Thursday, March 26, 2015   
 
Stennis Institute of Government removes 'interim' from French's director title
P. Edward "Eddie" French has been named executive director of the Mississippi State University's John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development after a year as interim leader. David R. Shaw, VP of research and economic development, called French the perfect selection. "He has a unique combination of knowledge of government at all levels in Mississippi, a rapport with constituents in the state and the respect within and external to the university," Shaw said. R. Gregory Dunaway, dean of the college agreed and said French's years of public-service leadership and research will be invaluable to him in leading the institute.
 
Mississippi State's Autism Clinic wins Restaurant Week's grand prize
Mississippi State University's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic was the top charity vote getter in this year's Starkville Restaurant Week and won a $5,000 cash donation Tuesday. The group, which receives no funding from the university, earned more than half of this year's total ballot count and beat out the first runner up, Starkville Habitat for Humanity, by about 2,500 votes. Dan Gadke, the clinic's director, said a portion of the prize money will ensure his organization continues to offer services through the summer, while another chunk will help offset costs for families that cannot afford help. The ADDC operates under MSU's School Psychological Services Center and serves about 70 clients each week with assessment -- autism spectrum disorder diagnoses -- and intervention services in areas including pre-academics, social skills and disruptive behaviors.
 
National Geographic Channel to feature Mississippi State students' designs
The winning ceiling design for a Kosciusko cabin first imagined by Mississippi State University interior design majors will be featured on the National Geographic channel's next episode of "Cabin Fever." It will air at 9 p.m. Tuesday on NatGeo. The cabin was constructed by Minnesota-based Heim Log Homes for Chris and Susan Strohm of Gallatin, Tennessee. The couple is the parents of MSU interior design senior Anna L. Strohm. Strohm and her father contacted Beth Miller, interior design program head, about involving MSU in the show. After getting approval, the student's competed and Strohm's team won.
 
Arts Day at the Capitol rallies support
Arts Day at the Mississippi State Capitol filled the rotunda with song, and as per the state's heritage, the music ranged from high and holy hymns to down and gritty blues. The day of arts advocacy brought out the artists and their fans as the Mississippi Arts Commission showcased groups and projects that've benefited from their support. Spirit-rousing songs from the Mississippi State University Chorus, led by Gary Packwood, swelled to an uplifting pitch. State Rep. Nick Bain, D-Corinth, soaking up the sounds and sights, said, "It's always great to have concerts like this. ... It gives you a real appreciation of what Mississippi brings to the table in arts and heritage."
 
An exhibit that touches lives at Mississippi State
They are young and in their prime and ready for war. Twenty two men are captured forever in paintings. Their lives were cut short in two roadside bombings back in 2005. "Watching them affect so many veterans and civilians-just the general public is rewarding for me. It's a pride," said exhibit Director Mike Strahle. They all served in the Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment in Iraq. Strahle was severely wounded. "We've had numerous students come through who have left in tears. It's been very impactful," said MSU Center for America's Veterans Associate Director Ronnie White. "I thought it was something that was important to bring here for our students to experience and to help some of our students through the healing process."
 
Starkville man arrested for passing a stopped school bus
A man was arrested in Starkville after surveillance video showed a car passing a stopped school bus while children were crossing the road. Police say the Starkville School District alerted them that a vehicle came within feet of striking a child when the car overtook the school bus as the blinking stop sign was extended. The incident took place around 3 p.m. Monday near Sand Road. Investigators obtained video of the incident, got the vehicle tag number and spoke with witnesses. Soon after, they say Brandon Terrel Wordlaw, 20, was arrested for passing a stopped school bus and other misdemeanor violations.
 
Top ranking: DeSoto ranked as state's healthiest county
DeSoto County has been ranked as Mississippi's healthiest county among all 82 counties in the Magnolia State, according to the 2015 County Health Rankings, a national health ranking analysis of counties across the country by the Robert Wood Johnson program. DeSoto County came out on top in the annual health ranking selection program, ahead of Lafayette County and Lamar County in south Mississippi at No. 3, and well ahead of Rankin County at No. 4 and affluent Madison County at No. 5. Tom Pittman, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, said DeSoto County's ranking has come about by good leadership. "DeSoto County is fortunate to have had a history of good leadership that has made us a healthy county," Pittman said. "We need to work together so that we can all become a healthier state and region. The healthier people are the better our hopes become for a strong economy."
 
State revenue estimates raised by $131 million
The Legislative Budget Committee on Wednesday raised the revenue estimate for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1, by $30 million. The 14-member committee, which includes Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Speaker Philip Gunn, also raised the estimate $101.6 million for the current fiscal year. "That isn't very much money," said Reeves, referring to the various needs facing legislators as work begins in earnest on developing a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The meeting of the legislative leaders to determine revenue estimates (the amount of money available to appropriate) is an essential piece in the puzzle House and Senate appropriators need as they face a Saturday night deadline to reach a budget deal. The full House and Senate are slated to vote on that budget accord on Sunday and Monday.
 
Bryant signs K-12 education budget bill
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Wednesday signed a $2.5 billion budget for elementary and secondary schools, putting in place one of the biggest pieces of an overall state government spending plan for the coming year. Bryant signed the bill the same day that members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee met and increased the estimates of how much money the state can spend on a variety of other programs, including prisons, universities and Medicaid. The higher revenue estimates are based on experts' consensus that the state economy is improving and tax collections are increasing.
 
Cosmetology board to get three new members
Three new members have been appointed to the beleaguered state Board of Cosmetology and the former executive director has resigned. Only two of the current members will remain on the board. All five nominations must go before the Public Health and Welfare Committee and if approved would then go to the full Senate. Their terms would begin March 29 and go to March 28, 2019. Lawmakers in the House and Senate had blasted the administration of the state Board of Cosmetology for not answering or returning their calls as well as calls of hairstylists seeking information. Earlier this month, state Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, called the Board of Cosmetology the "sorriest agency in state government." But Holland appeared at the Senate subcommittee meeting to offer his support for the incoming board with the three new members.
 
Trial of blogger charged in Cochran photo case delayed
The trial of a Pearl political blogger who made national news for photographing U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's bedridden wife in her nursing home room last year has been delayed at his request. Clayton Kelly's trial in Madison County Circuit Court had been scheduled to begin Monday. Madison County District Attorney Michael Guest said Tuesday night that the trial has been rescheduled for June 8, Guest said the trial was continued at Kelly's request. Kelly is charged with conspiracy, attempted burglary and burglary. Kelly's attorney, Kevin Camp, said earlier this month he was unsure the trial would take place next week. He said some things had to worked out, but didn't specify.
 
Pirkle, Tagert qualify for 1st District congressional race
Tupelo attorney Greg Pirkle and Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert qualified Wednesday for Mississippi's 1st Congressional District seat. Pirkle and Tagert are the latest candidates to have gathered and submitted 1,000 signatures from registered voters to the Secretary of State's office. District Attorney Trent Kelly of Saltillo, Oxford attorney Quentin Whitwell and Itawamba County prosecuting attorney Chip Mills of Fulton are the other candidates to qualify.
 
White House: GOP budget plan bad for Mississippi
Thousands of low-income Mississippians could lose access to health care coverage, Head Start and help buying food under a Republican budget plan, the White House said this week. The White House released state figures Tuesday outlining cuts under the GOP's spending blueprint for fiscal 2016. Many of the cuts would affect programs serving low-income Americans. Under the GOP plan, 99,000 Mississippi college students could see cuts in their Pell Grant money and 840 children would be unable to enroll in Head Start, the White House said. The plan also would cut $11.4 billion over 10 years in Medicaid funding to Mississippi, administration officials said. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, would be cut $1.4 billion over five years, affecting aid to 657,000 Mississippians, the White House said. Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said reducing spending is necessary to balance the budget.
 
Supreme Court Questions Alabama Redistricting Plan
The Supreme Court on Wednesday revived claims by African-American and Democratic groups that Alabama wrongly concentrated black voters into too few state legislative districts. In a 5-4 ruling, the court's majority cast doubt on arguments by the Republican-controlled state Legislature that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 required the state to maintain a certain percentage of black voters in majority black districts, despite population shifts. While Wednesday's decision sends the case back for further hearings before a lower court, it leaves the current lines intact as the litigation proceeds.
 
French prosecutor: Co-pilot of doomed flight sought to 'destroy the plane'
A French prosecutor said Thursday that the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight appeared to want to "destroy the plane," adding a stunning twist as the investigation shifted to a possible suicide dive that killed all 150 people aboard. The statement came after reports that the recovered cockpit voice recorder indicated the pilot was locked out of the cockpit before the A320 slammed into the French Alps on Tuesday after an eight-minute descent. The Marseille-based prosecutor, Brice Robin, said the flight recorder showed the co-pilot -- identified as Andreas Lubitz -- did not say a word once the captain left the cockpit, the Associated Press reported.
 
The race to build the Silicon Valley of cybersecurity
While California's Silicon Valley is the US technology capital, cities and states across the country are vying to dominate the booming market for actually securing that technology and information. "What's the next Silicon Valley for cybersecurity?" asks Peter Singer, a strategist who focuses on cybersecurity at the New America think tank in Washington. "This is one of the fastest growing industries -- not just in the tech sector, but in the world." Cities and regions around the US are competing to draw business and brainpower in a market projected to top $160 billion by 2020.
 
Ole Miss rallies for Jones
Cheers and chants joined speeches, pledges and resolutions Wednesday when about 2,500 supporters of University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones rallied in the Lyceum Circle to demand his continuation as UM's leader. The IHL Board decided last Friday and reaffirmed on Monday not to extend Jones' contract, which ends Sept. 14. There were rumors later Wednesday about possible negotiations between Jones and the IHL about a possible extension of his contract. No board meeting had been called as of Wednesday afternoon, however, according to a spokesperson for IHL. University Police estimated 2,500 people consisting of UM faculty, students, community members and university supporters attended the rally.
 
Thousands Protest Plan to Oust University Chief in Mississippi
Raising handwritten signs and clutching scripts for protest chants, more than 2,500 people on Wednesday demonstrated at the University of Mississippi to resist last week's unexpected decision to oust the school's chancellor, Daniel W. Jones. In what officials here described as one of the largest protests in the university's history, students, employees and other supporters of Dr. Jones criticized the plan to change leaders as wrapped in secrecy and threatening to the future of a place that has often been central to the image of this state. Dr. Jones, who became the school's chief executive in 2009, had won acclaim for his work to move the university away from the shadow of the racial unrest that tarnished the campus in 1962.
 
Thousands rally in support of ousted Ole Miss chancellor
The University of Mississippi finds itself in turmoil after trustees ousted well-liked Chancellor Dan Jones, with more than 2,000 students and faculty rallying to his defense Wednesday on the Oxford campus. "We're not backing down," said Alex Borst, a sophomore and one of the protest organizers. "We're going to continue organizing, emailing, calling, anything we can do." The demonstration spilled over online with social media messages 'IStandWithDan.' It's the latest standoff campus standoff between a university president and its board and has been likened to what happened at the University of Virginia a couple of years ago. In that instance, the president was re-instated after a student and faculty uproar.
 
Ford-funded science building 'desperately needed' at UM
The most quantifiable result of the state College Board's decision not to renew Ole Miss chancellor Dan Jones' contract arrived Monday. That's when the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation made it known that if Jones had to leave, $20 million the foundation had promised for a new science building would follow him out the door. The new science building had nothing to do with the Ford Foundation taking up more space on Ole Miss' campus -- the Gertrude C. Ford Center on University Drive hosted the 2008 debate between President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain -- and everything to do with necessity, said one faculty member. "That building is desperately needed," said Josh Gladden, an associate professor of physics and director of Ole Miss' National Center for Physical Acoustics.
 
Under Contract: U. of Mississippi awarded contract to perform marijuana-based research
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is housed within the National Institutes of Health, awarded a $68.8 million contract to the University of Mississippi to perform marijuana-based research. Researchers must "cultivate and harvest, process, analyze... cannabis (marijuana)" and extract some of the active ingredients within the drug -- delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), among other cannabinoids. From there, the contract involves learning how to grow custom cannabis plants with varying levels of THC and CBD. The university must also "supply cannabis, cannabis extract ...and marijuana cigarettes to research investigators and/or to the NIDA Drug Supply program upon NIDA authorization."
 
Southern Miss celebrates Founders Day Monday
The University of Southern Mississippi will commemorate the 105th anniversary of its legislative founding March 30 with annual Founders' Day celebrations in Hattiesburg and on the Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach. Southern Miss students, faculty and staff will be recognized for their achievements at various events throughout the day. "Founders' Day is special time in the hearts and minds of the Southern Miss faithful. On this day we are reminded that we stand on the strong shoulders of many who have come before us in molding this into a very special university," said Joe Paul, vice president for Student Affairs.
 
Jackson State student threatened with shotgun, police say
Two men are accused of threatening a Jackson State University student with a shotgun, campus police said. The incident happened before midnight Tuesday at the Palisades apartments on Valley Street, JSU police said. JSU recently purchased the Palisades apartment complex as student housing, which makes it officially part of campus, school officials said. JSU officials said the two men pulled up in a white truck and pointed the gun at the female student. The woman got into an argument with the men in what university officials said was a road rage incident. Christopher Jamal Studaway and Terrandan Morris, both 20, were each charged simple assault and being in possession of a weapon on a school campus, police said. The men, who are residents of Yazoo City, are not students at JSU, officials said.
 
LSU president laments 'unprecedented' budget cuts at press club luncheon
Louisiana State University has the largest number of alumni in New Orleans compared to any other university in the state, according to LSU President F. King Alexander. "There are lots of reasons we need to be here and be here more often, working with high school counselors and middle school principals to get more students ready for college," Alexander said Tuesday during the Press Club of New Orleans newsmaker luncheon. So the fact that the Louisiana Legislature has recommended cutting LSU's annual operating budget by 82 percent for the next fiscal year strikes Alexander as devastating not just for the institution, but also for the city of New Orleans.
 
Vanderbilt admission rate hits all-time low in 2015
It is harder than ever for students to get into Vanderbilt University, with the acceptance rate for regular decision applicants falling to an all-time low this year. Only 9.5 percent of students who applied regular decision were accepted, according to statistics released this week by the university. Vanderbilt has steadily become more selective over the past 16 years, but acceptance rates have dropped more sharply since 2007, as the university's applicant pool grew by thousands. Douglas Christiansen, Vanderbilt's vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions, says the jump in applications is driven by increased interest from international students and students who live in other regions of the country.
 
UGA student robbed at gunpoint, possibly related to rash of robberies
A University of Georgia student fell victim to an assault by two armed robbers Tuesday night as she walked home alone from downtown Athens. The suspects struck the 21-year-old woman in the head as they robbed her at gunpoint near the corner of East Broad and Arch streets at about 10 p.m., according to Athens-Clarke County police. The suspects ran off upon seeing an officer, who happened to be in the area. Police said they are investigating the incident as possibly related to five other armed robberies or attempted robberies in the area in recent days.
 
Hybrid termite in South Florida worries UF expert
Two particularly hungry, exotic termite species apparently have found love halfway around the world and, as with so many other Florida hook-ups, the results are disturbing. Each termite invaded Florida, probably through cargo shipments, several decades ago, but experts believed the colonies didn't mingle because their above-ground mating swarms launched in different months. That is, until University of Florida researcher Thomas Chouvenc noticed something unusual about the termite swarms in his Fort Lauderdale neighborhood two years ago. The two species were flying around looking for mates at the same time -- and they were giving each other that look.
 
A party and a poem to celebrate U. of South Carolina women's studies
Alumni, professors and friends gathered Tuesday night to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the University of South Carolina's women's and gender studies program. About 150 were on hand at the Stone River venue in West Columbia to toast the program, which began in the 1974-75 academic year with one course, Women in Western Culture. On Tuesday night, USC President Harris Pastides was among the special guests and expressed his support for the work of the program, which expanded to include gender studies in 2008.
 
Texas A&M student suffers head injuries after sliding out of moving pickup
An 18-year-old Texas A&M student suffered head injuries Tuesday night after sliding out of the back of a moving pickup truck, police said. Savannah Breckenridge, who is listed as a freshman political science major in the university's directory, was in fair condition Wednesday at St. Joseph hospital. College Station police were called to the Northpoint Crossing Apartments parking garage about 8 p.m. on Tuesday to find that Breckenridge had been lying in the bed of a Ford F-150 with the tailgate down, according to a press release from the department.
 
Expelled Oklahoma fraternity member says he's 'deeply sorry' for racist song
Flanked by black community leaders, one of two University of Oklahoma fraternity members expelled this month for leading a racist chant said Wednesday that he was "sorry, deeply sorry" for his actions. Levi Pettit, 20, in his first public statement on the chant that drew nationwide outrage, sometimes appeared emotional and tripped over his words during a news conference with one of the state's top African American lawmakers. Pettit said he understood "completely" why he was expelled and thanked University of Oklahoma President David Boren for accepting his apology. Boren swiftly banned the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity from campus and expelled Pettit and a fellow SAE member after the song surfaced in a video that went viral.
 
Ohio State faculty object to draft intellectual property policy
For many years, Ohio State University -- like lots of peer institutions -- had an understanding with its faculty: the institution might claim intellectual property rights to innovations, inventions and patentable research, but scholarly works belonged to professors alone. Now a new draft intellectual property policy is threatening that agreement in the eyes of some faculty members. Ohio State says the policy is preliminary and the final document will result in no new limits on faculty property rights. But the ongoing debate and others like it elsewhere in recent years have implications for defining scholarly work in the digital age and for just how much of an academic's work -- digital or not -- his or her institution can claim to own.
 
BRIAN PERRY (OPINION): Ole Miss is bigger than Dan Jones
Jackson-based consultant and columnist Brian Perry writes: "Last Friday, the Institutes of Higher Learning Board of Trustees (College Board) voted 9-2 not to renew the contract of Dan Jones, Chancellor of the University of Mississippi. The resulting uproar has been immensely entertaining. I don't suggest it is a trivial issue. Chancellor Jones is essentially the chief executive of an institution with more than 20,000 students and a budget of $2 billion. Ole Miss in Oxford, as well as the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, are vital components of their communities, economic development generators, job creators and provide important and -- with UMMC -- lifesaving services to Mississippians. But the emotional outrage of those who opposed the decision seemed to overpower rationality."
 
BOBBY HARRISON (OPINION): GOP leaders could have gotten some kind of income tax cut
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "Make no mistake about it, House Republicans killed any chance of an income tax cut passing the Mississippi Legislature this session. On Friday, House Republicans, who hold a majority, could have made a motion to send the tax cut legislation to conference by a simple majority vote. In that conference committee, an agreement between House and Senate leaders to cut the income tax could have been reached and the legislation could have been sent to the floors of the two chambers for another vote. Perhaps House Democrats would have blocked passage of that conference report cutting the income tax since it takes a three-fifths majority to send to the governor legislation raising or cutting taxes. But the truth of the matter is we will never know."
 
SID SALTER (OPINION): Court's voter ID ruling bolsters Mississippi law
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "The most recent action of the U.S. Supreme Court would seem to suggest Mississippi will conduct our 2015 statewide elections with the state's voter identification laws in place. Despite the dire predictions of a wholesale trampling to voting rights in a state with a historically bad record on protecting those right, Mississippi's voter ID laws seemed to survive their first test in the 2014 elections. Now comes the U.S. Supreme Court with yet another ruling that seems to be accepting of voter ID laws, this time in Wisconsin. In that ruling, the high court refused to hear a challenge to Wisconsin's 2011 voter ID laws after a district judge rejected them."


SPORTS
 
Howland reveals his blueprint in rebuilding Mississippi State hoops
In Ben Howland's decade-long tenure at UCLA, his teams averaged 70.7 points per game. The Bruins allowed 64.6 points per game. The stats offer window into what Howland hopes to accomplish as Mississippi State's new basketball coach. "Nobody is going to play harder than Mississippi State," Howland said. "No one will be better prepared than our players and team as we get ready for the season." "Something I did at my last year at UCLA, was making a huge emphasis on pushing the ball on all makes and misses. Especially on makes now," Howland said. "Most teams do not expect you to run after they scored. Most of the time kids are celebrating and meanwhile, (the opponent) is taking the ball up to the net trying to get a layup, a wide open three or a good shot."
 
Schmid clinches No. 34 Mississippi State's 4-1 upset of No. 13 Ole Miss
With the Starkville sun setting behind the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, senior Tassilo Schmid finished his final regular season match against Ole Miss by clinching Mississippi State's (13-5, 4-2 SEC) 4-1 upset of the 13th-ranked Rebels (12-5, 4-2 SEC) on Wednesday. "It's great for our team, our fans and our program for everyone to see how we compete and the atmosphere we bring out here," MSU coach Matt Roberts said. "It's really a great day for everyone to see what Mississippi State tennis is all about with this young team."
 
Race to back up Prescott still in the air at Mississippi State
Mississippi State knows what it is getting with Dak Prescott returning for his senior season at quarterback. Beyond that, it is a bit of a free for all for quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson. The Bulldogs have three quarterbacks jockeying for the back-up spot this spring and another signal caller joining the mix in the summer. Prescott guided MSU to one of its most memorable seasons last year going 10-3 and spending five weeks as the nation's No. 1 team. He amassed 4,470 yards of offense and 42 touchdowns in 2014, finishing eighth on the Heisman Trophy race.
 
Mississippi State linebackers out to prove they haven't lost a step
From a distance on Mississippi State's practice fields, it appears Benardrick McKinney changed his number from 50 to 4. In reality, the Bulldogs' leading tackler the last two seasons is no longer on the roster as he prepares or the NFL Draft. The McKinney facsimile is actually, 6-foot-4, 240 pound redshirt freshman Gerri Green. "I learned a lot from him my first year here, watching him play," Green said. "It's just my time to step up." McKinney's 6-foot-5, 249-pound stature is one of two vacancies Mississippi State's looks to fill within its linebacking group this spring heading into 2015.
 
Texas A&M Toughens Drug Policy
Texas A&M is clamping down on athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs. The university this week upped the minimum penalty for a positive drug test to a half-season suspension from games, substantially stricter than the previous requirement that a player miss at least one contest. The change means the school now has one of the NCAA's toughest policies on performance-enhancing drugs, rather than one of the most liberal. Officials said that the change was prompted by a Wall Street Journal article last week that highlighted the vast disparity between drug-testing policies among the NCAA's high-profile athletic programs. The NCAA's chief medical officer, Brian Hainline, is pushing for more transparent and consistent policies among schools.
 
Report: U. of Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall meets with NCAA again
First-year Tennessee men's basketball coach Donnie Tyndall met with NCAA investigators for a second time to discuss the Southern Miss investigation, according to a Yahoo! Sports report published Wednesday night. The report, citing anonymous sources, said the meeting took place Monday, but did not include the location. Tyndall first met with NCAA investigators in November, after Southern Miss announced it was cooperating with the NCAA's review of the program Tyndall coached from April 2012 to April 2014. Since Southern Miss made the announcement on Nov. 6, two members of Tyndall's staff resigned, Southern Miss banned itself from postseason play and two Southern Miss players Tyndall signed during his two seasons there have been ruled ineligible.
 
Meaningless Bowls Eclipse Very Meaningful Basketball Games, at Least in Viewership
March Madness is huge, right? This year, the multiweek extravaganza has had its usual share of upsets, an exhilarated coach falling off his rolling chair after a victory and the presence of a dominant Kentucky team. Nearly 11.6 million brackets were submitted to ESPN.com's annual contest. So what in college sports could be a bigger fan draw than the N.C.A.A. men's basketball tournament? How about a bunch of bowl games? Yes, college football bowl games --- nearly all of which had no meaning other than providing athletes with a postseason experience.
 
'The Athletic Machine Is in Charge of the University'
Mary C. Willingham, a learning specialist who blew the whistle on academic fraud at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is promoting a book she co-wrote about the scandal. In a recent conversation with The Chronicle, Ms. Willingham talked about how the scandal highlighted what she said are larger problems in the world of big-time college sports, warning that "the athletic machine is in charge of the university." Ms. Willingham also discussed her efforts to expose the fraud at Chapel Hill, how colleges could do more to help athletes get a meaningful education, and her advice for others who see problems similar to the ones that arose at UNC.



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