| Friday, February 13, 2015 |
| Mississippi State's Newberry Building renamed for philanthropist Deen | |
 | Not only is the Newberry Building on the MSU-Meridian Riley Campus in downtown Meridian getting a facelift, but it is also getting a new name. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning approved the renaming of the building as the Robert B. Deen Jr. Building earlier this year. The university formally celebrated the event during a ceremony Thursday morning. "This is an appropriate tribute to an outstanding leader, not only for this community, but also for the state of Mississippi," said MSU President Dr. Mark E. Keenum. "Robert Deen is a pillar of his community in every perspective." Deen has a lengthy record of public service to the Queen City, as well as MSU. |
| Mississippi State Renames Downtown Campus Buildings in Meridian | |
 | The Newberry Building on the MSU-Meridian Riley Campus in downtown Meridian has a new name. It was officially renamed the Robert B. Deen Jr. Building honoring the philanthropist. Deen was one of the four founding members of the Riley Foundation and currently serves as the president and chairman. He is also a founding member of the Phil Hardin Foundation and the Mississippi Bar Association Foundation. Deen expressed gratitude for being honored in this way. "I am overwhelmed, for that honor it is incredible," said Deen. "And it is something that my children will enjoy, my grandchildren, and it's just wonderful." |
| Mississippi State renames building on Meridian campus for Deen | |
 | Mississippi State University has honored a longtime philanthropist with the naming of the business building on the Meridian campus for Robert B. Deen Jr. The ceremony Thursday formally designated the Newberry Building at the MSU-Meridian Riley Campus as the Robert B. Deen Jr. Building. The 20,000-square-foot building is home to the MSU-Meridian Campus' Division of Business, with six state-of-the-art classrooms, a computer laboratory, two conference rooms, faculty offices and student study spaces. |
| College Board names MUW's Borsig as new commissioner | |
| The College Board named Mississippi University for Women President Jim Borsig as Mississippi's new higher education commissioner Thursday, bypassing a more extensive search. Before becoming president of MUW in 2012, Borsig was the College Board's assistant commissioner for governmental relations, making the move something of a homecoming. Maximizing state dollars and keeping friendly relations with lawmakers are among top priorities for the leader of Mississippi's eight public universities. A Jackson native, Borsig holds a bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a doctorate in public policy and administration from Mississippi State University. |
| MUW's Borsig new higher ed chief | |
 | Jim Borsig, president of Mississippi University for Women in Columbus since November 2011, will return to his native Jackson to oversee the state's system of eight public universities. Borsig was announced Thursday afternoon during a news conference as the next commissioner of higher education, replacing Hank Bounds, who will leave in April to become president of the University of Nebraska system. "Jim Borsig has been a dear friend of mine for more than 20 years, and I congratulate him on being named the commissioner of the Institutions of Higher Learning," Gov. Phil Bryant said late Thursday. "He has done an excellent job at The W, and I know they will miss him. All of Mississippi's public universities will benefit from his leadership." Borsig obtained his doctorate from Mississippi State. |
| MUW President Named Commissioner for Higher Education | |
 | The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning appointed Mississippi University for Women President Jim Borsig as Commissioner of Higher Education at a meeting held Thursday in Jackson. "Dr. Borsig brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education and policy, all in Mississippi, to the position," said Trustee Aubrey Patterson, president of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. "Commissioner Jim Borsig is the right man at the right time to lead Mississippi public universities," said Dr. Mark E. Keenum. "He brings years of outstanding leadership experience in our state's higher education system and has done a remarkable job in leading The W." |
| Metro Jackson College Career Fair Held Thursday | |
 | The Mississippi Public Broadcasting Education Department participated in the Metro Jackson College Career Fair Thursday promoting the American Graduate initiative. Miss Mississippi Jasmine Murray, Mississippi State University quarterback Dak Prescott and Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen attended and spoke. |
| Southern Gardening host elected industry president | |
 | The host of Southern Gardening has been selected to lead a horticulture group. Gary Bachman, a Mississippi State University Extension Service horticulture specialist and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researcher, was elected president of the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Science. He will serve a one-year term at the head of the group that represents 16 states and includes over 200 professional organizations. |
| Court orders new trial for Willie Jerome Manning | |
| The Mississippi Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for Willie Jerome Manning. Manning, 46, has been on death row for the deaths of Emmoline Jimmerson and Alberta Jordan in 1993. The two women were killed during a robbery attempt at their home in the Brooksville Garden apartments in Starkville. Manning had appealed the convictions in their deaths claiming the state withheld evidence that would have been favorable to his defense. |
| Toyota Mississippi reaches milestone with 500,000th Corolla | |
| A red Toyota Corolla LE -- specifically Barcelona Red Metallic -- assembled Thursday morning is headed to Mexico for a waiting buyer. This Corolla doesn't have any particular feature other similar models have, except one particular distinction: It's the 500,000th car built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi. The plant, which began building the Corolla in October 2011, reached the half-million production mark faster than any of the other eight Toyota plants in the U.S. "This is a proud moment in our history," said Fred Volf, TMMMS vice president of manufacturing. "It's a big milestone for this plant and achievement, but we really couldn't have done it by ourselves." |
| Bryant: Anti-Iran legislation shouldn't affect Toyota | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant says he does not believe Toyota in Northeast Mississippi will be negatively impacted by bills pending in the Legislature to prevent the state from doing business with companies that invest in Iran. Still, to be safe, Bryant said Thursday, "We are going to look closely into it ...We are going to reach out to Toyota counsel." But the first-term Republican governor stressed that he does not think the legislation would impact Toyota or the state's relationship with the Japanese automaker. Toyota has a $1.3 billion manufacturing plant in Blue Springs where it employs about 2,000 people making Corollas. It was built with about $300 million in state incentives. |
| CalStar moving more production to Lowndes County | |
 | CalStar Products, a North Carolina-based brick and masonry products manufacturer, announced this week that it is moving production efforts from a Wisconsin site to its Lowndes County facility. CalStar began operations at its 100,000-square-foot plant in the GTR Global Industrial and Aerospace Park in July. The move the company is making from a pilot plant in Wisconsin to Lowndes County will result in "increased capacity and a larger geographic footprint" for its products, according to a press release. The company said it will also be adding additional curing capacity to its Lowndes County site in order to keep up with demand for a new line of decorative trim cast stone products. |
| Mississippi Power customers due a refund, says state high court | |
 | Mississippi Power customers will get a refund on their bills after a Mississippi Supreme Court decision Thursday reversed the March 5, 2013, rate increase granted the energy company by the Public Service Commission. The PSC had approved by a 2-1 vote the 18 percent rate increase to help pay for the plant Mississippi Power is building in Kemper County. Mike Adelman, a Hattiesburg attorney who represented plaintiff Thomas Blanton in the lawsuit against Mississippi Power and the PSC, called Thursday's decision "a fantastic victory." The PSC voted for the rate increase in 2013, with Lynn Posey and then-Commissioner Leonard Bentz voting for it and Brandon Presley against it. |
| Court strikes down Kemper rate increases, orders refunds | |
 | The Mississippi Supreme Court has invalidated the rate increases related to Mississippi Power Co.'s Kemper County coal plant, and ordered refunds to the utility's 186,000 ratepayers. In an opinion handed down Thursday, the court ruled that the rate increases the Mississippi Public Service Commission approved via split vote for 2013 and 2014 be refunded. It's a potentially serious blow for the project, whose costs have risen to $6 billion, triple the original estimate the utility made a few years ago. The original start-up date of May 2014 has been pushed to March 2016, according to filings the utility made with the Securities and Exchange Commission last fall. |
| Former Gov. Haley Barbour looks at the bright side of Katrina | |
| In the immediate aftermath of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, many in South Mississippi wondered how their cities could ever recover from the storm that killed hundreds and destroyed mile after mile of homes and businesses. Looking back at that cloud of despair after almost 10 years of recovery and rebuilding, former Gov. Haley Barbour sees a silver lining as wide as the Coast. Barbour brought that message of hope to Jackson State University students in his Mike Espy Scholars in Residence Series speech Thursday. |
| Inspection stickers headed the way of the buggywhip | |
| Inspection stickers appear headed the way of the buggywhip. The House, which has passed bills for several years to do away with the $5 inspections and stickers, passed another on Thursday, HB982. The Senate, which has thwarted such efforts, has also passed a bill to eliminate the program, with Lt. Gov. Tate Reeve's blessing. He listed it as a top priority for this session. Rep. Johnny Stringer, D-Montrose, and Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, who have pushed House bills to eliminate the stickers for years, joked about Reeves' change of heart this (election) year. |
| House bill would clarify who can vote in primary runoff | |
| A bill clarifying who can vote in party primary runoffs is moving forward. The House Thursday passed House Bill 1069 by a vote of 101-19. It makes it a misdemeanor to vote or try to vote in one party's primary runoff after voting in another party's primary. The bill, which moves to the Senate, would put into law what is supposed to be practice. Mississippi law bans people from voting in both primaries the same day. A longstanding attorney general's legal opinion says the law prohibits people from crossing over to vote in a second party's runoff. |
| Biz community unites behind Reeves' tax cut plan | |
| As expected, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' proposal to do away with Mississippi's franchise tax has been met with a standing ovation from Mississippi's business community. Mississippi Manufacturers Association president Jay Moon told The Clarion-Ledger Monday that its elimination is overdue. Brent Christensen, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, said in a press release his office issued Wednesday afternoon that the tax puts Mississippi at a disadvantage "against other states that do not levy this investment penalty. This legislation is a strong step in the right direction toward a more competitive Mississippi." |
| House votes to remove graduation test requirement | |
| The movement to allow Mississippi public high school students to graduate without passing four subject area tests continues to gain steam in the Legislature. The House Thursday voted 119-0 to pass House Bill 665, which would remove the tests in algebra I, biology, English II and U.S. history as a barrier beginning this spring. Students would still have to take the test, but wouldn't have to pass them. Rep. Toby Barker, R-Hattiesburg, said he hoped the state Department of Education would make the tests part of the grades for courses, as some other states have done. He said students who have passed all the required courses should be allowed to graduate |
| Legislature kills home-school sports proposal | |
| Mississippi lawmakers are saying no to home-schooled students who want to play sports in public schools. Senate Bill 2329 died Thursday when 17 senators voted for it and 31 voted against it. The bill said home-schooled students could play sports or do extracurricular activities such as cheerleading or debate at a local public school. Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, said parents of home-schooled students pay taxes, and their children should get the chance to participate in public school activities. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, asked Fillingane whether home-schooled students participating in public school activities would have to meet the same academic standards as the public-school students. Fillingane said they would not. Bryan said the lack of academic requirement could prompt good athletes with bad grades to leave public school, become home-schooled and still play football or other sports. |
| Public hospital boards could come under more scrutiny | |
| Business operations of publicly owned hospitals would be open to greater public scrutiny under a bill that unanimously passed the Mississippi Senate on Thursday. The bill specifies boards of public hospitals must abide by the state Open Meetings law. It also says hospital board members must live in the same county as the hospital is. Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, said legislation was prompted by problems at the Singing River Health System. Wiggins said such problems might have been avoided if the public and the media already had access to hospital board meetings, which are frequently closed. |
| With Stewart leaving Daily Show, Molpus recalls his '15 seconds' | |
| With the exception of five days in 2013, Dick Molpus has always been a big fan of Jon Stewart. So when Stewart, the host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, announced Tuesday he was leaving the show after 16 years, Molpus was saddened by the news. "I know I had my 15 seconds of fame with him," Molpus said. Molpus, Mississippi's Secretary of State from 1984 until 1996, found himself on the sharp end of Stewart's legendary biting wit, and for reasons that were totally undeserved two years ago. |
| Google asks judge to block Mississippi attorney general's inquiry | |
| An Internet giant was scheduled to face off with Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood on Friday. Google will ask U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to block an investigation by Hood into the company. Hood has been pushing Google since 2013 to prevent use of the company's search engine to find illegal drugs and pirated music, video games and movies. The closely-watched case has Google and computer industry groups telling the judge a 1996 federal law protects Internet companies from being held accountable for what third parties say. The Democratic attorney general says he's investigating actions taken by Google itself, and says the Mountain View, California, company could be liable under Mississippi consumer protection laws. |
| U.S. Orders Alabama to License Gay Unions | |
 | A federal judge in Mobile ruled on Thursday that the local probate judge cannot refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, potentially adding some clarity to a judicial quarrel that has roiled Alabama for most of a week. The order by Judge Callie V. S. Granade of Federal District Court came after a brief hearing and prompted cheers and crying in the halls of the probate court here, where several couples obtained licenses and were married before the license office closed. The ruling on Thursday was the first in this case with a probate judge as a defendant -- Judge Don Davis of Mobile County -- and was seen by lawyers for the gay couples who brought the case as a clear signal to probate judges around the state what their duties were. |
| Baptist leader: Gospel can overcome gay marriage | |
 | The Southern Baptist Convention's top policy official has a message for Alabama Christians wringing their hands over legal same-sex marriage. It was unavoidable, and accepting it doesn't mean you're conceding defeat. Not accepting it means you need to reexamine your faith. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, opened the floor to questions Thursday at his group's quarterly luncheon, which draws local evangelical pastors, musicians and a variety of other devout people, mostly men, to downtown Nashville. Southern Baptists held two summits last year on the issue of same-sex marriage -- one to reiterate their stance against it and another to promote "traditional" unions in the face of it. |
| Return of the Dust Bowl? Climate change study highlights how West must adapt | |
 | A prolonged period of Dust Bowl-like conditions in the second half of this century could severely test strides made toward conserving scarce water supplies in the Western United States and central Plains, according to a new study. If greenhouse-gas emissions aren't brought to heel, the study suggests, these regions face an 80 percent risk of seeing a severe drought lasting a generation or more. The results are the latest in a growing body of research suggesting that farmers and city-dwellers alike are going to have to double down on efforts to use water more efficiently, says Brian Richter, chief scientist of water markets for The Nature Conservancy in Arlington, Va. |
| Donation to assist pharmacy school renovations | |
| Ole Miss officials have announced financial assistance with a renovation project at the School of Pharmacy. The Mississippi Independent Pharmacies Association pledged $100,000 to support the Faser Capital Initiative. The initiative supports the most recent renovation of Faser Hall. A state-of-the-art skills laboratory for students is among the primary upgrades. |
| UM students debate pros, cons of 'paperless' classrooms | |
 | The University of Mississippi continues to show progress with the sustainability initiatives on campus. Last year, Chancellor Dan Jones re-signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, indicating the university's commitment to sustainability at an institutional level. The hydration stations set up around campus have also been a success, filling more than one million bottles as of last semester. Since its establishment in 2013, the Green Fund has funded nine innovative sustainability projects, all proposed by students. Further, several professors have decided to cut down on the use of paper, which can make a huge difference. |
| U. of Southern Mississippi's British Studies Program grows | |
 | Last summer, University of Southern Mississippi student Eric Granberry spent six weeks in an international marketing class. And it turned into a life-changing experience for the Gulfport native who will graduate in December. Granberry's learning venue was not a traditional classroom -- the communications major studied by touring the Jaguar manufacturing plant in Coventry, England. He also visited the Heineken brewery in Amsterdam, the Guinness beer brewery in Dublin, and even a Salvation Army in London, just to name a few. Granberry's experience is not unique -- he is one of more than 9,000 Southern Miss students to have studied abroad in the university's British Studies Program during the past four decades. |
| USM's Brannock selected to 2015 Archives Leadership Institute | |
 | In a competitive application process, Jennifer Brannock, associate professor and curator of Rare Books and Mississippiana at the University of Southern Mississippi, has been selected as a participant in the 2015 Archives Leadership Institute. ALI is a program funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, a statutory body affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration, and is being hosted at Luther College. Brannock holds an M.A. in Art History and an M.L.S. from the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining Southern Miss, she was the Kress Fellow in Art Librarianship at Yale University. |
| Southern Miss celebrates renowned scientist Charles Darwin | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi celebrates the birthday of Charles Darwin with an array of Darwin Day festivities Friday on the Hattiesburg campus. The event features exhibits, a morning movie screening followed by a panel discussion by Southern Miss professors and afternoon events including T-shirt sales and a keynote address. At 2 p.m., Dr. Jerry Coyne, professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago, will present the keynote address, "Why Evolution is True and Why Americans Aren't Buying It." |
| U. of Florida hopes to show new students how to find 'Good Life' | |
 | The lecture hall is darkened, and 300 students close their eyes all at once. They breathe in and out slowly, filling their bellies and lungs with air, encouraged to let everything go. Guest instructor and yoga teacher Anisa Perbtani gently coaxes the 18-year-olds to invite softness into their bodies, starting with their feet. For maybe the first time all semester, the large room is completely quiet. This is not a yoga elective chosen by a few students, but a general education course required for all 2,700 freshmen at the University of Florida. Called "What Is the Good Life?," it poses more questions than answers. Professors, administrators and students alike think that's okay. |
| Tyson Grant to Support Retention, Graduation of Underrepresented Students at U. of Arkansas | |
 | Tyson Foods Inc. has awarded a $120,000 grant to the University of Arkansas to retain and ultimately graduate underrepresented juniors and seniors majoring in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics, business technology, food science and agricultural fields, the UA announced Thursday. The grant will be used by the Office of Diversity Affairs at the UA to create the Tyson Inclusive Excellence Scholarships and the Tyson Academic Enrichment Program. "This grant represents an exciting collaboration between the University of Arkansas and Tyson Foods," said Charles Robinson, vice chancellor for diversity and community at the UA. |
| U. of Tennessee student sues KCSO for $2.2M in alleged choking | |
 | A University of Tennessee student whose alleged choking by a Knox County Sheriff's Office deputy was captured on film has sued the agency for $2.2 million. In the lawsuit, Jarod D. Dotson contends that his abuse at the hands of now-retired Deputy Frank Phillips and other deputies began before a photographer captured the controversial tactic on film and continued long after. Knoxville attorneys Tasha Blakney and Troy Weston on Wednesday filed in U.S. District Court a civil-rights lawsuit on behalf of Dotson, 22, against the county, KCSO, Phillips, current Deputies Ronald Chaperon Jr. and Brandon Gilliam and a list of "John Doe" deputies. |
| Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approve start of $352M in renovation projects | |
 | The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Thursday gave the green light to the flagship campus in College Station to begin $352 million worth of renovation projects. A series of construction projects to three prominent areas on campus will kick off this month with a $168 million renovation to the Zachry Engineering Center that will transform the 43-year-old building into the Engineering Education Complex. Beginning in March, the Corps of Cadets dorms will receive a $135 million revamp and the Commons Building will receive $49 million worth of improvements. Regents commended Dwight Look College of Engineering Dean Katherine Banks for her leadership on the Engineering Education Complex project following a unanimous vote of approval. |
| Texas A&M University System Board of Regents appoint two new vice chancellors | |
| The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents announced appointments to two system staff positions at Thursday's regular meeting in the Memorial Student Center. At the system level, regents appointed Phillip Ray as vice chancellor for business affairs and Terry McDevitt as vice chancellor for marketing and communications. Chancellor John Sharp said in a press release the two proved their worth to the system in their time at A&M. Ray, who has served as the A&M System's Chief Business Development Officer since 2012, helped oversee the Kyle Field renovation project. McDevitt, who has served as the interim director of communications since October, will lead system marketing and communications initiatives and serve as the strategic communications adviser to the chancellor and regents. |
| Missouri House committee approves higher ed spending with no increase for universities | |
 | Hours after University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe asked a legislative committee for at least 5 percent more next year for public colleges and universities, the House Appropriations-Higher Education Committee approved a spending bill with nothing extra for four-year schools. The committee is the first stop for the bill detailing spending for community colleges, public universities and scholarship programs for the year that begins July 1. The committee was given authority to add $9 million of general revenue to spending lines, using $6 million to increase community college funding. |
| U. of Missouri students hold candlelight vigil for Chapel Hill shooting victims | |
 | Lit by the dim glow of candles, students and community members stood in solidarity at a vigil Thursday night for the three victims of a Chapel Hill, North Carolina, shooting that took place on Tuesday. Small tea light candles lay on the ground of Speakers Circle, forming the letters "D," "Y" and "R." These letters represented Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife, Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, who died Tuesday. The three were Muslim. Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shootings, and police are still trying to determine if the attack was a hate-crime, according to The Associated Press. I think it's important that we remember these people for who they were, not just their religious views," MU student Muhamedali Khenissi said. "I think it's important that we combat hate as one." |
| Congressional Report Blasts 'a Jungle of Red Tape' That Ensnares Colleges | |
 | The nation's colleges are "enmeshed in a jungle of red tape," faced with federal regulations that are complicated, costly, and often confusing, according to a new report by a Congressional task force. The report, produced by the American Council on Education, concludes that too many federal rules are "unnecessarily voluminous and too often ambiguous," with "unreasonable" compliance costs. It calls for regulatory relief for colleges and an improved process for developing new rules. The report identifies several regulations that it says are ripe for reform, or removal. They include rules governing accreditation, campus crime, consumer information, distance education, and student aid. |
| Student data needs better privacy safeguards, experts tell Congress | |
 | Legal and educational policy experts urged lawmakers on Thursday to improve security safeguards in student privacy laws and update them to better reflect the rapid leaps in technology. "Unless Congress ...clarifies what information can be collected, how that information can be used and if that information can be shared, student privacy will not be properly protected," said Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., who led the hearing before a House Education and the Workforce subcommittee. The law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act -- known as FERPA -- was written in 1974 to protect student records. With the increasing ability of hackers and others to pierce firewalls that shield personal, corporate and government material, federal and state officials are looking for ways to protect student privacy. |
| Study suggests insular faculty hiring practices in elite departments | |
 | By now, the secret is out in some disciplines: if you want to land a tenure-line faculty job, you'd better attend a highly ranked graduate program -- not necessarily because they're better but because the market favors prestige. But a new study suggests that "social inequality" might be worse than previously thought, across a range of different disciplines. The study, published this week in Science Advances, is based on hand-curated data about placements of 19,000 tenure-line faculty members in history, business and computer science at 461 North American institutions with doctoral programs. Using a computer-aided, network-style analysis, the authors determined that just 25 percent of those institutions produced 71 to 86 percent of tenure-line professors, depending on discipline. |
| Admissions Report Chips at Austin Chief's Uncompromising Reputation | |
| In his nine years as president of the University of Texas at Austin, William C. Powers Jr. has forged a reputation among his supporters as a stalwart defender of academic principles, protecting the flagship campus from legislative interference. But a report released on Thursday complicates this narrative. Behind closed doors, Mr. Powers dutifully carried out the will of the Texas political class, according to an independent investigation of admissions practices at the flagship campus. At the behest of lawmakers, donors, and members of the University of Texas system's board, the president frequently intervened on behalf of well-connected applicants, sometimes overruling the university's admissions staff to ensure a "must have" student got a seat, the report found. |
| Racist enshrined: Clemson debates whether to rename building | |
| In 1876, a black state senator in South Carolina was hauled off by a train by a mob. Simon Coker was given the chance to pray before he was murdered. While kneeling, he was shot in the head. The assassination was part of a systematic paramilitary campaign by white supremacists in the post-Civil War South to intimidate and suppress black voters. One of the leaders present at Coker's murder became South Carolina's governor and a longtime U.S. senator. His name was Benjamin Tillman. Today, 139 years later, at the center of the campus of Clemson University, stands an iconic brick building. Its name is Tillman Hall. A growing number of students and faculty members say that in 2015, at a public university trying to demonstrate its commitment to diversity and inclusion, that's simply not O.K. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State kicks off baseball season today against Cincinnati | |
| Time and again, Mississippi State baseball coach John Cohen has asserted his belief in MSU's stable of starting pitchers heading into the 2015 season. He's so comfortable, it appears, that he's marching into the opening weekend of the new campaign without even naming a starting rotation. While junior right-hander Preston Brown will get the start against Cincinnati in MSU's season-opener today at 4 p.m., Cohen stopped short of announcing starters for the rest of MSU's four-game slate this weekend. Instead, he kept his options open. "I'm just ready to get started," said Laster. "I'm tired of pitching to our guys, I know they're tired of hitting off of us. We want to play somebody else." |
| Five games in five days for Bulldogs | |
| Mississippi State has plenty of questions entering its 125th baseball season. The good news for coach John Cohen is that many of those questions will be answered by Tuesday night. The Diamond Dogs open the year with five games in five days, including a four-game round-robin series against Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) this weekend dubbed the Mississippi State Classic. "It takes on more of a tournament flavor and I really like this," Cohen said. "It also forces you to use your personnel. You can't have one catcher catch five games and you can't have three starters throw five games in five days on the mound. It forces certain things to happen." |
| Mississippi State baseball ready to forge new identity | |
| Some things never change. That's why members of the Mississippi State baseball team aren't shying away from the expectations many have for this season's squad. "Any time you are at a program like Mississippi State, there's going to be high expectations from the fans, from the media," MSU senior shortstop Seth Heck said. "That's just something you have to deal with as a player. I think it's a great problem to have." But while hopes surrounding MSU's 2015 season remain high -- coach John Cohen has taken the Bulldogs to four-straight NCAA Regional appearances -- the weight of those expectations might not be as crushing as they were a year ago, when MSU entered the season on the heels of the most successful season in school history. |
| Mississippi State has plenty of holes to fill | |
| Turnover is a part of college athletics. New faces shuffle into programs in four-year intervals. It's happened even faster for coach John Cohen and Mississippi State baseball. The Bulldogs' first trip to the College World Series final in June of 2013 is not even two year in the past. Yet, as MSU begins the 2015 season today against Cincinnati at Dudy Noble Field, only one starter remains from that team: first baseman Wes Rea. Ross Mitchell remains the only key arm from that historic team. The duo leads the 2015 team that contains numerous questions. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball falls 92-90 in double OT at Kentucky | |
| A putback by Kentucky's Makayla Epps with 0.4 seconds left to play broke Mississippi State's hearts Thursday night. Rallying from down 14 points in the second half, No. 13/15 MSU gave everything it had in a 92-90 double overtime loss to No. 10/10 Kentucky in Southeastern Conference play at Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky improved to 19-5 overall and 8-3 in league play, while MSU fell to 23-4 and 8-4. "We have lost back-to-back games to them in overtime on the same play," MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. "I'm disappointed for my kids. We had some warriors out there. I couldn't be prouder of them and prouder of my program. I was proud of how competitive we were. That game could have gone the other way." |
| Vivians scores 39, but Mississippi State falls in 2 OT | |
| Mississippi State's freshman standout Victoria Vivians had a career-high 39 points. But that wasn't enough, as the Bulldogs fell to Kentucky 92-90 in double-overtime thriller Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky. Vivians gave MSU (23-4, 9-4 Southeastern Conference) chances to win with five 3s. But Makayla Epps also had a career night, capped off with a putback basket as time expired in the second overtime for the win. |
| Epps scores 42, hits game winner as UK women escape Mississippi State in two overtimes | |
 | Of course she did. Makayla Epps hit the game winner with one second left in double overtime to give No. 10 Kentucky a 92-90 victory over No. 13 Mississippi State in Memorial Coliseum. The final shot was set up for Epps, but her runner in the lane rimmed out and looked like it was headed out of bounds before UK senior Jelleah Sidney rescued it. Then the ball bounced off hands, shoulders and heads before landing in Epps' hands in time for her to hit the off-balance shot and win it. What looked like it might be a day at the spa turned into a nail-biter for Kentucky with the Cats blowing a 14-point lead late in the first half and having to hang on. "They battled and they wanted it really bad," UK's Bria Goss said of the Bulldogs (23-4, 8-4 Southeastern Conference). "Our energy level got way down and they were the aggressors and made a huge run on us. They played really hard tonight." |
| Mississippi State softball slips past Louisiana Tech | |
| Mississippi State third baseman Caroline Seitz joked that she might wear Katie Anne Bailey's batting helmet and swing her bat for the rest of the weekend. For a moment, it looked like that might have already happened Thursday night at the MSU Softball Field. Bailey continued her torrid hitting pace to start the season and Seitz slapped a game-winning two-run home run as MSU opened the February Freezer with a 6-4 win over Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs collected nine hits in the opening game of this weekend's four-day tournament. MSU will be back in action at 5:30 p.m. today when its takes on Big 10 foe Illinois. |
| Mississippi State, Missouri meet looking for answers | |
| I.J. Ready was understandably frustrated, and it showed. Moments after Ready, a sophomore point guard, and Mississippi State's basketball team dropped a 55-51 home decision to Alabama on Tuesday night, the Little Rock, Arkansas native wore the look of a player who is running out of answers to describe MSU's deteriorating season. "If we knew why we were struggling so bad," said Ready. "We'd fix it." The Bulldogs are rapidly running out of time to find that fix. With just seven games remaining in the regular season, MSU (11-13 overall, 4-7 in Southeastern Conference play) finds itself in an all-too familiar position as the Bulldogs look to end a sudden losing streak. |
| Mizzou basketball coach Kim Anderson involved in emergency plane landing | |
| Kim Anderson couldn't speak anymore. He looked down at the podium he was sitting at and tried talking again. He bit his lip. He looked up -- his eyes were red and glassy. There were plenty of people he was thankful for. The Missouri basketball coach was flying to Illinois on a private plane for a recruiting trip Wednesday when he heard a rumble. The right propeller stopped spinning. "I didn't think they were, like, resting the right engine," Anderson said Thursday. The pilots told Anderson that they would make an emergency landing at the nearest airstrip. Anderson told his story, thanking the pilots by name. He then acknowledged the first responders. That's when he got choked up. |
| Former MSU Head Coach Talks Football at Fundraiser | |
| He played football under the legendary Bear Bryant and the University of Alabama, before crossing the state line to become the head coach of the Mississippi State football. That is just a brief history about Coach Jackie Sherill's football career. Sherill shared even more of his experiences, both on and off the field, at Thursday night's Sports Talk Event. The event, which also features a silent auction, is an annual fundraiser for the Columbus Lowndes Chapter of the Boys and Girls Club. |
| USM ends OT loss with 4 players on court after 3 foul out | |
| When you start a basketball game with only seven players, and two of them foul out, the last thing in the world you want is to go into overtime. Even worse, when another one fouls out in the overtime period, leaving only four players on the court, you're in big trouble. Unfortunately for the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, that's what happened to them against the FIU Panthers on Thursday night at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg. And to sum it up, although USM played about as well as it can despite the injury, defection, academic and suspension problems, the Eagles lost to FIU 73-71. |
| LSU opens season against Kansas hoping to reverse baseball attendance trend | |
 | By 5 p.m. Friday, a line of purple-and-gold clad fans will stretch from the gates of LSU's Alex Box Stadium and weave through a parking lot full of gumbo-cooking and beer-drinking tailgaters. Gates will open, and fans will pour into one of the nation's most plush college baseball parks. They will buy thousands of game-day programs, consume hundreds of hotdogs and roar their approval when the season's first rendition of "Calling Baton Rouge" blares from the speakers. It might just be the best atmosphere and biggest crowd for any college baseball season opener in the nation. But it won't be full. The problem: Getting these ticket-purchasing fans -- predominantly the 9,000-plus season ticket-holders -- into seats. |
| Friends help Vanderbilt fan keep coveted baseball tickets | |
| Trent Craig has held on to a pair of coveted Vanderbilt baseball season tickets for more than a decade thanks to a little luck and plenty of good will from his fellow fans. The 51-year-old Murfreesboro resident got two season tickets behind home plate in 2003, the year after Hawkins Field opened and when tickets were easy to come by, especially for a regular guy with no connection to the university. Craig is a big baseball fan, but far from a prime Vanderbilt booster. He was unemployed for more than two years and endured stacks of bills from two bouts with colon cancer. But he has held tightly to his cherished season tickets, even leaning on the generosity of surrounding ticket holders to pay for them. |
| U. of Tennessee's Michael Williams indicted in rape case | |
| A Knox County grand jury has indicted University of Tennessee football player Michael Williams on two counts of aggravated rape. Williams, a defensive back, also was named as having aided and abetted another indicted individual on two separate counts of aggravated rape. The five-page grand jury indictment redacts the name of the second individual. But the indictments stem from a Nov. 16 incident reported to Knoxville police in which two University of Tennessee football players were named as suspects in an alleged sexual assault. Karen Ann Simsen, a university spokeswoman, declined to comment on the indictment. |
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