The University of Arizona (UArizona) reinstated two professors last week after they were suspended for defending Hamas to their students.
In audio clips published by Israel War Room last month, College of Education professors Rebecca Lopez and Rebecca Zapien made a number of refutable claims about Hamas in explaining the conflict to their students. Zapien ran an unsuccessful campaign to join the Tucson Unified School District last year.
The professors’ comments included the claim that Hamas isn’t a terrorist organization, but rather a resistance group comparable to the Black Panther Party. The U.S. has recognized Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization for well over 20 years. The FBI designated the Black Panther Party as a domestic extremist organization noted for employing violent and guerilla tactics in their attempts to overthrow the government.
The audio clips didn’t distinguish which professor issued the remarks, which occurred in the “Cultural Pluralism For Young Children” class.
One of the professors indicated that she would have engaged in actions similar to those undertaken by Hamas against Israel, in response to what she described as mistreatment of the Palestinians by the Israeli government.
“Hamas is a group within Palestine, they’re a group of people who are responding to that thing that’s going on, so they’re responding, much like I would, enough, they’re not the same, I wanna separate, but for me, I can understand things in a U.S. context, and then it helps me understand them in other countries,” stated one professor.
The professor went on to claim that Hamas doesn’t represent the Palestinian people and aren’t elected officials. The terrorist organization has been the de facto governing body for the area since the early 2000s.
One of the professors also claimed that Israeli forces were targeting civilians, and that Hamas wasn’t antisemitic but anti-Zionist.
The Israel War Room called on UArizona President Robert Robbins to address the professors’ speech.
“[President Robbins], your professors are gaslighting Jewish students, endorsing terrorism, and spreading blatantly false information. We DEMAND you do something about it,” said the Israel War Room.
Leadership did take action — Lopez and Zapien were suspended while the university reviewed the remarks. The pair’s suspension didn’t bode well for students and local groups. The United Campus Workers Arizona launched a petition for their reinstatement and organized multiple sit-ins at the College of Education administration building.
UCWAZ calls on senior administration to reinstate educators placed on leave and protect academic freedom. Join us in signing our petition: https://t.co/6GUwsj42DN
In a statement announcing Lopez and Zapien’s return to the classroom last week, College of Education Dean Robert Berry said UArizona was committed to an inclusive respect of all viewpoints.
“We reaffirm our commitment to an academic instructional setting that respects all viewpoints and is within the scope and educational purposes of our discipline in terms of materials provided in the classroom,” said Berry.
Berry also announced a new faculty-led workshop series, “Educational Dialogues,” to review potentially contentious topics. The first in the series was scheduled for last Friday.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The University of Arizona (UArizona) School of Music announced a new recording studio opportunity that excludes white and/or straight students.
In an email obtained by Libs of TikTok, UArizona School of Music administrator Marissa Garaygordobil informed students that BIPOC (black, indigenous, or people of color) students were welcome to audition for a free film scoring orchestra performance and recording opportunity in professional recording studios.
SCOOP: University of Arizona School of Music @UAZMusic, offered students an incredible opportunity to record with famous musicians and work in a professional music studio like Warner Bros or Sony.
This opportunity is only open for black students because they aim to “diversify… pic.twitter.com/w1s38sYWno
The opportunity came from the nonprofit Musicians at Play (MAP) Foundation and their annual RISE Diversity Project. Studio spaces were offered by Warner Brothers, Sony, and Fox for Feb. 17 and 18, 2024.
“RISE aims to diversify the world of film and studio recordings by assembling an orchestra of young, BIPOC musicians from all across Los Angeles to work side-by-side with professional studio musicians and perform and record in a world-class recording studio,” stated the project poster.
Although the poster itself doesn’t mention LGBTQ as a preferred qualifier for auditioning, one of the MAP Foundation organizers, John Acosta, announced on Facebook that the diversity program would also show preference to LGBTQ students.
“Musicians at Play (MAP)’s RISE 2024 Diversity Program for BIPOC/LGBTQ Music Students headed by Maestro Anthony Parnther, conductor from ages 14-27 is now open!! Free to join!! PLEASE SHARE FAR AND WIDE! DEADLINE 12/1/23,” wrote Acosta.
The opportunity also comes with four to six coaching sessions, as well as experience under Anthony Parnther, a California-based conductor who serves as the music director and conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Southeast Symphony. Parnther’s recent film and TV scoring work included “Oppenheimer,” “The Mandalorian” series, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” “Creed III,” “Star Wars: the Force Awakens,” and the “Paw Patrol” movie.
Parnther co-founded the RISE Diversity Project, alongside MAP founder and CEO April Williams. He noted that the opportunity was the only one of its kind in the world.
“I’m committed to seeing diversity in all areas of music where I have any influence – including on our scoring stages,” said Parnther.
The MAP Foundation receives funding and support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the state of California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Arts & Culture, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA).
That last entity, the City of Los Angeles DCA, partnered with the MAP Foundation to hold the diversity project. The city last reported giving the foundation just over $5,000 for the 2021-22 fiscal year for a separate project. The city didn’t mention the amount of funding, if any, given for the RISE Diversity Program.
The NEA has given the MAP Foundation $20,000 since 2021. The California Arts Council has given the MAP Foundation over $326,600 over the years.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The University of Arizona (UArizona) is now offering scholarships to illegal immigrants using the nonprofit arm of a leftist dark money network.
The university partnered with TheDream.US to provide the scholarships: an initiative of the New Venture Fund, an initiative by one of the biggest leftist dark money organizations in the nation, Arabella Advisors. That organization recently came under investigation for tax law aversion and illegal profiteering. UArizona President Robert Robbins said that the scholarships would provide opportunities for all Arizona youth regardless of their citizenship status.
“This new partnership with TheDream.US is a crucial step in our effort to make sure that all of Arizona’s youth have the opportunity to attend college and achieve their higher education goals,” said Robbins. “I am proud that the university, as Arizona’s land-grant institution, has entered this partnership, which allows us to serve more incoming students, including Arizona’s Dreamers.”
These scholarships — running up to $33,000 for tuition and fees — don’t require an illegal immigrant to have protections from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS), so long as they came to the U.S. before the age of 16 and before Nov. 1, 2018, and have graduated from high school.
A full scholarship would cover all but $200 of in-state, on-campus costs of attendance. Should the illegal immigrant live off campus, the scholarship would completely cover costs of attendance with around $10,000 left over.
Some applicants may also receive an additional stipend of up to $6,000 for books, supplies, and transportation.
Illegal immigrants became eligible for in-state tuition last year with the passage of Proposition 308, backed by at least $1.2 million from out-of-state dark money networks.
Last year, TheDream.US partnered with Northern Arizona University (NAU) to offer the same scholarship opportunity to illegal immigrants. Arizona State University (ASU), Phoenix College, and Grand Canyon University (GCU) also partner with TheDream.US.
TheDream.US founders are: Don Graham, chairman of Graham Holdings Company (formerly The Washington Post), former director of Facebook, and former member of the Pulitzer Prize Board; Carlos Guitierrez, chairman and CEO of Empath, former chairman and CEO of Kellogg’s, and former Secretary of Commerce for the Bush administration; and Henry R. Muñoz III, former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee.
Several among the senior staff at TheDream.US were illegal immigrants themselves. Leading them is president and CEO Gaby Pacheco, an illegal immigrant who didn’t obtain her citizenship until June. As an activist, Pacheco helped inspire the DACA program as enacted via executive order by former President Barack Obama.
Last year, TheDream.US president was Candy Marshall, the former chief human resources officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Marshall now serves as the senior advisor to the organization.
Advisory board members include Lupe De La Cruz, Pepsi vice president of government affairs and corporate citizenship; Mei-Yen Ireland, senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Georgia Levenson Keohane, CEO of the Soros Economic Development Fund; and Andrew Rosen, chairman and CEO of Kaplan.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The University of Arizona (UArizona) will not reveal the identity of the student who threatened to shoot up the James E. College of Law campus over “transphobes” this past spring semester.
Police records reflect that the threats were made in the days leading up to April 10th, prompting concerns that lasted throughout the month and moved the law school to hold its last week of classes and finals remotely.
UArizona told AZ Free News that they redacted the student’s name from official records due to privacy and confidentiality issues.
According to records first obtained by 13 News, the University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD) reported finding “threatening messages referencing killing people at UA campus” on the student’s phone. They found a search history that included questions around shooting accuracy, mass shootings, the Michigan State shooting, and Tucson shooting ranges. In an Instagram post included within police records, the student said they would rather kill a transphobe than be killed.
“All the gay people I know in the US are afraid for their life every day,” read the post. “I pack a loaded 9mm around with me because I’d rather kill a transphobe than get killed. But even then, I’d still probably die in a gunfight.”
Also according to police records, a friend reported to police that the student expressed an intent to shoot people. A friend also reported that the student would carry a gun onto campus property, despite knowing that it violated university policy.
“[The student] was talking oddly and that within the odd speech, [the student] stated, ‘I’m gonna shoot people’ as well as ‘they’re gonna come to shoot me’ and ‘I’m gonna shoot them before they shoot me,’” said the report. “[The student] has a gun and takes it to the university even though [the student] knows [they’re] not supposed to but uses it for protection in case [they’re] attacked.”
These threats emerged just weeks after the Christian elementary school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. The shooter — 28-year-old Aiden Hale, formerly known as Audrey Hale — was a woman who identified as a transgender man and a former student of the school. Three children and three adults were murdered by Hale before police stopped her.
Police records reflected that the UArizona student was hospitalized for mental health issues on April 10. Yet, on April 28, UAPD was notified that the student’s NetID WiFi was used in an attempted log-in on a campus computer. The student was not on campus. The interim public safety officer said the student was “in care” and not on campus at the time of the log-in.
In May, the student was reportedly entered into a federal database to prevent the future purchase of a firearm.
At the time of the threats and in a statement last week, the university repeatedly declared that the student posed no threat to campus. Interim Chief Safety Officer Steve Patterson said as much in a statement last Friday on the incident.
“UAPD has categorized the matter as a mental health-related case rather than a criminal matter,” said Patterson. “The investigation by the University of Arizona Police Department found that friends identified a student in crisis off-campus in April and sought care for their friend. While the student was in supervised care — and therefore posed no threat to the campus community — the student’s friends turned in a loaded handgun to the Tucson Police Department and informed them that the student had made verbal threats, although later statements indicated that the threat was less clear.”
Yet, Patterson advised students to remain vigilant on campus.
“The April incident is an important reminder that all of us must remain vigilant in the face of threatening or concerning behavior,” said Patterson.
According to the report, the student was banned from campus and university activities.
The University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD) maintains a public list of banned individuals. Their policy maintains that these exclusionary orders are issued for a minimum of six months and potentially up to one year from the date of the offense. According to that list, there are 90 individuals who were banned within the potential same time frame as the student who issued the shooting threat.
At least one of the individuals within that time frame on the Exclusionary Orders list identifies as a transgender individual. It also appears that one of those individuals could have the ability to log in remotely to a campus computer — as it appears the student did on April 28 — having been an information technology services employee for the university until around May.
Questions concerning the ability of UArizona students to “remain vigilant” of an unidentified, banned student remain unanswered. UArizona referredAZPM to the redacted police report and Patterson’s statement when asked. The university also wouldn’t confirm whether the student is included in the UAPD exclusionary orders list.
The entire list of those banned within the same potential time frame as the student who made the shooting threat are listed below:
Timothy Hallman, exclusion through Oct. 11, 2023
Lawrence Littlefield, exclusion through Oct. 12, 2023
Eric Gates, exclusion through Oct. 13, 2023
Joseph Mackinder, exclusion through Oct. 19, 2023
Jeffery Garland, exclusion through Oct. 19, 2023
Jorge Howard, exclusion through Oct. 20, 2023
Kyle Narreau, exclusion through Oct. 25, 2023
Christopher Bravo, exclusion through Oct. 28, 2023
Jacob Ficek, exclusion through Oct. 29, 2023
Daniel Frescura, exclusion through Nov. 2, 2023
Bob Bernal, exclusion through Nov. 3, 2023
Jack Music, exclusion through Nov. 3, 2023
Eva Arevalo, exclusion through Nov. 3, 2023
Jerry Johnson, exclusion through Nov. 3, 2023
Jordan Daniel, exclusion through Nov. 9, 2023
Peter Fass, exclusion through Nov. 10, 2023
David Petersen, exclusion through Nov. 14, 2023
Ronald Andrews, exclusion through Nov. 15, 2023
Luis Leveta, exclusion through Nov. 16, 2023
Randy Elam, exclusion through Nov. 17, 2023
Kieth Davis, exclusion through Nov. 17, 2023
Chester Carroll, exclusion through Nov. 17, 2023
Joshua Neuser, exclusion through Nov. 17, 2023
Benjamin Burch, exclusion through Nov. 18, 2023
Kimberly Meadows, exclusion through Nov. 22, 2023
Wallace Leight, exclusion through Nov. 23, 2023
Victor De Anda, exclusion through Nov. 26, 2023
Roderick Davis, exclusion through Nov. 27, 2023
James Aguilar, exclusion through Nov. 29, 2023
Jarrod Fligg, exclusion through Dec. 1, 2023
Chana Fligg, exclusion through Dec. 1, 2023
Jamal Shannon, exclusion through Dec. 1, 2023
Carlos Castillo, exclusion through Dec. 3, 2023
Lucas Griffith, exclusion through Dec. 3, 2023
Adrian Davis, exclusion through Dec. 5, 2023
Gregory Nelson, exclusion through Dec. 5, 2023
Victor Zevallos, exclusion through Dec. 12, 2023
Matthew Verheyen, exclusion through Dec. 18, 2023
Wayne Martino, exclusion through Dec. 21, 2023
Mariah Ruiz, exclusion through Dec. 22, 2023
Aaron Collelmo, exclusion through Dec. 22, 2023
Sandra Steinmetz, exclusion through Dec. 30, 2023
Brittney Garcia, exclusion through Dec. 30, 2023
Selahattin Toprak, exclusion through Dec. 30, 2023
Steven Helming, exclusion through Jan. 2, 2024
David Meracle, exclusion through Jan. 4, 2024
Curtis Linner, exclusion through Jan. 5, 2024
Zachary Kindell, exclusion through Jan. 5, 2024
Christian Diaz De Leon, exclusion through Jan. 7, 2024
Dustin M. Klett, exclusion through Jan. 13, 2024
Cody Hill, exclusion through Jan. 13, 2024
Gregory Schmitt, exclusion through Jan. 15, 2024
Robert Ramsey, exclusion through Jan. 15, 2024
Steven Asmar, exclusion through Jan. 17, 2024
Michael Todd, exclusion through Jan. 18, 2024
William Turnbow, exclusion through Jan. 20, 2024
Russell Higgins, exclusion through Jan. 26, 2024
Leona Arreola, exclusion through Jan. 26, 2024
Elijah Salzwedel, exclusion through Jan. 26, 2024
Derek Kirven, exclusion through Feb. 4, 2024
Jeffrey Jorgenson, exclusion through Feb. 4, 2024
Paul Curran, exclusion through Feb. 8, 2024
Jorge Ruiz, exclusion through Feb. 8, 2024
Joseph Hardin, exclusion through Feb. 9, 2024
Johnathan Keeney, exclusion through Feb. 9, 2024
Chad Harvey, exclusion through Feb. 9, 2024
Arik Ruybe, exclusion through Feb. 13, 2024
Anthony Fuentes, exclusion through Feb. 13, 2024
Isaac Gracia, exclusion through Feb. 13, 2024
Jordan Young, exclusion through Feb. 14, 2024
Raymond Ramirez, exclusion through Feb. 14, 2024
John Lawicki, exclusion through Feb. 16, 2024
Tristen Dejolie, exclusion through Feb. 17, 2024
Richard Bowlby, exclusion through Feb. 18, 2024
Roman Arriero, exclusion through Feb. 21, 2024
Aric Ballard, exclusion through Feb. 22, 2024
Jason Blaylock, exclusion through Feb. 24, 2024
Ryan Kuhns, exclusion through Feb. 24, 2024
Andrea Young, exclusion through Feb. 25, 2024
Michael Burks, exclusion through Feb. 26, 2024
Leonard Johnson, exclusion through Feb. 29, 2024
Michael Clampitt, exclusion through Feb. 29, 2024
Kevin Huma, exclusion through March 3, 2024
Shannon Baker, exclusion through March 4, 2024
Enrique Lopez, exclusion through March 7, 2024
Kenton Landau, exclusion through March 21, 2024
Herbert Forreset, exclusion through March 30, 2024
Gabriel Sethi, exclusion through March 31, 2024
Jamie Chacon, exclusion through April 7, 2024
Leo Tift, exclusion through April 27, 2024
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The University of Arizona (UArizona) is allegedly teaching nursing students to introduce preschoolers to transgenderism.
In two class slides obtained by Libs of TikTok, nursing students are told to ask pediatric patients aged three to 13 years old about their gender identity. The students are given a script to read, in which they advise the child that inside feelings determine gender and that objective truth doesn’t exist.
“Some kids feel like a girl on the inside, some kids feel like a boy on the inside, and some kids feel like neither, both, or someone else,” read the suggested script. “How do you feel on the inside? There’s no right or wrong answer.”
The second slide advised nursing students to begin asking patients about gender identity around the age of three years old, specifically.
Research indicates that children don’t begin to make clear distinctions between reality and fiction until after seven years old. Prior to that point and starting around the age of two, children begin to “play pretend.” This aspect of childhood is expressed through the belief in fantasy beings such as Santa Claus, invented entities such as imaginary friends, and storylines explored through play such as their role in a Power Rangers “battle.” One study found that four-year-old children believed Big Bird from “Sesame Street” was real.
Notably, researchers have found that children were more likely to accept information when they believed someone was an expert or credible source on a topic. This indicates a self-fulfilling prophecy: if a nurse tells a child to believe it’s possible to swap genders or be neither gender, and further tell that child that no objective truth about gender exists, then the child is more likely to believe and accept that as truth.
AZ Free News reached out to the nursing school for details on the slides, such as the class from which they came. They didn’t respond by press time.
SCOOP: University of Arizona nursing school is teaching future nurses that 3-year-olds can know they are transgender. They’re also being taught to start questioning patients as young as 3 about their gender.
UArizona still refers individuals seeking transgender procedures for minors to El Rio Health on its LGBTQ Community Resources page, describing the provision of “affirming, respectful, and quality healthcare to pediatric and adult transgender and gender non-conforming communities.” The listed services include hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and “sensitive referrals.” However, the link on the university page no longer exists, likely due to Arizona laws banning such procedures for minors.
El Rio clinic gender transitions for minors were provided by Andrew Cronyn for years prior to the recent changes in Arizona law. Cronyn initially turned away minors for gender transition procedures; by 2014, Cronyn said he relented and accepted his first minor patient.
UArizona hosted Cronyn as a guest speaker for his work on transitioning children.
Feb. 15: @UAhealthnet LGBTQ+ Interest Series presents "Transgender Healthcare." Dr. Andrew Cronyn will discuss the Transgender Youth Program at El Rio and the healthcare transformation to LGBTQ Affirming, patient-centered care. RSVP is requested. Info: https://t.co/vxrJujTQbqpic.twitter.com/Xvt9zXzqJZ
The American Nurses Association (ANA), which defines standards for nurses, issued a statement last October condemning restrictions and bans on gender transition procedures for minors. As of January, ANA’s president is Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, a UArizona alumna and, up until last year, an Arizona State University (ASU) nursing instructor.
In May, ANA issued another statement opposing restrictions and bans on gender procedures. Mensik Kennedy advocated for the unfettered right for patients to obtain “gender-affirming care” from health care providers.
“Discrimination does not belong in health care and has no place in nursing practice,” said Mensik Kennedy. “Unfortunately, people are dying from the lack of access to this critical care. The delivery of modern and culturally sensitive care requires that no patient be left without the care that they need, seek, and require.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
