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 the Fulbright Program.  It also highlights HBCUs as a destination for international students and scholars.

The 19 HBCU Institutional Leaders are:

Alcorn State University (Mississippi)
Bennett College (North Carolina)
Fayetteville State University (North Carolina)
Florida A&M University (Florida)
Howard University (District of Columbia)
Huston-Tillotson University (Texas)
Jackson State University (Mississippi)
Jarvis Christian University (Texas)
LeMoyne-Owen College (Tennessee)
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Mississippi Valley State University (Mississippi)
Morgan State University (Maryland)
North Carolina A&T State University (North Carolina)
North Carolina Central University (North Carolina)
Prairie View A&M University (Texas)
Spelman College (Georgia)
Tennessee State University (Tennessee)
Virginia State University (Virginia)
Xavier University of Louisiana (Louisiana)

The announcement of the 2024 Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders was made on September 10, 2024 in advance of the 2024 Annual National HBCU Week Conference hosted by the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken congratulated each Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader, saying this designation “is a testament to your institution’s dedication to promoting global engagement and international understanding.”

“The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Program are committed to reflecting the full diversity of the United States,” said Scott Weinhold, Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.  He emphasized that HBCU engagement with the Fulbright Program “builds meaningful relationships between communities and people around the world.”

Howard University president Dr. Ben Vinson III shared, “Our Fulbrighters return to the Howard community with fresh insights, a deepened cultural understanding, and a broadened worldview, laying the foundation for their personal and professional growth. Their work has an enduring and positive impact on communities and institutions, at home and abroad.”

As the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program implements a wide range of initiatives to ensure that its participants reflect the diversity of U.S. society and societies abroad.  In addition to its partnerships with HBCUs, the Fulbright Program works with Diversity Abroad, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, UNCF, and the White House Initiative on HBCUs, among others.

Learn more about the Fulbright Program at https://fulbrightprogram.org.

Contact: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, eca-press@state.gov

Insomnia Rewards members can indulge in the late-night bakery’s most delicious deals of the year on September 17

September 10, 2024 – Insomnia Cookies, the beloved cult brand known for serving warm, delicious cookies all day and late into the night, is officially introducing National PJ Party Night, which will take place on the third Tuesday in September each calendar year, in celebration of its sixth annual PJ Party.

On Tuesday, September 17, Insomniacs living near each of Insomnia’s 300+ bakeries across the U.S. and Canada are invited to their local store dressed in their favorite PJs for the most unforgettable PJ Party yet. The late-night bakery hosts the PJ Party at each store every year in the fall as a way to connect with customers worldwide. This year, its most loyal Insomniacs can celebrate late into the night with free cookies, giveaways, and temporary tattoos that will offer attendees an exclusive promo code.

To celebrate the epic event, the late-night bakery is offering its most loyal Insomniacs, Insomnia Rewards members, the following delicious deals:

• 1 FREE Classic cookie for rewards members wearing their PJs that scan their Insomnia Rewards barcode in-store (no purchase necessary)
• $10 Classic 6-Pack for rewards members in-store
• $18 Classic 12-Pack for rewards members in-store• Best of all, the first 25 customers in line will get an official PJ Party t-shirt and Insomnia Cookies promo code temporary tattoo* (while supplies last)

• *Insomniacs visibly wearing the temporary PJ Party 2024 tattoo on their skin in-store from 9/18-9/30 will receive 1 FREE Classic cookie with any in-store purchase. Limit 1 use per customer per day during the promotional period.

Each Insomnia Cookies bakery will offer giveaways, exclusive swag, and other sweet surprises. To make the night even sweeter, Insomnia Cookies will be surprising PJ Party attendees with $100 gift cards on social media throughout the night. Cookie lovers who post on Instagram or TikTok from PJ Party and tag @insomniacookies will be entered for a chance to be one of ten randomly selected $100 gift card winners who will be notified throughout the evening via Direct Message.

Founded on a university campus, Insomnia Cookies is known for serving its signature treats late into the night—with most stores open for pick-up and delivery until 1 a.m. or later—making it the ultimate late-night hot spot. Whether Insomniacs are studying late, retiring from a night out, or simply craving something sweet, Insomnia is always there for them with a warm, delicious cookie. Find your closest Insomnia Cookies location here, and check out Insomnia’s global social channels in Canada and the UK to find the latest deal information.

About Insomnia Cookies

Insomnia Cookies is a rapidly expanding late-night bakery concept headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. Founded at the University of Pennsylvania by then-student Seth Berkowitz, Insomnia Cookies has been feeding the insatiable hunger of loyal Insomniacs since 2003. Today, with more than 300 locations nationwide, Insomnia Cookies offers a wide variety of delicious cookies, ice cream, and other sweet treats in-store, for local delivery, and nationwide shipping. Details about Insomnia’s menu, delivery, and nationwide shipping options can be found here (late-night delivery until 1 a.m. or later). To place an order or learn more about Insomnia Cookies, visit www.InsomniaCookies.com. Keep up-to-date on the latest cookie news and grand opening deals by following Insomnia Cookies on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

Media Contact: 

Kathleen Dwyre
Kathleen.dwyre@clynch.com

The Daily Trojan features Classified advertising in each day’s edition.  Here you can read, search, and even print out each day’s edition of the Classifieds.

Click the Classifieds icon to download the PDF of today’s Classifieds:

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Colorado State University is hosting the upcoming Rocky Mountain Showdown for the first time since 1996, and in a show of friendly rivalry with the University of Colorado Boulder, both student governments have collaborated to organize a voter registration competition.

The competition incentivizes students to participate by focusing on an elusive prize: Students from the winning school — whoever has the most registered voters — will have a chance to win sideline passes to the game.

“Everyone wins when we’re civically engaged and when more people vote. But in regard to this competition, we’re going to beat CU,” – ASCSU President Nick DeSalvo.

Associated Students of CSU President Nick DeSalvo discussed the intention behind the competition and what he hopes will play out.

“This is a massive voter registration initiative we’re not only doing leading up to the Showdown, but from now until November, … we thought the Showdown was a really great opportunity to kind of tap into the theme of rivalry we have with CU,” DeSalvo said.

The CU Boulder Student Government functions differently from ASCSU — rather than having one president, there are three. Despite organizational differences, the executive branches at each school came together to work on the initiative with a common goal of engaging each student population in the voting process. One CUSG president, Alex Radz, spoke about the collaboration and significance of the event at CU.

“I haven’t heard of any other school doing something like this,” Radz said. “It’s pretty cool that we’re able to use our rivalry in a really positive, impactful way. (In) 2020, we had about, I guess, 81% voter turnout, which is extremely high, and I think we can get that even higher.”

Leadership at CSU has also been involved with the competition, including President Amy Parsons, who provided insight into the goal of civic engagement at the university and beyond.

“Our students represent the future of democracy,” Parsons said in a statement. “It is CSU’s responsibility to inspire our university community to participate in democracy and to exercise their civic engagement muscles. Voting is the foundation of democracy and a great privilege of living in a democratic society.”

Connecting the voter registration competition with the Rocky Mountain Showdown puts more attention on the initiative itself. With tickets to the game sold out when the competition was announced, students at both schools who were unable to secure tickets now have a chance to attend.

“The ASCSU-led student voter challenge against CU gives students a chance to win Showdown sideline tickets and get ready to vote,” Parsons said. “Last year, nearly three-quarters of eligible CSU students voted. This year, we can’t wait to get even more students acting on their civic responsibility.”

Historically, Colorado has seen good turnout among college-aged voters and has shown an increased turnout in recent elections. According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, Colorado had over 30% voter turnout from those aged 18-29 in the 2022 midterm election.

Voter engagement at CSU specifically has improved in recent years. A 2019 CSU SOURCE article discussed how student votes increased from 37.2% in 2014 to 50.8% in 2018.

While this initiative only applies to individuals who are eligible to vote at each university, DeSalvo underscored the importance of acknowledging the population of voting-age students who are unable to vote.

“We have international students on this campus, and we have undocumented students on this campus, and this voter registration thing doesn’t necessarily apply to them, but civic engagement largely does,” DeSalvo said. “Civic engagement doesn’t begin with voting, and it doesn’t stop with voting.”

DeSalvo highlighted how the upcoming Showdown is not just an opportunity for a friendly school rivalry but a higher voter turnout all around.

“Everyone wins when we’re civically engaged and when more people vote,” DeSalvo said. “But in regard to this competition, we’re going to beat CU.”

Reach Aubree Miller at news@collegian.com or on Instagram @aubree.miller07.

Students are being housed in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Cambridge due to an increased demand for on-campus housing.

Following in the footsteps of an endless list of actors-turned-filmmakers, “The Batman” actress Zoë Kravitz — daughter of legendary musician Lenny Kravitz — is shedding her catsuit and utilizing her skyrocketing star power for a turn behind the camera. Produced, co-written and directed by Kravitz, “Blink Twice” is a psychological thriller out of Amazon MGM Studios

Though showing signs of inexperience through narrative convolution and jarring tonal inconsistencies, Kravitz’s debut is surprisingly well-shot and tons of fun.

“Blink Twice” stars Naomi Ackie as cocktail waitress Frida, who is abruptly invited to accompany tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) and his friends for a dream vacation on his private island. You guessed it — things are not as they seem, and as peculiar things begin to occur, Frida’s dream quickly devolves into a nightmare.

What “Blink Twice” does particularly well is build tension. The narrative is familiar and extremely predictable — see “The Menu,” “Get Out” or “Don’t Worry Darling” — but it’s never overly boring. There’s an undying build-up of uneasiness present throughout that keeps you locked in. What it lacks in novelty and profundity, it makes up for in uncomfortable thrills, claustrophobic direction and excellent performances.

Though we don’t get to know her well enough before chaos ensues, Ackie’s Frida is an admirable vessel to carry the story along. Her gradual realization of dark truths runs parallel to the audience’s, guiding us through the island’s squirm-worthy secrets. She gets the chance to play hopelessly aloof, frozen with fear and overtaken by revenge — a superb performance.

My favorite performance, however, comes from the lovely Adria Arjona, who plays fellow island invitee and reality TV-star, Sarah. As she begins to see the light alongside Frida, Arjona shifts gears and showcases her electric it-girl capabilities.

A movie like “Blink Twice” simply cannot work without a convincing antagonist. Luckily, Channing Tatum delivers at the top of the ticket. He possesses a brand of toxic charisma that renders him annoyingly likable; the kind where you desperately hope that someway, somehow he’s not the disgusting creep inevitably bound to be revealed. He’s nonchalantly evil until the facade comes crashing down and his true, rageful colors begin to seep through. Tatum’s venture into villain territory shouldn’t stop here.

From a technical standpoint, “Blink Twice” might not go above and beyond, but it’s crafted in a way that perfectly suits this story.​​ The sound design and shot composition work to create a disorienting atmosphere, where time and reality feel jumbled and secluded to the island. Certain sights and sounds are enhanced or distorted to make the copious amount of drugs and alcohol consumed by the islanders feel like they’re coursing through the viewer’s system. I felt strapped to the danger.

However, the narrative end-result is distractingly uneven. There is a specific plot device whose very existence is already odd, but its explanation and usage feels downright inconsistent and arbitrary. It was sometimes unclear which characters had obtained which knowledge. The natural predictability still made it easy to follow, but I wish it was told more coherently.

Speaking of coherence, the tone is all over the place. The big reveal unfolds an extremely dark and disturbing twist that isn’t handled particularly well. The relative light-heartedness present throughout most of the film made me forget about the trigger warning proceeding the film. Oh boy, is that twist a reminder. Don’t get me wrong, “Blink Twice” being disturbing and graphic isn’t a problem, but in tandem with the rest of the film, it just doesn’t work. And to be honest, I was hoping for more ambitious, creative answers to Slater King and the island’s secrets.

“Blink Twice” might be messy, but it’s thrilling and cleverly shot enough to solidify Kravitz’s potential. Tatum, Ackie and the entire cast shine in an all-in-all inconsistent film.

The interior was lined with benches and the walls were covered in candles inside the Kitty Cat Klub. A garage door in the front of the store opened up during warmer days. The bar stood on the left near the stairs leading to the bathroom. 

The old Ragstock building contained no air conditioning and was usually dark. In the back, stairs led up to another seating room with busted-up couches, allowing people to converse without being directly involved in the music. 

Found below Annie’s Parlour, the club opened in 2002 and closed, originally temporarily, in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. When it was open, it held live music from DJs, aspiring musicians and anyone willing to go on stage. 

Matt Hawbaker, a former University of Minnesota student who works at The Book House, said he played music there and used the space to study while he attended the University.

“It was definitely a big part of my school experience, and after that, pretty much the only place in this area I would like to drink, especially after college,” Hawbaker said. 

Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association Executive Director Chris Lautenschlager said what separated the Kitty Cat Klub from other bars in Dinkytown was the lack of University-themed merchandise inside.

“It wasn’t a college bar. There were no TVs and there was also no tap beer,” Lautenschlager said. “The Kitty Cat Klub did not have special drink menus like exotic cocktails that you’ll find in most other places. They had a happy hour special from four to seven, and that was really it.” 

Outside of live music, there was a pinball machine and photo booth as another form of entertainment for anyone. 

The club attracted bands from across the country to play in the dark yet lively club, Lautenschlager said. 

“It was an eclectic and strangely designed (place),” Lautenschlager said. 

The club decor matched a “hip Dracula vibe,” according to former Kitty Cat Klub employee  Alex Ward. 

Ward said he performed as a musician and worked as a bouncer in the club. 

The club hosted many different theme nights which brought in different crowds, Ward said. A few theme nights included Hipshakers, Funk/Soul Night, Disco Night, Monday Night Noise Night and DJs on the weekend, Ward added. 

“You didn’t have this expectation that you had to pack in,” Ward said. “You know, you could just maybe get the first name you were ever in and just try something. It was very experimental, like an incubator for whole scenes.” 

Lizzo, Ava Luna, Sweet Spirit and Ed Schrader’s Music Beat were some of the musicians who played at the club, according to Concert Archives. 

Kitty Cat Klub and Annie’s Parlour’s former owner John Rimarcik passed away last December, leaving the business to his sons Tom and Tony Rimarcik. Repairs, labor costs and the pandemic halted renovations to the club. 

Ward said he is glad Annie’s Parlour returned but wishes the Kitty Cat Klub did as well. 

The University Police Department leased out the club as a safety hub for Dinkytown in early September. Study spaces, self-defense classes and student legal services can be found there. 

When word of the club’s official closing got out, Lautenschlager said people showed disapproval but he acknowledged the club would not have been the same. 

“The old version would have never come back and would have disappointed people just as much,” Lautenschlager said. 

Kitty Cat Club left a legacy in Dinkytown and Minneapolis that will be missed, Hawbaker said.

“It’s just a totally different thing,” Hawbaker said. “It was so sophisticated.”

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

Since the early 2000s, fandom culture has been steadily on the rise. This can be largely attributed to the popularization of things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and K-pop groups. This sort of “geek culture” has expanded beyond the small groups it used to belong to.

While this has been great in regard to community building and giving artists the representation they deserve, it also has had some very unfortunate consequences. The globalization of fandom culture has led to far too many parasocial relationships between creators and their fans.

This may not seem harmful at first glance. So what if someone is a little too invested in the personal life of their favorite pop star, or particularly interested in the dating lives of the YouTubers they watch? It’s not like they’re ever going to meet them, so it should be fine, right?

Unfortunately, this is not the case. 

Entitlement

A very recent example of the consequences of parasocial relationships can be seen with Chapell Roan, a singer and songwriter who quickly rose to fame in 2023 with the release of her debut album.

Since her massive spike in popularity, certain followers of hers have shown to act far more friendly than appropriate when meeting her in person or interacting with her online.

Roan has posted on TikTok and Instagram about some of the creepy behavior that fans have exhibited, from demanding hugs when encountering her to full-blown stalking of her and her family.

In her response to this, she emphasized that no fan is owed positive reactions from her, especially in cases of abuse and harassment. Interestingly, this message was met with pushback by some, with viewers calling her sensitive and claiming that she simply can’t handle fame.

The reality of this issue is that no one, regardless of how famous they are, should have to put up with that sort of treatment, much less be grateful for it. Any objections to this come from outright entitlement, which far too many fans have these days.

This idea that public figures owe it to their fans to constantly smile and nod at whatever may come their way puts them in danger. There have been far too many cases of parasocial relationships eventually going too far and resulting in the injury or even death of an artist.

Take John Lennon, or Christina Grimmie for example. Both artists were shot and killed by obsessive fans, and yet their stories clearly haven’t sent a clear enough message to some.

Celebrities are people, and those people do not owe anyone camaraderie or acceptance of intolerable behaviors whether it be from fans or otherwise.

Controversy

Another issue that comes with parasocial relationships is the adamant denial of wrongdoing by fanbases when a creator comes under fire. This is especially prevalent among fans of streamers as well as celebrities with larger followings.

Despite accusations of abuse and grooming, streamers Wilbur Soot, Dream and others within their communities have maintained steady fanbases that defend their actions without shame.

This is also the case with Taylor Swift, who has been criticized for her constant usage of private planes despite interviews where she claims to be horrified by climate change.

Certain fans of creators like these have taken it upon themselves to, rather than hold them accountable, either claim accusations as baseless or excuse them due to personal perceptions of them. Fans will sometimes acknowledge wrongdoing but insist that despite it, they’re still good people because they’ve donated to charity before or seem kind.

Unfortunately, this behavior fails to acknowledge that the personas we see online are not who these people really are.

No matter how kind and bubbly someone may seem on screen, the boundary between an online persona and a real life person can hide many secrets that no viewer will truly understand without personally knowing them.

To put it simply, online personalities are not your friends. From moderately popular artists on Twitter to the big names that sell millions of tickets worldwide, you don’t know the people you see online.

Fandom culture is great in many ways, but it becomes an issue when being a “fan” breaches into the personal lives of artists, or viewers decide to absolve them from consequences. No matter how much you may adore a singer’s music or an actor’s films, take care to remember that behind the face they put on for audiences, there’s a real person behind it.

Parker Hodges-Beggs is a journalism sophomore who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

—
“Celebrities are not your friends” was originally posted on The Cougar

All throughout my freshman year of college, my mother regularly sent me handwritten letters.  The excitement of receiving mail, discovering the thoughtfully chosen postcard and reading the latest news — probably not so newsworthy anymore, considering how long it took for it to cross the ocean — felt very nostalgic.  It had been years since I’d received or sent any kind of written correspondence. It brought back sweet memories of summer holidays in the South of France, when I’d write postcards to all my friends on the terrace and look forward to the ones I’d receive in my mailbox. With […]

Morehouse College joins Bowie State University and Delaware State University this fall semester, as FICO launches its second annual analytics challenge to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in data science

BOZEMAN, Mont. – September 9, 2024 – FICO (NYSE: FICO)

Highlights:

• The FICO® Educational Analytics Challenge expands to include students from Morehouse College, Bowie State University, and Delaware State University, with more HBCUs to participate in the spring semester.
• For the 2024-25 school year, the real-world analytics challenge will focus on financial fraud detection, helping students identify anomalies and fraud features leveraged in a real-time fraud detection model.
• Students will learn how responsible AI techniques are crucial to protect and safely advance analytic practices.

Global analytics software leader, FICO announced today the second year of its FICO® Educational Analytics Challenge program created for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The semester-long program features remote mentoring from FICO’s leading data scientists and in-person lectures by FICO’s Chief Analytics Officer, Dr. Scott Zoldi. This year, FICO is bringing the program to students at Morehouse College and continuing its work with Bowie State University and Delaware State University. Additional HBCU schools will participate in the spring semester starting in January 2025 as the program expands from its pilot phase.

“Diverse viewpoints and voices are necessary to develop any AI that is unbiased. FICO is doing something to address that need and working directly with students at HBCUs to encourage a more diverse future of data scientists. The Educational Analytics Challenge program not only empowers students to get a real-world experience with data analytics, but also to learn the fundamentals of building responsible, auditable, and ethical AI models to protect and safely advance AI practices for future generations,” said Dr. Scott Zoldi, Chief Analytics Officer at FICO.

Following the successful 2023-24 FICO Educational Analytics Challenge program year, students at Morehouse College, Bowie State University, and Delaware State University will turn their attention to a new set of challenges focused on AI, analytics, and financial fraud detection.

As part of this year’s program, students will be tasked with joining the fight against transaction fraud. Criminals today often commit financial fraud by mimicking legitimate banking behavior to secure billions in customer funds, and banks need to leverage real-time behavioral analytics and machine learning models to identify and prevent fraud. The Educational Analytics Challenge participants will use transactional behavior analytics to design and build their own real-time fraud detection models to identify anomalies and suspicious banking activity. Their models should be capable of being operationalized in the fight against fraud.

“Our partnership with FICO will give rising Morehouse Men the opportunity to sharpen their analytical skills and use their creativity and intellect to address a real-world problem in banking — transaction fraud,” said Alfred Watkins, Ph.D., Chair of the Computer Science Department at Morehouse College. “It is my hope that this fraud detection design competition will fuel a passion for data science in our students that inspires them to seek careers in the growing field of analytics, which is in dire need of their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and insights.”

“FICO’s work with the HBCU Partnership Challenge over the last year is an exceptional example of how public-private partnerships can work to provide mutual benefits while strengthening HBCU institutions,” said Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., representing North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District. “FICO is impacting the lives of students, helping to build a strong representation of diversity across the data science community and to better prepare them to meet the changing needs of the workforce for generations to come,” concluded Congresswoman Adams.

In addition to hosting the competition, the FICO Educational Analytics Challenge also provides participating HBCUs with financial support to enhance analytics instruction and career resources so that students will learn more about opportunities available to them after graduation. For more information about how HBCUs can get involved in the FICO Educational Analytics Challenge, please contact Seyi Mclelland at SeyiMclelland@fico.com.

To learn more about the Educational Analytics Challenge:

• Scott Zoldi for Forbes Tech Council — Developing The Next Generation Of Data Scientists
• Scott Zoldi for FICO Blog — Using AI and Data Science to Fight Bias and Drive Opportunities
• HBCU Partnership Challenge — Congresswoman Alma Adams Celebrates FICO and Echo360 Joining HBCU Partnership Challenge

About FICO

FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 200 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, insurance, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 100 countries do everything from protecting 4 billion payment cards from fraud, to improving financial inclusion, to increasing supply chain resiliency. The FICO® Score, used by 90% of top US lenders, is the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the US and has been made available in over 40 other countries, improving risk management, credit access and transparency.

Learn more at https://www.fico.com/en.
Join the conversation at https://x.com/FICO_corp & https://www.fico.com/blogs/
For FICO news and media resources, visit https://www.fico.com/en/newsroom.
FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

Contact

Jessica Butalla
press@fico.com