Juana Garcia/The Cougar

Recently the Texas Legislature has been pushing a new bill censoring Texas schools and educators from talking about racism, sexism and other current news events. 

This bill is HB 3979. This bill comes into effect for the 2021-22 school year regarding the concepts of critical race theory in Texas education. It originally pushed for teachers to discuss race and current events in their classes. 

However, after hours of debate about how Texas educators can instruct children about the United States’ history of subjugating people of color, the Senate advanced a new version of a controversial bill aimed at banning critical race theory in public and open-enrollment charter schools across the state, much to Democrats’ chagrin.

The bill states no teacher shall be compelled by a policy of any state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter school or school administration to discuss current events or widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy or social affairs.

A school district will not be able to make its teachers talk about current events or controversial issues. Students shouldn’t see history as unrelated dates that have no bearing on the present.

Our history impacts our current issues, so history teachers should have to teach on their relation. But under this bill, teachers cannot be compelled and a student in one history class may get a less enriching education than a student in a different class. 

Unfortunately, this attempt to avoid discussing controversial issues like racism is not new.

Many states, especially in the south, have heavily restricted curricula, making school curriculums Anglo and Eurocentric.

It’s sad to see Texas regressing backward when it comes to public education. It is important to educate younger students on the dangers of systemic and intergenerational racism as it is the only way to move forward. 

Republicans didn’t decide to change the bill with people of color or education in mind. They simply wish to further their idea that America doesn’t need to recognize its faults.

This bill, if signed, will prevent schools from discussing the ways that systems in America uphold racism. This is erasing history and encouraging more students to grow up in ignorance. 

Saira Haque is an anthropology junior who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Texas schools shouldn’t be censored from talking about racism” was originally posted on The Cougar

The University of Utah basketball team picked up some more size on Friday with the addition of Dusan Mahorcic, a 6-foot-10, 240 pound center who previously played for Illinois State University. Mahorcic announced his decision on Twitter.

PAC 12 I am coming @utahbaseball @UtahMBB @UUtah pic.twitter.com/w6bYk4023L

— Dusan Mahorcic (@DMahorcic) June 4, 2021

Utah needed some more depth at the center position, and they got it here in Mahorcic. He joins juniors Branden Carlson and Lahat Thioune as the centers on the roster. 

Mahorcic played last season at Illinois State, after spending his first collegiate season at Lewis and his second at Moberly Area Community College. He has moved up in the college basketball world each season of his career, and now joins the Pac-12 and Utah. 

Mahorcic is a traditional big man who is a menace on the glass. He averaged 7.2 rebounds last year, 2.7 of those being offensive. He scored 9.9 points per game on 59.1% shooting and only attempted one three pointer all season, which he made. 

Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Mahorcic will have two seasons to play for the Utes due to the NCAA freezing the eligibility clock for all winter athletes last year. 

Mahorcic’s final three schools were Utah, Texas and Clemson, with Craig Smith winning him over and bringing him to Salt Lake City. Smith is putting the final touches on the roster for this season, with only one scholarship spot remaining after the additions of Mahorcic today and Both Gach yesterday. Mahorcic is the seventh transfer for Utah this offseason, joining Gach, David Jenkins Jr., Marco Anthony, Rollie Worster, Bostyn Holt, and Gabe Madsen.

Mahorcic figures to have a sizable role on this year’s team. Carlson will likely be the starting center, and only time will tell if Thioune’s minutes will be more consistent this season under a new coach. Regardless, there is room for Mahorcic to get consistent minutes under Smith, and he has a chance to make the most of his opportunity at his fourth school in as many years.

e.pearce@dailyutahchronicle.com

@e_pearce_

@splashcitynba

The post Runnin’ Utes Grab Depth at Center in Dusan Mahorcic appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

This week, Terrier Hockey Talk closes out its 2020-21 campaign. The Boston Hockey Blog discusses BU hockey players who made the IIHF Team USA roster, updates on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the journalistic choices of the Toronto Star. Click here to stream this episode of “Terrier Hockey Talk” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your streaming platform of your choice. This episode was edited by Veronica Thompson. Music: RetroFuture Clean Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Atlanta Hawks grab a rebound during Game 3 of the their first round NBA Playoffs series against the New York Knicks. In the prior game in New York, Hawks superstar Trae Young was spit at by a Knicks fan. (Jessica Solomon/Managing Editor)

As I sat with 15,000 other fans in State Farm Arena for Game 3 of the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks first round playoff series, I struggled to remember the last live sporting event I attended. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a friend on one side and a stranger on the other while unable to hear the referee blow his whistle, the surreal feeling of live competition came flooding back. Thousands of people in one arena was unmatched after a long period of avoiding crowds. 

While I was thrilled to be back, I was soon reminded of one aspect of the game I did not miss as much: drunk, belligerent fans. I attended the game with a friend who flew down from New York because it was far less expensive — including round trip airfare — to watch in Atlanta as opposed to in Madison Square Garden. In respect for my friend who is a huge Knicks fan, I supported the Knicks alongside him. As a Washington Wizards fanatic, I did not have a ton of stake in the game aside from the eagerness to return to in-person sporting events. 

Albeit, I thought I was prepared for what may come our way, with my friend proudly repping an R.J. Barrett Knicks jersey in a sea of red Atlanta Hawks jerseys. However, my fears were soon met as the game became increasingly competitive. Hawks fans around us naturally targeted my friend, yelling certain slander, waving hands in our faces and not leaving us alone. Given the nature of the game, I would unfortunately expect nothing else. In fact, I felt lucky that those actions were the worst of it. 

In the NBA playoffs thus far, there have been at least three incidents of inappropriate fan behavior, all of which occurred on May 26 and drew national attention. A Philadelphia 76ers fan threw popcorn on the Wizards’ Russell Westbrook. The same night, a Knicks fan spit on the Hawks infamous superstar Trae Young. Adding onto this vulgar trend were three Utah Jazz fans who made racist remarks to the parents of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant. 

While all of these individuals were banned indefinitely from those respective arenas, I was appalled that this was the extent of their punishment. The NBA should undoubtedly ban these fans from any NBA sponsored events in the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if those people take the opportunity to attend other nearby arenas where their teams may play in the future and continue their out-of-line behavior. In only banning from one stadium, these franchises are permitting these individuals to continue this behavior in other settings. 

Now are vulgar fans going to stop me from attending in-person sporting events in the future? Absolutely not. I longed for the thrill of a long three-pointer and the elegance of a dunk right before my eyes. Yet, as we continue to return to a sense of normalcy, there needs to be a sense of control. Fans may be eager to emerge from this period and return to the thrilling world of sports, but a lack of respect has and will continue to dampen this atmosphere if these events continue to regularly occur.

The post Fans’ Lack of Control in the Return to In-Person Sporting Events appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Oxford College will welcome around 75 to 100 more students than anticipated in the fall, according to an email sent to all returning sophomores on June 1. (Sarah Davis)

Oxford College will welcome around 75 to 100 more students than usual with the incoming class of 2025, Dean Douglas Hicks announced on June 1. To accommodate this “super-sized” student body, Oxford has created a multi-faceted plan that includes offering additional courses and housing communities.

“Oxford College has experienced a remarkably strong yield of incoming first-year students, and it looks like we will have an abundance of diverse, talented Oxford students in the fall,” Hicks wrote in the email announcement. 

To allow for the addition of new courses and more sections of existing courses, Oxford will hire additional professors and staff members for the fall semester. Hicks said the school hopes to avoid raising the caps on classes beyond typical exceptions so that “the small-class signature of Oxford is maintained.”

Oxford plans to add modular housing units on campus to house the additional students. These structures will create 86 single rooms that come with a sink and a bathroom shared with one other student. 

Each unit will have a large common space and a Residence Life Coordinator that lives in the community. The rooms may include amenities, such as microfridges, smart TVs and “special events” for community members. 

Returning sophomores will have priority for choosing new rooms. Incoming first-year students requesting singles will also possibly be considered for the new housing units. 

Oxford dining is also set to broaden their food offerings starting in the fall, Hicks wrote. The Oxford Dining Hall, Jackson Family Kitchen and Oxpresso will all expand their menus for the incoming class and returning sophomores. Students can expect more information on the updated menus in August. 

The email also announced that the Humanities Hall renovation project is still set to be completed by the end of the summer. The project, which broke ground in fall 2020, is part of Oxford’s Campus Master Plan, which was created in 1988 and updated in 2006. Past projects have included the restoration of Seney Hall and the conversion of the quad to brick pathways in 2012, the building of the Oxford Library in 2013 and the building of the Oxford Science Building in 2016. The Humanities Hall will feature a film screening room and a film production classroom. 

The post Oxford to Add Additional Courses, Housing to Support Larger Incoming Class appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Colorado State University’s Confucius Institute will close its doors and end operations at the end of June. Confucius Institutes are learning centers for Chinese culture and language that are partially supported by the Chinese government. These institutes are located all over the globe and are typically associated with learning institutions, most commonly colleges.   Under the […]

UC Berkeley details plans for in-person graduation for class of 2020

David McAllister/Staff

Until June 11, UC Berkeley’s class of 2020 is able to provide input about an in-person graduation ceremony in a survey. The three potential options on the survey include a procession, celebration or a combined ceremony and procession.

With public health regulations continuing to loosen as the state prepares to reopen, UC Berkeley’s class of 2020 may have the opportunity for an in-person graduation ceremony.

Graduates will be able to choose from a few options for the ceremony and provide input in a survey until June 11, according to an email from Chancellor Carol Christ sent Thursday to the class of 2020.

The survey includes three tentative options, public health guidelines permitting: a procession held Aug. 29, a celebration scheduled for Oct. 3 and a combined ceremony and procession held either April 2 or May 14 in 2022.

“Many of you expressed sadness that the Class of 2021 had the opportunity to process in person and thought we had forgotten you,” the email reads. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

During the proposed procession in the first option, students will be able to walk across the stage and receive symbolic diplomas. In the second option, students will take part in a celebration on campus with “no formal or traditional commencement elements,” according to the email.

For the final option, which can be held on one of the two proposed dates, students will participate in a ceremony with speeches, entertainment and the conferring of degrees along with a traditional procession.

In addition, the survey asks students which features of a graduation ceremony, such as playing music, hearing photos and crossing the stage, are most important to them.

Check back for updates.

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

The Daily Californian

Championships — that’s what we play sports for. And what comes with championships? Legacy. The legacy of Michael Jordan is embedded in his six titles and the legacy of LeBron James will always be locked with Cleveland winning its first NBA championship. While playoff stats and great regular season performances cannot be ignored, the legacy of players and franchises in the NBA is tied inherently to winning titles.

Here are the five current players who are the most in need of winning an NBA championship, in no particular order.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Antetokounmpo has been one of the top five players in the NBA for the past four years. He’s won the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year awards over the past three years and has cemented himself as a top-five player in the NBA.

However, because of his inability to develop a jump shot, some critics believe he cannot win an NBA title as a number one option for a team. Milwaukee has surrounded him with a lot of good talent. Jrue Holiday has been fantastic thus far in the playoffs, as has Khris Middleton. If the Bucks were to win an NBA title, Antetokounmpo would truly establish himself as a locked-in, no doubt top-three NBA player of the past five years, and he would enter the Steph Curry echelon of NBA superstar.

Chris Paul

Paul will likely end up in the basketball Hall of Fame regardless, but if he were ever to take the Suns to the Finals and win it all, he would be a lock to enter the hall.

Paul has been one of the most consistent players in the NBA for his entire career but has always struggled or picked up injuries in the playoffs. If he can stay healthy and contribute this year, and the Suns take the title he will most certainly be locked in as a Hall of Fame player.

James Harden

In Houston, Harden established himself as statistically one of the best offensive players of all time. However, he has struggled mightily in the playoffs. It seems that when the focus shifts to him in the postseason he is largely shut down and taken away as a threat. But this year he has a good chance to win it all.

For the first time in his career since his development in Oklahoma City, Harden is not the best player on his team. He now has the help of two other elite NBA scorers in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. One could make an argument both those players could use another NBA title to improve their resumes as well but Harden has yet to win a title and needs it the most for his legacy; whereas Kyrie needs to win one to prove he can do it without LeBron (although, if he does, the critics will inevitably say, “Well, he won it with KD”) and Durant needs the title to say that he won as the leader of a team. Those are both trivial arguments, but Harden legitimately needs this title the most to legitimize his place in the history of the NBA as a top-five offensive player of all time.

Damian Lillard

Lillard is the face of being loyal to a small market, but one wonders how much longer he will hang around if the Trail Blazers can’t make a deep playoff run this year. Lillard has delivered some of the most unbelievable moments in recent playoff history over the past few years, but the Blazers have always fallen short after the first round. If Portland don’t make a deep run this year you start to wonder at what point Lillard will want out of Portland as he is now just entering his prime.

Donovan Mitchell

An emerging young star, Mitchell seems to lack the respect of his peers around the NBA. For example, look at the fact that Mitchell was picked last in the All-Star Game draft. He has something to prove, as do the Jazz, and a title would widely change the perception of both in the eyes of the national media.

e.jensen@dailyutahchronicle.com

@EricJensenSport

The post NBA Legacy Check: The Five Players That Need an NBA Title the Most appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

British contemporary artist Rebecca Warren’s 2007 sculpture ‘Large Concretised Monument to the Twentieth Century’ is the newest addition to the University’s public art collection. The 6-foot-tall bronze sculpture was installed May 14 across from Friedman Hall on the Main Green and will be on loan to the University until 2026. 

After a lengthy deliberation process, Brown’s Public Art Working Group and the Subcommittee on Public Art decided on the installation of Warren’s sculpture. The group sees the sculpture as a provocative piece that complements the two other installations on the Main Green: Henry Moore’s ‘Reclining Figure No. 2 — Bridge Prop’ and Giuseppe Penone’s ‘Idee di Pietra.’  

Dietrich Neumann, a professor of the history of art and architecture and the chair of the Public Art Working Group, told The Herald that in selecting new artwork, the committee searches for installations that veer from the cliched and banal, “bronze men sitting on benches” type of art typically found around shopping malls. 

Instead, the Public Art Working Group seeks pieces that come with “enough depth of intention that they provoke discussions and (allow) for different interpretations that can be negotiated,” he said.

In that regard, Warren’s sculpture, a vaguely humanoid figure consisting of bulbous, overwrought features that reference comic strip artist R. Crumb’s exaggerated caricatures of the female form, is a suitable choice. 

Neumann particularly notes the sculpture’s striking irreverence and its reflective challenges toward recognizing, identifying and responding to gender and the human body. Without the usual smooth, gleaming finish, the uneven texture of the artwork’s clay-like surface reveals the process of how bronze sculptures come about, first through buckets of clay sculpted into a shape then used to make a cast for the liquid bronze, he said. The half-formed body, with the distortion of certain features on a female figure, prods the question of the male gaze. 

The ‘Large Concretised Monument to the Twentieth Century’ also continues the University’s vigorous debate of what we put on pedestals in public space, Neumann said. From questioning the historical implications of the Caesar Augustus statue to the urging of more minority representation among local and prominent artists, Brown students have shown a surprisingly extensive interest in the artwork displayed in their day-to-day lives.

“Maybe at first, students can be really indignant about how terrible it looks, and maybe they realize that there’s something more to it than what meets the eye,” Neumann said. Upon the sculpture’s implementation, responses on social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook have ranged from scathing critique to hilarious interpretations of what Warren presented. 

Many students called for the return of the recently removed ‘Untitled (Lamp/Bear),’ more commonly referred to as Blueno, vocalizing their preference for the bright blue bear. 

Others voiced confusion, with one student musing that the sculpture looked more like a fusion of a snail, chicken leg and boots. Several questioned how the sculpture physically portrayed any of the concepts said to be challenged by Warren, while others commented on its unconventionality. 

“When I first saw the sculpture, I definitely didn’t like it,” Jonna Batten ’23 said, “but when I took a closer look I realized it has a lot of interesting shapes and textures that gives it its own life and character. I think it definitely fits with the other installations on campus, which are all pretty unique and eccentric.” 

“I personally like Blueno more than the new sculpture only because I prefer concrete figurative art more than abstract art,” Jasmin Lin ’24 wrote in a message to The Herald. “In terms of the messages that (Warren) wants to convey, this sculpture fits with the campus very well in its alignment with Brown’s freedom in creativity and advocacy for gender equity.” 

While student response has been ambivalent at best, Neumann pointed out that Blueno’s installation five years ago was not well-liked. It might likewise require much discussion and contemplation for students to warm up to the newest addition to Brown’s public art collection. “Some students obviously will not like it,” he said, but “others might come around once they see the depth of thought that went into it.” 

For upcoming installations in the fall, the Public Art Working Group has been working with several artists of color and indigenous artists, including art work from Edward Mitchell Bannister and contemporary artist Njaimeh Njie.

West Side Joe & The Men of Soul are a three piece blues band formed in Fort Collins with a musical style influenced by jazz, gospel, blues and early rock ‘n’ roll. Their first full length album, “Keep On Climbin,’” was released on May 7. The 12 track LP encompasses a variety of sounds with […]