| Tuesday, January 20, 2015 |
| A day off is a day on | |
 | Wind scattered leaves were swept up a handful at a time. "We've been picking up leaves raking," said volunteer Steven Moore. A better part of Monday was spent bagging up as much as possible outside West Oktibbeha Elementary School. It's a good feeling for Alek Pope. This Mississippi State University student wanted to give back. "We take so much from it, so I feel like I want to give back to this eventually. So this is a way we can do it," said Pope. Each of the volunteers could have taken a holiday, but they chose to take what could have been a day off and make it a day on. |
| Former MSU Riley Center intern attributes success to State's music department | |
 | From Carnegie Hall to The Flea Theater, all the way to Jazz at Lincoln Center, Mississippi State alumnus Alvin C. Taylor II is enjoying a fulfilling career in the New York arts scene, and he attributes his success in part to the faculty in his alma mater's music department. "The faculty with whom I worked at Mississippi State made me feel like more than just a number. They showed me that they really cared about me and what I thought. When I was in need of help or just wanted to chat, they all took the time to do so. They made me feel like I could do anything," said Taylor, who graduated in 2011 with a bachelor of arts in music. |
| Oktibbeha circuit clerk, board president face election challenges | |
 | New challengers have emerged for Oktibbeha County's circuit clerk, District 2 supervisor and coroner, meaning incumbents must now launch their own campaigns for re-election. As of Friday afternoon, 29 candidates have filed qualification forms for various seats up for election this year. Circuit Clerk Glenn Hamilton, a Republican, now faces opposition for his seat from E. Regina Evans, a Democrat. District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer, the longest-serving member and president of the county board of supervisors, is will face familiar foe Robert "Bubba" Lee Gray Jr., who filed as an independent candidate. The qualification window for this year's primaries and general election closes at 5 p.m. on Feb. 27. |
| Starkville leaders mull grant to Golden Triangle Regional Airport | |
| The Starkville Board of Aldermen are expected to become the next government group to pledge financial support to a plan to land a second air carrier at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. Aldermen will vote on a $100,000 grant to help the airport with plans to add American Airlines service to Dallas-Ft. Worth. The board meets Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. at Starkville City Hall. |
| Education a theme at Pine Belt 360 luncheon | |
 | Education, eradicating prejudice and economics were the topics of discussion at Pinebelt 360's fourth annual Leadership luncheon held Monday at The Venue. About 150 people turned out to hear Mississippi Economic Council CEO Blake Wilson, Pinebelt 360 Executive Director Van Jones and Ben Burnett, William Carey dean of the School of Education, speak. "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward," Wilson quoted Martin Luther King Jr. as he opened his speech. He said there are examples in Mississippi of the state moving forward to get out of last place and improve life for its citizens. |
| North Carolina officials may revisit Sanderson Farms plant incentives | |
 | Cumberland County officials may reconsider tax breaks and other sweeteners for a proposed poultry plan that could employ 1,000 workers. The Fayetteville Observer reported that Cumberland County commissioners may vote Tuesday to set a public hearing on an incentives package for the Sanderson Farms plant. The Mississippi-based company told economic development officials last week that it is forgetting about Cumberland County. |
| More pre-K support looks doubtful | |
 | Last month, Mississippi was denied a large federal grant that could have dramatically enhanced its early-childhood education landscape. In citing its reasons for rejecting Mississippi's request to receive $60 million over four years, the U.S. Department of Education noted the state's scarcity of pre-K funding, among other factors. "I think the federal government was looking at states and saying, 'What is your commitment level to pre-K,'" said state Superintendent of Education Carey Wright. "...Part of what they are trying to do is jump start, but they need to know there is a real commitment there in the end." Mississippi's commitment does not appear likely to increase any time soon. |
| Reeves: Cut inspection stickers, revamp school funding | |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that he wants to eliminate Mississippi's $5 annual vehicle inspection sticker, decrease the cost for a concealed-carry gun permit and revamp the school funding formula. Reeves, a Republican who's seeking a second term, announced his election-year legislative agenda during a speech Monday at the Capitol. His presentation came two days before Republican Gov. Phil Bryant lays out his own legislative agenda during the State of the State speech, scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday in the House chamber. The lieutenant governor also proposes spending $4 million to expand the University of Mississippi Medical Center's residency program. |
| Reeves outlines 'bold' election-year agenda | |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves announced a far-ranging legislative agenda Monday, including providing more money for education, eliminating Common Core academic standards, creating a blue ribbon commission to look at changes in the state's mental health system and eliminating the vehicle inspection sticker program. Reeves, speaking to the media, legislative lobbyists and others at the state Capitol, said some people had predicted a low-key non-controversial session since it is an election year, but said, "I plan to be very bold and I plan to be very aggressive in moving Mississippi forward." |
| State lawmaker wants to restrict drones | |
 | Some Mississippi lawmakers are proposing to restrict the use of drones in the state. A House bill filed in the Legislature by state Rep. Ken Morgan, R-Morgantown, called the "Drone Prohibition Act" would make it unlawful for anyone to capture an image using a drone unless it's tied to a university, law enforcement, military, government emergency agencies, Federal Aviation Administration, satellite mapping, utility mapping, and licensed real estate brokers for property they are marketing or selling. "With the popularity of the devices, they could be misused," Morgan said. "We need some regulations in place." |
| State Sen. Michael Watson of Pascagoula files bill to repeal Common Core, form advisory board | |
 | Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, filed a bill tonight that he co-authored with Sen. Angela Burks Hill, R-Picayune, aimed at a full repeal Common Core standards and form an advisory board to come up with new educational guidelines for the state. Watson's bill will be assigned a number and a committee -- likely the education committee -- on Tuesday, and it must be out of committee by Feb. 3 to stay alive on the legislative calendar. "Our bill is very simple," said Watson, who has help lead the charge against Common Core the past two years. "It calls for a full repeal of Common Core." |
| Lawmakers want to cap education chiefs' salaries | |
| Legislators want to cap the salaries of Mississippi's state superintendent of education and institutes of higher learning commissioner, bringing them more in line with those of other states. Mississippi pays its education chief the second-highest salary in the nation behind Louisiana, and its higher-ed chief earns the ninth-highest wages, according to the national Council of Government's 2011 Book of States survey. Senate Bill 2387 would reduce both, setting the maximum salary for higher-ed chief at $200,000 and state superintendent of education at $175,000. |
| Poor's tax burden high in Mississippi | |
| With Gov. Phil Bryant's push for a tax cut this legislative session as context, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has released a report that says the tax rate as a percentage of income for poor Mississippians is twice that for the state's wealthy. The study by Washington, D.C.-based ITEP found lower-income Mississippians pay 10.4 percent of their income in taxes; wealthier Mississippians, 5.3 percent. It analyzed tax systems and considered state and local taxes, including personal and corporate income taxes, property taxes, sales and other excise taxes. |
| GOPAC Announces 2015 Advisory Board, including Gunn | |
 | GOPAC, an organization that grooms Republican state lawmakers to run for higher office, will announce its 2015 Legislative Leaders Advisory Board. It includes Philip Gunn, speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives. The board pinpoints promising state legislators for GOPAC's Emerging Leaders Program, which seeks to foster a bench of talent to eventually run for federal and statewide elected office. |
| Obama will give State of Union address against backdrop of deep partisan divide | |
 | The tone and tenor of the Obama White House since Democrats suffered a crushing defeat during the November midterm elections have been anything but conciliatory and have raised doubts about whether the president can -- or wants to -- break through partisan gridlock before voters choose his successor next year. The president will enter the House chamber Tuesday night for his sixth State of the Union address riding a wave of confidence driven by an improving economy and brightening public approval ratings. And he seems as defiant as ever. |
| Tea party reeling: After a rough midterm, conservative activists are struggling to find their way | |
 | The past year has not been kind to the tea party: Its most prized candidates were crushed in primary elections to establishment-backed foes, then it watched in dismay earlier this month as conservatives in Congress failed to block John Boehner from another term as House speaker. Five years into its existence, the tea party is a movement adrift, interviews with conservative activists at this weekend's South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention show. Its members are at odds over what went wrong in the 2014 election and on how to move forward in 2016; there's even disagreement over how to define success. Is it enough to nudge the Republican Party to the right, as it has indisputably done, even if its candidates lose to people backed by the party establishment? |
| Views of Economy Brighten, WSJ/NBC Poll Finds | |
 | An upswing in the U.S. economy has contributed to a surge in economic optimism but provided no similar improvement in the standing of the nation's political leaders, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows. Half the public said the past year brought important economic improvements, a postrecession high, while more than four in 10 said they are satisfied with the state of the economy, the most upbeat reading in more than eight years. The poll of 800 adults points to a significant mood swing among Americans as the public benefits from dropping fuel prices, increased employment and other signs of economic growth. |
| Oak Ridge National Laboratory's cyber warfare team showing results | |
 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Cyber Warfare Research Team, a tech squad that currently consists of 11 members, including a few students, appears to be making a difference in the fight against online bad guys. ORNL last week signed a licensing agreement with R&K Cyber Solutions LLC, which allows the Washington, D.C.-based company to commercialize a lab-developed cyber technology known as Hyperion. According to the government laboratory, Hyperion is able to identify malicious software even if the program is not on any list of known threats. The technology analyzes basic behaviors associated with "harmful intent" and peers into an executable program to determine the software's possible intentions without running the program itself or using its source code, the lab stated. |
| William Carey University to host NASA recruitment event | |
 | Personnel from the NASA DEVELOP National Program will be at William Carey University in the lobby of Green Science Hall from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Thursday to discuss internship possibilities with interested students. DEVELOP is an interdisciplinary research environment where applied science research projects are conducted under the guidance of NASA and partner science advisors. In addition to research experience, participants gain valuable professional experience in the workplace along with attending networking opportunities and working in teams of individuals from different backgrounds. |
| Millsaps, Tougaloo students gather on MLK Day to talk social issues | |
 | Millsaps and Tougaloo colleges are recommitting to a decades old relationship in hopes of improving race relations in the state. Nearly 50 students gathered for a "Meeting of the Minds" in Jackson. After introductions they sat in groups to talk about campus lives, their personal interests and social issues -- the differences and similarities of this generation from race to religion. In the 1930s Millsaps and Tougaloo developed a relationship to bridge racial divides. On Martin Luther King Day, these young people are hoping their discussions will establish ways that lead to a less racially divided society. |
| College and high school musicians play in annual Battle of the Bands | |
 | At the annual Battle of Bands in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday, some of the musicians said they perform to entertain the crowds and also to hopefully inspire young kids to follow their dreams. As rhythm filled the air at Milner Stadium in Gulfport, the energy was high. Jonathan Weir, an Alcorn State University band member said, "They love it and it's very exciting to see how we put in all that hard work and get something out of it." Allison Beverly said, "I just enjoy the energy that everybody, that the crowd gives off," Allison Beverly, a Golden Girl for Alcorn State, |
| Hail to the chefs: Culinary competition headed for Landers Center | |
 | For the first time in the history of the Mississippi Collegiate DECA Culinary Arts Competition, teams of culinary students from across the state will be competing in North Mississippi when the Landers Center hosts the event on Feb. 3. John Woods of First Choice Catering in Horn Lake, who has been mentoring to culinary students for the past several years, is responsible for the event coming to DeSoto County. "I just thought it needed to be up here," said Woods, an accomplished chef in his own right. Northwest Mississippi Community College Hotel and Restaurant Management Technology instructor Kay Mistilis said she will be taking two teams of three students and one alternate chef to the competition. |
| U. of Alabama set to oversee transportation museum | |
 | After approximately three years under the exclusive control of City Hall, the oversight of the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum is returning to the University of Alabama. Next week, the City Council is expected to return the museum to the management of UA's Museums department, a move that is being praised by members of both institutions. "We're very excited about the opportunities this presents," said William Bomar, who was named executive director of UA's Museums department in June, "and we're just now starting to explore those possibilities." |
| LSU honors students help local schools with immigrant influx | |
 | About 40 students from LSU's Ogden Honors College have spent this school year in East Baton Rouge Parish schools tutoring an influx of Hispanic students who need extra help with speaking, reading and writing in English. The LSU students volunteer an hour or more each week on school days. They work with small groups of high schoolers or middle schoolers in science or history or literature, giving them a much-needed hand as they struggle to adapt to, what is for many of them, a foreign land. The story is a positive one, but the tutoring partnership didn't start out just as some feel-good idea or enrichment program. |
| U. of Tennessee to host gun control debate | |
| University of Tennessee students and visitors will get the chance to see the issue of gun control broken down and discussed during a debate Wednesday. Juan Pacheco, a former gang member and advocate of youth violence prevention, and Glen Caroline, director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action Grassroots Division, will debate the role guns play in society. Pacheco and Caroline travel nationwide to present the debate, which is built around taking gun control issues and breaking them down into core components, according to a news release. |
| U. of Kentucky, Fayette County schools plan to move STEAM Academy to UK campus | |
 | Negotiations are underway between the University of Kentucky and Fayette County Public Schools to move the STEAM Academy program to the UK campus near the College of Education, officials said Friday. STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, is a partnership between UK and Fayette County Public Schools. The program, opened in fall 2013, is housed temporarily in the former Johnson Elementary School on East Sixth Street, but officials said the long-term goal has been to have a facility close to or on the UK campus. At STEAM, students take high school classes while also earning college credits in courses taught by UK faculty as well as undergraduate and graduate students. |
| Bill Would Require Arkansas Public Colleges to Allow Concealed Guns | |
| A lawmaker is proposing a requirement that Arkansas' public colleges and universities allow faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns on campus. Republican Rep. Charlie Collins of Fayetteville filed legislation Thursday to repeal a portion of state law that leaves the decision whether to allow concealed handguns on campus up to colleges and universities. Collins' proposal would remove the opt-out provision for public colleges and universities, but keep it in place for private campuses. |
| U. of Florida student dies after being hit by car on Waldo Road | |
 | A University of Florida student died on Saturday from injuries he suffered on Jan. 9 when he was struck by a vehicle on Waldo Road, a school official confirmed on Monday evening. A 20-year-old man, identified by the UF directory as Jerry Declasse, died over the weekend after a car traveling on Waldo Road at about 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 struck him as he tried to cross. Declasse's friends created a memorial page indicating he was popular in the UF Innovation Academy. Jeff Citty, of the Innovation Academy, said Declasse's forward thinking and knowledge of social media and its capability set him apart from his cohorts. |
| Email sheds light on regents' efforts to rename Texas A&M's Academic Building after Perry | |
 | The Texas A&M System Board of Regents rejected suggestions made by a special committee charged with proposing which campus building should be named after outgoing Gov. Rick Perry, according to a December email obtained by The Eagle that specifically urged ruling out the historic Academic Building as a possibility. Despite recommendations made by the committee -- which was appointed by Interim President Mark Hussey and made up of deans, faculty and members of Texas A&M-affiliated organizations -- the regents apparently planned two weeks later to bypass their opinions and instead rename the 100-year-old beloved stucture the "Governor Rick Perry '72 Building." |
| U. of Missouri granted FAA approval to fly drones at research center | |
 | The University of Missouri received approval from the federal government to fly drones over university-owned land in south-central Missouri, the first approval the university has received for a drone project. The Federal Aviation Administration's approval comes after MU, the Missouri University of Science and Technology and Saint Louis University partnered on an application to use the airspace for a slew of research and economic development projects at the Wurdack Research Center in Cook Station. |
| U. of Missouri-commissioned study says hotel, conference center possible | |
| A consultant's study has found the city could more than sustain a hotel and conference center near the University of Missouri campus. MU commissioned the study by PKF Consulting USA, a national consulting firm, conducted from July to November last year. PKF recommended a 200-room hotel and 30,000-square-foot conference center near campus. MU hired the firm for about $35,000, but the final cost hasn't been tabulated, MU spokesman Christian Basi said. MU wouldn't undertake a project itself, Basi said. |
| U. of Missouri Counseling Center will offer 24-hour support | |
 | The University of Missouri Counseling Center has set up 24-hour support for MU students with a phone service provided and operated by a company called ProtoCall. ProtoCall is a "seamless, dedicated service tailored directly for MU," David Wallace, the director of the Counseling Center, said. The service will be offered for the first time to students at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The goal is to provide students with counseling when the main office is closed. ProtoCall offers licensed staff trained in crisis management and can talk to students in need or provide information for MU campus services. MU will pay $850 a month for the service. |
| College Students Think They're Ready for the Work Force; Employers Aren't So Sure | |
 | Ask soon-to-be college graduates whether they're ready to enter the real world, and they'll probably say yes. After all, they are about to collect what everyone has told them is the ticket to a good job -- a college degree. But ask employers the same question, and you'll get a much less optimistic answer. A report released on Tuesday by the Association of American Colleges and Universities highlights the discrepancy between students' and employers' views. The survey is hardly the first evidence that employers don't think college graduates are adequately prepared. |
| Sorority Anti-Rape Idea: Drinking on Own Turf | |
 | For decades, national sorority organizations have banned alcohol in their houses. But as debate intensifies over how to address sexual assaults on college campuses, many of them occurring at fraternity house parties, some female students are questioning that rule, asserting that allowing alcohol would give women -- not just sorority members -- the option to attend Greek house parties that women control, from setting off-limits areas to deciding the content of the punch. The move would by no means eliminate sexual violence on campus, they said, but perhaps provide a benefit. Kathryn Miller, a member of Delta Gamma at the University of Southern Mississippi said, "People would be more mindful of what they're doing in a sorority party, and there would definitely be someone chaperoning it, that's for sure. But there still could be sexual assault upstairs. When people are under the influence, they're going to do what they want to do. It can happen anywhere, even in a sorority." |
| Skepticism, Hope Greet President's Community College Plan | |
 | President Barack Obama's proposal to make two years of community college free for all Americans has been embraced by many college-access advocates, but skeptics are challenging the scope and practicality of the plan. The big questions are how to pay for the initiative, which is estimated will cost about $60 billion over the next 10 years, and whether the Republican-controlled Congress would even consider it. As part of his State of the Union wish list, the president is proposing that federal and state government together cover two years of community college tuition for all students who make steady progress toward completion and maintain a 2.5 grade point average. |
| Data show steady growth in humanities and liberal arts education at community colleges | |
 | Many liberal arts faculty members these days worry about struggling enrollments for their disciplines. But data being released today suggest that they might be encouraged by the trends at community colleges. From 1987 to 2013, the average annual growth rate for liberal arts or liberal studies degrees at community colleges was 4.3 percent, according to data being released today as part of the Humanities Indicator Project of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. As the new report notes, community colleges have for years offered such liberal studies degrees, in many cases designed for students planning to transfer to four-year institutions. But amid debates over the state of the liberal arts, and fears of declining enrollments in the humanities, the programs at community colleges are largely ignored by those outside the two-year-college sector. |
| CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): Government transparency still a struggle | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "It took a year, but Tommy Williams got an answer: He was right. In the view of the Mississippi Ethics Commission, the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors was not acting legally when members broke into small groups to strategize about an upcoming bond issue. The Meridian Star quoted Williams -- a resident of the Marion community -- as saying he believed the supervisors just didn't want voters to know about the $14 million loan to which they were about to sign the public's name. He figured the idea was to lock out or at least limit public conversation about the additional debt for recreational programs and other uses. ...Mississippi -- which could use about 2,999,999 additional citizens with the pluck of Tommy Williams -- has a very good open meetings law. But the lengths to which some officials go to defeat the spirit of the law knows no bounds." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi ties to Super Bowl strong | |
| Thousands have stepped onto Scott Field in the last 100 years for Mississippi State. A small percentage continued their football careers in the NFL. Thirty-one have reached the league's pinnacle: the Super Bowl. D.D. Lewis stands on even more sacred ground as the only former Bulldog to win multiple Super Bowls. This year, Super Bowl XLIX provides the opportunity for one more to join. K.J. Wright will play in his second-consecutive Super Bowl on Feb. 1 as his Seattle Seahawks try to defend their title against the New England Patriots. "It's nice to have a rooting interest," MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin said. "Even if it is both teams, to have guys out there that are out there that developed themselves here." |
| Stepping up: Five-star prospect eager to deliver on potential for Bulldogs | |
| There were lofty expectations set for Chris Jones when the five-star prospect signed with Mississippi State out of Houston in 2013. Jones received his share of reps on the Bulldogs defensive line during his first two years behind a pair of upperclassmen. Now P.J. Jones and Kaleb Eulls are both gone, giving the former blue-chip recruit the green light to secure a starting job. The 6-foot-5, 308-pounder plans to attack the offseason conditioning program and spring practices so he will be ready to take on more of a starring role on defense next fall. |
| Mississippi State close to finalizing Power 5 opponent for 2016-17 | |
| Mississippi State is on the verge of finalizing a Power 5 conference opponent for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, athletic director Scott Stricklin told the Clarion-Ledger on Monday. Stricklin said MSU has a verbal agreement with a school that would satisfy the Southeastern Conference's scheduling requirement. It should be finalized soon. Beginning in 2016, the SEC requires its football programs to play at least one opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 or Pac-12 in its non-conference schedule. |
| Mississippi State freshman Oliver Black finds role | |
| Two Texas A&M defenders converged on Oliver Black as he received the ball in the post. Players in the paint routinely receive that kind of treatment. But for the Mississippi State freshman, the scenario seemed years away with the way he started the season. Through MSU's first 11 games, Black scored seven points. During the Bulldogs' last six games, the 6-foot-10 forward has scored 24. "I think it has to do with playing time and us really forcing the issue for him to be a little more offensively aggressive," MSU coach Rick Ray said. "I think he's always been good for us on the defensive end." |
| U. of Tennessee says no thanks to recruiting site UBooster | |
 | College sports fans now have a new method to donate to their favorite schools, but perhaps not surprisingly, some schools are already turning their backs on the money. UBooster.org solicits donations from fans, who are presented with names, photos and biographical information for high-school athletes. Fans are asked to give money to, or "boost," recruits that they'd like to see play for their favorite school. The schools, though, are under no obligation to accept the donations, which are made through a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, not by the website itself. The University of Tennessee, for example, will not be accepting money raised by UBooster. "We have no relationship with UBooster," Jimmy Stanton, senior associate athletics director for communications, wrote in an e-mail to The Tennessean. |
| Former Texas A&M head athletic trainer files suit alleging termination was based on age discrimination | |
| A former Texas A&M head athletic trainer and assistant athletic director has filed a civil suit against the university, claiming his termination in November 2013 was based on age discrimination. Karl Kapchinski, a 1979 graduate of Texas A&M who worked at the university for 31 years, was fired on Nov. 1, 2013. He was 56 at the time and was replaced in June 2014 by Phil Hedrick. "The decision is based on your unacceptable job performance," Athletic Director Eric Hyman wrote in the termination letter, which also noted that Kapchinski would not be eligible for rehire for five years. Kapchinski's attorney, J. Davis Watson, said the not-for-rehire designation violates university policy. |
| Texas A&M flag prank has sad ending, and family says issue deserves serious discussion | |
| Bobby Livingston's biggest prank was also his biggest career mistake. The 44-year-old father of five couldn't find a job after the joke went viral, which led him to commit suicide in September, according to family members. Now, his family and friends are speaking out about his depression, the notorious Alabama flag prank and how it all led to his death. Livingston was lauded as the ultimate Crimson Tide fan in July when he flew a University of Alabama flag on the east side of Kyle Field during renovation work on the stadium, drawing headlines on hundreds of sports websites. The prankster was fired and returned home to Mobile, Alabama. |
| In N.C.A.A.'s Varied Landscape, Some Open Floodgates While Others Fear Drought | |
| At the annual N.C.A.A. convention over the weekend, the trendiest color was black. That was the color of the lanyards given to delegates from the so-called Big 5 conferences -- the Atlantic Coast, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pacific-12 and the Southeastern -- which on Saturday afternoon raised scholarship values by several thousand dollars to cover the full cost of attendance and passed several other landmark changes. But the voting session on matters of autonomy, as well as a robust discussion beforehand, was closed to all those with lanyards of different hues. Other than a few top N.C.A.A. officials, the only group outside the Big 5 allowed into the ballroom was the news media. |
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.
