In early June 2021, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation donated $110 million to the University of Utah School of Medicine. The donation was the largest gift the Eccles Foundation has given to date.

The University of Utah has been a long-time benefactor of the Eccles foundation, receiving numerous donations to the school. Never before has a donation of this size been given. When asked how long this donation has been in the works, Toni Lehtinen, communications director at the Eccles Foundation, indicated that work has been underway for quite some time.

“Groundwork has been underway for quite some time leading up to a gift such as this,” Lehtinen said.

Money from this donation will be split into three parts: 40 million for scholarships and student aid, 40 million for research namely cardiovascular and heart disease research and 30 million for a new school of medicine building which will be renamed after Spencer F. Eccles.

According to Lehtinen, the specific details of this gift began to take shape about a year and a half ago.

Kathy Wilets, director of media relations for U Health, said there is a need for a new school of medicine building because they have simply outgrown the current building.

Wilets explained that the current school of medicine is filled with theater-style classrooms with steep auditorium seating. According to Wilets, this was a learning style that the school no longer uses.

“It was built for a different time,” Wilets said. “Learning now is more collaborative, innovative and hands-on”

The School of Medicine has been working for several years in order to move out students and staff into other buildings on campus while construction is underway.

This donation is not without precedent, though. The Eccles family and the Eccles foundation have made numerous donations to the U.

“We’ve been working with the Eccles family for decades now with the Health Sciences field,” Wilets said.

When talking about what the foundation hopes this donation will accomplish, Lehtinen referenced and quoted the initial press release and more specifically a quote by  Spencer F. Eccles.

“We hope this seminal grant—the largest ever awarded by our foundations—will help ensure the university not only provides the highest quality medical education for the doctors who serve Utah and the entire Intermountain West, but also furthers the excellence of health care for all our citizens and impacts the future of medicine through its groundbreaking research,” Spencer F. Eccles said in a press release.

When considering why the foundation decided to donate 110 million to the school of medicine, Spencer F. Eccles said that it was always a theme of his at First Security National Bank to give 110% to whatever he was doing. He hopes that this gift will invest in students always willing to give 110% to whatever they do.

“It’s an investment in the future of our fellow citizens—particularly in the medical students today and those to follow—who will have opportunities to practice medicine in innovative ways never before imagined, committing themselves ‘110%’ to improving and saving lives,” Spencer F. Eccles said.

c.joost@dailyutahchronicle.com

@chandlerjoost

The post Eccles Foundations Donate $110 Million to U School of Medicine appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

The Goizueta Business School and the LGBTQ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights will collaborate to research and help address LGBTQ-related issues impacting people living in Southern states for the LGBTQ Institute/Emory Southern Survey 2021 cycle. This will be a second iteration of a similar survey conducted through a partnership between the LGBTQ Institute and Georgia State University in 2018. 

While the initial partnership will last five years, the parties can agree to renew their collaborative efforts for three year terms. 

The first two years of the collaboration will be focused on the survey, a participatory research initiative that will probe Southern LGBTQ people’s experieces in education and employment, criminal justice and safety and public health and well-being. The survey, which launches on June 30, will be sent to LGBTQ individuals living in 14 Southern states. 

The Goizueta Business School (left) and the LGBTQ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (right). Photos courtesy of Emory University and the LGBTQ Institute

Southern states receive the least funding for research on LGBTQ issues, cultivating a research gap where less is known about the experiences of LGBTQ people in the South compared to LGBTQ people in other regions, Giacomo Negro, Professor of Organization and Management at Goizueta Business School explained. The survey will expand awareness of the experiences of Southern LGBTQ people, particualrly as it relates to their experiences of discrimination and institutional support from employers. 

Negro, who serves as the partnership’s principal investigator, and Executive Director of the LGBTQ Institute Ryan Roemerman are co-directing the 2021 survey. They work alongside Associate Professor of Organization and Management Melissa Williams, Gabrielle Lopiano (21B), who recently defended her PhD dissertation in Organizations and Management, and LGBTQ Institute Fellow Ashlei Rabess.    

“The business school faculty are the academics responsible for the redesign of the survey … to make it more streamlined and more relevant in terms of the questions that we want to ask,” Negro said. “We will support the administration of the survey, but that outreach has been the responsibility of the Institute.” 

The 2018 survey’s findings held implications for fields like health care, education and employment. For example 33% of all respondents reported discrimination when trying to access health care services because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, with almost half choosing to avoid treatment. Transgender people were less likely to hold a full-time job but significantly more likely (15.4%) to report being treated unfairly in terms of hiring, compensation or promotion by an employers than their LGB peers (5.4%), the survey also found. 

Given the last survey’s conclusions, Negro said that the 2021 survey will have more specific questions about employment and the support that employees may receive from employee resource groups, as well as a COVID-19 section to understand how the pandemic affected survey participants.  

Using survey data, the partnership will analyze patterns across different life domains, like connecting economic stability with mental health indicators or prior experiences of discrimination with economic achievements.  

Ultimately, the partnership will produce “a series of reports, fact sheets, white papers and research briefs that provide evidence-based policy recommendations to address the needs and challenges LGBTQ people face in the South,” the memorandum of understanding states. The final products will be showcased in a public research symposium and press outreach. 

“This is an important step in becoming more involved and engaged with the LGBTQ population,” Negro said. “I see a broader value of knowing more about LGBTQ people in the South, and that’s something that is a little bit hard to do just based on census level data. The census does record basic information about cohabitating couples, and so same sex couples, but that’s pretty much all we know.”     

The post Goizueta Business School, LGBTQ Institute establish multi-year research partnership appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Alameda County 2020-21 grand jury issues recommendations

Aurdrey McNamara/Staff

On June 21, Alameda County’s 2021-22 grand jury issued its final report. The report aims to address allegations of misbehavior with the Peralta Community College Board of Trustees, racial inequities in police responses to victims’ needs and the need for accuracy and impartiality of ballot measure questions. 

The 2020-21 Alameda County grand jury issued its final report June 21, offering recommendations to three county organizations. 

The final report seeks to address allegations of misbehavior with the Peralta Community College Board of Trustees, racial inequities in police responses to victims’ needs and the need for accuracy and impartiality of ballot measure questions. 

“Those agencies are required by law to formally respond to the findings and recommendations within 90 days of the report publications,” said jury foreperson Susan Frost in an email. “Ultimately, the grand jury is acting on behalf of Alameda County residents to hold government agencies accountable, address problems and improve effectiveness.”

The jury members worked remotely to attend meetings and interview witnesses, according to a letter from Frost to Tara M. Desautels. The letter also said the grand jury members interviewed more than 100 witnesses, reviewed hundreds of documents and performed “countless” hours of research. 

Assistant District Attorney Rob Warren noted that the grand jury received eight formal complaints regarding the behavior of the Peralta Community College Board of Trustees, which serves more than 20,000 students each semester, including those at Berkeley City College. The complaints ranged from interfering with the authority of the chancellor to general incivility. 

After interviewing 19 witnesses, including current and former trustees, administraters, faculty and statewide experts in governance best practices, the grand jury determined the trustees had three violations. First, it interfered with the chancellor’s authority. Second, the trustees were harsh toward other trustees and administrators. Lastly, the board had held secret meetings in violation of the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting laws aimed to protect the sanctity of participatory governance in California.

In one particular case of incivility, the grand jury analyzed an email from one trustee stating, “Let them dare to try to take us over for this weak shit,” and “Let’s kill them tomorrow.” 

In January 2020, the UC Berkeley School of Law published a study titled “Living with Impunity: Unsolved Murders in Oakland and the Human Rights Impact on Victims’ Family Members.” The study found that the Oakland Police Department was “severely lacking” in policies critical to address crime victims, leading to racial inequities in compensating victims. 

The grand jury was motivated by the study and sought to understand the levels of racial disparity in OPD’s victim compensation, the report notes. The grand jury found that while state law mandates law enforcement agencies to have a crime liaison officer who provides support services to victims, OPD did not comply with the law until the grand jury raised the issue in January 2021. 

The grand jury also found that many victims of color, particularly Black victims, are denied compensation because of a “lack of cooperation with law enforcement.” The report found that Black applicants for compensation received 42.2% of all denials, whereas white applicants received 10.3%. 

In the report, the jurors said the subjective nature of cooperation increases the chances that racial biases will enter determinations. Furthermore, the jury found that determinations of cooperation are made solely by the police, often without victim input. 

Based on its findings, the jurors recommended that OPD immediately designate a crime liaison officer and work with the Victim-Witness Assistance Division to investigate racial inequities with victim compensation. 

The last issue the report offered recommendations for was the need for accurate and unbiased wordings for local ballot measures. 

“Every election year, Alameda County voters are faced with a plethora of measures on the ballot that can be confusing and difficult to understand,” Frost said in a letter to Desautels. “While describing a measure in 75 words or less on the ballot can be a challenge, providing unbiased and informative descriptions consistent with Elections Code are imperative.”

During its investigation, the grand jury analyzed six ballot measures, five from the 2020 elections and one from 2016. 

Many questions used favorable language that was irrelevant or unnecessary to describe the measure, the report noted. San Leandro’s Measure VV, passed in November 2020, said its increase of the real estate transfer tax would be used “supporting seniors … through COVID-19 economic recovery … (and) maintaining youth violence prevention programs.” 

However, none of those programs exist in the text of the actual ordinance itself, according to the report. 

The report also found that measures would use language that was relevant to the ordinance but was argumentative in nature. For instance, Hayward Measure OO begins with the phrase, “To create more opportunities for residents to volunteer, and to honor Hayward’s commitment to diversity,” before explaining what the measure would actually implement. 

Based on its findings, the grand jury recommended that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors should create an independent advisory committee to review local ballot questions according to a set of uniform standards and guidelines.

Christopher Ying is the lead crime and courts reporter. Contact him at cying@dailycal.org, and follow him on Twitter at @ChrisYingg.

The Daily Californian

A bobcat treks in a Houston wildlife range. | Courtesy of Ann Cheek

Through the work of UH biology professor Ann Cheek, nearly 200 students and multiple Houston-area organizations, Houston achieved partner city status with the Urban Wildlife Information Network on June 17.

Although this status opens up new opportunities for UH students through the “Hidden Life of Houston” project, Cheek has already spent the past year and a half engaging them in on-site work to track wild animals, ranging from squirrels to coyotes in the Houston area.

“My goal is to engage a diverse group of students in conservation research and to introduce students to career opportunities in conservation,” Cheek said. “ The aim of the project is to build professional scientific skills, specifically experimental design, oral communication and teamwork.”

Three of Cheek’s undergraduate courses have been involved in the “Hidden Life of Houston” project over the past year. Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, Biological Field Research and Honors Introductory Biology students helped to set up cameras, identify animals seen in photos and experiment to see if bait would increase the number of wild animal sightings.

Students worked in teams to figure out how to distance roads of different sizes, level of urbanization, human activity, season and many other factors are associated with how often mammals are spotted and the diversity of species. Ecology and Evolution Laboratory students hosted a symposium to present their results to conservation and public health professionals.

Ultimately, their work may be able to help city planners and wildlife agencies to better decide how to conserve wildlife diversity and minimize human-wildlife conflict.

Though the trips were optional due to COVID-19, psychology and Spanish sophomore Briana Azad began accompanying Cheek on fieldwork to different camera locations in fall 2020 as part of the Honors Introductory Biology course.

“I thought it was a wonderful opportunity for me to get first-hand experience at what the biologists at UH are up to,” Azad said. “I’m so glad I did because Dr. Cheek inspired me to develop my own research question and study biodiversity in the greater Houston area through the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Scholarship.”

Azad anticipates adding more camera locations to additional sites around Houston and believes Houston’s partner city status will push it towards greater national recognition for biodiversity levels since Houston overlaps many different ecosystems.

A collaborative process

Cheek first heard about UWIN through another biology professor at a professional conference on STEM teaching. She knew from experience during study abroad trips to the Galapagos that students tend to enjoy projects in which they can track wild animals that they identify through photos.

The road to becoming a partner city would take about 18 months for Houston, however, due to UWIN’s specific requirements concerning the survey line that interested cities have to set up. 

The UH Office of the Provost’s Multicultural Student Success Initiative provided funding to purchase cameras, SD cards and security boxes. Memorial Park Conservancy helped with contacting landowners to receive permission to set up cameras and with the actual setup process.

About 180 UH undergraduates, Memorial Park, Houston Arboretum, UH Main Campus, UH Coastal Center, Houston Parks and Recreation, Harris County Precinct 1, Pearland Parks, League City Parks and several cemeteries and golf courses were also involved.

The process culminated with permission obtained for the 25th site along the survey line last week. The official Houston UWIN group is composed of UH and Memorial Park Conservancy.

From now on students and faculty can request permission to use data from other UWIN cities to help with regional or continent-wide wildlife research, Cheek said.

UH students can look forward to hearing more about undergraduate or graduate student positions at other UWIN partners.

For her part, Cheek hopes to continue guiding her students in exploring factors that affect Houston’s wildlife diversity along the existing survey line, as well as along a new line to be set up between UH and northeast Houston.

“I saw the UWIN research project as a way to engage many more students in a large-scale project that allows students to generate and answer their own locally relevant questions and contribute to continent-scale understanding of urban wildlife distribution,” Cheek said.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH joins the Urban Wildlife Information Network” was originally posted on The Cougar

If there’s one value that the Republican party holds above nearly all others, it is the prospect of freedom. From lower taxes, to loosening speech restrictions, to ending mask mandates, Republicans withhold government intervention whenever possible. However, Utah’s Republican party does not apply those same freedoms to alcohol legislation.

On the first page of the Utah Republican Party’s official platform is the belief that “[government] must be restrained from intruding into the freedoms of its citizens.” The support of state-owned alcohol is completely contradictory. Utah Republicans consistently object to overreaching government and socialist programs, so a state-owned program such as the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) shouldn’t hold so much power. Yet, the Utah Republican party supports one of seven state-controlled liquor programs in the nation and allows a program that runs contrary to their values. They must work harder to enhance freedom.

Since I became voting age, I’ve been a registered Republican. Generally speaking, I believe the government sucks at most things, and it should go away whenever possible. This sentiment holds the same for most Utahns. Today, Republicans make up almost half of registered voters in Utah, more than three times the number of registered Democrats. Through the lens of demographics, this is no surprise. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dominates the political scene — more than 60% of the population is LDS, and 70% of those who identify as LDS lean Republican. Yet, programs like the DABC still exist, contradicting traditional Republican values.

Somewhat unpredictably, the justification for DABC’s existence is public safety. To gain insight on the Utah Republicans’ support for the state-run program, I had a conversation with Rep. Timothy Hawkes, a strong promoter of the DABC. When asked about the contradiction, Rep. Hawkes didn’t mention the dominant religion, as some might have expected, but instead discussed the protection of liberties of those who are not consuming alcohol. He said, “Whether it’s liver cirrhosis and I have to pay for your cirrhosis, or — I had a great grandfather who was killed by a drunk driver… on the streets of Salt Lake City. You know, that’s what we’re trying to mitigate. It’s not so much somebody drinking alone in the corner that we worry about.”

DABC’s goal, according to Rep. Hawkes, is to “interfere with the free market.” By disrupting the public’s access to alcoholic products, the social consequences can be mitigated. That’s a fair argument and an important one at that. More than 50 people are killed in Utah per year from alcohol-related traffic incidents, and while that number has consistently gone down, it’s still too high.

However, this restricts the options law-abiding citizens have to drink in their homes when they want to. Want to have a glass of wine for Thanksgiving dinner? Sorry, the liquor store is closed. Looking to have a fun late night in with friends?  Better be quick — most liquor stores close at either 7 p.m. or 10 p.m. Strong restrictions also apply to businesses in Utah. Bars cannot stay open past 1 a.m., and there are various nitpicky restrictions on serving alcohol. Maximizing safety is vital, don’t get me wrong. But maximizing the freedom of those who want to make their own decisions on alcohol consumption cannot be ignored.

DABC’s existence seems like a net benefit for Utah, as alcohol-related driving deaths have trended downward for around 40 years. However, there must be ways to achieve that same benefit while allowing for expanded liberty. I prodded Rep. Hawkes about this by asking if the same benefits could be achieved through enhanced education, harsher DUI sentences, or expanded night police presence. He said that while Republican lawmakers are “open to all of those kinds of things,” it would be difficult to test these potential solutions because there could be serious safety repercussions if they don’t work.

The catch is that alternate solutions have been proven effective. High-visibility enforcement greatly reduces DUI incidents. Also, in Texas, harsher DWI penalties have led to the fewest DWI fatalities per 100,000 people per year. While I understand the difficulty of trying new solutions in an established system, settling for a safety solution that restricts freedom is unacceptable. Utah Republicans should research alternative safety-ensuring methods. They are turning a blind eye to their foundational values and sending their constituents mixed signals.

If Utah Republicans are serious about giving their voters freedom, they must move away from the DABC. The program has shown to be fairly effective on the safety front, but at a cost that cannot be easily overlooked. The stated goal is to promote limited government and individual responsibility, so let’s see it. Stop settling for less-than-perfect solutions because while this may seem like a trivial issue, it reveals how actions often stray from values.

jackson.brown@dailyutahchronicle.com

@JacksonsTakes

The post Brown: Utah’s Liquor Laws Contradict Republican Values appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

Most college students have learned about World War II and the atrocities committed by Germany throughout: the concentration camps, the death camps, the torture and the censorship.

The Book Thief tells the story of the Hubermann family, Liesel, and her parents, Hans, and Rosa. None of them believed any of the propaganda from the Nazi party, even as they participated in Hitler salutes, sent their foster daughter to Hitler Youth, and even fought for the Germans in World War II.

Meanwhile, they are hiding a Jew in their basement and letting Liesel own and read a book that she had stolen from the pile of rubble after a book burning.

“I also hope that readers of any age will see another side of Nazi Germany, where people did hide their Jewish friends to save their lives (at risk of their own). I wanted them to see people who were unwilling to fly the Nazi flag, and boys and girls who thought that Hitler Youth was boring and ridiculous,” said Mark Zusak, the author of The Book Thief.

The story starts with Liesel on a train with her mother and brother on their way to Molching where Rosa and Hans will take care of Liesel and her brother.

Only Liesel’s brother dies on the train.

They bury him in snow at one of their next stops. After the funeral, Liesel steals her first book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook, which was left by a teenager who helped bury her brother.

She doesn’t get to read the book until Hans finds it in her sheets after she wets her bed one night. From then on, Hans reads her a chapter every night after she wakes up from a nightmare and they circle words she doesn’t know so she can practice. And so begins her love of words and books. Soon, she is stealing books from Nazi book burnings and the mayor’s wife’s library. Then, she reads them to her father and the Jew in her basement.

Readers who are interested in historical fiction or World War II should read this book because Zusak accomplished his goal of showing a side of World War II and Nazi Germany that isn’t often portrayed.

Colorado residents between the ages of 18 and 20 will soon find it difficult to come by a medical recommendation for cannabis. Gov. Jared Polis officially signed HB21-1317 into law on Thursday, which entails several restrictions on both medical and retail cannabis. This includes a daily limit on the amount of cannabis concentrate any single […]

Nine Gorillas earned All-MIAA honors this year.  

Dawson Pomery, infielder and junior in recreation service, sport and hospitality management, earned first-team All-MIAA honors.  

Mason Hartman, infielder and junior in construction management, and Aaron Gerdes, outfielder and sophomore in finance, were named to the third-team All-MIAA squad.  

David Henderson, pitcher and recent graduate, and Ryan Koval, outfielder and freshman in criminal justice, garnered second-team All-MIAA accolades.  

Additionally, Cruz Aranda, infielder and junior in construction management, Peyton Ingalls, pitcher and junior in recreation service, sport and hospitality management, Garrett McGowan,  first baseman and junior in communication, Justin Root, pitcher and junior in architectural manufacturing management, all received honorable mention All-MIAA recognition.  

“It was definitely a good feeling,” Koval said. “There’s a lot of talent this week so to get recognized for that— it was obviously a goal I had at the beginning of the year. So, it was rewarding.”  

Henderson recently graduated with a business administration degree.  

“I mean it feels good but to be honest I didn’t really perform as well as I would have liked to,” Henderson said. “I mean it’s cool but getting second-team gives me something even more to strive for next year.”  

The Gorillas sweeped a series against the Missouri Southern State University Lions earlier in the season. The first two games of the series were played on Saturday, Apr. 24 and the Gorillas won both games, which was one of Koval’s favorite moments from this past season.  

“Without a doubt (it) was the two games that we had walk-off wins against Missouri Southern,” Koval said. “…Both of those games were really fun and exciting and I don’t think anything is going to beat that this year.” 

One of Henderson’s favorite moments came earlier in the season.  

“…I’d say our first sweep of the year was one of my favorite moments..,” Henderson said. “That was kind of a turning point for our team and got us headed in the right direction.”  

In the first round of the MIAA tournament, the Gorillas battled the Washburn Ichabods in a home series at Al Ortolani Field. The Gorillas lost the first game on Friday, May 14 (3-5) but came back on Saturday, May 15 to take game two (8-5). The Gorillas won the series on Sunday, May 15 by winning the third game (9-7) and secured their advancement in the MIAA tournament.  

The MIAA Championship was held in Joplin at the Warren Turner Field.  

The Gorillas played Central Missouri on Thursday, May 20 but couldn’t pull out a win (5-9). Pitt State went on to play Rogers State on Friday, May 21, whom the Gorillas beat (7-6), then defeated Central Oklahoma later that day (2-1).  

Pittsburg State reached the championship game of the MIAA Tournament for the second time in program history. It was the Gorillas first appearance in the MIAA tournament since claiming the 1999 MIAA Championship.  

The Gorillas battled Central Missouri for the MIAA title on Saturday, May 22. The Gorillas lost (2-11), ending the 2021 season with a 30-16 overall record, 21-12 in MIAA play.  

On June 6, our neighbors to the north witnessed a horrific terrorist attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario, that ended the lives of four people and nearly killed three generations in one family. The only survivor was a 9-year-old boy. According to the London Police, there is evidence suggesting that the attack was premeditated, driven by Islamophobia, or a prejudice against Islam and Muslims. The family, including two parents, two children and a grandmother, were out on a walk when they were struck by a man driving a pickup truck while waiting at an intersection.

Their names were Salman Afzaal, Madiha Afzaal, Talat Afzaal and Yumna Afzaal.

What was their crime? They were guilty of being Muslims in the eyes of the terrorist that killed them. This jarring massacre sent a wave of shock to the Muslim community, one which left it questioning its safety and the safety of its children once again. It is not easy to fall off the radar following terror attacks on Muslims, when Muslims are easily recognizable in a crowd from the way they dress.

Muslim women in particular are like snow in winter: impossible to miss. They stand out wherever they are because of their religious attire — the hijab or the headscarf they wear, to be exact. The media successfully turned this symbol of religious devotion into a symbol of oppression and a threat to Western nations.

Being a Muslim woman of color myself, it is disappointing to see people obsessed with their “white savior complex” want to free me from myself and thinking that I need rescue. The problem with this savior mentality is that it correlates the hijab with a lack of agency over our bodies and that those who wear the hijab are oppressed, undermining what the hijab represents for a Muslim woman. It is similar to believing that the more conservatively one dresses, the less freedom one has. This association between nakedness and freedom is problematic. When I am cornered into taking off what makes me who I am, my First Amendment right is being violated and I am being disrespected as an American Muslim woman.

Hijab means different things to different women, but the common denominator is wearing the hijab out of love for God and following his commandments. It shows our religious devotion, but unfortunately is not seen as such. In contrast, nuns wearing the habit are seen as devotees but Muslim women wearing the hijab are seen as oppressed. American researcher Dalia Mogahed’s experience echoes that of many Muslim women. Mogahed was approached by a woman in a public bathroom and was told that she was now “in America” and that she didn’t need to wear “that thing” on her head. The act of assumption is what divides us. Having respectful conversations about our values and beliefs is what will bring us together as a community.

What saddens me is that, as an adult, I know how to respond to such matters. But when our younger siblings and children go to school wearing hijab, they come back home filled with questions they were asked. “Why are you wearing that? Do you have hair? Do you sleep with that? Do you shower with that? Can I touch it? Did your parents make you wear that?” And on and on. In some extreme cases that I was personally told, children’s hijabs were pulled off of them. They come home internalizing that horrible experience as if it is their fault they look different from their peers. We must teach our children that their differences are empowering and unique, not demeaning or dehumanizing.

If schools do their part in paying attention to diversity in their classrooms, we will have a community that loves each other and respects difference, not conformity. Kids will learn from one another and get curious about each other as they appreciate their differences through cultural explorations in classrooms.

We don’t need saving from anyone. We have the freedom to practice our religion while engaging in our civic duties like any other American citizen.

The Board of Regents has appointed Georgia Southern alumna Teresa MacCartney as interim Chancellor of the University System of Georgia (USG) to begin her interim term on the first of next month.

The current and retiring Chancellor Steve Wrigley is retiring after a career as a public servant of 36 years including overseeing the everyday running of several of USG’s departments.

According to the news release from the USG, MacCartney’s interim appointment was made on the basis of her extensive experience and abilities.

“As a member of the university system’s senior leadership team and a veteran public servant, she will keep a steady hand on USG’s progress as the Board finds the next chancellor of one of the top university systems in the nation.” said Board of Regents Chairman Sachin Shailendra.

Not only has Teresa MacCartney held several impressive titles in her public service career but she is also a double eagle from GS with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in Public Administration. 

The ongoing search for the 14th Chancellor with the help of the executive search firm WittKieffer has been ongoing since retiring Chancellor Wrigley announced his retirement.