| Friday, December 12, 2025 |
| Mississippi State's Famous Maroon Band earns national Sudler Trophy | |
 | Mississippi State University's Famous Maroon Band has won the Heisman-equivalent of awards handed out biannually to the top college marching bands. The group is the most recent recipient of the national Sudler Trophy, considered the highest honor a collegiate marching band can receive. Presented every two years by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, the trophy is awarded to a college or university marching band demonstrating "the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, and which has made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands." "The band's contributions to our university community reach far beyond the stadium or performance field. Its members are leaders in the classroom, ambassadors for our institution, and exemplary representatives of the values we hold dear at Mississippi State," Mississippi State President Mark Keenum, whose daughter, Katie, is a trumpet section leader, wrote in support of the band's nomination for the award. "Their tireless work, countless hours of rehearsal, and dedication to precision embody the spirit of determination and pride that defines our university." |
| Mississippi State's Famous Maroon Band earns top national honor | |
 | Mississippi State's Famous Maroon Band is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious national Sudler Trophy, which is considered the highest honor a collegiate marching band can receive. Given biennially by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, the trophy is awarded to a college or university marching band demonstrating "the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, and which has made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands over a number of years." "The band's contributions to our university community reach far beyond the stadium or performance field. Its members are leaders in the classroom, ambassadors for our institution, and exemplary representatives of the values we hold dear at Mississippi State. Their tireless work, countless hours of rehearsal, and dedication to precision embody the spirit of determination and pride that defines our university," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum in a letter that he wrote in support for the band's nomination for the prestigious award. |
| Mississippi State's Famous Maroon Band wins prestigious Sudler Trophy | |
 | Mississippi State's Famous Maroon Band is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious national Sudler Trophy, which is often considered the "Heisman Trophy of the collegiate band world." The honor is presented every other year to a collegiate marching band recognized for exceptional musical quality, innovative marching routines, and long-term influence on improving performance standards across the field. The Famous Maroon Band is the 35th collegiate marching band to receive the award and the only one in the state. "The Sudler Trophy affirms what generations of Bulldogs have always known: The Famous Maroon Band stands as a national beacon of excellence, innovation, and pride," said Daniel Stevens, head of MSU's Department of Music. Elva Kaye Lance, MSU's director of bands, said the award is a testament to the band's rich legacy and the many people who contribute to its success. "There have been thousands of students who have proudly worn the uniform, and those of us who are serving as leaders of the band program at this time recognize we are standing on the shoulders of those who have served as members and leaders of the Famous Maroon Band throughout its rich history," said Lance. |
| MSU is set to bring changes to campus traffic through 2026 | |
 | While the fall semester is coming to a close at MSU, the university is preparing to start the new year with some major infrastructure projects. There will be two projects starting in mid-December that will affect traffic on and near campus. Infrastructure projects designed to change the flow of traffic on campus will soon be underway. A new traffic circle will be built at Stone Boulevard and Bost Drive. MSU Campus Services Executive Director Saunders Ramsey said changes to the intersection have been needed for some time. "It caused a lot of traffic issues and congestion, but also major safety challenges," Ramsey said. "We have a mid-block crossing here for pedestrians that is very dangerous, and we've signed it the best we can. But, the new traffic circle will provide a safer crossing for pedestrians as they try to navigate across Stone Boulevard." The goal of the project is to make travel safer for drivers and pedestrians. Hardy Street will also be under construction as a new plaza is planned to be built by May 2026. |
| MSU's Goliath receives national Mosaic Award celebrating forensic advocacy | |
 | Mississippi State forensic anthropologist Jesse R. Goliath is the 2026 recipient of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Community Connections Mosaic Award, a national honor recognizing those who advance advocacy and positive change in the forensic sciences. The annual Mosaic Award celebrates outstanding contributions that strengthen community and belonging within forensic teams and research groups. Goliath, AAFS Anthropology Section Fellow, will receive the honor during the Academy's 2026 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, in February. An assistant professor in MSU's Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Goliath's research focuses on supporting marginalized populations and improving outcomes for missing and unidentified persons, particularly in underserved regions of the rural South. Since joining MSU's faculty in 2021, Goliath has become one of the Magnolia State's leading voices in forensic advocacy. |
| Mississippi investing $100 million on projects to spur economic development | |
| The state of Mississippi is gearing up to invest more than $100 million in economic development efforts, infrastructure improvements, workforce training initiatives, tourism campaigns, and conservation projects. Funds will be dolled out in the form of government grants, funding projects aimed at strengthening Mississippi's economy, Gov. Tate Reeves said on Thursday afternoon. The investment will expand infrastructure at sites from the north of the state all the way down to the coast to position Mississippi to attract additional record-breaking commitments from private companies. Projects include: Regional and Emergency Response Center – Oktibbeha County – $956,400 to construct the regional Aircare 3 Helicopter Operations and Disaster Relief Response Center at George M. Bryan Field Airport in Starkville. MSU Advanced Composites Institute Facility Modernization – Oktibbeha County – $647,500 to modernize the ACI facility at MSU to serve more businesses, upskill workers, and train students for DoD-compliant manufacturing. |
| How Mississippi's colleges and universities are funded is top of mind for lawmakers | |
| How Mississippi funds its institutions of higher learning was a topic of discussion during the first day of the Senate Committee on Universities and Colleges. Committee members also heard updates on the status of the college savings programs as well as an update on recent graduation rates. Steven Gentile, Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, described how his state puts an emphasis on performance of each institution when allocating funding. Prior to 2010, Tennessee operated much like Mississippi, utilizing a hold harmless provision that protected institutions when enrollment numbers declined. That changed in 2010 when Tennessee implemented a new funding formula that focused on student retention, degree completion time and research needs, and outcomes for applicable institutions. Job placement also played a part in the funding and weights were added for categories like adult students, those with low incomes, and the academically underprepared. While graduation rates were considered, they are not the driving factor. Rather, Gentile said the focus is on whether the institution is improving graduation rates year-over-year. Over the past 15 years, the state has seen four-year graduation rates double. |
| Citywide lighting survey to begin Monday | |
 | City workers will begin rolling through Starkville on Monday night to launch the first of two weeklong lighting surveys intended to keep residents out of the dark. Associate City Engineer Chris Williams said the surveys will help inform infrastructure improvement plans to make for a "brighter and safer" city. "We're looking at it as a safer environment for our citizens and then also for our visitors," Williams told The Dispatch on Thursday. "So it's just one more piece of the pie to try to make Starkville a better place." The survey will employ a mobile sensing device called a Lumitracker, leased to the city through a partnership with Garver Engineering, to measure light output throughout Starkville. Starting Monday night, city personnel will drive a truck with a Lumitracker attached to its hitch through about 311 lane-miles to identify dim areas where lighting could be improved. After the first survey is complete, the process will be done again in the summer when tree canopies are fully leafed out. Williams said that while the survey will measure visibility throughout the whole city, the main focus will be on high-traffic areas like downtown and the Cotton District. |
| Seafood farmers say federal red tape stalls industry growth | |
| Federal lawmakers are considering a bill that could reshape how seafood is farmed in the United States,and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, oyster growers are already showing what that future could look like. The Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act would strengthen U.S. aquaculture by funding a large-scale demonstration fish farm and streamlining the federal permitting process. In a Dec. 2 letter, more than 150 seafood businesses, researchers and nonprofit leaders urged Congress to pass the bill, saying it is needed to help the industry grow and compete globally. "We must grow more of our own seafood here at home, using modern tools and technologies that protect ocean health and support coastal economies," the letter said. "The United States imports the majority of our seafood, half of which is farmed overseas." Off the coast of Deer Island, Mark Havard is already part of that growing industry. Each week, he tends thousands of oysters growing in floating cages in the Mississippi Sound through his business, Two Crackers Oyster Co. Havard's operation is part of Mississippi's expanding marine aquaculture sector, which has grown in recent years as the state works to rebuild and protect its iconic oyster industry. |
| This holiday season isn't very merry for consumers, an AP-NORC poll finds | |
 | This holiday season isn't quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut under President Donald Trump, a new AP-NORC poll finds. The vast majority of U.S. adults say they've noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts in recent months, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly half of Americans say it's harder than usual to afford the things they want to give as holiday gifts, and similar numbers are delaying big purchases or cutting back on nonessential purchases more than they would normally. It's a sobering assessment for the Republican president, who returned to the White House in large part by promising to lower prices, only to find that inflation remains a threat to his popularity just as it did for Democrat Joe Biden's presidency. The poll's findings look very similar to an AP-NORC poll from December 2022, when Biden was president and the country was grappling with higher rates of inflation. Trump's series of tariffs have added to inflationary pressures and generated anxiety about the stability of the U.S. economy, keeping prices at levels that many Americans find frustrating. |
| Fed Officials Spar Over Whether Rate Cuts Risk Credibility on Inflation | |
 | Federal Reserve officials reinforced Friday why this week's rate cut was so contentious, with one arguing the central bank's credibility on inflation gives it room to keep easing if the labor market softens and others warning cuts could threaten decades of hard-won gains in anchoring price expectations at a low level. The central bank voted 9-3 on Wednesday to cut its benchmark rate by a quarter point, to a range between 3.5% and 3.75%. Two favored no cut and one preferred a larger reduction. It was the first time since 2019 when three policymakers formally dissented. One of those dissenters, Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid, said Friday morning he opposed cutting rates because he doesn't see evidence that interest rates are putting downward pressure on inflation by slowing economic activity, on balance. "Right now, I see an economy that is showing momentum and inflation that is too hot, suggesting that policy is not overly restrictive," he said. Recent divisions reflect a dilemma the Fed hasn't faced in more than 15 years: stubborn inflation that calls for higher rates paired with a softening job market that suggests a need for lower rates. "When you do, this is what you see," Powell said Wednesday. "You've got one tool. You can't do two things at once." |
| Q&A: State Auditor Shad White talks immigration, battles with lawmakers, government waste as he mulls run for Mississippi governor | |
| Mississippi Auditor Shad White is going on offense in 2026. That's what he said when he unveiled his agenda for the upcoming legislative session. The aggressive posture is necessary because he said state senators tried last session to limit his ability to audit nonprofits and attempted to cut his budget, with the latter proposal spilling into public view in a tense standoff at a committee hearing. The senators responsible for those proposals, both fellow Republicans, retired this year. But the chamber is still led by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who is seen by many as a chief rival for the Republican nomination for governor in 2027. In addition to fending off potential efforts to limit his powers, White has called for lawmakers to adopt proposals from a legislative agenda built around three planks: immigration enforcement, government waste and ethics reform. White spoke to Mississippi Today about how his proposals would work, his feuds with state senators, his potential run for governor (he's still considering it) and whether he'd like to see lawmakers punish Lane Kiffin. |
| Bennie Thompson questions FBI labeling antifa top domestic threat | |
 | A top FBI official labeled antifa as the top domestic terrorist threat facing the United States, but could not answer basic details about the movement and its structure, under questioning from Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. Michael Glasheen, a longtime FBI agent serving as operations director of the National Security Branch, called the movement the agency's "primary concern right now" during a hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security. President Donald Trump said in September he was "designating" antifa as a major terrorist organization after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Glasheen said the FBI shares the same concern as the president regarding the anti-fascist movement, known collectively as antifa. But when Rep. Thompson, D-Mississippi, the ranking chairman of the House Homeland Security committee, asked whether the group is headquartered or how many members it has, Glasheen did not have answers. "We are building out the infrastructure right now," Glasheen said. "So what does that mean?" Thompson replied. "We're trying to get the information. You said antifa is a terrorist organization. Tell us, as a committee, how did you come to that? How many members do they have in the United States, as of right now?" |
| With executive order, Trump moves to undo state AI laws | |
 | President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday evening that seeks to challenge state laws on artificial intelligence and withhold certain grant funds for states with AI laws the administration dislikes. The effort could be a significant victory for major technology companies but is almost certain to be challenged in court. "We must be unified," Trump said at the signing, lauding the federal government as the single decision-maker on AI. White House staff secretary Will Scharf described the order as "in keeping" with Trump's commitment to the economy and "technological and military superiority." "This is an executive order that orders aspects of your administration to take decisive action to ensure that AI can operate within a single national framework in this country, as opposed to being subject to state level regulation that could potentially cripple the industry," Scharf said. David O. Sacks, the president's special adviser for AI and crypto, has been "one of the key players and key authors behind this EO," Scharf said, adding, that a national standard will allow the U.S. to "reap the benefits" of AI in terms of "economic growth, job development, national security and technological edge." The order does not seek to impose a ban on state AI regulations, but instead establishes a Justice Department task force to challenge state laws, including on interstate commerce grounds, and withhold funding under the federal rural broadband grant program, based on states' AI policies. |
| Republicans spooked by string of disappointing elections | |
 | Republicans are feeling spooked by recent special elections losses and underperformances in party strongholds, as the White House ramps up President Trump's presence on the campaign trail ahead of next year's midterm elections. On Tuesday, Democrats flipped Miami's mayoral office for the first time in nearly 30 years and won a conservative-leaning state House district in Georgia that Trump carried by 12 points last year. Those victories came after Republicans gave up ground to Democrats in a special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District last week and lost by wide margins in Virginia and New Jersey's gubernatorial races last month. Republicans note that while the off-year gubernatorial losses were not necessarily a surprise, upsets in GOP strongholds like Miami and the Georgia state House district have them on edge. "Republicans losing in Republican areas? That's a different story. I think that's got people freaking out," said one former Trump White House staffer. Another source close to the White House told The Hill, "There's a lot of digging our heads in the sand and acting as if we don't have a five-alarm fire going off." |
| In a setback for Trump, Indiana lawmakers defeat redistricting plan | |
 | The Indiana Senate has voted 31 to 19 against the congressional redistricting called for by President Trump in his attempt to help Republicans win the 2026 midterm elections. The defeat Thursday in the Indiana Senate, where 40 of the 50 members are Republicans, is the first time Trump's redistricting campaign has been voted down by members of his own party. Republicans in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have answered his call for an unusual mid-decade redistricting scramble. "My opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering is not in contrast to my conservative principles, my opposition is driven by them," Republican state Sen. Spencer Deery said during the debate. "As long as I have breath, I will use my voice to resist a federal government that attempts to bully, direct and control this state or any state. Giving the federal government more power is not conservative." The move was also opposed by Indiana Democrats, who currently hold just two of the state's nine U.S. House seats and said it would dilute the voting power of minority communities. The Indiana vote came after weeks of turmoil and with opposition from some Republicans, who had said their constituents did not want to alter the current districts. |
| 'We don't have a lot of time': Congress comes to terms with an all-but-certain lapse in Obamacare subsidies | |
 | Hopes for a quick patch saving millions of Americans from sharply higher health insurance premiums have given way to expectations of a long slog on Capitol Hill. It is now all but certain that enhanced Obamacare subsidies first implemented by Democrats as a Covid relief measure will expire Dec. 31 after the Senate voted down competing partisan health plans Thursday and House GOP leaders indicated they had no plans to bring an extension up for a vote this year. Less certain is when lawmakers might begin to pick up the pieces -- or if they have any hope of finding a solution. A bipartisan group of lawmakers continues to talk about a possible 11th-hour path forward, hoping that the failed votes this week can give them some badly needed momentum. But most of their colleagues are convinced the discussions won't bear fruit until 2026. A major obstacle is that leaders in both parties are, at least so far, prioritizing plans that don't bridge existing political gaps. Top Republicans are putting forward proposals that would not extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, while Democrats are sticking to proposals that most in the GOP say they cannot accept. "We don't have a lot of time," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who voted for both parties' proposals Thursday. |
| A meeting meant to launch FEMA reforms is abruptly canceled | |
| A meeting by a council appointed by President Donald Trump that was meant to announce recommended reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency was abruptly canceled Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter and a separate White House official, prolonging months of anticipation over how the administration will overhaul the federal response to climate disasters. The FEMA Review Council, which has been meeting for months to evaluate possible agency reforms and was set to make its final report public at the meeting, was scheduled to gather Thursday afternoon. Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, the council's co-chair, left a congressional hearing early because she said she needed to attend it. Former officials and experts told the AP they were impressed by the level of care taken by the council to solicit input from experts and community members and craft meaningful reforms, but the changes made by Noem's office made the process more contentious as it neared its end. The council is co-chaired by Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Its 12 members include emergency managers and elected officials almost exclusively from Republican-led states, including the emergency management directors of Texas and Florida, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant. |
| 'Egg on their face.' Trump's revenge prosecution failures embarrass DOJ | |
 | Dismissed indictments; two grand juries refusing to issue new charges; a judge blocking key evidence from being used for a fresh case: in trying to prosecute key targets of President Donald Trump, the Justice Department has faced failures on a scale rarely seen in federal prosecutions. The most dramatic recent setback was a second federal grand jury's refusal on Dec. 11 to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, after an earlier grand jury rejected the Justice Department's proposed charges last week. Abbe Lowell, a prominent lawyer who represents James, described the repeat failure as "unprecedented." Shortly before that, earlier indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey were thrown out, and a judge ruled that the DOJ can't use evidence -- at least for now -- that was key to its first indictment against Comey. The latest developments exacerbate the mounting struggles Trump administration lawyers have faced in trying to prosecute Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The president called for prosecuting both of them, as well as Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in a Sept. 20 social media post. "This is an embarrassment," Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told USA TODAY. "The last thing you want to be as a prosecutor is to be on the defensive, and that's exactly what's happening here." |
| From Chips to Security, China Is Getting Much of What It Wants From the U.S. | |
 | In its rivalry with the United States, China has racked up a series of wins in recent weeks. The Trump administration has softened its criticism of China's Communist Party in a strategy document. It has reopened a channel for high-end chip sales that Washington once treated as untouchable. And President Trump has held his tongue as a key U.S. ally in Asia faces Chinese intimidation for backing Taiwan. For Beijing, the shifts in Washington's approach suggest that Mr. Trump has less of an appetite for confronting China over ideology, technology and diplomacy. Some commentators in China have hailed these developments as irrefutable signs of American decline and Chinese ascendancy. Mr. Trump's decision on Monday to allow some advanced chips to be sold to China, the prominent Chinese technology executive Zhou Hongyi said on social media, showed how China's unstoppable technological rise had "pushed the United States against a wall." The Global Times, a Communist Party newspaper, pointed to the White House's new national security strategy, which focuses more on the Western Hemisphere than China, as "evidence of the U.S. acknowledging its relative decline in power." Washington has realized "it cannot afford the costs of prolonged confrontation" with China, the nationalist blog Jiuwanli similarly concluded. |
| Still watching: The Spectator celebrates 120 years in print | |
| The suffrage movement, the co-educational expansion of Mississippi University for Women and visits from Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan are just a few of the historical events The Spectator, the student newspaper for The W, has covered in its 120 years of existence. Every fall when a new group of students joins The Spectator staff, faculty adviser Melissa Smith shares the legacy of the long-running publication and what it means to be student reporters on campus. "(I say) 'You're a caretaker, and also you're our eyes and ears on campus, because I can't go out there and figure out what students are interested in,'" Smith told The Dispatch. This year, that message held a bit more weight as the publication celebrated its 120th anniversary in November, Smith said. The Spectator started on campus in 1905, a press release from MUW said. Since that time, the newspaper has expanded to a website and, depending on the semester, hosts a team to broadcast local news, Smith said. Emma Caroline Brown, a senior communications major and the newspaper's editor-in-chief, said this year's staff has planned special coverage to commemorate and recognize the publication's anniversary through its three editions this fall and in its three editions in the spring. |
| UM issues RFP for mixed-use district | |
| The University of Mississippi has issued a request for proposals from qualified development teams to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a large mixed-use condotel and athletics and entertainment district planned for 25 acres surrounding Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The project, to be delivered through a public-private partnership, represents one of the most ambitious development initiatives ever undertaken in the core athletics footprint of the Oxford campus. University officials say the district is intended to enhance both gameday and year-round activity, improve stadium amenities, and create a vibrant destination that strengthens the connection between Ole Miss Athletics and the broader campus community. According to the RFP, the university's vision for the project centers on three goals: elevating the gameday and everyday experience at the stadium, creating an active district environment that encourages regular use by students, faculty, alumni and fans, and updating or replacing existing athletics facilities within the development footprint to support a cohesive entertainment area. The 25-acre site includes land on all sides of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and adjacent buildings to the north, currently home to a mix of parking areas, offices and auxiliary structures. Bordered by All American Drive, Hill Drive and Gertrude Ford Boulevard, the site sits near the Manning Center and The Pavilion and offers prominent visibility and views across the eastern edge of campus. |
| LSU plans to add School of Construction, AI degree as it seeks closer industry relationships | |
 | The LSU Board of Supervisors on Thursday voted to establish a School of Construction and a bachelor's degree in artificial intelligence, both in the College of Engineering. The new programs, contingent on approval by the Board of Regents, align with broad efforts to orient LSU toward industry and expand public-private partnerships. The expanded academic offerings, approved unanimously by the supervisors, will have limited fiscal impact, according to summaries presented Thursday. The bachelor of science degree in artificial intelligence aims to employ two nontenure-track instructors and use existing classroom space and resources. The School of Construction will offer current construction degrees, including construction management, but no new academic programs. The move is primarily a name change. The bachelor's degree in AI will also emphasize work-based learning and industry partnerships, according to the request submitted to the board. It will build upon an existing capstone course in AI and industry, which held a showcase Monday night for alumni and Baton Rouge-area employers. The course has previously partnered with companies such as Entergy, BASF, Our Lady of the Lake and The Advocate. |
| Does U. of Florida's neutrality policy raise red flags? Free speech experts mixed | |
 | The University of Florida's policy for institutional neutrality on political and social issues has raised questions about the free speech of its employees and professors -- and First Amendment experts are mixed on whether this will promote free expression and academic freedom. UF's Board of Trustees approved the policy Dec. 5. In a nutshell, it limits the university's institutional and unit leadership teams, such as the administrative leaders and individual college deans, from making statements on political and social issues. In an email sent to employees Dec. 9, UF interim president Donald Landry said it "clarifies expectations regarding university leadership commentary and proclamations on social issues." "To be clear, you as university employees still retain the right to express your own opinions, provided you don't use UF communication resources to do so, or state or imply the university's endorsements of those opinions," Landry wrote. But First Amendment experts have mixed views on this policy. |
| Advocate says Oklahoma higher education committee lacks power to protect free speech on state university campuses | |
| A state board tasked with investigating free speech violations on Oklahoma university campuses must have increased enforcement power to properly protect people's constitutional rights, one advocate said. But leaders of the Oklahoma Free Speech Committee said the body doesn't need more power beyond its advisory role when it comes to enforcing changes in free speech policy or investigating violations. The debate over the committee's role comes as the state's three largest universities have faced complaints of free speech violations in recent months, ranging from political and religious discrimination to press censorship. The nine-member committee, created by House Bill 3543 in 2022, is part of the State Regents for Higher Education and is a purely advisory body that issues recommendations, guides free speech training and investigates complaints of violations on college and university campuses, according to state statute. Patrick Elliott, the legal director for Freedom From Religion Foundation, said an advisory board with "no enforcement authority isn't enough." The nonprofit advocates for the division between church and state. |
| U. of Missouri students protest Flock Safety cameras, Choi's stance on crime | Higher Education | columbiamissourian.com | |
 | Roughly 50 students gathered on the University of Missouri campus Thursday to protest surveillance cameras and data privacy. The students demanded that data from Flock Safety surveillance systems not be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that "city policy is directed by city officials, not Mike Kehoe and Mun Choi," according to an Instagram post from the Mizzou Young Democratic Socialists of America. Protesters chanted that "Mayor Choi has got to go," "Flock cameras aren't welcome here," and "not Mun Choi, not the State, students must decide our fate." The protest began at Speakers Circle, marched to Jesse Hall and ended with speeches at the Daniel Boone City Building. Flock Safety operates cameras in thousands of cities, according to its website. The system scans license plates and captures vehicles' distinguishing features. Protesters highlighted the potential that ICE could access the data and the role UM System President Choi and Gov. Mike Kehoe play in city safety. |
| Purdue Allegedly Rejecting Chinese, Other 'Adversary Nation' Grad Students | |
 | Current and prospective Purdue University graduate students say the institution rejected a slew of Chinese applicants from its grad programs for this academic year. Also, one grad student says the university told grad admissions committees in the past couple of months that it's highly unlikely to accept students from any "adversary nation" for next year. Faculty were told those countries are China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela, said Kieran Hilmer, a teaching assistant on the leadership committee of Graduate Rights and Our Wellbeing (GROW), a group trying to unionize Purdue grad workers. That list broadly matches the commerce secretary's catalog of foreign adversaries. Hilmer said the university conveyed this prohibition verbally. "They didn't write any of this down," he said. Purdue isn't commenting on the allegations. The university has faced scrutiny from members of Congress about its ties to China. In May, the Trump administration briefly said it would revoke Chinese students' visas nationwide. The president has since changed his tune and said he would welcome more students from China. |
| Lecturer Sanctioned Over MAGA White Supremacy Lesson Is Back in Class | |
| An Indiana University lecturer who showed a graphic in class that labeled the slogan "Make America Great Again" as an example of covert white supremacy is being permitted to continue teaching the class, but she now must work under the supervision of a special monitor. The lecturer -- Jessica Adams, who teaches in the School of Social Work -- was temporarily removed from the class in October and investigated by the university after a student complained to Senator Jim Banks of Indiana about Ms. Adams's lecture. Mr. Banks alerted the university administration. Ms. Adams is believed to be the second college educator who has been sanctioned under Indiana's new "intellectual diversity" law, which is meant to limit instructors from expressing personal views in class. Educators who are sanctioned under the law can have infractions noted on their records and be subject to more frequent review. Ms. Adams is appealing the university's decision to punish her under the law, according to Maria Bucur, an Indiana professor and an officer of the American Association of University Professors' campus chapter. Dr. Bucur said she regards the outcome in Ms. Adams's case as unsatisfactory, even though Ms. Adams has returned to teaching the course. Dr. Bucur said the presence of a monitor in Ms. Adams's class creates a "chilling effect" and amounts to a form of censorship. |
| At UNC, Professors Must Soon Post Syllabi Publicly | |
| Two months after legal teams at University of North Carolina system campuses split over whether syllabi are considered public documents, system president Peter Hans announced plans to adopt a new policy that will answer an unequivocal yes. Starting as early as next fall, faculty members at UNC institutions will be required to upload their syllabi to a searchable public database, according to a draft of the policy provided to Inside Higher Ed by student journalists at The Daily Tar Heel. These public syllabi must include the course name, prefix, description, course objectives and student learning outcomes, as well as "a breakdown of how student performance will be assessed, including the grading scale, percentage breakdown of major assignments, and how attendance or participation will affect a student's final grade." Faculty must also include any course materials that students are required to purchase. The Florida Board of Governors recently enacted a policy that makes syllabi, required or recommended textbooks, and instructional materials available online and searchable for students and the general public for five years. Indiana, Texas and the University System of Georgia also maintain similar rules. |
| Professors are turning to this old-school method to stop AI use on exams | |
 | When students in Catherine Hartmann's honors seminar at the University of Wyoming took their final exams this month, they encountered a testing method as old as the ancient philosophers whose ideas they were studying. For 30 minutes, each student sat opposite Hartmann in her office. Hartmann asked probing questions. The student answered. Hartmann, a religious studies professor who started using oral examinations last year, is not alone in turning to a decidedly old-fashioned way to grade student performance. Across the country, a small but growing number of educators are experimenting with oral exams to circumvent the temptations presented by powerful artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT. Such tools can be used to cheat on take-home exams or essays and to complete all manner of assignments, part of a broader phenomenon known as "cognitive off-loading." Hartmann tells her students that using AI is like bringing a forklift to the gym when your goal is to build muscle. "The classroom is a gymnasium, and I am your personal trainer," she explains. "I want you to lift the weights." So far, her students have embraced the training regimen. Lily Leman, 20, a double major in Spanish and history, took her final exam last week. Leman admits to being "pretty freaked out" at first by the idea of an oral exam. Now she wishes she had more of them. "With this exam, I don't know how you would use AI, frankly," Leman said. |
| Lawmakers urge Education Department to add nursing to 'professional' programs list amid uproar | |
| A bipartisan group in Congress is urging the Education Department to add nursing to a list of college programs that are considered "professional," adding to public outcry after nurses were omitted from a new agency definition. The Trump administration's list of professional programs includes medicine, law and theology but leaves out nursing and some other fields that industry groups had asked to be included. The "professional" label would allow students to borrow larger amounts of federal loans to pursue graduate degrees in those fields. Under new rules proposed by the Trump administration, students in graduate programs deemed professional could borrow up to $200,000 for their degrees in total, and up to $50,000 a year. Loans for other graduate programs would be capped at $100,000 in total and $20,500 per year. In the past, graduate students had been able to borrow federal loans up to the full cost of their programs. In a Friday letter, lawmakers argue that a $100,000 cap on nursing graduate programs would make it harder for students to pay for expensive but high-demand programs, like those for nurse anesthetists. The annual cap would also pinch students in year-round nurse practitioner programs, which charge for three terms a year rather than just two and often cost more than $20,500 a year, they wrote. |
| Another Trump target? The college essay | |
| Mo Marie Lauyanne Kouame, 18, dreams of being an aerospace engineer and building spacecraft. This fall, she applied to MIT, Princeton, and Columbia. For one college essay, she wrote about being homeless at 8 years old, when she came to the United States from France. She recalled watching her parents fight for help from the Department of Transitional Assistance and sleeping in hospital beds at Boston Medical Center when they didn't know where else to go. That early experience changed her, she said. "Homelessness," she wrote, "taught me resilience." Kouame's essay, which recounts how she learned to thrive as a low-income student of color "surrounded by classmates whose lives felt worlds apart from mine," is about overcoming adversity. That's a theme the White House has identified as a problem in its campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion. Over the past year, the federal government has flagged "cues" such as personal essays, along with narratives about "overcoming obstacles" and "diversity statements," as being potentially unlawful: a stand-in for talking about race. For Kouame, not writing about her identity felt "impossible," she said in a Zoom interview, "because the things that I've gone through in life make me who I am now." Navigating the college admissions landscape has never been easy, but for the class of 2030 it's particularly fraught. |
| University presidents reflect on academic freedom amid Trump's push to reshape higher education | |
| The Trump administration has expanded its review of colleges and universities across the country this year, threatening to withhold critical funding from some institutions if they do not comply with administration's policies. Many universities rely on federal funding for a sizable portion of their research funding. According to Neeli Bendapudi, the president of Penn State University, it is "important" that the federal government "continue that tradition of investing in our higher education system because it's a huge competitive advantage." Bendapudi said that if Penn State had received the administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence" memo, which offers preferential access to federal funding for higher education institutions, the university would have rejected it. "It's very important for universities to have the academic freedom to discuss," she said. "It's hard to imagine an institution of higher education where you're not confronted by ideas and experiences that are not just echo chambers of your own. That is part and parcel of what it means to get a degree, right? So it's very critical for us. Whoever you are, when you come in, we embrace you, you're part of the culture of Penn State and we want you to succeed." |
SPORTS
| Complete 2026 Football Schedule Announced | |
| The full 2026 Mississippi State football schedule was announced Thursday night, following the Southeastern Conference's announcement on SEC Network. Mississippi State's 2026 schedule features seven home games and five road contests. The 2026 campaign will kickoff at home against Louisiana-Monroe (Sept. 5) before back-to-back road games at Minnesota (Sept. 12) and South Carolina (Sept. 19). State will close out September against Missouri (Sept. 26). The month of October will feature home games against Alabama (Oct. 3) and Oklahoma (Oct. 24) and road games at LSU (Oct. 17) and at Texas (Oct. 31). State will have an open date on October 10. The final month of the season will consist of three consecutive home games against Vanderbilt (Nov. 7), Auburn (Nov. 14) and Tennessee Tech (Nov. 21) before closing out the regular season in Oxford on November 28. Game times and TV associations will be announced at a later date. New season ticket deposits for the 2026 schedule are now available at hailstate.com/tickets or by calling 662-325-2600. Season ticket renewals will officially begin in the new year so don't miss your chance to lock in your spot at Davis Wade Stadium next fall. |
| Bulldogs head to Utah in need of new heroes | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball looked to be at a tipping point on Sunday in a loss to San Francisco at Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo. The team fell short in a comeback attempt after losing star scorer Josh Hubbard to an ankle injury in the opening minutes of action. Jayden Epps led the team with 21 points, hitting five shots from beyond the arc as he and the Bulldogs put up 40 in the second half. It wasn't enough, as MSU fell 65-62, and the weight of the defeat was evident after the game. Hubbard returned to the bench, but did not play. He was able to walk on his own and had a wrap around his right ankle. Despite his absence, the Bulldogs were able to score, but still came up short. Epps talked about the defeat with a heavy tone, but kept an ambitious attitude about the team's mentality going forward. "There's no big thing or big area, I just feel like we just listen to (Jans) and play Mississippi State basketball," Epps said. |
| MSU softball finalizes 2026 schedule with five invitationals and Alex Wilcox memorial events | |
| Mississippi State softball head coach Samantha Rickets finalized her team's schedule for the upcoming 2026 campaign, which will begin on Feb. 5. The Bulldogs will take part in five invitational weekends, three on the road and two at home in Nusz Park. The season begins with the Getterman Classic at Baylor, where they will face the Bears, Northwestern State, Wichita State and New Mexico. MSU will also travel for the Tiger Invitational at Clemson in February, taking on the Tigers, Georgia Southern and Wofford, and the Jaguar Classic at South Alabama in March, taking on New Mexico two more times, as well as the hosts and Samford. Nusz Park will host Murray State, Rutgers and North Texas for The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial invitational in February and then visits from Belmont, Samford and Delaware State for the Bulldog Invitational the following week. The annual All for Alex Weekend will take place April 10-12 for the series against Arkansas, and LSU will come to town for Super Bulldog Weekend April 24-26. |
| Southern Miss promotes Blake Anderson to head coach, replaces Charles Huff | |
| Southern Miss is promoting offensive coordinator Blake Anderson to be its next head coach, the school announced Thursday. Anderson was previously named interim head coach after Charles Huff left for Memphis to become the Tigers' next head coach. In his first season back at Southern Miss, Anderson, whose previous job at Utah State ended in controversy, led an offense that ranked fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring at 29.8 points per game. The Golden Eagles had the conference's top passing attack with quarterback Braylon Braxton, who averaged more than 250 passing yards per game. Anderson previously coached at Southern Miss from 2008 to 2011, first as quarterbacks coach and then as offensive coordinator. But Anderson's time at Utah State ended amid controversy. In 2024, he was fired for contacting a potential domestic violence victim and a witness to the incident after an Aggies football player was arrested. Anderson also failed to properly report the case. In the school's termination letter to Anderson, Utah State athletic director Diana Sabau and president Elizabeth R. Cantwell alleged Anderson violated university policy requiring him to report the alleged crime to Utah State's Title IX coordinator within 24 hours. They claimed Anderson "took it upon (himself) to investigate the matter" and "interviewed" the athlete, the potential victim and a witness to the event. |
| NCAA President Charlie Baker on sports betting: 'The phone changed everything' | |
| In just a few short years, sports betting has gone from an occasional Vegas detour to a constant presence in American life. A tap away on your phone. A fixture in every commercial break. A storyline woven into every game. As betting has surged, so have the ripple effects: social media abuse, integrity concerns, pressure on athletes, and an entirely new culture forming around wins, losses, and prop bets. College sports sits at the center of that storm. So I spoke with NCAA President Charlie Baker (no relation) about what he's seeing, what worries him and what comes next. |
| How a 28-year-old Chris Weinke became one of the most unlikely Heisman winners ever | |
| The jokes are easy enough to make between "old man" Haynes King and his position coach, the oldest man to ever win the Heisman Trophy. Twenty-five years ago, when Chris Weinke took home the award as a 28-year-old senior, his age became a nonstop topic of conversation. Today, older quarterbacks dot the college football landscape, their advanced ages met with a collective shrug. "Sometimes I try and mess with him and say, 'I couldn't quite catch you on the age, but I tried. I gave it my all," the 24-year-old King said of Weinke, his quarterbacks coach at Georgia Tech. Older players have been normalized, thanks to the transfer portal and the pandemic, which granted freshmen an extra year of eligibility if they wanted it. Nearly 40 quarterbacks from the 2020 class came back this year for one more season at the FBS level. Plus, with NIL and revenue sharing, some quarterbacks are opting to stay in college as opposed to leaving school for the NFL draft. And sixth-year quarterbacks like King and Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia entered the Heisman conversation this year. (Pavia was named a finalist.) Still, if more quarterbacks are 24 years old these days, nobody is quite as aged as Weinke was when he played. "The landscape of college football has obviously changed," Weinke says. "But that was a point of contention when I won it." |
| Nike Is Returning to Its Roots in College Sports | |
| Nike's rise to sneaker dominance came in large part thanks to the company's marketing. More specifically, its vanguard advertising around athletes themselves. Now the brand is moving back towards that heritage in its approach to college sports. Nike and LSU have agreed to a 10-year extension that will keep the Tigers sports teams wearing the Swoosh through 2036. Conjointly, Nike has signed 10 LSU athletes to separate marketing deals, part of an NIL program that will dramatically increase the work the company does directly with college athletes. The company plans to strike similar agreements with some of its other major college partners. Nike's college sports strategy is mirrors a much broader return-to-basics approach for the $96 billion footwear giant. Last year the company hired Elliott Hill as its new CEO. Hill spent more than three decades at Nike, left in 2020 and returned to lead a company that many analysts felt had drifted too far from its roots. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
