Sayed Faisal, a 20-year-old University of Massachusetts Boston student, was fatally shot by a Cambridge Police officer Jan. 4, sparking outrage and protests across the city.

Amid the electric vehicle revolution, an ODU student challenged himself to reimagine what a personal electric vehicle means. 

Milo Linkel, a junior studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, sketched designs while peering over a small bicycle. The bicycle, no longer than three feet, looked fit for the shenanigans of a circus clown.  A battery pack a quarter of the size of the bicycle itself was propped awkwardly underneath. 

“Imagine [an electric] bike, but small and funny,” said Linkel, taking a break from the welding station. Since 2020, Linkel has twice built battery-powered electric skateboards, each time honing his design process and familiarity with electric motor technology. Now he has his nose to the grindstone developing a circus bicycle capable of pushing 20 miles per hour.

He has been working on this project for two full semesters, learning metalworking, welding, and safe use of lithium-ion batteries. The dimensions of a circus clown bicycle are not ideal for accommodating a large electric motor and battery pack, so fabricating custom mounts from metal has pushed Linkel’s skills as a designer. 

Working with high-voltage batteries, such as the 10S4P modules powering this bicycle, one must vigilantly avoid electric shock hazards. “I have blown up lithium ion cells and created some big sparks on accident,” Linkel said.

Electric bicycles and scooters have become a mainstay when traversing any urban area or college campus. Although controversial, they are changing our relationship with small-scale transportation and movement. 

Linkel argued for their adoption: “I know some people hate them because they drive and they get in the way of cars, but as a non-car [supporter] I think they are useful when you need something. I think they are a net benefit.” 

In transportation lies an opportunity for creativity and self-expression: modified cars; detailed longboard graphics; and thanks to Linkel, a circus bike that can beat any scooter in a race. 

Linkel fabricates his brainchild in the Monarch Engineering and Fabrication Lab, or M-lab for short. He is one of many engineers at ODU who use the M-Lab to reimagine the world through a syncretism of creativity and classwork. Gesturing at roughly sketched design notes, Linkel said that “the timeline worked out that while I was taking physics two and we went over how motors and induction worked while I was trying to understand brushless motors.” 

Bold creatives face the judgmental eye of the public due to their often-esoteric design choices. In the past, Linkel drew the curious gaze of onlookers while in the Whitehurst parking lot cutting up planks of wood with a jigsaw. “[I] probably look[ed] like an insane person,” he said. 

Change often happens in the face of social adversity, however, and Linkel understands this tenant of leadership: “I embrace the onlookers.”

Holding his grandson Kylen, Kelvin Sampson was all smiles after cutting down his seventh net as the UH head coach after the top-ranked Cougars’ win over Wichita State on Thursday night. | Anh Le/The Cougar

When Kelvin Sampson first arrived at Houston, he had to go around the campus with a megaphone begging people to come to games.

Nine years later, the Fertitta Center just set an attendance record for the third straight game and fans are waiting in a long line just to get a picture with the man who turned UH basketball around.

“This is what it’s supposed to look like,” Sampson said as the top-ranked Cougars celebrated their fourth American Athletic Conference regular-season title in five years after the win over Wichita State on Thursday night. “This was always part of the vision.”

Arriving at UH in 2014, the state of the men’s basketball program was clear as could be to Sampson.

The facilities were outdated. The care from the University’s administration was lacking. The fan base was few.

Sampson saw only one thing the men’s basketball program was good at.

“We didn’t spend money. We didn’t invest,” Sampson said. “All we were pretty good at was firing coaches.”

Even with being the new guy on the job, Sampson did not hold back his displeasure from the UH administration. 

Instead, he pointed out all the ways the University had failed to support its men’s basketball program.

“I got a little pissed off when I saw how bad it was,” Sampson said. “I realized how badly this school needed me and that I needed them too. I needed something to fix. I needed something to put my teeth on.”

Bringing UH basketball back to relevancy would be tough, but it was something Sampson was committed to seeing through.

Churning away each day, Sampson pressed the UH administration to raise money and build new facilities while he and his staff recruited the type of players to lay the foundation for what they hoped the program would become.

Sampson knew he would make some people angry, but he didn’t care. The now 67-year-old coach was going to do it his way.

“Those were some hard days,” Sampson said. “I’m sure a lot of people weren’t real happy with me, but my thought process is they’d get over it.”

Get over it they have.

A $60 million renovation turning what was once Hoffeinz Pavilion into the current Fertitta Center has reignited the UH fan base, transforming game days, which used to provide little excitement for the few fans that were in attendance, into an explosion of energy that makes for one of the best home court advantages in the sport

“He (Sampson) willed this into what this is,” said UH athletic director Chris Pezman. “This is a testament to him, his family, the assistants and the kids that he has recruited here to turn this into three attendance records three [games] in a row.”

No longer does the team have to worry about where it’s going to practice, receive treatment or watch film. The $25 million, 3-story Guy V. Lewis Development Center, which opened in 2016, has solved that issue.

Of course, winning — something the Cougars do on the regular under Sampson, racking up 171 wins and counting since the beginning of the 2017 season, the second most in the country behind only Gonzaga — helps too.

Cutting nets, which had been foreign to the Cougars ever since the Phi Slama Jama era ended in 1984, has now become the expectation at UH every March.

Four regular season conference championships, two AAC tournament titles and reaching the 2021 Final Four as the kings of Midwest Region have resulted in seven net cuttings at UH since the 2018-19 season.

To Sampson, each one is special and unique in its own way.

“I don’t take those things for granted,” Sampson said.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Kelvin Sampson’s initial vision for UH has arrived” was originally posted on The Cougar

Following the death of a 33-year-old Cambridge man who jumped from the 26th floor of 33 Harry Agganis Way on Feb. 15, Boston University students have questioned if BU has honored its commitment to provide adequate mental health resources and support on campus.

The War on Drugs had serious repercussions — its failure caused an increase in crime and human rights abuses all over the world, particularly in low income areas. Beyond that, it has fundamentally shifted perceptions on drug use.

There was significant fear in the latter half of the 20th century around psychedelics, which set back research on the benefits of these drugs by decades. And now, S.B. 200 from Utah’s 2023 General Legislative Session seeks to regulate psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, in a similar way to how we regulate medical marijuana.

Psychedelic drugs have shown to have positive benefits, but more research needs to be done before we can implement a blanket recreational legalization. With that said, regardless of the lack of research towards psychedelics, it’s clear that continuing our War on Drugs policies is detrimental. S.B. 200 and similar bills are exactly the type of legislation that we need in Utah and federally.

The Case for Psychedelics

Psilocybin has been shown to help people with mental health disorders, such as PTSD and types of anorexia. Fungi like Lion’s Mane can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s in adults. Furthermore, other psychoactive drugs such as ketamine have undergone clinical trials for depression treatment — results are mostly positive with the correct dosage.

While research into the positive benefits of psychedelics dates back to the 1950s, current issues involve stigmas around psychedelics and the scheduling of similar substances.

S.B. 200 creates a safe way to regulate, grow and distribute psilocybin products. It’s handled in a similar way to how we regulated medical marijuana in its early years: creating a licensing and inventory management system that ensures psilocybin-containing products are given to those who need them.

This is a great contrast to what we’ve had historically — it’s surprising that Utah has made a move in this direction given the religious makeup of the state, as well as the pushback that Utah had around medical marijuana in its early days.

It’s clearly the right move, since it’s been shown that prohibition is ineffective at best, and at worst targeted minority populations for nefarious purposes. Drug policy needs to move away from prohibition in a way that is effective for everyone.

Anticipated Skepticism

Doubting this article is understandable, but I’d urge you to think critically. As a kid I remember being at school and getting taught about drugs by a police officer — the D.A.R.E program.  The unfortunate reality is that drug use isn’t stopped by “just saying no.” If it was that simple, the opioid epidemic wouldn’t have happened, heroin and cocaine wouldn’t have been used to target Black people in the ’60s and ’70s, and there wouldn’t be a need for D.A.R.E in the first place.

Several myths surrounding the nature of psychedelics were popularized by the D.A.R.E. program and other notions, including falsehoods that psychedelic drugs have a direct link to psychosis, which they don’t. I also remember being told drugs like LSD would stay in my spine forever, or that ecstasy would make me suicidal — another myth. This disinformation campaign spurred on by the War on Drugs is pointless and harmful. Rather than lying to ourselves about the negative benefits of drugs, we should face the reality that they can be a useful tool.

Now this doesn’t mean we should make every psychedelic recreationally legal. Psychedelics do have negative effects in certain people, particularly in those who already have psychosis or are immunocompromised. Medicine is also extremely complex, so dosing is important to regulate in ensuring people don’t accidentally poison themselves. Some psychedelics increase tolerance based on frequency of consumption, which makes dosing tricky and risks overdose if the person administering the dose isn’t medically trained. Ketamine in particular can be addictive and kill you if the wrong dose is given.

This is why legislation like S.B. 200 is necessary. If your goal is less drug use, the answer isn’t to nix research on drugs with potentially positive use cases or ban them outright. We need to encourage regulation as a method of improving the safety of psychedelic consumption.

Our War on Drugs has already failed. Prohibition and restrictions don’t work and actively harm us. Allowing reasonable use and research into psychoactive substances will allow us to break the cycle of failure and move to an effective solution.

Let’s swallow our pride and do something that works.

s.barney@dailyutahchronicle.com

@Sebbywrites

Gallery|6 Photos

Destiny Carter-Wleh was one of the University of Minnesota attendees. Photo courtesy of the American Advertising Federation.

Six University of Minnesota students were chosen to attend the American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Multicultural Students program in February, where they attended workshops and networked.

The immersion program is a week-long, all-expenses paid trip to New York City, with all chosen University students strategic communication majors from the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The American Advertising Federation is the only organization that includes members across all domains and career standings within the advertising industry. The federation is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and is the “Unifying Voice for Advertising,” including more than 150 local clubs across the country and representing about 35,000 advertising professionals.

Application process engaged creativity

Recipient Sara Omar, a fourth-year student, said she chose strategic communication as her major because she has always been passionate about the art of communication’s presence in music and working in the entertainment industry.

Omar said she didn’t know much about advertising before applying to the program, and that it was an engaging, creative and challenging process that evoked deep thought about how she wants to portray herself within the industry.

According to Omar, there was a prompt in the application for students to create their own tagline and hashtag. She viewed it as a life motto and experience-based prompt where applicants could share information about their diverse upbringings and cultural identities.

Omar said her tagline was, “I believe in not making advertisements, but leaving long-lasting impressions. #makeyourmark.”

Omar said the application also included questions about challenging moments in applicants’ lives growing up.

“The application did have some technical questions, such as telling about times of adversity growing up as a BIPOC individual,” Omar said. “The questions gave you an opportunity to express yourself, put your best self forward and stand out from other applicants.”

Program embraces diverse identities

First-year student Elizabeth Gordon said to be named a recipient means to be a trailblazer. She observed that other students of color with similar experiences and identities as her can make an impact as a leader and make a name for themselves in the advertising industry.

“Growing up, I knew that representing my identity and making an impact in the Black community was going to be important to me,” Gordon said. “It’s something that I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to actively participate in and uphold throughout my educational career.”

Gordon said although she attended predominantly white schools growing up, she made sure to develop opportunities where she could support and uplift her community by taking on leadership roles to enable tangible change.

Welcome to New York

Attendee and recent December graduate Destiny Carter-Wleh said networking with advertising companies was a big part of the trip, including tagline drafting and delivery.

Carter-Wleh said the initial tagline for the application was an ongoing project throughout the trip. Recipients worked on delivery, speech and overall confidence in their pitches in a room full of agencies, with mentors present to help them revise their taglines.

“We also had a guest speaker named Corey Richardson, who conducted a workshop surrounding 10 things he learned upon going into advertising, which was very helpful in reminding us that it’s okay to make mistakes in your occupational journey,” Carter-Wleh said.

Students had the opportunity to talk to “great minds” in the industry and people who have worked on big advertising campaigns, including Popeyes and the McDonald’s Cardi B and Offset meal, Omar said.

“They also provided us opportunities that weren’t strictly advertising focused, as we went to the SiriusXM, Sony Music Group and TikTok offices,” Omar said. “The AAF did a really good job of diversifying the network of professionals that we talked to.”

“A journey of self-discovery”

Gordon said the trip gave her the opportunity to envision herself in different positions within the advertising industry and visualize how she can create work that does not just sell but also acts as a positive force for change.

“I never thought it would be a journey of such self-discovery, now seeing how my career can play out while also staying true to myself and my values of community and impact,” Gordon said.

Omar said the experience compelled her to strive to achieve more academically and occupationally while making her even more proud of where she is now.

“I want to emphasize just how grateful we are for this opportunity and how rewarding it felt the past week just being present, seeing what our futures are capable of,” Omar said.

Maine Campus Media would like to recognize a fantastic new addition to our team, photography contributor Mackenzie White. 

Mac is a second-year electrical engineering technology student at the University of Maine, from York, ME. This is Mac’s first semester working as a photographer for the Maine Campus and has already exceeded our expectations. 

“From the first week he has gone above and beyond in his assignments and valued communication, collaboration and understanding along the way,” Olivia Schanck, photography editor for Maine Campus Media said. “He has stepped up when needed at the last minute and has been a truly skilled photographer.” 

Beyond UMaine, Mac hopes to pursue a career in renewable energy. In his free time he enjoys snowboarding and his favorite place on campus is the Stillwater River. 

Thank you Mac for joining our team and the great work you continue to produce for Maine Campus Media! 

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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The Mountain West Conference has released the 2023 football schedule.

National signing day was just a month ago on Feb. 1, and the Colorado State University football team signed three transfers and two high school recruits to bring the 2023 signing class to 39 total players. 

Now, with less than three weeks until the beginning of spring football practice, the team can start chipping away at improvements and gameplan for their 2023 matchups. Here’s a look at the slate:

• Sept. 2: Washington State University

This will be the second straight year these two meet. Last year, the Cougars routed the Rams in Pullman 38-7.

• Sept. 16: At University of Colorado Boulder

The Rocky Mountain Showdown returns to the gridiron for the first time since it was held at Mile High Stadium in 2019 when the Buffaloes won 52-31. It will be a great early test for both teams under second-year CSU coach Jay Norvell and first-year CU coach Deion Sanders. Most of all, the rivalry will be a great treat for fans in Northern Colorado.

• Sept. 23: At Middle Tennessee State University

This is another two-season home and away series that the Rams were beaten in the first time around last season. The Blue Raiders won in Fort Collins 34-19.

• Sept. 30: Utah Tech University

The Rams have never faced Utah Tech University, but this matchup is the only one against a Football Championship Subdivision team this year. In last year’s sole game against an FCS team, the Rams were blown out in Fort Collins 41-10 by Sacramento State University.

• Oct. 7: At Utah State University

This was one of the closest games of the year last season for the Rams. On homecoming night, the Rams couldn’t come out with a win, but came as close as they had all season to that point to a win at home, losing 17-13.

• Oct. 14: Boise State University

Boise State is a perennial threat to win the conference, and year in and year out, they give the Rams plenty of problems. The Rams have yet to beat the Broncos in the history of the matchup.

• Oct. 21: At University of Nevada, Las Vegas

University of Nevada, Las Vegas is another team the Rams haven’t seen since 2019, but the Rams have won their last four matchups with the Rebels. Most recently, the Rams won 37-17 at Canvas Stadium.

• Oct. 28: United States Air Force Academy

The U.S. Air Force Academy will be making the trip to Fort Collins to try to defend the Ram-Falcon Trophy. It’s been a while since the Rams held the trophy, with the last win against the Falcons coming in 2015.

• Nov. 4: At University of Wyoming

The last of the Rams’ big rivalry games, the Rams will take to Laramie to try and win back the Bronze Boot for the first time since they upset the Cowboys in 2020, 34-24.

• Nov. 11: San Diego State University

The Aztecs have been the center of rumors as of late, with a potential move to the Pac-12 Conference on the horizon. But for the time being, they’ll remain in the Mountain West, and they’ll meet with the Rams this season for the first time since they beat CSU 29-17 in 2020.

• Nov. 18: University of Nevada, Reno

Last year, Norvell’s Rams stunned his former team in Reno, so this could be the early emergence of another Mountain West rivalry.

• Nov. 25: At University of Hawai’i at Mānoa

The Rams got their second win of the 2022 season in Fort Collins against the Rainbow Warriors. It was close the entire way, but the Rams ended up stealing the game 17-13.

Reach Braidon Nourse at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @BraidonNourse.

According to a Boston Transportation Department spokesperson, electric vehicle charging stations will be posted in every neighborhood by this year, with charging stations to be installed in Allston, Dorchester, Hyde Park and Roslindale.