NICK ESTES:  It’s a settler colonial problem.

CROWD: That’s right.

ESTES: It’s a capitalist greed problem.

So remember that, that it’s everyone’s problem. This isn’t an Indian problem. This is everyone’s problem. So thank you all for coming out tonight.

ALBERTO GOMEZ: On Friday, March 17, the American Indian Student Cultural Center and Students for a Democratic Society held a protest outside of Humphrey Hall.

HANA IKRAMUDDIN: They had a few demands for the University of Minnesota, mostly that looked like expanding the Native American Promise Tuition Program. That also looked like increased support for the American Indian Studies Department and the creation of a liberal education requirement in American Indian Studies.

GOMEZ: There were a little over 30 protestors attending, but Hana ended up counting 32. Uh, there were also a handful of guest speakers ranging from community members, professors, and, of course, students as well.

IKRAMUDDIN: Hi everyone. My name’s Hana Ikramuddin,

GOMEZ: And my name is Alberto Gomez, and this is In The Know. So Hana, you mentioned a program called the Native American Promise Tuition Program. I’m a little lost. Can you break that down for me and for our listeners too?

IKRAMUDDIN: Yeah, definitely. So the program was announced a little over a year ago, and it’ll go into effect in the fall of 2023. It’s an attempt to cover tuition for Indigenous students at the University, but there are a few qualifying factors that students need to meet before that. First, students need to come from households that make less than $125K. They also need to be enrolled in one of the 11 federally recognized tribes in Minnesota.

GOMEZ: Seven of which of those tribes are Anishinaabe and another four are Dakota.

IKRAMUDDIN: Students also need to complete the FAFSA. They need to enroll in the program as a freshman or a transfer student from one of the four tribal colleges. They also need to take a minimum credit load.

GOMEZ: It’s also worth noting that the average Native household makes only about $50,000 a year. This program does not apply to tribal nations that have been displaced from their historical homeland.

So Hana stated earlier that the tuition program only applies to freshmen and transfer students from tribal colleges, and that means that it doesn’t qualify to second-year students, doesn’t qualify to third-year, fourth-year, any native student that is already registered at a University of Minnesota school. But that’s not the main reason that advocates are upset right now.

IKRAMUDDIN: That mostly comes down to the number of students getting support from the University on this program. Eighteen out of 146 Native freshman students are getting tuition support from the program, according to a December Star Tribune article. That’s across four different campuses: Crookston, Duluth, Rochester and the Twin Cities.

GOMEZ: Merlin Valenstine, who attended the protest, talked to us about how important boosting the Native student population is.

MERLIN VALENSTINE: I think everybody should have the access to education, and again, it’s, we’re living on Native land. I think that we should be fighting for their rights as well.

IKRAMUDDIN: Anthony Taylor-Gouge, who’s a student in the American Indian Studies Department and spoke at the protest, also talked to us about the importance of capturing the University administration’s attention on these issues.

ANTHONY TAYLOR-GOUGE: We wanna make sure that, uh, that the University is listening, uh, but more than anything, like they actually materially do something, um, which I think is like the big thing that, like the University is not really good at.

GOMEZ: Alessia Guzman is not a Native student, but a Latiné one, and they showed up at the protest because they feel the University is not doing enough to support Native and POC students.

ALESSIA GUZMAN: I want, um, people to be more aware of the issues that the American Indian students are dealing here like on campus. I would like to see the U of M to actually keep the promises they’re making and actually just do the things they say they’re doing and actually be progressive as much as they say they are.

ASSORTED VOICES: Native lives, they matter here.

Native lives, they matter here.

Native lives, they matter here.

Native lives, they matter here.

IKRAMUDDIN: Laila Gourd, the University outreach coordinator with AISCC, told us that the group met with Senior Advisor to the President for Native American Affairs, Karen Diver, this month. They discussed some of these demands, and they hope to keep pushing for the expansion of the program.

We got an interview with Laila, but the tape came out warbly and Alberto couldn’t repair it, so we aren’t including it here.

GOMEZ: Funding from the state might also be on the way. [Gov. Tim] Walz also included the plan in his newly released budget request, which would give Indigenous Minnesota residents a tuition and fee waiver as long as they’re enrolled members or citizens of any federally recognized American Indian, Canadian First Nation tribes or citizens of a Minnesota tribal nation.

IKRAMUDDIN: The University also sent us a statement that mentioned that this program does not represent completed work. They said that from its inception, U of M leaders have emphasized that the program’s launch was a hopeful first step on a path toward increasing access and support for Native American students.

GOMEZ: Notably, Indigenous students make up one of the smallest racial or ethnic groups at the universities. There are about 1,500 Indigenous students across all five campuses.

TAYLOR-GOUGE: Like I don’t think it’s like asking that much to, to, you know, fund a $50,000 tuition.

Um, for students who, um, whose families and ancestors and relatives were dispossessed of land and exiled from, from their homelands.

Like, I don’t think we’re asking for that much.

GOMEZ: We wanna acknowledge that this episode’s a little different. Hana and I wanted to try an experiment with a different kind of structure and execution for this kind of story. So let us know what you thought, and feel free to email us at podcasting@mndaily.com. Thank you very much for listening.

My name is Alberto Gomez.

IKRAMUDDIN: I’m Hana Ikramuddin, and this is In The Know.

The Cougars had a stellar showing at Rice with 23 personal bests. | Joe Buvid/UH Athletics

The Houston track and field team excelled at the Victor Lopez Invitational on Saturday at Rice, finishing the three-day meet with six individual wins and 23 personal bests. 

Graduate student Cecilia Tamayo-Garza set the tone of the meet for the Cougars as she won the women’s 100m event with an 11.51, the 23rd ranking time in the nation. Junior Tianna Randle followed close behind, grabbing a third-place finish for the cougars with an 11.87. 

Over on the men’s side, they quickly followed in the footsteps of the women, grabbing the second and third podium spots in both 110-meter hurdles and 200-meter sprint. 

Junior Iman Babineaux defended her title in the women’s 400-meter sprint, making a time of 54.71, and clinching the gold. 

The women continue dominating as senior Sydni Townsend win the 400-meter hurdle with a time of 59.09, beating the runner-up by over a second. 

Nu’uausala Tuilefano, a graduate student, launched 49.31 on the discus throw, earning her a rightful gold medal– the first in this event for her college career. 

Senior Destiny Lawrence, the UH record holder in the triple jump, held her own and collected another gold medal with a 13.05-meter jump. 

The men make a comeback with a 39.00 in the 4x100m relay. Graduate student Jordan Booker, Brown, grad student Edward Sumler IV, and junior Shaun Maswanganyi completed the race in the second fastest time in the NCAA, just .09 seconds off of the first place time. 

Babineaux, Tamayo-Garcia, junior Linesha Thompson, and Townsend race the fastest time in the AAC for the 1,600-meter relay, earning second with a 19th nationally-ranked time of 3:39.45. 

Overall, it was a promising meet for the Cougars. UH will travel to Austin to compete in the Clyde Littlefield Texas on March 30-April 1.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH track and field wins six events at Victor Lopez Classic” was originally posted on The Cougar

FCAS Introduces the Blue Square as a Unifying Symbol Against Antisemitism

Foxboro, Mass. [March 28, 2023] – The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism today launched a new, national campaign to mobilize all Americans, and especially non-Jews, to #StandUpToJewishHate by using the blue square emoji  – 🟦 – as a unifying symbol of support. Jews only make up 2.4% of the American population^[1] yet are the victims of 55% of religious-based hate crimes^[2]. That startling discrepancy is the cornerstone of this new omnichannel campaign, created through a $25 million investment by Robert K. Kraft and his family, which combines alarming data with humanizing storytelling representing everyday instances of antisemitism to encourage audiences to recognize Jewish hate in order to stand up against it.

Through the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism is establishing 🟦, the Blue Square emoji already on all smartphones, as a simple, but powerful symbol of solidarity and support for the Jewish community. The 🟦 will make its debut by taking up 2.4% of TV and digital screens, billboards and social feeds to call attention to the disturbing disparity between the Jewish population size and scale of hate the community faces, both online and in-person.

While high-profile events have started to make more people aware of antisemitism in the past year, many outside the Jewish community still are not aware of or recognize the scale of Jewish hate. According to a survey by Wunderman Thompson SONAR, over 52% of U.S. adults 18+ do not believe “antisemitism is a big problem,” and 45% believe that Jewish people are more than capable of handling issues of antisemitism on their own^[3]. Another recent study from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found that 85% of Americans believe at least one anti-Jewish trope^[4]. Additionally, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism has observed an increase in discussion of antisemitism online over the past two years, with the biggest increases in conversation in 2022 related to antisemitic flyers, conspiracy theories, and the Holocaust^[5]. We cannot let 2.4% of the population fight antisemitism on its own.

“The #StandUpToJewishHate campaign is designed to raise awareness for the fight against antisemitism, specifically among non-Jewish audiences and to help all Americans understand that there is a role for each of us to play in combating a problem that is unfortunately all too prevalent in communities across the country today,” said Robert K. Kraft, Founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. “We must stand up and take action against the rise of all hate and I hope everyone will post and share the Blue Square to show their support in this fight.”

Viewers will first see the 🟦 as part of an integrated ad campaign across NBCUniversal programming – including tonight on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning series, “The Voice” –  with hosts and talent from some of the network’s most popular shows introducing the 🟦 and raising awareness to the rising threat of antisemitism. Utilizing NBCUniversal’s platform to bring this crucial message to audiences everywhere, the 🟦 will additionally be featured on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” and the Daytime Emmy-winning talk show “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” Also, Kraft will appear on “TODAY” to discuss the rise in antisemitism and efforts to combat it.

The #StandUpToJewishHate campaign will also appear on other major media networks and within other popular programming, including the NBA, NHL Playoffs and NFL Draft as well as be featured on numerous social media platforms in partnership with Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.

On the heels of introducing the 🟦, a series of advertisements directed by Derek Cianfrance will highlight scenarios inspired by real-life antisemitic activity the Jewish community currently faces, such as the fact that nearly 70% of Jewish Americans faced antisemitic hate online last year.^[6] While many Jews will be able to easily relate to the everyday scenarios in the spots, they were shot and scripted to especially humanize and contextualize antisemitism for non-Jewish audiences and feature the role non-Jews can play to #StandUpToJewishHate.

“Our Foundation has tracked a steady rise in antisemitic rhetoric on social media since 2020, with an increase of 14 percent in the past year,” said Matthew Berger, Executive Director of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. “We hope this campaign educates and empowers all Americans to speak out against antisemitism when they see it, either online or in their communities, and #StandUpToJewishHate.”

People can #StandUpToJewishHate in a number of ways:

1. Post and share 🟦 – an emoji already available on most smartphones – as a hashtag across social media alongside a message of support for the Jewish community and commitment to stand up to Jewish hate.
2. Activate your network by making them aware of the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign and how they can use 🟦 as a powerful symbol of solidarity with the Jewish community.
3. Tell your story to followers on social media, describing an instance where you’ve either encountered antisemitism and how it affected you or witnessed someone standing up against hatred towards Jews.
4. Visit StandUpToJewishHate.org and subscribe to the Foundation’s ”From the Command Center” e-newsletter to keep up to date on how antisemitism is spreading online, learn ways to identify and report it, and find helpful tools and resources around antisemitism.
5. Follow the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign at @StandUpToJewishHate on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to keep up-to-date with 🟦 and learn more about antisemitism.
6. Report antisemitism immediately when you see it, and if it is an emergency, dial 911. You can learn more about how best to report antisemitism by visiting StandUpToJewishHate.org.

FCAS partnered with creative agency Wunderman Thompson, media agency Mindshare (including their content unit Content+), PR agency Weber Shandwick, and influencer agency Noun for #StandUpToJewishHate.

###

About The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism

Robert K. Kraft founded the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in 2019 to help address the rising hate against Jews in the United States and the existential threat it poses to Jewish people. The Foundation is focused on winning the hearts and minds of non-Jews through powerful, positive messaging and partnerships, motivating and equipping them to be defenders and upstanders for Jews as they continue to face antisemitism. FCAS’ work includes understanding and responding to antisemitic messages and hate speech posted online and sharing the story of the Jewish people and the threats they face today to drive awareness and solidarity amongst all audiences, especially non-Jews.

Different from historical strategies to fight antisemitism, The Foundation and Kraft Family use innovative approaches to analyze and respond to the new reality of antisemitism and hate against Jewish people. The Foundation’s key areas of focus include: raising awareness of antisemitism, monitoring and analyzing trends in antisemitism and hate on social media, engaging individuals to build familiarity, empathy and understanding toward Jews, and celebrating Jewish identity.

Media Contact

Sherman Fabes: sfabes@webershandwick.com
Anisha Chakrabarti: anishac@fcas.org

[1]  “Jewish Americans in 2020,” Pew Research Center, May 21, 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/05/11/the-size-of-the-u-s-jewish-population/

[2]  “2020 FBI Hate Crimes Statistics,” The United States Department of Justice, February 21, 2023, https://www.justice.gov/crs/highlights/2020-hate-crimes-statistics

[3]  “Wunderman Thompson Bespoke SONAR Quantitative Study,” March 2022

[4] “Antisemitic Attitudes in America: Topline Findings,” Anti-Defamation League, January 12, 2023, https://www.adl.org/resources/report/antisemitic-attitudes-america-topline-findings

[5]  “Command Center,” The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, 2022

[6] “The State of Antisemitism in America 2022: AJC’s Survey of American Jews,” American Jewish Committee, 2022, https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2022/AmericanJews

On May 6, a collective body of ODU bachelor’s degree earners will graduate in one commencement ceremony at the S.B. Ballard Stadium. The University has stated that the event will encompass every college and school, signifying a process that will take multiple hours. Each student is allotted ten invitations and must appear in cap and gown regalia at 9 a.m.

Weeks ago, many students feared that they’d no longer be walking the University seal and would only hear their names read among the graduating class. The rumor’s reasoning was attributed to time constraints associated with the event comprising all undergraduates, rather than there being separate events for individual colleges. 

On Mar. 15, Old Dominion University sent an email to graduating students dispelling the rumor and reaffirming the University’s commitment to a safe and equitable commencement ceremony.

“We have been made aware of some rumors regarding the stage crossing for the ceremony at S.B. Ballard Stadium,” it read. “By way of this message, we would like to confirm and put your minds at ease that all students will cross the stage during the ceremony as their name is announced.”

In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at Chartway Arena off Hampton Boulevard. At either location, students are expected to “arrive dressed in academic regalia (cap & gown) to Kaufman Mall which is located in front of Webb University Center near the Lion Fountain.” 

Students who have not completed all graduation requirements but participate in the ceremony “are not considered graduates.” 

“We are excited to join you, your family, and friends in celebrating you on May 6th at S.B. Ballard Stadium!,” the email said. 

Any questions regarding graduation and the commencement ceremony can be directed to commencement@odu.edu.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, today announced the recipients of a 2023 Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellowship. The $10,000 fellowships are designed to support active Society members in the dissertation writing stage of doctoral study. This year’s class of fellows represents a group […]

Max McHugh, a fifth-year senior and team captain of the Gophers’ men’s swimming and diving team, finished out his career Saturday with an NCAA title in the 100-meter breaststroke and a third place finish in the 200-meter breaststroke.

McHugh became the seventh male in NCAA history to win three straight 100-meter breast titles and the eighth to win three titles overall. He followed up the historic day finishing out his career with a season best of 1:49:91 in the 200-meter breaststroke.

In his four trips to the NCAA Championships, McHugh never placed lower than third in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events.

As a freshman, he was third in the 100-meter breast before claiming the first place titles in 2021 and 2022. He entered the 2023 tournament as the defending champion in the 100-meter breaststroke event.

“Defending champion, it doesn’t mean much to me,” McHugh said in a press release. “I knew defending champion doesn’t mean anything to any of my competitors, so I had to go and get it done this year.”

McHugh followed up his NCAA title with a third-place finish in the 200-meter breaststroke event the next day. He previously won second place in the 200 event in 2019, first place in 2021 and second place again in 2022.

With such an illustrious finish to his Gophers career, McHugh said he’s not quite sure what’s next for him.

“I need to make a new goal list,” he said. “I’d love to finally break out onto that international scene, try to convert to long-course a little bit better.”

Among the other Gophers competing in the tournament, the 1650-meter freestyle event had two Gophers with Top 25 finishes. Junior Chris Nagy placed 21st with a time of 14:52.23 and sophomore Bar Soloveychik was two spots behind Nagy in 23rd.

In Saturday’s prelims, junior Kaiser Neverman placed 24th in the 200-meter butterfly even. He had a time of 1:42.93, the second fastest swim in Gophers program history.

Gophers freshman Drew Bennett competed in platform diving and finished in 25th place in the preliminary round with a score of 325.55.

Minnesota finished 21st overall at the tournament. It marks the 32nd straight season with a Top 25 finish for the team.

Eight years ago, Daniel Cooper retired from playing the game of baseball professionally. At only 28 years old and six years removed from a stellar senior season at USC in 2009 that led to him being drafted by the Seattle Mariners, it was a heartbreaking end to a promising career.  

There was a variety of reasons why making the MLB, baseball’s American dream, faded away for Cooper.

Physically, he was breaking down. He deals with thoracic outlet syndrome, a disease that makes it difficult to have feeling in the fingers of his pitching hand. He was also overwhelmed with anxiety surrounding his performance, and couldn’t go on playing without addressing his mental struggles. He couldn’t keep up with the demands of the game and as a result, he was getting batted around. His career minor league ERA ballooned to 4.80. He played his final professional season in Australia for the Brisbane Bandits, and his ERA was still high at 4.03. 

After his return home from Brisbane in 2015, he would never have another professional opportunity in baseball.

But Cooper’s baseball odyssey doesn’t end there. In fact, in the years following 2015, baseball would become something even greater for him: a passion project, the origin of a love story and a revolution that is sweeping through an entire country.

This seems impossible, given that baseball basically gave up on him. 

But it happened, and it all started with two decisions he made in that crucial year, 2015.

The first one was to see a neurotherapist. Cooper knew that to continue with baseball in any capacity, he needed to work on his mental game. A friend of his connected him to a neurotherapist named Alexa Schmidt. The two bonded over a shared experience as athletes. 

“I was a professional dancer the majority of my life, and I too suffered from a debilitating injury very early on,” Schmidt said. “We connected on that in a very unique way.”  

The two had a strong friendship and professional relationship for a while, but felt their bond growing even stronger and eventually started dating. In December of this past year, they got engaged. 

It was a desire to be better at baseball that indirectly led him to the love of his life. Her neurotherapeutic help, as well as her personal relationship with Cooper, gave her the passenger seat on the journey that Cooper sparked with his next big decision: to keep playing baseball.

But how could he do that? There were no professional opportunities left for him.

True, no one was willing to pay him to play baseball. But Cooper didn’t need a financial incentive to play the game, because he truly loves it.

“The excitement and the commitment he has to [baseball] is just very inspiring,” Schmidt said.

And there was a team that needed that kind of passion: Great Britain’s national baseball team.

The opportunity to represent Great Britain on the baseball diamond was something that Cooper had been pursuing since 2012, when Great Britain tried, and failed, to qualify for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Back then, there was almost no British representation in professional baseball. Cooper’s manager for the British national team, Drew Spencer, said that getting Cooper to represent the Union Jack was incredibly meaningful.

“He started out as one of those big names,” Spencer said, “10 years ago, you kinda go, ‘Wow, we got a guy named Daniel Cooper, he went to USC and he’s pitched in pro ball!’ And so he was a name that helped us recruit people.”

At the time, Great Britain baseball was badly in need of more talent.

“I think we were ranked 40th [in the world] when I first started,” Cooper said.

But from the moment Cooper first joined the team, he began to help them steadily climb the rankings.

In 2015, when the professional opportunities stopped, he could have hung up his cleats entirely and stopped playing for Great Britain too. He needed a full time job, and the British team couldn’t provide him consistent employment or pay. If he kept playing for the Brits, it would be only as a hobby or a passion project of sorts.

So the question became only if he loved it enough to keep playing.

His answer was a resoundingly passionate yes.

“I can’t touch on enough how much it means to me to help spread baseball to Great Britain,” Cooper said. “There’s young kids out there [in Great Britain] who love this game, who are learning it … the young talent, homegrown from England, it’s just been really great to see.”

That passion wasn’t always returned by British citizens.

“A lot of people in the country don’t even know we have a baseball team,” Cooper said.

But Cooper and his teammates continued to put their whole heart and soul into representing Great Britain, and seven years later, they had the opportunity of a lifetime to finally help British baseball shine on the world stage.

Led by phenom catcher Harry Ford, they qualified for the World Baseball Classic for the first time ever in 2022 at the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in Regensburg, Germany. The WBC is a tournament where national teams compete for a championship, similar to the World Cup in soccer. It’s international baseball’s biggest competition.

Their seeding in the WBC slotted them into the same pool as the United States national team, which was stacked with MLB stars such as Mike Trout, Trea Turner, Mookie Betts and Nolan Arenado. Mexico, Canada and Colombia were also in Pool C, and the pool games were played at Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in Phoenix, Ariz.

And so, 11 years after his last Minor League Baseball game and eight years after retiring from professional baseball, Cooper had a chance to play against baseball’s biggest stars on the game’s biggest international stage.

“It’s honestly surreal,” Cooper said. “I get kind of emotional thinking about it, I got chills thinking about it … for how many times I keep telling myself I need to retire, and I almost quit because of injuries and stuff, to have this moment.”

When the moment finally came, he was beyond ready. Despite having a fastball that tops out at about 84 mph, Cooper snuck pitches past the best hitters in the world. In his two games in the tournament, he pitched 2.2 innings, gave up only 1 run and struck out two batters.

But the most impressive aspect of Cooper’s pitching appearances was the hitters he got out. Against the U.S., he got Kyle Schwarber, Kyle Tucker, Betts and Trout to fly out, Jeff McNeil to ground out and he struck out Turner.

“Walking off the mound against USA, he was kinda like, ‘Who did I get out there?’ And someone said ‘Oh, that was Trea Turner.’ And he went, ‘Oh cool, he’s on my fantasy team,’” Spencer laughed.

For reference, Turner went on to hit 5 home runs and drive in 11 and was arguably the best player in the entire tournament.

In his second appearance against Mexico, he came on in a tight 2-1 game in the bottom of the seventh inning with a runner on first base and proceeded to strike out Randy Arozarena and get Alex Verdugo to ground out.

For reference, Arozarena went on to hit .450 with 9 RBIs and produce clutch moment after clutch moment, leading Mexico to the semifinals for the first time ever. He was probably the most clutch performer in the entire tournament.

Cooper struck out two of the tournament’s top three performers. While he didn’t get a chance to face eventual tournament MVP Shohei Ohtani, considering he struck out the other two MVP candidates, who’s to say he couldn’t have struck him out too? 

His team lost both of the games he pitched in, 6-2 against Team USA and 2-1 versus Mexico, but showed they could compete with two of the top teams in the tournament.

Against Colombia, they won 7-5, which marked their first World Baseball Classic win ever, a jubilant moment for the country. It also gave the team an automatic qualification for the 2026 WBC, where they hope to string together even more victories.

Cooper is not sure whether or not he will play in the next classic. But whether he does or not, the people in his inner circle who have seen his journey finally reach the mountaintop after all these years are proud of him.

“Coop has proved that, you know, baseball doesn’t have to stop when you stop being paid or when the dream of making it to the big leagues is over,” Spencer said.

Baseball will surely never stop for Cooper. Whether he plays for Great Britain in spring 2026 or not, his glove will always be within reach, and as long as he has a baseball field and a right arm, he’ll try to throw his sinker past anyone that will challenge him.

And they’ll probably swing and miss.

The post Long live our baseball king appeared first on Daily Trojan.

Although Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania are the states that have banned the most books in the recent escalation of book challenges, Maine is not immune to this controversy. On the same day last year Ashley Hope Perez, banned book author, made a statement regarding the debate by Maine’s District 6 School Board about removing Maia Kobabe’s book “Gender Queer” from the Bonny Eagle schools. 

“What I want to be really clear about is the books are a pretext. (Book banning) is a proxy war on students who share the marginalized identities of the authors and characters of the books under attack,” Perez stated.  

A letter from a queer student that was read by a teacher contained the following sentence: “By removing this book you are sending a message that we are not welcome here.”

According to Laurie Carpenter, Orono Public Library director, “Gender Queer”, a graphic novel coming of age memoir, has been one of the more controversial books in Maine as well as the nation.  Another book that has raised concerns at both levels is “And Tango Makes Three”, a real life based picture book about two male penguins raising a chick.

Two disturbing trends in book challenging are emerging at both state and national level. In both the impetus has changed drastically. Suzanne Nossel, executive director of PEN America, made the following statement for the Sept. 21, 2023 Maine Beacon: “More often than not, current challenges to books originate not from concerned parents acting individually but from political and advocacy groups working in concert to achieve the goal of limiting what books students can access and read in public schools.”

Also attempts to ban books are escalating to include not only individual school districts, but the state legislature. According to the March 1, 2023 Portland Press Herald, Maine is one of “about a dozen states” considering bills that would seriously impede accessibility of controversial books.

Representative James Libby, who introduced Maine’s bill, claims that it would protect children from exposure to inappropriate materials and provide schools with a clarification of what books are deemed acceptable. It would remove schools’ exemption from obscenity laws. Under Maine law books and other materials are considered obscene if they “depict sexual acts, excretion, or images of genders in a manner clearly offensive to the average person and lack any literary, artistic, or scientific value.” If the bill passes, violation would be a Class C felony punishable by up to twenty-five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Opponents of the bill point out that the law is widely open to interpretation. Librarians, who already carefully scrutinize possible acquisitions for literary merit, age appropriateness, and scientific accuracy, then would also have the stressful task of second guessing what a jury might find obscene. Carpenter said that book choices might be managed more strictly by school administrators eager to avoid legal liability.

Maine librarians, however, are more concerned about the effects on children and teens. Carpenter believes that they should be able to make their own choices with parental guidance.  For those experiencing issues similar to those portrayed, those books can validate and assure.

“There’s someone in the book who looks like me. I’m not alone” Carpenter said. “It can open up the world. It can show what life is like for others.”

Two Maine institutions are making a special effort to protect banned books. In Waterville Maddie Smith has created the online Banned Bookstore from what had been her spare room to make challenged books more accessible.

“The whole idea for the bookstore started with wanting to sell an interesting curation of books.  I found an article about a book being banned recently in the South and was astounded that this sort of thing is still happening. Banned books are definitely an interest/passion of mine,” Smith told the Penobscot Bay Pilot in January. 

The April 4, 2022 Smithsonian carried the story of an extremely small Maine library with a very big mandate — to make sure copies of banned books are preserved. Matinicus Island (population 100) is 22 miles off the coast.  In the recent past books were hard to obtain there.  Residents shared with each other, borrowed from the Maine State Library, and raised the trash and recycling center. In 2016 an 8-foot by 10-foot shed was turned into a library. In 2022 an adjoining shed was added. A children’s room was added in 2021. Now they’re asking for books that have been banned and consider it a privilege to do so.

Tuesday, March 28 at 1 p.m., in collaboration with Fogler Library, the Commuter Lounge (room 150 in the Union) will offer a discussion of book banning. Refreshments will be offered. All are welcome. 

Read Jake’s story here.

Theadora Soter  10:54:31

Hello and welcome back to News for U, The Daily Utah Chronicle podcast, I’m Theadora. In this week’s episode of the podcast we’re going to talk about the new series on Latinx mental health. Jake Duffy has joined us today to discuss with us in more detail what occurred. Hey, Jake, thanks so much for joining us.

Jake Duffy  10:54:47

Hey, thank you.

Theadora Soter  10:54:49

So can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do here at the Chronicle?

Jake Duffy  10:54:52

 Yeah, so I’m a senior at the U studying political science. I joined the news desk this year at the beginning of January. And that’s what I’ve been doing.

Theadora Soter  10:55:03

Cool. Cool. So the last article you wrote was about a new workshop series about mental health for students of Latinx descent. Can you tell me a little bit about the background of the series? Who started it? When did the first session take place? How many more sessions will there be stuff like that?

Jake Duffy  10:55:20

 Yeah, so the Latinx mental health series is a collaborative project. It started as a collaboration between the Latinx Student Union, the U’s Counseling Center, the Center for Equity and Student Belonging, also known as CESB, and the Dream Center, with the Sonos Dreamers organization, which is a organization that advocates for undocumented students. Really the purpose is for it to kind of be a gathering space for people to discuss mental health, and then zero in on the specifics of , kind of, the mental health of Latinx students. So, the first session was on March 2. I attended the second session, on anger. There’s two more on Thursday, March 30, from 4 to 6 p.m., and then April 13, which is going to be a panel discussion about Latinx mental health.

Theadora Soter  10:56:10

That’s awesome. Um, so according to your article, the session that you went to was called “The Anger We Carry.” It was a roundtable discussion talking about anger. What were some of the causes, reasons and variations of anger experienced by students in the Latinx community that were brought up?

Jake Duffy  10:56:28

Yeah, so the conversation was really interesting because it kind of began talking about anger more generally and then zeroing in on that. I think what I was super captivated by was that a lot of the causes and reasons for anger stemmed from stigmatization and profiling and, kind of, general disconnects between immigrant families and first generation students. So, I think two good examples were like machismo culture for Latin men, and then the “spicy Latina” stigma for women. And then also conversations on what it’s like to be a queer person inside of a Latinx household. And then also just a general kind of frustration that a lot of young people or first generation people have with their parents not maybe understanding their particular experiences. Yeah.

Theadora Soter  10:57:17

So are those stereotypes kind of placed by students outside of the Latinx community, but within the University of Utah community?

Jake Duffy  10:57:25

Yeah, that’s probably the most interesting thing, is that it comes from both sides, I think …

Theadora Soter  10:57:30

Interesting.

Jake Duffy  10:57:30

… People talked about how a lot of those stigmas are external, so how society perceives them. But an equal amount of attention was being paid to how students feel like their parents will invalidate their anger or their frustration, because they didn’t experience maybe the difficulties of crossing the border or living in a country that just does not have as many resources.

Theadora Soter  10:57:55

Right. So, you kind of talked about the next session, and the ones after that, which sound really interesting. When and where are these held? And how do you, kind of, get to be a part of them?

Jake Duffy  10:58:07

The next one is going to be held in the Unity Lounge, which is inside of the Student Lounge from 4-6 p.m., the next one is. Then the last one, which I think I said was April 13, is going to be at the Dream Center.

Theadora Soter  10:58:20

Okay.

Jake Duffy  10:58:21

Which I think will be from 5-7 p.m. So yeah, the Student Lounge is where the next one is going to be. And then the Dream Center is where the final meeting will be.

Theadora Soter  10:58:29

Awesome. What’s kind of like the vibe of these meetings? Are they welcoming? Like, do you feel like they were a safe space? Would you recommend that people go check them out?

Jake Duffy  10:58:38

Yeah, I think that I was definitely a little bit intimidated — I had been with some of the stories that I’ve chosen to cover, because I’ve been entering spaces that are not directly for white men. This environment though, I was very, very, kind of, pleased and happy to be there. Because I was really welcomed with open arms. The vibe was very chill. They had some Latin music playing. They were sharing snacks. Everyone was mingling and talking. And, again,  it was a mixture of all different people from different backgrounds. So, there were white students, there were Asian students, there were Latinx students, of course. So, they encouraged me to not only observe but also participate and made it very clear to me that, while I might not be a part of this community, they wanted me to be there, which was super awesome.

Theadora Soter  10:59:24

That’s very cool. Um, I guess I’m kind of just curious about kind of like the setup of the actual meeting.

Jake Duffy  10:59:30

I’d say it was definitely a little bit of both. I think the conversation was moderated by two, what they call, embedded therapists, the University Counseling Center. From there, there were just kind of discussion points of them asking, “What is anger? What does anger look like to you? How do you handle anger?” and then zeroing in on the questions about, “What is your anger as a Latin individual? Where do you think that anger comes from? What do you feel? What are the particular problems that exist for you as a Latinx person?”

So, with those kinds of questions that were put out, there’d be a roundtable discussion of people just kind of raising their hands and sharing the space and just kind of opening themselves up. And as time went on, this was like a two hour meeting, and so, as time went on, people became way more willing to open themselves up and talk more, which was super good, because I think that people started to really become more vulnerable and really access that kind of nitty gritty conversation topics or ideas that you kind of need to open yourself up to really talk about. So, yeah, roundtable discussion and there was kind of topics that were given throughout the event.

Theadora Soter  11:00:45

This was kind of put on by the Latinx Student Union, which you kind of talked about, can you tell us a little bit about what that is and what services it provides for students of Latinx heritage beyond the mental health workshop?

Jake Duffy  11:00:58

Yes, I was able to speak with one of the event coordinators, Jasmine. The Latinx Student Union was created in, I think, in the spring semester of 2022. It’s largely a meeting place for Latin students across the board. It really exists for students to enjoy cultural activities, have a sense of community on campus. It really serves to kind of build and dignify a Latin community and experience on campus. So, the Latinx Student Union, in relation to the U, is really a place where people can come together to kind of see and be around other people that have a shared experience.

Theadora Soter  11:01:36

I mean, I think it’s kind of surprising, I guess, at least to me, that the the Latinx Student Union just formed within the year. Do you know about any other resources that the University of Utah is doing to make more space for Hispanic students?

Jake Duffy  11:01:49

At least from what I was told, the Latinx Student Union has, has existed in one way or another, I think maybe beforehand, but a lot of student organizations, post-COVID, have all kind of been revamped in their own way. Cultural organizations, recovery organizations. The university as a whole, I think that there is an initiative to — if I can broaden this up to a little more Utah conversation?

Theadora Soter  11:02:14

Yeah, absolutely, yes.

Jake Duffy  11:02:16

Okay. I think that a lot of universities in Utah right now are all kind of pursuing the goal of achieving the status of being a Hispanic Serving Institution. So, the U currently sits in second place at [about] 13% of the population being of Hispanic/Latinx descent. In order to receive the HSI designation, you need to 20-25 percentile of the student population being Hispanic or Latin identifying. So, I know that SLCC, or Salt Lake Community College, sits at number one with I think 21% of their population being of Hispanic descent.

So, a lot of initiatives that have been started by the U and other Utah organizations, is to create spaces for BIPOC students to meet, being led by BIPOC counselors, creating student clubs and organizations like the Latin Student Union, and then also mentoring resources, like Sonos Dreamers, which allows kind of more more opportunities and kind of a place a gathering for students that are undocumented.

So, I think that over the past year or two, especially the University of Utah, along with other Utah universities are really pursuing having these spaces, having these on-campus organizations, institutions, whatever, to be an access point to invite more Hispanic students, and most importantly, retain Hispanic students through their education. Also, this designation of being a Hispanic Serving Institution is really important because, not only does it encourage diversity, which is what we want on college campuses, but it also allows for that particular university to receive a federal designation.

Theadora Soter  11:04:05

What does that kind of entail, like a federal designation? Do you know?

Jake Duffy  11:04:08

To keep it short and sweet, I’d say that the university would receive will receive more funding, essentially. So, funding for the school more broadly, and then even funding for those organizations that serve students that are a part of a minority demographic in the US.

Theadora Soter  11:04:24

Okay, very cool. Is there anything that you want to share with us today about the workshop you attended, or the Latin Student Union as a whole?

Jake Duffy  11:04:32

I think that for students that want to obtain mental health services, I met with some really good people, young people of color, that are really passionate about kind of breaking through to students, making counseling more available, making it available in a relatable way. And that was really important to me. And so, I would encourage anybody, whether you’re a part of the bipoc community or not, to reach out to the University Counseling Center. CESB, or the Center for Equality and Student Belonging is awesome for students to find community, if they feel like they don’t really have that on this campus.

I’d also strongly recommend that students who are BIPOC, Latinx, or sort of any other kind of minority group attend the “All the Feels” student support group. They meet from 1-2:30 p.m. on Fridays, in the Unity Lounge, or the Union room 293. I met with two of the embedded therapists there, Fabiola and Nicole and they were the moderators for our conversation on “The Anger We Carry,” which was the Latinx mental health workshop that I attended. I think, yeah, going and supporting them going and being there, I think is really important.

Again, these organizations are really important for people to gather, talk about their emotions and also be critical of the institutions that we have — both informal and formal — here on campus. Some of you might not like that. But you know, we’re here on a college campus to be critical of things and analyze the things that exist. So, I strongly encourage people to open their minds and hearts to these organizations.

Theadora Soter  11:06:15

Yeah. Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Jake. We really appreciate it. It was great talking to you.

Jake Duffy  11:06:19

Awesome. Thanks for having me.

Theadora Soter  11:06:20

Yeah, of course. And thank you for listening to this week’s episode of News for U. Don’t forget to turn in for a new episode next Monday.

Executive Producer and Host: Theadora Soter t.soter@dailyutahchronicle.com // @sotertheadora

Guest: Jake Duffy j.duffy@dailyutahchronicle.com // @JakeDuffyChrony

UH softball improved to 15-16 on the season after sweeping Memphis over the weekend. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

In its first American Athletic Conference series of 2023, the UH softball team ended the weekend sweeping Memphis to advance to 15-16 on the season.

Game 1

The Cougars dominated in the first game of the series.

UH’s dominance began in the third inning when sophomore infielders Brooke Lorenzo and Ja’Naiya Thomas scored on a fly-out and a Bree Cantu right-field double, respectively.

In the fourth inning, UH brought home two more runs, this time on a home run from sophomore Emma Robertson and a single from sophomore Turiya Coleman.

Entering the fifth inning, UH led 4-0, proceeding to score six more runs in what proved to be the game’s convincing final inning.

Coleman crushed a grand slam to center in the fifth to put the exclamation point on the Cougars 10-0 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Game 2

The game’s first run came in the sixth inning when Cantu was brought home thanks to a right-side single by Amanda Carden.

On the same play, redshirt sophomore infielder LA Matthews was able to advance to third; a Lorenzo center-field single was able to bring Matthews home on the very next at-bat to give UH a 2-0 lead.

UH put one more run on the board before the end of their second win, an unearned score from senior infielder Paige Hulsey thanks to a hit from Cantu.

The Cougars won 3-0.

Game 3

UH had plenty of momentum entering the series finale on Sunday afternoon.

Memphis, though, finally showed some signs of life.

The first run of the game was scored by the Tigers in the first inning, giving Memphis its first lead of the series.

The Cougars leveled the score in the third inning as Coleman was brought home on a Matthews fly-out.

After a pair of scoreless innings for both teams, UH was able to take command of the game in the sixth and seventh innings.

A single run in the sixth inning gave UH the momentum to take command, bringing home six runs in the seventh (and final) inning. A pair of doubles from Thomas and Cantu brought three of the six runs home, while a Matthews single, Carden double, and fly-out from freshman infielder Ayden Allen brought home the final three.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers made one final push, scoring two runs to cut into UH’s lead, though trailed 8-3 at the final out to hand UH its third dominant victory of the weekend.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“UH softball sweeps Memphis to open up AAC play” was originally posted on The Cougar