| Thursday, July 29, 2021 |
| Colleges Envisioned a Near-Normal Fall Semester. Then Came the Delta Variant. | |
 | With transmission at a trickle in the spring, and millions of Americans getting vaccinated every week, it looked then like colleges would realize a best-case scenario for the fall: a near-normal semester. But over the past few weeks, that prospect has begun to change. At Mississippi State University, administrators will place 16 different pop-up vaccine clinics throughout campus -- at a welcome BBQ, in student residence halls, and near sorority or fraternity houses. Like many campuses, Mississippi State also has incentives like meal dollars and book vouchers for students who show proof of vaccination. There will be a raffle for tuition credit. “We’ve been in the vaccine business for a while at this point,” said Regina Hyatt, vice president for student affairs. In not requiring the vaccine, Mississippi State has plenty of company. Out of the more than 3,000 degree-granting institutions in America, only 611 campuses had enacted some kind of requirement as of Wednesday, according to The Chronicle’s tracker. |
| ARM Aerial Facility Tests Instrument Configuration in Skies Above Mississippi | |
 | High above the pastoral landscape of Greenwood, Mississippi, flights of an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) tested the configuration of instrumentation for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerial Facility (AAF). This recent series of "payload tests" continued ARM's partnership with Mississippi State University's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory -- experts in UAS operations. On the ground, meanwhile, Raspet provided training for visual observers who tracked the flights of the UAS during testing using the concept of staggered visual observers to extend the visual line of sight. All this, says AAF Manager Beat Schmid, was in preparation for a more intensive operational period in late August to early September 2021 over the central facility of ARM's Southern Great Plains atmospheric observatory in Oklahoma. Raspet operators and visual observers will team with ARM personnel to further test the payload's ability to take measurements of atmospheric and surface properties. "The capability that UAS of that size offer to gather in situ atmospheric measurements is significant," says Schmid. "The goal of these tests with our partners at Raspet is Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for beyond visual line of sight operation." |
| Extension agent marvels at sleeping 50 at Fair | |
| Two new agents for the Neshoba County Extension Service jumped right into action this week at the Neshoba County Fair having never been. Chris Domingue started July 1 as the Agricultural and Natural Resource Agent with a 40% 4-H appointment. Anna Windham started July 16 as the 4-H Agent. Before going out to set up the agricultural displays last week, neither had ever gone to the Fair. "It was very impressive," Domingue said. "Last week, we had some impressive vegetables and field crops displayed. We had a pumpkin that weighed 102 pounds. "This week, we'll have the beef cattle and dairy cattle showings. This has been a good chance to meet some of the people we will be working with. I have been able to put faces with some of the names I have been talking to on the phone." They also got a chance to look around and see some of the cabins. "It is three stories and they can sleep 50 people," he said of office associate Amanda Alford's cabin. "On the second and third stories, here was bed after bed after bed. It was amazing." Domingue is from Mandeville, Louisiana, and is a graduate of LSU. He majored in animal science with a concentration in animal production. Windham is from Sand Hill in Greene County. She is a graduate of Jones College and the University of Southern Mississippi where she majored in Child and Family Science. |
| Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann pushes health care, jobs in Neshoba Fair speech | |
 | Mississippi senators will hold hearings this fall to examine how to make health care more accessible and affordable, and all options could be considered, Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Wednesday. "The time for simply saying 'no' to our options for working Mississippians has passed," Hosemann said in a speech prepared for delivery at the Neshoba County Fair. "When a cancer diagnosis can bankrupt a family, we have a responsibility to help. Further, no Mississippian should be further than 30 minutes from an emergency room." Speaking of the Senate hearings, Hosemann said: "From managed care, to scope of practice issues, to insurance options, everything is on the table." Mississippi is among a dozen states that have resisted expanding Medicaid to the working poor. The program is paid by state and federal money, and expansion is an option under the health care overhaul signed into law in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama. Gov. Tate Reeves and other Republican leaders in the Mississippi Legislature have said repeatedly that they believe the state cannot afford Medicaid expansion, even with the federal government paying most of the cost. Hosemann has not taken a position for or against expansion. Reeves is among the speakers scheduled for Thursday at the Neshoba County Fair, which bills itself as "Mississippi's Giant Houseparty." |
| MSDH recommends Mississippians wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status | |
| Following in the footsteps of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mississippi state health officials recommended Wednesday that all residents, regardless of vaccination status, wear face masks indoors to combat the rapidly spreading COVID-19 delta variant. The health department's recommendations come as the state reported 1,875 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, a daily case count not seen in the state since Jan. 27. Between July 21-27, the department recorded 9,290 new COVID-19 cases. "We have gotten ourselves into this mess again," State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said during a Wednesday press briefing. While COVID-19 deaths have not increased significantly, Dobbs anticipated they will. On Tuesday, the department announced the coronavirus-related death of a Mississippi teen who had a common underlying medical condition. It is the fourth COVID-19-related death of a resident under 18 since the virus came into the state last March. "We always get, 'What medical conditions do they have?' And it kind of hurts my heart a little bit," Dobbs said. "Medical conditions are very common. It could be asthma. It could be eczema. It could be being overweight. Let's try to protect everyone. Let's not be complacent just because we think we don't have medical conditions that this doesn't apply to us." Mississippi's low vaccination rate and unmasked mass gatherings have been the breeding ground for the highly transmissible delta variant, which health officials said now make up 90% of new coronavirus cases in the state. |
| MSDH: All Mississippians should wear masks now | |
| Keeping their own public health guidance in lockstep with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Mississippi Department of Health updated its COVID-19 related recommendations on Wednesday, calling on all Mississippians, regardless of their vaccination status, to wear masks while in public indoor spaces. Additionally, MSDH is recommending that if someone is exposed to someone with COVID-19, they should get tested regardless of their vaccination status. This is due to the presence of breakthrough cases among the vaccinated, seen at a considerably higher rate since the emergence of the Delta variant. The surge of Delta infections is putting an enormous amount of stress on Mississippi's healthcare system. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has increased 156% over the past two weeks, most of them unvaccinated. The staffing levels across Mississippi hospitals can't meet this level of need, especially when it comes to nurses. This is due to many nurses leaving the state for higher paying jobs elsewhere, or leaving the medical field altogether due to the traumas of the past year. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said he hears from nurses every day who can't believe they're going through another wave. |
| Mississippi health department issues new COVID guidelines on masks, hospitals as delta rages | |
 | The Mississippi State Department of Health released updated COVID-19 guidance on Wednesday as virus cases spiral to the highest single-day report in six months. Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's lead, MSDH now suggests that everyone, including the fully vaccinated, wear masks indoors. The new guidance also recommends that all state hospitals begin once again rotating new critical care patients between hospitals and delay elective surgeries such as colonoscopies and orthopedic procedures. "We're in a bit of a tight spot with our increases and our health care pressure that we're seeing," State Epidemiologist Paul Byers said at the press conference. "We are recommending masking in public indoor settings, we're going to be recommending masking in school settings, indoors for all folks, regardless of vaccination status. If you're infected, if you find out you're infected, isolate. Do your part to limit spreading it to other folks." To all statewide health care systems, the MSDH did mandate on Wednesday all licensed hospitals in Mississippi participate in the COVID-19 System of Care Plan, effective Thursday, July 29 through Aug. 15. |
| MSDH recommends masks indoors for all Mississippians, confirms new child death from COVID | |
 | Mississippi State Department of Health is now recommending that all Mississippians wear masks in indoor public settings, whether vaccinated or not. During a livestreamed press briefing, Wednesday, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said the state is seeing a "phenomenal increase in the number of cases," which is causing significant stress on the health care system. Beginning July 29, a COVID-19 system of care plan will take effect for all hospitals in Mississippi to help ensure proper assignment of patients to proper levels of care, Senior Deputy and Director of Health Protection Jim Craig said. As a result, elective procedures requiring hospitalization will be delayed through Aug. 15, beginning Monday. "This is not surprising," Dobbs said. "It's something we've been seeing it come for a while. It's a sort of grand combination of a low level of immunity in our population combined with the Delta variant and us being more active." The majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated. Between June 30 and July 27, 96% of individuals who tested positive were unvaccinated, along with 88% of those hospitalized and 82% of COVID-related deaths. But the prevalence of COVID-19 among the unvaccinated is spilling over into the vaccinated population, Dobbs said. |
| Health officials: Mississippi teen dead from COVID-19 | |
| Another child in Mississippi has died of complications related to the coronavirus, marking the fourth pediatric death since the start of the pandemic, health officials said Wednesday. The death occurred in a teenager who had a common underlying health condition, State Health Officer Dr. Dobbs said. The Department of Health would not release more information, citing privacy laws. The announcement comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance calling for the return of mask-wearing in virus hotspots. The guidelines also call on all schools to require masks for students, teachers and visitors. Mississippi Department of Health officials said Wednesday that they will echo the CDC guidance and recommend that all teachers, students and visitors at schools wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Although coronavirus-related deaths among children are still in the minority, the loss is "acute," Dobbs said. "It is a rare thing, but it's a tragedy," he said. As of Tuesday, 10 children were hospitalized with coronavirus in Mississippi, with three in the ICU. “Anywhere that those unvaccinated individuals are getting in group setting, we’re seeing high levels of transmission that’s occurring. ... As the summer progressed, we had seen outbreaks among children getting together for band camp, or for school enrichment programs over the summer, or for cheerleading camp,” State Epidemiologist Paul Byers said. |
| Senate GOP steps up vaccine push amid lingering conservative skepticism | |
 | Top Senate Republicans are dramatically stepping up their pro-vaccine outreach as several of their home states lag behind national Covid inoculation rates and mask recommendations return in many areas. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is running ads in his home state to combat disinformation, Sen. Roy Blunt is barnstorming Missouri and Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama says "anytime we're on a press conference, we say something about vaccinations." Several GOP senators released new PSAs in the wake of guidance issued Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wear masks in areas of high transmission. "It's the way out of this," Blunt said in an interview, shortly after he read aloud several vaccine testimonials at Republicans' leadership press conference. "This is a virus where, if you get very smug about how you think you've handled it, you're about to get run over by a train." With his state reeling from the surging Delta variant, Blunt praised President Joe Biden's work on Covid with a caveat: "I actually think he's generally doing a good job. I continue to think that we'd be better off if CDC was more transparent about all the numbers they have." Former President Donald Trump, still the party's most important figure, is mostly concentrated on grievances unrelated to the pandemic. Across the Capitol, House Republicans have sent mixed messages and are far less likely to be vaccinated themselves. So the Senate GOP is diving into the difficult project of trying to convince its voters to get the jab, worried that spiraling infection rates in their home states will worsen, well, everything as the country tries to go back to normalcy. |
| Sen. Tommy Tuberville urges COVID shots, knows people 'very, very sick' and dead | |
 | Sen. Tommy Tuberville urged unvaccinated Alabamians today to get the COVID shot, saying he knows people who died from the virus after refusing it. He also supported wearing masks in schools. "I know people who thought the vaccine wasn't needed," Tuberville said in his weekly teleconference with Alabama media. "They've gotten the COVID in the last five months and they didn't make it. And take it from me, it's not a fun call to receive." He also has friends that ignored the threat "and their whole family got it in the last three weeks," Tuberville said. "Very, very sick and they wish they had taken the vaccine." Tuberville said he respects the way Alabamians value their freedom. "I have never been for the federal government telling Americans what they have to do or don't have to do. But let me tell you what I did." Tuberville said he talked to his doctor, listened to information about the vaccine coming from the Trump administration and read about Operation Warp Speed to produce and distribute it. "Then I decided I'm tired of this virus," Tuberville said. "Let's fight this thing all we can, and I went and got the vaccine." He encouraged Alabamians to talk to their doctors "so you can make the best educated decision with the best information." |
| Biden bid for federal workers to get COVID-19 shots prompts debate | |
 | President Joe Biden is expected to announce Thursday that the federal government, the nation's largest employer, will require its civilian workers to get COVID-19 shots or follow more stringent protections, a move that could encourage other businesses and local governments to follow suit. The shift in strategy is already winning praise from public health advocates and raising concerns among some libertarians even before the details are announced. The pending policy has the potential to meaningfully boost vaccination rates, given the government's outsized influence and 2.1 million civilian workforce outside of the Postal Service. White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred to the policy Wednesday as a vaccine "attestation" rather than a "mandate." "While no decision has been finalized, I will say that the attestation of vaccination for federal employees is one option under strong consideration," she told reporters. People unwilling to confirm their vaccination status may have to follow other mitigation measures like wearing masks and routine testing, even in places where transmission is relatively low, she said. The policy would represent a major change in the White House's vaccination campaign. |
| Bipartisan infrastructure deal sails through first Senate vote | |
| The Senate's bipartisan infrastructure deal finally moved forward on Wednesday night after weeks of grueling negotiations, handing a group of centrists and President Joe Biden a major win. Though the legislation is still unfinished and failed just a week ago, more than a dozen Republicans took the plunge and voted to break an initial filibuster on the bill. Among them was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has previously said "100 percent" of his focus was on standing up to Biden's agenda. But even as the Senate agreed to begin considering the bipartisan framework, final passage remains uncertain. Republicans will demand amendment votes and input on the bill, and it will once again face a 60-vote hurdle to close debate. The Senate may even work through the weekend to make progress on the proposal and its $550 billion in new spending as August recess approaches. "I want to commend the group of senators who worked with President Biden," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) after the vote. "My goal remains to pass both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget resolution this work period. Both. It might take some long nights, it might eat into our weekends, but we are going to get the job done. And we are on track." |
| U.S. Economy Grows Beyond Pre-Pandemic Level | |
 | U.S. gross domestic product grew at a 6.5% annual rate in the second quarter, up slightly from earlier in the year, pushing the economy's size beyond its pre-pandemic level. The growth came as business reopenings and government aid powered a surge that is expected to gradually slow in coming months, with Covid-19 variants and materials and labor disruptions clouding the outlook. Second-quarter growth fell short of economists' forecasts. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal estimated that gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services made in the U.S., grew at an 8.4% annual rate in the April-to-June period. Still, the growth propelled GDP beyond pre-pandemic levels, a milestone that underscores the speed of the recovery that began last summer. Widespread business reopenings, vaccinations and a big infusion of government pandemic aid this spring helped propel rapid gains in consumer spending, the economy's main driver. Economists expect growth to remain strong, fueled by job gains, pent-up savings and continued fiscal support. Still, many say growth likely peaked in the second quarter and will cool as the initial boost from reopenings and fiscal stimulus fades. Rising inflation, continued supply-chain disruptions and a shortage of available workers are additional factors that could restrain growth. The highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 also poses an increasing risk to the economic outlook. |
| UMMC Dentistry School development funds honor faculty | |
 | When the School of Dentistry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center opened in 1975, founding faculty and the very first students who walked its halls set the expectations for the future of dentistry in the state. Today, a group of esteemed faculty and prominent community practitioners are supporting and promoting the state's sole dental school through the creation of four named developments funds. Each honoree has designated an area of need that will be the focus of their fund. "Here are seven people who are highly admired, highly respected, and were gracious enough to say they'd be willing to have their names associated with these funds," said Dr. Sreenivas Koka, School of Dentistry dean and professor of Care Planning and Restorative Sciences. "They aren't just putting their names on a fund. They are supporting initiatives that really matter, and that they care about deeply." Together, the honorees are building a brighter future for the School of Dentistry. Two of them, Dr. John B. Smith and Dr. Daniel Quon, are members of that first graduating class and together received their degrees in 1979. What the four funds have in common, Koka said, is their focus on students. |
| NEMCC announces Workforce e-Learning platform to boost industry, train local workers | |
| Northeast Mississippi Community College announced a new Workforce e-Learning platform on Wednesday, designed to improve local industry across its five-county service area. Employers and employees in Alcorn, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo and Union counties can take free online classes via the e-Learning system, which is launching immediately. "This will provide training for all of our industries to use, and all the employees to use, to re-skill themselves or get themselves in a better position," NEMCC President Dr. Ricky G. Ford said. Normally, local industries have to allow time off for their workers to attend workforce training courses. The new training platform is advantageous for both employers and employees in that it allows employees to take classes and learn new skills to help them become more successful in their occupations without taking time off away from work. "There is a skills gap, a lack of skilled workers, within the workforce," Ford said. "This is creating a disadvantage for our industries because they can't find the workers." |
| Auburn University hoping for 'traditional' fall semester, evaluating options in light of new CDC guidelines | |
 | After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on masks and face coverings amid rising COVID-19 cases in certain areas of the country, Auburn University is hoping for a semblance of normalcy for its students and faculty this fall, according to an official with the department of student affairs. "The CDC made their recommendation [Tuesday], and we are studying the recommendation and wanting to stay in accordance with the state of Alabama and what the Alabama Department of Public Health is recommending," said Bob Woodard, senior vice president of student affairs. The new recommendations from the CDC encourage individuals, even those who have been vaccinated, to wear masks or face coverings indoors in public especially if one has a weakened immune system in order to protect against the Delta variant. Meanwhile, Woodard said university officials planned to meet over the next week to discuss their own contingency plans in light of the new recommendations. "We plan on a traditional student environment and fall semester here on campus while we are still at this point evaluating our options as we see the results of the virus and the virus uptick in the community," Woodard said. |
| In-state college tuition program to help grandparents lure grandkids to Florida | |
 | Next year, out-of-state college students could be eligible to attend Florida's public universities at the same cost as in-state residents -- if they have a grandparent living in the state. The legislation, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law June 29, allows Florida to waive out-of-state fees for as many as 350 students each academic year -- saving tens of thousands of dollars for each family over four years. The Florida Board of Governors will finalize the rule during its Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 board meeting, said spokesperson Renee Fargason. The draft regulation says the State University System's chancellor will decide how many waivers each university can grant out of the 350 available. The waivers will likely be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and to be eligible, students' SAT scores must be no lower than the 89th national percentile. Or, they must obtain a comparable score on the ACT. Florida said it couldn't determine how much the program might cost the state budget because it was unclear how many students would be eligible. At the University of Florida, nonresident undergraduates are expected to pay an additional $28,278 in tuition during the 2021-2022 academic year --- more than double the cost for in-state students living on campus, according to UF's Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships. After four years, fees for out-of-state students could exceed $100,000. |
| Some colleges reconsider COVID plans as cases surge and CDC revises guidance | |
 | The surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant and low vaccination rates is leading some colleges to expand vaccine mandates or reinstate face-masking requirements, even as public colleges in a number of Republican-controlled states continue to be constrained by executive order or law from taking such steps. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance Tuesday recommending that all individuals regardless of vaccination status wear a mask while in public indoors if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission -- a characterization that currently applies to broad swaths of the U.S., including much of the South and Midwest. The change reflects a reversal from earlier CDC guidance in May that said individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 did not need to wear masks in most indoor and outdoor settings. In response to the guidance, the University of Memphis announced it would require that masks be worn indoors and in places where social distancing is not possible. The university is strongly encouraging students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 but said in its Wednesday announcement that as a public university in Tennessee, it does not have the ability to require vaccination. University officials say the authority to do so lies with the governor and the state Legislature. The politics of potentially reinstating campus mask mandates are challenging in some states. The Texas Tribune reported Tuesday that Republican state leaders are holding their ground in prohibiting local schools and governments from requiring masks. Multiple Texas universities lifted their mask mandates in May after Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued an executive order prohibiting governmental entities or officials from requiring face coverings. |
| Senate panel urges reset of student loan program | |
| Lots of uncertainty is ahead for student borrowers, with loan repayments scheduled to restart in October and two loan servicers announcing their federal contracts will be over at the end of the year. That means now is the perfect time to wipe the slate clean and start over, say those frustrated with the administration of the student loan system. The need to take advantage of the "rare opportunity for a fresh start" was a common theme of the comments made by lawmakers and witnesses during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs subcommittee hearing held Tuesday on protecting student borrowers. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat who is chair of the economic policy subcommittee, said in her opening remarks that with the student loan program at a crossroads, it must be rebuilt to work in the best interests of borrowers. "This is our best chance in years to build strong guardrails into student loan servicing contracts and to hold student loan servicers accountable if they screw things up," Warren said. "It is also a chance to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to make sure that our hardworking public servants get the relief that our nation promised them." Warren has been vocal about her displeasure with the student loan system and is currently holding up a confirmation vote for James Kvaal, the nominee for under secretary at the Department of Education, until she receives clarity about how the program will continue to be administered. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State basketball SEC 2021-22 opponents announced | |
 | Mississippi State basketball drew home-and-home series against Arkansas and Missouri for the 2021-22 season, the SEC announced Wednesday. The Bulldogs also have a home-and-home series with defending SEC champion Alabama, along with Ole Miss and South Carolina. Mississippi will host Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs will travel to Florida, Kentucky, LSU and Texas A&M. Times, dates and television information will be released at a later date. Mississippi State's biggest home non-conference game comes against Minnesota on Dec. 5. The Bulldogs will also play Winthrop on Dec. 21 at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Mississippi State travels to Texas Tech on Jan. 29 to face the Red Raiders in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Bulldogs open their season against North Alabama on Nov. 10. That starts a seven game home stand for Mississippi State including matchups against Montana, Detroit Mercy, Morehead State, Lamar, Georgia State, Furman and the Gophers. |
| SEC leaders expected to admit Texas, Oklahoma | |
| The Southeastern Conference's 14 presidents and chancellors are expected to meet and vote Thursday at 4 p.m. CT to extend invitations to Texas and Oklahoma, according to sources. The two Big 12 schools are expected to officially accept the invitations in Friday morning trustee meetings scheduled for 9 a.m.. It will cap a whirlwind week for college athletics after the bombshell news that Texas and Oklahoma were interested in joining the SEC first went public in the middle of SEC Media Days last week. Just days later, Texas and Oklahoma informed the Big 12 they did not intend to extend their television rights, and one day after that, formally asked the SEC to be invited in as new members. SEC bylaws require at least 75 percent of its members (11 of 14 schools) to vote to admit any prospective school. After Texas A&M's board of regents recommended voting to approve Texas and Oklahoma's admission, it is expected to be a unanimous vote to approve the invitations. In a letter addressed to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Texas and Oklahoma stated their intentions to join the conference on July 1, 2025. The expectation is both schools will try to join the conference before 2025 though the Big 12 made clear Wednesday it will do everything in its power to prevent that. |
| Texas A&M regents vote 8-1 in favor of SEC expansion | |
 | The Texas A&M System Board of Regents voted 8-1 on Wednesday in support of a statement guiding Texas A&M President Katherine Banks to vote in favor of Southeastern Conference expansion. "The Board concluded that this expansion would enhance the long-term value of the SEC to student-athletes and all of the institutions they represent -- including Texas A&M," the statement read. "Therefore, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents directs Texas A&M President M. Katherine Banks to vote in favor of extending formal invitations to the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas to join the conference in 2025, when the SEC presidents consider the matter." Regent Mike Hernandez III, of Fort Worth, cast the only opposing vote to the statement in favor of Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC. Regents and those who participated in the meeting left a back door of the ballroom without fielding questions. Conference presidents will meet Thursday in a previously scheduled meeting with a vote for expansion possible. |
| Big 12 Accuses ESPN of Destabilizing Conference, Issues Cease and Desist | |
| The Big 12 Conference sent a "cease and desist" letter to ESPN on Wednesday, demanding that the network ends all actions that could harm the conference and its members. In a letter obtained by Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, the Big 12 calls for ESPN to not communicate with the league's existing conference members or any NCAA conference regarding its members, possible conference realignment or potential financial outcomes associated with realignment. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby claims that ESPN -- a current media rights partner of the conference -- has taken actions to not only "harm" the league, but actions that "result in financial benefits for ESPN." The letter also states that ESPN is currently violating Section 20.2(c) of the Telecast Agreement with the Big 12 that states the network will not "take any actions likely to impair, or [that are] inconsistent with the rights of the league under the agreement." Beyond ESPN's involvement in the announcement of Texas and Oklahoma intending to leave the Big 12 in 2025, Bowlsby told SI that he has documented evidence that ESPN tried to encourage an unnamed conference to add Big 12 members in an effort to destabilize the league, meaning Texas and Oklahoma could avoid exit fees. ESPN claims that allegations in Bowlsby's letter hold no merit. |
| LSU coaches caravan canceled because of rising COVID cases in Louisiana | |
 | Out of an abundance of caution because to the rise of COVID-19 cases around the state and with guidance from LSU's Health and Medical Advisory Committee, all five stops on the Tiger Athletic Foundation's Coaches Caravan have been canceled, TAF and LSU announced in a news release Wednesday. The decision was based on the safety and welfare of the LSU coaches, student-athletes and staff members, according to the release. LSU student-athletes are set to report back to campus next week for preseason practice for many of the fall sports. |
| Washington State football coach stands by decision not to get vaccinated, but says he's not 'against' vaccines | |
 | Nick Rolovich has his reasons for not being vaccinated against COVID-19. The Washington State football coach won't say what they are, but he also made clear he's not "against" vaccinations. He even encouraged "everyone to consider being vaccinated." "The reason for my individual choice will remain private," Rolovich said Tuesday during a news conference on Zoom. "However, I want to make it clear, I respect, I support all the work being done by the state of Washington, who as a state has one of the highest percentages of vaccinations in the country." Rolovich's comments Tuesday were his first since he revealed last week that he had elected not to get vaccinated, making him the only head coach in the Pac-12 Conference not to get the vaccine while he works at a university that requires it. His mixed message on the topic Tuesday also contrasted with other coaches in his league who spoke about why they thought getting vaccinated was crucial. Rolovich's decision comes as his own university has required proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all students engaging in activities at a WSU campus or location. The Pac-12 also required all athletes and coaches attending its preseason football media day Tuesday in Los Angeles to have been vaccinated, making Rolovich's in-person absence especially conspicuous. He was the only Pac-12 head coach not scheduled to attend in person and instead made his appearance online via Zoom. |
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