| Tuesday, February 6, 2024 |
| Education: Bulldog Bash honored with CVB Crystal Pineapple Tourism Award | |
 | Mississippi State University's Bulldog Bash was honored with a major award at the Feb. 1 Greater Starkville Development Partnership banquet. Alongside other prestigious community recognitions, Bulldog Bash took home the Convention and Visitors Bureau Crystal Pineapple Tourism Award for the event's impact on tourism and economic vitality in Starkville. The annual event presented by the MSU Student Association and held in historic downtown Starkville has grown to be Mississippi's largest free outdoor concert. More than 35,000 attendees were counted in 2022 in the Main Street venue that has hosted numerous Grammy winners and Billboard chart-toppers over the years. "Bulldog Bash is part of the fabric of Mississippi State and the City of Starkville," said MSU Vice President of Student Affairs Regina Hyatt, noting that the concert draws excitement and support from students, community members and visitors. The Partnership is comprised of the Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce, Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority, Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Starkville Main Street Association. |
| 'American Idol' Winner Taylor Hicks Comes to MSU Riley Center on April 4 | |
 | Genre-spanning singer and "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks will appear in concert on Thursday, April 4, at the Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts in historic downtown Meridian. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Hicks combined influences from soul, blues, country, and rock 'n' roll, plus an energetic stage presence, to wow "American Idol" audiences. More than 200 TV million viewers watched him triumph in the fifth-season competition finale in 2006. "Taylor Hicks' musical talent, onstage charisma, and down-home approachability make him a must-see performer," said Dr. Terry Dale Cruse, Associate Vice President and head of Mississippi State-Meridian Campus. "If you've only seen him on television, you owe it to yourself to experience the energy that he pours into his live shows. The intimacy of our beautiful theater and its crystal-clear acoustics will make it seem as if he's singing personally to each member of the audience." The MSU Riley Center extends special thanks to The Riley Foundation for grant money that makes shows by such sought-after artists possible. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.msurileycenter.com or call 601-696-2200. |
| Mississippi foresters expect bark beetle risk to rise in spring | |
 | As drought takes its toll on Mississippi's trees, foresters encourage landowners and homeowners to be on the lookout for pine bark beetles as spring arrives. Butch Bailey, a forester with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, said most of the tree death people are seeing across the state is a result of the ongoing drought that began last summer. However, activity by Ips beetles increased in late 2023, and conditions are right to have increased activity in 2024. "Anyone who has pine trees, whether in a yard or a forest, is potentially at risk," Bailey said. "The beetles will seek out stressed trees, such as those that were struck by lightning, are overcrowded or stressed from lack of water." In Mississippi, there are five species of pine bark beetles that attack pines. Three of these are Ips beetles. All five species are always present, but Ips are of special concern for drought-stressed trees. "The good news is that while Ips can cause a lot of damage, they're not as bad as the southern pine beetle species. And we aren't seeing a huge amount of southern pine beetles," Bailey said. Bailey recommends landowners and homeowners keep an eye on their pines going into spring. |
| Dry duck season leaves many hunters hopeful for next season | |
 | Did you see any ducks this season? If so, consider yourself lucky. Duck migration in Mississippi and the Southeast was extremely low this season. James Callicutt with the Mississippi State Extension Service specializes in waterfowl, and he says a variety of factors went into the dry duck season -- but the weather was the most prominent. "The Mississippi River Valley, the whole region across these states is one of the most wintering regions for waterfowl in the country, so it's a hotspot for migrating ducks," Callicutt said. "Ducks migrate south when their food and other resources are inaccessible to them cause of freezing conditions, wetlands freeze, or more importantly, snowfall occurs, and it covers up their food resources. So, they moved further south to be able to access those food resources." Callicutt says the dry summer that went over into the fall caused the wetlands to remain dry. Callicutt says he is hopeful the conditions will line up for next season, for hunters, and the state of Mississippi as a whole. "Hopefully good conditions will happen on the breeding grounds that will produce abundant duc populations that have the potential to move to Mississippi, and we will have the weather and habitat conditions that line up for birds to show up in Mississippi, and we'll get to enjoy them," Callicutt said. |
| Community Profile: May the dogs be with you | |
| It started in March of last year when Alden Thornhill was eating lunch in the Cotton District. The famed Cotton District Arts Festival had moved temporarily to fall, leaving the unique neighborhood -- and gateway between Starkville and Mississippi University -- without a major spring event. Thornhill knew exactly how to fill the void: A Dachshund Derby. Very few cities put on something like that, he thought. And who knows? Maybe a few folks would show. Try several thousand. Run the first Saturday of May, the same day as horses run the Kentucky Derby, dog owners brought their pets to race -- dachshunds and non-dachshunds, alike -- and many others just came to watch the excitement. The inaugural event raised roughly $16,000 for the Oktibbeha County Humane Society. "It shows when Mississippi State and Starkville work together, they can do amazing things," Thornhill said. "Who would have thought 20,000 people would come out and watch a bunch of weenie dogs run?" For one, Paige Watson, Starkville Main Street director with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and friend of Thornhill's. "I'll admit I was thrown by the idea at first, but I wasn't surprised," she said. "If Alden is involved, it's probably going to be a success." A Greenwood native, Thornhill grew up watching MSU athletics, frequently attending football, basketball and baseball games in person with his family. When it was time to pick a college for himself, only one would do, and he earned a degree from MSU in public relations in 2015. |
| Mississippi's top court to hear arguments over spending public money on private schools | |
 | The Mississippi Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday in a dispute over a state law that would put $10 million of federal pandemic relief money into infrastructure grants for private schools. Hinds County Chancery Judge Crystal Wise Martin blocked the law in October 2022 after Parents for Public Schools sued the state. The nonprofit group argued the grants would give private schools a competitive advantage over public schools. "Any appropriation of public funds to be received by private schools adversely affects schools and their students," Martin wrote. "Taxpayer funding for education is finite." The lawsuit cited a section of the Mississippi Constitution that prohibits the use of public money for any school that is not "a free school." During the 2022 legislative session, Mississippi's Republican-controlled House and Senate made plans to spend most of the $1.8 billion that the state received for pandemic relief. One bill signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves created a grant program to help private schools pay for water, broadband and other infrastructure projects. Another allocated the $10 million of federal money for the program as of July 1, 2022. The program allowed grants of up to $100,000 to any in-state school that is a member of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools and is accredited by a state, regional or national organization. |
| House Democrats unveil Mississippi's first major Medicaid expansion plan | |
 | Democratic representatives will file a bill to expand Medicaid eligibility to working-class Mississippians -- after years of failed attempts and as rural hospitals reach their breaking point. Though Democrats have fought for years to expand Medicaid, they hope their more pragmatic proposal this session and the new House speaker's pledge to seek a bipartisan solution on health coverage will finally yield a realistic plan to expand coverage. "I think a majority of people in Mississippi would like to see ... coverage for working Mississippians who don't have coverage and providing the uncompensated care funding that hospitals need to stay open," House Democratic Leader Robert Johnson III said. The bill, the first major Medicaid expansion proposal this year, would expand traditional Medicaid coverage eligibility and includes a private insurance option for Mississippians who make up to twice as much as the federal poverty level. There's also a component that would help subsidize premiums for people who are on or are offered insurance through their jobs. It's a plan that, Democrats say, favors women and small businesses. It would cover more people than traditional expansion because it'll be easier to qualify for coverage, but more people would be partially paying premiums in a tiered system, dependent on income. |
| Mississippi will spend billions on broadband. Advocates say needy areas have been ignored | |
| Mississippi's plan for spending $1.2 billion in federal funds to expand broadband access does not ensure the neediest communities in the state will benefit, a coalition of statewide organizations alleged Monday. At a news conference at the state Capitol, groups focused on broadband equity and Democratic lawmakers said the state's five-year plan won't do enough to make internet access more affordable, even though only one-third of Mississippians have access to affordable broadband. The coalition called for the Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi office -- the state entity created to manage billions in grant dollars -- to ensure impoverished communities in the Mississippi Delta would benefit from the federal windfall and develop more plans for addressing racial disparities in broadband access. "BEAM's current strategy and approach would benefit wealthy and well-resourced communities, leaving poor and unserved communities in the same or worse state that they're in today," said Vangela M. Wade, president of the Mississippi Center for Justice, a nonprofit legal group focused on racial and economic justice. In a written statement Monday, Sally Doty, BEAM's director, said the office has held meetings in numerous areas around the state, including those near unserved areas. Democratic state Sen. John Horhn, of Jackson, said BEAM should ensure minority contractors win some of the grant money. |
| Medical cannabis industry growing in the Magnolia State | |
| In 2022, Mississippi officially legalized the use of medical marijuana through the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program (MMCP). The program was established to oversee the product's use for a specified list of approved medical conditions. This approval by the Legislature was the catalyst for a new industry that is growing all across the state. The program is housed within the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). The department oversees the regulation and enforcement of laws related to patient cards, medical practitioners, and cannabis cultivation facilities. Since it was implemented in 2023, MMCP has generated $8.8 million in revenue through application and licensure fees. MSDH has collected roughly $65,000 in fines, with the Department of Revenue (DOR) collecting $51,000 in fees. The program has netted $949,641 in excise tax and $2,345,387 in sales tax for the year with $44 million generated in retail sales. Senator Kevin Blackwell (R), chairman of the Senate Medicaid Committee and the lawmaker who handled the initial medical marijuana bill, said there will be additional legislation to come out of both chambers this year to make minor adjustment to the program. This will likely include a reconsideration of the permissible medical ailments that qualify for a medical cannabis card based on recommendations from the Cannabis Advisory. "There will be some little tweaks and some things we will have to continue to wait on because we just aren't there yet," said Senator Blackwell. |
| Big Companies Cashed In on Mississippi's Water. Small Towns Paid the Price. | |
 | In winter 2021, more than 150,000 people living in Jackson, Miss., were left without running water. Faucets were dry or dribbling a muddy brown. For weeks, people across the city lost the water they normally relied on to drink, cook and bathe. With no way to flush their toilets, some parents sent their children into the woods to relieve themselves. Businesses closed. Mississippi's capital effectively shut down. The following year, at the height of Mississippi's sweltering summer in August 2022, it would all happen again. Each time Jackson faced a water crisis, local and state leaders cast blame in familiar directions. Lawmakers criticized city officials for ignoring leaky pipes and failing to collect payments from customers. City officials pointed to Jackson's shrinking population and decades of economic decline. And they said state officials, mostly white and Republican, had starved the mostly Black, Democratic city of resources. But the final blow was delivered by Siemens, a giant German corporation that had swept into town in 2010, boldly promising to install modern water meters that would boost revenues and return Jackson's water system to a moneymaking enterprise that could afford to fix its crumbling infrastructure. The outlines of Siemens's role in Jackson's water issues were laid out publicly in 2019, when the city sued the company. But Jackson was not the only Mississippi city that fell victim to the promise of easy money. |
| Ex-NFL quarterback Favre must finish repaying misspent welfare money, Mississippi auditor says | |
| Mississippi's state auditor filed court papers Monday renewing his call for Brett Favre to repay the state for welfare money that the auditor says was improperly spent on projects backed by the retired NFL quarterback. Auditor Shad White's demand of nearly $730,000 from Favre is the latest twist in a long-running legal battle over money that was supposed to help some of the poorest people in one of the poorest states in the nation. Favre, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member who lives in Mississippi, filed lawsuits in February 2023 accusing White and two national sportscasters of defaming him in public discussions about welfare misspending. White said in 2020 that Favre had improperly received $1.1 million in speaking fees from a nonprofit organization that spent welfare with approval from the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program was to go toward a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi. Favre agreed to lead fundraising efforts for the facility at his alma mater, where his daughter started playing on the volleyball team in 2017. "Favre had no legal right to the possession or control of this $1.1 Million," White's attorneys wrote in the court filing Monday. Favre's defamation lawsuit against White is still pending, and White's filing Monday was a counterclaim in that suit. |
| Mississippi receives nearly $3M for fishery disaster from 2019 Bonnet Carré Spillway openings | |
| The Mississippi Gulf Coast will receive a portion of a large sum of federal dollars going to several regions of the country to address fishery disasters that occurred from 2017 to 2022. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo last Monday announced that $42 million will be dispersed among seven different territories, with the Magnolia State receiving $2,993,283 of the pot. Mississippi's portion of the funding follows devastation to aquatic species that occurred nearly five years ago due to multiple openings of the infamous Bonnet Carré Spillway, reaping harsh financial ramifications on commercial businesses reliant on the Coast's abundance of fish, shrimp, and oysters. While any assistance to rectify the damage that was done to aquatic populations and the economy on the Gulf Coast is welcome, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., says it should not have taken so long for Mississippi to receive aid from the federal government. "This funding is helpful, but it does not make the impacted businesses whole. It should not take years for disaster funds to trickle in," Wicker said. "I will keep working to reform the fisheries disaster declaration process so the funds can be delivered to communities in a shorter timeframe. I am committed to helping Mississippi recover no matter how long it takes." |
| Senate Republicans resist advancing on the border policy bill, leaving aid for Ukraine in doubt | |
| Facing a torrent of criticism from conservatives, Senate Republicans on Monday resisted advancing on a bipartisan proposal intended to clamp down on illegal border crossings, signaling a likely defeat in Congress that would leave leaders with no clear path to approve wartime aid for Ukraine. In a dramatic turnaround, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell recommended to GOP senators in a closed-door meeting that they vote against the first procedural vote Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the meeting who were not authorized to talk publicly about it and spoke anonymously. It came just hours after the Kentucky Republican had urged colleagues on the Senate floor that "it's now time for Congress to take action." But McConnell has struggled to marshal his conference to support the package of $118 billion package of border enforcement policy and funding for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies. Senate negotiators on Sunday night released the text of the bill, hoping that the details would win over skeptics. The carefully negotiated deal represented a rightward shift in Senate negotiations over border measures, yet the backlash was still intense from conservatives. They savaged the border policy proposal as insufficient, with former President Donald Trump leading the charge. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, predicted that the Wednesday tally would fall short of the 60 votes needed. After exiting an earlier meeting with other GOP leaders, he told reporters, "I think the proposal is dead." |
| Where's Biden? A bit off stage from the main attraction. | |
 | Over the past week, Joe Biden conducted a retaliatory strike against Iranian militants, stomped his way to a victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary, and saw a massive beat of expectations on a monthly jobs report. It was a consequential several days, made all the more striking by the fact that Biden wasn't physically around for much of it. The president has kept a distance from the action, not addressing the nation on the strikes, not staying in South Carolina for his win and declining to participate in the semi-traditional Super Bowl interview this coming Sunday. The low key approach is one the White House has adopted before, at times worrying some in his party who say it's critical that he seize any opportunity to counter criticism that he's too old or disengaged for the job. "He's got to make his case," said Will Marshall, president of the Democratic think tank Progressive Policy Institute. "There are opportunities to take the offensive on the economy and even now on immigration." But the administration insists it is by design and that the concerns miss not just how much he interacts with the public but the nuances of the job. That's especially true, they note, with respect to the airstrikes launched in response to the deaths of three American soldiers. Biden's political opponents have seized on his silence. |
| Lawmakers see blue-collar voters as key in Biden-Trump rematch | |
 | The race for working-class voters is underway, with President Joe Biden already working to erase Donald Trump's edge with what again will be a key group in another close presidential race. Trump's convincing New Hampshire primary victory was more of a third coronation, further etching the Republican Party in the former president's image -- which includes his declarations that working-class voters were better off under his presidency. But Biden has been touting a key union's endorsement and is back to his "Bidenomics" campaign pitch about policies to make the economy work from the "bottom up and the middle out, not the top down." Polls suggest Trump has an advantage with this bloc, including in key swing states. But recent economic data has given Biden and Democrats new hope about closing ground among working-class voters. Since Trump rolled to primary victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, GOP lawmakers have been reluctant to be seen as giving him advice. But some said they want him to focus on immigration and kitchen-table issues they believe will lock in the working-class vote. Former GOP Rep. David Jolly noted in a recent email that both Trump and Biden during their political careers "have made successful, authentic appeals to working class voters -- but perhaps Trump has continued to increase his share, outpacing past Republican performance as measured against Democratic performance." |
| Federal Appeals Court Rejects Trump's Claim of Absolute Immunity | |
| A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected former President Donald J. Trump's claim that he was immune to charges of plotting to subvert the results of the 2020 election, ruling that he must go to trial on a criminal indictment accusing him of seeking to overturn his loss to President Biden. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit handed Mr. Trump a significant defeat, but was unlikely to be the final word on his claims of executive immunity. Mr. Trump is expected to continue his appeal to the Supreme Court -- possibly with an intermediate request to the full appeals court. Still, the panel's 57-page ruling signaled an important moment in American jurisprudence, answering a question that had never been addressed by an appeals court: Can former presidents escape being held accountable by the criminal justice system for things they did while in office? The panel, composed of two judges appointed by Democrats and one Republican appointee, said in its decision that despite the privileges of the office he once held, Mr. Trump was subject to federal criminal law like any other American. "For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant," the panel wrote. "But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as president no longer protects him against this prosecution." |
| Nikki Haley requests Secret Service protection, says 'we've had multiple issues' | |
 | Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has requested Secret Service protection after saying she's received increased threats as she competes with former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, according to reports. "We've had multiple issues," Haley told the Wall Street Journal after a campaign event in Alken, South Carolina. "It's not going to stop me from doing what I need to do." Haley has been the victim of two swatting attempts in recent months. The first occurred on Dec. 30, after an unidentified man called 911 to falsely report he had shot a woman at Haley's home in South Carolina and threatened to harm himself, Reuters first reported. Emergency responders had arrived at the scene. Though Haley was not home at the time, her parents were there with a caregiver, Haley said on NBC's "Meet the Press." The second incident occurred on New Year's Day, after someone allegedly called authorities and said Haley shot her daughter and was threatening to harm herself, Reuters first reported. As Haley has criss crossed her home state of South Carolina, making speeches in breweries, restaurants and college auditoriums, police presence has been growing steadily. At a recent event in a brewery in Daniel Island in Charleston police dogs could be seen sweeping the stage, restrooms and hallways. The crowds themselves have been peaceful though there usually has been at least one heckler who has to be removed by the police. |
| How is UM celebrating Black History Month? | |
 | Today marks the beginning of Black History Month, a time dedicated to honor the achievements and tribulations of African Americans. Sammoria Williams, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, discussed the importance of on-campus events for students. "Hosting events tailored around Black History is important because they honor a rich heritage while also cultivating a profound impact on students by fostering awareness and understanding of the history and contributions of Black Americans, as well as unity and inspiration for a more inclusive future for our campus," Williams said. There are many events for University of Mississippi students to get involved in and attend throughout the month. The Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement will host the Black History Month Keynote on Feb. 13 in the Johnson Commons Ballroom. The event speaker is B. Brian Foster, associate professor of sociology at the University of Virginia. The event is free and open to the public. UM's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is organizing a week of events from Feb. 11 to Feb. 17. The Black Alumni Network of the University of Mississippi is preparing the Black Alumni Reunion, which will take place from Feb. 29 to March 3. The event is open to current and past UM students, and the link for registration can be found on the network's Instagram and Facebook. |
| 'God's country needs some updating:' Alcorn State seeks a long-term leader and advocate, speakers tell IHL delegation | |
| Alcorn State University's next president must advocate for economic development in rural southwest Mississippi, boost enrollment, raise funds, inspire students to achieve their hopes and dreams, be familiar with the school's rich history and, above all, stay. Preferably for at least five years. That was the message students, faculty, staff and alumni delivered to the Institutions of Higher Learning commissioner and five members of the Board of Trustees during listening sessions Monday on Alcorn State's campus, the first step in the governing board's search process for a new president at the oldest public historical Black land-grant institution in the U.S. In the last 10 years, the historic university has seen seven acting and permanent presidents come and go, experiencing, as the school's director of religious life put it, a "visionary whiplash" that is beginning to erode core qualities of the campus culture, like its homey, familial vibe. "When I first got here 10 years ago, Alcorn was like a family, like a big porch," said C.J. Rhodes. "In the last few years, that cultural-aspect piece has sort of been jeopardized in some way, so we need a person who can come in and ensure that that part is there." Located in Lorman, an unincorporated community in Jefferson County with just 2,000 residents, Alcorn State is mainly surrounded by forest and farmland. The two closest cities -- Natchez and Vicksburg -- are each roughly 50 minutes away. |
| Honors College program renamed to honor former U. of Alabama president Robert Witt | |
 | Among the many University of Alabama programs and expansions launched UA by President Emeritus Robert Witt was the University Fellows Experience, an elite track within the already-select Honors College, which he also helped create. Bolstered by a $4 million gift from the family of late UA alumna Reta Mudd, and approval by the UA systems board of trustees, Friday afternoon it was officially named the Dr. Robert E. Witt University Fellows Program. Hundreds of students, with alumni, faculty and UA staff including Witt, President Stuart R. Bell, Honors College Dean Tiffany Sippial, and fellows experience director Dana Patton celebrated in the Camellia Room at the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library. The Mudd donation is a transformative gift, Sippial said, one that will allow the program to plan and grow for decades, leaving a solid support system in place. Witt oversaw vast expansion of the UA campus and student body during his tenure as president, 2003-2012, then as chancellor of the UA system from 2012-2016. He worked to raise not just numbers, but the quality of student applicants; the Honors College, and arms such as the fellows experience, sought to attract the best and brightest. Witt also launched an ambitious campaign of construction to improve and expand the physical campus, and with former UA athletic director Mal Moore, led the effort to recruit Nick Saban. After news of $5 million plus paychecks spread, Witt often responded Saban was the best investment UA ever made. |
| Auburn University sees record-breaking number of applicants for fall 2024 | |
| Auburn University has reached another all-time high of first-year student applications. The university says it has topped 55,000 applications for fall 2024. That's a 14% increase from fall 2023, when the university received 48,000 applications. "It is exciting to once again see so many students demonstrating a strong interest in joining the Auburn Family," said Joffery Gaymon, Auburn's vice president for enrollment. "As we focus on efforts of greater access to underserved areas, we are working hard to build connections and further grow our applicant numbers." The applicant pool for fall 2024 had more than 12,000 Alabama residents, with every county in the state represented. The university's data also shows all states in the nation were represented. In total, 39% of applicants secured admissions, with 34% being from Alabama. The university says 25% of the admitted students were from an underrepresented background. "In meeting with students throughout the state, we are hearing loud and clear how Auburn is the preferred choice of Alabama students," said Billy Fisher, assistant director of admissions. "In its ongoing efforts of outreach and engagement throughout Alabama and beyond, Auburn continues to demonstrate its dedication to broadening access and enhancing affordability." First-year students admitted in early action had an average ACT score of 29. |
| Auburn University reopens Miller Hall weeks after discovering microbial growth | |
 | Auburn University's Miller Hall has been reopened to students and staff following the discovery of microbial growth in January. The building was reopened for faculty and staff on Jan. 31 and classes would resume on Monday, according to Auburn University. The building had been closed since Jan. 12 when evidence of microbial growth was discovered in the basement following intense rainfall on Jan. 8. After the discovery of microbial growth from samples tested by EMSL Analytical, Inc., the hall was closed for remediation, which was conducted by ServPro. "This included sealing off the basement, removal of affected materials, running dehumidifiers and air scrubbers, and disinfecting and cleaning the entire building and HVAC system. Risk Management & Safety will continue to perform air sampling of Miller Hall weekly for the next eight weeks, then periodically after that," said Chris O'Gwynn, the executive director of Risk Management and Safety. Miller Hall is an academic building that houses office space and/or teaching for the following colleges: School of Communication and Journalism, Department of Economics, Department of English, Department of Psychology, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts, Department of Human development and Family Studies in the College of Human Sciences and the Department of Mathematics in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. |
| U. of Tennessee Advisory Board talks construction, growth at meeting | |
| At the University of Tennessee's Advisory Board Meeting on Feb. 2, Chancellor Donde Plowman reaffirmed the stance taken in her recent letter addressing allegations of NIL violations against UT and talked about growth, construction and future plans. Rather than focusing on the specifics of her letter, Plowman instead focused on the response from others. Having already called the allegations "procedurally flawed," Plowman used the meeting to thank supporters who backed her cause. "First of all, I just want to say to everyone two words: thank you," Plowman said. "It has been so overwhelming and gratifying to see the support we have received. It's just nonstop." Plowman cited support received from both internal and external avenues. Along with thanking students, faculty and staff, Plowman acknowledged support from elected officials in both Nashville and Washington D.C. and noted her priority to uphold the university's reputation. Another large point of discussion in Friday's meeting was upcoming improvements for UT's ever-expanding campus. Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Allen Bolton detailed Tennessee's plans for several eight and nine-figure investments. Included was Regional Stormwater Park, which feeds irrigation from Andy Holt Avenue, will help manage stormwater and will open in the spring of 2024 for a total investment of $3.2 million. |
| Texas A&M System offers free mental health app to students | |
 | The Texas A&M University System is now offering all 153,000-plus students free access to the TELUS Health Student Support app. The app, available on IOS and Android, provides students with 24/7 access to mental health help via telephone or chat, the university said in a press release. Students also can schedule short-term video or telephone counseling appointments. The app also supports multiple languages including Spanish, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. According to James Hallmark, A&M System Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, around three-quarters of students facing mental health issues are reluctant to get help and the app aims to give students easier access to such resources. |
| Science experiments and endless enthusiasm led a physics professor to TikTok stardom | |
 | College professors these days face an ever-higher bar to grab the attention of their students, forced to compete with the stimuli of smartphones and laptops in large lecture halls. But when your professor is a social media star, it's a little bit easier. Tatiana Erukhimova, who teaches physics at Texas A&M University, has managed to get her students, as well as future generations, excited about the science. Known as "Dr. Tatiana" to her students and online fan base, the professor performs physics tricks with boundless energy and enthusiasm. Videos of her theatrical demonstrations have racked up hundreds of millions of views across TikTok and other social media platforms. In the kid-friendly videos, Erukhimova uses a range of everyday objects in her experiments, from pingpong balls and toilet paper to marshmallows, bicycle wheels and hair dryers. Her department's YouTube page has about 2.5 million subscribers, an astronomical following eclipsing even the renowned Aggie athletics program. She credits the university marketing team's videos of her lessons for her social media success. "This is just one of our ways to connect with people to make physics accessible to people," she tells NPR. |
| Dartmouth Reinstates SAT Requirement in First for Ivy League | |
 | Dartmouth College will require SAT or ACT scores beginning with next year's class of applicants, the first Ivy League school to reverse course on pandemic-era test-optional policies. The New Hampshire school said it was making the move based on new research showing that, at Ivy League and other highly selective schools, standardized test scores help predict first-year college performance -- even better than high-school grades do. "I've become less convinced that [test] optional is working for us at Dartmouth," said Lee Coffin, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid. "We're reanimating the policy based on evidence." He said there were many occasions since the school adopted its test-optional policy in 2020 when he wished he had one more data point on a student, "to confirm what we think is a high-achieving profile." Bruce Sacerdote, a Dartmouth economics professor involved in that school's testing-data review, said that under the test-optional policy, low-income applicants withheld their scores even when those results would have helped make their applications stand out. Sacerdote said one of the most surprising findings for him was that an applicant's high-school GPA might not be all that useful a predictor of college success. Students with a perfect 4.0 in high school earned college grades that were just 0.1 point higher than those with a high school GPA of 3.2, according to the study of Ivy-Plus schools. "It explains a lot less than SAT does alone," Sacerdote said of GPAs. |
| Some colleges are bringing back the SAT and ACT requirement | |
| Dartmouth College announced Monday that beginning next year, prospective students must submit standardized test scores with their applications. The school, like many others around the country, made the test optional in 2020. Today, Dartmouth cited research stating that SAT and ACT scores are a "key method" for the school to identify students who will succeed. It's been a tricky couple of years for the organizations that administer those tests. Back in 2020, the ACT became really hard to give. "Because one, schools were just closed," said Janet Godwin, the CEO of ACT, the nonprofit that administers the test. "And then when schools were open, there was the social distancing." Which meant you couldn't fit as many high schoolers into a cafeteria to take the test. ACT felt that. Its annual revenue dropped from $302 million in 2019 to $241 million in 2020. But Godwin said it's bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels. And that's partly because colleges still want to see the scores to help determine scholarships or eligibility for certain programs. Meanwhile, going test-optional has been hard for institutions, said independent education consultant Justin Cohen. "Like it or not, like, a single test score is a much easier thing to, like, put on a form and calibrate then all of these other ephemeral factors, including grade point average and student activities and interviews," Cohen said. |
| Colleges turn to older students to stem enrollment crisis | |
 | Colleges and universities across the U.S. are trying to enroll more "adult" students as their traditional-aged applicant pool grows ever smaller. Facing a decline in enrollment -- and fearing that decline could become a cliff as America's population of fresh high school graduates continues to shrink -- schools are offering flexible schedules, financial aid, childcare and specialized advisors in an effort to appeal to adults 25 and older. The enrollment drop presents problems both for schools' finances and, more broadly, for the American labor market, as a drop in the number of college graduates could worsen labor shortages in fields such as health care. Making it easier for adult learners, especially those with some college education, to return to school is one way to address both issues. The number of American adults with some college experience but no degree grew to 40.4 million in 2023, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. "That is an extraordinary number of people that are ripe for returning to higher education," said National Association for College Admission Counseling CEO Angel Perez. |
| College Financial-Aid Applications Fall 57% | |
| Less than half the usual number of high-school students have applied for college financial aid so far this year, following a bumpy rollout of the government's new form. Last year, the government revamped the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process in an attempt to streamline applications and help more families qualify for federal Pell grants. But it has faced delays and technical glitches. As of late January, about 700,000 seniors had completed applications, down from roughly 1.5 million applicants the same time last year, according to the National College Attainment Network's analysis of Education Department data. The new Fafsa rollout and subsequent slow down in applications is upending the usual college-admissions timeline. Students may have to choose a college without knowing how much it will cost them and colleges have either delayed or are considering delaying the deadline for students to accept an offer of admissions. "We find ourselves in a position where we really have to play catch up for the rest of the spring," said Bill DeBaun, senior director of data and strategic initiatives at NCAN, a higher education-focused nonprofit. The Government Accountability Office has begun an investigation into this year's Fafsa rollout, following a request from Republican lawmakers. |
| Education Department Announces 'FAFSA College Support Strategy.' Here's What It Involves. | |
 | Education Secretary Miguel A. Cardona announced on Monday a federal initiative to help colleges process the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA. But the plan does not mention fixes for the technical problems that are still preventing many families from completing the all-important application more than a month after it became available. During a call with reporters, Secretary Cardona described the FAFSA College Support Strategy. First, he said, the department will deploy federal financial-aid experts to under-resourced campuses -- including historically Black institutions and tribal colleges -- to "ensure they have the tools and the information needed to process financial-aid packages, to understand the steps they need to take to prepare, and to provide direct on-the-ground support." Those experts will travel to institutions for site visits and provide virtual or in person consultations, according to a summary of the initiative. The department also plans to create a "concierge service" within the Federal Student Aid office, known as FSA, that will put colleges in direct contact with federal-aid experts, including former financial-aid officials, who can provide personalized support and recommend resources. Secretary Cardona's remarks, which sounded at times like a campaign speech, came nearly a week after the department announced that colleges would not receive the first batch of data from applicants' federal-aid applications until the "first half of March," six weeks later than the department first promised. |
| Department of Education Lends Colleges a Hand After FAFSA Backlash | |
 | More than a month after the Education Department's rocky launch of its new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the agency on Monday detailed new plans to support colleges struggling to accommodate a series of delays and hitches. The news comes after significant backlash to the department's announcement last week that colleges would not begin receiving student FAFSA information until mid-March, pushing back institutional timelines, prompting a frantic avalanche of deadline extensions from financial aid offices and sparking strong criticism from federal lawmakers. The department's offering, however, is less substantive than many higher ed leaders and financial aid officials had hoped for. "Unfortunately, my first reaction is that this is an underwhelming response to our current crisis," said Kiely Fletcher, vice president for enrollment management at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the first institution to extend its commitment deadline to June 1 after last week's delay. North Carolina representative Virginia Foxx, the Republican chairwoman of the House education committee, said in a statement that Monday's announcement "doesn't change the facts." "Millions of students and families are being negatively impacted by [the] administration's outrageous incompetence to implement a bipartisan law Congress passed more than three years ago," she said. "The department's response is a poor attempt to rebrand its way out of a total mess caused solely by this administration. It is insulting." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State basketball vs. Georgia: Score prediction, scouting report in SEC matchup | |
| When Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans looks at the upcoming opponent, it doesn't take long to see what makes Georgia a threat to win at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday (8 p.m., SEC Network). Georgia shoots 35.1% from 3-point range, which ranks fifth in the SEC. That shooting fuels a top-100 offense in the country, according to KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. "They have great spacing," Jans said Monday. "One of the reasons they have great spacing is they usually -- not usually, almost always -- have four guys on the court that are proficient 3-point shooters." Jabri Abdur-Rahim is the top threat for UGA (14-8, 4-5 SEC), averaging 13.4 points per game on 39% shooting from deep. However, coach Mike White's squad does a good job of spreading its scoring. UGA has two others in double figures (Noah Thomasson and RJ Melendez). All of Georgia's top six scorers are guards. "Just really been impressed with their ability on offense to put the defense in tough spots and really make you think of how you're going to game-plan against them," Jans said. Despite allowing 92.5 points per game in back-to-back losses, Mississippi State (14-8, 3-6) continues to be a metrics darling on the defensive side. It remains a top-20 unit, according to KenPom's efficiency rankings. For Jans, the offense is plenty to blame for some of the head-scratching numbers posted by the defense. |
| Mississippi State to be without D.J. Jeffries for 'a while'; Fort and Murphy day-to-day | |
| Mississippi State will be without a key member of its starting lineup and one of its most important defensive players for an extended period of time. D.J. Jeffries, who sustained an injury after being knocked down by a screen during Saturday night's loss at Alabama, is out "for a while" with a knee issue, Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans told reporters Monday. Jeffries, who played his first two collegiate seasons at Memphis, has started 87 out of 90 games over the last three years at MSU. He is averaging six points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season, slightly below last year's numbers, but is in the top 25 among all Southeastern Conference players in conference play in defensive rebound percentage, block percentage and steal percentage. He has also frequently been assigned to guard the other team's top scorer. "We've been playing eight guys, for the most part, so if you take him out of the equation, that's seven," Jans said. "He's arguably our best defender, depending on who you ask (and) how you define individual best defender. So there are some big shoes to fill. A lot of minutes that we're going to have to spread around. There's no one that I'm saying needs to replace D.J." Jans mentioned Shawn Jones Jr. as a candidate to take some of Jeffries' minutes. A sophomore from Houston, Jones played a season-high 31 minutes against the Crimson Tide and finished with 10 points, also a season high. Another option would be for the Bulldogs to go small and start three guards -- Shakeel Moore, Josh Hubbard and Dashawn Davis -- but finding time for them to rest could be tricky with Trey Fort still day-to-day with a thumb injury on his shooting hand. KeShawn Murphy, who participated in warmups Saturday night but did not play, is day-to-day as well, Jans said. |
| Mississippi State baseball's Dakota Jordan named preseason All-American by Baseball America | |
| Mississippi State baseball sophomore outfielder Dakota Jordan was named a third-team preseason All-American by Baseball America, the publication announced Monday. Last season, Jordan hit .307 with 10 home runs, nine doubles and a triple. He ranked third among MSU players with 40 runs driven in. He totaled 41 starts, including 34 in left field. However, he has spent most of his time in right field during MSU's scrimmages this month. Jordan was an All-SEC freshman selection and also earned freshman All-American honors from Perfect Game. He is the No. 27 prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft, according to MLB.com. Jordan is a product of Canton, Mississippi, and attended Jackson Academy. In June, he entered the transfer portal before withdrawing his name and electing to stay at MSU. Mississippi State opens its season on Feb. 16 with a three-game series against Air Force. |
| Mississippi State women's tennis wins two nail-biters, improves to 6-0 | |
| Chris Hooshyar is still undefeated in his debut season as Mississippi State women's tennis head coach after the Bulldogs beat Alabama-Birmingham 4-3 and Jackson State 6-1 on Saturday and then edged Belmont 4-3 on Sunday. MSU took the doubles points against the Blazers, with the top pairing of Alexandra Mikhailuk and Maria Rizzolo and the No. 3 team of Dharani Niroshan and Alessia Tagliente each winning 6-3. Jayna Clemens gave the Bulldogs the first singles point with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 5, but UAB won the next two completed matches to even the score. Mikhailuk put the Bulldogs back in front with a three-set victory at No. 3, and after Taglente fell in a third-set tiebreak at No. 6, Chloé Cirotte took her match at No. 2 in three sets to clinch the victory. MSU fell behind against the Bruins on Sunday as the visitors won the doubles point despite a 6-2 victory at No. 3 from Niroshan and Tagliente. Clemens again cruised in her singles match, 6-2, 6-1, and after Athina Pitta lost in straight sets at No. 4, Mikhailuk evened the overall score at No. 3 with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win. Tagliente came back from a set down to win at No. 5, but a loss by Cirotte at No. 2 meant the match would come down to the final court. Rizzolo, who had dropped the first set, won her second set 6-1, then outlasted her opponent in a third-set tiebreak to cap the perfect weekend. The Bulldogs (6-0) will now hit the road for the first time this season, heading to Memphis next Sunday. |
| Don't look now, but Mississippi private school basketball has drastically improved | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Some familiar and storied Mississippi athletic bloodlines were on well-played display at sparkling Duease Hall/Gymnasium on the campus of Madison Ridgeland Academy Thursday night. The MRA girls team defeated Jackson Academy 46-39 and the Jackson boys returned the favor in the nightcap, dominating the fourth quarter in a 59-45 victory much closer than the final score would indicate. At one point in the girls game, MRA sophomore point guard Presley Hughes dribbled through the JA defense, drew a double team, and neatly dished a perfect bounce pass to 6-foot, 5-inch sophomore Alyssa Dampier for an easy layup. Dampier, the long-limbed daughter of 16-year NBA veteran Erick Dampier, didn't have to reach far to lay it in. Hughes is the daughter of Whit Hughes, Erick Dampier's teammate and sixth man on the fabulous 1996 Mississippi State SEC Champion and Final Four team. There's lots more... |
| What hunters need to now about turkey season 2024 in Mississippi | |
 | With spring coming to Mississippi, many hunters are focused on turkeys and looking forward to hearing the sounds of gobblers as they welcome the day. But before hunters head into the woods this season there are a few things they need to know including that Mississippi could have one of its best seasons in decades. "This spring season should be as good as we've had in a long, long, long time," said Adam Butler, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "My optimism could not be higher." That optimism stems in part from a 2-year-old set of data. "In 2022, our summer brood survey looking at poults and hens, we had the best hatch we've had since the early 2000s and the really good thing about the '22 hatch was it was statewide," Butler said. "It was everywhere. It was the first year we've had a really good hatch statewide in a really long time." Butler said observations since then also indicate a good season in 2024. "People in every corner of the state were seeing turkeys during deer season," Butler said. "It just seems we're really set up this year." So, if the weather cooperates, it could be the best season some Mississippi hunters have ever experienced. |
| Southern Miss athletics reports record revenues -- and expenses -- in first year in Sun Belt | |
 | Southern Miss athletics completed its first seasons in the Sun Belt Conference in the 2023 fiscal year and reported a record $30.4 million in revenue. It's the first time the school has ever topped $30 million. However, expenses increased to $30.3 million, also eclipsing $30 million for the first time. It yielded a marginal $34,426 surplus, marking the third straight year Southern Miss has operated in the black. It's a 56% increase from 2022. Universities submit their annual financial reports to the NCAA every January, and The Hattiesburg American obtained a copy of Southern Miss' 80-page document. Southern Miss football, men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball had successful seasons in the 2023 fiscal year. The football team reached its first bowl game since 2019; men's basketball won the Sun Belt regular-season championship; women's basketball won a share of the regular-season title; and baseball hosted its second consecutive Super Regional. But all four of those programs still finished in the red in 2023, and all but men's basketball had a bigger deficit in 2023 than in 2022. Football raked in $4.75 million in revenue -- a $1.25 million increase from 2022 -- but had $1.28 million more in expenses to operate at a $5.2 million deficit in 2023. The overall change was flat, just $24,000 compared to 2022. A large portion includes donations, university allocated money and NCAA distributions. $10 million was also raised from student fees. |
| Missouri athletics receives record-breaking $62 million gift from donor | |
 | The University of Missouri athletics department announced Monday morning that it received a $62 million donation from an anonymous donor. According to the department's website, it is the single largest donation ever given to the athletic department, more than doubling the previous record in 2012. Of the donation, $50 million will be used for renovations towards Memorial Stadium. In November, the University of Missouri Board of Curators approved renovations to the north side of the stadium. "This extraordinary commitment is a major step toward fulfilling our vision to transform Memorial Stadium and create the best college football game-day atmosphere in the country," athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois said in a news release. Mizzou's Tiger Fund will receive the remaining $12 million. Launched in 2023, the Tiger Fund has a goal to "capitalize on the advantages afforded to us by the changing landscape of college athletics and the support of our state legislature," according to the department website. As the university's de facto Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) initiative, money can be given to the athletic department as a whole, or directed to a specific sport. |
| A&M in discussions to bring George Strait concert to Kyle Field June 15 | |
| Texas A&M University officials are in discussions to bring a George Strait concert to Kyle Field on June 15, a university source confirmed to The Eagle on Monday afternoon. Strait, a renowned county music singer-songwriter, is set to begin a tour with Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town in May with nine stadium stops. None are in Texas, though. It is uncertain whether Stapleton and Little Big Town would be a part of a potential concert at Kyle Field. Stapleton's official website lists a concert at Globe Life Field in Arlington on June 15. The 71-year-old Strait, coined the "King of Country Music" by industry writers and critics, played in Bryan-College Station and A&M's campus several times throughout the 1980s. He performed at the former Heavy Metal Coliseum in Bryan in 1983 and the Bryan Civic Auditorium in 1984, according to archives from The Battalion. Strait played concerts at G. Rollie White Coliseum in 1985, 1987 and 1990. During his 1987 concert, Strait was given a 12th Man football jersey with his name on the back as a gift from coach Jackie Sherrill, according to archives from The Battalion. Strait holds the record for most No. 1 songs (52) on all charts by an artist for any genre. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and has been known for his touring career. His final concert for The Cowboy Rides Away Tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in June 2014 had 104,793 people attend. Kyle Field's official capacity is 102,733. |
| CFP agrees on SMU revenue distribution; less than full Power 5 allotment | |
| The College Football Playoff management committee unanimously agreed upon an undisclosed amount of money for incoming ACC member SMU that will go to the conference, but it's still less than the revenue the CFP typically distributes to Power 5 schools, CFP executive director Bill Hancock said Monday. The 11 presidents and chancellors who control the playoff must still unanimously approve SMU's revenue distribution for the next two years, which are the final two seasons of the current 12-year contract. SMU will eventually receive the full share when the new contract is done. "I think everybody in the room felt like it was a fair accommodation," Hancock said. "They've spent a long time talking about it -- over three meetings." The decision is significant because in the past, schools that made the leap from a Group of 5 conference to a Power 5 league also saw an increase in CFP revenue from roughly $1 million to $6 million. In 2022, the CFP voted to give full Power 5 revenue to incoming Big 12 schools UCF, Cincinnati, Houston and BYU. SMU and the ACC were under the impression they would get the same. Hancock declined to say specifically what the monetary agreement was, and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips declined to comment after the meeting, as did SMU athletic director Rick Hart. |
| SEC, Big Ten poised to take reform wheel from NCAA | |
| The SEC and Big Ten's creation of a joint advisory group signals that the industry's two superpowers are poised to take the reform wheel from the NCAA to create a sustainable new financial model. The prevailing notion among sources in recent weeks -- especially at the Power Four level -- is that the NCAA's efforts to stave off further legal challenges are not working, and certainly not working fast enough. Despite aggressive lobbying, the association has failed, thus far, to gain traction in Congress to secure an antitrust exemption and codification that athletes are not employees. And a growing number of leaders say NCAA President Charlie Baker's reform proposal, while bold, doesn't go nearly far enough to protect the enterprise from even more lawsuits. One prominent source told On3 that the move by the two super conferences served as further confirmation the NCAA has "zero juice and that this is all headed toward a super conference model." The advisory group will include university presidents, chancellors and athletic directors coming together to address "significant challenges" facing college sports. The announcement came on the heels of Tennessee stakeholders unleashing a barrage of withering criticism toward the NCAA, which is investigating the school for alleged NIL transgressions. "Conference leaders don't want their own members going rogue any more than the NCAA does," the source said. "And the only way to maintain control is to do what the NCAA hasn't been able to do: proactively create a model that will 100% involve sharing revenue with athletes and that Congress will endorse so there can be enforceable rules again." |
| Dartmouth Basketball Players Are Employees, NLRB Rules | |
| A regional office of the National Labor Relations Board ruled Monday that Dartmouth College's men's basketball players are employees and have the right to unionize. In a 26-page decision, Laura A. Sacks, regional director for the NLRB's Northeast region, said she reached that conclusion because "Dartmouth has the right to control the work performed by the men's varsity basketball team, and because the players perform that work in exchange for compensation." Importantly, Sacks said, the conclusion that college players are employees "would not create instability in labor relations." The ruling directed the NLRB to hold a secret ballot election in the coming weeks in which the current members of Dartmouth's basketball team will decide whether to join the Service Employees International Union, Local 560, which represents some other workers at Dartmouth. The ruling by the regional office will be reviewed by the agency's national office and by the full labor relations board. Dartmouth issued a statement late Monday saying that it would appeal the decision. "We believe firmly that unionization is not appropriate in this instance and we will be seeking a review of the decision the regional director issued today." |
| NLRB regional director: Dartmouth men's basketball players are employees of college | |
| A National Labor Relations Board regional director Monday ordered a union election for the men's basketball players at Dartmouth, concluding that the athletes are employees of the college within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act. This is a consequential development that could potentially pave the way for at least some athletes to usher in an employment model in college athletics -- a scenario that could radically reshape the industry. Laura A. Sacks, the Boston-based NLRB regional director, ruled, "Because Dartmouth has the right to control the work performed by the Dartmouth men's basketball team, and the players perform that work in exchange for compensation, I find that the petitioned-for basketball players are employees within the meaning of the [National Labor Relations] Act." The decision comes months after four days of witness testimony in October during a virtual pre-election hearing. On Sept. 13, a petition filed with the NLRB by the Service Employees International Union identified 15 players from Dartmouth as seeking representation. The date of the election has not yet been determined. Mit Winter, a college sports attorney with Kennyhertz Perry, told On3 the decision was significant for a couple of reasons. "It shows how the NLRB and courts are likely going to assess and rule on the employment issue going forward," Winter said. "Plus, it shows that the future of college athletics will likely involve a model where at least some of the athletes are employees, will unionize, and will collectively bargain rules on things like player compensation and movement." |
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