| Wednesday, May 26, 2021 |
| MSU's Athlete Engineering Team uses wearable tech to study performance, prevent injury | |
 | When Reuben Burch and 14 other Mississippi State University faculty members began the university's Athlete Engineering Team in 2017, they had about $2,500. Now, they have as many as 90 people across the MSU campus involved in the team's research into student athletes' performance, and they've been awarded more than $2 million, mostly in grants. "It's all the different engineering programs, plus kinesiology, plus textiles and fashion design -- believe it or not -- sociology and psychology," Burch told the Columbus Rotary Club at its weekly luncheon Tuesday at Lion Hills Center. "So (we're) pretty well spread across a good bit of campus, and we work with all 19 of our sports teams, mostly through the strength and conditioning coaches and the athletic trainers." Together, students and professors in those fields study ways to help athletes perform better. For Burch, an assistant professor in industrial and systems engineering -- and a former football player for the Bulldogs -- that means studying wearables, small pieces of technology connected to an individual's body that can capture data on how the body is performing a certain activity. Ideally, good wearable technology will help reduce injuries and increase athletes' health, Burch said. |
| Neurosurgeon tapped for spot on state health board | |
 | Neurosurgeon Dr. John Daniel Davis IV has been nominated by Gov. Tate Reeves to serve on a board that governs public health in the state, Department of Health officials announced Tuesday. Davis, of Flowood, was nominated to complete the six-year term of Dr. Ed D. "Tad" Barham on the Mississippi State Board of Health. Barham died earlier this year of coronavirus complications. Davis is a graduate of both the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and School of Public Health. He currently works as a neurosurgeon at NewSouth NeuroSpine in Flowood. "It is truly a special opportunity and unique honor to serve on this Board," he said in a statement Tuesday. "I am committed to sound, science-based policy with efficient execution, and I look forward to addressing important matters that impact the health and lives of Mississippians." A native of Jackson, Davis graduated from Jackson Preparatory School as the Star Student in 1984 and received his bachelor's degree in biological engineering, graduating summa cum laude from Mississippi State University. |
| Don't use scooters on busy roadways, Starkville city leaders warn | |
 | Getting to and from places across town in a timely manner can be tricky, especially during the summer heat. Motorized scooters can help with that, but in Oktibbeha County, Starkville leaders are finding those scooters on busy streets. Within the past few months, Starkville saw a few scooters pop up around town for people to use, but officers have caught people using these scooters on one of the busiest roads in town -- Highway 12. "Highway 12 is not where you want to lose the battle with a car if you're on a scooter," Mayor Lynn Spruill. But as successful as the scooters are around town, the Starkville Police Department is warning the public to stay off busy streets like Highway 12. Spruill said the road has constant heavy traffic, with semi-trucks and other vehicles using it frequently. |
| $3.1 million in funding will double meat processing capacity in state | |
 | The Mississippi Land, Water and Timber Resources Board (LWTRB) approved $3.1 million in financial assistance to seven livestock processing facilities to increase their capacity following interruptions in the food supply chain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board, co-chaired by Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson and Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority John Rounsaville, approved funding to expand currently operating USDA-inspected processing facilities and construct new USDA-inspected facilities. The Mississippi LWTRB approved applications from seven processors. "The past year has been difficult for many industries in Mississippi, and agriculture is no exception," said MDA Executive Director John Rounsaville. "The intent of these loans and grants is to enhance market opportunities for livestock producers and processors while simultaneously strengthening our agricultural economy." The number of USDA-inspected facilities that provide slaughtering and processing services to the public will double. |
| Mississippi protesters: Revive medical marijuana proposal | |
| People protested Tuesday near the Mississippi Capitol and the state Supreme Court building to demand that Gov. Tate Reeves call legislators into special session to restore a medical marijuana initiative that voters approved in November and that justices recently overturned. In the 6-3 ruling May 14, the state Supreme Court also invalidated Mississippi's entire initiative process that allows citizens to petition to bring issues to a statewide vote. Justices said the process is outdated, so the medical marijuana proposal was not properly on the ballot. About 1.3 million people voted in Mississippi in November, and more than 766,000 of them voted in favor of the medical marijuana proposal, Initiative 65. Brandon Allen, 35, a military veteran from Pearl, sat holding sign with the slogan: "Special Session Now Tater Tot." Allen said he knows veterans who have post traumatic stress syndrome, and marijuana could help them. "I don't think the government should tell people how they should and shouldn't live," Allen said in an interview moments before a band at the event started playing the Willie Nelson song, "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die." |
| 'No special session, no reelection': Mississippians call for legislators to fix initiative process | |
 | Mississippi native Jasmine Cochran's heard it all her life: "If you don't like it, change it." So she did what she was told. Cochran voted for Initiative 65 last fall to amend the constitution and legalize medical marijuana. That's what she wanted for her mother suffering with fibromyalgia -- a disorder causing widespread bodily pain -- and her father recently diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer. She was part of the the overwhelming majority of Mississippi voters who passed the initiative in November. Tuesday morning, in front of over 200 people gathered near the Mississippi Supreme Court for the "We are the 74 rally," Cochran isn't celebrating that win. She's fighting for it. The medical marijuana program was stymied when six justices ruled May 14 that because the state's initiative process is outdated, the medical marijuana initiative is void. "Imagine our collective grief when they took it away from us when we did what we were told we could do," Cochran told the crowd at the rally. "You'd be hard-pressed to find a more divided state, but we all came together for this." "We are the 74" -- a group whose name gives nod to the 74% of Mississippians who voted for the Initiative 65 -- rallied against the high court's overruling and chanted their plea for Gov. Tate Reeves to call a special session. |
| Medical marijuana protesters call on Mississippi politicians to 'stop the steal' | |
| Carolyn Prisock had a brain tumor removed 15 years ago, and suffers debilitating migraines and side effects from medications -- one caused her to temporarily lose her eyesight. Prisock was hopeful that the medical marijuana program Mississippi voters approved in November would offer her some relief and an alternative to pharmaceuticals she said "are like-taking poison." But she said the state Supreme Court "pulled the rug out from under our feet." Prisock, 56, of rural Louisville was among a little over 200 people who rallied near the Supreme Court building and state Capitol on Tuesday morning. They were protesting the high court's ruling that struck down the Initiative 65 medical marijuana program voters passed, and that also nullified Mississippi voters' right to change the state constitution. The protesters called on Gov. Tate Reeves to call the Mississippi Legislature back to Jackson in special session, and for lawmakers to reinstate the medical marijuana program and voters' ballot initiative right to take matters in their own hands. The rally included live music -- with a band striking up a few old 60's marijuana standards -- and several speakers. It drew a diverse crowd of patients and families, cannabis advocates, entrepreneurs hoping to get into the marijuana business, and voters who feel like they've been rooked by the court and politicians. |
| Senator Chris Coons, Joe Biden's Eyes and Ears in the Senate, Reaches for Bipartisanship | |
 | Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, was hurrying to a vote through the Capitol's cavernous underground tunnel system on a recent Thursday when his phone rang. It was Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, calling for a quick briefing before an infrastructure meeting he had scheduled with a group of Republican senators. Mr. Coons brushed off the reporters trailing him, propped his computer tablet against a railing next to the Senate subway track, and began typing away, taking notes, as he lowered his voice to share the skinny on the Republicans. "These are Republican senators he doesn't know," Mr. Coons said of Mr. Buttigieg after the two hung up. "So it's just sort of tactical advice about specific members. What are their interests? What's the background? Do you think there's room for progress?" Before the end of the day Mr. Coons's phone would ring several more times, with various White House officials on the other end -- seeking counsel, scuttlebutt and insight that President Biden needed to navigate his agenda through the Senate. In the Senate, many Republicans have come to regard Mr. Coons as a reliable conduit to Mr. Biden. Leaving his office, the Delaware Democrat passed Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican with whom he has worked on policing issues. Mr. Wicker had just left a meeting at the White House. "I just talked to a friend of yours," Mr. Wicker said, before invoking Mr. Coons's degree in ethics from Yale Divinity School. "He said you can preach. I said, 'I've seen it.'" |
| Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, 'a doer,' embraces deal-maker role on infrastructure | |
 | At the beginning of this year, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito appeared poised to take the gavel of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. But when two Senate races in Georgia upended that possibility, she became something else: the go-to deal-maker for Senate Republicans on infrastructure. In just 24 hours last weekend, the benefits and disadvantages of that role became evident. Capito had a win on Saturday when she and Democratic Sen. Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, the EPW chairman, announced they had reached a deal on a five-year, $303.5 billion highway bill to be marked up Wednesday. That came one day after the West Virginia Republican disappointedly left a negotiation between Senate Republicans and the White House on a larger infrastructure package. The administration's counteroffer of $1.7 trillion to the $568 billion she and Republicans had offered was still too costly, the GOP lawmakers said. Still, "I'm not ready to call it quits" on a larger infrastructure package, she told reporters Monday. "I can tell you that." On Tuesday, she and her colleagues regrouped, saying they were preparing a counteroffer to present to the White House on Thursday morning. Capito would not reveal a topline number, but Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said $1 trillion was a number Republicans could agree to. "We can do that," he said. Low-key and pragmatic, Capito, 67, is conservative enough to be respected by former President Donald Trump but appears to have no interest in abandoning the notion of bipartisan negotiation. |
| Senate Republicans Prepare $1 Trillion Infrastructure Offer | |
 | Senate Republicans are crafting a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure offer to present to the White House later this week, preparing a substantial increase to their original $568 billion plan in hopes of sustaining bipartisan talks that hit hurdles last week. The six Senate Republicans who have been leading talks met Tuesday morning to discuss how to respond to the $1.7 trillion plan the White House released last week, a drop from the Biden administration's original $2.3 trillion proposal. Members of the group said they would send their new plan to the White House on Thursday, days before an unofficial Memorial Day deadline for progress in the talks. Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.), the top Republican on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said President Biden told the GOP lawmakers during a private meeting earlier this month that he would support a $1 trillion plan over eight years. Mr. Wicker said the Republican offer would roughly match Mr. Biden's comments in the meeting. "We're gonna make it eight years, as the president said he would accept, we're going to hit a figure very close to what the president said he would accept," Mr. Wicker said. |
| Abortion fight puts renewed focus on President Biden's Catholicism | |
 | President Biden's Catholic faith is a fundamental part of his identity that he has not shied from sharing with the public in his first months as president. But Biden's support for abortion rights has put the second Catholic president in U.S. history at odds with some leaders of the Catholic Church, as well as some of its voters. That tension will be on display in the coming months, particularly as campaigning for the 2022 midterm elections begins to heat up. Democrats are angling to make abortion a top issue ahead of the midterms after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving a Mississippi law that could weaken the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade nearly half a century ago. Biden himself is reflective of the sizeable group of Americans who identify as Catholic but also diverge with the church's opposition to abortion. A majority -- 55 percent -- of U.S. adults who identify as Catholic say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April, while 43 percent say it should be illegal in most cases. "The fact of the matter is that Biden's position reflects where most American Catholics are," said David Campbell, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame and author of the new book "Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics." While Biden's abortion views contrast with those of top church officials, Campbell said the political fallout is limited. |
| Can Mississippi's Last Abortion Clinic Survive? | |
 | Long before the funky restaurants and shops began to turn Fondren into Jackson's trendiest district, the neighborhood's landmark institution was a bright pink building, surrounded by a concrete and iron wall, 8 feet tall at its peak, that is Mississippi's last abortion clinic. Last week, the scene was more or less normal: The women seeking care would slowly turn into the parking lot, careful not to hit the protesters camped at the entrance who held signs preaching eternal damnation. Volunteers in rainbow-patterned vests ushered the women inside. Pop music blared from speakers to drown out the protesters, many of whom bring their own amplifiers. The U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review the case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which is the formal name of the "Pink House." The case concerns Mississippi's 2018 ban on all abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. The law was blocked on appeal as an unconstitutional violation of Roe v. Wade; the landmark decision that afforded women the right to an abortion prior to viability, which is considered 24 weeks. The possibility that the newly conservative Supreme Court would take up a case that could challenge a standard that had stood since 1973, possibly replacing one landmark case for another, was cause for celebration among the state's mostly male and mostly white lawmakers who have vowed to make Mississippi, in the words of a former governor, "the safest place in America for an unborn child." The mood among those who have struggled to hold the line on abortion rights ranged from resigned acceptance to anger. They have watched for decades as Mississippi lawmakers have passed law after law that has whittled the number of abortion providers to a single outpost in the state's majority Black capital city. |
| Pentagon nominees won't second guess Space Command move to Huntsville | |
 | Opponents of moving Space Command headquarters to Alabama tried but failed today to get Biden defense appointees to provide more data on the cost of the move or second guess the process that led to the headquarters decision. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) asked Frank Kendall, Biden's nominee as Secretary of the Air Force, to commit to providing "cost estimates for both relocating the Space Command and the potential cost to build a new facility in Huntsville?" "I understand there is a review going on of that decision and what I would like to do, first of all, is to see the results of that review," Kendall replied. He noted there are actually two reviews under way and he wants to see the results of both "and then we can have a discussion about the specifics at that point." Shaheen then asked if the hearing's second subject, Suzanna Blume, Biden's nominee as assistant secretary for defense for cost assessment & program evaluation, would be involved in any review. "Ordinarily (she) would not," Blume replied, "unless asked to do so for some reason by the Secretary." Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, thanked Kendall and Blume "for standing by the data of the decision to put Space Command in Huntsville. My colleagues seem to continue to fight that for some reason." The Air Force analysis showed the location of Redstone saves taxpayers millions of dollars which we all look forward to," Tuberville said. |
| Top U.S. health official calls for follow-up investigation into pandemic's origins | |
 | The United States' top health official called Tuesday for a swift follow-up investigation into the coronavirus's origins amid renewed questions about whether the virus jumped from an animal host into humans in a naturally occurring event or escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told an annual ministerial meeting of the World Health Organization that international experts should be given "the independence to fully assess the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak." Becerra's remarks, which were prerecorded, signaled that the Biden administration would continue to press the WHO to expand its investigation to determine the virus's origins. As the coronavirus ravaged the United States and much of the world last year, an early theory was that it emerged from a market in Wuhan that sold meat from wild animals raised in captivity and then swiftly spread across the globe. Experts in viral genome evolution determined that it almost certainly was not engineered as a bioweapon because it has several naturally occurring features and is closely related to a 2014 coronavirus that came from a bat in a cave in China. But they also said they could not rule out that the virus may have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a research lab that studies coronaviruses. |
| Former MUW professor remembered for serving special needs community | |
| William Hunt said his father never really discussed how he became such a passionate advocate for people with special needs. "I think one reason was for practical reasons. It was a field that wasn't as crowded as some of the others," William said. "My mother was essentially deaf, so I think they both knew that sometimes people with special needs need a little assistance." James W. Hunt died May 20 at age 96. He will be best remembered for his pioneering work in the field of special education, including starting the special education program at Mississippi University for Women, as well as his tireless support for programs throughout Columbus and the state to provide special needs children and adults with opportunities -- from work to recreation. Above all else, he was an ever-present comfort for young parents trying to grasp the implications of being a parent to a special needs child. "When you didn't know where to turn, you turned to Dr. Hunt," said Alma Turner, a special needs mom, retired educator and frequent collaborator with Hunt. "I never met a person who was more committed and more determined in the field of disabilities than Dr. Hunt." |
| UMMC to host commencement ceremonies on Thursday and Friday | |
 | The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) will host a two-day commencement ceremony for graduates at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. On Thursday, May 27, the School of Nursing students will graduate at 10:00 a.m., and the School of Health Related Professions will graduate at 2:00 p.m. On Friday, May 28, Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences, and Population Health will graduate at 10:00 a.m. Due to safety precautions, all ceremonies will be closed to the general public, and only invited family members or friends of graduates will be admitted. All participants and attendees are required to wear a mask. To watch the ceremony's livestream, go to UMMC's official website. |
| JSU offers COVID vaccinations as Mississippi continues fight against virus | |
| Mississippi continues its fight against COVID-19 by encouraging residents to get vaccinated. According to the State Department of Health, more than 1 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Jackson State University teamed up with Jackson Hinds Comprehensive Health Center to offer free COVID-19 vaccinations to keep the momentum going. "We are giving out Pfizer and Moderna vaccines," said nurse practitioner Rekita McCoy. Community members and college students took advantage of the free vaccines, including 69-year-old Willie Hart who heard about the event on the radio. "Didn't want to contract anything from anyone, or accidentally spread it to anyone if I caught it, so it was best for me to do the right thing," he said. According to the State Department of Health, more than 887,000 people are now vaccinated and almost 2-million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the state. For the first time, this vaccination event was open to children 12 and older eligible for the vaccine, but they were noticeably absent. |
| U. of Alabama lifts mask rule for vaccinated students, faculty | |
 | The University of Alabama on Monday announced the immediate lifting of face mask requirements for students, faculty and staff who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The decision was made in accordance with current policy set by the Centers for Disease Control and guidance from the UA System Comprehensive Health and Safety Task Force. All unvaccinated faculty, staff and students will still be required to wear face coverings inside all university buildings, according to UA's announcement. Physical distancing of at least 3 feet will still be required. However, UA said there will be some exceptions to the change in policy. UA said that masks will still be required in all clinical settings, inside the University Medical Center and the Student Health Center, and on Crimson Ride buses. People can choose to continue to wear a mask in circumstances where one is not required, UA said. On May 17, UA announced an end to staggered work schedules and instructed faculty and staff to return to campus offices and workplaces for regular hours. |
| After another recusal in LSU sexual misconduct lawsuits, Wendy Vitter to take over as judge | |
 | The legal hot potato continues over two sexual misconduct lawsuits targeting LSU. When every federal district judge in Baton Rouge disqualified themselves from the lawsuits filed last month in the Middle District of Louisiana, the court farmed the cases out to a New Orleans federal judge, Susie Morgan, instead. But, in a May 24 order, Morgan recused herself from one of the cases as well, briefly leaving the lawsuit in limbo again until the Tuesday appointment of Eastern District federal Judge Wendy Vitter to preside. The lawsuit now in Vitter's courtroom alleges that LSU failed to properly follow federal Title IX laws, which prohibit institutions from discriminating based on sex, and which govern university-led investigations into sexual misconduct. Plaintiffs include former LSU tennis players Abby Owens, Jade Lewis and Kennan Johnson; former LSU Athletic Department student workers Samantha Brennan and Calise Richardson; recent graduate Elisabeth Andries and an unidentified Jane Doe. The lawsuit names 16 defendants, including LSU, the Board of Supervisors and the Tiger Athletic Foundation. Vitter was nominated to the federal bench by former President Donald Trump and confirmed in 2019. She is the former general counsel for the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, and is married to former U.S. Sen. David Vitter. |
| Six women reported a Louisiana college student for sexual misconduct. No one connected the dots. | |
 | In 2015, a Louisiana State University freshman transferred schools weeks after he was accused of sexual assault. LSU did not disclose the allegation to his new school, even after learning of his arrest for allegedly assaulting a second woman months later. The same year, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette placed a student arrested for sexual assault on probation, letting him stay on campus so long as he stayed out of trouble. Over his next three years there, three women reported him to the Lafayette Police Department for sex crimes, but the police never informed the school, despite an agreement that required it. In 2018, Louisiana Tech University declined to investigate a woman's sexual assault report because the alleged perpetrator dropped out of the school three days after she reported it. The university said nothing to the school he transferred to the next month. In each case, the institutions failed to share relevant information with each other, leaving women on their campuses without warning and potentially at risk. The cases also share another common thread. They all involved the same accused student: Victor Daniel Silva. Silva, who did not respond to requests for comment for this story and hung up the phone on a reporter, has never been charged with a sex crime. He was arrested once but prosecutors did not move forward with the case. He has told police and others the allegations against him are false. His case, however, illustrates how universities continue to struggle with the most basic response to sexual assault allegations. |
| One College's Mission: Vaccinate 120,000 People | |
 | On a Friday afternoon in late April, Michael Lauzardo greeted his patient. "I'm Dr. Lauzardo," he said, ushering the woman to his station. "Nice to meetcha." He was warm but efficient as he ran through his questions. Any problems with the first Covid-19 vaccine dose? Any questions for me? Nope and nope, she replied. He injected the 0.3 milliliter dose into her shoulder, tossed the empty syringe, stuck on a bandage, and thanked her for getting vaccinated, for doing her part. She stood, and Lauzardo beckoned to the next person in line. The exchange took less than a minute. On to the next patient. Inject, toss, stick, repeat. Every minute today was precious. Thousands of people had appointments at the University of Florida's mass-vaccination clinic, located on the fifth floor of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium's skybox tower, high above the football field. The bleachers were mostly empty. The Jumbotron projected that day's graduation ceremonies to an audience of a few dozen. But inside, the clinic was buzzing with activity. About 120 people, mostly students, walked through the door every 20 minutes. By midafternoon, there was a backlog. A socially distanced line had formed on the sidewalk below. Lauzardo is the deputy director of the university's Emerging Pathogens Institute, and he has overseen the ramp-up and eventual launch of the university's all-out vaccination blitz, an effort to inoculate more than 100,000 people over six weeks. |
| U. of Florida, Santa Fe College to receive millions for student, school COVID-19 help | |
 | A third round of COVID-19 relief funds is coming from the federal government for students at the University of Florida and Santa Fe College. The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III, or HEERF III, is part of the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law on March 11, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Two months later, the department announced HEERF III will provide over $36 billion to more than 5,000 institutions of higher education for student emergency financial aid and school support. UF is set to receive nearly $88 million, with about $44 million going to students and $43 million going to the university, according to the department's allocation table. HEERF III's millions will about double the emergency money local colleges and universities have given so far from the first two rounds. Both UF and SF previously received and dispersed COVID-19 grants to students under HEERF I and II, which were authorized by 2020's federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and 2021's Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. On May 1, 2020, UF got $15.5 million for an estimated 43,364 eligible students. Over the spring, summer and fall semesters, the money was given to 15,661 undergraduate, graduate and professional students in need. Another $15.5 million came in on February 16, 2021, for an estimated 51,842 eligible students. As of March 19, $9.5 million of it had gone out to 11,442 students, per the university website. |
| $295K grant lets U. of Missouri professor look into the biographies of artifacts, objects | |
 | Where an object came from, where it has traveled and whose hands it has been in, is the focus of a three-year research grant project by Sarah Buchanan. An assistant professor in the University of Missouri College of Education, Buchanan is an archivist with a three-year, $295,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to study provenance -- those object biographies of where they came from and their trajectories over time and space. In her first research paper from the grant, Buchanan worked with Sarah Mohr, at Brown University, to compile a bibliography of the college and university locations of clay cuneiform tablets in the U.S. Both MU and Brown have the tablets, examples of the first human writing system used in Mesopotamia -- modern-day Iraq -- more than 3,000 years ago. The bibliography was published in the Journal of Open Humanities Data. "It's a very interesting story about crossing international borders and international sales and trades," Buchanan said about the journey of the ancient tablets to the U.S. "Provenance helps museums have much more confidence in the items they put on display." |
| USC Upstate Chancellor Bennie Harris meets college, Spartanburg community | |
| University of South Carolina Upstate Chancellor-elect Bennie L. Harris officially met the faculty, staff and students during a meet and greet Tuesday morning where he laid out his goals. First and foremost, Harris looks to make USC Upstate a university of choice. "We will have to increase our focus on fundraising and building the university's endowment to create partnerships, joint ventures with business, inventing new ways to achieve our goals and to establish the role of USC Upstate as a talent developer," Harris said. "I will work with my team to focus on retaining faculty and staff and competitively attracting new faculty and staff to make the University of South Carolina Upstate a destination of choice." Harris was chosen from a group of four finalists and approximately 130 candidates in a nationwide search. Notably, Harris is the university's first-ever minority hired as chancellor. Harris, of Rosedale, Mississippi, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University, an MBA from Washington State University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has worked at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta as the senior vice president for institutional advancement since 2014, previously serving as Lipscomb University's Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations. |
| AAUP finds major erosion of shared governance during COVID-19 | |
 | Some institutions took the COVID-19 crisis as an "opportunity to turbocharge the corporate model," says a new report from the American Association of University Professors. Without declaring financial exigency, they laid off faculty members "as expeditiously as if colleges and universities were businesses whose CEOs suddenly decided to stop making widgets or shut down the steelworks." This phenomenon isn't unfamiliar to the AAUP. The organization made similar observations about certain New Orleans-area institutions following the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. So much so that the AAUP warned early on in the pandemic that COVID-19 could erode shared governance, via administrations flouting their own institutional policies. More than a year after that warning, and following an investigation into what the AAUP interpreted as some of the biggest violations of faculty rights during COVID-19, the AAUP today published its resultant report. Beyond condemning eight separate institutions -- a list that that AAUP says is illustrative, not exhaustive -- for their actions over the last year, the document concludes that this is a "watershed moment." In that sense, now is the beginning of a new era for higher education, not the end of particularly difficult chapter, according to the AAUP. And faculty members must be vigilant. |
| Bipartisan bill would provide federal funding for infrastructure projects at HBCUs | |
| Historically Black colleges and universities have faced underinvestment throughout their 184-year history, leading to limited new construction and facilities in need of repair and renovations -- sometimes with price tags of tens of millions of dollars. The bipartisan, bicameral HBCU Caucus in Congress hopes to help these institutions by passing the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act, which would provide federal support for infrastructure projects on HBCU campuses. The legislation, formally known as the Institutional Grants for New Infrastructure, Technology, and Education for HBCU Excellence Act, would establish a competitive grant program to fund upgrades to campus facilities at public and private HBCUs, new equipment for research, greater access to high-speed broadband, and preservation of historic buildings. It was introduced last week with support from both Democrats and Republicans. Representative Alma Adams, a Democrat from North Carolina, and Representative French Hill, a Republican from Arkansas, took the lead on the bill in the House, while Senator Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, and Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, introduced the bill in the Senate. |
| State higher ed funding increased by 2.9% last year | |
| State and local education appropriations per full-time student increased for the eighth consecutive year in the 2020 fiscal year, rising by nearly 3 percent, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's latest State Higher Education Finance report. Higher education appropriations per full-time-equivalent student increased by 2.9 percent after adjusting for inflation, to an average of $8,636 in the 2020 fiscal year, which began July 1, 2019, and ended June 30, 2020. Combined, state and local support totaled $108 billion. That figure includes $428 million in federal stimulus funding, which helped offset midyear spending cuts implemented by some states in response to the pandemic. Since the COVID-19 pandemic first strained state budgets last spring, experts have warned that public higher education could experience devastating cuts in future years. Federal assistance helped ease some of those concerns, said Brian Prescott, vice president at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, a nonprofit group focused on higher education strategy for institutions and states. Despite years of increases, state and local funding for public higher education has not fully recovered from cuts made during the 2008 recession, the SHEEO report said. As a result, public higher education entered the pandemic-related recession with historically low state funding levels. |
| Will it take another 70 years to get initiatives back? | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: Mississippi is one of the 24 states allowing for initiatives. Initiative 65, which authorized medical marijuana was one such initiative. For years, our state legislature voted down medical marijuana. Then last year, much to the surprise of many, 65.2 percent of the Mississippi electorate voted to legalize medical marijuana. ... Mississippi's initiative law applies only to amending the state constitution not state statutes, so once adopted, the legislature loses all power to modify it. This was a big deal with Initiative 65 because it created one of the most deregulated medical marijuana structures in the country ... I was surprised by the 6-3 supreme court ruling rescinding Initiative 65 based on a technicality caused by federal redistricting -- something over which Mississippi has no control. One thing I've learned about court rulings, there are a million ways to legally justify whatever the court wants to do. In this case, the legal theory of strict originalism was used to trump the legal theory of legislative intent. One of the dissents called the ruling "absurd." The majority's best argument was to blame the state legislature for never fixing the technical problem. |
| Courage in Congressman Michael Guest's vote for independent commission to probe the Jan. 6 insurrection | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: In a state that gave former Republican President Donald Trump 57.8% of the state's 2016 vote for president and 57.6% in the 2020 presidential election, Republican Third District U.S. Rep. Michael Guest found the courage to join 35 other Republican members of Congress in voting for an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill. That vote bucked Trump and GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarty. The vote drew immediate criticism from the Trump faction in the national GOP and criticism on social media in Mississippi. Guest's vote aligned him with the state's only Democratic congressman, Second District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Bolton -- the chairmen of the House Homeland Security Committee who led negotiations on behalf of his party for establishment of the commission. Frankly, it's difficult to see how Guest -- a former longtime state prosecutor -- could have arrived at a different conclusion on this vote. The Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol cost five people, including a Capitol policeman, their lives in that disgraceful display. Some 140 people were injured in the fracas. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State opens SEC Tournament against Florida | |
| Mississippi State doesn't necessarily need to make a deep run this week, but that isn't stopping coach Chris Lemonis from trying to win the SEC Tournament. No. 3 seed Mississippi State opens tournament play today against No. 6 seed Florida at 9:30 a.m. Florida beat Kentucky, 4-1, in the single-elimination portion of the tournament on Tuesday. Mississippi State (40-13) has already locked up its regional host spot and is currently ranked as a national seed by both D1Baseball and Baseball America. The Bulldogs likely have a national seed locked up as well, but that's not stopping Lemonis from aiming to walk off the field on Sunday with the SEC Tournament trophy and a higher national seed. "You never know where you stand," Lemonis said. "You're not guaranteed anything. Somebody could jump up and have an unbelievable week. ... I'd like our kids go there and play great baseball. I'd love to be there on Sunday afternoon taking a trophy home. We have a lot secured and a lot to play for." Florida (36-19) pitched its ace, Tommy Mace, against Kentucky on Tuesday. The Gators will likely throw second-year freshman Hunter Barco, who sports a 9-2 record with a 4.04 ERA this year. |
| Mississippi State baseball to face No. 6 seed Florida in SEC tournament | |
| As the team bus pulled up to the Hoover Metropolitan Complex, Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis turned to Scott Foxhall with a question. "Are you sure we can't start Ethan Small?" he asked. With a matchup against No. 5 LSU, it was only natural for the Bulldogs' skipper to want his ace on the mound for fourth-seeded Mississippi State's first game of the 2019 Southeastern Conference tournament. But Lemonis trusted his pitching coach and stuck with freshman Brandon Smith instead. The strategy worked as Smith went into the fifth inning and six relievers helped lead Mississippi State to a wild 17-inning win over the Tigers. Two years later, Lemonis and the Bulldogs will be faced with a similar situation. The coach said Mississippi State won't rely on weekend starters Christian MacLeod or Will Bednar for Wednesday's opening game against No. 6 Florida as MSU tries to strike a delicate balance between making a Hoover run and saving its bullets for NCAA tournament play. "We won't push pitchers and put them in bad situations, but hopefully we're set up now that we have the bye," Lemonis said. "We can go out there and compete every game and hopefully we're playing there at the end of the week." He said the goal is taking home a trophy and bolstering Mississippi State's seeding case. |
| Florida defeats Kentucky in SEC tournament opener | |
| After a four-game losing streak to end the regular season, Florida looked to bounce back in the opening round of the SEC Baseball Tournament against Kentucky. Six-seeded Florida did just that Tuesday by defeating 11th-seeded Kentucky 4-1 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The Gators (36-19), ranked No. 13 in the nation, play three-seed Mississippi State (40-13), which is ranked No. 8 nationally, at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when the tourney turns into the double-elimination portion. The first five of the six days of the tourney will be covered by the SEC Network. Florida hoped to receive a bye into the second round of the tournament, but a sweep this past weekend by No. 1 Arkansas forced the Gators into a battle with the Wildcats, a team that UF won two of three from on the road May 6-8. First pitch in Hoover may have been unusually early (9:30 a.m. CT), but Florida's bats didn't come out sleepy. On the first pitch of the game, Jacob Young (fourth) blasted it over the left field wall to give the Gators an early lead. Right fielder Sterlin Thompson extended the lead to 2-0 with a bases-loaded single later in the inning, and UF spent the rest of the game protecting its lead. Coach Kevin O'Sullivan awarded right-hander Tommy Mace (6-1) the start, despite hurling over 100 pitches last Thursday against the Razorbacks. |
| 'Ahead of schedule,' Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott honing physical, psychological game | |
| Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott dropped back and rolled out. He handed off to running back Tony Pollard and faked a scramble. Prescott sprinted to the line of scrimmage, where the running and cutting he'd cycled through during Tuesday's OTA practice continued unimpeded. Progress. "A couple of weeks ago, I may have been a little bit more timid," Prescott said Tuesday afternoon from Dallas' training complex, The Star, "where the last few days I was really trying to push it and trying to go further than I normally would carrying out the fake. Just for that psychological effect where it's, 'Hey, it's good. You're fine. You see you doing it.' "The more reps happen, the better and better it feels." More than seven months have elapsed since Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle on Oct. 11. Now, as he's physically unshackled, Prescott is aiming to retrain his mind also. Working at Cowboys OTAs this week was a significant step. The Cowboys anticipate the remainder of OTAs and a mandatory minicamp June 8-10 unfolding similarly for Prescott. He'll integrate into individual drills and technique work. |
| Gamecocks' regional hosting chances droop after one-and-done SEC Tournament stay | |
 | It's exactly like conference championship week in basketball. The sooner your team stops playing, the worse its NCAA Tournament life is going to look. South Carolina's baseball team knows it's in the NCAA Tournament next week, but its chances to stay at home as a host for the first round may have flatlined. The No. 25 Gamecocks dropped their only SEC Tournament game 9-3 to Alabama on May 25, sending them back to Columbia for a long week of waiting. Named one of 20 schools to potentially host an NCAA Regional, USC (33-21) may still be selected as one of the final 16 due to other schools playing themselves out of consideration. But it's far from a certainty. USC will spend the rest of the week practicing while its collective mind will wonder if it's done enough until 8:30 p.m. on May 30. That's when the final 16 hosts will be announced, with the full tournament field released May 31. "When it doesn't go your way, you need to continue to have your players' backs. The next opportunity we have is the NCAA Tournament," USC coach Mark Kingston said. "We'll be ready to go." |
| 'This one hurts': LSU eliminated by Georgia in SEC tournament, left to wonder if it did enough | |
| Landon Marceaux understood LSU's history in the Southeastern Conference tournament and the importance of its first-round game here Tuesday evening against Georgia, so after he received an undeserved loss, the junior pitcher draped a towel over his neck as he dwelled on a 4-1 final score. Marceaux had allowed all four runs in the first inning and then pitched seven scoreless frames inside Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. But as the No. 9 Tigers wasted multiple scoring opportunities, they were eliminated from the SEC tournament, left to wonder if the game will prevent them from receiving a bid in the NCAA tournament. "As a team," Marceaux said, "this one hurts." LSU (34-22) had never lost a first-round elimination game since the format began in 2012. It entered with the most SEC tournament titles in the league, often taking pride in its performance during the event. This year, the Tigers were bounced from the tournament without a win for the first time since 2005. Georgia, the No. 8 seed, moved on to play No. 1 Arkansas in the second round. Now, LSU has to wait until the NCAA announces its 64-team field next Monday. |
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