Former Gophers heavyweight wrestler Gable Steveson announced his return to the amateur wrestling competition Tuesday evening with his registration in the U.S. Open, which will begin on April 26.

Steveson will return to action as a representative of the Gopher Wrestling Club (GWC), Minnesota’s regional training center for international styles. He will be competing alongside fellow GWC athlete Hayden Zillmer, the 2022 World Team member at 125 kilograms.

Steveson is looking to get a spot on the 2023 World Team, and a win at the U.S. Open guarantees him a spot at the Final X competition, which will determine the 2023 U.S. Senior World Teams.

As rumors arose of Gable’s potential return, the U.S. Open seemed to be the first event in which Steveson could come back to the mat. The U.S. Open acts as the first step in qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials, which take place next summer.

This will be Steveson’s first freestyle competition since his thrilling last-second win in the 2020 Olympic finals over three-time World Champion Geno Petriasvili. Stevenson still trains periodically with the GWC and Zillmer.

While competing for the Gophers, Steveson compiled an 85-2 career record with 60 bonus-point victories, collecting two NCAA titles, three Big Ten titles and two Dan Hodge trophies.

Steveson will return to the sport after a 13-month break. His last matchup was during the NCAA Championships in March 2022, where he left his wrestling shoes on center mat, a rich tradition in wrestling signaling the end of a competitor’s career.

As the cost of living in Salt Lake City increases, students working on and off campus are having a harder time balancing work and school schedules. 

A 2019 Utah Data Research Center study found that students that work more than 15 hours a week during college see negative impacts on their GPA, retention rates, social life and sleep. The same study found that universities’ curriculum and office hours actively cater to students working “part-time or less.”

Kya Christensen, a third-year film and media student, works as an AV tech support at the University of Utah’s Digital Learning sector. She’s also a resident assistant at the U’s Chapel Glen first-year housing, where she works resolving student disputes in return for housing. 

“I work 20 hours at [Digital Learning] and have RA ‘on duty’ shifts every three weeks,” Christensen said.

Along with the occasional resident knocking at her door — sometimes at 3 a.m. — Christensen said she’s had “many sleepless nights grinding to get assignments in” and would love more time to focus on school but is not able to due to financial responsibilities. 

“I’m getting $12.75 an hour and that is barely giving me enough to live at the moment with no savings left over,” Christensen said. “$12 an hour just isn’t enough.”

The U currently employs 5,982 students at an average hourly pay rate of $17.75 for undergraduate students and $28.85 for graduate students, said Jeff Herring, Chief Human Resources Officer at the U. There has been a continual increase in students working at the U since 2019, according to HR.

Inflation partnered with the pervasiveness of student loan debt and rising housing prices has made a college degree more of a luxury than a necessity for some.

Courtney Neilson, a fourth-year student studying communications, currently works in healthcare administration for Tang and Company, an occupational therapy clinic. Neilson, 25, left college at 21 for two years while working at the bar and restaurant East Liberty Tap House after not being able to manage a full-time job and college course load.

“I couldn’t keep up with the lifestyle of working at a bar and it was just incompatible with going to school for me,” Neilson said.

Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Neilson grew up in what she described as a “working-class blue-collar family.” Neilson attended the U on a debate team scholarship while working full-time and taking college credits, which quickly left her resentful of other students who did not have to work in school.

“I got so jealous and angry over the fact that people got to sit at home and do their homework and get better grades than me while I had to go to work,” she said. “My intelligence wasn’t able to translate into my GPA and that contributed to me dropping out.”

That same 2019 Utah Data Research Report found there is a 12% retention rate difference between working and non-working female students, and a 10% retention rate difference between working and non-working males, all between ages 17-29.

“If you’re working full time, the reason that you’re working full time is because you [have to] support yourself,” Christensen said. “At the end of the day, paying my bills comes first. If I have to pick up an extra shift on a day I have class to make rent, I’ll be picking up the shift. Not because I want to, but because I have to.”

According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, the average living wage for an adult in Salt Lake City with no children is $18.06.

Neilson said that working at a bar, instead of on campus, kept her further disconnected from academic culture, which she believed would’ve allowed her to succeed more academically. Students who are employed on campus are more likely to have academic success and internship opportunities.

Looking back as she approaches graduation, Neilson encouraged students to participate in more school clubs, organizations and on-campus jobs.

“That’s a strategy we use at the university, to employ our own [students] and give them that realistic job experience,” Herring said. 

In July, Family and Graduate Housing at the West Village plans to reopen its housing. A two-bedroom apartment will go from its original $980 cost to $1,750.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the U plans on phasing out more of its affordable housing and accommodating graduate students with stipends, that are yet to be proven sufficient for cost of living, until after July.

“I just think having a more proactive approach towards working students like, ‘We see you,’” Neislon said. “I don’t think that the grading experience needs to treat students as a monolith, it’s not that we’re just slacking off, sometimes there are genuine circumstances that make it impossible to get something turned in.”

j.duffy@dailyutahchronicle.com

@JakeDuffyChrony

This article first appeared in the spring 2023 Mace & Crown magazine issue.

Along the ever-bustling traffic of Hampton Blvd. and just a few streets down from Old Dominion University sits a chain link fence cordoning off a construction site. The fence is plastered with posters labeling the site as “The Railyard at Lambert’s Point.” The tops of buildings are just visible from the street. Questions have begun circulating about this fence and what  hides behind it at Hampton Blvd. and W 26th St.  

The Railyard at Lambert’s Point is to be a historic space repurposed into a community area, akin to a shopping center or town square. Richard “Rich” Meredith, one of the developers for the project,  said that his company plans to bring in a “mixture of office, retail, and restaurant tennants, with a healthy mix of national, regional, and local businesses.” The site also features a courtyard with “substantial greenspace that will be leveraged for the community.” Future plans for the courtyard may include a pumpkin patch or a farmer’s market.

The history of the project also reflects the community-centric space. Out of the ten buildings under construction, four are historic buildings. According to Meredith, this means that the developers will be “utilizing historic tax credits to restore buildings to the original character.” By keeping exposed beams and original brick, the developers intend to maintain elements consistent with 1940’s architecture. 

Meredith spoke of the buildings with an intimate knowledge of what they’ve been and how they’ve changed. The Hogshire building was constructed in 1940 and became the home of Hogshire Industries. Originally they produced sails with which sailboats glided across the oceans and bays surrounding Norfolk. Some time after, Hogshire Industries decided to switch gears and began creating awnings for homes and business. 

The oldest building in the project, the Mini Storage building, was built in 1925. Meredith said that it is “one of a few ‘mass timber’ buildings left in Norfolk today.” This means that it was built with bonded layers of wood that are exceptionally strong and durable, especially in comparison to light-frame construction. According to Meredith, the building has had a range of uses over the years, including dry storage, laundry, and self-storage. 

“I’d like to have a plaque placed on each building noting the history of that building,” said Meredith. “We will begin that process once construction is complete.”

Meredith explained that there exists a “rich history dating back to the Lambert’s Point docks,” which is where ships dock to import and export cargo. This, coupled with the project’s location within Norfolk’s Railroad District, is how the name of the development was conceived. 

The developers at Meredith Construction have lived and worked in Norfolk for four generations; one hundred years. 

“My great grandfather started his business building homes for GI returning to Hampton Roads from WWII,” said Meredith.

Richard Meredith also spoke of how Meredith Construction has “owned the historic buildings along Hampton Boulevard in the Lambert’s Point neighborhood for many years.” In 2018, the company began collaborating with a developer from Charlotte, North Carolina that became a partner for the project. The larger developer, listed on the Railyard’s website as CCB Railyard, “shared [Meredith Construction’s] vision of saving the historic structures, converting them to retail space, and building new structures around them.”

CCB Railyard and Meredith Construction have been working on the Railyard for the past five years, though for two of those years the project was on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meredith said that the development has been “stronger post-COVID.” 

In July of 2022, the Railyard broke ground. Meredith said that most of the spaces in the construction will be “open and operational around football season of 2023.” 

“[I am] excited to get going, revitalize the buildings, and design a space where [I] want to be.”

For more information, visit www.railyardatlambertspoint.com

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

Access to gender-affirming healthcare is a highly debated subject. Should young people be able to make such decisions about their bodies? 

The answer is yes. 

People often undermine how stressful it is to experience gender dysphoria. In some cases, the condition causes suicidal thoughts and other related urges. Just like any condition, treatment is necessary to prevent harm to the afflicted person.

Contrary to popular belief, gender-affirming healthcare is not harmful. 

It’s quite the opposite. 

Studies show that individuals experiencing gender dysphoria who undergo gender-affirming therapies and procedures reduce the risk of suicide and negative self-image significantly.

In other words, there are numerous benefits of accessible gender-affirming healthcare, including affordable hormone replacement therapy and surgeries. Condemning these forms of care is detrimental to the wellbeing of transgender youth and adults. 

As Texas legislators continue to draft anti-trans bills, self-harm and suicide rates among transgender youth have risen dangerously. These bills threaten the health care and safety of transgender individuals of all ages, though young transgender people are particularly vulnerable.

Understanding that gender-affirming healthcare is not just cosmetic is essential. These treatments help significantly improve the mental and physical health of transgender individuals. Denying access to such care is an abomination to human rights and has severe consequences, such as depression and suicidal tendencies.

Additionally, it is imperative to note that young people can decide about their bodies. The idea that they are too young or immature to be able to self-identify is ridiculous and dismissive of the hardships they experience. Ensuring the accessibility of gender-affirming healthcare guarantees young transgender people can live healthy, happy lives.

Access to healthcare is a fundamental right and denying HRT and gender affirmation surgeries is a significant violation of those rights. Denying healthcare based on gender identity is outright discriminatory. 

Adolescent transgender people deserve the same access to healthcare as everyone else without negative stereotypes and discrimination.

As discourse regarding gender-affirming healthcare continues, it is crucial to recognize that real people are suffering behind the curtains. Transgender individuals do not decide to transition without serious consideration and they do not take it lightly. 

 For many transgender folks, it is a matter of life and death.

Research reveals increasing rates of suicide and self-harm among young transgender individuals, and accessing gender-affirming healthcare services can help reduce these risks exponentially. When transgender people, particularly young people, have access to the care they need, they have the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives.

Supporting transgender youth during transition is vital, including advocating for accessible gender-affirming healthcare. This means combating harmful legislation and ensuring all health insurance covers the costs of these services.

We must also address misinformation regarding gender-affirming care. Many wrongly assume these services are harmful when they are not. They are crucial to supporting the mental and physical health of transgender people. 

Accessible gender-affirming healthcare is essential for the wellness of transgender youth. We must advocate for accessible healthcare and combat restrictive legislation.

We must address these negative stereotypes and misconceptions regarding gender-affirming services and support trans folks in their journeys to being their true selves. 

Grayson Alexander Darwin is a Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies freshman who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

—
“Gender-affirming healthcare is a fundamental right” was originally posted on The Cougar

The Colorado State University Rams’ volleyball team took on the University of Colorado Boulder Buffaloes in their first game back at Moby Arena Saturday. This is the Rams’ fourth spring game and their first at home.

Spring games do not count toward the record and are meant to give the team full game reps against an opponent. The Rams won three out of the five sets but lost only once. The fifth set ended in a tie after a player from CU went down with an injury and had to be carried off the court.

“I want to be known as a gritty, scrappy team.” -Emily Kohan, CSU Rams volleyball head coach

The Rams got to showcase some of the new talent they acquired through the transfer portal. Junior setter Emery Herman played extended minutes in the game. She showed off her ability to put the ball in the perfect spot on several of the Rams’ points. 

“I think it was really cool to see how many people come out for a spring game,” Herman said. “I think that’s not as common as people would think. There’s just such a family … (and) homey feel. Everyone’s just so supportive of each other.”

Herman came over as a transfer from the University of Arizona, where she recorded 1,000 assists in each of her last two seasons, leading the Wildcats. According to the CSU Athletics website, she currently has a streak of 84 games with double-digit assists. She will fill a big hole left by Ciera Pritchard, who had 1,044 assists last season. Herman will be a good fit alongside the Rams’ outside hitter Kennedy Stanford, who had a career-high 354 kills last season.

“I think she’s super physical,” Stanford said. “I mean, you can see it in how she blocks and how she plays and how she’s able to push a ball.”

Herman was one of two transfers to join the Rams this season. Graduate transfer Anna Porter also joined the team. Porter plays libero and defensive specialist for the Rams. According to the team, Porter is finishing up her semester at The College of William & Mary prior to joining the team, so she didn’t play in the game.

The Rams’ two transfers aren’t the only people on the team facing a change.

Head coach Emily Kohan began her tenure following the 2022 volleyball season after longtime head coach Tom Hilbert retired. While Kohan is new to her position, she isn’t new to the team. She has been bringing her coaching insights to the Rams since 2016.

She will have her opportunity to leave her mark on the team of many of the previous year’s players, who finished third in the Mountain West.

“I mean, Tom did such a great job laying a foundation that I (will) inherit a really stable group of players,” Kohan said. “I’m still trying to figure out who I am as a coach. My first game, the team asked, ‘Are you going to sit, or are you going to stand?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know. We’re going to try out both of them.’ … I want to be known as a gritty, scrappy team.”

The Rams’ next spring game will take place at 11 a.m. April 15 in Denver against the University of Denver.

Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.

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A bill banning the sale of flavored tobacco is leaving some tobacco shops and tobacco users with concerns.

Products like menthol cigarettes, flavored vapes and other flavored nicotine and tobacco products will be banned if the bill passes. The measure won’t punish anyone owning flavored tobacco but would prohibit businesses from selling it.

While the sale of flavored tobacco is already banned or restricted in multiple cities and counties across Minnesota, this bill would prohibit the sale statewide. The bill was introduced on Feb. 27 but has not been passed by the House or the Senate yet.

The Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the state of Minnesota are already suing Juul Labs and tobacco-producer Altria for purposefully advertising to kids through flavors intended to attract young people and deceptive advertising designed to hook children on nicotine. The trial began at the end of March.

“Kids are attracted to what is shiny, slick, cool,” Ellison said in his opening statement of the lawsuit. “That is exactly who Juul and Altria were targeting and preying upon.”

Tobacco shop expresses concerns

With menthol cigarettes and flavored nicotine making up a large percentage of sales for many tobacco shops, some fear the ban will negatively impact businesses.

Some tobacco shops rely on the sale of flavored tobacco to keep profits up. Without these products, some are nervous they will close.

Minneapolis had 52 tobacco shops and 82 retailers that sold menthol tobacco in 2019, according to the city of Minneapolis.

Manager of Royal Cigar and Tobacco in Dinkytown, Moustafa Elsayed, estimated around 90% of their sold products would be banned under the new law.

“A lot of businesses are going to close. A lot of people are going to be out of jobs,” Elsayed said.

If Minnesota bans these products, black market sellers could drive outside of the state to buy these products and then sell them here, according to Elsayed.

“There is supervision at smoke shops. We check IDs,” Elsayed said. “If they ban it, there is gonna be a black market and they’re not gonna check.”

Gabriel Wright, an 18-year-old senior in high school, began smoking tobacco products in middle school. Wright said he will still find a way to get flavored tobacco products, even if a ban is put into place.

“I could drive to Wisconsin. It’s not too far from here,” Wright said.

What will and won’t be banned

The measure would prohibit the sale of all artificially-flavored products of tobacco, tobacco-related devices, electronic delivery devices, or nicotine or lobelia delivery products.

Flavored products of vapes, e-cigarettes, shisha, menthol cigarettes, nicotine pouches and chewing tobacco would be taken off store shelves. Some of the specific banned flavors mentioned in the bill include menthol, mint, wintergreen, vanilla and any candy flavor, though banned flavors are not limited to these.

Delta-8 substances, dab pens, wax pens, non-flavored disposable vape pens and unflavored cigarettes will still be available for sale and purchase if the law is passed.

Minnesota would become the sixth state, behind California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, to ban flavored tobacco products to some degree statewide.

If the bill is enacted and a shop is caught selling banned products, the punishments are the same as if the shop sold tobacco to minors. The punishment for the first violation is $75, $200 for the second and $250 and a minimum week-long suspension of their tobacco-selling license for the third offense.

The ban would go into effect on Aug. 1 if the bill is passed. Tobacco shops would have until then to sell the products affected by the ban.

Health effects and marketing

Some supporters of the ban say it would reduce the use of flavored tobacco products by minors and protect people from the negative health effects associated with them.

Because vapes and e-cigarettes are fairly new products, the long-term health effects of these devices are still unknown. However, these products contain chemicals linked to addiction, birth defects and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Medical experts also raise concerns about the rates teenagers and young adults vape and smoke tobacco. Current studies suggest nicotine exposure can harm the development of the brain, according to the CDC.

The Consumer Advocacy for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) is opposing the ban over fears it would remove safer alternatives to smoking.

“Minnesota’s flavor ban would undermine any decision by the FDA allowing low-risk, flavored tobacco products on the market,” CASAA stated on its website.

Many medical professionals perceive flavored products as having a “gateway effect.” A majority of youth who smoked e-cigarettes or tobacco first smoked a flavored product, according to the MDH.

University student and former smoker Ben Anderson began vaping as a freshman in high school.

“I started with the fruit flavors [of vapes] … but then I went down the line from like the fruity vapes to actual tobacco,” Anderson said.

Opponents of the ban argue that if a product has harmful health effects, then consumers should make the decision whether to buy it, not the government.

Tobacco shop workers like Elsayed said a ban would be hypocritical because if products with similarly bad long-term health effects remain legal, then flavored tobacco should not be an exception.

“A lot of people drink alcohol — that has proven bad health effects,” Elsayed said. “Do kids in high school not drink? Yet they don’t ban alcohol.”

Elsayed said the ban will do more harm than good.

“You’re just making us go out of business, alongside other businesses like us,” Elsayed said. You’re not helping the kids. You’re not helping anybody.”

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If one looks at the data on federal funding for English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, one realizes the situation is far worse than imagined. As of 2020, federal funding for English-learning students has been largely flat since 2002. Twenty years have passed, which means the English Learner (EL) population has considerably increased, yet the funding has remained the same. As of 2018, nearly one-quarter of all U.S. children spoke a non-English language at home.

Now and then, you may encounter those who underestimate the importance of ESL classes and assume these classes have little to no impact on American society. Well, there were 4.85 million ELs in the United States as of 2016 (and surely this number must have increased by now), so this assumption is nonsensical. You are not talking about 10-15 students, but you are talking about millions, and these millions, once they grow up, will play an important role in the future of this society. If you underestimate the importance of ESL classes, then you are subsequently minimizing the influence of millions of people. One shouldn’t ignore the impact of one person, let alone the impact of millions of people.

Now, let’s look at these classes from a different perspective. ESL classes are a sanctuary for those who are new to the U.S. It’s where they get introduced to this new nation, language and culture; it’s there where they first discover the importance of learning a language everyone speaks outside the doors of their homes. The environment of these classes is always inclusive, amiable, inspiring and, most importantly, welcoming.  “ESL teachers not only help bridge the language barrier, they often become cultural mentors to their students as they help them navigate the many cultural differences and nuances of a new country.”

ESL classes are very rich in diversity and multilingualism. You usually find students who are multilingual, coming from families who speak more than one language. A very important thing to shed light on is it’s in this class that students try to adapt to the new country they moved to. And this could be either a slow or fast process, depending on the student’s personality, but what’s worth noting is while the students are trying to adapt to the new life, they are finding people like them during the entire school day, which means they see other people struggling like them, language-wise and culture-wise.

This is what makes this class a salvation because they know no matter how long it will take them to learn the language, they won’t find people judging them for being a slow learner or for speaking in a broken accent. As expected, students in these classes don’t know advanced words, so they use basic words that help them convey what they want to say, and that’s commendable because they’re trying to communicate in a new language. The lack of being judged is what makes them brave enough to speak in a language that’s entirely new to them.

EL students feel nostalgic about ESL classes once they leave them because it was where they planted roots as newcomers, acquired a considerable knowledge of the language, adapted to the new culture and found inspiration. A former EL student once told me, “I can’t imagine how terribly difficult it might have been had I been placed in a non-ESL class with others who spoke English as a first language. It would’ve been excruciating and stressful because it’s hard to be in a class in which you don’t understand half of what the teacher and your classmates are saying.”

Please avoid comparing ESL classes to foreign language classes students take in high school and college (yes, some people make this comparison). They are so different and incomparable for one main reason: Foreign language  classes are taught by teachers who fluently speak their students’ language (English, in this case), while ESL classes are not. Both the students and the teacher in foreign language classes can communicate perfectly in English. On the other hand, in ESL classes, the teacher speaks English and is teaching students who barely can speak it, and it’s rare that an ESL teacher can understand every spoken language in their classroom (i.e., Arabic, Spanish, Somali, Chinese, etc.). This is why ESL teachers are remarkable.

Let’s not forget the crucial, influential role ESL teachers play in society. They contribute to the great impact of EL students once they leave the classroom and become active members of their society. These teachers are the reason other teachers can communicate with former ELs and not realize that those students were once ELs.

Amina Hasan is a freshman at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. 

This week on General Education, host Grace Ingram recaps two articles about the newly appointed provost and a study that finds that the number of humanities majors at USC have generally remained unchanged. She also speaks to Marcel Lacey about his article “Student Initiative Looks to Diversify Languages on Campus”.

Hosted by Grace Ingram. Written by Kevin Gramling, Isabella Zhang and Benjamin Papp. Edited by Grace Ingram and  Kevin Gramling. Produced by Grace Ingram and Christina Chkarboul. General Education is one of three shows on the Daily Trojan podcast network. You can find more episodes anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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