Friday, July 2, 2021   
 
Historic win increases state exposure
Mississippi State University has been in the College World Series 12 times in school history. But this big win is shedding light on what the state and university can offer to both students and athletes. Over 20,000 MSU fans were in Omaha, to witness the historic moment of their first College World Series win and the University's first national title. Thousands of others tuned in on TV. The university says it gained $5,000,000-6,000,000 worth of national media exposure from the championship game. With two campuses in the state, MSU said this win is huge for the state of Mississippi and the university. "This is a large stage and a lot of eyes are on how this group of young men from Mississippi and from a Mississippi University performs. It is great for the state. It brings a lot of eyes not only on our athletes but on to our fan base and how well they travel. I think there are people around the country, around the state, around the region that will look at all of Mississippi state's campuses. Starkville, Meridian, online, our architecture school in Jackson for the fifth-year students. They will look at all of those programs and realize they can be a part of a dynamic, vibrant university that will give them a degree that will enable them to go out in the world and be a change agent and make a good living while they do it," said MSU Director of Public Affairs Sid Salter.
 
Local Bulldog fans celebrate special season for Mississippi State baseball
Jody Hurst knows how much work the Mississippi State baseball players put into this season and the pressure under which they played. A former Bulldog, Hurst played for MSU from 1986-89 and took a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, this week to see the Bulldogs play in the College World Series finals against Vanderbilt. When MSU got the final out to win Game 3 Wednesday night and secure the school's first national championship, Hurst said he couldn't help but feel excited. "It was really good to see the players finally accomplish what has been a long time coming," said Hurst, who is an assistant baseball coach and athletic director at West Lauderdale. "Every year we think we're going to win it, and we just hadn't been able to get over that hump, and it was great to see these guys accomplish that. There's satisfaction knowing that Mississippi State has proven it's one of the best baseball programs in the country." Meridian resident Justin Sollie, a 2013 graduate of MSU, said he became spoiled by that 2013 team that finished runner-up in the College World Series and was thrilled when this year's team completed the task Wednesday. "It's just surreal, like a relief," Sollie said. "I feel like a lot of State fans are saying that it was a relief. We finally did it." Sollie is boys basketball coach at Enterprise, and he said one of the things he appreciates most is how the low points in the season weren’t dwelled upon by the MSU coaches and players.
 
Area Mississippi State fans celebrate title
Mississippi State University's fans are obviously elated over the team winning the school's first national championship. We paid a visit to the MSU Bulldog Shop in Meridian around lunch time as fans and supporters were talking about the game. Some of the younger Bulldog faithful are excited about the moment while others say they've literally waited a lifetime for this dream to come true. I've been living for this for 62 years," said David Jay, a longtime MSU supporter. "I've been a State fan all my life and very much a baseball fan. It's always so much pride and so much joy. Many times we're disappointed because we don't quite make it. But we made it now. We made it." "I was just jumping around and ringing my cowbell," said MSU graduate student Margaretta Campbell. "I made me a little video on Facebook like I was warming up my cowbell for the championship. It's exciting." "I think their dedication and perseverance even in the worse times they still supported," said MSU graduate student Justus Steele. "This feels like a true deserved win for everybody. The fans. The players. Everybody." Most of the Bulldog faithful we spoke with say they planned on attending Friday's celebration in Starkville and purchasing national championship merchandise as soon as possible.
 
Bulldogs fans buying up Mississippi State gear on heels of CWS win
Fans have been making their way to college gear stores following the Mississippi State Bulldogs' College World Series win. Customers were waiting outside the door Thursday at College Corner in Flowood. Employees said the phone was ringing steadily and there has been constant traffic from State fans. Callie McKinney, who works at the store, said it's been busy since MSU first qualified for the national tournament. "We immediately had people coming in nonstop, and we had people waiting outside the door almost every morning to come and get stuff so they can wear it up in Omaha, so it's been crazy," McKinney said. The same goes for the College Corner location in Ridgeland. Because the Bulldogs brought home such a historic win, McKinney said gear online and in the store has been selling out fast. "Polos, T-shirts, hats, socks, flags all of that kind of stuff have been selling out like crazy," McKinney said.
 
College World Series bringing business into Starkville during slower months
n a college town, like Starkville, things slow down exponentially for businesses as students head home for three months. Uno Mas is a fairly new restaurant. They opened right before the school year ended. Server Kaitlin Mitchell said baseball season -- especially this last week -- has been crucial for getting the ball rolling. "We got lots of business in especially during regionals and super regionals," Mitchell said. "Now we're in Omaha and for those people who can't go to Omaha they come here to enjoy the game." Uno Mas is not the only restaurant benefitting from this week's games. Moe's Original Barbecue has also gotten a huge boost. "We've had an awesome crowd in," owner Whit Stuckey said. "A lot of locals a few people out of town. We've had a few people go to Omaha for the game but we've had a real good turn out. It's been great."
 
Diamond Dogs return home to crowds of fans after CWS title win
Fans welcomed the national champions Mississippi State Bulldogs home on Thursday after the team won the College World Series the day before. The team's plane arrived at Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus at approximately 3 p.m. Some fans greeted the players at the airport, but most waited at Dudy Noble Field where the team received a tremendous welcome. "I said I've got to be at the airport to meet these guys and just tell them and to show them how big of a moment," Hobie Hobart said. "I hope they understand how big of a moment this is." "Watch Mississippi State land and let Tanner Allen and Logan Tanner and Rowdey Jordan sign my baseball," Alex Bassett said. A parade and ceremony will be held on Friday along downtown Starkville and ending at Dudy Noble Field.
 
Fans welcome national champions back home
Just 17 hours after winning the first national championship in school history, the Mississippi State baseball team arrived back in Starkville on Thursday to a large group of cheering fans. Led by head coach Chris Lemonis, holding up his team's brand-new national championship trophy, the baseball team arrived back at Dudy Noble Field at 3:30 p.m. after a flight from Omaha, while fans from all over lined up through the parking lot to take pictures and sign autographs. The celebration doesn't end at the welcome home party, though, as there is a championship parade scheduled for Friday at 5:30 p.m. The parade will start on University Drive and go throughout campus before ending at Dudy Noble Field. "This fan base, they deserve this," senior outfielder Tanner Allen said. "Being able to win a national championship and be able to celebrate with everybody, that's something I'll never forget. It wasn't just us. It was all these people, too." And like many of the players who stepped off the bus to cheers, some of the fans that lined the parking lot already had national championship gear on. One of those fans already wearing a championship T-shirt was Amy Langston, who drove two hours from Corinth on Thursday morning to get her shirt. The life-long Mississippi State fan celebrated her 43rd birthday Wednesday afternoon, then woke up Thursday and left Corinth at 8:30 a.m. This was part of her birthday celebration. She hoped to not only get some championship gear, but wanted to stick around to cheer on the team that finally broke through.
 
Mississippi casinos are setting revenue records, outpacing pre-COVID numbers
Mississippi casinos are making more money now than they were before the pandemic, and the Gulf Coast is leading the spike. Mississippi casinos are reporting a nearly 21% increase in gross gaming revenue so far this year compared to the same period in 2019, according to data from the state Gaming Commission. From January through May, the latest data available, the state's casinos reported a gross gaming revenue totaling $1.1 billion. The Gulf Coast's casinos gross revenue for the months of March, April and May have never been higher, according to Gaming Commission records. "There was less competition for people's discretionary dollars when you consider the number of businesses that had to close," said Keith Crosby, the general manager of Biloxi's Palace Casino. "On the flip side of that effect, the casino industry got ahead of it with some significant safety measures in place to deal with COVID." The casinos' recent spike is matched with an increase in tourists visiting the Gulf Coast. Karen Conner, the director of marketing for tourism bureau Coastal Mississippi, said the region's number of tourists is higher now than it has been in the last several years. State Rep. Casey Eure, a Republican from Biloxi who chairs the House Gaming Committee, said the casinos have benefited as more professional sporting events resumed. The state started allowing sports betting inside casinos in 2018.
 
US adds a solid 850,000 jobs as economy extends its gains
In an encouraging burst of hiring, America's employers added 850,000 jobs in June, well above the average of the previous three months and a sign that companies may be having an easier time finding enough workers to fill open jobs. Friday's report from the Labor Department was the latest evidence that the reopening of the economy is propelling a powerful rebound from the pandemic recession. Restaurant traffic across the country is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, and more people are shopping, traveling and attending sports and entertainment events. The number of people flying each day has regained about 80% of its pre-COVID-19 levels. And Americans' confidence in the economic outlook has nearly fully recovered. A result is that many businesses are desperate to hire and have posted a record-high number of jobs. With competition for workers intensifying, especially at restaurants and tourist and entertainment venues, employers are offering higher pay, along with signing and retention bonuses and more flexible hours. The proportion of job advertisements that promise a bonus has more than doubled in the past year, the employment website Indeed has found. Hiring in June was particularly strong in a category that includes mainly restaurants, bars and hotels, which collectively absorbed the brunt of the layoffs from the recession; this category added 343,000 jobs. Governments added 188,000 positions, mostly in education. And hiring by retailers picked up, with 67,000 jobs added.
 
Philip Gunn enlists religious, university and sports leaders to secure Senate support for legislative flag change
Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, feeling confident that he would soon have enough votes in his chamber to change the state flag, was at his home the morning of Monday, June 22, 2020, when he got a call from Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. Hosemann, in his first year presiding over the Senate, informed Gunn that he would be hosting a press conference later that day with several other statewide elected officials outside the Senate chamber to publicly call for lawmakers to place the state flag decision on a statewide ballot. The people, not lawmakers, should decide the fate of the state flag, Hosemann argued. Gunn, closer than ever to having enough House votes to change the flag, implored Hosemann to rethink the idea and shared his fear that a months-long campaign would divide rather than unite Mississippians and draw negative national attention to the state. "I said, 'Delbert, I don't think that's the right move,'" Gunn recalled telling Hosemann. "I said, 'Let's talk about that. Don't take any action on that. I'm coming to the Capitol.'" To that day -- six days before the final vote -- Gunn had been focused on the difficult battle of securing House votes to change the flag in the Legislature. Gunn, wanting to convince Hosemann that the Legislature, not voters, should change the flag, made a few calls and quickly organized a summit of statewide officials and conservative religious leaders. The speaker wanted the meeting to remain private, so he called his friend Blake Thompson, president at Mississippi College, and asked if they could meet at the Mississippi College School of Law building a few blocks from the Capitol.
 
State's chamber of commerce mulling Mississippi Medicaid expansion
Scott Waller, president of the state's chamber of commerce, said business leaders are likely to weigh in on the politically charged issue of Medicaid expansion before next year's legislative session. "At the end of the day a healthy workforce is a vital component of moving our state and economy forward," Waller, president of the Mississippi Economic Council said on Thursday. "... We understand access to health care is a big issue in our state, and also how to deal with uncompensated care." Waller said he expects MEC, which has about 11,000 members from 1,100 member companies, will soon begin a research drive, including measuring public opinion and polling MEC business leaders on Medicaid expansion and other health care issues. He said he expects the group will take a position and make policy recommendations before the 2022 legislative session begins in January. "I'm confident this is something our leadership wants us to take a look at," Waller said. As to why the state's chamber of commerce hasn't previously taken a stance on Medicaid expansion during years of debate, he said, "I think the timing now is lending itself for us to look at this issue." He said business leaders will also likely study "what other avenues might exist." Waller first broached the Medicaid expansion subject during a Thursday online forum presented by Mississippi Today on the one-year anniversary of Mississippi removing its old state flag with its divisive Confederate battle emblem.
 
Supreme Court refuses to reconsider medical marijuana ruling
A last gasp effort has been rejected to convince the Mississippi Supreme Court to reconsider its landmark decision which struck down the medical marijuana initiative approved by voters in November and the entire ballot initiative process. The Supreme Court rejected the pleas by the sponsors of an early voting initiative and a recreational marijuana initiative to reconsider its 6-3 decision issued in late May. In a two page decision released Thursday, Southern District Justice Dawn Beam, writing for the Court, said parties that wanted to intervene in the lawsuit were given a time period in November to make the request. And since neither party did, "the present motion for leave to intervene is not well take and should be denied." And with the denial of that motion, the efforts of the groups to request a rehearing are moot, Beam wrote. This effectively ends any possibility that the decision to strike down medical marijuana and the initiative process will be reversed. Legislative leaders and Gov. Tate Reeves have not ruled out a special session to address the court ruling.
 
Jan. 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson May Compel Former President Donald Trump, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy To Testify
U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson will lead a congressional select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced [Thursday]. "January 6th was one of the darkest days in our nation's history, with five people killed, 140 members of law enforcement physically harmed and countless more seriously traumatized," she said in a statement today. "It is clear that January 6th was not simply an attack on a building, but an attack on our very democracy -- an attack on the peaceful transfer of power." Thompson, who also chairs the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, told CNN that he would consider calling former President Donald Trump and Republicans who communicated with him at the time of the insurrection to testify. "I think we need to have access to all available information. Part of what we plan to do is hire some of the best people who can help us get access to that kind of information," the Mississippi congressman told CNN. "... If we need to get it by request or by subpoena, I'm not reluctant to do that either." Thompson, along with a majority of the U.S. House, voted in January to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection. The Senate failed to obtain the two-thirds majority needed to convict him, though, as most Republicans, including Mississippi's two Republican senators, voted to acquit him. Thompson and other members of Congress filed a civil suit against Trump over the Capitol attack earlier this year.
 
Unusually agreeable justices end term with conservative wins
An unusually agreeable Supreme Court term ended with conservative-driven decisions on voting rights and charitable-donor disclosures that offered a glimpse of what the coming years of the right's dominance could look like for the nation's highest court. The court began its summer recess with an already consequential list of cases to be argued beginning in the fall. That includes high-profile cases on abortion and guns, topics that seem more likely to sharpen divisions rather than blur them. But the term the justices concluded Thursday was unusual in several ways, with arguments conducted entirely by telephone because of the coronavirus pandemic and a new justice, Amy Coney Barrett, coming on board a month into the court's new year. Her ascent to the bench, the third high court appointee of former President Donald Trump, made it obvious more conservative outcomes could be expected from the court. The court now has six appointees of Republican presidents and a diminished liberal bloc of three justices after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September. Barrett replaced Ginsburg a month later. But ideological divisions were not often on display through much of the year. Unusual alliances of justices formed to decide one case and a different lineup would emerge in the next. The new term that begins on the first Monday in October “will be an even bigger test of this consensus approach that many are identifying from this past term,” said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the liberal Constitutional Accountability Center.
 
Supreme Court decision amps up voting rights battle in Congress
A controversial 6-3 decision by the Supreme Court on Thursday upholding Republican-backed voting restrictions in Arizona has upped the ante for this year's voting rights debate in Congress. It also means that calls to reform the Senate's rules will only continue to grow, despite recent declarations from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) that they will not support eliminating or curtailing the filibuster. Democratic strategists warn the high court's decision in Brnovich v. DNC, which liberals believe has seriously undermined Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, opens the door for Republican-controlled state legislatures to get more aggressive in passing restrictions that they believe will have a disproportionate impact on minority voter turnout. Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist who has worked for several presidential candidates, described the battle over voting rights as an "existential fight." The court's decision also ups the stakes for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which is expected to be introduced in both chambers this year. But the legislation, which is likely to pass the House, faces an uphill path to getting 60 votes in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters "it's unnecessary." "There's no threat to the voting rights law. It's against the law to discriminate in voting based on race already," he argued.
 
U.S. military vacates Bagram air base in Afghanistan, underscoring withdrawal expected within days
The U.S. military has vacated its most significant airfield in Afghanistan, defense officials said on Friday, underscoring that the Pentagon expects to complete its withdrawal from the country within days after 20 years of war. The departure from Bagram air base, about 45 miles north of Kabul, ends the U.S. military presence at Afghanistan's most significant airfield. It has long been used to launch strike aircraft against the Taliban and other militant groups, and for years was the headquarters for U.S. Special Operations troops in the war. More recently, Bagram has been used as a launchpad for the military to leave Afghanistan. Hundreds of C-17 flights have removed U.S. equipment and weapons in recent weeks, many of them flying from Bagram. Other equipment was destroyed there. Army Col. Sonny Leggett, a U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, said on Friday in a statement that the transfer of Bagram to the government of Afghanistan "was an extensive process spanning several weeks," beginning soon after President Biden directed in April the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The departure from Bagram, first reported by Fox News, carries cultural significance for tens of thousands of troops who cycled through Bagram, some year after year. Initially an airport in the 1950s, it was seized by the Soviet Union in 1979 after it invaded Afghanistan, built up during the nearly 10-year Soviet occupation of the country, and taken over by the United States in late 2001, after the United States invaded Afghanistan following the September 2001 terrorist attacks.
 
Which Crops Can Survive Drought? Nanosensors May Offer Clues
For crops, climate change is literally a growing problem. The warming of our planet has increased the odds of drought worsening throughout the world. In the US, it's threatening soybean, corn, and wheat production, and the future isn't looking much wetter. So with water in short supply, we might try to plant crops that manage it more efficiently. "A big focus today is breeding for a changing climate," says Abraham Stroock, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell University. "We want to discover new traits and their genetic origins for resilience in a hot and dry climate of our future -- of our today in many parts of the world." But first, researchers have to better understand how existing plants manage their water flow. Stroock and his colleagues have developed a nanoscale sensor called AquaDust that uses tiny fluorescent dyes to illuminate how water moves through plant tissue -- a minimally invasive way for breeders and biologists to assess crops' health at the microscopic level. Their work is described in a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in June.
 
U. of Mississippi: Students not required to be vaccinated for fall semester
As schools and universities begin making preparations for the upcoming year, questions still linger regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and any restrictions that might stay in place. The Oxford and Lafayette County School Districts are still discussing their return to learning plans, but the University of Mississippi has already announced its plan for the fall semester. Ole Miss sent an email to its campus community on June 24 stating that students will not be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend classes in person at its Oxford campus and any of its other locations. In May, Ole Miss announced that anyone who is fully vaccinated are not required to wear a mask or practice social distancing on campus. The Student Health Center is currently offering the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine without an appointment needed until August 5. "Even among those who are vaccinated, we need to continue to monitor our personal health and be mindful of how our actions may impact others," said Dr. Charlotte Fant Pegues, interim vice chancellor for student affairs, in the email.
 
U. of Mississippi Medical Center faculty members earn special honor
Dr. Billy S. Guyton did as much or more than anyone to safeguard the survival of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He did so when it was a two-year program in Oxford, then helped protect and build its future as the successful, four-year medical school it is today in Jackson. Guyton, who became dean of the medical school when the economic fallout of the Great Depression threatened to bury it, prevailed; now, his legacy is celebrated at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) by the awarding of a medallion that bears his name. Five members of the UMMC faculty recently each received that medallion as Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professors, a title that celebrates their scholarship and serves as an inducement for them to continue their academic work for the institution. "A great university honors those individuals who are responsible for its greatness," said Dr. Ralph Didlake, professor of surgery and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMMC, during the June 14 ceremony. The professorships are awarded every five years [the pandemic intervened in 2020]. Each comes with a $10,000 annual stipend for five years, said Dr. Rob Rockhold, professor of pharmacology and of health sciences and deputy chief academic officer.
 
Task force report calls for U. of South Carolina to require sex abuse training for students, employees
A task force formed in the wake of the University of South Carolina sexual harassment scandal has called for all employees and students to receive training on preventing harassment, assault and abusive behavior. Created by former USC President Robert Caslen and comprised of students, faculty and staff, the Title IX Task Force released its report Thursday alongside a statement from interim President Harris Pastides. "I'm grateful to the task force for providing us such a careful and complete review. With their recommendations as our guide, I have charged an implementation group to oversee the important work of making our campus as safe and healthy as possible," Pastides said in a press release. In a letter to students, faculty and staff, Pastides called for the university to speed up its search for a long-term Title IX coordinator, continue to receive feedback and provide access to data on sexual assault and harassment on campus. The report also calls for managers to undergo specialized training for handling complaints of sexual misconduct and for all students and employees to receive annual refresher courses on sexual harassment. USC began the Title IX task force after a series of lawsuits and an investigative report from The State Media Co. detailed allegations the university failed to properly handle reports of sexual harassment.
 
Bush Library reopens to fanfare, out-of-town guests
After more than 15 months, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum reopened Thursday to local excitement and scores of out-of-town visitors. Arlington residents Corey and Leslie Buer and their youngest sons, 13-year-old Jorgen and 9-year-old Zachary, took the day to read the museum's panels and watch the reels outlining Bush's life, family and long career in public service. Just before his younger brother sat behind the replica of the C&O Oval Office desk, Jorgen said he appreciated learning about the late president's service in World War II. "I wanted to learn how President Bush impacted our country and about what his life was like," Jorgen said. Warren Finch, library and museum director, estimated that he is the happiest person in the Bryan-College Station now that he gets to welcome visitors after the lengthy pandemic-induced hiatus. Finch said capacity is initially limited to 43 visitors at a time, with plans to expand hours and capacity in the coming weeks if COVID-19 conditions in the region and state allow. He expects the library will likely host in-person events by the fall. Finch said the library's staff members have been processing records requests and otherwise kept busy on a range of artifact processing projects, but are thrilled to be reopening to the public.
 
Aggie Park construction to begin this month
Twenty acres on Texas A&M's campus are on the way to being fully transformed into Aggie Park as construction is set to begin as early as Tuesday. The green space, located between the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center and the John J. Koldus Building, will soon be home to a small lake, a tribute to distinguished alumni, an outdoor amphitheater, a performance pavilion, and several benches and tables for visitors to use. A two-story, 79,000-square-foot building will also be erected on site. From September 2018 until January 2020, officials gauged public input and developed a concept design for the area, as outlined on a university website. The groundbreaking ceremony for the site was in February last year, and since then work has consisted of design development, fundraising and site preparation. The park will be completed in summer 2022, with the exception of the two-story building, which will be done in spring 2023, according to Kathryn Greenwade, vice president of communications and human resources at The Association of Former Students. The park's price tag is estimated to be about $30 million, and while Greenwade said the cost of the main building on site is still being finalized, it is expected to be equal to or greater than the price of the park. The entire project is being funded by donors.
 
Sen. Roy Blunt emphasizes connection between research, economy during stop in Columbia
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt on Thursday touted the benefits of research to the economy at a local company that got its start as research at the University of Missouri. He was at the 32,000-square-foot plant of ThermAvant Technologies on Paris Road. There are plans to expand the building by another 40,000 square feet and increase employment from around 50 to 80, said Joe Boswell, co-founder and CEO. His business partner is Hungbin "Bill" Ma, co-founder and president. Ma is a professor at MU and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. The company uses oscillating heat pipes in equipment, primarily for aerospace and military contracts. Another offshoot is the Burnout mug, which keeps hot liquid hot and cold liquid cold. Boeing and Raytheon are two of the companies that have had contracts with ThermAvant. "This is a great example of why research matters," Blunt said. Businesses usually spring up where the research happens, he said. Matt Steele, vice president of operations, and Lily Ellebracht, lab manager, led a group of the dignitaries on a quick tour, including a wind tunnel and a campfire stove the company made for the Army. "It's a great example of what Columbia can do, what research can do," Blunt said of the company. "Research leads to jobs," Blunt said.
 
Boise State's leader must tread carefully through the culture war. Others may soon walk the same line.
The letter from 28 Republican lawmakers arrived before the president had even moved into her new home. Typically, when conservative politicians send early demands to public-college presidents, they focus on the rising cost of college. But in this three-page missive, that concern was secondary to another target: programming designed to support the college's underrepresented students. "This drive to create a diversified and inclusive culture," the lawmakers wrote to President Marlene Tromp of Boise State University, not even two weeks into her job in July 2019, "becomes divisive and exclusionary because it separates and segregates students." That is not, they said, "the Idaho way." The letter proved to be a portent for Tromp, who has been caught between student activists' desires -- and her own -- for a more inclusive university and the ire of lawmakers who argue that inclusion efforts have gone too far. As higher education has again become a punching bag in the national culture wars, lawmakers elsewhere have taken action against equity and inclusion programs and the teaching of critical race theory, or what state bills have vaguely called "divisive" topics. But legislators in Idaho, where Republicans are the supermajority, are especially keen to prove their conservative bona fides. This spring, they set out to wrest millions of dollars from the state's colleges explicitly as punishment for the institutions' social-justice programming. Their main target? Boise State.
 
Howard U. Dean's Support of Bill Cosby Reignites Criticism of University's Handling of Sex-Assault Cases
Howard University has come under fire after an incoming dean voiced her support for a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision to overturn Bill Cosby's sexual-assault conviction. Phylicia Rashad, who takes office this month as dean of the College of Fine Arts, posted a viral tweet on Wednesday: "FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted -- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!" Cosby was convicted on three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault in 2018 and served nearly three years of his sentence before he was released on Wednesday. He had been publicly accused by nearly 60 women of sexual assault in the years leading up to his conviction. By Thursday afternoon, Rashad's tweet had been deleted. In a daylong discourse on Twitter on Wednesday, many expressed frustration with her reaction, and some asked that she be removed from the Howard faculty. Others revisited criticism of how the university, in Washington, D.C., had managed reports of sexual assault. In 2017, students sued Howard, claiming it had knowingly allowed two students who were alleged serial rapists to remain on campus. The case was reportedly settled in 2020. In a follow-up tweet, Rashad said that she supports victims of sexual assault, noting that she has friends and family members who have suffered lifelong residual effects of similar experiences.
 
The debate over using Pell Grant funds for very short-term vocational programs
Congress recently opted not to fold into federal legislation on research and innovation a provision that would have made Pell Grants available to learners in very short-term training programs. But it is widely believed to be only a matter of time before federal law is changed to allow Pell funds to be used for that purpose. Debate over that idea has smoldered for several years. In one corner, supporting the change, are community college leaders, many major corporations and groups focused on increasing the skills of the unemployed and other disadvantaged Americans. In the other are critics who argue that using Pell Grants for programs as short as eight weeks would hurt, not help, low-income and minority workers and learners. A recent episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed's news and analysis podcast, featured conversations with Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System and a board member of Rebuilding America's Middle Class, and Amy Laitinen, director of higher education at New America.


SPORTS
 
With title, Chris Lemonis makes good on Jake Mangum's prediction
It was minutes after Mississippi State was eliminated from the 2019 College World Series when Jake Mangum turned to first-year coach Chris Lemonis at the postgame news conference and made a prediction. "You're going to bring the first national championship to this baseball program," Mangum said. "You are. And it's going to be awesome. I can't wait to see it." Mangum didn't get to see it in real time -- he was playing center field and batting leadoff for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday night -- but his words proved prophetic. The Bulldogs (50-18) won their school's first national championship in a team sport, and Lemonis and his charges took it back to Starkville in his second full season as head coach. The 2020 season ended after 16 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bulldogs were reeling in 2018 when Andy Cannizaro was forced out three games into his second season for what he called "poor decisions." Assistant Gary Henderson took over, and the Bulldogs went on a surprise postseason run that ended with what would be the first of three straight appearances at the CWS. Lemonis was hired the next month after leading Indiana to the NCAA Tournament in three of his four years. He bonded quickly with his new players and has created a laid-back yet competitive atmosphere. "Coach Lem is unbelievable," SEC player of the year Tanner Allen said. "He's a player's coach. I tell people all the time, that guy is somebody you want to play for. He knows when to be serious and he knows when to be loose. To be honest with you, when we're loose and he's loose, it just clicks."
 
Everything to know about the Mississippi State baseball national championship parade
The Mississippi State baseball team is set to celebrate the university's first team national championship in any sport Friday. Here are a few early details of what to expect at Friday's celebration in Starkville. More details are expected to come as the festivities near. On Facebook Live, the Clarion Ledger Sports page will broadcast the event. The Bulldogs' parade, which expects to feature the entire MSU baseball roster and coaching staff; athletic and campus administrators; as well as other invited guests and honorees, is set take place in downtown Starkville at 5:30 p.m. The route begins at The Little Dooey on University Drive and ends outside of the home plate gate at Dudy Noble Field. Approximately 45 minutes following the parade, the team will have a celebration ceremony on Dudy Noble Field. MSU athletic director John Cohen, baseball coach Chris Lemonis, president Mark Keenum, Starkville mayor Lynn Spruill, student-athletes and other guests are expected to speak. Both the ceremony and parade are free and open to the public. General admission seating for the ceremony will be on a first come, first serve basis. The gates at Dudy Noble Field open at 2:30 p.m. Overflow seating will be available at Humphrey Coliseum, which opens at 4 p.m.
 
The whole story: How Mississippi State baseball navigated hardest year for College World Series title
Mississippi State baseball's national championship story didn't begin with a 9-0 win over Vanderbilt in the College World Series on Wednesday. That was merely the pinnacle. It's hard to tell the story of this championship team without starting in March 2020. Mississippi State was 12-4 and coming off back-to-back wins over No. 2 Texas Tech when the remainder of the season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Right when we hit our stride," tweeted outfielder Tanner Allen on March 12 as the world began to process the life-changing scope of the pandemic. "Completely devastated by this news." College baseball wasn't guaranteed to happen in 2021. Not in the way fans were accustomed to, at least. Conferences discussed playing league-only schedules like the ACC or scheduling four-game weekend series instead of the customary three like Conference USA. Nature wasn't done giving Mississippi State a hard time. The Bulldogs were scheduled to begin the season Feb. 19 in Arlington in a three-game showcase against Texas, Texas Tech and TCU. That showcase was postponed a day because of destructive winter storms that shut down roads in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
 
Madison resident, a former Bulldog baseball player, reacts to Mississippi State's win
Mississippi State baseball alum Brooks Bryan of Madison played in two of Mississippi State's 12 World Series appearances and he was on hand Wednesday night to see the Bulldog's claim the team's first College World Series championship. Bryan was one of the 20,000 MSU fans in Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, Wednesday night when State beat Vanderbilt 9-0 in game three of the series. The Bulldogs lost the first game of the series to Vanderbilt 8-2 but came back to win game two 13-2 and game three 9-0. Mississippi State finished the season with a 50-18 win record. "I saw 10 or 12 ex-teammates there, and we all said the same thing," Bryan said. "This exorcised a lot of demons that have been around for a long time. So many times, we had so many chances and opportunities. It is so hard to get there, much less win it all. Last night, it was a culmination of a long time coming." Mississippi State has gone to the World Series in 1971, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2021. The Bulldogs were the runner-up in 2013. "A lot of people don't understand how hard it is to get to Omaha," Bryan said. "Some people compare getting to Omaha like getting to the Sweet 16 in basketball but it is more than that. It's like getting to the Final Four."
 
For Boo and Dudy, Will and Rafael, Mississippi State's long wait made national crown all the more sweet
Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: It was a couple hours after The Game late Wednesday night, and a few of us media types were making our way out of the main entrance of TD Ameritrade ballpark. And, there, beginning at the iconic "Road to Omaha" sculpture that greets College World Series fans, a long line of people began. And it went, and it went, and it went. What, I thought, is going on? The game is long since over. The championship party is a few blocks over in downtown. And then it hit me. Nearly all the fans in line wore maroon. They were waiting, politely, in line, most with dreamy looks on their faces. They were lined up for selfies to be made in front of the statue. They wanted this moment for posterity. "It's winding down," one smiling fan said. "You should have seen how long it was earlier." I've seen a lot of historic stuff in more than 50 years of doing what I do. But I truly have never seen a fan base enjoy what happened here over the last 10 days more than Mississippi State fans have enjoyed this. They had waited a long, long time. And that just made it all the sweeter. It is appropriate that Mississippi State's first NCAA team championship comes, finally, in baseball. State people embrace college baseball as no other fans in America. It matters so much to them. The passion dates back to the days of Dudy Noble and Boo Ferriss, runs through Ron Polk, Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro, moves on to legends such as Hunter Renfroe and Jake Mangum. And now another group of legends have finally won the whole shebang.
 
USM, Southern Prohibition collaborate on new beer to sell at stadium
With football season around the corner, The University of Southern Mississippi is giving its fans something new to look forward to when they enter "The Rock" this fall. In collaboration with local Southern Prohibition Brewing, the university is creating a special craft beer for the upcoming season. "We thought it would be a good partnership not only for Southern Miss but also for Southern Prohibition, so it was a win-win for our community," said Brad Smith, Southern Miss senior associate athletic director for External Affairs. The collaboration is an expansion on a relationship the university and brewery already had. Southern Miss has sold beer from the brewery at The Rock after becoming the first state school to sell beer and wine in 2019. "We decided to get ahead of the game and we didn't have to do it first but we wanted to do it right," SoPro CEO Emily Curry said, "so we reached out to them to brew a beer for all the athletic department and our hometown." The design of this American lager will be decided by fans who vote on social media. Fans can choose between "To The Top" or "Gold Rush" options. The chosen craft beer also will be available in select locations throughout the Pine Belt, Curry said, citing restaurants like Keg and Barrel, Glorybound and Mugshots. Keith's Superstore and Corner Market will have the beer available in their Hattiesburg locations as well.
 
With a law that was 'long overdue,' LSU athletes cash in on partnership opportunities
Olivia Dunne flipped on one step, landing gracefully on the sidewalk of New York's Seventh Avenue, while a giant video billboard portrayed highlights of the star LSU gymnast to the rest of the people walking through Time Square. Dunne's acrobatics, posted on one of LSU's social media platforms, seemed to celebrate July 1, 2021 -- or as maybe college athletes will come to call the quasi-holiday: NIL Day. The yearlong legislative battle -- capping a decades-long battle by advocates for player compensation -- came at last to a climax Thursday, when collegiate athletes across the nation were freed to pursue partnerships in which they can profit off their names, images and likenesses. All-American cornerback Derek Stingley, a Heisman candidate who is the football team's most visible player, shared on Instagram that he has reached a deal with the Baton Rouge-based Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux. Myles Brennan, who's in a battle to be LSU's starting quarterback in 2021, announced partnerships with Smoothie King (name-holder of the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans) and the Baton Rouge-based restaurant Smalls Sliders. The nation's most popular players are expected to haul in deals in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. LSU's Dunne, who has over a million Instagram followers, 3.8 million more on TikTok, is expected to profit perhaps more than any other college athlete.
 
What's in a name? College athletes able to start cashing in
Thursday was more than the start of July. It was the beginning of a new day for college athletes across the country, including those who compete for the University of Arkansas. Athletes finally can be paid for their name, image and likeness without jeopardizing their eligibility. "I'm definitely excited about it," said Terry Prentice, Arkansas' senior associate athletic director for athlete brand development and inclusive excellence. "It's a great opportunity for our student-athletes. I think they deserve it. "We obviously need to have some guard rails up to help protect them, and we need to be here to help educate them and bring them along, but overall I think it's a great thing." Prentice, a track and field athlete for the Razorbacks from 2009-12, has spent much of his time since being hired to a newly created position in March formulating a plan for how Arkansas will handle the name, image and likeness policy with its athletes. Two hour-long Zoom meetings were held with athletes on Thursday so they could ask questions about the policy and more Zoom meetings will be held today. Arkansas junior wide receiver Trey Knox became the first Razorback to announce an endorsement deal Thursday with PetSmart that will highlight Knox and his husky dog, Blue. Prentice said he expects several more endorsement agreements involving Razorbacks to be announced in the next several days.
 
NIL open season begins for student-athletes at Texas A&M and around the country
Beginning Thursday, college sports fans will begin seeing social media posts from their favorite student-athletes containing #ad. Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork said Tuesday during his monthly town hall Facebook Live broadcast that he is expecting several Aggie athletes to present the school with paperwork outlining deals Thursday. "Do I anticipate on July 1 that we'll have some contracts turned in from our students? Absolutely, I do. How many? I don't know," Bjork said. "I've seen some social media activity with some of our athletes who talk about being ready. They may have some things in place." A&M football players Leon O'Neal, Demani Richardson, Seth Small and Earnest Crownover III are among the Aggies who have hinted at such deals on social media. "You can look at it one of two ways," Bjork said. "You could say, 'Boy, we're not going to do anything. We're not going to embrace this. This can be a disaster. This can be the wild, wild west.' Maybe it will be. Maybe we're not anticipating what might happen. You can also say we have [over 640,000] former students. We do live in the state of Texas. We have 25 million people within 250 miles. The brand of A&M is valuable. Our athletes come here -- they can utilize that brand to lift them up. You can look at it as an opportunity, and we've chosen to do that."
 
How California helped launch the NCAA's NIL revolution
In the days leading up to the 2015 "Big Game," a Cal alum invited a Stanford grad to lead a discussion on college sports that would go far beyond their football rivalry. Nancy Skinner did not know that Andy Schwarz's agreeing to speak at this Oakland Rotary Club luncheon would spark a national insurrection against the NCAA, but she did know that Schwarz, an economist specializing in antitrust issues, was on her side. "I am clear that college athletes should be compensated," Skinner wrote to Schwarz. Schwarz took the stage in downtown Oakland, but before he could fully thrust into his argument that the NCAA was just a cartel of schools collectively setting the price of athlete labor as the cost of an education, members of the Cal marching band appeared in the auditorium and blared Golden Bear battle hymns. The good-natured interruption did not get the "Stanford guy" Schwarz off message. Skinner, a former Berkeley city councilwoman, was considering a run for the state Senate in 2016 and felt a familiar outrage against injustice stirring. "If I get elected, what can I do to change things?" Skinner asked Schwarz afterward. "Is this something that states have the ability to do?" Almost four years later, on a September night in 2019, the nation watched as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Skinner's historic bill granting California college athletes the right to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) starting in 2023 on LeBron James' HBO show "The Shop."
 
Former UGA football coach Mark Richt diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
Former UGA football coach Mark Richt said Thursday on his personal Twitter account that he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Richt, who spent three years at Miami after a 15-year tenure at Georgia, retired in 2018 with a 171-64 record and joined the ACC Network. Parkinson's is a brain disorder that can cause shaking and trouble with balance and coordination. Symptoms usually begin mild and get progressively worse over time. "I have been waddling around lately and people have asked me what's wrong," Richt said in a Twitter statement. "I've decided to tell everyone at the same time. I have been diagnosed with Parkinson's." Richt's 145 wins at Georgia are second only to Vince Dooley (201), and he led the Bulldogs to the 2002 and 2005 SEC Championships. Richt and wife Katharyn recently moved back to Athens after living in Florida for several years. The family has long devoted their life to a Christian faith, which Richt spoke of in the statement. "Truthfully I look at it as a momentary light affliction compared to the future glory in heaven," Richt said. "Thank you Jesus for promising us a future blessing of a glorified body that has no sin and no disease. In the meantime I am going to enjoy the blessings that I do have. See you on the ACCNETWORK!"



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