by Corinne Murdock | Oct 16, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Arizona State University (ASU) leadership has ignored Meghan McCain’s request to condemn the pro-Hamas protest that occurred on campus last week.
The ASU chapter of Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) held the protest. The silence from ASU leadership prompted McCain to question the decision to have the name of her late father, Sen. John McCain, associated with a new library at ASU.
“No entity that condones such behavior on their campus has any business hosting my fathers library in his name. Full stop,” said McCain.
One user asked whether foreign students who attended the protest would have their visa status revoked due to their support of a terrorist group. Hamas is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
On Sunday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) requested Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to revoke the visa statuses of those who attended any pro-Hamas protests.
SJP of ASU held the rally at the behest of their National SJP, which called for a National Day of Resistance last Thursday. Not all campuses who pledged to participate ended up following through.
University of Arizona (UArizona) President Robert Robbins issued a condemnation of pro-Hamas sentiment from the SJP chapter on their campus, but ultimately allowed the protest to take place on First Amendment grounds.
“The national organization has made statements endorsing the actions of Hamas in Israel, which are, of course, antithetical to our university’s values,” said Robbins.
The SJP of UArizona canceled their protest in response to Robbins’ letter, declaring that the president’s rhetoric endangered them. The chapter denied endorsement of Hamas activity, specifically distancing themselves from the National SJP.
“[O]ur organization is independently run and led specifically by students at the University of Arizona. Associating our chapter with any and all claims made by other SJP affiliates is a gross misrepresentation of our values, clearly designed to misalign our goals and demonize our presence on campus,” said the chapter.
Yet, SJP of UArizona heeded the National SJP’s call to host its protest on the National Day of Resistance.
In their call to action, the National SJP declared in a since-deleted post that Hamas terrorism constituted “a historic win for Palestinian resistance” and encouraged its supporters to engage in “armed confrontation with the oppressors” in addition to rallies. The toolkit provided for hosting the National Day of Resistance included the infamous template depicting a Hamas paraglider.
“This is what it means to Free Palestine: not just slogans and rallies, but armed confrontation with the oppressors,” stated NSJP.
SJP of ASU relied on the other graphic provided by the National SJP for their protest.
SJP of ASU plans to hold another protest at the end of this month.
The chapter also called on ASU to engage in the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Oct 14, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
The Arizona State University (ASU) professor who founded Drag Story Hour Arizona assaulted a cameraman, then issued a public statement claiming he was the victim.
ASU professor David Boyles is seen on video grabbing at the cameraman with Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a right-leaning activist nonprofit. Boyles lunged for the camera following a series of questions concerning Boyles’ beliefs and teachings posed by the cameraman’s colleague.
“Our TPUSA Frontlines reporter tried to ask self-professed ‘sex education obsessed’ queer ASU Professor David Boyles, a few simple questions. Refusing to answer, our cameras caught the exact moment Mr. Boyles assaulted, pushed, and clawed at our cameraman,” stated the organization.
Following TPUSA’s public statement, it appears that Boyles went to the media with his story. In its initial report, The Arizona Republic claimed in its headline that Boyles was targeted in a campus garage for his sexuality. The original headline read: “‘Targeted’: ASU Investigating After Queer Instructor Confronted in Tempe Campus Garage.” It also didn’t mention TPUSA or their video.
By the next morning, however, The Arizona Republic updated its headline to read, “‘You Can’t Run’: ASU Investigating After Queer Instructor Confronted By Turning Point USA ‘Crew.’”
AZ Free News asked The Arizona Republic whether they knew of the TPUSA video prior to publishing the original article. Their reporter didn’t respond by press time.
Boyles accused the TPUSA men of terrorism for filming him while asking him questions.
“Stop coddling these… terrorists,” wrote Boyles. “These people should be shunned from society.”
Boyles also stated on Instagram that he was jumped from behind by the TPUSA reporter asking questions. TPUSA countered in its video that Boyles fell and injured himself after the reporter removed him from their cameraman.
Also contrary to TPUSA’s video, Boyles claimed that the two individuals who questioned and filmed him had “shouted” at him.
“One filmed on his phone while the other shouted horrible and incendiary things at me, repeating standard right-wing nonsense about Drag Story Hour and also accusing me personally of pedophilia and hating America,” wrote Boyles. “[I feel] angry, violated, embarrassed and despairing at the fact that we have come to normalize this kind of harassment and violence.”
Boyles contested with AZ Free News reporting on his past remarks. The Arizona Republic, incorrectly referring to our outlet as “Arizona Free News,” recharacterized his post about planting pornographic LGBTQ+ books in libraries as “suggesting new titles to [Boyles’] local library.”
In his blog, Boyles said the community needed to “plant more queer books on the shelves of your local library,” with examples given of “Gender Queer” and “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” both of which contain LGBTQ+ pornographic material.
MEET THE ASU PROFESSOR BEHIND AZ’S DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR
Elsewhere on his blog, Boyles encouraged people to advocate for LGBTQ+-inclusive, pleasure-centered sex education for minors.
“[A]busive, patriarchal fundamentalists […] fear the liberatory power of queer sexuality,” wrote Boyles.
Boyles accused AZ Free News of being a “right-wing propaganda website.” He has since hid his Substack behind a paywall, and made his Instagram page private.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Oct 8, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Phoenix College, the flagship institution for Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), hosted a drag queen story hour for all ages on Tuesday featuring banned books.
Drag Story Hour AZ held the event. The banned books read were “My Princess Boy” by Cheryl Kilodavis, which advocates for the normalization of gender nonconformity; “Neither” by Airlie Anderson, which advocates for the normalization of nonbinary and transgender children; “Prince & Knight” by Daniel Haack, which advocates for the normalization of same-sex relationships; and “Red: A Crayon’s Story” by Michael Hall, which advocates for LGBTQ+ normalization.
In an email, Phoenix College described the story hour as a “Freedom Read” inclusive opportunity to build community. The college hosted the story hour in celebration of Banned Books Week.
“Drag story hours offer inclusive environments for community building and informal learning through a familiar (and fun!) literacy activity,” read the email. “Beyond asking that you encourage our students (and their families!) to attend the event, we warmly welcome your participation.”
A community activist and parent opposed to drag queen story hours for children posted that he attempted to obtain tickets for the event, but was restricted from doing so.
Drag Story Hour AZ also lists other banned books on its Bookshop page. In addition to the books read on Tuesday, the organization recommended the following LGBTQ+ advocacy books for children and their families: “Worm Loves Worm,” “10,000 Dresses,” “Antonio’s Card,” “I Am Jazz,” “When Aidan Became a Brother,” “The Boy Who Cried Fabulous,” “Pink Is For Boys,” “This Day in June,” “And Tango Makes Three,” “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag,” “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Presents: A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo,” “Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens,” “Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World,” “Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States,” “A Queer History of the United States,” “Parenting Beyond Pink & Blue: How to Raise Your Kids Free of Gender Stereotypes,” “The Gender Creative Child: Pathways For Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes,” “Helping Your Transgender Teen: A Guide For Parents,” “This Is a Book For Parents of Gay Kids: A Question & Answer Guide to Everyday Life,” and “Sissy: A Coming-Of-Gender Story.”
The organization’s founder and president, David Boyles, is an English professor at Arizona State University (ASU). As reported previously, Boyles has been featured in several events promoting drag entertainment through local libraries and the Arizona Humanities.
Boyles has held that LGBTQ+ storytelling to minors remains important because it “counter[s] the erasure of queer stories,” and advocates for their attendance at drag shows as well.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Oct 5, 2023 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona school choice leader marked the one-year anniversary of the historic policy going into effect in her state.
On Saturday, Christine Accurso highlighted the one-year anniversary of all Arizona parents having the opportunity to unlock state dollars to assist with the education of their children.
In a trip down memory lane, Accurso wrote, “One year ago today Universal ESA became available for all K-12 students in AZ. It took many different people to get this passed and signed into law, but it wouldn’t have come to life in Arizona if it wasn’t for the parent army that we built over the court of 80 days last summer!”
Accurso added, “We fought the teacher’s union and the union-backed groups, day and night. We countered their lies and misinformation with the truth, so that Arizona voters had a real choice in whether or not to send Universal ESAs to the ballot.”
The East Valley mom gave a shout-out to all of the parents and families who tirelessly worked alongside of her to make ESAs a reality for Arizona, saying, “I am still amazed at the grit and tenacity that so many of my friends have and THAT truly made the difference. To the 1,200 families that joined me and my family, THANK YOU! You have truly made the world a better place!”
The ”X” account for Arizona Women of Action echoed Accurso’s words, stating, “It’s a well known fact that Christine Accurso organized the grassroots effort called DECLINE TO SIGN. Through her tremendous undertaking, parents across the state were successful in thwarting the ballot initiative that would have destroyed #ESA4All. Many thanks goes to Christine and the parents who worked with her for saving the AZ universal ESA program.”
Accurso recently served as the ESA program director under the administration of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, a Republican. Horne and Accurso were tasked with bringing the expanded program under compliance with the law and eliminating the significant backlog of requests left by the previous administration. She resigned her position in July, expressing her grateful heart “to have had the opportunity to get the ESA program back on track and functioning well.” She said, “I achieved much of what I set out to accomplish, but it is time for me to move on and pursue opportunities to engage citizens, especially parents, to fight for school choice and the other issues they believe in, for the future of our state and of our nation.”
Shortly after her successful efforts in leading the charge to keep universal ESAs intact in Arizona last year, Accurso wrote a piece for FoxNews.com, outlining how she and hundreds of committed parents had done what many thought was unthinkable. Accurso shared that she went online to track the group responsible for attempting to refer ESAs to the ballot, deploying herself and other parents to the locations where signature gatherers were posted to offer an opposing viewpoint to Arizona voters who were stopped. She wrote, “I quickly found that voters would look through the legislation, which was attached to the petitions, after hearing my arguments to find out for themselves what was inside this legislation.”
The influential advocate may have more work to do in the state – especially with groups trying to enshrine a right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution. After that ballot initiative was filed with the Arizona Secretary of State in August, Accurso posted, “Pro-Abortion Supporters in AZ have filed with the Sec. of State to put abortion on the 2024 ballot & make it a constitutional amendment. They need 383,923 valid signatures from AZ registered voters by 7/3/24. If you live in Arizona and want to help oppose this DM me.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Oct 4, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) issued three percent raises to Arizona’s three university presidents, bringing their collective salaries to over $2.2 million, with the three also receiving nearly $600,000 in bonuses altogether.
ABOR issued the bonuses and raises during its meeting last Friday.
Arizona State University (ASU) President Michael Crow’s new base salary is now $834,100. Crow also received a $150,000 bonus. His contract was extended through June 2028.
The $150,000 bonus came from three annual at-risk compensation goals, each worth $50,000: designing and launching a premium brand for ASU online; developing and launching a plan to move the three core brands of the W.P. Carey School of Business, Fulton Schools of Engineering, and the Barrett Honors Colleges into three global brands; and designing and launching a new Health Futures Strategy which included development of a holistic approach around health sciences, similar to their engineering programs, and designing and preparing for the launch of the Public Health Technology School.
Crow will potentially receive another $180,000 bonus next year, should he accomplish the three proposed at-risk compensation goals for 2023-2024.
The first goal concerns a science and technology economic development strategy to design tools, levers, and processes necessary to move Arizona from the top of the third tier as determined by Milken Institute to the bottom of the first tier. The first goal’s metrics include active engagement and the role of tech transfer, with strategic pathways document being the product.
The second goal concerns the creation of an all-industry semiconductor industry training sector for the state: semiconductors, advanced battery technology, high-tech computation and systems, and artificial intelligence (AI). Additionally, Crow would have to build the Learning Enterprise training programs with advanced digital learning for enhanced and accelerated workforce development drawing from ASU content. This second goal’s metrics include the design and launch of the special digital training center across the sectors with industrial participation in each and every aspect.
The third goal concerns the creation of an AI strategy to optimize its use in teaching, learning, and discovery activities. This third goal’s metrics include a plan and launch strategy.
ABOR also proposed to take away $30,000 from any 2023-24 at-risk compensation awarded should Crow fail to fully implement the General Education Program for all first-time incoming students in Fall 2024.
Northern Arizona State University (NAU) President José Luis Cruz Rivera’s new base salary is now $594,100. Cruz Rivera also received a $135,000 bonus. His contract was extended through June 2026.
The $135,000 bonus came from three annual at-risk compensation goals, each worth $45,000: a new system encompassing in-person, online, and hybrid learning modalities, branch campuses, community college partnerships, and engagement with the state’s K-12 system; revamping NAU Online with focused external consultation regarding academic program offerings and operations in areas such as student outreach, recruitment and engagement, instructional design, and academic support; increasing enrollments and enhancing post-graduate career preparation opportunities.
Cruz Rivera will potentially receive another $150,000 bonus next year, should he accomplish the two proposed at-risk compensation goals for 2023-2024.
The first goal concerns the launch of NAU Health, part of ABOR’s Arizona Healthy Tomorrow initiative. The new program will double the number of credentials awarded in health-related fields by 2030, namely for physicians and practitioners targeted to serve in urban, rural, and indigenous communities. Milestones for this goal will include the establishment of the College of Nursing, launch of the Office of NAU Health, hiring senior leadership to structure and coordinate existing academic programs and research for medical academia expansion, and publication of a plan to establish the College of Applied Community Medicine.
The second goal concerns collaboration with ABOR to produce a multi-year strategic and operational plan for building a network of colleges powered and coordinated by NAU. One milestone for this goal is proposing actions for ABOR endorsement on market assessment, concept and structural mission, funding and advocacy strategies, and design specifications. Other milestones concern the launch of an A++ certified academic pathway for Fall 2024 with A++ certified partners, seeking intergovernmental agreements for implementation, and expansion into the K-12 realm using NAU’s Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy.
University of Arizona (UArizona) President Robert Robbins’ new base salary is now $816,100. Robbins also received a $132,500 bonus. His contract was extended through June 2026.
The $132,500 bonus came from three annual at-risk compensation goals, each worth about $45,000: secure $200 million in initial funding commitment from the state, local government, or private donors for establishing the Center for Advanced Molecular Immunotherapies; develop a plan and timeline to centralize responsibility and balance local authority in the administrative functional areas of Information Technology and Financial and Business Services; work with the Department of Education and accrediting bodies to fully absorb UArizona’s Global Campus. The first goal was only partially achieved.
Robbins will potentially receive another $150,000 bonus next year, should he accomplish the two proposed at-risk compensation goals for 2023-2024.
The first goal concerns the establishment of a multi-institutional translational research, education, and innovation park in the city of Maricopa with focuses on food safety and sustainability, automation and autonomous systems, drug and vaccine development, digital health and biotechnology, climate technology, aggrotech, and battery technology. Milestones include achieving a planned vote or completion of annexation by the city; plans with local government leaders for a network of supportive infrastructure to sustain growth, attract and retain investment, retail services, office development residential and hotel development; a leasing plan with external developers; the launch of internal and external communications and campaign strategy; an initial catalog of proposed programs; tribal endorsement; ABOR approval of a governance model; a five-year funding plan for site development; and an initial construction proposal for the first buildings by fall 2025.
The second goal concerns the defining and funding of the Arizona Institute of Data and Computing in coordination with the Colleges of Engineering, Medicine, Science and Business, with a focus on AI, data, and computing. Milestones include a structural and funding plan presented by June 2024, at least $5 million in initial funding commitments secured by June 2024, and the organization of at least one summit or event involving key industry, government, funding, and academic leaders by June 2024.
ABOR also proposed to take away $20,000 from Robbins’ total at-risk compensation for 2023-24 if he fails to complete the centralization of Information Technology Services.
The three presidents also received another $45,000 bonus each for meeting collective annual at-risk compensation goals: proposing a comprehensive and sustainable model for state funding of the three universities ($80,000); developing and promoting the Arizona Promise Program with high public awareness and consistency across the three universities, especially regarding financial aid award letters ($20,000); completing a comprehensive risk assessment of online education using Department of Education regulations, projected demand, potential competitors, employer attitudes toward online education, online alumni wages versus immersion alumni wages, and impacts on university branding with corresponding recommendations issued ($80,000).
For 2023-24, ABOR proposed another $240,000 in collective at-risk compensation goals. The first goal concerns a plan to improve Arizona residents’ post-high school educational attainment outcomes by 10 percent over three years. The second goal concerns a comprehensive review of university international strategies and operations. The third goal concerns the implementation of the Arizona Promise Program through marketing, award deferrals, and protocols.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Oct 2, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Northern Arizona University (NAU) will play a key role in an effort to validate indigenous knowledge as scientific knowledge using millions in federal funding.
Ora Marek-Martinez, NAU’s associate vice president of the Office for Native American Initiatives and assistant professor of anthropology, will be part of the University of Massachussetts’ newly-established Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS). Marek-Martinez will serve as the CBIKS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) & Ethics Co-Lead for the center’s Southwest Hub.
Biden’s National Science Foundation (NSF) gave $30 million to CBIKS, a grant lasting five years. CBIKS may qualify for additional federal funding come 2028.
CBIKS researchers will focus initially on collaborating with indigenous Nanwalek Alaskans to study their traditional methods of salmon population preservation, indigenous Hawaiians to study their agricultural and food waste practices, and indigenous Australians to study environmental signs of climate change. Sonya Atalay, CBIKS Director and UMass Amherst Provost Professor of Anthropology, said that current scientific approaches were limited.
“CBIKS is about recognizing that Indigenous knowledge systems carry tremendous information and value, and it’s shortsighted to think that current research practices founded on Western knowledge systems are the only or ‘right’ approach,” said Atalay.
In one of CBIK’s initial postings, Atalay gave credence to the belief that rocks are alive, per indigenous knowledge.
Atalay criticized Michigan archaeologists for “disregard[ing] Native understanding of the rock as an animate being.” The rock in question bears Native American petroglyphs.
The rock wasn’t available for comment.
In order to obtain more indigenous knowledge beyond the consciousness of rocks, CPIKS will interact with 57 indigenous communities through its eight regional hubs across the country and in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
The initiative is part of a larger effort by the Biden administration to prioritize “indigenous knowledge” into “research, policies, and decision making,” as noted in a memo from the Office of Science and Technology Policy issued last November. The office, newly assigned cabinet-level status by the Biden administration, further declared indigenous knowledge to be “an aspect of the best available science” and directed its inclusion in “Highly Influential Scientific Assessments.” Those assessments directly shape costly federal policies.
The Biden administration wasn’t the first to attempt to assign parity to indigenous knowledge in scientific inquiry: as Washington Free Beacon reported, Canadian researchers reported adverse results after their country incorporated indigenous knowledge into policymaking, ranging from counterproductive at best to dangerous at worst.
“[T]he acceptance of spiritual beliefs as ‘knowledge’ by governments was dangerous because it could be used to justify any activity, including actions that were environmentally destructive,” stated a 2006 academic assessment.
One apparent outcome of catering to indigenous knowledge occurred when Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) deputy director M. Kaleo Manuel, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, delayed the release of water to combat the Maui fires because he insisted that officials obtain permission from a local taro farm. Taro is integral to Native Hawaiian agriculture and tradition.
Washington Free Beacon also reported some of the early fruits of the Biden administration’s indigenous knowledge labors: reinterpreting time as cyclical rather than sequential, entertaining proposals to pay tribal elders to assist in federal rulemaking, scrapping peer review processes, acknowledging alleged interdimensional relations between animals and humans,
NAU’s involvement in the Biden initiative aligns with the university’s policy of prioritizing Native American individuals in admissions and employment.
In February, NAU established a program providing free tuition regardless of income to Native Americans while requiring a financial threshold for students of all other races. They also pledged $10 million to “indigenous,” or prioritize indigenous people, in their curriculum. The equitable treatment of Native Americans resulted in a boost to the university’s enrollment.
The Office for Native American Initiatives, which Marek-Martinez helps lead, played an integral role in these equity efforts.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
