| Thursday, September 2, 2021 |
| Administrators, students promote vaccine awareness on campus | |
 | When students returned to campus at the commencement of the fall 2021 semester, COVID-19 cases heavily increased in Mississippi, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. However, due to an increase in vaccination rates among Mississippians, case numbers are slowly starting to level off. Mississippi State University continues to encourage preventative measures against COVID-19 by offering vaccines to all students, faculty and staff, requiring masks indoors throughout campus and promoting personal hygiene and social distancing. Jeremy Baham, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, has been working with organizations across campus to promote student health and well-being during the pandemic. "Our Department of Health Promotion and Wellness spends a lot of time talking with folks about the importance of wearing a mask, the importance of being vaccinated and how those things can help the community get through this," Baham said. "Our ultimate goal is to help students lead healthy lives and make healthy decisions, not just while they're here, but to learn how to do that and take that wherever they go after they graduate." Additionally, MSU students have started new leadership roles to educate students about COVID-19 and the vaccine. The Vaccine Ambassadors are a Student Affairs organization trained to assist students in assessing the options and precautions they can take during the pandemic. |
| Congestion on campus: An update on Blackjack, parking and traffic | |
| Since the new school year at Mississippi State University began, on-campus traffic has been a concern for many people due to the overflow of automobiles in central areas. To many students, the root of this issue appears to be a lack of parking accommodations and on-site traffic guidance. However, the uncertainty of the new, in-person school year manifested itself into an influx of traffic on campus. Executive director of MSU Parking and Transit Services Jeremiah Dumas assured students and faculty the latest traffic jams are a combination of new students, new commuters and the confusion that comes with the beginning of a fall semester. Dumas noted that more than 1,500 new parking spaces have been added to MSU's campus in the last couple of years. Though it seems like few parking spaces are available, Dumas explained Parking and Transit Services reviews parking on campus each year and determined that MSU has more than enough spaces per permit allocation. "We are not near capacity," Dumas said. "One of the things that always happens at the first of the year is that everybody wants to park as close to the building as they can, and it is challenging for us when we are able to look in other parking lots in their zone and see that there's available spaces." Additionally, Dumas said people who drop off students at their building cause more traffic because the driver stops in the middle of the road and affects traffic. Additionally, Dumas said people who drop off students at their building cause more traffic because the driver stops in the middle of the road and affects traffic. |
| FIELD STUDIES: Meridian vet student finds Ugandan trip enlightening | |
 | For some college students, the classroom extends far beyond the walls of a building or campus boundaries. Although many study abroad programs were put on hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many were able to resume this year. One local student had the opportunity to study abroad over the summer. Walker Hyche, the son of Dwight and Laura Hyche of Meridian, entered the third year of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine in May. His studies included a trip to a "global classroom" in Africa, where he completed a course in Tropical Veterinary Medicine & One Health in Uganda. According to the program description on the Mississippi State Office of Study Abroad website, the program, which is held in conjunction with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, "focuses on One Health, international animal production and health management, disease surveillance, public health systems, food safety and security, and multi-national cultural exposure." Hyche said the trip is normally available to vet students that are transitioning from first year to second year as well as undergraduates. However, since the trip was placed on hold last year due to the pandemic, Hyche was able to make the trip this year as a third-year student. Hyche said he left Africa with an even greater appreciation for his chosen vocation, veterinary practices here at home, and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State. |
| Mary Means Business: Walk-On's Bistreaux, Blue Plate Mafia food truck, Rock Bottom Furniture | |
 | Moving to Starkville, we have food news. I know, guys, it's been a minute, but we haven't forgotten. Walk-On's Bistreaux is a go. The Louisiana sports bar franchise officially broke ground in Starkville on Monday. Walk-On's, 996 Hwy. 12 E., will open tentatively by March near the LaQuinta Inn. Franchise owner Eddie Gant, along with his brother Alan, were both Mississippi State University students in the 1980s, and boy are they excited to be back. "We bleed heavy maroon and we were both in Omaha for the National Championship," Eddie said. "... We are excited about March. It's coming at a great time, us coming off the heels of our first National Championship in baseball. You can imagine the excitement that's going to be surrounding Mississippi State baseball in March and April. That gets us excited." For now, though, we have a new food truck. Blue Plate Mafia opened in Starkville in late August. Owner David Wilkerson, along with business partner Chris Walker, saw the success and growth in Starkville's food truck circuit and decided to pull up and join the fleet. Blue Plate Mafia is open Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 201 Hwy. 12, by Designer Gallery. Moving down Highway 12 just a bit. Starkville has a new furniture store. Right next to Backstage Music, Rock Bottom Furniture opened in early August at 115 A Hwy. 12. |
| Joe Max Higgins touts major industrial projects coming to area | |
| Most industrial recruitment projects the Golden Triangle Development LINK works on are known to the public only by a nickname before the deals are finalized and announced. Sometimes, like with a project currently looking to locate in Lowndes County, the LINK has a little fun with that nickname, CEO Joe Max Higgins told Rotary Club of Columbus on Tuesday. "We gave this one (the nickname) 'Lettuce' because the people we started dealing with in California had to be smoking the Devil's Lettuce," Higgins said. "I mean stoned to the bone. Now, we're dealing with a boy out of Alabama. He kind of talks like we do and thinks like we do." Funny name aside, Project Lettuce could have a serious impact on the area's economy, investing $60 million and bringing 150 jobs, Higgins said. Those jobs will pay in the $75,000 per year range. "Lettuce is underway," Higgins said. "We've just got a nondisclosure agreement so we can't tell you who it is yet." Overall, Higgins said the LINK is in the late stages of landing almost $900 million worth of projects that could bring roughly 550 new jobs to the Golden Triangle very soon. These have either already been announced or could be announced by the end of this year, he said. Making sure the labor force is here to support all these new jobs remains the LINK's biggest challenge, Higgins said. That's why the LINK's strategy is high investment with fewer, higher-paying jobs. |
| Higgins leaving EMCC board; blames workforce training efforts | |
| Joe Max Higgins plans to leave the East Mississippi Community College Board of Trustees as soon as the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors can find a replacement. County Administrator Jay Fisher told supervisors about Higgins' resignation at their Tuesday meeting, and the county board approved immediately opening the application process for a new EMCC representative. Higgins, the CEO for the Golden Triangle Development LINK -- which leads industrial recruitment efforts for the region -- was appointed as one of two Lowndes representatives on the EMCC board in January 2020. He was tapped to fill the unexpired term of Lance Walters, which ran through March 2023. At a Rotary Club of Columbus meeting Tuesday at the EMCC-owned Lion Hills Center, just more than an hour after supervisors adjourned, Higgins pointed to lack of execution in workforce development as his reason for resigning. Specifically, he said enrollment at the Communiversity -- EMCC's workforce training center in Lowndes County -- lags at about 160 students. It should be at 240, he believes. Part of the problem, he told Rotarians, is inadequate student recruitment for vocational training on the high school level, along with EMCC's continued prioritization of athletics, especially football. "I tendered my resignation to them boys today because I said, 'It can't be fixed,'" Higgins said. "... Quite frankly, nobody's working the high schools to get those kids pipelined (to the Communiversity). They're just not. ... But we're more worried about the foosball (sic) team and whether we're going to get to put new turf on the field next year." |
| Ida damages more than 160 Mississippi homes | |
 | Hurricane Ida damaged at least 164 homes in Mississippi, destroying six of those and leaving 42 with major damage, state officials said Wednesday. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency director Stephen McCraney also said at least 184 roads and 53 bridges had some damage. Two people were killed and at least 10 were injured late Monday after a section of Mississippi Highway 26 collapsed near Lucedale and vehicles drove into a pit in the dark. Mississippi has been sending firefighters, search-and-rescue teams and others to help in Louisiana, which had much more extensive damage from the hurricane. More than 30,000 customers in Mississippi remained without power Wednesday, many in the rural southwestern part of the state near the Louisiana line. Gov. Tate Reeves said the heat could be dangerous for older people who lack air conditioning. "Think about that elderly neighbor that you may have and just ride over and check on him or her," Reeves said during a news conference. "Just make sure that they are OK, make sure they have water." |
| Mississippi governor: State, recovering from Ida, to help neighboring Louisiana | |
 | Mississippi officials are coordinating with Louisiana officials and the American Red Cross to help not only shelter Louisiana residents, but also send assistance from the Mississippi National Guard and state firefighters. Gov. Tate Reeves said during a press conference Wednesday the state is seeing an increase in Louisiana residents coming into Mississippi causing long lines for gas and increased traffic on the coast. Reeves expects this to continue for some time as power outages in Louisiana affect fueling stations. "We are the hospitality state," Stephen McCraney, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said about Mississippi's efforts to help the neighboring state. Reeves added the increase in Louisiana residents coming to Mississippi for gas is due oil refiners being knocked out in Louisiana from the storm and some gas stations being able to take fuel but not distribute it because of power outages. State officials are monitoring the fuel situation closely, he added. The state is working quickly to restore all power amid the growing number of heat advisories as temperatures begin to rise. Reeves urged residents in affected counties to check on elderly and disabled neighbors during this time. McCraney added the state is distributing food, water and ice to those in need. |
| More than a dozen deaths after Ida remnants slam Northeast | |
| A stunned U.S. East Coast woke up Thursday to a rising death toll, surging rivers and destruction from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which walloped the region with record-breaking rain days after hitting the Gulf Coast as one of the strongest hurricanes on record to strike the U.S. In a region that hadn't expected a serious blow from the no-longer-hurricane, the storm killed at least 18 people from Maryland to New York on Wednesday night as basement apartments suddenly filled with water, rivers and creeks swelled to record levels and roadways turned into car-swallowing canals. Nine people died in New York City, many when they became trapped in flooded basements, police and Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Four people were found dead in an apartment complex in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the city's mayor and spokesperson told local media, correcting an earlier report of five. Water from record rainfall cascaded into New York City subway tunnels, trapping at least 17 trains and forcing the cancellation of service throughout the night and early morning. Thursday morning, the nation's largest city was slow to recover from catastrophic flooding that was reminiscent of Superstorm Sandy in 2012. |
| Health officials see cases and hospitalizations stabilize, hope for decreases | |
| While case numbers, hospitalizations and ICU patients remain above previous peaks, Mississippi's top health officials said this afternoon that we are beginning to experience some stabilization among these indicators. After reporting nearly 86,000 total cases in the month of August -- the highest number of cases in a single month -- State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers expressed a hope that the stabilization will result in decreases in the coming weeks. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs says that time will tell. The better that we do at both preventing transmission and getting vaccinated is going to help up out of that," Dr. Dobbs said. As of this morning, there were 13 ICU beds available in Mississippi, but 213 patients were waiting on beds. Dr. Dobbs also shared promising data from an Israeli study showing that natural immunity seems to be "really helpful" in preventing future infection while stating that you should still get vaccinated even if you've had COVID-19. "We know that [the vaccine] will greatly augment your immunity, and it deceases the risk of reinfection by half," he said while noting that Mississippi needs 85% of its population to be immune to achieve a steady, low rate of transmission. After seven straight weeks of increases, vaccinations saw a slight dip last week with 75,549 total doses administered. Currently, 99% of Mississippi's new cases are among the unvaccinated as are 87% of hospitalizations and deaths. |
| Dr. Dobbs joins Y'all Politics for an expanded discussion on impact of COVID in Mississippi | |
 | In an expanded interview with Y'all Politics, Dr. Thomas Dobbs of the Mississippi State Department of Health says the COVID-19 Delta variant was inevitable but the degree of impact to Mississippi was not. Dr. Dobbs joined Y'all Politics Publisher Alan Lange to discuss a variety of topics, including masks, mask mandates, vaccine hesitancy, and the durability of the vaccine and natural immunity. Mississippi's hospital systems were already overwhelmed in most areas of the state, but this week brought an additional challenge with Hurricane Ida. "I'll say that we're fortunate in that we haven't had to do a lot of patient transfer," Dobbs said. Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, most hospitals and nursing homes have upgraded their generators allowing for the systems not to be forced to be without power for an extended period of time. Dobbs says MSDH is helping those facilities that are in need. COVID cases in Mississippi have stabilized, Dobbs said, as have the new daily hospitalizations. "I don't think that we're going to see any peaks above what we've seen already," Dobbs said. "We are going to still have a lot of folks get sick, a lot folks in the hospital. The stress on the hospital system will be maintained for some weeks going forward because once someone gets sick with COVID, if they're going to survive, it's going to a lot times weeks for recovery." |
| Study finds low rate of COVID-19 'breakthrough' infections, fewer symptoms in vaccinated people | |
 | A study conducted in the U.K. offers some of the first large-scale, real-world data on how well vaccination protects people against catching a "breakthrough" COVID-19 infection, and how well it protects breakthrough patients from becoming seriously ill. The results are encouraging. The peer-reviewed study published Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal will help policy makers and epidemiologists fill in a significant gap in the understanding of the true efficacy of three of the major vaccines being used worldwide. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for instance, doesn't have good data on how many people catch COVID-19 after being vaccinated, as it decided in the spring to track only serious, symptomatic breakthrough cases. The British study, on the other hand, used mass-testing data to determine how many breakthrough cases there actually are and how sick those people get. The vaccines were never intended to prevent infections completely, but to reduce the rates of infection within a population and, most importantly, to reduce the severity of illness in people who do catch it. The study found that people who contracted the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated were almost twice as likely to have no symptoms at all, compared to the wider population. It's the latest dataset to offer convincing evidence that the vaccines work as intended. |
| Survey: Mississippians are split when it comes to vaccine mandates | |
| A survey released by Millsaps College on Wednesday revealed Mississippians' attitudes towards a litany of COVID-related topics, including vaccine mandates. It was conducted in late August with a sample size of 684 voters. According to Millsaps, results were weighted to reflect voter turnout in the 2020 Mississippi election. The survey found an almost even split among those in Mississippi when it came to small businesses and whether they should mandate vaccines for their employees: 43% said yes while 46% said no. It also found that 56% of Mississippians believe children under 12, who are still not able to be vaccinated, should be required to wear masks in school this fall. Thirty-two percent of respondents disagreed. More Mississippians, however, did agree that no government authority or official should be allowed to mandate mask wearing. An overwhelming majority of Mississippians, 72%, also opposed allowing health insurance companies to deny coverage for COVID-related hospital costs for those who had refused to get vaccinated. Only 18% approved of this measure. |
| State Sen. Walter Michel open to eliminating Mississippi income tax | |
| State Sen. J. Walter Michel says he is in favor of a tax reduction but has not ruled out an income tax elimination in the state. "There are two ways to get to the tax elimination," said Michel, who represents Madison County and parts of Hinds. "One would be gradual over time starting with a reduced amount instead of just lopping it off, but a gradual reduction. I would be more inclined to look at a gradual reduction on the income tax." House Speaker Philip Gunn is leading an effort to eliminate the state's income tax after a measure passed his chamber last session but failed to make it out of a Senate committee. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers met at the Capitol last week to hold hearings on the possibility of eliminating the state income tax. Michel said one of the reasons the House proposal did not make it out of the Senate committee last session was because the bill raised sales taxes and that senators were not sure Gov. Tate Reeves would even sign the bill into law since he is on record as being for a straight income tax elimination and against a tax swap. Michel said the House bill is just a blueprint at this point. "We intend to start with that and work on it, but there are some things that are important to me that I want to look into," Michel said. "One issue is what the tax would do to our restaurants in Madison County. It would take the sales tax when you go out to eat at a restaurant from 7% to 9-and-a-half percent." |
| State Sen. Jenifer Branning for eliminating income tax | |
| State Sen. Jenifer B. Branning likes the idea of eliminating the state income tax. A group of state lawmakers met at the Capitol last week to hold hearings on the possibility of eliminating the state income tax. "I definitely think it is a conversation we need to have," said Branning, a Republican from Philadelphia representing District 18. I know we received a lot of good information from the hearings." Branning was unable to attend committee hearings in person but was able to view them on YouTube and she is glad the Legislature is studying the issue. "I am supportive of the idea," Branning said. "I don't want to do any tax swap." Branning said she supports the idea of eliminating the state's income tax, because it will keep more money in Mississippians' pockets. Speaker of the House Philip Gunn is leading the effort after a measure to eliminate the state's income tax passed the House last session but failed to make it out of a Senate committee. The Associated Press reports that Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do not charge any state income tax. "Individual income taxes made up 34% of Mississippi's state tax revenue during the state budget year that ended June 30, according to the state Department of Revenue," the AP reports. "That was about $2.2 billion from individual income taxes in the nearly $6.6 billion the state collected for its general fund." |
| Liz Cheney appointed vice chair of select committee investigating Jan. 6 Capitol attack | |
 | Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has been appointed as vice chair of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, according to a statement Thursday from the panel. "Every member of this committee is dedicated to conducting a non-partisan, professional, and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts regarding January 6th and the threat to our Constitution we faced that day," Cheney said in a statement. "I have accepted the position of Vice Chair of the committee to assure that we achieve that goal." The move further cements Cheney as a major player in the investigation. She was originally tapped to join the committee in July, after she was ousted by fellow House Republicans from her leadership position in May over her challenge of President Donald Trump's false claim that the presidential election was stolen. Cheney's position will boost Democrats' arguments the probe is bipartisan even as many Republicans oppose it -- with some GOP lawmakers going so far as to threaten telecommunications and social media companies that comply with the committee's requests. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), the select committee's chair, welcomed Cheney's appointment and said her presence "underscores the bipartisan nature" of the effort to get to the bottom of events that led to the attack on the Capitol earlier this year. |
| Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell: President Biden 'is not going to be removed from office' | |
 | Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Wednesday shot down calls from within his own party to try to impeach President Biden, pointing to next year's midterm election as a potential check on the administration. "Well, look, the president is not going to be removed from office. There's a Democratic House, a narrowly Democratic Senate. That's not going to happen," McConnell said at an event in Kentucky, asked if Biden's handling of the drawdown in Afghanistan merits impeachment and if he would support it. "There isn't going to be an impeachment," he added. McConnell's comments come as some Republicans in the House and Senate call for Biden's impeachment or for him to resign or be involuntarily removed from office over the botched Afghanistan exit. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said last week that he thought Biden should be impeached. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who chairs the Senate GOP campaign arm, questioned if it was time to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows the majority of the Cabinet or a body appointed by the Congress to remove a president. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has also stopped short of embracing impeachment calls, while predicting that a GOP-controlled House would probe Biden's Afghanistan exit and that there would be a "day of reckoning." |
| AP sources: Intel shows extremists to attend Capitol rally | |
| Far right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend a rally later this month at the U.S. Capitol that is designed to demand "justice" for the hundreds of people who have been charged in connection with January's insurrection, according to three people familiar with intelligence gathered by federal officials. As a result, U.S. Capitol Police have been discussing in recent weeks whether the large perimeter fence that was erected outside the Capitol after January's riot will need to be put back up, the people said. The officials have been discussing security plans that involve reconstructing the fence as well as another plan that does not involve a fence, the people said. They were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The planned Sept. 18 rally at the Capitol comes as a jittery Washington has seen a series of troubling one-off incidents -- including, most recently, a man who parked a pickup truck near the Library of Congress and said he had a bomb and detonator. Among the most concerning events: A series of unexploded pipe bombs placed around the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection remain unexplained and no suspect has been charged. |
| AU Senate briefed on record University budget | |
| The Auburn University Senate met over Zoom on Tuesday for its first meeting of the academic year to talk about a new budget, high enrollment and concerns about masks being worn inside. In his report, Auburn University President Jay Gogue spoke on the upcoming budget, which will need to be approved on Sept. 10 by the Board of Trustees. He said that the budget is the "largest one to date, totaling around $1.5 billion." The Sept. 10 budget will also include a 3% pool for merit-based raises. Money for the raises comes from increased government aid given to the University thanks to a record year of tax collections. Gogue also said that Auburn had "27,000 completed applications for freshman status with an average high school GPA of 4.0." Additionally, he said that Auburn has nearly 30,000 students enrolled for the 2021-22 school year. The University reinstated its indoor mask requirement ahead of the academic year on Aug. 3, but Provost Bill Hardgrave said faculty have expressed concerns to his office about students not wearing their masks indoors except for classroom environments. "There have been problems with students wearing masks in the buildings but not [been problems] in the classrooms," Hardgrave said. "More mask reminders will be put around campus, as well as more security to enforce the mask protocol." Faculty shared these concerns during the meeting as well and were notified that it is their duty to help enforce this and remind students of the protocol. |
| Search for next University president underway | |
| Auburn University's search for its next president is officially underway. In a letter to faculty, staff and students, Board of Trustee member Wayne Smith announced that an exploratory committee had selected an executive search firm to find a new president. Smith said he has also formed a Presidential Search Advisory Committee that will vet candidates before recommending them to the Board of Trustees. There is currently no timetable for the completion of the search, Smith wrote. The exploratory committee unanimously selected Greenwood/Asher & Associates, LLC, out of the four consulting firms selected for interviews conducted last week, Smith wrote. Greenwood/Asher & Associates is a Florida-based consulting and training firm founded by former university professors and presidents Jan Greenwood and Betty Asher that focuses on education and nonprofit organizations. The Presidential Search Advisory Committee is made up of 22 faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members. The committee, chaired by trustee Sarah Newton, will recruit and vet candidates selected by the firm in order to recommend the finalists to the Board of Trustees. President Jay Gogue announced at a June 11, 2021, Board of Trustees meeting that he was planning to retire soon and that the Board should start looking for someone to fill his role. |
| UGA COVID-19 cases nearly double again after second week of classes | |
 | The University of Georgia reported 457 positive COVID-19 cases submitted through DawgCheck, the campus's system for tracking cases for students and employees, for the week of Aug. 23-29. This almost double the previous week's reported cases. Of the 457 cases, 423 cases were among students. People on campus are required to report a positive COVID-19 test. The data report states that the data is not "an accurate barometer of the current status of COVID-19 at any point in time at any one of UGA's campuses," due to delays in reporting and the inclusion of individuals who have recovered or who have not been on campus recently. The university does not have a mask mandate or vaccine mandate. Classes began at UGA on Aug. 18 and for the week including the start of the semester -- Aug. 16-22 -- there were 231 cases reported. UGA conducts voluntary surveillance testing on campus to find positive cases among those who are asymptomatic and for this weekly report, 1,519 tests were conducted and there were 77 positive results, a positivity rate of 5.1%. The voluntary testing was made up of 76% students. For this week reported, UGA administered 340 vaccines, and in total, 13,578 individuals have been fully vaccinated by UGA. The university does not have the vaccination status percentage for the entirety of the campus. |
| Breast milk of vaccinated mothers contain COVID antibodies, UF study finds. Could they protect children? | |
 | Mothers vaccinated against COVID-19 may be able to pass along protection against infection to their nursing babies, according to a recently published study from the University of Florida. Antibodies passed through breast milk could prove beneficial to babies, researchers said, but further study is needed to determine their impact. "A lot of moms, pregnant women, are afraid to get vaccinated. They want to do what's best for their babies," said Dr. Josef Neu, a co-author of the study and professor in the UF College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and Division of Neonatology. "This is something that we wanted to know whether it may actually provide some benefit." Babies are born with their immune systems not fully developed, said Joseph Larkin III, a senior author of the study and associate professor in the UF Department of Microbiology and Cell Science. They are too young to get the COVID-19 vaccine and cannot protect themselves. Breast milk, however, is like a helpful tool box that can be altered to potentially improve that vulnerability. "Milk is a dynamic substance. So in other words, what the baby and the mom (are) exposed to in the environment, there are changes in the milk that correspond to these environmental conditions," Neu said. "And these can then specifically help the baby." |
| Florida Department of Transportation works to promote traffic safety on UF campus | |
| Over the first two weeks of the Fall semester, the Florida Department of Transportation has been setting up a booth on campus to educate students on traffic safety. FDOT members have been handing out items such as arm-band reflectors, informational flyers and phone-screen cleaners. This effort follows deadly accidents that took place on University Avenue last Spring. Two UF students and one professor were struck and killed by cars within one month of each other. The incidents motivated UF students to advocate for increased safety efforts, which resulted in Gainesville and FDOT working together to implement new safety measures on University Avenue, including the installation of speed tables, adjusted signal timings and a reduced speed limit. Additionally, the City of Gainesville converted 14th Street and 15th Street into one-way roads. Troy Roberts, an FDOT spokesperson, said part of its initiative on campus is to inform the wave of new people about the changes made to create safer traffic patterns. "There's a lot of new students; I think UF is saying this is their largest class they have ever had of incoming freshmen," Roberts said. "But part of that, you've got a lot of sophomores on campus that this may be their first time on campus too." |
| More Out-of-State Students Don't Bring Colleges Higher Tuition Revenue, Study Finds | |
 | Public colleges' finances have been hurting for decades. Their state governments have funded smaller portions of their budgets, while limiting how much they could raise tuition. Some struggling institutions have neglected building repairs, laid off staff members, eliminated academic departments, and kept salaries flat as a result. To offset some of the pain, many of those institutions have aggressively recruited and enrolled out-of-state students, whose sticker-price tuition is higher than that of their in-state peers. Logic would suggest that more students paying higher prices results in more revenue and spending. But a recent study found that that is not so. Robert Kelchen, a professor of higher education at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, used Department of Education data to study revenue and expenditures at public four-year universities that increased their shares of nonresident students. He found that an increase in out-of-state students was associated with a decrease in per-student tuition revenue and "is often associated with" a decrease in student expenditures. "Getting more out-of-state students," Kelchen said in an interview, "doesn't necessarily mean that colleges are bringing a lot more money in." |
| The grass may be greener for women in industry | |
 | A new study finds the gender pay gap is wider -- 1.5 times wider -- in academic science than industry, despite academe's progressive ideals and reputation. "Our study provides empirical evidence that it may be time to reassess the reasons why women disproportionately sort into academia in the first place," the paper says. For the entire period studied, 1995 to 2017, women with science and engineering Ph.D.s earned 5.3 percent less than men in academe, compared to 3.5 percent less than men in industry. Researchers looked at the gender pay gap in both sectors from 1995 to 2003 and, separately, from 2006 to 2017, as well. They found that this gap actually increased over time in both sectors, though not significantly, based on further analysis. Still, the pay gap did not lessen over time, meaning the issue is not necessarily a generational one that will resolve on its own over time -- perhaps especially in academe, where men and women tend to start off with similar salaries but diverge over the span of their careers. In contrast, women in industry tend to be paid lower at the start of their careers, with the gender pay gap narrowing over time. |
| Colleges Dangle Tuition Deals to Head Off Harsh Economic Reality | |
| Even after billions in stimulus cash, cracks are forming in America's higher education system. Nowhere are those problems more prominent than in Pennsylvania. In just the past year: Philadelphia's two-century-old pharmacy and healthcare school, The University of the Sciences, proposed a merger with nearby Saint Joseph's University after facing multimillion-dollar deficits. La Salle University's credit rating was cut to junk after posting an operating shortfall. And Washington & Jefferson College outside of Pittsburgh faces growing operating deficits after a double-digit percentage drop in enrollment over the last two years. The trouble stems from simple demographics. While the number of graduating high-school seniors has generally risen in the U.S. over the last decade, in Pennsylvania, that figure has dropped. That has resulted in fewer enrollees and therefore less revenue. What's worse, the state has one of the nation's highest concentrations of private colleges that serve only undergraduates, according to Robert Kelchen, a professor of higher education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. That will make them particularly susceptible when a broader drop in U.S. birth rates that began around the 2008 financial crisis translates to fewer graduating seniors in the coming years. Pennsylvania's struggles are seen by bond investors as a harbinger of what's to come for colleges nationwide. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State seeks strong start vs Louisiana Tech | |
| Having guided his first Mississippi State team through an all-SEC regular season gauntlet, coach Mike Leach isn't fazed by yet another challenging schedule. He hopes that experience helps his team execute better this season. Things are somewhat different for MSU in Saturday's opener against Louisiana Tech, the first of three nonconference matchups before a Southeastern Conference stretch against No. 16 LSU, No. 6 Texas A&M and top-ranked and defending national champion Alabama. Cowbells should be clanging loud at Davis Wade Stadium, where a big crowd is expected after COVID protocols limited attendance last fall. While that energy gives the Bulldogs an advantage, they say no one is looking past one of five bowl teams they will face in the first seven weeks. (North Carolina State and Memphis follow.) "The biggest thing is getting everybody on the same page, knowing that anybody can get beat at any time," MSU linebacker Aaron Brule said. Leach added of Louisiana Tech, "They're a good team. They've got some size up front. They're kind of an upperclassmen team and we're a lower-classmen team, so they have a lot of experience." |
| Mike Leach says Mississippi State football schedule in 2021 not as tough as last year's | |
| When coach Mike Leach began his first year at the helm of Mississippi State football, he entered a season of unknowns and an all-SEC schedule. So entering Year 2, Leach feels he can take a slight sigh of relief. Even with the prospect of the SEC West on the schedule -- including a three-game stretch that features No. 13 LSU, No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 1 Alabama -- Leach doesn't think this year's schedule is as difficult as the year before. "I don't know about tough schedule, I don't think it's as tough as it was last year," Leach said on Wednesday's SEC teleconference. "But yeah, you just play them one at a time and worry about being the best team you can be and improving as much and playing as well as you can, having as good of practices as you can." According to Pro Football Focus, Mississippi State had the 11th-hardest preseason strength of schedule in 2020. PFF ranks the Bulldogs' 2021 schedule as the sixth-hardest in FBS this season. Unlike last season, when Mississippi State opened up against LSU, the team will have an ease-in game to begin the year. The Bulldogs kick off the season Saturday (3 p.m., ESPNU) against Louisiana Tech as 23-point favorites. |
| Rewatchable: Louisiana Tech's 3rd-and-93 against Mississippi State | |
 | Every week, our Mississippi State athletics reporter Stefan Krajisnik will provide a 'rewatchable' in which he'll reach into the archives and find a game, play or moment relevant to that week's upcoming matchup for MSU and relive it. Ahead of Week 1, here's a look back at an unforgettable moment from a 2017 game between Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech: C.J. Morgan has seen all things Mississippi State football since he arrived as a freshman in 2016. From a "peeing dog" celebration costing Ole Miss an Egg Bowl to a pandemic giving him another year of eligibility following a season-ending injury in 2019, Morgan has developed into the old guy in the locker room leading with wisdom. But through all those memories, few if any can spark this reaction: "That'll definitely be something I remember until the day I die," Morgan says. "For real." Morgan is reflecting on a play from Sept. 9, 2017, when Mississippi State was on the road taking on Louisiana Tech -- the team it welcomes to Starkville on Saturday for its 2021 season opener. |
| Big opener for MSU, La. Tech in Starkville Saturday | |
| Parrish Alford writes for the Daily Journal: Mike Leach and Skip Holtz have coached and won a lot of football games, but one of them won't win the next one. And it's always about the next one. You can win enough games and build up enough capital to keep the wolves farther from the front door, but eventually they arrive. Neither Leach, at Mississippi State, nor Holtz, the son of a legend building his own brand at Louisiana Tech, won enough games last year. Outside the program few expect them to win big in 2021. La. Tech and MSU kick off Saturday at 3 in Starkville, and for both coaches the next one is important. Leach during camp has dismissed those outside observers who predict the Bulldogs to finish last in the SEC West. However, he has not spoken of his own team in glowing terms. ... It might be easy enough to dismiss Leach's caution as traditional coach sandbagging -- but those spots, while showing progress, did not set the woods ablaze in camp. Some other spots came close to that, though. |
| Mississippi State's Scott Foxhall Chosen As Nation's Top Assistant Coach | |
| Already a national champion, now Mississippi State pitching coach Scott Foxhall is also the nation's top assistant. Foxhall was selected as the NCAA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association, it was announced on Wednesday. He's now set to be recognized onstage at the 78th annual ABCA Convention in Chicago, Illinois, in January. Foxhall's honor comes on the heels of his Bulldog pitching staff laying part of the foundation of MSU's 2021 title-winning club. MSU's arms shined all season, leading up to winning it all in Omaha. Under Foxhall's tutelage, pitchers Will Bednar, Christian MacLeod and Landon Sims all racked up 100 or more strikeouts in 2021. Bednar, MacLeod and Sims became just the fourth teammate trio in Southeastern Conference history to notch triple digits in punchouts in the same season. Virtually all of Foxhall's hurlers had a reputation for getting swings and misses this past season. The Bulldogs reached the 30-strikeout mark in all 14 regular season weekends. MSU piled up double-digit strikeouts in a program-record 21 straight games from March 24-May 1, including at least 12 strikeouts in 16 of those games. In all, MSU struck out 10 or more batters in 51 of the 68 games in 2021. Foxhall's staff ended the year with a school-record 817 total strikeouts, while also limiting opponents to a .220 batting average. |
| Mississippi State Soccer Heads North For Big Ten Swing | |
| For the first time in its history the Mississippi State soccer team will meet a Big Ten opponent when the Bulldogs travel north for a pair of matches against the conference this week. State (2-2-0) is set to play at Minnesota (2-0-1) on Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT before heading to Iowa to meet the Hawkeyes on Sunday. Thursday's match will be broadcast on Big Ten Network+ and is accessible with a separate subscription. "The girls are excited to play a different kind of opposition," head coach James Armstrong said. "These are two really good teams that will give us great preparation to see where we're at right now, but also putting us in good standing for future games in the SEC." Minnesota has yet to allow a goal this season, claiming a pair of 1-0 victories and battling to a scoreless draw with Illinois-Chicago. In their last match against Drake, a penalty kick was the only goal scored. "Very physical, very organized, fast, aggressive," Armstrong said of the Gophers. "They're dynamic going forward, but they're also very tight and organized defensively. They're a really good squad and a team that's going to come out and defend their home territory. We're excited to test ourselves." |
| Mississippi State Men's Tennis Rolls Out Fall Schedule | |
| Mississippi State's men's tennis team returns to the courts this fall following another top 15 finish and the program's 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs could have up to 10 events on tap this fall including four International Tennis Federation (ITF) M15 tournaments, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American Championships and are also hosting their own invitational at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. "We always try to mix in some pro tournaments because these guys came to college to develop into pros so we want to give them opportunities to work on their pro ranking," said Matt Roberts, who is entering his seventh season as head coach. "The other goal is to try and qualify and advance for (ITA) Nationals in San Diego. Our guys played a lot over the summer and they're excited and ready to get out and play in the fall." MSU will send players to Fayetteville, Arkansas on Sept. 18-26 and again on Oct. 31-Nov. 7 to participate in ITF M15 events and will also make appearances in Tallahassee, Florida from Oct. 23-31 and Shreveport, Louisiana on Nov. 6-14 as well. The Bulldogs will also welcome Tulane, Alabama and Michigan to campus for the MSU Bulldog Invitational held on Oct. 1-3. |
| Delta State Athletics Announces Responsible Alcohol Service Policy | |
| Delta State University Athletics has announced its responsible alcohol service policy for the upcoming 2021-2022 athletics season. Delta State University is committed to providing a supportive and welcoming environment for all academic, cultural, athletic, and social events to students, employees, and visitors. The Athletic department has developed materials intended to promote responsible conduct and reduce dangerous behavior regarding the consumption of Alcohol. This policy applies to students, registered student organizations, University faculty and staff, and any other person attending an Athletic event. All persons in Athletic venues must comply with all applicable laws, regulations, IHL and University policies regarding the possession, sale, distribution, and consumption of Alcohol. No outside Alcohol is permitted in a Delta State Athletic facility. Patrons are expected to abide by the clear bag policy, and Levee pass holders who bring coolers will be subject to inspection. Any Beer or Light Wine offered for sale shall be dispensed in University-issued cups. No more than two cups of any beverage (Beer or Light Wine) may be sold to one person in one transaction. Any unfinished Beer or Light Wine must be discarded before exiting an Athletic facility. The University reserves the right to refuse to sell Beer or Light Wine to any person, at any time or place. |
| A Rescue Mission and an Evacuation Plan: Inside Tulane's Hectic Preparations for Oklahoma | |
| It is Tuesday at about 9 p.m., and Gabe Delatte is somewhere between Slidell, La., and Hattiesburg, Miss., driving a box truck emblazoned in green up I-59, tired as hell and emotionally spent. He's on the back end of a 36-hour rescue mission to deliver both supplies and people from storm-torn New Orleans to Tulane's new centralized sports hub, Birmingham, Ala. Delatte, TU's 30-year-old director of equipment, and a handful of others, arrived in the city 24 hours after Hurricane Ida left it windblown, shell-shocked and completely powerless -- a blacked-out minefield of debris. Like the Navy SEALs of college sports, they quietly completed their mission in a few hours. They helped load 60 athletes and staff members, who braved the storm from the city, into two buses and six vans bound for Alabama, and then filled the Green Wave's equipment truck with necessities -- all while working in the dark. "That was fun," he says jokingly. "We did what we'd normally do in a week in a day. It's been rough." And now here he is, on the haul back to Birmingham with the most precious of cargo. After all, Tulane's game against No. 2 Oklahoma on Saturday, relocated from New Orleans to Norman, can't happen without the products he's carrying: cleats, extra helmets, face masks and uniforms. Sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina sent the school's football team on a turbulent nomadic journey, the Green Wave are back on the road, another major storm having disrupted life just before the season kicks off. |
| This Season's Vital College Football Statistic: Vaccination Rates | |
 | The mercies of the 2020 season, including rescheduled games and no-contests connected to the pandemic, have all but vanished for 2021 so the games go on and the money keeps flowing. Now there are largely unforgiving policies intended to keep players and coaches safe and furious efforts inside locker rooms to persuade young men to be inoculated so they can more likely stay on the field. The results have often been robust, with many teams vaccinated at higher rates than their surrounding communities. Arizona, Boston College and Mississippi have reported 100 percent vaccination rates among football players; at least half of the teams ranked in the top 10 of The Associated Press preseason poll have said that 90 percent or more of their players are inoculated. And in a stark departure from last year, when many athletic programs tried to keep their virus case counts out of public view, schools are sometimes celebrating their vaccination rates to the envy of their rivals. "Football is competitive, coaching is competitive, the SEC is as competitive as you get, including in pro sports," said Lane Kiffin, the coach at Mississippi, where about 47 percent of adults statewide are fully vaccinated. "This is probably the first thing where it was like, 'OK, hey, we did this,' and people are calling us for advice -- other coaches, other trainers -- and we're openly sharing that." Universitywide vaccination mandates have eased the strain for some football programs, even though they have stirred some players to threaten to leave their schools entirely. But on many campuses, coaches, players, trainers and team doctors have taken the lead in prodding athletes to receive shots. It has been a monthslong high-wire act. |
| Gators football tickets a harder sell as UF focuses on enhancing fan experience | |
| Florida receiver Justin Shorter transferred from Penn State after having played in packed houses at home in Happy Valley and on the road at Ohio State's famous Horseshoe and Iowa's historic Kinnick Stadium. A season after COVID-19 cut capacity by 80%, Shorter cannot wait to see the iconic Swamp bursting at the seams with fans cheering their Gators, beginning with Saturday night's season opener against FAU. "From what I hear, they say the Swamp is just a whole different experience," said Shorter, now in his second season at UF. "I have yet to be at a full-out capacity game, so hopefully, we can make this first one a great one." UF's University Athletic Association would like nothing more, either, following a $54.5 million shortfall during 2020-21 due to the pandemic. But even before the virus struck, filling massive stadiums and selling season tickets had become a challenge, even at college football's top programs. Conferences coast to coast have contended for some time with high-definition, big-screen TVs, spotty internet connectivity at stadiums and an unpredictable economy -- further exacerbated by COVID-19. Those factors, plus the inconveniences of travel, traffic, parking and long lines, have kept some fans at home. "You can't just open the gates and give people a 12-inch piece of wood to sit on anymore," UF athletic director Scott Stricklin recently told the Orlando Sentinel. UF and the SEC overall have bucked the trend better than most. |
| Texas A&M Regents vote unanimously to extend Jimbo Fisher's contract | |
 | The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents voted unanimously Wednesday to extend the contract of Aggie head football coach Jimbo Fisher through the 2031 season. Fisher's salary will increase from $7.5 million to $9 million annually on Jan. 1, 2022, the school said in a press release. Fisher then will get an increase to $9.15 million in 2023 and will have a $100,000 increase annually. The raise will make Fisher the nation's second-highest paid college football coach behind Alabama's Nick Saban's $10.6 million per year through the 2028 season, according to USA Today. A&M athletics director Ross Bjork said discussions with Fisher on a new deal began in late summer just before fall camp opened. Bjork said he and school president Katherine Banks wanted to get a deal done before the first game of the season. "My deal was let's be as proactive as we can heading into the season," Bjork told The Eagle. "We love the momentum of the program and all the things that are happening on the field in recruiting, the excitement of the fan base, a unified vision on what the university believes in. That was critical. And getting the president, Kathy Banks, and her commitment to athletics, all of those things were just lining up to say let's try and get something done before the first game." |
| Tennessee football paying Bowling Green $1.5 million for season opener | |
 | Tennessee football is paying Bowling Green $1.5 million to open the season at Neyland Stadium on Thursday night. It is the highest payout for a UT nonconference opponent in the 2021 season. UT is paying its four nonconference opponents a total of $3.5 million. South Alabama is netting $1.2 million for a Nov. 20 game. Tennessee is paying $500,000 to Tennessee Tech and $300,000 to Pitt. The original contract between Tennessee and Bowling Green called for a Sept. 4 kickoff. The game was moved to Sept. 2. "Sliding our opener to this Thursday primetime window gave us a wonderful opportunity for our football student-athletes to kick off their season in the national spotlight," UT athletics director Danny White said in a school release in May. Former Vols AD Dave Hart signed the original contract in June 2016. Tennessee has played at home on a Thursday once since 1938. UT beat Appalachian State 20-13 in overtime to open the 2016 season. |
| Auburn football players pushed for a more traditional Tiger Walk this Saturday | |
 | Auburn football players pushed for a more normal Tiger Walk before this Saturday's game against Akron, according to Auburn associate athletics director for operations Jeremy Roberts. Roberts said on Auburn's Tiger Talk show Wednesday night that the football players went to team chief of staff Brad Larrondo this week and asked to make Tiger Walk longer and more like the classic Auburn tradition. Roberts said the original plan for Saturday was to drop the team off at the new student wellness center on Heisman Drive, but that the team will now be dropped off near the baseball stadium on Donahue. "We originally planned to do that and drop them off in front of our student wellness center over at Heisman Drive, but the players came to Brad and said, 'Hey, we know it needs to be shorter, is there any way that we can pull the buses down Donahue and let off by baseball,'" Roberts said. Tiger Walk begins two hours before kickoff. This season, the barricades will be widened to put a safe distance between the student-athletes and the fans. The marching band will not be performing its spirit march, but Auburn is looking forward to bringing back the Tiger Walk tradition in some capacity. Roberts mentioned that Auburn is hopeful that it'll be able to bring back all of its normal gameday traditions in the future, but will "ease" into it for now. |
| Atlanta hopes return of college football provides economic kick | |
| Atlanta's big-events industry is putting its hopes in people like Reginald and Latia Boney from Durham, North Carolina. The two North Carolina Central University graduates came to Atlanta last weekend and joined 15,000 other fans at the annual Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff to watch their alma mater's football team beat Alcorn State University. "We haven't been to a huge event like that since homecoming of 2019," said Reginald Boney. There likely will be even bigger football crowds in town this Labor Day weekend for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff games. Saturday's first game pitting No. 1 ranked Alabama against No. 14 University of Miami has sold out Mercedes-Benz Stadium's 71,000 seats. There are some mixed signals about how well this weekend's events will be attended. The Cricket game, which matches top teams from historical black colleges and universities, brought in 8,000 fewer fans than the 2019 matchup. Monday's Chick-fil-A game between Louisville and Ole Miss has sold less than 50,000 tickets. Football games are some of the first big public events in Atlanta's post-summer season, and the turnout for the Cricket game was a positive sign, said Mark Vitner, a Wells Fargo senior economist who heads up its annual "Economics of College Football" report. Many are vaccinated, feeling more secure and missing their former lives, he said. "This year, everybody is hungry to get out and about, and hungry for football." |
| Saints opener vs. Packers moved to Jacksonville after Ida | |
| As if adjusting to life without Drew Brees wasn't enough, the New Orleans Saints will now have to travel from their temporary practice home in Texas to Florida to play their regular-season opener that was originally scheduled for New Orleans. Now displaced by Hurricane Ida, they'll play their home opener against Green Bay in Jacksonville on Sept. 12 after practicing in Dallas for the better part of two weeks -- a scenario reminiscent of their 2005 season of displacement after Hurricane Katrina struck. The NFL announced the Saints announced the venue change three days after Ida battered the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 hurricane and left the entirety of New Orleans in darkness until small pockets of the city began to get power back on Wednesday. "Knowing what's going on back there (in New Orleans) and us not being able to be there to help, it's kind of unsettling," Saints running back Alvin Kamara said. "But we're doing what we can." While the Superdome appears to have come through the storm in decent shape, there are logistical challenges with staffing an NFL game there in the near future because of widespread wind damage in the metro area and mass evacuations both before and since the powerful storm struck. General manager Mickey Loomis said the Saints expect to play a lot of home games at the Superdome this season. |
| To recover from USC fall, Steve Sarkisian turned away from L.A. roots that built him | |
 | Steve Sarkisian's Fourth of July party was sure to be the shindig of the summer, and simply receiving an invitation made the coach's longtime best friend feel as if he still mattered. It could have been held anywhere and David Marsden would have been excited to attend, but getting to check out Steve's new mansion in Rolling Hills was an added bonus. Marsden would marvel at the $8.5 million ranch-style palace befitting one of the young kings of college football in 2014. For two boys from Torrance, Rolling Hills -- just eight miles south -- was the dream. As time went by, that day would stand out in his memory. Turned out, it would be the last time Marsden saw his best friend of more than 30 years. After Sarkisian was fired by USC in October 2015 due to repeated incidents of intoxication on the job, Marsden, like most who weren't around the USC football program day to day, was blindsided. Sure, he and Steve shared drinks plenty back in the day on Hermosa Beach, but he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary. He was heartbroken for Steve and searched deep for the right words. Not much is known about the personal struggle Sarkisian endured to get himself from rock bottom at USC to the same esteemed position leading the University of Texas football program within six years. "One of the greatest comeback stories ever," Marsden says. On Sarkisian's breakneck journey back to the top at Texas, he shut out other key people from his past, including his coach and mentor at Torrance's El Camino College, the now-deceased John Featherstone, and El Camino offensive coordinator, Gene Engle. |
| Michigan State hires Alan Haller as athletic director, but search process questioned | |
| Improving the academic development of all student-athletes. Elevating women's sports. Fostering an environment that develops women in leadership. These were some of the priorities new Michigan State University Athletic Director Alan Haller outlined as his vision for the department, giving him the edge in becoming the university's next athletic director, according to MSU Trustee Rema Vassar. Haller also spoke of increasing the graduation rates of athletes so that the university is serving the students, not the other way around. "He said this is not his dream job, it's his dream responsibility," Vassar said Wednesday after the board voted unanimously to hire Haller despite concerns from some board members over how the search was conducted. Two trustees raised concerns about the search process even as the board approved Haller's selection in an 8-0 vote. Trustee Renee Knake Jefferson hailed Haller as the next athletic director, saying she is confident in him because he is "committed to remedying the structural inequities" at MSU, whether it's finding money for students athletes -- including female athletes to have appropriate facilities -- or reforming policies to provide advancement for women and minority leaders. "Alan Haller has been doing this work behind the scenes throughout his career at Michigan State, and I believe he has the ability to transform the athletic department," Knake Jefferson said. But she expressed deep concerns with a selection process that she said lacked transparency and openness. |
| People Are Wondering If An Ohio School Even Exists, After A Football Blowout On ESPN | |
 | Days after a blowout loss on national television, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has launched an investigation into the high school football program at Bishop Sycamore High School and the school's legitimacy. Bishop Sycamore failed to score a single point in the game, which was broadcast on ESPN. As the team's opponents widened their lead, viewers and even the ESPN announcers started expressing concerns about the match-up. Bishop Sycamore eventually lost 58-0. In a statement released by the governor's office, DeWine said the state Department of Education would investigate further into Bishop Sycamore regarding recent allegations against the charter school. "Like many Ohioans, I am concerned by the recent reports and questions raised about Bishop Sycamore. While this weekend's football game brought concerns about the health and safety of players, it also raised red flags about the school's operations," DeWine said. DeWine said schools like Bishop Sycamore "have an obligation under Ohio law to meet certain minimum standards," but whether Bishop Sycamore meets those standards is not entirely clear. The school's official website, as of Wednesday, has been taken down for "site maintenance." |
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