Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is welcoming discussions between the University of Arizona (UA), Arizona State University (ASU), and the Trump administration on a new Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, a federal initiative promoting merit-based standards and accountability in universities.
Horne, who also serves on the Arizona Board of Regents, said the compact reflects his long-held belief that education policy should prioritize individual achievement over racial or identity-based criteria.
“Since I took on the Tucson Unified district in 2008 to end the racially divisive ‘Ethnic Studies’ program, I have been fighting against racial entitlements,” Horne said in a statement. “People should be judged on their character and merit, not the color of their skin. The Trump administration’s federal compact for universities shares that same goal, and I am pleased that universities, including the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, are in discussions with the President on enshrining those principles in their schools.”
Horne also disputed recent reports suggesting that the University of Arizona had declined to participate in the compact, pointing instead to a recent letter from UA President Suresh Garimella to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. In the letter, Garimella expressed alignment with the administration’s goals of strengthening higher education through merit, excellence, and accountability.
“We share your vision of continuing to strengthen our higher education system for the betterment of the country — a vision rooted in a merit-based pursuit of excellence that directly or indirectly benefits all Americans,” Garimella wrote. He added that the university finds “much common ground with the ideas your administration is advancing” and welcomes collaboration with other institutions, higher education associations, and Congress “to advance and implement our principles in alignment with the national interest.”
Garimella’s Statement of Principles, included with the letter, outlines commitments to nondiscrimination, academic freedom, fiscal responsibility, and research integrity. It reaffirms that admissions and hiring decisions at UA will continue to be merit-based, and that diversity statements will not be used in employment processes. The document also emphasizes free speech protections, pledging to uphold the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression and to publish results from campus surveys on viewpoint diversity.
Under Garimella’s leadership, UA reports a 22% reduction in administrative spending, a tuition freeze for in-state students, and an expanded focus on aligning research priorities with national and economic security needs — reforms he described as consistent with the compact’s goals.
Horne said those steps demonstrate “a serious commitment to the kind of merit-driven, excellence-focused education system that Arizona taxpayers deserve.”
Both UA and ASU are expected to continue discussions with federal officials about implementing the compact in ways that preserve institutional autonomy while aligning with national standards for merit and accountability.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona education leaders want their students to be ready for the dawning age of artificial intelligence (AI).
The state is now the leader in the nation for percentage of students using AI tools. State Superintendent Tom Horne announced this development on Thursday in a press release.
“I am a strong supporter of AI as a classroom tool to assist, but not replace, educators,” said Horne. “So far, about 4,000 educators statewide are using this system, and I encourage more teachers to sign up. It is an invaluable resource that helps educators do their jobs more effectively.”
Over 170,000 students — representing 16 percent of the state’s public school student population — are using AI-powered tutoring to improve their academic performance.
These students rely on the AI education system Khanmigo within Khan Academy. Horne called the sweeping adoption of the tools “tremendous.” The Arizona Department of Education invested $1.5 million for Khamingo access last year.
Horne said he selected Khanmigo for its tutoring approach: guiding students through the critical thought process, rather than merely providing answers.
“It engages students by asking questions that guide them to discover solutions on their own,” said Horne. “This approach delivers rigorous, individualized Socratic-style tutoring — a proven method for improving academic outcomes.”
The “Socratic” method referenced by Horne concerns arriving at answers through a series of open-ended questions structured to encourage critical thinking.
An example of Khanmigo’s phrasing provided in the press release (solving for “m” in the sample math problem, 3 – 2(9+2m) = m) showed how the tool prioritizes guiding the student to work through problems.
“Let’s work through it together! What do you think the first step should be to solve this equation?”
Khanmigo conversations are also recordable and viewable by teachers.
The over 4,000 Arizona educators mentioned by Horne rely on an online AI platform called the Arizona Digital Educators Library (ADEL). This platform assists educators with creating lesson plans and classroom materials that meet the state’s academic standards.
ADEL also has 50 ambassadors to increase educator usage throughout the state. There are over 57,000 educators in the state: over 47,000 in district schools and nearly 10,000 in charter schools.
As Horne explained in his State of Education speech in January, educators can use Khanmigo to strengthen student weaknesses revealed through testing.
“Today, when a teacher gives a test, some students get 90 percent, others get 70 percent. Those with 70 percent are moved to the next grade, missing 30 percent of the knowledge they need for continuing their studies. They are lost,” said Horne. “With Khanmigo, the teacher can say ‘here is what you did not learn, use Khanmigo to tutor you on that subject.’”
State Senator Jake Hoffman, founder of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, expressed support for the implementation of AI tools in schools. Hoffman said AI posed a greater threat to the American worker than Russia, China, and nuclear war.
“If K-12 public schools and public universities are not aggressively retooling every aspect of their operation to equip students with the skills to survive in this new AI age, they’ve already failed,” said Hoffman.
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An elementary school student testified that his former teacher harassed him over his family’s conservative beliefs.
The young boy brought his complaints to the attention of the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) at their most recent board meeting.
The little boy accused SUSD teacher Donna Javinett (Anasazi Elementary School) of coordinating with one of his neighbors to target himself and his family for their “extremist” beliefs in recent years.
The boy referenced a court case that resulted in a restraining order against his neighbor; during a hearing, the neighbor disclosed email correspondence with Javinett documenting their collusion against the boy.
“This teacher created a hostile school environment for kids like me when she didn’t like their parents. She would yell at me in the hallway and hurry me along. I also caught her filming me one day. She claimed she was filming for field day but the event was over and her phone was pointing right at me. At the same time, a neighbor on my street was also filming me while I was outside my home. It was creepy and I felt unsafe. It became so bad that my family had to get a restraining order against my neighbor. At court is when the neighbor revealed a personal email from Mrs. Javinett to my teacher not to my neighbor thanking my neighbor for protecting teachers against extremists. This is when I found out that Mrs. Javinett and my neighbor were working together.”
Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity, an activist group of SUSD community members and parents, obtained the referenced email. Javinett wrote an email thanking the neighbor, a retired educator by the name of “Ellen,” to thank her for her actions.
“I want to thank you for defending Scottsdale teachers against extremists who have nothing better to do than harass teachers, administrators, board members, and the superintendent on social media. We have been called groomers, rapists, and people who want nothing more than to indoctrinate children. You have defended us every step of the way. I know you are a retired educator who is still involved with many of our wonderful students in Scottsdale and I hope you know how much your support is appreciated.”
The parents of the student featured in the video shared an email sent by the SUSD 3rd-grade teacher to her neighbor. This email – obtained through a legal proceeding involving Ms. Javinett – appears to confirm that she referred to parents and families who raise concerns about… pic.twitter.com/iC1dJ7VgSD
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) October 13, 2025
Javinett first came into the public eye for her Facebook comments responding to the assassination of Turning Point CEO and president Charlie Kirk.
Javinett argued with community members and parents on social media over whether Kirk was partially at fault for his assassination.
“Yes hate leads to violence and unfortunately Charlie Kirk in sided [sic] violence. He was nothing more than an ugly bigot,” said Javinett. “Kirk’s hatred of trans, LGBTQ, black people, and women is out there. I don’t have to defend the fact that I don’t respect hatred and bigotry.”
Javinett also accused Kirk of being a white nationalist.
“He was disgusting. He was in [sic] white nationalist. He disparaged marginalized communities. He thought that men should control women. You should be embarrassed that you support him,” said Javinett. “It makes me sad that you all try to indoctrinate kids with this right wing Christian bulls**t.”
The little boy asked the SUSD governing board why Javinett was allowed to continue teaching given her comments and past behavior.
“She’s the reason why we and others left Anasazi,” said the boy.
Javinett previously sustained criticisms for supporting an all-encompassing social and emotional learning approach to education.
Scottsdale Unified 3rd grade teacher Donna Javinett said the quiet part out loud and confirmed that class time across all subjects is spent on Social Emotional Learning, i.e. feelings/emotions, racial awareness, gendered identities and distributive justice. (CASEL is the… https://t.co/bPaLjoZCmvpic.twitter.com/6IzJv7dEXe
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) October 23, 2024
Last fall, Javinett donated nearly $1,000 to the campaign of progressive SUSD board member Donna Lewis.
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An unidentified pink-haired student at the University of Arizona (U of A) gave a death threat to Turning Point USA (TPUSA) students.
The student had a male-presenting voice and wore sunglasses, a long pink dress, light pink jacket, black and white sneakers, and a canvas backpack.
The student’s voice and the type of shoes worn in the video that captured his threat — Puma Zip C men’s sneakers — indicated that the student was a male.
Per a video captured by those present, the student threatened those working the TPUSA table with the same fate that befell the late TPUSA founder and CEO, Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated by a gunshot through the neck last month at Utah Valley University.
Kirk was one month shy of 32 years old at the time of his death. The prominent young conservative activist and pundit left behind a wife, Erika Kirk, and two young children. The individual arrested and charged for Kirk’s assassination, Tyler Robinson, held progressive political beliefs and was in a romantic relationship with a male who identified as a transgender woman.
“Hey Nazis, can you set up somewhere I can avoid you easily?” said the student.
“Yeah, have a great day,” responded one of the TPUSA individuals behind the table.
“Ah, f**k you Nazi. Watch your neck,” responded the student.
The individual who captured the threat on video, TPUSA field representative Caden Hart, reported that, aside from the incident, their tabling efforts yielded over 25 new signups for their chapter.
Besides this situation, tabling today was full of great conversations and interactions! • Thanks to our @tpusastudents at the University of Arizona we ended the day with 25+ signups! https://t.co/KnCa2N7s7k
There is a closed hearing scheduled for Friday at the Utah County Courthouse for Kirk’s alleged killer, and a waiver hearing next week. The proceedings will remain “open to the public,” per the judge in the case. Robinson may receive the death penalty if found guilty.
Some point to this recent incident with the TPUSA table as indicative of the political climate at U of A, and associated it with a reported 19 percent drop in first-year students.
The university associated the decline with a dropping number of out-of-state and international students (23 percent less out-of-state students, nine percent less international students); overall student enrollment fell about four percent.
While hundreds in the U of A community mourned Kirk’s assassination, some have been outspoken about their indifference or even support for his death.
Yazmin Castro, a freshman and member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, told AZPM that Kirk bore some responsibility for his own assassination since he was vocal about his conservative beliefs, which included his support for gun ownership.
“I think he was very hateful sometimes with his views,” said Castro. “I hope that the people that believed in those views as well, seeing someone that they looked up to being a victim of gun violence, I hope it opens their eyes to its not worth it,” she said.
A recent U of A graduate and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality employee, Jessika Mesa, posted a celebration of Kirk’s death on her social media page.
Jessika Mesa who has recently graduate from the University Of Arizona posted some hate regarding Charlie Kirk.
Tucson Councilwoman Lane Santa Cruz, an adjunct professor at U of A, responded to Kirk’s death with a story on social media that read “diosito te maldiga,” meaning “God curse (damn) you.”
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The study, conducted by Hennessey Digital, analyzed graduation rates across all colleges in each state, highlighting a troubling trend for Arizona, where only 49.58% of the students in the cohort completed their degrees within 150% of the normal program completion time (4 years).
This places Arizona alongside other struggling states, making it one of the eight states below 50% graduation.
“Regardless of what you’re studying, college can be a challenging time, said CEO of Hennessey Digital, Jason Hennessey. “For many, it’s the first experience of independence, a change from the environment you’ve grown up in and ultimately, incredibly intense. It’s not surprising to see that many drop out of their courses before graduation, but ultimately, every student needs to consider what’s going to make them happy and successful and an academic path is not always going to achieve that.”
The research identifies Alaska as the state with the lowest college graduation rate at 32.93%, a staggering 27.99% below the national average. Only 735 of 2,232 students in Alaska’s cohort completed their degrees.
Following closely are Nevada, with 45.20% completion, with 4,932 out of 10,912 students graduating, and New Mexico, with 47.80% completion and 3,523 out of 7,370 students graduating. Both are struggling with significant gaps in degree completion compared to the national average.
In contrast, Massachusetts leads the nation with a 75.41% graduation rate, 14.49% above the national average, with 40,011 out of 53,060 students completing their degrees.
Rhode Island follows at 73% with 8,835 of 12,103 students graduating and then Connecticut at 70.77% with 14,898 of 21,052 students graduating.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Over 80 of the top University of Arizona (U of A) professors pushed leadership to reject President Donald Trump’s higher education compact.
At the beginning of this month, the Trump administration sent universities across the country the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education to encourage certain reforms in exchange for preferential federal funding. One major contentious point of the proposed compact would prohibit hostility to conservative viewpoints.
“To advance the national interest arising out of this unique relationship, this Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education represents the priorities of the U.S. government in its engagements with universities that benefit from the relationship,” read the compact. “Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego federal benefits.”
The proposed reforms touch on improving equality in admissions, stabilizing the marketplace of ideas and civil discourse on campuses, ensuring nondiscrimination in faculty and administrative hiring, enforcing institutional neutrality on societal and political events, raising and standardizing student academic performance standards, establishing equal treatment of students, reducing the educational costs, and reducing foreign influences.
In response, 80 Regents Professors at U of A issued a letter to university President Suresh Garimella requesting denial of the compact. The professors said the compact contained “significant legal and practical flaws” which would threaten U of A’s academic freedom, institutional independence, and legal integrity.
The Regents Professor designation is an exclusive honoring of “faculty scholars of exceptional ability” with both national and international distinction in their respective fields. It is a recognition of the highest academic merit for faculty members who gave unique contributions to U of A through teaching scholarship, research, or creative work.
Their letter questioned the compact’s ambiguity, specifically the vagueness of the alleged benefits and preferential federal funding universities would receive. The professors stated multiple times that the compact offered no insight on how it would be operationalized and enforced.
“Without clarification, UA thus could be ceding authority over internal operations and academic policies for no enforceable, concrete new benefits,” said the professors.
U of A was one of nine institutions to receive the proposed compact, and the only one in Arizona. The others were Brown University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University.
These nine universities received the letter because the Trump administration judged them “good actors” based on their having “a president who is a reformer or a board that has really indicated they are committed to a higher-quality education,” per senior White House advisor May Mailman.
The Tucson City Council sent a similar message to U of A. The council passed a resolution urging the university president to reject the compact.
Garimella said in statements to the media that he and the Arizona Board of Regents are reviewing the compact together to determine a response.
These are the following Regents Professors who signed the letter opposing the compact (not listed: two anonymous signers):
John J. B. Allen, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Neuroscience;
Sama Raena Alshaibi, art professor; co-director of the Racial Justice Studio, and Regents Professor;
J. Roger P. Angel, Regents’ Professor of Astronomy and Optical Sciences, Steward Observatory astronomer, director of Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab;
Neal Armstrong, director of SPECS, Regents Professor (Emeritus) for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Regents Professor (Emeritus) for College of Optical Sciences;
Victor Baker, Regents Professor of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, Geosciences, and Planetary Sciences;
Carol Barnes, Regents’ Professor of Psychology, Neurology and Neuroscience; Evelyn F. McKnight Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging; Director, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute; Director, Division of Neural Systems, Memory and Aging;
Chad Bender, Astronomer, Steward Observatory;
Thomas Bever, Regents’ Professor, Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, BIO5; Co-Director, Center for Consciousness Studies; Director, Cognition and Language Laboratory;
Ronald Brieger, Regents Professor and a Professor of Sociology at the University of Arizona; Interdisciplinary Program in Applied Mathematics; Interdisciplinary Program in Statistics & Data Science; School of Government and Public Policy;
David D. Breshears, Regents Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources and the Environment;
Judith L. Bronstein, University Distinguished Professor; Joint Professor (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology);
Judith K. Brown, Regents Professor, Plant Sciences; Research Associate Professor, Entomology; Professor, Entomology / Insect Science – GIDP;
Gail Burd, Senior Vice Provost; Office of Academic Affairs, Teaching & Learning; Distinguished Professor, Molecular & Cellular Biology;
Hsinchun Chen, Regents Professor of MIS; Thomas R. Brown Chair in Management and Technology; Director, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory; Director, AZSecure Cybersecurity Program;
Peter Chesson, Regents Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology;
Albrecht Classen, University Distinguished Professor of German Studies;
George H. Davis, Regents Professor (Emeritus) of Structural Geology; Provost Emeritus;
Alison H. Deming, Regents Professor of English; Agnese Nelms Haury Chair of Environment and Social Justice;
Celestino Fernandez, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Sociology;
Price V. Fishback, Regents Professor; APS Professor of Economics;
Robert B. Fleischman, Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics;
Robert Glennon, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor Emeritus;
John Hildebrand, Regents Professor Emeritus of College of Neuroscience;
Malcolm K. Hughes, Regents’ Professor Emeritus for the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research;
Chris Impey, Distinguished Professor of Astronomy; Astronomer, Steward Observatory; Associate Co-Department Head;
Takeshi Inomata, Regents Professor for the School of Anthropology;
Josephine D. Korchmaros, Director of the University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW);
Mary Koss, Regents’ Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health;
Etta Kralovec, Regents Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies;
Diana Liverman, Regents Professor for the School of Geography, Development, and Environment;
Sallie Marston, Regents Professor Emerita for chool of Geography, Development, and Environment; Co-Founder and Consultant, School Garden Workshop;
Oscar Martinez, Regents Professor Emeritus, History Department;
Toni M. Massaro, Regents Professor of Law Emerita; Milton O. Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law and Dean Emerita; Executive Director of the University of Arizona Agnese Nelms Haury Program;
William (Bill) McCallum, mathematics professor;
Daniel McDonald, Director, Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research; Extension Specialist, Financial Literacy;
Alfred McEwen, planetary geologist and director of the Planetary Image Research Laboratory;
Juanita L Merchant, Associate Director, Basic Sciences, Cancer Center; Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, College of Medicine; Regents Professor of College of Medicine;
Pierre Meystre, Regents Professor Emeritus of Optical Sciences;
Roger L Miesfeld, University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry;
Barbara Mills, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Anthropology; Curator Emeritus of Archaeology, Arizona State Museum; Professor Emeritus, American Indian Studies;
Lynn Nadel, Regents Professor Emeritus of Psychology;
Alan C. Newell, Mathematics professor;
Mimi Nichter, Professor Emerita of Anthropology;
Janko Z. Nikolich, Professor, Basic Biomedical Sciences; Associate Dean for Research and Partnerships; Regents Professor; UA College of Medicine-Phoenix;
John W. Olsen, Research Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies;
Jeanne E. Pemberton, Regents Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry;
Ian Pepper, Director, WEST Center; Regents Professor, Environmental Science;
David A. Pietz, Regents Professor; UNESCO Chair in Environmental History; Director, School of Global Studies;
George Rieke, Regents Professor for Lunar & Planetary Laboratory;
Marcia J. Rieke, Professor, Astronomy; Regents Professor; Astronomer, Steward Observatory; Endowed Chair, Dr Elizabeth Roemer – Steward Observatory;
Robert Robichaux, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology;
Jerzy W. Rozenblit, University Distinguished Professor; Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Raymond J. Oglethorpe Endowed Chair; Professor of Surgery; Professor of the BIO5 Institute;
Steven Schwartz, Regents Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry;
Beverly Seckinger, Distinguished Outreach Professor in the School of Theatre, Film & Television; former director of the School of Media Arts; Executive Committee of the Human Rights Practice graduate program; founded U of A LGBTQ+ Institute;
Chris Segrin, Regents Professor, Steve and Nancy Lynn Professor of Communication;
Thomas E. Sheridan, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology; Research Anthropologist, Southwest Center;
Kathy G. Short, Regents Professor, Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies;
Kelly Simmons-Potter, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, College of Engineering; University Distinguished Outreach Professor; Director AzRISE, the Arizona Research Initiative for Solar Energy; Professor of: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Optical Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, and Indigenous Food, Energy and Water Systems Graduate Interdisciplinary Program;
Marvin Slepian, Regents Professor and Associate Department Head, Clinical & Industrial Affairs, Biomedical Engineering; Director, Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation; Regents Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology; Regents Professor of Medical Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging; Regents Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
David H. Soren, Regents Professor of Anthropology and Classics;
Sally J. Stevens, Distinguished Outreach Professor in Gender and Women’s Studies; Research Professor with the Southwest Institute for Research on Women;
Mary Stiner, Regents’ Professor Emeritus, Anthropology; ASM Curator Emeritus, Zooarchaeology; Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences;
Peter A. Strittmatter, Regents Professor Emeritus of Astronomy;
Tom Swetnam, Regents’ Professor, Emeritus of Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research;
Bruce E. Tabashnik, Regents’ Professor & Department Head of Entomology;
Vicente Talanquer, University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry;
Leslie Tolbert, Regents Professor Emerita of Neuroscience;
Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law;
Todd Vanderah, Co-Director, MD/PhD Dual Degree Program; Department Head, Pharmacology; Director, Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center; Professor of: Anesthesiology, BIO5 Institute, Neurology, Neuroscience – GIDP, Pharmacology and Physiological Sciences – GIDP;
Marcela Vásquez-León, Professor, Anthropology; Research Anthropologist, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology; Director, Center for Latin American Studies;
Donata Vercelli, Regents Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine; Director, Arizona Center for the Biology of Complex Diseases; Associate Director, Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center; Professor of BIO5 Institute and Genetics GIDP;
Robert A. Williams, Jr., Regents Professor, E. Thomas Sullivan Professor of Law;
Rod Wing, Director of Arizona Genomics Institute; Professor, Plant Science; Bud Antle Endowed Chair For Excellence, Agriculture & Life Sciences; Professor of BIO5 Institute and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology;
Connie Woodhouse, Regents Professor Emerita of Geography, Development, & Environment;
Jiang Wu, Regents Professor of East Asian Studies;
Dennis Zaritsky, Deputy Director, Steward Observatory; Regents Professor, Astronomy;
Ofelia Zepeda, Professor, American Indian Studies and Linguistics; and
Lucy M. Ziurys, Regents Professor, CBC and Astronomy
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