Tuesday, December 2, 2014   
 
New Mississippi State apparel store opens in Starkville
Last month, Maroon & Co. opened in Starkville. Ryan Robinson, the store's marketing director, said that put simply, the business offers gameday apparel for MSU fans and lifestyle apparel for most anyone. There are Bulldog-themed shirts and hoodies (Adidas, Under Armour, etc.) and tailgating supplies for football fans, as well as name brand (NorthFace, Patagonia, etc.) clothing and shoes for men, women and children. The store's tagline is "Bold spirit, classic style." Maroon & Co.'s name comes from the feeling the word "maroon" inspires in the MSU community, Robinson said, explaining that it's more about an emotion than a color.
 
Today's farms awash in data: But what to do with it?
The technology that has revolutionized agriculture -- saving labor, time, energy and inputs -- is creating another challenge for farmers and others all along the production/marketing chain: massive amounts of data. And surrounding all that data are a host of questions about how it can be used, who owns it, who can access it, how private it can be, etc. "Today, the average corn farmer in the U.S. can easily generate 0.5 kilobits of data per plant per year, or 26 megabytes per acre per year," says John Fulton, who spoke at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Agricultural Economics Association at Mississippi State University. Multiply that across a thousand acres, or thousands of acres, and the amount of data becomes enormous, he says. But the majority of that data isn't being captured for analysis and use.
 
Oktibbeha County supervisors again mulling hauling rules
For the second time this year, Oktibbeha County supervisors appear willing to penalize construction companies whose heavy vehicles continue to damage public roadways. Supervisors instructed board attorney Jackson Brown Monday to study a potential new policy that could produce a ticketing mechanism for deputies and constables in order to curb heavy truck usage on unapproved county roads. Developers do check in with county officials in regard to the routes their equipment will use, District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery said, but the county's ability to enforce transportation agreements is almost futile without an ordinance's explicit directive. Supervisors received numerous infrastructure complaints this year from Blackjack Road residents as developers continue building large-scale, commercial apartments in the area.
 
Starkville High School Robotics Team Preparing for Regional Competition
The Starkville High School robotics team will be headed to Auburn, Ala., to compete in a regional competition. The team was crowned state champions for the third year in a row in October. The team will depart Dec. 5. "Since the state competition, we have actually made a few improvements to the robot itself, and a few adjustments to our marketing strategy and overall teamwork and abilities," said student Justin Rickles. "It's my senior year. It's our third year in a row, and we are just hoping to make the best out of it and get a little better than we did last year." Starkville High is no stranger to the regional competition. Last year, the team came in seventh place, and hopes to improve on that.
 
State retirees should have their direct deposit
All Mississippi Public Employees' Retirement System Executive Director Pat Robertson says retirees and benefit recipients should have their December direct deposit payments by this afternoon Deposits should have been in accounts by Monday morning, but they were not due to an error. Robertson said all December direct deposits for benefits were delayed due to a processing error by staff. Paper check benefits were mailed, as usual. PERS asks that benefit recipients who incurred bank fees due to the delayed deposit contact PERS at either (800) 444-7377 or (601) 359-3589 and ask for the Benefits Payments Division.
 
Reeves wants Mississippi to shelve Common Core standards
The lieutenant governor said Monday that he wants Mississippi to stop using the Common Core State Standards to guide its public school curriculum and instead create its own higher standards. "Mississippi children deserve standards developed by teachers and parents," Republican Tate Reeves said Monday at a luncheon sponsored by Mississippi State University's Stennis Institute of Government and the Capitol press corps. Reeves could not cite any specific instances of inappropriate federal involvement in Mississippi, but said he'd seen such involvement "throughout America." He took the position less than a year before the 2015 state elections.
 
Tate Reeves wants Common Core scrapped
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves wants to scrap the Common Core academic standards that Mississippi educators have been working to enact since 2010. Reeves, the first-term Republican lieutenant governor, announced at the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute/Capitol press corps luncheon Monday that he wants a task force to be formed during the upcoming 2015 legislative session to develop Mississippi's own academic standards. Carey Wright, who was hired about a year ago by the state board as the superintendent of education, has been an ardent supporter of Common Core. At Monday's luncheon, Reeves was asked if Wright should resign. He immediately said no, and discounted the question, praising Wright as an education reformer.
 
Reeves wants Common Core scrapped
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves wants to scrap the Common Core academic standards that Mississippi educators have been working to enact since 2010. Reeves, the first-term Republican lieutenant governor, announced at the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute/Capitol press corps luncheon Monday that he wants a task force to be formed during the upcoming 2015 legislative session to develop Mississippi's own academic standards. In June, Reeves' fellow Republican, Gov. Phil Bryant, called Common Core a "failed program" and indicated it was something the Legislature might need to address.
 
Reeves wants to scrap Common Core
After five years of work by educators and millions of dollars spent, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday said Mississippi should scrap Common Core education standards and come up with its own. At least one lawmaker says the move could cost the state $100 million or more and take years of work. Education leaders warned against "changing the playbook in the middle of the game" based on "misinformation." Reeves on Monday, speaking at the Stennis Institute of Government's Capitol press corps luncheon, said he believes the Legislature should create a task force and come up with its own education standards.
 
State education board chairman, superintendent take issue with Reeves call to drop Common Core
Mississippi Board of Education chairman John Kelly and state superintendent Carey Wright have issued a joint statement taking issue with Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' call Monday for the state to drop Common Core standards and replace them with state-created standards. Reeves made his comments during a luncheon sponsored by Mississippi State University's Stennis Institute on Government and the Capitol press corps. In his remarks, Reeves said he wanted the Legislature to form a task force to set the new standards.
 
Lt. Governor Changes Stance on Common Core
Lt. Governor Tate Reeves says Mississippi needs to stop efforts to implement new Common Core education standards. This is a reversal of his previous position on Common Core. Speaking at a press lunch in Jackson, the lieutenant governor says the Common Core standards are no longer being developed and controlled at the state level. He wants the Legislature to appoint a task force to devise new standards, bypassing the state Board of Education. This is a shocking change for public education advocates like Nancy Loome of the Parents Campaign.
 
Fitch discusses new Treasury programs
Mississippi's treasury department is looking forward to a good year in 2015, with the help of some recently implemented financial savings and literacy programs. On Monday, state Treasurer Lynn Fitch met with the Hattiesburg American, where she discussed several aspects of the new programs. It was one of several stops Fitch made Monday in Hattiesburg, including visits to the American Red Cross and the South Mississippi Children's Center. "I wanted to share some updates, kind of a treasurer's status report, because we've had so many good things that have been happening in the last few months, which will springboard into 2015," Fitch said.
 
Hosemann: Check on charities before donating
About one-quarter of charities registered in Mississippi are spending more than the recommended amount of money on fundraising and management. That's according to Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, whose office publishes a report on charitable organizations that raise at least $25,000 a year. Hosemann is urging people to check on charities before they donate money.
 
Basic Costs Squeeze Families
The American middle class has absorbed a steep increase in the cost of health care and other necessities as incomes have stagnated over the past half decade, a squeeze that has forced families to cut back spending on everything from clothing to restaurants. Health-care spending by middle-income Americans rose 24% between 2007 and 2013, driven by an even larger rise in the cost of buying health insurance, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of detailed consumer-spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That hit has been accompanied by increases in spending on other necessities, including food eaten at home, rent and education, as well as the soaring cost of staying connected digitally via cellphones and home Internet service.
 
As oil prices plunge, wide-ranging effects for consumers and the global economy
Tumbling oil prices are draining hundreds of billions of dollars from the coffers of oil-rich exporters and oil companies and injecting a much-needed boost for ailing economies in Europe and Japan -- and for American consumers at the start of the peak shopping season. The result could be one of the biggest transfers of wealth in history, potentially reshaping everything from talks over Iran's nuclear program to the Federal Reserve's policies to further rejuvenate the U.S. economy. The question facing investors, companies and policymakers is how low oil prices will go -- and for how long.
 
Why did FBI urge US troops to scrub social media accounts?
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a rather dire warning to US troops this week, urging them to scrub their Facebook accounts of information that might help Islamic State fighters attack them. The federal bulletin, sent to law enforcement agencies, tells current and former service members to "review their online social media accounts for any information that might serve to attract the attention of ISIL [ISIS] and its supporters." How significant is this latest alarm? In the Pentagon, at least, not very. Pentagon officials say that they are not aware of any new intelligence that may have prompted the bulletin, and in fact have long issued these same guidelines to troops.
 
U.K. Security Experts Worried About Terrorist Attack Around Christmas
Counterterrorism officials in the U.S. and the United Kingdom have been quietly discussing an outright ban on hand-carried luggage aboard airplanes for weeks now in the wake of intelligence reports that suggest al-Qaida may be planning to target planes around Europe before the Christmas holidays. The Express newspaper reported that U.K. officials have intelligence that suggests al-Qaida has been planning a high-profile attack on five commercial flights sometime before Christmas. U.S. officials confirmed to NPR that they had been aware of the threat but could not say how far the plot had progressed and whether revealing it publicly now makes it less likely.
 
Austin gunman linked to extremist Christian group, police say
Larry Steven McQuilliams, who fired more than 100 gunshots at government offices in Austin, Texas, last week until he was killed by police, was a "homegrown American extremist" connected to a right-wing Christian group, police said Monday. "He had hate in his heart," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said. McQuilliams, 49, belonged to the Phineas Priesthood, police said, describing the organization as a white supremacist group based in the Pacific Northwest that is responsible for armed robberies, abortion clinic bombings and planned attacks on FBI buildings.
 
Working the Land and the Data
Kip Tom, a seventh-generation family farmer, harvests the staples of modern agriculture: seed corn, feed corn, soybeans and data. "I'm hooked on a drug of information and productivity," he said, sitting in an office filled with computer screens and a whiteboard covered with schematics and plans for his farm's computer network. Mr. Tom, 59, is as much a chief technology officer as he is a farmer. Where his great-great-grandfather hitched a mule, "we've got sensors on the combine, GPS data from satellites, cellular modems on self-driving tractors, apps for irrigation on iPhones," he said. The demise of the small family farm has been a long time coming. But for farmers like Mr. Tom, technology offers a lifeline, a way to navigate the boom-and-bust cycles of making a living from the land. It is also helping them grow to compete with giant agribusinesses.
 
Ole Miss continues campus-wide sustainability projects
The University of Mississippi has saved over $1 million on gas and electricity since implementing a wide range of energy efficient practices -- from new window treatments in the library to designing new buildings to be energy efficient. With the university's commitment to become a more efficient campus came the creation of the Office of Sustainability. "(The office) was created to facilitate the diffusion of the principles of sustainability throughout campus," said Anne McCauley, assistant director of the Office of Sustainability. "We help transform the campus into a more sustainable institution." "We want to use the least amount of energy for heating and cooling and that sort of thing," said Danny Blanton, director of public relations.
 
FNC Inc. groundbreaking set for Tuesday in Oxford
FNC Inc., an Internet-based real estate listing company, is breaking ground Tuesday on an expansion of its operation in Oxford. The Oxford Eagle reports the company is building a 68,000-square-foot headquarters. Gov. Phil Bryant will participate in the ceremony. Launched in 1995 by Bill Rayburn and three other University of Mississippi business professors, FNC said it is pioneering new ways to streamline lenders' mortgage-approval processes.
 
Jackson State students protest Ferguson decision
With their hands raised in the air and their mouths covered with duct tape, around 100 students at Jackson State University staged a peaceful protest Monday afternoon in the wake of a grand jury's decision not to indict the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. Students quietly marched about 200 yards through the center of campus while others stopped between classes to watch. The protest, which was organized and led by JSU students, is the latest in a national string of similar "Hands Up Walkout" demonstrations. "We wanted to show that Jackson State University stands with the nation in outrage over the grand jury's decision," said Henry Goss, a JSU student and one of the main organizers.
 
Auburn launches global network of universities in fight against hunger
Auburn University will lead a coalition of nearly 50 universities worldwide that have banded together to address the global issue of hunger and malnutrition. On Dec. 9, Auburn President Jay Gogue and leaders from the other universities will have a public signing of the Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security at the United Nations in New York City. PUSH member institutions include land-grants, liberal arts, faith-based, historically black and Hispanic-serving colleges and universities from five continents. Auburn is joined by Tuskegee University and also fellow SEC members Mississippi State, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama. "Land-grant universities have always supported the advancement of food security through research, teaching, and outreach as part of their historical mission," said Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State University and PUSH steering committee chair.
 
Lawmaker seeks to expand U. of Alabama board of trustees
A state legislator wants to expand the University of Alabama's board of trustees to allow more input from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Williams wants to expand the board from 17 members to 27, including mayors of Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville, home of the University of Alabama in Huntsville. A change would require a constitutional amendment approved by voters.
 
New pianos for LSU a legacy of Rodrigue's Blue Dog
A few notes were all that were needed to hook Michael Gurt. The LSU professor of piano tried a couple of keys on one of 15 new Steinway upright pianos in the LSU School of Music's lobby Monday morning and then gracefully slid into a full-fledged musical passage. "Quality makes all the difference," Gurt said. And the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts delivered the highest quality in pianos to the music school Sunday night. The foundation purchased the pianos, valued at $125,000 altogether, with proceeds raised through sales of a posthumous, limited edition print made from George Rodrigue's painting "Take Five."
 
UGA groups planning peaceful march to honor Michael Brown
A group of Athens protesters plan to march today in support of Ferguson, Mo., police shooting victim Michael Brown. The protest follows several others across the country, including many on Monday, in the wake of a Missouri grand jury's decision not to indict former Ferguson police office Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Brown. The University of Georgia NAACP and the UGA Office of Student Affairs Multicultural Services and Programs is organizing a peaceful vigil and march in honor of Brown starting at 5:30 p.m. today at the UGA Arch and ending at Tate Plaza.
 
U. of Kentucky HealthCare unveils new cardiac care unit
University of Kentucky HealthCare unveiled a new cardiac care unit Monday on the eighth floor of Pavilion A in Albert B. Chandler Hospital. With 32 intensive care beds and 32 progressive care beds, UK officials said, the new unit is one of the largest in the country. It will open to patients on Sunday. "It has long been our goal to be Kentucky's resource for highly complex quaternary care so that patients don't have to go out of state for the best treatments available," said Michael Karpf, UK's executive vice president for health affairs.
 
Texas A&M students join national show of solidarity with Ferguson shooting victim
A small group of Texas A&M University students marched on campus Monday afternoon as part of a nationwide "Hands Up Walk Out" demonstration showing solidarity with Michael Brown, the Ferguson, Missouri, man killed by police officer Darren Wilson Aug. 9. The march, led by political science major Angela Ghazi, started with six students at 12:01 p.m. in Rudder Plaza and grew by 10 participants during the march along Military Walk to the Northgate District. The group chanted "Justice for Mike Brown," "Hands up, don't shoot" and "Black lives matter" with hands raised above their heads. Activists called for students to walk out of schools and employees to walk out of their jobs nationwide Monday following a holiday weekend of protests in St. Louis.
 
Administrators hear criticism at U. of Missouri forum on Ferguson
The University of Missouri hosted an open forum Monday afternoon for the campus to discuss recent events in Ferguson. Some of the speakers said the forum and university leaders' comments about the unrest happening a little more than 100 miles away were too little, too late. "We've been carrying something in our spirits that makes it harder to even exist on a campus in the state that this happened in," said Carl Kenney, part-time journalism professor. Kenney noted that the forum was taking place two weeks before the end of the semester.
 
First-generation students find new campus sanctuary at U. of Missouri
At age 10, University of Missouri junior Ngan "May" Do moved to the United States from a rural village in Vietnam with her mother and younger sister. Neither of Do's parents attended college, making Do a first-generation college student. Her personal experience as a first-generation student began her junior year of high school. Learning to be so independent at such a young age can be difficult for many students, in particular first-generation college students. At MU, a new student organization known as the First Generation Student Association began when Nicholas Holladay, an adviser in the Department of Biological Sciences, reached out to a few upperclassmen to conduct a seminar for first-generation students.
 
Media mogul gives Clemson $3.3 million for waterfowl research
Clemson University will use a $3.3 million gift to establish a waterfowl and wetlands research center in coastal South Carolina. The university announced Monday that media and automotive services conglomerate executive James C. Kennedy donated the money. The center would be the first endowed waterfowl conservation site of its kind in the Atlantic Flyway of the eastern United States, the university said in a news release. Kennedy, chairman of Cox Enterprises, has served on the board of Ducks Unlimited and is a former president of Wetlands America Trust Inc.
 
For some research universities, flexibility and modularity influence long-term plans
Some of the country's most rigorous research universities have a new obsession: flexibility. As the institutions contemplate a more modular future, experiments with blended learning may provide an early glimpse at their plans. Through strategic visions and partnerships, institutions such as Duke and Harvard Universities and the Georgia and Massachusetts Institutes of Technology are laying the groundwork for curriculums that will be delivered through a combination of face-to-face instruction, blended courses and distance education. A common goal is to offer students "flexibility" -- a word several administrators used to summarize their institutions' aspirations.
 
Most College Students Don't Earn a Degree in 4 Years, Study Finds
The vast majority of students at American public colleges do not graduate on time, according to a new report from Complete College America, a nonprofit group based in Indianapolis. "Students and parents know that time is money," said the report, called "Four-Year Myth." "The reality is that our system of higher education costs too much, takes too long and graduates too few." At most public universities, only 19 percent of full-time students earn a bachelor's degree in four years, the report found. Even at state flagship universities -- selective, research-intensive institutions -- only 36 percent of full-time students complete their bachelor's degree on time.
 
Author of Rolling Stone article on alleged U-Va. rape didn't talk to accused perpetrator
The writer of a blockbuster Rolling Stone magazine story about an alleged gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity has said that she was unable to contact or interview the men who supposedly perpetrated the crime. In interviews with The Washington Post and Slate.com last week, writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely declined to answer repeated questions about the men's response to an allegation by a female student named Jackie that they had sexually assaulted her at a U-Va. fraternity party in 2012. However, in a podcast interview with Slate, Erdely indicated that she was unable to locate the fraternity brothers in the course of her reporting to get their side of the story. News organizations typically seek comment from those accused of criminal acts or from their attorneys as a matter of fairness and balance, as well as to confirm that the individuals exist.
 
BILL CRAWFORD (OPINION): Bounds may be good for Nebraska
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "IHL Commissioner Hank Bounds is a finalist for president of the University of Nebraska, a five campus system not unlike the multi-campus Mississippi system Bounds oversees as commissioner. ...While never having held a major position at a university, Bounds has administrative experience as State Superintendent of Education from 2005 to 2009 and as IHL Commissioner that give him expertise and perspective few system administrators can provide. He begins interviews on Dec. 8 and looks to be a strong candidate and a good fit for Nebraska."
 
CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): Fast disclosure in Missouri was wise
Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "Whether grand jurors in Missouri did the right thing will be debated for years. Beyond debate is the wisdom of the decision to go public -- instantly -- with reports, photos, drawings and testimony transcripts related to the death of Michael Brown. There was opportunistic thuggery after disclosure of the decision not to charge Darren Wilson of the Ferguson police with criminality in the killing of the 18-year-old. What better way to take a stand against injustice than by raiding the closest liquor store and stealing all the booze? But for truth-seekers -- including those affirmed by the decision as well as those enraged -- there was an instant stockpile of data. And it was an enlightening stockpile."
 
GARY PETTUS (OPINION): Chris McDaniel 'hasn't lost his nerve'
Jackson-based journalist and syndicated columnist Gary Pettus writes in The Clarion-Ledger: "Ex-U.S. Senate candidate Chris 'Never Surrender' McDaniel has formed the United Conservative Fund, his former campaign coalition coordinator has said. ...McDaniel is the tea party candidate who lost in the June primary to incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, and then lost his election challenge in an appeal dismissed by the Mississippi Supreme Court, which ruled that he missed the deadline. But he hasn't lost his nerve in spite of tone-deaf miscues committed during (and sometimes before) his campaign by himself and supporters..."


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State's Prescott among favorites for Conerly Trophy tonight
Three days after Ole Miss topped Mississippi State to win the Egg Bowl, the Rebels and Bulldogs will go head-to-head again tonight with the state's top individual football award up for grabs. MSU quarterback Dak Prescott and Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golson enter tonight's ceremony for the Conerly Trophy, given annually to the state's top college football player, as the two heavy favorites among a field of 10 candidates. The award, handed out annually since 1996, will be presented to the winner at a ceremony held at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. Prescott, MSU's nominee for the award, enters tonight's ceremony as the leading touchdown-scorer in the Southeastern Conference.
 
Mullen brings blueprint to Mississippi State
Prior to the 2014 season, Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott got his picture taken inside the Georgia Dome. He wanted to get a feel for the site of where the Southeastern Conference championship game would be. Last spring, wide receiver De'Runnya Wilson referred to the 2014 schedule as including 15 games, the amount it would take to win the College Football Playoff. While the nation began to take notice of MSU as a national power around late October, the Bulldogs had believed they were one much earlier. Credit that to coach Dan Mullen, who arrived to Starkville in 2009 with a blueprint.
 
Mississippi State looks ahead after loss
The Mississippi State football team won't win a national championship this season. The Bulldogs won't play for a Southeastern Conference title, either. In the aftermath of a 31-17 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, those realities were harsh for the Bulldogs, but hope remained. "It hurts," MSU defensive lineman Kaleb Eulls said, "but it doesn't take away from the season we had. We will have to bounce back from this and get ready for a bowl." That's the reality MSU faces after Ole Miss denied it a chance to win the Southeastern Conference's Western Division and knocked it out of the No. 4 spot in the rankings for the inaugural College Football Playoff. Now the Bulldogs will have to wait their fate until Sunday, when they will earn an invitation to a bowl game.
 
Mississippi State sets 23 new school records in 2014
Mississippi State completed its best regular season in program history by setting 23 school records. The one that stands out is wins with 10. It tied the most wins in a season and set a new high for wins in a regular season. The Bulldogs can capture No. 11 in this year's bowl game. Bowls will be announced on Sunday. Of the 23, 17 came on offense. Dak Prescott set 10 school records in his junior season, including passing yards, total yards, completions percentage and touchdowns responsible.
 
Mississippi State's Kaleb Eulls accepts invite to Senior Bowl
Mississippi State will have at least two representatives in this year's Senior Bowl. The All-Star game announced MSU defensive tackle Kaleb Eulls accepted his invitation on Monday. Eulls joins teammate and fellow defensive lineman Preston Smith as Bulldogs who will play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. More MSU players could accept invites as the game draws closer.
 
Bowl outlook up in air for Rebels, Bulldogs
From an Ole Miss perspective, there aren't many downsides to beating Mississippi State. Here's one. With MSU having been knocked from a spot in the first College Football Playoff, a landing spot for the 10-2 Bulldogs will likely be one of the four other bowl games under the committee's authority -- the Orange, Peach, Cotton or Fiesta. Putting two SEC teams in the four-team playoff -- the Sugar and Rose bowls are the semifinals -- would have enhanced possible destinations for 9-3 Ole Miss. Although the Egg Bowl loss dropped the Bulldogs out of contention for the College Football Playoff, Mississippi State should still be destined for a top-tier bowl appearance. The Bulldogs are projected to play in either the Orange Bowl in Miami or Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, both on Dec. 31.
 
Mississippi State women return home for North Dakota State
The gang is nearly all back. With each day, Mississippi State women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer hopes Martha Alwal, Kendra Grant, and Savannah Carter are closer to being back to 100 percent health. Through six games, though, you wouldn't have guessed the Bulldogs could have won the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament and gotten off to a 6-0 start largely without three seniors who played a key role in the team's 22-14 finish last season. But MSU's victory against then-No. 17 West Virginia and win against Western Kentucky to clinch the Preseason WNIT title have been signature results for a program that is maturing before Schaefer's eyes.
 
Mississippi State women up to No. 23 in AP poll
Mississippi State's women moved up two spots to No. 23 in The Associated Press poll released Monday. The Bulldogs (6-0), who entered the rankings last week for the first time in five years, are coming off an 85-45 win at New Orleans on Saturday. Up next is a home game against North Dakota State on Tuesday. South Carolina is No. 1 for the second straight week.
 
Mississippi State makes change in volleyball coaches
For the first time in more than five years, Mississippi State finds itself searching for a volleyball coach. On Monday, longtime Bulldogs' coach Jenny Hazelwood, who coached MSU for six seasons, was relieved of her duties and reassigned within the school's athletic department, the school announced late Monday afternoon. It was not specified what Hazelwood's new role will be, only that it will be administrative, and the search for her replacement begins immediately. "I want to thank Jenny for her hard work and commitment to our volleyball program for the last six years," said MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin.
 
Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze agree to new contract
Hugh Freeze is staying at Ole Miss. The school and its third-year coach have agreed to a contract extension that will keep the two parties tied together for the next four years. The contract will pay Freeze $4 million annually, with a substantial amount added to the pool of assistant coach salaries. The agreement is a verbal one, but that is largely semantics at this point. Both Freeze and athletics director Ross Bjork Tweeted the news themselves early Tuesday morning.
 
Freeze never met with U. of Florida or received offer
Hugh Freeze has reached an agreement with Ole Miss on a contract that will pay him $4 million a year, according to reports. That would put Freeze out of the running for the Florida job. The question is whether or not he was ever a serious contender. There was no offer made to Freeze, despite numerous false reports that there was. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley never met with Freeze and if you know anything about Foley, he has never made a hire in his life without sitting down with a coach and conducting an interview.
 
Police: U. of Tennessee students tried to take home plate from Vanderbilt's Hawkins Field
Two University of Tennessee students were arrested over the weekend after police said they were caught on camera breaking into Hawkins Field at Vanderbilt University and then trying to steal home plate. Vanderbilt University police noticed the break-in on surveillance cameras around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. When they responded to Hawkins Field, they saw the men crouched down and "tampering with something on the field" near home plate, according to court documents. Police later identified the men as suspects Forrest Bullen and Austin Shelton, both 21. According to their arrest warrants, Bullen and Shelton both ran for the outfield when police announced themselves.
 
Apparent Suicide of Ohio State Football Player Comes Amid a Push for Better Care of Student-Athletes
The apparent suicide last week of Ohio State football player Kosta Karageorge underscores Brian Hainline 's argument that college athletes need better mental-health services. "Some student-athletes, if they are injured, think everything they stand for has gone away," Hainline said. "There is a desire to become good at all costs that can lead students into unhealthy or ethically challenging situations." Hainline is the NCAA's first-ever chief medical officer, and following Karageorge's death it is a good bet that some college athletic directors will take a look at the booklet they received last month from Hainline, called "Mind, Body and Sport: Understanding and Supporting Student Athlete Mental Wellness."



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