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Mississippi Universities Expand Student Food Aid Amid Insecurity

By Drooid · Sep 24, 2026, 11:43 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Mississippi Colleges Tackle Insecurity

University of Mississippi Medical Center opened a student pantry on Sept. 1 to address basic-need insecurity.
Delta State University’s Statesman’s Shelf served 416 people in January, half during Winter Storm Fern.
Mississippi State University raised in-state tuition to $11,095 and out-of-state fees to $30,086 for 2024-25.
A 2023 Hope Center survey found 59% of students lack a basic need and 41% face food insecurity.

Summary

University Officials Report Deaths

University officials reported that an 18-year-old male and a 20-year-old student died between Sept. 18 and Sept. 21.
Vice Chancellor Shawnboda Mead warned against unverified social-media rumors and confirmed only two deaths.
Lafayette County Coroner Glenn Coleman disclosed the victims’ ages but withheld their names.
University police are working with local, state and federal agencies on the investigations.
Greek groups warned about cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid undetectable by fentanyl strips, urging Narcan.

History

Historical Context

Purdue Pharma introduced OxyContin in 1996, promoting it as a low-addiction, 12-hour pain reliever. Aggressive marketing drove prescriptions from 670,000 in 1997 to about 6.2 million by 2002 and sparked a national opioid surge that later fed the heroin epidemic. Today, universities such as UMMC and Delta State confront the legacy with food pantries and investigations of synthetic-opioid deaths.

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Mississippi Colleges Tackle Insecurity

University of Mississippi Medical Center opened a student pantry on Sept. 1 to address basic-need insecurity.
Delta State University’s Statesman’s Shelf served 416 people in January, half during Winter Storm Fern.
Mississippi State University raised in-state tuition to $11,095 and out-of-state fees to $30,086 for 2024-25.
A 2023 Hope Center survey found 59% of students lack a basic need and 41% face food insecurity.

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