There have been climbing rates of animal extinction in North Carolina including on campus at UNC. An increase in temperature is becoming dangerous for invasive species with North Carolina’s climate warming by a whole degree over the past 120 years. With North Carolina being above the 1.5 Celsius threshold, this could lead to species loss, rising sea levels, and severe weather events. Jadon Wellum, a UNC junior, is particularly interested in this issue and sees how his campus has been impacted by Wisteria which is an invasive species. There is a lower level of biodiversity across the state and an email statement to this college newspaper emphasized the importance of plant life on campus contributing to its sustainability. New innovative technologies are combating climate change, made possible by UNC’s staff and students. UNC has been conducting work with stormwater management and other innovative projects that show value to reintroducing plant life to North Carolina. The fraternity that Jadon Wellum is president of has been focusing their attention on volunteering and providing services for students to enhance sustainability across campus.
The Student Success Committee held a meeting on Jan. 16th to discuss different ways students can succeed at UNC. Some relevant topics discussed were improving systems and collaborating with others. Also touched upon, was the idea of increasing satisfaction from students with their academics and developing strategies to increase graduation rates. Improved teaching and practice will help develop a better student life cycle communication strategy, and incentivizing pedagogical research is another way student-centered education will be improved. Pedagogical research is the understanding of how learning takes place and being able to understand it allows faculty to emphasize its importance. This will improve the experience of students at UNC, which goes beyond the classroom per the director of credit programs, Jennifer Larson. Alongside incentivizing pedagogical research, the committee proposed a solution with leveraging pre-existing software across campus for uniformity. There will be an extensive review of the current technology in place and what policies lead to student success with their focuses being on gaps, redundancies, and opportunity for collaboration.
For my first article, I chose one about minor behavior infractions. The article explains recording behavioral problems of two separate Halls— Hitchcock and Wheeler. Hitchcock’s disturbances involved hygiene and improper waste disposal, while Wheeler’s were mostly about noise complaints. Although the turnout for disciplinary meetings was high due to the $100 penalty fee for missing it, students and custodial staff alike are doubtful on how effective they will be.
For my second article, I chose to pick a more serious topic. Due to the border restrictions caused by the Israeli-Palestinian war in Gaza, Omar Rashid, who had been hoping to graduate Dartmouth in 2029– may be unable to join his classmates. In response, they started a petition advocating for expediting his visa process as well as stressing humanitarian aid towards their schoolmate. The petition has now amassed 33,400 signatures and major non-Dartmouth-affiliated citizens, though Rashid’s academic future is still in the air.
Cal women’s swim dominates UCLA on Senior Day, setting tone for postseason
Jan 21, 2025
This article covers the Cal women’s swim team celebrating their senior meet with a victory against UCL, which is No. 24 in their conference. It is appealing to me that the writer of the article took the time out of the day to research something as simple as the ranking of the other sports team. It shows me how invested the writer is in creating content that is informal and shows their school in a positive light. Another thing that stuck out to me in this article is the quotes used. The quotes taken from the team’s coach states “Leah is kind of a Swiss army knife of sorts”. This is a great quote to use to show the readers how proud the coach is of his swimmers. The article does not only touch upon one swimmer but multiple stating things such as who was a transfer student and who was a freshman. Again, showing how much the writer did their research about what they were covering. The article ends with the date of their next and final meet.
Love what you do
Jan 24, 2025
For my next article I wanted to touch on one of their opinion pieces. In my mind these are the articles that tend to set chroncicles apart from others. It shows that the journalists of the school care about the art of journalism to cover topics that aren’t considered “real news”. This article opens with a personal story of a student that was criticized on a layover for what they have chosen as a major. She speaks about how she wanted to defend her English major because it supported her passions and her future career path, but did not due to her standards or respect. Her origins are in Africa and many from there believe that you should pursue a career in medicine, engineering, or law and anything other than that is an invitation to get made fun of. The writer highlights that the true excitement and thrill of truly loving what you do is unmatched and few people get to live that way. This was a story that was empowering and will make people feel like they can achieve anything in life as long as they love and are truly passionate about what they are doing.
‘Know your rights’: Students advocate for reproductive care into Trump administration
Recently, the Stanford Women in Politics group (SWIP) hosted an event titled “Know Your Reproductive Realities Under Trump”. This event was partnered with the Sexual Health Peer Resource Center (SHPRC). A law lecturer at Stanford and Climenko Fellow at Harvard named Gemma Donofrio spoke at the event. It was a discussion for young women who will be affected by the changes in reproductive care. Some topics discussed were Trump’s reversal of Title IX education, ban taxpayer funding for gender reassignment surgery, and more. The members of SWIP had a call to action for Stanford University saying the school should have more support and reduce stigma of women’s health. The President of SWIP named Isha Kalia said that Stanford should be a“little more proactive, rather than reactive”. The group suggests Stanford should use some of their resources to help get reproductive rights for everyone. This event was to encourage change within their school community and provide information to those who will be affected by changes to reproductive care.
Chronically Online: ‘Day in the Life’ influencers democratize the Stanford experience
A common social media trend is to post “A Day in My Life” video. Influencers film their daily routine including their meals, classes, trips to the gym, and more. There are plenty of these influencers at Stanford who share what their typical day looks like. Some use it as motivational videos to encourage people or simply just to be entertaining. Another popular type of video is “Get Ready with Me” where people film their getting ready process. Each video in this category all feature Stanford in the title. For example, “Get ready with me as a Stanford student” or “Day in my life as a student at Stanford”. Student Mia Lee posts these types of videos and receives millions of views on each video. She even has a total of 2.8 million followers between all platforms. Other influences use Youtube to post their journey as a student there. Janelle Olisea makes these videos as a form of a time capsule to document her college experience. These videos are so popular that fans will come up to them all over to say hello. This form of content involves lots of work with filming, editing, and voiceovers. Despite the work, this has become a trend that has spread over college campuses all over.
On January 27th, the Deputy News Editor Katie wrote an article on Vanderbilts $42 million dollar NASA supported satellite mission that is dedicated to the study of ice cloud formation. There are many different aspects that go into this such as: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have been gathering materials for this project while another team, Blue Canyon Technology, builds the two spacecrafts necessary for their estimated launch that is predicted to happen in 2027. The entire point of this mission began to help scientists and humanity gain a better understanding of Earth’s dynamic atmosphere.
On January 25th, a Staff Writer Salma wrote about VUMC (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) and how their heart transplant program had surpassed 2,000 procedures which set a world record. VUMC had performed a record breaking number of 174 adult and pediatric heart transplants in just this past year.
‘It was LMU’s community that got this done’: Students celebrate 2025 Commencement returning to the Bluff | News | laloyolan.com
In years past, the LMU graduation commencement ceremony used to take place in the BMO stadium, not on the actual Loyola campus. Due to this many students were upset and even considered not walking because it wasn’t worth it to make the journey to BMO and graduate somewhere that wasn’t their own campus. However, recently two seniors planning on graduating in the spring started a petition to move the commencement ceremony back to campus on the Sunken Gardens where the ceremony used to be held. The ceremony had been moved to BMO to accommodate the growing attendance for these events; however, the petition was met with enthusiasm and over 1,800 people signed to get the ceremony moved to the gardens, also known as the Bluff. To the joy of many the school listened and relocated the graduation back on campus which has sparked cheers among the students. Now LMU celebrates the power of its community and their ability to join together to see a change.
LMU students support Los Angeles community following devastating wildfires | News | laloyolan.com
Following the recent wildfires in LA Loyola University students have felt compelled to help their community members that have suffered due to the natural disaster. Three major projects were started with the help of the university for relief efforts. The Brothers of Consciousness, a black male leadership group on campus, organized products that were deemed essentials such as paper towels, clothes, feminine products, and water into relief bags that were distributed to survivors of the fires. A student named Sadie Scheiter spent her Christmas break collecting donations for an animal wellness center that was offering free examinations of animals that were rescued from the fires and began volunteering herself at the wellness center. Finally, another student named Karenina Osuna organized a comedy show with different highlighted standup comedians. Tickets were sold at $10 a piece, and all proceeds went to families that suffered loss during the disaster. All through the student’s good deeds the university has also announced an emergency fund to aid faculty and staff members that were affected with financial support.
No. 12 BC Gets Back on Track With 2-1 OT Win Over Providence https://www.bcheights.com/2025/01/26/boston-college-defeats-providence-2-1-in-overtime-win/
Boston College is known for its competitive sports and close rivalries with surrounding colleges. Often it’s the men’s teams that are highlighted which is why I decided to look at the women’s hockey team. This drew my attention because oftentimes women’s sports are not highlighted. As these sports continue to grow in popularity, hopefully, the coverage continues to evolve with the sport as well. Boston College is currently ranked number 12 in the league and although they have been going through a rough patch they have remained in the top 15. They started off the season with an eight-game winning streak but have struggled since. When they originally faced off against Providence College they unfortunately lost 4-1. This made the rematch against them this last week even more important. Luckily they got their revenge with a thrilling overtime win. This wouldn’t have been possible without Grace Campbell’s 38 saves to keep the team in the game. Having these close games creates the buzzing atmosphere that everyone strives for not only when they participate in sports, but also as a fan. It also draws attention to the team itself, especially after their original loss to Providence in their previous match-up. The more attention the team receives the bigger the following will be. Since this is a division one college, they don’t struggle with student engagement as much as smaller schools do. Unfortunately, women’s sports don’t get the same attention and recognition even at these large schools. As they continue to perform well, the more coverage they will receive. After this thriller, they will have to rest up as they will face Boston University on Friday which will be an important game because of the infamous BC vs. BU rivalry!
Slow Down, BC! https://www.bcheights.com/2025/01/28/slow-down-bc/
After looking at the sports section I decided to look at an opinion piece. At first glance, I wasn’t sure where this article was going. At first, they highlighted the time they got into a car accident. The song playing when they swerved was “Crash” by The Primitives, which he described as fitting for the circumstances he found himself in. It then took a turn that explained things he wished he had done in his time at Boston College as a second-semester senior. I found this interesting because it reflects on the little things students often take for granted. As a sophomore, it highlighted how fast time passes especially at school. He also highlighted “The more we focus on the things we need to check off, the more we probably should.t do them.” This quote stuck with me because sometimes we get so caught up in what’s going on around us, that we miss out on the bigger picture. Something that may be significant today or a big deal today may not even mean anything tomorrow. I feel it’s important to read an article like this while you still have time. I’m glad I saw this now as a sophomore because I still have time to appreciate the little things about college. It also shows a shift in perspectives. The small incidents we see as something negative today are so small that we will look back on them as positive when we graduate. Overall this opinion piece helped shift my perspective and highlight how important your attitude is towards certain situations.
https://vtcynic.com/culture/arts/reviews/posthumous-sustenance-balloonerism/
Covered in this article is an in depth leap into Mac Millers second posthumous album “Balloonerism” In this article Kendall Evans a student at UVM delves into the ins and outs of the meaning and significance of this album. The album comes seven years after his death and exactly five years after his first posthumous album. Evans speaks about how taken back she was at times from some of Miller’s lyrics, he often spoke of death, and considering this album was finished in 2014, she and others felt the power of his words after his tragic passing. https://vtcynic.com/uncategorized/mens-basketball-gets-away-from-njit/
This article is a coverage of the University of Vermont’s Mens basketball against New Jersey Institute of technology. The article has an overview of the game, including when teams went on runs, how many points were scored in each run and how those points came. Weather that were a three point shot, or a two hand tomahawk slam, the article covered all in detail. The highlight of the article comes from UVM’s Ileri Ayo-Faleye, who had a career high 27 points leading them to victory on February 1st.
Teddy Bear Hospital USA at ASU is making healthcare enjoyable for kids
Arizona States student organization starts up a “Teddy Bear Hospital” with the goal of helping kids be less scared of going to the doctors. They let kids come in and pretend to be a doctor or nurse then do medical procedures on Teddy bears. They are also taught about anatomy by the Teddy bear Hospital staff. The fun and innocent spin on going to the doctors was brought in by ASU senior Reagan Campbell. Campbell is a senior nursing student who recognized the potential impact this program has; “Our ultimate goal, obviously, is to go into schools and put on our little Teddy Bear Hospital”. This creative approach to health education is a promising step in making the doctors less scary to children. With the student organization staff like Campbell providing hands on education about anatomy and medical procedures. Kids at the Teddy Bear Hospital are in good hands.
Insight Gallery: How ASU football made history this season
The Sundevils football team went on a historic run in the 2024 football season. Fans have watched in disappointment for many years as the program has struggled as a whole; “Over the years, I’ve witnessed changes to the campus, university and stadium — but not much success on the field”. However this season was a complete energy shift at Arizona State. In their first year in the BIG-12 conference they came out on top. Winning the conference championship, along with a berth into the College Football Playoffs. Lead by future 2025 NFL draft pick running back Cam Skattebo, ASU football put themselves on the map this year; “This season has been full of unforgettable moments”. Although the playoffs did not end in a victory, the Sundevils have a lot to be proud of. With even more to be excited for in the future.
In September of 2024, Penn State made an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor to settle allegations of gender pay discrimination. The university agreed to pay $703,742 in back wages and interest to 65 female employees who were paid less than their male counterparts for similar roles. The agreement emerged following an audit by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The audit began in August of 2021 and investigated employment practices at the University Park campus. The legality for the case lies in Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.
After the 2023-2024 season Penn State Football had various players enter the transfer portal. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, a wide receiver, transferred to Auburn for the 2024-2025 season. He finished the season ranked fourth in the SEC with a career-high of 981 receiving yards on 50 receptions to go along with eight touchdowns. Jordan van den Berg, a defensive lineman, transferred to Georgia Tech. He found success at GT recording 14 solo tackles and 1 sack. Dante Cephas, another wide receiver, transferred to Kansas State but found less success as a Wildcat than he did as a Nittany Lion. Lastly, London Montgomery, a true freshman running back, transferred to East Carolina. In his first season there he ran for 359 yards and 2 touchdowns.
For my first article, I chose one about minor behavior infractions. The article explains recording behavioral problems of two separate Halls— Hitchcock and Wheeler. Hitchcock’s disturbances involved hygiene and improper waste disposal, while Wheeler’s were mostly about noise complaints. Although the turnout for disciplinary meetings was high due to the $100 penalty fee for missing it, students and custodial staff alike are doubtful on how effective they will be.
For my second article, I chose to pick a more serious topic. Due to the border restrictions caused by the Israeli-Palestinian war in Gaza, Omar Rashid, who had been hoping to graduate Dartmouth in 2029– may be unable to join his classmates. In response, they started a petition advocating for expediting his visa process as well as stressing humanitarian aid towards their schoolmate. The petition has now amassed 33,400 signatures and major non-Dartmouth-affiliated citizens, though Rashid’s academic future is still in the air.
The article covered what journalist were feeling and recognizing as potential (more likely to happen) under the Trump administration. These issue mostly were centered scare tactics that have been used thus far. Which are firing people who were meant to spot potential corruption and misconduct, taking away security from people who have been threatened by international entities and others for being disloyal or not siding with him, and encouraging people to reporting their coworkers about being affiliated with “‘secret [diversity, equity and inclusion] programs.’” They say that he is trying to stop the shame of desicion to make it easier for him to get away with things.
Another aspect of the article was talking about what this does to journalism. This panel went through the past few elections and how they have changed over the times (referring to the coverage and how the public reacted to the media coverage). This is contributed to the media “getting it wrong” and covering things that are not necessarily relevant to the voters and views. Over all, this was an article about how and what people may come to expect from journalist to think about in the future.
This article covers an exchange student journey to Duke University. This particular student is from Berlin, Germany, Lisa Maria Stirbu was excited but nervous as well. It was a lovely article talking and discussing the different emotions that young adults have about leaving home and going to college. An aspect that I found interesting how it felt connecting countless people who have no idea they are connected. Moving from your home to college is something that is terrifying but exciting as well. The things you my forget or the things that you do not even think about when going somewhere new. This article encapsulates that feeling in the best way possible.
The article Opening doors to STEM for students of color nationwide discusses topics of welcoming people of color and women into the science industry.
NYU graduate student Jaycee Holmes is the co-founder of CodeHouse which is a nonprofit that gives opportunities to students of color to have access to STEM careers through networking opportunities and over $1.9 million in academic scholarships. In Holmes ‘ final year at NYU she spent two months in Saudi Arabia and worked at Princess Nora University. There she developed the university’s first maker space. When asked about the impact CodeHouse has had on students she said “We have so many ambitious students — students with great ideas, but need help to understand how to actually execute on those ideas. And so the more help that we get, the more nonprofits that are out there doing this work, and the more support that faculty get, the more we can empower these students to achieve their dreams. When I do see a student that has really wanted something — for example, they were aspiring for an internship, had been working on a project or there was a concept in a class that was super hard for them — and I finally see them get that internship, or finally finish that project, or finally understand that concept, I can see that confidence that is now built within them. It is so rewarding, and it constantly is a reminder to me that I’m exactly where I need to be, and I’m doing the work that I should be doing.”
The article “NYU Langone outlines climate change initiatives in 2024 report:” talks about how the medical center is trying to cut its building-based carbon emissions in half by next year.
The article states that the medical center wants to reduce at least 50% of building based carbon emission for priorities in NYC. There was a 40% reduction by the end of 2024. This year’s report was said to be the first to include a section on “Climate & Health” which addresses the healthcare industry’s role in contributing to carbon emissions and the impact of climate change on certain areas. This semester, NYU has launched several initiatives toward its goal of meeting carbon neutrality by 2040, one way is they have included a plant-based dining hall options.
In the article, “The Problem with Pat McAfee”, Avery Nelson dives deep into why he believes Pat McAfee is more of an entertainer rather than a journalist. The talk show host has a resume of his own, having a long career in the NFL as a punter for the and transitioning to talk show hosts for shows on ESPN, and even a commentator for WWE. Though he has quite the big resume in Nelson’s words, “…McAfee the journalist sums up everything wrong with sports journalism today (Pg1 Par1).”
Throughout the writing Nelson explains ESPN has began to fire more journalists due to a decline in views and revenue, mainly due to the rise in social media. When all of this was happening the network decided to create a new show in hopes to change things around, “The Pat McAfee Show”. Not only that, McAfee ended up signing a huge deal with ESPN for 85 million dollars. With a deal like that comes sacrifice, ESPN laid off twenty of their workers. Some including big name stars that have been on television for many years.
Though Avery can be biased throughout the article, he has a few valid points. Due to the numbers going down ESPN decided to take a risk and sign big names like Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Cam Newton, and lose the workers who have been loyal to the network. Though they have made those risks, guys like McAfee are the big names that keep ESPN going. He has produced the second highest numbers on the network behind First Take. Is McAfee really bad at being a journalist, or is Avery still out with the new and still with the old?
Leaders of Higher Education Raise Alarm at Penn Senate Colloquium:
The colloquium discussed a number of obstacles facing higher education and issues like DEI attacks, and putting pressure on academic freedom. The Daily Pennsylvanian article, “University Leaders Discussed Time of Peril for Higher Education at Penn Faculty Senate Colloquium,” reports on a faculty senate colloquium that was held January 30th. This was the first of a three part series focusing on the future of American universities. Some speakers included Irene Mulvey ( Former President of the American Association of University Professors), Michael Roth (President of Wesleyan University), and John Sexton (President Emeritus of New York University). These speakers highlighted several key issues. First they pointed out the lack of faith in institutions. The distrust is impacting free speech and on campus debate. They then went on to talk about the attacks on DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) initiatives. The speakers emphasized the importance of defending higher education against attacks on DEI initiatives, particularly among criticism from political figures. The concept of a “gag order” was discussed, by Mulvey, in the context of limiting speech in higher education. Another issue they highlighted was academic freedom vs. donor pressure. The colloquium addressed the tension between academic freedom and pressure from trustees (often major donors to the university) who may push back on donating if the university doesn’t see eye to eye with their views. They further highlighted the danger of authoritarianism (a form of a governmental power trip, often involving suppression of dissent and individual rights). Roth described universities as being “on the front lines of a war in civil society,” warning against the dangers of institutions silencing the lack of agreement to avoid controversy. The next two colloquiums are scheduled to be on February 26 and then again on April 9.
16 thoughts on “BLOG-PROJ-WEEK 1”
https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2025/01/university-seasonal-plant-care
There have been climbing rates of animal extinction in North Carolina including on campus at UNC. An increase in temperature is becoming dangerous for invasive species with North Carolina’s climate warming by a whole degree over the past 120 years. With North Carolina being above the 1.5 Celsius threshold, this could lead to species loss, rising sea levels, and severe weather events. Jadon Wellum, a UNC junior, is particularly interested in this issue and sees how his campus has been impacted by Wisteria which is an invasive species. There is a lower level of biodiversity across the state and an email statement to this college newspaper emphasized the importance of plant life on campus contributing to its sustainability. New innovative technologies are combating climate change, made possible by UNC’s staff and students. UNC has been conducting work with stormwater management and other innovative projects that show value to reintroducing plant life to North Carolina. The fraternity that Jadon Wellum is president of has been focusing their attention on volunteering and providing services for students to enhance sustainability across campus.
https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2025/01/university-student-success-committee
The Student Success Committee held a meeting on Jan. 16th to discuss different ways students can succeed at UNC. Some relevant topics discussed were improving systems and collaborating with others. Also touched upon, was the idea of increasing satisfaction from students with their academics and developing strategies to increase graduation rates. Improved teaching and practice will help develop a better student life cycle communication strategy, and incentivizing pedagogical research is another way student-centered education will be improved. Pedagogical research is the understanding of how learning takes place and being able to understand it allows faculty to emphasize its importance. This will improve the experience of students at UNC, which goes beyond the classroom per the director of credit programs, Jennifer Larson. Alongside incentivizing pedagogical research, the committee proposed a solution with leveraging pre-existing software across campus for uniformity. There will be an extensive review of the current technology in place and what policies lead to student success with their focuses being on gaps, redundancies, and opportunity for collaboration.
Community standards violations result in multiple residence hall meetings – The Dartmouth
https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2025/01/community-standards-violations-result-in-multiple-residence-hall-meetings
For my first article, I chose one about minor behavior infractions. The article explains recording behavioral problems of two separate Halls— Hitchcock and Wheeler. Hitchcock’s disturbances involved hygiene and improper waste disposal, while Wheeler’s were mostly about noise complaints. Although the turnout for disciplinary meetings was high due to the $100 penalty fee for missing it, students and custodial staff alike are doubtful on how effective they will be.
More than 33,400 individuals sign petition in support of incoming freshman trapped in Gaza – The Dartmouth
https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2025/01/more-than-33400-individuals-sign-petition-in-support-of-incoming-freshman-trapped-in-gaza
For my second article, I chose to pick a more serious topic. Due to the border restrictions caused by the Israeli-Palestinian war in Gaza, Omar Rashid, who had been hoping to graduate Dartmouth in 2029– may be unable to join his classmates. In response, they started a petition advocating for expediting his visa process as well as stressing humanitarian aid towards their schoolmate. The petition has now amassed 33,400 signatures and major non-Dartmouth-affiliated citizens, though Rashid’s academic future is still in the air.
Cal women’s swim dominates UCLA on Senior Day, setting tone for postseason
Jan 21, 2025
This article covers the Cal women’s swim team celebrating their senior meet with a victory against UCL, which is No. 24 in their conference. It is appealing to me that the writer of the article took the time out of the day to research something as simple as the ranking of the other sports team. It shows me how invested the writer is in creating content that is informal and shows their school in a positive light. Another thing that stuck out to me in this article is the quotes used. The quotes taken from the team’s coach states “Leah is kind of a Swiss army knife of sorts”. This is a great quote to use to show the readers how proud the coach is of his swimmers. The article does not only touch upon one swimmer but multiple stating things such as who was a transfer student and who was a freshman. Again, showing how much the writer did their research about what they were covering. The article ends with the date of their next and final meet.
Love what you do
Jan 24, 2025
For my next article I wanted to touch on one of their opinion pieces. In my mind these are the articles that tend to set chroncicles apart from others. It shows that the journalists of the school care about the art of journalism to cover topics that aren’t considered “real news”. This article opens with a personal story of a student that was criticized on a layover for what they have chosen as a major. She speaks about how she wanted to defend her English major because it supported her passions and her future career path, but did not due to her standards or respect. Her origins are in Africa and many from there believe that you should pursue a career in medicine, engineering, or law and anything other than that is an invitation to get made fun of. The writer highlights that the true excitement and thrill of truly loving what you do is unmatched and few people get to live that way. This was a story that was empowering and will make people feel like they can achieve anything in life as long as they love and are truly passionate about what they are doing.
https://stanforddaily.com/2025/01/21/reproductive-care-trump-shprc-swip/
‘Know your rights’: Students advocate for reproductive care into Trump administration
Recently, the Stanford Women in Politics group (SWIP) hosted an event titled “Know Your Reproductive Realities Under Trump”. This event was partnered with the Sexual Health Peer Resource Center (SHPRC). A law lecturer at Stanford and Climenko Fellow at Harvard named Gemma Donofrio spoke at the event. It was a discussion for young women who will be affected by the changes in reproductive care. Some topics discussed were Trump’s reversal of Title IX education, ban taxpayer funding for gender reassignment surgery, and more. The members of SWIP had a call to action for Stanford University saying the school should have more support and reduce stigma of women’s health. The President of SWIP named Isha Kalia said that Stanford should be a“little more proactive, rather than reactive”. The group suggests Stanford should use some of their resources to help get reproductive rights for everyone. This event was to encourage change within their school community and provide information to those who will be affected by changes to reproductive care.
https://stanforddaily.com/2025/01/20/day-in-the-life-influencers/
Chronically Online: ‘Day in the Life’ influencers democratize the Stanford experience
A common social media trend is to post “A Day in My Life” video. Influencers film their daily routine including their meals, classes, trips to the gym, and more. There are plenty of these influencers at Stanford who share what their typical day looks like. Some use it as motivational videos to encourage people or simply just to be entertaining. Another popular type of video is “Get Ready with Me” where people film their getting ready process. Each video in this category all feature Stanford in the title. For example, “Get ready with me as a Stanford student” or “Day in my life as a student at Stanford”. Student Mia Lee posts these types of videos and receives millions of views on each video. She even has a total of 2.8 million followers between all platforms. Other influences use Youtube to post their journey as a student there. Janelle Olisea makes these videos as a form of a time capsule to document her college experience. These videos are so popular that fans will come up to them all over to say hello. This form of content involves lots of work with filming, editing, and voiceovers. Despite the work, this has become a trend that has spread over college campuses all over.
https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/01/27/vanderbilt-led-nasa-satellite-mission-enters-implementation-phase/
On January 27th, the Deputy News Editor Katie wrote an article on Vanderbilts $42 million dollar NASA supported satellite mission that is dedicated to the study of ice cloud formation. There are many different aspects that go into this such as: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have been gathering materials for this project while another team, Blue Canyon Technology, builds the two spacecrafts necessary for their estimated launch that is predicted to happen in 2027. The entire point of this mission began to help scientists and humanity gain a better understanding of Earth’s dynamic atmosphere.
https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/01/25/vumc-heart-transplant-program-surpasses-2000-procedures-sets-world-record/
On January 25th, a Staff Writer Salma wrote about VUMC (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) and how their heart transplant program had surpassed 2,000 procedures which set a world record. VUMC had performed a record breaking number of 174 adult and pediatric heart transplants in just this past year.
‘It was LMU’s community that got this done’: Students celebrate 2025 Commencement returning to the Bluff | News | laloyolan.com
In years past, the LMU graduation commencement ceremony used to take place in the BMO stadium, not on the actual Loyola campus. Due to this many students were upset and even considered not walking because it wasn’t worth it to make the journey to BMO and graduate somewhere that wasn’t their own campus. However, recently two seniors planning on graduating in the spring started a petition to move the commencement ceremony back to campus on the Sunken Gardens where the ceremony used to be held. The ceremony had been moved to BMO to accommodate the growing attendance for these events; however, the petition was met with enthusiasm and over 1,800 people signed to get the ceremony moved to the gardens, also known as the Bluff. To the joy of many the school listened and relocated the graduation back on campus which has sparked cheers among the students. Now LMU celebrates the power of its community and their ability to join together to see a change.
LMU students support Los Angeles community following devastating wildfires | News | laloyolan.com
Following the recent wildfires in LA Loyola University students have felt compelled to help their community members that have suffered due to the natural disaster. Three major projects were started with the help of the university for relief efforts. The Brothers of Consciousness, a black male leadership group on campus, organized products that were deemed essentials such as paper towels, clothes, feminine products, and water into relief bags that were distributed to survivors of the fires. A student named Sadie Scheiter spent her Christmas break collecting donations for an animal wellness center that was offering free examinations of animals that were rescued from the fires and began volunteering herself at the wellness center. Finally, another student named Karenina Osuna organized a comedy show with different highlighted standup comedians. Tickets were sold at $10 a piece, and all proceeds went to families that suffered loss during the disaster. All through the student’s good deeds the university has also announced an emergency fund to aid faculty and staff members that were affected with financial support.
No. 12 BC Gets Back on Track With 2-1 OT Win Over Providence https://www.bcheights.com/2025/01/26/boston-college-defeats-providence-2-1-in-overtime-win/
Boston College is known for its competitive sports and close rivalries with surrounding colleges. Often it’s the men’s teams that are highlighted which is why I decided to look at the women’s hockey team. This drew my attention because oftentimes women’s sports are not highlighted. As these sports continue to grow in popularity, hopefully, the coverage continues to evolve with the sport as well. Boston College is currently ranked number 12 in the league and although they have been going through a rough patch they have remained in the top 15. They started off the season with an eight-game winning streak but have struggled since. When they originally faced off against Providence College they unfortunately lost 4-1. This made the rematch against them this last week even more important. Luckily they got their revenge with a thrilling overtime win. This wouldn’t have been possible without Grace Campbell’s 38 saves to keep the team in the game. Having these close games creates the buzzing atmosphere that everyone strives for not only when they participate in sports, but also as a fan. It also draws attention to the team itself, especially after their original loss to Providence in their previous match-up. The more attention the team receives the bigger the following will be. Since this is a division one college, they don’t struggle with student engagement as much as smaller schools do. Unfortunately, women’s sports don’t get the same attention and recognition even at these large schools. As they continue to perform well, the more coverage they will receive. After this thriller, they will have to rest up as they will face Boston University on Friday which will be an important game because of the infamous BC vs. BU rivalry!
Slow Down, BC!
https://www.bcheights.com/2025/01/28/slow-down-bc/
After looking at the sports section I decided to look at an opinion piece. At first glance, I wasn’t sure where this article was going. At first, they highlighted the time they got into a car accident. The song playing when they swerved was “Crash” by The Primitives, which he described as fitting for the circumstances he found himself in. It then took a turn that explained things he wished he had done in his time at Boston College as a second-semester senior. I found this interesting because it reflects on the little things students often take for granted. As a sophomore, it highlighted how fast time passes especially at school. He also highlighted “The more we focus on the things we need to check off, the more we probably should.t do them.” This quote stuck with me because sometimes we get so caught up in what’s going on around us, that we miss out on the bigger picture. Something that may be significant today or a big deal today may not even mean anything tomorrow. I feel it’s important to read an article like this while you still have time. I’m glad I saw this now as a sophomore because I still have time to appreciate the little things about college. It also shows a shift in perspectives. The small incidents we see as something negative today are so small that we will look back on them as positive when we graduate. Overall this opinion piece helped shift my perspective and highlight how important your attitude is towards certain situations.
https://vtcynic.com/culture/arts/reviews/posthumous-sustenance-balloonerism/
Covered in this article is an in depth leap into Mac Millers second posthumous album “Balloonerism” In this article Kendall Evans a student at UVM delves into the ins and outs of the meaning and significance of this album. The album comes seven years after his death and exactly five years after his first posthumous album. Evans speaks about how taken back she was at times from some of Miller’s lyrics, he often spoke of death, and considering this album was finished in 2014, she and others felt the power of his words after his tragic passing.
https://vtcynic.com/uncategorized/mens-basketball-gets-away-from-njit/
This article is a coverage of the University of Vermont’s Mens basketball against New Jersey Institute of technology. The article has an overview of the game, including when teams went on runs, how many points were scored in each run and how those points came. Weather that were a three point shot, or a two hand tomahawk slam, the article covered all in detail. The highlight of the article comes from UVM’s Ileri Ayo-Faleye, who had a career high 27 points leading them to victory on February 1st.
https://www.statepress.com/article/2024/11/teddy-bear-hospital-at-asu
Teddy Bear Hospital USA at ASU is making healthcare enjoyable for kids
Arizona States student organization starts up a “Teddy Bear Hospital” with the goal of helping kids be less scared of going to the doctors. They let kids come in and pretend to be a doctor or nurse then do medical procedures on Teddy bears. They are also taught about anatomy by the Teddy bear Hospital staff. The fun and innocent spin on going to the doctors was brought in by ASU senior Reagan Campbell. Campbell is a senior nursing student who recognized the potential impact this program has; “Our ultimate goal, obviously, is to go into schools and put on our little Teddy Bear Hospital”. This creative approach to health education is a promising step in making the doctors less scary to children. With the student organization staff like Campbell providing hands on education about anatomy and medical procedures. Kids at the Teddy Bear Hospital are in good hands.
https://www.statepress.com/article/2025/01/photo-insight-peach-bowl-677863ca707bb
Insight Gallery: How ASU football made history this season
The Sundevils football team went on a historic run in the 2024 football season. Fans have watched in disappointment for many years as the program has struggled as a whole; “Over the years, I’ve witnessed changes to the campus, university and stadium — but not much success on the field”. However this season was a complete energy shift at Arizona State. In their first year in the BIG-12 conference they came out on top. Winning the conference championship, along with a berth into the College Football Playoffs. Lead by future 2025 NFL draft pick running back Cam Skattebo, ASU football put themselves on the map this year; “This season has been full of unforgettable moments”. Although the playoffs did not end in a victory, the Sundevils have a lot to be proud of. With even more to be excited for in the future.
https://www.psucollegian.com/features/features_investigation/penn-state-aims-to-address-alleged-gender-pay-disparities-discrimination-following-settlement/article_2fb8f6b6-df62-11ef-a645-43fede9457db.html
In September of 2024, Penn State made an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor to settle allegations of gender pay discrimination. The university agreed to pay $703,742 in back wages and interest to 65 female employees who were paid less than their male counterparts for similar roles. The agreement emerged following an audit by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The audit began in August of 2021 and investigated employment practices at the University Park campus. The legality for the case lies in Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.
https://www.psucollegian.com/football/how-penn-state-transfers-performed-at-new-schools-in-2024-25-season/article_f80686f8-df74-11ef-a98c-9b239280f8d1.html
After the 2023-2024 season Penn State Football had various players enter the transfer portal. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, a wide receiver, transferred to Auburn for the 2024-2025 season. He finished the season ranked fourth in the SEC with a career-high of 981 receiving yards on 50 receptions to go along with eight touchdowns. Jordan van den Berg, a defensive lineman, transferred to Georgia Tech. He found success at GT recording 14 solo tackles and 1 sack. Dante Cephas, another wide receiver, transferred to Kansas State but found less success as a Wildcat than he did as a Nittany Lion. Lastly, London Montgomery, a true freshman running back, transferred to East Carolina. In his first season there he ran for 359 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Community standards violations result in multiple residence hall meetings – The Dartmouth
https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2025/01/community-standards-violations-result-in-multiple-residence-hall-meetings
For my first article, I chose one about minor behavior infractions. The article explains recording behavioral problems of two separate Halls— Hitchcock and Wheeler. Hitchcock’s disturbances involved hygiene and improper waste disposal, while Wheeler’s were mostly about noise complaints. Although the turnout for disciplinary meetings was high due to the $100 penalty fee for missing it, students and custodial staff alike are doubtful on how effective they will be.
More than 33,400 individuals sign petition in support of incoming freshman trapped in Gaza – The Dartmouth
https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2025/01/more-than-33400-individuals-sign-petition-in-support-of-incoming-freshman-trapped-in-gaza
For my second article, I chose to pick a more serious topic. Due to the border restrictions caused by the Israeli-Palestinian war in Gaza, Omar Rashid, who had been hoping to graduate Dartmouth in 2029– may be unable to join his classmates. In response, they started a petition advocating for expediting his visa process as well as stressing humanitarian aid towards their schoolmate. The petition has now amassed 33,400 signatures and major non-Dartmouth-affiliated citizens, though Rashid’s academic future is still in the air.
Article 1 – ‘Crisis in journalism’: Leading journalists discuss second Trump term, changing media landscape at 2025 Zeidman Colloquium – https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/01/duke-university-2025-zeidman-colloquium-on-politics-and-the-press-second-trump-administration-changing-political-media-landscape-maggie-haberman-david-folkenflik-charlotte-alter
The article covered what journalist were feeling and recognizing as potential (more likely to happen) under the Trump administration. These issue mostly were centered scare tactics that have been used thus far. Which are firing people who were meant to spot potential corruption and misconduct, taking away security from people who have been threatened by international entities and others for being disloyal or not siding with him, and encouraging people to reporting their coworkers about being affiliated with “‘secret [diversity, equity and inclusion] programs.’” They say that he is trying to stop the shame of desicion to make it easier for him to get away with things.
Another aspect of the article was talking about what this does to journalism. This panel went through the past few elections and how they have changed over the times (referring to the coverage and how the public reacted to the media coverage). This is contributed to the media “getting it wrong” and covering things that are not necessarily relevant to the voters and views. Over all, this was an article about how and what people may come to expect from journalist to think about in the future.
Article 2 – From Berlin to Duke: A tale for the uncertain at heart – https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/01/from-berlin-to-duke
This article covers an exchange student journey to Duke University. This particular student is from Berlin, Germany, Lisa Maria Stirbu was excited but nervous as well. It was a lovely article talking and discussing the different emotions that young adults have about leaving home and going to college. An aspect that I found interesting how it felt connecting countless people who have no idea they are connected. Moving from your home to college is something that is terrifying but exciting as well. The things you my forget or the things that you do not even think about when going somewhere new. This article encapsulates that feeling in the best way possible.
https://nyunews.com/news/2024/12/05/beyond-jaycee-holmes/
The article Opening doors to STEM for students of color nationwide discusses topics of welcoming people of color and women into the science industry.
NYU graduate student Jaycee Holmes is the co-founder of CodeHouse which is a nonprofit that gives opportunities to students of color to have access to STEM careers through networking opportunities and over $1.9 million in academic scholarships. In Holmes ‘ final year at NYU she spent two months in Saudi Arabia and worked at Princess Nora University. There she developed the university’s first maker space. When asked about the impact CodeHouse has had on students she said “We have so many ambitious students — students with great ideas, but need help to understand how to actually execute on those ideas. And so the more help that we get, the more nonprofits that are out there doing this work, and the more support that faculty get, the more we can empower these students to achieve their dreams. When I do see a student that has really wanted something — for example, they were aspiring for an internship, had been working on a project or there was a concept in a class that was super hard for them — and I finally see them get that internship, or finally finish that project, or finally understand that concept, I can see that confidence that is now built within them. It is so rewarding, and it constantly is a reminder to me that I’m exactly where I need to be, and I’m doing the work that I should be doing.”
The article “NYU Langone outlines climate change initiatives in 2024 report:” talks about how the medical center is trying to cut its building-based carbon emissions in half by next year.
The article states that the medical center wants to reduce at least 50% of building based carbon emission for priorities in NYC. There was a 40% reduction by the end of 2024. This year’s report was said to be the first to include a section on “Climate & Health” which addresses the healthcare industry’s role in contributing to carbon emissions and the impact of climate change on certain areas. This semester, NYU has launched several initiatives toward its goal of meeting carbon neutrality by 2040, one way is they have included a plant-based dining hall options.
https://www.michigandaily.com/opinion/the-problem-with-pat-mcafee/
In the article, “The Problem with Pat McAfee”, Avery Nelson dives deep into why he believes Pat McAfee is more of an entertainer rather than a journalist. The talk show host has a resume of his own, having a long career in the NFL as a punter for the and transitioning to talk show hosts for shows on ESPN, and even a commentator for WWE. Though he has quite the big resume in Nelson’s words, “…McAfee the journalist sums up everything wrong with sports journalism today (Pg1 Par1).”
Throughout the writing Nelson explains ESPN has began to fire more journalists due to a decline in views and revenue, mainly due to the rise in social media. When all of this was happening the network decided to create a new show in hopes to change things around, “The Pat McAfee Show”. Not only that, McAfee ended up signing a huge deal with ESPN for 85 million dollars. With a deal like that comes sacrifice, ESPN laid off twenty of their workers. Some including big name stars that have been on television for many years.
Though Avery can be biased throughout the article, he has a few valid points. Due to the numbers going down ESPN decided to take a risk and sign big names like Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Cam Newton, and lose the workers who have been loyal to the network. Though they have made those risks, guys like McAfee are the big names that keep ESPN going. He has produced the second highest numbers on the network behind First Take. Is McAfee really bad at being a journalist, or is Avery still out with the new and still with the old?
https://cstickney.uneportfolio.org/blog-proj/
Leaders of Higher Education Raise Alarm at Penn Senate Colloquium:
The colloquium discussed a number of obstacles facing higher education and issues like DEI attacks, and putting pressure on academic freedom. The Daily Pennsylvanian article, “University Leaders Discussed Time of Peril for Higher Education at Penn Faculty Senate Colloquium,” reports on a faculty senate colloquium that was held January 30th. This was the first of a three part series focusing on the future of American universities. Some speakers included Irene Mulvey ( Former President of the American Association of University Professors), Michael Roth (President of Wesleyan University), and John Sexton (President Emeritus of New York University). These speakers highlighted several key issues. First they pointed out the lack of faith in institutions. The distrust is impacting free speech and on campus debate. They then went on to talk about the attacks on DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) initiatives. The speakers emphasized the importance of defending higher education against attacks on DEI initiatives, particularly among criticism from political figures. The concept of a “gag order” was discussed, by Mulvey, in the context of limiting speech in higher education. Another issue they highlighted was academic freedom vs. donor pressure. The colloquium addressed the tension between academic freedom and pressure from trustees (often major donors to the university) who may push back on donating if the university doesn’t see eye to eye with their views. They further highlighted the danger of authoritarianism (a form of a governmental power trip, often involving suppression of dissent and individual rights). Roth described universities as being “on the front lines of a war in civil society,” warning against the dangers of institutions silencing the lack of agreement to avoid controversy. The next two colloquiums are scheduled to be on February 26 and then again on April 9.