Monday, October 13, 2014   
 
Mississippi State ranked No. 1 in national polls
A day most Mississippi State fans thought they would never see has arrived. Less than 24 hours after dispatching No. 2 Auburn before the largest crowd in school history, No. 3 MSU's football team watched and waited for college football's primary rankings -- the Amway Coaches Poll (USA Today) and The Associated Press Top 25 -- hoping the Bulldogs would climb atop the sport's landscape for the first time in school history. Late Sunday morning, that hope became reality. "It's exciting for our school, our team, and our fans," said MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin early Sunday afternoon after the No. 1 rankings were revealed. In The AP poll, MSU leapfrogged FSU on the strength of an avalanche of support from national sports writers.
 
A first for Mississippi State: No. 1 in the country
Sunday both the Associated Press and coaches polls placed Mississippi State atop their rankings. It's the first No. 1 ranking in school history. "Football's obviously been popular in Mississippi for a long, long time," MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin said. "You think about all those longtime Mississippians, whether they're in maroon and white or red and blue, have gone through some less than ideal football seasons are getting to feel real good about their universities because of what their football teams are doing right now." The dust from the first seven weeks of the 2014 college football season has settled, but the focus on Mississippi's two SEC teams only continues to rise.
 
Top Dogs: Mississippi State rises to No. 1 in both major polls
The Magnolia football madness continues. For the first time, Mississippi State holds the top ranking in college football. The Bulldogs (6-0) took over the No. 1 ranking in both the Associated Press media and the USA Today coaches' polls on Sunday afternoon, overtaking defending national champion Florida State (6-0). Ole Miss (6-0) is No. 3 in both polls. While Sunday's news is exciting for fans, the on-field leader of the new No. 1 team is keeping a level head. "It means the same thing as it meant before the season when we weren't even ranked," said MSU quarterback Dak Prescott, who's touted as a Heisman Trophy contender. "It's exciting for the university and the Mississippi State program. But for the individuals on this team and where we're going, it doesn't mean much."
 
Mississippi State students celebrate No. 1 ranking at TODAY Show
Mississippi State University is the new No. 1 in the AP college football poll after beating Auburn 38-23 on Saturday, its third straight victory against a Top 10 team. Mississippi State fans from all over are celebrating the win -- even all the way in the Big Apple. MSU interior design students took a field trip to New York City to visit museums, get some exposure to the latest design trends -- and ring their cowbells. Monday morning, they arrived at Rockefeller Plaza at 5:15 a.m. and made it to the front row. They came bearing signs that read "#HA1LSTATE", "#DAK4HE15MAN", and one girl even brought an MSU flag to hang over the railing. And they got the TODAY Show's attention.
 
No. 1 Mississippi State: Proof That Money Isn't Everything
Mississippi State spends millions less on football than the average power-conference school -- and yet the Bulldogs are now the new No. 1 team in college football. Mississippi State ascended to the top of the polls Sunday for the first time in school history, leapfrogging previously top-ranked Florida State and separating itself from No. 3 Ole Miss on the strength of its 38-23 home win over then-No. 2 Auburn, which kept the Bulldogs undefeated this season and in line for a College Football Playoff spot. Their status atop college football is a remarkable twist for a school. But it isn't just the school's history that distinguishes Mississippi State's climb. What makes it so unlikely today is that the Bulldogs are winning on a budget.
 
As Cowbells Clang, Mississippi State Hushes Another Top-10 Team
Davis-Wade Stadium was Cowbell Canyon for four and a half hours, a cacophony of cheers and untiring ringing of cowbells by a record crowd of 62,945. Mississippi State has a legitimate national championship contender, a team built with some players passed over by other Southeastern Conference programs, and the fans are adding their willpower to the mix. The throng watched No. 3 Mississippi State survive four turnovers, a rocky stretch by its Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback and a second-quarter downpour to upend No. 2 Auburn, 38-23, in what was possibly the program's biggest win.
 
Mississippi State routs Auburn to send fans into delirium, set sights even higher
As the Southern sky threw the rain fitfully and the crowd thundered constantly, the fresh and curious idea of Mississippi State as a national football aristocrat found a fruition even its long-anonymous faithful would not have forecast. So when their Bulldogs finished felling top-10 timber on Saturday for the third time in four weeks, and when they finished making their all-time-high No. 3 ranking look ready for trumping, and when they finished pasting No. 2 Auburn, 38-23, well, those were some scenes. The whole blob of Bulldogs exulted in a merry blob in the end zone marked "HAIL STATE." They formed a line and coursed along in front of the stands, high-fiving fans who reached down with ready hands and spent throats. The sixth-year coach, Dan Mullen, hugged the considerable head of the first-year full-time quarterback, junior Heisman Trophy candidate Dak Prescott.
 
Winning College Football Teams Could Impact State Economy
The state of Mississippi is front and center on the national stage in college football. Mississippi State is now ranked No. 1 and Ole Miss is ranked No. 3 in the country. With all the hype and attention brought from winning sports teams, Mississippi stands to gain economically and academically. "Alumni who were perhaps disengaged get excited again and find a way to plug into their university and that can increase funds for student scholarships, for academic programming, for faculty endowments. All things that will help the university grow. That's good for Mississippi State University and that's good for the entire state," says Kathleen Thomas, associate professor of economics at Mississippi State University.
 
Mississippi State Names Computing Center for Former President
To honor Mississippi State University's 16th president and his emphasis on computer research, institution leaders dedicated the Malcolm A. Portera High Performance Computing Center last Friday. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said Portera's emphasis on research, learning and service -- MSU's trifold mission -- made a variety of positive impacts at MSU, and his influence continues to benefit the institution. "Probably no university president ever hit the ground running faster or harder than Dr. 'Mac' Portera did when he came to Mississippi State," Keenum said.
 
Mississippi State vet school students to train at Jackson Zoo
The Jackson Zoo and Mississippi State University are extending a program that allows College of Veterinary Medicine students to get some hands-on training at the facility. Zoo director Beth Poff told The Clarion-Ledger that the formal agreement is the next step in making the zoo part of the students' rotation. It welcomes students into the program next spring. Poff hopes eventually the zoo and MSU can hire a veterinary research doctor who can split time between the university and zoo.
 
MSU Music Professors Perform on Campus
Faculty members at Mississippi State put their teaching duties aside to participate in a special musical performance over the weekend. Three music department faculty members performed together at MSU's Giles Hall Sunday afternoon. Jeanette Fontaine, Karen Murphy and Michael Patilla entertained with a selection of songs that included classic Broadway tunes, Spanish songs played with guitar and French operetta. The performers also talked with the audience throughout the concert. The recital was free and open to the public.
 
Cold front could bring in severe storms, winds, tornado
A threat of severe weather on Monday has emergency officials reminding citizens to be prepared. A tornado watch is in effect until 2 p.m. today for West Mississippi, Northeast Louisiana and Southeast Arkansas. "Everyone needs to be on guard tomorrow," said Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Robert Latham on Sunday evening. "The key is to have a plan and not panic." National Weather Service forecasters updated MEMA Sunday about a strong cold front will begin moving into north and west Mississippi Monday afternoon and continue south and east through the night.
 
Starkville's Perkins, Vaughn block consent agenda items
Starkville Board of Aldermen meetings could run late into their respective nights if two aldermen continue to block consent agenda items as they did Tuesday. This week's board meeting featured an usual twist after an alderman previously asked city staff to not place any business on Starkville's consent agenda, a list of minor business approved in unison and usually without discussion. City staff would not disclose who ordered the action, but Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins and his neighbor at the table, Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn, repeatedly objected to any and all attempts made by other aldermen to place routine travel requests and other small-ticket items on consent. Tuesday's meeting also featured another irregularity: Instead of sitting with the board at his usual seat, Adams joined the public and watched the meeting from afar.
 
Medicaid debate expected again in 2015
Advocates who want to extend Medicaid to hundreds of thousands more Mississippi residents know they face long odds at the state Capitol, where opponents of expansion are in control. Still, they say they'll make noise about the issue during the election-year legislative session that begins in January. "We're going to keep that issue alive because we think it's the right thing to do," House Democratic Leader Bobby Moak told The Associated Press last week. Gov. Phil Bryant and other Republican leaders have said for years that they're flatly against putting more people on Medicaid because they're skeptical about federal promises for future funding in a program that has already grown dramatically in recent years.
 
Wright focused on giving Mississippians an early jump start
Kindergarten is not mandatory in Mississippi, but State Superintendent Carey Wright would love to see that changed. With less than a month until her one-year anniversary in the Magnolia State, Wright sat down with the Sun Herald and touched on a number of topics. What she really wanted to talk about, however, was the need for early education. "It's just frightening to think about how our children are coming in," she said. Asked if there's pockets of resistance in the Legislature to early childhood education that's not related to finances, Wright said she was surprised to find some people believe it's governmental intrusion into a family matter.
 
Kindergarten enrollment unlikely to be mandated
Kindergarten enrollment is not mandatory in Mississippi. Although a small number of children delay school until first grade, some educators say it would help if those pupils were made to start sooner. Legislative leaders, however, say it is not an issue they expect to address soon. "I think we've established the law, and it is up to the community and the schools to place more emphasis and express the importance of attendance," said Senate Education Chairman Gray Tollison, R-Oxford. "I think it is a matter of education to explain how important it is for a child and to be more aware that withdrawing your children from school for whatever reason will have an impact academically."
 
Low-key Senate race a stark contrast to Republican primary
Compared to the Republican primary earlier this year, Democratic challenger Travis Childers of Booneville and six-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran have been conducting stealth campaigns for the Nov. 4 general election. At this stage before the June 3 primary, Cochran and challenger Chris McDaniel, and groups supporting the two candidates, were bombarding television and radio with campaign ads. Name-calling and accusations going back and forth between the veteran Cochran and his campaign staff and Tea Party-favorite McDaniel and his staff filled the news. In contrast, the campaign between Cochran and Childers has been low-key.
 
Childers stays focused on campaign trail
Former congressman Travis Childers stopped by Leatha's Bar-B-Que Inn Friday to meet with Pine Belt voters. Hot on the campaign trail, the Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful said he's been traveling the state to reach out to Mississippi families and hear their thoughts and concerns. "Everywhere I go, one thing that's the same is (Mississippians) want a better life," he said. "They want their children to have a better life than they've had, and they want their children to have a quality education. They want their children to be able to have a job. That's one of the unifying themes that I've seen as I've traveled around our state." With the ongoing brouhaha surrounding incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran and his Republican primary challenger Chris McDaniel, Childers said he's been staying the course and preparing for the U.S. Senate election on Nov. 4.
 
Childers wheels and deals for votes in Bay St. Louis
Democratic challenger Travis Childers came to the Democratic-leaning Bay St. Louis in search of votes, but he couldn't keep his mind off classic cars. "If I had a lot of money, I'd have a lot of cars," said Childers, his head on a swivel as he walked down a Main Street lined with vintage wheels brought in by Cruisin' The Coast. "This is a big bonus. And I hope they're spending lots of money, because I'm a free-enterprise guy." Childers, buoyed by a bump in the polls, was on a six-city swing through the southern half of the state that started early in the morning in Jackson.
 
Good medicine: Bryant touts best rating for medical practice
The state of Mississippi is found at the top of several state rankings, many of which are normally not positive. But for the second straight year, the Magnolia State tops the list of best states to practice medicine. Gov. Phil Bryant visited Southaven Thursday to promote that fact. Bryant also encouraged DeSoto County leaders to capitalize on the advantages the county has as a regional medical center, not just in Mississippi, but throughout the Mid-South. "DeSoto County can be a nexus for health care in this entire region," Bryant said after a Mississippi Economic Council-sponsored "healthcare huddle" at the Holiday Inn. The governor believes more people need to know about the state's welcoming climate for physicians to practice medicine.
 
Documents show how Clintons tried to cope with Lewinsky, other scandals
The Clinton Presidential Library on Friday released 10,000 pages of previously undisclosed documents that involved a series of touchy subjects from the 42nd president's time in the White House. They cover the gamut of scandals -- some big, some small -- that dogged former President Bill Clinton's presidency: from Monica Lewinsky to Whitewater, from the death of former White House Counsel Vince Foster to the pardon of financier Marc Rich, and the controversy over staffing of the White House Travel Office, known as Travelgate, as well. The documents shed new light on how Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton, now a potential candidate for the 2016 presidential election, as well as their staffs tried to handle the slew of controversies in their eight years in the White House.
 
New Ebola case in Texas raises worries about U.S. health system
A second Ebola case in Texas -- identified Sunday as a hospital worker who cared for the Liberian man who died last week from the disease -- is raising fresh doubts about the preparedness of the U.S. health system to handle the deadly outbreak. It is also prompting new questions about whether U.S. health officials need better measures to identify hospitals that may not be able to handle complex diseases such as Ebola. "Ebola is a serious disease," said Dr. Mark Rupp, who heads the infectious diseases division at Nebraska Medical Center. "All the hospitals across the U.S. need to be better prepared." The Omaha hospital, which is one of four in the country with special facilities to treat diseases such as Ebola, has cared for two patients who contracted the virus in West Africa.
 
Cyberattacks trigger talk of 'hacking back'
The recent rash of cyberattacks on major U.S. companies has highlighted the scant options available to the victims, who often can do little more than hunker down, endure the bad publicity and harden their defenses in hopes of thwarting the next assault. But behind the scenes, talk among company officials increasingly turns to an idea once considered so reckless that few would admit to even considering it: Going on the offensive. Or, in the parlance of cybersecurity consultants, "hacking back." The mere mention of it within cybersecurity circles can prompt a lecture about the many risks. Yet the idea of hacking back -- some prefer the more genteel-sounding "active defense" -- has gradually gained currency as frustration grows.
 
Highway Guardrail May Be Deadly, States Say
By last month, state transportation officials in Missouri said they had seen enough. Federal highway officials had long insisted that guardrails throughout the state were safe. But some guardrail heads had apparently malfunctioned, in essence turning the rails into spears when cars hit them and injuring people instead of cushioning the blow, Missouri officials said. Because of its safety concerns, Missouri banned further installation of the rail heads on Sept. 24. It joined Nevada, which prohibited further purchases in January, and was followed six days later by Massachusetts. Lawsuits say the guardrails were to blame for five deaths, and many more injuries. The guardrail safety concerns come during heightened scrutiny of federal safety regulators' role in adequately policing automobile companies.
 
Asset seizures fuel police spending
Police agencies have used hundreds of millions of dollars taken from Americans under federal civil forfeiture law in recent years to buy guns, armored cars and electronic surveillance gear. They have also spent money on luxury vehicles, travel and a clown named Sparkles. The details are contained in thousands of annual reports submitted by local and state agencies to the Justice Department's Equitable Sharing Program, an initiative that allows local and state police to keep up to 80 percent of the assets they seize. The Washington Post obtained 43,000 of the reports dating from 2008 through a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents offer a sweeping look at how police departments and drug task forces across the country are benefiting from laws that allow them to take cash and property without proving a crime has occurred.
 
Welty Gala at The W to feature 'The Monuments Men' author
New York Times bestseller Robert Edsel will be the featured speaker for the 2014 Welty Gala Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Mary Ellen Weathersby Pope Banquet Room on the Mississippi University for Women campus. Edsel, author and founder and president of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, is recognized as one of the world's foremost advocates for art preservation. His book, "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History," is about the "unsung heroes who saved the world's greatest art and cultural treasures for the benefit of civilization" during World War II.
 
Welty Writers' Symposium to feature Parrish, Johnson and other noted authors
Louisiana native Tim Parrish will present the keynote reading for the 26th annual Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Poindexter Hall on the Mississippi University for Women campus. Parrish will read from his memoir, "Fear and What Follows: The violent education of a Christian racist," and his new novel, "The Jumper," which transports his audience to the gritty streets of working class Baton Rouge. A reception and book signing with all symposium authors will follow the keynote address. Books will be on sale Thursday night and throughout the symposium. All Symposium sessions are in Poindexter Hall and are free and open to the public, thanks to a grant from the Robert M. Hearin Foundation.
 
MUW nurse: Knowing your body, mammograms key in detecting cancer
For women, the only cancer more common than breast cancer is skin cancer. Sacha Dawkins, a nursing instructor at Mississippi University for Women, said the most common sign of breast cancer is the occurrence of a mass in the breast. Other signs -- itchiness and inflammation -- are often overlooked signs of inflammatory breast cancer. Paget's disease, a more aggressive form of breast cancer, is also characterized by a rash-like appearance that occurs around the areola, she added. "I've known several women who have been diagnosed by a dermatologist," Dawkins said. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
 
Oxford-University Transit eclipses ridership record
Ridership for Oxford-University Transit (OUT) in September far surpassed the previous monthly record, coming within a couple of busloads and a few spare seats of breaking the 200,000 mark. Including just over 11,000 football fans on game-day shuttles to and from the University of Mississippi, OUT carried 199,008 passengers last month. The total eclipses the old record, set in October 2013, of 117,285. Officials were stunned to hear the announcement at Wednesday's Transit Commission meeting. "That's crazy," said Commission Chairman Donna Gurley. The simple explanation for the bus line's popularity is Ole Miss. Counting the game-day shuttles, 195,200 (more than 98 percent) of OUT's riders in September were going to or from the university campus.
 
Southern Miss announces homecoming festivities
The University of Southern Mississippi community is gearing up for a week of events to celebrate this year's Homecoming with the theme "All That Glitters is Gold." "Homecoming is the peak of school spirit on the Southern Miss campus," said Kayla Patak, Homecoming committee member. "I hope that our theme, 'All That Glitters is Gold,' embodies this spirit and helps raise Southern Miss to the top." The Southern Miss Golden Eagles will face the Marshall University Thundering Herd in a Conference USA showdown at 6 p.m. Nov. 8, following the Homecoming parade and Eagle Walk.
 
Southern Miss College of Business Receives Grant to Study Impact of Fracking on Transportation
The Department of Economic Development and Tourism within the College of Business at The University of Southern Mississippi has received a federal grant to study the impact of the increased use of hydraulic fracturing -- fracking -- on freight transportation distribution patterns. The grant comes from the United States Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration. The project is a collaborative effort between Southern Miss, Vanderbilt University and the University of Alabama at Huntsville as part of a National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education university transportation center consortium research program. Vanderbilt will serve as the project leader.
 
Arts and Letters at USM posts new department chairs, directors
The College of Arts and Letters at the University of Southern Mississippi recently announced five new department chairs and directors including Ann Marie Kinnell, Anthropology and Sociology; David L. Butler, Political Science, International Development and International Affairs; David R. Davies, School of Mass Communication and Journalism; Professor Stacy Reischman Fletcher, School of Music; and Marek D. Steedman, Interdisciplinary Studies.
 
USM student to teach at London elementary school
Jasmine Thomas, a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi, has been awarded a study abroad grant from the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society that will provide an opportunity to teach elementary school students in London next year. Thomas, a native of Picayune, is one of 50 students nationwide to receive the award from Phi Kappa Phi -- the country's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. An elementary education major, she plans to student teach at an upper elementary school in London in the spring. Thomas is a member of the Honors College at Southern Miss and a Luckyday Scholar.
 
Theta Chi brothers lead hundreds in walk at U. of Alabama to raise funds for suicide prevention
Hundreds of people, led by the brothers and pledges of the Theta Chi chapter at the University of Alabama, walked across campus Sunday to raise funds for and awareness of the cause of suicide prevention. The march, called the Out of the Darkness Community Walk, is the signature fundraising event of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. More than 450 people registered to participate in advance of the event and many more signed up on site -- an organizer said she thought 600 people or more took part in the walk Sunday afternoon. The fraternity men marched in memory of their brother Parker Jordan, who was found dead in the chapter's house Monday morning. The 22-year-old junior was an accounting major originally from Fort Worth, Texas.
 
Club sports teams want new U. of Alabama policy reconsidered
The presidents of the University of Alabama's club sports teams plan to ask administrators to reverse a new policy that limits the teams to a special logo and allow continued use of the script A and other UA trademarks that have traditionally been part of the clubs' uniform designs. "None of the clubs and none of the members are happy with the logos," said Taylor Wood, president of the triathlon team. The club presidents are scheduled to meet with Steve Hood, interim vice president of Student Affairs, on Tuesday, according to Wood and Shelby Akin, who was a co-organizer of the response from the teams. The club presidents emailed university officials last week about their concerns with the new sport club logo policy, which was enacted this fall.
 
Four named Auburn University Lifetime Achievement recipients
The Auburn Alumni Association has selected four Auburn University graduates as recipients of its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Samuel L. Ginn, retired president and CEO of AirTouch, now Vodafone; Melissa Brown Herkt, retired president of Process Systems and Solutions, a division of Emerson Process Management; David E. Housel, Auburn University athletic director emeritus; and W. Michael Warren, president and CEO of Children's of Alabama were selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ginn, Herkt, Housel, Warren and Chappell will be honored at a dinner and induction ceremony in March at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.
 
U. of Florida confident as president search arrives
Steven Scott criss-crossed the country in his private jet for the last four months, trying to convince college and university presidents, provosts, chancellors and other top people in higher education to apply to be the next president of the University of Florida. "I worked very hard to do two things," Scott said of his recruiting mission. "To meet lots of people around the country in higher education, and to tell our story, to promote UF and the things it has accomplished." He had a lot to pitch: UF's $740 million in research expenditures, its $4.4 billion in annual revenues and 16 colleges. Five months ago, the board of trustees entrusted him, with the aid of a recruiting firm, to find a successor to Bernie Machen with a stellar academic record and a proven ability to come up with new ideas and see them come to life -- a president who could lead UF to the next rung on the academic ladder.
 
'Super Science Saturday' draws young science enthusiasts to LSU
The Pete Maravich Assembly Center at LSU transformed from a sports arena to host for "Super Science Saturday" over the weekend, as throngs of young science enthusiasts eager to learn gathered for colorful demonstrations and first-hand chemical reactions and experiments. The 27th annual event consisted of 19 stations encircling the upper level concourse of the PMAC, with activities aimed at children from kindergarten through high school. "Hey, guys, you want to make gummies?" asked Molly Bourg, nutrition and food sciences major at LSU, working at the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences booth, as children walked through the PMAC. Super Science Saturday incorporated aspects of National Chemistry Week, which has a theme this year of "The Sweet Side of Chemistry --- Candy."
 
35,000 Tennessee students apply for free community college
If there's a single moment that has best captured the rush to attend community college for free in Tennessee, it probably came at Motlow State last month. The Lynchburg, Tenn., school held what it called "Scholarship Saturday." In just four hours, more than 1,300 students signed up for Tennessee Promise, the new program led by Gov. Bill Haslam that gives Tennessee's high school seniors free tuition at the state's two-year community colleges and colleges of applied technology. With the Nov. 1 deadline to apply approaching, it's now crunch time for a program that has already attracted 35,016 applications from high school students across the state. That has put Tennessee Promise on pace to perhaps double the state's goal of 20,000 applications.
 
Texas A&M eyes tearing down Cain Hall to make room for possible on-campus hotel
The addition of on-campus hotel and conference center next to Kyle Field is under consideration by Texas A&M officials. A request for proposals submitted by the Texas A&M System Business Development office this week would demolish 40-year-old Cain Hall to make way for a full-service 150-bed hotel and conference center, complete with a 1,000 space parking facility. A pedestrian bridge over Joe Routt Boulevard will connect the proposed facility to the Kyle Field site. Texas A&M System spokesperson Steve Moore said the system is only seeking proposals from developers to determine the viability of the project. Only after the meeting will the proposal go through an approval stage. Chief Business Development Officer Phillip Ray declined comment.
 
Sci-Fi Writers Urge Strapped Researchers to Keep Dreaming
It's a conservative, incremental time in science these days. Grants are elusive. Many researchers say that, to win financing, they have to almost know the results of their experiment before they conduct it. Forget moonshots; they just want to make it to next year with a full salary. Despite those headwinds, a group of science-fiction authors and researchers met this month to give a glad yell of support to those engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs with big dreams. It's time to aim higher, they said -- much higher.
 
Is there a way to reduce costs and preserve appropriate student-faculty ratios?
It's hard to raise much excitement over a chart, but a recent one that breaks down how colleges can reduce the number of sections they teach and reduce faculty time while educating the same number of students might be getting there. But not all the excitement is positive. The chart is part of a summary of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded studies by the Education Advisory Board, a business that produces research for colleges. The board looked at seven colleges, mostly regional public universities whose names have not been revealed, and tried to figure out what it costs to teach students. Analysts combed through 250 million rows of data to draw up reports that spelled out the costs of each student credit hour in each section in each department of each college.
 
Push to Limit Federal Test Mandates Gains Steam
For more than a decade, teachers, administrators, students, and even parents have criticized the No Child Left Behind Act---and, now, the Obama administration's waivers under that law -- for giving too much weight to standardized testing and forcing students to take too many exams. That critique hasn't gotten very far in Washington. But there are signs that the movement to limit the number of federally mandated tests students take may be gaining momentum -- and it could pick up more steam as the Obama administration draws to a close and the 2016 presidential election begins in earnest.
 
BIRNEY IMES (OPINION): Watching the Bulldogs from afar
The Dispatch's Birney Imes writes: "Seems a little odd to be sitting in the living room of friends on the other side of the country watching a football game in Starkville. Nice to see we're getting rain -- it's cool and clear here -- but better if it would wait. ... Davis Wade looks great on TV. The rain seems to add to the festiveness of the occasion. The camera likes a couple of water-logged Elvis impersonators who seem undeterred. Unlike their previous two outings, the Bulldogs dominate the fourth quarter. Earlier in the day we watched snippets of No. 1 Florida State-Syracuse game. On this Saturday, Mississippi State is surely the best team in the country."
 
DENNIS SEID (OPINION): Football success is good for all
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Dennis Seid writes: "By the time you read this, the results of the epic showdown between No. 2 Auburn and No. 3 Mississippi State in Starkville and No. 3 Ole Miss' game at No. 14 Texas A&M in College Station will have made many fans either happy or sad. Maybe a combination of both. FYI, this column was written on Thursday, and since I have no psychic abilities, I can't tell you who won. Or who will win. Besides, if I could see the future, I'd be writing from some tropical island somewhere instead. No matter Saturday's results, the past week has been all about football and the attention placed on the Magnolia State and its two Southeastern Conference teams."
 
LLOYD GRAY (OPINION): Mississippi against the odds
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Lloyd Gray writes: "Sometimes it can be discouraging to be a Mississippian. You look at all the statistics -- poverty, teen pregnancy, educational achievement, general health of the population -- and the problems can seem overwhelming. ...It's this sense of working daily against the odds that makes Mississippi's moment in the national college football spotlight with two teams in the Top 5 particularly poignant. Regardless of what happened Saturday -- this was written before yesterday's games -- this national affirmation of excellence in a culturally important arena is good for Mississippi's psyche."
 
SID SALTER (OPINION): Restoration of felons' voting issue likely to resurface in 2015
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "As part of his final months in office, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has continued to beat the political drums for restoration of voting rights to felons in states like Mississippi that make it difficult if not impossible for convicted felons to vote. ...There have been scattered voices over the last 15 years seeking to change Mississippi's felony disenfranchisement laws, but such efforts have failed in rather spectacular fashion. ...While the national debate over the issue has been waged for years, the likelihood of Mississippi's laws changing on this issue any time soon would best be characterized as slim and none. ...Mississippi's Republican-dominated Legislature has exhibited zero sentiment for wading off in that political minefield and particularly not in a statewide election year."


SPORTS
 
No. 1 ranking will take time to sink in for Mississippi State
Mississippi State defensive back Jay Hughes tip toed around questions regarding rankings. Saturday's 38-23 win over then-No. 2 Auburn gave then-No. 3 MSU a chance of jumping to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. But the senior deflected thoughts of the possible status, talking more of "just playing football," confidence and weight training. "We work out just about every other day and, uh," Hughes paused. The Bulldogs' captain could only contain his satisfaction for so long. He exhaled and smiled. "This feels good man," Hughes said. It may have felt even better the next day. Mississippi State did, in fact, achieved that No. 1 ranking in both the AP and the Amway Coaches poll released Sunday after its big upset win over the Tigers.
 
Mississippi State's Dak Prescott Shines (Again) on National Stage
There was a buzz coming out of Starkville in the offseason. Those around the program were confident Dak Prescott was ready to make the transition from a great athlete playing quarterback to a great quarterback who is also a great athlete. The buzz, in this case, was accurate. Prescott is enjoying a truly spectacular junior season and has emerged -- at this point -- as the clear frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. It's still relatively early in the 2014 season and several huge tests await -- especially on the road -- but Prescott has proven to be the best player on what is right now the best team in the country.
 
Record-breaking crowd cheers Dawgs to sixth win
Contrary to pop music history, one is not the loneliest number. (On Sunday), when the Associated Press releases its weekly poll, one will be a number Mississippi State and its emotionally exhausted fans will cherish. Whatever claim Florida State may have on the top spot, it cannot match the Bulldogs' resume through its first six games. The Seminoles cannot say that each of their six wins have come against teams that were unbeaten when they met them. That is a claim only the Bulldogs can make.
 
Triumphant Mississippi State gets to enjoy the bye week
The Mississippi State football team enters its bye week in unprecedented territory. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the nation coming off a 38-23 victory over then No. 2 Auburn in Starkville on Saturday. That's three straight wins over top 10 opponents over the last three weeks. MSU gets to rest this week before it makes a trip to Kentucky on Oct. 25 for a game that few saw as a crucial contest on the SEC schedule before the season started. It now sets up as one of the better games left on the SEC schedule.
 
GameDay's first appearance in the Junction a family affair
Jack and Nola Martin will hear one heck of a story someday. Their father, Kevin, attended ESPN College GameDay's first-ever appearance in Starkville. The Birmingham native arrived at the Junction at midnight on Saturday. He didn't sleep. It allowed the 2010 Mississippi State graduate prime real estate for ESPN GameDay eight hours later. His friend, Lan Ingram, stood his left. Jonathan Ferrell, a freshman at Mississippi State, stood to his left wearing a batman costume. His twins won't comprehend the story for a while. When it's told, they can thank their mom, Sophia. They were born two weeks ago. "She's OK with it. I got permission a few weeks ago to come to this game. I came last week too," Martin said. "Then when GameDay arrived, I mean, it's kind of hard. He's been at home with the twins by herself.
 
Mississippi State game day 'close to heaven'
Heath Hutchins was determined to get to Starkville. Like a lot of Mississippi State fans, he wasn't about to miss this. Hutchins, a former Bulldog punter who was part of sixth-year head coach Dan Mullen's first signing class, joined the early-rising throng in the Junction on Saturday morning. ESPN's "College GameDay" show was broadcasting from Starkville for the first time, prefacing a big showdown between No. 3-ranked MSU and No. 2 Auburn. A Saltillo native who now lives in New York and works as a fashion model, Hutchins, 25, endured three connecting flights, a midnight drive from Birmingham, and lost luggage to get here. The pregame atmosphere was unlike anything he'd experienced while playing for State. "We never had 'College GameDay' here, and I don't think we ever had this many people here at 9 in the morning," he said.
 
Would you pay $11,701 for a ticket to the Egg Bowl? There are some available
No. 1 Mississippi State and No. 3 Ole Miss have a lot of work to do, but the Egg Bowl in Oxford on Nov. 29 could be for the SEC West Division championship. And if that turns out to be the case, one or both of them will be in the hunt for a spot in the college playoff system that will decide the national championship. With such stakes potentially on the line, tickets for the Egg Bowl game have never been at such a premium and fans have the opportunity to cash in on the two school's new level of popularity. According to the ticket-selling website stubhub.com, there are 1,424 tickets available for the Egg Bowl -- and they are going fast. The highest asking price? How about $11,701 per ticket for several seats in the north end zone.
 
LOGAN LOWERY (OPINION): Build it and they will win -- Mullen's plan delivers
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: "Dan Mullen was hired in December 2008 as the 32nd head coach in Mississippi State history. He inherited a program that had just one winning season in the previous eight years going a combined 29-65. Still Mullen believed he could turn the program into a winner. And he has. Mullen has led the Bulldogs to four straight bowl appearances -- and they just qualified for a fifth in his six seasons in Starkville. But going to bowl games on a regular basis is not Mullen's idea of winning, nor what he had envisioned for MSU. From Day 1, Mullen spoke of championships..."
 
At U. of Florida, More Questions Than Answers as Rape Charges Are Dropped
Within less than a week, the University of Florida felt all sides of the tempest that swirls around sexual assault on campuses, especially when it involves big-time sports. A quarterback was accused of rape. The university acted quickly to suspend him from the team and bar him from the campus. And then just days later, the woman dropped her criminal complaint. All of that left still more questions than answers. Was Treon Harris treated unfairly by a university worried about its reputation? Or did the rapid and public way the case unfolded pressure the accuser to drop her complaint?
 
Harris case sheds light on U. of Florida's handling of assault investigations
A week ago, a University of Florida freshman quarterback was accused of raping a female student, leading to his suspension from campus and team activities and launching criminal and student conduct investigations into the allegations. By early Friday afternoon -- a little more than four days after the incident was reported to University of Florida police --- the young woman withdrew her complaint and UF suspended its investigations, but reserved the right to pursue charges in the future if the woman chooses. Questions remain about the handling of the incident by UF, which still has not released a police investigative report that could shed light on the accuser's account of the events to counter the version released by the player's lawyer earlier in the week.
 
At Florida State, Football Clouds Justice
An examination by The New York Times of police and court records, along with interviews with crime witnesses, has found that, far from an aberration, the treatment of the Jameis Winston complaint was in keeping with the way the police on numerous occasions have soft-pedaled allegations of wrongdoing by Florida State University football players. From criminal mischief and motor-vehicle theft to domestic violence, arrests have been avoided, investigations have stalled and players have escaped serious consequences. In a community whose self-image and economic well-being are so tightly bound to the fortunes of the Seminoles football team, law enforcement officers are finely attuned to a suspect's football connections.
 
How New Jersey football hazing scandal points to deeper 'rape culture'
When a Sports Illustrated reporter recently visited Sayreville, N.J., to report on unfolding allegations of hazing on the local high school's football team, not everyone took kindly to his presence. "Stop interviewing!" one student yelled at a student and the reporter, Greg Hanlon. Another student, a senior on the football team, said of the hazing: "It happens at all the schools, it's just that it happened to leak out. Why don't you go to the next town over where the same thing's happening?" The allegations have shocked many in the town, where the football team is a point of pride. To experts, the incident points both to progress in exposing and rooting out sexual hazing, but also to the need to address a broader "rape culture" that fuels such acts in part because they are seen as normal and happen at "all the schools."



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