Wednesday, November 12, 2014   
 
Mississippi State Honors Veterans
Mississippi State University remembers those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to the country. During a special ceremony Tuesday afternoon on the Drill Field, student veterans and other organizations read the names of service men and women from Mississippi who lost their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum was the speaker.
 
Japan America Society of Mississippi Seeks to Bridge Gap Between Cultures
Long before the first Mississippi-made Corolla came off the assembly line at Toyota's Blue Springs plant, the Japan America Society of Mississippi, or JASMIS, was active in the area. Thom Eason is treasurer of JASMIS. Now that Yokohama is building in West Point, the Japan America Society of Mississippi wants to expand its reach. So on Thursday evening, JASMIS will host a reception at Mississippi State University. Eason says it is a way for the public to see what JASMIS is all about.
 
Mississippi State Engineering Students Visit Airbus Columbus
Some Mississippi State University students got up close and personal with an Airbus-manufactured helicopter. Engineering students were invited to the Airbus Columbus plant Tuesday afternoon as part of their senior project.
 
Mississippi State engineering students visit Airbus
Their goal was to finish off their class project by using infrared technology to look at engine cowlings for Airbus. The cowling is the covering that fits over the engine of a helicopter. One of the students explains what the technology does. "Over time, while they're hovering, there are some particles that are decomposing because of the heat. We are trying to improve their overall design to not let that happen," said Mississippi State University student Benjamin Eisman.
 
MSU's Play Unified Team Gearing up for 'Unified Egg Bowl'
Mississippi State's football team is preparing for Alabama, but there's another gridiron group preparing for an early Egg Bowl. A new Special Olympics program, Play Unified, allows traditional students to play football with special needs athletes. Practice began Tuesday for the MSU squad, with several players there to help. Ole Miss also has a team. The Unified Egg Bowl will be Nov. 19 at MSU.
 
Two students use reading to win Egg Bowl tickets
Two Northeast Mississippi elementary school students and their family members are reaping the results of the children's outstanding reading efforts with free tickets to the Nov. 29 Egg Bowl game. Ryan Thomas, a 10-year-old fourth-grader at Wheeler Elementary School, and 7-year-old Tatum Horne, a first-grader at Alcorn Central Elementary School, were honored during school assemblies on Tuesday to announce they were winners of the Mississippi Association of Educators' 2014 Egg Bowl Reading Contest. The two students each won three tickets -- Ryan representing Mississippi State and Tatum representing Ole Miss -- and will attend pre-game festivities to kick off a day of excitement that also includes a visit to the playing field.
 
Bulls added to horse auction due to artificial insemination demand
Buyers shopping the Mississippi State University horse auction may be surprised to see bulls in the online photo lineup this fall. This is the second year for horses in the annual Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station's production sale to be auctioned online with eBay-style bidding. All the animals are available for viewing at www.auction.msucares.com. The bulls pictured on the site are not for sale. Producers can buy top-grade semen from sires used for artificial insemination for the upcoming fall breeding season or even later. "Producers all over the country routinely buy bull semen online from a variety of companies. This year, MSU is offering top-quality genetics, including some rare lines, at competitive prices," said Jane Parish, research and Extension professor at the MSU Prairie Research Unit in Monroe County.
 
Holloway: School district deal for city hall space 'off the table'
Starkville School District Superintendent Lewis Holloway knows his organization will need additional administrative space once it merges with Oktibbeha County School District next year, but he said the district is now unlikely to rent or lease offices in Starkville's future city hall. Starkville representatives initially discussed leasing a portion of the new building to the school system contingent on the city's $2.55 million purchase of Cadence Bank's Jackson Street branch. Officials hoped to retrofit Cadence for police usage and move Starkville Municipal Court into the building, thereby freeing up space within city hall for potential leases. But aldermen took no action on a proposed SSD agreement last month, and Holloway said Monday the matter is "off the table from our point of view."
 
New Entergy center to create 70 jobs
A new Entergy Corporation transmission operations center planned for Jackson not only will bring a major component of the four-state utility's daily operations to Jackson but will create 70 jobs for what has long been one of the city's largest, most steady employers. Construction is scheduled to begin soon and continue through summer 2016 on the $23 million, 25,000-square-foot building, which will be built on Entergy Mississippi's north Jackson campus off Interstate 220. Entergy Corporation is consolidating transmission functions currently spread among six facilities in its network into two locations - the transmission operations center planned for Jackson and a similar building in Little Rock, Ark.
 
John Doar, Federal Lawyer on Front Lines Against Segregation, Dies at 92
John Doar, a country lawyer from northern Wisconsin who led the federal government's on-the-ground efforts to dismantle segregation in the South, and who later headed the team that made the case for impeaching President Richard M. Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal, died on Tuesday at his home in Manhattan. He was 92. The cause was congestive heart failure, his son Robert said. During the most volatile period of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, it was Mr. Doar, along with a federal marshal, who escorted James Meredith when he integrated the University of Mississippi in 1962. It was Mr. Doar who led the successful prosecution of the men who killed three young civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. And it was Mr. Doar who defused a dramatic standoff between bottle-throwing civil rights protesters and police officers with their guns drawn in Jackson, Miss.
 
Mississippi a battleground in gay marriage fight
Mississippi is the national battleground for LGBT equality this week as a federal court will hear a lawsuit today challenging the state's ban on same-sex marriage and the nation's largest LGBT advocacy organization has launched an equality campaign in the state. According to sources familiar with the case, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves could possibly make an immediate oral ruling Wednesday, but he could take as long as two weeks to issue a decision. In today's hearing, Reeves will hear arguments from the plaintiffs' and defendants' attorneys. There will be no witness testimony. Regardless of Reeves' decision, the losing side likely will appeal the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans.
 
Presley fundraising fuels 2015 gubernatorial talk
Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley has a high-profile fundraiser set for Jackson on Thursday, hosted by former Gov. William Winter, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and a host of top Democratic movers and shakers. This out-of-district fundraiser is adding to the speculation Presley, a rising star in the Democratic Party, is running for governor, lieutenant governor ... you name it in 2015. He's been traveling the state for quite some time now, and it would appear he's building his name recognition outside North Mississippi. Many political observers speculate he might be working on a 2015 gubernatorial run.
 
Chairmen shuffle for 2016
The 2014 elections aren't quite wrapped up yet, but the jockeying for 2016 has already begun. The battle to be National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman is the best defined and likely the first to be decided as Senate Republicans seek to hold on to their newfound majority. Sens. Roger Wicker (Miss.) and Dean Heller (Nev.) are squaring off to lead the committee. Both are making moves for the slot and have been calling colleagues for a vote that will take place Thursday morning. Wicker has been quietly lobbying for the job for weeks. A strike against Wicker, however, is that the Magnolia State doesn't have a big donor base. But the senator does have close ties to influential former Republican National Committee Chairman and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, which could be a boon for his fundraising pitch to members and the network he could bring to the job.
 
China, U.S. agree to limit greenhouse gases
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Obama struck a deal Wednesday to limit greenhouse gases, with China committing for the first time to cap carbon emissions and Obama unveiling a plan for deeper U.S. emissions reductions through 2025. China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, pledged in the far-reaching agreement to cap its rapidly growing carbon emissions by 2030, or earlier if possible. It also set a daunting goal of increasing the share of non-fossil fuels to 20 percent of the country's energy mix by 2030. Obama announced a target to cut U.S. emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, the first time the president has set a goal beyond the existing 17 percent target by 2020. Meeting the goals will be difficult for both countries.
 
Boost in U.S. tech sales foreseen as China, U.S. vow to work to eliminate tariffs
In a move likely to benefit U.S. information and technology companies, President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he had reached an "understanding" with China that could eliminate tariffs on global sales of high-tech equipment. If and when finalized, the tentative deal between Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping would eliminate tariffs on $1 trillion in annual global sales of such items as medical devices, global positioning systems, video game consoles and other IT equipment. That total includes $100 billion from the United States, according to the White House.
 
The 'drone' near miss that wasn't
Last spring's headlines were ominous, hinting at a dangerous new era for air travel: A drone had nearly collided with a US Airways jet over Florida, with results that could have been "catastrophic." The reality, according to a FAA document obtained by POLITICO: The pilot said his close encounter was with a remote-controlled model plane -- apparently of the type hobbyists have been flying for decades. The FAA is still investigating the incident, which might indeed have posed a risk to the passenger jet. But the newly released record offers a reminder that not everyone agrees on what is meant by the word "drone," a term that can encompass anything from a toy quadcopter to a military weapon -- complicating the debate about whether, and how, federal authorities should regulate their use in the civilian skies.
 
U.S. Bishops Struggle to Follow Lead of Francis
It was a hail and farewell moment at a tumultuous time for the Roman Catholic Church. More than 200 bishops rose to their feet Monday and gave a protracted standing ovation to Cardinal Francis George, a former president of the bishops' conference, who will step down next week as the archbishop of Chicago. Among those applauding in the conference room was the man who will soon be installed in the powerful Chicago seat, Bishop Blase J. Cupich. Pope Francis has never met him, but plucked him from the obscure diocese of Spokane, Wash., passing over archbishops considered rising stars under the two previous popes. Change is rattling the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, as the American bishops hold their annual fall meeting here this week.
 
Water conservation efforts pay off: U.S. usage lowest in decades
Americans recently passed a milestone when federal officials reported that water use across the nation had reached its lowest level in more than 45 years: good news for the environment, great news in times of drought and a major victory for conservation. What was surprising in the U.S. Geological Survey report released last week was how little of the 13% decline in national water usage was due to the public cutting back. The overwhelming savings came from big-scale industrial uses, government investigators found.
 
Meet NU president finalist Hank Bounds
Hank Bounds says he puts students first. Bounds, the Mississippi commissioner for higher education, was one of four finalists announced by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in the ongoing search for an NU president. Bounds spoke with the Daily Nebraskan about what he'd like to do if he were to accept the job.
 
Ridgeland attorney David H. Nutt is the wealthiest Mississippian, study shows
Ridgeland attorney David H. Nutt is the wealthiest Mississippian, with a net worth of $880 million, according to Wealth-X, an international wealth intelligence firm. Nutt, a graduate of Ole Miss, has represented clients in asbestos, drug, healthcare fraud and environmental litigation. In 1997, he was the primary financial backer in the landmark settlement against the major tobacco companies. More recently, Nutt defended attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs on charges he attempted to bribe a judge for a favorable ruling in a legal dispute. Scruggs ultimately pleaded guilty. In 1999, Nutt pledged donations of $14.5 million over the next 15 years to Ole Miss. The David H. Nutt Auditorium, the primary venue for student and faculty music recitals, is named in his honor.
 
Cook Library exhibit honors U. of Southern Mississippi's relationship with military
Using selections from the University Libraries Special Collections at the McCain Library and Archives, an exhibit is on display in the Cook Library lobby honoring the University of Southern Mississippi's longstanding relationship with veterans and military. Stephen Haller, curator of Historical Manuscripts and Archives, organized the exhibit. Haller is also a veteran, having served three years in the U.S. Army and in Vietnam. "On behalf of the USM Center for Veterans, Service Members and Families, we are honored that our heritage is exhibited and featured in Cook Library," said General Jeff Hammond, special advisor to the university president on military veteran student affairs.
 
USM to hold Social Business Challenge Competition
Students representing several teams at the University of Southern Mississippi will tackle one of the state's more pressing problems as part of the "Blueprint Mississippi Social Business Challenge" set for Nov. 17. Gov. Phil Bryant, the Mississippi Economic Council, and the Mississippi State Institutions of Higher Learning developed the Social Business Challenge, inviting teams of students from the state's public universities to devise a creative solution and develop a business plan to address one of Mississippi's biggest issues. One team will be chosen to represent Southern Miss and advance to the state competition at the State Capitol in Jackson next March.
 
Delta State names Tony Garcia as Alumnus of Year
Tony Garcia leads a 140-year-old international financial services company that manages more than $25 billion in assets and employs nearly 2,000 people on two continents. But for the seasoned executive, many of the values that shape his leadership style today can be traced back to a specific period in his youth -- his experience on the campus of Delta State University in the 1980s. "It was the perfect size university for me," said Garcia, who received his bachelor of business administration degree at Delta State in 1986. Currently, he is the president and CEO of Foresters in Toronto, Canada.
 
Delta State Alumni Association announces service recipients
The Delta State University National alumni Association recently announced the annual Alumni Service Awards recipients. Each year, the association presents four service awards: the Hugh Ellis Walker Alumni Service Award, the Kent Wyatt Young Alumnus Service Award, the Gladys Castles Friend of Delta State Award and the Legacy Award. The award recipients will be honored during Homecoming on Nov. 14 at the Alumni Awards Gala at 7 p.m. in the Bologna Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at the Hugh Ellis Walker Alumni House or online.
 
Miles joins East Central Community College mathematics faculty
Michael Miles of Sebastopol recently joined the faculty at East Central Community College as mathematics instructor, announced Dr. Billy Stewart, college president. Miles was previously employed by the Scott County School district as a high school mathematics instructor at Scott Central Attendance Center, a position he held since 1995. Miles attended East Central Community College and received his bachelor of science degree in mathematics education from Mississippi State University. He was awarded the master of science degree in mathematics from Mississippi College.
 
Murdered Auburn student's family may receive $1 million in inadequate campus security claim
The Alabama Board of Adjustment is expected to announce a decision Wednesday in a $1 million claim brought by the parents of a murdered Auburn University student. Lauren Burk's parents say the university's decision to merge its police force into the city's led to inadequate security on campus. Burk was an 18-year-old freshman from Marietta, Georgia. She was kidnapped from a campus parking lot at gunpoint, forced to undress and was fatally shot off campus when she tried to escape from her captor.
 
U. of Kentucky trustees ponder whether $615,825 is adequate pay for Capilouto
A special compensation committee of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees met Tuesday to discuss President Eli Capilouto's salary and how it compares to other presidents, but members quickly decided they need more information before recommending any changes. UK officials had gathered data from the Chronicle on Higher Education, which collects presidential compensation figures each year. But while most schools report base salaries, many do not report bonuses, deferred compensation or retirement benefits. Capilouto makes a base salary of $535,500 a year, plus $80,325 in retirement benefits, for a total pay package of $615,825. He also received a $150,000 performance bonus this year, but then donated $250,000 to the university for a new research building.
 
U. of Florida team to study land mine detection systems
A team of University of Florida researchers led by Joseph Wilson in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Department has received a $1 million grant to study handheld systems for detecting explosive hazards. The two-year grant from the Army Research Office will allow Wilson, Paul Gader, Arunava Banerjee and Damon Woodard, who is coming from Clemson University to join UF in January, to study the effectiveness of various ground-penetrating radar and metal detectors in finding buried land mines and other explosives, Wilson said in a news release.
 
Two dead at apartment complex commonly used by U. of South Carolina students
Two people have been found shot to death at the Copper Beech apartments, a complex about a mile south of Williams-Brice Stadium that is popular with University of South Carolina students. The Richland County Sheriff's Department found the bodies of one male and one female, each shot in the upper body. The victims had been there for some time, although investigators don't know how long, sheriff's Lt. Curtis Wilson said. All that Wilson would say about the victims is that they were in their mid-20s. Copper Beech Townhomes is south of downtown Columbia, between Shop and Bluff roads, near Interstate 77. The complex is marketed to USC students and runs a shuttle to campus and back.
 
Texas A&M center helps veterans navigate college life
When Texas A&M Interim President Mark Hussey signed a resolution on Oct. 29 to designate the school as a "Purple Heart University," A&M became just one of a handful of universities across the country to be recognized by the Military Order of the Purple Heart for such a distinction. So much of Texas A&M's history is grounded in its military tradition of graduating hundreds of cadets every year to become officers, but the Purple Heart University honor will help bolster that tradition by recognizing military veterans who attend the university, of which there are 1,066, including at least eight Purple Heart recipients. The designation will help improve the Texas A&M Veterans Resource and Support Center's on-campus presence.
 
Foreign grad population is increasing from India, but not China
The enrollment of new graduate students from outside the United States is up 8 percent this year at American graduate programs, according to data being released today by the Council of Graduate Schools. That's down slightly from a 10 percent gain a year ago, but the same increase of the prior two years before that. While the overall growth rate is strong, there was a slight (1 percent) drop in the enrollment of new students from China this fall, compared to a year ago. China is the top provider of international students to the United States. Enrollments from South Korea and Taiwan were also down. India had the second year of large increases, and Brazil's numbers (though building from a relative small base) are way up.
 
New report highlights challenges in establishing international joint or dual degree programs
A new report from the American Council on Education highlights the challenges involved when U.S. universities establish dual and joint degree programs with institutions abroad. While joint and dual degree programs are often described as mechanisms for achieving deep internationalization of the curriculum, the reality is often different, the report suggests. Enrollment in these programs, in which a student earns two degrees from two separate institutions in the case of a "dual" (also called a "double") degree, or a single credential endorsed by the two institutions in the case of a "joint" degree, is heavily skewed toward non-Americans -- suggesting that the programs are primarily being used for the purpose of recruiting international students to American institutions.
 
Do Education Programs Dole Out Too Many Easy A's?
Are teacher-training programs rigorous enough? A new study, completed by a group that has long been critical of the quality of teacher preparation, makes the case that they're not. Education students face easier coursework than their peers in other departments, according to the study, and they're more likely to graduate with honors. The report -- "Easy A's and What's Behind Them," which is to be released Wednesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality -- argues that a more-objective curriculum for teaching candidates would better prepare them for careers in the classroom.
 
Nearly 30 U. of New Orleans degree programs could be ended or restructured
A working group of faculty at the University of New Orleans has recommended eliminating three degree programs and restructuring another 25 in a report that marks a key milestone in a review process designed to assess the financially hard-pressed school's strengths and find ways to cut costs. Richard Hansen, UNO's interim provost, also issued his own recommendations, which mostly fell in line with the faculty group's. One department that appeared hard-hit was political science, with Hansen recommending both the master's and doctoral programs be eliminated, potentially calling into question the future of the acclaimed UNO Survey Research Center, which collects information about public opinion on a range of economic and political issues. Hansen said he didn't "have a good feel for that yet."
 
BOBBY HARRISON (OPINION): Prisons-for-profit backdrop in Epps bribery allegations
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "Chris Epps, talking about his unusually long tenure as commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, once joked that it would have been even longer if former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove had not made the mistake of appointing someone else to the post at the beginning of his term. Of course, that long tenure ended last week when Epps resigned from the agency only days before being charged with multiple counts of taking bribes and money laundering. Epps is accused of influencing the contracts awarded to the Department of Corrections in return for monetary gain -- nearly $1 million from 2007 until 2014. He pleaded not guilty. The irony should be noted that Epps' rise to the post of commissioner was aided at least in part by the fact his predecessor fought the private prison apparatus that had infiltrated the Mississippi Department of Corrections and eventually lost."


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State still at No. 1 in CFB Playoff rankings
Mississippi State remains in the driver's seat for the College Football Playoff. The playoff's committee released the third week of rankings Tuesday night. The Bulldogs remained No. 1. The top four teams at the end of the season will go on to play in the first-ever College Football Playoff. Florida State dropped a spot to No. 3 for the third straight week. Oregon jumped to No. 2. TCU moved into the fourth sport. Alabama is in the first spot looking in at No. 5. Arizona State is No. 6.
 
Ocean Springs' Morrow waits on his chances in Mississippi State offense
When Mississippi State junior receiver Joe Morrow gets his chances, he has to take advantage of them. And that's just what the Ocean Springs product did Saturday in a 45-16 victory over Tennessee-Martin in Starkville. He pulled in a 55-yard reception for a touchdown in the third quarter for his lone catch of the game. It was the longest catch of his career. It was also the first reception in over a month for Morrow, who had a pair of catches in each of the first two games of the season. If No. 1 MSU is to win at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Alabama, it will again likely need a big reception from one of the Bulldogs' less heralded receivers. It will be up to Morrow or one of his teammates to come up with the catch in the clutch.
 
Robinson ready to break streak of struggles for Mississippi State run game against Alabama
Something will have to give on the ground Saturday when No. 1 Mississippi State travels to No. 5 Alabama if the Bulldogs want to stay unbeaten. MSU running back Josh Robinson has been one of the best in the country this season. His 904 yards, 109.3 per game, ranks second in the SEC. He had 198 yards rushing at Kentucky and 197 at LSU, plus two other 100-plus yard games. On the other side, Mississippi State (9-0, 5-0 SEC) hasn't ran the ball well against Alabama (8-1, 5-1) the last three years.
 
Prescott, Robinson confident in Mississippi State rushing attack
As Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson walked off the practice field on Tuesday, they discussed their shared success. There's only one ball in the backfield, yet both are ranked in the top-10 in the Southeastern Conference in rushing. "At the end of the day, (we) really don't care what our numbers are as long as we win," Prescott said. Mississippi State hasn't lost in nearly a year. It dates to last year when Alabama beat the Bulldogs 20-7.
 
Mississippi State Bulldogs eager for clash with Alabama Crimson Tide
Dan Mullen twisted and squirmed to remove his wireless mic as he walked off the field on Saturday night. "Load 'em up," he told his wife the moment his postgame TV show had ended. No. 1 Mississippi State had just throttled UT Martin, 45-16, and the Bulldogs' head coach was eager to get his family home and unwind in front of the TV. His job was done. Now he could relax and watch someone else struggle. Because there on the screen waiting for him was Alabama-LSU. What Mullen saw during that four-hour slugfest had to make him smile. All the hits. All the collisions. All the wear and tear next week's opponent, Alabama, took as it eked out a 7-point win in overtime. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
 
In Starkville: Joy, pride, excitement and anxious waiting for Bama
All over Starkville and the Mississippi State campus are telltale signs that everybody's attention is on Saturday's game. Bed sheets with "Beat Bama" on them hang from dorms. MSU flags are everywhere -- on light polls along city streets, front porches of homes, fluttering from windows of passing cars, some of which have their back windows and even sides painted with "Beat Bama." There are homemade signs along roads with the same message. And it seems like every downtown business has cow bells painted on their windows, cow bells being MSU's signature thing. And all of it is good for business.
 
RICK CLEVELAND (OPINION): Bulldogs aim to rewrite history
Syndicated sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "When No. 1 ranked Mississippi State plays at No. 4 Alabama Saturday, the Bulldogs will have been undefeated for 364 days. The multi-million dollar question: Can they make it an entire year? To do so, they will have to beat the team that has owned them for the better part of a century. The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs have played 98 previous games. Bama has won 76. That's just part of why this is the biggest football game in the 119 years the maroon and white have played the sport. Don't just take it from me. 'Biggest for sure in my lifetime,' says Scott Stricklin, the State athletic director, still a young pup at 44."
 
LOGAN LOWERY (OPINION): This year's much different
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: "What a difference a year makes. When Mississippi State lost to Alabama 20-7 on Nov. 16 of last year, the Bulldogs' fan base was in a tailspin. Their team was 4-6 and had just dropped their third straight game, causing Dan Mullen's job security to be called into question. That would be MSU's last loss. It has been nearly a full calendar year since the Bulldogs have tasted defeat. Since that day, State has reeled off a dozen straight wins -- one shy of the school record. The Bulldogs have been atop the college football world at No. 1 for five consecutive weeks and control their own destiny to not only get to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game but also hold the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings."
 
Williams makes presence felt for Mississippi State women's team
Sherise Williams is doing everything she can to make her presence felt this season for the Mississippi State women's basketball team. If Sunday is any indication, Williams showed she has the potential of being just another player off the bench. The 6-foot-1 junior forward had 19 points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots in 21 minutes in MSU's 114-58 victory against Division II Arkansas-Fort Smith in an exhibition game at Humphrey Coliseum. "Whenever my number is called I have to be ready," Williams said. "Martha (Alwal) is All-SEC First Team and co-defensive player of the year. She demands respect, and this is her team."
 
LSU officials struggle to rein in rambunctious student section
Storming the field. Screaming profanities at University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban. Sending a fellow student to the hospital with blood flowing from his head. The LSU student section has been spewing profanities for years, but the rise of social media has made it easier than ever to document them, and the vulgar chants have been grabbing headlines all season. LSU officials have tried many strategies to rein in students, like issuing statements, starting a "Tradition Matters" campaign, and threatening to kick out disrespectful fans. None has worked. The rowdiness in the LSU student section represents a two-sided problem for Athletic Department officials who embrace the passion and noise, but condemn the rudeness and profanity that comes along with it.
 
While Football Ticket Prices Soar, Auburn Struggles to Profit
Most people who tried to find tickets to Auburn's high-stakes home football games against Georgia and Alabama last November were met with a bleak picture. A few days before kickoff, good seats were scarce, while sellers offering tickets online were asking $1,000 apiece. But about a month beforehand, ticket records and interviews with Auburn officials show that the school had an entirely different perspective on tickets to the Georgia and Alabama games. It was worried it wouldn't be able to move them -- even seats at face value in prime locations. Auburn's athletic department said that it took extraordinary steps to sell tickets for these games. At major football schools like Auburn -- which played in last season's national-championship game and won the 2010 title -- ticket sales and contributions are the lifeblood of the athletic department.



The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
Mississippi State University  •  Mississippi State, MS 39762  •  Main Telephone: (662) 325-2323  •   Contact: The Editor  |  The Webmaster  •   Updated: November 12, 2014Facebook Twitter