the streets of America last summer. Now companies that manufacture and sell military-grade gear face an ethics quandary: Business may be booming, but at what cost? Some say it's out of their hands. Others are trying to distance themselves from the extremists. "Many of these people aren't serious about buying duty gear, they're doing it for show and don't represent the body armor community in any way," said Nick Groat, CEO of Safe Life Defense, whose company has been accused of serving up ads to extremists on Facebook. Market analyst Technavio reports the tactical and outdoor gear industry is growing globally by about $1 billion in revenue each year, with increasing demand by private security firms, outdoor recreation and "a novel fashion trend." It estimated that market soon will pass $16 billion in annual revenue. For decades, much of the multibillion-dollar tactical gear industry has sold exclusively to military and law enforcement agencies. The world's largest, including Honeywell and BAE Systems, still won't sell directly to consumers. Some fear risking lucrative police and military contracts by selling to individuals who could land them in headlines -- and photo spreads.
 
Alcoholic Liver Disease Sharply Rising Among Young Women, U.S. Doctors Say
Cases of alcoholic liver disease -- which includes milder fatty liver and the permanent scarring of cirrhosis, as well as alcoholic hepatitis -- are up 30% over the last year at the University of Michigan's health system, says Dr. Jessica Mellinger, a liver specialist there. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet compiled data on any overall increase in severe cases of alcoholic liver disease since the pandemic began. But, Mellinger says, "in my conversations with my colleagues at other institutions, everybody is saying the same thing: 'Yep, it's astronomical. It's just gone off the charts.' " In the U.S., more than 44,000 people died of alcoholic liver disease in 2019. And although liver diseases still affect more men, younger women are driving the increase in deaths, a trend that began several years ago and is now supercharged by the pandemic, says Mellinger. Alcoholic liver disease often takes years to manifest. But it can become a threat for women more quickly because their bodies process alcohol somewhat differently than men's. Women have also borne the brunt of many new pressures of pandemic life, from virtual school and increased responsibilities at home, even as ads and pop culture have continued to validate the idea of drinking to cope.
 
Auburn University alum Charles Barkley helps Auburn help HBCU grads
The Charles Barkley Foundation is giving money to Auburn University to attract more graduate students from southern Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This latest gift from the NBA Hall of Famer's organization -- amount not disclosed -- creates fellowships at his alma matter, after donating to Alabama A&M University, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Miles College and Tuskegee University over the last five years, according to an Auburn University news release. "I just think what it's costing these kids to go to college today is a travesty in this country, and I know historically black colleges are struggling," Barkley told CNN in 2020. "I wanted to do something to help them, and I'm going to continue to help them." The fellowship will target qualifying students who have graduated from an HBCU. Other factors for selection include applicants' socioeconomic background and whether they grew up in a highly rural or underserved area.
 
COSAM administration apologizes for 'tone deaf' diversity challenge featuring KKK
In a recent email, employees in Auburn University's College of Science and Mathematics were asked to, among other things, consider what aspects of the Ku Klux Klan they agree with. COSAM administration has since apologized and acknowledged the mistake. The email was sent to all employees in COSAM, including student workers, on Monday morning. It was part of the college's ongoing 30-Day Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Challenge. In the email, COSAM administration asked employees to read an article from the History Channel about the KKK and ask themselves questions about the hate group. Those who developed the email said the intention was to connect the KKK's existence to civil rights organizations that were created at least in part in response to the dangerous and terrorizing presence of the hate group. Kimberly Mulligan, assistant dean for inclusion, equity and diversity, has said that the discussion for the topic will still take place on Thursday and she invites everyone to join and voice criticisms and speak their mind. In an interview with The Plainsman on Tuesday, Mulligan elaborated on how she thought employees could learn from the exercise if it were worded properly.
 
LSU administrator gave rapists, stalkers and other Title IX violators slaps on the wrist
For years, the LSU administrator in charge of doling out punishments to rapists, stalkers and abusers regularly chose to issue the lowest possible sanctions, regardless of the severity of the alleged acts, a USA TODAY investigation has found. In more than half the Title IX cases referred to him for punishment over the past four school years, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Advocacy and Accountability Jonathan Sanders imposed sanctions that allowed guilty students to continue their coursework uninterrupted, instead of opting for more severe penalties, such as suspension or expulsion. During that time, Sanders expelled just one student. On top of this lenient approach, several women told USA TODAY that Sanders added to their trauma by disciplining them for minor, unrelated infractions or questioning them in ways that cast doubt on stories already found to be credible by Title IX investigators. One female student told USA TODAY that Sanders questioned her about what clothes she was wearing the night she said a male student raped her while she was unconscious. She reiterated her claims to investigators hired by LSU to review its handling of abuse cases. Two other female students said Sanders failed to contact witnesses in their cases against a fraternity member they reported for sexual assault in 2019.
 
At Oregon State, Trustees Reconsider the President's Past
F. King Alexander's presidency at Oregon State University is on the line this week -- for what may have happened during his tenure at a different institution. Alexander, 57, was appointed president of the state's land-grant institution in December 2019 -- his fourth college presidency in a relatively rapid ascent from a regional public university in Kentucky to the ranks of a major research university. Alexander's leadership of Oregon State has not been controversial. Instead, the governing board is now looking deeply into his role and actions when he was president of Louisiana State University, which he led for seven years. Trustees are scheduled to meet on Wednesday afternoon to consider whether to take disciplinary action against the president. College presidents sometimes lose their jobs over the mishandling of an athletics scandal, especially those involving allegations of sexual misconduct. Rarely are their jobs in jeopardy over how they managed those issues in a previous job. Boards are taking these issues more seriously after the vast problems uncovered in the sexual-abuse scandals at Michigan State and Penn State Universities, said Audrey J. Anderson, a higher-education lawyer with the firm Bass Berry & Sims. "What institutions should be taking from this is that the same rules should apply to everyone," Anderson said. "Athletics is not an island. Tone at the top really matters."
 
McCarty Woods won't be considered for development, U. of Florida says
McCarty Woods, a 2.9-acre forest in the middle of the University of Florida campus, won't be considered for development -- at least for roughly the next 10 years, UF officials announced Tuesday afternoon via email. The email noted that the plot is no longer being considered for development in the 2020-30 Campus Master Plan. UF spokesman Steve Orlando would not elaborate. The decision was made by senior administration, the email said, and UF will release more information in the future about possible uses for McCarty Woods in upcoming campus master plan updates. The reversal came after UF received heavy public criticism from students, staff and community members. McCarty Woods was initially declared a future development site in December when the 2020-30 Campus Master Plan was approved by the university's board of trustees. It had been designated conservation land since at least 2000 and public recreation space for over 40 years at that point. Jack Putz, a botany, ecology and ecosystems professor and UF faculty member since 1982, said he was thrilled to hear the decision. "I'm overjoyed. I'm glad that the administration responded to the wishes of the community of students, faculty and everybody," he said.
 
UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation gets name change
The University of Florida's School of Forest Resources and Conservation changed its name to the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences to better represent the school's programs and work, Terrell "Red" Baker, the school's director, said. A name change was suggested after the School of Forest Resources and Conservation absorbed two programs. In 2004, the geomatics program from the College of Engineering joined the school, and the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences joined it four years later, Baker said. The former vice president of IFAS, Jack Payne, put Baker in charge of moving forward with the name change process, said Scott Sager, forester, assistant director of the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences and UF graduate. "The first reason we wanted to change our name was to provide the appropriate visibility and recognition of those other programs," Baker said. The last time a college changed its name was in May 2014, when the UF College of Fine Arts changed its name to the College of the Arts.
 
U. of Tennessee identifies 13th COVID-19 cluster of the semester
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has identified its 13th COVID-19 cluster of the spring semester, coming from an off-campus gathering. The gathering took place March 12 at the 5000 block of Merchants Center Boulevard and then moved to an on-campus outdoor seating area near Stokely Management Center. It involves five COVID-19 cases and 24 close contacts, UT spokesperson Owen Driskill said. "All those involved have worked with university contact tracing and taken precautions, and their cooperation is greatly appreciated," Driskill said. The most recent cluster was not identified through campus saliva testing, which tests students weekly for COVID-19. UT defines a cluster as at least five positive COVID-19 cases or 20 close contacts who come from one event or location. Most of the clusters reported this school year have been in Greek housing, which is more susceptible to clusters because of the shared living arrangements in the house. Of the 12 clusters reported during the fall semester, seven were in Greek housing. Of the 13 clusters reported during the spring semester, nine were in Greek housing.
 
Texas A&M University seeks public input on transportation master plan
Texas A&M University is looking to improve transportation on campus and is inviting community members to offer input. Texas A&M University Transportation Services, with the help of Walker Consultants, is creating a master plan aimed at aligning mobility programs and infrastructure with the campus community's needs. A university website for the initiative says the current direction of how parking and transportation are "provided and managed on campus is not sustainable" due to mounting costs and pressures on "scarce campus parking and transportation resources" that are "reaching their carrying capacity." The master plan is meant to be a guide for Transportation Services throughout the next decade and beyond. The website says the plan will prioritize pedestrians, cyclists and transit users and will look to have parking at the periphery of campus so that once drivers park, they can rely on other modes of transportation to circulate. "Microtransit and other new, emerging modes of transportation will be evaluated and integrated into the long-term plan to increase options and mobility for all," according to the site.
 
U. of California reaches new open access agreement with Elsevier
When the University of California system canceled its bundled journal subscription deal with publisher Elsevier and walked away from contract negotiations in 2019, it wasn't clear whether the two parties would ever be able to get back on the same page. The UC system wanted to save money and stop supporting the production of research that is inaccessible to the public. Elsevier offered to combine the costs of accessing paywalled content and publishing open-access articles. But the offer came with a price tag with the UC system was not willing to pay. The four-year agreement, which Elsevier describes as a pilot, will go into effect on April 1. "I'm not at all surprised that UC and Elsevier came back to the negotiating table," said Rick Anderson, university librarian at Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library. "Elsevier was under a lot of pressure to regain access to UC's money and authors, and I'm sure the UC libraries were under a lot of pressure from faculty to regain access to Elsevier's content. Given that pressure, I think both side were inevitably going to give up on getting everything they wanted." Whether UC's experience will impact negotiations between Elsevier and smaller institutions remains to be seen, Anderson said.
 
State Spending on Higher Education Has Held Steady -- With a Boost From Federal Money
An infusion of federal money in the wake of the pandemic helped keep state spending on higher education at basically the same level as the previous fiscal year, according to an annual report released on Tuesday. The "Grapevine" survey, a joint effort between the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, shows that total state support for higher education in the 2021 fiscal year was up 0.3 percent over the previous year. The increase was fueled by nearly $2 billion in federal coronavirus-relief money that the states received for higher education through the Cares Act, according to the survey, which provides a first look at state higher-education funding in the new fiscal year. Without federal money included, state support for higher education was down 1.3 percent. The increase in spending nationwide, as usual, masks a wide variation in support among the 50 states. Last fiscal year, only five states reported a drop in funding from the year before. This year, 21 states did so, even after including additional federal funds. The decreases ranged from 0.1 percent in Iowa to 17.8 percent in Nevada.
 
UCLA can shield identities of Palestinian rights advocates to prevent harassment, judge rules
UCLA can continue to shield the identities of Palestinian rights activists to protect them from harassment and guard their constitutional rights to freedom of association, privacy and speech, a Los Angeles judge has ruled in a case that drew national attention to the volatile battles at college campuses over the Mideast conflict. Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant denied a request by a New York attorney to order the disclosure of the names of 64 presenters at a 2018 conference sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA. The attorney, David Abrams of the Zionist Advocacy Center, said in court filings that he wanted the information for research into "anti-Israel terrorists" and was entitled to it under the California Public Records Act. But the University of California, in its legal filings, said an internal investigation by UCLA police had concluded none of the speakers were terrorists and argued that disclosing their identities would subject them to harassment and undermine the university's mission to promote free speech and academic inquiry. UCLA provided evidence to the court of past harassment of campus supporters of Palestinian rights, including a declaration from a professor citing hate mail and efforts to get him fired and copies of fliers targeting students and faculty by name as allies of terrorists and promoters of "Jew hatred."
 
Despite college cancellations, spring breakers party on
Observers seeing recent reports of crowds of maskless young people, many presumed to be college students, partying on Florida beaches for spring break may have had flashbacks to March 2020, when the scenes were much the same, just weeks after the coronavirus pandemic had been declared and colleges were hastily throwing together plans to keep potentially infected students away from campus. Students at the time were either unaware of the risks that the virus posed or blatantly disregarding those risks, as they reveled in Miami and Daytona Beach. Some people may have been surprised to see the same behaviors being repeated this year, albeit with greater public knowledge about the virus and as the new vaccines are being administered to people across the country. Experts tracking student behavior during the pandemic were not at all surprised, however. Laurence Steinberg, a professor of psychology at Temple University and a leading expert on adolescent behavior, said that students are getting mixed signals right now about whether it's safe to do away with some of the precautions that the public has been urged to follow during the pandemic. He noted recent declarations by Greg Abbott of Texas and other governors that their states are "100 percent open" and the lifting of mask mandates.
 
Documentary highlights nation's first autism case found in Mississippi
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: A highly anticipated documentary film based on The New York Times bestselling book that was the 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist for general nonfiction will debut March 25 at 6 p.m. at the venerable Oxford Film Festival. Based on the book "In A Different Key: The Story of Autism" by John Donvan and Caren Zucker, the film by the same title chronicles the search by those two award-winning broadcast journalists for the first person formally diagnosed with autism to explore whether that patient's life held relevance for their own loved ones who also were diagnosed with autism. Their search brings them to Forest, Mississippi -- the home of Donald Triplett, who in 1943 became "Case No. 1" diagnosed by Johns Hopkins University professor and noted child psychiatrist Dr. Leo Kanner as having autism. Kanner examined and treated Don Triplett on three occasions in Baltimore. ... In telling the agonizing story of the search for answers and help for their children by parents and loved ones of individuals diagnosed with autism, we see the remarkable life that Don Triplett has lived in rural Mississippi in a nurturing, accepting community that knew Don was "different" but were mostly unaware of the clinical diagnosis or Triplett's place in psychological and medical history.


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State baseball easily beats Samford for 7th straight win
Mississippi State is hot going into SEC play. The No. 3 Bulldogs (14-3) took care of Samford (7-10) in convincing fashion Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field. Mississippi State won 10-2 to claim its seventh victory in a row. Senior left-hander Houston Harding didn't allow a run in 3⅓ innings. Coach Chris Lemonis used six relief pitchers the rest of the way. Samford's runs were charged to sophomores Xavier Lovett and KC Hunt. Mississippi State started the scoring with a one-run rally in the third. The Bulldogs scored three in the fourth on home runs from junior catcher Luke Hancock and senior first baseman Josh Hatcher. Hancock hit another – his team-leading fifth – to start a six-run rally in the sixth. Eight different Bulldogs were credited with at least one RBI, led by Hancock with three. Hancock took the team lead in batting average among players who have appeared in all 17 games. He's hitting .314. The Bulldogs hit the road for a three-game series at No. 15 LSU (14-3) starting Friday at 6 p.m. It'll be MSU's first time playing at Alex Box Stadium since losing two of three there in March 2018.
 
No. 3 Mississippi State downs Samford for seventh straight win heading into SEC opener
One by one, Mississippi State cleared the fences at Dudy Noble Field. First it was sophomore Luke Hanock who sent a pitch from Samford reliever Carson Hobbs over the wall in right field and just short of clearing the bleachers alongside Adkerson Plaza. Two batters later, fourth-year junior Josh Hatcher smoked the first offering he saw from Hobbs over the center field wall for the Bulldogs' second home run in five pitches. Combined, Hancock's and Hatcher's long balls equated to MSU's 22nd midweek victory in 23 tries since 2019 and gave the Bulldogs (14-3) a 10-2 win over Samford (7-10). "I think I've just matured as a hitter a lot since my freshman year," Hancock said of how he's improved at the dish. "My plate discipline has gotten better. I'm swinging at good pitches, being aggressive, being in counts where I know it's heavy fastball counts." Just three days shy of its Southeastern Conference opener against No. 19 LSU in Baton Rouge, MSU's win over Samford on Tuesday was the latest addition to its recent early-run outputs. After recording just 16 runs in the first three innings of their previous 11 games, the Bulldogs notched 11 over that frame in its five contests last week. Tuesday, MSU again struck early, notching its first run of the day on a double to left field scored Hatcher from second base.
 
Bulldogs beat Samford in final prep game
The bats came alive in Mississippi State's final game before conference play. No. 3 Mississippi State beat Samford, 10-2, at Dudy Noble Field on Tuesday. The Bulldogs tallied 10 hits and have won seven straight games and 10 of the last 11. Sophomore catcher Luke Hancock hit two home runs and the Bulldogs recorded at least 10 hits for the ninth time this season. Mississippi State (14-3) will open SEC play at LSU on Friday at 6 p.m. "This has been a good start," head coach Chris Lemonis said. "I think we've challenged our group. We went on the road and played that great Texas tournament. We've played some good competition and some good midweeks. We like where we are at right now." Rowdey Jordan got the scoring started in the bottom of the sixth inning. Scotty Dubrule led off the inning with a walk, and Jordan doubled off the left field wall to put MSU up, 1-0. The Bulldogs then found their power swing in the fourth inning. Hancock hit a two-run home run to put Mississippi State up 3-0 and Josh Hatcher followed him with a solo home run of his own. Up 4-0, Mississippi State added six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
Mississippi State football hires former Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson as defensive analyst
Mike Leach has a new coworker -- one with deep Magnolia State ties. Mississippi State hired former Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson as a defensive analyst. 247Sports first reported the news, and a source confirmed Hopson's hiring with the Clarion Ledger. An official announcement is expected soon. Hopson, a Vicksburg native, had been at the helm in Hattiesburg since 2015, but he resigned last fall just one game into the 2020 season. The Golden Eagles lost their season opener 32-21 at home to South Alabama. Hopson went 28-23 with three bowl appearances at USM. He went 32-17 from 2012-15 at Alcorn State. Hopson led the Braves to a 10-win season in 2014 and brought the program its first SWAC championship since 1994. Hopson has been a college coach in some capacity since 1992. He was a graduate assistant at LSU in 1994 and Florida in 1995. He had two other stints at Southern Miss as a defensive backs coach from 2001-03 and the defensive coordinator from 2005-07. He spent the 2004 season at Ole Miss as a defensive backs coach.
 
Mississippi State football adding former Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson to staff
Mississippi State is adding an experienced piece to its football staff. A source confirmed to The Dispatch Tuesday that former Southern Mississippi head coach Jay Hopson will join head coach Mike Leach's staff as a defensive analyst. MSU officially announced the hire later Tuesday afternoon. "I am excited about this opportunity and really want to thank Coach Leach," Hopson said in a news release. "I am looking forward to being a part of the Bulldog Family, and all the exciting things happening at Mississippi State." Hopson resigned from his post in Hattiesburg after just one game this year. In parts of five seasons at Southern Miss Hopson compiled a 28-23 record. He was previously 32-17 as the head coach at Alcorn State prior to his run at Southern Miss. The Vicksburg native brings a wealth of experience to the Bulldogs' staff. Ahead of his time as a head coach, Hopson worked in varying capacities at Ole Miss, LSU, Florida and Michigan. He also served as the defensive coordinator at Southern Miss between 2005 and 2007.
 
Former USM coach Jay Hopson joins MSU football staff
Mike Leach and the Mississippi State football program added a big-name coach to its coaching staff on Tuesday. Jay Hopson, the former Southern Miss and Alcorn State head coach, had joined the Mississippi State football team as a defensive analyst, a source confirmed to the Daily Journal. The Vicksburg native resigned as the Southern Miss head coach one game into the 2020 football season. "I am excited about this opportunity and really want to thank Coach Leach," Hopson said in a statement. "I am looking forward to being a part of the Bulldog Family, and all the exciting things happening at Mississippi State." Spring practice for the Bulldogs is scheduled to begin on Thursday.
 
Tennessee football pauses team activities after positive COVID-19 tests
The Tennessee football program has paused team activities after recent COVID-19 testing produced multiple positive tests among staff members and athletes, UT announced on Wednesday. The Vols are scheduled to begin spring practice on Tuesday, but that could be re-evaluated. Tennessee's spring game is scheduled for April 24 at Neyland Stadium. After learning of the positive test results, staff members and athletes immediately isolated and took safety measures in accordance with university, CDC and local health department guidelines, UT stated in its announcement.
 
N.C.A.A. Quietly Eases a Virus Safety Rule for Tournament
The N.C.A.A. quietly rewrote part of its coronavirus safety protocols, which college sports administrators have routinely used to justify holding basketball championships during the pandemic, to potentially shorten the quarantines of some teams arriving in Indiana for the Division I men's tournament. The association's published health guidelines, which also apply to the women's tournament scheduled to begin next week in Texas, call for teams to "remain in quarantine until two consecutive tests on separate days are confirmed negative, at which time team practice may begin." But the N.C.A.A.'s unannounced change offers teams arriving late at night a quicker way out: negative results on virus tests separated by at least 12 hours. The shift, acknowledged only after inquiries from The New York Times, allowed Iona, the No. 15 seed in the East region, to practice less than 24 hours after its chartered plane landed in Indianapolis late in the night it clinched its automatic bid. The episode involving Iona, which Coach Rick Pitino steered to a victory in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday, is an early signal of how the N.C.A.A. may interpret, apply and change the safety rules it is relying on to stage 67 games in Indiana over the coming weeks. Like their counterparts in many leagues, college sports administrators routinely recalibrated their approach to the pandemic, not just in details but sometimes with respect to issues they had depicted as foundational principles.
 
Education Department is not likely to oppose transgender athletes competing as women
Little noticed in October, about three weeks before the presidential election, was that the Education Department targeted Franklin Pierce University in the raging national debate over transgender athletes. The department, still under the Trump administration, said it was concerned that the small private institution in New Hampshire was violating the rights of athletes assigned female at birth by letting certain male-to-female transgender people compete against them. The department's civil rights office agreed to drop a civil rights probe it had opened, but only after the university agreed to no longer let transgender athletes play against cisgender women. The department's stance sent a clear message to other colleges and universities -- they could also come under scrutiny for civil rights violations if they allowed transgender women to compete as women. "The significance was definitely alarming," said Joanna Hoffman, spokeswoman for Athlete Ally, an advocacy group that promotes equality in sports regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. "We saw it not only as a signal to the NCAA but to institutions that support transgender athletes." As the national debate over whether transgender athletes should be able to compete as women continues to rage, a spokeswoman for the Education Department under the Biden administration didn't explicitly answer last week when asked if the department had changed the stance taken by the Trump administration a few months ago.



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