Wednesday, November 19, 2014   
 
Unified Egg Bowl Kicks Off Wednesday Afternoon at Mississippi State
Mississippi State University and Ole Miss students are getting in the zone for the upcoming Unified Egg Bowl. The event, scheduled to begin 3 p.m. Wednesday on the MSU intramural field, pits teams composed of Special Olympians and students against one another. Special Olympics Mississippi CEO and President Tony Bahou says the event is a good way to raise awareness about intellectual disabilities.
 
MSU Opera Workshop to Stage 'Guys and Dolls' This Weekend
Mississippi State's music department will present the beloved musical comedy "Guys and Dolls" this weekend on the McComas Hall main stage. Tickets for the family-friendly Opera Workshop production may be purchased at the door or reserved in advance by telephoning 662-325-3490. An oddball romantic comedy that debuted on Broadway in 1950, the creation of award-winning composer and lyricist Frank Loesser (1910-69) tells a tale "about rolling the dice and falling in love under the bright lights of Broadway." Opera Workshop instructors Tara Warfield and Jeanette Fontaine, both music department faculty members, are serving as director and assistant director for all performances.
 
Transfer workshop at MSU-Meridian focused on spring
Students interested in enrolling for the 2015 spring semester at Mississippi State University-Meridian are invited to a Dec. 1 transfer workshop. The event takes place 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Kahlmus Auditorium on the College Park campus, just off Mississippi Highway 19 North. "The workshop is for those who want to apply for admission for spring semester, register for classes or just get acquainted with the local university," said Candy Adams, MSU-Meridian recruiting coordinator. She said students already admitted to the university will be able to register for spring classes.
 
Sprinkler Failure Damages Another MSU Residence Hall
The failure of a newly installed component of the fire suppression system produced substantial water damage in one Mississippi State University residence hall early Wednesday. The damage was limited to 34 rooms in Hurst Hall and could displace as many as 68 female students in the Zacharias Village residence hall for the rest of the Fall 2014 semester. Three-story Hurst Hall has an occupancy capacity of 250 students and was built in 2006. "The new components to the fire suppression system were being installed as an upgrade to the system," said MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter. "At this time, we are evaluating both the failed component and the installation of the component in trying to determine the cause of this accident and to take immediate steps to correct the problem."
 
MSU Extension Service updates Bolivar County supervisors at luncheon
Bolivar County Supervisors and area stakeholders heard reports of the MSU Extension Service activities at a luncheon Monday following the regular supervisor meeting. Dr. Jeff Johnson, head of the Delta Research and Extension Center, told the audience, "I appreciate the work and the support the supervisors give to the Extension Service in the county and to the staff and volunteers. We look forward to great progress and great results." Laura Giaccaglia, Bolivar County Extension Service coordinator, reviewed program activities.
 
Mississippi State-Developed Apps Can Help Deer Hunters
Deer hunters can take wildlife biologists' expertise with them to the woods this season by downloading free apps from Mississippi State University. Three smartphone apps were developed by experts with the MSU Deer Lab, a collaborative effort of the MSU Extension Service and MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center. "We tried to address a variety of deer-related issues that challenge hunters and folks who manage land for deer hunting," said Bronson Strickland, Extension wildlife biologist. "We offer a variety of workshops, but with the apps, our research-based information is available whenever anyone needs it, wherever they are -- even on the deer stand."
 
R.J. Mitte Speaks to MSU Students About Overcoming Obstacles
"Breaking Bad" star R.J. Mitte talked with Mississippi State students Tuesday about his life on and off the set. Mitte is best known for his role as Walt White, Jr. on the AMC drama. His character had cerebral palsy -- the same disability he battles in life. The star encouraged students to stand up against bullies and be careful with social media posts.
 
Few comments emerge in Starkville cemetery pet ban hearing
Starkville aldermen are likely to codify a temporary ban against pets in city-maintained cemeteries after few public comments on the matter emerged Tuesday. Only two residents spoke about the looming animal ordinance revision during the first of two discussions expected before the board revises city code to state "No domesticated animal shall be allowed" in three public cemeteries. Earlier this month, aldermen instituted a moratorium that temporarily banned pets from the grounds after a growing number of complaints indicated residents are allowing their dogs to defecate in those areas without disposing of their animals' waste.
 
Higgins mum on aluminum mill report
It has long been Joe Max Higgins' modus operandi to retreat from public view when negotiations on a big deal reach the final stages. So when Higgins, CEO of the Golden Triangle Development LINK, broke his recent silence to speak at the Columbus Rotary Club meeting Tuesday at Lion Hills Center, there was speculation that he would confirm Monday's report that aluminum manufacturer American Specialty Alloys could be coming to Lowndes County. Higgins neither confirmed nor denied that report Tuesday.
 
Apple used patents of former Mississippi-based company SkyTel
A federal court in Texas told Apple to pay $23.6 million to a Texas-based communications company because the tech giant illegally used technology created by SkyTel, the communications company which was previously based in Jackson and Clinton. The Texas company, Mobile Telecommunications Technologies LLC, now owns the SkyTel patents in question. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Apple used SkyTel pager technology, created in the 1990s, in their Wi-Fi products, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.
 
Capitol leak floods Mississippi Senate chamber
This week's rain hit at the exact wrong time, before workers on a $7.4-million restoration project at the state Capitol could pour new concrete and install flashing atop the roof, and flooded the Senate chamber. Capitol staffers were emptying senators' desks on Tuesday, boxing up their files so their desks, and wet carpet, can be removed. But Senate officials said they are confident contractor Johnson Construction -- who will foot the bill for the water damage -- can clean and repair the chamber before the 2015 legislative session starts in January. "It's one of those hazards you run into with a construction project," said Sen. Terry Burton, R-Newton, chairman of the Rules Committee. "...We plan to rap the gavel at noon on Jan. 6. We will have everything ready to go."
 
State Rep. Howell Won't Seek Another Term
A long-time state representative says he won't seek another term in the November 2015 elections. Republican Bobby Howell announced this week he is stepping aside when his term ends at the end of next year. His district covers all of Montgomery County and parts of Webster, Attala, Carroll, Leflore and Grenada counties.
 
Lawmaker speaks out about supporting LGBT awareness in Mississippi
State Representative Alyce Clarke continues to speak out about the "All God's Children" LGBT campaign. In it, the longtime lawmaker talks with us about accepting and loving her gay son. Rep. Clarke is featured in one of the commercials. Tuesday she said it was the right thing to do. She recalled when she first found out son was gay. It came up during a difficult time in his life. Clarke said she has received numerous phone calls and all supported her position on this matter.
 
Report: Navy chief Ray Mabus racks up $4.7M in travel
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has racked up more than 930,000 of travel miles costing taxpayers more than $4.7 million during his five years in the position. The former Mississippi governor has taken at least 40 trips outside the U.S. as of July 2014, according to a Tuesday report by The Associated Press. Mabus said the 373 days of travel, visiting officials, sailors and Marines in more than 100 countries, is critical to his job in furthering U.S. and Navy interests abroad. An inspector general investigated the travel after receiving a complaint, and Mabus was cleared of any wrongdoing.
 
Big Money Is Helping GOP Win In State Legislatures Too
Every election cycle, big donors open their checkbooks for the Republican State Leadership Committee and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, two Washington-based party organizations that are gradually remaking state legislative elections. The two organizations send field workers, funds and consultants into the states, bringing Washington strategies and technology with them. As with the House and Senate contests, Republicans emphasized national issues in legislative races, while Democrats campaigned on local concerns. This fight isn't just about who gets the legislative clout in state capitals -- although that's important too, especially with a gridlocked Congress. There's also the redistricting coming up in 2020. In most states, legislatures draw the new district lines for members of Congress and themselves, enabling the majority party to dilute the opposition's voting strength.
 
Racial gap in U.S. arrest rates: 'Staggering disparity'
When it comes to racially lopsided arrests, the most remarkable thing about Ferguson, Mo., might be just how ordinary it is. Police in Ferguson -- which erupted into days of racially charged unrest after a white officer killed an unarmed black teen -- arrest black people at a rate nearly three times higher than people of other races. At least 1,581 other police departments across the USA arrest black people at rates even more skewed than in Ferguson, a USA TODAY analysis of arrest records shows. That includes departments in cities as large and diverse as Chicago and San Francisco and in the suburbs that encircle St. Louis, New York and Detroit. Those disparities are easier to measure than they are to explain.
 
Judge's ruling reversed; FAA can regulate small drones
The government has the power to hold drone operators accountable when they operate the remote-control aircraft recklessly, a federal safety board ruled Tuesday in a setback to small drone operators chafing under Federal Aviation Administration restrictions. The National Transportation safety Board, which hears appeals of Federal Aviation Administration enforcement actions, ruled that small drones are a type of aircraft and fall under existing FAA rules. The decision strengthens the FAA's position as the agency tries to cope with a surge in use of unmanned aircraft, some weighing no more than a few pounds and available for purchase on the Internet and in hobby shops for as little as a few hundred dollars.
 
MUW student works for LGBT acceptance, understanding
For a long time, Blossom Brown hid. She was pulled toward dolls as a child. Her parents did not approve. So she would wait until no one was around, pull out a doll, and play, alone. Around the time she turned 20, though, and was living on her own in a Jackson apartment, Brown stopped hiding. She embraced who she was. She always identified as a woman, and began living the life she wanted. That was eight years ago. Today, Brown is a 28-year-old junior at Mississippi University for Women. She is a transgender woman. A transgender person is someone designated one gender at birth, but who identifies as the other.
 
Tupelo High to offer Japanese course
Tupelo High School students will be able to study Japanese next fall. The school has reached a partnership with the University of Mississippi to become the first in the state to offer a Japanese language course. Students can earn college credit from the course, which will be taught on the THS campus by a graduate student from Japan. The teacher will be secured through a partnership with the Alliance for Language Learning and Educational Exchange and will also take master's level classes from UM.
 
USM professor among Pillsbury bake-off contest judges
Dr. Andrew Haley's discerning palate may help decide who wins the Pillsbury Bake-Off's $1 million grand prize. Haley, an associate professor of American cultural history at the University of Southern Mississippi, recently participated as one of 11 recipe judges in the famed national culinary event, which narrowed a field of 100 finalists to four on Nov. 3 at the Omni Hotel in Nashville. The overall winner will be announced Dec. 3 on ABC-TV' s "The Chew." "All of the entries were good, but some were especially creative," Haley said. "The judges' decisions were by consensus so after we rated each entry independently, we debated their various merits. Choosing finalists was not easy."
 
Rapiscan's metal detection system passes USM testing
Rapiscan Systems Inc.'s Metor 6WP walk through metal detector has passed lab-testing by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi. Following an extensive evaluation in the National Sports Security Laboratory at USM, NCS4 has confirmed that the Metor 6WP performed at or above the levels considered by evaluators to fully meet their requirements. NCS4 has concluded that the Metor 6WP meets the operational and technological needs of operations and security personnel at sports venues. The Metor 6WP is a metal detector that combines advanced metal detection technology with a practical, waterproof design.
 
New East Mississippi Community College marketing instructor teaching beyond classroom
While teaching Army infantry tactics at Fort Knox in Kentucky, Joshua Carroll picked up the methods he now applies to teaching business marketing at East Mississippi Community College. That's why Carroll and his students are frequently absent from their classroom at EMCC's Golden Triangle campus. During his first semester, the French Camp native has already taken his students on field trips to the Commercial Dispatch, WFCA Radio and WCBI Television to learn about selling ads in various media, as well as production methods in each. "We don't just cover marketing. We cover business management and human resource management. I teach them entrepreneurship, a little bit of web design, how to combine social media with e-commerce," said Carroll.
 
U. of Alabama scholarship established in late businessman's honor
A scholarship in the memory of a University of Alabama alumnus and businessman has been established at the University of Alabama's College of Arts and Sciences. The scholarship honors the memory of Larry Drummond, the vice chairman of the Drummond Co., who died in 2012. Drummond Co. is a Birmingham-based coal company established in 1935. The scholarship was established through a $50,000 donation from the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation. Proceeds from the Alabama Governor's One-Shot Turkey Hunt fundraiser hosted by the foundation earlier this year funded the donation. The hunt is designed to showcase the state as a destination for business, industry and nature-based tourism.
 
UGA graduation rates up again, setting record
More students are graduating from the University of Georgia, UGA officials announced Tuesday. About 63 percent of the class that entered in 2010 graduated within four years, and nearly 85 percent of those who began studies in 2008 got a degree within six years, according to data the university is required to file with the federal government. Both figures are new records for UGA, which has seen its graduation rates climb steadily since the 1970s as the state has grown and it's gotten tougher to gain admission to UGA. University officials last spring announced new steps to boost graduation rates, including hiring more academic advisers.
 
Sexual consent: at UGA it doesn't have to be verbal, but should be clear
University of Georgia policy doesn't require people to actually say "yes" to give consent to a mutual sexual act, but it does require students, faculty and others covered by the policy to make sure both people mean "yes," even if they don't say it in words. Members of the university's Title IX Office explained the policy in a lightly attended forum on the UGA campus Monday evening. Unlike most UGA conduct policies, sexual assault rules are enforced by the Title IX Office, since such offenses are covered by the federal Title IX law that prohibits discrimination based on sex at colleges that receive federal funding. The office also enforces related rules on subjects such as sexual harassment contained in the university's non-discrimination and anti-harassment policy.
 
U. of South Carolina mourns death of professor
Tributes poured in from Gamecock athletes and others Tuesday, remembering psychology professor Kendra Cusaac as someone who touched many lives across the University of South Carolina campus. Cusaac, 45, died Monday. The cause of death was not immediately known. Douglas Wedell, chairman of the University of South Carolina Department of Psychology, said Cusaac was a vibrant teacher who had a huge effect on her students. Wedell said he had been dropping in on her classes, notifiying students of her passing.
 
Riskier Majors May Become More Attractive if People Know Upside
Students' choice of academic major can be influenced heavily by how information about their potential earnings is framed, suggests a new study scheduled to be discussed at this week's annual conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. People told about pay variation in fields appear to look more favorably upon higher-risk majors with potentially big payoffs than do people who are provided only figures on average earnings, the study concluded. What remains unclear, according to a paper summarizing the study's findings, is whether people's expectations of financial success are based on realistic assessments of ability or on their own tendencies toward optimism or pessimism.
 
Performance-based funding provokes concern among college administrators
Performance-based funding is increasingly popular among both state and federal policy makers, who want public institutions to graduate more students, more efficiently. Yet colleges may cope with these funding formulas by using grade inflation or admitting fewer at-risk students. That was the central finding of a survey of college administrators in Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee, all of which have substantial performance-funding policies in place. In addition to unintended consequences such as weakened academic standards and tightened admissions policies, the survey's respondents cited concerns about the costs of compliance with performance funding and damage to cooperation between institutions. Lower morale, a narrowing of the institutional mission, and threats to the faculty role in governance also made the list.


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State's Mullen expecting test from Vanderbilt
For weeks, Dan Mullen has told his team, fans and the media, the only reward for playing a big game in the Southeastern Conference is an even bigger one the following week. Mississippi State played in what many called the biggest game in the program history last week against Alabama. It's reward? Vanderbilt -- a team that hasn't won a game against a major-conference opponent. "Go ask our team's opinion of Arkansas," Mullen said. "You could've said the same thing about a couple of weeks ago." Mississippi State needed a fourth-quarter comeback against the Razorbacks two weeks ago. The Bulldogs won by a seven points in the closest game it played all year.
 
Vanderbilt using practice to prepare for cowbells
Vanderbilt hasn't come to Starkville since 2008. Saturday's trip to Davis Wade Stadium will be the first for its coaches and players, including Derek Mason. The first-year coach came from the Pac-12 and Stanford. That means he'll experience his first contest surrounded by cowbells. "Pushing cowbell sounds through our PA system, whether it's outdoors or in our indoor facility, we've had those cowbells ringing as loud as we can," Mason said. Vanderbilt hasn't played at Davis Wade Stadium since its expansion. The renovation enclosed the north end zone, which has created an even louder atmosphere.
 
Mississippi State's Beckwith has traveled road from walk-on to starter
Ben Beckwith didn't know what to expect. A walk-on offensive lineman entering his junior season, Beckwith was going through his daily workout at Mississippi State's football facility one spring day in 2013. During the workout, though, Beckwith was told to report to MSU coach Dan Mullen's office. "I didn't know what it could be," Beckwith said. "It really caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting it. I didn't know if it was good news or bad news." It was great news. Following three seasons of toiling in the background after joining the team in 2010 from tiny Benton Academy in Yazoo County, Beckwith trudged into Mullen's office as a walk-on offensive guard. He left with a scholarship.
 
Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott leads Conerly Trophy finalists
Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott is among the first three finalists named for the 2014 C Spire Conerly Trophy, officials announced Tuesday. Joining Prescott as finalists are Belhaven wide receiver Greg Livingston and Mississippi College defensive back Dylan Klibert. Mississippi's 10 football-playing senior colleges have until Nov. 24 to submit their individual finalists for the trophy that annually goes to the state's top college football player. The C Spire Conerly Trophy will be awarded Dec. 2 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
 
Mississippi State's Dan Mullen a semifinalist for Maxwell Coach of the Year
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Coach of the Year Award. The sixth-year coach led MSU to its first 9-0 record in school history. It came with the program's first No. 1 ranking. Mississippi State is ranked fourth in the most recent College Football Playoff ranking. At 9-1, Mullen and the Bulldogs host Vanderbilt in the final home game of the season this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (SECN).
 
Alabama Takes Top Spot in the College Football Playoff Rankings
On Tuesday night, when it released its fourth set of rankings, the College Football Playoff's 12-member selection committee told the five major conferences how it really felt about them. In leading its rankings with Alabama, Oregon, Florida State (the only undefeated major-conference team) and Mississippi State, in that order, the committee communicated that the other conferences were not on the same level as the Southeastern Conference, whose teams bookended the top four. "We feel like Alabama is the most complete team right now," the committee's chairman, Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long, said on ESPN2. Addressing Saturday's game, he added, "While Alabama controlled it, Mississippi State was within striking distance."
 
Win out and Mississippi State has strong shot at College Football Playoff
There was much speculation, in all corners of the country, about Mississippi State's position in the postseason after its loss last weekend. The only people who matter weighed in Tuesday night. The College Football Playoff Ranking Committee placed the Bulldogs at No. 4. The top four teams will play for the national championship beginning on Jan. 1. "The thing about Mississippi State is, that game with Alabama, while we would say Alabama controlled that game, it did end up a five-point game and you never felt like Mississippi State was out of that game," College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said to ESPN.
 
LOGAN LOWERY (OPINION): Bulldogs still have plenty to play for
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: "Coach Dan Mullen and his players were visibly shaken by the loss in Tuscaloosa. After all, it had been a year (364 days to be exact) since the team had suffered defeat. So now what? Where do the Bulldogs go from here now that their undefeated season is over along with a five week run at No. 1? We will certainly find out. Mississippi State is still very very much alive the College Football Playoff standings at No. 4 but needs an Alabama loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl to reach the SEC Championship game. ...Should the Bulldogs win out, they would have a strong argument and resume for the College Football Playoff selection committee to consider."
 
Mississippi State women will face test vs. No. 17 West Virginia
Brian Boyer has had plenty of success against Southeastern Conference opponents in his time as women's basketball coach at Arkansas State. Boyer sported a 5-1 record against SEC teams prior to his squad's game against Mississippi State on Sunday. The Red Wolves, the Sun Belt Conference coaches' preseason pick to win the league this season, gave the Bulldogs all they could handle before falling 93-83 in the second round of the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament at Humphrey Coliseum. Boyer feels MSU coach Vic Schaefer's team could give the rest of the SEC plenty of problems, too, once league play begins next year.
 
Southeastern Raptor Center kicks off auction of Auburn gameday eagle jesses, lures
Auburn University's Southeastern Raptor Center has begun the first in a series of live online auctions of jesses and lures handcrafted especially for the Auburn eagle's gameday flight to support the center's mission of rehabilitation and conservation. The custom jesses, which are cuffs worn around the eagle's ankles and straps, and the lure, used to entice the eagle to land midfield, are one-of-a-kind Auburn items made by volunteers and used one time -- during the Auburn eagle's pre-game flight before each home game.
 
Student accuses U. of Tennessee football players Johnson, Williams of rape
A 19-year-old University of Tennessee student told Knoxville police that football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams raped her, according to an incident report released a day after the two were suspended from all team activities. The woman, along with a second 19-year-old woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by Williams, said the attacks took place between 1:45 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the Woodlands apartment complex in South Knoxville, according to a report made available Tuesday by the Knoxville Police Department. Johnson, 22, a senior linebacker, and Williams, 21, a sophomore cornerback, were suspended Monday from all team activities, hours after head football coach Butch Jones said -- without identifying them -- that UT football players were part of an investigation into an alleged rape and sexual assault over the weekend.
 
Butch Jones: Rape allegations 'very difficult' on Vols
A day after rape allegations emerged against two of his players, University of Tennessee football coach Butch Jones called the situation "very difficult" for the team, but declined to comment on when and how he first learned about the alleged incidents. Vols star linebacker A.J. Johnson and defensive back Michael Williams have been named as suspects in the rape and sexual assault of two women in an off-campus apartment complex in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to a report by Knoxville police. Jones said Tuesday he couldn't comment on the investigation, but offered brief remarks about its impact on the team. "Obviously it's very difficult," Jones said about preparing for Senior Day -- a celebration of team seniors preceding Saturday's game -- without Johnson, one of the senior team leaders.
 
Woman charged with defrauding on South Carolina and Clemson game tickets
Sheriff's deputies say a Greenville woman sold tickets and parking passes for Clemson and University of South Carolina games but never delivered the goods. Greenville County deputies tell local media outlets Tuesday that the tickets were allegedly sold online by 51-year-old Melissa McAffe Grey of Greenville.
 
Are selective colleges with big-time sports at greater risk for compromising academics?
"The original sin of college sports is willfully admitting deficient or unprepared students into an institution," Gerald Gurney, president of the Drake Group and the former president of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics, said. "Admissions, specifically special admissions, is the single most problematic issue in college sports. It's particularly troublesome with highly selective institutions." The National Collegiate Athletic Association sets minimum standards athletes must meet to be eligible to play sports, but leaves admissions practices up to individual institutions, allowing athletes who do not meet "standard or normal entrance requirements" to be admitted to colleges through "special admissions" programs.



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 19, 2014Facebook Twitter