Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

The UH Center for Mexican American Studies has recently partnered to work with Fort Bend County under the Collaborative Information System to create a research training partnership between the county and the social services division. 

Project leaders such as CMAS associate director and associate professor of political science Jeronimo Cortina hope to create a process where the county would have the necessary tools to implement certain policies and sign implementation to help families with unstable housing. 

“At this stage, we are in the planning process and the planning process entails determining what policy we are going to focus on,” Cortina said. “We are trying to investigate why certain individuals use emergency housing centers in lieu of housing.”

The investigation aims to answer for people falling again into emergency housing, the characteristics, why it is recurring, the underlying issue, consequences of living in emergency housing and how such information can be used to develop beneficial policies that will allow clients to move out from emergency housing to have stable housing.

“(Plans include) developing a wide paper that will be ready by the beginning of next year in the first two or three months to determine the scope of the project,” Cortina said.

After that, the project organizers will begin to use resources from the center and involve scholars, graduate students and other professors from other departments. 

The CMAS project will also partner with a non-government organization group in Fort Bend County to help facilitate data gathering and analysis while producing participatory research between the University, the county and the NGOs.

Furthermore, UH Sugar Land will serve as a link facilitating future sustained research collaborations with nonprofits and public agencies. It will serve as a collision space- a place where people can get together to collaborate and bounce some ideas off of one another. As a result, UH Sugar Land has a prominent focus on generating community exchange.

People who are constantly moving from motel to motel can have a place that they can call home. Cortina noted it can help younger children break the pattern of the previous generations, and that has been rewarding to keep in mind. 

“We want to have a positive impact on people’s lives and change their lives and help them move forward,” said Cortina. “You know solving these very small issues is going to have a significant impact.”

news@thedailycougar.com

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“CMAS partners with Fort Bend to provide stable housing” was originally posted on The Cougar

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized molnupiravir, an antiviral pill, for COVID-19 treatment in an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) on Dec. 23. The pill, which was submitted for FDA authorization by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics on Oct. 11, was discovered by Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE) scientists, led by CEO George Painter.

Molnupiravir is available by prescription only for treating “mild-to-moderate” COVID-19 in adults who are at risk for developing severe COVID-19 that may result in hospitalization or death or who do not have access to other “clinically appropriate” treatment options, according to a Dec. 23 FDA press release. The drug, which is taken orally every 12 hours for five days, combats COVID-19 by introducing errors into the SARS-CoV-2 virus’ genetic code and preventing it from replicating. 

George Painter is the President and CEO of The Emory Institute for Drug Development. (Emory University)

The antiviral pill has been approved only for those over the age of 18, as it “may affect bone and cartilage growth,” according to the FDA. Additionally, the agency said that the drug is not approved for people who are pregnant, citing a clinical trial on animals that found that molnupiravir may cause fetal harm. Molnupiravir is not to be used in place of a COVID-19 vaccine.

An EUA is not the same as FDA approval. Under emergency use procedures, the FDA permits the use of unapproved medical products in an emergency situation to “diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions when certain statutory criteria have been met, including that there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.” 

In the case of molnupiravir, the FDA said it determined that “known and potential benefits” of the drug “outweigh the known and potential risks.” At this time, there are no approved and available alternatives to molnupiravir, according to the agency.

The decision to approve an EUA for molnupiravir was informed by data from the MOVe-OUT clinical trial, which began on Oct. 19, 2020 and has an estimated completion date of May 5, 2022. The double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled clinical trial studies the effects of the antiviral drug in adult participants who were at an increased risk for COVID-19 and who had also not been vaccinated for the virus. 

Data from MOVe-OUT showed that 6.8% of the 709 people who received molnupiravir were hospitalized or died. Within the same time period, 9.7% of the 699 people who received a placebo were hospitalized or died. Only one person who received the antiviral pill died, compared to nine people in the placebo group. The trial reported side effects of diarrhea, nausea and dizziness. In the FDA press release, the federal agency stated that the “safety and effectiveness of molnupiravir for the treatment of COVID-19 continue to be evaluated.”

The post FDA authorizes COVID-19 oral antiviral developed at Emory appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Star Cal linebacker Kuony Deng declares for 2022 NFL draft

Before the turn of the new year, Cal football bids farewell to another Bear.

Kuony Deng declared for the 2022 NFL draft Monday morning via Twitter. He is now the third Bear to have declared this December for the upcoming draft.

The star outside linebacker from Virginia, who was a transfer from Independence Community College, was sidelined for most of Cal’s 2021 season due to an apparent leg injury. In the previous season, Deng was the Bears’ captain and leading tackler with 31 total tackles in just four games. In 2019, he registered 119 total tackles and started all 13 games he played in.

According to Pro Football Network writer Oliver Hodgkinson’s 2021 NFL Mock Draft, Deng was projected to be a late fourth-round pick. At 6’6” and 240 pounds, Deng is gifted in his physicality, athleticism and mobility on the field. A former basketball player at the Virginia Military Institute, only time will tell where the former four-star football prospect will land in next year’s NFL draft.

Ryan Chien is the sports editor. Contact him at rchien@dailycal.org, and follow him on Twitter @RyanChienMedia.

The Daily Californian

Nine cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant have been detected in Larimer County, according to a press release from the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.

The omicron variant is more contagious than the original virus, spreading more easily among people, and even those who are fully vaccinated can spread omicron. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vaccines are still the best public health measure to control omicron.

On Dec. 22, health officials notified the community that the omicron variant was detected in wastewater in Larimer County. Now with new cases detected, LCDHE said this is an indication that the variant is spreading in Larimer County.

Dr. Paul Mayer, LCDHE medical director, said, “While scientists are still learning about omicron, what we do know is that continued measures like vaccination and boosters, mask wearing in public and avoiding large indoor gatherings will continue to be key strategies for preventing the spread of the virus,” according to the release.

More information on COVID-19 as well as vaccine information is available on the Larimer County website.

The Omicron variant is likely behind the record 137 cases and a positivity rate nearly 13 times the average.

Alexander “Elderbrook” Kotz performed at Denver’s The Bluebird Theater Oct. 17. Elderbrook is a Grammy-nominated artist whose most streamed song on Spotify is “Cola” with 219,947,320 total streams. Monthly, Elderbrook has approximately 6.4 million listeners on Spotify alone. Elderbrook was not alone in his performance at Bluebird Theater, as fellow electric musical artist Gilligan Moss opened for Kotz.

Gallery|9 Photos

Elderbrook performs to a sold-out Bluebird Theater in Denver Oct. 17. The Grammy-nominated artist played his electronic music to an enthusiastic crowd.

Reach Ryan Schmidt at photo@collegian.com or on Instagram @ryan_t_schmidt.

USC will move the first week of spring semester classes online, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles Zukoski and Chief Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman announced in a communitywide email Friday. In-person classes are slated to resume Jan. 18.

The University will also require booster shots for eligible faculty, students and staff, according to the email. USC will issue a booster shot deadline by next week but currently urges community members to book their shot as soon as possible.   

The announcement follows the spread of the omicron variant across the United States and in Los Angeles County. L.A. County currently reports a daily average of 4,564 cases, a 181% increase in a two week period, according to the New York Times. Hospitalizations also increased by 31% compared to the previous two weeks, though rates remain lower than before vaccines were widely available.

In a communitywide email Thursday, USC Student Health announced that current campus positivity rates are at 10%, an increase from the week of Dec. 12-18., when the student positivity rate was 1.6% and the employee positivity rate was 0.7%. 

Despite the remote start, residential housing will open on Jan. 6 as planned, according to the email. Before attending in-person classes and moving into University housing, students will be required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test. Surveillance testing will continue during the spring semester. 

The Bookstore, Jefferson Lot, Pardee Marks and Pappas Quad testing centers will be open on a modified schedule Jan. 3-7. and resume normal testing hours Jan. 10.  

USC will also delay the Spring New Student Convocation, initially scheduled on Jan. 7, by around two weeks. Other University events “will continue as planned” with compliance of guidelines issued by the L.A. County Department of Public Health. 

Work plans for faculty and staff upon return from the holiday break Jan. 3 will remain the same, with any changes announced by respective work supervisors. 

Other institutions, such as Harvard University and Stanford University, have also delayed in-person operations following a rise in cases of the omicron variant. Harvard, which announced its plans Dec. 18, will conduct its campus operations remotely for the first three weeks of January, with in-person spring classes scheduled to begin Jan. 24. 

Stanford University announced on Dec. 16 that the first two weeks of classes of its winter quarter, starting Jan. 3, will be held online. In-person classes are expected to resume Jan. 18, according to the Stanford Daily. 

Seven University of California institutions, including its Los Angeles and Irvine campuses, will conduct classes virtually for the first two weeks of its winter quarter — scheduled to begin Jan. 3. Berkeley, which follows a semester system, currently plans to continue with in-person instruction on Jan. 18. Merced, which also operates on a semester system, has yet to announce its plans. 

Syracuse University pushed back the start of its semester by one week, starting classes with in-person instruction Jan. 24 and ending a week later, according to the Daily Orange.

USC will provide additional updates next week, according to the email. 

“We continue to closely monitor the spread of cases in our community, as well as the situation at other institutions,” the email read. “Fall was a success at USC, and we remain committed to keeping our campuses safe and continuing in-person instruction this spring.”

The post USC delays in-person instruction by one week, requires booster shots appeared first on Daily Trojan.

On Dec. 17, the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents voted to raise the pay for President Joan Gabel, prompting reactions from students across the University.

According to the new contract formed by the Board of Regents, Gabel will earn over $1.1 million with salary increases, bonuses and supplementary retirement funds by the end of her employment. The Minnesota Student Association (MSA) released a statement on Dec. 16, stating that they were going to advocate for student wages to be raised and were opposed to President Gabel’s pay raise.

Fourth-year student and MSA Board of Regents student representative Gurtaran Johal said in an email to the Minnesota Daily that “student leaders have been advocating for change in student wages for over half a decade. Yet, student wages continue to remain at a mere $10.33.”

First-year student Aubrey Strittmater works at the front desk at Centennial Hall. As a student worker, she said she makes $10.25 an hour.

“As a freshman in college, I feel like there are not many jobs I can get,” Strittmater said. “I have a job because I’m scared to be in debt.”

There were efforts to increase the minimum wage for students in the past, including a 2018 effort to raise it to $15 an hour.

“We must seek action rather than empty promises that receive no response,” Johal said. “We must pressure the Board [of Regents] into understanding the student experience and the rising financial constraints many face.”

The Board raised Gabel’s wages to match the average of other presidents’ salaries at Big Ten universities, according to the meeting notes.

In September 2020, the University of Minnesota cut three sports programs: men’s tennis, men’s gymnastics and men’s indoor/outdoor track and field.

Fourth-year student and MSA Vice President Samiat Ajibola said it was frustrating to see the University form the new contract with the president because it signals a lack of support for student issues, like sports funding or mental health resource funding.

“Students are a big, if not the biggest, stakeholders at this university,” second-year student Flora Yang said in an email to the Minnesota Daily. “I really think that the quality of life of our students should be the top priority, and that this is what we should be focusing on for the time being.”

Yang said that some students find Gabel’s pay raise an issue because the University only considered a pay raise for the president, not for faculty, staff or student workers.

No other president at the University of Minnesota has earned over a million dollars by the end of their career, making Gabel the first in University history, according to the University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors press release.

The question now, according to Yang and other MSA members, is where the money for Gabel’s raise is coming from — there is currently no confirmed answer to this question.

“I’m paying all this money to be here and get an education, I’m working for them,” Strittmater said. “The least they could do is help me with my debt.”

Cal caps off dominant nonconference play with win over St. Mary’s

Antonio Martin/Staff

Before the season began, head coach Charmin Smith set Cal women’s basketball’s first benchmark: She wanted to finish nonconference play with at least a 9-2 record. This seemed unlikely for a team coming off of a 1-16 season that was projected to be the worst in its conference in a preseason poll. Many coaches would have probably set a more achievable goal, but Smith refused to compromise.

Today, as the Bears begin to briefly hibernate at home during Christmas break, they sit with that exact 9-2 record after a 73-55 win over St. Mary’s College. This win holds a lot of meaning for this up-and-coming team. Not only did it emerge victorious, but it did so in a way that shows real growth and improvement.

Throughout the season, Cal’s offense has been primarily run through its guards. Jayda Curry has carried most of the scoring load and Leilani McIntosh has been the primary playmaker. The team has also shot well from three and excelled around the perimeter.

But Tuesday, the team was led by two bigs. The 6’2” junior Evelien Lutje Schipholt and 6’3” sophomore Dalayah Daniels both dominated in the paint and on the glass. They scored 34 of the team’s 73 points, with neither having attempted a 3-pointer. Instead, they used their length and strength to impose their will on the defense and repeatedly put the ball in the basket.

Lutje Schipholt was the star of the night, notching a 20-point double-double on 56% shooting. She was doing everything offensively: posting up, cleaning up the glass and running several dribble handoffs. No matter how the defense guarded her, she found a way to punish it. After the game, she credited the team’s fluidity for her success.

“There was a great flow. I’m incredibly proud of our team. Offensively and defensively, this was probably our best game so far,” Lutje Schipholt said. “When things flow, I usually flow too.”

Smith echoed this enthusiasm for her team’s offensive flow, and credits assistant coach Kelly Cole with helping the team heavily improve on that end.

“I’m really excited about it. This is something that I put to Kelly Cole to help with our offensive efficiency. And she’s done a great job of helping with the back end and the movement keeping things flowing,” Smith said. “If you know our team you’ll see some of the same familiar sets that we use today to get (Evelien) some buckets on the block.”

Cole and Smith had history together before the former joined Cal as an assistant this year — they were both on the same Boston College staff when the team won the Big East title in 2004. Cole has over two decades of coaching experience, from Northwestern to Northeastern. At the latter, she spent seven years as head coach and led the Huskies to their first ever Women’s National Invitation Tournament, or WNIT, appearance two years ago. Smith brought her in to help with the team’s then-lackluster offense, which has already proved to be a brilliant hire.

The team’s offense still wouldn’t be anything without its players. Daniels and Curry both deserve praise for their performance against St. Mary’s. Curry finished with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists, and also snagged three steals on the defensive end. Daniels made an impact off the bench with 14 points, eight boards, three assists and four steals. But maybe most importantly, both of them scored efficiently. This offense isn’t about letting individuals compile numbers, but rather doing what’s best for the team.

When the brief holiday break ends, the Bears begin their real challenge. They enter conference play in arguably the best NCAA women’s basketball conference in the nation. They’re not projected to be among the elite teams, but then again, they weren’t expected to dominate nonconference play either. It’ll be tough, but this team hasn’t failed to meet any of their goals yet — perhaps Cal women’s basketball is just getting started.

Casey Grae covers women’s basketball. Contact him at cgrae@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

Marcus Sasser leads UH in scoring at 17.7 points per game. | Armando Yanez/The Cougar

UH men’s basketball guard Marcus Sasser announced he is done for the season in an Instagram post on Friday evening.

Sasser had been suffering from turf toe, per UH head coach Kelvin Sampson, but the exact cause of why he will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season is currently unclear.

The 6-foot-2-inch junior guard is the Cougars leading scorer at 17.7 points per game.

This is the second big blow of the week for UH as sophomore guard Tramon Mark underwent season-ending surgery on his left shoulder on Wednesday.

This story will be updated when more information is available

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Marcus Sasser is done for remainder of 2021-22 season” was originally posted on The Cougar