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Mississippi Today

Delta State president affirms inclusivity but says interim band director who mocked trans people will keep his job, emails show

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1 year ago

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The new president of Delta State University, Daniel Ennis, wrote in a campus-wide email Thursday that Steven Hugley, the recently hired interim band director who mocked women and trans people on his now-deleted podcast, will remain in his position. 

Ennis wrote in the 6:11 p.m. email that the U.S. Constitution protects free speech and, in a separate email to marching band students, that the university’s “guiding principles” did not allow him to discipline an employee for private comments he had made before he was hired.

“I acknowledge that this response, which does not include an announcement of a personnel action, will be viewed as insufficient by some and appropriate by others,” he wrote to the campus. “I would not be worthy of my office if I didn’t accept that free expression at Delta State University means I am subject to your assessment and criticism.”

Ennis, who took his post earlier this summer, had faced calls from students, faculty and alumni to rescind Hugley’s hiring following an article in Mississippi Today that detailed some of the comments Hugley had made as the co-host of the podcast, “Always Right.”

Those included gagging at a photo of a trans woman, repeatedly misgendering notable trans people and calling for transitioning — the process of changing one’s physical appearance to align with their gender identity — to be made illegal for trans adults. In Mississippi, lawmakers earlier this year banned gender-affirming care that results in trans minors medically transitioning.

“If you do, not only are we gonna lock you up, we’re also gonna lock up the doctor,” Hugley said in reference to parents who seek gender-affirming care for trans kids, “and then we take it the next step.”

Though Hugley will keep his position, Ennis’s campus-wide email also contained an elaborate reminder that employees who “choose” to work at Delta State had agreed to participate in an inclusive environment that was free from discrimination or harassment and committed to nurturing students. The word “choose,” repeated four times, hyperlinked to the university’s webpages for diversity, equity and inclusion, and Title IX.

“Even the most diehard defenders of free speech concede that organizations and institutions can set professional standards,” he wrote.

To that end, Ennis added that Delta State “is no place for contempt.”

“I value behaviors, activities and ideas that support the recruitment, retention and graduation of students,” he wrote. “Conversely, I take a dim view of that which drives students away from this wonderful place.”

In the separate email to marching band students, Ennis wrote that his decision was based on “the range of viewpoints expressed” at his meeting with them last week, though most students who spoke were opposed to Hugley’s hiring. 

He also wrote that while he knew his decision not to remove Hugley “might cause some discomfort for certain students,” he promised to “be diligent in working to create a climate where all DSU students, employees, and constituents are valued and nurtured.”

If at any time a student felt singled out due to their identity, he wrote that they should notify the music department chair, Julia Thorn, the dean of the college of arts and sciences, or the vice president for student affairs.

“They stand ready to listen and to provide guidance,” he wrote.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Mississippi College will change its name and drop its football program

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7 hours ago

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November 18, 2024

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mississippitoday.org – Associated Press – 2024-11-18 17:42:00

Mississippi College will change its name and drop its football program after the current season, the board of the private institution announced Monday.

The college, in the Jackson suburb of Clinton, will become Mississippi Christian University beginning with its bicentennial in 2026. It said in an announcement that the new name emphasizes the school’s status as a comprehensive university while keeping the MC logo and identity.

“These transformational and necessary changes are extremely important to the future of this institution,” Mississippi College President Blake Thompson said. “As we look ahead to the institution’s bicentennial in 2026, we want to ensure that MC will be a university recognized for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ for another 200 years.”

Mississippi College sports teams compete in NCAA Division II. The college will have 17 sports after football is discontinued.

“As we consider the changing landscape of college football, the increasing influence of the NIL and transfer portal, as well as increasing costs to operate and travel, we felt it was necessary to focus our efforts on building first-class programs that can compete for championships,” MC Athletic Director Kenny Bizot said.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Doctors group asks state Supreme Court to clarify that abortions are illegal in Mississippi

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10 hours ago

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November 18, 2024

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mississippitoday.org – Bobby Harrison – 2024-11-18 14:27:00

A group of anti-abortion doctors is asking the state Supreme Court to reverse its earlier ruling stating that the right to an abortion is guaranteed by the Mississippi Constitution.

The original 1998 Supreme Court ruling that provides the right to an abortion for Mississippians conflicts with state law that bans most abortions in Mississippi.

The appeal to the Supreme Court comes after an earlier ruling by Hinds County Chancellor Crystal Wise Martin, who found the group of conservative physicians did not have standing to bring the lawsuit.

Mississippi members of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists argued that they could be punished for not helping a patient find access to an abortion since the earlier state Supreme Court ruling said Mississippians had a right to abortion under the state Constitution. But the Hinds County chancellor said they did not have standing because they could not prove any harm to them because of their anti abortion stance.

Attorney Aaron Rice, representing the doctors, said after the October ruling by Wise Martin that he intended to ask the state Supreme Court to rule on the case.

It was a Mississippi case that led to the controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed since the early 1970s a national right to an abortion.

Mississippi had laws in place to ban most abortions once Roe v. Wade was overturned, But there also was the 1998 state Supreme Court ruling that provided the right to an abortion.

Despite that ruling, there are currently no abortion clinics in Mississippi. But in the lawsuit, the conservative physicians group pointed out the ambiguity of the issue since in normal legal proceedings a Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of an issue would trump state law.

But in her ruling, Wise Martin pointed out that the state Supreme Court in multiple recent high-profile rulings has limited standing or who has the ability to file a lawsuit. Wise Martin said testimony on the issue revealed that physicians had not been punished in Mississippi for refusing to perform abortions.

Both the state and a pro abortion rights group argued that the physicians did not have standing to pursue the lawsuit. The state also contends that existing law makes it clear that most abortions are banned in Mississippi.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Podcast: A critical Mississippi Supreme Court runoff

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17 hours ago

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November 18, 2024

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mississippitoday.org – Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison and Taylor Vance – 2024-11-18 06:30:00

Voters will choose between Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens and state Sen. Jenifer Branning in a runoff election on Nov. 26, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Mississippi Today’s Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison, and Taylor Vance break down the race and discuss why the election is so important for the future of the court and policy in Mississippi.

READ MORE: As lawmakers look to cut taxes, Mississippi mayors and county leaders outline infrastructure needs

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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