Lucy Dacus’ latest album “Home Video” could not have come at a better time. As we all return home for the summer and enter a humid Cancer season, Dacus gives us music that lets us reflect on our emotional stability. 

Per its title, the album evokes a familiar nostalgia within Dacus’ fans as they embark on a fragmentary tour of her childhood. The singer-songwriter shares her autobiography through the lens of a girl raised on Christian values in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia. Dacus’ album explores all the introspections that come with growing up, relating to unrequited love, familial tension and the confines of religion. In all, “Home Video” plays like a warm embrace for anyone attempting to make sense of themselves through the fleeting memories of suburbia this summer.

Awarded a Libera nomination for “Best Breakthrough Artist” in 2019, Dacus has been on the rise as a promising indie rock artist. Like her previous critically acclaimed albums ”Historian” and “No Burden,” “Home Video” again employs poignant and intimate storytelling, narrated through her silky alto voice that fans have grown to find comfort in. Dacus’ boygenius groupmates Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers also provide backing vocals on the album, offering familiar voices for fans. Often using second-person narration over airy acoustics, Dacus allows the listener to experience her memoir in an extremely vicarious way. 

The album starts strong with the upbeat guitar track on “Hot & Heavy,” which throws us right into a sensory summer night in Dacus’ small hometown. The song addresses a person, or perhaps a memory, with “you,” imparting personal slices of her childhood from the get-go. Though the instrumentals are lively, the lyrics still maintain an air of melancholy and contemplation, capturing the sticky sensation of nostalgia. 

The album also shines a retrospective light on Dacus’ core memories. Religion is a prevalent theme; against a groovy, slow-paced instrumental track, her song “VBS” — an abbreviation for “Vacation Bible School” — tells listeners about her formative time there. This track recounts the story of her first boyfriend and contains some of my favorite lyrics on the album. Lines like “Hands above our heads, reaching for God/ Back in the cabin, snorting nutmeg in your bunk bed” and “There’s nothing you can do but the only thing you found/ Playing Slayer at full volume helps to block it out” profoundly capture the irony of Dacus’ memory of using drugs and blasting satanic metal at Bible camp.

Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus’ latest album “Home Video” released June 25. (Pitch Perfect PR/Ebru Yildiz)

Since she first performed the song in 2018, “Thumbs” is Dacus’ most anticipated and heart-wrenching number. Dacus tells the story of her dear friend meeting an absent father against a haunting, delicate synth track. Dacus’ lyricism is woefully raw, with the chorus repeating, “I would kill him/ Quick and easy/ Your nails are digging/ Into my knee.” The pain behind her voice is palpable enough to evoke a nauseating response while listening — the mark of a stellar sad girl anthem. 

“Brando” quickly made its way into my daily rotation. On top of a bouncy instrumental, Dacus pokes fun at a common archetype: that person who makes an extra effort to try to be deep in an attempt to be romantic, but instead just seems pretentious and laughably idealistic. This track is playful, and the relatable lyrics appeal to anybody who has fallen victim to this type of character.

“First Time” presents listeners with a beautiful coming-of-age track. Atop a guitar and drum combo reminiscent of songs I listened to in high school, the track plays as an upbeat yet fleeting diary entry. The recurring electric guitar strums in the chorus, coupled with Dacus’ whispery yet passionate voice, ignites a longing for a relationship I never even knew I had. I advise blasting this track at max volume as you speed past streetlights in your small town, yelling “take me, take me, take me!” to your past life in suburbia — it has done wonders for me. 

As a big proponent of Dacus’ soft-girl, stripped-down song style, I thought the only shortcoming of “Home Video” was the autotuned track, “Partner in Crime”: the vocals are heavily processed, which depersonalizes the song and mars the album’s otherwise intimate atmosphere. 

Overall, Dacus’ “Home Video” is exactly what was missing in this liminal time. Upon every re-listen, her music is able to evoke feelings native to those who have grown up in a quiet town, where each memory holds more retrospective significance with every passing year. Whether it helps you process your past or romanticize your suburban life, “Home Video” is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding albums of the summer. 

The post Lucy Dacus’ ‘Home Video’ gifts us the perfect music to indulge in our summertime sadness appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

The Minneapolis Charter Commission proposed an amendment that would redefine the roles of the mayor and City Council members if voted in on November 2.

The amendment will be posted on the ballot as a city question. It will ask voters if they want to define the role of the mayor as chief executive officer and the role of City Council as the legislative body. This would shift both parties’ responsibilities, which advocates hope will bring more accountability to elected officials.

The possible amendment was proposed in April 2021 after a series of interviews with Minneapolis city department heads and former elected officials. The Charter Commission found that the current legislative structure “lacks strong accountability” and is “significantly influenced by personalities of individual elected officials.” The current charter does not explicitly define the mayor as the chief executive officer.

Charter for Change is an organization working to gain support and spread awareness for the amendment to neighborhood associations and local businesses.

Kathleen O’Brien, former Minneapolis coordinator, described the issue with the city charter as the “14 boss problem.” She said the lines of authority are unclear in a city run by 13 council members and the mayor, causing department heads and city staff to struggle with whose directions to follow.

Colleen Moriarty, president of the League of Women Voters’ Minneapolis chapter, said the league supports the amendment because it would streamline decision-making.

“It’s kind of a wishy-washy system that ends up putting both the professional staff and the citizens at a doubt of where to go to get a decision made,” Moriarty said. “It just wastes a lot of time … when there could be a clear line that they could follow that would result in better outcomes for citizens.”

The proposed amendment would change the structure of the city government and make it operate similarly to government structures at the state and federal levels.

Jay Kiedrowski, a public policy professor at the Hubert Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said he is a supporter of Charter for Change because it will improve accountability within the city government.

“Citizens are interested in having a city that works better, that’s more accountable to the voters,” Kiedrowski said. “The cities of Duluth, Rochester and St. Paul all use this form of organization. It really allows for good administration.”

Steve Fletcher, Ward 3 City Council member, said he is opposed to the proposed amendment because it will cause underrepresentation in communities of color by concentrating more power in the mayor.

“I think that the representative form of government that we have gives a lot of voice to different parts of the city that are sometimes underrepresented in citywide elections,” Fletcher said. “You’re really disempowering communities of color that often vote in lower numbers.”

O’Brien said the amendment would not diminish authority from city Council members and would actually give them more authority in their roles.

“They still would represent their board, and serve as the policy and law making body of the city,” O’Brien said. “The council is really defining what city services are and how much money they get to do it.”

‘Don’t know what they’re thinking’: Berkeley community criticizes city, campus deal

Kaitlan Tseng/Senior Staff

Berkeley City Council approved a tentative agreement with campus regarding pending litigation and housing projects. In response, multiple neighborhood groups have filed a petition under the Brown Act, stating that because the decision was made without content disclosure in open session, the agreement is voided.

The UC Board of Regents approved UC Berkeley’s Long Range Development Plan, or LRDP, on Wednesday, more than a week after Berkeley City Council approved a $82.6 million tentative agreement with campus regarding pending litigation and housing projects.

Under the terms of the agreement, broadly outlined in a city press release, Berkeley will receive annual payments from campus over the next 16 years to support various city services and projects. In return, the city will agree to not challenge campus’s People’s Park and Anchor House housing projects, the press release adds.

“It will result in, to my knowledge, the largest amount a host city has received from a campus, $82.6 million, and it will not only go to funding city services, but will support residents … and all these things we can support through this agreement,” said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín.

During a time for public comment at the board meeting Wednesday, Arreguín affirmed his support for campus’s efforts to expand student housing, noting that UC Berkeley has one of the lowest ratios of beds-to-students in the UC system.

Councilmember Rigel Robinson called the agreement an “$80 million win” for the city, noting that increased contributions from campus would serve as an investment in local communities. According to Robinson, the agreement would help balance relations between campus and the city.

“This deal is about the campus more than doubling its contribution to the city for use of fire and city services, and the city ensuring the campus builds the new student housing this community so desperately needs,” Robinson said in an email.

In a press conference, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ discussed the need to provide more student housing, particularly in light of increasing enrollment. Christ noted how campus has become a “commuter school without intending to become a commuter school,” describing the detrimental impact it has on students’ experiences.

While City Council authorized the agreement at its July 13 closed meeting, People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group co-chair Harvey Smith noted that it was unclear how the city reached the settlement.

According to Smith, the city “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory” after deciding to settle a lawsuit that was ruled in favor of Berkeley as part of the agreement with campus.

“Ten people, potentially, with one dissenting vote, with over 121,000 residents in Berkeley,” Smith said. “Ten people, deciding in secret an agreement with the university that will affect many people for years to come, made the decision for all of us.”

As a result, a coalition of neighborhood groups filed a petition against Arreguín and City Council under the Brown Act, Smith added. Because the decision was made during closed session without disclosure of its content in open session, the city’s agreement with campus is null and void, according to the petition.

David Axelrod, attorney for the petitioners, said the goal of bringing the petition is to give members of the public the chance to view and critique the agreement in open discussion. Beyond the legal questions surrounding the agreement, Axelrod added that the terms of the settlement would directly impact the quality of life for all Berkeley residents, including unhoused individuals at People’s Park and tenants at 1921 Walnut St.

“Destruction of the park must and will be resisted,” Axelrod alleged. “What’s at issue here specifically is the Brown Act and its application on public meetings and City Council and the mayor feeling that they do not need to obey the law.”

The agreement will not take effect until approved by the regents.

Although it has not been approved as of press time, the board’s Financial and Capital Strategies Committee voted to approve campus’s LRDP, which outlines a framework for campus’s growth and development, including the two housing projects.

Natalie Logusch, a tenant of 1921 Walnut St., called City Council’s decision “shocking,” adding that she was surprised to hear that Arreguín, who had previously campaigned on a pro-tenant platform, had agreed to not challenge the developments.

Logusch noted that the tenants would face “impossible” economic challenges if forced to move, even with relocation packages from campus, which owns the property.

ASUC External Affairs Vice President Riya Master urged campus to consider the impact that the agreement would have on tenants and People’s Park residents amid one of the “worst housing crises” in the nation.

“They just figure that people don’t care enough, and Cal can do whatever they want,” Logusch said. “I don’t know what they’re thinking.”

Aditya Katewa is the executive news editor. Contact him at akatewa@dailycal.org, and follow him on Twitter at @adkatewa1.

The Daily Californian

After a year of sparse crowds and little energy at TDECU Stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UH football game days will feature a completely different type of energy and atmosphere with the return to 100 percent capacity. | File Photo

Every Houston football game day is a unique experience where the Cougar community sets aside all the stress that results from their daily lives and comes together to puts its pride and support for the red and white on full display for all to see.

Before the game even starts, the walk to TDECU Stadium is met with the sight of thousands of students, alumni and fans sporting the scarlet red and white, socializing and preparing to walk through the gates to watch the Cougars compete.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic carrying over into the 2020 football season, the traditional game day experience was noticeably different at TDECU Stadium.

Tailgating was not allowed. The traditional Cougar Walk where fans line up all along the sidewalks outside of TDECU Stadium to cheer on the Cougars as they walk from the team bus to the locker room was absent. And most noticeably the cheers of a 25 percent capacity crowd, socially distanced throughout the stadium, were faint.

“Going to the football games last year felt different from what it was like during my freshman year,” said junior journalism major Lisa El-Amin. “The limited number of fans at the stadium and seeing everyone spread apart and wearing masks, you couldn’t really tell who was at the game. It just felt odd at times, to be honest.”

But gone are the days of limited capacity at TDECU Stadium as the University announced that the 2021 football season would open to 100 percent capacity for all UH home games.

UH students and fans could not be more excited to cheer on their team with thousands of Cougars fans by their sides.

Whether it be the “Whose House?” chant, the fun and energetic “Womp Womp,” or even the traditional fight song, the songs and chants roared by a packed house of 40,000 Cougars fans takes the game day experience to another level.

From arriving outside the stadium and seeing tailgaters and hearing the beating of drums by the Spirit of Houston to sitting in their seats while cheering at the top of their lungs for the Cougars on the field, fans should expect to feel the electric energy back during game days.

The overall experience of going to a UH football game will feel closer to normal this season, as the return of a full capacity crowd, tailgates, festivities and more will encapsulate what makes Cougar football game days a tradition.

“There’s definitely going to be a sense of normalcy back in the stadium for game days,”said  junior business major Ryan Rhodes. “Tailgates and fans coming back in full effect is going to make for a great season for the players and the fans. I’m very excited and I know a lot of other fans are too.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“This football season will return of electric energy of previous game days” was originally posted on The Cougar

The Poudre River is closed for all use by order of the Larimer County sheriff, as debris removal and disaster relief efforts are underway, according to a July 21 press release from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. At least one person is dead and three are missing after flooding and mudslides occurred in the Poudre […]

The Brown Arts Initiative, the Providence Student Union and a group of local artists unveiled a series of three billboards on May 28 along local roadways that highlight an ongoing campaign “to secure a safe, healthy and engaging school environment for all students” through a national Student Bill of Rights, according to a May 18 BAI press release.

The billboard series was developed collaboratively between twelve PSU youth artists — Grace Doyle, Itamar Encarnacion, Athena Holloway, Melissa Lin, Kylie Lopez, Jaileen Vargas-Garcia and six other youth artists — as well as local artists and project facilitators Erik DeLuca, visiting assistant professor of music and multimedia at the University, Jazzmen Lee-Johnson MA ’15 and W.F. Umi Hsu.

Beginning in March and spanning ten weeks, the youth artists met virtually each week with the facilitators and learned design and storytelling techniques. The group also had “discussions about art’s relationship to social justice, equity and the power of education,” according to the press release.

Encarnacion, who worked with two other student artists on a billboard centered on self-expression, diversity and student safety, began the process of designing the billboard by brainstorming an underlying message with her group. They worked through several different ideas for their billboard before settling on and creating the final product: a text-based billboard that reads, “To express identity ensure security” and “To bring diversity incorporate variety.” Encarnacion said she hopes the straightforward design can convey “a message for people to understand more easily” as they drive past it in Providence along Interstate 95.

For Encarnacion, the project was an important way to voice the needs of today’s Providence students — needs she feels affect the city as a whole.

“Everyone should be concerned about (students) because we are part of the community and we’re going to be adults some day, and the things that affect us affect our families,” she said. “So, if we want free public transportation to go to schools or extracurricular activities, or we want safe schools that represent us and have staff that care for us and uplift all of our identities, it’s for the better of everyone.”

Kylie Lopez, whose billboard focused on students’ transportation concerns, explained that her group “wanted people to understand that students are in a position where they do have all these awesome rights which allow them to learn, but not all of them are up-to-date.” To express students’ growing need for transportation accessibility, Lopez’s group designed a billboard featuring a stick figure person in front of a map of Providence with words reading: “Give free bus passes to all students.”

While initially she found the design process somewhat “overwhelming,” ultimately getting to work on the project proved to be a meaningful experience for Lopez. “I actually hadn’t done anything like this before. It was so amazing seeing my art come to life off of the highway,” she said. “I’ve been past it so many times and each time it’s so surreal.”

The idea for the series began in September 2020 when BAI contacted DeLuca to work together on a project, and he suggested they collaborate with an organization focused on educational equity. “Education is central to expression and to hope and to life,” DeLuca said.

Later that month, DeLuca reached out to PSU, an educational rights organization that primarily serves the Providence Public School District, and they began to discuss ideas for how to highlight the Student Bill of Rights through art and design. “For the first month we really were just talking to each other about what we do and thinking through the ways that art and design can be used to empower and be used to reach people and connect with people,” he said.

Following the suggestion of a PSU student member, BAI and PSU ultimately decided to collaborate on a student-led billboard project.

DeLuca said the experience of working on the project gave him a new point of view on the day-to-day experiences of Providence youth. Hearing students share their stories about transportation issues in getting to school and their extracurriculars, for example, was illuminating for DeLuca, and eventually led to the creation of a billboard advocating for all students to receive free bus passes.

“Because these high school students were actively making the work … (we) were getting into their world and the things that they need in education and school” through the medium of an artistic project, he said.

In selecting artists Lee-Johnson and Hsu to serve as teaching staff and facilitators for the project, choosing artists who were Providence residents and people of color was important, Precious Lopez, co-executive director of PSU, said. “We want them to represent the community which Providence Student Union serves.” 

Hsu, who heard about the billboard series through DeLuca, has previously worked on socially conscious projects, including a skywriting art project centered on themes of incarceration, family separation and immigrant detention centers in the United States as well as musical compositions incorporating field recordings of social activism and communities.

“I thought, ‘Okay, well how cool would it be to work with young people and to help them uplift their voices,’” Hsu said, “especially in this time when I feel like there’s a lot of noise around and it’s really difficult to cut through and get heard.”

The project has allowed students to “really speak from their own experience and not have it translated for them,” Lee-Johnson said.

“It’s just important to hear from young people. We don’t hear from them enough,” Lee-Johnson added. “They will be on the planet long after elders move on, so it’s important to know what they’re thinking about and feeling and what’s important to them. And I think a project like this allows for those conversations to happen.”

The billboards are currently displayed on Eddy Street, Orms Street and along Interstate 95 near Black Street, and will remain in these locations indefinitely.

With reporting by Emily Faulhaber

GradGuard’s student insurance program provides refunds when colleges may not to students who medically withdraw due to mental health conditions and other covered reasons. Phoenix, AZ (July 21, 2021): GradGuard, one of the largest providers of student insurance programs in the country, has broken another barrier in the tuition protection landscape by becoming the first […]

At this point, Sha’Carri Richardson should be a household name. The incredibly talented track star was destined to win gold in the women’s 100-meter dash at this year’s Tokyo Olympics. But before her dreams could become a reality, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (or USADA) suspended her for 30 days following a positive drug test, leading to her disqualification and ultimate exclusion from the U.S. Olympic track team. The drug in question? Marijuana.

Our nation has a complicated history with marijuana. Possession of the drug has imprisoned millions of Americans, with quite obvious racial disparities in sentencing and arrest rates.

As society changes its stance on marijuana, the stigma and negativity surrounding it have faltered. Yet Richardson’s suspension remains in place — even after the USADA released a statement expressing their sympathy for Richardson.

Despite efforts to legalize and decriminalize marijuana across the nation, the USADA and U.S. Olympics team cannot move past negative sentiments towards it. The USADA needs to align itself with public opinion by removing marijuana from the prohibited substances list and lifting Richardson’s suspension.

Richardson’s Case

Richardson’s suspension infuriates many, and with good reason. Richardson openly admitted to smoking marijuana. She didn’t cower or lie, but instead confessed and apologized for smoking to cope with the death of her mother. In addition, she smoked in Oregon, a state that legalized recreational marijuana usage and was the location of the Olympic trials.

Richardson should be allowed to compete, which seems to be a common sentiment. She garnered support from the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, other Congressional lawmakers and Donald Trump Jr. A petition to lift her suspension and reinstate her to the U.S. Olympic Track and Field roster amassed over 500,000 signatures.

Her run times speak for themselves. Not only did she accomplish great feats as a Louisiana State University freshman, but she remains one of the fastest women on the planet. Reinstating Richardson onto the U.S. Olympic Team for the Tokyo Olympics should be a no-brainer if the U.S. aims to have as many gold medalists as possible.

Public Opinion and Marijuana

Outside of Richardson’s suspension, however, the debate surrounding the use of marijuana continues. Various sources and studies all conclude that marijuana does not enhance performance, with some believing that it causes less harm than alcohol. Despite this, athletes can still consume alcohol and tobacco, while marijuana consumption remains prohibited.

So the question remains: Why is marijuana still on the list of prohibited substances for athletes?

The reasoning is simple: many nations that participate in the Olympics still feel negativity towards marijuana, with bans of their own against the drug. However, this excuse hinders our athletes, who fall victim to the war on drugs — which the U.S. started, I might add — even though the nation’s opinions of marijuana continue to evolve.

Favorable public opinion on marijuana in the U.S. is growing. Our own athletes admit to marijuana use — as do other high-profile Americans and celebrities. And with almost 52% of Americans having tried marijuana at least once, marijuana usage appears to be widespread.

As of 2020, 68% of Americans support the legalization of marijuana.With that, more states are decriminalizing marijuana usage and legalizing the drug. Currently, 18 states and Washington, D.C. allow for the recreational use of marijuana. As public opinion becomes more supportive of marijuana usage and legalization, the U.S. Olympic Committee and USADA need to follow suit and align their policies with the people supporting them.

The Big Picture

Richardson’s suspension from the Olympics exhibits a larger problem with America’s progress in accepting marijuana. For people of color, the criminalization of marijuana has imprisoned them for generations. For athletes, it prevents them from accomplishing their goals at competitions across the nation and the globe.

And ultimately, Richardson is human. She shouldn’t have to put her dreams on hold because of the USADA’s failure to catch up with the times and growing support of marijuana.

Richardson is not the only one who has been prohibited from competing because of marijuana. And realistically, she won’t be the last, as marijuana has oppressed people of color for far too long. Regardless of its widespread usage, people of color will continue to face oppression for marijuana use. But if the U.S. legalizes recreational marijuana, then we can begin repairing the damage already done to communities of color.

With change in policy and in opinion, hopefully, no other athlete will fall victim to outdated marijuana laws.

c.alexander@dailyutahchronicle.com

@CamdenAlexande1

The post Alexander: USADA Should Revisit Its Stance on Marijuana appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

Mosquitoes in Larimer County have tested positive for West Nile virus for the first time this season, according to a July 20 press release from the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment. The positive mosquitoes were discovered in southeast Fort Collins, but no human cases have been reported in the state, according to the […]

Thomas Barrack, USC Trustee and former advisor to former President Donald Trump, was arrested Tuesday on federal charges alleging he used his prominence in the Trump campaign and White House to shape foreign policy to benefit the United Arab Emirates. Barrack was also charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements in a 2019 FBI interview, according to a United States Department of Justice press release.

Barrack, who graduated from USC in 1969 with a degree in sociology and later attended the Gould School of Law, has been a member of the USC Board of Trustees since June 2012. In 2014, he donated $15 million to the Marshall School of Business for the renovation and renaming of Barrack Hall. 

In the seven-count indictment filed Friday, Barrack and two other men — Matthew Grimes, who works under Barrack at a global investment firm, and Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, a UAE national — are accused of conspiring as UAE agents between April 2016 and April 2018. According to the court document, UAE officials “tasked” the men to influence foreign policy positions in a 2016 United States presidential candidate’s campaign and in their subsequent administration.  

The indictment also alleges Barrack and his colleagues “[developed] a backchannel line of communication” between the campaign and U.S. government officials and advanced the UAE’s foreign policy agendas and political influence.  

“The conduct alleged in the indictment is nothing short of a betrayal of those officials in the United States, including the former President,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark Lesko of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said in the press release. “Through this indictment, we are putting everyone — regardless of their wealth or perceived political power — on notice that the Department of Justice will enforce the prohibition of this sort of undisclosed foreign influence.” 

Between April and November 2016, Barrack worked as an informal advisor to the Trump campaign and as chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee between November 2016 and January 2017. Following Trump’s inauguration, Barrack served as an informal senior advisor to U.S. government officials on foreign policy issues related to the Middle East. 

According to the indictment, Emirati officials assigned Barrack to “influence public opinion in favor of UAE interests.” In one instance, Barrack emailed Alshahhi a speech draft on U.S. energy policy that then-presidential candidate Trump was scheduled to give. Alshahhi responded to Barrack with proposed edits to the speech that would praise an Emirati official by name, according to court documents. Barrack made the edits, and after the speech, another Emirati official emailed Barrack that “everybody here [is] happy with the results.” 

Barrack also completed various media appearances and published an op-ed in the Fortune Magazine that commended the foreign government’s “brilliant young leaders,” and included U.S.-Middle East foreign policy talking points from Emirati officials. 

Following Trump’s election, Barrack, Grimes and Alshahhi continued to correspond with UAE government officials on advancing UAE’s “foreign policy interests,” including creating a “wish list” of U.S. foreign policy agendas to be completed during the four years of the President-elect’s administration. The defendants also promoted the appointment of an individual favored by the foreign government’s senior officials to U.S. Ambassador of the UAE. 

Since the beginning of Barrack and Grimes’ correspondence with the UAE, the defendants also utilized an encrypted messaging system to communicate with senior Emirati officials.  

A previous Los Angeles Times report also alleged Barrack’s connection to the admission of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani into USC, a prince of Qatar. After Al Thani’s denied admission to UCLA and his family’s alleged suggestion that a “substantial donation” would be made to USC if he were admitted, Barrack reportedly set up a meeting between former USC President C.L Max Nikias and Al Thani’s mother. 

Al Thani subsequently began school at USC, and the Qatar Foundation — a state-sponsored organization in Qatar founded by Al Thani’s father — donated to USC’s “marine research center on Catalina Island,” according to the report. However, Nikias said that Al Thani had already been accepted at the time of the meeting, and the Qatar Foundation said that donations to the school were never discussed during the visit.

Barrack was also connected to the presidential pardon of Miami developer Robert Zangrillo, one of the 11 USC parents charged in the Operation Varsity Blues investigation. The White House news release, which included 73 pardons and 70 commuted sentences, stated that Barrack supported Zangrillo’s pardon. A Barrack spokesperson denied the trustee’s connection to the pardon in a January email to the Daily Trojan.  

Scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday afternoon, a representative of Barrack stated he will plead not guilty, according to the LA Times. 

USC did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. 

The post USC Trustee and former Trump advisor Thomas Barrack indicted appeared first on Daily Trojan.