2022 ASUC elections endorsements

This is the first academic year campus has been back to “normal” since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this return has been exciting for some, it has rightfully caused many a great deal of vulnerability and frustration. Meanwhile, pandemic-induced challenges have been compounded with ongoing struggles faced by the campus community, including those centered around institutional inequalities, mental health, housing and basic needs. 

In this pivotal year to come, UC Berkeley students not only deserve but require representatives who are understandable, knowledgeable, dedicated, determined and tenacious. To identify candidates who best exemplify these values, The Daily Californian’s editorial board interviewed each executive and senatorial candidate. Based on these interviews — as well as additional research — we have compiled a list of those we endorse to best serve the campus community. Here are our choices. 

To vote in the ASUC elections, click here.

No endorsement for ASUC president

The UC Berkeley community has every right to a student government and an ASUC president who will not only exemplify their values but also act upon them. Though optimistic about certain aspects of both Catherine Bauer and incumbent Chaka Tellem, the Daily Cal’s editorial board also holds reservations about each that make it impossible to issue a full endorsement. 

Giancarlo Fernandez for executive vice president

Running for reelection as ASUC executive vice president, or EVP, Fernandez hopes to develop the work he started this past academic year. Fernandez intends to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, leadership engagement and student engagement expansion to Registered Student Organizations, or RSOs. Blending his platforms of DEI and engagement with RSOs, Fernandez aims to provide underfunded RSOs with collaborative spaces in Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union.

Bailey Henderson for external affairs vice president

Henderson has the contacts and relationships the EAVP needs to prioritize and use to lobby for students. His knowledge and experience — coupled with a focus on marginalized student groups — are commendable. Henderson wants to hear from students and student groups directly, particularly underrepresented ones, and center their needs in his advocacy. This includes considering issues such as affordable housing and enrollment growth. While Henderson’s experience and big-picture ideas are important, he needs to improve the specific policies and processes to accomplish his goals.

James Weichert for academic affairs vice president

Weichert understands where he falls short — and while he still needs to develop practical ways to get student input — he is searching for ways to bridge those gaps. In the meantime, Weichert has readily demonstrated his ability to serve student needs and get results using policy and relationships within the ASUC and campus administration.

Crystal Choi for student advocate

With a wealth of experience having worked in the Student Advocate’s Office for the past three years, Choi would take on the role of student advocate with grace, strength and sensitivity — all of which are critical qualities for the position. She approaches the position of student advocate with a fundamental understanding of how to balance the role’s internal responsibilities to caseworkers and its external role in building relationships with the campus community and administration.

Aileen Sanchez for transfer representative

Ultimately, Sanchez is passionate about her platforms and recognizes the diversity among the transfer students community. From formerly incarcerated individuals to undocumented immigrants, students need a someone within the ASUC who will approach their struggles through an intersectional lens — and this is something Sanchez can bring to the table.

Here are the 20 ASUC Senate candidates you should vote for this year

After thorough deliberation and consideration of each candidate’s platforms, relevant experience and interview responses, we have determined who we believe can best represent the student body. The following 20 ranked candidates are those we think are right for the difficult job ahead.

Here’s how you should vote on the 2022 ASUC ballot referendum

Each year, students have the ability to vote on a series of propositions designed to support students and various campus services. This year’s ballot includes two propositions: the Graduate Assembly Fee and the Save the Daily Cal Initiative.

The Daily Californian

Boston University Hindu Students Council hosted a celebration for Holi, the Hindu festival of love, color and the coming of spring, at Cummington Mall from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 20. The celebration featured an array of colors, music courtesy of DJRohann and performances by South Asian dance teams from BU, including BU Fatakda and BU Chankaar.

If you had one last shot to live your dream, what do you think you would do with it? This past Wednesday, twelve Rams were made to answer that very question as NFL scouts and media members descended upon the campus of Colorado State University for CSU’s 2022 NFL Pro Day.

However, with the limited roster spots and draft picks teams have to work with, it goes without saying that a majority of these Rams would not hear their name called on draft night. That being said, there were several Rams who seized the opportunity to ball out and made quite an impression. Here, Braidon and I will give you our takes on who we thought could be dark horse candidates to land a spot on an NFL roster in the offseason and who improved their draft stock the most after their performances on Wednesday. 

While Trey McBride garnered most of the attention out of the offensive prospects, and deservedly so, I thought wide receiver Jordan Kress made a better case for himself than many were expecting. The graduate transfer from New Mexico showcased his physical prowess with his impressive vertical ability and blistering speed in the high jump and 40-yard dash drills. He also proved himself a more than capable route-runner, although there were some question marks around the Loveland native’s hands as he had a few big drops on a couple of deep routes. Nonetheless, you may see Kress appear on a practice squad roster after the draft.

On the defensive side of the ball, I was extremely impressed with defensive lineman Manny Jones. The 290 pound Georgian showcased that he has the potential to be a truly formidable pass-rusher as he looked comfortable and strong on the pads. As if being big wasn’t enough, we clocked him with an unofficial 4.7 40 yard dash time. I’m sure there are a few teams that would love to have that amount of size and speed on their roster. 

As for whose draft stock rose the most, I would say punter Ryan Stonehouse takes the cake. Stonehouse was locked in and was booming punts upwards of 55 yards into the wind with his longest punt of the day being a 70 yarder. Stonehouse will be the first to tell you that he doesn’t expect to hear his name called until after the draft, but don’t be surprised if you see a team use a late-round pick to secure the punter’s services.

Separate blurb for Trey McBride:

Going into CSU’s Pro Day, Trey McBride had little left to prove to the scouts in attendance. Having already been to the combine, McBride had already showcased his physical ability as well as his hands. The only thing he didn’t do at the NFL combine was run the 40-yard dash. McBride said this was intentional, as he wanted to get as many eyes as possible in Fort Collins for his teammates. McBride gave all the scouts what they came for as he shattered expectations with a 4.53 40 yard dash time which cemented him as the top tight end prospect in the draft.

Photo Essay: From Pitch to Print

William Webster/Senior Staff

Each Thursday, dozens of news, opinion, arts and sports stories land in The Daily Californian newspaper racks across campus and the city of Berkeley. How do they get there? This simple, eight-page paper is the product of about 400 staff members who collectively work hundreds of hours pitching, reporting, writing, editing, fact-checking, photographing, producing and designing. Staff members at every level of the paper are involved, ranging from upper management and editors who make larger scale decisions to reporters making cold calls, attending events and scouring through documents. 

While each paper passes through multiple departments, each individual article has its own story. 

That story begins with an idea. These ideas, known as pitches in news, are initially presented to the managing editor and the creative director in a meeting referred to as “news budget.” The managing editor decides on the story length, potential interviewees and the angle/approach taken for each news article. Meanwhile, the creative director assigns each story a visual. These visuals can range from a photo to an illustration to an infographic. 

After news budget — which is conducted every day from Sunday through Thursday — the managing editor and creative director lead a secondary preliminary “budget” meeting, in which pitches and visuals are approved for all non-news departments.

Theo Wyss-Flamm, Mallika Seshadri and Lisi Ludwig contributed to this story.

Reporting:

Reporters and photographers are sent to rallies, protests, sporting events, ASUC meetings, concerts and more. The night before an event, photographers receive pitches, assignment context as well as ideas for visualizations. With their SD cards clear and an appropriate lens ready to go, a photographer’s aim is to capture a single frame that summarizes an event as objectively as possible.

(William Webster/Senior Staff)

(William Webster/Senior Staff)

(William Webster/Senior Staff)

Writing:

Each evening, reporters receive story assignments that provide background information as well as the sources and angle for the article. After conducting some preliminary research, the reporter will email sources asking for an interview — their deadline being less than 24 hours away. After interviewing sources and conducting additional research, reporters write a draft due to their editors at 5 p.m.

(William Webster/Senior Staff)

Production:

Wednesday nights are harmonious madness at the Daily Cal office. Dozens of editors from each department gradually trickle through the front doors starting in the afternoon, and, as the rest of the student population settles into a night of homework, the editors of the Daily Cal consult spreadsheets, Adobe InDesign documents and each another until the final product is sent to the printer before 2 a.m.

 

(William Webster/Senior Staff)

Printing:

For many decades, Fricke-Parks Press has handled the paper’s printing needs. Upon receiving the final virtual files, the printing plant ensures an issue’s photo and color quality through multiple test prints and ink corrections. In a swift 20 minutes, all copies are printed and await their trek from the plant’s home in Fremont back to Berkeley.

 

(William Webster/Senior Staff)

(William Webster/Senior Staff)

Distribution:

Early Thursday morning, the weekly print issue is distributed into the newspaper racks across campus and throughout the city. Now they are free for everyone in our community to take. 

It is at this point that the process begins again for the Daily Cal staff. Budgets are held the following evening, writers are assigned their next stories and the work continues.

While the Daily Cal has not printed four days a week since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we still publish unique content each day online with the hopes of one day returning to normal.

 

(William Webster/Senior Staff)

The Daily Californian

The Gophers opened their 2021-22 season with an unexpected 69-66 home loss to Atlantic Sun conference foe Jacksonville, who finished the season with a 16-13 record.

Three-year starting point guard Jasmine Powell entered the NCAA transfer portal mid-season on Jan. 28. Bench players Klarke Sconiers and Erin Hedman followed suit a few days later and the team’s fourth-leading scorer (10.8 PPG) Kadi Sissoko joined them in the portal on March 22.

After a season filled with storylines, Gophers head coach Lindsay Whalen was extended one season through 2024-25.

Since the NCAA officially implemented new transfer rules in 2021, college sports’ offseasons have become cluttered with roster moves and players changing teams, mirroring professional sports and leaving the question — what is next for the Gophers?

Lost production
Minnesota will be losing four major contributors to graduation. Deja Winters (11.2 PPG), Gadiva Hubbard (6.9 PPG), Laura Bagwell Katalinich (5.5 PPG) and Bailey Helgren (1.6 PPG) have all run out of eligibility for the Maroon & Gold.

The Gophers will be losing each of its top six scorers from this season and at least 87% of its total scoring. Senior post player Kayla Mershon has the opportunity to return for one more season. She has yet to announce her decision.

Historical recruiting class
Reinforcements are coming. The Gophers will be welcoming their highest ranked recruiting class in program history. ESPN ranks the group of four players as the 10th best in the country.

Six-foot guard Mara Braun, from Wayzata, is the highest ranked player in the class at No. 28 overall.

“Mara Braun is a dynamic guard who can play and defend multiple positions,” Whalen said. “She has a knack for scoring and making big plays for her team when they need it. She is a winner.”

Sister of current Gophers men’s basketball standout Jamison Battle, Amaya Battle ranks No. 39 overall. Hailing from Chaska, 6-foot-1 forward Mallory Heyer ranks No. 55. Completing the quartet, from Eden Prairie, 6-foot forward Nia Holloway ranks as the 90th best incoming freshman.

Looking ahead to 2022-23
Sophomore guard Alexia Smith (3.4 PPG) and freshman Alanna Micheaux (4.7 PPG) will be the leaders of the team next season. Both came to Minnesota as big-time high school recruits and they will get the opportunity to showcase their talent next season.

The team will regain sophomore guard Katie Borowicz, who missed all of the 2021-22 season due to back surgery. Freshman guard Maggie Czinano will look for a bigger role after redshirting her first season with the team.

The transfer portal isn’t all negative; it also gives teams an opportunity to quickly improve. Whalen showed that last season with the additions of Winters from North Carolina A&T and Helgren from Kansas. Whalen will likely look to do the same this offseason.

With the potential of only five returning players, the Gophers will have a new look next season. It will be Whalen’s fifth season at the helm. They will look to return to the NCAA Tournament, a place the program hasn’t been since the 2018 season.

“I think I’m done with 21” is a thought many Tech students have probably thought at some point in their college careers, and singer-songwriter UPSAHL echoes this sentiment in such a tasteful way.  

The indie-pop artist has proven that she is just as talented live as she is in a studio on her aptly-titled first live album, “This Is My First Live Album,” released on March 11. Listening to the album feels almost like being in-person in Boston at a UPSAHL concert. Although this album is a recording of her fifth ever headlining show, it sounds as if she has been performing for years.

Cranking out her first song, “People I Don’t Like,” UPSAHL sets the energy for the rest of the album. “Everybody in this party’s fake. I really wish that I could say it to your face,” she sings to a crowd of faces, eliciting cheers from audience members she just edged on. “Let’s pretend we like each other,” she continues, bringing to mind all of those networking conversations that Tech students have been a part of. Especially at a school like Tech, expanding your network and the people you know, is a never ending activity, bringing never ending social stresses. With her professionalist crowd work, she knows her fans want to be stepped on, but at the same time, she knows not to be too aggressive and lose them.Although her lyrics are aggressive, she gives a very amiable approach to her crowd, checking on them throughout the show.

Plugging her debut album, “Lady Jesus,” UPSAHL plays the title song of the album, explaining how she started writing the album as a breakup album but ended up writing about finding out who she was. 

Singing about how she “took a nosedive off the Hollywood sign,” and “rose from the coffin,” she makes many parallels between herself and the Christian belief of Jesus performing miracles: turning water into vodka,  walking on vodka and the second coming.  She also makes a joke about halfway through the song, where she says “Amen, sorry s***, A-woman.” She gives a nice taste of the character that her album brings, aggressive femininity and empowerment. 

Another sentiment that women here at Tech can appreciate is some strong female voices raising other women up instead of the daily hardships that a woman in STEM has to deal with. UPSAHL then takes it back down a level with an easy-going song named “Arizona,” a song about where she’s from, growing up, and realizing her self-worth. 

Describing herself as “a girl from Arizona with a bottle in her hand,” and how “impossible” is her brand, she comes off as a very down-to-earth, real person as she describes her relationship with the patriarchy. Again, relating to the Tech student body, with its stereotyped relationship with drinking. Following immediately after, her next song was written, “about having a mental breakdown in the bathroom at a bar.” 

Although some of her songs are incredibly over the top with aggression and empowerment, she keeps it relatable with songs like “Arizona,” and “Fake B*****”. Relating to the everyday student, with being pushed beyond their limit to the point of breakdown. 

Chants of “one more song” overpower the recording as UPSAHL’s song, “Lunatic,” comes to a conclusion. Finally, after the whole set is played, UPSAHL comes back out to sing her most popular song, “Drugs,” met with an uproar of cheers from her crowd. Getting the crowd to help her sing the chorus, UPSAHL sings her last song as a very satisfying finale.

UPSAHL has a way of talking about the negatives of early adult life: parties, fake friends, money and drinking that any college student can relate to. She brings up the negative aspects of life in such a way that keeps her in control of her life. By putting names to these negative emotions, many might find listening to her music therapeutic. 

With an empowering voice like hers, anyone who is a fan of similar artists like K. Flay or Phantogram will enjoy her new live album, “This Is My First Live Album.”

It’s hard to find someone who knows as much about youth theatre-arts programs as Penelope Caywood. Caywood is a teacher, actor, choreographer and the artistic director of University of Utah Youth Theatre — a non-profit and year-round performing arts training program for youth ages 5 to 18.

As an arts educator, Caywood watches young students grow in the craft of drama while also practicing problem-solving skills that apply both on and off stage. I sat down with Caywood to talk about how drama can be used as a tool for learning in the classroom, and why it’s so important that arts education programs stay in schools. 

Drama in the Classroom

Caywood gave me the run down on how drama can be used as a teaching method in the classroom. “When you do a play, you’re always working with other people; it’s collaborative in nature,” she said. Similar to plays, classrooms are collaborative spaces where students and teachers join together, discussing different subjects and going through sets of problems. “The drama has to be about something. There has to be a problem that you have to resolve — it follows a narrative structure. Everything’s a story; everything we’re learning is a story,” she said.

In this, the structure of a play mirrors the structure of a classroom, giving drama a unique role as a pedagogical tool. “When you can step inside of a story, or a historical moment, or a math word problem, or the water cycle, you see it from a different perspective and you’re almost embodying it, so you don’t forget it,” Caywood said.

Caywood’s approach to drama as a teaching method is non-traditional because it isn’t entirely standardized and doesn’t follow the traditional classroom model. Students don’t merely sit at desks and share their thoughts via the binary question-response method. Drama requires both the use of the voice and the body, as well as the imagination of the mind as it responds to each moment. 

A Natural Learning Process

Drama is a compelling tool for classrooms because of how intuitive and deep-seated it is as a learning process. Caywood spoke about observations she made once she began studying theatre and education simultaneously. “What I came to learn is that [drama] is natural,” she said. “You see kids on the playground when they’re three to five; they’re acting things out that they’ve seen. They’re playing grown-ups and playing with dolls just like they might have seen their parents or grown-ups do. They’re telling each other what to say and they’re directing each other. This is a natural process that we inhabit as humans.” 

Drama appeals to students’ natural curiosity, making it easier for them to stay engaged in their learning. “As humans, we love to tell a story, so why can’t the story be about the things that matter to us, or the things that we want kids to learn?” she said. If we want to invest in the education of our youth, we should explore and invest in all the ways of learning we can open up for them. 

Skills for Life

“There’s so much that’s happening inside the brain of anyone who’s doing theatre,” Caywood said. “They’re problem-solving in the moment.” When someone forgets their line or leaves a prop on stage, students have to work through the problem. Working through problems is a collaborative experience as well — teamwork is required to pass a prop off stage without saying a word. “For a bunch of second graders, that’s huge.” 

Not only does drama engage critical thinking skills, it builds confidence and allows kids to lead a fulfilling life — a life where they trust their own voice. “To be able to share your voice in front of other people is huge,” Caywood said. Drama carves out a space for students to feel like what they have to say is important — “without your part, the whole thing isn’t complete.”

A Promising Future

How can we address access to theatre-arts programs in order to ensure that more students have the arts in their education? Caywood recognizes the limitations of her reach as a single person. “I can’t be at every school,” she said. “I’ve been to many, but there aren’t enough people doing this kind of work. The way that I try to address access is by doing professional development with classroom teachers from all across the state.” By sharing their skills with others, arts educators not only pass pedagogy to more students and teachers, they also allow each community of students and teachers to tailor the pedagogy in a way that best suits their needs. 

When Caywood watches her students and thinks about the future, she isn’t worried. “I feel like the kids that are in my program leave differently — they leave feeling like their opinions matter.” Caywood’s students leave equipped to enter the world, taking creative leadership and ownership, with the confidence to assert and apply themselves. She jokingly told me, “I either have created monsters or have created, hopefully, the leaders of tomorrow.” If you ask me, it’s the latter.

To learn more about how to join or support the Youth Theatre, visit their website at youththeatre.utah.edu.

t.georgieva@dailyutahchronicle.com

@tervela_g

The post Penelope Caywood on Bringing the Transformative Power of Drama to the Classroom  appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

UH running back Alton McCaskill led the Cougars in rushing and touchdowns as a freshman during the 2021 season. | Sean Thomas/The Cougar

Houston running back Alton McCaskill suffered a serious leg injury during a non-contact play during the Cougars’ practice on Friday night, a source told The Cougar.

McCaskill had a breakout freshman season in 2021, rushing for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns while also hauling in 21 receptions for 113 yards and two scores. McCaskill’s record-breaking season earned him the American Athletic Conference’s Rookie of the Year award.

All signs pointed to McCaskill once again being the Cougars’ lead back for the 2022 season.

This story was first reported by the Houston Chronicle.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH running back Alton McCaskill seriously injured on non-contact play” was originally posted on The Cougar

In light of women’s history month, the Technique conducted an analysis of the 82 on-campus buildings and facilities at Tech named after people and found that only five are named after women. These are Crosland Tower, the Evans Administration Building– colloquially, Tech Tower; Fitten Hall, Mewborn Field, and the Swann Building. 

This leaves 87.3% of campus buildings included in the analysis as endowed in the name of or named after men. Only 6.3% of the buildings are named after women, and the same percent are named after couples.

The Technique’s analysis found that 29.9% of buildings were named for former administrators, while 26% of the buildings were named for donors to the University. In addition 23.4% of buildings were named for alumni and 16.9% after former or current professors.

Crosland Tower

Crosland Tower is named after Dorothy M. Crosland, a longtime head librarian who played a key role in the formation of the modern College of Computing. She was the president of the Georgia Library Association from 1949 to 1951, and oversaw the construction of the Graduate Addition, the part of the library that was posthumously named after her in 1985. Crosland also was a key player in the discussion to allow women to attend day classes at Tech, surveying colleges around the country to determine which offered degrees in STEM fields to women and advocating the interests of women in the state of Georgia to Rutherford Ellis, the chair of the Education Committee at the Board of Regents. 

Crosland also was a significant contributor to the formation of the School of Information, later known as the College of Computing; she convened conferences in 1961 and 1962 to this end. Under her leadership as head librarian, she grew the Tech library collection from around 21,000 books to over 480,000 by her retirement in 1971. Crosland traveled far and wide to collect books for Tech, and was the first civilian librarian to visit Europe after the war.

Tech Tower

Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans was the wife of Joseph Brown Whitehead, who approached the Coca-Cola company about bottling their drinks. Coca-Cola agreed, and gave them an exclusive contract and the family became community leaders once they moved to Atlanta in 1903.Upon the death of Joseph Brown Whitehead in 1906, Lettie took over the bottling company and its assets. She sold the bottling operation to the Coca-Cola Company in exchange for stock, and became the first woman on the Coca-Cola Company’s board of directors. She donated millions of dollars to Tech and other schools, and the fund she established during her lifetime continues to give millions of dollars to those in need.

Mewborn Field

Shirley Clements Mewborn was one of the first two female graduates from Georgia Tech, earning her degree in Electrical Engineering in 1956. She became the first woman to serve as president of the alumni association, and was known for her speeches about perseverance and leadership, and even guest-coached for the Tech women’s basketball team. She was a charter member of the first sorority at Tech, and went on to work for Southern Engineering Company after graduating. 

Swann Building

James Swann donated nearly 20,000 dollars to Tech towards a new dormitory, and dedicated it to his late wife, Janie Austell Swann. This building is now home to the School of Modern Languages.

Fitten Hall

Louise M. Fitten was a prominent Atlantan, and left Tech an endowment valued at 1 million dollars in her will. 

The amount at the time was the largest one endowment from an individual in Tech’s history. A scholarship was established in her name for “outstanding and deserving students.”

Social isolation and American Individualism have warped our idea of community into something purely situational. Our culture presents homes and the workplace as our only sources of community, which makes it difficult to remember the existence of a world beyond lecture halls and break rooms. University of Utah students should explore beyond what campus has carefully curated for us and seek out deeper human connections. By engaging with a wider social sphere, we can improve the well-being of ourselves and those around us.

The Importance of Community

Living in Utah can be isolating if you don’t fit into the dominant culture. Those who grow up in Utah and aren’t part of the LDS church often feel unsupported. This doesn’t even include the alienation felt by other marginalized aspects of a person’s identity. Cameron, a student at the U, described their experience with finding support through local groups like Salt Lake Community Mutual Aid (SLCMA). “There’s really something to be said about knowing there is a lot of people around you who have similar values — that if you ever needed help, you know they would be there for you,” they said.

The need for the support Cameron talked about has been exacerbated by the pandemic. COVID-19 has shown us how easily structures can crumble, so proactively building community gives you stability in unexpected situations. SLCMA and other groups, such as the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) work on supporting their communities in this way. As a response to Utah’s failure to care for its residents, PSL has been working on helping Utahns file for rent relief.

There are groups at the U that push for social change, but they often lack a sense of true community that gets things done. When I asked Deja Gaston, one of PSL’s organizers, why they invested their time outside of campus, they said “I wanted to initially do campus organizing, and then came here understanding there was this broader struggle to focus on.”

The idea of building community through mutual aid is not a new one. Many modern mutual aid groups draw inspiration from groups like the Black Panthers who created “a free breakfast program, free ambulance program, free medical clinics, a service offering rides to elderly people doing errands and a school aimed at providing a rigorous liberation curriculum to children” and more, according to author Dean Spade. Engaging with your community the way the Black Panthers did, Spade says, “broke stigma and isolation, met material needs, and got people fired up to work together for change.”

We must work towards equity in all aspects of our lives, not just in academic settings. I’ve worked with SLCMA for a couple of months and have attended PSL events in the past, and the love people have for each other blew me away. My experiences actively building and maintaining community spaces gave me the gratification academic clubs didn’t.

Joining These Communities as College Students

Historically, college students have been significant actors in social change, but we have never done it alone. When we spend all our time on campus networking with mainly young adults or people in the academic sphere, we neglect interactions with older adults and those who didn’t go to college. Gaston reflected on her appreciation of her group’s diverse membership. “I think this is the first time where I’ve genuinely felt like I’ve been introduced to diversity essentially. Like the diversity of ages, diversity of backgrounds — of work backgrounds, race backgrounds.”

College students have passion and raw energy to bring to the table. We should not solely dedicate these strengths to campus organizations. We must collaborate with people from different backgrounds to create a better world for all of us.

Finding Community Through Local Organizations

Last summer, I felt more isolated than I ever had in my life. I wanted to do something about it, but I didn’t know where to start. Cameron’s experiences in mutual aid showed them this isn’t an uncommon sentiment. “One of the things I’ve noticed is a lot of people really do want to feel like they are part of a community, and the challenge is no one really knows how,” they said.

Groups like SLCMA and PSL show us the value of connecting with others beyond the confines of college. It’s easy to get caught up in the campus culture of productively pushing forward, but we must remember to engage in a society that expects disengagement. Take some time to explore these groups and find your people.

a.lezaic@dailyutahchronicle.com

@angela_lezaic

The post Lezaic: Students Should Seek Community Outside of Campus appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.