SOCS Preview
The Students of Culture Symposium, previously known as the Students of Color Symposium, has undergone a name change in response to feedback from alumni and current students to foster a sense of belonging for everyone.
“We understand that everyone at UM comes from different backgrounds and has unique experiences that ultimately lead us,” Executive Co-Chair of SOCS Sidra Alktaish said in a video posted on UM’s Office of Multicultural Student Affairs Instagram.
This year’s theme is “The Story of We: Echoes of Yesterday, Voices of Today,” which strives to explore the power of community through shared oral histories to connect the past to the present. SOCS is an annual initiative run by the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and a robust student committee.
Students should look forward to participating in dialogue about culture and social issues through interaction workshops, thought-provoking discussions and collaborative activities. The event will take place on March 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Shalala Student Center Grand Ballroom. Students and faculty should register for SOCS on MSA’s Engage.
University presidents appointed at FAU and FIU
The Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to appoint Adam Hasner, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, as the university’s eighth president. On Feb. 7, FAU students gathered around Boca Raton’s Student Union to protest Hasner’s presidential forum before he was officially announced as president on Feb. 10.
The protest was organized by the student-run organization College Democrats at FAU. During the demonstration, students expressed their concerns about Hasner, being a Republican politician, bringing politics into his job if elected president.
Similarly, protests erupted on Florida International University’s campus following the appointment of Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez as interim president. With Governor Ron De Santis’ support, Nuñez’s hire was approved 11-1 by FIU’s Board of Trustees. Students and faculty protested outside the Graham Center as the outgoing President, Dr. Kennet Jessell, received a standing ovation at his final Board of Trustees meeting. Despite the backlash, Jessell expressed confidence in the two-time FIU alumna.
Stonewall Protests in NYC
The National Park Service’s website for the Stonewall Monument in New York City removed the words “transgender” and “queer” from its website on Feb. 13, as well as shortening the term “LGBTQ+” to “LGB.” need to add how it was done in the middle of the night?
Hundreds of demonstrators took to the nearby city streets on Feb. 14 in response to the changes. The Stonewall Inn, which sits in the heart of Greenwich Village, has long stood as a monument to the contemporary LGBTQ rights movement. Protesters were up at the erasure of Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender woman who was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising. According to The New York Times, “The rebellion at Stonewall would not have happened without trans people. To attempt to erase their existence is utterly shameful,” Erik Bottcher, the city councilman who represents Greenwich Village, said.
The words were removed to comply with President Trump’s January 20 executive order titled, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, stated, “Erasing letters or webpages does not change the history or contributions of our transgender community members at Stonewall or anywhere else,” in a statement released on Feb. 13. The official National Park Service has not released a statement despite the backlash.