| Tuesday, June 10, 2025 |
| MSU Riley Center's 2025-26 season features six concerts | |
 | Mississippi State's Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts announced the 2025-26 Fall and Winter Performing Arts Series. The six-concert season begins in August and runs through January 2026. All performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Riley Center's restored Victorian theater. "Each artist brings a unique energy to the stage, promising unforgettable experiences for our audiences," said Morgan Dudley, Riley Center director. "This season celebrates not only the power of performance but also the continued growth of the MSU Riley Center as a premier destination for the performing arts in Mississippi and beyond." Season tickets for the upcoming series are now on sale, with prices ranging from $215 to $600 for VIP seating. Current ticketholders must renew by June 27 to retain their existing seats. Beginning June 23, patrons can create custom "Build-Your-Own" mini packages by selecting three or more shows. Individual tickets go on sale to the general public June 30, with prices varying by artist and seat location. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.msurileycenter.com, call 601-696-2200, or visit the MSU Riley Center Box Office, 2200 Fifth St., in the heart of historic downtown Meridian. |
| EMBDC hosts Business After Hours as MSU Riley Unveils 2025-2026 season lineup | |
 | On Monday, the EMBDC hosted its Business After-Hours event in partnership with the MSU Riley Center to unveil its Fall-Winter season. The lineup includes artists like the Marshall Tucker Band will perform Thursday, August 14th at 7:30 pm, Leela James will perform on Saturday, August 23rd at 7:30 pm, Randy Travis: More Life Tour on Thursday, September 25th at 7:30 pm, Straight No Chaser: Holiday Road Tour on Thursday, October 23rd at 7:30 pm, Leslie Odom Jr.: The Christmas Tour on Tuesday, December 16th at 7:30 pm, and Kansas on Friday, January 30th at 7:30 pm. Morgan Dudley, Executive Director of the MSU Riley Center, says that they listened to the public when it came to their lineup, as she was asked why they changed to a Fall-Winter season instead of their regular year-long season. "Well, we listen to the people, and honestly, that is the ultimate answer. The people said that we want to go back to the seasonal series. So, then we went back to the Fall-Winter season instead of doing the 10-11-month season we had been doing for the last couple of years. They wanted to see some different faces after a couple of months, so we will have the season August through January," Morgan Dudley says. |
| Lemonade Day returns to Golden Triangle this weekend | |
 | As the summer heat continues to rise, an event this weekend is looking to help cool people down, while also helping children learn about entrepreneurship and leadership skills. Lemonade Day will be returning to the Golden Triangle all day on Saturday. Lemonade Day is a national organization that originated in Texas in 2007, though the event first came to Starkville in 2018. "It's encouraging entrepreneurship in youth, with the most pure form, which is the lemonade stand," Mississippi State's Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach Program Coordinator Garrison Walker said. By 2019, the event expanded throughout the Golden Triangle to Columbus and West Point. It is also expanding to Louisville this year. As of Monday afternoon, there were 222 children and 67 stands already registered in the area, but participants can register any time up until Lemonade Day on Saturday, Walker said. "It's just grown and gotten more people involved, more parents, more adults, but primarily more kids and more lemonade stands," Walker said. Cadence Bank is the annual sponsor that aids in licensing the event, while MSU's E-Center acts as the go-between for the cities and the Lemonade Day organization for the event. |
| MSU Hosts Nation's First S.A.F.E. Training Exclusively Focused on Spray Drones | |
 | Mississippi State University is making agricultural aviation history this week by hosting the nation's first Self-Regulating Application and Flight Efficiency (S.A.F.E.) training program exclusively focused on spray drones. The five-day training at MSU's Agricultural Autonomy Institute marks a significant milestone in bridging the gap between traditional aerial application and emerging drone technology. "Everything that we're doing with spray drones, we want the traditional crop dusters to be involved in." said Madison Dixon, associate director of the MSU Agricultural Autonomy Institute and training participant. "We want to build inroads between the spray drone community and the traditional crop duster community and, more importantly, ensure the mutual safety of all agricultural aviators as spray drone adoption increases." The training brings together nine participants, including seven MSU graduate students and two professional aerial applicators who hold leadership positions with the Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Association. Dennis Gardisser, recognized as the foremost expert on aerial applications of all forms, is conducting the training. While he has worked extensively with traditional crop dusters across the world, this is the first S.A.F.E. training program dedicated entirely to drone applications. |
| Vicksburg's Emily Cook among Mississippi State's 2025 Orientation Leaders | |
| Emily Cook is serving as an Orientation Leader this year at Mississippi State. Orientation Leaders are welcoming over 10,000 admitted students and family members to 15 Orientation sessions this summer. Cook, a sophomore Kinesiology major from Vicksburg, is among 25 chosen through a competitive selection process. Orientation Leaders have an integral role alongside the Division of Academic Affairs staff. They attend a three-credit-hour course in the spring and additional training to prepare for Orientation and other on-campus recruiting events. They also receive a summer stipend, housing and meal plan. Known for their enthusiasm and love for the university, MSU Orientation Leaders gain valuable experience as they lead Dawg Talks, highlight student life and share information about academic programs. |
| FORGE hosts its 2nd annual Girls Construction Camp | |
 | FORGE is hosting its 2nd annual Girls Construction Camp. FORGE is a nonprofit organization focused on advancing skilled trades and preparing the next workforce. This 5-day event aimed at middle school girls teaches them about all the different types of opportunities in construction. Executive Director of FORGE, Melinda Lowe, said more and more women are going into skilled trades, and this gives the girls an advantage if they choose to go that route. Sierra Case is in the building construction science program at Mississippi State University. Through volunteering, she gets to share her journey of how she got to where she is today, and hopes to inspire generations behind her. "I didn't think that it was like an option for me to do something like this growing up," Case said. "If I would have known or if I had an opportunity to experience this, it would have saved me like two years of college trying to figure that out. For younger girls, it's so inspiring, even for me as an older girl because not only is it building like construction know-how and just the basics of it, but these girls are so confident." |
| Community Profile: Welding before kindergarten, Rice builds career in father's footsteps | |
| Before Tim Rice even stepped foot in a kindergarten classroom, he was welding. His head was too small to fit a welding hood, but a pair of goggles with a bead chain fixed that problem quickly. By the time he was in grade school, farmers were waiting until Rice was out of school to take their broken parts to his father's metal shop, Rice Equipment, which was then a John Deer dealer. Rice's father, Thomas, opened the metal shop inside Starkville city limits in 1948, 10 years before Tim was born. As soon as Rice could fit the goggles, his dad was teaching him the trade. Rice fell in love with the problem-solving his dad's job required. That same skill would eventually lay the foundation for the work he does now as Rice Equipment's second owner. When Rice was about 12-years-old, his father got a call from then Mississippi State University baseball coach Paul Gregory, who had a problem he needed to solve. Rice rode with his father to the baseball field, where there was a batting cage on home plate. "When we got out there, Coach was showing him the problem with the cage sitting on home plate," Rice said. "It was so heavy you couldn't move it. (Dad) said, 'OK, let me take a few notes.'" The pair went back to the shop and ordered a new pair of front tire wheels that would be used for a lawnmower that they would affix to one side of the cage. With the added help of some axles and a bracket, they were soon able to refashion the cage so that it could easily be picked up and pushed by only one person. "Well, that started a demand," Rice said. |
| Ask The Dispatch: How do GTRA stakeholders benefit from the airport? | |
| For 53 years, Golden Triangle Regional Airport has offered commercial flight service from western Lowndes County, bringing visitors from all over the world and connecting travelers with flights in Atlanta and now Dallas-Fort Worth. Owned by six entities that Executive Director Matt Dowell calls "the three pairs" -- Lowndes County/Columbus, Oktibbeha County/Starkville and Clay County/West Point -- the airport has also served as a hub for economic development with eyes toward future expansion. First opened in 1972, GTRA sits on about 1,000 acres off Highway 82 between Columbus and Starkville. It is governed by a five-member airport authority, with an appointed member each from Columbus, Starkville, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties and a shared member between Clay County and West Point. Dowell said the regional airport provides a way for each entity to leverage its combined assets for a larger service rather than compete with each other with smaller ones. GTRA offers two daily flights to Atlanta through Delta. Starting May 5, SkyWest Airlines, a contractor for American Airlines, began offering a daily westbound flight to Dallas-Fort Worth. Over the past two decades, GTRA has sat amid an industrial boom, with Steel Dynamics, PACCAR and Aluminum Dynamics developing on adjacent properties. |
| Amazon will expand use of recycled water for Mississippi data center project | |
 | Just a few months ago, AWS announced that newer AI servers at the two new Amazon Web Services hyperscale data centers in Madison County will benefit from liquid cooling to more efficiently cool high density computer chips. Also, it will have more support for high-density AI workloads. On June 9, AWS announced a similar significant milestone that by 2030, it will expand its use of recycled water to more than 120 locations throughout the U.S., including in Madison County. For AWS operations, water is an essential resource, and it is primarily used for cooling data centers in the U.S. Several factors, including climate change, aging infrastructure and pollution, are making water increasingly scarce and that is impacting communities in the U.S. and around the world. According to AWS, by 2030, it will expand its use of recycled water to more than 120 data center locations in states and counties where AWS has operations. AWS has previously used recycled water in Virginia and California and is now expanding those efforts to more places in Mississippi. AWS's use of recycled water is expected to help preserve more than 80 million gallons of annual drinking water supply in Mississippi, and 530 million gallons throughout the U.S. |
| Buc-ee's founder celebrates opening of Mississippi store among big crowds: 'It's just incredible' | |
 | Even in Pass Christian, Mississippi, Arch "Beaver" Aplin embodied the spirit of Texas pride on Monday morning with a cowboy hat and a bandaged hand emblazoned with the mascot of his franchise Buc-ee's. Minutes before Aplin would cut the ribbon for Buc-ee's in Pass Christian -- his first location in Mississippi and the 52nd in the United States -- he posed with fans who already were proudly wearing merchandise just four hours after the doors officially opened. Many were Mississippians, though some had traveled from as far as California and Hawaii just to visit the convenience store. "I have to pinch myself when I think about the distance people travel just to come," Aplin said. "It's just incredible." Buc-ee's wasn't always the national sensation it is today. Aplin opened the first 3,000-square-foot store in his hometown Lake Jackson, Texas, in 1982. Now, there are dozens of locations spread across the Gulf Coast, including in Tennessee, Alabama and now Mississippi. But when asked what makes his franchise different from any other in the United States, Aplin replied humbly, "I don't know." "The passion, the love," he added. |
| Senate GOP deeply divided over cutting cost of 'big, beautiful bill' | |
 | Senate Republicans are deeply divided over how to cut the cost of House-passed legislation to enact President Trump's agenda, which Elon Musk has attacked as a "mountain of disgusting pork" and fiscal conservatives on Capitol Hill say doesn't do enough to cut the deficit. Facing a jittery bond market and scathing criticism from Musk, GOP lawmakers have expanded their search for ways to reduce the deficit by cutting Medicare, the Defense Department and the Federal Reserve -- areas of the budget that were considered off limits just a few weeks ago. But each new proposal is creating new divisions. Some Republicans are also calling for a closer look at defense spending, arguing that the Pentagon needs to see its budget shrink along with the rest of government. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says defense hawks have a "hidden agenda" to use Trump's big, beautiful bill to pump up military spending beyond what the nation could afford. But cuts to the Pentagon's budget would face strong pushback from Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Defense Appropriations Committee Chair Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who argue that Trump's defense budget is inadequate. Wicker earlier this year called for $175 billion in new defense funding to be included in the reconciliation package but later relented to $150 billion, which he says is the minimum needed. |
| Kennedy makes 'clean sweep' of key vaccine advisory panel | |
 | Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Monday that the department will replace all members of the advisory panel responsible for providing guidance on vaccines, a move health experts say is unprecedented. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, develops recommendations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines to control disease in the general population. ACIP members include experts in medicine and public health, and the CDC determines its own guidance based on ACIP's recommendations. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has elevated distrust in previous vaccine guidance. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., said before he voted to confirm Kennedy that he had agreed to not make any changes to ACIP. On Monday, Cassidy said he had spoken to Kennedy twice about the move, and said he was assured the changes don't affect the overall process, just the personnel. "Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion. I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case," Cassidy wrote in a separate post on the social platform X. The move immediately drew rebukes from those skeptical of Kennedy's motives. |
| Trump heads to Fort Bragg while facing criticism for deploying military at Los Angeles protests | |
 | President Donald Trump plans to speak at Fort Bragg on Tuesday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army as he deploys the military in an attempt to quiet immigration protests in Los Angeles. Fort Bragg, located near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the Rangers are based there. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will also be at Tuesday's event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Trump has promoted the Army's anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets in a reminder of how the Republican president is reshaping the armed forces after returning to the White House this year. Fort Bragg has been in the middle of a cultural tug-of-war over the military. It was named after a Confederate general, then renamed to Fort Liberty two years ago. Hegseth brought back the Bragg name but said it was being used to honor an Army paratrooper who served in World War II. |
| Gavin Newsom: Trump is 'unhinged,' speaking like an 'authoritarian' | |
 | California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Donald Trump's threats against him and other Democrats following the president's unilateral deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area carried all the markings of authoritarianism. "It's just an extraordinary moment, and I don't want to overstate it, but these are the words of an authoritarian," Newsom said in a Monday interview with POLITICO. "Whether he acts on it or not, the chill that creates is real, and it's a serious moment, very serious." Trump and his border czar have targeted Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass by name with threats of arrests -- and other ominous unspecified acts to be carried out by the federal government if the two don't fall in line. Newsom spoke after a weekend of unrest -- property destruction and bursts of violence -- following immigration raids in the region. Newsom, Bass and other Democratic leaders believe Trump's moves were designed to provoke protesters to produce footage showing a major American city in chaos -- as well as an attempt to distract from the uneven economy hastened by his trade standoffs and his messy breakup with Elon Musk. The Democratic governor said his state's lawsuit challenging the Guard's deployment was the latest example of relying on the nation's courts to be a check on the president's executive power. "There's maybe a second branch of government left in this country," Newsom said. "We obviously lost the legislative branch to Trump and Trumpism. We pray that the courts are still holding firm." |
| For Trump, seizing emergency powers has become central to governing | |
 | The specter of federally controlled troops in American streets has historically signaled a seismic social crisis, from forcing integration in Arkansas to protecting civil rights marchers in Alabama. But President Donald Trump sent the National Guard to Los Angeles at a time when state and local officials said they had protests there under control. The move reflects an increasingly evident pattern of his presidency: Trump declares an emergency or crisis where many others do not see one, enabling him to take sweeping actions, rally supporters and fight on political terrain he finds favorable. "It gives him extraordinary powers to not go through the normal machinery and bureaucracy of government," said Mike Madrid, a longtime Republican strategist who has been critical of Trump. "The goal is to wield extraordinary powers to get rid of government where he wants, get rid of the bureaucracy where he can -- and step on the neck of his opponents." The stream of emergency declarations has contributed to a sense cultivated by Trump that the country is facing perpetual crisis, under threat from foreign nations and domestic enemies. Trump appears to thrive in this atmosphere, adopting the role of fighter and savior. The White House said Trump is using his rightful powers because Democrats left the country in shambles and strong action is needed. |
| Trump Bets Sending In the Troops Is a Political Winner | |
 | For a man who understands the power of images, the sometimes violent protests in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement have presented President Trump with the ingredients to once again burnish his tough-on-crime message. Video of demonstrators protesting Trump's deportation orders, some burning cars or lining up face-to-face against newly federalized National Guard troops, creates a set of political foils the president is gambling are advantageous to him. "As is so often the case, Donald Trump's opponents are playing into his hands," said Republican pollster Whit Ayres. "This is exactly the kind of fight that Donald Trump loves, with his opponents carrying Mexican flags past burning cars." The Republican Party's House campaign arm summed up Trump's argument in a single line Monday: "One word to describe the Democrat Party: Lawlessness." Democrats counter that Trump's decision to initially send 2,000 members of the National Guard into the nation's second-most populous city over the weekend only inflamed the situation, while raising legal issues about states' rights. The administration on Monday also deployed about 700 Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal property and personnel and authorized an additional 2,000 National Guard members. One thing that is certain: Los Angeles has helped Trump change the narrative from his messy buddy breakup late last week with billionaire Elon Musk, as well as from the debate over Medicaid cuts in the tax-and-spending bill he is urging Congress to approve. While polling shows most voters oppose deporting longtime residents here illegally but without criminal records, it also demonstrates that voters trust Trump's party more than Democrats when it comes to crime and policing. Trump's illegal immigration crackdown also remains popular, particularly efforts to deport criminals. |
| In Trump's 'Patriotic' Hiring Plan, Experts See a Politicized Federal Work Force | |
 | Republicans have long complained that the federal government is filled with ideologically opposed bureaucrats who stand in the way of their policies and are too hard to fire. Presidents from both parties have kicked off their time in office with a hiring freeze, looking to put their own stamp on personnel strategies. But President Trump is the first to ask federal job applicants to describe their allegiance to administration policy in an essay or to mandate training for senior government officials on White House executive orders, experts said. Senior agency officials, who are often political appointees, are to be directly involved in the hiring process, which has not previously been the case. The guidelines, released last month, arrived at a time when the Trump administration was beginning the process of filling vacancies left by the vast and indiscriminate job cuts of the last four months. The plan has long been to replace career civil service employees, whom Mr. Trump refers to as the "deep state," with workers who are more in line with his agenda and have an allegiance to him. Another piece of that effort is already underway, converting some senior positions to "at will" employment so that they are easier to get rid of. Taken together with the new guidelines for traditionally nonpartisan hires, critics see a blueprint for politicizing the bureaucracy. The provisions are just two of many that appear in the 53 total pages of guidance released by the Office of Personnel Management, the government's human resources division, and the White House. But their startling implications, experts said, dwarf the good ideas in the guidance, such as focusing on skill-based hiring. |
| Southern Baptists target porn, sports betting, same-sex marriage and 'willful childlessness' | |
| Southern Baptists meeting this week in Dallas will be asked to approve resolutions calling for a legal ban on pornography and a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court's approval of same-sex marriage. The proposed resolutions call for laws on gender, marriage and family based on what they say is the biblically stated order of divine creation. They also call for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, is also expected to debate controversies within its own house during its annual meeting Tuesday and Wednesday -- such as a proposed ban on churches with women pastors. There are also calls to defund the organization's public policy arm, whose anti-abortion stance hasn't extended to supporting criminal charges for women having abortions. In a denomination where support for President Donald Trump is strong, there is little on the advance agenda referencing specific actions by Trump since taking office in January in areas such as tariffs, immigration or the pending budget bill containing cuts in taxes, food aid and Medicaid. |
| Drug deaths plummet among young Americans as fentanyl carnage eases | |
 | When Justin Carlyle, 23, began experimenting with drugs a decade ago, he found himself part of a generation of young Americans caught in the devastating wave of harm caused by fentanyl addiction and overdose. "I use fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, yeah, all of it," Carlyle said, speaking to NPR on the streets of Kensington, a working class neighborhood in Philadelphia where dealers sell drugs openly. "I was real young. I was 13 or 14 when I tried cocaine, crack cocaine, for the first time." As an elevated train rumbled overhead, Carlyle described turning to fentanyl, xylazine and other increasingly toxic street drugs. "I've had three overdoses, and two of the times I was definitely Narcaned," he said, referring to a medication, also known as naloxone, that reverses potentially fatal opioid overdoses. Carlyle's teens and early 20s have been wracked by severe drug use, but the fact that he's still alive means he's part of a hopeful new national trend. "What we're seeing is a massive reduction in [fatal] overdose risk, among Gen Z in particular," said Nabarun Dasgupta, an addiction researcher at the University of North Carolina. "Ages 20 to 29 lowered the risk by 47%, cut it right in half." The latest available records found fentanyl and other drugs killed more than 31,000 people (see chart) under the age of 35 in 2021. By last year, that number had plummeted to roughly 16,690 fatal overdoses, according to provisional CDC data. |
| Groups sue Mississippi education boards over new DEI law | |
| A coalition of civil rights and legal organizations filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Mississippi's education boards challenging diversity, equity and inclusion policies imposed by the Legislature at public schools, colleges and universities. The complaint was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi and partner legal groups against the Institutions of Higher Learning, Mississippi Community College Board, Mississippi State Department of Education and Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board in the Southern District Federal Court on Monday. The lawsuit alleges that House Bill 1193, which was passed by the Legislature in April and is part of a national trend of anti-DEI legislative efforts, violates the First and Fourteenth amendments -- which respectively constitutionally protect free speech and equal protection under the law -- by imposing the government's views on race, gender and sexuality on students and educators. Rob McDuff, a Mississippi Center for Justice attorney on the case, said the legislation will force a complete revamp of various K-12, college and law-school courses, including Mississippi history, biology and English literature. "It's one of the most ridiculous things to come out of the Legislature in a long time, and that's saying something," he said. "It's really going to alter education as we know it in Mississippi." |
| Sea cucumbers could hold key to slowing cancer, university says | |
| The University of Mississippi has released a new study that says sea cucumbers could hold the key to stopping the spread of cancer. Researchers partaking in the UM-led study found that while sea cucumbers are often considered the ocean's janitors, cleaning the seabed and recycling nutrients back into the water, the marine invertebrate holds a sugar compound that could block cancer growth in humans. Sulf-2, an enzyme that plays a major role in the proliferation and spread of cancerous cells, can be plugged with a drug containing the cucumber's compound. "Marine life produces compounds with unique structures that are often rare or not found in terrestrial vertebrates," said Marwa Farrag, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the UM Department of Biomolecular Sciences. "And so, the sugar compounds in sea cucumbers are unique. They aren't commonly seen in other organisms. That's why they're worth studying." According to the study, the sea cucumber compound is different from other cancer-slowing medicines in the fact that it does not interfere with blood clotting. In order to take advantage of sea cucumbers and their ability to slow the spread of cancer, according to the study, scientists would need to find a way to synthesize the sugar compound for future testing and eventual drug use. |
| U. of Mississippi Medical Center acquires hospital in Canton | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center is expanding its footprint with the acquisition of Merit Health Madison, the only hospital in Canton. The Jackson-based academic medical center announced Monday that its newest location will immediately begin operating as UMMC Madison. Plans to acquire the hospital were finalized on May 1 and builds on a relationship that began in 2019 when UMMC physicians began performing procedures at Merit Health Madison. "As Mississippi's only academic medical center, we must continue to be focused on our three-part mission to educate the next generation of health care providers, conduct impactful research, and deliver accessible high-quality health care," said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor of health affairs at UMMC. The announcement noted that the acquisition will also help ease capacity concerns at UMMC's main campus in Jackson, which is about 22 miles from the new Canton location. UMMC Madison will operate as a community hospital, much like UMMC Grenada and UMMC Holmes County, in retaining privileges for non-UMMC community physicians alongside UMMC providers. Training for UMMC students, residents, and fellows will be held at the Canton location. |
| Birmingham developer makes $35 million gift to U. of Alabama | |
 | The University of Alabama's College of Arts and Sciences will now be named for Frank Barefield Jr., a Birmingham developer who has committed $35 million to his alma mater. "Mr. Barefield's remarkable generosity reflects the spirit of giving that defines The University of Alabama," UA President Stuart Bell said in a news release. "His gift further elevates the College of Arts and Sciences, which educates thousands of students across disciplines and fosters excellence in research and creativity." Dean Joseph Messina said the gift will help the college "elevate its excellence in teaching, innovation, research and creative endeavors." The college enrolls over 9,000 students across 80 majors, minors, concentrations and graduate programs. Barefield, who holds a finance degree from the university, co-owns and manages Abbey Residential, LLC, a real estate firm in Birmingham. His partner at the firm is Dr. Marnix Heersink, who recently committed $100 million to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Their property portfolio holds more than $2.5 billion in assets. Barefield has also made a gift of $10 million to name UAB's department of criminal justice and its entrepreneurship program. |
| Legislators approve transferring UNO to the LSU System. What happens next? | |
| Louisiana legislators have approved legislation that will kick off a lengthy process to transfer the financially embattled University of New Orleans to the LSU System from the University of Louisiana System. Senate Bill 202 by Sen. Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans, easily passed the House Monday and already has Senate approval. It must receive approval from Gov. Jeff Landry before it takes effect. The university's likely return to LSU's control is in response to UNO's acute budget crisis. The school faces a $30 million budget shortfall and has implemented a spending freeze, layoffs and staff furloughs in an attempt to make ends meet. The proposed state budget, which lawmakers have to approve by Thursday, includes $20 million to pay off UNO's remaining debts and $450,000 for a financial and academic audit of the university. By Aug. 1, UNO President Kathy Johnson must send a letter to the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the accrediting body for most Louisiana colleges and universities, seeking approval for a change in UNO's governance. The LSU System Board of Supervisors must set up a transition committee that will make recommendations to the board based on the audit's findings. The transition committee's meetings are subject to the state's open meetings law, meaning it must meet and take any votes in public. The committee must be made up of legislators and stakeholders from the greater New Orleans region, and it must submit its report to the state Board of Regents and legislative education committees no later than April 1. |
| U. of Florida Board of Trustees looks to future, gives update on Jacksonville campus | |
 | It was business as usual for the University of Florida's Board of Trustees during its June 5 meeting -- two days after its unanimous selection of Dr. Santa Ono for president was rejected by the state's Board of Governors. Board Chair Mori Hosseini spoke briefly about the BOG's decision, but said UF must now look to the future. "Our responsibility now, is to move forward with the strength, purpose and unshakeable belief in UF's future and we will continue to pursue the kind of bold principles and forward-thinking leadership the Gator nation deserves," he said. Throughout the roughly eight-hour meeting, the trustees discussed various topics, including the construction of UF's downtown Jacksonville campus and an initiative to welcome more Jewish students to the university. In December 2024, UF announced plans to build a $300 million graduate campus in downtown Jacksonville. With local and state leaders, and donors funding the project, it will be located in the historic LaVilla neighborhood. The campus would offer graduate degrees in the university's colleges of business, engineering, law, health sciences, and design, construction and planning. Plans also include a new $80 million Florida Semiconductor Institute. Since the announcement, UF, Jacksonville officials and the city's downtown redevelopment agency have agreed to sign a redevelopment agreement, which UF trustees voted unanimously to approve on June 5. The city is expected to vote on the agreement in late June. |
| Uncertainty at U. of Florida After Ono Rejection | |
 | The University of Florida still needs a president after the Florida Board of Governors rejected the selection of sole finalist Santa Ono in a contentious 10-to-6 vote last week over ideological concerns. But how or when the university might find someone to take the reins is unclear. What is clear is that the university might find it difficult to find an apolitical leader or a president with a more traditional academic background to lead the state's flagship institution. "Anyone doing their homework on Florida right now, unfortunately, is going to have to decide whether or not to take a huge career risk to be in that search," said one search firm insider, speaking on condition of anonymity. The search firm insider said that it's believed to be the first time that a sole finalist has been rejected -- not only in Florida, but on a national level. They think that the outcome will limit the number of sitting presidents willing to apply for the UF job, given the reputational damage that Ono suffered. Adding to the challenges facing the university, the clock is ticking to find at least an interim leader. Interim president Kent Fuchs -- who was called out of retirement to resume his old role after former Nebraska senator Ben Sasse abruptly stepped down from UF's top job last year shortly before a spending scandal emerged -- is expected to leave when his contract expires on July 31. |
| New research committee to bring synergy to Texas A&M System | |
 | Research across the 11 universities and eight state agencies in the Texas A&M System has reached a point where the Board of Regents have created a committee on research. It marks the fifth committee created by the board. The committee will be chaired by regent John Bellinger of San Antonio with regents Jay Graham, Bill Mahomes and Kelly Sullivan Georgiades serving as committee members. Bellinger spoke on his goals for the committee during the workshop portion of the regents meeting at the end of May. "Research grows the system, research grows our dollars, and it grows the number of students coming to each of these campuses," Bellinger said during his committee introduction at the board meeting. "It draws a lot of great professors. So have we done a great job? Absolutely. Can we do better? Absolutely." In the last decade and a half, research funding in the A&M System has increased 120% from $600 million in 2011 to $1.4 billion this year. The A&M System also has an innovation group that supports inventors and innovations. The system also has a research development office that will assist the new committee of research. "We want to develop a brand. We want when someone is ready to hand out a research project and they see that you're within the A&M System that is the tiebreaker," Bellinger said. "That's more than a tiebreaker because we are reliable. We are responsible and we're going to do a great job, and they are going to get their money's worth on this research." |
| Hundreds protest in Austin against nationwide ICE detentions | |
| A largely peaceful march in downtown Austin on Monday condemning the uptick in immigrant detentions across the country dispersed when law enforcement fired tear gas into a portion of the crowd that refused to leave. The protest, organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation's Austin branch, began outside state Capitol grounds at around 7 p.m. as several hundred protesters condemned raids conducted in recent weeks by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement. The group guided the mile-long march and chants through downtown toward the J. J. "Jake" Pickle Federal Building before circling back to the Capitol. While the organizers announced the end of their gathering just after 8 p.m., more than a hundred protesters continued marching as police told them to leave the streets. Some rerouted back to the federal building but were blocked from it by law enforcement, who eventually fired tear gas canisters into the crowd. Speakers during the protest and those who marched in downtown Austin said ICE and law enforcement were operating without due process for people they have detained in raids. Some, including Valerie Cruz, an Austin resident and first generation American, came to share their solidarity with undocumented immigrants they say have been villainized by law enforcement. |
| TCU hires vice provost of research to lead efforts to become R1 university | |
| TCU has hired a new vice provost for research as the university aims to gain "R1" status over the next decade. Reuben F. Burch V begins in the role Aug. 1. He previously was associate vice president for research at Mississippi State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering and a doctorate in systems engineering. The vice provost for research will be the driver of the university's plans to grow its research footprint, one of the core tenets of its strategic plan. TCU set a goal to become a top research university and gain R1 status by 2035. The university plans to expand research opportunities for all students and create partnerships with outside organizations. Burch is expected to direct the TCU's efforts to garner more research funding and grow the amount of scholarship the university produces. "The main thing for TCU is the students; the main thing for my role as (vice provost of research) is to serve our faculty by providing them with world-class research opportunities and infrastructure from which all student experiences will benefit," Burch said. |
| Advocates push for action as U. of Missouri lags on Indigenous student and faculty support | |
 | Advocates continue to push for campus engagement with Indigenous issues following the University of Missouri's decision last month not to implement any of the recommendations issued by the Indigenous Affairs at MU Task Force. Faculty members and students said the university administration should do more to meet its responsibility to the Indigenous community, especially given Mizzou's status as a land-grant university that was funded in part by land taken from Native people. The decision comes amid a growing national movement for universities to recognize and partner with Indigenous Nations on education, land management, cultural restoration and other activities. The University of Kansas, for example, has an Office of Sovereign Partnerships & Indigenous Initiatives, and the University of Illinois provides full tuition to all students of the Peoria Tribe. Faculty Council chair Tom Warhover said in an email that he was deeply disappointed in the administration's response to the report, which UM System President Mun Choi commissioned in October 2020 to address the needs of Indigenous peoples on campus. The task force report, made public in January, found that "substantial work needs to be done to create the necessary conditions for a thriving Indigenous presence at MU." |
| At Indiana U., Professors Spar With Administrators Over Nighttime Protests | |
 | On June 1, a small group of faculty members gathered in a circle under the Gothic arches that mark the entrance to Indiana University's Bloomington campus. They held candles and signs, made speeches, and used noisemakers as they waited for the clock to strike 11 p.m. If their protest had taken place on any other night since August 2024, that hour could have meant trouble. Under a policy passed in response to a monthslong pro-Palestinian encampment at Indiana, certain forms of "expressive activity" -- including holding protests, making speeches, and circulating petitions -- were banned on campus between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Administrators argued that the changes were necessary to ensure safety after the encampment got out of hand. Students and staff sued over the policy. In late May, a federal judge temporarily blocked the nighttime restrictions. At Indiana, the drawn-out fight over protest protocols reflects a deeper feud between the faculty and the administration. What's happened at Indiana over the past year also underscores the challenge of striking the right balance on speech, training a fresh spotlight on the tightened demonstration protocols that have cropped up on campuses nationwide. |
| Scammers are using AI to enroll fake students in online classes, then steal college financial aid | |
| It was an unusual question coming from a police officer. Heather Brady was napping at home in San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon when the officer knocked on her door to ask: Had she applied to Arizona Western College? She had not, and as the officer suspected, somebody else had applied to Arizona community colleges in her name to scam the government into paying out financial aid money. When she checked her student loan servicer account, Brady saw the scammers hadn't stopped there. A loan for over $9,000 had been paid out in her name -- but to another person -- for coursework at a California college. "I just can't imagine how many people this is happening to that have no idea," Brady said. The rise of artificial intelligence and the popularity of online classes have led to an explosion of financial aid fraud. Fake college enrollments have been surging as crime rings deploy "ghost students" -- chatbots that join online classrooms and stay just long enough to collect a financial aid check. On Friday, the U.S. Education Department introduced a temporary rule requiring students to show colleges a government-issued ID to prove their identity. It will apply only to first-time applicants for federal student aid for the summer term, affecting some 125,000 borrowers. The agency said it is developing more advanced screening for the fall. |
| Politics, 'Belonging' Drive College Choice | |
| From the rise of artificial intelligence in college classrooms to the rapid politicization of campus life, higher education has changed dramatically in just the past few years. So have the ways prospective students choose their future alma maters, according to a new report from enrollment management consulting firm EAB. The report, which draws from three recent surveys of roughly 40,000 high school and first-year college students, found that students' priorities in choosing which colleges to apply to are evolving, as are the best practices for reaching and recruiting them. The surveys showed that a growing number of students consider politics when deciding where to apply. In fact, politics has become such a prominent piece of the application puzzle that EAB asked students about it for the first time this year. Twenty-nine percent of prospective students said they removed at least one college from their list because of the perceived politics of the campus, and 16 percent did so because of the policies of the state where that college is located, according to the EAB report. Fourteen percent of respondents said they removed a college from consideration because they believed it was too conservative, and 8 percent did the same because they saw it as overly liberal. |
| NIH rescinds, at least for now, its DEI ban on grants to institutions | |
| The National Institutes of Health has, for now, walked back a policy requiring universities and other research institutes to certify that they do not have unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion programs or boycotts of Israel in order to receive research dollars. The rule, which was initially posted in April, was seen as the next stage of using research funds as leverage against private universities and efforts to increase diversity in the sciences. It is unclear what prompted the rescission of the policy, which is effective immediately. But the notice published on Monday says, "NIH is awaiting further Federal-wide guidance and will provide a future update to the extramural community." The initial policy, which asked grantees to certify that they did not have any DEI programs or boycotts of Israel that ran afoul of federal anti-discrimination laws, has not prompted any lawsuits against the policies. It is unclear why the policy was rescinded Monday. "The new notice could be due to the fact that the administration has gotten questions fairly harshly by judges including a Reagan appointee about their DEI stance. They may be worried about losing in court," said Jeremy Berg, who formerly led one of the NIH's institutes. |
| Trump Bill's Caps on Grad School Loans Could Worsen Doctor Shortage | |
| President Trump's policy agenda would make deep cuts in government health plans and medical research, and, critics say, could also make finding a doctor more difficult. The Republicans' major domestic policy bill restricts loans that students rely on to pursue professional graduate degrees, making the path to becoming a physician harder even as doctor shortages loom and the American population is graying. The bill, which passed in the House last month and carries the president's support, would cap direct federal unsubsidized loans at $150,000 -- far less than the cost of obtaining a medical education -- and phase out the Grad PLUS loans that help many students make up the difference. Medicine, dentistry and osteopathic medicine are among the most expensive graduate programs. In a letter to congressional leaders, the American Medical Association asked lawmakers to carve out exceptions in the law for medical education, saying that the current bill would deter good candidates from applying to medical school, discourage physicians from working in underserved areas and make medical school unaffordable for all but the very wealthy. Critics said it could also drive more doctors away from lower-paying primary care fields, an area of acute need, and into more lucrative specialties. |
| Trump, Harvard battle over student visas could have an $180 million economic impact, analysis finds | |
| The escalating battle between the Trump administration and Harvard University over international student visas could come at a high economic cost. Altogether, international students who studied in the U.S. contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy in the 2023-24 academic year, according to the most recent data by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In Massachusetts, alone, international students contributed nearly $4 billion and supported more than 35,000 jobs. At Harvard, the share of international students is disproportionately high compared to most other colleges and universities. International students accounted for 27% of Harvard's total enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year, up from 22.5% a decade earlier. With more than 6,000 international students, Harvard supports over 1,125 local jobs and contributes $180 million to the greater Boston economy, largely through student spending, according to a new analysis by Implan, an economic software and analysis company. A ban on international enrollment could destabilize a vital revenue stream, said Bjorn Markeson, an economist at Implan. |
| College Students Are Using 'No Contact Orders' to Block Each Other in Real Life | |
| The "Notice of No Contact" order landed in May's inbox on Feb. 15, 2022. It was stern and lawyerly and contained a bulleted list of prohibited behaviors between May, then a Tulane freshman, and her former roommate: No approaching each other at any time. No communicating through third parties. No social media interactions whatsoever. The directive, which came from Tulane's division of student affairs, was "based on the right of every Tulane community member to avoid contact with another community member if such contact may be harmful or detrimental." Though the measure was purportedly "nondisciplinary," it ended on an ominous note: "A violation of this Order could result in an immediate interim suspension and against [sic] conduct charges to you." May, who agreed to be identified only by her middle name, was alarmed. She thought a no contact order, the campus version of a restraining order, was for cases of sexual misconduct. Could she be in serious trouble? Like plenty of students slotted into a dorm together, May and her roommate, who requested the order, had had their disagreements. "This person used a system that is supposed to do good in the world and used it against me," May said. No contact orders, or NCOs, are considered a valuable, if hard to implement, tool in enforcing Title IX regulations on campus. Over the past 10 years, however, the circumstances under which a student might request an NCO have expanded considerably. Their quiet use for other purposes -- roommate disputes, ruptures between friends, relationship issues that don't rise to the level of sexual harassment -- is so secretive, traumatizing and potentially damaging that most students and administrators interviewed for this story would only speak anonymously. |
| State revenue, spending soared even as lawmakers cut taxes - | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: In his latest opinion column, Bobby Harrison argues that "anemic" revenue collection in Mississippi is a byproduct of two prior income tax cuts in 2016 and 2022, with a warning as to the 2025 tax cut that is yet to take effect. Harrison writes, "It should not be a surprise that what was touted as the largest tax cut in state history might be resulting in less revenue to fund Mississippi's vital services such as education, law enforcement and health care." Think of the children, good sir! So just how bad is it? Between 2017 -- the first fiscal year after the 2016 Taxpayer Pay Raise Act cut individual income taxes -- and 2024, general fund revenue collection in Mississippi increased by over $2 billion, or roughly 36 percent. In the two years that followed the 2022 Tax Freedom Act, revenue to the state increased by $322 million. But spending on "vital services" is in danger, right? The general fund budget approved for the current fiscal year topped $7 billion, up over $1.24 billion since 2017. In K-12 education alone, spending increased by $796 million over this span. William Winter would approve. The budget just authorized by the Legislature for the upcoming fiscal year is north of $7.1 billion. No really, not since Jack the Ripper roamed the streets of London have we witnessed this kind of maniacal slashing. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State baseball: Brian O'Connor's view of transfer portal | |
| Brian O'Connor's introduction as Mississippi State baseball's new coach at Dudy Noble Field was a pitch for transfers as well as a public commencement. A handful of players from the transfer portal were in attendance on June 5. They spoke with the new coaching staff, including O'Connor, on the field before the event. Later, the uncommitted transfers walked in front of the crowd behind home plate, and MSU fans serenaded them with cheers and ringing cowbells. "I'm aware that there's a lot of players from the University of Virginia in the transfer portal," O'Connor, hired on June 1 after 22 seasons at Virginia, said in his first news conference that night. "I can't control that. In this day and age, back in the day before the transfer portal, you would never see that. We are in a different time, in a different era in college athletics. "Those young men in that program, and any other program, they each have to make their own individual decisions. If they want to be at Mississippi State, who am I to tell them that they should not, right? So, we are recruiting the transfer portal, and we'll see what some of those young men decide to do, but that's their choice." One day later, the commitments started flowing in with four new Bulldogs -- three of them from Virginia. MSU has landed five transfers as of June 9, four from Virginia. Meanwhile, 13 MSU players have entered the transfer portal. |
| Bulldogs veterans Josh Hubbard, Shawn Jones embrace leadership roles | |
| Mississippi State's 2025-26 roster will largely consist of new faces on the hardwood, whether it be from the transfer portal or the 2025 freshman class. But the Bulldogs do return a pair of valuable veterans in junior guard Josh Hubbard and senior wing Shawn Jones. Both returnees have aided State's success over the previous years and look to keep that trend going this upcoming season. Last week Hubbard and Jones met with the media to discuss the summer workouts and upcoming season. |
| MSU alums Sacco and Chaffin make history in AUSL debuts | |
| Mississippi State softball's two big stars from 2025 are continuing to shine at the professional level. Sierra Sacco hit the first home run in the history of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League on Saturday and added another RBI hit on Sunday to help earn fellow former Bulldog Raelin Chaffin a win from the circle. Sacco and Chaffin were drafted to the Talons and took on the Bandits in their first games of the season this weekend. Sacco's historic hit was a solo shot to left field in the third inning of action, but the Bandits recovered to win the game 3-1. In Game 2 on Sunday, the Talons hit back with a 6-3 win. Sacco registered another RBI hit late in the game to help earn the win for Chaffin, who pitched three innings and allowed just one hit. The ace credited her team's strong defensive play for securing the win. The season will take teams on a stadium tour around the country, with stops at McMurry Park in Sulphur, La., Jim Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kan., on the schedule. |
| The field of 8 is set: 2025 NCAA baseball tournament schedule, channels | |
| And then there were eight. The field for the Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, is set. Murray State booked the final ticket to the series after beating Duke in the Durham Super Regional on Monday night. It'll be the Racers' first time in Omaha. The rest of the field includes No. 3 Arkansas, No. 6 LSU, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 13 Coastal Carolina, No. 15 UCLA, Louisville and Arizona. Arkansas, LSU, UCLA and Coastal all swept their super regionals. Four teams are making their first appearances in Omaha since winning the title the last time they made it this far: UCLA in 2013, Coastal Carolina in 2016, Oregon State in 2018, LSU in 2023. This is a vastly different field compared to last year's (which was split with four teams each from the SEC and ACC), as we have six conferences represented: two SEC teams; one each from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Sun Belt and Missouri Valley; and one independent. And ironically enough, three teams that competed in the Pac-12 last season -- Oregon State, UCLA, Arizona -- have made it to this point, yet only once in the Pac-12's history did the conference send three teams to the MCWS (1988). |
| House v. NCAA: Explaining a new era of college sports | |
| Five years of litigation over the future of college sports came to an end on June 6. The Grant House and Sedona Prince v. NCAA case was settled last week, ushering in a new era of revenue sharing for student-athletes at NCAA Division I programs. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey released a brief statement on the ruling, calling it a "significant milestone for the meaningful support of our student-athletes and a pivotal step toward establishing long-term sustainability for college sports." Mississippi State Athletic Director Zac Selmon released a lengthy statement on social media over the weekend, one which quoted Henry Ford in an apparent call for a structured evolution of college athletics. "'The remains of the old must be decently laid away; the path of the new prepared,'" he said, quoting Ford. "'That is the difference between revolution and progress.'" Selmon noted that MSU athletics, like most power-conference members, has been planning for these anticipated changes since the settlement was first proposed more than a year ago. Selmon added that "more information will be shared in the coming weeks" regarding the restructuring of college athletics. "We are entering a new era," Selmon said in the conclusion of his statement. "That brings uncertainty, but also opportunity to grow, to lead and to strengthen the foundation already in place. With this clarity, we can continue building strong, competitive programs for the future." |
| Universities can now pay its student athletes directly; state leader thinks Mississippi schools will be at a disadvantage | |
| 2025 will see a new era of college athletics. Colleges and universities can now pay its student athletes directly. A judge made the decision Friday night. Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann said this is a move he saw coming. "Most people are concerned that this is the next step in a pay for play relationship," said Hosemann. "The thing that they're creating is called a college sports commission and it's going to be run by the Big 4, the ACCC, Big 10, SEC, Big 12, they'll all run a commission." Hosemann believes deciding how much money each sport gets is where things will get interesting, especially when it comes to the sports that don't bring in a lot of revenue. Hosemann said he's also concerned with local athletes leaving Mississippi to go play college ball at bigger schools out of state. Although many have advocated for athletes on the collegiate level to get paid, Hosemann believes this new ruling will put schools in the Magnolia State at a disadvantage. "Certainly, someone like Southern Mississippi may not have the economics that some of the other teams do for their TV revenues, so that will be a challenge for them," Hosemann explained. "Mississippi State and Ole Miss will have to decode how they're going to spend the $20.5 million. Our smaller universities, Jackson State University, has got a rich tradition from way back when. They'll be at a disadvantage from the standpoint of being able to pay people like the SEC people can pay. There are some advantages and disadvantages. Times are changing and the young men and women deserve to be compensated." |
| College sports commissioners laud $2.8B antitrust settlement, call for Congress to act | |
| Conference commissioners lauded a judge's approval of a $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement as a means for bringing stability and fairness to an out-of-control college athletics industry but acknowledged there would be growing pains in implementing its terms. In a 30-minute virtual news conference Monday, commissioners of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC renewed their call for congressional action to supplement and even codify the settlement and emphasized that cooperation at every level of college sports would be necessary to make it work. They said it was too early to address how violators of rules surrounding revenue sharing and name, image and likeness agreements would be punished and noted newly hired College Sports Commission CEO Bryan Seeley would play a major role in determining penalties. The new era of college athletics has arrived after U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken gave final approval Friday night to what's known as House vs. NCAA. Beginning July 1, each school can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes and third-party NIL deals worth $600 or more will be analyzed to make sure they pay appropriate "market value" for the services being provided by athletes. |
| Conference commissioners bullish on enforcing new NIL rules | |
| Days after a multibillion-dollar legal settlement changed college athletics by allowing schools to directly pay their athletes, the most powerful conference commissioners are bullish on their ability to enforce NIL rules in a new system, even though specific punishments remain unclear. Hours after the House v. NCAA settlement was approved on Friday, former MLB executive Bryan Seeley was named CEO of a new enforcement organization called the College Sports Commission. His job will be to lead the team responsible for enforcement of the new rules around revenue sharing, third-party payments to players for NIL deals, and roster limits. One of the biggest questions, though, is what happens when those rules are broken? ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, who spoke Monday on a Zoom news conference with fellow commissioners Greg Sankey (SEC), Tony Petitti (Big Ten), Brett Yormark (Big 12) and Teresa Gould (Pac-12), said they've all had ideas, but nothing they're "ready to come forward with." Ultimately, Phillips said, the rules and boundaries will be under Seeley's purview. The commissioners agreed, though, that in order to "make it work," they need congressional help. Sankey, who said he played golf recently with President Donald Trump and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, continued to stress the need for an "effort to preempt state laws." |
| In new bills, Congress' most direct plan yet to empower NCAA on post-House rules takes shape | |
| With the House v. NCAA settlement now finalized and approved, a new push within Congress will attempt to turn it into law and give the NCAA and conferences more power to enforce their rules. A discussion draft of a bill obtained by The Athletic outlines an upcoming proposal in the House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce that would codify most of the federal support the NCAA has lobbied for in recent years. Although previous congressional efforts haven't gained much steam, college sports leaders hope the settlement will finally provide the spark for something to get done. The Republican-led committee would work hand-in-hand with two other House committees for a three-pronged approach this week. A House subcommittee is scheduled to discuss the draft, dubbed the SCORE Act and sponsored by Florida Republican and subcommittee chair Gus Bilirakis, at a Thursday hearing. To support it, the House's Judiciary Committee is expected to discuss a bill for antitrust protections around these items, while the House's Education and Workforce Committee will work to codify that athletes are not employees. The Washington Post first reported on the committee drafts. |
| Athletes express concern over NCAA settlement's impact on non-revenue sports | |
| Sydney Moore and Sabrina Ootsburg were surrounded by hundreds of college athletes at a convention in Charlotte when news broke that the $2.8 billion NCAA settlement had been approved by a federal judge. In a room full of college athletes, they felt like the only two people who understood the gravity of the situation. "I'm about to get paid," Moore said a Division I football player told her. "Yes, you are about to get paid, and a lot of your women athlete friends are about to get cut," she responded. Moore acknowledged that her response might be a stretch, but while the sprawling House settlement clears the way for college athletes to get a share of revenue directly from their schools and provides a lucky few a shot at long-term financial stability, it raises genuine concerns for others. Schools that opt in will be able to share up to $20.5 million with their athletes over the next year starting July 1. The majority is expected to be spent on high-revenue generating sports, with most projections estimating 75% of funds will go toward football. So what happens to the non-revenue-generating sports which, outside of football and basketball, is pretty much all of them? It's a query that's top of mind for Ootsburg as she enters her senior year at Belmont, where she competes on the track and field team. |
| Clearinghouse Denial of NIL Deals to Be Limited by Arbitration | |
| One of the more controversial features of the approved House settlement is a clearinghouse review of NIL deals that exceed $600 to ensure they are legitimately about use of an athlete's right of publicity and not veiled payments to convince an athlete to attend and remain at a school. Some have speculated that the denial of proposed NIL deals will motivate athletes and the businesses with whom they seek to partner to sue the clearinghouse, and perhaps other defendants. Possible claims could include alleged violations of state NIL statutes, tortious interference with prospective NIL contracts and suppression of economic opportunities as protected by state and federal antitrust laws. There's an important factor being overlooked: The role of arbitration, which will make it far more difficult for an athlete or a company with which the athlete seeks to sign an NIL deal to wage a successful lawsuit. The narrow means of challenging arbitration awards will likely deter attorneys who would otherwise jump at the chance to bring a lawsuit that would attract media attention. The prospect of overcoming judicial deference to an arbitration award is an important and often overlooked factor. |
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