The University of Utah has agreed to pay a settlement of $5 million, pending legislative approval, to the parents of Zhifan Dong for failing to recognize she was in danger before being killed by her boyfriend in Feb. 2022.

The university said in a statement that the financial agreement will not come out of funds from student tuition. The agreement also includes a commitment to establish a memorial on campus in Dong’s memory. 

The proposal was announced Tuesday as a joint resolution filed by the Utah State Legislature to approve the settlement. Any settlement agreement that legally binds an action to be taken from a state entity, including universities, has to be voted on by lawmakers, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

In a statement from the U and the parents of Dong, the university wrote the resolution is expected to be voted on in the legislature the coming days. The proposal has already been approved by Gov. Spencer Cox. 

The settlement will require any members of the Dong family to release the university of any from all grievances, complaints, claims or costs related to Zhifan Dong or any other matter.

U President Taylor Randall said in the statement that the campus continues to mourn the death of Dong, pledging the university will “remain diligent, continue to improve, and advance the health and well-being of our students.”

“Today’s settlement demonstrates our seriousness in honoring Zhifan Dong and reaffirming our commitment to the ongoing work of addressing all aspects of student safety,” Randall said.

Dong’s parents, Junfang Shen and Mingsheng Dong, issued their own statement, translated from Chinese to English, Tuesday night.

“One year ago, we lost our sweet daughter, Zhifan Dong, and continue to miss her every day,” they wrote. “A beautiful and capable young woman, she was tragically separated from us eternally in an instant.”  

Dong’s parents also expressed that they’re grateful for this important step toward justice for their daughter. 

“It is our hope that Zhifan will be remembered and that her memory will inspire others to help prevent intimate partner violence and save lives on campus and in all our communities,” they wrote. “We hope she will inspire other victims to seek help and to leave their abusers.”

In the settlement, the university recognized the mistakes it made in handling Dong’s safety concerns. 

“The University acknowledges shortcomings in its response of its housing and residential education team to the complex situation that resulted in Zhifan Dong’s death and acknowledges the terrible loss that the Dong Family has suffered,” it stated.

Dong, who was a 19-year-old international student, was killed when her boyfriend, Haoyu Wang injected her with a fatal dose of drugs in a motel in downtown Salt Lake on Feb. 1. Wang is currently incarcerated, awaiting trial on murder charges in the case.

Both Dong and her roommate spoke to U housing about concerns of safety. They told housing that Dong’s boyfriend hit her after she broke up with him and that she was scared about what he would do next, including possible self-harm.

Bailey McGartland, one of Dong’s roommates at the time, said she helped Dong file many domestic violence and wellness-check-related reports, according to previous reporting from The Chronicle. Campus police weren’t called until nearly a month after Dong’s first report. She died three days after that.

Documents released by the U last July showed that housing employees failed to recognize clear signs of intimate partner violence. This continued even after Dong told them she had gotten a protective order against Wang, who lived in the same dorm building, one floor up.

Since then, the U has taken disciplinary action against three housing employees and two have resigned. 

In the statement from Dong’s parents, they expressed it’s still hard to accept that their daughter really has left this world.

“When we shed tears and choked up over the pictures of our daughter, her lovely smiling face and familiar voice replayed in our minds over and over again,” they wrote. “We know that she has never gone far, and she is in our hearts.”

a.christiansen@dailyutahchronicle.com

@Andrewwriter01

I’ve always wondered why Americans put pork in everything. Bacon’s too fatty and greasy. Pork chops literally taste like rotten chicken. And pepperoni only serve as mini edible bowls on top of pizza that accumulate oil. 

I was told from a young age to avoid pork like the plague. I never really knew why — just that my family was Muslim and Muslims don’t eat pork. It made me feel cool and unique at times. My friends would have to order cheese pizza for me at sleepovers. Teachers would have to check during lunchtime to make sure that the sandwiches didn’t have any bacon in them. None of my classmates had a perversion to such an American staple, and I honestly liked the attention of having some real culture in comparison to the community around me.

In reality, I’ve never been a religious person. I’ve watched my babaanne, my dad’s mom, pray countless times on her rug. I would even try to mimic her as a child. It was more of a fun game to me, standing up, sitting down, bending into child’s pose, standing again. I had the same attitude towards Ramadan as well. How long could I go without eating or drinking? I never made it too far, but I would watch in admiration as my baba did so effortlessly day after day for a month.

Interestingly, I come from quite the dichotomy of belief systems. My mom, born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, is an atheist to the core. She can’t take religion seriously if her life depended on it. My dad, on the other hand, is from Antalya, Turkey, and is pretty dedicated to Allah. He used to go to camii — mosque — every Friday (the Muslim holy day) when I was younger. His parents have both completed their pilgrimage to Mecca. My babaanne and dede pray five times a day, every day. My babaanne wears a başörtü — head covering. Both grandparents read the Quran every day. This was my normal, at least whenever I traveled to Turkey to visit family.

I asked my parents at one point why they didn’t push religion on to me like many other parents do. My mom responded that she didn’t think it was fair to force me to believe one thing or another. She explained that they did their best to raise me with Muslim-ish beliefs (basically just no pork and one prayer in Arabic), but that ultimately they wanted me to make my own decision as to what I wanted to pursue. I subsequently pursued atheism. 

I am forever grateful to my parents for allowing me autonomy in terms of religious beliefs. Too many times I witness children indoctrinated into a belief system at such a young age that they never know anything different. 

However, there is one issue that has arisen because of the way I was raised. I still value my differences in the face of a nation that is so heavily ruled by Christianity (there is no separation of church and state, contrary to what some politicians may want you to believe), but there are some things that, even as someone who doesn’t claim to be Muslim, I still find myself diverting from.

A perfect example is pork. 

Pork still makes me nervous. Eating pork is haram — a sin — in Islam, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get that out of my head. I inherently don’t believe in Hell or Heaven (even if I did, I know where I’m going for sure), but I have such a negative perception of pork, that even the accidental taste of it makes me recoil. I feel anxious if I consume it.

It does make some situations awkward: “Why don’t you eat pork?” and the following assumptions and ignorance makes me question the intelligence of my fellow Americans at times. Bacon donuts in my eyes are a disgrace to the culinary arts. I’ve never had a BLT. And don’t get me started on how many times I’ve ordered a baked potato or potato skins and have had to sit there, tirelessly picking off the bacon bits. 

This is why I tell people I’m culturally Muslim. Turkish dishes don’t have pork in them; I’ve never had to come across it at home or when visiting family. Similarly, if I ever had believed in a god at one point or another, it was most definitely Allah and not the white, blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus that Christians praise. 

It’s an interesting caught-in-the-middle situation for sure, but I honestly don’t think I’d have it any other way. My beliefs, however, don’t change the fact that bacon is just gross.

The post Culturally Muslim in a Christian society  appeared first on Daily Trojan.

On Feb. 16, 2023, the Barry Arts Museum hosted “Coffee and Contemporary Art,” featuring ODU professor Brittney Harris performing her one-woman show, The Intersection: the Sandra Bland Project, and scenes from her devised play, “Tag: You’re It!” 

The stage set-up was minimal. There was a single theater cube with a brown paper bag, a trash bag, and a baby blanket on top of it with Skittles scattered around its base. Harris was dressed in an orange ensemble not unlike a prison uniform. The reasoning for this became apparent once she introduced her show to the audience.

Harris described The Intersection: the Sandra Bland Project as being devised after she saw countless headlines of violence against people of color during the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement. She wanted to use artistic expression as a form of activism to communicate the trauma from simply reading these headlines. 

In her introduction, Harris highlighted the project’s namesake: Sandra Bland. Bland was a Black woman found hanged in a jail cell after her arrest at a traffic stop three days prior. The Intersection is named after the place where she was arrested and the concept of the intersection of race and gender in oppression and activism. Harris framed her show as a conversation with the trope of the unbreakable Black woman, with the point of view character a cross between herself and Bland.

“To me, Sandra was a mirror,” Harris said.

Harris delivered her performance with raw and moving emotion, from her pained  voice in her opening lines to her frantic prayers to “cast out the devil,” until the character reached her breaking point and lamented the world’s expectation for her to be strong: “Tears are a sign of weakness, but they are my release.” 

“There is this perception that women are deemed too emotional and unstable if they shed tears, but in fact to release the pain is a lot braver than to carry it,” Harris later elaborated. “I hope that audiences take away that it is OK to not be perfect. That there is not one way to be a short quote ‘strong woman’ in that each of us are flawed but also can be flawless in our truths.”

After a ten minute break, the seven cast members of “Tag: You’re It!” took the stage. “Tag: You’re It!” was a devised play directed by Brittney Harris and starring seven actors: Joseph Castro, Amanda Chaussi, Mya Correa, Jamia Gordy, Nyaira Jones, Reicse Owen, and Adrian Rivera. During  rehearsals in the Fall 2022 semester, these actors worked with Harris to create the play, which was initially inspired by different perceptions of the word “tag,” such as the children’s game, the act of tagging a wall, or a social media hashtag. 

While most of the cast of “Tag: You’re It!” began to fight over a blank canvas and cans of spray paint, Jamia Gordy invited the audience to “take a field trip” to the patio of the Barry Arts Museum. The cast spread the canvas on the ground, using rocks to keep the wind from blowing it away, and launched into their snippet of the play.

“This is MY turf … marked by me, for me,” they proudly proclaimed as they tag the canvas.

Afterward, they invited various audience members to spray symbols onto the canvas. I was tagged in by Reicse Owen; I tagged a blank space of the cloth with a yellow star. Audience members used other colors to draw different shapes: hearts, words, X’s, and even a cat face.

According to Harris, she and the cast chose to perform that part of “Tag: You’re It!” because of the audience engagement.

“There is something very powerful about the dynamic between artists sharing space and a common canvas, and I wanted to present an opportunity to highlight everyone’s perspective,” she said.

The event closed with Harris introducing the cast members of “Tag: You’re It!” and thanking the audience for their participation as everyone basked in a well-deserved round of applause.

“I would say the overall goal of our platform was changing SGA for the better,” Joshua Martin said. | Anh Le/The Cougar

With Student Government Association elections approaching, President Joshua Martin gives an overview of the 59th administration’s accomplishments and goals that he wishes to achieve if re-elected. 

Although SGA has faced several debates during meetings that target campus issues and various changes to election rules, Martin remains optimistic about the upcoming election and raising student engagement. 

“I would say the overall goal of our platform was changing SGA for the better,” Martin said.  “Because SGA really had a negative persona around it, and it was really kind of our goal to kind of fix that and put us back on a positive track.”

Martin shared some of SGA’s accomplishments with their initiatives, including passing its sexual assault policy changes that raise awareness and combat misconduct. He also highlighted his main goal if reelected to push the Cougar Job Connection initiative to work with every college and department to get students adequate corporate job opportunities and expose students to better-paying careers. 

“ I think that connecting our students to job opportunities, is something that would really be a great service to them,” Martin said. “And by meeting with the deans of every single college by working with the Mayor’s Office of Education in the higher Houston Youth Program, I think that we can really kind of bridge the gap between the students who don’t know what they want to do after college.”

Another initiative Martin stated that his cabinet wishes to work on is a textbook affordability program that centers around Cougar Textbook Access Program to educate students on resources that they have available to them. Alongside that, Martin stressed focusing on safety and mental health.

 “More recently with some of the unfortunate events that have happened this week, we really want to focus on mental health and safety first agenda,” Martin said. “Whether that’s when that’s going to have to deal with going into the caps office working with them. Setting up trainings with different university organizations so that we can get them involved with that.”

When asked if there is anything that his administration would do differently, Martin expressed that his cabinet has stayed productive throughout.

“Honestly we were kind of a go-with-the-flow organization,” Martin said. “So I think there could have been a little more structure with how some of the things ran, and I think that also gives me an advantage going into potentially a second term because I’ve seen what works, I’ve seen what doesn’t work and I think that we can put that together to ultimately move forward.”

 Martin said that his advantage in this election comes from being experienced with the workings of the University. He shared that this has allowed him to point his senators in the right direction to make their initiatives happen, and accommodate them in the best way he knows how. 

Heading into the 60th administration election, Martin stated that he is proud of what SGA has been able to do with its projects. He brought to light registering “over 2,000 students to vote” and accomplishments members of his administration have made such as Speaker of the Senate Aryana Azizi partnering with Favor to expand students’ access to contraceptives. 

 “We’ve done a lot of great things and a lot of great individual accomplishments, that by bringing them back for another year, until ultimately going to put us on the path to success and continue to move our university forward,” Martin said.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Meet the candidates: Incumbent SGA President Joshua Martin reflects on 59th administration, looks ahead” was originally posted on The Cougar

The internet is constantly evolving, giving way to new industries and technologies. We’ve had the relatively recent creation of blockchain, which sparked the development of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

Cryptocurrency is its own can of worms as far as societal and economic implications go, but one thing is clear: we shouldn’t allow people to be exploited because of fictitious capital.

H.B. 289 creates measures to counteract some of the systematic failures within blockchain. Considering the rise in crypto-related scams, this necessary piece of Utah legislation should be considered federally.

Blockchain is a technology that decentralizes information and spreads it between multiple computers. It does this by creating hashed tokens that act as keys, where an identifier attaches to information and spreads it across multiple hosts or computers in a network. This system as a whole is referred to as a blockchain.

This technology is revolutionary for security and other forms of technology, since it is decentralized. The idea of a decentralized network is extremely appealing, especially in the finance industry, where we want detailed records of transactions while maintaining individual anonymity. Blockchain spurred the creation of cryptocurrencies and has changed how we view capital. While I dislike the idea of cryptocurrencies, they have cemented their place in society and if they’re going to continue to exist, they should exist in a way that is thoughtful.

Cryptocurrency technology creates a system which is easy to exploit. The decentralized nature of a blockchain means that transactions made within it are anonymous. One example is a Bitcoin transaction: it’s reliant on having a blockchain and is only traceable to an individual or group when the coin is exchanged for traditional capital.

H.B. 289 would require providers of blockchain technology, such as Coinbase, to be registered through the state of Utah. According to the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Trevor Lee, “If these companies are now registered through the state, it’s going to help with that problem. It’s not going to be completely eliminated and you can still have bad actors just like you can in any business, but by having them registered with the state, you’re going to start seeing more accountability and hopefully trust now in these companies who want to grow and be good actors.”

Cryptocurrency has been plagued with scams and illicit activity since its inception. Decentralized currencies are an easy way for criminals to spend the money they receive from their criminal enterprises in an untraceable way. Things such as ransomware also typically ask for payment in cryptocurrency.

More from Barney

Barney: The Future of Transportation Isn’t just Electric

Barney: We Need More Pro-Union Laws

Barney: Design a Stupid Political System and Expect Stupid Results

Barney: Forget Donald Trump

.sno-63f6aa2e03473 {
width: calc(100% – 40px); margin: 30px auto !important; float: none;}
.sno-63f6aa2e03473 h5 {
color: #000000;
}

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are another type of blockchain-driven currency that gained popularity in the past few years. In 2022, popular YouTuber Logan Paul came under fire for his NFT trading site, CryptoZoo. Crypto journalist Coffeezilla did an investigation, which alleged the site had nefarious intent.

This, however, isn’t the full scale of cryptocurrency crimes. Individuals have managed to make scams based solely on the trade and distribution of crypto — the FBI found that millions of dollars were stolen in crypto scams in places such as Colorado. These were people trying to make investments in cryptocurrencies, which is a completely legitimate way to use them. The millions of dollars stolen from people aren’t always returned. In some cases, there aren’t people to prosecute or money to be retrieved. These scams have real world consequences for real people.

FTX is another recent example of blockchain technologies being used in potentially malicious ways: they managed to defraud investors millions of dollars almost overnight and have likely changed the direction of the industry as a whole.

The best way to stop cryptocurrency scams is to ensure they never happen in the first place. Obviously, when investing in something, do research, but the government should have your back against shady individuals who want to take your money using blockchain. H.B. 289 is a good handrail on the waxed staircase that is blockchain.

“This is a step in the right direction, to start giving more, more accountability to the companies who want it versus those who are trying to be bad,” Rep. Lee said.

If cryptocurrencies are to be a regular part of our society, we need to make sure they aren’t being used in harmful ways. Registries and other safeguards are needed to prevent scams and create safer spaces for cryptocurrency growth in a way that doesn’t detriment our society or economy.

s.barney@dailyutahchronicle.com

@Sebbywrites

Gallery|6 Photos

Regent and District 9 candidate Tadd Johnson. Photo courtesy of Johnson.

This spring, the Minnesota State Legislature will be electing candidates to fill four open seats on the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents.

In January, the Regent Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC) at the Minnesota Legislature recommended 12 candidates to move on to the regent nomination joint committee for the next step in the selection process. The joint committee, composed of representatives and senators from the higher education budget and policy divisions, will choose candidates to recommend to state lawmakers during the joint vote session.

There are four seats up this year: Congressional Districts 2, 3 and 8 and an at-large seat.

Six candidates for the District 8 and at-large positions answered questions from the Minnesota Daily about their campaigns for the board and how they intend to serve as regents if they are elected.

District 8 (Susan Cohen and Tadd Johnson)

Susan Cohen is the president and founder of the Center for Regulatory Research, which provides regulatory support for businesses that deal with agricultural technologies. Cohen also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (USDA APHIS) as a plant pathologist.

Gov. Tim Walz appointed the current regent for the district, Tadd Johnson, in 2022 after former regent David McMillan became the interim chancellor of the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD).

Johnson served as the first senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations at the University. Prior to this role, he joined the American Indian Studies Department at UMD and served as director of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute. Johnson holds a law degree from the University’s Law School and served as a Tribal attorney for more than 35 years.

At-Large (Val Aarsvold, Mike Burns, Rebecca Siekmeier and Flora Yang)

After finishing her undergraduate education at the University, Val Aarsvold taught in Wilmar and Plainview public schools for seven years. In 2001, she became the executive director of the Minnesota Future Farmers of America (FFA), where she currently helps support more than 40,000 students across the state in preparing for futures in agriculture, food and natural resources. Aarsvold is also a member of the University Alumni Association and was a finalist for the First Congressional District seat in 2021 but lost to Regent Ruth Johnson.

Before running for the board, Mike Burns was the University’s men’s gymnastics head coach for 17 years, until the program was eliminated in 2021. Prior to coaching at the University, Burns coached at other schools, including the University of Iowa and the University of Michigan. Burns currently coaches the University’s club gymnastics team.

Rebecca Siekmeier served as the director of the SciTech Internship Program at the Minnesota Technology Association, where she helps connect students to internships and jobs in the STEM field. Siekmeier attended the University as an undergrad and received a scholarship for being on the University’s women’s track and field team. She later returned to earn a master’s degree in public affairs.

Since middle school, Flora Yang has taken classes at the University and is currently a senior. Yang was elected the undergraduate student body president in 2022 and has helped lead multiple student advocacy efforts. Last year, she served as the ex-officio student representative to the board. After graduating in May, Yang will attend the University’s Medical School with a focus on the rural health pathway.

Why are you running for the University of Minnesota Board of Regents?

Cohen: “They [regents] have a big impact on students and education at all levels…as I went through college, I had to work my entire way through it. I am sensitive to students and want to be sure the regents understand and evaluate all options.”

Johnson: “I have been preparing for this my whole life…I’ve spent a lot of time being heavily engaged at the Legislature and have taught the U [University] how to do outreach to Tribes.”

Aarsvold: “I feel their [students’] stress; the system needs to support them as well…we owe it to them to make it a part of our focus. My own children were at the University when I ran [for the board] two years ago, and I recognize the way I can continue to address the needs of students.”

Burns: “My justification for putting my name in a position to the Board of Regents isn’t because I’m the upset coach that lost his programming. For the last 17 years that I was an employee, it was really easy to sell this place, and I feel like it’s getting harder and harder to do that. I think it’s based on some of the decisions that have been made at the Board of Regents.”

Siekmeier: “The trajectory of my life changed in extraordinary ways when I became an undergraduate student athlete on the women’s track and field team at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1981. I’ve been a volunteer, donor and supporter of the University for decades, and it would be a tremendous honor to give back as a member of the Board of Regents, helping other students reach their full potential.”

Yang: “As the ranking student representative to the Board of Regents last year, I saw a lot of the gaps in transparency and accountability within the board. Some of these gaps were, frankly, not super hard to fix. I have a lot of thoughts as to how we can re-envision or reform the Board of Regents system and how we interact with constituents.”

How would your background experience help you as a UMN regent?

Cohen: “I have worked with USDA APHIS and dealt with multiple stakeholders in crafting policies. I have also worked with a diversity of people…I know you need to have broad perspectives and bring some additional exposure in decisions.”

Johnson: “I’ve learned how to deal with a lot of people, including over 5,000 state employees. This process of becoming a regent has given me a whole different perspective of what people are expecting of the board, which is more transparency. Having taught for 10 years, I think I have a better understanding of what the students need.”

Aarsvold: “I have dedicated a lot of years to education, it’s useful to have an educator’s perspective and have the value that students come first.”

Burns: “Whether you’re teaching physics or coaching gymnastics, it’s all about taking somebody from where they’re at and bringing them to a higher level. And I think I have a long history of doing that.”

Siekmeier: “My background in workforce development has crystallized how critical hands-on work experience, marketable skills and a good education are for students to bridge the gap between classroom and career. I’m committed to leveraging my background in workforce development and governance experience to help the University set graduation and placement goals that will help students find career success in livable wage jobs.”

Yang: “I will be the first to say that I do not have 40 years of experience in governance, but that is honestly my greatest strength. As someone who is part of the day-to-day life of being a student, hopefully I can bring those perspectives to the board as they’re making those decisions.”

If you are elected, what values would you like to implement into your own governance style?

Cohen: “I don’t make decisions quickly. Just as a scientist would, I collect the information and talk to both sides. Regents are acting internally and may not be aware of policy.”

Johnson: “Talking to students has become an invaluable part in how I look at governance at the University. Students’ needs are number one. Faculty and staff also deserve to be heard and what we aren’t doing well right now is letting the outside world in.”

Aarsvold: “Everyone deserves to be heard. I was surprised that there are not a lot of opportunities for people to be heard by the board. Students, faculty and frontline workers should have a voice in decisions that will impact them.”

Burns: “I have a few core values that I try to live my day-to-day life by, and they are passion, purpose, positivity and enthusiasm. I want to laugh out loud once a day, and I want to make somebody else do the same. It’s really easy to look at a situation and see all the bad things that are surrounding it. But I decided not to do that. I like to think that every situation has more positives than negatives to it.”

Siekmeier: “Diversity, equity and inclusion are a foundation, a way of thinking, acting and being that I will bring to my role as a regent. Actively listening to students, staff and other stakeholders impacted by decisions facing the board is also important.”

Yang: “The framework we need to keep in mind for all decisions is transparency and accountability. We also need to prioritize students and student perspectives. Everyone’s talking about how the University is for the students, but there’s no student consultation in the process. I really want to engage in dialogue with the current regents and the newly elected ones to be able to facilitate those forms of discussion.”

If you are elected, how do you plan to connect with students, faculty and staff members at the University?

Cohen: “I already have connections working with the APHIS and the Department of Plant Pathology on campus. I want to expand my knowledge on the greater [Minnesota] campuses and have more discussion with them. A good regent is one that goes out and says ‘I want to talk to you.’”

Johnson: “I have already met with students and leaders across the University system campuses, including at Morris and Rochester. The greatest ideas come from the students, faculty and staff who are out there in the University world.”

Aarsvold: “I’ve always tried to listen to shareholders. I have a background in agriculture so my knowledge is in the rural side…I would love rural students to see it [the University] as a viable option. I would connect through going to organizations and events that are being held to talk with students and attend meetings across the state.”

Burns: “I’ve already started that process. [I’ve] met with a couple of faculty members, I’ve had some conversations with UMPD [University of Minnesota Police Department] members and want to go along for the ride on a ride along with my good friend Officer Betts. I’m in the gym every day with students and I’m on campus every day. I probably have one of the most unique perspectives of any candidate, with the exception of Flora Yang.”

Siekmeier: “Through the SciTech Internship Program, I partnered with student groups, faculty and staff to provide program information, organize job search workshops and cosponsor events. I am committed to an open-door policy, responding to inquiries, advocating for public comment time at board meetings and reaching out for input from stakeholders impacted by board decisions.”

Yang: “Student voices are really

important and need to be prioritized. I’m honored that I am trusted to be in this role.The Board of Regents has power only because the constituents of the state of Minnesota, just like how I’m a student body president…the only reason that I have this power is because students elected me to be in this role. We really need to have more consultation and just be more open to listening and be able to empathize with that and them [students] and come up with cohesive, long-term strategic planning into how we can implement those suggestions into the University system.”

Candidate answers have been edited for style, clarity and length.

CJ Reid, former ASUU assembly chair and current representative of the College of Science, was found by ASUU’s Supreme Court this week to have violated Redbook guidelines regarding election conduct. He was subsequently asked to step down from his assembly chair position and has been barred from running in this year’s ASUU election. 

Reid was found to have taken actions that “are not within the bounds of election procedures outlined in Redbook or the elections packet,” according to the written decision published by the court.

He was accused of using a loophole in University of Utah Canvas software to compile a spreadsheet that contained a list of candidate positions and distribute it to candidates, one being Muskan Walia, the presidential candidate on the VKW ticket. This communication was prior to the official “Posting Day,” when such information is made public. Reid’s actions are in violation of several Redbook — ASUU’s constitution — guidelines, including campaign and election conduct guidelines. 

According to the Redbook, “All actions taken by candidates in relation to an election, including but not limited to discussing the elections process, shall be considered campaigning,” which members of ASUU are prohibited from engaging in. 

The court decided Reid did not adhere to these guidelines, as he downloaded, compiled and shared “privileged election information” with “at least one other individual, Muskan Walia, who, like the Defendant, has standing in the election.”

As a result of the court’s decision on Jan. 30, Reid was disqualified from this year’s election. He was also asked to step down from his position as assembly chair by the ASUU Rules Committee as well as other members of the assembly, according to an email obtained by the Chronicle. The ASUU website reflects that he is no longer assembly chair, though he still holds his position as representative of the College of Science.

Reid declined to comment.

In his written statement of defense, Reid stated many campaigns, including the O’Leary, Hair and Karabegovic presidential tickets, were “effectively public information” prior to Posting Day. He stated this was why he shared the information with Walia, to inform her that “her ticket was no longer private and was viewable by all candidates in any electoral race.”

Walia was subpoenaed for the hearing regarding the grievances brought against Reid. She could not be reached by the Chronicle for comment. ASUU rules prevent current ASUU members from making comment to media outlets. The Chronicle reached out to the court for a recording of the public hearing, but was denied access to the recording.

Reid was found to be in violation of four other Redbook guidelines, including the Do Not Assume Clause, which states if a member of ASUU is unsure if they’re allowed to engage in any activities, they should ask an advisor before assuming they have permission to engage in said activity.

The written decision states that Reid “asked for and received guidance from a trusted advisor and did not accept or apply that guidance to his subsequent actions.”

Reid alleged in his defense that the informational breach was brought up in a Rules Committee meeting and dismissed by Ethan Foley, student governance advisor. He added, “no guidance was given” regarding the report on the leak, “either in the moment or in retrospect.” Foley did not respond to comment. 

Reid was found to have violated the Online Activity clause as well as the Obstruction clause of the ASUU Elections Packet. 

c.roberts@dailyutahchronicle.com

@caelrobertsnews 

a.stuart@dailyutahchronicle.com

@AllisonChrony 

You must be signed into UBox to view ASUU sources linked above.

WIth a win over Tulane on Wednesday, UH (25-2, 13-1 AAC) would clinch at least a share of the AAC regular-season title. | Anh Le/The Cougar

While Houston is on the cusp of winning its fourth regular-season American Athletic Conference championship, which the Cougars would at least clinch a share of with a win over Tulane on Wednesday night, Kelvin Sampson has more pressing things on his mind.

Maintaining a lead down the stretch, which point guard Jamal Shead has repeatedly described as something that comes with maturity, is at the top of the Cougars’ checklist to fine-tune over their final four regular season games.

“We’ve got to figure out how to get better when we have a 13, 14-point lead,” Sampson said.

While UH hasn’t lost since falling to Temple on Jan. 22, the Cougars have “let go of the rope” when they have built up big leads in recent games, according to Shead.

Up 23 on SMU with about eight minutes remaining, the Mustangs cut the deficit to 11 in just five minutes. Similarly, UH saw its 14-point advantage over Memphis quickly dwindle down to only four points. The Cougars won both of these games, but the mere fact that they allowed both the Mustangs and Tigers to claw their way back into the game didn’t sit well with the team.

With March approaching, UH’s veterans know that one slip up can be the end of a team’s season which is why such a heavy emphasis has been put on protecting a lead. 

“Once you get that lead, you have to know how to maintain it,” Shead said. “March is right around the corner. If you don’t know how to maintain a lead, you aren’t going to go very far.”

Another thing on Sampson’s bucket list is getting more of his players involved on the offensive glass.

UH, which ranks 18th in the NCAA with 12.67 offensive rebounds per game, gets 60 percent of its offensive rebounds from four players — J’Wan Roberts (69), Jarace Walker (54), Ja’Vier Francis (47) and Reggie Chaney (35).

Sampson has always put an emphasis on every one of his players crashing the glass, regardless of their position.

Tramon Mark leads all UH guards with 35 offensive rebounds. Freshman Terrance Areceneaux is the next closest with 21. 

Finding ways to get his guards more involved on the offensive glass as well as getting the bigs to become more consistent offensive rebounds is a priority for Sampson.

“We’ve got to figure out how to get other people involved in offensive rebounding,” Sampson said.

Shead, UH’s defensive leader, also said he feels that the team’s transition defense can improve even with the Cougars already allowing the nation’s fewest amount of points per game.

While none of these have been fatal up to this point, the Cougars know cleaning up these areas before tournament time arrives could end up being whether they are the ones cutting down the nets in their own backyard at NRG Stadium come April 3.

“We’re pretty good at knowing how to win when that time comes, but not every situation can go your way,” Shead said. “You’ve got to stop putting yourself in that situation at some point.”

It can be tempting for the nation’s No. 1 team to look ahead to the postseason, but Sampson refuses to allow his team to look any further than the game right ahead of them.

That next test for UH to demonstrate further growth and maturity comes Wednesday against Tulane.

“We have to play better, and we can play better,” Sampson said.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“As March nears, UH has checklist of areas for improvement” was originally posted on The Cougar

Tech softball officially started the 2023 season last weekend. The Jackets hosted and played in the Buzz Classic at Shirley Clements Mewborn Field. During the weekend, the ladies went 2–2. On the first day of the tournament, the Jackets split with UConn and on the second day, they defeated Saint Francis but lost to North Texas. 

In their first game against UConn on Friday, Tech had loads of offensive production, shown by the five runs they scored. Heading into the top of the fourth inning, Tech had the lead, 3–1, but the inning slipped away from senior starting pitcher Chandler Dennis, who gave up five earned runs before being pulled two-thirds of the way into the inning. Dennis finished the day giving up seven hits, six earned runs, four walks and five strikeouts. She was replaced with sophomore pitcher Kinsey Norton, who finished the game without any additional runs. The final score was 6–5 in favor of UConn.

For the Jackets offensively, freshman right fielder Paige Vukadinovich had a stellar start to her collegiate career. Vukadinovich went two-for-three with three RBIs and a walk. Starting catcher Emma Kauf also had a productive day at the plate, drawing three walks. Junior third baseman Mallorie Black also started her season in a big way blasting her first home run of the season in the opener versus UConn. 

The Jackets won game two versus UConn with a final score of 2–1, but their approach looked very different. While game one was full of offensive production, the pitcher was the star of game two. Tech senior pitcher Blake Neleman had one of the best games of her career. Neleman pitched all seven innings and finished the game with two hits, one earned run, four walks and a casual thirteen strikeouts. Black batted in Vukadinovich and Kauf for the two runs that sealed the win for Tech. 

After inclement weather pushed the final two games in the tournament to Sunday, the Jackets combined their production from game one and pitching from game two to shut out the Red Flash 7–0. Dennis had quite the bounceback performance with eight strikeouts, one hit and three walks through seven innings. Tech’s offense jumped on Saint Francis starter Grace Vesco quickly in the first inning. Vesco left the first inning with one out and four earned runs awarded to her. 

The Jackets had offensive production from multiple athletes, but an important stat to remember throughout the season is that they drew 10 walks as a team. Tech’s last game of the Buzz Classic did not go their way with a 3–1 loss to North Texas. The Jackets could not find ways to get players on base with only three hits total. Neleman and Norton combined gave up seven hits and two walks to the Mean Green, and the Jackets could not overcome the lopsided numbers. 

If the Jackets continue to play like they did in their wins at the Buzz Classic, they will be a fun team to watch develop during the 2023 season. 

The Lady Jackets will play at home once again on Friday, Feb. 17 to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the ACC/B1G Challenge.

The Mountain West Track and Field Championships began in 2000 and have been hosted by several schools in the conference. Each year these schools compete to determine the best team overall while the athletes fight for their spots in the NCAA Championship. CSU is no stranger to winning the Mountain West indoors with nine total wins between both men and women. Most recently, the women took first place in the 2022 indoor championship. They are going into this year as reigning champs with hopes of defending that honor. While the men aren’t the reigning indoor champs, they aren’t far removed from that title, taking first place in the 2020 indoor Mountain West Championship.