Growing up, Dominic Jocas’ parents instilled in him a great sense of solidarity for others. When he came to USC, his qualities as an avid explorer translated to going into South Central and Skid Row, interacting with communities outside of the USC bubble.

One of the first things Jocas, a freshman majoring in anthropology, noticed was the negative perception other students have about USC’s neighboring communities, namely unhoused individuals. This, combined with having a lot of leftover meal swipes each week, made him start handing out extra food from University dining establishments to those in need.

“As Americans, we’re conditioned to completely block off homeless people from our entire mindset, and every time we see one, we’re taught to pretend they don’t even exist,” Jocas said. “That’s a dehumanizing way to look at someone who has nothing. A lot of times, all they want is just company and someone to talk with them and someone that actually cares.”

However, Jocas soon realized that while he wanted to find a way to help more, he did not have the resources to do it on his own. He also noticed that students tend to have a lot of unused belongings, such as clothes and shoes. 

Launched Jan. 13, Jocas created AyuDirect to accomplish three main goals: make material distribution as quick as possible, create a sustainable way of helping those in need and merge the communities of USC, South Central and University Park. Jocas wanted to create a program resembling Uber, where a person puts in a request for an item and then someone in the area who can fulfill the request is matched with them.

“We need to find a way to get our students to see themselves as South Central residents and not as just USC students and get them [to be] a part of the community,” Jocas said. 

Other apps also locate resources, such as food pantries, around Los Angeles, but unhoused individuals do not have access to phones or reliable internet connection. AyuDirect differs from other programs because their approach focuses on walking around the area and asking people what they need directly, Jocas said.

Since September, Jocas has distributed around 1,000 meals and fulfilled around 15 AyuDirect requests. However, the program, which is currently run on Instagram, depends heavily on having a large follower base who can see requests and fulfill them, Jocas said. He hopes to launch a dedicated app by the beginning of next semester. 

“We’ve only had a few requests because I don’t have the follower base yet to be fulfilling requests daily like I want to, but overall it’s been nothing but support and a lot of people cheering me on,” Jocas said.

Jocas has not been alone in his endeavor. Lisa Derinsicky, a community leader who met Jocas when he made a donation to the community fridge, has helped Jocas connect with South Central. Derinsicky, whose main goals for the community are unity and collaboration, said she loves when students visit and find ways to help. While she recognizes the stigma around the South Central area, she attributes it to the fear of the unknown and encourages students to get to know the community.

“Take the first step and come and see for yourself,” Derinsicky said. “I’m pretty sure that many [students] will have a change of heart, as many of them have.”

While AyuDirect grows enough to have a constant flow of requests and people fulfilling them, Jocas focuses on distributing food in the meantime. To aid with food distribution, AyuDirect hosted a cookout April 2. The cookout also served as a way for the project to gain more publicity.

“I don’t have enough words to describe [the cookout]. It was awesome,” Derinsicky said. “When you see happy people with a satisfied stomach and a big happy face because they are so content and satisfied to mingle and get acquainted with old friends and make new friends, that is awesome. There’s no price on that.”

Dat Nguyen, a freshman majoring in psychology, helps Jocas with the project whenever he can. Similarly to Jocas, his mother taught him to help others anytime he could from a young age. He wishes other students understood the privilege they hold.

“We’re in this bubble at USC, but when you go further or you go downtown, you don’t realize how bad it is,” Nguyen said. “We have issues with gentrification, which will cause more displaced families and more displaced homes. People don’t understand the effects that the school has and I’m concerned we are not doing a lot to help.”

Jocas urges students to follow the AyuDirect Instagram page and turn on the post notifications so that they know when requests are made and help spread the word. He also asks students to be more compassionate towards those less fortunate than them.

“Don’t be so quick to judge people, take the time to hear people’s stories,” Jocas said.

Anthony Slade contributed to this report.

The post Student service helps people in need near campus appeared first on Daily Trojan.

Collaging is synonymous with magazines and glue — the elementary school project that had you digging in the trash to find last week’s newspaper.

At “Stratified Silhouettes,” collaging has grown up. The abstract exhibit by four local artists in the St. Paul Student Center’s Larson Gallery presents a collection of layered compositions and is on display now until April 29.

Holly Kilander, a recent University alumna, is an environmentalist who came to the University to supplement her art curriculum with environmental classes. Recently, her art has been about “bringing the outside in,” she said.

“The Waste and the Method,” one of her pieces on display at Larson, explores landscapes through mixed media. She began the construction with aerial photos as reference, blocked out the form and then began choosing conflicting colors to put next to each other. “It’s grotesque in a sort of juicy way; it looks good, but something’s kind of weird about it,” she said about the colors. As the most traditional collage on display, the piece uses fabric, paint, netting and string on unstretched canvas.

Emily Quandahl, an avid classical violist and Minneapolis-based artist, has a degree in music, but one day decided music wasn’t for her and transitioned to visual arts. She admits the decision was less romantic than it sounds but carries a romantic spirit in her work. “I romanticize the world and simplify it down to colors in shapes,” Quandahl said.

Combining hard lines, fluid washes and traces of spray paint, Quandahl’s paintings are a dense collage of layered techniques with anywhere from 10 to 50 layers per piece. The layers don’t stop until she’s content, and if the piece isn’t quite working, she’ll add a couple layers of wash and start over.

With a visual medium, “I can say what I want to say without having to say anything. I never felt I had the ability to do that with music,” Quandahl said.

Igor Dukic, a Minneapolis graphic designer, sees music and art interchangeably: “Art is like making music: like layering of symphonies and different instruments,” Dukic said.

For his piece “Becoming Nobody,” inspiration came from 10 years of meditation experience and a meditative state he’s recently been falling into:

“I was nobody but I was one with everything, there was this oneness. On an atomic level, this energy can sink in the ecstasy of love. Everything would be illuminated, and my body would be the same as everything else,” Dukic said. “It would be this energy emanating and making all these forms.”

The piece depicts the silhouette of a face dissolving into a collection of colored blobs which Dukic refers to as the universal consciousness.

For Dukic, life is about finding who you are, and art comes from the subconscious.

Taking a deep dive into one’s self for inspiration was crucial to finding creative identity for aspiring tattoo artist Alexander Pollock.

When tough times hit Pollock, living out of his car and couch-hopping become a reality. At that point, “there were lots of opportunities for me to become a different person, but instead I focused on who I truly am — whether or not my environment was telling me to be that way,” Dukic said. Finding creativity and inspiration within himself allowed Pollock to be his own muse and get past artist’s block.

He began painting canvases out of his car, making use of an abstract and unconscious style. What started as collages of color, splatters and textures, later incorporated graffiti-style calligraphy to give Pollack’s art its signature contrast.

Want to try your hand at collaging the pieces together? Head to the gallery on April 15 at 5 p.m. for a jigsaw competition with puzzles based on the artists’ works.

“I like to think of collaging as real-life Photoshop,” Quandahl said. “It allows my brain to think — I can make another piece to this puzzle that looks completely different to the piece next to it, but it still works together.”

Rates of suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression have all been increasing over the past decade, including at BU.

After a bad loss against Utah Valley University, the University of Utah baseball team (18-13-1, 5-7 Pac-12) headed home looking to rebound. Unfortunately they were facing No. 15 UCLA in a three-game stretch.

Despite UCLA being ranked so high, Utah was able to keep both of their losses within one run, including a game that went to extra innings.

Utah first played UCLA on Friday, April 8. Utah took a very strong start in that game, getting on the board first and scoring three runs in the fourth inning. By the end of the fifth, Utah had a comfortable 5-1 lead.

UCLA slowly started to fight back, scoring one in the seventh and three of their own in the eighth. Utah had the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to capitalize as the game went into extra innings.

UCLA was able to score on a wild pitch in inning 10 to take the lead, and Utah was unable to counter. Utah unfortunately lost 5-6 in a close game against a powerful opponent.

Utah came back the next day determined to even the series, but UCLA had other plans. Utah once again opened the scoring in the second inning. But UCLA quickly found their form, scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to put Utah down 1-4.

Utah got a run back in the sixth with a single from Davis Cop to score Jayden Kiernan. Matt Richardson grounded out to short stop in the eighth to score Kiernan yet again.

Utah had the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, just one run away from completing a comeback. Alex Baeza hit a high fly ball towards the gap in right center field. But a running catch from UCLA ended the game as a 3-4 loss for the Utes.

Utah was able to narrowly avoid being swept by UCLA in the final game. The Utes jumped out to a hot start, scoring three in the first inning. But that excitement was soon swept away when UCLA got four in the second inning.

Utah gained one back in the third to even the score at 4-4. Both teams failed to score in the fourth and fifth innings.

UCLA put up two more in the sixth inning to put the Utes in a tough situation. The seventh inning was where the Utes really excelled, scoring three runs to regain the lead.

The run to give Utah the lead was made when Baeza was walked, scoring Landon Frei. The Utes went on to win the game 7-6 over the Bruins. This was Utah’s first known win over a ranked UCLA team. They defeated them once in 1970, but it is unknown whether UCLA was nationally ranked.

Utah’s next games will once again come against a ranked opponent as they face No. 20 Arizona at home. This will be another important stretch for the Utes as they look to gain a positive record in Pac-12 play.

s.overton@dailyutahchronicle.com

@SeanOverton3

The post Utah Baseball Keeps Games Close Against No. 15 UCLA appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

Brewing in Fort Collins has a rich history, and the story does not begin where one might think. According to Fort Collins History Connection, the town was “dry” until 1969, meaning alcohol was not allowed to be sold. 

By Fort Collins’ settling in 1872, drinking was strongly discouraged by legislature, as alcohol promoted unseemly behavior. In 1896, the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners signed legal prohibition into law, beating the rest of the country by more than 20 years. Following nationwide Prohibition ending in 1933, the law was relaxed to allow beer only under 3.2% alcohol by volume in certain establishments, which led to the founding of Fort Collins’ beer culture. 

One of these selected establishments was the Matterhorn, a “dance hall and restaurant” that was able to make the case that beer provided a “better dining experience,” according to Clio. It skyrocketed in popularity due to it being one of the only places to drink within city limits. 

In the late 1960s, University students started and successfully completed a movement to abolish prohibition in Fort Collins entirely, which led to the Matterhorn being able to get an official liquor license. It burned and was closed a few years later, but it effectively established the culture of social beer consumption in what is now one of the most important such places in the country. 

“Craft brewery culture has always been interesting to me in that it fosters cooperation and learning among potential competitors. I can’t imagine a better brewery culture than Fort Collins.” -Chris McCombs, CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing head brewer

Known best for our cycling and beer culture, one could argue Fort Collins is a quintessential beer location for hopheads to visit in Colorado. According to Visit Fort Collins, the town is currently home to more than 20 craft breweries — two of which are New Belgium Brewing and Odell Brewing Co., some of the highest grossing craft beer companies in the country. 

In previous years, it has also played host to Tour de Fat, one of three nationwide bike promenades that culminates in a New Belgium-sponsored festival. Just outside city limits is Anheuser-Busch, the conglomerate that brews the Budweiser, Michelob ULTRA, Natural Light and Busch beer families. Fort Collins is, without a doubt, a landmark town for beer. 

The title of oldest operating brewery in Fort Collins goes to CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing, which opened in November 1989, two weeks before Odell. The pub was founded by Scott Smith and named for his son, Cooper. The brewery still operates using both traditional beer faucets and beer engines to produce the best flavors possible. Somewhat of a staple among CSU alumni, the acclaimed brewpub has had a thriving presence ever since it opened in Old Town Square.

Chris McCombs, head brewer at CooperSmith’s since 2018, recounted that the first beer ever brewed by the pub was Light on September 27, 1989, and they are planning to rebrew the original recipe at some point. McCombs cited quality ingredients, attention to detail in the process and cleanliness as the keys to creating a quality craft beer. The most popular beer they brew is Punjabi Pale Ale, a citrus and grapefruit fusion with a creamy mouth feel, McCombs said. 

In an email, McCombs explained how brewery culture in Fort Collins drew him in.

“Craft brewery culture has always been interesting to me in that it fosters cooperation and learning among potential competitors,” McCombs said. “I can’t imagine a better brewery culture than Fort Collins.” 

Brewing has a thriving home within Colorado State University as well through the brewing of Old Aggie Superior Lager, the light lager that has fueled the patrons of CSU football games since 2017. This crisp brew comes in at 4.7% ABV and, according to the New Belgium website, has personable honeycomb and citrus notes that make it popular among football fans and beer connoisseurs alike. 

Created by New Belgium in collaboration with students of the fermentation science and technology program at CSU, the beer yields 6% of profits split three ways. Due to the promotion of the brew by the football team, part goes to CSU Athletics, with the rest benefitting the FST program and alcohol awareness programs associated with the University.

“Old Aggie is (a) great model for how (an) industry can support various University endeavors,” FST Associate Director Jeff Callaway said in an email. 

Reach Hailee Stegall at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @stegallbagel.

New quick itineraries to destinations such as Spain, Morocco, England and Thailand are designed to provide students international experience and maximize time on campus after two years in a pandemic WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 12, 2022 – WorldStrides, the leader in educational travel experiences, has created a brand new set of condensed itineraries for students […]

Columnist Daniel Multz highlights top storylines from MLB’s opening weekend.

Coming off their best season in five years and a bowl appearance for the first time since 2016, the Old Dominion football team stepped out onto the gridiron for the last time of the spring season. The Monarchs have had 14 spring practices thus far and capped off its final practice in the Priority Charity Bowl ODU Spring Game. Unlike last year’s spring game, the fans were treated to actual scrimmaging instead of drills as the Monarch offense and defense went toe to toe in front of about 2,000 fans at S.B. Ballard Stadium. 

The annual spring game also brought back former ODU alumni such as Zach Pascal, the former ODU wide receiver, who is now playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oshane Ximines, the defensive end for the New York Giants. Along with them, former wide receiver Jonathan Duhart, former placekicker Jarod Brown and former punter Jonathan Plisco were among previous ODU players that came out to the event. 

The Monarchs brought back 19 starters from the 2021 campaign and although there were missed assignments, passes dropped and missing tackles throughout the spring game, ODU looks far improved compared to the 2021 spring game. Head coach Ricky Rahne held out about a dozen players from his roster because they are all dealing with injuries. Of the players held out, redshirt sophomore quarterback Hayden Wolff, who started the second half of last season, is for now recovering from a minor surgery earlier in the week. Presumably, Wolff will be the starting quarterback when it comes time for fall camp in which he will be healed by then. 

In his absence, the Monarchs had three candidates to see action throughout the spring game. Senior quarterback, D.J. Mack Jr, the transfer from Central Florida who started the first half of last season, has improved since then and was the first quarterback to see action on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore quarterback Brendon Clark, who is a transfer from Notre Dame, and a former 4-star quarterback at Manchester High School just outside of Richmond VA, led the offense down the field that resulted with a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Reese Poffenbarger also played well in the scrimmage as he had multiple scrambles that resulted in solid gains and also converted several third-downs to extend drives. Although he’s the least experienced in the quarterback position, offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude mentioned afterwards how impressed he was with the throwing arm. 

After the spring game, coach Rahne mentioned that this event is a good way to scout the team in front of spectators and that the program has a long way to go, but it’s in a good place. “We wanted to be better the 15th practice they were on the first and we were. The best thing about a spring game is that you’re able to see guys perform under a little bit more pressure,” Rahne said. “We had a good spring and we stayed relatively healthy. We’re headed in the right direction. But we’ve still got a long way to go.”

ODU will join the Sun Belt Conference on July 1st, 2022 and is set to play its most difficult schedule ever. The Monarchs begin their 2022 reign with a huge home-opener on Friday, Sept. 2 as, in-state, Virginia Tech comes to town for a big showdown. It will mark the coaching debut of Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry, who was the former defensive coordinator at Penn State and is a close friend with Rahne. Old Dominion is 1-2 overall against the Hokies. The last time Tech came to Norfolk was in 2018 when the Monarchs upset the nationally ranked Hokies, 49-35 and earned its biggest victory in program history.  

The Monarchs have a total of four in-state schools on the schedule for 2022, when they will welcome Liberty University and the University of James Madison, which is an old rivalry renewed. ODU also will be traveling to Charlottesville, VA to play the Cavaliers of Virginia. To cap off the non-conference slate, the Monarchs will be facing East Carolina on the road. They’ll finish the season playing a tough conference schedule in the Sun Belt Conference against schools like Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Marshall, South Alabama and Arkansas State. 

Contributed by Guest Author Colin Gallagher

Brian McNaught held a special conference at the D.P. Corbett building at the University of Maine this Tuesday, pertaining to LGBTQ issues. 

McNaught is the author of over 13 books and is most widely known as a diversity and sensitivity educator who specializes in LGBTQ issues in the workplace. With a career spanning 48 years, The New York Times has named him the “godfather of gay diversity training.”

At beginning of the discussion, attendees both in-person and viewing online were asked to answer yes or no questions surrounding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer topics. An astonishing 98% of the attendees said that they were not taught about these topics while in elementary school.

McNaught also talked about the recent and extremely controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which is being pushed in 16 states. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida since 2019, recently signed the bill into law on March 29. 

This bill being put into place means that discussions surrounding issues pertaining to gender identity or LGBTQ discussion will be banned or restricted in a classroom setting. DeSantis says that children will be sent to school with their parents knowing their child will receive an education and “not an indoctrination,” according to a report by The Guardian. 

Student attendees from UMaine asked McNaught how they could sway decisions on future bills. 

“If you’re lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, come out and put a face on the issue,”  McNaught answered. “Those of you who are straight and cisgender, you can stand up as an ally. If you hear people say things on the [campus], speak up. Make sure to call Congress, or you can call the legislatures of Florida.”

The issue surrounding representation isn’t limited to the American education system. The workforce still has many problems surrounding the treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals. An estimated 40% of workers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer have experienced some form of office mistreatment during their lives, according to the University of California in Los Angeles. 

Having decades of experience, McNaught gave some insight on the matter.

“The issue is when you come out, people don’t talk to you anymore, not because you’re hostile, but they don’t know what to say,” McNaught said. “I help them [get] past their fear.”

The discussion lasted from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. McNaught led most of the discussion with his own personal stories. He talked about how he was once a Catholic columnist in the city of Detroit before officially coming out in 1974. 

Nearly 50 years later, the same problems plague our world. After the Florida government passing this bill, a massive student walkout occurred at Winter Park High School in Orange County to protest.

“The most powerful tool I have is telling my story,” McNaught said.

Andrew Yang (23Ox) won the Oxford College Student Government Association (OxSGA) presidential election, according to an April 11 email from OxSGA. Michael Cao (23Ox) was elected vice president. Both Yang and Cao ran uncontested.

Results were emailed to students after voting closed on April 9 at 10 p.m. Yang garnered 167 (80.28%) of the 208 votes cast in the presidential election, while “no confidence” received 41 (19.71%). Cao also received 167 (80.28%) votes and “no confidence” received 41 (19.71%) votes.

Yang, who previously served as a first-year senator, told the Wheel that he hopes to create a mentally and physically “healthy Oxford.” 

“Rather than just counseling services … we also want to facilitate support groups that are run by peers,” Yang said. “I will also want to work with Student Health Services and connect them more with the students.” 

He aims to improve Oxford’s environmental impact as well.

“Environmental health is about sustainability, being more eco-friendly, being more sustainable in our practices not only in our administration and the campus side, but promoting initiatives and campaigns that will hopefully change the student culture as well,” Yang said.

Cao also served as a first-year senator and said that one of his goals is to help clubs on campus to succeed, as he believes they largely “contribute to the fun on campus.” As long as he makes people happier, Cao said he will be “satisfied” with his job.

“I just generally want to make this campus a better place,” Cao said. “There is a lot of potential at Oxford and we just need to try our best to implement changes.” 

Five second-year senators were also elected out of five candidates — Amisha Agrawal (23Ox), Rebecca Urato (23Ox), Janvi Choksi (23Ox), Kush Patel (23Ox) and HanMin Kim (23Ox). Patel received the most votes, securing 90 (22%). 

Students also voted on two Oxford Continuee Legislators out of three candidates: Arden Chan (22Ox), MaKenzie Jones (22Ox) and Muskaan Vohra (22Ox). Chan and Vohra won with 50 (35.21%) and 48 (33.8%) votes respectively, beating Jones, who received 40 (28.16%) votes. “No confidence” received 4 (2.81%).

The post Yang elected as Oxford SGA president appeared first on The Emory Wheel.