New data reveals only 49% of Minnesota students are proficient in reading,  a decade low for students’ reading scores, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Education

Literacy rates have fallen since 2016 and hit a record low in 2023. State and Federal Legislatures have taken action to fix this, but the University of Minnesota says they look at more than these test scores in the admission process.

Marek Oziewicz is the chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University and has studied literacy rates in the U.S. for more than 20 years. 

“I think we are now in this transformational period where we see something that doesn’t work as we would like it to,” Oziewicz said. “So we need to fix something. An intervention is needed.”

Data shows that literacy rates began to drop before the pandemic when a majority of students were online. The Minnesota Department of Education released no data in 2020, but between 2019 and 2021 there was a 5% drop in literacy rates. 

“There are very clear advantages of online learning,” Oziewicz said. “But there are also disadvantages so that each of these modalities in-person, hybrid or online, has its own advantages, but also it’s not a silver bullet, it will not solve everything for everyone.”

When asked if literacy rates will impact admissions, the University’s Admissions Office would not specifically comment. In an email to the Minnesota Daily, they reiterated their holistic review process, saying they look beyond test scores. 

The University Admissions Office website says, “Individual circumstances are also considered as part of the overall assessment of each application.”

Legislatures at the state and federal levels have introduced legislation to support students. The data only reveals the problem and Oziewicz said the solution is not as clear. 

“The system, as it works in schools, it’s composed of several layers,” Oziewicz said. “You have teacher training, you have curricula, you have standards, you have assessment, and you have schools and teacher support.”

The Minnesota State government made literacy a priority, and in May 2023, Gov. Tim Walz signed the Read Act into law, which provides comprehensive changes to education. Walz, a former geography teacher at Mankato West High School, prioritized education in his term, creating the Due North Plan.

The Due North Plan requires school districts to provide a plan to support literacy beginning in kindergarten. It requires districts to flag students who are at risk, and if needed, allows them access to dyslexia screenings. Districts must submit this data twice a year to prevent students from falling behind.

At the federal level, education has been a major concern. On Sept. 4th, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new federal grants to develop state testing, with Minnesota among 10 states to receive funding. 

The U.S. Department of Education also announced grants to specifically support literacy and resources to target chronic absenteeism. 

All of these developments aim to improve education and literacy rates, but Oziewicz said the best way is to support teachers. He added that teachers have direct contact with students and teacher burnout directly impacts students. 

“Most teachers are very dedicated, and for them, every single child matters,” Oziewicz said. “Helping this group of children is what teachers are in it for.”

Senior outside hitter Katie Corelli with redshirt senior setter Rebecca Rocassin in an NCAA volleyball tournament game in Houston on Sept. 5, 2024. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

The Cougars went 1-1 in the Flo Hyman Classic during their first matchups inside the Fertitta Center for the 2024 season.

Match one

The Cougars hosted the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in their first game of the Flo Hyman Classic on Thursday, Sept. 5.

The Ragin’ Cajuns matched the Cougars’ energy early in the first set, leaving them tied right before the first media timeout. At this point in the set, both teams sat at 14 points, 10 kills and a single block.

The Ragin’ Cajuns rallied with a 4-0 run to lead the Cougars 22-17 at the second media timeout.

The Cougars responded with an equally powerful run of their own, thanks to two aces from redshirt senior setter Rebecca Rocassin.

Despite a late push from Houston, Louisiana took set one 25-23.

The Cougars pulled away with an early 5-2 lead in the second set thanks to two kills by senior outside hitter Katie Corelli, assisted by graduate setter Annie Cooke.

Two strong kills by junior outside hitter Avery Shimaitis gave the Cougars a 19-14 lead and forced a Rajin’ Cajun timeout. Shimaitis’ three kills in the second set gave UH a 25-18 victory.

The Cougars continued their momentum in set three and stormed to an 8-3 lead over Louisiana.

Midway through the second set, a strong push from the Ragin’ Cajuns and some offensive miscues from Houston resulted in a tie at 11.

A kill by graduate outside hitter Angela Grieve broke the tie, followed by three consecutive kills by Corelli, which separated the Cougars from the Ragin’ Cajuns and gave them a 15-11 lead.

A strong block assist by Grieve and freshman middle blocker Addisyn Pohl closed out set three 25-20 victory for the Cougars.

The Cougars started strong and attempted to close out Louisiana in the fourth set. The Ragin’ Cajuns fought and tied the Cougars at 12 points a piece.

After the ninth tie of the set, the Cougars took a 15-13 lead, but Louisiana stormed back balancing the score at 19.

The Ragin’ Cajuns were not going down without a fight. They pushed through twelve ties to win the fourth set by two, forcing a winner-take-all set five.

Louisianna started the fifth set on fire and took a commanding 9-5 lead over the Cougars.

After a kill by freshman outside hitter Lily Barron, the Ragin’ Cajuns went on a 6-0 run to close out the Cougars in the final set.

Corelli led the Cougars with a career-high 20 kills and redshirt junior middle blocker Barakat Rahmon recorded a career-high, 10 kills.

Rocassin, Grieve and graduate libero Kate Georgiades recorded double-doubles on the evening.

Match two

Houston bounced back in a straight-set win against Northwestern State rounding out the Flo Hyman Classic on Saturday, Sept. 7.

UH took a 9-3 lead in the first set before the Lady Demons clawed their way back to just a two-point deficit. UH did not let their guard down and took the set 25-21.

Three straight Houston kills broke a 9-9 tie in the second set. Houston went on a 5-0 run with three kills from Barron to take a 20-14 lead.

Another lengthy run put Houston within one of taking the set, which they wrapped with a kill from Corelli.

The Cougars further asserted their dominance in the third set, scoring six straight points to take a 16-7 lead.

Three Houston points rounded out the set, giving Houston its 47th sweep during head coach David Rehr’s era.

Barron tallied 15 kills across the three sets, accounting for a third of Houston’s points.

Grieve recorded her 77th career double-digit kill match with 13.

Houston is now 3-1 on the season and will return to action with a match in Austin, Texas against No. 6 Texas on Sept. 11.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Flo Hyman Classic: Cougars lose home opener before winning in sweeping fashion” was originally posted on The Cougar

The University of Minnesota’s International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) is celebrating 150 years of international students on campus. 

The University first welcomed its international undergraduates in 1874, where they made up less than 1% of the student body. Today, international students make up 11% of the student population with more than 5,200 students from 140 different countries.

ISSS advises and supports international students through their learning experiences in the United States, said Kathryn Gaylord-Miles, the associate director of Student Advising and Counseling for the office. In her time there, she has seen students rely on a wide network of counseling resources.

“I think that the ISSS office here, and the University as a whole, have a set of support resources for international students that’s really unique,” Gaylord-Miles said. 

Gaylord-Miles said the student engagement team put on a webinar series for incoming students to help them prepare for college life at the University and in the U.S. 

“I think that’s really unique, there aren’t very many schools that have something like that,” Gaylord-Miles said.

According to Gaylord-Miles, the office is chiefly there to support students in their efforts to accustom themselves to the U.S., but it can be a difficult adjustment process for some.

“Many of the staff here have lived overseas, we’ve studied or worked there and gone through some of the same experiences ourselves,” Gaylord-Miles said.  “It takes getting used to. For some students that’s a really positive change and they’re excited to build relationships with faculty, but for some students, it takes a little bit longer because it’s something very new for them.”

Gaylord-Miles said she recognizes it is no easy task.

“There’s a lot of things that are different and I think they can be positive or negative for different students,” Gaylord-Miles said. 

Expectations that may seem simple for non-international students often come as challenges for international students. For example, classroom participation and talking with professors outside the classroom can be among the biggest challenges.

For students like Maryam Aghayeva, a second-year biomedical engineering major from Baku, Azerbaijan, the transition process is more complex than it seems.

“It’s a very individual experience,” Aghayeva said. “It’s really based on the personality of the student. I know some international students that are friends with everyone on campus and they know everyone, but I know there are some that are less social than that. It’s really all based on your personality.”

Aghayeva said the key to making valuable connections on campus has been finding her comfort zone.

“I had Calculus my first semester, and I’m really good at math, so naturally, I made a lot of friends,” Aghayeva said. “I was helping people, I was telling them ‘Let’s go study!’, and they appreciated the help. You just have to find your own thing and connect with your own people in order to be comfortable.” 

For many students, adjusting to American culture has been a tumultuous experience. 

“I feel like the U.S. has culture, but it’s modern culture,” Aghayeva said. “Everything in the world is affected in a way by U.S. culture. Students from around the world, whether they know or not, are influenced by U.S. culture.” 

Aghayeva said even though she was somewhat familiar with American culture, she still felt some growing pains in her first couple of months.

“The way people are here is different. They’re nice, but the niceness is more of a polite gesture,” Aghayeva said. “People from my country, and generally from the East, they’re not nice to you right off the bat. If they are nice to you, that means they like you. It’s much more of a friendly gesture, but over here, it’s not like that.”

Beth Isensee, assistant director of ISSS, has been working in the office for twenty years. She said a little bit of confusion is normal for incoming international students.

“Everyone, when they start at the University, is anxious, a bit nervous or unsure. They may even feel like a little bit of an imposter,” Isensee said. “But I love that people have the resiliency to travel across the world and try to be a student in a completely different educational context. There’s just so much learning that the student does, but there’s also a lot of learning that the University does.” 

Isensee said the office cannot contain its excitement for the big celebration.

“Every event we have, we’re going to be in the theme of 150 years,” Isensee said. “The goal is we’re going to feature 150 stories from the international alumni, and we’re working on that right now.” 

Isensee said the easiest way for students to get involved with the office is at Small World Coffee Hour, which is every other Friday at the RecWell and provides opportunities for non-international and international students to share a meal.

Isensee said it is the students who make this celebration. She said working with students to guide them in their experiences is what makes her job meaningful.

“I absolutely love working with students, and I absolutely love being a part of the lives of our international students. They are so amazing and I get tons of energy from them,” Insensee said. “When you get to talk to someone every day, and you learn something new from them or gain a new perspective and get your views challenged, it just makes a really dynamic space to be in. I’ve been here for twenty years and every day feels like a total adventure.”

Despite the Paralympics ending Sunday and the 2024 Olympics commencing about a month before, people are already looking toward the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Ever since President Biden ended his bid for reelection on July 21, there has been momentum and energy among many coalitions and demographics. Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, will face off against former President Donald Trump as their first time meeting face-to-face.  

The Daily Emerald wants you to help guide our coverage of the race. Fill out the form attached to submit your responses on how you think the debate went. We’ll compile your responses and use them to report on how the election affects students. Tonight’s debate could persuade some undecided voters, or solidify others. 

A little about what we’re asking for. We ask students to identify their opinions about the candidates from tonight’s debate, while also being able to analyze what a majority of students are saying about the election. 

About the candidates: 

Kamala Harris currently serves as the 49th Vice President of the United States. Prior to her tenure, she was a U.S. Senator from California from 2017-2021. She also served as the 27th District Attorney of San Francisco and the 32nd Attorney General of California. 

In her 2024 campaign, she has received endorsements from political figures that are from different political spectrums. She has been focused on lowering the costs for middle class families like housing, and preventing more mass shootings in schools. 

Harris is now seen as the younger option, and has provided space for anti-trump Republicans to join the camp such as Former Vice President Dick Cheney. 

She has also made a big focus on reproductive health care after the fall of Roe v. Wade.

Donald Trump, known for being a businessman, served as the 45th President of the United States. He was defeated for a second term by-then Vice President Joe Biden, who now serves as the 46th President of the United States. 

He is a convicted felon. On the opposite side of Harris, he has nominated three Supreme Court Justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

Trump has also been focusing on immigration, with a plan to finish the U.S. Mexico Border wall. Additionally, he also wants to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history. His focus is stopping the migrant crime epidemic and demolishing the foreign drug cartels.

The debate, taking place in Philadelphia, PA, will start at 9 p.m. Eastern time. Stay tuned for more updates after the debate.

Cars on campus on Sept. 5, 2024 |Gauraangi Gupta/The Cougar

As the Fall semester begins, campus drivers and parking issues come to the forefront. 

Every year, students encounter or hear about cars getting broken into, damaged or ticketed on campus grounds. 

These occurrences, in addition to the risk pedestrians face when walking to class, often leave students feeling uneasy and frustrated throughout the school day. 

“People drive way too fast and they are not careful around pedestrians,” said communication sciences and disorders junior Alondra Saucedo. 

Saucedo expressed her discomfort and emphasized the importance of driver etiquette while driving on campus. 

Drivers do not wait for pedestrians to cross when the pedestrian crossing sign is on and oftentimes speed past the pedestrian crosswalk without checking if students are crossing, said Saucedo. 

“Drivers reach ridiculously high speeds and make turns even if they don’t have the right of way,” said psychology senior Fatimah Ghouse. 

Not paying attention to traffic lights and turning when it is not their right of way is especially dangerous when pedestrians have the right to cross.

“No signals are used ever and they’re so impatient they honk out of frustration,” Saucedo said.

A simple solution to speeding is practicing good time management and leaving on time, rather than relying on speeding—which endangers lives—to ensure timely arrival to class.

Saucedo advises commuter students to not only manage their time but to also be more aware and respectful when driving. 

“Not paying attention when driving after a long day at school can be dangerous,” Suacedo said. “If you’re running late do not let it out on other students and drivers. If you’re not good at managing your time and you’re always running late please learn how to get to school earlier.” 

Furthermore, Saucedo would like drivers to remember that everyone is a pedestrian at some point therefore respect and etiquette should always be kept in mind when driving in high traffic areas. 

When asked what solution students believed could be implemented to fix driving issues on campus many students agreed adding more stop signs in the garages would be the best solution ,while others believed that UH should add more security to the garages in order for a change to happen. 

“Drivers ignore markings on the ground and speed past students in the garages,” said supply chain and logistics senior Julian Garcia. “Stronger police presence should be implemented in order to ensure that drivers slow down.” 

Students crossing road on campus on Sept. 5, 2024. |Gauraangi Gupta/The Cougar

According to Saucedo, driving after a long day of school can be dangerous and commonly students prefer to take the elevator up to their garage level rather than going up various flights of stairs.

In recent years, garage elevators have frequently malfunctioned or remained out of service for extended periods, forcing commuters to climb the stairs with their school essentials packed in their backpacks.

“I’ve been parking in the Welcome Center garage for two semesters and the elevators have been broken basically that entire time,” Ghouse said. “It’s insane having to climb eight flights of stairs to my car at the end of the day.”

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Unsafe drivers on campus leaves Coogs frustrated” was originally posted on The Cougar

Federalism is the name of the game, and Rep. Celeste Maloy reminded Utahns why during her conversation at the Sutherland Institute’s 2024 Congressional Series last Wednesday.

Maloy sat down with University of Utah students, locals and U staff on Sept. 4 to discuss her thoughts on the federal government’s influence on state and local policy. She covered land use, the Chevron decision, guidance letters, environmental regulation and the importance of transparency in congress.

“I think transparency and accountability are key in government,” Maloy said. “I think a lot of that transparency is actually baked in, but you have to know where to look and what you’re looking for, and so, that really isn’t transparency.”

Balancing Federal and State Jurisdiction

Maloy said the government’s main function is to protect the freedom of individuals. She explained that more often than not, people are not consuming news at the local level, and instead have a tendency to focus on issues at the federal level. In reality, she added,  state, county and city governments are just as important. 

To ensure that the balance between federal and state jurisdiction is maintained, Maloy introduced the Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act in June. The FREE Act requires government agencies to evaluate its permits and assess if they are appropriate for permit by rule. Permit by rule is a process by which gas and oil sources are regulated.

Maloy said this act is meant to streamline the permitting process, but it has not yet moved past being introduced in the legislature. 

Additionally, Maloy said she believes that overturning the Chevron decision will help maintain the balance.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, the Supreme Court’s 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council states that if federal legislation is ambiguous, courts must refer to an agency’s interpretation of the legislation. This holds true even if a court disagrees with an agency’s interpretation. 

“In the 40 years since [the decision], that deference has gotten broader and broader to where I would say the agencies are often interpreting their authority to be clearly in violation of what Congress said,” Maloy said. 

Maloy explained that in her opinion, states do most things better. 

“With a lot of the hot-button political issues, part of the reason they are so hot is because we’re trying to solve them at a federal level when it would make more sense for states to make decisions,” Maloy said. “States are much better at figuring out a solution that works for their state.” 

Federal Policy Decisions

The conversation’s moderator, William C. Duncan, the Sutherland Institute’s constitutional law and religious freedom fellow, asked Maloy about the role of guidance letters in Congress. Guidance letters offer the public information on legislation by explaining its effects. They can also outline interpretations of legislation. 

Maloy said she believes guidance letters are “infringing on the idea of federalism.” 

She explained the solution to issues surrounding guidance letters begins with the language Congress uses in a bill. Ensuring that the intended message within a bill is clear to understand would eliminate the need for guidance letters.

“I think we owe it to the court and the agencies to be really clear, and we don’t have to be tricky about it, we can be really open about it,” Maloy said.

Federal Land Use 

When Duncan asked about land use, Maloy touched on Utah filing a landmark public lands lawsuit against the U.S. Supreme Court. The lawsuit asks the Court to address whether the federal government can hold on to unappropriated lands indefinitely. In Utah, approximately 18.5 million acres of land is unappropriated. This land is currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management. 

Maloy said that the 18.5 million acres in question are managed for grazing, mining and hiking. She explained that land in national parks is not included in the lawsuit.

“I don’t know what the court’s going to decide, but I do think it’s better that local voices are involved in those conversations,” Maloy said.

Maloy also brought up permitting challenges surrounding land use. She said the federal government is inefficient when it comes to permitting because the states typically have deadlines they are required to make a decision by. However, the federal government rarely has these deadlines. At the federal level, the permitting process can take years, which costs taxpayers.

Maloy gave the Northern Corridor in Washington County as an example. The road has been on the county’s transportation plan for more than 20 years. It requires federal permits because it goes through federal land.

“There are people in federal agencies that just don’t think you should have a road there, and so they don’t issue the permits,” Maloy said.  

The Omnibus Public Land Act of 2009 instructed the BLM to consider giving Washington County a right of way to address the Northern Corridor’s future. However, permits were not granted. Taxpayers continued to pay for the county to keep working on obtaining permits until January 2021, when the highway was approved.

a.walker@dailyutahchronicle.com

@Alina_Walkerr

The post Rep. Celeste Maloy Talks Federalism at 2024 Congressional Series first appeared on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

But what has made the last four months so unique? Without a doubt, the past few years could go down in American history as their own era — and let it be on the record that I think these years should be named the “Unprecedented Era.”

September 10, 2024 — The U.S. Department of State recognizes 19 Historically Blacks Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders for their notable engagement with the Fulbright Program during the 2023-2024 academic year. The Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders initiative celebrates Fulbright’s partnership with HBCUs and encourages administrators, faculty and students to participate in […]

Following a split series versus Utah State and Weber State, the University of Utah Women’s Soccer team (2-2-2) returned for two matches this week. On Thursday, they traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on the Louisiana State University Tigers. Then, on Sunday, the Utes returned to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Valley University Wolverines.

Louisiana State University

On the road for the first time of the season, the Utes looked to continue their success they found in their match with Weber State the prior Sunday. It didn’t take long for Utah to find the back of the net. Taliana Kaufusi, who scored a hat-trick performance against the Wildcats last week, scored in the eighth minute of the match.

Despite the early momentum for Utah, offensive production ceased for the remainder of the first half for both teams. The Utes completed four surplus shots in the period, one more than the Tigers, but were unable to add on to the lead.

Coming out of halftime, LSU quickly found their stride. Only a minute into the second half, a Sage Glover goal knotted the game at a goal a piece. In the half, the Tigers attempted 15 shots, and Utah only attempted three.

Thankfully for the Utes, goaltender Erin Gibbs stood strong, earning four saves in the second period. Powered by her performance, the Utes withstood the LSU barrage. Without further offensive developments, the game resulted in a 1-1 draw, the Utes’ second draw of the season.

Utah Valley University

Looking to get back in the win column, the Utes returned to Ute Field Sunday night for an in-state match-up with Utah Valley. The first fifteen minutes of the match remained rather uneventful, with both teams trading shots and Utah committing four fouls.

Utah Valley found an offensive spark in the 17th minute, producing two great chances. The first shot deflected off the crossbar and the second was saved by Gibbs. Utah had a chance of their own in the 25th minute, but the shot sailed wide of the net.

Only a minute later, a Faith Webber shot snuck past the Ute goaltender, giving the Wolverines the early lead. With the wind strengthening late in the half, a rough foul from Kaufusi resulted in the game’s only yellow card.

The Utes produced their first shot on goal in the 38th minute. Then, with a single minute left in the period, Utah found themselves with another great scoring opportunity. Kelly Bullock shot the ball, but it rang off the crossbar, closing the half.

Starting the later half of the match, Utah Valley struck quickly. Webber netted her second goal of the game three minutes in, expanding the Wolverines’ lead to two. In an effort to get back in the game, the Utes’ offense looked to find its spark.

Utah put four more shots on goals, looking to convert on each and every scoring opportunity. Despite the Utes’ best efforts, Wolverine goaltender Leah Wolf prevented a Utah goal during the offensive attacks.

In the 76th minute, a collision between a Utah Valley player and Gibbs resulted in an injury stoppage. After receiving attention from the trainers and the conclusion of the time break, Gibbs remained in net and finished the game.

With the remaining time waning, Utah searched for a last-ditch comeback effort. The Utes were unable to get on the board in the final ten minutes of the match, ultimately losing 2-0. Utah finished with five shots on goal, two corner kicks and a save.

Up Next

Coming off the draw and the loss, Utah looks forward to their first Big-12 match-up this week. On Thursday, the University of Arizona will come into town to take on the Utes. The game will start at 7 p.m. MST. Then, on Sunday, the Idaho State Bengals will face off against Utah at Ute Field. Both games will be televised via ESPN+.

j.marriott@dailyutahchronicle.com

@jonahmarriott

The post Utah Soccer Draws With LSU, Shutout by Utah Valley first appeared on The Daily Utah Chronicle.