| Friday, May 30, 2025 |
| State tops the list for Northside graduates; Ole Miss second | |
 | For the first time in four years, Starkville is the place to be for Northside graduates this year as 27 more students chose Mississippi State University over Ole Miss as their college of choice. Overall, 254 students chose MSU for their higher education, while Ole Miss came in a close second, with 227 students deciding to go there in the fall. Other top choices for Northside seniors include Holmes Community College (125), Hinds Community College (68 students), and University of Southern Mississippi (49 students), and Mississippi College (44 students). Fifty-two students from Madison Central, the Northside's largest graduating class, are expected to attend MSU this fall. MSU was also the top choice for the graduating classes of Jackson Academy, Germantown High School, Ridgeland High School, and St. Joseph Catholic School. From Jackson Academy, 32 students will cheer on the Bulldogs in the fall. Twenty-two St. Joe students are headed to Starkville. An astounding 56 students will be headed to Starkville from Germantown this fall. |
| Mississippi's SEC Athletic Directors to Keynote Delta Council 90th Annual Meeting | |
| Delta Council President, Tripp Hayes of Clarksdale, is pleased to announce that Keith Carter, the Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Mississippi and Zac Selmon, the Director of Athletics for Mississippi State University, will serve as the Keynote Speakers for the organization's 90th Annual Meeting to be held Friday, June 13, 2025, at Delta State University's Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC) in Cleveland, Mississippi. "The State of Mississippi has a deep love for college athletics, and we know this will be an informative and entertaining day for our audience no matter your team colors," stated Tripp Hayes, the Coahoma County producer who serves as President of the organization. The tradition of a fried catfish luncheon will wrap up Delta Council Day on the grounds of the Quadrangle on the Delta State University campus. Delta Council invites and encourages members and guests to attend and participate in this 90-year-old Delta "red-letter" day. Sponsors for the meeting are BankPlus, Catfish Farmers of Mississippi, Cotton Incorporated, Delta State University, Mississippi Corn Promotion Board, Mississippi Land Bank, Mississippi Rice Promotion Board, Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board, Simplot Grower Solutions, and Southern AgCredit. |
| Mathiston gets approved for qualified resort status | |
 | Smaller cities and towns sometimes struggle when it comes to economic development. Some have found that one way to generate tax revenue is by allowing alcohol sales. Mathiston has been granted qualified resort status by the Mississippi Department of Revenue. This allows businesses to sell alcohol with few to no restrictions. Mayor Jimmy Carden said this could be a great opportunity to drive growth in the community. "We are optimistic, hopefully it is going to increase our tax revenue," Carden said. "The way we can make improvements in the community, for the people, and for the town. Just make it a better situation for everybody." Having resort status could bring in additional visitors, businesses, and much-needed revenue. Carden said it's still important to maintain some local control and have sensible regulations. Business owner of TBT Market & Grill-Mathiston, April Swindele said the resort status has been a need in the area for some time. "It's been good and everything like that, but people drink and they don't want to go to Starkville or anywhere else," Swindele said. "They kind of want to stay here in town, so I think it will be good." Swindele said she is excited to see the future of the town. |
| Location announced for planned 19-mile power line | |
 | A new power transmission line is about to run through Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties, and the Tennessee Valley Authority announced on Wednesday where exactly it will go. The line will connect the Clay Substation at 2740 TVA Road in West Point and extend south to the Artesia Substation at 1280 Mims Road in Columbus, according to a TVA press release. "This new connection will provide increased reliability in the area by expanding access to generation assets, by enhancing grid flexibility and by attracting economic development," TVA Senior Strategic Communicator Julia Wise said in a Wednesday email to The Dispatch. The line will be less than 19 miles long, the release said, and it will be built primarily using single and double pole structures on both existing and new 100-foot-wide right of way. TVA plans to meet with property owners along the proposed right of way to obtain easements for the construction, operation and maintenance of the line. Property owners would be compensated at fair market value, the release said. Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins confirmed the line's purpose is to provide power to the new Aluminum Dynamics mill, set to open this summer. He also hoped it would eventually connect to the development of CINCO, a new TVA certified Megasite planned on more than 1,500 acres north of Highway 82. |
| Country music star, wife investing in old shopping mall in Jackson | |
| Country music star Randy Travis and his wife Mary are investing in the city of Jackson. The couple is planning a development at the old MetroCenter Mall off Highway 80. "The Travises have made a large commercial real estate purchase in the city of Jackson," Cory Custer, the deputy chief of Staff for Gov. Tate Reeves' office said in a statement. "Gov. Reeves and MDA consulted with them on the various ways the state of Mississippi could potentially support the economic development project. Additionally, they discussed which commercial opportunities could potentially be viable." The couple also visited the Governor's Mansion. Reeves posted photos of the couple on social media. "Some special visitors dropped by the Governor's Mansion this afternoon -- country music icon Randy Travis and his wife Mary," Reeves said. "Randy has inspired millions with his music and legendary career. I'm proud to welcome Randy and Mary to the Magnolia State." |
| American Consumers Are Still Gloomy on the Economy | |
 | American households still felt gloomy about the economy in May, a month when changing tariff policies made it difficult to forecast prices. The final May reading for the University of Michigan's closely watched index of consumer sentiment was 52.2, unchanged from the previous month. It was slightly higher than a preliminary reading of 50.8 that was released two weeks ago. It was still one of the lowest ever recorded, in data going back to 1952. The University of Michigan said that May sentiment improved after the White House announced a trade deal with China in the middle of the month. Still, the readings remain quite low, including a separate index of consumer expectations. "Consumers see the outlook for the economy as no worse than last month, but they remained quite worried about the future," said Joanne Hsu, the survey director. People expect prices to surge 6.6% over the next year. That was up from April's reading of 6.5% and the highest since 1981. Still, the previous four months saw much larger increases in people's inflation expectations. A rallying stock market could be cushioning the mood of some investors. Despite choppy trading, the S&P 500 rose during the survey period, boosted by some investors who believed the trade war was easing. |
| US inflation gauge cools with little sign of tariff impact, so far | |
 | A key U.S. inflation gauge slowed last month as President Donald Trump's tariffs have yet to noticeably push up prices. Spending by Americans slowed despite rising incomes, potentially an early reaction to higher prices on some imported goods. Friday's report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose just 2.1% in April compared with a year earlier, down from 2.3% in March and the lowest since September. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.5% from a year earlier, below the March figure of 2.7%, and the lowest in more than four years. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed. The figures show inflation is still declining from its post-pandemic spike, which reached the highest level in four decades in July 2022. Economists and some business executives have warned that prices will likely head higher as Trump's widespread tariffs take effect, though the timing and impact of those duties are now in doubt after they were struck down late Wednesday in court. At the same time, incomes -- before adjusting for inflation -- rose a healthy 0.8% in April. Much of that gain reflected an increase in Social Security benefits for some retired teachers, fire fighters, and federal workers whose incomes previously weren't fully counted toward Social Security benefits. |
| A few retailers are bucking the doom and gloom forecast trend | |
| This earnings season has been sprinkled with some doom and gloom, with many companies citing worries about tariffs and lowering their expectations for the year. But today, Dick's Sporting Goods bucked that trend. The retailer is standing by its forecast for the year, despite everything happening with economic policy, joining a small group of retailers that say they're worried, but not too worried. Dick's has a few things going for it: A fairly diverse supply chain, which insulates the retailer a bit from tariffs. A mix of trending brands, like On and Hoka. And the stores can be fun. "You've got the climbing wall, you've got the batting cage, a lot of times they'll have golf simulators," said Anthony Chukumba, managing director at Loop Capital Markets. Plus, the retailer sells sporting goods, a category that has continued to flourish despite consumers' fickleness. So if sales are strong now, during a slower season, they will be later. "Where a lot of retailers will see a pickup in spending is in the back half of the year where you have back to school and obviously holiday," Chukumba said. Some of the retail industry's surprisingly good first quarter sales, though, are an anomaly, said Barbara Kahn, a marketing professor at Wharton. Consumers are front loading purchases. "And so there has been some increase in spending in some categories to buy these products before the impact of tariffs hits," she said. |
| Special session concludes as lawmakers agree on new state budget | |
| Mississippi is closer to having a new state budget after the state Senate finalized work on over $7 billion in spending bills Thursday afternoon. The House gaveled out just after midnight having finished their work in the special session. The $7.135 billion Fiscal Year 2026 budget is up slightly from the prior year's $7.035 billion budget. Over the two-day special session, lawmakers said a chunk of the increase is due to health insurance increases and other benefits, such as state retirement contributions. Republican leaders described the budget as "conservative," adding it was a necessity during uncertain financial times. While the majority of members voted for the 100-plus spending bills, which fund core government functions, several members of the Democratic Caucus voted present or in opposition to the bills, protesting the quick pace at which the legislation was crafted and the secrecy of the negotiations prior to the special session. Most budget lines saw small increases, with law enforcement agencies seemingly benefiting the most in additional funding. |
| Lawmakers approve $7 billion budget in special session marred by political fighting | |
| Lawmakers on Thursday finally passed a $7.1 billion state budget to fund government agencies, but it wasn't a master class in legislative statesmanship. Senators complained about their House counterparts, House members fought bitterly among themselves about budget details and lawmakers knowingly passed a bill that conflicts with federal Medicaid regulations. The public display of bickering took place during a special legislative session because lawmakers couldn't agree on a budget during their regular session earlier this year, which was also mired in Republican infighting. Most agencies in the proposed budget will see flat funding with no major increases or decreases. But many agencies will see a drop-off starting July of millions of dollars in "one-time" money, either federal pandemic funds that are drying up or state cash for projects that lawmakers are withholding this year. Some highlights of the spending agreements House and Senate leaders have reached for the coming budget year: Universities: $838.4 million, a .4% decrease. Community colleges: $299.4 million, a .22% increase. K-12 education: $3.34 billion, a .4% decrease, primarily due to a decrease in enrollment. |
| Mississippi lawmakers pass $7 billion budget, bring turbulent process to end | |
| Mississippi lawmakers, at the urging of Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, made quick of their second session at the state capitol this year after failing to pass a budget funding state operations the first time around. The House and Senate reconvened in Jackson on Wednesday and wrapped up the special session on Thursday evening, rounding out the budget for Fiscal Year 2026 at $7.135 billion. Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann told his chamber that the process "should have been much easier," but he is proud of lawmakers' work to approve a "prudent, conservative budget." The process wasn't seamless, though. Before lawmakers gaveled back in, Democratic leaders accused Republicans of a lack of transparency. After Reeves confirmed to media members days before the session begun that he, Hosemann, and House Speaker Jason White had approved a budget draft that negotiators from both chambers came up with, the minority party said it wasn't sent to them in a timely enough fashion. It wasn't so smooth within the Republican party, either. White, the leader of the House, took a shot at the Senate for refusing to pass any special projects outside the scope of core government functions. "We are disappointed in the Senate leadership for not supporting worthy projects for cities and counties," he said. "We believe Mississippians find their tax dollars well spent when bridges are built, roads are repaired, and sewage issues are addressed in their hometown." |
| Democrat mayoral candidate in Gulfport meets with AG over vote buying allegations | |
| Gulfport mayoral candidate Sonya Williams Barnes, the Democrat nominee, said late Thursday that she had met with investigators with the Attorney General's office regarding the allegations that her campaign has been involved in vote buying ahead of the June 3 Municipal General Election. Williams Barnes said in a statement that she fully cooperated with the investigators and answered every question asked of her. "These accusations are false, and I stand firmly on the truth," she asserted, adding, "We remain focused on moving forward with purpose and integrity." The allegations raised by the Mississippi Republican Party were first reported by Magnolia Tribune on Wednesday. A letter to Williams Barnes obtained by Magnolia Tribune said that Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office had opened an investigation into the complaints. Fitch's office told Magnolia Tribune they have been investigating the allegations since last week, prior to the Mississippi Republican Party voicing concerns Wednesday in a press conference in downtown Gulfport. The allegations stem from two efforts to provide meals to voters after they had cast their absentee ballot. |
| U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith weighs in on proposed healthcare, agriculture legislation | |
 | A busy month is coming to an end for United States Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was visiting Hattiesburg Thursday. The senator introduced the Buying American Cotton Act on May 28. "We know how to do it here in Mississippi," Hyde-Smith said. "We just want to make sure they can do that and be successful and prosperous." The bill would allow tax credits on the sale of domestic cotton products that are either fully manufactured here or imported. Those credits would be based off of the three-year average market price, amount of U.S. cotton used and the processing location. "That's a textile that everybody needs to have," Hyde-Smith said. "So, we want to make sure they have the incentives and the tools they need to be successful." |
| Federal workers keep America's farms healthy. What now under Trump? | |
 | Back in early March, Massachusetts Agriculture Commissioner Ashley Randle sent a letter to the new U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, voicing congratulations -- and a number of concerns. Randle, a fifth-generation dairy farmer, shared that USDA's freeze on grants -- imposed before Rollins was sworn in -- had left Massachusetts farmers in limbo, wondering if they'd ever be reimbursed for investments they'd made based on those grants. She also sounded the alarm on positions that had been cut. "The loss of USDA staff has also left Massachusetts farmers without essential resources that have long been an important part of their success," Randle wrote, pointing to diminished staffing at the local Farm Service Agency office, which helps with loans, insurance and disaster relief. Outside groups sued; a court order later required USDA to reinstate fired employees. But since then, the Trump administration has moved swiftly to "reorient the department to be more effective and efficient at serving the American people," according to a USDA spokesperson. As part of the overhaul, USDA allowed more than 15,000 employees -- close to 15% of its workforce -- to resign with pay and benefits through September. Those departures have led to new concerns for Randle, including whether the federal government will be able to respond quickly in a crisis. |
| Supreme Court lets Trump end legal protections for over 500,000 immigrants from 4 countries | |
| The Supreme Court on Friday again cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip temporary legal protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants for now, pushing the total number of people who could be newly exposed to deportation to nearly 1 million. The justices lifted a lower-court order that kept humanitarian parole protections in place for more than 500,000 migrants from four countries: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The court has also allowed the administration to revoke temporary legal status from about 350,000 Venezuelan migrants in another case. The court did not explain its reasoning in the brief order, as is typical on its emergency docket. Two justices publicly dissented. Republican President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to deport millions of people, and in office has sought to dismantle Biden administration polices that created ways for migrants to live legally in the U.S. Trump amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio, including those with legal status under the humanitarian parole program, were abducting and eating pets during a debate with then-President Joe Biden, according to court documents. His administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge in Boston blocked the administration's push to end the program. |
| Supreme Court walks a tightrope as it confronts Trump's power moves | |
 | Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is navigating a fraught path, legal analysts say, trying to avert a direct confrontation between the Trump administration and a Supreme Court that has steadily expanded presidential power -- but not without limits. The stakes are as high as at any time in Roberts's 20-year tenure. He is committed to protecting the independence of the courts to "check the excesses of Congress or the executive," as he said recently, amid attacks by President Donald Trump and his allies on federal judges, including the justices. Since Trump returned to the White House, the Supreme Court has granted him most, but not all, of what he asked for in emergency requests. In handling the flood of emergency requests so far, Roberts seems to be taking a page from one of his heroes, John Marshall, who as the longest-serving chief justice established the court system's independence while studiously avoiding fights with President Thomas Jefferson that he knew he couldn't win. Roberts "wants to avoid conflict with the other branches until he absolutely has to come into conflict with them," said John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley who served as deputy assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration. Unlike the executive branch or Congress, Yoo continued, "the court doesn't have the sword or the purse. Its power is persuasion, and the justices understand that more than most people and are sensitive to it." |
| Ole Miss class let students explore the full duty of being a lawyer | |
 | Imagine a law school class where no cases were briefed, no oral arguments made – but instead, empathy was gained and service given through a variety of methods including leadership theory, alternative textbooks, notable guest lecturers and community service. That's what 19 University of Mississippi law students experienced in the Leadership and the Law class taught by Fred Slabach, dean of the School of Law, and Melissa Jones, associate director of the Trent Lott Leadership Institute. Communities turn to lawyers to serve in leadership roles in government positions, civic and religious organizations, and community projects because of their knowledge and training, Slabach said. "My goal with this class is twofold: to make sure students understand the opportunity and responsibility they have to be leaders in their communities and to provide them with the skills and tools they need to be effective in those leadership roles," he said. Students studied real-life case studies of what it means to be a lawyer and leader in the community. "There are a lot of different things that can be done to lead in your community," Jones said. "We offered them an investigation into leadership in the legal field from different parameters." |
| Parker's short story collection wins prize for Best Short Story Anthology | |
| Oxford resident and Ole Miss writing Professor Eliot Parker has won the 2025 Eric Hoffer Award for his new short story anthology, "Table for Two." The Eric Hoffer Book Award is one of the top literary awards for independent books, involving over 2,500 books, 25 all-inclusive categories, and nearly 200 judges. Parker's story collection depicts events between two people who must listen to each other in order to resolve their issues. But will they? Hearts are broken and lessons are learned within the stories and unexpected turns and mixed conclusions lead to tension on each page. Parker says he got the thematic idea for the collection following the COVID pandemic. "After the pandemic ended, I heard a lot of people say that the one thing they missed the most during the lockdown was being able to have coffee or lunch with a friend, in person," he said. "When I started writing the stories in 2021, I thought a collection centered on two-person conversations would be interesting and fun." |
| USM, MGCCC partner to launch 'Coastal Pathways' scholarship | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College are joining forces to ease college students' path to earning a bachelor's degree. In a joint press conference, representatives from both schools unveiled the new Coastal Pathways Scholarship, a collaborative effort designed to create a clear and affordable route for graduates of the two-year junior college to earn four-year degrees at Southern Miss. This new scholarship opportunity offers $5,000 annually to qualified transfer students from MGCCC and is renewable with continued eligibility. The initiative aims to help add to the workforce across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. "We are proud to launch the Coastal Pathways Scholarship in partnership with MGCCC," Southern Miss President Dr. Joe Paul said. "This program creates a seamless and supportive path for community college students to complete their degrees at Southern Miss. By reducing financial barriers and providing a direct connection between our institutions, we are investing in the future of our students and our coastal communities." |
| Belhaven offering new online program aimed to tackle Mississippi's teacher shortage | |
| As Mississippi continues to face an eye-popping teacher shortage, Belhaven University is looking to bridge the gap through an online program aimed at placing qualified educators in the classroom. The private, Christian college located in Jackson is launching a fully online K-6 elementary teacher education preparation program that leads to a Mississippi educator's license. This new option gives future teachers across the state a flexible, high-quality path to the classroom, without the need to attend on-campus classes. A 2024 report from the Mississippi Department of Education indicates that efforts to reduce vacancies in the classroom have not borne fruit. Instead, the data suggests there are nearly 3,000 teacher vacancies in public schools statewide. Belhaven's new online program mirrors the university's traditional on-campus offerings and includes strong academic support and local field experience opportunities for prospective educators. Belhaven's online teacher program follows a new partnership with the state's community colleges, and the increasing demand for flexible, remote teacher preparation options among prospective educators across the state. |
| A Scholarship for Black Medical Students Honored His Father's Legacy. The University Canceled It. | |
 | In 2013, the family of Herschell Lee Hamilton established an annual scholarship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to support high-achieving, financially needy Black students who had been accepted to the university's medical school. On April 11, the university pulled the plug on the scholarship and sent the money back. The family of Hamilton, a surgeon who died in 2003 after more than four decades immersed in Birmingham's civil-rights struggle, sees the decision as a slap to his legacy. But the university faced the prospect of losing federal funds after the Trump administration warned in a February "Dear Colleague" letter that race-conscious scholarships were discriminatory and illegal. UAB is among several universities the Education Department specifically targeted for investigation. Arriving in Birmingham in 1959, Hamilton patched and healed civil-rights protesters and children whose run-ins with police dogs and fire hoses in the early 1960s gained national attention. And he played a crucial role in attracting young Black people to the medical profession, where they'd largely been unwelcome. |
| U. of Florida Police Department adds additional K-9 unit | |
 | The University of Florida Police Department announced this week that it has added an additional K-9 unit to its department. UPD Maj. Latrell Simmons wrote in a May 28 email that the department will welcome Officer Nate Smith and K-9 Bailey to the unit. Simmons said K-9 teams undergo extensive training to ensure operational readiness and public safety. "Dogs are selected based on their high motivation to hunt and retrieve, adaptability to training, and ability to focus and work independently," Simmons wrote. Simmons said the police department trains dogs to be obedient and learn simple commands like "sit," "stay," "come," and "heel." Additionally, Simmons said a key element in basic training is socializing the dogs as early exposure to diverse people, environments and sounds ensures that K-9s are confident and effective in various settings. Simmons said UPD K-9 units serve as department ambassadors at community outreach events that help build relationships between law enforcement and the Gainesville and UF communities. |
| Rubber guns and paintball: U.of Kentucky's ROTC training disturbs Lexington park, citizens say | |
 | Days after her husband unexpectedly died in March 2020, Anita Courtney and her children went to Hisle Farm Park in north Lexington to find peace. Instead, she said, she was met with people clad in camouflage, yelling and holding guns. "I literally jumped. I had such a shot of adrenaline go through me. I was so startled. I had no idea what it was," Courtney said. She had seen the University of Kentucky ROTC program's tactile training. The ROTC has an agreement with the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government which allows them to use Hisle Farm Park for tactile training. That agreement expired in January and is up for renegotiation. At the city council meeting on Thursday, citizens said a public park is not a place for military training and asked the council not to renew the agreement. In an interview with the Herald-Leader, Lt. Col. Allen Overmeyer, a professor of military science at UK who is in charge of the ROTC training at Hisle Farm, said the guns the cadets use for training are rubber and don't discharge any ammunition. He said the training his cadets do at the park is imperative to their education. "I absolutely believe in the importance of a well educated and well trained military. I just believe that this training by UK ROTC should not be in a public park. They need to find a different facility for their very necessary training," said Chuck Eddy, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action, a gun violence prevention organization. |
| Texas A&M picks Kibler to be VP for Student Affairs | |
 | Texas A&M University announced Bill Kibler as its new vice president for Student Affairs on Thursday. Kibler, who has been serving as acting president of the College of Southern Nevada since last July, will take over at Texas A&M on Aug. 1. Kibler was chosen over two other finalists, Cynthia L. Hernandez of Texas State University-San Marcos, and Ainsley Carry of the University of British Columbia in Canada. "I'm proud of the work the Division of Student Affairs does each day to support student success both inside and outside the classroom," A&M President Mark A. Welsh III said in a statement. "I'm confident that Dr. Kibler's four decades of experience in higher education leadership and student development and administration will be invaluable as we continue to provide exceptional assistance and opportunities for all students." Kibler previously worked in several different roles in the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M from 1980-2004 under John Joseph Koldus III and Jesse Malon Southerland. Kibler earned his Ph.D in philosophy in educational administration from A&M during that time. |
| Legislature to work out differences on bill limiting protests at public universities | |
| The Texas House and Senate will meet to iron out differences on a bill that would restrict protesting on college campuses. Senate Bill 2972, which passed 97-39 in a final House vote on Wednesday, would give university systems' governing boards the power to limit where protests can take place on campus. Republicans who support say it will prevent disruption and unsafe behavior seen during the pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. Critics say the measure contradicts previous conservative efforts to protect free speech rights on Texas campuses and is unconstitutional. Under the new legislation, students and staff would not be allowed to use microphones or any other device to amplify sound while protesting during class hours if they are trying to intimidate others or interfere with campus operations, a university employee or a peace officer doing their job. The bill prohibits them from protesting within 300 feet of residences overnight. Students would also be barred from erecting encampments, taking down an institution's U.S. flag to put up another nation's or organization's banner and wearing disguises to avoid being identified while protesting or to intimidate others. Finally, anyone at a campus protest would be required to present a valid ID when asked by a university official. |
| US supercomputer named after Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna to power AI and scientific research | |
| A new supercomputer named after a winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry will help power artificial intelligence technology and scientific discoveries from a perch in the hills above the University of California, Berkeley, federal officials said Thursday. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the project Thursday alongside executives from computer maker Dell Technologies and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The new computing system at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will be called Doudna after Berkeley professor and biochemist Jennifer Doudna, who won a Nobel in 2020 for her work on the gene-editing technology CRISPR. It's due to switch on next year. "One of the key use cases will be genomics research," said Dion Harris, a product executive in Nvidia's AI and high-performance computing division, in an interview. "It was basically just a nod to her contributions to the field." It's not clear yet how the computer will rank on the TOP500 listing of the world's fastest supercomputers. The current top-ranked computer is El Capitan, located about an hour's drive away at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. That's followed by other supercomputers at U.S. national labs in Tennessee and Illinois. |
| Scientific Community Fears for Future of STEM Workforce Amid NSF Overhaul | |
 | Erik Jacobsen, an associate professor of mathematics education at Indiana University, was nearing the end of a years-long project designed to address teacher biases with the goal of helping more students excel in math and pursue STEM careers. But that all stopped several weeks ago, when the National Science Foundation notified him that it had terminated the grant because it was "not in alignment with current agency priorities." Jacobsen's grant, which was funding multiple graduate students and a postdoc, who are all now in limbo, is far from the only STEM education–focused grant the NSF recently canceled. The Trump administration says all these changes are part of its plan to reform the NSF, correct an alleged "scientific slowdown," build a "a robust domestic STEM workforce" and "rapidly accelerate its investment in critical and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology." The NSF sends billions to colleges and universities to support STEM education and nonmedical scientific research. Researchers and policy experts are worried that the major cuts to STEM education programs will jeopardize the long-term future of the STEM workforce and leave the nation with a deficit of scientists and other skilled workers who are capable of carrying out Trump's vision of winning "the technological race with our geopolitical adversaries." |
| 16 states sue National Science Foundation over wide-reaching research cuts | |
| Sixteen states sued the National Science Foundation on Wednesday over the agency's cap on funding for research overhead and its mass termination of grants related to diversity, equity and other topics deemed verboten by the Trump administration. Plaintiffs allege both moves violate federal law and threaten major research projects and millions of dollars in federal funding at universities in their states. An NSF spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. The suing states -- nearly all of whom have Democrat attorneys general -- asked a federal judge in New York to block NSF's indirect cost cap and its April directive barring diversity-related grants. On April 18, the science research agency -- which was founded in 1950 and had a budget of $9 billion last fiscal year -- issued a statement announcing it would prioritize research focused on creating "opportunities for all Americans everywhere." "Research projects with more narrow impact limited to subgroups of people based on protected class or characteristics do not effectuate NSF priorities," the agency said at the time. The same day, NSF began issuing mass termination notices for projects that seek to boost participation in scientific fields by "women, minorities, and people with disabilities," according to Wednesday's complaint. Studies on misinformation and environmental justice also received termination notices. |
| Targeting Chinese Students Threatens the Bottom Line at American Universities | |
| A Trump administration announcement Wednesday that it would "aggressively" begin revoking visas for Chinese students confronts universities across the U.S. with the prospect of a hit to their finances and talent pool. The move comes on top of a push to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students as part of the president's battle with the school. The Trump administration has also paused new student-visa interviews while it prepares new measures to vet applicants' social-media accounts, according to a State Department cable. American universities significantly increased their enrollment of Chinese students in the years following the 2008-09 financial crisis, when many suffered budget shortfalls. Typically, Chinese undergraduates pay full tuition, a critical source of revenue for universities. One in every four international students comes from China, and Chinese students form a particularly large share of the student body at top U.S. schools. After they graduate, many assume key roles in U.S. science and engineering endeavors. A big decline in Chinese enrollment could severely cut into schools' bottom line and damage U.S. competitiveness, say U.S. experts. "The economic costs are apparent," said Yingyi Ma, a sociologist at Syracuse University who studies international students in the U.S. "The talent cost has even graver consequences." |
| Rubio's visa crunch has big consequences for public universities | |
 | First, the State Department stopped interviewing applicants for student visas to the U.S. Then Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he'd revoke visas for Chinese students working in "critical fields" or with Communist Party ties. Both moves landed this week as part of President Donald Trump's monthslong crackdown on elite institutions like Harvard that have multibillion-dollar endowments. But they also threaten to blow up the finances of state universities and other schools with far fewer resources that have grown reliant on foreign students. Public institutions in Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan and Texas rank among the top schools for international enrollees, who pay full out-of-state tuition. It's a population that generated $545 million for Arizona State University in the 2023-24 school year alone and even more for University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, that's now under threat. That dependence on international students has become unavoidable for schools that don't want to raise in-state tuition as their state legislatures have spent years cutting taxpayer support. It also means that a drop in foreign enrollment could now affect everything from financial aid for U.S. students to teaching support on campus. |
| International students in chaos as Trump broadens attacks on visas | |
 | The Trump administration keeps shifting the battleground over international students' visas as it pulls more and more government levers to crack down on the group. What started with allegedly combatting campus antisemitism by going after pro-Palestinian activists has escalated into attempts to take away all of Harvard University's foreign students, threats to cap international student admissions at 15 percent at all colleges and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing he would "aggressively revoke visas" for Chinese students. The moving goalposts are difficult to navigate for students and universities and could do long-term damage to a process that experts say brings minds and money to U.S. shores while exporting American values and culture. "I think he has multiple legitimate motives for taking the actions he's taking, and that those motives are at least in some ways connected. There's a general theme that underlies them. And the general theme is that that Trump appears concerned that a segment, not the average, but a segment of international students are coming for political purposes, not educational or scientific ones," said Jay Greene, senior research fellow in the Center for Education Policy at the right-leaning Heritage Foundation. |
| Attacks on Chinese Students Could Wreak Havoc on Higher Ed | |
| Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday night that the Trump administration will "aggressively revoke" Chinese college students' visas and heighten scrutiny of visa applicants from China. The new policy specifically targets "those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." It's the administration's latest move in what has been a sudden resurgence in its attacks on international students, which it seemed to suspend in April after legal efforts led to the restoration of the legal status of thousands of students. The news sent shock waves through higher education and could lead to a major reduction in foreign students at American universities, especially public research institutions. China contributes the largest number of international students to the U.S., with nearly 280,000 enrolled in 2023–24, according to data from the Institute of International Education -- about a quarter of the total international student population in the country. That share, however, has been shrinking since the COVID-19 pandemic; last year, India overtook China as the No. 1 source country of international students. But Chinese students are far more likely to enroll in undergraduate programs and pay more in tuition. They also make up a significant slice of STEM researchers. The targeting of students in "critical fields" in particular could devastate STEM programs and research labs at smaller universities across the country, where Chinese international students are heavily represented. |
| US academic partnership with China, under strain for years, faces its biggest threat | |
| Frayed by tariff wars and political battles, the academic ties between the U.S. and China are now facing their greatest threat yet as the Trump administration promises to revoke visas for an unknown number of Chinese students and tighten future visa screening. In a brief statement Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will "aggressively" revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying "critical fields." Rubio's statement threatened to widen a chasm between the two nations, building on a yearslong Republican campaign to rid U.S. campuses of Chinese influence and insulate America's research from its strongest economic and military competitor. Rubio's announcement has rattled Chinese students and drawn swift condemnation from the Chinese government and some U.S. lawmakers. The Chinese Embassy on Thursday said it "lodged a solemn démarche with the U.S. side without delay" and urged the U.S. to correct its mistake and protect the rights of Chinese students. The visa policy also raised alarm at U.S. campuses that host more than 275,000 students from China and benefit from their tuition payments. Academic leaders in the U.S. have spent years trying to tamp down growing hostility against Chinese students and scholars, saying the benefits of the relationship outweigh the risks. Collaboration between the countries produces tens of thousands of scientific papers a year, yielding major advancements in fields from earthquake prediction to disease treatment. The academic alliance has been built up over decades since both sides resumed diplomatic ties in the 1970s. Chinese researchers are the most frequent international co-authors for U.S. researchers in science and engineering journal articles. Both sides are research powerhouses. |
| Behind Trump's long campaign to target Chinese student visas | |
| President Donald Trump's aides and allies have been laying the groundwork for his aggressive crackdown on Chinese student visas for years. Trump vowed on the campaign trail in 2023 to ban "Christian-hating communists, Marxists and socialists" from the country, expanding on efforts from his first administration to shut down China-funded Confucius Institutes on U.S. college campuses and prosecute Chinese scientific researchers and professors at American universities. MAGA allies on the Hill have introduced legislation to this effect in recent years. And during his first term, Trump officials even discussed the early iterations of the very policy Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled late Wednesday. The plan to revoke the student visas is another example of a White House able to build on the policy foundation laid during Trump's first term -- turbocharged by planning that took place in the president's four years away from Washington. While work on student visas had been underway, the president and his aides considered that the timing of the clampdown may complicate a fragile trade truce with China. But the administration forged ahead anyway, said a White House official, granted anonymity to speak candidly about policy discussions. |
| Trump Makes a New Push to 'Decouple' U.S. From China | |
 | The Trump administration has threatened to revoke the visas of many of the 277,000 or so Chinese students in the United States and to subject future applicants from China, including Hong Kong, to extra scrutiny. Cargo ships laden with goods from China stopped coming into American ports earlier this spring as President Trump escalated his trade war against Beijing. And the Trump administration is suspending sales of some critical U.S. technologies to China, including those related to jet engines, semiconductors and certain chemicals and machinery. Taken together, the actions by the Trump administration amount to an aggressive campaign to "decouple" the United States from China, as it seeks to break the close commercial ties between the world's two largest economies and toss away what had been the anchor of the relations between the nations for decades. Aggressive decoupling would bolster American security, from the perspective of Mr. Trump and his aides. And it would also accelerate a trend toward each power being entrenched in its own regional sphere of influence. "The part I find so hard to understand is that here's an area where people in China really want to have access to American culture, education and to buy American products, and we're trying to make it less attractive to them -- which I find really odd," Michael S. Roth, the president of Wesleyan University, said after Secretary of State Marco Rubio's announcement on student visas on Wednesday night. "If we're competing with Chinese industry and science, it behooves us to understand the competition as well as possible and not to isolate ourselves," Mr. Roth added. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: Bulldogs Poised For More Postseason History | |
| Mississippi State finds itself in familiar territory at the Tallahassee Regional. The Diamond Dawgs have appeared in Florida State's NCAA Regional four times prior and won it twice, both times eventually advancing to the College World Series in 2007 and 2018. MSU will try to make more history this year as the No. 3 seed as it takes on second-seeded and 19th-ranked Northeastern on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT streaming on ESPN+. The Bulldogs and Huskies will be the second game of the day as the host and seventh-ranked Seminoles battles SWAC Tournament champion Bethune-Cookman at 2 p.m. on ACC Network. Mississippi State has tabbed sinkerball specialist Ben Davis with slowing down the Huskies inside the usually hitter-friendly Dick Howser Stadium. Davis will be making his fourth start of the season and first since March 22. The junior right-hander is 3-2 with one save on the year with a 3.96 earned run average, 58 strikeouts and 22 walks across 52 1/3 innings. Northeastern counters with its ace Will Jones, who sports a spotless 11-0 record across 14 starts. The graduate southpaw has a 1.82 ERA with 72 strikeouts and 17 walks across 69 1/3 innings of work this season. |
| Mississippi State baseball starting pitcher vs Northeastern in NCAA tournament is a surprise | |
 | Mississippi State baseball announced its pitching plan for the NCAA tournament opener and it's a change from the usual starting rotation. The No. 3 seed Bulldogs (34-21) will start Ben Davis against No. 2 Northeastern (48-9) on May 30 (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN+) in the Tallahassee Regional at Dick Howser Stadium. Davis usually pitches out of the bullpen but has started three games this season. His last start came against Oklahoma on March 22. The right-handed junior from Booneville has a 3-2 record and 3.96 ERA after joining MSU this season from Itawamba Community College. He pitched a season-long six innings against Queens on March 8 in his first start of the season. MSU has not revealed what its pitching plan is for the rest of the regional. Northeastern will counter with lefty Will Jones (11-0, 1.82 ERA) Mississippi State will play either No. 1 Florida State (38-14) or No. 4 Bethune-Cookman (37-21) on May 31. |
| 'They've been in this position': Scouting the Tallahassee Regional | |
| Mississippi State baseball begins its postseason journey this weekend at the Tallahassee regional. The Bulldogs face off with Northeastern on Friday at 6:30 p.m., and will have to play one of Florida State or Bethune-Cookman on Saturday regardless of that result. The difference will come down to being in the winners bracket or the losers bracket. The favorites will be the Power Five schools in both matchups, but MSU and Parker in particular aren't writing off the CAA champions, and for good reason. The Huskies boast a remarkable 48-9 overall record, a program record as well as the best record in Division I, and ride a 27-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament. The team also leads Division I with a 2.92 ERA. The next closest team is Coastal Carolina with 3.24. As a staff, the Huskies pitchers lead the DI in walks per inning, and ace Will Jones is 11-0 and third in individual ERA. Parker called Northeastern a "complete team" in his press conference on Tuesday, noting their experience and depth as well as their defensive prowess, but on offense, there is plenty to worry about as well. The Huskies are opportunistic, and at this time of year, they'll need to be if they're to make some noise as a mid-major against established ACC and SEC powers. |
| Inside Hunter Hines' journey to MSU record | |
| This season, Hunter Hines has been walking up to bat to "Doubt Me Now" by Cody Johnson. After making Mississippi State history, not many people doubt him any more. Hines enters the NCAA baseball tournament as the program's all-time leader in home runs. He has hit 69 heading into the tournament, two more than the previous record-holder, Rafael Palmeiro. "It means a whole lot to me. Going through the whole season, looking at it and finally getting it done, that means a lot," Hines said. "Looking at who held it before me and all the greats that have played here. It's awesome. Richard Hunter Hines's baseball journey started in his front yard in Madison, Mississippi -- roughly 120 miles from Starkville -- playing baseball with his father, Rich Hines. Hines had just three offers to play college baseball, two from Division I programs and one from Mississippi College in Division II. However, among the offers was Mississippi State, which he had grown up wanting to play for all his life. "Not many people get to watch their dreams come true and let it unfold in their lives," he said. "So it's a pretty cool experience, especially experiencing with my family and my teammates and everybody that's been there for me." It didn't take long for Hines to make a good impression at Dudy Noble Field. |
| 'I wish every human on earth could feel what I did that day' | |
| Elijah MacNamee tried his best to be the embodiment of cool as he walked up to the plate in the ninth inning of Mississippi State's elimination game at Florida State in the 2018 Tallahassee regional. He spotted some of his friends in the crowd and took the opportunity to project what he was feeling. He wanted the big moment, he wanted the chance to make a difference, and he wanted to prove that to everyone watching. "Hey boys, watch this," MacNamee said on his way up to the biggest at-bat of his life. Moments later, he was behind in the count, 0-2. He hadn't lost his cool, though. The second pitch he took was a high fastball, meaning a good chance at an off-speed pitch on the next toss. He kept his head, but above all he kept his confidence. "I would always try to be overconfident in big moments," MacNamee said to The Dispatch this week, reflecting on his walk-up to the plate. "I would try to accept the moment I'm in, and it's easy for failure to creep in in baseball, especially the big moments." His swing connected, launching a three-run walk-off home run beyond the outfield wall at Dick Howser Stadium. The Bulldogs were against the wall, down 2-0, and won 3-2 to stay alive. |
| Mike Leach to become eligible for College Football Hall of Fame in 2027 | |
| Legendary coach Mike Leach will soon be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame after a recent set of rules adjustments by the National Football Foundation. "In consultation with the American Football Coaches Association, the NFF Honors Court and the NFF Awards Committee, the Foundation has revised the minimum career winning percentage required for coaching eligibility from .600 to .595," the NFF stated in a news release. "This change will go into effect beginning with the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Ballot." Leach, a former Mississippi State coach, accrued a 158-107 record in more than two decades as a head coach, which included stops at Texas Tech and Washington State. He won 59.6% of games, leaving him just below the previous threshold of win percentage threshold of 60% following his unexpected death in 2022. Leach was expected to have cleared that threshold before his untimely death, with COVID having previously interrupted his progress toward hall of fame eligibility. |
| Sherrill eligible for College Football Hall of Fame after tweak in rules attributed to Leach | |
| Mike Leach was a trendsetter. Even though he is no longer living, he's forcing people to change the rules. The National Football Foundation on Tuesday announced an adjustment to the eligibility criteria for coaches' induction. In consultation with the American Football Coaches Association, the NFF Honors Court, and the NFF Awards Committee, the organization revised its minimum career winning percentage required from .600 to .595. This change will go into effect beginning with the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame ballot. "The NFF is committed to preserving the integrity and prestige of the NFF College Football Hall of Fame," NFF president & CEO Steve Hatchell said. "This adjustment reflects thoughtful dialogue with leaders across the sport and allows us to better recognize coaches whose contributions to the game extend beyond a narrow statistical threshold." Leach, who had a winning percentage of .598, is being lauded as the coach who is responsible for the rule change, but the ruling could also benefit former Texas A&M coach Jackie Sherrill and former LSU coach Les Miles. Sherrill was 180-120-4 (.599) in 26 seasons with stops at Washington State, Pittsburgh and A&M along with Mississippi State. He was 52-28-1 at A&M from 1982-88, winning three straight Southwest Conference titles. Sherrill was 50-9-1 at Pittsburgh, winning four bowl games with four top-10 finishes. Sherrill was inducted into the A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2024. Ironically, Leach was inducted with Sherrill, who played for legendary Bear Bryant at Alabama. |
| Mississippi State football sets kickoff times for first three games in 2025 | |
| On Thursday morning, the SEC announced kickoff times and TV network assignments for the months of August and September. For Mississippi State, that included the first three games of the 2025 schedule. Mississippi State will kick off the season at Southern Miss on August 30th with an 11 a.m. kickoff time on ESPN. The SEC also announced that Mississippi State will open the 2025 home slate against Arizona State on September 6th with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff time on ESPN2. It will mark the Sun Devils' first-ever trip to Starkville after Arizona State won the first-ever meeting with Mississippi State last season in Tempe, Arizona. And on September 13th, the Bulldogs will host Alcorn State at Davis Wade Stadium for a 5 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+/SEC+. Mississippi State's regular-season finale against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl had previously been set to be televised on either ABC or ESPN. The annual Egg Bowl meeting will take place on November 28th with an 11 a.m. kickoff time. |
| Track & Field: Marie Rougetet Punches Her Ticket To Eugene In The Hammer | |
| Marie Rougetet booked the women's first ticket to the national championships on their first day of competition at the NCAA East First Rounds. Rougetet kicked off the action for the Bulldogs in the hammer, marking her first appearance at any NCAA meet. With a 65.23m throw in the second round, she secured her spot at the national championship with a seventh-place finish. Rougetet will be the first athlete to represent the Bulldogs in the hammer since 2012. Ramat Jimoh competed in the final heat of the 800m first round. Earning a personal best of 2:03.45, she won her section and broke the tie for the second fastest time in program history. She earned an automatic spot in the quarterfinals, to be contested on Saturday. Jessicka Woods competed in the hurdle double, running in both the 100m and 400m events. Woods earned a season's best of 13.27 in the 100m hurdles, earning a time qualifier spot in the quarterfinals. After a brief weather delay, Woods took the track in the 400m hurdles. She earned a automatic qualifying spot in the quarterfinals, after finishing third in her section with a 57.03 effort. |
| Softball: Trio Earns Academic All-District Recognition, Blaine Academic All-American Finalist | |
| Mississippi State softball saw three student-athletes named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team this week. The Bulldogs were represented by Jessie Blaine, Morgan Bernardini and Riley Hull. Hull is a three-time all-district honoree, and Blaine was also named to the all-district team last year. Blaine, who was an NFCA Second Team All-Region selection, was chosen as a finalist for the CSC Academic All-America team and now advances to a national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. Blaine, who graduated this spring with a degree in communications, was recently accepted into law school at the University of Tennessee. Bernardini is pursuing a degree in human development and family science. Hull completed her degree in business administration and played in every game this season. With Blaine advancing to the Academic All-America ballot, State will have a chance to claim its ninth Academic All-American in program history. Most recently, Mia Davidson was named a Second Team Academic All-American in 2022. |
| Future CFP formats: Here's where things stand after SEC coaches pushed back on model guaranteeing league 4 playoff spots | |
| Inside one of the Hilton Sandestin's many meeting rooms, some of the most highly paid and recognizable college football coaches, sitting alongside their athletic directors, tossed a proverbial wrench into playoff format discussions this week. A majority of the SEC's coaches did not support the multiple automatic-qualifier playoff structure that had gained momentum with a large group of their administrators. A ninth conference game? No thanks, plenty of coaches said. A season-ending, inner-conference play-in game? No way, some of them told ADs. The 16 coaches weren't completely aligned against the concepts, but the room wasn't split either: They preferred a format that is similar to the current 12-team bracket -- a 5+11 model with five automatic qualifiers for conference champions and 11 at-large bids instead of the so-called "4-4-2-2-1" model that grants twice as many qualifiers to the Big Ten and SEC (four each) than to the ACC and Big 12 (two each). The stance from SEC coaches -- and the pushback from the public, other conferences and even television partner ESPN on the 4-4-2-2-1 format -- has, perhaps, altered the conversation around the future of football's postseason as the three-day SEC spring meetings ended Thursday. So, what now? |
| SEC spring meeting ends without consensus on CFP, SEC football scheduling formats | |
 | The Southeastern Conference spring meeting ended Thursday with no endorsement of a College Football Playoff or SEC football scheduling format, but plenty of intrigue. SEC athletic directors have reportedly been in favor of a 16-team CFP starting with the 2026 season. That would have four automatic qualifiers for the SEC and the Big Ten, two each for the ACC and Big 12, and the remaining slots for Notre Dame, if eligible, and at-large bids. However, SEC football coaches indicated that they are warming to the idea of a 5-11 format with automatic bids for the top five conference champions and 11 at-larges. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey met with reporters after the spring meeting's closing business session with school presidents and chancellors, confirming, "We've had interest in certain (CFP) models but haven't committed to a model." The same goes for an SEC football scheduling format. The league has stayed with eight games for 2024 and 2025 despite growing to 16 teams with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. There is support within the SEC for staying with eight games for 2026 and beyond as well as expanding to nine games, same as the Big Ten and Big 12. Commissioners from FBS conferences and Notre Dame's athletic director are scheduled to meet June 18 in Ashville, North Carolina. Sankey was noncommittal as to whether the SEC would have a football scheduling format by then. "We'll see," he said with a wry smile. |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey talks possible Donald Trump presidential commission involving Nick Saban | |
 | After former Alabama football coach Nick Saban spoke with president Donald Trump at UA's spring graduation, reports began swirling about a presidential commission on college athletics, with Saban involved. According to recent reports, formation of that commission has been paused, pending legislation elsewhere in the federal government. On Thursday, following SEC spring meetings in Florida, league commissioner Greg Sankey said he had not heard from the president. "There is no such thing," Sankey said. "There are reports of such a thing. I cannot hear from reports." Sankey said he had last heard from the White House during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic. "In 2025 they're busy and they have important issues," Sankey said. Reports of the commission included Saban as a leader, alongside Cody Campbell, a Texas Tech booster and board chair. The formation was reportedly paused as senator Ted Cruz attempts to push through a bill regulating college sports. However, during recent public appearances, Saban has distanced himself from the potential venture. |
| SEC amps up fines to $500,000 for rushing field, storming court | |
| The Southeastern Conference is ratcheting up penalties on schools whose fans storm the field or rush the court, doing away with an escalating fine system and now charging $500,000 per incident. "The motivation was 'field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,'" commissioner Greg Sankey said Thursday in announcing the decision. "The random nature of, if you're the one getting rushed, it doesn't feel good. It might be the first time (it happened) there, but it might be your sixth time in a row, literally." The conference also has the authority to wave the fine if the visiting team and officials are allowed to get to the locker room before fans descend. The new policy replaces an old one that called for an escalating fine structure that started with $100,000 for the first offense, raised to $250,000 for the second then hit $500,000 for the third and subsequent incidents. The SEC first instituted a fine structure for field storming in 2004, but it didn't stop the problem. "We try to set some expectations to the fan base of 'We'll welcome your celebration, but let's let the team from the visiting institution and the officials depart,'" Sankey said. |
| Charlie Baker unfazed by speculation of SEC leaving NCAA, gives timeline for tournament expansion | |
| On Monday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stirred speculation about his conference's future in the NCAA. On Thursday, NCAA president Charlie Baker didn't sound too worried. "I tend to believe what I hear from people when I speak to them directly," Baker said Thursday during the Big 12 spring meetings at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Speaking from the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla., earlier this week, Sankey said, "I have people in my room asking, 'Why are we still in the NCAA?'" As the NCAA determines which voices should get the most power at the table, the SEC is seeking more authority than the governance proposal, which would give 65 percent of NCAA decision-making power to the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. Sankey, for what it's worth, also pointed out that any concerns his members have had with the NCAA haven't kept teams from accepting invitations to its national basketball or golf tournaments. That line suggests that fears of an SEC secession are premature but still worth hearing. "Their voice matters a great deal in part because they take college sports seriously and play at a very high level, just like the Big 12 does and just like many others do..." Baker said. "But I think there's a path forward here where we can figure out a way to keep everybody in a place where they're comfortable that they're both being heard and having the opportunity to play and compete." |
| NCAA president: Deadline looming on possible basketball tourney expansion | |
| The idea of expanding the NCAA men's basketball tournament continues to gain momentum as administrators and coaches addressed it during this week's Big 12 spring meetings. NCAA President Charlie Baker met with league and school officials to discuss a variety of topics, including whether to broaden the postseason tournament from its current 68-team field. Either way, the clock is ticking on a decision. "Our goal here is to try to sort of either get to yes or no sometime in the next few months," Baker said on Thursday. "There's a lot of logistical work that would be associated with doing this if we were to go down this road." Baker indicated that expansion could come next year if a decision is reached. "That would be the goal, which is why the window to negotiate it will probably end sometime in early summer," he added. The last time the NCAA expanded the tournament was in 2011 when the field went from 64 teams to 68. Recent talk of expansion has that number growing to either 72 or 76 teams. Kansas coach Bill Self said Big 12 coaches are in support of expanding the tournament. Baker believes that expanding the tournament would provide more opportunities for deserving teams to make the field. |
| A FAR Cry: College Faculty Athletics Reps Cling to Waning Policy Influence | |
| Don Bruce, an economics professor at the University of Tennessee, was appointed to a four-year term as the school's faculty athletics representative in 2012. Thirteen years later, Bruce is still in the role, having served through four athletic directors, three chancellors, a mix of on- and off-the-field triumphs, and a fair share of athletic department controversies. All the while, Bruce's college sports work has extended well beyond Knoxville. He currently serves on the 40-member NCAA Division I Council, a position earned through his role as past president of the 1A Faculty Athletics Representatives (1A FAR). He previously served as the lone faculty athletics representative on NCAA's original Name, Image and Likeness Working Group, formed in May 2019, as well as on the NCAA's constitution committee launched shortly after its interim NIL policies took effect in July 2021. Now, at long last, Bruce is preparing to step down as Tennessee's faculty athletics representative at the end of next month, along with the national appointments tied to the role. He leaves with pride in his contributions to his campus, but also with a deep sense of concern, bordering on despondency, about the future of the position in college sports. "Nowhere are academics in the conversation right now," Bruce said. "And it's really disappointing. It's really frustrating because we [FARs] do show up for work to support student-athletes, to protect our institutions, and to preserve what we believe is worth preserving -- and that is the collegiate model." |
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